Where did 2008 go??

Wow did this year ever fly by!! We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We had a great time celebrating with our families in Grande Prairie and Stony Plain. Blake travelled very well and thankfully the highway conditions were good to and from Grande Prairie - I always worry about winter driving. We left for G.P. on the 24th and went to Stony Plain on the 26th. It was great to see Cal's family in Grande Prairie. We don't get to Grande Prairie very often, so it has been awhile since we'd seen most of his family. Blake had a lot of fun, but didn't get a lot of sleep!! Thankfully, he's made up for that the past few days :) We stayed at my parents house in Stony Plain on the 26th and 27th and did Christmas Day #2 on the 27th! My sister and Jeremy were home for the holidays too, so it was nice to all be together and spend lots of time just hangin out and visiting. Lindsay is here until January 4th, so we hope to spend more time together! With all the travelling and excitement, Christmas seemed to blow by in a whirlwind. We're already looking forward to next year and our new addition's first Christmas!!

Today I had a Dr. appointment. I saw Dr. Gannon and was very surprised to see her sporting a cute round belly! Last time I saw her she mentioned they were ready for #2 "whenever"! I think she probably already knew she was pregnant, just wasn't telling everyone yet! It's funny because she was due in July when she delivered Blake in May and now I'm due in February and she's due in April! She's such a wonderful Doctor and person, I adore her! Everything is good with baby and I, but I am measuring 36 WEEKS!! I am only 34 weeks, so ... what that means is anyone's guess! Could mean the baby is "big", perhaps my due date is incorrect, maybe as was the case with Blake my water is just big? Who knows. The Christmas treats and dinners certainly helped my weight gain though! Which keeps the Dr. happy :) The nurse was looking at my chart after weighing me and measuring my blood pressure and she noticed that my labour with Blake was 11 hours. I had no idea how long labour with Blake was!! I wasn't sure what counted as "labour" because the first contractions I felt were in the middle of the night and I was able to sleep through them. So according to the above, they started counting when I came to the hospital. She said hopefully this time it will only be 3 hours or so!! Boy would that be nice! 3 hours seems so short! The heart beat was strong today, but baby was moving so much we couldn't get an accurate rate. I go back to the Dr. in 2 weeks and then it's 1/week until the end.

Today was also my last day of work. Oddly enough, I felt a bit sad driving away from work this afternoon. Kathryn and I worked so well together and I will really miss certain aspects of my job! I have this constant "tug-of-war" with myself, flip flopping back and forth between should I work, shouldn't I work, what's best for Blake, what's best for our family, what's best for me, etc, etc, etc. Obviously, financially it's best if I work, but that's not all that matters either. Regardless, I am now officially off work for 13 months. I will enjoy my time with Blake for the next few weeks and then with both the kids and we'll see what 2010 brings! This pregnancy has gone by SO fast and I'm certain my maternity leave will go by even faster.

Cal is enjoying his vacation time and we're looking forward to the next few days when we're all home together. We're taking Blake to see his Pediatrician tomorrow to see if this cold is possibly anything else. His cough sounds terrible and he's so stuffed up. We're hoping the Dr. Radisic can give us some advice/medication/reassurance! After the Dr. appointment we're going to the library to renew our cards! Other than that, we don't have many plans for our days off together.

We have no definite plans for New Year's Eve. Our friend is hosting his annual New Year's Eve bash, but we're not sure if we'll go or not. I don't think Blake would really enjoy himself, so we may just have a nice dinner as a family and play some games and watch some movies once Blake goes to bed. We do plan on going out for a "fancy" brunch on New Year's Day!

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and all the best in 2009!

Love Cal, Tracy, Blake & Baby

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL ...

Wow! Christmas is 2 days away!! Phew! It sure snuck up on me this year.

But, we are all packed and ready to go! Tomorrow morning we're leaving for Grande Prairie after breakfast. Hopefully we'll get to Cal's parents house around lunch time. Tomorrow night I'm going to a Christmas Eve service with some of Cal's family (Cal's staying home with Blake, since the service is a bit too late for Blake). Then Christmas day Cal's Mom is hosting dinner for her family. It will be nice to see everyone, as we haven't seen most of his Aunts, Uncles and cousins for quite awhile. I'm sure Blake will have a blast with his cousins!!

On Boxing Day we're heading back "south" to Stony Plain for a couple of nights. We're celebrating Christmas with my family at my Mom's house on the 27th.

We all still have our colds. They are really hangin' on unfortunately. Blake's burn is looking good. We're changing the dressing every day and keeping our fingers crossed it heals quickly!

I have one day of work left - the 29th. And Cal is off work until January 5th, so we'll have a lot of time to enjoy together! Hopefully it will warm up a bit and we can take Blake for a sleigh ride.

We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas! Wishing you safe travels and lots of love and laughter :)

XOXOX,
Cal, Tracy & Blake

What a month!!!

December has been quite the month. I think I'll be happy to see the New Year!

Blake and Cal are both struggling through the cold I passed on to them (sorry boys). Blake's been doing okay, just very stuffed up and coughing a lot. On Wednesday night his cough sounded a lot like croup - that "barky" cough and he was up the majority of the night with us. He had to sleep pretty much upright. Cal stayed home with Blake on Thursday. Since then his cough has loosened up a lot and hopefully things will clear up asap. Cal is all stuffed up and has a sore throat. Geez!! And my sinuses are still draining. Hopefully we'll all be 100% before Christmas :)

To add to the month's events, Blake burned his arm on the oven last night. He's been pulling on the oven door for quite awhile now but has never actually opened it. Apparently now he can open it. I was making pizza in the oven last night and turned around to do something and when I turned back the oven was open and Blake was holding his arm. So I immediately ran it under cold water but I wasn't sure if he'd actually burned himself or not. He wasn't upset and I couldn't see anything. Then during dinner I noticed a big red area on the underside of his wrist and when I looked closer there was a little blister. So we put a bandaid on it and today I went to put Polysporin on it and saw that the blister had broken. Which isn't good! We'll keep an eye on it and hope it doesn't get infected. I will be locking the stove from now on!!

I have to thank Cal and Blake for my early Christmas present! On Wednesday Cal did some Christmas shopping and he and Blake gave me an early gift! I've been reading the Twilight series and needed the 3rd book. On the gift tag it said, "To Mom: Thought you might like this a little bit early. Thanks for being the #1 Mom! Love Blake." It was very sweet of them and made my day :)

Last night Eric and Christa came over and Eric helped Cal haul the dresser/change table and crib into the babies room. We unpacked the dresser and the crib parts and Cal's going to finish putting the crib together tonight. We put all the neutral clothes in to the dresser last night. It looks really nice. I'll take a picture once the crib's up! We need to get a few things still - a crib mattress, a change pad for the top of the dresser, some more receiving blankets, wash clothes, a mobile, and some shelves for the wall. That's what we've thought of so far! And we'll get the crib bedding once the baby arrives.

Blake and I went to Beaumont this morning to see Candace and Nicholas. It was so nice to see them, I wish we lived closer. I miss Candace so much!! The boys were very good and shared very nicely! Nicholas was very generous with his toys!! It was cute to see them together. Too bad I forgot my camera! Cal is at hockey right now and depending on when Blake wakes up we may take Blake to see Santa (again). Hopefully we'll be able to get a good picture! Tomorrow we hope to go to church. It's the "choir" service so it should be really nice. The choir is amazing and Blake loves music, so I think he'd really enjoy it! But if Blake and Cal aren't feeling better we may not make it.

We hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and wrapping up, if not done their Chrismtas shopping! 5 more days till the 25th!!!! (like you needed a reminder, right?!)

Luv Cal, Tracy, Blake & Baby

Why not?!

So I went to the Dr. yesterday to get this "cold" checked out again and it is just that - a cold. I was hoping it wasn't a virus and that I could get some drugs to cure it!! But I am actually feeling better today so that's good! Now Blake and Cal aren't feeling great :( Cal woke up with a sore throat and Blake is coughing and is very, very stuffy. Makes it hard for the little guy to sleep. I just wish he could blow his nose and clear everything out. I'm hoping his cold doesn't turn into an ear infection - that wouldn't be good with Christmas quickly approaching. Cal started taking Cold FX today, so hopefully that scares off the worst of the cold.

My Dr. appointment went all right. I lost 1 pound since Thursday and I'm measuring big. The baby is head down and the Dr. seemed to think I could be early! I don't think so, I'm hoping I go into labour right around the due date actually! She also looked at the swelling in my legs again and we talked about the problems in my right leg. She said it sounds like sciatica and recommended I go off work early. She also recommended wearing pressure stockings, which I find funny because at work the O.T.'s always prescribe pressure stocking for the elderly patients!! But I know the principles behind swelling and what happens to your veins, etc. so I'm going to go tonight and buy myself a pair of "stockings". Still makes me laugh :)

I was really on the fence about leaving work early. Not sure how to put it, but I try not to be "like that"! I also really enjoy my job, but have to admit it has been hard this past month with me being sick, Blake being sick and having to switch day homes. Anyways, last night I decided why the heck not. I'll get some extra rest time before the baby arrives and things get crazy and Blake and I will get some extra time together as well. And it will be nice to be home with Blake and Cal on Cal's Monday's off. So my last day of work will be either Dec. 29 or Dec. 31. I'll be busy these last few days wrapping things up at work and planning for the new year. When I started this position everything was left in such a mess and there was not much direction/guidance provided, so I want to be sure that whoever comes into my position is clear on their role - and I like organizing so I'll be in my element! LOL! I also want to make everything as easy as possible for the O.T. because she's so busy as it is, she doesn't need to worry about "my" job as well! It was a hard decision to leave early, but easy in the end!!

When I got home from work I saw that E-Children had called, so I checked the message and was very surprised to hear that our crib and dresser/change table is in!! I'm very excited to see it in the babies room! Last night Cal and I cleaned the room up a bit more and brought up all the neutral 0-3 month clothes - I can't wait to get them in the dresser! Cal hopes to pick up the furniture tomorrow. We're not going to buy crib bedding until the baby is born, that way we can go blue or pink. Oh ya, I forgot to mention that the babies heart rate was between 128 and 135 yesterday, which if you follow the old wives tale means it's a boy! Blake's was quite low in the end too! We'll see ... We still haven't confirmed our names yet, so we better get on it!

We're looking forward to a very relaxing weekend. Cal has hockey on Saturday afternoon and other than that we're just going to be hanging out. I would like to take Blake for a sleigh ride, but that won't happen unless it warms up a bit more! Take care everyone!

Luv Tracy

Yuck!!

