Costco

Today I was at Costco and saw these wonderful red CorningWare Creations dishes. There's these two, a lasagna dish and also 4 large ramekins. They were on sale and since I was at Costco, it meant that I was probably going to buy something I hadn't anticipated, therefore spending more than I anticipated so I bought them. I'm very pleased with them - now I have a good excuse to cook up a storm this weekend! They're such a happy color of red too. Michael wanted to buy me a hoodie and came up a couple choices of navy or black and I said I just wanted happy bright colors and he laughed at (with?) me, but it's true. Don't you feel happier when you have happy bright colors everywhere? Well, tastefully of course.

Aidan very much enjoyed his swimming lesson. His class has 6 kids and 2 teachers - 1 of his teachers was his teacher for Sea Turtle and remembered him. The little kids looked so cute jumping around in the water and splashing. Aidan looked like he was having a great time. Next time I'll have to sit a little closer to where the lesson is so I can maybe take a couple pictures.

Right in front of me was a class for what looked like 3-6 month olds and their parents. The instructor was singing and splashing and it was so funny because the babies really looked like they could care less. There was one couple, the mom and baby boy were in the pool and the dad sat on the side with his camera, zoom lens and video camera. Every once in awhile the mom would turn and pose for a picture - that guy must have taken at least one picture a minute for the length of the 40 minute lesson! Parents like that are funny to me. Most especially because they probably won't be that crazy with their second or third child.

I'm thinking of taking Aidan to see Charlotte's Web today, but I'm not sure because one of the main characters is a spider, and then I think she dies at the end.

The Cradle

Here are the pictures of the cradle that I got last week. Aidan's very favourite teddy, Blue Teddy, is sitting in it. When the due date gets closer I told Aidan that we'll go together and pick out a very special teddy for the new baby and he's excited about that.



Aidan's swimming lessons start today so I'll try to take some pictures of him in the pool if I'm allowed.

What a Happy Day

Today is so my day!! Well, it started yesterday and there are so many good things happening! I'm very excited.

First of all I saw on freecycle yesterday that someone was offering a wooden cradle, right close to where I live!!! I emailed right away, explaining that I was expecting and that I could pick it up today, hoping she would give it to me and she did!!! I was so thrilled, especially since she drove it over to my house in her minivan. It's kind of big, has a stand so it can rock and even comes with a mattress. It had sort of been in the back of my mind that I needed to figure out what I was going to do for sleeping arrangements for the baby and I'm so happy that now this is taken care of. I was thinking of maybe painting it because it is a tiny bit beat up, but I've never painted anything before and I don't want to wreck it!

Also yesterday all 6 of my maternity shirts arrived! I tried them on and they don't seem very long which is kind of sad, but maybe they will work out better than I think once my tummy is bigger. I'm still looking for long tank tops to layer under shirts and that's what these were supposed to be. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know! I have a couple long tank tops from Old Navy and these shirts are all Old Navy Maternity but not as long as I had hoped they would be. Michael just called and said that today my maternity jeans arrived (also Old Navy - can you tell what my favourite clothing store is??) and I hope they will fit well. Those I actually measured for so they should be good. Thankfully most of my pants still fit and should for a little while longer thanks to this cool little trick I learned from Nathania. I had seen this thing on eBay called The Button - basically it's a button with an elastic loop attached and you button it into your buttonhole on your pants and loop the elastic over your button and it gives you a little extra room. Nathania told me she had just taken a hair elastic and put it through the buttonhole and looped it around the button. It works so good!!

And, to top everything off, Aidan's swimming lesson time got changed. Finally, at long last, this Saturday he starts Salamander swimming lesons. Originally it was 10:40-11:20 but now it's 10-10:40 which is so much better because it's farther away from nap time and grumpy time! He's going to be so excited when he remembers he gets to go for swimming lessons. He has a little trouble saying Salamander though. It comes out 'hala-man' which is a pretty good effort.

