Missed It

Man... I missed my 10 Reason Tuesday! I was just having such a good time with Christien that it completely slipped my mind. I will be more on tune for next week.

Christien being home has been great. We've just done a lot of hanging out. We're headed to Montana on Monday. We're both very excited. Reid loves to ride in the shopping cart now, which is going to make shopping so much more fun and easier. We're looking forward to picking up some cheap... everything. Maybe we'll come up with a good Halloween costume for the family while we're there. Gotta pick up some beers and some wine. Plus some Target shopping. Not sure why I love Target so much. It's basically Walmart, but I just do. They have such funny stuff there. We're going to get a bunch of weird candy for Halloween while we're there. Staying at the good old Holiday Inn. They have a pool and a work out room, and the hotel is fairly new, so I'm thinking that it'll be nice.

Aqua size and book club tomorrow. What a great day to look forward to. I can't wait to see the girls!! And Christien is here, so I can go and enjoy myself knowing that Reid is at home with daddy. Really looking forward to it. Not much planned for this weekend. Maybe a play date or two. Christien is thinking of going hunting with Brian, so we'll see if that happens. There is a Baby Fair this weekend that I'd really like to check out.

Amazement

Watching Reid in all his craziness just amazes me. Every day he seems to be learning something different. Yesterday, he stood up twice, on his own, no hands. Only for a few seconds, but still. Just amazing. He will grab onto his play pen, and just hoist himself up. Feet off he ground and everything. I'm starting to think more and more that one day, he'll be talking to me. Talking back to me too, I'm sure, but communicating with me like we all communicate with each other. It's just so crazy that I'm seeing this person emerge now. He's his own self right now, if that makes any sense. It's hard for me to think of him as a baby anymore, because he seems to be so self sufficient. He's all over the place. He's really fast when he crawls. If I take the gate down he is immediately at the stairs. He made it all the way up the stairs last week. I'm not sure how to "teach him" to go down the stairs, but I'm trying. And I'm definitely right behind him when he does it. He'll go up a few and then turn around with this grin on his face. Just so proud of himself. However, he doesn't understand that he's on a small step and he can't just turn around and not expect to fall down. He's a funny little monkey.

Survivor NIght

It's the twenty first season of Survivor. For years and years a big group of us used to get together to watch Survivor. Never fail. Thursday night. Everyone would take turns hosting. The girls would show up with wine, the boys with beer, and everyone with some sort of sharsies appy. I miss it. I miss it a lot. It was always one night a week that you knew that you would get to see your friends. Yeah, we had "Survivor Rules". You weren't allowed to talk during Survivor. No comments. Wait till commercials to discuss. When we first started there was no such thing as PVR. You couldn't rewind or pause, or FF the commercials. We would watch live at 9:00 pm. Everyone would show up much earlier, and we'd eat and talk. We started this so long ago that we used to get together to watch Friends first. How long has that been off the air. I'm glad that I still get to see a loT of the Survivor Crew. Our little group grew a lot from what it was in the beginning. And who could forget Survivor Scotch Creek?? I watched Survivor at home, by myself tonite. No Survivor snacks. No colorful commentary. Miss my crew!!

10 Reasons Why I Love to Travel

1) The memories. You can make memories no matter what you do, but when you think back on them and remember that you were surrounded by a beach, or a mountain, or the ocean, it just seems to make them that much more special. Not to mention who you are making the memories with. It's a wonderful bonding experience. Getting caught in a torrential downpour in Mexico. Riding donkeys up and down the switchback in Greece. Ice skating in New York Rockefeller Center.

2) Experiencing different cultures. When Christien and I travel, we try to take in as much of the culture as we can. We venture off the resorts, we take public transportation, we talk to the locals, we check out things that are off the beaten path. There is so much history in so many places around the world that it's very neat to see first hand.

3) The break from reality. For some reason when you are on vacation, you don't think about those bills that need paying, or your budget, or plans that you have made for the week. You just get to be. I think that it's good for the mind and the soul to just get away every once in awhile.

4) The excitement. No matter where you go there is always going to be fun and exciting things to do. When I look back at a lot of the vacations that Christien and I have taken together it makes me smile cause we've added a lot of our own excitement to these trips. Got engaged in New York, honeymooned in Greece, my 30th birthday in San Francisco, Christien's 30th birthday in Mexico. You never know what you are going to get until you get there. And it's the excitement of the unknown that's fantastic. Even if you have been to these places before, the excitement is still different. You're in a different place in your life, you might be travelling with different people. No matter what, it's going to be a different experience.

