The Nursery

We decided to do a Dinosaur theme for the nursery. I found an awesome blanket on Etsy and we based the colour scheme on it. My parents sent us the furniture and I spent the time we were waiting for it finding all the other little touches. Here is how it turned out:

Wow

I have had Blogger open for the last 7 weeks intending to write my He's Here post. But it seems that every time I grab the laptop he needs something....I suppose that's the fun of a newborn.
Oh well! Thanks for your patience if you have been waiting for the announcement here!

And without further ado, here is Kieran Richard Latour!!!

After 37 hours of contractions we went to the hospital and after 3 monitored contractions there they did an emergency c-section. He was holding his umbilical cord in both hands behind his shoulders and was squeezing it during contractions, cutting off his oxygen supply. After a whirlwind of activity he arrived and started to cry right away. He was 6 lbs, 10 oz and 21.5" long. Born at 11:28pm on May 12, 2012, making him the perfect Mother's Day present (Mothers day was May 13th!)

After 3 days in the hospital we went home to our apartment to start life as a family. Both sets of grandparents came to visit and we were lucky enough to have Jon's Mom for 3 weeks. We are just starting to get into a bit of a rhythm now but Kieran certainly keeps us on our toes!
He is almost double his birth weight already- 12lbs 2 oz at last week's Dr appt. Today we get to celebrate Canada Day and see what he does when the fireworks are going off!!!

37 Weeks

How Far Along? 37 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss? 23 lbs gained
Maternity clothes? I'm off work now so i've been rocking the yoga pants most days!
Stretch marks? None!
Sleep? Waking up every few hours to pee but zonk out right away again! 
Best moment this week? Maternity photos last night were a ton of fun! 
Miss Anything? Being able to stand for more than a few hours without my ankles swelling up. 
Movement? Lots of kicking and moving. He is head down and likes to push his bum against my belly button.
Food Cravings? Anything sour or salty.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Chicken is still iffy. Coffee is good some days!!
Have you started to show yet? The bump is huge. The Dr says I am measuring at 39-40 weeks now. 
Gender? We know it's a little boy! So excited!!!
Labor signs? Lots of Braxton Hicks.
Belly Button in or out? Flush most of the time. It sticks out when he pushes his bum against it. 
Wedding rings on or off? Off. I can still force them on but don't want to get them stuck.
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy but with fast mood swings. Jon made me cry last week by offering me a mini egg and then taking it away!Looking forward to? Getting the nursery furniture from Edmonton and getting it all set up! It's all painted already- the photo of me is against the feature wall in the room. 

Where has the time gone?

Really, January 3rd was my last post? What the heck happened to the last month and a half! I seem to have started a new pattern- go to work, get home, eat dinner, go to bed. I don't know if I entirely agree with people who say that you have more energy in your second trimester. I am certainly less nauseous, but still just as tired.
This last month and a bit have caused us to rearrange and reorganize a bit. Here are some of the highlights:
We listed our condo in Edmonton for sale.
We decided to move in April to a new place in Victoria.
We went to Edmonton and Palm Springs for some family time.
Jon was laid off and is searching for a new job.
I was featured in a magazine article for giving awesome customer service.
Our cats have switched personalities.
Jon has started to do all the cooking (and most of the cleaning) so I can relax when I am home.
I have become addicted to the library and am checking tons of stuff out.
We cancelled our cable so we spend more time on other activities.
I am still doing the 52 week challenge and have been making my own cleaning products, purging extra possessions and spending more time outside.
Work has slowed down but all our lines have new products so I have product knowledge meetings almost every morning which makes for a 9.5 hour workday.
I started playing the Sims on Facebook and now remember how addictive it is.

Ok wait a second. Looking at that list I can see where the month went. It's been insanely busy and I am often too tired to function by the time I stumble in the door. I will try to do a pregnancy update tomorrow (now that I am in my third trimester and we know the sex....) I still read your blogs, but usually on my cell phone while i'm on the bus so commenting isn't as easy. I will be back in full force soon!

Resolutions?

I usually try to do resolutions but I think this year I am going to opt out and do 2 other things instead.

