02.05.10
Posted in Diary Entries at 9:25 am by skay
Time for me to wade into the baby updates…
Yes, I realize that this is the first time since the cryptic entry from last time that I am actually writing about the enormous changed that have come about in our lives. We learned a few weeks ago that Nicole is pregnant and therefore by deduction that I am going to be a father.
*moment of silence for sink-inage*
I am still in shock, or disbelief, or denial, I am not sure which but it certainly doesn’t seem real yet. However, as Nicole expands with each passing day and our attention turns away from us and onto the baby-* (everything in our life now starts with baby). Baby-room, baby-clothes, baby-changing table, baby-crib and it goes on and on. I swear I am not going to realize what is going on until the baby is actually crying and for that reason alone I am petrified.
But I have a plan, at least for the easy things like furniture, rooms, garbage, diapers etc,
What I don’t have a plan for yet and what I will be developing here is how to be a Dad. Unlike most other things in life that really don’t matter, being a parent is something that really deserves planning and attention on an ongoing basis. My feeling is that most men just don’t put enough thought into what happens once the baby comes other than the mechanics. Why not spend the last 3 or 6 months of the pregnancy when you are spending your time being obedient and not angering the earth mother as she gradually metamorphoses from your wife into your child’s mother paying attention to the person you will need to be once the child arrives. For example, being too fat to lift up your child is something that will require attention before the trip to the hospital. Same goes for quitting smoking, stopping biting your nails, procrastinating, time management, assessing your morals and priorities, improving your hygiene etc etc.
So I will try over the next few months before baby Kay arrives to get my sh!t together which will include, by the way, losing the profanities. Wish me luck!
So what else is new? Well, I seem to have done the same thing I always do when I get too much on my plate and that is fail to do much of anything! I recently went on a CISSP Boot Camp course in Toronto to help prepare me for the CISSP exam in January. I have been running the Biggest Loser at work and of course coaching while trying to keep up with home stuff that needs to happen. This has meant that after my success with P90X that I have not been back to the gym. It seems that G90X didn’t really take off like I had hoped. I now am in a position with an upcoming exam, upcoming trip to Switzerland and a ton of work and a big pile of frustration with my poor eating habits and lack of exercise. So I need to get organized. The problem isn’t my inability to cope, it is my unwillingness to plan appropriately and get my time organized. I need to study every day, exercise every day and figure out a way to stop eating crap all the time. It can’t be that hard, I am a full grown man for Gods sake.
So here I go. Today, Christmas Eve 2009 I will go home and do Plyometrics with my P90X buddy Tony and have a healthy supper. I will study at least 2 hours and start making notes on the Information Security and Risk Management Domain.
What I need in order to do that I think is a better working area. Although we have a desk downstairs with the computer it is really not appropriate. We have discussed moving the desk up to the reading nook which would be an ideal study spot. That means moving the existing couch into the front baby-room to be. That would require moving the existing couch in that room out and also the bed… You can see how it all snowballs into one big overwhelmfest.
Tonight… you!
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02.04.10
Posted in Diary Entries at 2:00 pm by Nicole
We went for big 20-week ultrasound on Monday, technician lady was very rude. She barely said one word to me! She didn’t even laugh at my dumb baby jokes. This was supposed to be a good experience, but it wasn’t anything to write home about. During this appt she scanned the entire body, looking at all the body parts for problems or concerns.
What I/We have been up to lately:
- 
Purchased our first big baby item! Our Limited Edition UppaBaby Vista stroller in yellow! There aren’t many things I want or need for baby, but this was one of them. This stroller does it all but feed the cat!
- Putting together gift registry with consultation from friends and cousins
- Planning, buying nursery furniture and inspiration pieces.
Purchases to date:
Inspiration Photo
2 x Bookshelves – Imagine this white, a single unit and with purple & Black bins
Night Table (built by moi)
Butterfly Wall Art for above crib:
Nursery Colours: Wall paint: Tan & Lilac; Furniture: White; Accent: Pink, Chocolate Brown, Lilac, Silver & SPARKLY)
How I’m feeling physically:
- Doing well, getting bigger day by day. I get to the gym regularly so that helps I think.
- Bottom of left foot hurts when walking sometimes. Maybe my running shoes? Maybe plantar fascitis frme xtra weight? Maybe wearing poor shoes during the day?
