Sleeping Girl

YEAH....My happy baby has returned from the dark side...well, at least she is appearing to be happy again, sleeping again, not in agony. Still no new teeth, but they are either not hurting anymore, or she has given up fussing about it. After not sleeping at all yesterday during the day, I was quite surprised to see her drifting off. I was heating up her bottle, turned around and found her a little wiped out (must have been the Beans and Pears she had for lunch).

Enjoy the video!

Teeth and Snot 101

Greta has a cold...and new teeth coming.
Gail has a headache....and returning to work is looking mighty good!

Lets just say, this past week has been exhausting, emotionally and physically draining and if these top teeth of Greta's don't make their way in to her little mouth soon I quite possibly will loose my mind. Sweet little Greta - our mild mannered, mellow little gal is hurting and the pain is making her a handful. I feel awful for her, I really mean it, I can only imagine the agony and pain in her little mouth. I had a torture filled childhood of mouth / teeth issues, no wonder I still fear the dentist I practically lived at the dental or orthodontist clinic so I do know mouth pain, but wow...Greta can go from mild to cranky in seconds. It's not all day crankiness, it's more unsettled and she has almost developed a fear against sleeping - I mean it, she is so tired, exhausted really, but fights sleep every step of the way. She is thankfully still sleeping at night, but only because she has no fight left in her. Of course a sign I am a first time mother - I take her to the Doctor because I think she must have pneumonia, or a stomach infection, or best case scenario an ear infection, as no NORMAL baby surely fusses and cries like this. So, off I go with my cranky baby to the Dr, who of course becomes angel baby, best baby patient of the year as soon as we hit the parking lot of the medical clinic. She smiles and charms the Dr as she usually does, thankfully she does tug at her ears so at least I don't look like a complete idiot, and as a bonus, she gives a little fake cough. But low and behold, her ears are fine, lungs are fine, tonsils were a tad red, BUT, it's her teeth...The runny nose is caused by the teeth, even the cough, you got it, the extra saliva from the teeth is causing that too. The Dr sympathetically tells me she is sorry she couldn't give me something for an infection, as that would be easy, nope, I just have to suffer through 20 teeth...oh, I mean Greta has to suffer through them. We are doing everything....frozen teethers, frozen face clothes tied in knots (some even soaked in apple juice), frozen banana pieces, oragel and phew, Tylenol. We also have the cool mist running in her room, the mattress elevated and still, runny nose and sore teeth. The Dr did say the two front teeth are the worse, well, I believe it as the two on the bottom just appeared one morning, no issues at all. Anyway, enough about teeth. I'm exhausted, meant to go to bed over an hour ago, but I was chatting with my friend Jenn this evening, sadly her little guy is in the hospital with a possible appendix surgery on the way for tomorrow AM, even more sad is the Dr who they waited over a day for, forgot about the poor little guy and went home, I swear I don't know how the QEH stays open, we would be better off having home visits from the few competent Dr's around. Anyway, I will send good vibes to Caleb and hopes he feels better and hopes for the Dr's sake that Jenn has a good sleep tonight, as I would love to be a fly on the wall when he finally comes by to see his patient and she gets her hands on him! Jenn actually gave me the snot sucking advice when I told her Greta had a cold - well, she didn't give me the play by play on how to do it, she just said, don't forget the snot bulb...so in honour of the snot bulb advice, and to all those who will have a snotty nose to somehow deal with...enjoy the step by step instructions brought to you by theteethingmom.com .

A New Parent's Guide to Snot Sucking

Suck your baby's snot out in these easy steps and you're guaranteed to have a mucous free baby in no time!

1. Get your earplugs out. Or, don't get your earplugs, it's up to you.

2. While waiting for hubby to finish taking a dump, prepare the following:

-aspirator bulb or turkey baster, depending on the amount of snot sucking you anticipate
-Boogie Wipes
- Handcuffs (in the absence of an assistant)

3. Lay baby down on the bed and let her roll around and play as if nothing's about to happen.

4. As soon as hubby's done taking care of his business, have him hold baby's hands and pin her down on the bed, facing you.

5. Stop. Have hubby wash his hands.


6. With baby's hands pinned down by hubby, straddle your baby's hips and distract her by singing a Black Sabbath classic to help relax her nerves.

7. Hold the bulb/baster with your right hand and hold your baby's head in place with your left. Continue singing your song.

8. Start sucking the snot immediately. Notice the violent aggression of your baby towards you. She wants to hurt you. This is normal.

