Life is Good

Life is crazy, but oh so good. My back still has me down so I can't do as much as I would like, and Shane has been working overtime, so there has been just a little stress around here! But I just have to take one look at little Sam's face and the stress melts away. He is such a sweet angel (most times)! We are still trying to figure him out, but here's what we know about him so far:

He is pretty content and relaxed overall.

He likes - no, LOVES to eat! He weighed 9 lbs 2.5 oz at his two week check-up, up from 8 lbs 14 oz birth weight.

He has some gas issues that make him fussy, probably because he loves to eat.

He likes to fall asleep eating.

He can sleep 4 -5 hours at night, but only 2 -3 during the day. (I'm glad it's not the other way around.)

He seems to be practicing baby Tai Chi moves when awake.

He doesn't like soothers.

He likes car rides.

He likes the fuzzy blanket with the cars on it.

He likes baths.

He likes to pee in the bath.

He likes to pee as soon as his diaper is off.

He responds to voices by turning his head to look at you.

He is a growler, not a grunter.

He is a little lovey and is adored by us all!


Here are a few more pics:

Grayson and his new "baby brother"

First bath...he was not so sure if he liked it during the bath, but boy was he relaxed after!

My three boys...aren't I a lucky woman!

In the midst of this new love affair with Sam, life continues around us. Grayson got a new big boy bed and tried out some big boy underwear. Our friend Tracy McLeod came to take some GREAT newborn pictures. My God-daughter Payton celebrated her first communion. We have been visiting with some friends and family and enjoying the warm weather. But perhaps the best (but bittersweet) news is that mom finally has a placement in a wonderful nursing home. It is one that Dad and I really hoped she would get into, as it is specifically for dementia and Alzheimers patients. The care is great and the setting is homey and pleasant. She will move in on Wednesday and we will bring in some of her furniture and pictures so she will have some familiar things around her. It will be so much better for her than being in the hospital.

So, in between feeding my little greedy guts, I have been working on my website (yes, I know I thought it would be up a long time ago!!!!) and putzing around the house as much as possible. I'm doing lots of reading and resting when I can, but no scrapbooking yet as I can't really navigate the stairs to the basement very well. I am positively itching to do some layouts of my sweet boy(s)!

All in all, life is crazy, but yes, oh so good. I feel very blessed.

Happy Scrapping! Oh...and Happy Canada Day tomorrow!

Noreen

SAM

He has arrived! We are so excited to finally have our much awaited little guy at home! Well...actually he has been at home a whole week now, but I haven't been able to post. Here's the scoop...

I went into labour around 3:00/4:00 in the morning on Thursday June 12th (right on my due date - imagine that!!!) We called my dad to come and stay at the house with Grayson and we headed to the hospital around 6:30 am. My contractions were about 5 minutes apart. My water hadn't broken, but I was 3 centimetres dilated. Labour progressed quickly and was very good...no epidural or drugs needed. I had a lot of back labour, as Sam was positioned sideways and his shoulder was caught under the pubic bone. The nurses were great at applying pressure to my back and hips (perhaps some of the cause of my present back pains now???) and Shane was so supportive and kept letting me know the timing of each contraction...I found I was able to get through each one if I knew how long I had to go.

Sam was born at 11:00 am, and was quite bruised from being turned and jostled on his way out, but all in all he was fantastic! He wanted to start feeding pretty much right away, and had fed twice before we left the delivery room. I had a sandwich and a shower and by the time we were admitted to a regular room, I was ready to go home! The doc's checked us out a few hours later, and we were discharged at 6:00 pm, and spent our first night at home in peace. How lucky we were, eh?

I felt great, and everything was going so well. Then late Friday night I started to feel my back seize up. I took some Tylenol and went to bed, but the next time I woke up to feed Sam I couldn't get out of bed...I was literally stuck! Shane had to help me up and since then I have been pretty much in the same boat...extremely limited mobility and more pain than I had during labour it seems! Finally I called a friend and former neighbour, Tonya Schmolke whose husband Michael is a chiropractor. So I made an appointment and went to see him at his clinic. He ran a complete series of tests and was able to determine that my sacrum was locked and my hips had become out of alignment. So, I have had two adjustments and am feeling somewhat better, but I have a long way to go to regain my former mobility...I have to re-develop a lot of muscles and will need to correct my "J-Lo" swayback posterior among other things!!!

Shane has been great at taking care of all of us, and Grayson SEEMS to like his new baby brother a lot - he kisses him and comes over to make faces at him when Sam is awake. Very cute! Sam is doing so well, eating like a fiend and sleeping very well...3 to 5 hours at this point, so we can't complain!

So that's our story! Thanks for all your calls and emails of care and concern, and I'm sorry if I didn't get back to you - I literally couldn't get to the phone or computer! And now I better get off the computer because I have my orders not to sit too long! (Thanks Dr. Schmolke!!!)

