In each life a little rain must fall...

... and some of us are cool with it.

Just call me Nerdy Von Saves-a-lot

Total amount out of pocket for the above items (after coupons and ECBs): $9.48
Total rebate I have coming back to me: $15.00

So basically, I was paid $5 to buy these items. Who needs illicit drugs or running? Saver's high beats both of those hands down.

The sad part? All that shampoo and conditioner will probably only last me about a month.

Oh, poop

It's potty training time! And what a craptastic, kick-in-the-crotch, sucktacular time it is.

Part 1 of potty training actually went quite well. Elise pretty much learned to pee in the potty in about a day. She's been ready for awhile, but because of her diabetes (and sometimes high blood sugars), it was easier to keep her in diapers.

But after our trip to Vancouver, I decided the diapers needed to go. I was ecstatic at how quickly and happily she took to going on the potty. Until, that is, it came time to drop some kids off at the pool.

Since she's wearing underwear, and knows it's so not cool to drop a load in your pants, she started bringing me diapers and telling me that she needs to go poop. And when I tell her excitedly that she can do it on the potty, she breaks out into an all-out wail.

Seriously, you'd think I had told her that Thomas the Train had run over Belle, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella; and as a punishment had been taken apart and sold to the scrap yard.

We've tried begging, pleading, bribes, veiled and not-so-veiled threats, cash, prizes, different potty seats and a seat that fits right on the toilet. I've tried letting her run around naked, which just led to her trying to escape out our front door naked yelling, "I want to be naked outside!"

I've tried refusing to put on her diaper, but one constipated woman in this house is enough (in case you weren't aware, pregnancy is very constipating).

Nothing works with her. Nothing. The child just will not poop on the potty. She told me that the poo-poo is happy in the diaper.

I talked to her doc today, and she told me to give it a rest for about a month. So no more potty talk for awhile. For a laugh I thought I'd include one of the funniest songs ever from the TV show Scrubs. Because everything DOES come down to poo.

Vancouver - Day 8

Whistler/Narin Falls

Prepare yourselves for a whole lotta pictures. Pretty pictures, but there's quite a few. On this day, we drove up past Whistler to Narin Falls (told you I have a thing about waterfalls)... This hike was Fred's and my first date back in '96.

♫ Meeeeeemories, like the corners of my mind... ♫

Sorry, I'm back. Anyway... Enjoy!

Elise and Poppa in front of Green Lake

Green Lake. You can see cabins with float planes parked in front of them across the lake. I would like to live there

View overlooking the top of Narin Falls

A hiking we will go...

Our one and only family picture of the trip

Elise is not used to so much walking!

Glad it's him and not me

Fred took some great pictures on the hike

This one cracks me up for some reason

How beautiful

Fred getting funky with the camera again

Hiking buddies

Elise and Momma

Narin Falls is actually two falls, this is a shot of the first fall

She makes me laugh... I love this little girl and her many, many faces

Bottom drop of Narin Falls. See that wet rock that is sticking out? I used to scale the fence and go sit on that rock. And I have the picture to prove it...

Obviously, this picture was taken at a time when the water volume coming through the falls wasn't as high as it was this last time... still, if I could go back and kick my 21 year old ass for being so stupid, I would.

We have an ETA for our baby boy!

Yesterday was my 28 week appointment and the doc said everything is looking great! I had another sonogram because my doctor was a little worried about my placenta being too low, but the problem seems to have fixed itself. She said I am measuring right on target.

We also found out that September 7th at noon will be the arrival time for our little guy. It looks like we're going with the name Mattias. Still looking for that elusive middle name though.

Why are boys names so hard to come up with?

What an Amazing Father looks Like

I wrote this last year for Father's Day, and as hard as I try, I just can't say it any better than I have here.


Dear Freddie,

Elise is one lucky and blessed little girl. I know it, one day when she's a bit older; she will know it, and I hope that you know it too.

I love that, from day one, you jumped into fatherhood with both feet. You had never changed a diaper or fed a baby a bottle before, but it didn't matter. You make being a father look natural and easy.