9. When using the bulb in a lighting fast motion, please note that it is also normal to confuse your baby's nose with her mouth and remnants of the snot may end up as dinner. Don't be alarmed. From what I hear, this is good protein for underweight and premie babies. However, an overweight child like mine does not need the extra calories. If this is the case, extract the snot from her tongue using the Boogie Wipes.

10. If or when baby manages to escape, this means that you and hubby are weak and will need to spend some serious time in the gym. Repeat steps 3 to 9.

11. If baby shows exacerbated aggression, rendering this procedure unsuccessful, have hubby suspend baby upside down, like a pendulum, for five minutes. Sway from left to right. Wait for gravity to do its job and wipe the snot before it rolls down her eyes.

Hope you enjoyed...I have to admit, I needed the chuckle!

Toodles...oh, and non baby news, my new kitchen counters are just 5 days away, yahoo.

Long Week

Just a quick stop by the old Blog to say hello! I don't have much to say, it's been one hell of a week. Tonight an old friend posted a status on Facebook that read:

"Ever have those days when you feel annoyed, unhappy, not positive, not thoughtful etc..but suck it up cause you don't want to make your day worse expressing it..."

I read that and thought, that sums up my week, maybe it's why I haven't written anything on the blog, the old saying if you have nothing nice to say - say nothing at all. Well, it's a good saying but if you have been reading along with my journey you no doubt have figured out I don't mind saying what I think. Greta had her needles last Friday and although she didn't experience any fever or major trauma, she has been "off" ever since. AKA, grumpy little bear! Sure she still smiles and grins and giggles here and there, but as quick as her smile can appear, so too can the crying. We are dumbfounded (well, I am) as I don't know what to do with her when she gets upset, we don't see it often, so to have her crying at night is puzzling and of course I think she is in pain or has a medical issue. Thankfully we are seeing some improvements, two nights since the needles our expert 12 hour sleeper was getting up during the night, but that has reversed back to normal (thank goodness)...but she is still a bit off and it doesn't bring out the best in me. Darren is a lot more calm and cool than I, I seem to get frustrated and hear my voice rising and my blood pressure along with it. Teething is not helping the little thing, believe me, I have had enough teeth torture in my childhood and adult life to write a book on Dental practices, so I can only imagine the agony of trying to get these little teeth through the gums, as hard as it is on Greta, its hard on the adults too. I have tried everything, and I must admit, may have found a few good ones that seem to help (that don't include drugging her with Tylenol - which I have resorted to on occasion). I have the common frozen teething rings, but I also have froze carrots and put them in the mesh food holders so she can chomp away like a little bunny, I have soaked facecloths in water and apple juice, tied them in knots and froze them (got to love the Internet Google Search) - this one seems to be the favorite thus far! And can I praise Sophie the Giraffe a thousand times over. For those who had kids pre-Sophie, it's a rubber giraffe, that is over priced - but worth every cent! She munchies on that thing like it's a gourmet meal, I almost want to tie him to her outfit with her soother clip, a little leash of sorts! But enough about that. I am just happy the week is coming to an end and fingers crossed for better moods, activities and things to do.

SIGH...you can't tell, but I'm here to tell you, this blog was interrupted by a screaming baby! What is going on, can babies have nightmares and if so, what are they about, the Public Health Nurse perhaps who was rude and told me her soft spot was closing in early and would mean her brain wouldn't have room to grow (I have refrained from writing the whole story - but they should be charged with stupidity for telling first time parents stuff) - and for the record - she may not be able to find the soft spot on her head, but I can in one second and the Dr saw her the week prior and said nothing, so I'm confident we don't have to have a piece of her skull removed to allow her brain room to grow! Anyway, I'm back to writing, Darren is with Greta.

As for other stuff, well, another friend said tonight she is going to try to not care what others think! I've said that every year and wish I could follow through with this task, my life would be so much better if I stopped caring about other people's thoughts, actions and comments, I have come a long way though. I had lots of time to reflect the past few months and you no doubt have heard (or read) me comment how having a baby was interesting on the friendships. It is an ongoing discussion in our house (me discussing, Darren telling me to stop caring) but people have really surprised me, some good, some not so good. Greta is 6.5 months already, I really have to wonder just how busy people really are...I mean, 196 days is a long time to be busy every single day. So, my new thought, I'm not going to make any efforts either. I have lots to do and people to see and I really need to get over things....so...presto! I'm over it! HA! Life is too short, both to not make time to get out and do things, even if it's a quick hour for coffee or supper, but life is also too short to waste time caring about the actions of others or lack of them in some cases.

