What it means to be a wife.

I had a long day today. By the time 11 am came around I had burst into tears twice. Partly because I was exhausted, partly because I've just had it with sad stuff lately. So my husband, in all his wisdom, decided it was a good idea for me to try and book a massage. Wow. I love him. It was just what I needed. I came home in a great mood and ready to take on the mess that had become our abode. We attacked it together... and as the night wore on (the house still isn't clean btw - anyone know a good housecleaner?) we started joking about how I say things to NOT say things.... For eg.

1. "Nate, I think that prized possession of yours would look SO much better in the office!" TRANSLATION: That thing is ugly as sin.

2. "Nate, I think these plants would look really nice up here on the top of the cupboard" TRANSLATION: I hope those suckers die while they are up there in the dark.

3. "Nate, I'm fine" TRANSLATION: Dude, get me a massage before I crack.

The problem with all this? He knows. He knows what I mean even though I'm going out of my way to be nice about it. It's time for a new strategy.. except for where that massage comes in.

The Bad and The Good

Thanks to all of you who are praying in regards to my post below. It's my Uncle who is really sick. We aren't sure how long we have with him, but it was quite a shock and it's still hard to think about.

But the good part of this week is that Jericho has been hand-picked to be in a WestJet commercial. He's their first choice and it's his first role as an actor and not just an extra. So we're pretty excited about that. Filming is Wednesday - so I'll let you know Wednesday night how it goes. This time he'll actually get to be a little boy too!!!

Sad Day

You were always the biggest and strongest I had ever known. Your teasing was a way of saying "I love you". I always figured you were invincible, but even the strong get cancer. We are hoping for a miracle, but things do not look good. Please know I am praying for you during this time. I love you.

PS - Happy Birthday.

Not for the Faint of Heart Part 2

Not for the Faint of Heart Part 1

Whew.

I've been so bagged these past few days. Jericho seems intent on waking up twice or three times a night - I'm thinking growth spurt. Today was a little better on the tiredness front as I made a point to eat mostly fruits and veggies today. Pineapple was for breakfast and a salad with feta cheese and balsamic vinegar was for lunch. Dinner was leftover prime rib with steamed veggies and some risoto. I'd say I did well enough to have some low-fat chocolate mousse for dessert which is now sitting in the fridge waiting for me to finish this post.

Valentines was great. We had both had the feeling of being 'run off our feet' this week, so staying home was wise. Neither of us felt much like leaving the house, especially since Nate got home around 7pm. We picked up a prime rib from a local farm butcher next to my parents and I marinated in with roasted garlic and horseradish. I had also picked up some eggplant which I've had NEVER. I found a recipe in our trusted Gourmet cookbook and made some eggplant sticks. Totally not healthy, but sinfully delish. Added some lemon asparagus and a ceaser salad and we were good to go. Unfortunately, the prime rib didn't fully cook and we filled up on brie cheese with bread with the rest of our dinner. But it was arguably the best Valentines Day Nate and I have ever shared. He bought me some beautiful white roses with some pink gerbera's that made my day.

Having a baby really affects a relationship. Not negatively per se, but it's just different. Nights you might have spent cuddling on the couch are now filled with playing peek-a-boo and changing the random diaper. Wednesday gave us the chance to reconnect and to focus on each other. We are really lucky to have the kind of marriage we do - I'm lucky to have the husband I do.

Anyways, I'm just happy my mom is home and doing great and that I get to eat my mousse now.

Update on My Mom

My mom's surgery went well. She's still in the hospital, and the pain medication is making her sick - but she was more herself today than yesterday and the day before. She was even walking around when we arrived. I think it brightens her day when I bring in her "Popo". Please continue to pray for her!

Picture of the Day

My little monkey

Disneyland 2005

A cute picture of me and my cute husband from a holiday long ago

My Mommy

Please pray for my Mom, she's going in for surgery tomorrow at noon. She'll be in the hospital for a few days and unable to do a lot for 6 weeks. Anyone who knows my mother knows this will be difficult, to just let other people take care of stuff and to relax and get better. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Phase of life over

Goodbye Greg. Thanks for the laughs, tears and the mockery. I will miss you.

So much to blog about, so little time....