That about sums up how I'm feeling!! On Tuesday night I woke up with a sore throat and things have gone down hill from there ... I made a Dr. appt. on Wednesday for Thursday because I was feeling so icky. I woke up Thursday and my right leg was so sore I didn't even want to walk on it, my throat hurt and my head felt like a hot air balloon! So I called in sick, took Blake to Charlene's and slept the morning away. Then I went to my Dr. appt. I told her about my aches and pains and how my ankles have started swelling and she gave me some suggestions. She prescribed a nasal spray for my sinuses and said at this point it looks like a virus, but to come back if things get worse or change. I think I'm going to call and see if I can get in to see the Dr. again tomorrow or Tuesday, because things are not getting better. My throat feels like I have razor blades in it every time I swallow and my nose is so plugged and my head is stuffed, etc, etc! At night I can't breathe through my nose or my mouth. On the plus side, my blood pressure was good, I'm gaining weight, I'm measuring 32 weeks, and the babies heart beat was 142. So all is good with baby thank goodness! I really hope I don't pass whatever I have onto Blake. Being sick at Christmas would be no fun for him.

Cal had school this weekend, but is off work tomorrow. This week we don't have anything planned in the evenings, so hopefully we'll wrap all our Christmas gifts! I don't think I'll put anything under the tree. I'm pretty sure Blake would rip into them! We're almost done our Christmas shopping. I did a lot online this year, which I really recommend! We're not big fans of the mall on most days, let alone during the holiday rush!

We hope everyone is keeping cozy and warm! Our thermometers have plummeted here in Edmonton. Today is -37 with the wind chill. Brrrrr.....

Till next time,
Tracy

9 WEEKS TO GO!!!

Wow! Can you believe it?! We can't! 9 weeks until my due date! As always, time is flying!!! Hopefully the crib and dresser/change table will be here in the 4-8 weeks they told us it would take. The baby won't be sleeping in the crib at first, but it would be nice to have the dresser stocked! I have a doctor's appt. on Monday. It will be interesting to find out what the heart beat is. I'm still doing really good. My arm is bugging me some days, but not all the time. I'm also getting a bit of a pain in my stomach sometimes, kind of like a pulled muscle. And of course, our hairy baby is causing tons of heart burn!!! LOL! But Tums have been curing that :) We're trying to decide what we're going to do for diapers this time. I bought some G Diapers awhile back that I'd like to try. I'd really like to wash my own cloth diapers, but don't think that's a very realistic option for me!! I already feel bogged down by laundry, so adding 2 kid's diapers to the pile probably wouldn't work! We may go with Happy Nappy again. Either way, we'll have to decide soon!

We all had a great weekend. Cal had a blast in Seattle and LOVED the football game! He said it was so much fun - they left their hotel at 10 am to go down to the football stadium and they didn't sit down until 7 pm that night when they went for supper! Everyone stood the whole game!! They had awesome seats and really enjoyed themselves. The streets were blocked in about a 2 block radius around the stadium for pre-game partying!! I'm glad he had fun! Next up - a Colts game in Indianapolis!! And I'm definitely going to that one! Blake and I had a jam-packed weekend and enjoyed all of our parties and visits! It was a bit of a whirlwind!

This weekend Cal has school Saturday and Sunday and I am going to a 30th birthday party on Saturday night. Other than that, we don't have too many plans. Blake and I hope to take it easy and maybe I'll finish off my Christmas cards one evening. I've been chipping away at them for the last few weeks and have 16 more to make! And at some point we hope to see Cal's sister and brother-in-law, who are in town for an Oiler's game.

We hope everyone is staying warm and driving safe. Take care!

Cal, Tracy, Blake & Baby

Busy, busy!!

Hi everyone! We've been a very busy bunch lately!!

On Saturday we headed to IKEA for our annual trip! We really don't like going there and don't very often! It's soooo... busy!!! But I had a birthday gift card from my parents and sister to spend, so we went and picked up what I was looking for (a shelf for the family room to organize Blake's toys) and a few Christmas presents as well. It was a fun shopping morning and we enjoyed the $1 breakfast in the IKEA cafeteria!! LOL! Saturday afternoon we rearranged the family room and put up the new shelf. It's looking a little bare in there right now, but will fill up again fast with the baby swing, exersaucer, jumperoo, etc! My parents came for a visit Saturday afternoon and brought us Timmies. I think Blake was the most excited when he saw the Timbits box! He LOVES Timbits!!!

Sunday I had my last "membership" class at church. My parents, Cal and Blake came to the service. We had a special part in the service and had to serve communion as well. I was a bit nervous, but didn't drop anything and said all the right lines! I'm glad to now be a member of the United Church, as we will be Baptizing our next child in the church in a few short months. Sunday afternoon we headed to Toys R Us to buy a potty. Blake has been occasionally telling us when he has to "poo" so we thought we'd better get a potty and let him try it . So far we haven't made it to the potty in time! Usually by the time we get him there he's already done the deed! We're not going to push him though, just continue to take him to it when he tells us he has to go.

Monday Cal and Blake were home together. They had a busy morning as usual, visiting Canadian Tire and Chapter's. Monday night Cal and I put the 2nd and last coat of paint in the babies room. It looks really good. The color is not quite what we expected, we thought it would be a bit more grey, but it looks great regardless so we're happy! My Mom is going to sew new curtains for both the kids rooms, which I'm exited to see :)

On Tuesday I stayed home with Blake. We went to E-Children in the morning and took a second look at the crib and dresser/change table we thought we'd like to buy for the baby. It was still there and still on sale, so I ordered it today. It looks a lot like Blake's crib, but the color is called Cocoa. It is a "stages" crib just like Blake's. We don't want to rush Blake out of his crib, so he will continue to sleep in it and we will transition it to a toddler bed when he is ready. I don't think that will be any day soon though! When we put him in his crib he goes to sleep and when he wakes up he's up for the day, so that could be why we've never had issues with him climbing out. Tuesday night I had an AMAZING massage at Sweet Momma. It really is a pregnant women's heaven!! The massage "table" was a heated water bed. It was soooo.... nice! I wanted to stay and sleep there! I'm so glad my very thoughtful sister-in-law Lesley and my awesome husband and little boy bought me gift cards for my birthday. Thanks again :) Can't wait for the next appt!

Today Blake started at Charlene's day home. He had a great day and Charlene said he was so good! She also couldn't get over how much he ate and drank!! I warned her ... Hopefully she doesn't raise are daily rate! J.K.! And tonight I had a hair appt. I had quite a few inches cut off!! After my hair appt I did some shopping. I found a nice gift for Karen - a pretty Christmas tree decoration from Hallmark with 2008 on it and an appropriate saying. I think she'll like it.

Tomorrow night my Mom is babysitting Blake. Cal has a Christmas party after work and I'm going to pick him up later in the evening and visit for awhile.

Friday we don't have much planned, but then we hit the weekend!!

Saturday morning Blake and I have our New Mom's group Christmas party. Saturday afternoon Cal leaves for Seattle for his 30th birthday trip and Blake and I are heading to Stony Plain for Colby's 1st birthday party!! Blake and I are staying in Stony Saturday night.

Sunday morning we are going for brunch with a friend and her little girl and Sunday afternoon we are headed to another birthday party!

It will be a partying weekend!! We hope Cal has a blast in Seattle! His 30th isn't until Feb. 11, but this is pretty much the only weekend that they could go due to the increased cost around Christmas/New Year's, playoffs in January and the Superbowl in February. And of course we didn't want him going away near my due date!

We're very glad the babies room is ready for furniture! Next I will be washing all our yellow and white sleepers! I still can't believe how fast time is flying - I am now 30 weeks!!! Wow! I'm feeling great though. Just tired! But that's par for the course :) The other morning I felt and saw the coolest thing! I saw a "ball" move vertically up my belly from bottom to top. It was so cool! I think it was a heel!! I love all the babies movements!

Blake's almost done his most recent round of antibiotics and I think the ear infection is cleared up. He appears to be teething though, which is causing some discomfort. It must be his 2 yr molars because as far as I can tell he has all his other teeth. He let me feel around in his mouth today and I didn't feel any molars. He's been going through this off and on for the past few weeks. Can't wait for them to cut through! Blake's talking and making more sense every day. He's finally saying no! For the longest time everything was, "Yeah!" But he now knows when to use NO!!!

We were glad to see snow this weekend and hope to get a family picture outside. I'm sure everyone would agree a white Christmas is MUCH prettier than a brown Christmas!

Take care everyone, enjoy the holiday craziness! Only 22 more days until Christmas :)

Love Cal, Tracy, Blake & Baby

Emotional Roller Coaster!!!

It has been a crazy week. Last week Karen's father was rushed to the Alex from Athabasca and she had to take Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off. Cal was off work Monday anyways, but he also took Tuesday off (actually he worked from home - perks of the job!) and I took Wednesday off. Blake then went to Karen's on Thursday and I was off on Friday. Friday Blake and I met my parents at the mall. We took Blake to see Santa, but he was not very impressed!!! I knew that he would react that way. Hopefully we'll get a good picture one of these days and if not we will all be sitting on Santa's knee :) Friday evening Cal and I put the first coat of paint on the walls of the babies room. It turned out quite well. The color is called toasted grey. We don't see too much grey, but perhaps after the second coat. Cal had school this weekend so on Saturday my Mom picked Blake and I up and we headed out to Stony Plain. We were going to go to breakfast with Santa, but didn't quite make it!! Blake and I hung out at my parents house all day and Mom and I baked 10 dozen cookies while Blake was taking his afternoon nap! I am involved in 2 cookie exchanges and I also wanted to bake cookies for our church's cookie walk sale. Cal came out to Stony after school and we had supper and then headed home. It had totally slipped my mind that I was supposed to call Karen on Friday, regarding her taking today (Monday) off to settle her Dad back at home (he was discharged from the hospital today). So anyways, Karen finally called me and delivered some terrible news. Her Dad is quite ill and her Mom can't take care of him totally on her own so she is going to have to quit working to help her Mom and siblings care for him. Her Mom doesn't drive and therefore can't take him to various appointments, etc. Karen was very upset and I was quite shocked. I had to let her go and call her back later after I collected myself. I feel terrible for Karen and I am not angry at her in the least. I totally understand that family comes first, but to put it bluntly it sucks for Blake!! And Blake is our #1 priority!!!! Karen loves Blake so much, as well as Vanessa who she also babysits, and didn't want to do this but feels like she has no other choice at this time. She feels terrible for the days shes already taken off. I was so upset and kept tearing up just thinking about it! I'm pretty sure pregnancy hormones played a huge role in this, as I am usually very level headed and move on quite quickly! It is very unfortunate that this happened, as we had such an excellent relationship and felt very blessed that we'd found such a wonderful day home. And what upsets me the most is that fact that Blake felt 110% comfortable at Karen's and LOVED playing with Vanessa and Karen and Tippy, Rosie, and Angel (the dog and 2 cats)! So I hate for him to lose that :( And maybe another aspect of this is that I'm very "routine" with Blake and his care and perhaps I should be a bit more flexible?? Anyways, I'm feeling much better now and have found a new day home for Blake. After I relaxed a little bit I suddenly remembered an acquaintance of mine who has a day home, as well as, a lady in my New Mom's group who asked to babysit Blake back when I went back to work in April! My first choice was Charlene (a lady I know through a friend) so I called her on Sunday evening and she said without hesitation that she'd love to watch Blake! I'm very happy with this as since I met her I've really liked her and thought she'd likely have an awesome day home. And my friends son and daughter also go to her day home so we have a very reliable reference :) She only has one 2 year old girl full time (our friends daughter) and all the other children are before and after school care. The funny thing is that we only need care for Blake for 20 days (9 in December and 11 in January) before I go on mat leave. So, we will miss Karen immensely, but everything has turned out in the end! Now I'm just struggling with what to buy her as a thank you gift? How do you say thank you to someone who has helped make your life so easy and loved and cared for your son in the same way you do? Somehow a pedicure gift certificate just doesn't cut it! LOL! We'll think of something. Now the frugal side of me has to mention that by going to Charlene's we will be saving 100's of dollars, because she is charging us a daily rate! LOL! See I always see the positive side!? I took tomorrow morning off and Blake and I are going to Charlene's for a play date and then on Friday we will be going as well. Blake has met Charlene before and has played with Madison, so I'm hoping the transition will go smooth. I think it's hardest on Mom!! And that is what has sent me on this "emotional roller coaster" ride!!! I'm glad to be off that ride :) Today I had a Dr. appointment. All is well and the babies heart rate was 152. Quite a bit higher than Blake's ... hmmm ... !! I am now packing on the weight, which I hate to see but know it's part of pregnancy! I'm going back again in 3 weeks and then will be going every 2 weeks. I can not believe I'm 29 weeks already - it will be February before we know it!!! We hope to have the babies room done by Christmas, so we have some furniture shopping to do! Take care everyone and enjoy the warm weather while it lasts ...