Gosh, thank goodness for Facebook, or there would be nothing to write about. I'll end with another status, "If you and I were to wake up in jail, in 4 words what would you say" - my response - Yahoo, a night out! I really need to get out of this house, as sitting in jail for a night actually would mean a little human contact, someone to cook for me, I wouldn't have to worry about laundry as surely they would give me a standard jumper, I bet for good behaviour I'd even get to watch some TV, ummm, sounds like a great plan to me! Now, I will apologise, I was suppose to make that status my new status...I failed....I didn't - only because I figured some may say, Throw away the key, It was your fault, You are royally screwed...I didn't need to hear them all !!!

Of course, I've been snapping pics and shooting video's...so enjoy the little Banana Taste Test Video at the end of this post. We'll try bananas again, our Dr told me to slice banana's and freeze them, but I thought I would see if she liked the flavour...she didn't! I have a nice jar of them ready to try out on another ocassion, maybe with better reception. It still cracks me up every time I watch the video, hope it puts a smile on your face too.

Oh, and watch for the February Issue of G! Magazine (an Island Magazine). My blog on Push Presents is going to be published! I took the swear words out...I promise!

These are a Few of My Favorite Things (The Cheaper Version of Oprah's list!!!)

I have been thinking about blogging about my "Favorite Things" for quite some time, I had a few old standby favorites, but of course, with a little one in the house along with my shopping habits I think I have tried just about every brand and baby item on the market. For years I wrote a cookbook, but this year I just didn't get it finished (okay, I didn't get it started or finished)...but my opening page each year was all about my favorite things and a few things I was thankful for, so I only thought it appropriate to share the 2010 opener of my cookbook (I promise to finish it sometime in 2011).

Welcome to the first page of What Should be my Annual Cookbook!

What a year, one full of fear, happiness, new life, health challenges, friendships, loss, new beginnings and lessons learned. A standard line in all my cookbook openers must show it's face again - It was once said to me, “If you didn’t have bad luck, you would have no luck at all.” Well, that is true, this is my 5th year of dealing with Dr's, Nurses, Specialists and Needles and realizing that when they call it a medical practice - it's really because the health professionals are practicing, BUT, I squeezed in a few positives in 2010 and of course, I still can find much to be thankful for:

“I’m thankful for the healthy arrival of our little miracle baby Greta Claire who took a chance at choosing Darren and I as parents and has so kindly been a wonderful, easy and pleasant baby making our transition to parenthood so much easier. I'm thankful that I didn't end up in Unit 9 during my pregnancy, although I begged to go there on numerous occasions. I'm thankful for my darling Scarlet, my blue eyed handsome boy Casanova and the joy and love they show me each time I walk through the door. I'm thankful that my beloved big boned cat Paris was the most amazing companion for 15 years and provided me with affection, a furry head to cry on and a devoted friendship that humans only wish they could experience, of course, it makes his death this past September that much tougher, but I'm grateful we did all we could. I'm thankful to the Vets who saved Scarlet after an incompetent Vet almost killed her, of course, I must point out how thankful I am that the Vet College took MasterCard when I heard the $5000 estimate to save her and to my Mother and Darren for helping with the cost of saving my furry baby. I'm thankful for online shopping and the Fed Ex guy who delivers my purchases on a regular basis. As always, I’m thankful for MasterCard, Visa and American Express....just because they make my life so much more complete! I'm thankful for the Confederation Bridge that allows me to escape the fair isle to shop at Costco and for the SUV I drive to bring home all my goodies. I’m thankful that I don’t know everything that people say behind my back, and for the cliche that Karma will catch up eventually. I’m thankful I have the right to vote, even if I don't like any of the candidates. I'm thankful for the renewed friendships, the new friendships and the realization of who is a true friend during a year when we really needed a good support system. I am thankful my hard work and years of studying have afforded me an amazing career that I look forward to returning to, but for this year, am thankful for the full pay while I'm on maternity leave. I’m thankful for The Bachelor (yes I said it, everyone needs a ridiculous show to yell at, talk about, get annoyed about and swear you'll never watch it again) - but the new Season starts tomorrow!!! I'm thankful for an all too patient husband, who despite taking vows that included sickness and health, surely didn't expect our years together to be all about my sickness. I'm thankful he is also the most amazing and loving Daddy to Greta, and when my patience and energy runs out he takes over with his calm demeanour and makes me realize just how lucky our little girl is. I'm thankful for hot chocolate, Twix Bars, Motts Freezies, Pizza Dough from Buns and Things Bakery, New Hampshire Outlets, Facebook, my camera that I capture our little gals firsts with, my comfy home, the birds that visit our feeders, primitive decor, and dare I say prednisone (for despite my complaints, puffy face, water filled body, mental breakdowns, mood swings, aches and pains - this damn drug has kept me alive and functioning with an okay liver). For all those who invited us to share in your lives this year or who made efforts to be a part of ours, I thank you.

