It's The End of the Summer...

Dear Blogosphere,

I know I have been absent for quite some time now.  I'm sorry for that.  

I have been a busy mom enjoying the summer with my family.  I know you'll understand when I say that sitting in front of a computer ends up being the last thing I have time for, even though I do enjoy sharing with you all.

As I sit here and try to remember all the sensational events that came about this summer, my mind begins to wander.  I start thinking about what I want to do before the days get shorter, nights longer, and the winter chill cripples my sense of outdoor adventure.

Carpe Diem.  Not always easy to accomplish but in the process of trying, I've definitely become more self aware and appreciative (you can read my posts about it here and here).

So, when I'm tired and it seems like the day will never be done, I try to remember what the poet Horace writes in his famous ode:

Ask not - we cannot know - what ends the gods have set.

How much better to endure whatever comes, 

wether Jupiter grants us additional winters

or wether this is our last.

Be wise, and since life is brief,

Seize the day! putting as little trust as possible in tomorrow.

So here's some of what my family and I did this summer... in no particular order:

-went to the drive-in

-saw our first "Movies in the Park"

-checked out the Halton Radial Railway

-went swimming at the beach

-went apple picking

-visited the Science Centre

-ate lots of ice cream

-went for walks and bike rides

-had a great time at Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park

-celebrated birthdays

-watched the Canada Day fireworks

-cooled off in the splash pad

-visited the Acton Fall Fair

And although many of you have already seen pics of our fabulous adventures, here's a few more that I just can't keep to myself.

Thanks for sticking with me,

Sandra

 

 

 

Joyous July

This past month has really tested my newly adapted Carpe Diem philosophy. And in my opinion, I've kicked ass. There's always room for improvement but so far we've played in sandboxes, watched the train while enjoying watermelon (always an outside snack in my house!), traveled to Wasaga and Midland, gone fishing, swam in a pool and enjoyed the beach, and of course there's the classic play place, the park. What's next on the agenda? I'm thinking the Toronto zoo, the Streetcar Museum, and possibly Sandbanks Park.

So as the summer continues I'm sure our tans will get darker, which I guess is why they call it sunscreen, and not sunblock. But what's cuter than a 2 year old running naked through the house with a pale bum? Not much in my opinion.

37 Weeks

Another week has gone by and it has turned out to be a good one. I'll start with the fact that my sciatica pain is nonexistent. As the days passed, it slowly got less painful and is now completely gone. I don't know if it'll be back but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Some accomplishments this week are all centred in the nursery. The lil' bean's room is painted and furnished. Originally the walls were supposed to be a tan colour but at the last minute Paul decided that he wanted to make them green & blue. It wasn't such a big deal to me so I agreed. It actually looks pretty cute. As for the furniture, we had the crib in it's box but the dresser was giving us problems. It seems Babies R Us didn't really know what was going on and kept promising things and wouldn't follow through. I got tired of the run around and spent some time finding out which location had the dresser in the store. So after about 2 months of broken promises and waiting, I found the dresser at the Oakville store. Hurray! It came in one piece so that was the easiest to set up. Paul then spent the rest of the weekend putting together the crib and bassinet. The finishing touches included the blinds and the rug. We still need to get a rod for the curtains and Paul needs to install the new doors. But all in all, it's looking real well.

Since Paul & I are movie people, we decided to spend our last long weekend sans baby at the drive-in. We invited some friends and had a great time. We were a little late getting there so when we pulled into the queue and saw that the screen we wanted was sold out, we were a little disappointed. Our friends were already inside and we had to decide if we were going to see one of the other two screens. As we pulled up to the booth, the lady told us she could sell us tickets for the one we originally wanted but if we didn't get a good spot, she couldn't give us a refund. We agreed and ended up parking behind our friends. The first movie playing was Shrek The Final Chapter, and after that a lot of families left and we ended up moving into a great spot. The second movie was Iron Man 2 which I didn't really like. It was a little boring and I did fall asleep through some parts of it. The third movie was She's Out of Your League. I thought it was going to suck but it turned out to be somewhat funny. Definitely worth a rental but not much else. And the last movie was Shutter Island. I saw the first 20 minutes and then fell asleep. It piqued my interest so I'm probably going to rent it. All in all I had a great time.

I saw my midwife this past week and things are still looking good. I met one of the midwifery students who will probably be involved in the rest of my pregnancy. She seems nice but you could tell she was a little nervous. I'm sure as time goes on she'll become a little more comfortable with things. She's not solely responsible for any of the important things and will only be a spectator during labour & delivery. As per the discussion we had the last visit, I had my GBS swab done. I'm aiming for no IV so hopefully the test will come back negative. I should know when I see my midwife again next week.

And since I'm getting closer to my due date, I've finally picked out an outfit for the lil' bean to come home from the hospital with. I was trying to find something cute but everything I liked was more that $40 and that just wasn't acceptable. So I ended up with a long sleeved diaper shirt, cotton pants, socks and shoes. The shirt is white with two yellow giraffes on it. The pants are a light yellow. The socks are white and the shoes are white and blue. I have yet to pick out a hat but I'm sure I'll get some for my baby shower.

Now at 37 weeks my lil' bean is full term and will probably not need to spend any time in the NICU. He is fully developed and is still only gaining weight. Right now he should weigh a little over 6 pounds and is about the length of a stalk of Swiss chard, which is approximately 19 inches long. It's hard to stay patient but I know my lil' bean will be here soon enough.