Last night he was pretending he was a duck. He said 'You be mommy duck, I be baby duck. Mack mack. Mack mack' So cute. Except Michael thought he was asking for a smack, so I had to quickly correct him :) Then he decided he was going to be a cow, so he was walking around on hands and knees saying 'mooooo, moooooo'. It's so nice when we can all be together and be silly like that.

I did take some pictures of the cradle last night, but I didn't have the memory card in the camera, so I'll have to upload them tonight. Currently Aidan's teddy bears are all sleeping in the cradle to try it out before the baby comes :)

Amazing Pictures

Michael and I were watching Heroes on Monday and after the show ended, there was the news on Global and we were talking, not really paying attention until this one story came up. I think the point behind the story was Vanishing Twin Syndrome, but to illustrate it they had these super cool lifelike images of babies in the womb. They took a 4-D ultrasound of a baby and then with computers, sort of colored it in and made it lifelike. It's kind of hard to explain but looked very cool -but also a little creepy because the babies weren't fully developed and didn't look like a 'normal' baby. You can check out the news story as well as video here.

Apparently Vanishing Twin Syndrome occurs in up to 1 in 8 pregnancies. It's where there will be 2 little babies and then the one dies for whatever reason and is absorbed back into the womb. That's just kind of weird. They also say that this may explain why some people feel lonely - because they are missing the twin they were in the womb with. Now that cracks me up. It's always someone else's fault - and who better to blame than the vanishing twin?

Anyways. I think Aidan is doing a little better but we'll see tonight. I sent him to Darlene's with chicken noodle soup and bananas and ginger ale and he said she gave it to him for lunch. Michael made him tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner and there we ran into some problems. We were trying to get him to eat just half the sandwich and he threw up on the last bite. Then not more than 5 min later he ran to the bathroom - I'm sure that kid went to bed with a thoroughly empty stomach! I'm sure he's getting tired of chicken noodle soup - I sent it with him again today - but I'm not sure what else to feed him! We're having tacos tonight so maybe I'll make him a mini one.

Yesterday was the Value Village 50% off sale and Michael said he would pick Aidan up and make him dinner while I went shopping. So nice of him! There weren't any carts when I went in and I figured that I wouldn't need one - I wasn't going to be long and I wasn't going to get much. By the time I was done I was flushed and breathing a little heavier than usual - from carrying around some books and some clothes. You know you're out of shape when....I found Aidan some cute little books including Night Night Bunny. I read it to him when we got home and in the book Bunny wakes up in the night and is scared of the dark, of the wind and of a spider. Aidan could totally relate to what Bunny was going through because whenever he sees a spider, it is an EVENT. I also found him a pair of Hot Wheels sweat pants which will go well with his Hot Wheels shirt, and a pair of rollerblades! They're still a couple sizes too big, but they were $3 and I couldn't pass them up! He was pretty impressed and we tried them out after dinner in the kitchen. I also got some cute little baby things, but not too many because I'm not sure what I'm having. I have an ultrasound booked on March 6 though and then I will find out. I'm very excited! I don't know how you could stand to wait until you actually have the baby, I can barely wait the 2 weeks until the next ultrasound!

Well, I guess I should get back to work. Thanks for all your comments wishing Aidan better :)

Sick

Poor little Aidan is sick today. Last night he woke me up with wet pants, so we changed that, and then a couple hours later he woke me up to tell me that his tummy hurt. I thought he was just hungry, it didn't even occur to me that he might be sick. Then about 6:30 we heard him crying, so Michael called him into our room and he came to sleep with us. I woke up again at 8:15 and got up - I really hadn't meant to sleep in that late! and then Aidan stumbled out around 8:45 and said that he was still tired and was going to sleep some more. I thought for sure I had heard wrong so I said 'What?' and as he turned around to repeat what he had said (while standing in the door of his room) he threw up. Poor little guy. He lay on the couch and watched some shows and sipped some grapefruit pop (closest I could come to ginger ale) with a pail close by. Unfortunately after awhile he threw up his breakfast as well, so then we had toast and chicken noodle soup for lunch and he's been able to keep that down. He still wanted to go out to the Storm game, so we went out and brought the pail, a change of clothes and a plastic bag with us. He did very well and now he's home, back on the couch. I'm so glad I could be home with him today and that he didn't have this happen at Darlene's house - even though I'm sure she would have been wonderful with him. So tomorrow he's going off to her house with bananas, ginger ale, chicken noodle soup and toast because I want his tummy to calm down but I don't want her to have to make stuff only for him. Hopefully this passes soon and he's not sick for too long!