And I’m thankful always for white bread, comfortable shoes, color in my hair that covers the grey, musicals and theatre, Buttercream Yankee candles, all the seasons, holidays, sick days, and that lucky penny I pick up in hopes of future dreams. I'm thankful that I catch 11:11 on the clock at least once a week and I always make a wish. I’m thankful for my scars (although it's getting a tad insane), as it means I have survived something small or large and that pain can be taken away with tiny little pills. And this year I'm thankful that Mommy is my new title, I have survived nasty diapers and power puking and had wonderful followers sharing the experience and my adventures through my blog. I'm thankful for Carters Baby Clothes, Huggies Snugglers, Gripe Water, Baby Oragel, Organic Baby Food, Evenflo Bottles, baby socks and tights that look like there are shoes built in, Little Bee's Owl Hats, Itty Bitty Head Bands made by Krista, Rachel Peters lovely photos who have captured Greta's first few months, Bouncey Seats, Baby Einstein Video's, Guess with Jess Cartoon (I actually really like it!) Cradle Swings and Aveeno Baby wash...Phew, how is that for a favorites list! I’m just thankful I have so many to share things with...my cup runneth over."

May 2011 be a year of new favorites and many more exciting things to be thankful for.
Toodles!

A New Year...PHEW!

WHAT A YEAR!

HELLO 2011! What a year it has been, this very day, one year ago, I sat at my computer writing an announcement I never dreamt would be told....We were expecting a baby! The shock of friends and family closely equaled ours, some were speechless, some laughed, some said OMG you are screwed....and here we are, one year later, with a cute as a button little girl (what a silly analogy - what button is cute) who has stolen the life we once had...for the better! It certainly has been a year of ups and downs, Greta being the UP part, everything else being the DOWN....so thank goodness we had a healthy beautiful little girl, otherwise, 2010 would be in the history books of being one hell of a shitty year. It was a year of renewed friendships, new friendships and the ending of others, nothing like sickness and having a baby to realize who your real friends are, I was told it would be an eye opener, but I was in denial and never really believed it, but wow, "they" were right. But I start 2011 believing those we have in our lives as the New Year starts are the ones who are suppose to be there, the others were part of our past journey...and that is a good thing. So, lets see what we can put in the 2010 vault...

1) January: Prego - mental - scared - mental - skinny(even if I was 4 months along)!!!!

2) February: My Darling Scarlet is sick, but thankfully survived. We are officially in the poor house after thousands of dollars worth of Vet Bills but it was worth it because she is alive. Really MENTAL and we are having a girl! The 3-D ultrasound although confirming the sex, also confirmed the child looked closer to an alien than a baby, oh dear, what in the heck have we created, when the technician said look at that little alien I was scared, really really scared....I couldn't deny, if there was a baby joining us, I really wanted a girl, I think a shopper needs a girl I can't help it.

3) March: A few trips - My last flight to a conference in Montreal, lots of fun and a great experience, followed by a trip to New Hampshire - yikes, can you say baby shopping!

4) April: I'm 36 - Advanced Maternal Age according to the Baby Dr's (I swear, it was on the referral sheet to the IWK), pretty low key b-day, starting to plump up, not enjoying one minute of being pregnant despite not having one day of morning sickness, puffiness...just mental.

5) May: Oh my goodness, we are really having a baby, the countdown is on. I started my blog, finished work (which ended my already bland social life), confirmed the baby would be born via C-section, MENTAL.

6) June: A Mommy and Daddy are born on June 24th, 9:46am - Greta Claire Edgett-Gallant entered the world - with just a little bit of hair and amazingly cute, her alien looking beginnings were gone and she had all the right digits, her eyes were in the right spot, she has my niece Haley's nose and my complexion and green eyes and phew, it was a girl!

7) July: The baby weight is gone but my health takes a turn. After two biopsies and CT Scan it is confirmed my liver is failing and I have been diagnosed with AutoImmune Hepatitis, a chronic liver disease with no cure other than transplant that is going to be controlled with Predinsone and other immune suppressants in hopes of putting it in to remission. My body is attacking the liver, I didn't "catch" this awful disease from someone, my own stupid body is turning on me. The drugs are making me MORE MENTAL.

