1st Sleigh Ride & Last Day of 2007 :)

Today Cal and I took Blake for his first sleigh ride!! He got a sleigh for Christmas from Grandma and Grandpa Smith!!! It was sooo... much fun! He was so cute during the ride, thanks in part to his adorable snowsuit from Grandma Smith! At times he had this look on his face like he was thinking, "You guys are so weird. Why are you so excited about this?" We got a few smug grins though! It was colder then we expected. The Weather Network said it was -9 outside, but it sure felt colder. So we walked to the lake near our house, took some pictures and walked home!

On another note, today is the last day of 2007! WOW! What a year it has been! It has definitely been one of the best years of my life! I've often said that, but this year has certainly been fantastic. We have so much to be thankful for and are so blessed! We are looking forward to 2008! Who knows what the year will bring!? Best wishes to everyone for a healthy, fun and love filled 2008!

Love The Cameron's
XOXOX

Wonderful Holiday Season!

Happy holidays everyone!! We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! We had a great Christmas! The whole holiday "season" has been wonderful! Cal is on vacation from the 21st - Jan. 2 so it is great to have him home! On December 21st Lindsay and Jeremy came down from Fort McMurray and my Mom and Lindsay came over for a visit. Then, Cal's sister Kathy came to our house from Grande Prairie and stayed the night and on the 22nd we went to Gerry and Lesley's house with Grandma Bev and Kathy and had a nice visit and dinner! We left for Saskatchewan the morning of the 23rd. Blake traveled very good (we only had to stop once)! We arrived in Tisdale that evening and got unpacked, etc. Blake was up more than usual that night, probably due to sleeping so much in the car. On the 24th we did some preparation for Christmas Day and went to church in the evening. We woke up on the 25th and opened presents and visited with family - Oh and ate (and ate, and ate ...)! It was a great time and we were very glad the whole family was together! Blake behaved magnificently!! He was spoiled rotten of course! He ripped the paper quite well on his first gift and then lost interest! My cousins kids, Ryder and Ryann, were really good with Blake and it was cute to see them together! The camera's were sure busy Christmas Day :) We headed home to Edmonton on Boxing Day. We had to stop a few more times on the way home then on the way there. We stopped in at my Grandma Kelley's work for a quick hello! We got home Boxing Day evening and then Eric and Christa came over for a visit. Blake was pretty tired from travelling and all the Christmas festivities so he went to bed without a bath. Today we went to Beaumont to visit the Hrdlicka's! I was glad we were home in time to see them! Nicholas and Blake opened their gifts together and played a bit. I have a few other friends who are home for the holidays so hopefully we'll be able to get together!! Blake doing really good, continuing to grow and learn and change! This afternoon he just started breathing heavily through his nose?! Sounds weird, but try it and you'll see what I mean! LOL! I think he's just doing it for the sound effect?! We bought him a Leap Frog toy that he can stand up to and he is loving it! And for the first time on Christmas Day my cousin was holding his hands and he took a step forward! We were very surprised!! I wonder if he'll walk before he crawls!? Blake also started reaching out a couple of weeks ago! It's pretty darn cute when he reaches for you!!! He's talking more and more each day too! You can carry on a conversation with him sometimes, where he pauses and you talk then you pause and he replies! It's cool! I've also noticed how his grasp is improving. He can use his pincer grasp quite well now to pick up small things. Actually just today he was picking up small pieces of toast (like cheerio size) from the table and eating them! He was also taking Nicholas' soother out of his mouth and putting it in his own!? It's really fun to watch him change and discover and learn new things! He peeks around you if you're blocking his view of something or if you drop something on the ground he looks down for it. He has fun with peek-a-boo too!! We hope you had a great Christmas too and all the best in 2008!

Love Cal, Tracy & Blake

Weigh In & Razzing!

Today Cal and I went to the Health Unit and had Blake weighed and measured. He now weighs 17 lbs 2 oz and is 26 1/2" long! Smaller than I thought he was! Geez I'd hate to have to lug an 18 lb baby around (soon enought I guess!)!! LOL! I swear we thought he'd gained like a pound since we last weighed him! The health nurse said he's doing great though and that after 6 months of age they expect babies to gain approx. 1/2 lb per month and he gained a bit more than that in 1 month. For weight he is in the 48th percentile and for height he is in the 43rd. When he was born he was in the 35th percentile for weight and by 3 months he was in the 95th for weight and now he seems to be maintaining at around the 50th! And the razzing ... OMG! Soooo... funny! Yesterday Blake spent the whole day razzing. And today - same thing! It's funny because I was just reading in our "What to Expect the First Year" book that most babies by 7 months old are razzing. And sure enough Blake's started! It has also led to him making some different consonant sounds, such as f and d! We're working on dada and moma!!! So all is good and the weather is absolutely beautiful today! Yay!! And Cal is off work today so I'm having a great day with my boys :) Take care!

Tracy

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! We've had so much snow today! This morning was a beautiful, warm morning but it has progressively gotten colder and snowier!! My Mom was supposed to come over tonight, but not with these roads!! Not too much is new with us. We've been getting ready for Christmas and all that fun stuff! We decorated the house on December 1st and we've had Christmas parties with our New Mom's group last Wednesday and today. Last week the kids did a gift exchange and this week the Mom's did a cookie exchange. It's been a lot of fun! I can't believe Christmas is only 13 days away! It's crept up fast this year! Blake is doing really good. He's still struggling with his two top teeth. I can see them some days under his gums and then they disappear. I hope they break through soon. We are going to have Blake weighed and measured on Friday (Cal's off work) and I'm guessing that he is around 18 1/2 pounds and 27 1/2". We'll see! He's not crawling yet, but sometimes when we put him on his stomach he pushes himself backwards or turns to face another direction! And he's kicking his arms and legs a lot! But most of the time when we put him on his stomach he rolls over to his back! Crazy kid! LOL! Who knows, maybe he'll just do like I did and fore go crawling and just walk! He does love to stand up at the coffee table and couch or when you're holding his hands. He continues to be very strong! He's quite brave too - he likes to let go with one hand and look at you as if to say, "Look Mom! One hand!" It's pretty cute! And his fear of the bath tub is officially over. I suppose we'll never know why he was scared, but we are very happy he is back to loving his baths! Something new he started last week at swimming is splashing with his hands. He LOVES slapping the water now! And getting everyone within a few feet wet!! We have some other exciting news!! There is a new addition to the Cameron family! Cal's brother Gerry and his wife Lesley had their little boy on Friday, December 7th at 03:22. Colby Curtis Cameron weighed 7 lbs 11 oz and measured 19.5". He is absolutely beautiful and looks quite a lot like his Dad! And everyone is doing well! It will be so much fun to have a nephew so close to us! And I'm sure Blake and Colby will enjoy being near each other! Take care everyone! And drive safe and stay warm :)

Love Tracy

Better Bath!

So tonight Blake had a better bath!! Since last Wednesday he has had an extreme fear of the tub. We couldn't, and still can't, figure out why. He wasn't scared at swimming on Wednesday and I don't think he's scared of the water. His fear seems to be of the tub itself??? It was so strange because he loves his baths usually! But tonight was better so we're happy! He has also been teething big time. I think his top two teeth are going to break through soon. At least I hope it's soon because he seems to be in a lot of discomfort right now. Ladies at our new mom's group yesterday were saying that the top teeth gave some of their little ones a lot more grief than the bottom two! Last night was Blake's worst night in almost ever!! Bad in that he kept falling asleep and awakening off and on all night. He wasn't hungry, just in pain (I think!). So I finally broke down and gave him Tylenol. Tonight he's doing good, but the night is young! Last night I was picking him up and rocking him and singing to him and thinking to myself that I'm so glad he is so cuddly right now and I'm going to cuddle him all night long if that's what he wants because in a few years he's not going to want to be cuddled and held, or he'll be too big!! It's just the best feeling ever when he cuddles right into me! On another note, we are expecting a call from Cal's brother Gerry and his wife Lesley at any time within the next 24 hrs to let us know our new nephew has been born!!! We are keeping our fingers crossed for Lesley that it is sooner rather than later! We're very excited to have a new nephew so close to Blake's age and have a feeling that the two boys are going to also get into trouble with their twin cousins Kerri and Kailey!! The twins are only 5 1/2 months older than Blake. Should be fun! Hopefully they'll all be good buddies! Talk to you all soon :)

Luv Tracy

Blake's Baptism

This Sunday (November 25th) Blake was baptised at Pilgrim United Church in Edmonton. It was a very nice service and a wonderful day. Church began at 11 am and the Baptism was at the end of the service. We got a little bit nervous towards the end of the service because Blake started getting quite tired! But thankfully it was time to go up for the Baptism before he got cranky! And once we were up there he seemed quite pleased and happy to be the centre of attention (as usual!)!! We were given the Baptismal Candle and everyone who attended church that day signed an "I witnessed your Baptism" sheet for us to have as a keepsake. It was very nice! Then after church everyone came back to our house for lunch. Blake was so good all day, even though he missed pretty much all of his naps! We all had a great day and then my Dad's favorite football team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders won the Grey Cup to top it off!!

XOXOX
Tracy

Tongue??? Major Splashing!!

Weird title, I know! But I forgot to write yesterday about Blake and his tongue!! He seems to be quite fascinated with it these days and spent the last few days sticking it out constantly! LOL! Pretty funny! And then tonight in the bath he splashed like CRAZY! I was getting soaked! I thought he'd hurt his heels the way he was slamming them down! It was hilarious! We'll see tomorrow at Aqua Babies if he splashes in the pool! Today we went to Baby Laptime at the library for the first time. It was a lot of fun. We sang and danced and read a story. Blake seemed to enjoy it! He's been a bit winy in the afternoons the last few days, but I think it might be more teeth coming in. He's not crying, just kind of whimpering. So perhaps another tooth is going to pop up soon! We'll see ;)

Talk to ya later,

Tracy

Yummy Feet!!