Luv Tracy

UC Baby Day!!

Today we had our UC Baby appointment!! It was so exciting to see the baby moving around and doing all sorts of cool things :) I don't like calling the baby "it" so sometimes I use him, but we don't know the sex!! The baby was pretty cozy today and didn't change it's position much. Just moved his arms and legs lots! When he was resting he always had his legs crossed - must of known we didn't want to know the gender! His eyes were open a lot of the time and he kept looking up and down and all around! He was playing with his toes for a lot of the time and then started playing with the umbilical cord. He was also stretching a lot and sucking on his finger! The ultrasound tech pointed out his eyebrows and hair. At Blake's UC Baby appointment (also at 28 weeks) we didn't see any eyebrows or hair so perhaps this baby will have even more hair then Blake did when he was born!! I've certainly had the heartburn that goes with a "hairy" baby!!! Blake at first was scared when I climbed onto the bed, but calmed down quickly. In the beginning he sat on Cal's knee and watched me and then he got off Cal's knee and started moving around and at one point he walked up to the t.v. and watched for a few seconds! We kept telling him, "That's your brother or sister Blake!" "Can you see the baby?" It was cute! He still doesn't quite grasp the concept though! We heard the heartbeat twice. The first time it was 154 bpm and the second time it was 150 bpm. The Ultrasound tech estimated its size to be approx. 3 lbs and she guesses it will be between 7 lbs 5 oz and 7 lbs 9 oz. With Blake the ultrasound tech though he'd be around the same weight and he was 6 lbs 13 oz, so I'm not placing any bets based on her prediction!! LOL! The baby showed us lots of smiles and the ultrasound tech kept saying how happy he/she looked! Some of the pictures looked a lot like Blake's. I think they definitely have the same nose and lips, but this baby seems to have more of a pointed chin (like me) vs. a round face (like Cal and Blake). The ultrasound tech also pointed out a dimple under it's bottom lip! Will be interesting to see if it's born with one or not! So once again it was an awesome experience! We have a DVD recording of the session and over 100 pictures on CD!! I'll post a couple of pictures!

Luv Tracy

18 Month Immunizations ... (and Mom's birthday!)

Yes, today Blake had his 18 month immunizations - on my birthday! They didn't go too bad though! It was just very hard for me to hold him down. The nurse couldn't believe how strong he was!! But once we had him in place for a few seconds and he got the needles he calmed down. There were three needles in total - 1 in both arms and one in his leg. One of the needles was the flu shot and we're supposed to go back in 4 weeks for a follow up shot. Apparently the first time a child receives the flu shot they need 2 doses. I never took Blake for his flu shot last year because he was sick off and on for awhile and then it seemed pointless because it was so far into flu season. I'm very glad that the next round of immunizations aren't until before kindergarten. That will be a nice break for us!! Boy has our little man ever sprouted!!! He's always been a bit on the small side but no longer. Today he weighed 28 lbs and was 32 1/2" tall!! I'm not sure which scale is more accurate - the pediatricians or the health unit's but whatever! For weight Blake is now in the 75 percentile and for height he is in the 80 percentile. Quite a change from our 6 lbs 13 oz, 19 3/4" little baby boy :) After the immunizations Blake and I dropped by Tim Horton's for a little treat and headed home! We had a nice rest of our day at home together. Cal came home a bit early from work and then my Mom and Dad brought supper and dessert over. My Mom and I went shopping a little later in the evening. It was a great birthday :) We are all super excited for our UC Baby appointment tomorrow!! I will be posting pictures and an update tomorrow! Take care everyone!

Luv Tracy

18 months tomorrow!!

Today Blake had his 18 month pediatrician appointment. We didn't weigh him again, since he'd just been weighed about 3 weeks ago when Cal took him in due to his ear infection. At that time he was 26 lbs. And I'm feelin' all 26 lbs when I pick him up!! LOL! I'm sure at his 18 month immunizations on Nov. 14 they will weigh and measure him again. The Dr. appointment went well for the most part. I felt good when I left because I'd actually written a list of questions down and I asked them ALL! Sometimes I have a million questions and then don't ask them all and regret it. So I asked about Blake's eating habits (he eats and eats and eats and eats and eats some more), which is apparently not exactly "normal" (most kids become quite picky by this age) but nothing to be concerned about since his size is average and he's not overweight at all. I also asked about his sleeping habits, which are really good but we thought maybe he was needing a bit too much sleep, but the Dr. said it's fine and really good for Blake (not to mention US!)!! So we'll continue on as we have been. We certainly know he needs his sleep! And Blake's ears ... he has another slight infection. Boo :( Dr. Radisic didn't prescribe any antibiotics yet, he asked us to keep an eye on him and call in if things get worse. We're hoping it will clear up. Apparently a lot of ear infections do clear up on their own. It hasn't affected him really yet, I've just noticed him pulling at his ears a bit and that's why I suspected something may be up. We'll see how he does in the next 6 months and if the ear infections continue to be a repeat problem we will be referred to an E.N.T. Hopefully he will grow out of these ear infections soon. Other than that, all is great with Blake! He was talking away to the Pediatrician and his resident and had a great time playing in the waiting room! His word of the day is, "Hello!" Whenever we say, "Hi!" to him he says, "Hello!" It's so cute!! He's also saying, "Thank you!" at appropriate times. We love listening to him talk and it's even better when we recognize a word!!! Today when I picked him up from Karen's he was jabbering away with Vanessa. It was absolutely adorable to see :) When I'm on maternity leave we're going to continue to take Blake to the day home (probably 1 day a week). He has so much fun there and I think he'd really miss playing with Vanessa. It's hard to believe our little boy will be 18 months old tomorrow. It's been an amazing 18 months!! Wow ... hard to explain or put into words. I'm sure all the other mother's out there know what I mean :) Take care everyone, talk to you soon.

Luv Cal, Tracy & Blake

Cal, Tracy & Blake

26 Weeks!!

Wow! This pregnancy is FLYING by!!! My goodness, where is the time going? I had a Dr. appointment today. They were quite busy and I didn't get in until 1hr after my appointment time!! That is unusual, as I usually get in pretty much on time. I was a bit impatient today and wanted to get home, so of course it was the one day they're running really behind. My gestational diabetes test came back fine, but my iron is low. It was 95 and apparently your iron should be between 120 and I can't remember the other number! So anyways, I went to the drug store tonight and bought iron supplements and will start taking them tonight. I suppose that could be why I'm feeling quite a bit more tired than I remember being at this point in time with Blake. Hopefully I'll notice an improvement as my iron gets back up to where it should be. I finally feeling like I'm growing and "popping"! I will post a picture as soon as I can! I still have heartburn all the time, no matter what I eat and my arms are starting to fall asleep at night. Most days when I wake up I have a lot of pain in my right wrist, which lasts sometimes until about noon. The Dr. suggested getting a carpal tunnel splint from the drug store, but guess what - I happen to work with a great Occupational Therapist who can make them in her sleep! LOL! AND I just happen to finish these splints for her all the time, so when we have time we'll make one for me! So right now those are my only pregnancy complaints! And the fact that it's passing by in a blur. I see the Dr. again in 3 weeks and then start going every 2 weeks. Cal and I have decided to start getting the babies room ready this weekend. Right now it is full of odds and ends. A lot of the stuff in there is ready to be dropped off at Goodwill and the other stuff we'll move to the basement for now. We're going to paint the room (a neutral color) and start looking at furniture. I'd like to be done the room by Christmas! It will be fun pulling out all the itty bitty onesies and sleepers again and putting them away in the drawers, etc, etc! Oh and the Dr. couldn't get an accurate heart rate today because the baby was kicking like crazy!! This child is really, really active!! I thought Blake moved a lot, but not as much as this one does. I say it's kicking all the time because a lot of the time it's big brother is squishing it! Seriously, I think that's the reason!! And that is what's new with Baby! Tomorrow Blake has a pediatrician appointment and I'll let you know how that goes :)

Luv Tracy

Happy Halloween!!

