Everybody Loves Hudson!

Busy weekend with lots of visitors...
now it's just me, Rob, Hudson, and Bosco...
kinda scary...but exciting at the same time...
MY family.

p.s. I couldn't have survived the last two weeks without my mom. She is truly selfless. She cooked every meal, cleaned my house, changed many a poopy diaper, cuddled and cradled Hudson to sleep...the list goes on. Just wanted to acknowledge her and let her know we appreciated all her help!!!

100 things

i loved reading these lists on people's blogs...
you really get a feel for the person writing them...
a glimpse into their lives...

here's mine:

1. this is the longest i've been alone with my new baby (going on 2 hours)
2. because rob is at school
3. and my mom is out shopping for me...i need new underwear...my pre-pregnancy ones sit right at my c-section incision line which is very painful
4. she also has to buy some "newborn" size sleepers for Hudson...i have tons of size 3months...which are way too big for my little bugger
5. i thought my baby was going to be late (past 40 weeks) and large (over 8 pounds)
6. instead, he was early and tiny
7. yesterday i dropped the phone on Hudson's head while I was nursing him
8. i felt horrible, especially when it left a mark
9. today the mark is gone, thank god.
10. i am vain and can admit it. today i had a mini breakdown because i feel ugly and nothing fits right (hence why my mom is out shopping for underwear for me)...
11. i haven't worn makeup since giving birth
12. this would be the longest i've gone without wearing make up in probably 15-20 years!
13. the first thing i said after Hudson was born was "hi stinker"
14. i'm never going to make it to 100
15. because i'm typing with one hand, while holding Hudson with my other arm
16. and my arm is already killing me...because i don't have any muscles...
17. because i hate exercise
18. i'm done...and may continue later...
19. or maybe not...

Happy Belated Birthday Sister!

I didn't forget about you...however I WAS busy nursing my baby Hudson, trying to play hostess to some visitors, and sleep a few minutes here and there...so although I didn't post about you yesterday...I did indeed think of you big sister!!! I hope you had a good day, and from Romy's pictures on her blog, it looks like you had fun.

Next year we'll share some birthday cake, me, you, and Hudson (scorpio-clan)...

love you always.

I'M A MAMA!!!

Quick quick post, as I have an insatiable little bugger who is going to want some boob soon...

he is sleeping with his grandpa right now (my dad has a knack for putting babies to sleep) so i thought i'd post some pictures of my little Hudson!

for those of you who didn't get the details from Rob...

Hudson Joshua was born Nov. 12th at 7:32pm at 6 pounds, 14 ounces (and what kind of mama would I be if I didn't brag that he scored a 9 on his Apgar test?)!!!

He's absolutely perfect...I will write more about the whole crazy labour later...I still feel like my body has been hit by a truck!

Happy Birthday Crazy Jan!

Happy Birthday to my favorite...

• butterfly chaser
• historic train breaker
• day dreamer
• fellow no-willpower-er
• bad influence
• who laughs often and much

...doop up!!!

Hope you have a fun day today...play lots, eat lots, drink lots...wish I was there to celebrate our birthdays together!

Surprise Visit!!!

I was expecting my mom, sister Susan, and Romy to come from Montreal for a visit today. I opened my front door to also find my oldest friend Nathalie there too! Amazing surprise, since I haven't seen her in forever! Then not too long after, the doorbell rings once again and it's Caroline, Serge, and baby Olivia (from Toronto...well they were first in Montreal, but still...)!!! My mother and sister started cooking up a storm in the kitchen, while I got to visit with my oldest and dearest friends! My dressed-down attire and pulled back hair is proof that I had NO IDEA that I was going to have visitors today...and also why there aren't more pictures posted on this blog...I look fat and greasy in most of the shots. Again, I didn't take any pictures with my sister (that always seems to happen for some reason), and I'm really disappointed about that. There are more pictures on her camera which I will post once she sends them to me. Even Bosco got spoiled today...Romy brought him treats AND my dad gave him a yummy bone. What could be better than pigging out, eating 3 different kinds of dessert, opening baby gifts, holding beautiful Olivia, and hanging out with good friends and family?!? Absolutely nothing...thanks guys...Rob and I had the perfect day today.