Today Blake stuck his foot in his mouth for the first time!! He's been grabbing them for awhile now, but hasn't got them to his mouth until today! It was funny, but not good because I had just put Vaseline and Vick's on them!!! So I quickly pulled it out of his mouth! LOL! Blake's had a cold on and off for awhile now. I was told that in the first year a baby usually gets 6 colds! But other than a cold he is doing great! He loves his Rainforest Jumperoo now - he wasn't sure about it for awhile there, but now he jumps and plays! I'm really glad because it is MY favorite toy!!! We are getting pretty excited for the arrival of our new nephew! Cal's brother Gerry and his wife Lesley are due on December 1st, so it's getting pretty close! I'd be happy if he was born on Wednesday, but Lesley might think that's a little bit too soon!! Take care everyone :)

Luv Tracy

I Am Six Months Old Today!

Hi everyone!

Today I am 6 months old! My Mom and Dad say the time has gone by way too fast!! I don't really know - I'm just havin' fun! Each day brings something new!

I am sitting up all by myself!! Sometimes Mom puts a pillow behind me and once I discover that it's there I love to throw myself back onto it!! Mom and Dad keep putting me on my belly and I keep rolling to my back! Hee, hee, hee! They want my bald spot to grow in, but I think it gives me character! I also have two teeth now. I hope my teeth will help me eat more food! I love all the food I'm trying. So far I'm eating rice, oat and barley cereal, carrots, peas, squash, prunes and apple sauce. I tried beef but UCKY! I've also started drinking water from a cup. I love to dump the water all over the place and watch Mom clean it up! I don't understand why I can't eat everything - I always try to sneak a bite of Mom and Dad's food but they quickly take it away! One of these days I'm going to get it!!

I had my 6 month shots on Friday and geez did they hurt! I'm glad I don't have to go again until I'm 1! I weighed 16 lbs, 7 1/4 oz and I'm 26" long. My Mom thought I was longer, but guess not! I am almost in the 50 percentile for both - what's that mean anyways?!

I had lots of fun at Halloween! I loved my costume, but I got really tired towards the end of the evening and still my Mom and Dad had to take me to a few places. I was really glad to see my bed at the end of the night! It's tough work being cute!

Mom and Dad are pretty excited for my first Christmas, but that seems ages away. Oh and I'm getting Christened sometime soon too!

But, I'm getting pretty tired. I think I'll have my bath now and then go to bed. I take it easy on Mom and Dad and go to bed without a fuss most nights!

Love you everyone!

XOXOX
Blake

And Then There Were 2 ...

Teeth that is!! This evening I noticed that the tooth next to the one that popped up last week is breaking the surface! Could be why Blake has been a little bit out of sorts today! Well that and the fact that he had immunizations yesterday! Although I must say that the 6 month ones were a lot better then the previous 2! There was no crying afterwards, just a bit when the needle went in and then that was all! Much easier on me!! Blake now weighs 16 lbs 7 1/4 ounces and is 26" long. I thought he was longer then that last time, but apparently not! Silly Mom!! He is in the 48th percentile for length and 46th for weight. His weight gain has certainly tapered off! He gained like a tank at the beginning! Thank goodness he didn't keep going at that rate! He has his 6 month appt. with the pediatrician this Tuesday. Hope you're having a good weekend! Stay warm (it's snowing here right now)!

Tracy

Happy Halloween!

We had a fun Halloween!! Blake and I started the day with our last fall Aquababies class. Then we went to a party at Jodi and Jared's house. I made these really cute little treat bags for Blake to give to all his friends! The party was hilarious with all the babies in their costumes! Some were not impressed!! Blake seemed to be the opposite - he laughed and giggled and smiled and looked around as if to say, "Look at me! I'm so cute in this costume!" He is such a character sometimes! In the evening Cal took Blake to a few houses in the neighbourhood and we took some pictures. It was a pretty long day - but very fun!!! Yesterday we had our last fall Salsa Babies class, followed by a pot luck at one of the ladies houses. Today Blake has his six month immunizations. I can not believe he is almost six months old (Nov. 5)!? Where does the time go?? Argh! He is sitting up on his own quite well, although we are putting a pillow behind him! And once he discovers that the pillow is behind him it seems to be a game for him - every time you sit me up, I throw myself back onto the soft pillow!! So much fun!!!! He's also decided that every time we put him on his stomach he should roll to his back! Which isn't helping out the bald spot on the back of his head!! LOL! Next week we start a new round of activities! Tuesdays we are going to baby lap time at the library, Wednesday's Aquababies again and New Mom's Group, and Thursday's Salsa Babies. Lots of fun!! Hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween!! Take care!

Love Tracy

1st Tooth!!!!!!!!

It has arrived!! I always let Blake chew on my fingers and this morning I felt something sharp! Sure enough it is a tooth!! We could see the 2 front teeth under the gums for a few weeks now and he has been drooling and knawing on things for it seems like months now! So we're very excited to see the tooth break through the surface! Blake is doing great with solids now. He's eating 3 times a day, 3 tbsp of cereal in the am, 3 tbsp of cereal in the afternoon (with a carrot cube right now) and 3 tbsp of cereal in the evening! He loves his food that's for sure!! Sometimes he gets quite angry when he's done so we have to hurray and mix up some more! LOL! This weekend we are going to try meats. But I better run, we are off to do some shopping with my Mom and sister! Take care everyone!

Love The Cameron's!

Fall has arrived!

Hello everyone! It seems that our summer is over! It went by soooo... fast!! But thankfully our weather has been quite nice! Autumn is close to my favorite season and I have been enjoying the brisk weather! Blake and I are getting in as many walks as we can before the snow hits the ground! He loves going for walks. I don't put him in his car seat anymore, instead he sits up in the stroller like a big boy!! He loves watching the trees and the scenery around him. He also keeps a close eye on Heidi!! She's usually walking in front of us! We are all doing really great! Cal has started hockey again and has been extremely busy finishing the garage. It is now insulated, drywalled and painted. It looks great and I'm looking forward to parking my car inside!! Cal and I have been on a few more "dates" since my Mom and Dad have came home from holidays and my Mom has been available to babysit!! Last night we went to the Brad Paisley concert and had a lot of fun! Blake and I are still going to Aquababies on Wednesday a.m., New Mom's group on Wednesday p.m. and Salsababies on Thursday mornings. Blake loves all the groups!! He has so much fun in the water, enjoys playing with his friends and seems to enjoy Salsa dancing and music! He usually falls asleep by the end of the class!! We are looking forward to Halloween. Our friends Jodi and Jared are hosting a party!! I'll post pictures of Blake in his costume on Halloween! Blake is an eating machine these days!!!! He loves his barley and oat cereal and has tried banana's and applesauce! This weekend we will introduce vegetables. We have lots of fun with feeding time! If you take too long between bites Blake gets a little bit irritated! I'm sure he's gained quite a bit of weight now. I might take him to the health unit to be weighed next week. Take care everyone!

Cal, Tracy and Blake
XOXOX

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone had a great long weekend! It has been nice having Cal home this past week!! Tomorrow (9th) is our 3 year wedding anniversary! My how time flies!! It is also Blake's Grandma Bev's birthday! Happy Birthday Grandma! Blake is now 5 months, 3 days old. My parents just got back from a 4 week vacation on Thursday evening and said they noticed a huge difference in Blake! Not that he grew much, but that he is much more interactive! He reaches for everything now and laughs and makes different faces at different situations. He especially loves to laugh at Heidi and Jazz and "pet" them too!!! My glasses, hair and necklace also are tugged on regularly! Actually everything he can get his hands on gets pulled and most likely brought to his mouth! He is teething like crazy! It actually hurts when he gnaws on your fingers! I'm not sure if any teeth are going to pop up soon or if he'll just teethe for months upon months! Some of his friend's have had 2 teeth pop up around 5 months and others are 8 months old with no teeth in sight! LOL! Blake has had a cold these past 5 days, but today it is much better. I felt so bad for him, especially during the night, he would get so stuffed up it would be hard for him to breathe. I just wish babies could blow their noses! But thankfully the cold is clearing up. Blake LOVES his Jolly Jumper! It's great for Cal and I too because we can put him in it and do some things around the house without worrying about him becoming bored or upset! He's not quite the jumper I'm sure he will be, but we have it in the front room and he does circles and looks outside at the trees and grass and the big air filled Halloween ornament we have on the lawn! Today while jumping my Mom and I were making turkey soup and we gave him a big carrot to chew/suck on and he just loved it! Probably felt good on his gums. It is crazy how their hand/eye coordination develops so fast. He just took that carrot and put it right in his mouth! When we're eating now he stares at us and the food with this hungry look on his face! He has successfully eaten rice and oat cereal and this week we're going to try barley and wheat. Then next week I think we'll try some meat. It involves a lot of work/planning on Mom and Dad's end!!! But I'm so glad that he is now enjoying his cereal! Anywho, I should get to bed! Blake goes to bed around 7:30 and gets up around 6:30 (other than during his cold!) so I really could get a good sleep too, but I'm a night owl! Talk to ya soon!

Luv Tracy

Success!!

Whoo Hoo!!! Blake successfully ate his rice cereal today! But I had to mix it with a little bit of mashed banana!! It's funny because I barely put any banana in it. I guess it was enough to change the taste! I was so glad that he enjoyed it! He didn't make a funny face or turn away with his mouth clamped shut! So now I will wait a few days and try oat cereal and then barley cereal and then mixed cereals! And I think we'll give him some mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving dinner!!

Tracy ;-)

Dad's On Holidays!!