Number 1: I want to follow the advice of this sign. I am really hard on myself and expect myself to do more than is really possible. With a little one on the way, a move to a new home and our already hectic life I need to let go a bit.

Number 2: I am taking part in a 52 Week Green Up. It is a set of weekly challenges that bring some more green into day to day life. I already try to be green but there is so much more I could be doing and I don't want to take all the steps at once. So, every week I will try the next challenge, and i'll keep what works for us and ignore what doesn't right now. The first week's challenge is all about material possessions and choosing what to do with your time.

21 Weeks

How Far Along? 21 Weeks (when did that happen?!?!?!)
Total weight gain/loss? 12 lbs gained
Maternity clothes? Lots of leggings and maternity pants. Most of my tops still fit.
Stretch marks? None yet, still moisturizing like crazy!
Sleep? I would sleep 24 hours a day if I could. 
Best moment this week? I am going to pretend that says month since it's been so long. We had a fun filled December with visits from my parents, Jon's parents and Shannon. The holidays flew by and we had a blast through Christmas and New Years.
Miss Anything? I miss my energy and going for walks. 
Movement? Lots of kicking and moving. Jon has felt a few from the outside too!
Food Cravings? Anything sour
Anything making you queasy or sick? Coffee and chicken are still not my friends.
Have you started to show yet? There is a big bump now. Strangers are commenting on it.
Gender? My ultrasound is January 18th so as long as baby cooperates we will know then!
Labor signs? None yet.
Belly Button in or out? Still in but holding on for dear life. 
Wedding rings on or off? Still on, starting to feel a big tight by the end of the day. 
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy still.
Looking forward to? Finding out the sex and a bit of a slower pace at work. 

16 Weeks

This month has been insane. My weekends switched at work and I am still trying to get into a new routine. I keep meaning to post baby updates on my day off but I have been so tired that all I do is sleep (and don't want to get dressed for a photo!). But here I am this morning before work! A few weeks later but looking pretty much the same....

How Far Along? 16 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss? 13 pounds

Maternity clothes? Still wearing leggings and my 2 pairs of maternity pants. Most of my tops still work and I dug a few dresses out of the back of my closet.

Stretch marks? Using tons of cream and (so far) avoiding new ones. 

Sleep? Still eating every 3 or 4 hours so still no sleeping through the night for me. 

Best moment this week? Booking the 3D ultrasound so we can see baby better and tell what it is!

Miss Anything? Eggnog with rum (it is not the same without the run!) & rare meat. I love steaks but am one of the people who orders them blue rare. Well done is just not my thing. 

Movement? Still nothing but the baby is high enough that I should be able to feel it soon.

Food Cravings? Still anything sour and anything citrus. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Chicken and coffee. I would love for both of these to go back to normal!

Have you started to show yet? There is definitely a baby there- clients at work are commenting every day- they can't believe that I am only 16 weeks along!

Gender? Two more weeks and I'll know!!!

Labor signs? None!

Belly Button in or out? It is disappearing! 

Wedding rings on or off? Still on, not spinning at all anymore though!

Happy or Moody most of the time? Still happy although certain people seem to bring out the bitchy in me. Fortunately my love of Christmas music puts me back into a good mood!

Looking forward to? Getting our Christmas tree up and seeing both sets of parents in December!

13 Weeks (again...)

How Far Along? 13 Weeks- The test results that the Doctor wanted to go over with me were the ultrasound reports. The baby was smaller than it should have been based on the original timeline. My due date changed to May 13th!

Total weight gain/loss? 11 pounds

Maternity clothes? I need to pick some more bottoms up but all of my 'fat' tops are fitting still.

Stretch marks? Some old ones are getting whiter. I have started moisturizing like crazy!

Sleep? Still sleeping in short stretches, but have managed to get a few 5 or 6 hour runs in.

Best moment this week? Hearing the heartbeat at the Dr's appointment. 

Miss Anything? Still missing coffee 

Movement? None yet

Food Cravings? Sour anything

Anything making you queasy or sick? It's a daily tossup between meat or veggies making me feel ill.