- I get out of breath easily ie. one set of stairs at work. Wheezy sound in chest
- Baby very kicky during day and at night. It seems much more regular now than her schedule before. Soon Simon will be able to feel her!
How I’m feeling emotionally:
- At ease
What’s coming up:
- April 12 – 3d ultrasound with Mom & Dad coming
- Erie trip to shop for baby
- David & Bobbie booked trip in September
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01.13.10
Posted in Diary Entries at 3:11 pm by Nicole
Tomorrow marks the 19 week point. Once we get home from Switzerland, we will be in the home stretch. Hard to believe. So, lots has gone on since my last update… I met the doctor that will be taking care of me. Simon wasn’t there but I had a lovely visit with her. She seems very nice, caring, knowledgeable and helpful. I got to hear the baby’s heartbeat (130bpm) through a doppler – she assured me it wasn’t an alien! I was sent for a blood test and got the news that the chance of Down Syndrome is 1/8000. Which I suppose is pretty good. *crossing fingers*
The moment of truth came last Friday when we went to the gender ultrasound. I was positive it was a boy…Simon wasn’t so sure. I took bets at the office for fun to see what the gang thought. 14-girl 10-boy. As the technologist was doing the scan, she announced, “Congratulations! It’s a…GIRL!” A girl?!?! NO that can’t be! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY I was so happy and shocked to hear the news. I still am actually. I can’t believe we are going to have a little daughter. I can imagine her being Daddy’s little girl already. I’m surprised he isn’t out shopping yet. I was laughing and crying all at the same time for most of the day and went to Babies R Us to see what I could find. Unfortunately I got so overwhelmed that I didn’t buy anything! I can’t wait to start shopping though. I called my parents to share the news and they were suprised it wasn’t a boy either!
As for us now, we are hanging out in Switzerland with the family. We had a lovely day today, celebrating Grandma’s 70th Birthday. With only 28 of her closest friends we spent the afternoon lunching and chatting it up. They gave her an amazing gift of coming to visit her granddaughter, whenever she wants! How wonderful!
I’m feeling pretty good lately. Not *too* many headaches. I find I can’t sit for very long or my legs get restless. I take care of that by doing a 30-45 minute walk daily then I sleep like a baby at night. I have been feeling the baby daily for about a week now, it is very sporadic and very enjoyable. Before I didn’t know what was going on inside…now I’m glad I know what she is up to. I have been religiously using multiple types of cream to try to prevent stretch marks. I am using Palmers, BioOil and now Frei Ol from Germany. I can only pray they all work…
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12.29.09
Posted in Diary Entries at 1:50 pm by Nicole
This photo was taken on Christmas when we were at the Day’s Inn, Collingwood. We left for up north after opening presents, having breakfast and coffee (decaff, of course). No problems with the terribly incorrect forecast. After checking in we went to Aunt Mar & Uncle Wayne’s house where the gang was having cocktail hour (which seemed to last all night). It was unfortunate to not have Mom there, but she thought she would be better at home. It is hard to hear my Mom cry and I am so useless. We have planned to go and see her on NYE. We had our turkey dinner, yummy desserts and played the Steal a Gift game. Everyone was very civilized and there were no fights involved. Unfortunately my Nana got the gift for Jonna (because she didn’t play) I felt bad. I got a fancy pillow, Simon got pure honey and maple syrup. My Dad gave us a boxfull of diapers and a weekend away with the family at CasinoRama in the spring. Hopefully “you know who” won’t have arrived by then! P.S. This photo makes me want to run on the treadmill.
A couple days after Christmas, we went to see Lily (2 weeks old). 
What a precious little baby! She was very well behaved and slept the entire time we were there. Simon thinks babies are easy now that he met Lily! Unfortunately I don’t think they sleep the ENTIRE day….
The rest of our 4 days off was spent cleaning, donating clothes, moving stuff, organizing etc. to prepare for the baby room. It was very overwhelming and the house is still a mess. It probably will be until June.
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12.24.09
Posted in Diary Entries at 10:21 am by Nicole
Congratulations to Alleta and Trevor on their baby girl, Lily Grace. Evie is excited to have a sister but I’m sure it will take time to adjust. Here are some photos from her first week. I can’t wait to meet her!
