After 3 restful weeks, it’s back to work tomorrow

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Oh well, I’m grateful to have had the time off. Tim and I moved into a downtown condo so time was needed for the packing and unpacking. We had some dedicated friends help with the move- I was pretty useless, except for directing where furniture was to be placed. I’ll post some photos of our new home just as soon as I get settled into a routine again. Just wanted to pop by and wish my readers a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

PS. Baby’s doing well- 6 more weeks to go, whoop!

Nesting period (part deux)

Took three weeks off for the holidays and it’s already half over!!!

Keeping busy with a few things. Numero Uno priority was researching baby stuff (of course). Here are a few references that I’ve landed on so far:

• Co-sleeping- excellent reference website: http://cosleeping.nd.edu/frequently-asked-questions/). Not commonly practiced in Western countries.
• Hyponobirthing. Purchased hyponobirthing labor CD by Michelle Leclaire; I listen to it EVERY night and I’ve had amazing uninterrupted sleeps since!
• General guidance info on labour, pregnancy, postpartum, etc- I recommend this book: “Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn” http://www.pcnguide.com/
• Breastfeeding- heard that this Dr. Jack Newman was the guru of breastfeeding even though he’s a man: http://www.nbci.ca/

Also got my hospital and baby bags (car seat still needs to be bought) packed. Also packed Timmy’s swimming trunks so he can climb in the tub/shower with me ;0) Unfortunately the Royal Alex hospital doesn’t have a birthing tub, but the hospital birthing room itself is very spacious and clean.

Honeymoon in San Fran

Last week, Tim and I went on our honey(baby)moon to San Francisco. We had an awesomely wonderful time- so much to see, do and EAT. Places are full of character, and the people are friendly and laid-back. Best of all, the public transportation system makes it really easy to get around. Despite my baby belly (and small bladder), I didn’t have any trouble walking up and down the hilly streets. Not surprisingly I did suffer from sore feet after the 10+km of walking we would do each day!

We toured the City for 4 nights and stayed at the Majestic Hotel. Not sure if I’d recommend staying there as the room was pretty basic (nice 4 poster bed!) and the hotel staff were so depressing (never once cracked a smile). We liked the fact that the hotel was walking distance to Filmore St (trendy shops, cafes and restaurants- like Whyte Ave but 100X better) and Japantown. I probably wouldn’t recommend staying at the Wharf (though many visitors do)- it’s way too touristy with many cheezy crap shops and restaurants. You are however close to the water and bike/walking paths, which is bonus. I guess it doesn’t matter where you stay in San Fran ’cause the public transportation is convenient and accessible. We felt pretty safe in the City- Mission District and Tenderloin District (especially) can get abit sketchy so I would avoid these areas at night.

Enjoy the pics!

<Photo caption: L to R- Tim and I at the “Crookedest Street”; Tim and I packing “light”- these day packs were all we took on our trip!; Occupy San Francisco before it was demolished the next day; One of the many cable car lines in San Fran- a shame downtown Edmonton decommissioned its cable cars, it could have been the San Francisco of the North!>

<Photo caption: GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE!! Internationally recognised symbol of San Fran- read more about it on wikipedia>

<L to R: Yerba Buena Gardens; Harvey Milk bust at the City Hall in memory of his death; Palace of the Arts; Tim in front of City Hall- built in Beaux-Art architecture (by an Authur Brown Jr who also built the opera house and Coit Tower.)>

<Totally worth the $25USD- includes the ferry ride (return) and park pass (it’s a National Park). There’s an audio tour (very worthwhile); and free guided tours throughout the day. Suggest to go early before the island get overcrowded. Also suggest to book your tickets in advance (we booked ours online here). Tip: TIm and I watched the Clint Eastwood movie “Escape From Alcatraz” before our trip- puts everything you see into context!>

<Although touristy, it is worthwhile to check out (especially to eat the seafood!). The sea lions were pretty entertaining- these friendly creatures starting arriving on the pier after the 1906 earthquake that affected their food supply/migration patterns. Other Districts/areas worth checking out is the Castro (gay) district, Haight-Ashbury (hippy/grunge) district and Golden Gate Park.>

