Lexis- Maxin' and relaxin'

Today was a HOT one outside and we spent much of the afternoon (and morning) in the pool. We taught Lexis how to stay on the raft and float around. She is too cute :)

Back to work... Brutal!

I am home! After one extremely LONG day of traveling I did arrive home on Monday night at midnight. And of course, Air Canada did loose my luggage. They managed to not loose the bag with all the baby's clothes and James' clothes, but did loose mine. And I had everything I owned in there down to the last pair of underwear I own! So I had to wait in my bathrob until 1:30 pm yesterday for them to bring my clothes. But in the end it all worked out good and I have everything unpacked now.

The flights were uneventful. The food was brutal. The seat mates were all weird. And the day was long, 7 pm - midnight! One fun thing was when I was in the airport I was watching my belly jump! Right thru my t-shirt you could see little movement and jumps, it was too cute to watch :) But I think I have tired my little peanut out, he is sleeping most of the days now with only a couple of big movements. Poor little one!

I listed my first house last night!!! Yup, pretty exciting :) Our friends Dave and Nancy are moving to Winnipeg at the end of the summer, so it is not like it is a happy listing. But I am honoured that they would ask me to list their house. I hope everything goes smoothly and we can get plenty of offers on Sunday night. I am doing an open house from 2-4 pm on Saturday and Sunday, but it's Craven weekend so I am not sure how busy it will be.

Not much else is new, I am just killing time at the office. I think I will head home and get some lunch and maybe watch some Baby Story and Bringing Home Baby on TLC. Seems that each time I watch those shows I end up crying.. hahaa! All I know is that I am getting an epidural, and those of you who are trying to change my mind & have your own opinion on that subject, there is no stopping me!!! You can tell me everything you want but I just want you to know that on the day I give birth I will be having one, no changing my mind here!!! Why would I want to do it naturally, uh, no thanks :)

Well, have a wonderful day! Enjoy the nice weather :)

Melissa

Packed to the Rim!

Time to start packing! I have bought SO MUCH STUFF over the past week I had no idea how I would fit it all into the 2 suitcases that I had brought down. When I came I had one bag full of "canadian goodies" that I thought I would fill with "american goodies" when I returned. Well, that suitcase is not even close to being big enough to housing all my "goodies". So I am having to rearrange my belongings to fit into my bags. And let me tell you, they are packed to the top! But I think I have it cased now. Everything fits in my suitcases except for my hair dryer, makeup bag and straight iron, so they will just have to go in my carry on bag (which I have to borrow from my mom because I didn't have one on the way down). Once whole suitcase is full of baby clothes, baby blankets, baby items, and a few items I bought for James.

The good thing about traveling home with a lot of luggage is that you don't have to wander far in the airports with all your luggage. At cutoms you take it off one baggage claim, walk through customs booths and put it on the next. I am thankful for that because I honestly don't know how I would pull these bags along! It's not like I am traveling with a strong husband to help carry my stuff.... why do we NEVER travel together??? Every time we travel we either drive together or fly on separate airlines. I think to all the places we have flown over the past four years we have only gone together once, haahah! Even when we went on our cruise James flew West Jet and I flew Air Canada.

Well, I did a trial pack before my real pack tomorrow evening. Looks like I will do okay. James is once again out at the lake this weekend. I think it's turning into his home away from home. That's okay... it would probably be too hot for him to stay in the house this weekend. I talked to him this evening and he said they caught 17 fish this afternoon. Ewww! Glad he is getting all this "boy stuff" out of his system before I return home. Because when I get there I am ready to set up the nursery!!! HURRAY!

Well, my mom and dad just returned from Walmart with some ice cream (my request). So I should probably go and enjoy it!

Later guys,

Melissa

25 week baby update!

• Head to heels, my baby is 13 1/2 inches long in length!
• Its weight — a pound and a half — doesn't sound like much, but its beginning to exchange its long, lean look for a more rounded one.
• As my baby gains weight, its' wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and it'll start to look more like a mini newborn.
• The baby's hair is probably recognizable now in color and texture, although both may change after its' born.

It's All About The Baby At Grandma Kim's House!

Well it's Friday, and you know what that means... only 4 more days of vacation :(
I have been having a good time here with my family, such a good time infact that I don't know where the days have gone and what we have done. Keeping busy sure does make the time fly bye!

Yesterday my mom and dad and I went downtown Portland and did a little shopping. My dad had these gift certificates for a "free pair of shoes" at the Dr. Martens store. I was a little skeptical at first over the "free pair of shoes" and figured there would be a price limit or some kind of catch. But no, the 3 of us walked into the store and picked out any pair of shoes we wanted. Yes, ANY PAIR OF SHOES!!! Is that not a woman's dream come true? After trying on probably 8 different pairs I decided on a sandal with straps that go behind me heel. I really wanted to get a slip on pair but I felt like the ones with the straps were much more comfortable and supported my aching back more. I am very happy with my purchase (well, it's not like I really purchased them...).

After going downtown we stopped at this 2nd hand store, which has really good quality clothes, and we picked up a couple maternity clothes and some baby clothes. The big sale was 50% off the yellow and green tickets so I got 4 really cute sleepers for the baby for around $1.50 each! That's awesome hey? We splurged ($3.99) on these cute pair of jean overalls and then we bought 2 little receiving blankets for $1.50 each. We just picked unisex colours (yellow and green) for the sleepers so they could go either way. Mom was so excited at looking at this stuff and buying it, she is going to spoil her grandbaby when it finally arrives. I also lucked out at the store, I got a pair of capris, 2 pairs of shorts, and a black long sleeve top, thanks mom!

