Saturday, May 28, 2011

bits & pieces

*I've been having major chocolate attacks lately! WTF?! And I don't mean the odd craving. Like, I can eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And I do. Oh dear.

*Does anyone else think the song Judas by Gaga sucks?

*Loving the first dance sequence in Beyonce's "Run the World."

*The nursery is nearly complete...pictures to come after holiday!

*I'm reading Shania's book, From This Moment On. Kinda crappily written (really dumbed down), but I am interested in her story. Fame and the road there intrigues me.

*Is it just me, or does it seem like EVERYBODY (celebs included) is preggo? That's cool with me! More friends who are up for baby dates.

*I am OBSESSED with pinterest. Check out my boards! If you've never heard of it, go there NOW!

*I need to plant my garden and flowers right away...I hope waiting until after BC will suffice. At least I just helped my mother-in-law with her much larger garden, so I should get a little somethin' somethin' from there.

*My bestie better not have her baby before I'm home! I can't wait to meet Isla's new friend!!!!

*Wedding shower tomorrow! I love wedding season. And seriously plan to pretend I'm engaged and shop for a wedding dress again.

*I finally got a trim! Trav and I got side-by-side haircuts, with Isla sleeping between in her stroller. Funny stuff.

*Packing kinda stresses me out. Anyone else?

*I need a tan!

*I should go for a walk with Isla right now, but for some reason by energy is seriously lacking. (And it's windy!) Jillian video tonight I think. Why does my energy peak at 11 pm? (Perhaps because that's when the chiclet is in bed?)

*Just occurred to me that my plants need to be watered when I'm gone. Crap.

*I've been procrastinating on some writing projects. Double crap.

*I'm so ready to get away! Yayaya!

isla update

Here we are, Saturday afternoon. We leave for BC in a couple days, and I'll be MIA for a full two weeks! Woohoo! I still plan to internetz though.

Isla is sucking her hand right now. Not her fingers, but her full fist - her favourite past time these days. At nearly 16 weeks, she likes to stick out her tongue, chats and coos when you hum at her, cries more than she used to, eats a lot and often, and is beginning to roll onto her tummy. She officially laughed for the first time yesterday when I was sniffing her butt for a poop check...it just cracked her up! AND, Trav caught it on video, bonus!

We headed to the doctor on Tuesday and she weighs 13 lbs 7 oz. Not sure the stats on that, but it seems alright to me! Today we strapped on a size 2 dipe too.


As for sleeping, we've got our little routine. Down at 7, feed at 4, then back to bed until 7 or so. Active time for an hour or two, and then we both crash. Luckily the past few days have allowed us to nap together ;) Although I imagine our road trip will shake things up a bit...my positive choice of words!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

bb

Before baby...

I was working frantically on this magazine (you can read it all there too). Since I left when everything was in draft form, a few changes have been made to my work...but you get the gist!

I'm about to eat some oatmeal, watching my little lady rolling - yes, rolling! - all over her play mat. She needs a bit of assistance to get on her stomach, but she's so close. Last night her and I napped from 5 to 7 (whoops!), then I fed her and she was in bed by 8:30...and didn't wake until 6 am! Wow. I just started following the principles (mainly much earlier bedtime) from Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child that I got from the library; so far, so good!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

my loves


Recap: Mother's Day was awesome. Slept in, and woke up with Isla in my arms and diamond earrings on my pillow. Ahhhhmazing. And it still would've been without the earrings part : )

bath time

twinkle toes



Even though I know every inch of my baby, I really haven't seen Isla's feet all that much. But with the warmer weather as of late, we've been showing some more skin...and lo and behold, this girl has spidey toes! She spreads them apart like little claws!

Today we tried on our "Mexican dress," a gift from when Nanna was in Las Cabos. Pulled the shade up on the carseat, and out in the yard we went. I've been painting a little funky table for Isla's nursery - a $5 kijiji find. Will post when it's done!

Friday, May 13, 2011

we've been bronzed

And not the good kind...

Tonight I went to competition and watched a couple of my jazz classes that I taught for half the dance season. An awesome girl took over for me end of January (and thankfully our dance styles are quite similar), and she did amazing with the choreo considering I dumped everything on her since Isla came so suddenly. I've been checking in and subbing every once in awhile, but I was still excited to see them perform. Well, they did fairly well...I was guessing high silvers or so. But no...bronze. Ouch. Haven't had one of those since my first year of dance...you don't see them handed out too often these days.

It was disheartening because I feel they truly didn't deserve a bronze, especially considering the rest of the category (all silvers and one gold.) The adjudicator is local, and in my mind, had one particular style of dance she liked. Cookie-cutter anyone? That's all I'll say; after all, it's only one person's opinion. It's just a little frustrating when even the choreo award goes to numbers with not much thought or passion behind them...they follow the numbers and stay within the lines.