There is so much going on. I can't even begin to cover everything in a simple blog posting, but I will attempt it. Kudos' to whomever can finish this post in one sitting.

On Monday I was having a bath with my baby. I don't always do this, but sometimes I get jealous of the little dudes multiple bath-times. So I got in. We were having fun, splashing and getting clean when he starts to really fuss. Now, try and understand that when this kid is fussy - we can put him IN the BATHTUB and he will stop. He loves it so much. So when starts to cry I knew that something must be really wrong, but I foolishly said to myself "just 5 more minutes". Then he turned red, you would think I would recognize the signs, but again... just really enjoying this bath. Then I sit up a bit and realize to my HORROR that the child has POOPED in the tub. I have never exited the bath as quickly as I did in that moment. I even had a baby in my arms. Then we stood in front of the mirror for a good 30 seconds as I made sure the poop had remained in the stupid bathtub. When I was happy we were ok, we took a short shower then I took him to my room to dry him off. Now, Jericho is only 3 months old so it's not like he can be punished for something like this, but I gave my best shot at giving him a baby lecture. You know "I can't believe you did that you little stinky!" I must have said that to him about 10 times and by the tenth time he was full out laughing. Not his usual cute little giggles, but complete belly laughter. Then I started and I thought maybe he would stop. Nope. For a full minute we both were staring at each other laughing ourselves silly. It was the highlight of my week, and I hate to say it, but the poop was worth it just to hear that laugh. Then he peed on me and the moment was over.

Then on Wednesday night Nate and I got really adventurous. While we were at the grocery store last Saturday, we bought all the ingredients to make wonton soup. There's a little Chinese place in town that makes really great wor wonton soup with like chicken, pork, broccoli, little corn on the cobs, etc. It's really good, so we gave our best shot at making it from scratch. We bought the wonton wrappers though and didn't make them... but it's pretty close to scratch. We boiled the broth, cooked some beef and pork tenderloin.. cut up lots of veggies, and spooned the best wonton recipe I could find into the little wrappers. It was a our first time so there were some things we didn't quite do as well as we hoped.. like we're only supposed to get the corners of the wrappers wet because otherwise as you're trying to put the wontons into the pot they all stick together... and we would have put the broccoli in way later. But those wontons were the BEST I have ever tasted. The flavour was outstanding. Yum.

On Thursday we had wimp-out day. I wimped out on a walk with Amanda because it was raining... then in the ultimate Mother Nature joke - it got sunny. Then Nate & I both wimped out on Bible Study. We were so gonna go and then we just didn't. I think it was one of those days where you just don't want to do anything.

On Friday I went for a walk with Amanda. In the rain. We walked from 240th Street to 228th and Lougheed. It took 2 hours there and back and it was so fun! I think we're finding out we really like hanging out together. And our babies are only 5 weeks apart. The only problem with the walk was that these mean people kept splashing us with their cars, then someone told us they could have got a ticket for that if we had got the license plate. Weird. Is the ticket called "Splashing" or "Driving in the water"? Hmmmmm. At the end of the walk Amanda asked if Nate and I would like to hang out with her and Rich that night. We already had a babysitter - My mom and dad - and had planned on going out by ourselves. But it was a good decision to go out with them because we found another cool couple we like hanging out with! It was a blast. But also a little weird because I've known Rich for years... like since I was 8 and I haven't seen him in awhile, but him and his woman are awesome.

Saturday we had planned to be our 'family day'. It's a day where Nate can't work on his thesis - unless he really needs to - and we do something together, the three of us. So we took Jericho to the Leisure Centre. Since he loves the bath so much we wanted to see what he thought of the pool. We bought little Pampers Splashers so we wouldn't have the above-mentioned poop problem and suited him up in the cutest little camoflouged swim trunks that he got from his grandma and aunties. Straightaway we headed for the kiddy pool, but it was too cold for him, he was quivering his little lip, so we went to the other little one that's a little warmer and he loved it. He even went under water a couple times and didn't cry. He was kicking his feet and staring at the lifeguard. This kid is too cute for his own good. We stayed there for about 20 minutes and decided that was enough of that. Don't want to overdue it on his first time.

