Saturday, November 10, 2007

Yesterday

My visit with Bill was wonderful.
As usual, I was nervous. I don't know why! I've been having my hair done by him since I was 13. That is 16 years, and I still get nervous and excited.
First of all, when I got there he came out to say hello. It had been awhile since he'd seen me and my hair had grown a lot. It's longer than it has ever been, and he was impressed! He just kept playing with it and saying it was beautiful. In fact, he kept saying that I looked great with longer hair. And, I agreed!
So, we decided to keep it long, but add a few layers to break it up a bit.
And then there was the appointment.
I won't go into detail. I will say that when we got talking about America's Next Top Model I COULD NOT stop giggling. Sometimes Bill makes me laugh, but sometimes he makes me laugh so hard that for days following I crack up when I think about what he said.
But really, the whole visit was lovely.
And, how adorable is this ... I told him that I already know the time and date of my c-section. And, he put it on his calendar as an appointment. Too cute!
He asked me if he would see me before the baby. Of course the answer is no - because as nerve wracking as it was to wear an outfit showing off my baby bump it would be down right horrifying to go in there waddling.
After my hair appointment Mike came into Toronto and we went out for dinner.
It was really fun.
We'd debated a few options, but in the end we went to one of our favourite places - Il Fornello. This restaurant is pretty special to us because we spent our first married Valentine's there. And we only go back every so often.
Of course I ordered my favourite dinner (linguine pollo e pesto ... yum yum) and of course I ate maybe half of it so Mike was very full at the end of the night.
We laughed. We chatted. We enjoyed each other's company.
I needed an evening like this. For the first time in awhile I laughed harder than I have laughed in months. And I sat and enjoyed dinner without worrying about chasing Matthew or debating issues of pregnancy.
Moments like this you just have to appreciate.

PS I'll post the before and after pics later. Two days in a row of pictures of me is probably more than enough!

Friday, November 09, 2007

Help! Do you think the Outfit Works?

I'm beyond excited ...
Guess what happens at 4:30 today? That's right - I have a hair appointment with my beloved hairstylist, Bill.
(recognize him?)
You may know him from Cityline!
I know, trust me, I know. Most people don't make a huge deal about seeing their stylist. But, I do. I'm crazy that way, I guess, but I really really love going. And, since it's beyond expensive I can't go nearly as often as I would like.
But, it's worth it every time I go.
I've been to different stylists. I've tried saving money. But let's be honest. When you find someone who boosts your spirits and makes you feel beautiful and lovely and like yourself it is worth every penny. And trust me - it's a lot of pennies.
I'll admit, I spend a lot of time planning these appointments. I need to decide on my outfit. That alone takes days. I seek advice. I read fashion magazines. I go shopping.
That's hard enough on a normal day. Hello. Pregnant. Do you know how much stress I've been under? I had to plan an outfit that looks cool and sexy and yet makes me look like a glowing, happy and not huge pregnant woman.
Bill has never seen me pregnant. Not that he'll judge. Still.
I've tried on many outfits.
The good news is that I won't have to suck in my stomach. That's fun!
And, the other good news (which makes all this outfit planning a little silly) is that of course you wear a gown/robe thing when you go there. So, it's not like it matters that much. But, really, there is the whole entrance and exit to worry about!
I finally settled on a nice tealish shirt with a black shirt underneath and some jeans. I'm currently debating between two pairs of jeans. I think if worse comes to worse I may bring both pairs of jeans to work and ask my fashion conscious collegues to help me decide.
Why not?
I did ask Mike's opinion but his opinion is solely based on which pair is more flattering to my butt. And, though that is a consideration there is more to fashion than just that.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
And the purse. Because this shirt is a bluish teal (not greenish) I am using my current favourite red purse. I debated whether it was too much. But, I'm loving the colour. The jeans I've settled on are skinny jeans that sort of bunch at the bottom. So, do I wear red heels (very '80's) or do I go with the flat black boot? Or the black boot with a heel?
Help!
Here is a picture of the outfit. I need shoe help. (And this is not a flattering pic, by the way)
Choices:
Red Heel
Silver Flat
Black Flat Boot (under pants)
Black heel boot (under pants)

Thursday, November 08, 2007

A Crazy Day

Ever have one of those days?
Not bad, pretty good, but crazy? That was my day yesterday.
It started by making fluffernutters for breakfast and got crazier from there.

