I'm Back....

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Tonights blog is brought to you by Ovol Drops, Baby Anbesol and a little Infant Tylenol. Don't knock it...4 teeth coming in and I can now sit and write and Greta I dare say is having a lovely sleep. Fingers crossed a full nights sleep. Much has happened since my last post, can't begin to recall everything, but a few highlights and low lights (and I assure you I'm not just talking about my hair).

Fact 1 - Greta is a growing little weed.
Fact 2 - Greta has an attitude when she wants to.
Fact 3 - Possible she has a split personality, as attitude goes from Angel to Devil ... quickly!
Fact 4 - Her wardrobe expanded a great deal in the past month - she is one stylin' gal.
Fact 5 - Possible she is a little prodigy... she isn't just a pretty face you know, I think she is smart too!
Fact 6 - Life is short!
Fact 7 - My respect for the medical facilities and some staff is lower than what even I thought possible.
Fact 8 - Toddler + High expectations for a fun holiday shopping trip = Disappointed Mommy.
Fact 9 - I really could use a drink of something other than Apple Juice and Diet Pepsi
Fact 10 - Nothing like having a baby and having a family tragedy to make you realize who matters and who doesn't.

So, in a nut shell, Greta continues to be a cute little gal, despite not having my curls, I dare say she has my fast growing hair, she will hate me for it once she starts dying her hair, no fun needed a color every 2 weeks - damn grey hair! I think she knows she is cute too, which is rather comical. The camera loves her, not so sure she loves the camera in her face all the time, although she is definitely use to it. We embarked on our first Family Holiday...to Maine and New Hampshire. I should have left my expectations at home however - along with my credit card. It probably wasn't as bad as I think, Greta was an amazing traveler - this is where I pause and bow to the inventors of the portable DVD player! Halleluhah, worth every single penny, even if it played non stop Barney and the Wiggles for 12 straight hours. It was a pleasant surprise I must say, she was so good, napped, but I think really enjoyed the drive - and a bonus, she didn't take after her parents - no car sickness sitting in the back seat! However, are you ready for this shocker - she was a pathetic shopper. I can't believe it, I know they tagged her as mine (okay, proper term, they matched our ID bracelets in the hospital), but I had to shake my head and wondered if she was mine a few times. Darren and I therefore had to take turns shopping in the evenings. I know, I know...what did I expect taking a 14 month old to the shopping Mecca, but at least I tried, which is more than I thought I could do. Overall, I think she had a fun trip, she ran through the sprinklers with her clothes on, got every toy she looked at and / or pointed to, and enough new clothes to keep her in a new outfit for the entire fall season - I so wish I was exaggerating, but I swear I am not. Her restaurant etiquette was not quite to my patience level however, although good - I have never eaten so fast in my life, so we determined it really wasn't worth it. We kept Subway in business while we were there and a few nights of take out in the hotel in lieu of some of our favorite restaurants.

As we packed up our goodies and said goodbye to the lovely White Mountains and home away from home in North Conway we were taking our time to our next stop in Maine, sadly, plans changed so very, very quickly. We received news that my Mom had a heart attack and was in the Cardiac ICU at the Moncton Hospital. Of course, this was followed by the news that she drove herself to the hospital, after having taught on the Island for a few days. Part of me was angry at the thought she drove home knowing she wasn't feeling well, but then again, much happier to hear she wasn't on the Island, she could still be in the waiting room.

So, needless to say, it was an extremely long drive home from NH, with a 14 month old in the back singing and dancing the Wiggles, we had to be mindful that she needed to eat...ummm...oh yes, we remembered! She was extremely patient, but 12 hours in the car was tough coming on the end and she fought sleep for 9 full hours...yes, 9 hours of a 12 hour trip! So, we had some extra stops along the way for food, drinks and changes. We cancelled our Bangor stay and headed to Moncton. The hospital was kind enough to let me in when I arrived. It was a rough few weeks, Mom was transferred to the Saint John Heart Centre and had two stints put in to help the 90% blockage. She was home for just a few days and had another "attack". As I was pulling in to the parkade on my way to work, I received the call and back to NB I went. Thankfully it wasn't another heart attack, although as hard to believe as it will sound - she has a gallbladder attack. Talk about unlucky. I don't know if I'm rubbing off on her, but between she and I, we are keeping the medical facilities on their toes. She is finally back home and here is hoping will slow down, look after herself and get well enough to write a letter...

