A Tribute to My Dad

As most of you know, my Dad passed away 5 years ago this coming October. Halloween to be exact...such mixed emotions about that "holiday" but I'll get into that in another post this month.

I don't write alot about my Dad. It's hard.

He was the singlemost important person in my life...until C and Owen came along, and while I know that he's watching down on us, and firmly believe that he's already met Owen and taught him a tonne of things that I could never even fathom...I grieve in in a totally different way now. I grieve the relationship he would have had with my son, and how I would have been able to witness the joy that he would have gotten out of making him giggle, teaching him how to play hockey and the drums, and even just snuggling with him for some quiet time.

This past weekend, C and I took Owen to my hometown for a tribute that the Pipe Band was having for members that had passed away over the past 5 years. In lieu of flowers, my Mom wanted donations to the Pipe Band or Heart&Stroke Foundation (my Dad had a massive heart attack at the age of 52). Well...we got to see what they put those donations toward.

They planted a tree in 2009 in honour of my Dad, and had it blessed by our minister yesterday in a beautiful celebration at their 100th anniversary. There were four trees that were being dedicated yesterday, and family members cut ribbons tied to those trees. There is also a stone cairn that was blessed as well.

It was misty throughout the celebration, then started to rain fairly hard while a single piper played Amazing Grace. It really took my back to my Dad's funeral, where we had the entire pipe band into the sanctuary of my church to play Amazing Grace. I snuggled Owen up tight and had a good cry while he nuzzled in and tried to stay warm.


Before it all began




Mom about to do the ribbon cutting






Owen and I under Dad's tree



The memorial stone








Owen and I listening and watching the pipers and drummers...




The sky on our way home...I think someone was watching from Heaven...

I miss you more than ever, Dad.

Backgrounds and Personal Training

Ugh...

As you've probably noticed, the background for this blog is ever changing. I have a fabulous new header from Blondie over at Transatlantic Blonde, and I have yet to post my fancy new button, but finding a background that I like to tie everything together is becoming quite a challenge!


My issue is colour coorindation. I'm a wee bit anal about things matching. I guess it's the artist in me, but everything must be coordinated....beit complimentary, split-complimentary or primary colours. And I want to play off the Momma, Daddy and Baby ducks on the header, and not get too stripey (is that even a word??)


If you know of any places to go to for blog backgrounds, feel free to drop them and your suggestions in the comments section. Right now I'm flitting back and forth between Hot Bliggity Blog and The Cutest Blog on the Block (which just the name of makes me want to puke a little...so cutesy)



In other news, I started with my personal trainer on Tuesday night. My little routine consisted of:

- 5 minute warmup on the treadmill, 15 incline, 4.6 speed

- 10 squats with a 2kg medicine ball (it was on the floor, I had to squat, pick it up, squat up, raise it over my head, squat down and put it back on the floor, then back to starting position. 10 times...)

- 10 pushups

- 4, 15sec. planks

- 20 minutes of cardio on the treadmill (which my left leg gave out afterward, and I had to giggle at myself on the floor of the gym, making it look like I was bending to get my keys)


When I was there, I felt amazing and slightly like Wonder Woman. I could totally do this, twice a week, for the next four months.


Two days and a daytrip to Niagara-on-the-Lake later...I can barely move. My traps and quads are screaming from the inside out and I have never been in this amount of pain in my entire life. Lifting Owen and playing Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes or Old MacDonald is out of the question today. Going up and down the stairs with a little boy in my arms is also out of the question.


Child birth has nothing on a training session with Todd!

How in the world am I going to do this, twice a week, for four months?!

Baptism Pictures...well...sorta

Here you go! Pictures of the baptism...and of Owen in his outfit on the lawn

C and I all coordinated (not on purpose either!) for Owen's baptism...the only picture we have of yesterday

Looking a little mischievous...

Looking up at Mommy...

And looking ridiculously handsome!

Thanks for being a good sport, Monster! Mommy and Daddy love you!

Big Weekend!

We celebrated something very special today...Owen was baptised at my church.

It was a beautiful ceremony, and he was incredible! Wide awake and happy during the actual baptism, then he fell asleep stretched out (and sort of falling off) on my lap during the sermon.