Have you started to show yet? Definitely

Gender? No idea yet.

Labor signs? None!

Belly Button in or out? Still in but getting really shallow!

Wedding rings on or off? Still on.

Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy and tired.

Looking forward to? Getting some of my energy back. 

13 Weeks

How Far Along? 13 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss? 8 pounds up, which is suprising considering the amount of food i'm eating!

Maternity clothes? Still loving tunics and leggings. Have given up totally on my skinny jeans- even with a Bella Band they won't stay up.

Stretch marks? None

Sleep? Still interrupted by snack time but I am able to fall back asleep really fast.

Best moment this week? Getting a pedicure and a foot massage. So good!

Miss Anything? Coffee!!!!! I can almost handle the scent of the coffee isle in the grocery store so I may be able to sip some soon!

Movement? Some little flutters but I cant tell if they are my tummy grumbling or baby moving around.

Food Cravings? Sour anything- oranges, grapefruits and sour soothers are working to eliminate them.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Sadly still coffee. I seem to be able to stomach most veggies again but am still craving meat.

Have you started to show yet? The belly is definitely sticking out, I have had strangers comment on it now so I know it's not just my imagination.

Gender? No idea but everyone keeps telling me they think it's a girl.

Labor signs? None!

Belly Button in or out? It's in.

Wedding rings on or off? Still on.

Happy or Moody most of the time? Still happy.

Looking forward to? Dr's appointment this week. They called me this week because of some test results but wouldn't tell me what test over the phone. I am trying not to worry- if it was anything really serious they would tell me over the phone or want me in sooner but it is still driving me a bit nuts.

12 weeks

Yeah! Baby post time!

How Far Along? 12 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss? Up 9 pounds

Maternity clothes? Loving leggings and tunics.

Stretch marks? None yet

Sleep? My bladder and tummy aren't letting me sleep. I feel icky if I don't eat every 4 hours, so whenever I wake up to pee I also have a snack. I am getting better at 3am quiet snack preparation.

Best moment this week? Seeing the ultrasound- the baby was squirming around and kicking. The heartbeat was also incredible!

Miss Anything? Coffee & Sushi! 

Movement? None that I can feel but the baby was squirming like mad on the screen! 

Food Cravings? Salty anything. I think I could even just eat spoonfuls of salt and be happy.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Coffee and the smell of cigarettes. 

Have you started to show yet? There is definitely a bump there, customers have started to ask me if it's a baby.

Gender? Still thinking its a girl but couldn't tell on the ultrasound.

Labor signs? None!

Belly Button in or out? It's in.

Wedding rings on or off? Still on, not spinning anymore though!

Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy when I'm not dead tired. 

Looking forward to? Sleeping for longer than 4 hours at a time (I know once I have baby that's going to be a distant memory, but I would love it right now!)

11 Weeks along

I saw this question format on Jessica's Blog and thought I would borrow it for my pregnancy. I will start with the photos soon too- I need to figure out the timer on my camera as Jon is gone in the morning before i'm dressed and by the time I get home I am too tired to pose. The shutterbug in me is going nuts with the lack of photo documentation....

How Far Along? 11 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss? 4 lbs gained
Maternity clothes? Lots of leggings and dresses, picked up maternity jeans as my normal ones dig in and make me feel kinda sick.
Stretch marks? So far no, i'm still pretty small and slathering on the cream every morning!
Sleep? I feel like I could sleep all the time. For the first time in my life I climb into bed, turn out the light and zonk out. I am usually up twice during the night to pee but fall asleep right after.
Best moment this week? Jon cooking dinner, cleaning up and taking care of the house so I can rest.
Miss Anything? Coffee. I don't function without my morning coffee (and sometimes my afternoon one!) But it's not agreeing with me right now.
Movement? None yet.
Food Cravings? Anything salty or spicy.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Coffee and lukewarm water. If I am going to drink water it has to be straight out of the fridge cold. I have been drinking tons of juice and peppermint tea so I still get enough fluids.
Have you started to show yet? I look more chubby than pregnant but there is a bit of a tummy forming.
Gender? Not sure yet.
Labor signs? None thankfully.
Belly Button in or out? Still in.
Wedding rings on or off? Still on, actually spinning around on my fingers more than normal.
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy but feeling ill and very tired.
Looking forward to? Starting my second trimester next week- hopefully more energy will come with it! Also, starting to plan the nursery out in my head.