So, you didn't think I would write a blog without a few opinionated comments, did you?

Let's see, the Moncton Cardiac Unit - exceptional: compassionate, knowledgeable, kind, concerned, clean! The Cardiologist was down on the floor chatting with Greta, he loved her German name - he was from Germany and informed us of how we should pronounce her name - GREEE - TA...sounded so much nicer when he said it! Unfortunately, once the ambulance "dropped" her off in Saint John, the kindness left with them. The hospital was filthy, the same moldy licorice pieces were in the elevator the entire time she was there, I cleaned her room, and despite the dirt - which you could overlook if you really had to, the compassion was no where...my mother was labelled #12 on her first day and was continuously referred to #12 for her entire stay. As we waited anxiously to hear how her surgery went, with the nurses telling us absolutely nothing, despite us pacing and asking on 3 different occasions, nothing was as bad as when I went to ask for the 4th time and the nurse looked puzzled at who my mother was, and the nurse behind her said - she is asking about #12. Lets just say - I opened my big mouth, told them what I thought of their rudeness and said they were going to give me a heart attack and I certainly didn't want to be a patient of theirs...not my finest moment...but they made me do it. It made my experiences at the QEH look like a walk in the park...just for a moment! Her return stay to the Moncton Hospital sadly was a disappointment, due to a bed shortage, she ended up on the maternity floor...yup - right there on the wall was a sign saying ring for the nurse to bring your baby..you would think since there hasn't been a nursery there for years they could update the rooms, at least there wasn't a baby in her room, instead, other ladies with serious medical issues all put there because there were no beds...and, I thought the moldy licorice was bad in Saint John - but sticky hot chocolate on a wall that was starting to grow fur in her room - not impressed! So, I really shouldn't be writing this blog, my energy should be writing the administration of the hospitals. Will they care - probably not - but I am pretty sure they wouldn't want their mother in a filthy room with rude uncaring nurses.

So, enough about that, Mom is now back home and will have a month to sit and do nothing but get better. It won't be easy for someone who is use to working 18 hour days, but I hope she realizes that life is too short to focus on work and helping others. It is her turn, she has put others first my entire life and no doubt hers, and its about time she stop and let others fend for themselves and not run to do for others.

Quite similar to when Greta entered our world, there is nothing like having a baby or having a family tragedy occur to make you realize what and who really matters. I read tonight a friend post on Facebook - People, people, people - Good thing I keep the expectation bar low! Well said, I didn't think my expectations could get any lower, but alas, it's now buried in the mud. What is wrong with people, are lives really that busy that we can't pick up the phone or send an email to see how things are. There are people out there, friends perhaps, that could use a little encouragement, or a friendly hello, or maybe an 'I'm thinking of you' post, but what a silly expectation. To those who again sent a note, placed a call, or just sent a one liner - thank you. It was appreciated and noticed...

Life could end tomorrow. Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets. ~Arthur Miller

Toodles

PS. So tired, can't even fix grammar tonight or re-read...

Relaxation and other crazy things.

I sit, in the dark, wishing I was in my massage chair, but alas it is in the main living room with no TV and I am multi-tasking with a little typing, a little TV in the Great Room and a sip of hot chocolate, so what better time to catch everyone up on life with Gail and Greta.

Our one year old has been an interesting little creature lately. Not sure if she is learning to express her emotions, or testing out her voice, but she can be a happy little gal and a little devil within a matter of minutes. Even a few days that I thought she was fast tracking through age one and just going direct for the terrible two's. Thankfully, that only lasted a few days (no fear, I'm no fool, I am expecting it to return). She is however quite an entertainer, even when she is "expressing" her emotions, she has learned to wiggle to the music, raise her hands and sway when a song starts to play, use her fork (what a great moment that was), and wait for it...she is walking. Better state the walking is sporadic, wouldn't quite say she has left her scooting stage and is on two feet, but she improves each day and although she walks with a direct lean to the floor, she is mighty proud of herself and HATES to be picked up now when she is in walk mode. She is very cuddly too and doing so well at the sitters. Hope her usual pleasant personality continues. Oh yes, and I continue to think she is pretty smart, she seems to be a very quick study and her words are coming. I am pretty sure we heard a "Thank you" the other day, I said you are welcome, so it was pretty convincing. She did however WOOF through the grocery store last week, non stop, up and down the aisles barking like a dog. We had a few lovely smiles from strangers, a few how cute comments, but then there were a few who I know were looking at me and wondering...does she keep the child in a cage with dogs!

