09.02.10

Hotwire and Priceline – Niagara Not A Deal

Posted in Diary Entries at 11:17 am by skay

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05.28.10

38 weeks

Posted in Diary Entries at 10:06 am by Nicole

38 weeks today….

It has been a while since I have updated for some reason….life has gotten in the way it seems.

What I/We have been up to lately -

Orangeville Competition – May 1/2 – Girls did okish

Bi-weekly massage

Dr’s Appt @ 35 weeks

35 weeks
171lbs
Baby measurement – 35cm
Baby heart rate – 154 bpm
Lots of fetal movement
BP 110/64
GBS Test complete and handed into lab

Baby Shower @ Gymnastics – Great time with the girls and some coaches…we got an incredible amount of gifts!

Baby Shower @ Alletas – Party with friends and family – about 25 people in total. Again, an abundance of gifts….Baby Kay is going to be the most stylish girl in town!

Dr’s Appt @ 37 weeks
171 lbs
134bpm (baby)
102/60
head locked in positioncyst from ultrasound showing “no different” it is near upper left of kidney, 1.1cm, Paediatrics to look at after she is born…redo ultrasound on baby
Could have her anytime now!
She is sending my chart to hospital so it is ready to go when I am!

Casinorama Weekend Family Reunion – We spent 3 days & 2 nights at Days Inn across the road from Casinorama. Here is a recap:

Sat: Arrived at hotel around 3pm, met up with everyone, went to chip wagon with Aunt Shirl and Mom, napped, got ready. Arrived at Georgian Downs for our buffet reservation at 630, had our own personal table! It was fun learning about how to bet on the horses then making random guesses on who would win. I think we lost $20 in total. We’d definately go back again!

Sun: Breakfast, ‘workout’, 11am Baby shower in our own private room – got lots of fun goodies – clothes, glider & ottoman, toys, spend $100 @ Casinorama, shop & have lunch in Orillia. Nap, hang out with gang in hotel room, dinner at Theo’s Italian/Greek restaraunt, back to Casino to watch a movie that lasted 5 minutes.

Mon: Breakfast, pack & leave…home by 11am.

 How I’m feeling physically:

Things have been going downhill for a couple weeks now, I would say since week 36. It isn’t that I am doing bad, just that I am not my normal, quick self. I move at a snails pace while I waddle through my days, I am napping at my desk again because I have problems sleeping at night (the every other hour bathroom trips don’t help) and this heat and weight aren’t helping. I’ve also been experiencing contractions regularly (not 5 minute regular)…they aren’t painful, just a bit uncomfortable. Baby Kay is still moving reguarly on the way to work, at lunch time then again during the night watching tv/coaching.

How I’m feeling emotionally:

Readyish

What’s coming up:

Ummm, not much.

JUST JOKING! We will be parents in T-2 weeks!!

Vaughan Gymnastics Competition – Sunday, all day. In a hot, disgusting, sweaty gym club

Last day of work for a year – TOMORROW!

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05.19.10

The Crescendo

Posted in Diary Entries at 7:56 am by skay

It’s time for the final push to the line. This weekend we are in Rama for the family reunion, next week is the Biggest Loser finale on Wednesday followed by our home competition at Vaughan. Once that is done, Nicole is officially off work and from that point it will be battle stations as the baby could concievably come any time. In reality, the baby could arrive tomorrow in theory however we are (and by we I mean I) hoping that the delivery will be UPS style, on time and seriously predictable.

This past weekend saw us invited to 2 baby showers, one at Gym on Saturday which I attended and one on Sunday at Alleta’s house which was a girls only affair (until it came time to unload the car that is).