<Surely everyone rants and raves about the food in San Fran. It’s fresh and very ethnically diverse. Mission District- best and cheapest latino eats- see picture above of taco ($2), something in banana leaf ($2) and BBQ sandwich ($8); Chinatown- had awesomely delicious and cheap claypot chicken dinner for two, only $18; Little Saigon- tasty viet subs for $3.50 each; In-N-Out burger- all the craze in the US (see picture above) and don’t understand why??; And just about in any decent restaurant you can get fresh seafood- crab, raw oysters, sushi, seafood chowder in a sourdough bowl (see pic above), cerviche…yum!>

I forgot how much fun it is to travel with Tim- he’s constantly making me laugh and really easy-going. So happy that we went on our honeymoon and took time to enjoy eachother’s company…once baby arrives, I’m sure these opportunities will be far and few between! Thank-you to those who contributed to our honeymoon trip!

Nesting Period

Started to prepare for baby’s arrival- helps that I’ve got a constant reminder (i.e. growing belly) that baby’s on its way! I’ve been taking prenatal yoga classes at the Lotus Soul Gym- our instructor is terrific and offers birthing advice throughout the class. We’ve found our doula as well; she energetic, positive and relatively young (early 30s maybe?). Having only spoken to her a few times, I feel like she’s already my best friend!

I’ve also started researching baby products that I think I might or will need…its quite overwhelming as there are so many baby products out there. Here’s a wish list that I came up with last week:

1. Baby sling for newborn (baby K’tan has good reviews). I found a sling (Hotsling) from kijiji for only $15 (used), which would cost ~$70 brand new. Tested out the sling with cat- she loved being in there- started purring from contentment!                                                
2. Ergo carrier for infants <40lbs. We don’t plan to use a stroller much and this carrier was given TOP ratings for comfort for both the infant (legs are at 90 degrees) and the carrier. They are fairly pricey (~$135) but I found a distributer on EBay who was selling them for $70. Not bad.
3. Baby BJorn Babysitter. I’ve read that this baby bouncer is awesomely light and travel friendly, and allows the baby to sit upright. It is expensive ($145) and I’m not sure how useful it will be after it’s able to sit up on its own so it might be worth investing in a cheaper bouncer instead.
4. Inglesina Fast Table Chair ($45). I think this is a definite- it’s fast to clip onto the table and it’s travel-friendly (and a good space saver). I haven’t found a company that sells them here and shipping it from the US makes it costly.
5. Bike child trailer from Mountain Equipment Co-Op/jogging stroller. An obvious necessity considering Tim and I cycle more than drive in the City. Haven’t found any used ones on EBay or Kijiji- many used Chariots are sold, though the handle bars are too high for me.
6. Car seat. Luckily we found one in the dumpster.  I’m serious!

The Essentials List…this list is more challenging to make. The obvious is clothes- I bought some newborn clothes (gender neutral) from a thrift store where onesies/sleepers cost $4-6. They look absolutely brand new- goes to show how quickly newborns grow!

And then there are cloth diapers. There’s a company from Ontario (Giggle Life) that I’m considering purchasing from- they have good reviews on their FB page and their diapers are comparably cheaper than other brands I’ve seen. However their diapers are manufactured from China. Not sure if this should factor into the decision-making equation. They do sell Bamboo diapers, so maybe that’s a compromise? Hmmmm…

Okay, so that’s as far as I’ve gone on my essentials list. It’s a start. If you have any suggestions to provide, I’d be glad to hear them!

No more pencils, no more books…

Yup, completed another year of school- feels liberating! I now have all this freeeeee time- what shall I do???! Should I a) Knit baby booties b) Learn to crochet c) Finish my stack of novels that I’ve collected throughout the year d) Start an art project e) Vegetate or f) ALL the above? Don’t have a whole lot of motivation to do diddly-squat tonight but I made a promise to myself to atleast update my blog

Post-wedding life is still blissful even with my pregnancy hormones. Tim and I are well excited about baby’s arrival, especially after seeing it for the first time on the ultrasound screen a few weeks ago. It’s hard to believe that this little creature is inside of me- growing bigger by the day! We’ve started on a few potential baby names but for now have decided to keep it secret from everyone as we quickly found that some people can have incomprehensibly strong opinions about names.