First let's discuss my outfit, shall we? I like this dress. I think. But, Mike thinks it makes me look super pregnant. (I'm 18 weeks ... I have a ways to go)

And the other stuff ...

I got stopped in the bathroom at work by a lovely lady who wanted to discuss my pregnancy. Apparently my facial structure has changed and is thinner, and therefore I am having a girl. Nice - on both accounts. I like a thinner face, and a girl would be nice.
However, I was just told by someone else that I am definitely carrying a boy.
The inner psychic comes out in people.
No, it won't be a surprise. But no, I do not know yet.

What else was there? Well, let's see - the regularly scheduled conference call I had this morning (that I maybe double booked assuming it would be short) was the longest conference call ever. And, I surprised myself by understanding every single part of the call (it was technical - I'm becoming web savvy. ooooh!)
And, then I got off the call only to find out in a further e-mail that one of my favourite technical people I work with is helping me with this project ... yay!

And then. We have a rewards program at my office - you get a card where you are congratulated on a job well done. These are few and far between. The source of the card surprised me. And I was flattered. So I sent a thank you e-mail. And, the response I got was so kind. I was called a team player. It's funny because if I had to pick one person who I thought wasn't that impressed with my work I would pick this person. And surprise - I was wrong.
But there's more - someone also today told me that I looked good pregnant. This - on a day where I was feeling kind of gross.

And, then the day ended with an e-mail from a friend from highschool. She had read on my blog (she reads my blog? Hi Jen) that I'm going to Florida in the summer, and she lives near where we will be. And she wants to go for coffee. I'm thrilled, but also amazed. I would never have thought that when I go to Florida I will be able to keep up with a long lost friend. And, what is memorable about this friend? Well, let's just say she introduced me to eyebrow waxing! Truly truly appreciated, my friend. Truly.

And tomorrow - Bill Day! Yippee

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

An Ode to AndreAnna's Fluffernutters

For anyone who is familiar with AndreAnna, you know that she and her daughter are quite fond of the "fluffernutter".
I had not heard of this invention until I read her blog. And, I was going to make them in the summer, but fluffernutters and morning sickness don't mix.
Mike has known my desire to try this delicious sounding meal and he pointed out fluff this weekend. And we bought some.
So with no further ado, I present to you our morning breakfast... (maybe not something to try if you are on a health kick)

We started with the basics - fluff, peanut butter and white bread (ignore the half unpainted wall as our house is a work in progress)


Matthew chose the fluff of choice. This is the original fluff. Note the rocking hair do and the Lightning McQueen Jammies. We are styling in our house. Also, note on the shelf behind the Princess Cereal he insists on. Yum Yum.


And Voila! Our Fluffernutter. Of course we made it into a sandwich. And he ate breakfast! Life is good my friends, good.