Yeah! Cal is on holidays this week! Our goal is to get the garage organized so Cal can put the drywall up! We put a big dent in that task this afternoon. Blake sat in his bouncy chair on the ski-doo trailer while we tackled the junk in the garage!! He is such a good baby, we're so blessed!! My parents are back from their 5 week holiday this weekend. It seems like they've been gone forever! It will be so nice to see them and have them home!! We've had a great weekend so far. Friday afternoon Blake and I had a baby shower at Allen Gray and Blake got totally spoiled!! He got a gift card to Toys R Us, so I think we'll buy a Jumperoo!! He also received a very special gift - a quilt the residents made! I thought that was very cool!! Friday night Brad (Cal works with him) and his wife and 3 boys (ages 5, 4, and 17 months) came over and Saturday Blake and I went to my friend Melissa's little boy's baby shower. In the evening Gerry and Lesley came over for a visit! It was nice to catch up with everyone! These past few days Blake has been squealing out loud a lot! It is too cute! I'll pick him up and he'll squeal in delight or I'll be playing with him and he'll let a squeal go!! He's also laughing at Heidi a lot! She'll be sniffing the ground at my feet while I'm holding him and he'll start giggling! It's so much fun! A friend of mine told me last week that starting at around 5 months old babies become sooo... much fun! I guess because they get more talkative and interactive. Today Blake almost rolled from his back to his stomach. In fact, he was pretty much over and realized it and flopped his butt and legs back over! He fell asleep after nursing today on the nursing pillow and I just let him sleep in my lap! He looks like a little angel just laying there so peaceful, not a worry in the world! Such a beautiful sight! Have a great week everyone! Stay warm! Brrrr...

Luv Tracy

15 lbs!!

Blake had his 1 week follow-up appointment today with the pediatrician and he now weighs 15 lbs! The Pediatrician was happy with his weight gain and we don't have to go back again until Blake is 6 months old. The Pediatrician also mentioned that we may have to go see an ENT doctor about the little "hole" near his right ear. If it gets infected or there is a threat that it might get infected he will have to have surgery. So that was a little bit scary to hear, but apparently it's a minor thing and nothing to worry about yet. So we'll try not to worry about it yet!! The pediatrician also said to continue trying rice cereal and oat cereal with Blake and he will probably get used to it. Today he seemed to eat a little bit more than the last few times. So that's what's new with us!! We'll talk to you later!

Luv Tracy

Home Again!

As our title says, we're home again! On Saturday a.m. we left for Grande Prairie and came home this morning. It was a good trip! We stayed at Cal's parents new house and visited with Cal's family. We had a great time! Blake is so close to sitting up on his own!! And this weekend we also noticed how much he now likes to stand! It's crazy!!!! He is "talking" a ton too! On Friday night I went to the Keith Urban concert with Lindsay and Lesley (and it was awesome!!) and Cal told me he was reading Blake a book (called Baby Bug) and the whole time Blake was talking!!! He read it to him a couple of times because he seemed to love it so much! He hasn't been likin' the rice cereal to much, so we gave him a break from that this weekend and I'm going to try Oat cereal with him this week. He has a pediatrician appointment again tomorrow, so hopefully he will have gained a bit of weight!! Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Tracy

Rice Cereal!!

So today we started Blake on rice cereal!! He did good! He had a few strange expressions on his face and didn't eat a full tablespoon (dry - before mixed), but he got a few spoonfuls down! I posted a picture so you can see where most of it ended up! LOL! Blake's pediatrician appointment was good except for he once again did not gain any weight, which is why we've started the rice cereal with him. We have an appointment next Tuesday as well, just to see if there's been any weight change this time. Blake's pediatrician says that they only changed the feeding guidelines to starting solids at 6 months at the beginning of the year and that he feels a lot of babies are ready and need to start solids at 4 months (which were what the old guidelines were). He checked everything else out as well and commented on how strong Blake was! And how much he's grown in length! He's getting long and skinny!! Take care everyone & keep warm!! It was cold out today!!!

Tracy

Swimming starts on Wednesday!!

I am so excited for Aquababies this Wednesday! Today we're going swim suit shopping for Mom! LOL! It is Cal's Monday off today so the 3 of us are heading to the mall. We're taking Aquababies at the Servus Centre in St. Albert. It's a new multi-plex sports facility in St. Albert, similar to the Tri in Spruce Grove and Millenium Place in Sherwood Park. Apparently there are 2 wicked water slides, a big pool, a smaller warmer pool for kids (where our class will be) and a "river" that runs around the pools. The river actually has a current, so you can float along it in a tube! Sounds like fun hey!? Cal's on vacation the first week of October so he might go with Blake that week. Actually, I'll probably go to, but I'll be on the water slides and in the hot tub! Ha, ha, ha! We also started Salsa Babies last Thursday. It was also sooo... much fun! We did the Salsa, the Cha-Cha, the Muranga (spelling??), and a few others that I forget the names of! Blake loved it and started falling asleep at the end! Tomorrow, Blake has his regular Pediatrician's appointment. Hopefully he will have gained weight. We still haven't started him on rice cereal yet, but if he hasn't gained then we will have to :( On Friday Lindsay, Lesley and I are going to the Keith Urban concert! I'm so excited for that! Then on Saturday Cal, Blake and I are heading to Grande Prairie to visit his family. But I better run! Blake just woke up and is ready to eat!! Take care!

Luv Tracy

Those darn immunizations!!

So Blake has had an off few days since his immunizations. For his 2 month shots I gave him Tylenol before his appointment and this time I didn't. But I will definitely be doing it from now on!! He's still okay, just had a bit of a fever and was pretty clingy for awhile. I don't mind the clinginess though - just means more cuddles and rocking, which I love!! He has grown 3 cm in the past month, but has not gained any weight at all. He's now just below the 50 percentile for weight. The health nurse said it was a little odd that he didn't gain any weight, but that he looks healthy and seems healthy and content so she is not too concerned. She wants us to bring him back in 1 month though just to make sure he does gain. I told her that our pediatrician recommended giving him rice cereal at 3 months to help with his reflux and that I hadn't done that so far and she said to try it out, that it wouldn't hurt. So we'll probably start that this weekend. I'm not so excited to start solids, even though it's just rice cereal for now!! It seems too fast and I want him still be a little baby!! Aren't I pathetic!? LOL! Time is just flying by way, way too fast ...

Tracy :)

An Amazing 4 Months ...

Wow! Tomorrow Blake is 4 months old. These past four months have been some of the best of my life!! It has amazed me how much Blake has affected me! Might sound silly, but I knew life would be different, what I didn't understand was all of the emotions and feelings and love that having a child brings into your life! I fall in love all over again every time I look at him and have a new deeper love for Cal. He is such a fantastic Dad and it just brings tears to my eyes seeing them together! We have had a busy four months and Blake has became quite the traveller! This past September long weekend we went camping in Jasper with my parents and their friends Erica and Dion. We did a lot of sight seeing and a black bear visited us in our campsite! I posted a picture of us at the hot springs. We had tons of fun!! The trip there on Friday night was not a good one!! The evening is not a good time to travel with Blake!! His evening's usually consist of eating, bathing and bedtime and he really did not like being in the car seat for 4 hours! Near the end of the trip I finally crawled in the backseat with him. I was confused because just a few weeks before I'd drove to Fort McMurray with him and all was fine! But then we realized most of the travelling we'd done had been in the a.m. So sure enough the next few days when we were driving around during the day all was good!! Lesson learned! We're going to visit Cal's family in Grande Prairie in a few weeks, so we are going to travel during the day! Tomorrow Blake has his 4 month shots, so he will be weighed and measured then too. I'm guessing he is near 16 lbs, but we'll see! Blake is still really close to rolling from his back to his stomach and his neck is getting a lot stronger. He doesn't seem to mind tummy time as much as he used to. He is looking all over the place now and yesterday I took him for a walk around the neighbourhood in our heart-to-heart sling so he could face out and see the world around him!! The position he sits in is called the Buddha position! It's pretty cute! Hope everyone had a wonderful summer, we can't believe it's over already :( Oh well, let's hope the winter is mild! Take care!

Love Tracy
XOXOX

FEET?!??

Blake grabbed his right foot yesterday (August 23)! It was so precious ... He was rolling on his right side and saw it and grabbed it! He hasn't rolled completely from his back to stomach but is very, very close. He seems to enjoy just rolling half way onto his side! It won't be long now before he tries to put his foot in his mouth! A lot of the other babies at our new mom's group put their feet in their mouth!! It's so funny how at this age they put everything in their mouth! During bath time Blake likes to suck and chew on the facecloth. He is laughing more and more and just a few hours ago the salesman from Canadian Baby Photographers was here and Blake was giggling away while he gave his sales pitch!! It was sooo... funny! We bought a 5x7 of all the pictures taken. They are a little costly, but as the photographer said, "Money comes and goes, but memories they just go." Touche!! LOL! Anways, they are very cute! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Luv Cal, Tracy and Blake

What's with this weather??

We're not enjoying the weather these days ... makes it hard to get outside and do our Strollerobics!! Our class is officially over, but some friends are I are continuing with the routine. A few girls actually go everyday, but we won't be doing that! Starting in September we are going to Baby and Me Aqua fit on Tuesdays and Salsa Babies on Thursdays. And we'll still have our New Mom's Group on Wednesdays! So that leaves Mondays and Fridays for Strollerobics/day's at home! I'm really excited for Baby and Me Aqua fit!! I love the water and I hope Blake will too! I know he loves his baths, so hopefully he'll love to pool! This past weekend we went to Fort McMurray to visit my sister and Jeremy. We had a fantastic time. Blake was really, really good! He slept well and loved his new playpen! It was the first time we'd used it! We got it as a shower gift from Auntie Lesley and Auntie Carmen - thanks ladies! Blake is definitely becoming quite the little traveller!! My sister's new house is beautiful and I just can't believe my little sister is so grown up! It was great to stay at her place and visit and see where she lives! We sure miss her! We also visited with a few of our cousins as well. I posted a few pictures from the weekend. My cousin Jeanine and her little girl Ryann finally got to meet Blake and we got to visit, which was really nice. We also visited with my cousin's Jessica and Garett! Tonight after his bath Blake let out his biggest laugh yet!! It brought tears to my eyes! There really is nothing in the world like the sound of your babies laugh. We love it!! Blake is also very, very close to rolling from his back to his stomach. He gets himself on his side very easily now! We are also wondering if he is starting to teeth. He's chewing like crazy on everything and drooling a lot. We also feel a raised bump under his gums on the one side. The nurse says that babies can start teething as early as 3 months and that teeth may almost break the surface and disappear for awhile until they finally one day break through. So it may still be awhile before a tooth actually pops up! Anyways, I should get going! There's a lot of laundry to be done!! What's new?! LOL!

