Kate Inez Elizabeth Michel (a.k.a. - Walnut)

On the Move

2009-08-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

In late August, Kate decided it was time to "get her move on"! She wasn't content with just sitting and playing with the toys around her anymore. She started off by rolling to things and that very quickly progressed into her "army crawl" to get from place to place. I don't think I'd make it as far as she does by just using my arms to pull the rest of my body like dead weight around the room.

With this new found way to travel, Kate also discovered the tile floor in the kitchen. She thought it was pretty neat to crawl around on, but was even more interested in seeing how it tasted. Good thing Mommy had just washed the floors!!!!

The new found mobility also means more things to get into when Mommy isn't looking.

7 Months Old

2009-08-15T17:07:00.000-07:00

On August 15, Kate was 7 months old. A few days after her 6 month vaccinations when the Public Health Nurse had me all worried because she wasn't sitting on her own yet, she started sitting!

The highlight of the month was how great of a sleeper Kate's becoming. She almost always sleeps through the night and at some points I've even started to worry about it. One night she slept from 7:30 at night until 10:15 the next morning....yep, I was in there a couple times making sure she was still breathing!!! After the sleep-a-thon and a couple days of 3 naps per day, Kate had her first tooth. I decided I liked Kate's version of teething...just sleeping all the time. Here's hoping we're this lucky for all the next ones to come!

6 Months Old & Time for Solids

2009-08-14T17:13:00.000-07:00

Where does time go???? On July 15, Kate was 6 months old and it was time to start solids. Here is her 6 month picture and her first taste of rice cereal. She didn't love it, but has since found that it's really not as bad as she first thought!!!

"Mom, what are you trying to give me, this tastes funny!"

"Okay, this isn't funny anymore....this stuff is gross!"

"Can someone get me a bucket, I think I'm going to be sick!"

"Okay, okay, they were right, this stuff isn't that bad!"

I Love Reading Already!!!

2009-08-14T17:01:00.000-07:00

Kate is already taking after Mommy in her fondness for books. Yes, half the time it's still chewing on the books, but she's interested in them nonetheless! Here are a few pictures from Kate's first "alone time" with one of her books.

"Mom, why are you bugging me, I'm just getting to the good part!"

"This part is totally confusing!!!"

"Oh, I get it!!!"

Played Out!!!

2009-08-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

I'm sleeping much better these days, but it's not often that I'll fall asleep in someone's arms anymore. I prefer to be put down in my crib and left alone. Apparently, Mom tuckered me out one day in early July, as she was talking on the phone to Nana one night and when she hung up she looked down and I was out for the count! She was even able to set me down and get out the camera and I didn't flinch...which definitely isn't like me!

Happy Canada Day

2009-08-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

Having a child definitely gives me a new perspective on how lucky we are to live in Canada. Universal health care, year long maternity leave and a beautiful, free country to raise our child in...how lucky are we!!! We celebrated Canada Day this year out in the mountains with Alyssa, Phil and Matthew.

Trip to Saskatchewan

2009-08-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

At the end of June, Kate made her third trip to Saskatchewan. This time it was for Daddy's cousin Jeff's wedding in Estevan. I got to meet a lot of Daddy's family and the highlight was definitely meeting my Great Grandma Michel. The wedding was in the evening, so I only managed to stay up for a few dances before I was tuckered right out!

5 Months Old

2009-08-07T10:04:00.001-07:00

On June 15, Kate was 5 months old...where does time go??? I still like to smile for the camera, but those toes are so distracting these days!!!

Our Little Giggler

2009-06-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

The last week in May also held another big milestone for Kate....her first "real" giggles. She's given us the odd giggle here and there over the last month (especially at herself in the mirror), but nothing like she gave us last week. We were in Red Deer, driving in the car with Auntie Kim and Andrew. Kate sneezed, at which point Andrew mimicked her little sneeze. She thought that was pretty funny and started laughing at him. Kim nearly drove the car off the road and I wouldn't have noticed because I was too busy scrambling for the camera to try and capture those giggles. We pulled over and Auntie Kim was able to capture a bit of the laughing fit.

Kate's First Hair Cut

2009-06-04T15:24:00.001-07:00

I was trying my hardest to not cut Kate's hair and to just let it grow, but by 4 and a half months it had to be done! Nana gladly picked up the scissors and helped us out, while Daddy held down Kate and Mommy took pictures. Here's some pics for Kate's first hair cut.