8) August: Summer - it's come and gone and I missed it. Anniversary comes and we get out alone thanks to my Mother. Treatment sucks, I'm starting to puff up, my skinny post baby body is starting to balloon - MENTAL

9) September: I lost one of the most loyal companions of my adult life, my beloved cat Paris went to the Rainbow Bridge after having a wonderful life but struggling for a few months. It was the most difficult thing I have experienced to make the decision and then to take Paris to have him put down is something I hope I never have to do again. I always thought my pets would live forever, but now I hope the other furry family members just fall asleep when their time on this earth is done. I am so happy Paris lived long enough to be a pet to Greta, even if it was just for a few months. Greta is doing well, we are surviving as parents much to everyones surprise. 1st Babysitter for Greta so we can enjoy a night out to the theatre, making plans for the winter ahead....TV, online shopping, ummm, that about sums it up.

10) October: Tons of birthdays, Darren is 37, Haley is 11, and many others celebrate this month. Our little Greta is a cute kitty kat for Halloween.

11) November: Thank the lord, I get to return to New Hampshire...Baby free, thanks to Mom, Sharon and Haley who babysit Greta for us so we can take a much needed vacation. Sadly, nothing fits as the damn prednisone has me in a ballooned puffy state, so Greta is the winner of my shopping experience. Xmas Decorating starts upon our return home.

12) December: Just like that, 12 months have passed us by, we have a darling, pleasant personality, adorable 6 month old who sleeps through the night, loves her new foods, has a shoe and clothing wardrobe that I'm green with envy about but she sadly has a very sick Mommy who has found herself in and out of the hospital for most of December. We celebrated our first family Christmas, tons of presents, tons of decorations and tons of Doctors, but thankfully she is too young to remember all the hospital stays (although all the nurses loved her). Our home was put on display for over 350 "strangers" during a Christmas House Tour which was a wonderful experience and at least my hard work of decorating was seen by someone. We have a quiet holiday, few visitors, but tons of pictures taken.

Wow, 12 little sentences and the year has come and gone. I will be off work with Greta for 5 more months, here is hoping the next 5 will feel more like a maternity leave and not a sick leave. I hope to return to work in May when she is 11 months old, health permitting of course, not too fond of being on Long Term Disability at 37. Lord, that sounds so old, 37! My hope for the new year, despite it maybe being wishful thinking, is that I'll return to my post baby body (how many can say that!!! HA). I am carrying around a significant fat chubby face and body full of water from the drug treatment that makes me cry every time I look in the mirror, it must leave soon. I am tired of it and it's not wanted. I'm not one for resolutions, so I'll aim for a few things that I might have a hope of seeing happen in 2011, lets call them, things I will attempt to obtain/try/ pretend to accomplish:

1) I'll grow my hair - and get it cut.

2) When someone says something funny to me, I promise not to say LOL, instead, I will really laugh.

3) I vow to shop more for things I really want, not just buy for the sake of buying.

4) I will continue to support Ebay and various online shopping stores!

5) I will try not to google Health Related Symptoms on a daily basis, every second day will suffice.

6) I will try to balance my checkbook - on my nose!

7) I will stop worrying about the stuff in the past, instead I'll focus on worrying about the future.

8) I will stop considering other people's feelings who obviously never consider mine.

9) I'll try to refrain from mentioning the words divorce, dying and moving on an on going basis, I'll wait for a really big fight and appropriate time!

10) I will get my affairs in order and my will written, so you better be nice or you won't make the cut!

Happy New Year to all my Followers, may your New Year be prosperous - I may need a loan!

Toodles!

