I DID IT! YAHOOOOOOOO!

Today I am thankful for FINALLY getting my license! Yup that is right. I am 31 years old and I just got around to doing this. Its a long drawn out story as to why, and that part doesn't matter. What does matter is that I DID IT! I passed my road test on Tuesday and I have never ever in all my life felt such FREEDOM! Claire and I can do whatever we want, whenever we want. It is absolutely delicious!

Thankful Thursday: Silly Faces

Because Gratitude is the Best Attitude...

Things have been a little cray on our end these days. I admit I have WAY to much on my plate: 

• Ive been hired to design a website for a local business
• I'm organizing a Bridal Shower for one of my best friends
• also organizing a craft night for the same wedding
• maintaining this blog
• working on a new logo/name for my Etsy shop
• keeping the house clean and tidy
• trying to excercise everyday to loose the baby weight
• Oh yah and did I mention I HAVE A 2 MONTH OLD?! And she will not nap more then 20 minutes a time currently???

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh Kami. Give it a rest already!  Sometimes I just have to stop all of the hussle and bussle and laugh. Laugh at my darling girls silly little face. So this week I am thankful for Claire and her funny faces and funny coo's.

It wont always be about babies and Claire....I will get back to the crafty goodness soon I promise. Thank you for reading, thank you for leaving your loving comments, and thank you for being you!

Thankful Thursday

50 pounds. That is how much weight I put on with this pregnancy. 50 whopping pounds. Yeeeeesh! Nothing fits, I feel like a 20 tonne turkey stuffed into a smelly, dirty sock. UGH. Since Saturday was my birthday the hubz took me shopping for pants. Pants that fit my ginormous hips to be exact. We went to Lululemon thinking yoga pants were an obvious fix. Well, they are when they aren't designed for skinny stick girls and $80-90 a pair. The teeny bopper trying to sell me on a pair that were clearly not flattering and giving me major camel toe obviously could not relate to my post baby fat issues, let alone the pain of recovering from a c-section (my scar still hurts with certain cuts of pants). So in tears, and with a crying Claire (I swear she soaks up my moods like a sponge) we leave to look for other alternatives. Enter cheapo knock off Lululemon store. Where everything fit! And was cheap! And the store was dead so I could stand in front of the mirror without cringing. YIPPY! I got 4 pairs of pants and a hoody for the cost of two Lululemon pants. YES! So today's Thankful Thursday post is a very simple one:

THANK GOD FOR PANTS THAT FIT!

Motherhood Monday: When Times Get Tough

The early days for my newborn babe and I were blissful, but also stressful due to some complications. Simple words, loving reminders, and inspiring quotes have always gotten me through the toughest of times. So fellow mommy's, when you have one of those classic mom-melt-down-milk-brain-zombie moments read this post and feel inspired!

Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did. But backwards, and in high heels.

When breastfeeding seems impossible, just put on your pretend dancing shoes

It takes a village to raise a child...

Accept any and all help given to you, embrace the many  "mothers" in your life

How can one not believe in God when you see the 

perfection of a tiny fingernail?

When times get tough count those fingers and toes, kiss each and everyone of them, and know that life is GOOD

Thankful Thursday: FOOD

I love food, like seriously I LOVE FOOD. I dream of food, food is my new sex. I live for my next meal. It is ridiculous how much I love food. But of course I am also breastfeeding, so every bite that goes into me just comes right out as milk for Claire. I swear to you there are days when I can feel her sucking me dry! Did you know you burn an extra 800-1200 calories just by breastfeeding??? This means you can eat all you want, and know its going to good use! After a pregnancy where I gained 50 pounds and had to watch what I eat, being able to stuff my face and not see the scale go up is AWESOME! So on that note, today's Thankful Thursday post is all about food! I am thankful for:

• a fridge jam packed full of pre-cooked meals
• pastries....I craved them while the bug was in me. Remember my fear I was going to give birth to a puff pastry? Well I still crave them! And I swear it is what has helped her get back up to her birth weight! Mmmmmmmmmm pastries....mmmmmmmm
• carrot muffins with walnuts inside
• Happy Planet Extreme Green Juice, yummy and full of iron for Claire and I. Plus its a funky green color so I love the looks I get when I drink it
• my husband has cooked me healthy and delicious meals every day, even though he is running on 4-5 hours of sleep as well on top of working from home to boot. My breast milk is only coming in strong because he is keeping me so well fed! And loved :)

What's for dinner tonight? Bread Pudding, braised orange/lemon carrots, pan seared chicken and steamed rainbow chard

• and lastly, I am thankful for Guiness. I only have one, and sip it slowly after Claire has had a good long feed that I know will last her a couple hours. But that one pint of Guiness taste like heaven and makes mommy happy! Especially when she can drink it while she cheers on the Canucks as they play for the Stanley Cup, GO CANUCKS GO!!!!

What are you thankful for this week kittens? Do share!!

PS: Don't forget to click here to vote for my blog on Top Baby Blogs! No sign up needed, just a simple click to vote! Thank you so very much xoxoxo

Thankful Thursday: Thank God for Nurses

Because Gratitude is the best attitude...