Tuesday, November 06, 2007

BRUSH YOUR TEETH

I love going to the dentist!
Always a fun experience. Always.
Last night I had an appointment. Lucky for me it was just a cleaning. When I called to confirm I was told I could come earlier, so we decided to go right after work and then I decided that this would be a great opportunity for Matthew to come along and watch, since it was, afterall, just a cleaning.
I told him he could sit in the chair if he wanted, or just watch, or whatever.
I was surprised at how well he did.
They were really cool. They had a special chair for him to sit on, and they had some toys. The hygeniest who was doing my teeth is amazing. She's pretty much the only hygeniest who I feel comfortable with (as in, I'm pregnant and can't take Adovan, and I didn't panic at all during the appointment). And, she was amazing with Matt.
Of course, his technical nature meant he asked questions about EVERYTHING. He wanted to know the name of every single instrument. How I remained calm while she described what all the stuff did is a testament to my parenting skills and the fact that I don't want him to hate the dentist.
The funniest part of the evening was when he saw the machine that takes pictures. She told him it's a camera.
He said "Oh! I thought it was a saw"
And then he went on to explain the many uses for a saw in a dentist's office - from cutting out teeth to building more offices.
And then she started. I was still trying to be calm, not wince, and not get all nervous. I did pretty well till she hit my sore tooth and I said "ow".
Matthew then went on a tirade about "don't hurt my mommy." and "watch out for mommy's tongue."
I finally convinced him that I was fine.
At the end, he refused to sit in the chair. He did not want his teeth checked. He did agree to brush his teeth and let mommy and daddy help him.
All in all a good appointment. Neither of us ran out of there screaming. We had as much fun as you can possibly have at a tooth cleaning. And, though I don't think Matt wants to get his teeth cleaned anytime soon, at least he is terrified of the idea.
But, I have to admit, I kind of love this dentist's office. They are funny and nice, and they totally understand that going to the dentist is not the highlight of my life.

ps I totally shocked her by my new found impressive flossing technique! It's all thanks to flossing picks. They are amazing!

Monday, November 05, 2007

Travel

In July we are travelling to Florida - for a family trip to Disney World. when I say family trip I mean family, as in my parents, my sister's family and our family. That is 10 people (including the yet unborn baby). And, yes, I know what you're thinking, I'm a little crazy to plan a trip to Disney with a 3 or 4 month old. In July.
Crazy.
But we'll have help.
And, I'm thinking that realistically, this child can't be much crazier than Matt was as an infant who NEVER slept. And we took him to Vermont. Vermont/Disney World. Very similar to a baby who will still be seeing in black and white.
And, think of the adorable little Mickey or Minnie Mouse ears. Oh! The Photo Ops!
Anyway ...
I digress.
This post is about travel.
We've been batting around various ideas about how we will get there. With 10 people travelling it adds up.
My dad is the kind of person who absolutely loves researching travel.
He has so far come up with a variety of ideas from flying (the obvious choice - though he has researched several airports), taking a train, driving, or, everyone's favourite, renting a giant motor home that fits 10.
On the weekend we decided to go to an event at a local garden centre. So, my sister loaded everyone up in her van (my parents, the kids, she and I - the husbands were both busy) and we drove the 7 minutes to the garden centre.
My dad was squished in the back between Kyla and Matthew. Paige sat in the middle next to my mom and Becky and I sat in the front. Great. family. fun.
And then Matt did what he does best when he's tired. He started being noisy and annoying. My poor dad who was smooshed between the kids was a good sport. And then Paige started to scream. And then Kyla started to whine.
It was pretty funny.
Especially when Becky and I chimed in that perhaps we should rent a motor home. Cause, how fun would 24 hours of this be.
I think the decision to fly is back on.
I'm thinking we'll load up on Gravol.
I'm looking forward to Disney World. It's getting from point A to point B that I'm a little worried about!

Sunday, November 04, 2007

At Least HE was Proud of Himself!

Yesterday morning Mike was going to Canadian Tire. Matthew wanted to stay home with me, so I asked Mike to pick up a couple of items: Mr. Clean and toilet bowl cleaner.
Awhile later Mike got home.
He went through what he had bought and the coolant levels of the van, and then he got very excited when I asked if he had bought my cleaning products.
"Yes I did! But I got you something to make toilet cleaning fun!" he said, as he ran off to get the bag.
I was pretty sure that a cleaning woman did not fit in the bag, but I was holding out hope for a Molly Maid gift certificate.
Nope. He pulled this out.

Yes - Kaboom Bowl Blaster.
Yay! Toilet bowl cleaning will be fun ... for Mike.
To my credit, I didn't get angry or annoyed or anything (bathroom cleaning is, after all, a task we both dread and hate). I just pointed out that he could have all sorts of fun, by himself, cleaning the bathroom.

Now, I will admit, when he dumped the stuff in the toilet which has seen better days, it did foam and it was pretty cool. And, even better it is nice and clean.
An added bonus, it has 50 uses, so really, I won't be cleaning toilets for a really long time.