Saturday was both surprising and enjoyable. I did not expect to see any of my girls there but 3 of them came by. Not only that, but one of my kids mothers actually baked a bunch of cupcakes for the occasion which were amazing. In fact, now I recall, one of my girls made some herself which were also fantastic! The party was nice, lots of people there, some of which we rarely see any more and there was plenty of food to go around. The kids weren’t too crazy which was odd since they must have all been on sugar overload after the cupcakes and the slab cake! Nicole and I opened the gifts which were very generous and a really touching gesture from people who we really don’t spend a lot of time with but with whom we have a very special relationship. I didn’t go to the Sunday bash, instead I finished one side of the HITW (hole in the wall or passthrough) pictures of which will follow. It is a drastic change once you get the trim attached and it really does look pretty good, although I say so myself. However, the wall will need to be replastered and smoothed out since you can see the mud lines and imperfections that should have been smoothed out by the sanding. I think I need to use a smoother compound than regular mud to get the fill and the finish I need. I am assuming polyfilla or standard skim plaster would do the trick. That being said, the thing looks amazing, just in time too!

So the list of what remains is still pretty extensive…

Buy food to freeze for after the delivery
Finish clearing out the basement and the downstairs bedroom
Drywall the basement laundry room, however they have attached the plumbing to the wall which will make this a challenge.
Build shelving for the basement storage room
Finish the trim around the main floor.
Clean and dust the whole room since it is full of drywall dust now.
Clean up the garage, repurpose the storage, maybe get another disposal bin to help with all the crap we have

and the list goes on…

At least we have enough diapers and wipes to start with… No diaper genie yet but there is another (!!) baby shower this weekend at the reunion.

As far as Nicole goes, she makes very loud and uncomfortable noises all the time now. She is getting exponentially bigger and has gone from a cute swish to a full blown waddle. You can tell that it is very uncomfortable for her, and I can certainly sympathise with her when she says she can’t get comfortable even when she lays down. That in itself is a major blow to the psyche… the one position you could always count on for comfort now gives you no respite. It really really sucks!! However, the good thing is that we only have a few more weeks and then it will be over for her and she can try to return to her old fitness habits and walking like a human not an egg with legs.

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04.30.10

33 weeks!

Posted in Diary Entries at 1:38 pm by Nicole

What I/We have been up to lately – list long as I haven’t updated recently!

Get eyebrows threaded – I thought this would be a brilliant idea because I thought waxing during pregnancy would hurt…but I think I could have had my whole body waxed and it wouldn’t have hurt as much as this did!!! Apparently I’ll be hairy for the rest of my pregnancy!

Visit Early Pregnancy Clinic – Nobody seemed overly concerned that I was having stabbing pain inside my pelvis…so I decided to call my doctor and let her know. She said to go upstairs to the clinic where they would check it for me. I expected to be in and out with a diagnosis – so I told Simon and Amy where I was going. Unfortunately they didn’t listen to me I was taken in to an assessment room and they hooked me up to the fetal monitor to check the baby – nobody seemed too concerned. It hurt to stand or walk. So I lied down, and fell asleep. I didn’t bring my phone so I had no clue what time it was. I woke up to my name being called on the overhead paging system…Simon and Amy were frantically looking for me everywhere! I told them where I was going! How embarassing! I called Simon and told him where he could find me (again) Anyways, it turns out that it was Round Ligament Pain, which is quite normal during pregnancy. I wish they just told me sooner – but I did get a nice nap out of the whole thing. It hasn’t hurt since that day.

Birchmount Competition – The girls had fun and did well for our first meet. We got 28/40 medals with 2 x 1st place overall, 2 x 2nd place, 2 x 3rd place, 1 x 4th, 1 x 5th place. I was quite surprised with most of their placings and have it all on video tape! The meet was run well, on time, flowed nicely from event to event and the people at Birchmount are all very nice – like one big happy family. Unfortunately Simon was sick (see next event)

 Simon sick – go to emerge dept. – Day 1 at Birchmount Simon was ok…Day 2 (Sunday) went downhill. Simon took 2 pills for his back – the ones he normally takes when it gets sore. We thought it was them that made him drowsy, but this was more than drowsy. This was not good….he was out of it, shakey, not hungry, not thirsty, and had a huge pounding headache! He rested in the coaches room, then went for a nap in the car. Finally, after a couple hours, he was able to come back into the competition for the last rotation. Unfortunately he missed his girls performances – but I caught them on poorly taped video! The next day, he woke up with the same symptoms…but worse. I called the Ontario health line to see what they recommended. His fever was up to 98.3 and his head was still pounding. He didn’t want to go to the walk in clinic….just wanted to wait. His symptoms went away after 4 hours, for 4 hours, then returned! It was a vicious cycle. At 6pm we decided to go to NYGH emerge. He was admitted at 730 to Acute care and was hooked up to fancy medical equipment and had blood and urine tests done. Eventually, all tests came back normal and it was described as a “viral infection” which was much better then the meningitis they thought it could be. We were sent home at 1am with no medications, just told to wait and see….