Of course, I can't write a blog and say we have all been healthy this past month. It just never ends. Poor Greta had caught a bug that lead to a hospital visit on Canada Day, her first round of antibiotics. I was no doubt the individual who shared the germs as I was sick for a solid 3 weeks with sadly no medicine I could take. She rebounded thankfully within the week and happy we have the first medicine experience behind us. Darren however was also struck and he too was given antibiotics. And, since Scarlet was so jealous with our growing medicine cabinet, she decided to get sick and what do you know...the dog also needed antibiotics. I always feel the pets get jealous that we are spending money on other things, so they need to ensure they get a little attention and hit up the pocket book for pricey Vet Bills.

Lets see what else...the Island weather has felt like fall, summer, fall, summer - almost winter, oh spring rain is here. What is up!? We did strike a lovely day for our first adventure to the Magnetic Hill Zoo with Greta in tow. Had a lovely day meeting up with Mom and Haley and Darren's cousin Richie, Lisa and Maddox. Greta I think enjoyed herself, it was a three hour adventure so she did fall asleep and missed the lions and ostrich, and may have a life long fear of loud peacocks, grunting pot belly pigs and well, the rooster just shouldn't make noise unless it is the crack of dawn.

Being back to work is okay, I will refrain from saying too much ! I do miss Facebook during the day and online shopping! What I save from not online shopping daily I am no doubt now spending on morning hot chocolates and sandwiches, they really do add up, and despite being off for a full year, I am greatly looking forward to taking a few days off the end of August and hopefully getting a good USA shopping trip in.

Well, may be boring, but I don't have much excitement, somewhat a creature of habits now, a branch to the evening routine may be a stop at the grocery store...woo hoo! Thank goodness tomorrow night is a hair appt, it was at the "desperate oh my God I caught a glimpse of myself in a photo and am embarrassed stage", so I called and honestly, if they had a child who wanted to practice playing with colors and was willing to do my hair I may have said, book me in.

I was about to end with my quiet night has come to an end and I'm heading to bed, but little Greta is strangely crying in her crib, quite unusual to have her wake during the night, hope it is short lived..

Video below is Greta showing off her walking abilities. And special thanks to our friend, photographer Rachel Peters for capturing such lovely photos of Greta's 1st Birthday. Who not only snapped pics of our little Greta but was so lucky and no doubt honoured to be a photographer on the Royal Tour with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when they visited the Island this past month. So exciting - oh yes, and for all those who know I'm a Royal junkie, I was definitely in the crowd to see them and cheer!

Toodles.

Back to Work, Off to the Sitters and WOW - We have a ONE YEAR OLD!

The gifts resembled Xmas - for all of us!

Not so fond of the icing, but this waxed candle is delicious.
New Chair from Mommy.

Party Decorations, pink and brown owl theme. All hand made!

Beautiful cupcakes made by Fiona T.

Princess Greta - almost all the kids had their pictures taken - in the princess or pirate cutouts...

Getting steady on the feet, party Dress # 1. Thanks Nana.

Again - this candle is great.

Lawn sign and chinese lanterns welcomed our guests.

Party Dress #2.

Daddy helping Greta open presents.

In her castle.

Saying goodbye to my friends...

Monthly pics with her bear - Happy First Birthday Greta Claire

A little imagination and a massage box became a castle...

Hello my friends, my readers, those who don't have a clue who I am but happened upon my blog...

• I have so much to catch up on, and so little energy to actually recall and write all the details, but lets start with a quick recap...I am ashamed it has been a month since I last posted...Shame, Shame, Shame. So, get ready for the Gail / Greta update - here it goes. Greta said a sentence - well...it sounded like it, we are shocked and in disbelief, and if it was true we are in trouble - her first phrase - I don't want to!!! Lord help us now!



• She is getting so close to walking, just this week she has stood on her own - no hands touching anything and walking much better just holding on to one hand of ours.
  