5) Seeing the world. It's very interesting to visit other places. Not all of them have different cultures, like all the places that we've been in the States, but they are still different in some ways. I've already checked off the top few places in the States that I've wanted to see. Now my list is growing. I'd love to see Boston, and Hawaii. Palm Springs would be great. Looking forward to Cuba in the fall and Vegas in the spring.

6) Shopping. Duty free is great. Going to Montana and not paying taxes and getting things for a steal is wonderful. Outlet shopping is great. Picking up things that you know that nobody back home will have is priceless. I like to find things for my friends as well. Little things that are reminiscent of the places that I've been. Olive oil soap from Greece, sarongs from Bali...

7) It's addictive. Once you start travelling it's hard to stop. You start seeing the world, meeting different people, learning new cultures and you want to know more. Some of the most friendly people I have ever met have been in Greece and Bali. Just people who want to chat, get to know you. If you show these people how interested you are in their culture and in seeing their city, they just open up even more. It's easy to do when travelling with Christien. He's always chatting up the locals, and I think that we get to see a lot more then if we just tried to live out of a travel book.

8) Sun, sand and surf. We don't always go on tropical vacations, but when we do what is better then sitting on the beach with a sea breeze at 10 am looking out into the aqua blue water of the ocean?

9) Eating. Food from all over is so different. And so delish. You'll never get a taco in Calgary like you can get at some restaurant on the beach in Mexico. Fresh seafood? Try sitting on the pier at a restaurant in Greece as you watch the boats pull in and that fish go directly to the waiting BBQ. Nasi Goreng? It's a staple at the breakfast buffet in Bali. And tastes better then anything I can attempt at home. What about the smell of roasted chestnuts on the streets of New York?

10) Doing things you wouldn't normally be able to do in Calgary. Snorkeling with the tropical fish is the coolest. Body surfing the waves. Regular surfing. Scuba diving (ok, haven't done this yet, but am thinking about doing it in Cuba). Major League Baseball games.

I look forward to making many new memories, experiencing many different cultures and seeing a lot more of the world with my family!

New Mommy Workout

Started my first ever water aerobic class today. It was a great work out. They had these cute little boat floaties that the babies float around in. You've got a floatation device around your waist, then the babies are tethered to you. They just float around. There are a lot of people in the class. I'm taking it with three other mums from my Birth and Babies class. It was a lot of fun. Reid had a bit of a meltdown half way through the class today. Not sure what happened. He might have been cold. He was totally cool, then just started crying and reaching out for me. Big tears streaming down his face. Poor monkey. But he was fine, and he was good for the rest of the class. Then we sang a few songs at the end, and had them out of their boats. He loved that the most. All of us girls from the class hit the warmer kiddie pool at the end to warm us up. Then we went for coffee and chats after. It was a great afternoon. I'm so glad that I signed up. I've heard great things about aquacize, so I'm really looking forward to this class. It's six weeks, and Erin is going to sign up for another six weeks when this is done, so we'll see how I'm feeling. And if I think that I'm getting a good workout in this class. I'm very excited.

10 Reason Tuesday

I had fun writing my "10 Reasons Why I Love My Husband". I decided that Tuesdays are going to be "Ten Reason Tuesdays".

10 Reasons Why I Love Reid

1) He is darn cute

2) He's our miracle baby. As trying as he is, we wanted him so badly. Failed a lot of times, and we finally did it. And this is him!! I love him for that, and I love him for who he is and for the joy that he's brought to our life

3) His smile and belly laugh are to die for. He can just giggle and giggle for no reason. It's too funny.

4) He's made me more patient. As impatient as I am with him sometimes, I still feel that it's more patient then I usually am. I'm not the most patient person, so this says a lot. He's taught me to take a step back and a couple of breaths, and to know that this isn't going to last forever.

5) Mat leave. Ok, that's not really a reason to love my son, but I love that I've got a year off to spend with him. And I love that Christine is off for the EXACT same amount of time as I am. I love that we can have play dates any day of the week. I love that Christien, Reid and I can take off whenever we want to travel.