He was ok to back to work on Wednesday.

House Painting – Paul the Painter was referred to us by our real estate agent and quoted us an amazing price!! $460 for the downstairs hallway, office, upstairs hallway, upstairs landing and 1/2 of the babies room. That included supplies and labour. He was in and out within one day and did an amazing job. Everywere was painted with CIL/Dulux Ivory Beige, and the babies room was done in Purple Foxglove. The baby room is a tad too light, but it will do…I’m already planning his next visit!

Dr’s visit #6 – 33 weeks

Weight 169lbs
Measurement 34cm
Baby heartrate 143bpm
Blood pressure 110/64
Everything is still good…. yay!

Surprise baby shower @ work! – Ok, well it was almost a surprise…

We had a great time thanks to Amy and Sonia who planned all the details. I walked into a very dark room to everyone yelling SURPRISE! I had to break the news to them that I already knew There was tons of great potluck food and a couple fun games:

- Guess how big my tummy is with string – Derek won
- Drink the bottle the fastest – Geoff
- Don’t say Baby, Nicole or Simon – Geoff
- Pass the soother on the straw (groups of 4)

I’d say 3/4 of the attendees were male….which is very strange for a baby shower! Twas fun though, I’d like to have another…oh, I will be! We got the Play ‘n Pack that I picked in Erie and a $50 gift card for Babies R Us. Very generous of everyone

Begin Prenatal Classes
1) Caring for Baby
2) Preperation for Labour & Delivery

We have attend 3/7 classes and so far so good. The instructors know their stuff – unfortunately class is very late in the day so we have to make schedule changes to attend them and try our best not to fall asleep during them. Here is what we have learned so far:

- Breathing. Light & Slow and Controlled
- What you *need* for baby
- Breastfeeding basics – Video & Practice
- Visit L&D & Recovery Suites
- Learn light breathing he-he-he
- Watch uncomplicated live birth

My friends & family update…

Mom – Still going strong! She is having sleeping problems and doesn’t like taking sleeping pills. It worries me when she randomly falls asleep, especially when she says it happens to her when she is driving. She is up to 94 pounds so her new diet must be helping!

Alleta – Still having a rough time with Lily not sleeping…hmm, maybe my mom and Lily could get together! She is planning my baby shower (which I REALLY appreciate!!) I can’t wait to attend

Robbin – Is Famous! You can catch a glimpse of Robbin in Barbados with 104.5 + Bare Naked Ladies! She is the one in the green bikini at 1:37. She had an amazing time

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jP4diHzGEI

Julia – Off to Scotland to work with the gymnastics association for her co-op. What a great experience that will be for her…I can’t wait to hear how she enjoys it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jP4diHzGEI

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04.15.10

Life & Time

Posted in Diary Entries at 8:29 am by Nicole

To realize
The value of a sister/brother
Ask someone
Who doesn’t have one. 

To realize
The value of ten years:
Ask a newly
Divorced couple.

To realize
The value of four years:
Ask a graduate.

To realize
The value of one year:
Ask a student who
Has failed a final exam.

To realize
The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.

To realize
The value of one month:
Ask a mother
Who has given birth to
A premature baby.

To realize
The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize
The value of one minute:
Ask a person
Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize
The value of one-second:
Ask a person
Who has survived an accident.

Time waits for no one.

Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when
You can share it with someone special.