• She is growing like a little weed - a well fertilized weed at that. I know she is eating well at the sitting (probably better than home with us) but on her 1 year birthday she weighed in at 19lbs 1oz. Hard to believe she was born at 6lbs 9oz and seemed to fit in the palms of our hands. So, lets start the real recap -




• May 30th - Greta and I officially parted ways after 11 months at home together, I was off to work and she was off to the babysitters, overall...a relatively easy transition.




• Greta has adjusted amazingly well to the sitter, we are getting good reports, no tears in the morning, only a wave goodbye to Darren and a kiss for her caregiver, phew - I was really nervous, I had visions to her going from happy go lucky baby to devil child and getting kicked out of daycare - and how then do I find another spot when she had been banned from one house - so a huge relief.




• Day 2 at the sitter, Greta comes home, seems great, plays, eats, drinks off to bed and WHAM - she started puking. Oh my goodness...we didn't know what to do, I had no idea what was happening and how one little girl could get so violently ill...our first hospital visit happened about 3 hours after it started, as we couldn't get it to stop, poor little thing did quite well at the hospital, charmed all the nurses and brought home the Rotovirus. Thankfully my Dr. Google persona was not right - she didn't have stomach cancer or ate a rare bug, or had a penny lodged in her airway - it was just the flu - although I did think the ER Dr's could have been a tad more thorough and at least sent her for a CT Scan or something...ha!!!




• Day 4 in the back to work world and Darren gets the Rotovirus...bad enough to have a baby with it, but now he is sick too...and bad - this is one violent flu. I continued to work throughout the week and was rather proud of escaping it..(well, I thought I was)




• Day 5 in the back to work world and I have to ask for a day off to go see my NB specialist...yippee, they have tested me to death, scanned every bone in my body, cancer is ruled out yet again and I am told I have Fibromyalgia (in other words, they can't really explain my pain, and to top it off I can't pronounce the damn syndrome!) Oh, and like every other Dr they tell me to eliminate stress, I try to explain that all this testing is what stresses me out, being tested for cancer on a monthly basis does not do well for the blood pressure.




• Day 7 in the back to work world and guess what - I got the damn flu. The first time in my entire life to be sick with the stomach flu and despite being sick for years now and being subjected to very painful tests, I truly can say I have never been so ill. No wonder the poor baby was screaming and crying, I was too. It was a violent flu, and kept me in bed for 4 days, well, it actually kept me in the bathroom for 4 days, but if I wasn't lying on the bathroom floor, I was curled up in bed...yes, this was my 2nd week back to work. Not off to a good start.




• I will spare you the full month calendar, but once the flu passed I had a few good days, but come week three at work, I was struck down again with a sinus and bronchial infection - this real world germ infested atmosphere is not my friend. I am currently on Day 11 of being sick, I did go to the Dr, unfortunately the antibiotics caused an allergic reaction so I am left to suffer it out. Gosh, how is this for a depressing update...ha!




• On to some fun things - We have a one year old. We survived the first year of parenthood, in some aspects I feel the year flew by as if it was a matter of a few weeks, but then I sit and think it feels like 10 years. We definitely can't recall our lives before Greta, I asked Darren just a week ago - "What did we do in the evenings before Greta"...I do think much of the same - just now we have someone to entertain us, and we are now at her beckon call to feed, change and rock her to sleep! Considering we are "older" first time parents - her time will come that she has to feed and change us... All this to say, we really didn't have much of a life before Greta arrived, so Greta's needs have definitely provided us with a much more active schedule!




• Greta has had an amazing birthday weekend, three parties, two photoshoots, two beautiful party dresses, way too many cupcakes, tons of presents, lovely guests, I will do my best to record all her guests and all her gifts so she can look back someday and realize just how many people came to wish her well. I almost started to think people just wanted to come see if we actually had a baby who was doing well, that we managed to feed and grow and teach during the past year. She is one very, very spoiled little girl - I have visions of me hiding some presents and bringing them out gradually as she can't possibly play with everything at once - for a second I even thought - ummm, looks like my Xmas shopping is done!!!




• The great thing about having three parties for her 1 year is that it should give us a pass on a few years of b-days...It was lovely, and we so greatly appreciated everyone coming, but wow, we are exhausted and it was over the top. I figure if we set up a Disney account with the money we would have spent on parties we should all get there in a few years. Darren said today that her 2nd birthday will be in New Hampshire - so if you want to come - by all means, but it will take you 12 hours to get there - oh and we'll just provide dinner...ha! We were never kid birthday party fans, and now having one ourselves - ummm, well, still not a fan, but I think Greta had fun so I guess that is what counts.




