:: Feedback ::

Okay......

I need some reassurance from all of you second (and third and fourth) time mom's out there and maybe my genius/counsellor friend M*.

Make me feel normal.

Did you experience abnormally clingy and want-mommy-all-the-time behaviour from your first before your second was born?

Yesterday in church Denay cuddled on my shoulder (which never happens unless I have blankie) for almost a full half hour before becoming completely hysterical when I tried to bring her to nursery (which is never a problem). Then when I tried to pass her to Opa to run out for a second, she got frantic and started to cry and reach for me. She never doesn't want to go to Opa.

This coupled with more hysterics before bedtime for the past two weeks, crying for mommy every time I put her in her crib and then waking up an hour or more after we put her down crying for me. We've had to bring her into our bed a couple times just to get to breathing normally again she is so upset. And she never wants Trev, just me.

Last night I had to get her lying down, cover her up, sing to her and hold her hand until she would relax and stop crying.

Now, don't get me wrong. I have no problem consoling my baby if she is upset and can't even tell you much I love having her breathing softly next to me in bed, these are some of the moments I treasure most. It's the out-of-character behaviour that's got me wondering if she understands this pregnancy more than we give her credit for. Denay is normally confident, and reasonably independant and a good go-to-sleeper and all this just isn't like her.

Anyone else been there?

As a general side note: when I was preggers with Denay, I pretty much lived off of peanut butter and banana sandwiches. This time, it's chocolate milk.

Just Because....

.......she's beautiful.

I've mentioned before on here that I am a big fan of, and use all the time, Febreze Noticables plug-in air freshener. I am constantly getting compliments about how good our house smells and considering we have an indoor cat, that's a good thing.

A few months ago I was picking up some refills and came across a new line of spray fresheners and I fell head-over-heels for their new scent Brazilian Carnival. Long story short, I've checked our numerous stores over and over again since then trying to find the scent in plug-in form. Trevor and I were grocery shopping this week and I just glanced down the aisle not expecting to see anything new but alas, I spotted a differently colored box and to my delight the scent was finally available (so I bought three in case it didn't last)!

It's not like any other scent I've ever used but it's not too sweet or fake or overpowering.......

I am in love.

{The Most Perfect Sound In The World}

Yesterday was a very, very special and happy day around here. We had our second midwife visit and we got to hear our baby's little heart beating for the first time. I honestly didn't expect to be as overwhelmed with joy as I was and even looking at the pictures makes my eyes a little watery.

Denay was so sweet and got very still when she heard the noise. Kate, our midwife, said it was time to say bye to baby and she walked over and waved at the heart rate monitor.

:: What a beautiful number ::

:: Mommy teary and excited telling Denay that the sound was baby's heart ::

And I will add that my husband did a fabulous job setting the camera by himself to get these great shots for me!

Things pregnancy-wise are still going really well. I'm feeling good and loving having another life making home inside me. Today I am 13 weeks and baby is about three inches long......I am daily overwhelmed by the beauty and miracle of life and humbled with gratitude that I was chosen to carry and care for this baby.

What a journey!

:: Easy Turkey & Stuffing Bake ::

Last night I ventured out and tried another new recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens special Comfort Foods edition and this time it was Turkey Stuffing Bake. The recipe makes enough to fill (almost to the top) a 9x13 baking dish so it's really good that Trev likes it cause he's going to be taking it for lunch for a while!

I did find that the turkey was little bit dry after being cooked through and then baked but definitely not enough so to make it unpleasant to eat.

I also added some frozen peas and corn for some extra veggies.....

Turkey & Stuffing Bake

3 cups water

1 cup chopped red pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

*the recipe called for 1/2 long grain rice but I substituted in a cup of brown rice*

2 boxes stuffing mix

4 cups diced cooked turkey (or chicken)

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 can cream of chicken soup

1. in medium sauce pan, bring one cup of water to boiling. add pepper, onion and uncooked rice. reduce to low heat and simmer until vegetables are tender and water is absorbed (approx. 20 minutes)

2. preheat oven to 350. in large bowl, combine stuffing mix and two cups of water. add in turkey, eggs, soup and cooked rice mixture (and this is where I added frozen peas and corn). spread into greased 9x13 baking dish.

3. bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes

4. Serve! I also shredded a little cheese and sprinkled it over top.

Bon Appetit!

