Who are the People in Your Neighbourhood?

Yesterday was the first day it didn't rain all day since we moved in. Sunny but still a bit chilly, although I get cold easily even if it's warmer to others. Wayne and I dressed up Sam and took her outside where she could play ball with us. The kids on the block were out and Sammy gravitated to them with a big 'HI!' The kids ranged from 5 - 7 but still loved to play...they even asked us if "Samantha can play with us". Sam was in her GLORY! It wasn't long until our neighbour came out - in summer SHORTS! - and introduced himself. We talked up a storm while our kids played together. Sam splashed in puddles and even sat in them....man did she have a good bath when we came in. Her poor little hands and feet were little icicles! Our neighbour filled us in on who's who on the street. He even mentioned that the block likes to get together for 'Mardi Gras' in March, so we're invited if we'd like to get to know everyone. I'm feeling more and more at home everyday! LOL! Sounds like a great bunch of people. We're so blessed to have moved into such a great neighbourhood and our kids seem to get along well!

Sam's vocabulary is expanding day by day and she's learning on her own when and how to use her words. Yesterday she saw me eating chips while we were outside. She left her group of friends to come up and ask me for one. I wasn't expecting to hear it but she reached up saying "peeeze!" She's finally catching on and it seems she's surprising us almost everyday lately! She saw a duck on TV and said out loud "DUCK". Now she says bye bye very clearly...."buh-byyye" emphasizing the 'I'...eyyye! Now her new one is 'what'. We're trying to teach her to put 2 words together and with the way it's going I'm sure it won't be long before she's talking some sentences.
She's still not on schedule...this will take a while I'm sure. She still hates her crib and prefers to sleep with us, but we keep working on it.

We're having our security system installed next Tuesday which is a nice relief. Wayne goes back to work next week and he said he's going to Calgary in a couple of weeks. Things are getting back to normal. lol Now to head to a paint store and choose some colors!

Our Weekend

Yesterday was another day of unpacking some lingering boxes of odds and ends, when I got a call from my best friend from high school. We've been keeping in touch on and off throughout the years and a couple of months ago I called her to say I'm moving back to BC. So she called yesterday to say she was coming over to finally see me! She brought her 3 adorable kids, who had little housewarming gifts for us...thank you again guys! I gave her the tour of the house and she met Wayne, but Sam had already gone down for a nap (first time in ages, but bad timing). We had such a great visit - we laughed and talked about old times...it was like no time had passed since the last time we saw one another. It reminded me why we were so inseperable. Now I really feel at home again and not so isolated in a new town. I'm looking forward to getting out with her for dinner dates and girl times. She even had a recreation magazine for me so I could register Sam for upcoming programs. I cannot wait to get to a playgroup and swimming lessons again!


Sam still isn't on schedule, but that's our fault. Yah I'm being lazy. We planned on getting her back into her crib this weekend so I'll force myself to do that tomorrow! Plus we're going to start potty training her I think. She's got a bad habit of digging down into the back of her diaper and it drives me crazy. Not to mention that I'm absolutely horrified when it's been a poopy one! That's happened twice now and last night was one of them. I had to hang up the phone and run her up into the bath immediately. I will refrain from details but let's just say it took me an hour to clean up and I'm NOT doing it again. Tomorrow I'm going to buy a potty for her. UGH!! !!!!!!!

Now...
tonight....I'm going to plant my butt on the couch without interruption and watch the Oscars. I WILL NOT miss the red carpet as I did last year, so I've lined up Wayne to watch Sam. I will pop some popcorn and indulge myself in pure and utter glamour. Anyone to join me??

Off Schedule

Now that we've settled as much as we can, it's time that we get our Sammy girl back on schedule. Since I left Ottawa and stayed at my mom's for 3 weeks, Sam's bedtime has been very late because she didn't have her crib - so she slept with me. Now that we're finally home, we have to get her used to her new room. Half the problem is, I've absolutely LOVED cuddling with her every night and falling asleep so she's been sleeping with us since...lol! She's only this small once so I say why not. But we were saying last night that she's got to go into her own room this weekend and we can't cave. It's going to be a harder transition for her though so I hope we haven't created a monster! Will keep you posted.
It's also even harder to get her to eat properly, no matter what I make for her. She LOVES her bread products and fruit is still good on the menu, but anything else is impossible to get her to eat. Typical toddler I guess. I must say though, her words are starting to come out more. She's figured out "UH-OOHHH" when she picks up something she's not supposed to and brings it to me. This is usually when I've just walked in the room and caught her red-handed. Tonight we asked her to say please and for the first time she said it !! (peeeez) I was jumping up and down so happy and she laughed and we asked her again and she said it....this went on for a couple of minutes...lots of joy and jumping in the new kitchen! LOL! She'll also pronounce ball almost with the 'l' sound and says 'hi' loud and clear and with direct eye contact. Sometimes I wonder if these are things she should have said long ago...'hi' being one of them for sure. but I guess as everyone says, kids are all different and do things on their own time.