I love that you love to spend time with her, making memories that will stay with her the rest of her life. Your time with her will assure her of how loved she is, and she will grow up knowing what a good man is.

I love that when she is scared or upset, she calls your name too. She knows her Poppa is a great source of comfort, and she can rest just as easy in your arms or mine.

I love that she gets her sweet and out-going personality from you. When I see her going up to kids she doesn't know in a store or playground and chatting with them; there is no doubt that she's your daughter. She loves to be around other people and thrives in those situations.

I love how excited she gets when the front door opening announces that you are home from work for the day. I think every father should be greeted by little shrieks of joy at the end of a long work day.

I love that you find fun in things that most people would view as a chore. You have made bath time and getting ready for bed one of her favourite times of the day. I enjoy listening to the songs you sing and the little rituals you do that are just yours and hers.

I love listening to you speak to her in Portuguese. I think it's wonderful how passionate you are that she learns that part of her heritage. I also love to hear her speak Portuguese too and am blown away at how well she's doing.

I love the man that you are, the husband that you are and the father you have become. I mean it when I say that I couldn't be raising such an amazing little girl without you.

Love,
Momma and the Beans

Vancouver - Day 7

Drive up to Whistler

It was a pretty rainy day when we took the beautiful Sea to Sky Highway up to Whistler, so we didn't get out of the car a whole lot. I did insist we stop at Shannon Falls, though. I have this thing about waterfalls. I love them. I could sit at stare at a waterfall for hours. Especially one in a setting this beautiful.

On a side note, I once hiked to the top of these falls. Sigh, those were the days...

Elise and Poppa at the bottom of the falls, by Shannon Creek

You can sort of see the falls through the trees

Are her rain boots not adorable?

Oh yeah, Shannon Falls in the background

27 weeks

Getting bigger + stupid, hot Texas weather (even though it isn't even summer yet) = one unhappy preggo.

Vancouver - Day 6

Back to the ol' stomping grounds and dinner at Gramma's house.

Love this place... it's called Finn Slough. Click on the name to read about it. A truly unique place that's tucked away in the city I grew up in. This picture was taken at low tide.

The first house I lived in after we moved from Montreal when I was a year old.

I lived here from the age of 10 until I moved out

Hanging with Gramma and Sage

Lovin' the great outdoors

And this is why we call Uncle Stefan, "Uncle Turkey". His hand (plastic eyeballs included) is the turkey and Elise is in love with it.

Posing with Uncle Turkey and the turkey

I love my dress!

Uncle Stefan just came back from spending 5 months in India. He and his girlfriend Vanessa bought Elise a whole bunch of beautiful Indian dresses. Here is how Elise feels about her present (she's wearing one of them in the video):




Please ignore the mess you see in the background. That is what you get when three people travel with 10 bags (3 suitcases, the rest were smaller), and stay in about 500 sq. feet of space.

Vancouver - Day 5

Stanley Park - miniature train and farm yard

Elise sporting her new dress from India (and a bit of a 'tude)

Stopping to smell the flowers

Wheeeeeee!

Love the miniature train!

Poppa and the beans

Posing with the train

Why, hello little sheep!

Take me to your leader

Elise on the tractor

Vancouver - Day 4

The Vancouver Aquarium with Uncle Turkey

Checking out the dolphins from below ground

Elise thought it was pretty cool

What a fun job

My one good picture of the dolphin

Elise wanted to go swimming!

Ohhhh, fishies (Elise and her cute backpack from India; a present from Uncle Turkey)

Elise and Uncle Turkey checking out the shark tank

Yummy goodness from Canada

Of course a trip home means I get to stock up on some of my favourite foods from the five major food groups:

back row: ketchup chips, Special K (different than the Special K in the U.S.), dill pickle chips, and Hickory Sticks

middle row: Shreddies (cereal, had to get rid of the box for packing purposes), Arrowroot baby cookies, Crispy Crunch, Oh Henry, and Caramilk

front row: Walker's shortbread cookies

And no, I don't eat junk like this all the time. But going home for the first time in 5 years calls for a splurge, right? Plus at my last OB appointment, my doc told me I needed to gain some weight. Mission Accomplished!