Odds and Ends

My head is a jumble of things. So here's an odds and ends post in points for you. That's sorta what happens when I get busy and I'm not entirely sure what to post, but life goes on and there's a whole lotta stuff going on these days.

Hubby just celebrated his 44th birthday on Sunday, April 15. This date was also the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, off the coast of my home province of Newfoundland. It was a beautiful morning so we took Petite out to a park for some fun on the swings and the slide. She had so much fun. She didn't want to go down for her afternoon nap! That evening, we went to my friend's house (yeah, she fell asleep in the car and I drove around for 40 mins while she slept). My friend made dinner for everyone, we brought dessert, and everyone had a lovely meal. It was delicious! Happy 44th Birthday honey. I know this past year hasn't been all that amazing to us, but with a little luck and some hard work, 2012-13 WILL be better. I love you. Never doubt that, even in my most bitchy PMS moments!

While at my friend's house, Hubby did his 2010 taxes (yes, he's woefully behind). Dear baby Jesus, if the figures are right, he owes about $3500. So much for the vacation we had hoped to take in February of next year... It may all go up in smoke. Crap. I was desperately hoping that we'd be able to pull that off. We were all looking forward to it but if he owes that much, I just don't see it happening. Anyway, learning that put me in a rather disheartened mood on Hubby's birthday. And that's a miserable way to be on his special day.

Added to the fun, I was PMSing pretty badly. Aunt Flo was due and every three or four months, I get PMS badly. The bloating. The moodiness. The discomfort. Aches. Pain. Swelling. It's not fun. And it just so happened that all peaked on Sunday. Ugh.

Yesterday, Petite had a bit of a runny nose. Today, she sounds stuffy and she was definitely more clingy this morning. She may very well need to be home later this week, snuggling with Mommy and Daddy instead of playing at daycare and spreading her germs.

Just as I suspected, Aunt Flo has arrived. (CD1 is today, April 17.) I called to schedule my ultrasound and follow-up appointment with the local RE, which will be on Thursday afternoon. We have an appointment booked for May to go to Montreal to determine what next steps we take, if any, given that whole 'need-to-pay-a-boatload-of-taxes' stuff. More ugh.

Thursday night, just after midnight, my parents arrive for a week-long visit. Timed perfectly to catch Petite's cold, I'm sure. (Will we repeat the visit from Hell? Stay tuned for Part Deux!)

And just to make things more fun, Petite is supposed to have her allergy testing on Saturday, the 21st. I certainly won't make her do that if she's laid up with a miserable cold though. Poor kid.

I started going back to the gym at the office. I have to work through my lunch in order to squeeze time to do it, but I've been doing it for more than a week now. I have to continue doing this, for me and for my family. I want to be here to experience Petite's life and if I don't get things under control, I fear she will lose her mom before she is ready. I have to do everything in my power to keep that from happening.

We need to make some upgrades to the house, but until the finances are in order, that can't happen either. I had hoped to purchase some stone and enlist my dad's help this weekend (weather permitting) to redo the edging on the flower bed. That may have to wait. We'll see. There's also the time factor; I simply don't know when I can go purchase these sorts of things with the schedule that I have to keep. I need to replace our pool liner (usually costs about $5K). We need to redo the backyard fence badly. I wanted to reallocate an area in the backyard for Petite to play and buy a little swing set for her. Alas, I expect that won't happen right now. It's frustrating to know that all this work needs to be done and right now, the cash flow isn't there to handle it. And how in the name of God do I expect to do another IVF? Am I insane? I just don't know.

Oh, and we had an insurance rep come to the house to discuss life insurance for Petite. I had been thinking about that for quite some time and meant to do it. Last week I got off my butt and did something about it. That eases my mind a great deal. But again, finding the money to pay for these things. Wow. It's overwhelming how much cash goes OUT of our pockets for so many things.

Easter was good, if low-key. We didn't give Petite much chocolate; she's still being rationed on the stash from Valentine's and she's only just finished what she received for Christmas! But we did get her a few little ones and hid eggs around the main floor of our home. We also got her some Easter goodies, like a skip rope, a bug barn (she's fascinated by ladybugs), an Easter book, Easter decorations for her room, bubbles for outdoors, and a few things like that. She had a whole bag of toys and fun stuff to open and play with.

For Hubby's birthday, I bought tickets for us to go see Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall. What an amazing show! We had a blast. My stepson and my friend's daughter (who are good friends themselves) babysat Petite together. They did great and it was lovely to get out for an evening with adults. I'd like some more of that sort of thing. But I suppose I have to actually find the money to do it with, right?