What an original title?! We hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!! We had a great day. This afternoon Blake and I went to a party with our New Mom's group. It was a lot of fun and boy are our kids cute! I unfortunately forgot my camera, so hopefully a few of the mom's will email me some pictures. There's been quite a change from our Halloween party last year. Last year the kids weren't mobile, but this year they're all over the place and some are fighting over toys!! Makes it a bit more interesting of a party! After the Halloween party we came home and waited for Cal and my parents to arrive. Cal had to stop and buy more Halloween candy, as we'd put a bit of a "dent" in what we had. My parents came over and played with Blake for awhile and took some pictures. He was putting on quite the performance! Then Cal and I took Blake to his godparents house and when we got home Cal took Blake around to a few of the neighbours' houses and I handed out candy and made supper. Blake was pretty tired by the time he got back so we had supper and the little monster went to bed! It was a fun day :) Too bad they only wear their costumes for the day - they look so cute in them! I was quite surprised that Blake didn't try and take off his costume at all. I thought for sure he'd be trying to take the hood off!! Not too much else is new. I did the gestational diabetes test on Thursday. It wasn't quite as bad as I remember it being, but I think that may be because with Blake I was a lot more sick and I remember trying my hardest not to throw up while drinking the sugary orange stuff! This time it was still gross, but not as bad as I remembered! I have a Dr. appointment on Monday afternoon and Blake has his 18 month Pediatrician appointment on Tuesday afternoon. We'll see how much he weighs now! He certainly feels quite heavy. We were discussing our children's sizes when we met up with our New Mom's group at the play gym last week and everyone was quite surprised to hear that Blake weighed 26 lbs!! He still looks skinnier than most of the kids, but weighs more! Not sure where he keeps his weight?! On Friday (Nov. 7) I'm taking Blake for his 18 month photos at Sears in the a.m. and then in the afternoon we're going wedding dress shopping with Lindsay!! Yay!!! It's going to be so fun and she's going to look gorgeous :) I much prefer shopping when other people are trying on the clothes! Ha, ha, ha! Tomorrow Blake and I are meeting Lesley and Colby at the mall to start on some Christmas shopping hopefully. We've done a bit already and I hope to be done in the next few weeks. I hope Blake does okay at the mall - he's not a big fan of shopping or sitting still in his stroller! Anyways, it will be nice to see Colby, as we don't see each other that often and the boys are growing so fast. Have a great weekend everyone!! Ration that candy ... LOL!

Tracy

Awe dun!

That's Blake's way of saying, "All done!" When he's done his milk or meals or takes off his coat, etc, etc, he enjoys saying, "Awe dun!" or "Awe gone!" I LOVE it!! Too flippin' cute. Of course, being our son we think he's the cutest thing walking the earth, but MAN IS HE CUTE! Everyday he gets funnier and cuter! He's copying what we say sometimes, which is a lot of fun! We just have to be a bit more careful about what/how we're saying it! Blake's feeling a lot better finally. His ear infection must be gone and he is not stuffed up or coughing anymore. He still has 4 days of antibiotics left. Blake's very helpful these days. We ask him to put his diaper away after we wrap it up and he takes it to his Diaper Genie, he gets a clean diaper out when asked, he gets his coat and shoes and clothes and many, many other things. It's amazing how fast they learn! When it's meal or snack time we ask him to go to his chair and he runs to his high chair!! It's pretty cool to see how fast he is learning and sometimes we don't even realize what he knows! We enjoy pointing out various body parts with him. He's mastered his ears, nose, eyes, head, hair, feet, teeth, and belly! We've started pointing out his elbows and knees now! When he's up and not eating, he is go, go, go, go, go. He literally never stops. Just run and dance and play, play, play! No wonder he sleeps so well! Blake has his last swimming lesson on Saturday. In a few months, most likely in the New Year, we're going to register him in the next session - Bubblers. This lesson is called Splashers. On Friday I took Blake for his third hair cut. We probably should have gone a month ago, but finally made it on Friday! He sat still for the first 5 minutes and that was it! He was ready to get down and play after that. We take him to Beaners in St. Albert now and they are awesome. He sits in a "quad" which keeps him entertained for a short time! Every time he gets his hair cut he looks older :( It's like cutting away the babyishness!!! (is that even a word?? I don't think so, but I'm going to use it anyway!) On Sunday my Mom, Erica and Danielle came over for a visit. For the first time, Blake showed a jealous side! When I was holding Danielle he got a bit upset. He'd run over and try to climb in my lap too! I think he was being a bit possessive of Mom :) I'm sure everything will be okay with our new baby, it will be a bit of an adjustment for him. And hey, I have two arms right?! As long as Blake doesn't squish the baby!! At the end of next week I have to go for the icky gestational diabetes test - blah! But I have to get it done before my Dr.'s appt. on Nov. 3. The baby is kicking A LOT! I thought Blake was a kicker, but this one moves way more (or at least I feel it way more). I wonder if it's because its brother is always "squishing" it??!! Maybe they're already fighting?! LOL! I think my belly is a lot lower with this baby. I think I carried Blake a lot higher. Just something I've noticed! We hope everyone is doing well and keeping warm! Our thermometers have certainly dropped ... Take care :)

Cal, Tracy, Blake and Baby

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving long weekend! We have so many things to be thankful for in our lives. All in all we had a good weekend. But before I get into our weekend, I want to congratulate my sister Lindsay and her new fiance Jeremy on their engagement!!! Jeremy proposed on Friday night. We are all very excited and can't wait for the wedding! Over the weekend we had lots of fun talking about the wedding and planning!! Hard to believe my little sister is getting married!!! Cal was off Friday so it was an extra long weekend for us! Blake is still not feeling well. He has been feverish since Thursday night. We've had a couple of busy nights, but he slept well last night so hopefully he's starting to feel better. On Friday morning Cal and I took him to the Dr. Apparently his ear infection isn't quite gone, but the Dr. didn't think he needed another round of antibiotics and said his chest was clear so we should just wait and see how he does this weekend. After the Dr. we came back home and took our trailer out to the storage lot near Spruce Grove and then met my Mom and Dad for brunch. Afterwards we came home and Cal and I got ready for our anniversary date! Mom came over to babysit Blake and Cal and I went to a movie and for dinner. It was a great evening! When we got home Blake had been coughing and had a fever so we gave him Tylenol. That night he was up every couple of hours. Poor guy - every time he laid down he'd get so stuffed up and have troubles breathing until we picked him up and his sinus' drained. Saturday we stayed home pretty much all day. Cal had hockey in the a.m. and went to pick up his race package. Saturday night was much of the same for Blake and Sunday we stayed home all day again. My Mom and sister came for a visit in the morning and I finally got to see Lindsay's rock!! It's a beautiful engagement ring :) Sunday night Blake finally had a good sleep and today we headed to Cal's 1/2 marathon and Stony Plain. It was a bit chilly in the morning, but perfect weather for running! Cal chased the turkey and finished the race in 1 hour, 58 minutes. He was happy with his time, as he didn't do as much training as he initially planned on!! (mostly due to his near death experience!) After the race we headed to Stony Plain for Thanksgiving dinner. We got there quite early and Blake went down for a nap, so the girls headed to the local spa for a pedicure! It was fun!! When we got back the turkey was ready and we chowed down. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! Blake had a bath and got his p.j.'s on at my parents house, fell asleep in the car on the way home and transferred into his crib! Phew!! Hopefully he has a good night tonight and tomorrow I will see if I can get him an appointment with his pediatrician. I have a nice short 3 day work week this week thankfully. On Thursday we may head to Stony Plain. My Mom and her department at work have worked very hard organizing the Glenn Hall event, honouring an NHL hall of fame goalie who is a Stony Plain resident, so we'd like to be there. And we'd love to get a picture of Blake with the Stanley Cup! That opportunity doesn't come around very often! We hope everyone had a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Tracy

Update :)

Wow! I am over half way through my pregnancy - hard to believe! I had a Dr. appointment today and everything is great. The babies heart beat was in the 150's and I'm measuring where I should. The Dr. went over the ultrasound results with me and everything was great. She mentioned that the babies weight is in the 50 percentile, which was neat to hear! I don't recall getting that information when I had an 18 week ultrasound with Blake. I was sent home with a couple of lab requisitions - 1 being the yucky gestational diabetes test! I haven't gained too much weight yet - but I expect my habits may catch up with me in the coming months!! As compared to my pregnancy with Blake, I am eating way more!! I was so nauseated and sick with Blake that I barely had an appetite. This time round I am WAY less nauseated and sick and seem to be eating a lot more. Yikes! But everything is great with the baby and I am feeling movement all the time, which I love. Cal is doing much better than a little over a week ago! He had his stitches removed on Friday and his hand is healing nicely. He's done his antibiotics and is feeling good! Just in time for his 1/2 marathon on Thanksgiving Monday!! It is in Devon and is called "The Turkey Chase"! LOL! I think that's hilarious!! And very appropriate, because after the race we are going for Thanksgiving dinner at my parents house. Can't wait for that!!! Blake has a few more days of his antibiotics but is in much better shape than last Monday. He still has a cold, which concerns me a bit. He's been stuffed up and had a cough for a few weeks now. I'm assuming it's a virus, since the antibiotics aren't touching it. I may take him back to the Dr. if it doesn't clear within the next few days. On Friday night he slept 15 hours - which meant I got to sleep in! YAY!! I think he was catching up from when he was feeling rotten. Although, since he's started taking just 1 nap a day he regularly sleeps 13 - 13 1/2 hours a night vs. 12 hours before. So other than the cold hanging on, he's doing great. Cute as heck and busy, busy, busy!!! He plays so well and entertains himself! We've been playing a lot of music lately and it is so fun to "dance" with him. His dance moves are priceless!! They involve a lot of running around, squatting up and down, spinning and throwing his arms up in the air! We love it!! He also "sings" every now and then. It is so darn cute :) When he's in his car seat and a song he likes comes on the radio he dances in his seat too!! He's also chatting up a storm. We can't make out many words, but by the inflection in his voice we can definitely tell whether he is happy, sad, mad, asking a question, singing or just stating a fact! He also has some strong opinions. This weekend we were going out and I helped him into his blue fleece jacket, but that's not what he wanted. He was whining and I was busy putting my jacket on so I was telling him, "Sorry Blake but it's cold outside and you have to wear a jacket," thinking that he didn't want it on. When I looked up he had his red fleece jacket and was trying to put it on. Apparently he preferred the red jacket over the blue!! Cal's off on Friday so we are taking the trailer out to the storage lot we rented for the winter. Kind of sad, but we're looking forward to the '09 camping season! Friday evening Cal and I are going out for our anniversary :) Thursday, October 9th is our 4 year anniversary! And we've known each other for almost 13 years!! Wow! Time flies!! Take care everyone!