Today I called a good friend of mine from high school - we've been keeping in touch for the past couple of years since we reunited on one of her business trips to Ottawa. I also emailed another one of our friends who lives in the same town as we do! Hopefully we can all get together soon. It sure will be nice when we can find a car for myself so I can be independent again!
It's nice to be home with Wayne for a while....he hasn't had to work for the past couple of weeks and will be off again next week before he teaches his next course. When training high tech companies there's no guarantees he'll have a fully booked course each week. Anyway it's nice to just have him around for a while while we settle. I've broken down most of the empty boxes to clear some space. I've also been watching designer programs for inspiration and planning colors for our painting project. It's going to be a while before we start abd I'm getting quite anxious about it. Did I mention that the previous owners painted AROUND their china cabinet! HOW BIZARRE!! Like - who ever does that?? And chose a pea soup green to boot. man.

LOL

Birthday Gift From My Handy Man

Wayne said he'd love to buy me something really nice for the home as a birthday gift to me. Yesterday he came home with a black silt granite sink!! LOL I know it sounds like a funny thing to buy someone for their birthday but my mom has the same one and I fell in love with it. Not only it matches our appliances, but it has a soap dispenser - how cool is that.
It all started when he wanted to hook up the dishwasher and found that the plumbing under the sink was obviously done by someone who did not know what they were doing. We were planning to get a new sink to begin with since it was improperly installed and breaking apart. So he went to Canadian Tire for all his materials and figured he may as well get the sink too. That's how my birthday present came about.

In the meantime it's been hard to prepare meals in the kitchen, especially after Wayne had to cut the hole bigger for the sink. There are dirty dishes everywhere, sawdust and miscellaneous items still left from unpacking (okay breathe Heidi) so we had to order pizza last night. Tonight it looks like we'll be ordering in again and Wayne thinks he'll have the kitchen completed tonight. Dishwasher and all! Thank God for my hubby. It's amazing how handy he is - his next project is to build a Murphey bed for the guest room! On hydrolics no less!

Home Sweet Home

We're home! MR is a great little place - and the smell of cedar mills in the air is dreamy!! We arrived last Sunday and I just found my laptop a couple of days ago. I have to say that I'm absolutely over the MOOOOON about this house! Sometimes I'm waiting to wake up from a dream! When I walked in on Sunday night I could hardly believe my eyes - the pictures I saw did not do this place justice (as most pictures are that way). One of my favorite features is a huge ledge to lounge on in our bedroom window. The curtains pull all the way across the wall which reminds me so much of a hotel room. Our cat Max loves to sleep there in the day, basking in the sun. Not that we've had much sun these days, mind you. It's a typical rainy February, but the 13 degree temp is DREAMY, to the -25 degrees we're used to! sorry folks out east, had to rub it in..lol!

I've had the kitchen and family room completely unpacked since a couple of days ago - they were defintely priority. I'm now done 3 bathrooms but the 4th full bath in the basement is last on my list, as we don't really use it. We are definitely going to be painting this place and I cannot wait to get started. Wayne has the next couple of weeks off so we'll venture out to the paint stores and bring home some magazines to mull over. I've been hooked on home designing channels for ideas - this is so much fun!

Over the course of the week we've met up with a banker and set up some accounts, including an RESP for Sam and her own account besides. On Thursday we set ourselves up with a family doctor and arranged a meet-and-greet. We were really impressed with his careful and undivided attention he paid to us - it is so rare to find that in doctors these days. He was not in a hurry to leave the room for his next appointment and made sure all of our questions were answered. He kept stressing to us that if we ever need to see him to just give him a call. Man oh man that is so comforting to know!

We also got a call that day about a gift basket for us to be delivered today. I have no idea who it's from but I can't wait to find out!
It will be a while until I can get my computer set up to download some pictures. I took some of Sam eating our first meal at the dining room table. Wayne's in the picture too, with crazy hair since we don't have a hair stylist yet. He's definitely fitting into the mountain man category! LOL

I'm How Old??

