Breathe & Rehydrate

Non-Stop this week. Seriously, sometimes I feel like a hamster running the wheel. Between some contract work I have taken on, which requires travel to the university most evenings, showing the house (which has not seen an offer yet!) and having a blast doing summer fun stuff with Cole, I am wondering...


Where did July go?


Luck for me, Cole has been hanging with grandma as I make some cold hard cash...he came home the other day with a picture he drew for me.... kids pics are the BEST so I thought I would share it.. he likes to name his pictures...most of the time he states the obvious, but still funny. Let's analyze...

Ok the first obvious question is who is who? Well I am told that I am the first one....the biggest one....hum.....is he channeling the size of my belly into my head? Per Cole, I am the biggest as I am the leader. Glad he knows who is boss around here!

Grandma is the last and smallest (he noted his hand was tired by then) and he is in the middle as he wants to hold both of our hands. Again, very sweet..

The final question is what is up with the eyes? Why so big? His answer....we all have "big blue eyes" and the only way he can make them big enough is if he makes our heads big. Logical yes.....pretty looking, not so much...

Man... are kids ever funny and real..., makes me elated that I am being given 2 more....

Ok, so on a completely different note, fridays are "my day" where I generally relax and reorganize as Cole has fun at day care. I realized that I have spent alot of time in the washroom this AM. And then I looked over to see 2 empty water bottles on the counter and it hit me, I drink ALOT of water. Even the ultrasound lady yesterday made a comment about my water bottle.....or the SIZE of it.

The ultrasound requires a full bladder, so I just brought along my bottle to down in the waiting room, since they are always late. As I am chugging away she notes how HUGE the bottle is. It's only a 1 litre bottle...so I was confused. She asked me how many I drink of those in a day?

3 I replied....at least...



She looked at me like I was a freak, and even called over the admin girl to "check" it out.



I drink coffee and water, that is it. I am not into pop, juice, milk, crystal light, yada yada. Water is my beverage of choice. With a lemon wedge preferably.....



I started to think that maybe it was a bit weird, the recommended water intake is 8 glasses a day, so I am drinking more than that, but what is the harm? Water rehydrates, flushes out the toxins, keep skin fresh, helps with digestion...has no calories (if you are into that kind of thing!).



So my question for you is how much water do you drink? Is it enough? If not, try drinking more this next week and see how you feel. Tote a water bottle with you everywhere. Sip when you are at a red light, drink a glass before breakfast.. squeeze in an extra glass when you workout.



Have a fantastic HYDRATED long weekend!

I confess...I am cheating

On my hair stylist.....

I just booked an appointment with another stylist (who I used to see regularly) while the one I usually go to is away on vacation.

I feel terribly guilty....BUT, I have weighed all the pros and cons and have come to a conclusion...

Pros:

• current stylist is cheap. She is my sisters friend and will do a cut and highlights for $50
• she is funny and keeps me entertained throughout my appointment
• she is a great stylist, has won many awards. I have never had a bad haircut or color when I see her
• she is cheap....I know this is a repeat but who does not like a deal! The $50 I save can be spent on many other fine things!

Cons:

• She's 20 minutes further away
• she is always late, by at least a half hour
• she talks WAY too much (I am too old to listen to sexual escapades!) and my appointment takes 3 hours
• she answers her cell phone while I am in the chair...and leaves the room to do so. Who is more important than "moi"? Come on, I am paying you a whole $50!!!
• when she cuts my hair, she snips snips twice with the scissors and then tells me a story....a multi-tasker she is NOT! Hence the 3 hours.
• she drinks a bottle of wine during my appointment....hence the 3 hours....not cool when preggie here cannot participate in the festivities
• She "needs" a smoke while I am overheating under the dryer...there are only so many fashion mags I can read while I pass out from the color fumes enhanced by my overextended time under that dang dryer. My lectures on smoking, lung cancer and death have obviously not scared her enough.

So there you go. The list of cons was just too long, and given the level of discomfort I am feeling when I sit for even 30 minutes completely outweighs the $50 I would save.

I fully realize that when we return to one income this winter I will come crawling back to her begging for a cheap cut and 3 hours away from the chaos that will certainly be taking place at the McQueen "full of boys" household . She will also take one look at my hair and KNOW I cheated on her...and then trash talk the stylist for an hour while she "fixes" the mess (stylists are very protective of their work...no?). My $50 will increase to $80 no doubt!

I am prepared to deal with that...a bottle of red wine should keep the peace?

Plastic surgery...would YOU do it?

I have wanted a nose job since I was 15. Crazy? Some may say so, but for me, the bump on my nose (thanks to my grandma Z) is an eye sore that I want to see gone. Rarely will you see any profile shots of me...this is as close as I could find, from 2 summers ago!