• So, that concludes a year...Greta arrived at 9:46am on June 24th, 2010 and we have moulded in to a family - somewhat dysfunctional at times, not the healthiest bunch at times, but we are very proud that Greta has become a sweet, beautiful, pleasant, happy and smart little girl. She amazes us each day with the things she has learned, how appreciative she is for her belongings ( she actually kissed almost every present she received - of course - she picked a special favorite - are you ready for this - a toothbrush and box of toothpaste), I truly believe if she could talk a full sentence she would say - THANK YOU - I LOVE ALL MY PRESENTS. She was the little miracle baby we never planned for, but I guess the universe thought we would do OKAY and we are so happy she chose to let us join her on her journey.

Now the updates will be of life with a one year old. Wow, hope we are ready for this next stage!!!

Toodles.

That is all she wrote....

Well, the end is here! My last paid day of Maternity Leave is today, where has the year gone? Why is the nice weather finally here? What a tease to have to go back to work as we finally get nice weather and a little Vitamin D from the sun!! I am greatly enjoying my last day, it's certainly not over yet, as I sit in the comfy corner of my couch (well worn in from my butt being placed there each day for the past 365 days) I am listening to the traffic...you may not think that is very exciting, but it's lovely because that means for the first day in recent memory, I have all the windows open and the fresh air is circulating. I had my nails done this morning, found a few great deals out shopping and soon will be off again for a pedicure followed by munchies with friends and a movie. I don't think I have had such a full day for me in the past year. Actually, there is no thinking - I haven't!!! Of course, it is a bit easier to relax and enjoy my day knowing Greta had a successful first day at the sitter yesterday, today is Day 2, and no phone calls (yet) so I am hoping that means she is doing well and enjoying her play time and hopefully today maybe even a little sunshine at the park. My house is clean, the laundry is pretty much done...I tried on approximately 50 pairs of jeans / pants from my closet and they all fit - but I am starting to purge, I mean 50 pairs of pants is just one closet - my love of trying to find the perfect jeans has accumulated a lot of varieties but I must part with some...(so, Size 6 gals, if you need jeans - let me know, they are all in excellent condition).

All in all, I feel rather good, and to top it all off, I am not in too much pain today. The Dr's have asked me to reduce stress - UMMMM - easier said than done, but a me day does feel pretty good. Since it was the Dr's request to eliminate stress, I did combine a little retail therapy with stress reduction and have purchased a massage chair. It was a huge splurge and one I have wanted to do for years, I thought I deserved it...it should be here next week, can't wait to program in the relaxation treatment!

I do need some sun on my very, very pale skin, but I do want to summarize my year at home -

As much as I still cannot believe that we have a Daughter, she has been the blessing we never dreamt of becoming a reality. I don't regret one moment of calling her our little Alien, the story of my fears and shock of becoming a mother has found a home in her Baby Book and I stand behind every concern, terrifying thought, comment and mental psychotic break before she arrived...it was shocking and SOOO scary to think we, at 37 years old, were going to become 1st time parents to a creature with 2 legs...not 4. Scarlet was the love of my life and I even forgot to put food in her dish, so I couldn't imagine how I would care for a little baby with my lack of kid skills, zero baby experience and I can't deny not many motherly instincts or love of children. The first few months were a blur, I'll either blame it on the medications I had to take, or the fact that my memory is poor, or maybe it was that she didn't really cause us any grief or sleepless nights so she somehow just melted in to our lives and hearts like she was always part of the plan. Maybe that makes her even more special, despite not being planned we made it work and upon reflection of the past 11 months, we did an exceptional job. She is happy, healthy, cute, smart, playful, gentle, charming to all who meet her and despite the toxic diapers - she is always pleasant to be around.