XOXOX
Cal, Tracy and Blake

Small weight gain for a change!

Blake had an appointment with the pediatrician today and he has only gained 3 oz. since his last weigh-in. He now weighs 14 lbs. 11 oz. Tonight in the bath tub he almost rolled over on us! I looked away for a split second and when I looked back he was on his side! Yikes!! Then after his bath we were playing with him on the couch and he rolled on his side again! He has rolled from his tummy to his back a few times (but not lately) but this was from his back. He is also giggling more and more! It is the best and sweetest sound in the whole wide world!!! We haven't quite mastered the provoking of it yet, but it seems like he giggles more at night after his bath and before bed time. And Cal can usually get one out of him or I have gotten him to giggle by holding him up to a mirror and talking to him! On Thursday Blake, Heidi and I are heading to Fort McMurray to stay with my sister and Jeremy for a few days. We are super excited! I can't wait to see them and my sister's new place and also visit with a few cousins!! Cal's good friend from Regina is coming for a visit so he has a busy guy's weekend planned (golf, live football draft, poker, beer, non-stop sports banter, more beer)! Then on Sunday night Cal and I have another date planned! So it will be a great weekend! Talk to you all soon!

Love Cal, Tracy and Blake

Way to Go Cal!

Today Cal ran in his first race! The ING 10K! Blake and I were in the stands cheering him on! He hasn't received his official time yet, but the way I timed it, he finished in under 1 hour! Prior to the race there was a kid's marathon. They ran 1 mile and man were they cute!! I can totally see Blake there in a few years!! Just a little guy giving it his all with his free t-shirt so big he's almost tripping on it as he crosses the finish line! LOL! All the kids got a medal - it was adorable! I posted a pic of us after the race. Hope every one's having a great weekend!

Luv Tracy

3 Months on Sunday!

Blake is 3 months old on Sunday! I can't believe it! Time flies!! Today I went after Strollerobics and had Blake weighed. He is now 14 lbs 8 ounces. That is the 75th percentile. I believe he was in the 95th percentile before! On Saturday Cal and I are going on a date, so I'm looking forward to that! We're going to the Eskimo's game if it doesn't rain!! I posted a picture of Blake in his new Bumbo chair! He is so strong and able to hold his head up very well. My Mom bought the chair for him last night and he seems to like it!! I also posted another cute picture of him on his tummy!! It's one of my new faves!! Hope everyone has an excellent long weekend! Take care!

Love Tracy

This past weekend Blake, Cal and I headed to Saskatchewan with my parents. We left on Thursday night and stayed at my Grandma Kelley's in North Battleford. Friday we went to Tisdale and stayed until Monday at my Grandma Marg and Grandpa Art's house. Blake travelled well! He was a lot more awake then our trip to Grande Prairie a few weeks ago, but still very good! This was Blake's first time meeting his great grandparents on my side of the family, as well as some of his great aunts, uncles and cousins. We had a fantastic time. On Saturday night we went to my godfather's 50th birthday party and on Sunday we headed to the Smith family cabin at Marean Lake. It was nice to go to the cabin! Growing up my family spent a lot of time there in the summer and even in the winters snowmobiling. I sure miss those carefree summer days!! I hope that as Blake gets older, he is able to spend time there. It is such a great place to spend summer holidays! Next year I'm planning on taking Blake on a tube ride! I thought he was a little bit too young this year (and we couldn't find a life jacket to fit)!!! But he definitely loves his bathes, so hopefully he'll love the water! We are starting Baby and Me aqua fit at the YMCA in September, so we'll see! Blake and I also went to the Capital Ex Parade and Taste of Edmonton with Lesley and Melissa and her family a few weeks ago. This was Blake's 2nd parade - his first was the Farmer's Days parade in Stony Plain. Then a few days later we went to the Ex with Renee and Kaeden. It was lots of fun and we look forward to next year when we can take Blake on some of the kiddy rides!! The weather remains hot and sweaty! Thank goodness our living room is cool! Our upcoming plans are Cal's 10 KM race and Blake and I are going to be taking a trip to Fort McMurray in a few weeks to visit Lindsay and Jeremy and some of my cousins. Cal is taking holidays in September and we are thinking of taking a little trip then too, but no solid plans yet! Take care everyone!

Love Tracy

Today I babysat a 2 yr. old for 4.5 hours. I thought this would be a good opportunity to see what it was like having a toddler and a baby to take care of! And it wasn't too bad! If Blake is as good as this little girl was I think we could handle it! LOL! One thing I realized was that my house would be a disaster and there would be no point in cleaning up until the kids went to bed, because as I put things away, she'd turn around and pull them out again!! We missed Strollerobics this a.m. so we are going to go on Wednesday. Actually, I am going to try and go every Wednesday now. Our last official New Mom's Network was on Wednesday, but we are going to continue meeting at each other's houses or go to the park or mall or Stars and Strollers or whatever else we find to do! Blake is doing great! We bought the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child last Tuesday and loosely started doing a sleep routine with Blake and it seems to be working. He's routinely sleeping 7 hours a night and Friday night he slept 8 hours. We're working on daytime naps now and he's currently having one! He is getting more and more interested in his surroundings. It's quite cute! His vision is better too and he can see further away now. When I pick him up out of his crib he looks around his room and loves to be nosey!! Ha, ha, ha! On Thursday we are going to my Grandma Kelley's house in North Battleford and then to Tisdale to visit Grandma Marg and Grandma Art on Friday and home on Sunday. This will be Blake's first time meeting his Great Grandparents on my side! We have my godfather's 50th birthday party to go to on Saturday night and hopefully we'll be able to take a drive down to the cabin on Friday or Saturday. I miss that place! I used to spend a lot of time there in the summer, but not so much anymore. It will be fun to take Blake there when he's a little bit older. But, he will be waking up soon so I should go! Take care!

Luv Tracy

Changing!

Feeling hot, hot, hot! Yikes! This weather is not good for us! Hopefully it will cool down sooner than later ... On Thursday July 12th Blake noticed his hand for the 1st time! It was hilarious! He was laying in his crib after I changed him and his left arm has extended in front of his face and his eyes were huge and he was staring at his hand! The expression on his face was priceless. It looked like he was thinking what the *&$#@) is that! Then the next day, Friday, my sister was visiting and we were sitting on the couch flipping through magazines and talking and Blake was sitting in his bouncy chair by us and he laughed!! Lindsay and I looked at each other and I said, "Did he laugh?" I couldn't believe it! He must have thought our conversation was funny or he had a good one going in his head! It was soo... cute! And he is growing so much. Everyday seems to bring something new! Hope everyone is staying cool and we'll talk to ya again soon!!

Luv Tracy

9 Weeks!

Hello! Blake had his 8 week immunizations today. We both did fine! I really felt bad for him, but he was okay. Just cried when the needles went in. He had two in his left thigh and one in his right thigh. The hardest part for me was having to hold him down, but it was over pretty fast and then he went to sleep a few minutes after. Phew! So we'll see how he is the next few days. Last night he slept for 7 hours! I was surprised and woke up about 5.5 hours into it and kept waiting for him to wake up! So I hope this is a new nightly thing! Cross your fingers for me! LOL! Blake is changing every day. He is really grabbing on to things now and interested in his surroundings. He still LOVES to watch his mobile! This weekend we headed up to Grande Prairie for a family reunion. Blake met his cousins - Kourtney, Dylan, Kailey and Kerri. It was fun! We took family pictures on Saturday and are excited to see how they turned out! The reunion was very interesting. There was a group of relatives who came from Norway. It was neat to hear the family history and see pictures of where the Alstad family was from in Norway. We would love to visit Norway one day and see for ourselves! On Monday we started our Strollerobics class. It was a fantastic workout and felt really good to exercise again! I am going to go on Wednesdays too when our New Mom's Network is over. After Blake's appointment this afternoon we went to Stars and Strollers at Cineplex Odeon. It was fun and nice to go to a movie again!! We watched License to Wed. It was good, but not great!! Tonight we're going to watch Cal's ball hockey. Blake's learning some moves! LOL! So that's what's new with us! We're doing great and loving the summer weather! Hope everyone is well!! Take care!

Love Tracy

Happy Canada Day!!

Happy Canada Day everyone! We're heading to Slave Lake tonight after Cal gets back from his Running Room clinic and won't be home until Monday! We're looking forward to our little holiday! This week has been nice because Cal was off on Monday and now he's off until Monday again, so we've had lots of family time! This weekend we're staying with my Mom and Dad in their house - I mean 5th wheel!! LOL! It really doesn't feel like camping! Cal will be doing a lot of fishing with Dad and Dion in Dion's SWEET new boat! Hopefully they'll bring dinner home at least one night! We had our New Mom's Network yesterday and learned all about baby nutrition and when/how to start introducing solids. It should be interesting! I plan on making Blake's baby food. But, we have a few more months to wait of course! Oh, and Blake weighed in at 12 lbs 3 oz yesterday. Next week we have his 8 week check up with the Pediatrician and I changed his immunization appointment to the following week, because we are going to Grande Prairie for a family reunion the day his original appointment was scheduled. Blake is so smiley this week! I love it! He's been pretty smiley since week 1, but now you can really get him going and he even squeals sometimes!! He is also very interested in all of his surroundings. His little head turns every direction checking out everything around him! It's amazing how he's changing and maturing! I think today for the first time he noticed Jazz! He was sitting in his bouncy chair just staring at him!! Every day brings something new. But, I better go get some housework done before he wakes up from his nap. Have a fantastic long weekend and we'll talk to ya again!

Luv Tracy

Growing, Meeting Aunty Carmen, Reunion and Baby Shower - BUSY!!