Before I go, here are some a few pics:

Sam, just minutes old. Quite bruised and blue
Shane, Sam and I in the delivery room

Resting in our bed just before being discharged to go home
I will definitely post more pics soon.


Happy Scrapping! (Hmmmm....I wonder if I can raise my scrapping table so I can scrapbook standing up!!!!)

Noreen

Rain Rain Go Away

This is one of Grayson's favorite songs to sing...although he always sings "come and GET another day" instead of "come AGAIN another day"! What a Q-T-PIE! Well anyway...it has been raining for a few days now and it is just miserable. This is not June weather. This is not summer. I protest! I was surfing some of my favorite blogs last night when I couldn't sleep and gals were complaining that it was getting too hot for them...I can only wish! The joys of living in the sub-tundra, eh?

Having said that, I did get a lot done in the past couple of days. Not being able to stand (my back is killing me since the baby dropped) I have been spending a lot of time sitting at my computer and scrap table. This is what I accomplished:

• Did a digital layout to include in a colleagues retirement album
• Finished and ordered a hard bound Storybook of the family photos taken LAST FALL!
  
• Sorted 2 years of photos into Storage Binders, and set up my Category Drawers for special photos (a la Stacy Julian's LOM system!)


• Completed an article I have been working on for submission to Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine (did I mention I am nervous as heck???)


• Did a layout that I am contemplating submitting to SimpleScrapbooks Magazine (the deadline is today, so I have to decide!!! Still nervous!) Edited....OK...I DID submit my LO to Simple Scrapbooksalong with a couple of others that I had originally posted on my blog (so I had to remove them until I hear back) Wish me luck!


• Sorted and organized some new embellishments and alphabet sets and continued to label and organize bins inside my scrapping cupboards


• Wrote a newsletter for my CM Customers (going out today)


• Worked on some photos in my computer...deleting doubles and touching up others


• Surfed some blogs and websites and looked through some magazines for ideas
• Edited...I forgot...I also made up a digital baby announcement template so when the little guy arrives I can pop in the pertinent info and send it of! I hope you get to see it soon!!!
  

Not bad for a rainy weekend eh? I think I got so much done because I have a space dedicated to my scrapbooking. I can leave out work in progress and when I have time I can come back to it. It helps, even when you only have 5 or 10 spare minutes. I LOVE IT! And I am so glad it is in our new rec room so G. and I can be down there togeher...he playing in his playroom (or where I found him yesterday - in the storage room playing with Shane's tools- yikes!) and me working on projects. When baby # 2 comes, I think it will be a good space to spend our days. Life is good eh?Now if that rain would just go away...

Happy Scrapping!

Noreen

Baby...where are you?

NO BABY YET. Arrrggghhh!

I went to the Doctor yesterday for my 39 week appointment, and because I was having a lot of contraction-like pains and pressure, I was told to go over to the Hospital to get assessed. But, even though I was in fact having contractions, they weren't regular or close enough together, my water hadn't broken and my blood pressure was OK, so they sent me home. Sheesh. I was hoping baby would be here because I am just so uncomfortable. It wasn't this bad with Grayson near the end, but then again I was induced at just 38 weeks, so I guess I didn't experience the last couple of weeks with him. Oh well...I am just praying that I don't go overdue...how will I cope for up to THREE MORE WEEKS????

In the meantime I am trying to stay comfy on the couch, doing a lot reading and surfing my favorite websites and blogs. I am also recategorizing my photos based on Stacy Julian's Library of Memories System. Instead of keeping all my photos in chronological order and being (somewhat) forced to scrapbook events as they happen, I am triaging my photos into categories such as "People We Love, Things We Do, Places We Go and All About Us" These categories allow me to view my photos more easily, especially when I am thinking about doing a layout about the effect a certain person, place or thing has on me. I am seeing connections and new possibilities for my scrapbooking, and I am only getting started!

I was helping dad organize the pantry at his place the other day so he can cook for himself a little easier, and we came across my mom's recipe box. Now, my mom has never been the best cook around, but she certainly had her specialities, so I am glad to have found them recorded in her own handwriting. I think I will scan some of them and combine it with photos to create a little mini-recipe book based on some of her (and my!) favorites. I am going to use Creative Memories new 7x5 inch softcover format of their Storybook (PS...it's very affordable at $18.95 for 20 pages,and like all the CM Storybooks is of highest quality!) I will (TRY to) post it when I am done (Lord knows when that will be eh???) If you have any layouts or projects using recipes, I'd love to see them!

Poor G. has a head cold right now and is zonked out on the couch after getting up at 4:30 this morning because he couldn't breathe. Even though it's only 8:30-ish am, I think I will join him for a little nap.