Love Cal, Tracy, Blake & Baby

Eventful week

Yes, it has been an unusually crazy week. On Thursday our nephew Colby was admitted to the Stollery Children's Hospital. He is recovering slowly and our thoughts are with him and Gerry and Lesley. I finally made it over there to visit on Sunday evening. I can't imagine being in their position, it would be very difficult. But they are doing okay and are very strong. And Colby is starting to feel better and his infection seems to be clearing up. On Friday Blake and I headed out to Stony to visit with Melissa and her boys. Blake had fun playing with Daeton and Domingo! Then, we went to my parents house and I headed back into the city to meet Cal at a friends wedding. Blake slept over at Grandma and Grandpas. On Saturday morning Cal and I were getting ready to meet my family and Blake at his swimming lessons, when Cal accidentally cut himself with a steak knife. It looked pretty bad, so we headed to the hospital to get it stitched up. In the mean time my Mom, Dad and Lindsay brought Blake back to our house. Before the Dr. stitched Cal's hand he wanted antibiotics to run through an i.v. So the nurse hooked Cal up to the i.v. and I went for something to eat. When I got back Cal was not in the room, so I went looking for him. When I found him, I got the scare of my life! He had an anaphylactic reaction to the antibiotic and they had moved him to another room and put him on monitors and oxygen and gave him another i.v. to counteract the antibiotics he's allergic to. The Dr. told us his b.p. dropped to 50 and if he wouldn't have gotten medical attention asap it would have been fatal. Thank goodness we were at the hospital and not at home. He now has to wear a medic alert bracelet. After many hours, Cal began to feel better and he could finally have his hand stitched up. Blake stayed at our house with my Dad. Thank goodness my parents were home from holidays!! So Cal's feeling pretty good now, just having a bit of difficulty being "one handed"! On Sunday we took it pretty easy, my sister stayed over Saturday night and we visited until Jeremy picked her up to head back to Fort Mac and in the evening I went to visit Colby, Lesley and Gerry. Cal's Dad also popped by while I was gone. On Monday we went to work and Blake went to the day home. Later in the morning Karen called me to say Blake was sick to his stomach numerous times, couldn't seem to stay awake, had a fever and wouldn't eat or drink anything. So I rushed out of work and picked him up. Karen said he was scaring her a bit so I thought I'd better take him to the Dr. 3 hours later, we found out he has a pretty bad ear infection in his left ear. He's on antibiotics and I think they've started working. I'm home from work with him today. He didn't sleep well last night and had a fever that took along time to come down. This is his 3rd ear infection, which worries me. The Dr. told me yesterday that until a child has 7 ear infections in one year they don't worry or even think about putting tubes in their ears. I'm supposed to be going to Calgary this weekend for a conference, but I don't think I will go. Cal is supposed to be in NAIT and will still be recovering and I need to stay home after all this craziness! Other than all that we're doing fine. Blake missed his swimming lesson last weekend and I'm not sure if he should go with an ear infection, I'm going to look into that. I have a Dr.'s appointment on Monday, which I always look forward to! I can not believe I'm almost 22 weeks pregnant!! When did that happen?! It's like I've blinking and missed it! I still don't feel that I'm growing much. I'm sure it will be like with Blake and I'll grow rapidly the last few months!! Take care everyone :)

Tracy

HA, HA!!

That's Blake's new thing!! Just yesterday he started "ha-ha'ing" at various things. It's hilarious!!!! He'll be doing something or see someone else doing something that he apparently thinks is funny and he'll smile and "laugh" saying, "Ha, ha!" Trust me it's a lot more funny when you hear it!!!! He's also saying Jazz and Heidi's names now, but Jazz sounds more like Jzzzzz and Heidi is more just the "h" sound! I am in my 20th week of pregnancy now and starting to feel the baby kicking more strongly. Of course night time is when I feel it the most! It's hard to believe that something the size of a large banana can kick that strongly!! This past Saturday I had my 10 year high school reunion. It was a lot of fun and great seeing everyone. This weekend Cal and I have a wedding on Friday afternoon/evening and on Saturday I'm going to the Reba concert with my Mom and sister. Blake is going to have a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's on Friday night, along with Lindsay and Jeremy! I'm sure he'll have fun :) Today is the first official day of fall, but on Sunday my Mom and I took Blake for a "fall walk" to take some pictures in the leaves with my Dad's new camera. Of course, he didn't want to sit still so all the pictures are of him walking!! I posted my favorite on the right hand side! Have a great week everyone!

Luv Tracy

ULTRASOUND!!

Today we had our 2nd ultrasound. It was awesome!!! I had a very good tech. who answered all my questions and took the time to point out a lot of cool things! I asked about the heart and brain, etc. and he pointed out the chambers, what they look for, etc, etc. It was great! Cal and Blake came in after the "medical" portion of the ultrasound was over and the tech pointed out the arms, legs, nose, lips, chin, spine, and heartbeat (which was 143 bpm). The baby kicked and moved its arms a few times and the tech pointed out how the baby is now swallowing amniotic fluid. The pictures we got weren't the greatest, but that's okay because we have the UC Baby 3D/4D ultrasound in November! Can't wait for that one :) So as far as we saw today all is well with Baby!! Blake looked a bit scared when he came into the room and I was laying on the table. Poor guy, wondering what the heck my Mom's doing in this dark room?! I was laughing so hard tonight when we were putting him to bed!! I said, "Kiss?" and he put his open mouth up to mine and held it there! When I went to move it away, he moved his too!!! It was like a super long slobbery kiss! It was soooo funny, but not a good idea to get him laughing right before bed!! LOL! I'll post the best ultrasound picture on the right hand side! Happy "hump" day!!!!

Luv Cal, Tracy, Blake and Baby

EXHAUSTED!!!

Hi everyone! I am completely wiped out these days ... feels like I'm back in the 1st trimester. I really don't know why I'm so exhausted. I'm chaulking it up to being pregnant, having a one year old and working!! And I thought I was tired when I was pregnant with Blake. I'm getting not too bad of a sleep at night but maybe I'll have to try going to bed an hour earlier. I'm guessing if I talked to anyone who had/has 2 kids under the age of 2 they'd tell me you ain't seen nothing yet!! In fact, on Friday Blake and I were in Walmart in the baby section and I saw a lady who had a boy who looked around 2 and a baby girl. Out of curiosity I asked her how far apart her kids were. They were 20 months apart! So I asked her what it was like and she said it is what people say it is - extremely busy!! But then she added she wouldn't have it any other way and it's a lot of fun too! So anyways, what I'm saying is that although I'm tired right now, I'll probably be more tired in approx. 20 weeks :) Tomorrow we have our ultrasound, which we're super excited for!! I'll post the picture asap! Blake and Cal are doing great. Cal's still running most days and has registered for TWO hockey teams! It'll be a busy winter! Blake's doing great. He's repeating a lot more these days. Actually pretty much everything!! He loves, loves, loves being outside. He can almost open the back door! We play outside a lot and surprisingly we don't have a lot of "playground" equipment outside and he doesn't really care! He just loves running around and playing with his hockey sticks and the balls that go with them!! He takes one stick and gives the other to us. He also enjoys watching the older kids play street hockey in front of our house. He talks away and points at them and looks at us like he's telling us all about it! And hockey season hasn't even started ... Hope everyone's having a great week!

Tracy

Feeling Terrible :(

I am feeling bad right now ... Blake has fallen down the stairs (the same set of stairs) twice in two days. I can not believe it. He's been going up and down these stairs for months, I suppose it was bound to happen (especially after I blogged about how good he is on the stairs, right?!). Thankfully he is okay, just a bit of rug burn and a small bump and bruise. I think I feel worse then he does! I know there will be more bumps and bruises, but I feel bad because I could have prevented this one. Yesterday Blake and I did some shopping in the morning and in the afternoon a friend and I made birthday invitations for her little girls party. Cal's in school this weekend, so Blake and I went to his swimming lesson this morning. It was lots of fun!! I discovered I need to buy a new bathing suit though!! Kinda growing out of this one! We have no other definite plans for the weekend, other than play, play, play!!! Have a good weekend everyone :)

Tracy

18 weeks!

Today I had a Dr. appointment. All was well! The babies heart rate was ranging from 145 to 150. I was very excited to see that Dr. Gannon was my doctor today!! She delivered Blake and is so awesome!! It was nice to see her and I'm very glad she's back from her maternity leave. Next week we have an ultrasound, so I'll be posting a picture! The first ultrasound we had was to determine my due date and I was only 6 weeks along then, so we didn't get a picture of the little peanut!! On Friday Blake and I met some New Mom's friends at an indoor playground. It was the first time we'd been to this particular playground and it was great! It was much brighter and cleaner than the YMCA playground we've gone to in the past. Cal was home with Blake today and they went this morning for a bit! Saturday morning Blake had his first swimming lesson. Cal went in the pool with him and I took pictures and video! It looked to be a good program with fun songs and games! Cal learned a few new tunes :) I'm taking Blake this weekend because Cal has school. Other than that we had a relaxing weekend. On Sunday we went for a walk to watch some football at Eric and Christa's! Blake put on his Colts jersey for the 1st time this year. Last year it was a bit big, but this year it fits perfectly! Blake's continuing to learn new things every day. He surprises us with what he knows sometimes! He can point out his nose, ears, teeth, feet, and head! Next is the belly button!! They really are like little sponges, soaking everything up. We have to start watching our language! I'm afraid one day he'll say something we don't want him to be repeating! Another thing Cal's taught him is to give five! And at the family reunion we were at in August my Mom taught Blake to shake people's hands, so when we hold out our hand and say, "Please to meet you" he shakes our hand vigorously!! It's hilarious! Anyways, we will post our ultrasound picture next week and let you know how it goes. Have a great week!

Tracy

Fall is upon us ...

Wow, have the temperatures ever dropped in the last week. I'm not sure if this is good or not ... I love fall, don't like the really high temp.'s of summer, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for this brisk weather!? Last Thursday I had a great day to myself. I took Blake to the day home a little later in the morning and ran some errands, did some house work, went for a fabulous massage and then picked Blake up early!! The massage was soooo... nice! I went to a spa near our house and had a pregnancy massage for the first time. It was heaven! I plan on going back at 6 months!! On Friday morning Cal, Blake and I went into Stony Plain to visit with my sister for a while before we went camping with my parents to Jasper. It was a nice visit. Lindsay couldn't believe how fast Blake was "running"!! He's really picked up the pace in the last couple of weeks!! We don't even put the baby gates up in our house anymore. He goes up and down the stairs and all around the house!! We try to keep a close eye on him still of course. He tends to spend a lot of time in the front room trying on our shoes and walking around in them!! It's hilarious! About a week ago I didn't have a close eye on him and he had his first "encounter" with Jazz. Of course, Blake came out on the losing end. I heard Jazz hiss and Blake scream so I went running up the stairs and there was Blake running towards me crying and talking in a very angry voice. I picked him up and took him to Cal's chair to rock him, but he wanted down. So I let him down and he scooted up the stairs and went and grabbed Jazz' tail again!! All the time sounding like he was cursing Jazz! It was quite funny, but at the same time I had hoped after one encounter he'd learn to respect Jazz' space!! He's doing good now though and definitely listens when we say, "Ta ta Jazz." Jazz actually seems to like Blake most of the time, but will not tolerate Blake grabbing his tail, ears, face, etc! Gentle hands only!! Blake' s started reading me a book at bedtime! We usually read the same book each night (Good Night Moon) and a couple of weeks ago he started reading me the book. It is soooo.. sweet! I read him the book in a very quiet voice and he reads to me in a quiet voice, almost a whisper. Then at certain points in the book he'll look up at me with a sweet little grin and kind of cuddle into me. My heart melts :) When he's playing at home he sometimes sits by his bookcase and reads for a short time. It makes he happy to see him reading, I hope he continues to enjoy books! But I've digressed from our last camping trip of 2008 :( We stayed at Whistler campground near Jasper. It was a great weekend, despite the cool temperature!! Our furnace got a work out and we now know how long our battery lasts!! I love Jasper and just being in the mountains. Blake had a good time too! He really enjoys camping and just being outside. And he sleeps so well in the trailer, I think all the fresh air tuckers him out!! We can't wait for May long 2009 when a new camping season begins!! And it will also be our new babies first camping trip! On another exciting note, I felt the baby kick for the first time! I haven't felt it too much since, just occasionally so hopefully I'll start feeling it more and more! I have a doctor's appt. next week. I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going! It's crazy!! With Blake each week felt like forever and now I'm 17 weeks pregnant and it just seems like yesterday we found out we were expecting. I guess that's the difference between having no kids and working and having a one year old and working!! And I understand time keeps going faster as you get older ... BOOOOO!!! I have to find a way to slow time down. (I'll let you know if I do!) Blake starts swimming lessons this coming Saturday at the YMCA. He is in Bubblers!! Cal is going to take him most weekends. Blake loves the pool, so I think it will be fun for them both!! We hope everyone had a fantastic September long weekend. Those who have kids headed back to school, enjoy the back to school craziness!!