Macaroni and Cheese

Last night Michelle came over and we made macaroni and cheese for dinner from a recipe I found online. It was soooo good and sadly, just barely made enough for the three of us (including Aidan). I forgot to give her the recipe, so I thought I would post it on here - it's super easy and seriously soo good.

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

2 tbsp butter/margarine

2 tbsp flour

Salt and Pepper

1 cup milk

3 oz cheese (I used light aged cheddar and havarti, about a cup in total)

8 oz pasta (I used 1 cup dry macaroni, I'm not sure how much that translates to cooked)

Melt the butter over medium heat and stir in the flour, making a roux. Add milk gradually using a whisk and continue cooking until thickened. Add salt and pepper, then cheese. Stir until cheese is completely melted, being careful not to burn it, then pour over hot pasta and serve.

This makes enough for 2 servings.

Michael taught Aidan how to say another phrase the other day. He picked him up on Friday from Darlene's house and asked him where he was going. Aidan was very excited and said 'Auntie Bev!' so Michael started teasing him saying 'No, we're going home to bed' Then he taught Aidan how to say 'Daddy, stop bustin my chops!' except when Aidan says it, chops sounds like chaps. So funny!

He also sings 'Eeny meeny miney mo, catch a tiger by the toe' I have no idea where he learned it but it always makes me laugh.

Here are some recent pictures:

Mango Mango Mango

I just had half a mango at 9:20. Couldn't wait for coffee at 10. It was really good. Aidan ate the other half this morning and was really excited about it and then afterwards complained that his tummy hurt because he had eaten too many different things this morning (banana, mini wheats and mango). I told him to suck it up.

Last night I got home with all my mashed potato supplies and steaks and Aidan came to open the door for me yelling 'Mommy's home! Yayyy!' That always makes me smile, it's so sweet. I showed him the little steak I had gotten for him and he grabbed it and ran into the living room to show Michael yelling 'Take! Yummmmmmy!' I came in the living room a couple minutes later to find the steak on the couch partially unwrapped - Aidan was planning to eat it raw and very upset to learn that it had to be cooked first.

He had a mini version of our dinner tonight. I cooked him 1 breadstick and 1 potato and then grilled the steak on our George Foreman grill. He was very excited about his little steak dinner, but only ate about half the steak. I had bought some strawberry dessert crepes for us and he got to have one of those too which he ate in like 3 minutes. We were sitting on the couch and I was helping him eat and I guess I missed putting a bite of the crepe in the second he was done chewing so he opens his mouth wide, points at it and grunts at me to get my attention.

On Valentines Day I told him it was also Hug Day and that he should give lots of hugs to everyone. He said he didn't really want to give Andrew a hug because Andrew hits and just wants to fight. So I told him to say 'Andrew, I'm a lover, not a fighter.' and then I got him to practice saying to me. I was trying to tell someone about it and I cracked up, it was the funniest thing I've heard in a long time. That and he told me that Brooklynn had said holy sh-t. I know it's bad for him to swear but it was hilarious when he said it. He sounded very disapproving and agreed with me when I said it was a bad word we shouldn't say.

It definitely feels like a Friday today, I'm very excited to be done work and it's only 10. Janet is taking me out to Barcelona's for their buffet lunch. I wore loose pants so I don't feel like a pig afterwards (but can still eat like one, just kidding). I've been helping her with binders so that we can impress Al. There are so many QC binders that need to be finished off and sent out and she was saying she felt a little lost because people aren't explaining too much stuff to her, so I thought the best idea would be to do something to show Al that she knows what she's doing and to impress him. So we're going to try to finish off 6 binders today and we're well on our way. Al is very impressed so my plan worked. Now she won't feel dumb for asking for more explanation for stuff and she'll have a little leverage if she needs to ask for a new filing cabinet or shelving or something. Plus, we'll get more money in once these stuipd binders are sent out. It's a win win situation!

