Kids

Kids

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Friends

Three hole punch Jac and smurfette Jess.

My beautiful Jodes on her beautiful day.

Ali, my dear, sweet, Ali.

Beautiful Renee.

Me, Simone and the babes!
Beautiful soul = LeahRose

I have been contemplating what I should blog about. Should I blog about the actual events of my life, or how I have been feeling? Lately, I guess the two go hand in hand, so I'll just go for it.

This weekend I had the blessing of having one of my bestest buddies fly into to stay with us for a couple days. Renee has been my partner in crime for many years and it was so wonderful to spend some time with her again. She got to meet Nola for the first time, which was so wonderful to watch. Renee loves children and it warmed my heart so much to see her interact with my darling child. We spent a wonderful day at the Calgary Zoo, hit up the mall for some serious shopping and had plenty of down-time to chat about everything from love to money and belt it out to Bloc Party while cruisin' in Southern Alberta.

On the 19th, my dear friends, Jacquie and Eric, had their first baby - a sweet little boy named Oliver. Her and her husband live in Ontario, which is just too far away...

My dear cousin, Jodi, called me for some much needed love and support as she is moments away from bringing her second child into the world.
My beautiful LeahRose e-mailed me to make sure I was doing well when I posted on FaceBook that I was feeling low.

All of these events have have brought me to contemplate and reflect on the friendships and relationships in my life. Over the years, friends have come and gone. Friendships have blossomed and wilted, shone on and faded away, yet there have been a few who have stuck by, and like fine wine, grew sweeter, stronger and worth more than rubies.

I am forever grateful for real friends - for those I can count on and believe in. Jodes, LeahRose, Ray, Al, Simone, Jac, you girls mean more to me than you will ever know.

Thanks gals. I love ya.
PS. I wanted to post the pics at the bottom, but I didn't know how...so just imagine it.






















Wednesday, June 16, 2010

First time alone!

Nola is now 3 months, 1 week and 3 days old, and tonight is my first time alone. I truly is amazing how much being a mother changes your life. Doug and I have been so fortunate to have family close by who are willing to take Nola for an hour or two, here and there, so we can have a date night, but tonight is the first time without Doug or Nola...and to be completely honest, it has been wonderful! I had a long, luxurious bubble bath, played my guitar and vegged on the couch - things that I defiantly took for granted before having a baby.
I was actually talking to a friend of mine who is expecting, and she asked if having a baby really is such a drastic and life changing experience. As I sat and pondered this question, I think the answer is both yes and no. I know for myself, my life didn't drastically change once Nola came into the world. Doug, Nola and I slowly learned the swing of things and transitioned quite beautifully into our now day-to-day routine, but it is in the day-to-day that you realize the changes. The dishes that don't get done, the calls that don't get made, the meager meals you eat straight from the fridge with a baby on your hip. The lack of 'you' time, to work on your talents, to enjoy a movie without interruption, to have a good nights sleep.
I have heard over and over again the 'sacrifices' of being a mother, and I truly believe it is in the small and simple things. I am sure it is quite easy for women to 'lose' themselves in the day-to-day of being a mom.
I am so very grateful for a loving family and a wonderful husband who grants me the time I need for me. We are a team.
Well, that's how I'm feeling right now. Thanks for listening.
Jess :)

Saturday, June 5, 2010

First pic!

Our beautiful little angel!

The last 3 months!

I am so sorry it has taken me SO long to write another post. I just got carried away in the day to day of being a new mommy. However, I am now determined to blog more often, so here I go!

There has been SO much going on in our lives. First, Nola.

Nola has been doing SO good! We have truely won the baby lottery. She is beautiful - very petite and feminine - and she is almost 3 months old! Wow! Where has the time gone? She'll be 3 months on Tuesday, June 8. OK, so she has been the best baby ever. From 6 weeks, she has slept through the night. I know right? Crazy! We are so fortunate. She rarely cries - mostly when you change her diaper or when she is hungry. She is at that fun stage where she is smiling at us and she is starting to notice her toys. She has yet to reach for her toys, however she knows they are there. She is a very content baby. She LOVES tummy time and her swing (Mommy loves her swing too) Unfortunatley for Nola, she actually cut a tooth at 11 weeks! Poor thing has one sore mouth. The teething toys we have found are too big for her petitie little mouth, so she spends alot of time gnawing on her hands or sucking on a cold cloth with mommy. All in all, Nola is the best thing that has ever happened to us!

Second, WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!! Holy smokes, we bought our first house. It was pretty crazy how it all happened. Nola was only 5 weeks old and we felt that we needed a bigger place (Its amazing how much space a baby takes up!) so we looked to rent and holy cow, when did Lethbridge become an expensive place to rent? Three bedroom main floors were anywhere from $900 -$1200 PLUS utilities! Crazy! From my banking experience, I knew that we could own a home with paying half of what was being asked for rent, so we went to the bank and then went looking.
We bought a mobile home in Coalhurst, AB. Its just perfect! Its 1116 square feet, has a 2 car garage, a full deck, a sunken living room and an unfinshed addition. We are on a corner lot, so we have lots of yard (and lots of grass - sorry Doug) Also, we own the lot, which is just awesome! We didnt want to have to pay lot fees. We moved in on May 27th - so we've been in for just over a week! Yay new home!!!

Thos are the 2 biggest things going on in our lives here. We are so happy and content. Nola is a dream come true and we are so grateful to have a home all to ourselves. We love you all!

Jess:)

Oh, I'll get some pictures up on here of Nola and the house whenever I figure out how to do that....I'll be calling you Cola!