Love,
Cal, Tracy, Blake and Baby

16 weeks!!

Wow! Tomorrow I will be 16 weeks pregnant. It's hard to believe! I keep thinking, 4 more weeks and I'm half way there! I'm excited to start feeling movement, should be soon!! We're all doing well. We are home this weekend and boy is it nice!! We've been on the go most of the summer so it's nice to stay home for a few days and just hang out! Yesterday Blake and I spent the whole day at home playing and napping!! Next week I have Thursday off and I think I'm going to go get a massage and maybe a haircut. I'm looking forward to a little pampering! Then on Friday we are heading to Jasper for the long weekend. Cal's off Friday too so we'll leave in the morning. I wanted to send a big congrats out to my cousin Jeanine and her family - they welcomed a baby boy, Austin, into the world yesterday. Now the great grandsons are outweighing the girls on the Smith side of the family!! We'll see if our new addition evens the numbers out at all?! Take care everyone :)

Luv Tracy

1st Appointment with Primary Care Network!

Today I had my first appt. with the Primary Care Network - the group of Dr.'s I saw when I was pregnant with Blake. It felt like I never left! LOL! In fact, the Dr. mentioned to me that it seemed like I was just there!! I said, "Well ... I was. A little over 1 yr. ago!" It was great to hear the babies heart beat - 154 bpm. And I'm measuring right on track, but she commented that by feeling my stomach she would have thought I'd be further along ... great. Does that mean I'm going to get even bigger then I was with Blake?! Yikes! We have another ultrasound scheduled for September 17th. Can't wait! And I'll be back to the Dr. in 4 weeks! Today at work we saw a baby who was 3 months old. Her Mom and brother were with her and the 2 little ones are 21 months apart! So I saw a glimpse of my future ... even busier!!! The little girl was so adorable! A full head of red hair!! Her brother was blond. I really wonder if our new little one will look like Blake or be totally different. It will be so cool to see Blake with his new brother or sister. I can't wait!! We got back from holidays yesterday evening. We had a great time! My cousin's wedding was beautiful and our M.C.ing gig went pretty good!! Blake went tubing behind Linds and Jer's boat a couple of times and didn't seem to mind it at all! It was pretty cute! This weekend Blake and I are headed to Rocky Mountain House with my parents for a Campbell reunion (my Grandma Marg's side) and Cal is going to school. He's taking a Project Management class at NAIT. It is 1 weekend a month for 1 year. I'm proud of him for continuing his education. It's not always an easy thing to do as you get older!! The rest of our weekends continue to be busy - Cal has football drafts and poker tournaments, we have family visiting (we get to meet Katie!), a 4 day camping trip to Jasper, a wedding, the Reba concert, Thanksgiving, Cal has a 1/2 marathon in October ... before we know it, it will be Christmas!! Better start on my cards! LOL! Hope everyone enjoys these last few weeks of summer - take care.

Love Cal, Tracy, Blake & Baby

Yeah ... Congratulations Kathy!!!

Today (early, early this a.m.) Cal's youngest sister Kathy had a baby girl!! Kathleen Marie Cameron - named after her great, great Grandma Yates and born on her birthday. We haven't seen pictures yet, but apparently she has dark spiky hair and is verrrryyyy cute! Kathleen was 6 lbs, 11 oz. and 18" long. What a nice size! Carmen will be posting pictures on Facebook tonight so we are excited to see our new neice! The "Yeah" part of the title of this blog has to do with Blake!! He is a "yeahing" machine! LOL! You know how most kids say no, no, no, no ... not Blake! He says "yeah" to everything! It's so cute! Every question we ask him, he says yeah in response! We've been asking him if he's having a sister and he says, "Yeah!" Then we ask him if he's having a brother and he says, "Yeah!" It's pretty cute! I hope the yeah thing sticks and he doesn't start saying no all the time. We try not to say no to him that much. We try to save the no's for the major things and say ta-ta most of the other times. I've been realizing lately how much Blake is growing up. We are having more and more fun each day! He can be so goofy at times. We love chasing him around or one of us chasing him and him diving into the other's safe arms. His giggles and laughs are so cute and one of the best sounds in the world! I just LOVE his little personality!! I'm also very glad he's still cuddly :) His cuddles can make any bad day go away in a flash! He is getting quite smart too!! I think he understands much more than we realize. Yesterday his jeans were a bit too long so I told him to come here so I could roll his pants up and he bent over and grabbed his pants and said, "Pants!" I was really surprised! He also loves figuring things out. He enjoys trying to plug the laptop power cord into the laptop and un-screwing bottle lids from the bottle. The look of concentration on his face is priceless! I'm on the hunt for a toy that has these types of activities. I seen one at Toys R Us but it isn't there anymore. I think we need to exercise his analytical mind!! Blake isn't walking anymore, he's running! As he walks across the room he picks up speed then loves to "crash" onto his big stuffed bear!!! Too funny! We are off to Saskatchewan on Friday for a wedding and then on to the cabin on Sunday for a week. We are really looking forward to this vacation! It is much needed! I am still not feeling too good and hoping that now that I am in my 2nd trimester this "all day" sickness will go away!! I have noticed that I'm not as tired as I was last week, so hopefully that will continue. Take care everyone, we will talk to you when we get back!

Love Cal, Tracy, Blake and Baby

Hi Everyone!

Below is an email Blake sent to some friends and relatives!!!

Hello,

How are you? I'm borrowing Mom's email again to write you a note! I am very excited!!

Mom and Dad told me a few weeks ago that I am going to be a big brother!!! Can you believe it!? Mom and Dad were quite surprised too, but very happy :) Apparently, this baby will come home sometime in February. Dad hopes on his birthday! We all got to see a picture of the baby on a t.v. screen. It was very exciting! We also heard it's heart beat.

Mom's not feeling too good, just like with me! Hopefully she's feeling better soon.

Mom and Dad say they will be very busy with 2 kids under the age of 2, but I promise to be very good and helpful!

I just wanted to share my exciting news with everyone! Hopefully we will see you all soon!

Lots of love,

Blake

BIG BROTHER BLAKE! COMING SOON - FEBRUARY 2009!!!

That's right!! Blake is going to be a big brother and Cal and I will be parents of 2! We are very excited! I am 11 weeks, 4 days pregnant and my official due date is February 8, 2009. We found out we were expecting on June 8th. Well, actually I took a test on June 7 but didn't believe it, so I waited and took another test the morning of June 8! Cal and Blake were laying in our bed and I walked into the room with the test in my hand and asked Cal, "Do you think Blake is ready to be a big brother?" The surprise on Cal's face was priceless!! We weren't "trying" but we weren't not trying!! LOL! Of course, Blake is too young right now to understand that he is going to be a big brother, but I'm hoping as my belly grows he might understand there's a baby in there! We had an ultrasound on June 19 and all 3 us of saw the little one (really, really, really little one - 6 weeks, 4 days at that time) and heard it's heart beat! Blake was pointing at the screen and saying, "Oh! Oh! Oh!" I had tears in my eyes and said, "Yeah, that's your baby brother or sister!" It was an amazing moment. We aren't going to find out the sex of the baby. We enjoyed the surprise of Blake and don't care either way whether it's a boy or a girl, so we're going the surprise route again!! And we already have our UC Baby appointment booked. It is on November 15. I will be 28 weeks at that time and that is when we went with Blake, which turned out awesome, so hopefully this session will be just as good! So, needless to say we will be very busy come February!! 2 children under the age of 2!? I have "morning" sickness again, and I say "morning" sickness, because it is more like "all day" sickness!! I'm on Diclectin again, so that's keeping me out of the hospital basically!!! Although, I am not sick to my stomach as much this time. Volume wise I mean! Sounds yucky I know, but I am not losing as much each time I bow to the throne!!! With Blake I was sick pretty much all the way through, but it eased up during my 5th month. I am really hoping that it eases up this time after the 12th week (which is this Sunday). Of course there's all the tiredness as well, which is even harder this time around with a 1 yr. old! None the less, as with Blake I feel so blessed and lucky and am very happy to be growing a baby, whether I'm sick or not! It is such a miracle and I can't wait to feel it's first movements!! I'm quite the planner and right now we're trying to decide what to do with the crib situation, etc. We think we'll leave Blake in his crib and buy a new crib for the baby. I don't want to rush Blake out of his crib and it makes into a bed anyways, so he can keep it. We'll probably buy the same kind of crib for the new baby and then they can keep it as well! That's the plan for now anyways!! We've been looking at double strollers as well and trying to decide if it's worth it or not. A friend of mine bought a really cool one from the States so we might do that! Blake will move to the third bedroom upstairs and the baby will take over the nursery! We're excited to plan Blake's big boy room!! I'm also really excited about these new diapers I found, called G Diapers. They fall between a disposable diaper and a cloth diaper. I was hoping to buy my own cloth diapers and covers, but now we're thinking about using these G Diapers. We'll see!! I am already showing and looking back at pictures from when I was pregnant with Blake, I think I look now how I did when I was 17 weeks pregnant with Blake! I've always heard you show sooner with your 2nd! We will keep everyone up to date on our blog, which is now shared between Blake and his new sibling!!! Blake is great at sharing, so he doesn't mind :)

Lots of love,

Cal, Tracy, Blake and Baby
XOXOX

Eye Teeth!