Okay, coffee's over so I should get back to work. Have a great weekend everyone out there in blogland!

Happy (Late) Valentines Day

I really was going to post yesterday...I tried really hard and then the day kind of ran out. My boss got all the girls here little plants. They're really pretty, in tall red ceramic pots with a little ladybug on a stick right in the middle. They each had 2 flowers, lillies maybe? and originally I thought they were part of the plant but then I noticed they were in those little green things that hold water and were poked into the dirt. The leaves kind of look like ivy and I hope that the plant grows the same kind of flowers - or any flowers for that matter. I guess we'll wait and see. It was really nice of him to do that!

Yesterday morning was super crazy. I had told Darlene I would make cupcakes for all the kids and the plan was to make them Monday night and then decorate them Tuesday so there wouldn't be a mad rush Wednesday morning. Well, I'll bet you can guess what happened :) Monday I had that headache and Tuesday Aidan was difficult at the library and we got home later than usual, so I just got one pan of cupcakes in the oven and covered them for the morning. Wednesday morning I was making the rest of the cupcakes and madly rushing around trying to decorate them. I had bought this tube of red icing, planning on making either one big hearts or little hearts on top of the white icing on the cupcakes. Unfortunately I neglected to read the back of the little tube which said I could screw on any cake mate brand tips that I had and then go ahead and decorate. I tried to use a tip from my cheapie icing set but ended up with icing everywhere, so I just made huge puffy hearts. Aidan was very impressed and I did take a picture of them, but in my rush I removed the memory card before the picture was done loading onto it, so I lost it. When we got to Darlene's house I let Aidan carry the cupcakes upstairs and he went in and showed them to Darlene and then ran into the playroom 'Look guys! Cupcakes!'

He was less than thrilled when I came to pick him up though and I ended up having to carry him out to the car and fight with him to buckle him in and then listen to him cry all the way home. Just the way I wanted to spend my evening on Valentines Day! He did eat his dinner nicely and then I put him to bed early so I could watch a show I had saved while I had my dinner. That was nice and relaxing. I was going to make quesadillas for dinner but discovered my turkey had gone bad so I had to use ground beef instead. It tasted okay but kept falling out!

Today I'm going out to buy the steaks and other stuff for dinner tomorrow. I still haven't decided what to make for dessert and I think I might just buy something even though I had thought it would be nice to make something myself. Oh well. Let's be realistic here: I haven't cleaned Aidan's room in over a week, there's still laundry on the laundry couch, it's a miracle the kitchen is still semi-clean and I am attempting to make the dinner part...I'm buying a little steak (if such a thing can be found) for Aidan to have for dinner tonight so he doesn't feel left out.

This weekend is going to be so great. First the big date night and then Michelle is coming up from Edmonton and is coming over to visit on Saturday, and then on Monday Michael is taking Aidan to the last home Storm game which means I'll have a good 3 hours to myself and won't have to spend it tidying up if I can get my butt in gear on Saturday and Sunday!! It's Family Day for us out here in Alberta!

Attention All Pregnant People!

I'm sick! I feel gross and have a really bad headache that is starting to evolve to the point where I could describe it as a splitting headache. And...I can't take anything!!! Usually I try to hold off taking stuff, but if I weren't pregnant, I'd be all over those Tylenols like they were smarties :) Anyone have any suggestions? I don't think it will be getting better before it gets worse because there are 2 people at work sick already and chances are I've caught what they already have.

My Very Own Little Snow Soccer Star

I got these pictures taken of Aidan right before Christmas at the Wal-Mart Portrait Studio. They had some sort of package deal going on so if you were just going to purchase the one pose package (which I was) then they still had to take 5 more poses just in case you changed your mind because your kid looked so cute. I had a very hard time saying no to the other poses because they all turned out sooo good, but these guys are sneaky. When I went to pick up my package, they had printed 2 copies of each of the other poses and it was available for the extremely affordable price of just $19.99 and of course I caved. He is pretty cute, I'm sure you'll agree!