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04.04.10

Babymoon Day 2

Posted in Diary Entries, Restaurant Reviews at 1:57 pm by skay

Our first full day started off by deciding to get up early and go to Buffalo to one of the places featured in Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives on The Food Network. The one we chose was Sophia’s since it was apparently only 12 miles from our hotel. We crossed the border at around 730am and were at the restaurant by 745am. The food was pretty good, you can read our review HERE (once it is done and there is a link there!).

We left the restaurant and decided to fond out which one of the GPS entries we had put into the unit was which so we headed to Kohls and Walgreens. It wasn’t the one we were thinking of so after some unsuccessful shorts shopping and a little grocery pick up we continued on with our road trip. The next place we cam upon wasn’t even on our list but had a BabiesRUs, Carters, Chipotle and Target. I had more unsuccessful shorts shopping and Nicole didn’t have much luck either. We ended up at Burlington Coat Factory where I finally found a pair of shorts however not camouflage so I can’t throw my old ones out quite yet. Finishing our shopping we’d had enough and headed back across the border for nap time. After nap time we went down to the gym to work out. The gym is small as I already said, and not that well equipped so I was unable to do pull ups. Luckily tomorrow is a cardio day which should be easy. After the gym it was dinner time and we ended up at Romano Macaroni’s Bar and Grill. The food there was quite good, and I will do the full review HERE (eventually, obviously).

We spent some time (and money) in the casino and then decided it was time to get back to the hotel. The walk back home was interrupted by an impromptu sand storm down the main street which sent everyone scurrying for store entryways and any other sheltered area. After a short stay in the room we headed down to the Un-Starbucks downstairs and had tea and did some crosswords watching the people in the lobby.

Anyone staying here and expecting a Starbucks in the lobby should be warned, they may serve Starbucks coffee but apart from that it’s about as far from an actual Starbucks as you can get. They are painfully slow doing anything, even making tea.

That brought our day to an end so it was time for a soak in the wonderful tub and to bed.

However, I should note that I wore my iPod in the gym and forced something into my ear meaning I now can’t hear out of that ear. May have to sort that out tomorrow since poking around there with a Q-Tip hasn’t worked.

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Babymoon Day 1

Posted in Diary Entries, Hotel Reviews at 1:35 pm by skay

Thursday I took off work to work on finishing the wall. I managed to get it from being just a hole in the wall to a framed pass through that just needs drywall to be finished. As it turns out, it is too low to get built-in lights but I haven’t given up yet. I may be able to find some LED lights that are super thin to wire into the house wiring as long as they don’t require a transformer, and even then, I could just hide the transformer but that is less than ideal. I also managed to do my Pure Cardio workout and go coaching so all in all a very big day. I handed in my girls’ sheets for their routines so everything is up to date. Friday both Nicole and I were off since it was Good Friday however everything was closed so once we took care of our workouts and Nicole made the house look pretty for Brendan the cat sitter we packed up and jumped into the car for our trip to Niagara Falls and yes, finally, the Babymoon.

Traffic was oddly busy, we took a detour in Burlington to find a washroom for Nicole and ended up after stopping at an insanely busy gas station with a line up for the washroom at the local hospital. Nicole ran into the main entrance and we were on our way in no time. The hotel was really easy to find since it is right off one of the main streets, Stanley Avenue. We checked in, making sure that we upgraded our Hotwire room to a whirlpool room with a falls view. Even with the upgrade we are only paying the rate for the worst room in the hotel! Victory for Hotwire once again! Upon check-in, as promised, we were given warm chocolate chip cookies and all the information about the Wifi and the amenities. The room itself is small but nice, however I am not sure I would give it a 4 star rating. The room at the other Hilton attached to the Fallsview Casino is bigger, the rooms are noticeably larger however this place is, I think, newer. The view is nice, you can see the American Falls clearly but not the Horseshoe Falls which are blocked by the Fallsview Casino buildings. However since we upgraded and are on the 19th and top floor, the view is pretty spectacular wherever you look. The only disappointment is that the windows are not floor to ceiling as they are in the other Hilton which I have to admit is a little puzzling. All in all, the room is nice, big enough but only just. The tub is very spacious and comfortable and you can actually watch TV from there. The shower, however, is a joke. It is smaller than the infamous shower at the Ibis in Geneva which was, until today, the smallest shower in the world. This shower is so small I can only stand sideways and the shower head is only high enough so that my head touches it and I am only 6 feet tall!