Well, from the title you can see we've been busy! On Wednesday Blake weighed in at almost 12 lbs! In the evening we met Cal's sister Carmen for supper before she headed to the Tim/Faith concert. Blake is Carmen's first nephew! Then on Thursday evening Blake and I headed to the YMCA for a prenatal aquafit reunion!! It was so much fun to see everyone and their little ones or their growing bellies! Not everyone has had their baby yet. On Friday my Dad babysat while I went and got my hair done and then Cal took over while I went and got a pedicure!! It was nice to have some me time!!! Saturday was Blake's baby shower in Stony Plain. It was a great time!! My Mom and sister did a fabulous job along with help from Lesley and Carmen. My sister put together these cute favour boxes with jelly beans, candy worms and little rubber duckies!! They were so cute! Blake was supremely spoiled!! He has clothes to last him forever! LOL! So we are all doing great and next weekend we are heading to Slave Lake to camp. Blake has his 8 week checkup and his first shots after the long weekend. Hopefully that will all go good! Take care and we'll talk to ya again soon!!

Love Tracy

CONGRATULATIONS HRDLICKA'S!

My bff and her husband welcomed a little boy into the world on Monday! They are all doing great and we're so happy for them and Blake is excited to have a little buddy to raise hell with!! LOL! Lets just hope he's better than his Mom and I were! J.K.! We were and still are angels - right Candace?!

Tracy

New Mom's Network

Yesterday we had our first New Mom's Network meeting. It was really fun! There are 13 Mom's in our group and only 3 babies are girls! We were all laughing saying that the boys will be in fierce competition for the girls attention! The oldest baby was born in February and Blake is the youngest in the group. We will be discussing various topics each week, such as infant massage, nutrition, dental health, post-partum strengthening exercises, sleeping and crying, etc. So we should learn some new stuff! I'm excited for the infant massage. I'm hoping I might learn some new tips to help Blake go to the bathroom! LOL! His poor stomach gets hard as a rock sometimes. I also registered for Strollerobics at the YMCA. It starts in July. And I've been looking into Mom and Baby yoga and Salsa Babies. I'll probably start one of those once the New Mom's Network is over. Two groups a week is enough, because between that, housework and all the visiting the week is full!! Plus I'm beginning to think that it's a good idea to have a few days at home to help Blake establish somewhat of a routine. He's done a lot of napping in his car seat so far!! But he is doing really good! You wouldn't believe what he weighed in at this week!!! Take a guess - nope not 10 lbs ... 11 lbs 2 oz! So his little gain last week was more than made up for this week! Sure is a healthy boy! He's starting to grow out of the newborn clothes and into the 0-3 months, but I'm still finding the 0-3 months a little bit too big. He is changing every day! Just a few days ago I got a huge full face grin! He's been smiling and grinning for awhile now, but this was a huge grin! It was so cute! And last night I was reading him a book and when I said a certain sentence about the boy's Mom wanting to send him to a zoo he gave me that huge grin again!!! So I said the sentence again and again and again!!! He's also found his thumb! From a few days old he's been trying to stick his whole hand in his mouth and now he is a little bit better at it! He is "talking" a lot more now too! It is soooo... cute! Cal is doing good too! He is extremely busy at work and is busy with ball hockey and his running clinic as well. Blake and I will be cheering him on in August when he runs his first 10K race! I had my 6 week check up today and all is good. Doc said I could get pregnant again if I wanted!!! It is tempting ... but I think I'll wait a few months and let my body recoup a little more! LOL! Anyways, I should get going and make supper!! Take care!



Love Tracy, Cal and Blake

9 lbs. 5 oz.!

I took Blake to the Health Unit on Tuesday to be weighed and he weighed in at 9 lbs. 5 oz. So not as big of a gain as last week!! He has also grown 3/4" in length. And his head circumference was a little bit bigger. Soon he'll fit his ball cap! Which is good, because when we were going out in the hot weather I was wishing one of his hats fit him!! Blake went to his first parade last Saturday. It was Farmer's Days in Stony Plain, so we walked to the parade with Auntie Lindsay and Uncle Jeremy and met Auntie Lesley and Uncle Gerry and some of Lesley's family there. It was a gorgeous day and a pretty good parade! Needless to say, Mr. Blake slept through it all!! Which means he enjoyed himself!! LOL! Blake and I continue to keep busy during the week days. Between visiting, shopping and daily household chores the days go by fast! On Friday Blake watched his Dad play ball hockey for the 1st time! Or at least he was in the stands, not sure if he actually saw much of the game! Last week we also visited Grandma and Grandpa Smith's offices and met all the people they work with. And I had an appointment to set up an RESP for Blake so Grandma babysat for a couple of hours. It's unbelievable how much they predict post-secondary schooling will cost in the year 2025!! Scary! So anyways, that's all that is new with us. Hope everyone is enjoying the summer weather! Take care!

Luv Tracy

Growing Fast :(

We got Blake weighed today and he is up to 9 lbs!! He also grew in length - he's 21" long now! The nurse said my milk must be good and he must be a good drinker! I knew he would have grown quite a bit because he sure feels heavier!! But I'm glad he's gaining weight because it means he's healthy! I think his hair is lightening too! It certainly looks lighter to me. Last night he went 5 hours between feedings! I was so surprised when I looked at the clock! So all is well and we hope everyone is great and enjoying the warm weather! Take care!

Love, Cal, Tracy & Blake

3 weeks old tomorrow!

Hello! I posted some more pictures tonight - we just received the CD with all of the professional pictures!! I love them all and can't wait to get some copies made! I also have to start on Blake's birth announcements! Blake is doing awesome! He is such a sweetheart! He had a couple of sleepless nights this past week, but right now he is sleeping!! He doesn't really have much of a pattern so far, other than he eats every 2-3 hours! Sometimes at night he does go for 4 hours without eating. We have been really busy, mostly visiting! We've had lots of visitors and today we went to Allen Gray to visit. We're glad Blake is meeting everyone! It's funny because people always say how small he is and to us he is so much bigger than just 3 weeks ago! We didn't get into the health centre to weigh him this week, but I am sure he's over the 7 lbs 8 oz he was last week! His face and arms and legs are really filling out. He is still a very content baby and doesn't fuss much. Today at work he was crying a little bit and everyone was like, "That's it? That's his cry? Wow! You're lucky!" It's not too loud (yet)! L.O.L.! But we're having fun and learning everyday. His umbilical cord fell off on the 12th. We were glad for that! And now Blake likes to look around, especially at lights and his mobile. It is so cool to see the changes in him! He really makes eye contact now too! And sometimes if someone else is holding him and he hears our voices he turns towards us! It is such an amazing feeling! Cal went back to work on Tuesday. We really missed him being home. He is so good with Blake - I knew he would be! He's a natural! I love them both so much!! Heidi and I are outnumbered in the house now - 3 males to 2 females!! But, I should get to sleep, since Blake is sleeping. That's one thing I'm not very good at - sleeping when he's sleeping! And all the books and everyone says just leave the housework, and I can't do that either! Could be why I'm tired!! Take care everyone :0)

Love Tracy

New Pictures!

Hey! On Thursday we had our professional photos taken and I've posted a couple here on the blog! The photographer emailed a sampling of a few of them, but there are lots more to come!! If you are on Facebook, I've posted more there! I'm very happy with the ones I've saw so far! I think we might use the blue bow pictures for Blake's announcements. Anyways, we're just heading out to Cal's Uncle Evan's in a few minutes here and then we are going to Brazeau to camp! We hope the rain will hold off (keep your fingers crossed)! Hope you have a fantastic weekend - rain or shine!

Love Cal, Tracy and Blake

Growing Boy!

Yesterday we had our Pediatrician appointment and Blake is now weighing in at 7 lbs 8oz!! He's almost gained 1 lb! The Pediatrician was really happy with this and says he is a perfectly healthy little boy! I am sad though ... they really do grow up too fast! I can't get over the fact that everyday he is growing and changing and he'll never be this little again. We have had a lot of visitors this week! We've been very busy, so today is family day! Blake slept for 3 hours last night and then for a 5 hour stretch!!! It was awesome! And I had to wake him up after 5 hours! They don't want newborns to go more than 5 hours without a feeding. I felt bad waking him up! I wonder if maybe he wasn't so tired from all of his visitors! We'll see how he sleeps tonight - hopefully last night was his new routine!? Wishful thinking! Tomorrow we are going for pictures in Spruce Grove. Now I'm just wondering if I'll be able to do my hair and what the heck I'll wear!? We are supposed to go camping this weekend for a few nights, but the weather channel is forecasting rain :( Hopefully we'll still get out there. So, I hope everyone has a great long weekend! Take care!!

Luv Cal, Tracy and Blake

1 Week Old Already?!

We can not believe that Blake is 1 week old already! Wow, time just flies and it is only going to go faster! Pretty soon we'll be saying, "I can't believe Blake is turning 1 already!" Everything is really good. Blake is being very good! We rarely hear him cry these days! He still does not sleep too long in one stretch ... But I think I've figured out that ensuring he gets a good full feeding in, allows him to sleep longer and keeps him content! On Friday Blake had his first walk outside and today he went on his first shopping trip! Blake enjoyed both - sleeping right through them! Grandma, Auntie Lindsay and I found Blake's stroller to be quite handy for holding all of our shopping bags!!! This weekend Blake's Great Auntie Kathy and cousins (2nd I think!) Skylar and Michelle were in town to meet him. We enjoyed their visit and thank them for driving all that way to meet him! This week we have visitors scheduled for almost every day, so we will be busy again! On Tuesday Blake has a pediatrician appointment. Blake sent his Dad Mother's Day shopping last week. He bought me a beautiful figurine with a plate that says, "There are angels walking on the earth disguised as Moms." It is so cute! I love it! He also bought me a little book called Spit Happens!! I had a very nice Mother's Day and can't wait to see what Blake sends me to buy for his Dad for Father's Day! We also can't wait until we start getting finger paintings and macaroni covered toilet paper rolls for Mother's and Father's Day! L.O.L.!! We hope that all of the Mom's, soon-to-be Mom's and Grandma's had a wonderful Mother's Day!! Also, Blake's Auntie Lesley celebrated a birthday on Friday and we hope she had a great day! Oh, and I have to tell everyone that I wore my old jeans today!!!! Yay! It felt good! But anyways, we hope everyone has a great week and we will talk to you soon!