This last one is the one pose that I have in all sorts of different sizes. I gave the girl behind the camera his very special teddy to dance around to make him grin and boy, did it work! I've always gotten his picture taken at Wal-Mart, the first one at 3 months, and no matter whether he's tired, cranky or even sick they always turn out really really great.

So today was the Maple Sugar Festival down at Muskoseepi park, put on by some sort of French Society in Grande Prairie. I'm not sure what their name is exactly, but there were quite a few of them. Now that I think of it, I don't think I've ever been in a situation where the majority of people around me are speaking a different language, it's kind of weird. It's been pretty freakin cold lately, so Aidan was all bundled up in coat, snowpants, mittens and toque, but I couldn't find any snowpants so I had boots but just jeans and man, my legs just about froze off!

There was a little kids corner where there were crafts and snacks - maple cookies, juice boxes, and ice cream with maple syrup. We hung out there for a little while and then headed outside for a horse drawn wagon ride. They called them sleigh rides but I'm fairly certain sleighs don't have wheels. The horses were all decked out in bells and it sounded pretty cool to hear the bells through the trees. We got a good spot near the front near the horses but Aidan wasn't too into them. We did see a huge moose eating what looked like a small tree a little ways away. There was a little toboganning hill, a little valley and then the trail the horses were walking on and the moose was in the little valley. He must hang out near the park to be so used to people!

After the sleigh ride we were walking around to find the taffy on ice station when we saw a soccer game that Aidan decided to join. It was an interesting choice given that soccer is usually played in the summer on the grass and hockey is generally played in the winter on ice or snow, but I guess it was cheaper to get a soccer ball and also maybe a little less violent. There were about 3 teenagers who looked like they were running the game and another little girl and her Dad. Aidan and the girl had such a good time running around kicking the ball. The teenagers took turns playing goalie, helping the kids keep the ball on the 'field', picking them up when they fell down and cheering loudly when anyone scored. Aidan was actually doing pretty good trucking around in the snow, and managed to score a couple goals himself and also made a save while playing goalie. He looked like he was having a lot of fun and also looked pretty cute running around with a little red nose and red cheeks. Finally my legs were just too cold so we headed off to find taffy on ice. I think I'm going to look into signing him up for soccer tots this summer. As were were heading off he turned around and yelled 'Bye soccer guys!'.

The taffy on ice was a little disappointing. I've never had it before, but I've definitely heard about it so I guess maybe I was expecting something different than what it actually was. Basically it looked like really hot pancake syrup poured over a trough of ice and then you scooped some up and twirled it around a big tongue depresser stick. Aidan seemed to enjoy it, but I'm pretty sure it was straight sugar and what kid doesn't enjoy that??

After that we headed home to thaw ourselves, have a little something to eat and put Aidan down for a nap. I'm sure Aidan was glad to be home so he didn't have to suffer the indignities of sitting on the bench in the backseat. His carseat is getting pretty tight on him and with his snowsuit on there was no way it was getting done up. I put him on the backseat behind my seat, stupidly thinking he would feel very grown up because he didn't have to sit in his little seat. Boy was I mistaken! There were tears and wiggling around and whining - finally I convinced him that it was going to be okay, but he was still highly displeased with the whole situation. I was going to say hopefully by the end of summer he'll gain those 5 pounds so that he can move up to a booster seat, but that might be moving a little too fast.

He had a late nap today until about 5:15, then he got up and we had dinner and he watched a couple shows while eating some fruit cocktail and then at 7:30 asked to go to bed. That was pretty weird. We slept in this morning and since he had a late nap I was going to let him stay up til 8. He said he was sure and he's being quiet in there, so maybe he's still tuckered out from all that running around playing soccer he did earlier.