We also went to Zellers and bought new pillows and a mattress cover so our silly IKEA sheets won't keep coming off our bed in the middle of the night. ARGH. Last night was a good sleep.

Speaking of last night, a big thanks to R & T for putting on a party for Jericho. It wasn't a shower because we asked for no gifts, but it was a time to get together and celebrate the fact that he's here! Sometimes I feel that no one is excited about him. That no one really cares that I gave birth to this precious little person. We didn't have a church shower because so many people just kept giving me gifts every weekend because they didn't want to miss the shower. Then everyone who would have come to the shower had already given me something. But it still felt a little weird...But last night I loved it because we got to have his 'church shower'. Thanks everyone!

The Lovely Erinne....

Ok, this is for you dear. I first met Erinne after Nate and I had only been dating three months. He was in a wedding and she was there to keep me occupied in between the ceremony and reception. We went to a casino and I won her some money. Never been before and haven't been back since... but it was a fun day. She tagged me on her blog to answer some questions so this is for her:

1) Are your parents married or divorced? Married for 30 years this August
2) Are you a vegetarian? I would like to have that much discipline, but I like steak and chicken and BACON too much.
3) Do you believe in Heaven? Absolutely!
4) Have you ever come close to dying? Well, once I went on a white-water rafting trip when I was about 8 and kept falling out.
5) What jewellery do you wear 24/7? If my rings still fit I would wear them 24/7
6) Favorite time of day? When my babes are both happy.
7) Do you eat the stems of broccoli? Sometimes
8) Do you wear makeup? Less than I did when I worked, but I like to get 'dolled up' once and awhile.
9) Ever have plastic surgery? No, but I agree with you Erinne - it has been given a bad name by those Beverly Hills types.
10) Do you color your hair? I love to... but I need to go to a pro instead of doing it myself.
11) What do you wear to bed ? Chonies. underwear.
12) Have you ever done anything illegal? Just sped and tailgated and stuff.
13) Can you roll your tongue? I can make it into a 'u' does that count?
14) Do You Tweeze your eyebrows? I prefer wax.
15) What kind of sneakers? I hate runners, prefer sandals... but I have a pair of ones from Marks Work Wear World that I like.
16) What is your Hair color? blonde
17) Future child's name? The only one I know is our girl name, which will not be revealed until said time. I liked the name Gavin for awhile, but I'm over it.
18) Do you snore? When I was pregnant it got so bad that Nate slept on the couch a few times.
19) If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be? I'd like to try Fiji out. Lisa are you with me
20) Do you sleep with stuffed animals? No, I cuddle with Nate.
21) If you won the lottery, what would you do first? My hubby said 'cash in the ticket' and I think that's brilliant... but after that I would buy a piece of waterfront property.
22) Hamburger or hot dog? After a number of years of working at a Christmas tree farm I can only take so many hot dogs per year. I LOVE Hamburgers though.
23) If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Cheese and pickle sandwiches.
24) City, beach or country? country
25) What was the last thing you touched? my baby's forehead to soothe him to sleep.
26) Where did you eat last? You mean restaurant? The Ocean Club with Scott & Tara... at home we eat at our coffee table cause we're cool like that.
27) When's the last time you cried? when I watched the Friends episode where Phoebe gives up her babies. That was yesterday.
28) Do you read blogs? Yes... I wish everyone would post more.
29) Would you ever go out dressed like the opposite sex? I wore Nate's boxers to church once.
30) Ever been involved with the police? I had to give a statement as I witnessed a motorcycle accident.
31) What's your favorite shampoo conditioner? I like to change it up.. but I have some salon stuff now that's nice.
32) Do you talk in your sleep? I don't think anyone listens.
33) Ocean or pool? Pool for the clean feeling... ocean for the beauty and waves.
34) What's your favorite song at the moment? Feeling Good Michael Buble.
35)What's your favorite colour? Blue...many different shades.
36) Window seat or aisle? window I like to watch the little people.
37) Do you feel you have had a truly successful life? I'm happy where I am.
38) Do you like beer or wine? I like wine once in awhile.
39) Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? twirl.
40) Ricki Lake or Oprah Winfrey? Ellen.
41) Basketball or Football? I know it's not an option... but HOCKEY.
42) How long do your showers last? I'm conditioned to take short showers.
43) Automatic or do you drive a stick? both, but I like the no-brainer auto.
44) Cake or ice cream? Ice cream... BEN & JERRY's CHERRY GARCIA.. YUM.
45) Have you ever drank so much you threw up? yes...can I claim it was just water?
46) Have you ever given money to a tramp? I took a homeless guy to McDonalds once.
47) Have you been in love? Yes, YES YES YES, and I still am.
48) Where do you wish you were? Laying in the sun with no stretch marks.
49) Are you wearing socks? Of course not!
50) Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? No, but I called them once for my brother because a battery blew up in his face but it was a miracle and he didn't have one burn mark.
51) Can you tango? no, but I wish I could swing dance.
52) Last gift you received? A laugh from my boy.
53 ) Last sport you played? Does Dutch Blitz count?
54) Things you spend a lot of money on? Clothes and dinner out.
55) Where do you live? The Ridge.
56) Where were you born? See above.
57) Last wedding you went to? I think Miss Amanda's.
58) Favorite fast food restaurant? Quizno's or Wendy's or Timmy's.
59) Most loved food(s): Ceaser salad, Currie chicken, a good steak.
60) Most hated food(s): STuff that sticks in my teeth.
61)What's your least favorite chores? What's my most favorite chore.
62) Can you sing? Nope
63) Last person you text messaged? Matthew
64) Last place you went on holiday? Harrison Hot Springs.
65) Favorite regular drink? English Toffee from Timmy's or Pomergrante BLueberry juice