Update

A few weeks ago I put up this post about some uber-cute goodies I found at Lonsdale Quay for Denay and couldn't find a website for the adorable mousey hat I bought her.

Thanks to an anonymous commenter, here is some contact info if you are interested in Knitty Bitty hats - http://knittybittyhats.blogspot.com

{Way Overdue}

Okay, I think the last time I switched up my my blog colors and pictures was, well, way too long ago. So on this quiet Saturday, while my husband played his new PS3 game and the baby slept, I tortured my eyes and gave my self a headache but managed to come up with something I like quite a lot!

Trevor helped me with a new name to go with the new look. A name that will be changing again in a few months of course.

There's nothing like a little freshening up for spring.....

:: 12 Weeks ::

I can't even tell you all how joyful I am to be writing pregnancy updates again. I am so very, very excited about this baby (which I totally think it a boy, by the way).

Thursday was the official last day of my first trimester and I can definitely say that I am feeling less tired already. This pregnancy has affected me much differently than my first in that regard; I don't remember being so exhausted with Denay. It also took me much longer to show with her :)

I have my second midwife appointment next week and we'll get to hear baby's heartbeat for the first time......and I can't wait.

:: So here's me, in all my 12-weeks-pregnant glory ::

If you go here, you can check out my 6 week and 12 week pictures from my pregnancy with Denay.
I counted today and I get to take my 16 week picture on the sunny beaches of Varadero!Have a great weekend friends and be sure to check back next week for an update on our midwife visit!

{Creamy (Yummy) Baked Potato Soup}

While at my inlaws this weekend, I came across a magazine with this recipe on the cover and I couldn't help but pick it up.

{I will add here that I am really not a magazine reader, at all}

I ended up flipping through the whole thing, making myself very hungry in the process. Just before we left I very casually ask my mother-in-law if she would notice if the magazine disappeared. Turns out she'd thought of me when she bought it and graciously let me take it home (thanks mum!).

The entire ferry ride home I was earmarking and starring each recipe that caught my eye but I wanted to try this one first.

Here's how mine turned out.......

Yummy. Yummy.

This soup eats like a meal for sure! I went the more calorie friendly route and used turkey bacon and we really didn't notice the difference!

This is a great quick meal that is ideal comfort food for sure.

You can check out the recipe here and I would love to hear if/when any of my friends out there give it a try.

{Swap Meet}

On Saturday morning my MIL and SIL took me to a little kids swap meet at a church nearby. My SIL swears by swap meets and always finds the greatest deals on clothes for her two busy boys. I went not expecting much and knowing that Denay did really need anything knew if the least that happened was that I got to spend sometime with my MIL and SIL, that would be more than enough. Little did I know......

I came home with 12 baby girl clothing items and only $42 was spent. Most of the items seemed totally unused and the best find (thank Joanne!) was the adorable white and cable knit Gap winter jacket that I think I paid $10 for and it is completely spotless.

To say the very least I am a believer in Swap meets and fully plan to attend the biggest one held here in a few weeks.

Thanks for the great day J* and S* and thanks for helping me with all the great finds!

:: Bob-Bob's Birthday ::

We were on the mainland this weekend to celebrate my father-in-laws 57th birthday. Pretty much any kind of activity exhausts me these days but we just spent lots of time relaxing and watching the little ones play together. Since we weren't going to be together for Easter, my MIL had an egg hunt for the kids. I was surprised how quickly Denay picked it up and I think her bucket was almost the fullest out of the kids (not that that had anything to do with me helping her). We also enjoyed a very nice steak dinner and my SIL Shawna's amazing carrot cake.

On Sunday we enjoyed a great service at CLA, where we got to see lots of friends, and then were back at Trev's parent's for a yummy yummy brunch. Paul came inside just before we ate and told me I needed to bring my camera, so out I went to find this.......

......Denay was all ready for a quad ride with Jacob. She got to the end of the driveway and onto the road and then the breakdown happened. Auntie Shawna saved the day and tried a couple more times to no avail. Then Paul came and got me again and I arrived outside to see my husband squished into a toddler toy with Denay on this lap and that was the only way she wanted to ride!

It was so good to see Denay having fun with her cousins and to see her cousins mushing her with kisses and love.