Petite is now MORE than adept with my iPhone! She's able to find and start up her favourite games, scroll through my photos, and take pictures of her own! I would think that for her third birthday in August, I'm going to have to get her something like an iPod and load it with her own apps, and things, and buy the kid-friendly protective holder for it. Technology huh? Well, it goes without saying that she'll be exposed to it in our house. Now to keep her from hollering for "Tom Cat!" (aka "Talking Tom Cat"every time I put her in her carseat.

Oh such wonderful news! Remember back in the fall, the whole "Win a Baby" contest on our local radio station, The New HOT 89.9? Well, this morning the third of five couples announced a pregnancy! AMAZING! So out of the five couples, three are pregnant now, and one of those three is pregnant with identical twins! The ultrasounds are really cool to see and so many people are extremely supportive of them, keeping fingers crossed and sending good wishes, all that sort of thing. Wonderful, wonderful news. How lucky they all are. Would that we could all have our IVF financed and avoid that costly, difficult step. I am sure they all know they are truly blessed.

Have a great week everyone.

I have no title; there's too much in here!

There's a plethora of things running through my brain that I want to blog about. Some are quick and dirty, others are definitely entire posts unto themselves. Hell, I'm sure one or two could be book ideas!

For now, I'll deal with the quick and dirty tidbits; items of importance in my life that have affected me, or are on the immediate horizon. To do that efficiently, I'm going to slap this into bulleted format. Forgive me my transgressions, please? There is more to come. I guarantee. I just need to find time to write it all down.

• My mom arrives on Saturday for a week-long visit. I'm really looking forward to seeing her. The last time I saw my mom was in January for the family vacation we all took together (thanks to my parents). She cannot wait to get her hands on Petite for some love and cuddles and kisses. Nana loves our little girl to bits! The reason she's visiting is that she's taking advantage of some time with us on her way down to the States. She's heading down to visit my sister. Why? Because...
  


• ... My sister is now 38 weeks pregnant with the first baby boy in the family in 28 years. I had the first grandchild, and Petite was the first baby in 26 years in our family. My sis is now on the verge of having my parents' second grandchild, and it's a boy this time. I'm so excited for her, and boy, do I wish I could go visit for a quick weekend after he arrives. As it stands, I expect we'll have to Skype for a few months and I'll hope to see both my sister and my new nephew in August at home. Anyway, Mom is heading down to stay with my sister for a month or so, hoping that her grandson arrives safe and sound, and she wants to give my sister a hand for a little while as they find some sort of routine.
  


• As miserable as I was with a cold and sinus infection last week, I wouldn't have missed the Royal Wedding of William and Kate for anything! I was 11 years old when Charles and Diana got married and I distinctly recall being up early that morning, with my mom and my sister, watching Diana walk down the aisle to become Charles' bride. It was quite romantic to watch. Later that year, Diana and Charles both came to Canada on a Royal Visit, and spent time in my hometown. At the time, I was a member of the Girl Guides of Canada and the Lieutenant Governor of our province was hosting a garden party. It was indicated that three members of each troop would be selected to attend the garden party (in uniform of course) and have the opportunity to meet Charles and Diana. I was one of the three chosen and I was so elated! I remember Diana being charming, sweet, and genuinely interested in conversation with the guests. Charles I recall as being quite stand-offish and snobby. It was a memorable day for me and I knew at that moment that Diana was someone quite special. I was honoured to have the opportunity to speak with her. Of course, I had no idea of the underlying issues and I was saddened to learn of the reality later on. Tears certainly flowed when Diana died and I was (and am) so sorry that Will and Harry lost their mom at such a young age. Diana would have loved to attend William's wedding and I know she would be so proud at the young men she raised. I look forward to Canada Day, July 1, this year. Will and Kate will be making their first formal visit to a foreign country and they will be coming to Canada, the capital where I live, to celebrate the day. I just might have to brave the throngs of celebrating Canucks to try to see them!
  


• Easter has come and gone. Petite's chocolate is now well hidden in our cupboard, that's for sure! Damn, but she just loves the stuff! She awoke on Easter morning saying, "egg?" and I gave her an Easter basket in which she could collect the eggs she found. We had a dozen eggs scattered in the house and she was as quick as a whip, finding them lickety-split and just as quickly, figuring out that chocolate was in most of them! Boy, was she a happy girl! She was given books, clothing, Play-Doh and of course, chocolates for Easter. Family members also contributed to a sandbox; I hope to pick one up later this week or next if they're on sale. Anyway, we're rationing her chocolate. Otherwise, she'd have it non-stop!
  