In my teens I even started saving for rhinoplasty....part of my allowance every week went towards the $8k cost I was expecting.. and then the boyfriend arrived at 17. I suppose he liked my "bump" as it never really came up....I would have taken some "nose" abuse over the other abuse he dished out for 8 years...


Gone was the boyfriend and along came Tim. Once again, never a mention about the "bump". When I showed him my concern, he agreed. There was a bump, but so what? Did I really want to go through a major surgery where they flip back the skin on my nose and shave the bone and then lay around all bruised for weeks? Humm....good point, onto the backburner it went.



Marriage, graduate school, and having a child took my mind off of the nose issue for a few years....but every time I would see someone (ie: celebrity mostly) get rhinoplasty done, I would fall right back into wanting one.



Lately I have even noticed that my nose is now crooked from the front, it is becoming "J" like!! I recently read that as the body ages, the nose does lengthen slightly and may look more prominent....this is NOT good news for me. Once again, with some time on my hands I have fallen back into planning my rhinoplasty...this time I am more serious than ever.



Ashley Simpson was a HUGE for me...check out the before

And the after

Fantastic in my eyes...

This is not a self esteem issue, I am happily married and I do not dwell on my nose....I would just like to not worry about it anymore..but I wonder if I were to fix it, would I still be me? That gal from Dirty Dancing had a simple bump removed from her nose and noone recognized her anymore!!

So, is there any plastic surgery you are contemplating? Secretly, publicly, or have already had done?

Back from the lake...with lessons learned

Not much slows me down....but this past weekend I came to an abrupt halt. BACK PAIN

The idea began with a good friend in town from NY (hi Robbie!).

He invited us out to his parents fantastic cabin, 2 hours away....on the lake. Who could resist? Water skiing, tubing, boating...all very lucrative for those who are not carrying a baby on board!!!. I was not about to let it slow me down though...Tim needed some play time and "man waters"...and Cole enjoys anything we throw his way.

We packed up and headed out. The back pain started with the car ride, I tried to recline the seats, shift onto one hip, place a pillow behind the back...no luck. Oh oh... I remember thinking I was in some trouble.

Sitting on the dock, watching the guys water ski and tube was great....me and my water bottle and book and a great time. Nap time arrived and Cole and I decided to rejuvenate on the pull out couch... while Cole slept through the roofers pounding and nailing in a new roof, I laid there, with a foot in my face (thanks Cole) trying, yet again, to sleep though the shooting pains in my back. Tip: pull out couches are the WORST! That couch was my nemesis....it provided me with 4 hours total sleep that night. Why is there no bed like your own? I longed for my bed...my pillows....

We headed home Sunday and today, I am "one" with my hot waterbottle and my couch...I have my yoga DVD all set to go ....opting for the relief of backpain series of postures...I may throw in the constipation series just for added bonus! Tim did suggest I go see a massage therapist this week.....no need to ask this gal twice!

If anyone has any tips on relieving back pain...please please let me know!

Seeing my boys having a blast was well worth my discomfort.

Our hosts were generous and kind, and full of fun and laughter. Who could ask for more? Minus that dang bed, I would head back in a heartbeat....but I think my travel days are limited....

The picture says it all

There was no mistaking at the ultrasound yesterday, we are lucky to be having 2 more boys!!! Many people have asked me whether I wanted a girl and they seem shocked when I say that I had no preference. I have always just wanted to be a mom. Boys, girls, it never really mattered. Happy, healthy kids is all I ever asked for.

The babies are measuring great. Baby B was having a snooze when it was his turn and we did not get an accurate measurement of the heart, so back I go in 2 weeks.

In the meantime...I may head out to the mall today and buy a few new sleepers for these special boys!

20 weeks..more pics

This is week 20! Yay!

Per the doctor, I will go to 38 weeks, max.... double yay!

Rear view:

Side view....

Everyday presents new challenges in terms of bending over and even walking, the pain I have in my ligaments is beyond what I had imagined. I am trying my best to find a comfortable position for sleeping, I will let you know when that actually happens! For now, I am content to feel the kicks and punches alternating on each side of my belly at 3am each morning. Is that a sign of things to come?

Coordination you two babies!!! Get it together here!

Happy Monday!

Watcha staring at?

I have become quite the scene at the gym these days....

People are staring, whispering, shaking heads as I do my workouts...

Are pregnant gals supposed to stay home on the couch and not move??

