Is it Really Only Wednesday???

So, it's been a long busy week so far. I've just finished up a job for a new client doing schematic drawings, and am now going over in my head what to attempt to conquer next. Hmm...laundry, cleaning or grocery shopping. Well, tonight is out of the question for any of this as we have to go to TD to close our bank accounts. It's been a long time waiting, but we can finally close every thing there seeing as we renewed our mortgage with a different bank. I cannot possibly tell you ALL the problems we've had except to tell you our experiences have been unpleasant. After our bank appointment I'm thinking we should pick up some milk (we are all out), and then grab a bite to eat. I realize that this blog posting is beginning to be a rant...but I have one more pet peeve to add to the list. Why is it that there are very few healthy options for fast food? I realize that 'healthy fast food' is a bit of an contridiction in itself, but still it would be nice. Subway is out of the question as I don't trust their lunch meat being pregnant and all. And the only other option is wendy's really. Anywho, we will see...but I may be so hungry by the time I leave the bank that I might finally give in to this terrible craving for 'fry supreme' from taco bell. I've had this craving for months now and have conquered it with very strong will power. I will keep you posted how much longer I can succeed. I must also tell you that a poutine from New York Fries also sounds good. I had very few cravings while pregnant with James, but this time is totally different.

As far as my exercise routine goes, I've been very dedicated to my running routine still. Although due to the hot weather I have resorted to the treadmill. Very boring. And I can never seem to keep my balance while looking up at those darn t.v.'s. I feel as though they are way to close to the treadmill. I mean really...picture a pregnant woman running trying to look up at a tv, juggle her ipod and take a drink of water, all while balancing a beach ball belly on a treadmill. Come on. I think the televisions were placed there strategically for the enjoyment of all the non-runner's on the elipticals and stationary bikes located further back.

Oh...and we officially have a full relay team for the Detroit Freepress Marathon Relay. I am registering us next week. I'm super excited. Hopefully I'll be able to hobble through my 3 miles!!!

Have a great night!

First Appointment with Dr.J

So today was my first appointment with Dr.Jasey...or as I sometimes short form it Dr. J. It was pretty short and sweet and I only waited 1/2 hour past my scheduled time which is SUPER good. Nothing really exciting to report other that the baby's heartrate was 140. I scheduled my next ultrasound for Sept 1st, and then my next appointment for Sept.8th. My life is all about appointments now for the next 5 months!!!

Other than that, just super busy. I have 2 new clients I'm doing work for and a whole bunch of other work for exisiting clients to finish up this week. Just when I thought I was getting a break!!! Guess I can't complain, since so many people are out of work. I heard that the unemployment rate in Windsor is the highest in the country on the radio the other day. I think they said it was around 15%...I can't remember for sure though.

Well, guess i better go...got work to do!!!

Long Awaited...

So it's been a while since my last post...so here it is - the long awaited blog posting. We went camping last weekend to Wheatley. What a blast!! James was such a champ and the camping trips keep getting better and better...or should I say 'busier and busier'!! We basically did a lot of walks - yes my little boy now insists on walking with his mommy until he's so tired he can't go any further. Too cute!! We also spent some time at the beach and there was a nice park by the water. Every day I got about an 1.5 hr break when James was sleeping in which I read my new book I got from Elizabeth for my birthday. Wont a wonderful read - it's all short stories on being a parent. Sunday our friend's Angeline and James came out with their daughter Adelaide and the kids had a great time playing together and we all had dinner that night - mexican, mmm....

As for the rest of my week, it's been VERY busy. James had his doctors appointment Wednesday, and he got his shots. He was very brave and was such a good boy. I've been trying to get some new business so that has taken up a lot of time this week too. I have a meeting tomorrow with someone to possibly do some illustrations (cabinet schematics). Should be interesting... the man I spoke with spoke very little english.

Well, better go and start my weekend.