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Posted in Diary Entries at 10:12 am by Nicole
What I/We have been up to lately:
- A while ago, but I haven’t mentioned it: Black Friday Weekend in Erie. Sonia and I headed to Erie coaching. The drive was no problem as were the borders (which I was worried about). As we were driving into Erie, we drove by ToysRUs. The lineup went from the door, allllll the way around the parking lot, around a building, up the road and then reversed back the same way. I was very frightened of what we had gotten ourselves into!! We arrived at a brand new hotel (for us) TownePlace Suites and the room was great! We had a kitchenette with microwave, fridge, stove and dishwasher (fully equipped) We fell asleep as soon as we lied down because we knew morning shopping was going to come very early. We hit the free breakfast and stores at the crack of dawn and didn’t stop until midnight! We hit our usual favorite spots plus a new one for me. Babies R Us! I got lots of great deals and baby items but the entire time I wished I knew the gender of the baby. I guess I’ll have to go back! As for the big deals and bargains, there weren’t many to be had…it was fun to experience the Black Friday rush, but I don’t think I would rush to do it again. I had fun eating at my fave locations – Olive Garden & Red Lobster.
- I spent a night downtown at the Delta Chelsea preparing for my Pre/Post Natal Fitness Specialist exam that I didn’t study the entire week for. Exam was 3 hours at Ryerson University, I seemed to unprepared, but I did spend the entire night studying and then tossing and turning. I was positive I failed. I got 90.5% on the Theory and 83.5% on the practical. I passed! I am so relieved!! Afterwards I walked to Sarah’s apartment downtown and she took me shopping on the Danforth and for lunch at Allen’s (Very delicious!) We had a nice time hanging out together.
- Visit Mom in the hospital. Mom went into the hospital, without telling me, last Sunday. I heard about it on Tuesday from my Aunt (and am still in shock that my father didn’t return my 2 voicemail messages looking to talk to someone) Anyways, she went in because she was weak and couldn’t breathe. They had her in emerge for 2 days, had some breathing treatments and things seemed ok, however she was admitted on the Wednesday. I spoke to her daily (once I tracked her down) and each day she sounded better. Simon and I went to see her on Saturday…she seemed in fairly good spirits, in charge of her 4 person room of ladies and her breathing seemed under control. They did a couple more tests the following day and sent her packing. I still don’t know if home is a better place for her…
- Lily Grace was born on Wednesday, December 16th at 2:15 p.m. weighing in at 9.06 lbs! The photos are very cute and I think she looks a lot like Alleta. Dark hair, big full lips. I can’t wait to meet her in person.
- NYGH Staff Xmas party – planned by Amy & Nicole. We put together the potluck alone, as usual due to lack of volunteers. We organized the food, games, prizes and activities. On the agenda was: Gift wrapping pit with partner and one hand. What a hoot! We got them on video too. Everybody played, I was so happy. $20 Secret Santa gift exchange. The gifts were pretty good, no major catfights between participants. Door prizes were drawn randomly as we had 3 ipod shuffles. Unfortunately I didn’t win. Boo. All I got was a thank you.
Ok, baby update time…
How I’m feeling physically:
- Pretty good actually! I had some nasty headaches a couple weeks ago but they have subsided. I think I know the culprit. Vanilla Rooibos tea from Starbucks. It has a sugar free sweetener in it that I’m not sure agreed with me. I’m scared to try it again to see if I’m right!
- My clothes are definitely too small now, I have actually started packing them up for next year. I’ve enjoyed shopping at the maternity stores and have some nice outfits.
- I’ve been back to the gym this past days(3 whole days!) and I am very proud of myself. I do it after my nap so I am normally still sleeping when I workout. Seems to be working well. I have put together a program for myself and check it off as I go. I feel so much better about myself afterwards, even though I look like a fat person when I’m there. Ok ok, I know I’m not fat, it is just tough to get used to.
- As mentioned above, I do still nap daily when I have the chance. I like napping. It helps me do more during the evenings and feel refreshed – even though it might take away from some of my night time sleeping. Speaking of nighttime sleeping…I’m having a hard time staying off of my back and left side. Apparently they aren’t safe ways to lie and I wake up every time like that.
- We got to meet with the doctor 2 weeks ago and even though Dr. Tunde-Byass was away, we were seen by her assistant. Not much happened, she asked some questions on my history, how I’m feeling etc. A quick ultrasound was preformed and baby was moving and waving like crazy. Just saying Hi I guess!
How I’m feeling emotionally:
- Feeling good at the moment. I do have mood swings which aren’t fun, anger, frustration, crying.