There are several things that may bother some people about the hotel so I will mention them although so far they haven’t spoiled our enjoyment of the facility. The fit and finish of the bathroom is a little shabby, the door to the toilet/shower area doesn’t quite fit properly so that there is a gap between the door and the frame. One of the letters in the hotel name on the roof is out which speaks to the maintenance staff. However, I will let you know if it is still out at the end of our stay to give them the benefit of the doubt. The gym is very small, having only a few dumbells and nowhere to do pull ups. There are some machines, maybe 4 or so and 3 treadmills plus a bike and an elliptical. It’s a 7 out of 10, 9 being the Swissotel in Chicago. When we went to the gym, there was a water cooler but no water in the jug and no paper cups to drink from. Both should have been replenished by now I hope. The hairdryer overheated, something which the women out there will agree is a major deal. In addition, we had to ask the front desk where it was because it was located on the wall behind the bathroom door! The room has a fridge however it is so noisy that Nicole had to unplug it to get some sleep. The “Starbucks” in the lobby isn’t. They sell Red Rose tea and take forever to make coffee. The worst part of being here so far is in fact the TV. There are not the usual hundred or so satellite channels but rather only a select few (15 or so) channels to pick from. This is a major disappointment if you like to fall asleep to your favourite shows.

I know it sounds like I am bashing the hotel but in reality we are very happy with it. To whit, I have added a list of what we have liked so far about the place.

The location is excellent, only about 400m from the Fallsview Casino and maybe 1km from Clifton Hill. The room was very clean and well kept and the tub, as noted, is huge which for someone like me is both rare and a delight. There is a fresh air vent running the length of the window which allows you to get fresh air into the room any time which is fantastic and a feature which every room should have. The free wifi is great, working without a hitch so far which is more than I can say for almost every other hotel with “free” wifi we have encountered. The front desk staff were very polite and helpful and of course got points for giving us warm cookies. Parking is an extra $12 per day which I think is ridiculous given the size of the hotel and the location but unfortunately it is pretty standard around here.

Would we stay here again? I think so as long as we got the $84 rate that we got with Hotwire. As per usual, it’s not worth the $120 a night that the website commands but then again, I am pretty tight with my hotel dollars.

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04.01.10

30 weeks today

Posted in Diary Entries at 12:36 pm by Nicole

What I/We have been up to lately:

What’s a Father To Do Class – The class wasn’t exactly what we had expected, but it was nice for us to meet a couple other expectant couples and hear from fathers on their experiences. Unfortunately I got lightheaded and faint in the middle of the class – due to anxiety I think. I’m hoping our next birthing class goes better, but to tell you the truth, I think I’ll be worse. 

 Angelika fractured arm – My private class dancer is currently in a cast and has been for 2 weeks now. She slipped at her dance studio when doing a backwalkover and luckily didn’t snap both bones in her arm. They will find out today what happens with the cast…on…or off.  It is hard to believe I have been teaching her for 3 years and now I can’t.  I don’t know what will happen in her future.

Dr. Appt #5 - Simon and I visited Dr. TB. Things seem to be carrying on as expected.
Notes from Mar 25 appt:
29 weeks today.
Weight: 166lbs
Blood Pressure 110/60
Baby Heartrate: 146bpm
Nicole measuring: 30cm
-  Low iron level, may cause tiredness. 106 Dr prescribed iron pills to take daily. One to start, two if stomach can handle it
- 30 week update ultrasound scheduled for March 30 @ 230
- I start biweekly appointments starting this week. Back to visit on April 9th.

 Car starter breaks – Ok, so it didn’t break, it just didn’t work! Simon came to rescue me at the maternity clothes store where my truck wouldn’t start, we called CAA, they towed truck to Nissan dealership. Got a call the next morning asking what the problem was?? They said it started fine and it was the battery that was the problem. $50 later, I picked up the truck! Simon will buy and install the battery for me – saving us $!