Bye Bye Poo-Poo

So, I certainly hope that by the title of this post, you've figured out that this one will be about James. He has become increasingly curious lately and has discovered that being the 'Big Boy' that he is, he can now flush the toilet. So the other day as I was getting ready for work, my little man was patiently playing on the bathroom floor when all of a sudden I heard a 'FLUSH'. I look over and James has a grin from ear to ear, and is waving frantically while chanting 'Bye Bye poo-poo' over and over again. He continued to do this and flushed the toilet about ten times before it finally wouldn't flush anymore. He also insists that no matter what your reasoning for going into the bathroom is... you are going 'poo-poo'. This is extremely awkward when you are out in public and he starts yelling out in the store 'Mama.. poo-poo' over and over again. Needless to say the other morning was very funny and I thought I would share this with everyone. Perhaps it will give someone a laugh.

As far as I'm concerned, there's no real updates. Feeling good and finally starting to get over some of the first trimester fatigue. My next appointment isn't for another 2 weeks when I will see my OB specialist. Nothing too exciting about that either - same doctor as before.

Have a wonderful day!!

Ultrasound

So I will try to make this short. The ultrasound on Friday was AMAZING!!! The baby had grown a lot since my last ultrasound 3 weeks ago. It actually makes my due date January 26th rather than Feb. 2nd. Not sure if that will change my official date with the doctor or not, but I change my little counter on the right side of the page. I also changed it as I realized I accidently picked a stork with a little black baby as the graphic. Funny, I just noticed the other day, but I have fixed that and updated the date. Don't want to give any one the wrong idea, LOL!!

The ultrasound technician was great and took her time and walked through everything with us. She printed out a bunch of pics and was quite impressed with the amount of movement the baby was doing. It's crazy cause you can already see the fingers and the baby actually stretching etc. Super cool. Well, better go, gotta get caught up on the laundry. Enjoy the pictures!!!

Dr.'s Appointment

Just a quick note to say I had a check-up today at the doctor's. Everything is looking good. My blood pressure is normal and weight gain is 'more than sufficient' but not out of the ball park (I'll leave it at that). Looking forward to Friday as we have another ultrasound. I'm really starting to struggle with clothes that fit but don't show my belly too much. I've done 3 runs already this week and am hoping to fit another one in either friday night or saturday morning. I also have booked a well needed pedicure for saturday (part of my birthday gift from hubby). Feeling great, just a little tired still - I'm up in the night still a couple of times to use the potty. John and I are going to do some costco shopping tomorrow and then out for a belated birthday dinner (he worked last weekend). I think we will go for Thai or Indian - yummy!!

Birthday Celebrations, Zoo Trip and Stretchy Pants

So the weekend sure was a busy one!!! To start things off I did a good clean of the house Friday night. It's amazing how much mess such a small toddler can make!!! Saturday morning we were up bright and early and at the grocery store for 8am. James is such a champ at the store, he enjoys waving to everyone and hamming it up with everyone. After that we met Jill at the coffee shop at the outlet for a birthday breakfast. James and I continued on our shopping journey through the outlet mall. I got some shoes and loungewear. I had birthday money to blow so I tried to get the most amount of stuff for my buck. I later when back out shopping to the mall (by myself this time) in search of a new purse and wallet. I found one that I absolutely loved and bought it.

Later that night we had Chinese at my parent’s house and Johnny brought over an ice cream cake (he knows the way to my heart!!). It was awesome. I had planned on running that night but felt like going to bed early instead… so I did!!

The next day (Sunday) we went to the Detroit Zoo. It was a great day and to sum it all up I will try to give you an abbreviated version of what James enjoyed most. The penguins were a big hit. However it is very hard to explain to a toddler that just because something swims underwater doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a ‘fishy’. He soon was amazed with giraffes. I don’t know why really but he really like staring at them and watching them eat leaves. He freaked when we left that area. And last but not least, the polar bears and seals were probably at the top of the list. Again, I don’t know how a ‘bear’ can be confused with a ‘fish’, but seriously… try explaining that one to a excited toddler who is fascinated with the swimming polar bear above him (we were in a cool underwater tunnel). We wrapped up the day with some overpriced hot dogs and chicken fingers and headed home. I did manage to make it out for a 3.5 mile run last night. I was tired to start but ended up with a huge burst of energy about half way through.