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

Toe Sucking and Rolling Over

2009-06-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

The end of May held a big milestone for our little gal. She discovered her toes a while ago, but only in the last couple of weeks decided these would make a tasty treat and started sucking on them. With toe sucking, comes quarter rolls so we knew "the first official roll-over" was coming near. What we didn't anticipate was actually missing "the first official roll-over." We were in Red Deer and I was getting ready to change Kate, so I was gathering things out of the diaper bag. I heard her fussing and when I turned around, she was on her tummy!

4 Months Old

2009-06-04T09:32:00.001-07:00

On May 15, Kate was 4 months old. Here are a couple pics from that day. She's starting to be able to sit up better for the pictures (and smile on demand for the camera...which we all know is a must for all members of the Michel household). When she does start to fall over, she thinks it's pretty funny!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-06-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

My first Mother's Day was so special!!! Not only did I get to celebrate the fact that I now have the best job in the whole world....being a mom, but Kate gave me a gift that I absolutely loved....she slept through the night for the first time!!!! Here are a couple pics from our first Mother's Day (note how refreshed I look, after having my first "all-night" sleep since she was born).

Meeting Great Grandpa Jack at Easter

2009-04-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

On Easter weekend, Mommy and Kate flew to SK to visit with Great Grandpa Jack. We arranged it so that Nana, Papa, Auntie Kim and cousins, Kyle and Andrew would pick us up in Regina and we'd all drive together to Redvers. It was so special that Kate got to meet her Great Grandpa Jack and he got to meet his Great Grandaughter who was named after his beloved wife. Not only did we get to celebrate Easter with Grandpa Jack, but we also got to celebrate Grandpa's 92nd birthday a few days early!

We stayed at the farm near Maryfield where Nana grew up and Kate got to meet her Great Aunt Carol and Great Uncle Dale, along with Shawna, Eugene, Jordan, Ethan and Aaron (some of her second and third cousins). On the way back to Regina to catch our flight, we also stopped in Weyburn and got to have a quick visit with Grandpa and Grandma Michel, Auntie Lindsee, Uncle Chris and cousins, Olivia and Ben. We definitely packed a lot into 2 days as we "hopped" from one place to another!!!

Go Flames Go!!!

2009-04-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

In April, we had a visit from Auntie Kim and cousins Kyle and Andrew when the boys were on their spring break from school. They spent a few days with us before Nana and Papa and Uncle Matt joined us that weekend. We had a great time playing together. We played a little peek-a-boo and even ventured out to Chuck-E-Cheese. The boys all went to a Calgary Flames game on Saturday night (although they did let Kate into the photo op. before they left as she received a cute Flames outfit from one of Mommy's co-workers). Mommy and Daddy even went out on a date, while Nana and Auntie Kim stayed with Kate. It was a great weekend...until the flu bug visited our house and left a few of our house guests not feeling well at all!!!

Played Out!

2009-04-14T18:46:00.001-07:00

All of this eating, smiling, cooing and tummy time definitely take their toll on a 2 month old! Here are some of our favourite "napping" shots:

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2009-04-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

In mid March, Kate took her first plane ride to SK. Daddy was playing in a 3 on 3 hockey tournament in Weyburn. She was great on the plane ride, sleeping most of the way there and back (although there was a bit of crying while we were delayed for an hour and a half on the way home, but Mommy was ticked off about the extra waiting too)! :-)Not only did we get to have a visit with the Weyburn Michels, we got to watch Daddy play some hockey and we got to see Olivia dance at her annual dance recital dress rehearsal. It was a great trip!

2 Months Old

2009-04-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

On March 15, Kate was 2 months old. Here's her onesie picture from that day:

Her second month held a few notable milestones, the neatest one being the smiles!!! Kate already had her Mommy and Daddy wrapped around her little finger since the day she was born, but once she brought on the smiles we've fallen even harder!!! The only trick has been trying to capture them on film....here's the best we could do from month number two!

Meeting the Caltexans!

2009-04-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

At the end of February, Kate was thrown another shower by my coworkers at Caltex. It was nice to see everyone (and nice to leave before the year-end audit)! We were spoiled once again with a gorgeous gift basket. Kate was great and slept through almost the whole thing (even after being passed around to everyone).