I have so much to be thankful for this week! A healthy baby, a loving family, and an AMAZINGLY supportive husband. I am truly grateful and blessed. But today I want to share my gratitude with you for NURSES. In particular the nurses of the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit were my Claire Bear spent her first 4 days of life. They work long, hard, tiring 12 hour shifts caring for all of the babies that need a little bit of extra love. They loved her, consoled her, and cared for her when I was recovering from surgery. They taught me how to breastfeed and handle my baby once I was able to get in a wheelchair and down to visit her. They are guardian angels looking over the babes in the nursery as they sleep, and I rested well knowing that my Claire Bear was being well taken care of until she was strong enough to come home with us. So if you know a nurse, HUG HER/HIM! Thank them for all of the hard work and long hours....Doctors are amazing too...but it is nurses that make the hospitals run and thrive. Thank God for nurses.

What are YOU thankful for kittens?

Thankful Thursday

• I am grateful for my silly husband who can make something as simple as a trip to Ikea into a grand adventure. He never fails to make me laugh and as I waddled behind him through the isles, watching him perform his best Ikea Kart Ballet for me I could just hear my little bugs voice in my ear...."Hehehehehe! Mamma, Pappa is so silly!" It melted my heart and in that moment I felt so full of love and joy. 
• and thanks to the above Ikea trip the bugs room is now really coming together! Curtains, shelving units, dresser, and a diaper change station. There is still lots of work to do but it feels like a nursery now, not just a corner of the house we plunked some baby stuff in. Every time I walk into that room my heart swells and I get an excited fluttery feeling!
• I am VERY thankful that I live in Canada and am able to not only start my Mat leave a month early, but also take a FULL YEAR of maternity leave. THANK YOU CANADA! Only two more days of work, including today, and then I am free to nest, rest, and putter until my bug gets here. SO EXCITED!
• I am also grateful for my two best girlfriends and my mother-in-law who threw me the most fantabulous Baby Shower ever on the weekend! It was a lot of fun and I promise to do a post dedicated to just that very topic soon...Im just waiting for some pictures!

PS: Don't forget to enter the Virtual Baby Pool to enter for a chance to win 8 PRIZES just by guessing the weight/date/sex of my baby due June 4th.

A big hello to anyone stopping by from the lovely Ms Maxabella Loves! xo

Click to vote for this here prego? xoxo

Thankfull Thursday

Image Source

The hubz is off and travelling again, this time in NYC. I asked him to bring the bug back a "I love New York" onesie. I came home today today tired achey, and feeling very much full of baby....and sadly to an empty house. I was immediately grateful for three comforting things:

1) my massive, comfy, king size bed with a bazillion and one pillows. My back was killing me and I was dying to get off my feet. But getting comfortable while sleeping is becoming hard now that my belly is getting so big. I can no longer sleep on my back, but when lying on my side I feel all the weight of my belly. I need like a mini wedge shaped pillow to prop the sucker up lol!

2) my two katz: Baby Kitty and Spitz. They made the house seem less empty with their purrs and meows and cuddles

3) the bugs kicks. As I lay down to rest and put my feet up and ponder my loneliness (the first couple days of his biz trips are always the worst) I was greeted with a resounding set of thumps. Now how can I be lonely when my bug lets me know they are always with me?

What are you grateful for?

Hello to everyone from Maxabella Loves!!!!

Why not link up below and join in on the blog hop fun?

Thankfull Thursday

It is time once again to count our blessings, I honestly feel my life is better by making this a weekly practice!

• reconnecting with an old friend, I treasure my friendships new and old!
• the way my cat rolls over on to his belly to say hello when I come home from work
• that my husband has canceled one of his business trips during the month of April so that he can be home to help me prepare for the birth...LOVE THAT MAN!
• for pinching my pennies so that we could take a fun "babymoon" vacation in Seattle and shop, eat, laugh, and play (picture update post coming soon!)

• my fantabulous new stroller I bought in Seattle, it is so FREAKING CUTE! It is set up in our living room and we keep taking turns zooming around the house with it...sometimes with one of the cats in it. They don't find this anywhere near as entertaining as we do
• last but not least I am SO SO SO thankful, happy, and proud of my new blog look/layout and all the help I got from Maryam of Pamplemousse1983

Hello to everyone stopping by from MaxaBella's, I love your sweet comments and kind words....the BEST link up party ever!

PS: While your here grab one of my new blog buttons! xoxo

Thankfull Thursday

Because gratitude is the best attitude...

Hello to all you lovelys stopping by from Maxabella Loves!

Thankful Thursday

 Because gratitude is the best attitude...

I've mentioned this before but seriously, I am the luckiest prego alive. My father in-law Randy has the biggest freaking heart! He left for a business trip the other day, and with Ryan and Patti being gone as well that leaves me all alone. The Poppa Bear in him didn't like leaving a 6 month pregnant woman alone so he FILLED my fridge with food. It's not that I am a complete diva who won't cook for herself, I can and do! But with this awesome loving family I rarely have to, and I feel so blessed. Lets face it at 6 months pregnant, and working full time on top of also working/blogging from home...well you don't have a lot of energy to spare. Below is a picture of the GIANT casserole dish FULL of Eggplant Parmigiana that he made me, plus Butter Chicken, homemade pizza and a whole bunch of leftovers. I am so thankful for a dad like Randy

If you look closely you can see it...SPRING! There are tiny little signs of spring all around my house, like these flowers bravely peaking through a pile of decaying leaves. The birds have returned and are chirping away. The days are getting longer, and brighter. As the earth gives birth to everything that is new and fresh, my body is also getting ready to give birth. How symbolic! I am thankful for SPRING!