And here we are already at Monday again. So today I reluctantly pulled out my stretchy waistband dress pants. There’s no turning back now…my little pot belly is growing exponentially and I’m sure I wont be able to hide it from work much longer. It’s amazing how much sooner you show the second time around.

Well back to work. Here’s wishing everyone a wonderful start to their week!!

Camping in Goderich!

So I’m finally getting a spare moment to write a little bit about our WONDERFUL camping weekend. To start things off I have to say that John did an excellent job of packing up all the stuff and coolers while I was at work Friday morning. When I got home we were ready to go and hit the road by !2:30. It took us about 4 hours with one strop to get to Goderich. We stopped at this awesome bakery called Zehrs Country Bakery/Deli. It’s owned by Mennonites and the pepperonis, sticky buns and jams are all great! When we got to our campsite James was ready to stretch his legs so we walked down to the park while John set up camp. James was on excitement overload but we managed to feed him dinner and get him to bed for 8pm. John and I had a nice steak dinner later on that night. No beer or wine for me though.

Saturday morning we were hit by some bad thunderstorms and hung out in the camper for breakfast. We got our rain suits on after that though and James and I walked down to the beach. John hadn’t slept well the night before so he had a rest while James and I had a fun filled morning throwing rocks into the water.

Later that day our friends Angeline, James and their daughter Adelaide came to visit. They got there around 1pm, and we all went to the beach to enjoy the now very sunny day. The kids were great and loved the water and sand. We hung out there for a few hours and then headed back to the site for some hamburgers and sausages.

Sunday was just as nice, just cooler. We went for a nice walk in the morning and then while James was napping I headed out for a run. It was great, I felt like I could keep going forever. It’s nice to sometimes get a more scenic run in. I ran along the water and on some other trails for about 40 minutes.

Later on Sunday we headed back to the beach and then James had his first ice cream cone. He’s had ice cream before, just not in a cone. You wouldn’t believe how proud he was of himself walking around with his ‘big boy’ ice cream. Too cure.

Monday we packed up and headed home, but not before taking a break at Park’s Blueberries on the way home. We all had blueberry tarts that were very yummy and some other snacks. We got home around 4:30, tired and ready for bed. We are still unpacking and probably will be all week.

Well that’s our trip in a nutshell. Nothing else really new, just busy at work now and my freelance work just keeps coming in. The pants are getting a bit snug on me now… I may have to move into stretchy pants soon or at least some of my bigger sized pants. Hopefully I will post some pictures in the next few days on this post of our trip.

Running makes Everything Better....

Last night, after a long day at work, I was a time bomb waiting to go off. I was having one of those days where I just wanted to have an argument or pick a fight. Ever had one of those? I like to think I can at least blame it on raging hormones right now, but I'm not sure how much longer that excuse is going to work for. After some nagging and complaining, I still didn't feel satisfied. Johnny was off to work for the night, and I was left with my adorable little man (who I couldn't possibly be irritated by) and the anticipation of my evening run. My in-laws were kind enough to babysit for a few hours so I didn't have to cancel my running plans. Johnny switched his schedule around last minute to accommodate or weekend travels better. So I headed out around 7:45 with my good friend and running buddy Jill. We accomplish a good 5.25 miles, not too shabby and caught up on some well needed girl talk. I felt revived and somewhat calm after that. All the worries and stress went away. It's amazing how a simple run can make everything better. Such a stress reliever.

On another 'running note' I think I've picked my post pregnancy race to motivate myself. It's kind of boring, but I really would like to go back and do the Niagara Half Marathon again. I loved it the first time, but being that it was my first one I really didn't appreciate the course. It's flat and fast, and as long as there is not a head wind I think I might be able to accomplish my new goal. Half marathon - 1:45. It's a bit of a stretch, but I really feel I could do it.