So Tired

So do you remember last fall when we were thinking we were ready to start a family and decided that we were going to move first? Apparently the universe has decided that we have waited for long enough. I went into the doctors office to see why I was so tired and found out that there is a little one on the way!
WHOOT!!!
I am so excited, although still feeling like I got hit by a truck. I can't believe how sore and tired I have been! I am due on May 3rd so at this point I am 11 weeks. I am hoping that when I hit the second trimester I will feel better (which everyone tells me will happen)
The bump is starting to show, my skinny pants are more memory than reality and I splurged on some maternity jeans and dress pants to wear to work. It seems so strange to be happy about putting weight on. I have spent the last few years doing everything I can to get rid of it. So, for right now I need this shirt:

I will post some photos soon (once I can corner Jon into taking some) But yeah!!! Baby in May!!!

Missing again

Why hello out there.
I am still alive, still loving the new city and my job.
I am also bizarrely busy and am trying to make myself relax more. I climb into my bathtub at the end of a crazy day instead of sitting in front of my laptop. I'm sure the bath is better for me. But I miss everyone. I miss reading my blogs and I surprisingly miss Twitter and Facebook.
Has anything happened in your life that I have missed in my absence??

One of those days

Fringe Shows #4 & 5

Ok....a bit late but here are my reviews of the last 2 shows we went to!

Our Sunday night show:
My First Time
A group of actors and actresses read out real stories from the website My First Time.  They pick some unique stories, some strange stories, some cute stories and some fun facts. They even get the audience to fill out short surveys at the beginning of the show that get incorporated in.

Our Tuesday night show:
It's Been Taken
Two guys work at a comic book store that may be closing, have an invisible room mate who never pays his share of the rent and have serious girl problems. Filled with video game references and fun scene changes. We were laughing so hard for the whole show.
So far this is our ultimate favourite show. We have recommended it to everyone we talk to and still remember quotes from it. If you are in Victoria and reading this GO SEE IT!!!!

Fringe Festival!!

So back home in Edmonton you can count on me to be at the Fringe every night (and most days) while it is on. I love the atmosphere, the live theatre and the people.  I was so incredibly excited to learn that the Fringe also comes to Victoria! Better yet, it comes after so we can see the reviews in Edmonton and choose from there!!
The only sad thing is that here it is all about the shows. No festival grounds, no wandering through the shopping tents with a lemonade in hand, no dodging the random juggler as they go a bit out of their circle. And while I do understand that the festival is all about the (amazing) shows, I miss the buzz. We were talking to friends who have lived here for 8 years and they hadn't ever heard of the Fringe. If you move to Edmonton it is one of the first things you hear about!
But nonetheless, we saved up some money to go to shows (I found out it was coming in April....) They have 10 show passes available for a serious discount on entry so we went that way.
Today we went to 3 of our 10. They were:

Grim & Fischer: A Deathly Comedy in Full Face Mask
-A little like the movie UP- the lady's husband passed away awhile ago and death is now ready to take her. But she's not ready to go.
- Created in Portland by Wonderheads theatre group.
- It was held over in Edmonton and I can see why- we went from laughter to tears and back a few times. We both really enjoyed it. The characters are wonderfully expressive, which is a feat when the plot is all communicated by actions, lighting and sound effects.

Tara Firm & The Lunar War Chronicles
- Tara is the newest pilot recruited for the lunar war but she didn't want to be a pilot. After taking over the job she's forced into she makes waves and discovers a few new facts about the war.
- Created in Victoria by Launch Pad Productions
- This was Jon's favourite of the day- it was fun and had some great references to history. Also, incredible props that took a ton of imagination to make. The 5 cast members perfectly pulled off all the roles.