6) Love. The love that I feel for him is like nothing you can describe. The love that I feel for my husband when they are together is more then I could have imagined.

7) His desire to learn. I have to call it that. I'm not sure what else it is. This baby was rolling over at 4 months, and sitting and crawling at 5 months. He was standing in his crib before he hit 6 months. And now he's going from couch to chair to couch pretty easily. He can maneuver along the couch easily. He can walk around in his crib. He's just go, go, go.

8) His cuddles. Actually, that's something that I have to force out of him, and he usually hates it, but I make him do it anyways. He's too squirmy, and doesn't like to be held down, but once in awhile he'll surprise me and let me cuddle him, or hug him for a split second longer then usual. That makes me happy.

9) His love for his dad. It's so crazy to see how much he loves his dad. He just follows him around with his eyes. Even when Christien is at work, he'll call and I'll put him on speaker phone and when Reid hears his voice, he just beams. It's so cool. I hope he loves me that much!!

10) For the joy that he brings others. Everyone laughs and smiles at him. Strangers. Wherever we are, people are always looking at him, smiling at him, talking to him. People are always telling us what a cute, and bright baby that we have. Friends. He's always making them laugh. He's just so all over the place. Grandparents. Well, they just can't get enough of him. Aunts and uncles. Love, love, love.

He's a pretty special little guy. We've had our ups and downs, but really, that's a bit selfish, I guess, on my part. Wanting sleep and all.. Ha ha. In the whole spectrum of life, that was only six months. Now that he's sleeping and I'm enjoying him so much more (on account of not being exhausted all day long) it's the most wonderful and precious gift I could ever imagine. It's hard work. Oh man, is it hard. Especially the first time around, but it's really worth it to see that smiling face in the morning when you pick him up. To have him chatter with you, and light up when you enter a room. Nothing compares, really. I love my little man.

10 Reasons Why I Love My Husband

1) He's very handsome.

2) He's sweet and kind. He'll really do anything for you. You just have to ask. He's always willing to help out and lend a hand.

3) He's the best father. His relationship with Reid melts my heart. He can make Reid belly laugh like nobody else. Reid's face lights up every time Christien walks into a room, and he literally follows him around with his eyes the whole time. Their relationship is so different from the relationship that Reid and I have, and that warms my heart.

4) He's a hard worker. No matter what he's doing, he'll do it with his whole being. He'll put the extra time in and try to learn as much as possible from it. Whether it's selling print, shoveling snow, or learning a trade. He's doing it 100%. He leaves his family for two weeks every month to provide for us, and to better himself. He's amazing.

5) He loves to travel. I'm so happy that I have someone that I love to do this with. I've been travelling since I was a little girl, so it's always been in me to see new things, and visit new places. Since we've been together, we've done so much of that and seen so much of the world. I can't wait to see more. He's a great travel partner!! We always have so much fun, and see so much of the culture in the different places that we visit.

6) He's very adventurous. There are lots of things that I wouldn't do, but that he's dying to do. Bungee jump, sky dive (again), eat weird foods... I love him for that.

7) He sticks up for himself and others no matter what. Even though it embarrasses me when he yells at the people parking in handicap parking stalls without the proper sticker (sometimes he even knocks on their windows to tell them to move), I still admire him for that.

8) He smells really great.

9) He's the funniest guy that I know. He can tell jokes for days. Even bad jokes :) He's always asking for jokes from others, and he's always got a load of jokes to share. He's always making me and others laugh.

10) He's very thoughtful. He tells me and shows me his love for me. I get very sweet cards, gifts and texts from him. I know that Reid and I are the center of his world, and that means a lot. It's nice to know that you are appreciated.

BONUS - He's very handsome!!!!

Rainy Days

The weather here has not been nice over the last few days. It's movie nights and sitting in the basement with the fireplace on. I guess seeing as we're spending the days indoors, it'll give us a chance to get a few work outs in. Since Christien has been home, I've managed to work out once. Not a good record. On the plus side, I have been eating Phase 1 South Beach, with minor alterations.