P.S. BIG kisses to my big sister and mom for cooking and cleaning everything...they are the greatest.

more pregnancy pictures...

Pregnancy Pictures!

We got some pregnancy pictures taken by a 2nd year photography student at Algonquin College (Rob's school)...she needed models to expand her portfolio and we wanted some photos of our little Raspberry before he/she arrived...

...fun, eh?

Happy Halloween!

This has been one of my lamest Halloween's EVER! I have been so preoccupied with ME, ME, ME (and bebe of course) that Halloween was the furthest thing from my mind this year. Needless to say when I told Rob to bring a pumpkin home TODAY after he was done school at 4:00pm, there was none to be found!!! He called me saying that both Loblaws and Home Depot around my house were sold out. AHHH!!! I refuse to be the party-pooper neighbour that turns off the lights and pretends not to be home. I remember clear as day, being a kid, going around trick-or-treating, thinking nasty thoughts about the houses that didn't participate in Halloween! I mean, how cheap and un-fun can you be??? Soooo...that brings me to the LAMEST, most embarrassing Jack-O-Lantern ever carved... Ha ha ha, we happened to have a squash at home, that Rob had bought the last time we went grocery shopping. I hadn't cooked it yet...so tonight, it stepped up and became a Jack-O-Lantern!!! I carved it at 5:00pm! So the tiny squash was put outside to summon the trick-or-treaters..embarassing yes, but it did the trick as I actually RAN OUT of 100 chocolate bars by 7:15pm!!! So I had to blow out the squash, turn out the lights and pretend we weren't home. It was fun while it lasted though...

Last Day!

So...I'm home...and don't have to go back to work for a whole year!!! My last day of work...and again I was spoiled rotton. It started right from my daily commute on the bus. One of the ladies that takes the same bus as me started talking to me when my baby bump became noticeable. We would chit chat a little bit everytime we saw each other, and she loved hearing about how my pregnancy was progressing (she's older and wants to be a grandmother BADLY...her kids aren't planning on it anytime soon). Anyway, she got on the bus this morning, knowing it was my last day, and had a gift for me! A really sweet card and musical teddy bear. Really unexpected.

Then I got to work, and saw that my desk was decorated in baby shower decorations. They had organized a yummy pot-luck lunch (I had a 3 hour lunch today), complete with the cutest baby-cake I have ever seen (it was covered in gingerbread babies in diapers)...sorry, no one brought a camera, which is too bad. And gifts, gifts, gifts of baby books, baby toys, baby towels, baby frames, and a bath robe for mama! What at fun way to start my maternity leave!

slave driver nesting mama part II...

Rob put up the chair rail, and it pulled the whole look of the nursery together. I LOVE it! It looks exactly how I was hoping it would look. I can't wait to get the furniture in, but I'll have to be patient for at least another little while. Rob will be in exams in a few weeks, and there isn't anywhere else for him to study. I'm in this room all the time now...right now because it's the room where our computer is...but even when I'm not on the computer...I keep coming in here, look around, daydream and imagine, picturing my little bugger sleeping in the crib...

4 more weeks to go...

slave driver nesting mama...

The nursery decorating has begun! Bebe's grandpa was put to work yesterday, wallpapering the nursey! I am so happy with the result...the wallpaper was exactly what I was expecting from the online picture (no surprises)...and my dad said it was good quality (whew!). My poor dad is probably sore today (and his knees may be bruised)...but it means a lot to me that he helped decorate. Now the room has sentimental value!!!