I think it's safe to say that he has morphed back into a nice little boy from the little monster he's been for the past month, although the true test is always pickup from Sunday School, so we'll see how that goes. We had a talk about it today and without any prompting from me he said 'I be good, you pick me up' so that's a good sign. We have a playdate to go to tomorrow and I would really hate to have to cancel because of bad behaviour. This girl who I 'met' through Freecycle invited me to join a moms group she is organizing and they're having a meeting tomorrow at her house. She said most of the moms have 3 year old boys and at least one is pregnant and due around the same time as me, so it sounds really great! Aidan will have lots of little buddies his own age and I can maybe get a few tips from people that are at the same place I'm at. I told Aidan about it and he's pretty excited to go. She also said that she was asking each person to bring a healthy snack or drink because she wants there to be an emphasis on healthy eating and exercise and in the summers she wants to do picnics in the park and stroller walks. This almost sounds too good to be true :) I found a recipe for low fat spinach dip and I bought one of those round sourdough bread things - it looks really good, but Aidan has pronounced it 'not good' so we'll hope for the best.

The other night he was crushed to discover that I actually expected him to choose between stew or taco/taco salad for dinner. He brought himself to tears while he decided which would be less gross, and finally decided upon stew. To his credit he ate it pretty quickly, but while he was eating it I said 'Well, was it as bad as you thought?' and he looked down mournfully and said 'Yes'. Tough!

That was Wednesday night and Michael was home just for a little while, but was able to pick Aidan up which is always so nice. He had bought Aidan this bag of candy and Aidan was especially excited about the little banana candies in it. I've never understood banana flavouring, but that's another topic. It was so nice to have Michael home for the evening and have him help out with Aidan. He got Heat Seeker wings from Pizza Hut for his dinner and little mooch that he is, Aidan wanted some. Michael wasn't sure about it, but gave him a bite, and after some juice Aidan was back for another bite. He handled it pretty well, so I guess we know whose taste buds he has inherited! Not mine for sure. Then I sat down with my dinner and Aidan sidled up and proceeded to eat half of mine too. I was beginning to think he had developed a hollow leg or something but it must have just been a hungry day for him because the next day we were back to normal.

Well I think this is plenty long enough and I should finish up a couple more things before I flop onto the couch. I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Steak!

I think that I have finally decided what we're going to do for Valentines Day. Also, yesterday I was talking to Bev on the phone and she asked me when I was going to let her borrow Aidan because she missed him and I said well, actually, how about the 16th? and she said that works great, why doesn't he stay overnight? Hey, I'm not going to argue!! And the best part is he is always super well behaved for her and she doesn't charge us. She's the closest thing to family we have up here and I'm glad we still stay in touch.

I found this recipe on www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com that looks super good that I think I'm going to try. Hopefully if I do it right, it will taste as good as this looks!

Anyways, enough about that. Tonight is Bedtime Stories at the Library again. Aidan had a very good time last time and this morning was already telling me that he was going to ask if they could sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Last week he learned a new number song to the tune of the alphabet song.

I have more blood tests tomorrow and for one of them I have to fast from 7pm to 7am. So in preparation Aidan and I went to Costco for dinner and loaded up on grease. Seriously I think that's the cheapest dinner you can get in town. It was like $6 for both of us and we didn't even finish our fries. It seems to have worked because I'm still full. It's not a really big deal but when the nurse told me immediately I got kind of panicky - what? I can't stuff my face for a full 12 hours? It's kind of pathetic. Aidan had a great time with his hotdog and fries. He asked me where my hotdog was after I had finished and thought it was pretty funny when I said it was in my stomach. The rest of the meal was taken up with asking each other where the hotdog or fries were. The other thing he does lately is cover one eye and say 'Look mommy, I have 1 eye' And then I act surprised and say 'Where's your other eye?' and then he'll uncover his other eye. It's so cute how easily entertained he is. He's also started jumping around his room saying 'Hi-ya!' to fight bad guys while whipping his robe belt around. It's pretty funny.

Well, I have to leave on time/early tomorrow so I better get to bed! All the roads are like ice rinks so getting around takes so much longer and I keep getting to work late which is annoying.

Does This Baby Make Me Look Fat?

I was browsing eBay for some maternity jeans and tank tops and ran across some funny shirts:

does this baby make me look fat?

what's kickin?

OOPS!