Here I am with Tom, the Caltex President holding one of the gifts we received for Kate. It's a shirt that says, "The One That Broke All the Rules". The explanation behind the shirt for Kate is that all the babies born at Caltex have been boys to date. To take the boy trend even further, out of all 5 of the original Caltex executives, they collectively have 11 children all of which are boys! So needless to say, when it came to the Caltex baby pool for my pregnancy it was definitely leaning to the blue side of things! I'm not sure if I have a job to go back to when my maternity leave is over now that Kate and I have broken the trend (although in my opinion since I'm the first female employee to have had a baby, it's okay that I had a girl)!!!

Kate's First Weekend Getaway!

2009-04-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

The end of February held two exciting events for Kate. She got to meet her cousins, Olivia and Ben who came to visit us from Saskatchewan and she went on her first weekend getaway to the mountains!

The Weyburn Michels and Daddy hit the slopes for a couple days, while Kate and Mommy stayed warm in the lodge. We did have a nice dinner out at the Keg (no crying at all)! We also had a fun time walking up and down Banff Avenue with everyone. Unfortunately, Mommy is losing her touch and didn't take any pictures of me bundled up in Banff, so here is the token picture she finally remembered to take of my first weekend getaway on the way home!

Our Little Valentine

2009-02-18T12:55:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it, but our little girl is already one month old!!! The last month has flown by and I am still in disbelief every day at how fast the days disappear on you. It has been a busy month (given I am just know getting around to finally updating the blog for the first time since she's been born) full of lots of up and downs. We have had our challenges with feeding and weight gain, but things are starting to turn around and I think we are winning that battle now. Ryan and I are finding our groove and gaining confidence every day. We are madly in love with our little girl and couldn't be happier with our new family!!!

Kate's Baby Shower

2009-02-18T12:39:00.000-08:00

At just over three weeks old, Kate was thrown a baby shower on Sunday, February 8. Heather and Jenn were kind enough to organize and host the shower at our house. My mom and sister were also kind enough to come out earlier that weekend and make sure the house was presentable for company....housekeeping hasn't been on mommy's priority list lately!!!

Not only did we have some of my closest friends from Calgary come and spend the day with us, but Tracy (aka - Oprah) and Lotte flew in from Saskatoon to attend Kate's shower. It was a very nice surprise and the only downfall was that they had to get on a plane that night and go home before we got our fill of them!

It wouldn't be an event that Jenn was involved in planning if she didn't make me wear some ridiculous outfit and pose for a picture! For those of you that don't know the story, I really wanted to makes sure that my hair was straightened when I went into the hosptial for my delivery. I knew if my hair was curly, after going through hours of labour my hair would be a total mess and I knew I'd have the camera there to capture all of those first moment's of "Walnut's" life. My sister (having had 2 children already) scoffed at this and said I wouldn't care what my hair looked like at that point and that it would get wet and curly if I went into the shower or tub at the hospital anyways. I then took a poll among my friends (both those who have had and haven't had children) to see if I was totally out to lunch. I'd say the results were mixed, but at the end of the day Jenn ended up buying me a shower cap, so that not only could I use the hot shower for pain relief in my labour, but my hair would be saved! I didn't get the shower cap in time as I went into the hospital the night before Jenn was going to bring the shower cap to me (hence why I received it at the baby shower). I never actually ventured into the shower during my labour anyways, but the funniest part of the whole story though, is that the labour and delivery nurse who was helping me clean up in the bathroom after Kate was born, did say to me, "Wow, I can't believe how great your hair looks after you've just given birth."

Birth & Babies

2009-02-18T12:26:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I have been taking a Birth & Babies class since last November. It's supposed to be a 10 week class with 4 classes pre-baby and 6 classes post-baby (give or take a few). Given Christmas was in there, we actually spread the classes over 4 months. We had a great instructor (Maija, below with Kate) and some great couples, so we really enjoyed it. It was nice to hear other birth stories and to compare notes on how you "really" feel at week 3 of your new baby's life!!!

Out of 10 couples, we ended up with only 2 little boys and 8 girls!!! Here's a picture from our last class (unfortunately, only 6 couples were able to make it to the class on picture night).

Meet Your New Friends

2009-02-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I are so blessed to have such supportive family and friends in our lives. Kate is going to grow up a very lucky little girl, because she has been welcomed with open arms by everyone. She may also grow up to be one "spoiled" little girl, because these warm and caring friends have also been very "generous".....thanks again to everyone for all of the wonderful gifts!

