Arianna loves looking at her scrapbook.  This is why we scrapbook in the first place, isn't it?  To share their story.

This morning Arianna was testing all the limits.  She got into the things she wasn't supposed to, she wouldn't listen when I told her to stop doing things she wasn't allowed to.  I even had to give her a time-out, on my lap.  She was not impressed by being forced to sit there, so she threw a temper tantrum, yes, on my lap.  My poor boobs.  Anyway, I told her I wasn't going to let her go play until she stopped crying and eventually she did.  Thankfully we even got a few hugs.  And to top all this off, I am so very tired today.  I tried as long as I could to keep the TV off and distract her with other things.  I lasted until 11:30.  I let her watch while we were eating lunch as well, which I don't think I'll do again since it took her twice as long to eat.  By then it was naptime, oh blessed naptime!
I had a nap as well and then read in bed for about a half hour, feeling a little better.  I got up, put another load of laundry in the dryer, and then sat down to call the midwives office in my home town.  Now here is where I started to get all emotional.  They didn't have any openings for women delivering in September!  So I had to call the office that is at least a half hour away, which doesn't bother me that much since my doctor is about that far, although now as I sit typing this I'm a little unhappy about it.  They have openings, but I won't be able to deliver in our local hospital; I'll have to deliver in one a good half hour away from our home.  I think I'm okay with it, but I just feel like crying.  I am happy that I got in at this midwife office, I guess I'm just disappointed that it's not here at home.
I wasn't able to get in here at home, Arianna's being so tough today, I'm so tired.  I just want to cry.  I'm sure it's hormones, I hope it's just hormones.  The whole midwife/hospital thing really doesn't bother me, so why in the world do I feel like crying about it?  It's got to be hormones.
Now, as I type this I hear Arianna jumping in her crib, yup, she's learned that lovely skill.  She's usually quite happy staying in her crib for longer periods of time, so I'm not going to jump up and get her out.  Thankfully Chris should be home real soon. 
I really should get Arianna out of bed.  A load of laundry is sitting in the basket ready to be folded as well.  I hope what I wrote here makes sense, because my thoughts are all just a jumble.

We finally went to the doctor this morning to get my blood work done.  Arianna needed her last needle, so Chris went with us to keep an eye on her while I was in with the nurse.

Of course the doctor was happy for us, but he did tell us that I won't be able to have the doctor I had deliver Arianna this time around.  So that means I have to do some research.  We already had the feeling we wouldn't (see my previous post) so I've already been doing some thinking about it.  I think I would like to have a midwife.  My sister-in-law has always had a midwife and really likes them.  But that now means that I have to do some looking into it.  The doctor doesn't refer people to them.  I need to look into the organization in Oshawa.  I think it'll be good.

I also talked to the doctor about the pain in my saliva gland that has come back.  He'll be referring me to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist.  I've never been to a specialist.  It scares me a little.

Except for that little part, a bit of a wait, and Arianna's needle, it was a good morning.  Arianna wasn't very happy when we got home, but at nap time she loved our little snuggle while I sang her to sleep.  (My favourite part of the day.)  I realized I won't be able to do this much longer.  I won't be able to lay her down in her crib when I have a big belly!

Better go, so much catching up to do!

My first new group is up and running.  It's for everyone in their first trimester, but other people are welcome as well.  It'd be great to get other people's experiences, too.  I hope it goes well.

So I've been just sort of keeping up with my watch list and catching up with new friends and I realized that it's been over a week since I wrote my own blog.  It's about time.  Forgive me now if I start to ramble, so many thoughts have been going through my head lately.

Arianna is changing and growing so quickly.  I can hardly keep up.  She's learning new words every day and becoming her own little person with quite the sense of humour.  Yesterday at dinner, she just cracked us up.  She has a bib with a see-through pocket on it.  She had pulled it up over her face and was looking at us through it.  We had just disciplined her for doing ... something, can't remember now.  Anyway, she just kept looking at us, waiting for us to laugh, knowing that what she was doing was funny.  She looked ridiculous!  It didn't take long for us to chuckle and then Chris would go in close and she just belly laughed.  I couldn't help but laugh, too.  So much, I had to leave the table to visit the washroom!  It was so much fun.  Reminded me of fun family dinners while growing up.  Ahhh, nostalgia.  Anyway, Arianna is so much fun right now.  She's just discovered playdough (I finally made some for her), and also discovered that it doesn't taste very good.  What a face she made! 

We'll be going to visit the doctor on Tuesday.  Arianna needs one more shot, since he forgot to prescribe it on another visit.  And I figured this would work just fine for getting my pregnancy blood work done.  So, we'll both be visiting the nurses.  Chris has the day off so he can watch Arianna while I get my stuff done.  I also need to talk to my doctor about this pain in my saliva gland.  He's looked at it before, and figured it was a stone in my saliva gland.  It had just gone away when I saw him and he told me that I should talk to him if it comes back and he'll refer me to a specialist.  Yikes!    It's back.  I hope it won't be affected by my pregnancy or vice versa.  We also need to check with him about the doctor who delivered Arianna.  Chris, being a pharmacist with an area hospital, gets all kinds of messages about doctors.  He got one that made it seem like she couldn't admit patients and therefore might not be able to be my doctor.   Although it might not affect the obstetrics side of her practice.  We need to find out.  If it does, then I need to go on a search.  I'll probably head the midwife way.
Speaking of being pregnant, I don't really feel pregnant, at least the last couple of days.  I'm just tired, enough to take a short nap after I put Arianna down for her's.  My crazy hunger has gone away and I don't feel very nauseous.  I guess those are good things, but I just wish I felt more pregnant.  Not that I'm second guessing, since I'm over a month late and had a positive test.   I guess I should just be grateful that my symptoms aren't bad ones.
We told Chris's family in Winnipeg on Thursday night.  Check out how we did it by clicking this link.
Chris emailed the link to his mom and then we called them and told her to check her email.  It was so much fun!  Best way we've ever told anyone.