Christmas Eve

12:11am - Christmas Eve 2010, the night before Xmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse- oh crap, that doesn't work in my world...the cat is howling (yes howling, kind of a sick MEEEOOOOW sound that echo's through your brain, to which point I get up from what I'm doing to chase the cat to another area of the house at least 5 or 6 times a night)...I'm also listening to Greta moan in her sleep as the pounding wind against the house is ensuring we all have restless sleeps, so that little poem doesn't quite work...But WOW, it's Xmas Eve...it does not feel like it at all. I posted a comment earlier on Facebook that I wish I could return to childhood Christmas Days. It just seemed like Christmas meant a little bit more than what it does now: Dolls, Barbies, Cabbage Patch Kids have all been replaced with iPhones, iPads, Laptop computers and cell phones, who would have thought that parents and kids had the same wish list. As I was driving to the store the other night I was listening to the kids call Santa on the radio, I almost went off the road when one little guy asked for an iPhone, laptop and ping pong table - and Santa said the gifts would be under the tree...every kid that night but one asked for an electronic item and in my opinion "an adult toy"...The one little girl who didn't, asked for Lego, Silly Bandz and a surprise...I almost cried (and I'm not emotional at all). This new generation of kids won't know how to talk to people or communicate face to face, or know what it's like to play with real toys like Barbies and board games, sure they can do the virtual play world and play games online, but it's not the same...and this is coming from someone who LOVES the internet, facebook and email...I would be lost without them, but I had a lifetime of learning to talk to people, and to make eye contact and fun with games and toys, the kids now are missing out! So, that is my Xmas rant on the state of today's children! A friend was at the house this past week and asked where Greta's toys were, and I said, she really doesn't have many...she doesn't, honest, she is 6 months old (Today actually marks 6 months) she only needs a few things, and we are not going insane on Christmas Day either, I'm holding strong to not have a house over run with toys, I have to say, I'm quite proud of myself and the state of our house thus far. We did get her a few sweet toys, and a new toy shelf to put the new goodies on, but unless she grows 10 arms, I didn't think we would overload her with too many items to play with. And, there is not one clothing item under the tree...they all just went to the closet..ha! But back to Christmas past and present. Years ago, we were always running the roads, had family and friends to visit, people came to visit us, I entertained, had the house full with drinks and food throughout the month of December, but that doesn't happen anymore, it's a very lonely holiday now. If it wasn't for the Christmas House Tour, only a handful of people would have seen my Xmas Tree(s). Just sad, everyone assumes I love Xmas, but it's actually my least favorite holiday (well, Valentines Day is my least favorite, but I don't really class it as a holiday, just a stupid day - mind you, I did get engaged on V-day, but it was a weak moment, I may have said, wait until the 15th...ha). I do love the decorating, the shopping, the planning, but then Dec 20th arrives (give or take a day) and I'm ready for it to be over. It's my least favorite, because I hate to admit, it's a let down, and not with gifts, but with people. It's just so different and because it's so different, it just doesn't feel like Christmas is really here. Maybe (and by this I mean hope) as Greta gets older, we'll make Christmas fun again and she'll be able to have good memories of the holidays with our little family of three + the critters.

This year does mark a major change in my Christmas Tradition, for the 1st time since 1987 I will not be going to Port Elgin for Christmas Breakfast at my Aunt Pegs as they have moved the breakfast to Moncton and it's just too far to justify a trip for Eggs and Toast! For the past 9 years, I have spent Christmas on my own on the Island, but have driven over in the morning solo for breakfast and all my family from Moncton and Port Elgin and surrounding area arrived for an open house breakfast. It was at last years breakfast I broke the shocking and astounding news that Darren and I would be parents, my aunt and Haley were both given gifts with the "news" written out and neither of them could figure out what it meant as it just didn't make sense to them that Baby 2010 was saying, GAIL and DARREN were expecting...we finally had to actually tell them in plain language, at which point Haley stated, but you can't have a baby, you don't like kids! AHHH, the Christmas Memory from 2009. So, I'm sad I won't have a drive to Port Elgin this year, but a new tradition will begin - I'll be getting up at 7am like I have done for the past few months and feeding Miss Greta! I celebrate Christmas on Boxing Day, as Mom and my niece Haley come from Moncton for a 2nd Christmas. We have our Xmas dinner, and then open our gifts on the 26th...but this year, Darren wants to open presents on Christmas Day, so we will have Santa's presents, and we'll take a peak at the gifts from each other at least, then wait for the others. Darren will go to visit his family and do his Christmas in Rustico and Greta and I will play with her new toys and relax at home...I hope she will take a nice long nap, I really do like a quite Christmas Day, I'm afraid I'll be flying solo on Facebook though...that may be lonely..ha!

So, that is what we have to look forward to, an end of an era of Christmas traditions and the start of new ones to come.

And can you believe it, we have hit the 6 month mark, I'm astonished, I always heard friends say how quick time goes by, but WOW..Greta is 6 months old, I've been off work for 7 months, and my time no doubt will go twice as fast over the next 5 months and I'll be back to work. I originally thought there was no way I could survive 6 months off work, I must admit, I've gotten use to not working. I still need to work and when the time comes, I'll be happy to return to a work routine, friends and a social life with adults. Now, I do hope and have fingers crossed that the next 5 months are better then the past 6 health wise. Lord do I ever wish I could have just one week of feeling like a human being and not a lab rat who has the record of medical complications. I did think my round moon face was coming down, but after seeing a few people out the past few days who haven't seen me in awhile, by the looks on their faces I know I still look like a ballooned freak (for the record, for those who have seen me the past few days, the fact that I'm out in public means it looks 100% better than what it had a few weeks ago). If Santa is listening...please, please, just take some of this water from me.