I decided that we didn't need to paint the top half of the walls the sage-green that I originally wanted, the plaid looks okay with the existing color...for now. I just asked Rob to take me to Home Depot to buy the chair-rail...yes I'm bossing people around...but it's for the baby, so I figure it's allowed. I'll post pictures when that's complete. It's getting there...and that makes me so happy...

Rob's Surprise Shower!

Rob went to class today thinking he had a test...but instead was surprised (REALLY REALLY surprised) with a Baby Shower!!! This is what happens when you are only one of two men in a program with 55 women!!! He was spoiled (and so baby and I were spoiled) with tons of gifts! It amazed us both how thoughtful people are...people who have only known us a short while...people who we never in a million years would expect anything from. One of his classmates knit the baby a sweater! Another one handmade a beautiful baby quilt! His teacher gave up the whole class to have the baby shower...no teaching whatsoever, but instead everyone ate and had fun in honor of our little Raspberry!!!

Nesting...a whole other level of psycho

I think I've lost my marbles. I have taken "NESTING", which I know is a very common symptom of the third trimester of pregnancy...to a whole other level. For weeks I have been thinking of all the baby stuff I need to buy/clean/set-up/organize...etc. before the arrival of my little one. I often wake up in the middle of the night and have another item that I feel compelled to add to "my list". All still pretty "normal" as far as the nesting instinct goes. Then today...I went a little "Monica" from Friends. I drew a diagram of the nursery (still presently Rob's office) on a piece of paper...TO SCALE. Measured all the pieces of furniture that will eventually be put in the room (i.e. the crib, change table, chair, book case)...drew them TO SCALE on my post-it notes (so they are sticky), and cut them out...so I could move them around on my nursery diagram and see where the ideal furniture placement of the room would be!!! And to sound even more psycho...it was so FUN for me! ha ha ha...at least I can amuse myself in my craziness...

Finally frumpy...

A guy friend asked me a while back at what point in my pregnancy would I eventually be worn down and trade in my heels for comfortable shoes. Honestly it hasn't gotten to THAT point as far as foot wear goes...BUT...at 34 weeks...I have hit the point that I am wearing maternity sweat pants (and I'm talking about the kind that the stretchy material comes right up to my boobs) ANY and EVERY chance I get! Don't get me wrong, I will still wear something nice if I'm going to be seen by anyone other than my husband (poor Rob)...but I realized this morning, right after I got out of the shower, that I got re-dressed in my pyjamas...they're clean...but still...I chose pyjamas over getting dressed in real clothes!!! At 34 weeks...I am finally frumpy.

It's been a really relaxing Thanksgiving weekend. Didn't eat a traditional turkey dinner, but a really yummy Korean lunch homemade by my mother who drove to Ottawa from Montreal all by herself (!). I didn't want her to come alone, but she's stubborn, and came anyway...and now that she's back in Montreal safe and sound, I can say I'm so happy she came. I got to eat a nice Korean style Thanksgiving lunch with my parents and Rob!

And by the way...I'm taking my chances and ordered the PLAID wallpaper from the online outlet. Rob and I went to a wallpaper store in Ottawa, and it's absolutely INSANE!!! There were literally hundreds of wallpaper books, all containing hundreds of samples...and people are supposed to sit there and browse them all!!! We thought this was the craziest thing we had ever heard, and asked the store-guy how the typical wallpaper shopper actually decides anything! He said people come in and sit down and stay for HOURS looking through the books. Ummmm...that's psycho. There was no real rhyme or reason to the books...yes they are organized in "styles" i.e. contemporary, traditional, country...etc. But it's not like I could say I want to see what "plaids" you have. BUT you CAN do that online! Most of the online wallpaper websites have options that allow you to narrow your choices by color, or even better keyword searches...and show tons of thumbnail pix at a time! I know I don't really know what color the plaid really is (Audrey, it may very well be pink and not cream), or how good or bad the quality is...but I'm taking my chances...I'll keep you posted when it arrives!!!