• At the end of the month, just after my birthday, Hubby, Petite and I are flying out West to attend my cousin's wedding. My cousin is an RCMP officer and his fiancée is an officer as well. They decided not to do the wedding in red serge though; protocols would dictate that if he dressed in red serge (and she in her wedding dress), that other attendees would also have to dress in red serge, that there would be an honour guard, etc. They'd like to dismiss with all that pomp and pageantry and just kick back and have fun. My cousin says he's wearing cowboy boots, jeans and a cowboy hat! And it's outdoors as well, assuming the weather holds. Sounds like my kind of wedding! The time change (three hours difference) will be hard on Petite, but we'll manage. We have four days before the wedding to help her adjust. And Petite is supposed to be carrying a basket of petals up the "aisle" as well. Let's hope she doesn't just sit down with the basket and tear all the petals apart!
  


• Another cousin's wife received some fantastic news. She recently underwent surgery to remove a portion of her kidney because they found a rather large growth on it and suspected cancer. She just got word that in fact, the growth wasn't cancerous. So this is wonderful to hear. She does have a similar growth that will require additional surgery in a couple of months. We have no news on that yet of course. So our fingers are still crossed but for now, we are smiling.
  


• One of my coworkers retires in about two and a half weeks' time. Lucky girl! I am sure she has plenty of things to keep her busy in her retirement. I, for one, will be envious of the time that she has to do these fun things, but then again, I wouldn't wish my years away either. However, I am ecstatically happy for her! Congratulations K! (I know she reads the blog.) Enjoy it honey. Well deserved! But do keep in touch, okay? You will definitely be missed!
  


• Our dishwasher is busted. Secretly, I think Petite's little fingers pushed a few too many buttons in rapid succession and messed up the control panel. It certainly seems that is the problem at least. I'm really quite handy and I've researched the problem left, right and centre, all over the place. No dice. I've done all the things that are 'suggested' to resolve the problem with absolutely no luck at all. So I expect we're looking at a boatload of cash to get it fixed. And it broke three months past warrantry. Nice huh? Ugh. God, I hate handwashing dishes... Just sayin'.
  


• Late last night, Hubby and I were watching the news, catching up on the latest polls for our federal election. I was also on the laptop, trolling a few sites, just making sure some things had been seen to. When lo and behold, I caught sight of a snippet. It stated that Osama Bin Laden was dead. No... really? I shook my head and read it twice. Then a third time. I don't think I processed it entirely. And I had barely looked up to speak those words to Hubby when CNN interrupted their programming with the special report and then later, President Obama's address. I stared, open-mouthed, at the TV. I almost couldn't believe it. Ten years. It's taken almost ten years since that fateful day in 2001 to find this man and bring him to justice. But sort of like Kakunaa, I wonder about the celebrations quickly commenced outside the White House last night. Don't misunderstand: I have no doubt that had he surrendered willingly and been given a trial (much as Saddam Hussein was), that he would be the ranting and raving extremist that we all know him to be, and pretty much sealed his own fate, resulting in his execution anyway. He would have been found guilty and that would have been that. However, that opportunity was taken from him -- much like it was for all those men and women on September 11th -- and I wish that were not the case. I don't deny that he deserved to die. Good Lord, if ever I wanted to reinstate Canada's Capital Punishment laws, Bin Laden would exemplify the reasons behind it all! But some part of me (the idealist, I suppose) wishes that things had gone differently. Alas... what's done is done. Hopefully it will result in more peace in our world. One must hope, right? I do bow my head in reverent silence and memory for all those who lost their lives that terrible day. For all those who have lost their lives in the War on Terror ever since. For all those families that have seen loved ones leave for foreign shores, never knowing if they would return. For the changes that our world has seen since. And for the fear that grips us... even when it may not need to. Our lives changed that day and we will forevermore be affected.
  


• Today, May 2, is election day here in Canada. A federal election was called a couple of months ago and today is the day to make your mark. As I said on FaceBook, sure, I have preferences for a particular party and for a number of candidates. However, the main point for me is that it's absolutely crucial that people get out there and VOTE. So many people in this world (take a look at the Middle East right now if you want current examples) are literally DYING because they want that freedom, they yearn for the possibility of having a democratic society. So regardless of your choice, JUST GO VOTE. Please. Besides, if you don't vote, you have absolutely no right to complain about the government after the election, now do you? :)

The following posts are yet to come:

• We are one month closer to starting our cycle; today is CD3, right on track with regular 30-day cycles. I need to fax the docs some results and get some info on dates. I hope we aren't delayed any further than I want to be!
  


• 30 Days of Blogging -- 30 topics in 30 days (some of these topics are really interesting!)
  


• Blogger award recently given to me by Marilyn (just had her transfer) and Kelly (p/g). Thank you ladies! I promise, I'll address this ASAP!
  


• What IF? -- This stems from last year's NIAW (jeez, this year's is just over! Where the heck did THAT go?!), and damn, but I still haven't had time/energy/composure enough to write it down! I think I can probably discuss my thoughts on this with the next point...
  