Kate's First Week

2009-02-18T12:21:00.000-08:00

The first week of Kate's life was an amazing experience! We were surrounded by loved ones and I couldn't stop staring at this gorgeous little being. I literally, couldn't take my eyes off of her. This was mainly due to the fact that her delivery was quite quick and they don't tend to suction babies like they used to when they are born so Kate had quite a bit of mucous in her lungs. This was a tad bit scary given that she is just figuring out how to breathe let alone gag and cough in those first few days, so there were a few back pounding moments that I'd rather forget! At least the first couple happened in the hospital with nurses and doctors there to show us how it's done, but it was something that makes a first time parent, even more paranoid!!!

Those first few days I was on a total high. Nevermind, that I had given birth and had 4 straight nights of no sleep as I was busy watching her sleep all night long. I remember saying to Ryan on Day 3, that I couldn't believe how much energy I had as I buzzed around the house doing this thing and that, sending e-mails, entertaining visitors and returning phone calls. It wasn't until about Day 6 when I started coming down off of baby euphoria. It's amazing what the body can do, but those nights of staring at her when she was so calm and peaceful (snd slightly jaundice which helps with the sleep) will eventually come to an end and then you're even more tired and sleep-deprived (rookie mistake, I know that now)!

Kate's first bath also happened in that first week at home and we were lucky to have Nana and Auntie Kim on hand to help with that. It was almost a 4 man job as she was quite unhappy and flailing about quite dramatically!

Meet Your New Family

2009-02-18T12:15:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I are so lucky to have such supportive family and friends in our lives. Kate is going to grow up a very lucky little girl also, because she has been welcomed with open arms by everyone.

When Kate was 2 days old, we had a first wave of visitors as we got to introduce her to Papa, Auntie Kim, Uncle Matt, and her cousins Kyle and Andrew (as she'd already met Nana in the hospital). It was a really special day and it was neat to watch the boys react to their new little cousin.

When Kate was just a week old, her Grandma and Grandpa Michel flew out from Saskatchewan to spend a few days with us and to meet their new granddaughter. It was a great visit and before they left, Grandma and Grandpa Michel even bought us a webcam so we could stay in contact and they could watch Kate grow bigger on our weekly chats.

What's In A Name?

2009-02-18T11:45:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I knew long before we were even pregnant with "Walnut" what our baby names were going to be. We had narrowed down the first names on both the boy and girl sides and then once we were pregnant we picked out our middle names (which was also pretty easy task for us).

We both really liked the name Kate. We thought it was a nice, strong name that went well with Michel. Kate's middle names are Inez Elizabeth and we get asked often where we got these names from. Kate is named after my Grandma Enion, who passed away in 2001. Although Kate will never get to meet her Great Grandma, she will know what a special lady she was named after.

My Grandma Enion was an absolutely amazing woman. She was loving, caring, intelligent, classy and family oriented. She was the only girl in a family with 10 children. Being the only girl with 9 brothers, she played an integral role in keeping that family running. She was a historian, who loved to keep track of our family history. She kept and dated old photos with names and stories and I always joke that Grandma was a "scrapbooker" before they came out with the fancy punches and stickers. People enjoyed spending time with my Grandma and I will never forget her funeral when the entire town of Maryfield was there and spilling out of the church to pay their respects and to say goodbye to her. She had a warmth and a presence that made people love to be around her and she was also a very strong, independent woman. Inez Elizabeth was the kind of woman that I can only hope that our little girl grows up to be just like!

And Then There Were Three!!!

2009-02-18T11:37:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I were tickled pink to welcome our little girl, Kate Inez Elizabeth Michel into the world on Thursday, January 15, 2009. This day is now officially the most memorable and amazing day in our lives!

It was a good thing Kate decided to stay an extra week inside mom's tummy, as at a week overdue she still only weighed 6 pounds,14.5 ounces and was 21 inches long. She has a ton of dark hair and already everyone is saying how much she looks like her daddy! At only a few days old, you could already start to see that her eyes were starting to look like a nice, dark brown and I have a feeling that Kate may grow up to be her daddy's "brown eyed girl."

The day was made even more special as my mom (aka - Nana) was able to come down from Red Deer to be here for Kate's birth. The labour and delivery went quite smoothly (well as smoothly as that process ever goes I guess)!!! I had my first contraction at 4:20 am and she was born 6 and half hours later at 10:51 am. I think I even impressed my dear hubby, as I never swore at him or called him any names the entire time....although at one point during a particularly rough contraction he was blowing on my face and I quite sharply asked him "TO QUIT BREATHING ON ME!!!"