Life has gotten a bit busier.  Last week Tuesday I started rehearsals for the Spring play.  I started this annual play while I was still teaching at Immanuel and I agreed to direct it on a voluntary basis even though I'm no longer working there.  So we began rehearsing after school is out (from 4-6) every Tuesday for a couple months and then adding every Thursday until the end of April when we have our performances.  When I was pregnant with Arianna the play was performed the week before I finally went on mat. leave.  So now I'll be going through the whole experience pregnant again.  Do you think some of that somehow gets to the baby and they'll grow to love theatre as much as I do?

Okay, I've gone on for far too long.  I had wanted to get some scrapbooking done tonight as well, so I'd better go.  Toodles!

Here is a photo of Arianna, taken Tuesday.  It was the first time I put pigtails in her hair and she just loved them!  Exclaiming over them as she looked in the mirror.  It was a very adorable reaction. 
I think she looks like a wonderful big sister!

I am now 100% sure that we are having another baby!!!!    I wasn't as excited about getting a positive test this time around since I was already pretty sure that I was pregnant.  But it sure is nice to have confirmation.  According to calculations, I'm due September 16.
I'm feeling pretty good today, although have been very hungry lately, especially for salty things. 
You know what's so neat?  My brother and sister-in-law told us on Christmas day that they were expecting a baby, so our kids will only be about a month apart or so!  Theresa and I are excited about  being pregnant at the same time.  Although we won't be able to share maternity clothes or baby things.  Oh well. 
We are very happy, of course you already knew that. 

I'm still waiting to take a test tomorrow.  I was extremely tempted yesterday, but I got right out of bed this morning and got busy right away.  Went shopping with Arianna, got some errands done, got super hungry before we got home.  Thank goodness I had some corn chips with me.  Speaking of which, I'm starting to feel hungry again.  Better finish quick!  
The waiting is somehow easier today, go figure.  I guess because I know that tomorrow morning, I'll find out for sure.
I do feel a little bad.  I should be doing some housework, the bathrooms need their regular clean, but I just don't have the energy, so I've been sitting at the computer while Arianna sleeps.  Minti wasn't loading for me (didn't last night or all morning, talk about frustrating!) so I was playing computer games instead of cleaning.  Oh well. 

Better go and eat something.  Can't wait till tomorrow!!

I am now 2 days past my longest cycle and still haven't gotten my period.  My temperatures are remaining high and I'm experiencing all kinds of pregnancy symptoms.  I'm hungry all the time, my chest is sore, I've been experiencing nausea that goes away after I eat, my energy is lower. 
I am positive that I am pregnant!!!  Chris and I are so very excited!  (Jumping up and down type of excited)  But I haven't taken a pregnancy test yet.  I am using Fertility Friend.com to chart my temps and cervical fluid and it has told me I should wait until Friday to take a test.  I am trying to be patient, but I really want to see those two lines.  I want to take it tomorrow, actually the kind I have says I can take it any time of the day.  Can't I take it tonight?!!

I should put in a plug for the website and a thank you to whomever it was that mentioned the it to me.  (I'm sorry I don't remember who you are.)  This site (www.fertilityfriend.com/) is amazing!  Not only does it take care of interpreting your chart and every other bit of information you want to put in it, but it also has a 20-lesson email course that teaches you everything you would want to know about what your body does during a cycle, what it all means, how to chart it, how to interpret it, etc.  I was so impressed by it.  It taught me so well that it's only taken one month for me to be at this point (pregnant that is); that's after 5 months of trying without success. 

So since this site has been so helpful, I want to listen to what it says and test when it tells me to, but it's so very hard to wait that long! 

The first time, with Arianna, we got pregnant immediately off the pill so didn't need to worry about all this.  I also didn't experience symptoms until later on.  I'm somewhat surprised to be feeling these things already.

What should I do?  Oh, what should I do?  Say, "Who cares what the website says!", or  do I wait to be absolutely sure.  Although I guess that's what a test is for, isn't it?  To make you absolutely sure.

Okay, I've rambled enough.  I have work to do, and I've procrastinated enough, so I'd better go. 

Pleasant day vibes to everyone!

I can hardly believe that a new year has begun.  Time is going far too fast.  I want it to slow down so I can savour the moments.  Life is so busy for us and we don't even have kids old enough to be involved in extra-curricular things.  What will it be like when Arianna is in school and, God willing, we have more kids?  Absolutely crazy?
Speaking of crazy.  I think there is something seriously wrong with my daughter.  She's had a runny nose, like a faucet, for a couple of days, which in itself isn't strange.  But here's the crazy part.  This morning I told her, yet again, that she needed a Kleenex and, get this, she ran squealing with glee into the kitchen to where we keep the tissue box, eagerly waiting for me to get there and wipe her nose.  What toddler loves having their nose wiped?  It just doesn't make sense to me!  I know she can do weird things sometimes, but this is way out there.  I have never heard of a toddler that enjoys this yucky task.
If you have a toddler who is like this, maybe you can let me know.  That way I'll know she's not a complete oddity.