• Dollars and $ense of Family Building -- my thoughts and our personal experiences will be forthcoming on this topic. And yes, it certainly does touch on the What IF from last year's NIAW.

Have a great week everyone.

{This Moment}

{this moment} – A Friday ritual inspired by Finding Chaos/SouleMama.
A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.
If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’
in the comments for all to find and see.

*It's late, but in my defense, I've been quite ill with a bad cold and subsequent sinus infection. I had the picture, but uploading it and creating the post was just too much for my confused brain to handle. Nevertheless, here you go. Petite with some Easter chocolate.

Easter, Birthday and Surgery

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. We did, although it was relatively quiet. Hubby's kids and our friends K&K came over to spend the day. And Petite was a sweetie in her Easter dress. She is so social; she made eyes at everyone and smiled at the entire congregation at church on Easter morning. What a cutie.



Last week, I had surgery to remove my gall bladder. As some of you know, I had my first attack while I was pregnant with Petite. Talk about scary! I was terrified I was going to miscarry. Luckily it was just gallstones but damn, they hurt like hell. After Petite was born, I had hoped it would all be over and done with. Nuh uh. My gall bladder had other ideas and after a meal of fish and chips at home over Christmas, I had a second (and third) attack. Bloodwork revealed I was sufficiently jaundiced. And two ultrasounds revealed multiple little stones. Surgery was indicated and on Tuesday past, it was done. Considering I rarely had attacks and never felt pain like others with gall bladder issues seem to indicate, I wonder how urgent it was for me to have it removed. Regardless, it's done.

Lemme tell you... even with Ativan, hot cloths on my forearms, Emla (numbing cream), and a plethora of other ways to help, it SUCKED BALLS trying to find my vein for the IV. I remember the gas going on my face and I frantically clawed for something, ANYTHING to hold onto while they tried to get a vein. I remember distinctly rising up off the table twice as they tried and mother of God, what a helluva bruise I have on my left forearm. Not cool at all. I still feel residual pain down to the wrist in the left forearm. I hope that disappears soon. And I have four incision points. It's a total bitch not being able to bend over well, and it's terrible that I can't pick up Petite! Seriously. They told me after surgery "Don't lift anything over 10 lbs for 6 weeks." They're kidding right? They do know I'm the mom of an almost eight-month old baby girl? Maybe, just MAYBE they could have told me that BEFORE THE DAMN SURGERY!? Christ. Incompetence at its best. Never would I have imagined that sort of indication for that length of time. Tell me they're exaggerating... PLEASE.

Petite can tell that I'm totally out of sorts too. She's always looking for me or trying to get in my arms. And I hate not being able to take her. My mom and aunt are doing a marvelous job with her of course, but how do you explain to an infant that mommy hurts right now and can't pick you up? It just doesn't work. And it sucks. Hard.

Also last week, we celebrated my husband's 42nd birthday. How opportune that his MP3 player decided to quit working a few days before that, thus providing me with the perfect idea for a gift. Unfortunately, his birthday was two days after my surgery, so we couldn't do much on the exact day itself. However, Petite did give her daddy a birthday card.

And as mentioned, Mom and one of my aunts are visiting. They have been here about 10 days now. Next Thursday, two more of my aunts will arrive as well. I know they will see many changes in Petite. She's no longer the immobile little infant she was when they saw her last, that's for sure.

Petite is seven and a half months old. She's active and very happy during the day, but night time is completely different. She fusses and fumes and she doesn't sleep well at all. Some nights she is up 4 or 5 times, while others, she's only up once. It's the luck of the draw with her. So there are good days and bad days for mommy and daddy!

She still doesn't have any teeth. My mom laughed and said we'll get her fitted for dentures this week! Seriously though, not a tooth in her head, although there are some days when we suspect teething pain. So she's still eating cereals, pureed veggies, yogourt, some pureed fruits (although she doesn't like fruit much). She got a taste of ice cream at Easter and she loved that! She's still taking medicine for reflux; when we forget a dose, it's usually very noticeable in her demeanor.

She loves taking a bath and swimming; I'm hoping she'll be a water baby like my sister and I were. She adores outings. As I mentioned, she's a social butterfly. She smiles at everyone and goodness, doesn't a smiling baby bring out all sorts of comments from the general public?! She's a cutie, that's for sure. Her smile looks just like mine; I get a giggle when I see it and her whole face lights up. It's gorgeous.

Right now, I'm sort of investigating daycare options. I need to put some money aside for that (man, it's costly in this province!) and I have to figure out exactly what I need to ask people when I'm looking for daycare. If you have thoughts on that, I'm listening.

Best wishes to all. Hope everyone is well.