Happy birthday to me....and I'm officially on the downslide to 40. So I'm how old?? How the heck did I get to 36 this fast!?? And this is what my mom said to me last night. She said just wait 'til you hit 50 and then 60! I'm sorry but I do not want to think about it. This is already too harsh for me. I hear from people "ah, you're still young". I guess they're right in a way - I've always had a young mind set...and I don't feel almost 40 (whatever that's supposed to feel like), so if I think of it that way, age just turns out to be nothing but another number, not define how you feel or who you are.

Today mom took the day off and we're going to eat lunch at one of my fave restaurants - Earls. It was my first job here once upon a time and I absolutely love their food. They don't have any chains out East so I missed eating there for 9 years! Tonight we'll go out for a Greek dinner, I can't for all that garlic!

Sam woke up with a fever again this morning, so I'll wait it out today and take her to see a doctor tomorrow if her fever persists. Perhaps the antibiotics aren't working or her cold is causing the fever. We'll see how she does today. In the meantime, I'm getting my birthday started with a few cups of coffee and a nice long shower....and spend my birthday with my mom for the first time in 9 years!!

Prayers Needed Please

Man this is one time I wish I was still in Ottawa, when my dear best friend Tracy needs me the most. Your prayers are requested for her mother who went into a diabetic coma a couple of days ago. She is in intensive care with a severe lung infection and is also suffering from kidney failure. Please please pray for her and the family, they need all they can get. Many blessings to you all!

Ear Infection

Ahh.. the joys of a cold and in Sammy's case(s) she ends up with ear infections. This was one I suspected yesterday when she woke up with a fever and runny eyes. The only other time she had a fever with runny eyes was last year with her first ear infection that sent us to the hospital when she puked profusely and couldn't keep any fever reducers down...so she had to get a suppository. Now I have them on hand and look for signs I didn't know back then to look for so that we DON'T end up in emerg again. First times are fun aren't they? So yesterday I saw runny eyes and nose and nothing else so I suspected the possibility of ears and gave her Advil and she went down for a nap. When she woke up and the Advil wore off she spiked an even higher fever. So I decided to take her to the walk-in to rule out ears. Sure enough she was on the verge of an ear infection so we got antibiotics and gave her some before bed to get ahead of the game. She spiked another fever at 4am, I gave her Tylenol and a bottle of water to suck on and we went back to sleep until 8. I gave her another dose of antibiotics and she hasn't had a fever since. It will be nice when she can finally be able to tell me what's wrong, as she doesn't and never had pulled on her ears or showed any kind of pain to let me know. Thank God for mother's instinct...and learning experiences!

Last Week

This is the last week we're staying at mom's. Next weekend Wayne drives up to take us back to our new home! I've been nearly going out of my tree and also noticed my patience is running a bit thin here and there. This is mostly because Sam's schedule is more than a bit off; she hasn't been napping and then she is unable to survive until bedtime so she falls asleep at 5. THEN she doesn't sleep until 11. BUT...even if she DOES have a nap she STILL doesn't go to bed until 10 or 11. Seems no matter what happens in the day she has such late nights and it takes a toll on me eventually. I think I've done a pretty good job at handling this whole moving thing and living out of a suitcase... until yesterday when I lost it in a moment while talking to my mom and aunt - I just dropped everything and left the room in tears. Yeah sounds a bit dramatic maybe, but I seriously didn't see it coming. At that moment I realized I probably needed to just release it all and next thing I knew I felt back to normal and carried on.
So next Saturday I've planned to have Sam's 2nd birthday party and hopefully daddy will arrive on time. He'll be working all week so we'll see how early he'll get on the road Saturday morning. On a perfect trip he can make it in 4 hours, but in the winter through the mountains it could take him 5 and a half depending. I've ordered Sam's Dora cake and this week I'll shop for a few party items and a gift for Sam.
So far there hasn't been too much happening. We had Sam's cousin Cole over on the weekend again for a playdate and sleepover. I spoke to Wayne last night and he's been cleaning the house all week and sleeping on his inflatable mattress. The movers are arriving today so I can't wait to talk to him tonight to see how things went. He's looking forward to getting the furniture in!! As soon as possible we'll have to apply white primer to the puke green walls we plan to paint over. We'll be taking a sample of our carpet to Home Depot to get a good color scheme going. Man I'm getting so excited to see our place! While my step dad Rick was in Vancouver on business, he drove by our place to check it out. Now I feel everyone's seen our place except me!! I can't wait!