The name game

So this little one is due to arrive in plus/ minus ten weeks and we are contemplating what to name him or her.

It seems to be quite a responsibility. Your name follows you around every day, all day, for the rest of your life.
Some people seem to dislike their names... most people seem to be quite indifferent. After all, we don't really have a lot of choice, and we never know any different.

would like to avoid this sort of scenario (anonymous internet baby, by the way)

We have a couple of 'finalists' right now. They are top secret.... some parts of me are dying to ask for advice/ feedback, but this is something that Brian and I should decide on our own without outside influence. Plus, I am all about surprises.

Still, I am wide open to suggestions!

A couple of fall pics

We went for a hike on Sunday and this is what we saw. This is real fall in Newfoundland- grey, mystical, splashes of colour and a moody sky. Nothing overly dramatic, but still beautiful.

Fall colours, Newfoundland style

See the cormorants on the rock?

October days

Date night at Rocket Cafe... steamed milk and opera cake for me, coffee and bread pudding for Brian

It's October 15th today, a Saturday. I have the day off and I'm sitting here at the computer and it's raining outside. Too bad, cause we wanted to go on a hike today. Maybe tomorrow. Brian and I both need our 'outdoors fix' and start to go stir crazy without it.. it's time to get outside! Soon, hopefully.

We have been spending good quality Friday night dates together and it's good!! Last Friday we walked downtown.. which is always a nice walk, just to be on Water Street and watch the world go by, it's a happening place. We went to our favourite little cafe and just sat and chatted. I love steamed milk... mmm. I have been drinking a lot of milk, I crave it... must be the baby trying to get his/her bones built :).

Thanksgiving Dinner at Dave's-- deep-frying the turkey outside. Only takes 45 minutes to cook! Very delicious.

 Last weekend was a weekend of celebration and thanks and yummy food. We went to 2 dinners, first at Dave's with 'the friends', and then at Tonya's on Sunday with our Mosaic family. It feels good to have people here who we are getting to know more and more all the time. It takes a long time, it really does, to get settled in to a place.

Our Thanksgiving dinner of  'Newfoundland immigrants'.. no one has family here so we all are one big family :)

The requested baby bump pictures! Attempt at self-portrait...

 Baby Claus is growing like a weed. Apparently, he/she is about squash sized this week- that's pretty big! Sometimes it amazes me how fast this has all been going... I definitely have NOT gotten to the point where I feel like pregnancy is dragging on and on (maybe I never will, who knows, except perhaps at the very end if I go overdue).

Much easier once Brian got home. In our baby room, like my nice rocking chair? Crib still needs to be put together...

One more, just for fun in the classic pregnant lady pose

there we are!!

More to write later. It's time for breakfast! I've been feeling really reflective lately, is there something about pregnancy that makes your heart super soft and super emotional and really deep-thinking at times? (I know what you're thinking- yes- hormones! haha)

new nest

So, would you like a tour of our new house? Thought so ;).

our room

guest room

looking from the bedrooms down the hall to living room

Baby room! With brand new carpet

Just a few things in here so far..

Living room with nice big windows.. there is a baseball diamond/ park across the street

Office corner of the living room

Dining room table.. right by the window!

Everything is connected... dining room and then kitchen

Kitchen with pantry beside fridge

Laundry room and door to backyard

Front hall... the front door is to the left

and the outside!

Expansions

This baby is growing and I am feeling it!

I must confess that I had considered myself somewhat invincible to pregnancy aches and pains. I'm 25, over 10 years younger than alot of those mamas out there, I'm fit and exercise and that will make this pretty easy.

Not so much. 

The truth of the matter is, a pregnant woman's body must expand and stretch and creak and groan over a period of 9 months or so to accommodate what grows from 2 cells to an entire newborn baby, the full package! And since my little parcel weighs about 2 pounds now, it is understandable that I am worn out after a day of work, that I get leg cramps, and that my lower belly sometimes feels very overstretched.  And there are 3 more months of baby-growth (good thing this happens gradually!). 

I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining. I am quite enjoying this, and overall things are very good and my small pregnancy woes are minor and expected. I am very happy that there are still 3 more months, for a couple of reasons... baby needs to stay inside to grow, much preferrable to an incubator, and also I need time to think and process all of this slowly... to nest.

But I just want to say that it is quite the process.

And sometimes when I feel this baby kick, I really stop and think about the fact that there is a little person in there. Maybe that seems obvious, but there is someone in there who we have never met but we already love. One of my favourite things is the way that he/she reacts to Brian's voice. Probably bored of hearing my voice all the time, haha-  but if Brian talks to my belly (don't laugh! I don't mean extended conversations, just a 'hi, how are you' type thing)- the baby almost always starts kicking. And kicking some more. Pretty awesome. Glad that he/she recognizes how awesome their dad is. 

last Thursday... almost 26 weeks

Settlings

Well it's a sunny morning in St. John's and my mum and dad are coming today! They will be here from ON for 9 days. Pretty excited to show them around- also, the weather has been pretty good lately so it looks like Newfoundland will put on a good show...