We were also very lucky, as once we left the labour and delivery ward, we were able to get our own private room in the post-partum ward which also meant we were able to sneak Pat, our first visitor in (even if we were breaking hospital protocol).

Baby's First Christmas will be in 2009!

2008-12-28T15:53:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with their loved ones this year, I know that we certainly did! Although, we didn't get to see the Michel's in person this year, we did have a house full of family with my Mom and Dad and the Wallace crew coming to stay with us. It was great having everyone here and they even left us with turkey soup and quiche in the freezer for life post-baby (thanks Mom, Dad and Kim...we're going to enjoy that in January for sure)! The boys got Guitar Hero for the Wii for Christmas and I'm not sure who liked it more, Kyle or Auntie...yep, I may be 9 months pregnant, but I could definitely still rock out!!!

I was exactly 38 weeks on Christmas Day and there have already been a few family guesses for Walnut's birthday come and gone....sorry Andrew and Ben, no baby on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. My sister is also very certain that this baby is going to come in 2008, but I'm quite content with Walnut staying on "the inside" for one more week! I'm pretty sure at that point, I'll have got my fill of nesting (or at least checked off a few more things from the To Do List now that I'm done work and Christmas is over) and I'll be ready for baby to come into this world.

My sister got me this cute book called, "Ma, There's Nothing to Do in Here" and I think Walnut enjoyed me reading it on Christmas, because that night he/she was kicking so hard that I could literally see a foot that I swear was going to come through my side. I have a feeling that Walnut is getting bored inside mom's tummy and wants to come and meet everyone.

Last Day of Work!!!

2008-12-19T12:32:00.000-08:00

It's officially (sort of, kind of) my last day at work! All of the crucial "must do's" are done, but my desk is a mess and there are still a few other things I want to have cleaned up before I leave, so I might be popping into the office early next week, but my ever so thoughtful co-workers did want to give me a proper send off today and this is what they had for me.

Quite the visual isn't it?????

Belly Shots (warning: viewer discretion is advised)

2008-12-10T20:46:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago, Ryan and I went to Life Photo Studios in the Beacon Hill Centre where Matt's Aunt Lenora is a part-owner. She had given us a membership to their "Lullaby Club" with the first of four sessions being maternity photos. Here are a few of our favourites:

35 down....only 5 to go!

2008-12-02T20:06:00.000-08:00

I knew once we hit the third trimester that time would start to fly, but I am surprised at just how quickly it is flying by...only 5 weeks left to go! Other than Walnut enjoying too much time up in my ribcage and making me quite uncomfortable, I'm doing well. We started our Birth and Babies class last week too. It's a 10 week course that we are taking at the Rockyview Hospital. We have 12 couples in our class and the due dates range from Dec. 30 to Jan. 20. They typically plan for you to be able to attend the first four classes before baby and then as babies start to arrive you bring the babies along to the classes. With Christmas and New Year's in there, I just hope that we make it through the Labour and Delivery classes before Walnut decides to make his/her arrival!

Kristelle @ 35 weeks

Soup's On!

2008-12-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

Pat had a great idea a few weeks ago. Since she's already experienced how drastically life changes with a newborn in the house, she suggested that we get together for a cooking bee and fill our freezers. Alyssa and I went over to Pat's on Sunday and cooked for hours....we ended up with lasagna's, italian chicken roll-ups, hamburger soup, corn chowder and butternut squash soup.

Pat - due Jan. 12

Kristelle - due Jan. 8

Alyssa - due Feb. 4

Place your bets!

2008-11-26T19:35:00.000-08:00

What colour will Walnut be wearing home from the hospital? Will it be pink or will it be blue....that's the question! Ryan and I are anxiously awaiting the answer and we have asked our family members what they think. Here are the gender and birthdate guesses:

Andrew Wallace - Boy on Dec. 25 in the PM
Ben Michel - Boy on Dec. 26 in the AM
Kim Wallace - Boy on Dec. 30 in the PM
Sharon Enion - Girl on Jan. 5 in the PM
Dick Michel - Boy on Jan. 6 in the AM
Matt Wallace - Girl on Jan. 7 in the AM
Ken Enion - Girl on Jan. 8 in the PM
Kyle Wallace - Boy on Jan. 10 in the PM
Audrey Michel - Girl on Jan. 10 in the PM
Chris Michel - Girl on Jan. 12 in the AM
Olivia Michel - Girl on Jan. 13 in the PM
Lindsee Michel - Girl on Jan. 17 in the AM

Who will be the winner?