What’s coming up:
- Christmas morning – Gift opening at home with Simon, Lightning and Peanut followed by a delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast
- Christmas in Collingwood – Going up Christmas afternoon, staying at a hotel in Collingwood. I really hope Mom comes.
- House Cleanup 2009 – Garbage bin rental, major cleanup and renovation time. You should see the spreadsheet and project plan!
- 3d/4d Ultrasound – Baby gender test – January 8th, $50. Can’t wait! Hope they can determine the sex.
- Switzerland – Jan 10-Jan 23. Going to visit the Kay gang!! Should be a great trip, I’m really looking forward to it.
- Prenatal Yoga – Starts Sunday Jan 31st
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11.24.09
Posted in Diary Entries at 8:10 am by Nicole
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08.24.09
Posted in Casino Reviews, Hotel Reviews, Restaurant Reviews at 7:27 am by skay
It is weird to read what someone else’s experience is about an event that you share. It really depends on what you contribute to it and how that colours how you enjoy it. For example, according to Nicole I seem to have napped most of the time this past weekend and her overriding memory seems to be of the casino. For me, the poor sod who has to drive the car, the experience is completely different. Mostly I like driving, but when it comes to having to drive in torrential downpours and endless traffic jams my enjoyment is diminished significantly. My overriding memory of the weekend then is not the casino, which was a lot of fun, especially since I didn’t really lose any money. It is not the room, which was amazing, a pass through window to the bedroom from the jacuzzi bathroom and a view of the falls and the Casino. It is not our discovery of a brand new shopping and restaurant area in Amherst (I guess this would be like driving from Etobicoke into Mississauga and discovering all the different stores there) including the same ring store where we can now take Nicole’s engagement ring to get cleaned. It is not even the enormous pile of nachos that I had at the British Pub style restaurant at the casino as outlined below:
Their description:
After a busy day in Niagara, come meet friends or simply relax in the warm and inviting pub atmosphere of The Falls & Firkin. Enjoy a wide selection of domestic and imported draught beer, as well as wines and cocktails, while you seek refuge in a variety of comfortable seating overlooking the Falls. Their extensive menu includes traditional pub fare and delicious daily specials, covering lunch, dinner, late-night snacks and weekend brunch.
My description:
After a busy day in the Casino losing all your money and getting bumped from your machine by grumpy senior citizens with menace in their eyes even though you only stood up to stretch your legs, come and relax in the comfortable but oddly low booth seating in the Falls & Firkin. Enjoy watching us eject unruly Asian people as they attempt to eat their own food on our patio and marvel at the inappropriately tight Lululemon pants on our (obviously oblivious) slightly portly waitress. Enjoy a wide selection of food as long as it is fish and chips, nachos or beans and mash since our understanding of British Pub cuisine obviously comes from The Simpsons or Family Guy. You can have a myriad of different beers but in order to do so you have to catch the waiter with the weird hair or try and track down the bartender who is occupied chatting up some pierced face weirdo who looks more like a pincushion than a fashion statement. But take our advice, have the nachos, it will make all the rest of the experience go away.
My overriding memory of the weekend then was none of the above, and no, it was not even the traffic. My overrriding memory of the weekend was how amazing it was to me (if not to her) that Nicole was able to read tiny street signs, to see wonderful cloud formations and to see the beauty of the falls from our room without her glasses or contacts. It took me right back to when I had my eyes done and the marvel it was finally to be without contact lenses for the first time in 20 years. I know exactly how she feels, something which for men and women is rare. I even know how she will feel as the days and weeks pass which is even more strange. But most of all I know that she is happy which to me is the best Anniversary present of all.
The hotel was nice, well appointed, comfortable and clean. The service was good, although we did not use any of the amenities. I would recommend the hotel but only of you can get a good deal on a room. There is no way I would pay $250 a night for it, but then again, there are very few places I would pay that kind of money for. The place is well built, pleasant to walk through which is nice, the lobby area is large and welcoming and the halls to the rooms are equally appealing and clean. The room itself as noted was very nice and interestingly laid out. However, the shower door seal leaked and the door did not close properly meaning that after I had finished showering the floor of the bathroom was completely flooded, not only a pain for me to mop up, but also extremely dangerous. The shower door has a full width handle on the outside but a very small and difficult to grip cylindrical knob on the inside. This makes it impossible to pull the door hard enough to close it should it not have been built properly, which our obviously had not. The windows were a decent size however I think that a flagship hotel overlooking one of the Wonders of the World could have full length windows or at least full width… Anyway, my enjoyment of the hotel was not diminished by these items. There was an amusing item as we walked from the parking lot to the hotel. Each floor has a “Hotel Events” large screen monitor encased in an expensive looking wooden display on which the hotel displays any conference information, helpful visitor tips and so on. The one on our floor however indicated that today’s Hotel Event was that “There are unused items on your desktop”. Maybe someone should call the helpdesk?