3d ultrasound @ BabyView in Pickering – A sick Mom & Dad came with us to watch our little girl live and in living colour! It is amazing that technology can let us see inside my tummy, see her facial features and all her cute little body parts! It was a great experience, and although expensive, it was worth every penny. She looks to have Simon’s lips and cheeks, maybe my chin and an undecided nose. From one angle it is a Kay nose, the other, a Marchand nose. Only time will tell… Speaking of time, I can’t believe there is only 10 weeks to go. That sounds so soon!!! I can’t wait to meet her in person and squeeze her chubby little legs! We got to see her wave, talk and yawn and have the DVD keepsake forever! – 30 week ultrasound – We went today to check for an update on the findings from the previous ultrasound done 10 weeks ago. By the sounds of the Xray tech, things seem to be looking good. The kidneys look normal and she can’t see any light spots in the heart. YAY! I hope the radiologist sees the same thing. We’ll find out in another week.
How I’m feeling physically:

Slow – I went for a walk last night….I had to take 2 breaks! My shins were hurting and breathing is much more difficult. I will continue to walk and workout because I know it will help with labour and after. I just might need to take more breaks

Swollen feet! Oh my! I just noticed today that my shoes were feeling tight…I thought it was the shoes tied too tightly but after taking them off it appeared I had airplane sausage toes! It was just like they are on long plane rides…puffy and swollen. I hope this isn’t the new norm. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow!

Tired! I guess because of the low iron it is contributing to my tiredness. I had a nap on my lunch break on Monday and have been going to bed at 8ish. During the day I normally really wake up at around lunch time. I’d like to get more rest but there isn’t enough time in the day.

Movement! Baby Kay is a strong little monkey! Her kicks are getting harder by the day and continually kicks me around the belly button ->higher ->lower. When we saw her in 3d we noticed she was practicing her gymnastics by putting her feet in her ears! haha too cute

Time to be careful! You never know when a cough, sneeze or nose blowing could result in other issues…

How I’m feeling emotionally:
Doing well, just getting a little discouraged with the weight gain and the decrease in my activity level. I totally understand that this is normal and to be expected…just hard to get use to. The puffy cheeks and butt aren’t helping though.

What’s coming up: -

 Niagara falls – BABYMOON! It isn’t Florida or California, but it will do. It will be quiet, relaxing and romantic with my baby daddy by my side. I’m most looking forward to hanging out in the hotel, going to eat at cool places we have seen on tv (Diners, DriveIns & Dives), our day at the spa (Massage, manicure, pedicure, lunch & bath) and a trip or 2 shopping.

- My Birthday – 34 years old! We will be celebrating allllllll weekend long

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03.16.10

27.5 weeks today….12ish to go

Posted in Diary Entries at 12:43 pm by Nicole

Not much baby stuff – I should probably spend more time focusing on what needs to be done and what I will need to be doing when my countdown is over. It is just very overwhelming with work and homelife to do EVERYTHING!

Teaching Amy everything I know to get ready for mat leave. It is alot of work to teach someone everything you know…but we are doing some each day not to overwhelm her (and me)

Yoga & still exercising. I continue to do cardio 2-3 times a week and weights 2-3 times also. Yoga has been added to Sunday or Monday and I’m enjoying it.

How I’m feeling physically:

- Very kicky very often

- I can see her move from the outside

- Baby has hiccups! Yesterday for the first time I felt her hiccuping. It was more like constant punches in the stomach….very cute but not so enjoyable.

- Yoga was difficult last night – not feeling very flexible with this big belly. I will continue to go because I know how important stretching is, especially now. I’ll try to do extra at home so I’m a pro during class

-  My complaints:  Arches of feet hurt, hips hurt at night, charley horsey in calves at night, restless legs

How I’m feeling emotionally:

Good thanks.

What’s coming up:

-  Still trying to find a mini vacation to do all the things I won’t be able to soon – not looking promising due to the lack of funds. Why is everything so expensive on Easter weekend anyways?! People should be at home praying.