It was a busy summer- with study (i.e. cramming), gardening/landscaping the yard and other activities like camping and hiking. We also enjoyed some time in Toronto to attend my cousin Vicky’s wedding (isn’t she a beautiful bride??!). It was wonderful seeing my grandmother again and for Tim to finally meet her (she wasn’t able to fly to Edmonton for our wedding due to her health). Of course, we also spend time visiting my many relatives too (7 cousins, 4 sets of aunts and uncles).

Tim and I managed to squeeze in an evening to tour about the city and caught a showing at the Toronto Film Festival called “A Letter To Momo” (it was the world premier). It was a heart-warming japanese anime that took seven years to hand draw! Amazing!

 <P.S. Barry the baby bird eventually died after 2 days. Still feel aweful about it.>

As a mini-celebration for finishing exams, Tim and I took off to Jasper National Park this past weekend to go backcountry hiking. It was a relatively short and flat hike (13km one way)- though the fallen trees on the trail really became fairly laborious (sometimes you had to do a full tuck and roll to get through!). It was really enjoyable despite the chilly night (probably dropped to 5 below centigrade). The beautiful scenery made up for it though!

Half-marathon completed!

Competed in the Edmonton INTACT half-marathon today- what great fun! It was a VERY VERY flat course. I enjoyed the run through downtown and it felt good to hold up all that local traffic. Pissed off alot of drivers though! Hahahaha!

Overall my time was decent- 2:12:30- not my personal best, but considering I’ve put on 5 extra pounds (*hint*hint) so it was kind of difficult to run with that extra weight on the belly. Oh well- you gain some, you lose some! The most important thing is that I get to EAT LOTS for post race recovery! Whoop!

<Pre-race excitement pose>

<Tim- yup, he had no choice>

<Race chute- ~1300 half marathoners>

<Me and Nino Roy striking a victory pose>

< Tim and Nino showing off  their race medals>

Post-wedding Bliss

Week 3 of marriage and still going strong! It was a wonderful wedding- we couldn’t have asked for better. It was relaxed, joyful and best of all, NOT stressful! We were able to enjoy every moment- every laugh, tear, smile…and to have spent the day with our wonderful friends and family was the best wedding gift we ever received!

Thank-you to those who celebrated with us (especially those who travelled from afar), those who helped in the wedding planning, and those who were not able to come but sent us their best wishes anyway!

Attached are some photos of the wedding. We are still working on our thank-you cards so please be patient! Tim has also set up an on-line gallery so that you can download photos at your pleasure- we will e-mail out the link/password, so stay tuned!

Enjoy the photos! Special thanks to the photographer and friend Nino Roy!

 

Photobooth:

The perfect wedding shoes!

A short wedding dress (i.e. exposed feet) calls for fancy wedding shoes- luckily I’ve found the perfect pair to walk down the aisle in!

T minus 2 months…woweee!

The cupcake fad

Yes, I’m HOOKED- I LOVE cupcakes. They’re so personalised, so creative, so marvelously delicious- and best of all they’re a perfect size for one (i.e. you don’t have to share!).

Tim and I really want cupcakes in lieu of a traditional wedding cake- luckily a friend’s sister (Marie Clare) is in the business of making them. Her work is absolutely FANTASTIC (recalling that I had a yummy DOMO birthday cake made by her once!). She’ll be making us vanilla cupcakes with matcha green tea icing to match our green wedding theme. We also made a special request for her to use organic/local ingredients…mmmm, can’t wait to see and taste them!

In anticipation of receiving her beautiful cupcakes, we built a cupcake tier to display her work on. Here’s the final product:

Total cost: $15, Time: 4 hours. We used foam board and plastic wine glasses for the frame; the top centerpiece is my wedding bouquet (top tier has a hole that I can place my bouquet in).

Winter’s End

We can only hope! Tried our best to enjoy the winter and snow- went skating and downhill skiing a few times, Tim watched his first hockey game at Rexall Place (Western Hockey League)…generally it’s been quiet these past few months. I started my Year 2 of my studies in February so I’ve been burying my nose in books- ah, boring is me!