Also, yesterday my aunt and uncle came over and brought some stuff that my aunt kristal sent home with them from their vacation. I got this thing (it's going to be hard to describe, so bare with me) that looks like a sleeping bag, that has holes to put your baby's feet through, that goes in a shopping cart seat, so your baby doesn't have to sit on the sticky or cold metal cart! WOW, you are probably all confused now. I also got a "BabyBjorn" snuggly that goes on the front of you and you can carry your baby in. It's really cute! I can't wait to have a little munckin to put in it!

Well, I am just sitting here in a really cute maternity outfit (long oversized pink flowing tank-top and black capri leggings with lace around the bottom, really it's too cute!) waiting for my mom to walk in the door. We are heading over to Fred Myers to look at their clearance rack because my mom wants to buy some undershirts and necessities for the baby, which I will take home with me. I love Fred Myers because they do free wedding ring cleaning and they are the best I have ever seen! I am always so embarressed to give them my rings but they sure do come back sparkling clean :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Stay cool Regina people, my weather metre on my computer tells me you are in 35 degree weather at only 1:15 pm!!! I am so glad I am not there... I would be SOOOO HOT!!! James is spending his days (when he is not working) in the pool. I look forward to joining him there next week!

Love always,
Melissa

Cousins!

Tonight my cousins, Josh and Katie, came over with my uncle Tim and aunt Christy. They were very excited to come over and are always so much fun to be around. I had bought them new Canada shirts, which matched my family's T-shirts. My cousins are too cute :)

Independence Day 2007

Brittany, Kristi and I at the July 4th BBQ

Siblings - Kevin, Kristi, and Me

Someone is excited to be an auntie!

Sisters!

Mom and her girls!

Williams Family (Minus James)

We had a wonderful July 4th here in Vancouver, Washington. In Vancouver WA it is legal to set off your own fireworks so our night was FILLED with fireworks from all around. It is such a crazy experience. If you close your eyes you do feel like you are in the middle of a war zone with all the bangs going off from different directions. But it was a lot of fun! We went over to the Barkow's house for a BBQ (Kevin's girl friend's family). I look forward to returning to celebrate many more July 4ths here. The baby did not like the fireworks too much, it was jumping around in my tummy the whole time we were watching. I thought it might hear the loud bangs... hope it was too nervous!

My back is seriously bothering me today and I am not sure how much longer I can stand it. It is in the centre of my back, on the right hand side of my spin. It's probably from my growing belly (as you can tell from my pictures I am getting big). So, if you could keep my back in your prayers that would be awesome, because I really don't know how I will last another 16 weeks!!! BRUTAL!

Hope everyone is having a good week... my holiday is flying bye!!

Much love,

Melissa

24 weeks.

• The baby is growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week.
• Since its' almost a foot long, that makes for a pretty lean figure, but its body's filling out proportionally.
• The baby's brain is growing rapidly, and its taste buds may be working now.
• Its lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.
• The baby can hear more now, and I may even notice her startle at loud, sudden noises. But its probably getting used to the regular noises it hears around the house, such as my dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner.

Happy Birthday James!

Happy Birthday James!

Today is my husband's birthday and I am not there to celebrate it with him. But I did order him 3 XLarge stuffed crust pizza's and a dessert Pizza and had it delivered to him on site for lunch. (I know, I am a nice wife....) But I have the most amazingest husband in the world!!!! I love him with all my heart and wouldn't change anything about him. He is a hard worker, dedicated, Godly man, who strives at doing his best at everything he does. He provides for me (and soon our family) and let's me know that what I do is appreciated. His laughter and sense of humour can make my day. And the kind words that he tells me can melt my heart. There probably hasn't been a day that has gone bye that he hasn't said, "Melissa, you look beautiful today", even when I was so sick from being pregnant that I couldn't get out of bed. When he tries to pretend that he is a tough guy, I know deep down inside that he is a gentle bear who would do anything for anyone. The past 4 years have been the best years of my life, all because of the person I got to share them with. I can't wait to grow old with him and celebrate our 65th wedding anniversary. The momories we have made have been truly amazing and I look forward to the many more that we make down the road.

I love you James!

The Beach Life is the Sweet Life!

Yesterday Mom, Dad, Kristi, Madison and Bailey and I headed off to enjoy a nice day at the coast. Such a fun day. We got Clam Chowder and fresh bread from Mo's Restaurant and then spent the afternoon on the ocean beach soaking in some rays. The pups enjoyed playing in the water and we couldnt get them away from it. Too cute. In the evening we headed over to a cabin where my uncle, aunt and cousins were all vacationing so we had supper with them and relaxed there for the evening. Such a fun time with family! I miss living close to cousins and aunts/uncles because you really can have an awesome time when everyone is
together. I think that the peanut had a fun time, it moved around a couple of times while we were at the beach. Probably trying to reposition its self from the rays that were soaking through my shirt and cooking him. Haha, poor peanut! In the end it was an awesome day and we all had a lot of fun! Enjoy the pictures I took.




Picture Reference:
1) Kristi and I (with Bailey in the background) on the way to the ocean
2)Peanut on the way to the ocean
3) Mom and her babies. She is trying
to teach them how to jump off the dock. Haha!
4) Casey, Kylie, Me, and Kristi! Cousins!
5) Madison, Bailey and I after they went swimming.
6) Uncle Matt, Casey and I enjoying the fire.
7) Kristi and I, I was sooo hot by the fire!
8) My parents... AWWW!