So I am not even close to ready for our weekend camping trip. I am going grocery shopping tonight and will hopefully get everything packed up tonight. James will probably help me pack things into the boxes - super cute. We are going to Goderich, and I have my fingers crossed for nice weather!!! Well, better go, gotta look busy here at work!

So much to pack...So little time

It's amazing how much stuff you need to go away for such a short time with a toddler. I find that by the end of my packing bonanza I feel as though I have packed enough stuff for a small nation. There's so many 'worse case scenarios' to consider. Perhaps it will be cold, or hot, or rainy, or James will get the runs and need 10 pairs of pants. You never know really. And that is why my packing will begin tonight for our Friday departure. Our last weekend outing I ended up packing 4 pairs of pj's for James and not a single piece of clothing for myself except for a pair of jeans. This time I am going to be prepared for everyone... probably with 10 pieces of luggage at the end, but I refuse to forget anything this time.

I also need to make my way back to the grocery store. Yes...believe it or not, we are out of groceries yet again. I am trying to postpone this event until Thursday. We will see how that works out. Not much new really. The pants are getting just a bit snug, but I should be able to squeeze a few more weeks out of them before I am in to stretchy waistbands. And I have had a lot of freelance work to keep up with. Just when I think I'm getting a break I get bombarded with more work. I'm not complaining...I love it. I consider myself very lucky to be doing so well in the bad economic times, especially since I have not once tried to go out and get business. If I made an effort I feel like there's no way I'd be able to work full time and do all these side jobs.

Well, went for about a 3 mile run today. It was okay, but I've been pretty tired this week, and am looking forward to a relaxing weekend to catch up on some rest. Oh...wait a minute, I forgot CAMPING + TODDLER = no rest. I'm still looking forward to some time with my family though.

A full weekend of boating, camping and eating!!!

It was soo nice to have a long weekend. Our work gave us Friday for Canada Day, so we ended up having a nice long weekend. John took Saturday night off too, so for once we were both off at the same time. It was my Grandpa's 80th birthday party this weekend so we all went out to celebrate at my aunt's cottage in Stoney Point. We brought our camper and stayed the night. It was so nice, and my Grandpa seemed to really enjoy himself.

On the way out, I stopped and picked up some clothes from a woman in Belle River. She was selling all her maternity clothes. I borrowed a lot of mine the first time around so I decided to get some more. Some of them were nice for work, and others were good for the weekend. I should be set now whenever my belly decides to start growing at an exponential rate.

James enjoyed himself and all the attention once we got out to the cottage. We went on the boat once on Saturday and Sunday. He seemed to like it. Dinner was great and it was so nice to visit with all the family.

So on the way home, we needed to stop for lunch. I'm trying to eat healthy and feed this baby all kinds of healthy nutritious foods, however John decided to be a bad influence on this when he twisted my arm into getting A&W. My arm didnt need a lot of twisting but I was originally planning on getting a salad from Wendy's. I must say I very much enjoyed my Mama burger (how fitting!) and onion rings!!

Well, gotta get back to looking busy here at work. Looking forward to my 3.5 mile run at lunch. Hopefully its not too hut!!

Finally...the weekend

So I have finally reached the weekend...YIPEE!!! We get tomorrow of instead of this past Wednesday (Canada Day). I never made it to the grocery store last night because I forgot that it would be closed early for the holiday. So tonight's activities will start off with a few hours playing with my James, then an hour at the gym, then a late night grocery trip. It's nice doing groceries at night cause it's not busy, but putting away groceries at 10pm at night can be exhausting.

This weekend I have my Grandpa's 80th birthday party. I did a bunch of picture boards for it, that I think people will like. We are telling the rest of the family about the pregnancy this weekend. It's hard to get in contact with everyone, so I figured this would be the best way.

Nothing else really new. I'm finally started to get over a bit of the fatigue, I actually made it out 4x already this week for a run. I'm hoping to go one more time this week if it's nice out though. Take advantage of the nice cool weather. Well better run... Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Where do all the groceries go???