Hello everyone! Blake is getting his eye teeth and boy oh boy does it make for a unhappy boy at times!! It must hurt like heck. I've heard that the eye teeth are the worst and they are definitely giving him the most trouble so far. Two are through and the other two are almost through. We'll all be glad when they are all through! Other than teething, we're all doing good! Last weekend we went camping with Gerry, Lesley and Colby to Wabamun Provincial Park. I hadn't been there since high school, and was quite impressed with the sites. They were nice and it was great to have power! We had a nice weekend and were glad to get out camping at least once this summer with the Stony Plain edition Cameron's!! We came home pretty early on Sunday and we able to have supper with my godfather, Ron, Bev and my parents on Sunday night. I took tomorrow afternoon off, so after Blake's nap I am taking him for haircut #2! His hair is getting quite long again! It grows really fast! I'm going to take him to Beaner's. It's a kid's hair salon and sounds pretty cool! We don't have plans on Friday yet and this weekend we have our friend Rick's annual birthday party and horse shoe tournament on Saturday and on Sunday we're heading to the Centennial Pancake Breakfast in Stony Plain. It's been quite rainy here the past week, but this weekend is supposed to be sunny! Take care everyone :)

Love Cal, Tracy & Blake

2 Steps, 3 Steps, 6 Steps ...

So how many steps do you have to take to be considered a "walker"???! Well I'd say Blake's walking now!!! He's been taking 2 steps for a few weeks now, but today he's been very brave! He's taking around 6 or so steps! Maybe even a couple more the odd time!! I've heard that once they take those first few steps it's not long before they're running!! It's so cute - he stands up, stands there for a second, puts one foot out, then the other, then he speeds up a teeny tiny bit! He's definitely feeling more confident now! He's so cautious though, it's kind of funny :) His balance is so good, he stands and "dances" and reaches for things and squats, etc. He can definitely walk, but he wants to make sure it's perfect first!! At least that's what it seems like to me! Yesterday he turned 14 months old and apparently the average age for a child to walk is between 13 and 15 months, so I told my Mom he just wants to be totally "average"! Ha, ha, ha! So I just wanted to share the big walking news!!! I'm going to try and post a video of Blake walking on Facebook if I can! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Love Tracy

Happy Canada Day!!

We hope everyone is enjoying this Canada Day holiday!! We are all feeling good again and enjoying the weather. Blake had a rough time with the antibiotics he was on. It gave him severe abdominal cramps and he had no appetite. This lasted from Sunday evening to Wednesday evening. We were so glad when he was feeling better! Poor little guy. He is growing and changing so much each day. He talks and talks and talks and talks and talks!! Sometimes I think I know what he's saying, but most of the time I have no idea!! He definitely says juice, ball, uh-oh, Mom and Dad. Uh-oh is the most common!! And we think he calls every liquid juice! All we give him is water and milk, but if he thinks it's juice whatever I guess?! It's getting hard to eat or drink around him. He wants whatever you have! And he loves drinking from cups, mugs and water bottles. But it can be pretty messy! Speaking of messy, he's pretty insistent on feeding himself. And boy is it messy!! Every day seems to bring something new. It's amazing how fast he's changing and growing! On Wednesday evening I had dinner out with my New Mom's Group ladies. We always have so much fun when we get together!! This weekend we went camping with my parents to Long Island Lake. It was gorgeous!! Definitely one of my favorite lakes we've visited so far. I REALLY want a cabin on that lake!!!! Mark my words, if I win the lotto I'm buying a cabin there. Cal found a nice one for sale last night online - only $625,000.00!! Peanuts?! LOL! Maybe we could sell our house and live there permanently? Hmmm ... don't think so! Anyways, it is a very nice, clean lake. Beautiful sandy beach and no seaweed. The lake was very busy with boats! There's even a water skiing course on the lake. There's also awesome quadding trails right there. Cal and Dad went out on Saturday and came back dirty and muddy! You know it's a good day quadding when you come back muddy! The weather was so hot. We stuck mostly to the shade, but did head to the beach one day. Blake loved playing in the water! He had a lot of fun. He did come home from camping a little "spotty" though! A couple of mosquitoes must have braved the mosquito repellent. Poor guy! Karen is on vacation this week, but it's turned out okay for us. Cal was off Monday, we're both off today, Wednesday and Thursday my parents are going to watch Blake and then I'm off Friday. We're taking it easy today. Did a little shopping this morning and when Blake wakes up from his afternoon nap we're heading to the park. We hope everyone is enjoying this gorgeous weather (personally it's a little too hot for me!)! Happy Canada Day!

Luv Cal, Tracy & Blake

The Cameron's are under the weather :(

That's right ... we're ALL sick! Boo Hoo!! Blake and I finally got antibiotics yesterday, so hopefully things will start clearing up soon. We've both been to the doctor twice. The first time I went I didn't have an infection, just a virus so those bugs don't need drugs! LOL! But now I must have caught Blake's infection. Hopefully Cal just has a virus and starts feeling better soon. If not, I guess he's off to the doctor too! Other than being sick, we're great :) On Thursday Cal and I went to Cirque de Soleil and it was awesome!!! Even better than the show we saw in Vegas! My sister stayed over Friday night and on Saturday we headed to the St. Albert market. I love that market! Apparently it's Western Canada's largest outdoor market. I love buying all the fresh fruit and produce! Especially the baby cucumbers!! After the market we came back to our house and then Linds and I headed out for a pedicure and some shopping. It was a fun day. That night was long though - Blake and I spent four hours at the hospital waiting to see a doctor. Blake's fever was getting pretty high and I didn't want to spend another night worrying about the fever and if he's okay or not, so I took him in. I'm glad I did, because otherwise I would have lied awake and checked on him a gazillion times. Today we slept in a bit and went to Costco with my Mom and Dad. Blake still has a fever but his nose isn't dripping as much as yesterday. Hopefully these antibiotics clear things up fast! We're going camping next weekend and everyone needs to be 100% again!! Hopefully everyone had a great weekend and enjoyed the hot weather on Saturday!

Luv Tracy

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all Dad's and Grandpa's!! It is Cal's 2nd Father's Day! We gave him part of his gift on Thursday, because it was a large Running Room gym bag and I thought he could use it for Boot Camp Friday morning!! The other half of his gift, a new pair of running shorts, are back ordered! So he'll get them in a week or so. When Cal picked Blake up from Karen's on Thursday, she gave him a Father's Day gift Blake had made! It is a tile finger painted with a picture of Blake in the corner. It's protected with a clear coat so you can put a coffee mug on it or something! Cal took it to work on Friday. We were going to have my parents and Cal's Dad over for supper tonight, but we were all too tired from the weekend. We spent the whole weekend with my Dad and had breakfast together this morning, so that's good! Hopefully we'll talk to Cal's Dad tonight. He's busy around the farm on weekends and outside most of the time, so not easy to catch on the phone!! Blake's 1 yr. immunizations on Thursday were not nearly as bad as I thought they'd be! PHEW!! I thought they'd be much worse because he's older and more aware and there were 3 needles. The first two, one in the arm and one in the leg, didn't even elicit a cry! The third one was one he hadn't had before. It was in the arm and the nurse said it stings. He cried for a few seconds, but that was it! Now he goes back for more immunizations at 18 months and then not again until 4 YEARS (other than the yearly flu shot)!!! That will be a nice break :) Blake weighed in at 23 lbs. 5 oz. (25th percentile) and 29 3/4" (50th percentile). I can't remember what his head circumference was, but it was in the 50th percentile too! At the immunizations we mentioned to the nurse that Blake's right ear was very hot and he was pulling at it. She said it sounds like an ear infection and we should take him to the doctor. So after the immunization appointment I took him to my doctor, but thankfully it wasn't an ear infection. I'm worried that now that he's had one, he's going to get a lot. Camping was great this weekend. It's so nice to get out of the city! It didn't rain, but it was quite windy at times. Elk Island National Park is gorgeous. There are a lot of walking and biking trails and a beautiful beach. On a hot day the beach would be very nice! Blake came down with a cold on Saturday night. Poor little guy. He's soooo stuffed up. I hope an ear infection doesn't follow the cold. I'm glad he's home with Cal tomorrow. Hopefully he'll be feeling better on Tuesday when he goes back to Karen's. On Thursday night Cal and I are going on a date! We're going for dinner and then to Cirque de Soleil. We loved the show we saw in Vegas, so thought we'd check out the one coming to Edmonton! My Mom is babysitting Blake. On Friday Blake and I are heading to Stony in the morning to meet baby Danielle. Danielle was born on June 9 to family friends Erica and Dion Gillam. She looks really cute in all the pictures I've seen and we're excited to meet her! Have a great week everyone!

Luv Tracy

1 Year Pic's and 12 years?!

We finally have Blake's 1 year photo's!! It took awhile to get them back, but they were definitely worth the wait!! I LOVE them! Rose does such an amazing job! I will post a couple on here. Yesterday Blake and I went swimming and for lunch with Renee and Kaeden. We had a lot of fun! Blake sure loves the water. He's a little fish and not afraid at all!! I can't wait for our week at the cabin. It's going to be so much fun! This morning Blake and I met Lesley and Colby. We did some shopping and then had lunch. It was nice to hang out with them! Cal is at their house today helping Gerry drywall their basement. Tomorrow my Mom and sister are coming over for a visit and then we're all going out for supper to celebrate Lindsay's birthday (which was on May 27th). On Thursday Blake has his 1 yr. immunizations. We're not looking forward to that appointment! I think they just get worse and worse each time :( I feel so terrible holding him down ... it sucks!!! But it has to be done. On the brighter side, Friday we are heading out camping!! YAY! We're going to Elk Island National Park. It will be great to get out in our trailer again and celebrate Father's Day in the great outdoors :) Now this is something I have a hard time believing - 12 years ago today Cal and I started dating! 12 YEARS!! OMG - where has the time gone?? Guess time flies when you're having fun?! Have a wonderful weekend and week ahead!

Luv Tracy

Fun-filled weekends!!

