Tis the Season . . .

FOR WAITING!!!

Still waiting for this baby to be born and going crazy! I'm such a planner and it's so hard not to know when our lives will change so drastically.

I could be in labor tonight . . . or not for 2 more weeks.

Ahhhhhh!!!!!

Luckily, it's also the season of special outings and Ellie had her first trip to the Ballet on Sunday.

BaPop and Ellie went on a date to The Nutcracker at the local performing arts center. We have been listening to the music and she was so excited to get dressed up in her Christmas dress and fancy cape!

I was totally surprised her attention span lasted the entire play - being able to dance in front of her seat and licorice helped!

Thank you to BaPop for planning such a fun outing! What a lucky girl!

Ellie has been loving Christmas music. Here is a special Ellie-style mash-up!

In my future . . .

Sometimes when I have these Braxton-Hicks contractions and I'm reminded of how painful labor really is I start to wonder "WHAT AM I THINKING?"

Why would I plan a natural birth - at home no less, where there is no option for pain medications.

I remember saying just a few minutes before this photo was taken "I don't want to do this"

And Ellie was born just a few minutes later.

But the truth is - I DO want to do this!

How many times in life do we experience something that will be remembered forever?

And I know I will feel so supported and empowered.

It's pretty amazing to be on the brink of something so powerful.

Bring it on!

Snow and Sniffles!

What a week it has been!

I found out on Monday's midwife appointment that all these Braxton-Hicks contractions are actually doing something and I'm starting to dialate.

That doesn't mean the baby will be born today but it certainly makes me want to be prepared!

So, in perfect good luck style, it immediately began to snow!

Snow in Seattle is a big pain in the butt. At first it looks pretty and serene but the Northwest is FULL of hills and people are not used to driving in it.

Just a few inches of snow on the ground caused major traffic snarls for Drew's Monday night commute home. It took him 3 HOURS on the bus to make it!

My mind was swirling with worries - If I go into labor, will the midwives be able to make it up the hill or will Drew be delivering the baby??

And then to add more joy to our stressful lives - both Ellie and I have come down with a rotten cold.

Ellie has NEVER had a cold that causes more than just a sniffle but with a newborn due any day, she and I are coughing up a storm. And today MaMop has come down with it too!

Luckily, the snow has melted and Ellie seems to be coughing a bit less.

Now if MaMop can recover quickly we will be back on track to have this baby any moment!

We were able to make it out yesterday for our annual Christmas tree hunt. Ellie was pretty listless but still enjoyed her candy cane!

Drew and Ellie enjoyed the snow for a few minutes and Ellie made 5 snow angels

So let's hope the snow stays away and our home gets healthy!

We've got things to do!!!

Family Visits

Last week, Ellie and I made a trip up to Canada to visit family.

There are lots of new babies in the family and Ellie had a blast meeting them.

My cousin, Owen, with his new baby girl - Lucie! Sweet baby girl

Great Auntie Colleen with Lucie

Ellie comparing her belly with mine.

Auntie Loreen, mum and me

Happy birthday to Auntie Dena! And since Ellie's birthday was just a few days before, she got ANOTHER birthday cake - made by Uncle Karl!

Baby Mila! She is soooo cute! And smiling up a storm.

The best part about Auntie Nana's house is the sweets!

Auntie Nana even Ellie lick some brown sugar off her hand.

This girl was in heaven!

This is Talent!

No traditional instruments for this kid!

Here she is playing Nani's accordian.

3 for Tea

Another post is needed to show off Ellie's birthday tea.

MaMop and BaPop set a pretty table, put out dress up clothes and even made tea sandwiches with M&M's in them!

Ellie thought it was great!

This girl sure has a sweet tooth. And with Halloween just days before her birthday who can blame her!!

She said she wished for "A Boat - not a real one like grampy's, but one I can float in the tub." I appreciate how specific she is with her wishes. Maybe a boat for Christmas :) We all talked in English accents and Ellie thought that was pretty funny. Tea may be good but special Birthday juice in fancy glasses is the best!

Thank you MaMop and BaPop for a divine birthday tea party!

Halloween & Birthday Madness

It's been a crazy couple of weeks!

What I wouldn't give to move my kids' birthdays to the spring!!!

In the span of 6 days we celebrated Halloween, Ellie's 3rd birthday and I put on a fundraising auction for her preschool! (We raised $10,000 in 3 hours)

Whew! I'm exhausted but have lots of good photos to show for my efforts!

A new tradition. Trick-or-Treating with the neighborhood kids.

Ellie still talks about how a 'monster' jumped out at her last year so she was a little trepidacious about the whole thing. But with the bigger kids at the head of the pack she quickly got into the idea of random neighbors giving her candy! We had a Halloween/birthday party complete with costumes, pumpkin crafts and presents, of course. 22 adults and 12 kids under age 7. Wowzers!

This year Ellie was a PUNK ROCKER for Halloween! She loved her crazy skirt but her favorite part was getting to paint her hair hot pink!! We had many more celebrations on her birthDAY but we'll save those for another post.