And as Christmas 2010 approaches it does not look like a White Christmas will be here, instead, people will be lucky to not have the pumps going to clean out flooded basements. The wind, the storm surge and the rain has not stopped, I haven't seen anything like it. When I came home today after a rather pleasant trip to the grocery store, I noticed one of our huge trees on the side of our property was uprooted, and leaning...with each wind gust the earth was moving up and the tree was swaying....towards our neighbours roof! Oh my, do you know if our tree goes down due to natural causes, totally out of our control, and happens to go through their roof, we are responsible! We called Maritime Electric to ask for assistance as not only was the tree aiming for the neighbours home, but it would have taken out the power line on it's way down. They came to assess the "potential damage" and I'm not sure if the guy just heard our concerned voices or was feeling in the Christmas Spirit, but he called in the crew and our tree has been cut down. Sad to see such a huge tree go and it was in one of my favorite gardens, but I can't imagine how the neighbour would have felt with the new sky light for Christmas, nor do I think the neighbourhood would have been impressed with no power the day before Xmas. Of course, we are left with all the wood, not quite sure what we will do with it, hopefully we can give it away to someone with a wood stove.

So, this is a flip flop all over the place post. I must depart, now 1:01am, and we have a hectic and full Xmas Eve planned, with work for Darren, visits to work for Greta and I, visiting, gift deliveries, Church for Darren, sleep for Greta...and presto, Santa will be arriving.

Enjoy a lovely Christmas Eve, Toodles!

Christmas is Coming.

Can you believe it, 11 days and Christmas 2010 will be here. Amazing how a year can pass by so quickly and bring so many changes. This week coming, one year ago, Darren and I missed out on our Christmas luncheons to drive to the IWK for an assessment on little Allie Ann (the Alien that had invaded our lives who eventually turned in to sweet little Greta). It was a very scary time, one that we obviously did mostly on our own as we hadn't shared baby news with anyone but my immediate family. As I had been so very sick with H1N1 and pneumonia and took every drug known to man not realizing I was pregnant, I, as well as my family Doctor was quite concerned about the well being of the baby. So, an assessment was booked and tough decisions had to be made. Of course, when the assessment arrived the top of the page said, Advanced Maternal Age, how lovely, I was emotional enough and now you have to rub in that I'm old and pregnant. We however were informed that the alien looked fine - well, as far as alien's looks could be. I remember the technician printing me a picture and I looked at it with disbelief and said, that is scary!!! She looked at it and said, I'll print another - you are right!!! When the technicians start saying the baby looks like an alien, you really start to worry what the child will look like - believe me, that started months of me having panic attacks of the child looking like a martian (with lots of Gallant hair). I looked at the picture a few weeks ago, and I stand by my first assessment, oh my word, Greta who is beautiful as anything now, started off as one scary little creature.

The first person we shared baby news with was my life long friend Chris, who was expecting his first baby...I still remember Mom, Darren and I in Chris' kitchen in Halifax, along with his sister Gill, as he read our Xmas Card that announced a baby was on the way...there was a silent moment - okay, a long silent moment...then laughs, then HOLY SHIT ARE YOU KIDDING ME...Then we all went to supper and I am sure said, OH MY GOD 1000 times. Today, I received a Christmas Card from Chris' Mom, who obviously sent the card on Friday, as on Sunday she found herself in the hospital...I'm sending tons of good vibes your way Mary Jean - I know you will have some blog posts to catch up on, but from your card, I know you are always following and as requested, Greta will make an appearance in NB for a visit when you are feeling better!!! How wonderful after 22 years I can have such wonderful memories of such wonderful people.