At this one store in the mall they have some little baby onesies with really funny slogans. I can't remember all of them but one of them said 'I drink until I pass out'. Maybe not in the best taste but pretty funny. I should check them out again soon...

I hate Sundays!

Seriously, I really do. Every Sunday Aidan and I have a big showdown at church when it's time to go, we both end up crying and mad and then stalk home in silence. It's so dumb - and I know maybe this shouldn't matter so much to me, but also getting quite embarassing! I have had problems picking him up from church since he was in toddling tykes just starting to walk and I guess it hasn't been every single week, but lately it's been bad. Today we were sitting in the hall for about 20 minutes while he kicked and screamed and hit. It's so hard to control temper tantrums in public, especially when he starts hitting or kicking me. I used to just pick him up and carry him home, but he's a lot bigger now, I don't want him kicking or punching my stomach and that's easier to control if I'm not carrying him and it's pretty slippery outside on the ice. So we just sit and wait it out all the while getting sympathetic looks or very obvious 'non-looks' from the other parents. Oh the joys of parenting. Maybe, just maybe, I'm growing a very calm docile little girl who would never dream of acting like that. Or if it's another little monster I guess I'm just getting practice.

Anyways, on a more positive note...I was inspired by Teresa's post about her wonderful Valentines Date that was planned by Matt, so I thought maybe I could plan something for Michael, but I'm coming up pretty short. I know this is a bad excuse, but it's true - there's not much to do in and around Grande Prairie! So I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. I was thinking of doing something on the 16th (Friday) because he's just coming off shift on the 14th and I want to make sure he's going to be home. And then we can stay up a little later too because it's a Friday night. I thought maybe I could make him dinner...but I'm running out of ideas and I don't really want to cop out and either go to a movie or rent one - although I will if I can't think of anything else. I thought it would be nice to do something that he was into, but again, that's as far as I got. I know, I'm so creative! Let's just blame it on my 'baby-brain' - it turns to mush when you're pregnant! Any ideas??

Obsessed with Food

So lately I've been pretty obsessed with food - picking out recipes, looking at flyers, going grocery shopping, making different dishes...and with an emphasis on Mexican food. Kind of strange. In fact, I spent half my Aidan-free time today grocery shopping! Today I made peach poppyseed pancakes for dinner and got a big crockpot full of stew ready to simmer all day tomorrow, it's going to be so great!

This past weekend and this weekend have been sort of like things were before I got pregnant. I'm actually able to get things done - it's pretty amazing! I hope it lasts...it's so satisfying to make a list of stuff that has to get done and then be able to cross everything off. Except for laundry. I'm always at least one week behind on that, constantly picking through the clean laundry on the laundry couch for clean underwear for Aidan or a shirt I know was in the wash last week and vowing to get everything put away before the weekend but somehow it never happens.

I came up with this great idea last Thursday that I would book Aidan at the drop in daycare center on Saturday and have a little shopping time to myself. The plan was to check out Bellies and Babies and see if they had any good maternity wear. Sadly they turned out to be a highly priced boutique with not much 'normal' clothes. I guess if I have a formal thing I need to go to I can keep them in mind, but I was hoping to find one place here in Grande Prairie with decently priced maternity clothes! I guess we'll have to take a trip down to Edmonton to hit Old Navy and Motherhood Maternity soon. I had booked Aidan in at Wee Care from 10 until 1 and by 11 I had wandered around Superstore, Bellies and Babies, Victoria's Attic, Please Mum and was done! Guess it's been a long time since I've been out shopping by myself!! So I headed over to Save on Foods and did my grocery shopping before picking Aidan up.

Speaking of Aidan, he's doing a little better. I thought we were going to have a little problem with both him and Darlene getting him to nap during the day, so I decided to use a little candy motivation - he gets 3 little talking hearts when he gets home if he had a nap and it's been working like a charm. He's such a fun cute little kid when he's happy.

I thought I had lots of other stuff to say but I guess I don't. My belly seems to be getting bigger but I'm not sure whether it's because the baby's growing or because I still haven't gotten on that treadmill!

Teresa - I totally get that milk thing - we've been going through milk like crazy too!