The Smell Of The Kill
- 3 wacky housewives find themselves in an odd situation that can seemingly solve all their problems (and husbands). But do they have the guts to go ahead with the plan?
- Another locally produced show! This one is done by Dragon Monkey Theatre Group. I hadn't seen any reviews for it but we had already done 2 shows at this venue so we just stayed there for the 3rd!
- This one came out as my favourite for the day. It was fun and gutsy and kept me guessing.

No Good

Love it!

Question #12

Wow, I got off track with these questions!!! Time to get back to work on the project!

Day 12. Write about what wears you out as a woman.

There is only one thing that I can think of that really wears me out. Women are mean. Especially to other women. Especially when looking at other women's appearances. Society is so based on visuals that we judge instantly based on looks. Even quick trips out of the house require a shower and a decent outfit. Work requires a ton more time to get out the door. Days at the spa sound relaxing but the only reason i'm there is to look nice.
My workplace has a semi-formal to formal dress code so most days i'm in dress pants, a dress shirt and heels. 8 hours a day in heels on walking around on cement is just mean. But even they can't really help it. Our store sells medium and high end products- we have to look the part. It would be hard to convince people to spend $5000 on a sofa while wearing grubbies. Since finding out about the baby I have been wearing flats (self preservation at it's best) and I have picked up some maternity dress pants but I still have to dress up.
Men have it easier in this one (as I've learned living with Jon) They will leave the house in almost anything. They will hang out with their buddies in their comfy clothes and not care. I think we should learn from them.
We have to be willing to look at people and see past their outfit. We have to see past their hairstyle. We need to see them. We need to learn to connect with people and embrace them for being themselves and being stunning inside. Maybe that's why I like blogging so much. I can connect with people while I am in my pj's (like today). I can start conversations with people that I may not ever talk to in person. I can get advice, criticism, kind words and honest answers without worrying about that that person thinks about my hairdo or outfit. I don't have to pretend to be anything other than me.
Can that happen more in our day to day lives?

Million Reasons

One of the million reasons I love our new city-

The hummingbirds are flying around my patio eating breakfast while I sit here and watch!!

Gluten hates me

I am stealing the lovely Marlow's blog title for this post!
I have been gluten free for 5 years now and have been amazed at how much better I feel. But gluten got me this week, it snuck into my fridge and attacked! Maybe attacked is too strong of a word...
We had a crazy weekend- Shannon came into town for a surprise visit on Friday and we hit up a karaoke bar with my cousin. Once the bar closed down we came home and played board games (yes, we're that cool!) We ended up climbing into bed around 5:30am. We slept in a bit and then Shannon and I hit downtown for some girl time and shopping (including trying on ridiculous sunglasses!) She had to be up-island for family dinner so once we explored the market and I brought her to my favorite places in Victoria she dropped me off and headed back.

I made a quick dinner and then had an early night. We had an amazing wedding anniversary....a nice relaxed day together. We went to Sauce for lunch, wandered through the Miniatures Museum, took a horse & carriage ride through Beacon Hill Park and then went to Blue Crab Bistro for dinner. Both restaurants were awesome- Sauce sources all their food locally so it's always really fresh and they are really conscious about gluten allergies. Blue Crab was also awesome, a bit pricey, but I had a gift certificate from the Tourism award and some anniversary money from my parents. We had a huge seafood platter for dinner along with a bottle of wine.

So much food! But it was so good and all Kelly friendly. The gluten monster got me on Monday night. I was still really tired from the weekend so by the time I got home from work all I wanted to do was order takeout. We decided on Thai and we searched online for a place that delivers. We ordered our two standards- Pad Thai & Tom Yum and then tried out a pineapple and chicken curry. It was all really good but I woke up feeling even sicker and more tired than on Monday. By Thursday I wasn't feeling better (but was diligently eating the leftovers which usually go bad in our fridge) It was only when I went to the Doctor and he said it looked like strep did it register that one of the first clues of a reaction for me is strep symptoms. I called the restaurant back and apparently they use wheat noodles for their Pad Thai (which is traditionally rice noodles) Today is the first day I've felt human this week...although I am still a bit wonky.
So that is my week. An amazing weekend and then an evil gluten ninja attack.