Ahh, I am blessed with marvelous family.

{Presents}

I couldn't resist sharing the adorable little diddy's that I picked up for Denay while I was in Vancouver.

I had some spare time to kill and was wandering the stores at Lonsdale Quay when I walked by a luggage store and fell in love with this too cute kiddie backpack! I'm going to make some modifications to help it stay on her tiny back better, but it's just the right size for her!

I'd walked by the stand where these were being sold so many times that I couldn't resist. It was a toss up between the mouse, the apple and the ladybug but the mouse won out.......and doesn't it just suit Miss D to a "t"? It is a Knitty Bitty Hat by Amberlea but I can't find a website on them.

Miss D and I have been taking full advantage of the double digit weather we've been having. Today I made a point of bringing my camera outside with me, something I do far too infrequently, to capture some special moments. Miss D thoroughly enjoys being outside and I love watching her just as much......

A frame by frame of Miss D running to daddy when she saw his car pull into the parking lot.....

We learned about leaves and rocks and flowers and bumblebees, heard birdies and choo-choo's and did lots and lots of laughing and exploring.

Finally.....

To say I am pleased with my choice of drawer pulls for Denay's hand-me-down dresser would be a great understatement.

I am so very grateful to the wonderful Karalee who saved us double the cost of the knobs in shipping by offering to pick them up at the store in Sydney (Australia) and giving them to my inlaws when she came to visit.

The lady who owned the store even sent us four extra pulls for free in case one got damaged in transit......we are blessed! We used two of the extra on Denay's closet doors to really complete her room.

I don't think they could be any more perfect!

:: My Vancouver Experience ::

Riding on the tail of my last post, I wanted to post a few of the very few pictures I took while on our trip to the Olympic city.
:: Dancers performing ::

:: Visiting the cauldron with some of my teammates in our matching authentic Cowichan toques ::

:: We got to skip the three hour wait to get into the Russia house because we had small kids. Good thing too, cause it was kind of lame ::

:: My two favourite people spending the day with the teams ::

I'm so glad that I ended up going and having the chance to experience all the things that I did. God truly sustained me and filled me to overflowing with everything that I needed. Being able to connect with the younger dance teams and spend time in the evenings tucking in the youngest girls was one of the most precious things to me.

Being downtown when the women took gold in hockey was a memory I will have forever. Stopping in front of the Canadian Mint that had a giant two hour wait and singing "Oh, Canada" at the top of my lungs.

The feeling of pride and patriotism was something I'd never seen or experienced in Canada, even on Canada Day. I've always loved my country. We've had a flag flying off our house for years now and I hope this Canadian pride doesn't extinguish with the flame.

Favourite 2010 Moment

It's sure hard to believe that seven years of work and preparation has come to an end in just 17 short days.

Because I was in Vancouver this past week I feel like I missed a lot, but thanks to the Internet, I've been able to catch up on all my favourite events.

There were so many incredible moments and unforgettable finishes but without a doubt I can say my favourite occasion was Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir's gold medal free dance performance last Monday night. I've watched their performance much more than a handful of times in the last couple days.
http://www.ctvolympics.ca/figure-skating/results-andschedules/event=fsx030000/phase=fsx030101/highlights.html

I can't even explain what it is that I love so much but they skate with such passion and chemistry and grace.

What was your favourite moment from 2010?

:: Update #1 Of Many ::

I can't tell you how good it feels to share our exciting news with ya'll and I thought I'd start my long list of updating with a post all about our new baby.

Today marks about nine and a half weeks along and I am due somewhere near the end of September.

We found out on January 27th and had planned to keep it quiet until the 12 week mark like we did with Denay. But on the morning of our big Vancouver trip fundraiser I started to bleed and therefore needed to tell my leadership as I wasn't going to be able to dance.

I spent the day at home, in bed, doing a lot of crying and praying. I did some blood work the next week and was overjoyed to find out positive results from the midwife.

I'm feeling tired and more emotional and a little nauseous but really great other than that.

Denay doesn't really understand yet. I'm trying to teach her that mommy has a baby in her tummy but all she wants to do is put her finger in my belly button.

As for my feelings to what the gender is, I am definitely thinking boy.

Other than that I can say I am really super excited and anticipating this pregnancy and delivery and meeting our newest member!

I already love you baby....