Spring are you really here?

Wow.  It's nice out.  It changes yours mood.  I think that maybe I was starting to develop a little bit of SAD?!  As the winter months drew on I feel like we were either hiding inside from the cold, sick, sick again, or hiding inside from the cold.  And despite some of the Lew Crews best efforts there were days when we just stayed home cause it was that cold outside.  

Now, I find myself going for afternoon walks with no coat on (or no hat depending on who you are LOL).  I am only wearing one layer today instead of two or three.  I would like to think that spring and eventually summer is our reward for toughing it out through the winter.  


Where else in this world do you get to experience such extreme season changes?  Yes the weather differs through the seasons, but I would like to think that the Northern areas of Canada have very defined seasonal changes and if you have patients and wait you will be rewarded with your favorite one.


Warm weather I welcome you.  Please stick around we missed you so much.  


P.S.  Just think I say this now (that +4 is warm) but come October I will think it is freezing!  

The End is in Sight

I was sure that this time in life would never come.  Everyone always said "enjoy your year off while you can it goes by so fast."  Now, here I am with an 11 months old (11 months yikes) and asking myself where did the time go.  I still feel like it's Christmas and I am thinking yeah I still have so much time left; and now it's March.  Wow.

Let us keep in mind that I have been off work since Feb 2010.  So, in all reality, I have had more time off then the average person.  Due to the kick butt benefits at my work I did not have to go back in Feb 2011. Alas I get to go back 52 weeks after my delivery date. 

The time has come to start easing Leah into dayhome.  Easing myself back into that work mind set.  Prepare us for the next stage in our lives.  The stage where mom goes to work, Leah goes to care, and we spend the early mornings, late afternoons, and early evenings as a family.  No more 24/7 with my little girl.  It makes me sad.  But I do believe that it is the best for me to return to work and for Leah to play all day with friends and with an adult supervisor other than her mommy.  She is already a mommy suck and the older she gets the worse it gets.  

This will be good for us?!  Right?

Dye my hair?

I always have this idea in my head that I should dye my hair.  The problem is I never do it.  I fleetingly think that I should do something to make my hair colour more vibrant and rich.  But what?  Do I go Georgina blond (don't think that I could pull it off), Breanna dark brown (really don't know what that would do for my complexion), or Katie highlights (nice but seem high maintenance).  I know that I should probably do something that is my own.  But what?  I have never hopped on that train.  But I am feeling the winter blues and think that this will make me feel better.  Here's the thing.  I think that I am way to cheap to pay to have a professional do it.  So, do I dye it out of a box?  Which I have do before and have only had one major mishap in college.  Or pay someone....

I have had people comment on my "chocolate brown" hair before saying they love the colour.  But, it has been this colour for most of my life.  I need a change.  And really how many 27 year-olds do you know that don't dye there hair.  Decisions, decisions...

Cold & Bored

Why do I live here again?  Out of all of the choices that I have made in my life why did I choose to live in The City of Edmonton, Alberta even?  It is so cold, and the wind chill makes it cold enough to even question leaving your house with a baby.
I really do wish sometimes that we would move to a warmer climate.  Most of the time we wouldn't even have to leave the province to do that.  Just move south.  Which then makes me wonder why people live farther North than Edmonton.  It is a pickle.  Maybe I should take a Facebook quiz and find out which Canadian City or Province best suits me and move there.  Seriously Mother Nature this is enough it's March now.  Where is the warm weather? I will even take dumps of snow to not have to wear socks to bed at night to stay warm.

Are we better yet?

Oh wow.  It has now been one week since the first illness hit our household and what a week it was.  I don't think that we have ever been this sick for so many days in row and we are still recovering.  


This all started last Tuesday when I came down with the stomach flu.  Right behind me was our little girl getting sick all over her crib.  Then 24 hours later I thought that we were on the mend and very happy that we didn't pass on our illness to my sister (who was getting married on the coming Sunday).  Then it hit us.  Our little girl gets a nasty nasty cold.  I think to myself, how can one little girl be so unlucky?  Well I have my theories...Teething.  Leah, now, has 6 teeth.  They always come in sets of two and she always always always gets a cold with them a nasty cold.  To the point that once again on Saturday we take her to our weekend Dr. clinic just to make sure that it really is a cold and not something else.  The Dr. working this weekend reassures us that it is a virus.  Plenty of fluids, saline rinse for her nose and rest.  He tells me no Tylenol or Advil unless her fever is over 39 degrees.  That I did not listen to.  Tylenol and Advil made her happy, comfortable, and not in pain.  She was back to her old self again by Saturday afternoon.  We thought all was well.  