My gym is more of a re-fit centre. At 10Am each day the seniors congregate at the front doors waiting to use the track. Other folks are taking part of physio classes and stretching classes. I can understand that they may not feel comfortable seeing a girl, with a belly, holding 20 lb dumbless doing deadlifts. This gal though used to do deadlifts with 40 lbs dumbells so 20lbs is a huge difference.

Maybe I should wear a sign that says "Pregnant and allowed to train......doctor said so"

or maybe I should start my own group..... "Barbells and Bellies"

Speaking of signs. I attend a spin class every Thurs at 8AM. The teacher is this fantastic 57 year old fit man who has a photographic memory. He asked me a few weeks ago whether I was running the half marathon this year...I kindly pointed to the belly and explained my year off of running. The next class I show up and on my spin bike he has placed a sign

"Babies on Board"

It was nice to feel welcome at a gym where I have become more of a freak show then a healthy fit pregnant gal. Kudos to Murray my spin teacher!

So the ligaments are pulling BIG TIME. Leisure walking is no problem but as soon as I increase that incline or speed, things start to pull and crack...so my treadmill workouts this week were geared down a bit but I expect more from YOU! Enjoy!

Warm up 5min
5-7 powerwalk at incline 4
7-9 sprint at 0
9-11 powerwalk at incline 10
11-13 spint at 0
13-15 powerwalk at 4

Repeat 3 more times from minute 5. Ensure you cool down for 5 minutes at a slow paced walk

Have a great weekend!

The house is up for sale

http://www.winnipegrealestatenews.com/viewer.aspx?ID=2912680&type=residential

Now can someone just please buy it so I do NOT have to keep it spotless for weeks on end! Most of our stuff is in storage, the place looks empty but "showable" per the realtor.... poor Cole had to say bye to most of his toys (I have a bucket of transformers and bakugans in his closet...shhh it's our secret!). Plus we just head on over to swim at grandma's each afternoon, or to the park. Who needs toys?

We just listed the house today, we tried a private sale for 2 weeks and we have 3 couples who are hemming about it....why does noone make impulsive decisions anymore?

Keep your fingers crossed that one of our private buyers will take the plunge and save us $17k on commissions!

I will keep you posted as the week goes on...

Lesson learned

I woke up this morning sick as can be. The flu, or so I hoped that was all it was. I could barely function - chills, backache, headache, the sweats. I called my mom and she drove me to the doctor and they ran some blood work. All is fine and yes it is the flu.

The worst part? Missing a much anticipated shopping date with my prairie friend and co-worker Kami. We had been planning our purchases, starbucks and Earls dinner for months. While she insists her one hour at the mall instead of 5 was much easier on the wallet, I feel terrible that I had to cancel. I even jammed on the work session we were to attend together tonight, in hopes of being well enough to attend tomorrow and Sunday.

While I rested today, and guzzled 4 litres of water (oh yeah did I mention the doc said I was dehydrated?) I wondered why this flu came on so suddenly...and then it dawned on me. I had a crazy busy week, filled with running around and way too much sunshine. I forget I am toting 2 babies around all day and physically, I need to slow it down and say no (a word that is NOT in my dictionary).

Tim's sister was in from Vancouver and we had a great day at the lake, my brother and his girlfriend were in from Calgary, the big family Canada Day Party (swimming and more sun), Tim and I listed the house and have had showings at all hours (ie: clean clean clean), I was marking the last week of my on line course, that meant 35 papers in 3 days, and then there is the little 4 year old in the house that requires some fun in the sun and attention!.

Lesson learned for me...

Say "no" now and then, expectations may be self imposed...

Lesson for others....

I'm strong but not that strong, give this gal a bit of a break and let her put her feet up now and then.

Happy Anniversary to us!

9 years ago today, Tim and I married...

It was a perfectly sunny day, full of family and friends and one big Canada Day Party!

This morning began with a pot of coffee, breakfast and presents. Some lululemon gear (post pregnancy sizes.....sweet hubby still thinks I'm a size 4 right now) and a beautiful Bulova watch, complete with 24 diamonds.... a little bling for this plain gal! Spoiled I am...and loving it.

Cole must have sensed the need for mommy and daddy to spend some quiet time together as he decided to sleep in until 11am. While he is bit of a lump, never has he slept in that long. Small, unexpected pleasures that make you smile.

We are heading off to my parents place for swimming and a barbeque, an annual Canada Day tradition. We were hoping to break tradition and take a mini vacation this year. No such luck, instead we spent the afternoon with a real estate agent listing the house. We figure if he's willing to work on Canada Day, we're willing to share our day with him!

At this time 9 years ago, we were married (minus the name changing...sorry Tim, one day it WILL happen) and we were headed for pictures and then the reception. I hope the next 9 years is just as wonderful, and the 9 after that....

Happy Birthday Canada!