Movie News

Anyone recognize this guy? He's in the movie Jericho was working on last week. It was a two day shoot and he'll get paid for 16 hours but he only ended up in one take. But I had a good view while waiting to get on set.

Valentines Question.

What should Nate and I do for Valentines? We can't decide.

Should we:
(a) Go to the couples banquet at the church, it's $40/couple and get a babysitter.
(b) Go to the couples banquet and take the baby.
(c) Go to a nice restaurant just the two of us and have a lovely, but expensive time.
(d) Stay home and make a romantic meal together.
(e) Invite some friends over who may not have plans and have a fun dinner party.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

Favorite Pics from the last few weeks

I don't know about you, but a blog just isn't a great blog if it doesn't have pictures. I just can't help it. Some may call it blog-streaking if the pictures are of family... but I guess I'm an exhibitionist that way. This first picture is of the new daughter of one of my cousins. She was born just before Jericho and her name is Maggie. A few people think she looks like Jericho, but I just don't see it... ENJOY!

Some time for Me.

Thursday night I had the best time EVER with my friend Lisa when we went to the Canucks game. We were in the second to last row in GM Place, but you wouldn't know it. There was one whole section cheering for Edmonton and everytime they started their little chant, GM Place would erupt with "Oilers Suck". It was mint. Then we headed to Sammy J's for some caeser salad, nachos, and a dessert I will simply call Yummy-alicousness. It was great to hang out with an awesome friend and to just laugh at everything and have some good talks about what was going on with each of us. I like her plan for this year, she's decided to do something new and exciting for every month of this year. Last month she got a TATTOO! All in all it was a FANTASTIC night of girl time.

Then Friday night we went out with our friends Scott & Tara. If you don't know them, you are missing out. We had a great time going downtown for the Dining Out Vancouver thing. I'd wanted to go for sooo long and was finally able to try it out this year. We ended up going to the Ocean Club in West Van. It was really yummy, and we had fun 'couple' time. Nate and I love eating at nice places and it's fun to find a few people you can go with as well.

Jericho stayed with grandma and missed his Mommy for the second night in a row. But you know, I love him... but I didn't miss him NEARLY as much as I thought I would. I loved coming home and cuddling him, but I really enjoyed having a great week of socializing. And I didn't even talk about the walk with Amanda & Tasia! I have pictures to post, but I'm going to wait until later... Tomorrow Jericho and I are going to YVR for his third job. This time he's in Swarm or something like that... only problem is that he's a little girl again. Shhhhh! Don't tell him!!

DRUMROLL

Closest was Miss Sarah. My little man weighs 12lbs, 9 and 1/2 oz.