Treasures from the Past

2008-11-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

With Baby Michel's arrival getting closer by the day, both my parents and Ryan's parents have given us a few keepsakes from our childhoods. It's actually quite neat to look back and see some of these things and to think that our mother's kept them for us for the last thirty years! What's even cuter, is that we have both a His and Hers version of a couple things...our booties (note that I actually appeared to have worn mine out and Ryan must have gotten carried around everywhere in his) and our ceramic shoes that we received as gifts from others.

Visit to Saskatchewan

2008-11-10T20:34:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I headed to Weyburn last weekend to visit with friends and family that we aren't going to get to see at Christmas this year (as we'll likely be sticking quite close to home with Walnut's impending arrival early in the new year). Ben and Olivia were both excited to hear Walnut's heartbeat and even made a couple cards to welcome their new cousin to the family.

We also headed out to Redvers to spend the day with my Grandpa Jack. We had a really good visit and spent a lot of time reminiscing and looking through his old photos. I can only hope that my memory is that good when I am 91 years old!

Happy Halloween

2008-11-10T20:28:00.000-08:00

From our little pumpkin to yours,

we hope you had an awesome Halloween!

Kristelle @ 30 weeks

Officially in the Third Trimester!

2008-10-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

Well it's official....I'm in the third trimester and Baby Michel's arrival is getting closer and closer! I'm 29 weeks tomorrow, so only 11 more to go. With Christmas in here I know the time is going to fly by. My last day at work (assuming Walnut doesn't make an early appearance) is going to be Dec. 19th....so less than 2 months left of work....yay to that!!!

Here are the latest and greatest pictures of the belly (notice how I'm not calling it a "baby bump" anymore.....in the last month it has defnitely gone from bump to belly). :-)

Lots to Be Thankful For

2008-10-14T20:29:00.001-07:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this past weekend! We had my parents, Kim, Matt, Kyle and Andrew all come and stay with us. They came on Friday night and although Ryan and I had set up the air mattress in Walnut's room for the boys to sleep in, we were told by Andrew that "he wasn't sleepin' in a baby's room." We thought the boys would like sleeping in there with Ryan's new paint job, but apparently we were wrong! They did think it was "cool", they just weren't going to sleep in it, because they aren't babies!!!

The boys also thought it was "cool" to listen to Auntie and Uncle's baby with the headphones and to feel it kicking. Both Andrew and Kyle think that Auntie is going to have a baby boy and we've even received name recommendations from each of the boys. Kyle wants us to name his cousin, Simon and Andrew wants us to name his cousin, Pierce.....oddly enough, Simon and Pierce are brothers that are the same ages as Kyle and Andrew that they hang out with on a regular basis!

Another New Set of Wheels

2008-10-14T20:14:00.000-07:00

We have made a couple purchases in anticipation of little Walnut joining our family, the biggest one so far being the stroller and car seat combination. I was quite excited on Saturday when I went with my mom and sister to Bo Bebe in West Hills to pick up the car seat we had ordered. That night Ryan unpacked it and put it together. I'm not going to lie, I had a little fit while trying to get the seat to "latch" into the car seat adaptor and I'm still not sure I've got the magic touch but my sister says it just takes practice....we'll see!!!

The other major purchase we have made is our rocker glider. We don't have it yet, as we just ordered it last weekend from E-Children, but I am going to take this opportunity to say that after an awful experience at Kacz Kids, I am telling anyone that will listen not to shop there!!!! After being asked not to sit in a glider in the "glider gallery", I was told that I didn't need to try out the ottomans that go with the gliders, because they are just a "little thing"...yeah, a little thing that by themselves cost $300! After getting over the shock at how rudely I was being treated, I was able to give a little attitude back to the "saleswoman" and Ryan and I promptly turned around and walked out of Kacz Kids (hopefully never to return again)!

