Charlie, Mr. G and me

So I've spent the past 3 days looking after my nephew Gus along with Charlie. I'm not sure I'm ready for two kids just yet...
I am convinced that babies can plot with one another. No sooner would one go down for a nap, the other would wake up. One would start to cry, convincing the other that there indeed was a major crisis in the world, and should also start crying. For the most part though, it went really well. Gus is a good cousin to Charlie, giving him lots of hugs, kisses and body slams.

Mornings like this....

Last night was the first night that Charlie slept in his own room. It was kind of bittersweet kicking him out of our room. I missed having his little cradle next to me. I missed having to essentially just role over when he woke up in the middle of the night, as opposed to getting up and going to a new room. He didn't seem to mind the room change as much. And I think we both slept better. I had a very happy baby in the morning...a perfect morning indeed.

A good day.

Today was a good day. I woke up early...partly due to a hungry baby, but mostly due to the fact that I was going out with good friends! I am not ashamed to admit that I spent the majority of the day in the mall with Amanda and Kyra. And Charlie. We got there early, sat in Starbucks and enjoyed some caffeine and conversation for an hour or so, then we hit the stores. It was so nice just to wander. Of course, purchases were made...I don't know how excited I am about a breast pump...but the sweaters I found are top notch!

And to top it all off, it was actually nice outside today! Warm-ish and sun-shiny. I love it!

Oh, and Charlie got a sweet hat and coat from Amanda.

Being a mom, freezing inside my house and why I hate shower curtains...

So, lots has happened since the last post. My toes that were so perfectly pedicured and polished, have long since chipped away and I am no longer pregnant. Finally.

It's been a busy month adjusting to being a stay at home mom. I must confess, being a stay at home mom was a tad easier when the child was still in my belly. None the less, I love it. I truly feel that this is what I'm called to do. I had my little boy, Charlie, on September 5 at 10:03am. Labor is not something I'm willing to discuss at this time...I fear it may bring back memories that I have been successfully blocking out of my mind. Being a mom has it's many ups and downs, as I've learned in my short time of motherhood.

The Ups:
1. I know it's just gas...but he has the cutest little grin.
2. He is a good baby. Not too fussy. I like that.
3. The way he fits perfectly in my arms.
4. His little sighs when I hold him, letting me know that he is perfectly happy in that place.
5. There are so many more...

The Downs:
1. He has pooed in/on my hand twice now. Both at early morning changings.
2. Do I really need anymore downs?

All in all, I love this new phase of my life. It has been challenging at times, but so rewarding.

In other news...

The weather has changed. No longer warm and summery, it is officially fall. Unfortunately for me...I have no control over the heat in my apartment, and the weather has in turn, drastically changed in our apartment. It has gone from a comfortable +25 to a cool +18. I can't feel my toes. Or my nose.

And shower curtains. My stars. They are quite possibly the bain of my existence. I have a claw foot bathtub (bright red, if you're wondering), with wall to wall shower curtains. I can't stand them! Don't get me wrong, I totally understand the need for the shower curtain. I would much rather suffer daily in the shower than have to clean water up off the floor everyday. My problem is how they don't stay in one place. As the water showers out, the curtains swoop inwards, creating this terrifying plastic, clausterphobic wrap around me...I panic. That's all I can do. Oh...I also, on occasion, have shouted out about how much I hate the shower curtain system.

Right on.

::an update::

So I've become delinquent again with this whole blog thing, so, an update...

1. It is +12 outside right now...which is stupid considering it's the middle of August.
2. Even though it's stupid, I'm actually sort of appreciating the cooler summer being pregnant and all.
3. I spent the first week off of work painting the baby room and the baby furniture, and will be happy to never see a paint brush again for a long time.
4. I have about 5 different crafty projects started.
5. I'm surprisingly lazy when it comes to getting these crafty projects finished, even though I have all the time in the world right now.
6. My favourite part of any day is seeing Cody light up to the fact that much sooner than later, our little baby will be here.
7. I'm tired of being pregnant.
8. My mom has assured me that even though I don't have many "outfits" for the baby, it will not go naked.
9. Cody has assured me that even though I don't have many "outfits" for the baby, it will not go naked.
10. I don't know why I think the baby will go naked.
11. The landlords have finally solved the leaky tub problem.
12. Having a budget is a challenging thing, but feels good when you stick to it.
13. I got a new bible for my birthday, and the feeling of starting fresh sort of scares me.
14.I really hope my baby doesn't go naked...
15. I get really frustrated when my sewing machine breaks down on the last seam of the project.
16. I colored my hair back to dark brown and love it.
17. I have to trips planned for October, and I am looking forward to both! One to Banff and the other to Portland. Both with my family.
18. The idea of being responsible for a little one has the potential to overwhelm me on certain days, causing some tears.
19. I made a curtain from scratch for the first time in my life, and being a perfectionist, am going to take it out because the one side is about 1/2 a cm shorter than the other.
20. I'm excited for the free pedicure I got for my birthday and plan on using it sometime next week so that I have pretty toes for labour.
21. I don't know why pretty toes for labour is important...

the final countdown...

I officially have 20 days of work left. I honestly don't know if I'm more excited for my last day of work, or the baby to come...probably the latter, but it's pretty close!

Things are starting to fall off the bandwagon pregnancy wise. Up until about 2 weeks ago, I was totally comfortable, loving life, in no discomfort. Now...I get these absolutely horrible leg cramps every couple of days, along with a persistant back ache, and today, a literal pain in my butt. In all reality, these discomforts will seem rather insignificant come labor...

mmm...chocolate...

This past weekend I was at women's retreat in Pinawa, where I spent some great time with some ladies from my church. It was such a blessing to be able to leave the city for a weekend. Due to financial situations, I didn't think I would be able to go, but out of the kindness and generosity of my mother-in-law, I was able to.

The theme for the weekend was Chocolate and Friends, neither which were lacking at the retreat. Not only was I experiencing sugar highs and lows, but little baby was also. I took some pretty intense beatings on the inside over the course of the 3 days.

The speaker spoke about intentional friendships, being resiliant in friendships, recognizing that it's okay that we have different levels of friendship with different people, and that it's okay that friends come and go; that everything has a season. I'm still working through some of the thoughts that were brought up in me, but I do know for sure that I was impacted by a lot of the sessions and group discussions.

One thing that I have come to realize in myself is how lonely I actually am. When we got married, Cody and I naturally gravitated towards his circle of friends, which has been great, but I'm still getting to know some of these people. With that said, I have not abandoned the circle of friends that I used to always be with, but those relationships have changed. I feel as though I'm in a middle place; I don't fully connect with the new friends, and I don't fully connect my other friends. This is an area that I was definitely challenged in...to be intentional in spending time/getting to know new and old friends.

I'm thankful for this weekend. I know I needed this time to be with friends, to think, to pray, to be challenged...