I am not sure if we reviewed the casino last time but the review is short and sweet. If you try hard you could imagine you are in Vegas. The casino itself is very nice, large and bright and well ventilated. It is not quite as loud as some of the Vegas casinos and certainly not as large but it is about as close as you will find anywhere around here. The machines play differently, there is no doubt that the payouts are less and that the variety is not comparable however it really doesn’t affect your enjoyment of the place. You can winn enough to keep playing which is the key and if you are very lucky like my wife (in more ways that one!) you can win enough to go shopping in Buffalo. One thing I did notice is that the Players Club works differently than in Vegas. They only bank points for the money that you put into the machine not for the time that you play. In Vegas you can put in $20 and play for an hour racking up credits enough to get you a free buffet in no time. At Niagara, unless you are putting cash into the machine you don’t get credits. Playing isn’t enough in other words, you have to pay! Their system calls for 100 points to get $10 play cash. However it notes that you have to put in between $40 and $60 to get ONE POINT!!! Enough said. Basically if you can’t get to Vegas and you want the next best thing go to Atlantic City. If you can’t leave the country then go to Niagara Fallsview. Just check the weather and the traffic before you go!
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08.23.09
Posted in Diary Entries at 6:06 pm by Nicole
I spent the afternoon reading through our wedding guestbook for old time sake. Here is some brilliant advice we got from our friends and family:
- Be patient, understanding and always take time to talk to each other -MomM
- Be patient and be friends -MumK
- You should not take anyone’s advice except each others -Fiona
- Take time to spend quality time together, also time away from each other is also good -ShirleyA
- Love each other lots! Laugh lots! Have fun! Make memories! Enjoy each other – Alleta
- Love your life….Love your wife…and Love everyday you have together -MichaelK
I would love to spend hours typing everyone’s comments, but I don’t have the time today. I also wish I could scan everyones drawings of us….they really make me lol. I think I’ll have a contest for the best and the worst drawings! I love my scrapbook…one of my best wedding ideas actually. I highly recommend it to all brides and grooms to be!
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Posted in Diary Entries at 5:48 pm by Nicole
This week marks our 2nd wedding anniversary! Simon treated us to a weekend getaway in Niagara Falls (thanks to Hotwire.com) and we got a great room in the Hilton Fallsview Casino Hotel. It was *almost* like Vegas, it even had its share of brides running around in their dresses. We got our room upgraded to have a jacuzzi pool and view of the falls which was brilliant with my new eyeballs. After checking in we went straight to the slot machines. Spent a couple hours and hundred dollars there and then went to the Falls and the Firkin for dinner. The English style pub reminded us of England a year ago (minus the sticky toffee pudding!) we shared some good memories. Back to the casino to win $460 on the Quick Hit slot machine! WOOHOO! Winning is so much fun…I’m a terrible loser. With cash in hand, we went back to the room to relax and rest Simon’s back. I tried out the jacuzzi, Simon napped. I went to the casino again, Simon showered. I won $100, Simon napped. Bedtime.
Cash Money
Jacuzzi bathroom
Hilton Fallsview Room
View of the Falls
I can never sleep in when I’m near a casino…the excitement must wake me up! 6am, headed over to my favourite machine, I brought Simon with me but we didn’t have any luck…no hot machines at this hour. So we decided to pack up and head out while we were still ahead. Off to Buffalo, trying to navigate to our iHop and Kohls but found a different set of stores in Amhurst. We had never been lost in Amhurst but found out it is full of goodies! Boulevard Mall, iHop, Jareds, Kohls, Olive Garden, Target, Marshalls – all of our faves. We had a delicious breakfast at iHop then did Kohls and Walden Gallera. I got my ring cleaned (which is really the point of the trip to Buffalo) and off to the border we went. I was hungry after the 30 minute slow motion border crossing so we went to Red Lobster for some flaky white fish and crabcakes.
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