Wiggly Walnut

2008-09-21T11:13:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have seen quite a few changes. Other than Ryan telling people that I'm "getting bigger"....thanks babe...they have all been quite exciting. The first thing is that I am feeling the baby move a lot now! I actually can't believe in the span of a couple weeks, how much and how often I can feel the baby moving in my belly. What's even more exciting, is that Ryan got to feel the baby move for the first time the other night...even sooner than we expected that to happen! I also felt my first spell of Walnut having the hiccups when I was laying in bed the other morning...I thought it was pretty cool, but I'm told that feeling fades quickly if Walnut gets the hiccups often!

Oh I lied, there was one more not so fun experience that was new last week. I got my first case of heartburn. I've never had heartburn before so I wasn't sure what was going on, but I knew I didn't like it! After suffering for a day and night with it (and consulting Alyssa as to what exactly it feels like to have heartburn), I bought my first big bottle of Tums and I now carry it around with me in my purse!

Ryan Michel-angelo

2008-09-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

You will not believe this, but Ryan is already done with Walnut's room!!! In less than a month, he stripped wallpaper, primed the walls, designed the mural, drew the mural, taped off the mural (many times over) and painted numerous coats of the 12 different colours in the room. My husband truly is Michel-angelo!

Our San Fran Getaway

2008-09-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

Last week Ryan and I took a trip down to San Francisco with Alyssa and Phil. None of us had ever been before so we had an action packed holiday while we saw as much of San Fran as we could in the 5 days we were there. We saw a lot and we definitely put a few miles on our sneakers! I think the highlights for us were the trip to Alcatraz (tip to any of you who want to go, book the first ferry out in the morning and make a bee-line for the audio tour in the cell-house....we were the first ones there and basically got to tour Alcatraz on our own without the masses), the Giants baseball game where Ryan managed to get us front row tickets on the third base line, and the day we drove out to Napa Valley (when I say "we", I mean Alyssa who did a great job of tackling the traffic and finding our way....with a little help from Philys)!!!

We had a great time and it was actually quite fun to have another pregnant gal along for the ride, because it meant I wasn't the only one constantly telling the guys it was time for yet another bathroom break. It also took the sting off the fact that I couldn't drink the wine while we were in Napa Valley, having someone else sharing my pain. We actually joked that while Ryan and Phil got to tour the wineries and taste the wines of Napa, Alyssa and I got to tour the washrooms!

One Step Closer to a Minivan

2008-09-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I had a tough decision to make this month....keep the truck or trade it in for a more "family friendly" vehicle. We knew the truck would be fine with a baby seat, but not so convenient for toting around a stroller, etc. It was a tough decision, but in the end we decided it was time to get one step closer to a minivan! We decided on the Toyota Highlander, which is an SUV with a third row seat option that you can use for two more passengers or just keep down for an extra large cargo hatch area. We have had it for just over a week, but we already happy with the decision we made. We were sad to see the Tacoma go, but it is nice to drive the Highlander that's for sure!

Ryan's Room (the beginning)

2008-09-08T21:19:00.000-07:00

As soon as we found out we were pregnant, Ryan knew he wanted to do a mural painting in the baby's room. He decided on a Baby Einstein theme and he was off and running. He started drawing up the plans and when I first saw them, I thought he was being "quite ambitious". I thought he was just going to do one wall and when I saw the plans, he was doing all four walls! I wouldn't say that I doubted his abilities, but I was a little worried that he was taking on quite a bit. Ryan started drawing on the actual walls on August 22 and started taping off that same weekend. That weekend we also went and picked out all the Baby Einstein colours at Home Depot and the following week he was set to paint. He started with sky blue, then the grass green and last weekend he was already onto dark tree green. It's quite a process to paint because he has to tape off all of the objects, then paint one colour (usually 3 coats), then wait for it to dry, take off the tape then re-tape for the next colour. It's coming along awesome and I have no doubt he will get it done in the next few months!

Latest & Greatest Ultrasound Pics

2008-08-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from our last ultrasound at 19 and a half weeks. Unfortunately, Walnut had the cord covering part of his/her face in the first picture. I figured the picture of the long, athletic looking leg is a good indication that I am going to feel some pretty hard kicks to the rib cage in the weeks to come. The spine one kind of creeps Ryan out, but I think it's pretty cool.

20 Weeks Down, 20 weeks To Go!

2008-08-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

We have officially hit the halfway point! Last Thursday I was 20 weeks. We had our 18-20 week ultrasound last Monday (August 18) and everything looked great. Walnut was quite active and looked like he/she was either talking to us or swallowing amniotic fluid the whole time. I read the other day that babies as old as Walnut may actually have a sense of taste already. Apparently Walnut was enjoying the Vietnemese Sub I'd had for lunch that day!