I love when I pasue, breathe deep, and see the beauty in simple things. Like pecan pie and ice cream served in a vintage tea cup set. Jut because I was eating this nummy treat alone, there was no reason to not make it pretty and enjoy every moment of it! Who says tea cups are strictly for tea? I am thankful for simplicity.

A fellow blog/crafter friend, recently talked me through some problems I was having making prints of my stuffy characters. After following her tips, I think I have finally got it nailed down! Below is one of the prints I did last night that I plan on turning into a bib. I am thankful for friends

Despite the back pain, the heartburn, the fatigue, and sometimes irritable moods, I feel more beautiful and womanly at nearly 29 weeks pregnant then at any other time in my life. I am grateful for the experience of pregnancy

I am also SO grateful that this far along in my pregnancy my wedding ring still fits me! That may not last much longer, and cel la vie if that is the case. But for now I can still wear it and I am so happy! I am grateful for swollen feet, but not hands!

One last thing: I am also grateful for CHOCOLATE ALMOND BUTTER SPREAD! Oh my word! If you have not tried this you need to run, RUN I TELL U, to the store and get some. For breakfast I had a banana and chocolate almond butter sandwich and it was devine!

Tell me kittens, what are YOU thankful for this week?

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Because gratitude is the best attitude...

It really is amazing how much our attitudes shape our realities. Did you know that when you simply SMILE you send healing, positive vibrations to your entire body? It's true. Even when times are tough, there are always little things that we can all be grateful for. A smile from a stranger, making your bus on time, a good meal, a pet that loves us no matter what...or simply sunshine after days of rain. I have spent the past year of my life making a daily effort to stay positive, to speak positive, think positive, and act positive. And it is worth it! This week I am grateful for:

• a walk in the snow with my mother-in-law
• bubble baths
• being able to watch my belly rock and roll as the bug squirms
• having the bug respond to Ryan and I's gentle pokes
• the inspiration and motivation I am getting from Indie Business 3.0 and 30 Days of Lists
• coming home to mail form Violet Bella, my necklace arrived!!! The pacakging was so pretty and full of love it really brightened my day!

• winning my very first blog giveaway EVER! Yippy!!!!! Katelyn Demidow is an amazing photographer and I cant wait for her art to decorate my walls.
• the new female massage therapist at my work who said I can book in for a massage whenever I want. WORD! Free prenatal massage, this is one happy prego!
• carrying home a cupcake on the bus feeling oh so cute
• eating said cupcake
• licking the icing from the cupcake off my fingers
• icing

And while on the note of all things positive, the theme for today's list is "I'm Looking Forward To...: how fitting! Here is my list for day 3 of 30 Days of Lists:

What are you thankful for this week kittens?

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And a big helloooooooo if you are stopping by from the 

lovely blog of Mz Maxabella Loves

Thankful Thursday

Because gratitude is the best attitude...

1)  finding the courage (and money) to sign up for Indie Buisness 3.0!!! I really feel I need a push to see if this whole blogger/crafter thing is going to go anywhere and so here I go...pushing myself. Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!

2) the to die for apple turn overs I have found at the cafe near my work. Nom! Nom! Nom! I swear this kid loves the carbs, I think I am going to give birth to a pastry puff

3) I am so grateful that the bug is ok, I had a fall the other day. I was hiking in the Canyon and hit some snow.ice and down went el prego! Like a sack of potatoes. Gave me quite the scare, and I was sore for a few days, but the bug and I are A-OK! PHEW!

4)Hearing my babies heartbeat yesterday. I will never get tired of that part of the midwife visits! I look forward to it each and every time, whoosh! whoosh! whoosh!

5) My awesome team of midwives. I am so grateful that I have their support and encouragement...I couldn't imagine not having a midwife! The time and attention given in each and every session is truly a blessing for any mom to be.

6) Hitting a whopping 178 pounds, and not even batting an eyelash when I saw the scale. Being pregnant does wonders for your sense of body image! LOL suddenly I panic if the weight hasn't gone UP in a while. I remember at one point I didn't gain a single pound for nearly 4 weeks and I was WORRIED! Wow, so refreshing eh? It really is liberating actually, taking a back seat and letting your body do what it has to do. Naturally. That is a true testament of faith, hope and love. I am madly in love with my life producing body right now. THANK YOU!

7) Each and every comment this wee lil blog of mine gets. Every morning I sit down with a cup of tea and read your kind thoughts, inspiring words, silly jokes, and random thoughts and I LOVE THEM ALL! Thank you

What are you thankful for this week????

PS: I am linking up to Maxabella Loves as well, hello if you stopped by from there! And if not, well go join the fun!

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