Ever since I went back to work, we've been having the best weekends!! I guess we work hard during the week and play hard on the weekends :) Blake and I love our Fridays together, then Cal's off Saturday and Sunday and every 2nd Monday! On Friday Blake and I met some of our New Mom's group buddies at the YMCA indoor playground. It was a blast! We haven't seen them for awhile so it was great to see everyone. Blake loved the playground, especially the tunnel system they have! At first he was sticking his arm in the tunnel and reaching for the kids climbing through and then peering through the holes and then he decided to crawl through the tunnel. I actually had to pull him out! He would go from one end to the next and back again! It was so funny! I'd go up to the holes in the side and say "Peek a boo!" and he'd giggle and keep going! We may have to get something like that for our back yard. So far, the only "large" outdoor toy we have is a sandbox our neighbours gave us! On Saturday we all went for a bike ride and then to the park. It was a beautiful day. We bought new bike helmets last week, so we got to try them out! Blake looked so cute with his on, but it was kind of in the way, because when he leaned back in the bike trailer his helmet pushed forward over his eyes. We'll have to figure that out, because I think he should be wearing a helmet. Blake loved the park. He loves swinging and Cal had him going pretty high! I forbid the under duck though. LOL! On Saturday afternoon my Mom and Dad came in and picked Blake and I up. They got a car seat for their car, which is very handy! Blake and I went out to their house and then Cal came out after his Saturday afternoon poker game. It was my Mom and Dad's 28th year anniversary yesterday, so we had an awesome bbq at their house to celebrate! It was another gorgeous day - we played outside and then ate dinner outside too! This morning we did some running around and then some yard work and when Blake wakes up from his nap we're going for a wagon ride! Tomorrow Cal and Blake are home together all day, so who knows what they'll be up to?! I'm guessing it will involve a walk or a bike ride at one time during the day! All week last week Blake woke up 30 - 45 min. earlier than usual and I'm thinking it may be because the sun is rising earlier. I'm not sure, but we're going to hang a heavy blanket over his window tonight and see if the darker room in the morning makes a difference. I know the "sleep bible" I read and swear by says that if they're waking up too early you should try to put them to bed earlier, but for crying out loud!!! How early should he go to bed?! I really think it's the sun, but we'll see! Although the sun shining bright doesn't prevent him from falling asleep? Hmmm... I'll let you know if the blanket over the window works! We hope everyone enjoyed the weather this weekend!! Have a great week :)

Cal, Tracy & Blake

How long's this one been there??!

Today I discovered Blake has another tooth!! On the top in the far back left hand side. It looks to be through almost all the way so it must have came through awhile ago!! The only way I saw it was because he was laying in the grass and laughing hard at me tickling him! So I looked in his mouth and was quite surprised. I don't even know how to chart these teeth in his baby book anymore because I don't quite know where they are. This one is so far back it might be a molar? I don't know!? Oh well I guess! At least I got the first ten charted :) Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend! The weather has been alright. I got some pots and flowers planted Friday night and today so I'm quite happy :) I love gardening and today Blake "helped" out!!! It was fun!

Take care,

Tracy

1st Camping Trip of the year!

We had a great time on May long weekend at Cross lake! The weather was gorgeous, the campground was really nice, we had lots of fun and it was awesome to have our own camper!! I'm sure my Mom, Dad, Lindsay and Jeremy would agree! No early morning Blake wake up calls! LOL! Blake had a blast and was so good. He woke up a few times the first night and then seemed to be used to the trailer and actually slept longer than usual the second night!! He played and played and played during the day and ate and ate and ate!!! He was so hungry - I think it must have been all the fresh air! We did a little bit of fishing with my sister and Jeremy in their boat, but I didn't catch anything :( Cal did on the second day though :) It was fun and nice to get out on the lake! We already have another 5 camping trips planned for the summer, a trip to the Calgary zoo, and 1 week at the family cabin in Saskatchewan planned!! Looks like it will be a fun summer :) I discovered this week that Blake has 2 new teeth! 2 bottom eye teeth. The teeth count is up to 10! It's getting harder and harder to feel for his teeth though, because he bites down as soon as I put my finger in his mouth! It's equally as hard to brush his teeth! Blake is now completely on homo milk. We weaned him slowly from formula, one scoop at a time! Next up, weaning him from the bottle! That should be interesting ... On the walking front, Blake is so close, but just won't let go!! We even give him a finger to hold and he can walk along, but as soon as we let go he stands there and then quickly sits down. It's kinda funny! I say he's just really smart :) Blake is saying "Mom" and "Dad" very clearly and sometimes at appropriate times, but it's hard to know if he is actually associating the word with Cal or I or if he's just saying it!? I don't know, but I do know I love hearing it!! And he's still mimicking us. His favorite these days is a monkey - eee, ooo, aaa! Cal likes to "monkey around" with him! LOL! Tomorrow we have our last Baby Laptime of the spring. We may register for it again in the fall, but we'll see. We hope everyone had a great May long weekend and enjoys the upcoming weekend. Hopefully we'll get some sun! Take care!

Luv Tracy

Happy Mother's Day!!!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! I came home from Karen's on Thursday with a home made card and potted plant that Blake "made" for me for Mother's Day!!! It was very sweet :) I worked on Friday, so my Mom watched Blake and took him to Fun For Ones at the library! On Saturday we had Blake's 1 yr. photo's with Rose. They went okay, but she earned every penny!! Blake was not a cooperative model! But she did get some really great shots and I can't wait to see them. After pictures, we dropped Blake off at my Mom and Dad's house. Cal and I went to Pigeon Lake to look at a travel trailer - which we ended up buying!! We then went back to Stony and had supper at my Mom and Dad's. My Aunty Karen was in town so we got to visit with her and my cousin Jeanine and Ryann!! I was glad we got to see them! It was Lesley's birthday the next day, so we stopped by Gerry and Lesley's house for a visit. The boys both needed a bath so we put them in the tub together! It was pretty funny!! On Mother's Day we had a relaxing day. Cal got up with Blake in the morning and I slept in! Then my Mom and Dad came over, we went for a walk and when Blake went for a nap, Mom and I went shopping and brought Chinese food back for supper! The rest of the week has been spent getting the trailer ready for the upcoming long weekend. Cal and my Dad picked the trailer up on Monday evening and we've been spending the evenings filling it! LOL! We're very excited to try it out! I am a bit concerned about Blake camping and crawling. I thought he could wear his Carhartt overalls and jean overalls but the temperatures are supposed to be in the +20's so I think it may be too hot for overalls!! Maybe I should put some knee pads on him?! Blake has been working hard at cutting another tooth for awhile now and I felt it tonight. It is so close to coming through. It's sure been a long time coming. But I've heard the eye teeth are tough and that's just one of them! We're heading to the lake tomorrow afternoon and will be back on Monday! Have a great long weekend everyone :)

Cal, Tracy & Blake

Thank you!!!

Thank you so much everyone for all of the birthday wishes, gifts and greetings! We have such wonderful family and friends. Blake had fun at his birthday party and on his actual birthday!! Although I think he was a bit overwhelmed at the party at times! There were a few "dinosaurs" loose in the house!!! The party was a dinosaur theme and a few of the little boys transformed into dinosaurs to fit in with the theme! LOL! We had 9 kids in the house and 16 adults! It was a very full house! I thought that Blake would be up late, but he started to appear very tired around 6 pm, so I gave him a bath and thought I'd lay him down but he'd be up again because it was pretty noisy in the house and he'd just consumed a lot of cake, icing and ice cream!! But surprisingly he was out like a light! And I didn't hear from him until the next morning. He was tuckered right out!! Cal and I were both off on Monday and we had a fantastic day with Blake. We went swimming in the morning and had an absolute blast! Blake loves the water so much!! And it was nice that Cal and I were both there, because we took turns going on the water slides!!! It was a lot of fun! Afterwards we went to Booster Juice. Cal and I had a booster juice while Blake had a little snack! Then we went home for lunch and Blake had a nap. After his nap he opened his presents from us and then my Mom and Dad came over for supper. I didn't know what Blake's favorite dinner would be for his birthday so I made a roast with mashed potatoes and carrots (he loves carrots!)! And then of course, we had MORE cake! And boy does Blake ever love cake!! Today at Karen's they had a little party for him too and Karen said when she gave him the cupcake he tried to stuff the whole thing in his mouth!! I was so happy to hear they had a little celebration for him. I thought that was really sweet! They also gave him a little gift! She's so great! So that wraps up his birthday festivities! Yesterday I kept saying to Cal, at this time last year I was .... counting contractions, wondering if I should go to the hospital, going to the hospital, walking laps around the unit, puking, in major pain, in the shower, slipping in the shower, getting an epidural, delivering, Cal cutting the umbilical cord, holding and feeding Blake for the first time, watching Blake under the warmer, etc, etc, etc! I was remembering every wonderful moment! It's so very hard to believe it was a year ago. Children really do speed up time and change your life. We loved him before he was born, and I knew life would change, but what I didn't understand was how strongly you feel that love for your child and how your heart breaks into a million little pieces when your baby is sick or hurt or how proud you are when they do something for the first time. It is wonderful and scary all at the same time! Life will never be the same and I wouldn't want it any other way :)

I Am 1 Year Old Today!

Hi everyone!

Today I am 1 year old! My Mom and Dad say the time has gone by way too fast!! I don't really know what they mean by that - I love each new day!!! I had a very fun birthday party on Saturday. I had 8 little friends here and a lot more adults!! It was a great party!

I am pulling myself up and walking on everything these days - the coffee table, couches, the t.v., my toys, anything I can get a grip on! I also love to walk around the house with my walker or ride on toy. I'm not quite brave enough to let go yet. And anyways, I hear I'm going to be walking for many years so I'm just taking my time!! I love clapping my hands, waving, and dancing to my favourite music. Adults seem to find it quite funny. They are so easy to amuse :)

Mom and Dad call me a fish!! I love when they take me swimming! Today we went for my birthday and I had so much fun. I can't wait to go to the cabin this summer. They might take me on the tube behind the boat!!

Mom went back to work mid-April. She started back 2 days a week and tomorrow she starts working 4 days a week. Before she went back to work she took me to a lady named Karen's house and we played and had fun. Then one day she left me for a couple of hours, but I had so much fun with my friends and all the new toys I didn't even notice! Now I'm there all day and it's pretty good. Karen makes yummy lunches and snacks and I love playing with the other kids! Mom and Dad are very glad I like Karen's house! Now that Mom is going back to work 4 days a week I will be there 4 days some weeks and 3 days other weeks because Dad has every second Monday off so we'll hang out those days.

I had my 1 year pediatrician appointment last week. I weighed 20 lbs, 1 oz and I'm 29.5" long. I am in the 50th percentile for length and 10th percentile for weight - what's that mean anyways?! Mom says I'm kinda skinny! I don't know why though - I eat everything!!! Well, almost everything. I'm not crazy about beef! Mom says I gained weight a bit quicker after she weaned me. I gave Mom and Dad a hard time for awhile with the bottle, but then gave in because I was really thirsty!! Mom and Dad were quite relieved because they were going on vacation!! I stayed at Grandma and Grandpa D's and had a fun time! I have eight teeth now and a couple on the way. Mom and Dad put their fingers in my mouth to feel for them and I chomp down!! Hee, hee, hee :)

We are all very excited for camping this year. Mom and Dad think I'll be in to everything and get really dirty!! Sounds like fun to me!

But I should go I'm getting pretty tired. I think I'll have my bath now and then go to bed. I need a lot of sleep!!

Love you everyone!
XOXOX Blake

PS: Mom is going to proof read this for me. I hope she doesn't change too much!!