As I sit here at my work station I think about this evening's planned trip to the grocery store. I do the majority of the grocery shopping in our family, however John (hubby) is always more than willing to go as long as I have a list for him. Somehow though, I never get around to making a list and end up going myself (and my wonderful almost 18 month old son James) and wander aimlessly around the store. I normally manage to get most of the essentials, but always forget a few things in which I send John to get at a later date. So if you see me at the grocery store tonight and I look like I've been there WAY too long, I probably have. James is always a peach at the store...as long as I let him hold on to a few of the groceries and occasionally throw them overboard. My point to all this rambling was that its been less then a week and somehow I am heading back to the store to get an entire kitchen full of groceries...it's looking like Mother Hubbard's kitchen.

Last night James was up in the night. It was so cute and heartbreaking at the same time as he rubbed his cheek and kept moaning 'Mama'. He is teething...getting the canine teeth in. Luckily he was up only 2x between 11pm and 12:30am. As for me I woke up at 3am to pee, 4:30 cause I was hot, and 5:30 from the loud annoying birds chirping. So I'm a little exhausted right now.

On a much more positive note, I went for a nice 3.5 mile run today at lunch time. It looked nice and cool out but was humid and I ended up hot and sweaty to go back to work. Oh well. Almost done work and then off to the grocery store later on tonight!!

Where I'd rather be right now....

As I sit at my desk staring off into space I think of the many places I'd rather be right now. First off I'd much rather be with my two favorite men in the whole world than sitting here at my work pod. Anywhere other than here really would be preferable. I had a hard time leaving for work today. I was an emotional wreck...that's what pregnancy hormones will do to you!!! At least I got some of my freelance work done here during the day, and maybe I will make it out for a run tonight. Oh...and the most excitement today, was getting my long overdue haircut. Yippee!!! Although I didn't appreciate the hour long rant that my hairdresser had while cutting my hair. I thought it was the client that was supposed to dish to the hairdresser, not the other way around. Well, not much else really exciting as of right now. Oh... pregnancy updates are as follows : tired, hungry, emotional and hot. And loving every minute of it, cause at the end of this we get a wonderful bundle of joy to add to the Casey household.

First Ultrasound and Storybook Gardens

Baby Casey at just shy of 9 weeks

The whole fam (except me - I'm taking the pic) at Storybook Gardens

Me and my little man by the splash area.

James next to a frog.

Johnny, James and me outside of Storybook Gardens.

So two exciting things happened this weekend... we had our first ultrasound picture (yes...I am 9 weeks pregnant with our 2nd!!!!), and we had our first trip to Storybook Gardens.
So on Friday we went for our first dating ultrasound. It was quick and painless, I didn't have to wait at all. There was a strong heartbeat and so far so good. There isn't much to look at just yet, but it's amazing cause you can actually see the little peanut move a bit. I've included a picture of the little one.
On Saturday we headed to London, Ontario to go to Storybook Gardens. Both sets of grandparents came and seemed to have a really good time. We had a picnic lunch, played in the park and then had a bbq for dinner. James really liked the different playgrounds and even sat with my dad for 'storytime' with a bunch of other kids at the little kiddy castle. He was unsure of the splash area, as the water was FREEZING, but eventually he decided he liked it...as long as none of the other kids splashed him! After a full day, and some full bellies (Mmm.... sausages and munchies) we headed to our hotel. It was a first for James, and although it was a bit of a struggle to get the little guy asleep he eventually passed out. Me on the other hand was kept all night by not just my hubby's snoring, but also my son's snoring and moaning all night long. Like father like son I guess. It was a great weekend, and although I was extremely tire today... I topped it all off with a very enjoyable 4 mile run. Beautiful weather.

My First Blog posting!!!

This is my first blog posting ever!!! Woohoo! I've finally decided to get with the times, and start my very own personal Blog. Not sure how exciting it will be , or if anyone will even read it, but none the less... here it is!!!