Reid had a doctors appointment yesterday with the pediatrician. They had a cancellation and were able to fit us in. He agrees with our doctor that it could be a reflux problem, so we're going to continue treating that for the next few months. Then we'll take him off the medication and see how that goes. That makes me nervous, cause he's finally starting to get better. No more waking up and screaming at night, and he's back on solids. He still wakes up at night, but he cries, and it's much easier to let him cry for five minutes when it's just a soft cry, rather then an all out scream fest. He usually puts himself back to sleep. I'm still getting up once or twice a night to feed him, but I've always expected that. And I'm fine with that. He's going down much easier too, once he gets those feeds. For a few months it would be just painful to lay him back down after I'd fed him. Which would lead to me being up for an hour or two, just trying to calm him and get him comfortable. So we've got hope for the future. Christien and I have actually been able to sleep these last few weeks. We're still exhausted at the end of the day, cause this baby is constantly on the go, but at least it's not a lack of sleep exhaustion.

Car's getting fixed today, I've got a dermatologist appointment (that I'm a bit nervous about) and we've got an appointment to check out a day care not far from our place tomorrow. Yikes. I can't believe that we've gotten to that point already where we have to start looking for child care. There are so many places in Calgary that have wait lists, it's ridiculous. I'm not even sure if this day care is wait listed or not. I just know that it's cheaper then downtown, it's right across the street from the train station, and that's about it. How I wish I could just stay home with him. Right now is when we really wish we had family closer who could watch him during the day.

First Week

Christien's back. It's so nice to have him home. And so nice not to have any plans. Not to say that we haven't done anything while he's been back, but we have no definite plans any day. We just get up and make plans in the morning. No going out of town.. It's been so nice. With that being said, this last week has gone by really quickly!

On Tuesday we got family pictures done! I'm so excited to see them, and will share when I get them back. I have a friend from my baby class who is a semi-professional photographer. She's got a cute studio in her basement and lives right close to Fish Creek. So we did some inside shots and some outside. I think that they are going to be really nice. They'll be Reid's 6 month pictures. This time we got lots done with the three of us. Get ready for pictures for Christmas, grandparents. Ha ha.

Reid had his 6 month shots on Monday. And he didn't even cry. It was only one this time. And no more now till he's at least a year. I think that I'm going to push that one as far past a year as I can so him immune system is as strong as it can be. Jasmine did that with her kids, and I like that idea. Especially with all the different ideas about vaccinations in general. He was a bit fussy, but nothing major.

Thursday was book club!! Christien went fly fishing with Brian during the day, and book club was at Christine's. So it worked perfect. He came back with Brian, had a little dinner (thank you Christine) and took Reid home with him. Mummy got to hang out at book club with no baby. It was so nice!! Just as book club is always nice, it was great not to have to look out for Reid the whole time, and leave early, and try to keep his fussing and crying to a minimal. Brian even took Cash for a walk. For an hour. We all got to have dinner like normal ladies. It was fabulous.

We went to the zoo yesterday. The weather here is so weird. It was not cold, but not super warm when we left the house. Christien even went upstairs to put on a long sleeve shirt. By the time we got to the zoo it was boiling hot. And Reid was still a bit fussy (I blame his shots still). Too hot for a baby who wasn't dressed for the weather. So we didn't get to stay long. And Reid didn't really even "get" it. When we were looking at the elephants I don't even think that he saw them, he was way more interested in the fans in the building. Ha ha.

We went for Dim Sum at our favorite DimSum place today. This time we went with a buddy of Christine's who he works with up North. Blaire and Linda. She's Chinese. Apparently we've been experiencing reverse discrimination this whole time, because this was the best experience we've even had at Dim Sum. Not that we've had bad experiences, but we always felt like we weren't really looked after. Either way, Linda ordered a bunch of stuff that we'd never tried, and probably would never have tried, but was SO good. It was such a fun time. They came with their two kids and her parents. So much fun. Reid decided to forgo his first nap of the day, so he was a bit squirrley. It was so nice that we had so many hands to help us hold him. And we could all eat. It was great.

So, seeing as we didn't have any plans for this two weeks off we've still been pretty busy. We've had car appointments to get the sunroof fixed. The Cavalier is fixed. The yard is mowed. Fish tank cleaned. Fish tank cleaned. It's been a great week. We've even watched three movies. Date Night (great and funny), The Crazies (not good) and Youth in Revolt (great, too slow for Christien but it was funny).

Now I might call mum and dad to update them on their grandson. Christien is jamming with Jaime, and I'm chilling with a glass of wine by myself. Have a happy long weekend all!!