The transition from stay-at-home Mom to back to work Mommy is going to be fine - I work so I can shop... so it isn't really an option to stay home but I also don't want to. Sure I would like to stay home and get paid - but since that isn't reality I am happy I have a good job to return to and I hope Greta will succeed and continue to flourish at the sitters. My biggest transition will be to get ourselves out of the house on time, dressed in something other than a yoga outfit or pjs and ensure I don't have baby food splattered on my outfit! I really am concerned, but we just have one baby, many families are doing it on their own or with multiple kids so surely if I survived a year of motherhood I can survive getting ready and be on time for work! Unfortunately I finally got use to my current gig and am in a groove at last (just took 11 months), so change at this moment isn't quite welcome, but we'll do it!!! I will LOVE getting up at 5:30am. HA! What I am looking forward to is dress up clothes, high heel shoes, dangling earrings, adult conversations, listening to something other than Treehouse cartoons in the background, Greta's dirty diapers being changed my someone else, but also will look forward to pick up time and making the best of the time we have before bedtime. I'll look forward to my back to work present from Darren and already counting down the days to my first compressed Friday off.

So, stay tuned the adventures of Gail and Greta may take on a whole new meaning as we have a soon to be one year old in the house and a back to work Mommy. I can't end my year at home without thanking those who made efforts to support us, lend a hand, listen, chat and be a friend. Never underestimate the power of a phone call, a visit, a text message, an email or a Facebook comment, those who were there this year and who Greta has gotten to know made our year at home that much better. Greta will miss seeing her little friends, but don't fret - the weekends and every 2nd Friday off will be made to count, she can still do some play dates and her birthday is coming...will have to have her buddies over for some cupcakes!

Toodles.

Happy Anniversary Blog!

Happy Anniversary to my Blog - 1 year and 3 days ago, Gail and Greta's Blog became reality, my days of maternity leave were just starting, and out of boredom I thought I would write a few tidbits of my experiences. Where did the year go, how is it possible I have been away from work for a full year, or better yet, how did I survive - if you start from the beginning of the blog - survival was really not expected. I am happy to say - if I can survive a year of motherhood, and maybe more importantly, Greta has survived almost 11 months - Anybody can succeed! I had never changed a diaper, passed babies back to their mothers when they cried, squirmed, looked annoyed, puked, stunk....and that is now my life. I'm not saying it's all fun - Greta's diapers can still make my hair stand up straight and make me gag, there are moments of sheer frustration, sleep deprivation thankfully hasn't been much of an issue - but when it does it - it royally sucks, my shopping habits have changed from spoiling myself to spoiling a little girl because there are too many cute things to buy and life as we knew it as DINKs ( Dual Income No Kids ) has been forever changed. It has been quite a journey, a year of ups and downs all made better by a sweet little girl who we never dreamt would be part of our lives, but here she is, learning something new every day, charming those around her with her (usually) pleasant personality and cute looks, not to mention her stylish wardrobe. And sadly, just as life is starting to be fun and structured and easier - I have to return to work. Why does work have to get in the way. I really think babysitters / daycares should take the babies from birth to lets say 4 or 5 months of age, then our year of Maternity Leave should start - the first few months are a tad rough, but after a few months when you realize hey, I think the child likes me, I think I may like her - I think we will survive - then the fun begins. It is going to be a tough transition, I do hope Greta will succeed at the sitter, I'm sure she will, I'm not fooling myself to think I'm the greatest fun person out there, I'm sure there are days she is bored out of her mind with me and will thrive in a new environment, but I'm wondering how in the heck I will survive. Not emotionally, I'm ready for the sitter transition, I'm wondering how in the heck I'm going to get out of my pjs in to REAL clothes - not pjs to yoga outfit - and out the door, make up and hair presentable and to the office by 7am. UMMM, I am going to have to practice next week, even setting an alarm, oh my it seems like such a tough challenge, motherhood was nothing compared to this latest hurdle, I have to get up and out the door again and this time, I have a baby to organize as well. I know others do it, so it will happen, but sitting here typing it seems so impossible!

Another thing about this year flying by - I still have things on the TO DO list that didn't get done - I had a full year and the closets are not all cleaned out and organized, my French Tapes I bought a few weeks before Greta was born to improve my speaking ability are still sealed (actually I am not even sure where in the house they are), the gardens I thought I would work on have seen the seasons pass by and my hands maybe pulled out 50 weeds (and that was just last night), the yard sale I planned on having last summer, and then this spring - not yet reality, oh, the list goes on and on. I did accomplish a lot though, so it wasn't a year of being home and just playing and surviving with Greta. We finally renovated the kitchen which has been on my TO Do list since we moved (Happy Anniversary to our house this week too), painted the remaining rooms in the house that were in need of a reno, bought a new vehicle, two trips to the States, made a lot of purchases over the year some out of want others out of need...to really look at the past 12 months, it is amazing what has been accomplished. I am so happy I was picture and video happy - some may say obsessive, but with a poor memory like mine and family & friends who don't see Greta on a regular basis people have been able to share Greta's year with us, as a bonus, it allows me to update the baby book with some accuracy, as the many firsts she accomplished are captured in pictures and every once in awhile I realize they should be transferred to the baby book! So for the Mama's to be - there is never such a thing as TOO many photos, I can look back and recall the first bath, first smile, first scoot across the floor, first kiss from the dog, first wave, first food, you name it - it has been captured - if I didn't have all the picture albums, I wouldn't have believed it all happened!