The day went well, and we shared it with lots of very close friends and family.

There were yummy cupcakes by me, BBQ by C and toys for the kiddos to play with in the backyard. Beer and wine on ice, lemonade and water too...my Mommy pal, P, brought a fantastic cheese tray to help me out with food, and Nana brought a white chocolate cheesecake cut into squares. With the many "uncles" in attendance (aka C's pals) food was at a premium!!

So...with a great day like that, what could we possibly forget?

PICTURES! I'm such a bad mom!! I forgot to take a single picture of my Monster all dressed in white for his baptism!! Photography in the church was not permitted, however the AV Dude Dave made me a copy of the video that he took today!

Momma T took a picture of C and I all decked out just before we headed into the church, but Little Miss O was rocking Owen in his carseat so we didn't pull him up for a picture.

Guess what I'll be doing Monday afternoon....? That's right...putting him back into his baptism outfit and taking pictures in our backyard on the grass...we'll see how artsy I can get!

Pictures to follow tomorrow!

Change is A'Comin...

You'll notice over the next week that there are some changes that we're making to the blog...well at least the appearance of the blog.

I follow a blog over there on the right called My Eggs and Ham, written by the every witty CatMD (one of The Bump ladies who...{rightfully so} handed me my butt a few times, and has become an online momma-to-be that I respect greatly) . Well...she has a fancy new blog design that is just awesome and incredibly....unique!

Cat mentioned that she is pals with one Transatlantic Blonde, Melania, designed the blog and button for her...and Melania has designed something absolutely awesome for us! I'm so excited to unveil it next week when I have a little more time after getting the house in order for Owen's Baptism (which is this Sunday!).

So, stay tuned for designs and buttons a la Transatlantic Blonde!

While you're waiting on us to update over the weekend...take a look at Cat and Blondie's blogs - they're awesome and full of just the right amount of snark and sass!

Have a good weekend!

It's Official!

I can officially say...MommaT is pregnant!

I am SO excited. Maybe excited isn't even the word. Overjoyed? Elated?

FREAKING OUT!

Little Miss O is going to have a brother or sister come December. Owen and Squid (the ever affectionate name that MommaT and R have given their new little one for the time being) will be 6 months apart...and hopefully the absolute best of friends, just like GodMomma, MommaT and I are.

It's all coming full circle, and I think I speak for the three of us when I say that our lives couldn't be happier than they are right now (well...until Squid makes his/her appearance in December!). How amazing is it that in...15 years...we'll look back on a picture like this...and see a reflection of it in our kids who will all be friends with one another?

10 Weeks and a Mental Health Update

Greetings everyone!

My, how fast 10 weeks have gone. The days and nights run together...and I cannot believe how big our Monster is!

10 weeks ago (well...at 6:52pm...)

And today...at 11am...

He's massive! He barely fits into anything that's size 0-3, and is in nearly everything 3m or 3-6m. See why we call him Monster?

Gaetane was over yesterday afternoon, and as soon as I opened the door she said "You're better! You look so much better!"

Owen and I were in the midst of tummytime, so she joined us on the living room floor for some rolling around and playing. We talked about my fitness goals, how I've been doing mentally, and I was so proud to share this with her.

I stopped myself during a freak-out last week! Owen was just tired...and he's doing this new thing of whining and crying, not taking his soother and just being an overall pain in the booty when he is fighting falling asleep. I was exhausted from doing my friends wedding cupcake tower over the weekend, and was just about at the end of my rope. I wanted to go out for a while, just get out of the house and get some fresh air. He would not cooperate even a little bit. I started to get angry...and frustrated. I grabbed his soother with the intention of whipping it down the stairs...

However...I clenched it in my fist, took a deep breath and calmly asked Owen to shush, quietly gave him back the soother, and he was fine. I took a step back and smiled. He smiled back.

Such a huge achievement! And I celebrated by getting some gifts for a friend who recently found out that she and her husband are expecting a baby boy this coming winter, and I got a great deal on a new cake stand with a tall glass dome at HomeSense...to replace the one that I broke from my friends' wedding on the weekend. Oopsie!

But yes, yes....it's getting better! And I feel better alot of the time. There are still low days (like today...because I'm tired) but for the most part, the good days are outweighing the bad.