-  My birthday. 34 already. Also Easter weekend.

-  3d Ultrasound. Mom & Dad will be coming to our 3d ultrasound in a couple weeks. I’m so excited to get to see her!! Here is an example of what we will see:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MJLPGjbX6o&feature=related

-  Baby shower planning. YAY! Alleta has offered to host a baby shower for me! I am so grateful and looking forward to seeing all my friends and family in one place celebrating such an exciting event. I hope I’m not too grumpy/uncomfy/fat/swollen etc by then. ( May 16th)

-  What’s A Father To Do? Session

This fun and interactive session will address and explore the following topics;

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03.03.10

Ketchup

Posted in Diary Entries at 7:27 am by skay

It’s been a wild few months, so much is happening all around that I am clinging onto the one thing in which I find stability and that is my other blog. It’s easy to write, doesn’t really take that much effort and as an added bonus, helps me to stay on track with my workouts. It’s located here: P90X and it has caused me to rethink much of what I write online, not only content wise, but also location wise. I have, over the years, moved some of my writing to different places. I have renamed my blogs a couple of times and finally, after 12 years of blogging I am about to move my personal blog onto what I hope will be it’s final resting place. An unwanted side effect of this move is the paralysis of my contributions. In addition, we now have this Kay Family blog where Nicole and I try to add posts and update the family on our news. For those of you who are counting that means I now have 3 sites which require my updates on a near daily basis. Now, despite my own aspirations or mental leanings, I am not a writer and spending time each day creating posts for these blogs is not practical. Add to that my gymnastics coaching blog, my photo site and trying to develop an idea for an IT security site I am spread way too thin.

So my grand scheme is to move everything to one place. Have everything under one domain so that I can find it all and keep it all straight. However, moving content is not as easy as it may sound and frankly it is driving me up the wall. An oblique issue is also that the more I maintain my P90X / Insanity site the worse I feel about my personal sites which are supposed to be the epoch of personal blogging achievement. You can tell how all this is starting to slide sideways like a BMW in the snow.

Just for fun, let’s add coaching twice a week, a pregnant wife who wants me to write about my future responsibilities, my own desire to create a dad-to-be checklist of sorts for those just as lost as I am and a laundry list of things that need to be done in the real world before the baby gets here and you can see that the few hours I have away from work are stuffed like a German Sausage and frankly close to splitting.

So a major reorganization is in order. I have all but abandoned my coaching blog which is a terrible disappointment to me but I am committed to keeping both my workout blog (as long as I am doing Beachbody workouts) and my personal blog, wherever it may eventually reside.

I can’t believe that the whole Winter Olympics in Vancouver has gone by without my writing a single word. Sure, the hockey game was exciting, seeing the women’s curling team choke on the last rock was a disappointment and overall Canada did pretty well but not having written about it is a shocker. Maybe it is due to the fact that I have been working hard at home, fixing the mountain of odds and ends that have to be done. I still haven’t finished the trim for the floor, and unfortunately I think I may need to purchase another air compressor to do so. It’s not a huge job, but time consuming and hard on the back. I also have a major decision to make about trim around the fire place. The last thing I need is to make a mess of that area and have it look amateurish. So far we have built furniture for the baby room, I have installed desks, dimmer switches, TV stands, disposed of well over 200lbs of electronics, made multiple trips to the dump (my Dad would be so proud!) and ordered, filled and had removed a 1 square metre garbage box full of random house waste. This past weekend I put up more sturdy shelving in the garage in preparation for creating a workout space and repurposing the basement storage area into a workshop. It’s been a non stop workfest since the pregnancy began and it is only picking up speed as the belly gets bigger.

For those of you men whose partners are recently pregnant let me tell you that you should prepare for the avalanche of to do lists that “the baby room” will generate. Somehow our baby room required the whole house to be redecorated. I have a feeling from the hundreds of web pages Nicole visits that this is not the exception and that in some way the “nesting” thing pregnant women do is as much to do with you going to Home Depot as it does her going to babies-r-us.

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