My only regret this year (some may assume I have more - but I really don't - things happen for a reason, people enter and exit your life for a reason and I have zero regrets about that) but my biggest regret has been the time I have missed because of my health. Greta didn't deserve to have a sick Mommy, no child does. The poor little thing I am sure thinks the Doctors and Specialists in my life are her family, besides my Mother, she has seen them more than all the other relatives combined. She has never made shy with any Dr's or office staff members - WHY, because they see her weekly! They have watched her grow and always love to see her, I am not sure what they will do when she is at the sitter and I show up alone - I have a funny feeling the first comment will be "Where is Greta!" In her short life, I just completed my 4th Biopsy, had what feels like my 100th blood test and 50th medical appt, I should be glowing from all the scans and Xrays I have had, I have 10 hospital visits under my belt, 3 specialists and lets be kind and say about 5 wrong diagnosis (although that was just a week span at the QEH, so I assume it is much more). I have seen some wonderful nurses and some dreadful ones, some knowledgeable Dr's and some who I think found their medical degree in a Cracker Jack Box, I can definitely say, the best thing that has happened was landing in the Moncton Hospital during a recent shopping trip / visit as Greta just may have a Mommy who will have some answers and a new medical team who is going to try to fix me. I have been quite fearful at times and shed many tears thinking I wouldn't be here to see her first birthday, but I think we just may make it! I am thankful for my Mother who has had to make so many trips to PEI to help because I was in the hospital or heading for tests, and to Darren who continually has to take time off to watch Greta or me...I have been worried his work would not believe him, surely no one needs to see this many Dr's, I feel like I should send his bosses my medical charts as proof..ha!

So, that is a quick review of my thoughts today. Greta is trying to climb up the couch, and getting impatient..must run - will spell check later...so deal with the mistakes for a bit!!!

Toodles.

Run, Run, Run

Just a quick video to share today, thought it would put a smile on a few people's faces, both the animal and kid lovers. I love Greta, but I am still in the animal lover category, having one child doesn't mean you all of sudden love a full room of them! We had a hectic few days, Greta had her make or break future vacation trial. We headed to Halifax for Emily's 1st Birthday, due to the lack of our experience packing a full truck load of items for a 10 month old and travelling with Greta for more than a 2 hour drive, we showed up fashionable late, and when I say fashionable I really mean embarrassingly late. ( I think embarrassingly is a word, if not, pretend it is). We struck out in loads of time to hit the one store I really wanted to get to, and to the party, however half way there sickness hit - and it was me. I got car sick - in my new truck, thankfully I yelled to Darren to pull over, as he was driving, however didn't have time to get out of the truck, but phew, had a plastic bag, my other option was my Coach purse and honestly, the truck was going to get it before the purse. Of course, I got sick because I was in the back seat because Greta woke from her 90 minute nap and had no interest in sitting in her seat, so I was in the back feeding her cheerios and playing. SIGH. Lesson #1, my ability to sit in the back seat has not improved since childhood, won't be doing that again. We made it to Truro and had to stop, Greta was hungry, despite us thinking we would have made it to the hotel to feed her, it wasn't to be, so a stop at Wendy's in Truro was a welcome rest. Greta charmed the patrons, 3 people came over to tell her how beautiful she was - of course, she smiled ear to ear as if she knew (which she does), she was waving as people came in and happily shared a baked potato with me (all I thought my stomach could handle). She is now wanting to eat food on her own, quite Miss Independent, so meal time take SOOOOO much longer. Lesson #2, bring more finger foods that don't require 5 minutes to chew for each bite. On to Hfx where she again had no desire to sit in her seat, so I drove, Darren joined Greta in the back seat and thanks to the iPhone, she watched Baby Einstein. Lesson #3, Buy a DVD player for the car, oh, and carry more bags in the car, Darren was feeling car sick too. Finally hit Halifax and we get lost, big surprise, the GPS took as all over town and stupid me, although I thought I knew where the Halifax Shopping Centre was, I listened to the annoying direction of the GPS. Well, 30 minutes later, we finally are at the mall, I run to the one store I need to get to, and it was packed solid, then it took forever to get what I needed. We were so late at this point we decided to not go to the hotel to check in, we changed Greta in to her party dress in the car (not while driving just to ease the minds of the skeptics) and again - got lost... I HATE DRIVING IN HALIFAX. We did however make it to the party to watch the birthday girl open her presents and had a lovely time seeing old friends, as a bonus, despite Greta being wiped and having not slept all afternoon, she didn't embarrass us and we decided to take her home with us - to the hotel. Another great bonus, the hotel stay was lovely, we were all exhausted, the hotel provided a crib for Greta, and she had a wonderful sleep, as did we. Had hoped to get swimming, but not meant to be this trip, we had to pile the truck up and boot it home as I had day surgery booked for Monday and needed to prepare - by starving for my day. Had a quick visit with my dear friend Sherry Lynn, a quick trip to Costco and we were on the road - surprise, surprise 2 hours later than we expected. Overall, Greta may be allowed to vacation again, but we will need to figure out how to entertain her in the car longer, hopefully before the next big adventure she will be facing forward in the car and her DVD player will be hooked to the back seat.