Love,
Cal, Tracy and Blake

We're Home!

Hello everyone! Well, we are home and healthy!! We came home on Sunday May 6th at around 8:00 pm. We could have stayed another night at the hospital, but decided to go home instead! We actually could have gone home a little bit earlier in the day, but Blake had to pee before the Dr. could circumcise him. So he eventually did pee and get circumcised and then we packed up and headed home! We had a wonderful experience at the Sturgeon. All of the staff were absolutely amazing and so, so, so helpful and kind. We can't say enough about how fantastic they were! Dr. Gannon was beyond amazing and I can't say a bad thing about the whole process! Looking back - I actually enjoyed it! Well, maybe not the pain part, but that was only a small portion of the whole experience. So no horror stories here! I know there are a few people reading this who are expecting and don't worry - labour really isn't that bad. I'd do it again!! Anyways, Grandma and Grandpa Smith, Grandma and Grandpa Cameron and Great Grandma and Grandpa Alstad visited us the first night. The first night was a bit of a learning experience!! The freezing from the circumcision wore off and Blake hadn't had a B.M. so he had a sore tummy on top of the other sore area!! On Monday the Healthy Beginnings nurse came to the house to check Blake and I out and see how the family was doing. Everything was really good other than Blake not pooing! So Tuesday the nurse called to see if he had gone and he hadn't, Wednesday he still hadn't gone, so she made us an appointment with the Pediatrician Dr. Gannon had referred us to (Dr. Radisic). We went to the appointment and the Dr. manually checked him and he went a little bit, but not enough, so he sent us to get some abdominal x-rays. So Blake had his first x-rays! The x-rays showed that he had gas and B.M. present, so the Dr. told us to go buy infant glycerin suppositories, try that and call back Thursday a.m. So we did that and within 25 min. of giving his the suppository he went! And boy did he go! We then went to Stony Plain for supper and visited with Grandma and Grandpa, Sharon, Erica and Dione and Paul! We called this Blake's Stony Plain "meet and greet"!! We then went to Uncle Gerry and Auntie Lesley's for a visit and then headed home! So Blake's first day out of the house was busy! Today I called the Pediatrician and he was happy that he had a large B.M. and said that as long as that meconium is out he's not worried about him going every day - apparently some babies only go once every few days. Every night Blake seems to be getting more sleep. He is breast feeding really good and we've had no concerns with that. I thank the nurses for that because they took the time to show me how to get a proper latch and do it the right way! Phew! So I just had to take a break from typing here because Blake had a dirty diaper! Yay!!! Crazy - getting excited about poop! Ha, ha, ha! It looks like that issue has cleared itself up! All of Blake's clothes are way to big. He isn't fitting into the 0-3 months clothes and so we've had to pick up a few preemie clothes. So now he has a few outfits that fit! Heidi and Jazz are doing great with their new brother! Heidi just came home last night and when she first met him she gave him a good face washing, but now she just sniffs him! It actually seems like she is keeping an eye out for him. Last night she slept at the end of the bed looking into his playpen/bassinet! Jazz pretty much ignores him! We'd like to thank everyone for all of your love and support! We are truly blessed with such an amazing circle of friends and family and appreciate all of your love and well wishes! I'll try and write a little update every now and then and keep posting pictures as Blake grows! I can't believe that he'll never be this small again. But I'll stop talking about that before the tears fall on the keyboard! Take care and we will talk to you soon!

Love Cal, Tracy and Blake
XOXOX

He has ARRIVED!!

Blake Smith Cameron arrived on Saturday May 5,2007 @ 10:11 p.m.
Weight: 6 lbs. 13 oz.
Length: 19.75"

Non-Stressed Baby!!!

So the baby is not stressed out!! Which is good! The non-stress test also monitors your uterus and the printout showed some uterine contractions, but nothing consistent or major, so not labour! That would be the "twinges" I feel! But the more twinges the better because that helps the cervix dilate. I also learned that on Monday morning the hospital will call between 6 and 10 am to let me know if I can come in for an induction or if they'll call again on Tuesday. They were sure busy tonight! I saw a guy who was on our hospital tour with us and overheard him talking on his cell phone saying that it won't be too long now! How exciting! When we were leaving I was thinking about packing ear plugs, because I can not stand all that moaning and groaning!! Ahhh, it drives me nuts! Hopefully if my door is closed I won't hear it as much. We'll see! Thank goodness I won't have to share a room. Anyways, just thought I'd let everyone know how the test went. Either you'll hear from us if I go into labour before Monday or I'll post another update on Monday morning! Take care!

Love Cal, Tracy and Babe :0)

Did I Say 5 Days at the Most??!

Well, today I have another non-stress test and after talking to the nurses when I called in, apparently there are a lot of people overdue!! And what that means is that on Monday they may be inducing people who were scheduled from Thursday and Friday! So what that means for us, is that we may be waiting a few days past Monday!!! L.O.L.! What a process hey?! But I guess that is why they schedule you for an induction at 41 weeks, because they know you may not actually get induced until closer to 42 weeks! So that's the scoop today! Talk to you soon!

Luv Tracy

Five more days (at the most)!!

Yeah! Now the count down is definitely on!! If I don't have the baby in the next 4 days, I will be getting induced on Monday! I am feeling pretty good still. Mostly just tired, although one of the reasons I am writing this blog tonight is because I can't fall asleep!? So, yeah I am still having trouble sleeping at night, my hips are still bugging me and now whenever I turn over or get up my pelvis cracks and hurts and I stumble (usually to the bathroom for the millionth time!). But overall I am doing good!! Cal is doing good too! He is ready to be a Dad and I so excited because he will be fantastic! He is very busy at work, but now that he is permanent in his position and not on loan to engineering, he got a new work laptop and his boss has told him he can work from home occasionally so he's looking forward to that! He had a cold start a few days ago, so hopefully it will go away soon. I don't know if anyone wants to hear about this or not, but since it is a pregnancy related event I will tell you that I did lose my mucus plug today, but I won't go any further into detail!!! Everyone is wondering what I've been doing with my time, but it seems to go by quite fast! I'm staying pretty close to home and keeping busy with housework and emailing and Facebooking. I usually pick a few things to do each day and keep busy that way! And for all those people wondering if I just want this baby out of me (seems to be a common question) - no not really! I mean, I do want to meet the little one (I was tempted to type guy!), hold it in my arms and begin our lives as parents and a new family, but I think I will miss being pregnant! I've really enjoyed it and it will be strange to not feel those kicks and be able to talk to my stomach! Although everything will be new and I may forget about that stuff until things settle down! I am not feeling anxious about labour right now, but I know myself and I don't tend to stress or even really think too much about things until the time actually arrives, so when labour really starts it may be a different story! But we are all ready for baby. Cal has the car seat installed in his truck and it has been checked over by Carmen (the veteran) and his co-worker who has 3 young boys! And of course our bags are packed! Now I'm going to try and go to sleep (attempt #3) and I think I might turn the ringer off on the phone, since those 1-800 #'s tend to enjoy calling in the a.m.!! Talk to you soon!

Luv us all!
XOXOX

Things are happening!!

Well, today we received a lot of news!! The babies heartbeat was strong, but the Dr. wants me to go in for a non-stress test tonight. And if I haven't gone into labour by Thursday I will go in for another one. I was feeling twinges down below all day today and apparently that is because I have started to dilate! Only 1 cm so far, but the Dr. predicted that I would go into labour this week! I think the yard work we were doing yesterday may have helped!! If I don't go into labour this week, I am booked for an induction on Monday (7th). She also stripped my membranes today, which is a little bit unpleasant. But, I didn't have to book an appointment for Monday which makes it more of a reality that we will have our baby in our arms in no time! Oh, the non-stress test measures the babies heartbeat for 1/2 hour and they take a urine sample and Mom's blood pressure. If babies heart rate goes up and down and is not consistent, that means the baby is under stress and needs to come out. So we are going to head to the hospital pretty soon here. The heartbeat was strong and steady earlier today, so I don't think the baby is under any stress, but the test is just to be on the safe side. We will keep you updated!

Love Cal, Tracy and Baby

Due Day!!

Well, today is due date #2! That is according to my 20 week ultrasound ... but Sunday was the original due date! So ... maybe Sunday is the day?? Sunday is also my friends Danielle and Renee's birthdays, so Sunday would be a nice day! Doesn't appear that today is the day! Although there are 2 more hours left!! Ha, ha, ha! I'm feeling fine, no different than the last month or so. I've had a lot of phone calls and emails today! The little one is certainly kicking a lot today. I've told him/her it's okay, if you want out you can come on out!! We've had some visitors these past couple of days. My friend Lindsey was over last night and tonight Candace and Brandon and Danielle came over and we went for dinner. It was great to see everyone and Candace and I took a few pictures of our growing bellies! Candace has 4 weeks left so she is getting close! It's so exciting!!! But, just wanted to say hi to everyone and let you know there's no new news yet! Of course I have another Dr. appointment on Monday so we'll see if I'm any further along than last Monday! Talk to you soon!

Love Cal, Tracy, and Baby

Another week ... or 2??

Dr. day!! I just got back from the doctor's office. It was a really long wait today!! Usually it is quite fast, but there were a few more complicated patients today, apparently! But that was okay because I saw a few "friends" there and we chatted. Just ladies that I seem to see every week now!!! The babies heartbeat was in the 130's again. Today the Dr. checked my cervix and it is thinning out nicely (as she put it!), in a mid position and not dilated. The babies head is also down, but can come down a little bit more. So according to her assessment, she'll see me next week. I may be having this baby in May!!! But I'm not too anxious, it will come when it comes and if it takes too long I'll be induced. So everyone, please be patient and remember if I have any news to share I will and we will call you in due time when our little sweetie graces us with its presence!!!!! Take care!

Luv Cal, Tracy and Baby

Getting Closer!!