Me and Nat at competition a couple years ago.
Ok, that's off my chest! Perhaps I shouldn't care as much, but I just can't help it! I feel so invested in every student. I was just hoping our girls could've got a boost tonight. But then again, maybe this will make them work harder? It's true: motivating them and seeing them dance FULL OUT has been a challenge and they're just not there yet. I think we've got through to a few though...looking forward to watching a hardworking duet I taught this Sunday, and meeting my old dance teacher for lunch with the Isla-bean.

a few treats

Yesterday Isla and I went shopping with my sis-in-law and mom-in-law. The mission? Find SIL a grad dress. We FINALLY found one, at Laura of all places...and it's beautiful! Black and sleek with a flare hem to the floor; no puffy cotton candy glitter that is ubiquitous with grads. She'll look fantastic.

In the meantime, I had time to peruse...and snapped up a few things. It was so weird to be back in a change room trying on clothes, after going months not bothering because of my expanding figure.

What I got:
So comfy! 
(In red)

I was one of those people today...I called American Eagle wondering why the shorts I bought are $15 cheaper online. WTF? I was just browsing and realized the price difference. I'm never one to care (I made my first ever return to a store only a year ago!), but now with more time on my hands at home (and my attempt to be frugal, haha) I decided to suck it up and at least ask. The girl cited the American dollar and the shipping as the cost difference...but that makes no sense since our dollar is better and shipping is 7 bucks even. But oh well....I've got the shorts in my hands and don't have to wait for their arrival! (Although it did cross my mind to return everything and buy it all online ;o)

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

gallery wall

Via Pinterest
I love everything about this. Seriously, I think I may copy the frame layout...it's done perfectly!

Friday, May 6, 2011

smile hank!

Vintage Duck Photography

Thursday, May 5, 2011

update: life

10:48 pm. Trav is having a few beers with his best buddy (a few....?) Isla is in bed. Baby monitor beside me. I just finished working out and am drinking a chocolate protein shake. It's an attempt at getting a bit more serious before I have to don my bikini in a few weeks...eight stinkin' pounds until I'm where I wanna be. (And it certainly doesn't help that Trav got Grandma to babysit this afternoon and took me to Lincoln Lawyer...the popcorn smelled divine! So obviously, I copped a few handfuls. Oh, the movie was really great too...a nice introduction back into our favourite nerdy pastime).

Anyway, life has been crazy the past few weeks. It's funny...you'd think technically being "at home" full-time would make the days feels different from the usual nine to five. I guess partly it's me...I thrive on a day that includes a list of at least five bullets being checked off...otherwise I feel as if I haven't accomplished much, haven't given the day all the potential it deserves. In theory it makes sense, but I can get pretty OCD about it. I'm trying to remind myself of just how crazily quickly Isla is growing, and to drink in EVERY SINGLE MOMENT. It's hard, especially with each day blending into the next. I now understand why Moms say they wish they could freeze time. And Isla isn't even three months old yet!

So what's been going on? I've been subbing dance, which I've been loving. Taking Isla with me and getting back into the studio just feels good. I had to play music last-minute at competition the other day (silly mixup, but I wasn't going to not go...loooooove the competition air!), and Trav had to work last minute as it turned out. So I strapped Isla on with the Baby Bjorn, and backstage we went. Think I'm a crazy stage Mom in the making? Haha.

I've also been helping people with their resumes. I just posted a small ad on kijiji, and the response hasn't been half-bad! It's nice to use my technical skills again. I've also got a few writing assignments that I'm about to start with Alberta Conservation; it's nice to stay in touch with them when I'm on maternity leave.

Along with making some extra cash (so we can make my dream come true and go to Maui this winter...Trav doesn't know my master plan yet), I've been slowly working away at finishing up the nursery, living room and guest room. Isla and I are finally enjoying some outdoor walks (not just in Costco!), and I'm trying to stay in touch with other mommies. I need to get in touch with my local Moms' group...I think it would be good for us since I tend to stay close to home if given a choice. Time to get out and meet the people of our new neighbourhood!

Trav and I are leaving for BC at the end of the month to make the rounds with my relatives. I'm beyond excited! It's been far too long, and there's just something about BC...the air is different. It's lovely.

Oh, Trav's at the door. Must've been just a few beers after all. Nighty night.

Monday, May 2, 2011

thinking too far ahead?

I've never been that into Halloween (even though it was often a big production around here since it's my sister's favourite holiday, hands down). BUT...what other excuse do I have to dress Isla like this?! Would that be mean? (Like when people dress their dogs up in ridiculous getups?) Because I think it's just plain cute overload!
Via Pinterest.