So, that was the weekend, day surgery is over with, now just await the results of the latest biopsy. They had to knock me out so I have no idea what happened, I tried to do the procedures with no sedation, but I recall a scream of pain, and then nothing else, so I assume they said, enough is enough and pumped the drugs in to me. I just hope I didn't swear too much or tell the medical staff off, I've been known to do that fully alert, so lord knows what I could say with sedation.

And, to put a smile on a few faces today, the video I mentioned at the beginning of the blog is below. Enjoy.

Toodles.

What to say...

My Blog is almost 1 year old, which means, it has been almost one year since I started maternity leave, which means my time at home with Greta is quickly...and I mean quickly drawing to a close. I never dreamt the months would have passed by so quickly, I know so many have said it before me, but never has a year passed by so fast. The first few months are a blur. Those "please let these days end" mangled weeks of trials and errors, throw up and full diapers, Dr's appts, googling everything and anything that I worried about, and now we are here - wanting time to turn back just a little. I'm not wanting to stay home...I haven't changed that much, well, let me rephrase, I'd love to stay home but I still want to be paid, and since that won't happen, I must return to work to support my shopping habit and pay for the things I want. Time is ticking....

I do have one great worry - well, a few. I am still not the healthiest chick on the block, I'm heading back to the OR on Monday for a little exploration - the Dr's version of we don't have a damn clue what is wrong with you, but we are going to put you through three dreadful procedures to see if we can rule out a few more things. I am convinced there is just going to be one disease or organ left and they'll say - that is it. I am just hoping it's not during an autoposy. Not to sound morbid, but I'm rolling in to 6 years of the Specialists trying to determine why I have auto immune diseases and how many organs it has affected. I found a new medical site (against Dr's orders to stay off of them) and it asked for my symptoms - I was to click on the body parts, well, it wouldn't allow me to choose anymore after 6, lets just say, not the best site I have found!

A few fun things to report, I made it back to New Hampshire. Darren and Greta had a Daddy Daughter long weekend and I shopped til I dropped - literally. On a whim, the day before the trip I bought a new SUV, quickest decision I ever made - it will hit me once the payments start to roll out of my account that it may have been a crazy one, but thus far, I'm really liking the truck. And it allowed me to fill it with lots of USA buys. The weather was amazing, truly summer like, the deals were great as always and the retail therapy actually made me feel pretty good health wise. Since returning home I found the week just few by. Greta had her first hair cut, a little bob! She was such a good client, phew, didn't need her banned after her first appt.

So a hodge podge of info tonight, no real topic, will write more when I can think of something worth chatting about. Must run, despite it being 11pm, I hear a little gal crying..SIGH. Does she not realize I'm wiped...our little gal who slept 12 hours through the night has resorted to have an evening wake up between 11 and 12 each night...only for 10 minutes or so, but holy...I hope it ends soon.