Nursery Decor 101

Retro Squares
Polka Dots
Plaid


I want to wallpaper the bottom half of the nursery... (much to Rob's dismay, but my dad has offered to do it for me, so Rob can't say much!)
So far the plan is to paint the top half a light sagey-green color, wallpaper the bottom half, with a white chair rail border between the two. The crib and change table are cherry wood.

Here are the wallpaper contenders...what are your thoughts/votes/opinions???

Happy 3rd Anniversary!

Yesterday we celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary! We've come a long way from our first apartment where we had an inverted cardboard box as a side table! We have survived living in tiny 500 square feet bachelor apartments, survived the whole issue of wanting to live on opposite ends of the country (this was a HUGE issue as Rob wanted to settle down in Vancouver, and I wanted to live in Montreal...how we ever settled on Ottawa is beyond me!), survived me being a morning person and him being a night owl, survived Rob wanting to lead a healthy lifestyle, and me LOVING everything unhealthy...and so on and so on. One thing that has NEVER changed is our ability to have fun together. This, without a doubt, has been our glue. Our last anniversary as a twosome...and Bosco of course!

To register or not to register...

It's funny...I had "issues" with signing up for a gift registry for the baby. We didn't "register" anywhere when we got married...Koreans don't do that...they just get money in lieu of gifts. But I agree...the whole idea of registering does make total sense. You get the things you want and need, and avoid getting duplicates and/or things you have no use for. BUT...it seems kinda funny doesn't it? How do you respond when you receive something from your registry? "OH, I LOVE IT!"...of course you love it, you PICKED it. Or "What a surprise!"...no it's not, you PICKED IT! Or "Thank you, you shouldn't have"...again you PICKED IT! It just seems a little weird. Anyway, Rob and I went to Toys R Us to register tonight. It was fun for the first 10 minutes. Then we both got super confused. Besides not knowing what is considered appropriate registry items to pick (can you pick things like diapers and baby wipes?), more importantly we didn't KNOW what we WANTED!!! You would think running around the store with the scanner-gun would be fun, but we just stood around lots, looking around, staring at everything wondering which highchair, which bouncy chair, which swing etc. we wanted. Then Rob asked "Shouldn't you know this stuff? Shouldn't you have researched which ones are better than the rest?" Ummm, no...I've been busy looking online at fun baby-stuff, like finding funky crib bedding and getting ideas about which colors to paint the nursery. We honestly stood there, getting more and more confused, more and more frusterated, more and more impatient and snappy at each other (maybe me more than him). Baby stuff is confusing...so many patterns, so many features, so many name brands, such BIG price differences. And it doesn't help when you don't know what you're having...having to pick everything that would be suitable for a boy or a girl. I am going to have to admit Rob's right, and start researching baby products...any hints and suggestions on what baby products are good, bad, can't live without, and/or a waste of money? I may have to amend my registry...

Happy Birthday Glen!!!

Happy Birthday to one of my favorite boys in the whole world...
I wish I was there to celebrate with you guys tonight...I'm sure the conversation will be fun, funny, and a little nasty...my favorite kinda night! Hope you get lots of presents, eat lots of yummy cake, and drink lots of fruity cocktails! As for calling me "playfully neurotic"...takes one to know one...that's why we get along so well! Miss you lots!

30 weeks...

new baby blanket I bought online from a website called "snugabugblankets.com"...i LOVE it. i didn't want frilly frou-frou baby stuff...and came across these blankets...popcorn chenille on one side, funky prints on the other...the one i bought is called "zen bubbles"...cute, eh? and by the way...they are all homemade...in canada.
baby mobile...after i put it together and wound it up...it started playing the "Rock a by Baby" lulleby, and my eyes started watering...pregnancy hormones at their best.

Belly update! I realized today that I haven't taken any pictures of my bare belly the entire pregnancy...so here it is! 30 weeks...ten more to go...