K, that was weird! I was asking Cal what should I title this blog and just as I was typing getting closer, he said getting closer!! Wow!! We've had a good week. Got our carpets cleaned and boy did it make a difference! I'm not so anxious to replace them for now. My Mom and I went for a pedicure on Sunday, which is so nice normally and even better at this point in time!! Thanks Mom!! Today we had a Dr. appointment. The babies heart rate was in the 130's again. It is quite consistent lately! The baby grew and is measuring 38 weeks, which is great. I've been feeling nauseous again and sick to my stomach a few days this past week which the Dr. said could be a bug that I've caught or just pregnancy! And sometimes before you go into labour you have flu like symptoms, so I'm hoping this is the case! My fingers are finally swollen so much that I can't wear my wedding rings :-( I made it quite awhile though! It was off and on last week, but now I definitely won't put them on because I don't want to have to get them cut off! I'm doing great overall (I think!), just really tired, which is fine because I'm off work and can nap throughout the day! I certainly don't feel as bad as I've heard some people complain of being!! Sure it's uncomfortable at times, but really not bad. The prenatal clinic I go to is in the Health Unit and today after my appointment I saw my friend Jody who I went to prenatal aqua fit and prenatal classes with. She was just in weighing her son! He was born on April 7th (her due date) and was 6 lbs something. He sure is a cutey!! His name is Jerrod. She said she had an awesome labour and claims that breast feeding is harder than labour!! I hope I have a labour like hers! It is our Happy Nappy pre-delivery day tomorrow!! That means we're getting our diaper pail and a free pre-delivery of diapers! I'm excited to see them because they are going to be so little and cute! There's quite a few people who are wondering why we're using cloth diapers and it is 1st due to the environment, 2nd it is not any more expensive and 3rd if it doesn't work out we can cancel at any time! So I figured we might as well try it! We'll probably use disposables if we're away from home for any length of time or out visiting. Take care everyone and we will keep you updated!!

Luv us all
XOXOX

Big Baby!?!

Being Monday, today was my regular weekly appointment. The babies heart rate was 130 bpm. The Dr. said I am measuring 38 cm. Apparently at this point in time how many cm's you are measuring is usually equal with how many weeks you are pregnant, so I am measuring a little bit bigger than 37 weeks and a few days. No reason for concern though, the baby could just be a little bit bigger than "average"!! Fantastic, hey?! Can't wait to deliver that!! J.K., I actually can't wait! I'm starting to think about delivering naturally vs. c-section, etc. and I have a pretty open mind so whatever it takes to meet this little one and help it arrive safely and healthy, that's okay with me! I mean, in the grand scheme of things we just want a healthy baby. Babies head is still down and its back curves to the left (so when I'm looking down at my stomach - my left), which is congruent with where I feel its little bum and feet!! Cal and I have been busy these past few days. We've cleaned out my car, taken it to Bubbles for a scrub, put the car seat in the truck, cleaned out the storage room and a cabinet in the living room, and dropped some donations off at Goodwill! We also straightened out the garage a little bit and made a pile of garage sale items. Hopefully this summer we'll get around to having that garage sale! Cal's planning on finishing the garage this summer (he insulated it last fall) and building a shed in the back yard. He has to plan the shed's location according to his hockey rink! Don't you know all the great hockey players had rinks in their back yards?! Carmen and the kids are coming to Edmonton tomorrow for a visit so I'm looking forward to seeing them. I haven't seen the twins since Christmas so I'm sure it will be nice to see how they've changed. Anyways, I won't keep you any longer. Hope everyone is well and had a nice Easter! Take care!

Love Cal, Tracy and Baby

Happy Birthday!!

Happy birthday Auntie Kathy!! Today is Cal's sister's big 2-5!! We talked to her earlier in the evening and she was just heading out to celebrate! Sorry Kathy but the baby figured April 5th was a little early to be born, but hopefully it will be an April baby! Could easily wait till May though! Maybe Auntie Lesley or Auntie Lindsay's birthday?? Actually, sorry Linds but May 27th is waaayyyy... too late! Today was my last day of work ... phew! We went out for lunch and then we were supposed to have a meeting in the p.m., but when I walked into the meeting room I heard a big "SURPRISE"! My co-workers threw me a surprise farewell party! It was really nice of them and I got some really nice gifts, particularly a spa gift card to Pure Elements for a hot stone massage, leg exfoliation, paraffin wax treatment and spa pedicure!! Sounds heavenly! I'll have to decide when to book that. So for the next 3 or so weeks I am taking my vacation time (I have 4 weeks) and hopefully I won't have to start my maternity leave until the baby is born. I have some plans for the next few weeks - just odds and ends, cleaning, some errands, etc. And I'm sure we'll squeeze in some episodes of a Baby Story! Well, I hope everyone has a Happy Easter and we'll talk to you soon!

Luv Cal, Tracy and Baby
XOXOX

Dr.'s Visit!

At our doctor's appointment today the babies heartbeat was between 135 and 140 bpm. The baby grew 1.5 cm, which is a little more than average within one week! I actually lost .5 pounds for some reason, but since the baby grew so much it wasn't as much of a concern! I had the Group B Strep test done today, which isn't as bad as an "internal"! I am glad that I am past the 36 week mark because prior to 36 weeks the Sturgeon does not take you! We have a hospital tour booked tomorrow and I am looking forward to it. I've heard very good things about the Sturgeon so it will be nice to see where we'll be! One of the nice things about this hospital is that the room you deliver in is the room you stay in, where at a few other hospitals in Edmonton you have to move from the prenatal room to the delivery room then into the postpartum room within a few hours of delivering. Although I've heard at the Grey Nun's they have some pretty nice theme rooms (often hard to get though)!! But Grey Nun's is way to far from our house! Talk to ya all later!!

Love, Us

Dad's Home!

Hello! So we picked Cal up from the airport on Thursday evening. It was funny because I hadn't felt the baby move while we were driving to the airport and then after I picked up Cal and we were driving towards the city and he was telling me about his trip the baby started moving a lot!! I told Cal I think it missed its Dad and was saying hello! It was really cute! On Wednesday evening when I stayed over night at my parents house my Mom also felt it kick! We had a nice day on Thursday visiting with Lesley in the morning, going for lunch with Mom and a friend and then visiting my Dad at work in the afternoon! Tonight we are going out for a bit of a "farewell" dinner with my parents and sister and Jeremy. On Sunday Lindsay is moving (kind of!) to Fort McMurray. Jeremy has already been there for awhile. I say she is "kind of" moving because they are staying where Jeremy is renting until they find a place to buy, at which time she will move more furniture, etc. They've been looking but everything moves really fast, so once they are both there they'll be able to find a house easier! Lindsay assured me she'd be down lots to visit her niece/nephew!! She has a lot of "sunny Friday's" to use, which are basically Friday's off! As well as vacation time. It sounds like an awesome job and opportunity so we're very happy for her! And they'll be down here lots fishing, camping and visiting both families and their friends. I may not actually see her any less then I do now! My parents are also leaving on vacation for 10 days on Tuesday morning. They'll be putting their new car to the test driving to Vegas and Laughlin! Tonight, I already know that I'm going to have a back ache after dinner!! I can barely eat anything without getting one! The Dr. said it is because there just isn't much room left for food! I will try to pace myself, but once the baby is born and Cal and I have an opportunity (which who knows when that will be!) we are going out for a big dinner with appetizers, drinks and the full meal!! I've also been craving a beer and I've had the no alcohol kind but my mind knows it's not the real thing!! Funny how sometimes you want what you can't have?! Well, four more weeks (if I'm not overdue!) until we meet this little miracle! We're very excited!! Take care and we'll talk to ya' soon!

Love Cal and Tracy

Dr. Appointment and Dad out of Town!

Today I had another routine appointment. The babies head is down and so now I know that what I feel sometimes is the babies bum, not the head!! The heartbeat was all over the place today (from 120 to 140 ish). The Dr. said this in normal towards the end. I also got my prenatal papers from the nurse, which she told me to carry in my purse just in case I go into labour before 36 weeks! I'm seeing the Dr. once a week now. We dropped Cal off at the airport this morning. He is in Vancouver for the week for work. We will miss him! I have Thursday and Friday off so on Wednesday night Heidi and I are staying overnight at my parents house. Oh, I have been meaning to mention the awesome Colts baby dish set we got from Tina!! It is so cute! I will take a picture of it and post it. Cal was thrilled!! And last week my sister gave us a pair of baby leggings!! They are sooo... adorable! Look them up on the net. They're all the rage in Hollywood! Our baby will be stylin'! I can see quite a few pairs of these in the babies future! So thank you Aunties!!! And speaking of pictures I will post an updated one of myself before the end of the weekend! I'm starting to feel a little "huge"! Ah well, not much longer now! Take care everyone!

Love Tracy and Baby

Baby Dropped?!

Well, I think the baby may have dropped! I have been noticing a change in the position of my stomach. It seems a lot lower and I'm feeling a lot more pressure in my pelvis and my heartburn isn't near as bad. I kind of thought all along that I was carrying the baby high and my belly started right under my chest and now there is a bigger space between the two! And then a lady at work today commented that the baby has dropped. I wasn't sure when this would happen, I know I've read and/or heard about it but didn't remember when it could happen, so I did a little research and apparently at this time it is possible. It would explain some of my other "symptoms"!! It is more uncomfortable that is for sure! The baby "dropping" doesn't mean your any nearer delivery!!! We had our last prenatal class last night, it was mostly focused on breast feeding. We've really enjoyed the classes and we both feel much more prepared for what is to come! Everyone exchanged numbers so hopefully we'll keep in touch with some of the couples we met. There was one person in the class who was also in my aqua size class and she told me at the end of the class that she had already registered for the New Mom's Network out of the health unit and asked if I had, so today I did. So I know we will definitely keep in touch! The group meets 6 times and then often continues meeting once a week. It begins on June 13th. That's what's new with us!! Hope everyone is well and we will talk to you soon!

Cal, Tracy and Baby
XOXOXOX

Here's a new one!

I just had to post this because I thought it was funny!! Today at Costco the cashier said, "Look at me." So I looked at her and she said, "It's a girl!" I said, "Oh really, why do you think that?" She said, "Your nose is thin, it hasn't gotten chubby!!!" So there's another new theory! She claimed that she has a 100% success rate! We'll see soon ...