By popular demand, here are the first of the belly pics!

Elastic is my New Best Friend!

2008-08-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

There's no more hiding it....the old clothes are out and the stretchy and the baggy is in! I went out and bought a few things from Thyme Maternity and Motherhood Maternity, but I've also been very lucky because Tracy sent me 4 boxes of maternity clothes. Having had 3 kids she had a wide variety of maternity clothes for me. I've also been given my sister's favourite purple maternity shirt that was a staple in her wardrobe when she was pregnant with both Kyle and Andrew (and rightfully so as I wore it to work the other day and got quite a few compliments)!

Three's Company!!!

2008-08-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I are very excited to be expecting our first child. We are enjoying all of the experiences that come with pregnancy, but what's even more fun is that we have some company going through it right along with us! Within the same week, I found out that not only would I have one close friend going through this at the same time as me, but two!!!

I am due on January 8th, and only 4 days later Pat (and Kris) Zack are expecting their third child. Only two short weeks later, Alyssa (and Phil) Keyes are expecting their first child. It's great because Pat is the "expert" having been through this a couple times before, and is very helpful in giving me an idea of what's to come. With Alyssa being a first-timer like me, she is the one I can ask the silly "does this happen to you" questions and we're even attending a couple prenatal classes together.

With all the "we're having a baby news" we have definitely kept Jenn busy with her handmade "congrats" cards!

Ultrasound Adventure @ 16 weeks

2008-08-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

We had our second ultrasound last Friday and it was an adventure! It came time to drink my water an hour and a half before the appointment and I did so very diligently. I may have even gone above and beyond the 4 glasses of water required and chugged another half a litre on the car ride to the clinic. When we got there we checked in and after about 15 minutes I started getting a little uncomfortable. Another 15 minutes go by and I was quite uncomfortable! At this point, Ryan is trying to distract me and ask me questions to try to get my mind off the fact that I feel I am going to wet myself in the waiting room. It's at this point, that I start worrying, because if I think having to pee really badly is painful, how am I ever going to get through labour!!!! Well, when they finally called me in to the room an hour after my appointment was scheduled I could barely walk. The technician asked me if I was in pain, I said, "well, I am uncomfortable" and she told me I could go release my bladder until it no longer hurt and it just felt like I still had to pee. Yahoo!!!! I have never been so happy to go pee in my life. I come back into the room and we get started with the ultrasound. As soon as she begins she says, "were you not able to go pee?" and I say, "oh yeah, I did" to which she replies, "wow, you must have really had to go because your bladder is still completely full!" So there you have it, I made a rookie mistake and drank way more water than I needed to and didn't factor into account the Calgary Health Region waiting room time. Next time, I'll be like those other pregnant ladies that were in the waiting room, who were sipping their water WHILE they waited!

Anyways, aside from the near bladder bursting incident, our second ultrasound was very exciting. We got to see the baby again and it was really awesome. The screen was up on the wall at this clinic so we got to see everything as the technician moved around and checked that all was okay. Walnut was quite active near the end too and Ryan and I both swear that we got a little hand wave at one point.

We're Having A Baby!

2008-07-22T19:18:00.000-07:00

We found out in May of 2008 that we were going have a baby! It was one of the most exciting days of our lives. Kristelle tried to keep it a secret from Ryan and got up at the crack of dawn to take the test while she thought he was still sleeping. She wanted to tell him in a fun way, but unfortunately he was also awake at 5:00am that Sunday and was eagerly awaiting her return to bed. Our lives changed that very moment, when Ryan asked, "So?" and Kristelle answered, "Yep!".

We've already had a little excitement in our pregnancy, given we had our first ultrasound at 10 weeks and found out that in fact we were 14 weeks!!!! How does that happen???? Apparently our little one is already trying to keep us on our toes! After we got over the intial shock and wonderment at how that actually happened, we couldn't believe what we were seeing on the screen. That day we went from "being pregnant" to "having a baby." Kristelle also went from having a due date of February 4, 2009 to having a due date of January 8, 2009 (a day after her birthday)!

Everything is going very well in our pregnancy, and we are enjoying every moment of it...well every moment, less the nausea and a few other little "treats" of pregnancy. We hope that you enjoy being able to share in the much awaited arrival of Baby Michel.