Keep your fingers crossed that baby comes along soon...
Happy scrapping,
Noreen

This and that...

I THINK I AM IN LABOUR....but no regular contractions or water breakage yet. But a girl can hope, can't she??? Lots of pains and pressure etc., so I am hoping it is soon!

Just taking it easy and re-reading Stacy Julian's Photo Freedom book. I am ready to reorganize my CM Power Sort box to accomodate the Categories that Stacy suggests and I am really looking forward to seeing my photos in a new light...not just in chronological order. I think I may be able to scrapbook and share more MOMENTS instead of EVENTS this way. Not that events aren't inportant, but there is definitely more to scrapbooking than just the birthday/holiday/family get together shots. I want to be able to tell the real-life-everyday stories of my family...what we do, what we like, where we go, who we love and why the things we do matter. I really encourage you to read her book, or at least have a look at Stacy's blog to get an idea of what she is talking about.

As for posting my new layouts and maternity photos...my techie hubbie has been working overtime and so hasn't had a chance to get me sorted out at home (it's like the cobbler's children who never have any shoes!) Hopefully he will get me organized in time to post pics of baby (whenever he arrives!)

Happy scrapping,
Noreen

Well...38 weeks and counting! Hopefully baby will decide to make his appearance in the next little while...I don't want to think about waiting up to four more weeks!!! Everything is good, but I am so uncomfortable at this stage! We had somematernity photos taken earlier this week, so I will post my belly shots for all to see when I get them back!!!

Anyway...we are busy getting ready for this baby- all the newborn clothes have been washed and folded; the blankets, washcloths, towels and bassinet sheets are ready to go, and a stock of newborn diapers has been laid in! We are ready. I think. Although...since we are still undergoing renovations and reorganization, baby's room isn't truly ready yet. But that's OK...he will bunk in with us in his cozy bassinet for the first few months since it is so much easier to do night feedings that way. That will give us a chance to first get Grayson's big boy room ready, and then paint and move the baby furniture into the nursery. No rush...baby ain't going anywhere!!!

Unfortunately in the midst of all the fun and exciting baby stuff, we have also been dealing with some sad events in my family. My dear mom was diagnosed with Alzheimers disease back in January 2007. She had been pretty stable until about 2 months ago, but since then her decline has been very rapid. Her doctor and my dad finally decided it was time to hospitalize her last week as she did not recognize dad anymore and she was becoming very angry and and agitated easily. She was also beginning to wander away from their home and had a bad fall outside on Mother's Day, so her safety was bcoming a real concern. Right now she is in the Foothills Hospital awaiting the first available bed in a care facility. We always knew she would eventually need full time care, but we didn't think it would come so fast, or be so difficult a process to go through. It is heartbreaking to see her so confused and not recognizing the people she loves. We can only hope that the facility she gets into is homey and friendly and makes her feel safe and comfortable.

Here is one of my favourite pictures of mom and I taken last September by our good friend, photographer Tracy McLeod:

I seem to be having some problems posting images (this photo took 25minutes to upload!) so I will try later tonight to post some layouts. (I will have to get my techno-geek hubbie to help me when he gets home!)

Happy scrapping,

Noreen

PS...I also have been reading Stacy Julian's latest book Photo Freedom which was on my wish list, so I'll have to share with you some of the great tips and tricks she passes on to help all us scrapbookers get over our guilt about not ever being "caught up" in our albums. Oh, and I added her blog site to my sidebar list...check it often! I love that gal! :)

477

My friend and co-Creative Memories consultant Julie and I held our semi-annual scrapbooking retreat last weekend at the cozy Westridge Country Inn in beautiful Canmore, Alberta last weekend. What a great time! We only had a small group of 14 ladies this time, but that added to the fun and intimate atmosphere.


Our theme was "Express Yourself", and from Friday evening until Sunday at noon, that's exactly what these ladies did! They created 477 scrapbook pages! WOW! I even got 8 layouts done myself! (I'll post some of them as soon as I get a chance to take pics of them.) It was wonderful to see their various styles and approaches and to get ideas from each other. Two ladies spent a good amount of time sorting through YEARS of pics as well, tossing and organizing and getting so much accomplished! Julie and I taught some sessions on digital photo organization and scrapbooking and creating gifts (especially for Father's Day) using scrapbook supplies and techniques. Everyone had a great time and went home refreshed. Here are some pics:

We will definitley be holding another retreat sometime in late October or early November, probably at the Westridge again, so watch my blog for more info.

Only 2 or 3 more weeks until our second baby comes along, and I have to admit that I am ready to meet him! This pregnancy has been fraught with many issues, big and small, and I won't miss being pregnant this time around! I will be sure to post the news and pics as soon as he arrives!

Happy scrapping!

Noreen