Tracy

Busy, busy ...

So we have had a very busy week! We finished painting the babies room on Sunday evening. We did one coat of paint Saturday night and the last on Sunday night. Then on Monday Cal set up the crib and I washed all the bedding and clothes, etc. that we have and put everything away! The room looks really good and the armoire and crib really look great together! We still have to get the rocking chair from my parents house. It is the rocking chair they got when I was born! We didn't put up the Sesame Street pictures, we are still debating on whether or not to keep them. I will post some pictures of the room when I can. It is kind of hard to take a picture of the "whole" room in one shot. So we are getting there ... next we will have to make sure we know how to put the car seat base and seat in the car! I have been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately. Of course I can't get comfortable and my arm and leg keep falling asleep, back hurts, etc! Working is getting a little hard too. I am on my feet all day and bending down and sitting on the floor and walking a lot (except when I sit down to call Cal, my sister, my Mom or Lesley!! I need a reason to sit down so they are receiving a lot of calls through out the day!!). My back is hurting me when I get up and down and bend over too much. I've stopped doing really heavy lifting of course. On Thursday I had a doctor's appointment and the babies heart rate was in the 130's. I gained 1.5 pounds so the doctor was happy to see that, but it still is less than average. She recommended that I cut my work week down to 3 days a week, so beginning next week I will be working 3 days a week. She said I should get more rest and put on a little more weight! It's weird because although I haven't gained much weight my belly has certainly grown in the last two weeks! A lot of my clothes aren't quite fitting anymore. I remember when I first started trying on maternity clothes I thought the shirts were all so long and now they're too short to fit over my round stomach! I also asked the Dr. about travelling to Saskatchewan (in a car - not flying). I would like to go see my Grandparents before the baby is born. My Grandpa had a stroke and is in the hospital and I am not sure when I would be able to get there after the baby is born, so I would like to go before. The Dr. said it is fine to travel by car but to keep in mind that at this point the baby could come anytime. So I might be going to visit in the next couple of weeks. My Dad is in Tisdale right now and says that my Grandpa is doing pretty good and today he was walking with a walker so that is fantastic news!! I felt the strangest thing on Wednesday night - I was sitting on the couch and had my hand on my stomach and felt something like a tennis ball rolling under my hand!! It must have been the babies heel or bum or something!! I gave a little scream because it felt so weird! I felt it again last night. Must be getting cramped in there! On Monday and Wednesday this week we have our prenatal class. Wednesday is our last class. They have been excellent and I would highly recommend taking the class! I was talking to my friend Sarah on Monday and her son Gibson was born at 34 weeks!! Wow! I couldn't imagine, but I think we are ready. Then again I don't know if you are ever completely "ready"! Anyways, it looks like I've wrote a short story here!! I hope everyone is well, talk to you soon!

Love Cal, Tracy and Baby

Painting Begins!

Last night Cal and I, well mostly Cal, primed the walls in the babies room. Do you know how much we love painting?? Not at all!!! Ahhhh... We had to lock Jazz in the furnace room because he jumped up on the window sill and got his back feet and tail in the paint!! Then he got into the cold air return and was stuck in there for awhile! Crazy cat! Heidi was pretty good though! Cal also bought batteries for the swing and set it up in the family room! It's neat to see it there!! Soon a little baby will be laying in it! We are getting very excited!! The baby is moving like crazy. I can often just sit down and watch my stomach move! Of course at the times I want to show people it doesn't do it! Stage fright?!? I start another prenatal aqua fit class tonight. A lot of the same girls will be returning for this one, so it will be nice to see them again. The last class is April 26th. I don't know if I've posted this or not, but the doctor moved my due date to April 27th (only 2 days sooner so not much change)! So we will see if I make it to the last class! Hope everyone is well and we will talk to you soon!

Luv Tracy, Cal and Baby

Hello!

So Thursday we had another routine appointment. The babies heartbeat was 148 bpm. Everything is going good, the baby is measuring right in line with 32 weeks, but my weight gain is not! Apparently the doctor likes to see you gain approx. 1 lb per week in the last trimester and I didn't come anywhere near that. So next appointment she may investigate why if I don't gain 2-3 lbs. I only hope that after I have the baby I'll have trouble gaining weight too!! Because lord knows before this pregnancy I had no problem gaining weight!! Anyways, the baby is growing good and everything appears to be good with him/her! We still haven't gotten around to painting the room yet, but tomorrow we are definitely buying the paint! I am having such a hard time with choosing colors/decor!! But I think we are settled on a neutral color and then after the baby is born we will decorate with more specific boy or girl accessories! What do you think we should do??! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Luv Tracy

A great weekend and Another great class!

Today we had our second prenatal class! It went great! Learned about the different stages of labour and what we will be going through and how to help all the possible side effects! Cal has learned some new massage techniques and a bit about his role as a coach! He'll be an awesome coach!! We thought the video we watched last week was as "graphic" as it would get, but found out differently this class! 3 words - Crowning up close! Cal figures he has a pretty good idea of what I will be going through during labour, because the nurse said any male who has had kidney stones has came very close to experiencing the pain of labour. And Cal has had kidney stones 3 times, so it's like being in labour 3 times! I also learned that if I can make it to the Transition phase, which is the quickest but most painful, without an epidural I can do it without one!! I also have a really funny story about one couple, but it's too long to write here so remind me to tell you about it next time we talk!

Candace visited this weekend and we had a great time shopping (we had to check out E-Children of course) and visiting! We took a few quick pic's together on Sunday morning, but we really should have taken them Saturday night when we were a little more "put together"! We will take more next visit! Candace and Lindsey are hoping to make it up for a visit before the end of April. It was great to see Candace and we had to laugh when we gave each other a hug and our belly's bumped!! I only wish we lived closer. It's crazy because we have so many of the same ideas and values and it's really nice to talk with someone who thinks the same as you!! So thanks Candace for the visit! We did decide this weekend that we could be in trouble if we lived closer - we'd be shopping all the time!

I posted another picture, without the white shirt on this time because it is really too snug now! Take care and we hope to talk to you soon! Love your comments, keep 'em coming!

Love Cal, Tracy and Baby

1st Prenatal Class!

Yesterday we had our first prenatal class from 7-9 pm. It was pretty interesting!! The classes are once a week for six weeks (the last week we have 2 classes). We will certainly learn a lot of valuable knowledge! Last night we watched a video of a woman deliver who had absolutely no pain medication! Wow! It was a fun night and we met other couples who are due around the same date as us! Of course there were a few jokesters in the group who lightened the mood at times and kept us laughing!! We had a break with snacks and refreshments half way through and each class 2 couples will bring snacks for everyone. Our instructor informed us that she is known in the Capital Health region for providing the best refreshments, so I guess we got lucky!? Hope everyone is well, take care and we'll talk to you soon!

Luv Tracy

February 20!!

We just wanted to wish soon-to-be Grandma Smith a Very Happy Birthday!! We had a nice dinner tonight to celebrate! Hope you have a great day! We love you!!

XOXOX
Cal, Tracy and Baby

29 Weeks, 4 Days!

Hello! Today we had a doctor's appointment and everything went really well! The babies heartbeat was 132 bpm. Its heartbeats have pretty much ranged between 172 (in the early days) and 129!! Very hard to predict the sex with the wide range of heartbeats! I had another lady at work today tell me she thinks it is a boy. The consensus seems to be boy, but the odd person has said it's a girl. It is interesting to hear all the reasons and theories! The way they predict is if you are carrying low/high, if you look more beautiful/tired than usual, if you're carrying all out front or in your behind!!!, etc., etc.! We will certainly prove a lot of people wrong if we have a girl! Everyone always ask what we want and I always say either as long as it is healthy, which is a bit of a "cliche", but it is so true! I think most people would agree that you really don't have a preference when you are pregnant. I think before I was pregnant I leaned towards one way, but now we are just so excited to be parents and meet the baby that it really doesn't matter what sex it is! I've definitely noticed an increase in some of my pregnancy symptoms! The heartburn is unreal, which is usually cured by Tums or Zantac, finding a comfortable sleep position is getting harder, my ankles are swelling, my back is bothering me sometimes and I'm back to being as tired as I was in the 1st trimester!! But overall everything is great and I really can't complain! You have to expect changes considering the miracle that is occurring within you!! We now have to see the doctor every 2 weeks and apparently closer to the due date you see the doctor every week. I hope all is well with everyone and everyone had a Happy Valentine's Day!!

Love Tracy, Cal and Baby

It Will Change Your Life

Here is an excerpt from the story I mentioned in my last post (a little long ...):

My daughter and I were sitting at lunch when she casually mentions that she and my son-in-law are thinking of "starting a family."

"We're taking a survey," she says. "Do you think we should have a baby?"

"It will change your life." I say carefully, keeping my tone neutral.

"I know," she says. "No more sleeping in on Saturdays, no more spontaneous vacations."

But that is not what I mean at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her.

I want her to know what she will never learn in child-birth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of childbearing heal, but that becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will be forever vulnerable.

I consider warning her that she will never read a newspaper again without asking, "What if that had been my child?" That every plane crash, every fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.

I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish outfit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a souffle or her best crystal without a moment's hesitation.

I feel I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for child care, but one day she will be going into an important meeting and she will think about her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her child is all right.

I want my daughter to know that everyday decisions will no longer be routine. That a five-year-old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at the mall will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in the restroom. However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.

Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give it up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years - not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her children accomplish theirs. I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor.

My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the ways she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is always careful to powder that baby or who never hesitates to play with his son or daughter. I think she should know that she will fall in love with her husband again for reasons she would now find very unromantic.

I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried desperately to stop war and prejudice and drunk driving. I hope she will understand why I can think rationally about most issues but become temporarily insane when I discuss the threats of nuclear war to my children's future.

I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to hit a baseball. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real it hurts.

My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I say finally. Then I reach across the table, squeeze my daughter's hand, and offer a prayer for her and me and all of the mere mortal women who stumble their way into the holiest of callings.