Sunday rolls around, she was clingy (not Leah) and upset but okay.  Sunday evening, Gramma comes to watch Leah, Dave and I get ready for the wedding.  We leave to a screaming little girl and go out for a night of fun.  The wedding was lovely.  Thankfully my sister had recovered from the stomach flu that she caught from us a mere 36 hours before hand and was truly happy on her day.  


Dinner was wonderful, the reception was just starting to kick off and....Dave gets sick.  The poor man gets sick at my sister's wedding.  I felt horrible and because I am wife of the year, I had already had to much to drink, which means after being sick in a strange public bathroom he had to drive us home.   I really felt bad for him.  We get home to find out that our little girl is also having a rough night having spent most of the evening sleeping on Gramma on the couch downstairs.  I knew that I was in for a bad night.  We all go to bed.  An hour later Leah is up and will only sleep if I rock her in the chair in her room.  What a night! I think the first night that you spend up for the entire night rocking your baby so she/he will sleep evening even though you are getting no rest is one of those things that truly makes you a parent.  After five hours of rocking I am able to put Leah to bed and get a few hours of shut eye.  


The next morning we try and rest and make it through the day.  Leah becomes more of herself in the afternoon and there is now light at the end of this very long dark tunnel.  We are all in bed by 9:00 pm and get a good night sleep.  


So far our day is going well today.  But you worry.  It has been 7 days since my little girl has had a decent meal.  She is eating and drinking but not like she normally does.  One of two teeth are through and I think we are down to a matter of hours before the next one arrives.  She is happy and herself.  But man.  How many teeth are there in the human mouth and how many more times do we have to go through this.  I know it sounds horrible.  But at this point in our lives I wonder...Does she really need teeth?  She can eat steak without them!


So please please please cross your fingers for us that we are on the road to recovery.  And send good healthy thoughts out to my new brother-in-law Mike as he is the only person who was staying my house that has not gotten sick yet.  I would really feel bad and guilty if he got sick on there trip across Canada on Via Rail.  Alas....

Life of a Dog

I think, if re-incarnation exists, that I want to come back as a dog.  Specifically my dog.  She basically eat,sleeps and poops.  Really, think about it.  I know you want that life too.  She really has the best sleeping places: in sun, on the couch, in the sun while on the couch.  She knows nothing but unconditional love and expects nothing back.  I am pretty sure the highlight of her days are when we leave and give her a treat.  Firstly, she gets a treat.  Secondly, she gets the house to herself all day.  Thirdly, she doesn't have to answer to anyone.  Who doesn't wish for that?  And to top it all off, she has no chores or responsibilities.  I mean she obviously has rules that she has been taught to follow.  But who really wouldn't want a loving home, good food, good treats, someone to take you for a walk, play with you, and give you good scratches behind the ears!?  It makes me think that dogs really do know how to live.  Hmmmm.....

Whot Whot Dayhome

Oh I am so excited. We have found a dayhome!  The epic adventure of finding that someone who, in your own opinion, has the right attitude about raising children.  My little girl loved being there and literally made herself right at home.  Playing with the other little girl there, chewing on toys, climbing the stairs...  She basically made herself right at home.  Which is what this place has; a homey feel.  One stressful thing down and one to go.  Going back to work.  I want to go back and am looking forward to going back but if last night is any indication on how this is going to go then it is going to be ruff.  Last night I left to go to a work out class and my poor little girl basically cried until she was in the bath and went to bed.  Apparently, watching me leave is not the best option.  The funniest thing was she was left with her dad.  It's not like I left her with a stranger in a strange place.  Oh well.  She will learn and like so many wise friends have told me soon she will find her dayhome as a second home and be happy to be there.  Which, in the end, is what I wanted to find.  I am happy with my choice but it all still seems to good to be true.  I think more because the reality of the situation has come forward...I will be going back to work soon!