Thursday, March 19, 2009

the big belly


the big belly
Originally uploaded by trippykel
I seem to have been falling behind in my blogging. Which is funny, because I thought that not having a job would give me a lot more time to do things like this. I've found that I can fill up as much time as I have, regardless to how much there is. I'm taking a break from swimming laps today due to a busy week - and starting to get too tired doing all the everyday things I normally do. So all I have planned for today is some cataloging/shelving at the church library, and making some dinner. We'll see where my fancy runs for this evening.

On the baby front, the doctor says the measurements of my belly are 'average' and everything seems to be going well - especially since I don't have many complaints. I'm not too waterlogged, my back doesn't ache much, I can still tie my shoes, I'm not feeling sick... all good things, as far as I'm concerned! Monday marked the 34 weeks milestone, so there's a bit less than a month and a half left until baby is born. This week has been the week of sewing crib bedding, and I'm almost done - I just have to sew ties on to the bumper pad to keep it attached to the side of the crib. I've tried to do an item per day this week to divvy out the work, so I feel like I've been sewing all week. And crawling on the floor to cut out the fabric (the table's too small) was a bit tricky at this stage of fatness, since I find it hard to breathe when I'm bending over. Good thing I didn't wait until next month to do the sewing!

This week has been a bit hard on Jeremie, since one of his co-worker friends got laid off the other day, due to the oil industry downturn. It's been happening a lot lately here - the place Jeremie worked at up until January has laid off 2/3 of its staff. The company he's working for has laid off several people this week, which creates an atmosphere of anxiety. I heard from a friend over lunch yesterday that her boyfriend's company has been laying off people every wednesday since January. Talk about not wanting to go in to work! We feel very blessed to have a job for J that's fairly secure (as much as these things ever are), since he's working in a division that's still getting new jobs and has enough work to keep him employed. At the same time, it's a hard climate to live in all the time, and all the people getting laid off stresses Jeremie out - mostly for the sake of all the people without jobs.

My trip to Edmonton a couple of weeks ago went well. I managed to see 90% of the friends I wanted to catch up with, and got to visit with the family in the city as well - Maria, Erika, Jenna, Jesse and Sheleena. It was great to have a chance to do that before we start visiting with baby in-tow, which is sure to change the dynamics. I also spent a lot of money - mostly on eating out with friends, buying some different maternity clothes (shopping here is the pits), and some stuff for the baby - like a car seat, and some diaper accoutrements, since we're doing cloth. I think my favorite meal while there was at Chianti's. They do the best home-made pasta ever. I'll have to try it at home sometime!

Anyway, I'm getting tired again. Time for a nap!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

I'm off!


grabbing a ball
Originally uploaded by trippykel
I've decided to take a little trip to the big city, just like Madeline did. I'll be visiting and catching up with several lovely individuals I haven't been able to see in way too long, and so I'm quite looking forward to the whole thing! That is, if my car will start. Apparently it was cold out last night, and the cord to my block heater is broken. Bah.

On the trip schedule is coffee, shopping, visiting Alby and her new baby, some sister time, and whatever else happens to happen. I think I'll also be looking for some fabulous baby stuff and clothes for myself, since all the shirts that were just a bit snug are now too snug to wear. I never mind an excuse to shop, but staying on budget might prove a bit of a challenge if I fall in love with too many things!

The photo is from our 'nerd bowling' youth group event a couple of weeks ago. Everyone dressed up as nerdily as they could and headed out to a 5-pin lane that reminds me of the '60s. Our 'team' didn't really try very hard, but we did find out that if you bowl two balls in quick succession, they only count as one roll. Three is iffy - it works sometimes, and sometimes not. Oh, and I also got a strike with an under-the-left-leg shot. A total fluke.

In other fun-ness, I received the shipment of books for the church library! I'm still quite excited about the project, and have found that it's quite peaceful to take an hour and shelve/catalog some books. I'm also looking forward to going through all the really old stuff and culling some of what isn't used to make more shelf space, which will lead to a better display of the titles we do keep. And room for more fresh materials! I'm trying to keep in mind that my agenda isn't the only one, and that we have to be careful of other people's needs and opinions as well. Hopefully that will continue to happen.

I'm also happy to say that I should start receiving mat leave benefits this week or next, which should help out the money situation. J and I made a budget (exciting, no?) last week and we both feel better about our finances now, as we can keep track of our own spending and know about how much we can spend on certain things. Like groceries. We also gave ourselves a spending allowance, for whatever we want/need that month, which I look forward to. So far I've spent some of my March allowance on a new scanner (the old one just went bust), some books, and a smashing pair of earrings (dangly ones with the pendant from this neckace) from a jewelry party I went to last night by Stella & Dot. Joselyn also made her Black Bean Dip to Die For. I love that stuff.

I'm off to track down some tunes for the road trip. Wish me luck!