Haven't posted on here for a while. Since we got back from our holiday it's been a bit of a whirlwind. We moved on September 1, and the move itself went pretty smoothly thanks to the new and old place being nice and close together, a little Yaris that holds a surprising amount of boxes, a U-Haul van and some strong-armed friends.
The place was in a bit of a state when we got here, mostly due to a tumultuous break-up of the previous tenants, and their lack of cleaning skills. It's much better now though, and yesterday we got the biggest problem fixed... a dirty furnace and a blocked chimney leading to fine soot dust all in the house- aaaaaah! But a lot of wall-scrubbing later things look a lot better-- that made it one of my most frustrating moves though. It's counteracted by the fact that I really like this house.

I also worked a lot last week so that I could take some time off when Mum and Dad are here... I am still doing fine at work but by the end of the day it's nice to put my feet up. My co-workers are so good to me and make sure that I avoid any and all hazardous situations (there's a lot of them in emergency!) such as aggressive, hitting and spitting patients, portable x-rays, infectious people, and rolling heavy or C-spine collared people around in bed. It helps a lot that they are so understanding- "go away, little mama, we don't need you here!"

Sometimes it seems so unreal that we are going to be parents in approximately (could definitely be quite a bit off this number) 109 days. But then I feel those little kicks (so amazing) and I see how my belly is growing (pics to come) and I believe it more... I see the room where the baby is going to sleep (once we get new carpet in it!) and the little baby things that I have collected in a bag and I am reminded. I read this on someone else's blog the other day and I really identify with it:

All pregnant mamas at some point have the realization that they will miss the right now, the way things are just before they are different forever. The best is yet to come, the good is what is around the corner, but it’s our nature to grieve the changes. (www.tothinkistocreate.com)


The other day I was thinking about how the 'just us', the just Brian and I, is not going to be here for much longer. And to be really honest, that made me a little sad. Because this past year and a bit of marriage has been so amazing and we have grown so much together and done so many fun things. And when babies come, things change. So many people tell me that, and I know its true.

But this little blessing is going to enlarge us, in more ways than one, I know this. He or she will make our family bigger, but also our hearts will grow and our love will grow more, as we love this new little person (and already do!) Our marriage will grow as we learn about being parents together and about taking time for each other and raising this little life who we both love so much. And these are only good things, as hard as I think they will be at times. So there is a small part of me that is sad, at times- or at least had a little sad moment a couple of days ago. (I do seem to be prone to rollercoasters of emotions, as well) - but the bigger part of me is just so excited. I will cherish these days, these just-us days, because they are slipping by slowly but surely. But then we will look forward to meeting and loving this precious gift which we have been given.


So that's all, for now. Next time I'll post pictures. For now, it's time to go eat breakfast and feed this rumbling belly :)

where we're at!

I am sitting in a motel room in Freeport, Maine (home of LL Bean, which we did go see on the way down here! And it's not as good as MEC ;). Last night it was raining as we started looking for a place to camp, and that combined with the tiredness of being on the move for quite a while now (and my slightly more fragile and prone to pampering pregnant self!) meant that we splurged for a motel. (aka the simple Super 8). And it was worth it. Clean sheets, nice shower, and all we have to do this morning is throw a couple things in the car, go eat some free breakfast, and hit the road. Right now dear Brian is still sleeping- poor guy, I keep waking up at 6 AM (really bad at sleeping in on vacation!). He has been driving the majority of this trip and we have a lot of miles to cover today so it's nice if he can rest a little longer.

So much fun and so much seen in the 16 days since we left St. John's. We have some pretty awesome pictures so I'll post some once I get them off my camera. But so many highlights and little things and big sights and sounds and oceans and views.

Brian and I celebrated our first anniversary on the 13th of August. We woke up at a beautiful oceanside campground in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia that morning. I snuck out of the tent and made coffee and fried eggs and oatmeal with peaches for breakfast- we ate it basking in the sun and then went for a glorious swim in the Atlantic. We drove leisurely for a few hours and then had ice cream followed by a  lovely dinner at a bistro in Antigonish. Then we stayed at a bed and breakfast called the Blue Tin Roof. It was a great day. So special to celebrate our first year together on holiday like that. It has been one of the best, happiest, at times most challenging, and growing years of my life thus far. We have learned a lo together and I love Brian more than I did a year ago, and it just keeps growing. i pray we are blessed with many more years together. but God only knows our days, and I will cherish each one we have so far..

that's all for now. so much more to write but it's time to go. see you in NL!