So, a little look back to a year ago this week, and here I am, obviously with a healthy Greta, who thankfully was not affected by the meds I took, box of neocitran I drank, antibiotics I took and lets just throw in the boxes of sinu tab, tylenol, etc, etc...I wonder if it will make her smarter (I really do think she is quite brilliant, maybe there is something to all these meds). One thing that hasn't changed, I'm still seeing the Dr's and still popping pills (don't I sound like a druggie), or at least that is what I hear on Intervention. I actually was in to see my OWN Doctor today, you know a family physician, not a specialist for once. Reason being, the specialist just deal with the organ of the day, any other issues, you are sent back to the regular Doc. It's quite frustrating really, can't we have a one stop fits all scenarios. I had spoken to my specialist last week about pain, I have what I would consider an extremely high pain threshold, but lately, I can't bare it, I assumed it was my liver and having no desire to hear my steroids had to be increased, I didn't bother calling and just mentioned it at my appt, but he put his finger where my liver is (supposedly) and said, doesn't feel swollen and that was the end of the conversation. So, today. I visit my Dr, Greta in tow as I don't have a day time sitter to help out (lord, I really, really wish I did) and we are discussing the predinsone that is ruining my body, emotions, motivation, self esteem, and she is quite comforting, saying the weight will soon go, as it's mostly fluid, that it's a great drug but the list of side effects is pages long, and then it happens....she tells me I "LOOK CUTE WITH CHIPMUNK CHEEKS"... I started to cry! I actually thought my cheeks were starting to come down, but she has confirmed, I look like a damn chipmunk, no doubt with acorns in my cheeks for added bulk. She did feel bad as I wiped the tears from my fat chubby cheeks though!

Anyway, the result from today's appt, a trip to the hospital for Xrays, so another wait and see what is there or not there, all I know is because it's me we are talking about, something will come up that needs further investigation, I'll continue to look at the stupid online medical sites and freak myself even more and start pre-planning my NB themed, PEI funeral (aka. a meet and greet funeral where you send me lots of flowers, you are allowed to all wear cologne and perfume because if someone is bothered by it, oh well, play no church music, and there is no line up with name tags, you just mingle and see the people you want to say hi to - and I may request a bouncer at the door for the people who are two faced and were not nice to me alive but want to see me at my funeral)...okay, I guess I do have this planned out...ha! See, I'm planning my funeral because I googled rib pain and abdominal fluid - the diagnosis is not good, it will probably come back that I have gas.

Besides medical fun that never ends, my shopping has (for Xmas, don't you all start thinking I am a reformed shopaholic), I have everyone bought for, the gifts have all been wrapped in lovely paper and wired bows, the mess of wrapping has been put away for another year and I get to sit back and just look at all the gifts and wonder what is in them. I truly can't believe we are a week before Christmas, a week before Greta turns 6 months old and another year will soon be here. Our little gal has learned to laugh, wore her first hair bow in her hair, had her first tooth pop through the gums and her first pair of Baby Uggs look beyond adorable...so enjoy those pics and I thought you would all enjoy a little smile, so below is the Mom's version of Twas the Night before Christmas.

Twas the night before Christmas

When all thru the abode

Only one creature was stirring

And she was cleaning the commode.

The children were finally sleeping

All snug in their beds,

While visions of Nintendo 64 and Barbie flipped through their heads.

The dad was snoring in front of the TV

with a half-constructed bicycle on his knee.

So only the mom heard the reindeer hooves clatter

Which made her sigh, "Now what's the matter?"

With toilet bowl brush Still clutched in her hand

She descended the stairs and saw the old man.

He was covered with ashes and soot,

which fell with a shrug."Oh great," muttered the mom,

"Now I have to clean the rug."

"Ho-ho-ho!" cried Santa, "I'm glad you're awake."

"Your gift was especially difficult to make."

"Thanks, Santa, but all I want is some time alone."

"Exactly!" he chuckled, "I've made you a clone."

"A clone?" she asked, "What good is that? Run along, Santa, I've no time for chit-chat."

The mother's twin, Same hair, same eyes, Same double chin.

"She'll cook, she'll dust," she'll mop every mess.

You'll relax, take it easy, Watch The Young & the Restless."

"Fantastic!" the mom cheered."My dream come true! "

I'll shop. I'll read. I'll sleep a whole night through!"

From the room above the youngest began to fret.

"Mommy?! I scared... and I wet."

The clone replied,"I'm coming, sweetheart."

"Hey," the mom smiled,"She knows her part."

The clone changed the small one and hummed a tune

As she bundled the child in a blanket cocoon.

"You the best mommy ever. I really love you."

The clone smiled and sighed,"I love you, too."

The mom frowned and said,"Sorry, Santa, no deal. "

That's my child's love she's trying to steal."

Smiling wisely Santa said, "To me it is clear,"Only one loving mother is needed here."

The mom kissed her child and tucked her into bed.

"Thank you, Santa," for clearing my head.

I sometimes forget it won't be very long when they'll be too old for my cradle-song.

"The clock on the mantle began to chime.

Santa whispered to the clone, "It works every time."

With the clone by his side Santa said,

"Goodnight."Merry Christmas Mom. You'll be Alright!"

Toodles everyone, and to all a good night!