{Odds and Ends} Reading Week

This past week James had his reading break. Eager to fit in as much as we could, we ventured out to visit friends and family in Orangeville and Hamilton for a few days. Here are a few snippets from our time away from home:

Dave and Andrea's wedding on Friday. Friends since 1993!

Bath time at Grandpa and Nana's- after a late night explosion!

snug as a bug in a rug

visiting Great-Oma Groenwold 

Visiting Baba Solukub- 90 years between these two!

all the Groenwold cousins together

Three generations

Grandpa and Nana with the grandkids

We also managed to squeeze in a day with Grandpa and Grandma Kottelenberg, a visit to Uncle Keith and Aunt Nelly's, bowling with our old Growth Group, a visit to Calvin to see my old co-workers and students, a baby shower from my co-workers (thanks guys!), and a trip to Vaughan Mills- in five days. It was busy but Brynn did well and we survived! Now we are back at home eagerly awaiting spring- at least I am... anyone else?

My First Outing

Today was our first time venturing out after coming home. We didn't do anything very crazy, just a trip to the store to get some bananas and cereal, a haircut for James and a small visit to Tim's. Here is Brynn's "I'm going out" face:

Doesn't she seem so impressed? We got a good laugh out of that one. 

On another note, we had a really great experience at the hairdresser's. Another man was there getting his hair cut and he ended up paying for James' hair cut! The hairdresser told us he loved seeing our new family and wanted to do something kind. How awesome is that? Guess we'll have to pay it forward!

Tomorrow we are getting newborn pictures done (hence the haircut!). We are looking forward to having a professional document all the lovely little parts of Brynn! Can't wait.

Here's one last wonky-eyed picture of Brynn. Her favourite way to look at the world is through one eye. :)

{Brynn Aspen} Groenwold

Brynn Aspen Groenwold

February 8, 2014

10:52 am

7 lbs 12oz

Our darling baby girl was born on Saturday morning. We are so happy that everything went well, and we can't believe how perfect and amazing she is! Our midwives were amazing and made everything feel as smooth as we could hope for. They were great in helping us adjust to Brynn's arrival. We are already learning so much about her and are starting to forget what life was like before she came!

Brynn Aspen- February 8, 2014

Finally getting to hold her after being gone for a few hours!

Dad enjoying his new daughter

Grandpa K. holding his newest grandchild

Grandma K.- wild horses couldn't keep her away!

Aunt Shae singing to Brynn

Nana G. enjoying Brynn's glances

More pictures?

Grandpa and Nana with Brynn

Erin and Jaron also visited on Sunday with Hayden (who made a teeny-tiny biscuit for Brynn at suppertime :D), but we actually forgot to take pictures with our camera! Hopefully Erin and Jaron got some. Jared and Lawren popped by on their way home from Ottawa, and brought some Big Rig Ale to celebrate with James... I think it might have been his favourite gift! Bonnie and Chris came on Monday and we had a few visitors from our church small group drop in last night. We are so blessed to have visitors to share Brynn with! :) We are excited to see what comes in the next days, weeks, months... etc. Life has changed so much already!

Cross Country Skiing

James went cross-country skiing today after school. This may be his last chance for a while, so I'm glad he had such a good time! Here are a few of the pictures he captured down by the river:

This is not from today- but it capture the spirit of the outdoors! 

Cannington Dog Sled Races

Yesterday was spent checking out the dog sled races in Cannington, ON. Cannington is a small town about 20 minutes northwest of Lindsay. For the last 10 years they've run dog sled races where about 80 teams compete to win about $10,000 total.

We weren't really sure what to expect, but were really pleasantly surprised by our time spent there. There was so much to do! Set up in a large park, there was a marketplace, dog sled rides (only for little kids they said...), glass-blowing, sledding, a Metis village, a historical museum, sleigh rides, petting zoos, and of course, the dog sled races!

The first thing we did upon arriving was check out the dogs and sleds. There were so many beautiful dogs around! It surprised us that not everyone uses huskies or Alaskans for sledding, but you learn something new everyday, no? Unfortunately, it was really cold, so we didn't take a ton of pictures, but here are a couple:

My favourite dog of the day

This is the best picture we got of the actually dogs racing. This race consisted of 4-dog teams. They ran a timed 4 mile course, and the team with the fasted time won $400.

One of the other neat things about yesterday was the Metis village. Because the aboriginals have such a close connection with dogsledding, they come every year and set up a little village where there are teepees, a wigwam, and booths showing handicrafts and furs. This stage was set up for traditional storytelling, dancers and Metis fiddle playing. We thoroughly enjoyed watching the show!

A Native "hoop"dance

This may have been my favourite part of the day! It's an event called "skijoring". You basically strap yourself to one or two dogs and go cross-country skiing (I make it sound so difficult). It was amazing to watch the skiers fly past and see just how excited the dogs were to pull them. It looked like a ton of fun!

This lady was flying! I think she won the race...

The last thing we did before leaving was check out the Zoo-to-You exhibit. As you can see by the picture, Jo was in her happy place! It was a little bit warmer than outside, as you can also tell by the foggy picture. This was an exhibit with a number of different animals... chinchillas, tarantulas, snakes, tortoises, frogs, ferrets... and you could hold them! This gator below was at a size where it could bite your hand off... Must be why Joanna looks so excited!

Even though we came home cold and tired, we all agreed that this was definitely an event to go to again. There was definitely enough to fill a full day with fun! The races were a blast to watch and the activities in between were more than entertaining. We will be keeping it on the calendar for next year and encourage you to come and join us!

The Lowdown

It's been a while since I presented you with a post, and today you get a 2 for 1 deal: an update on me and on James! It's sure to put you on the edge of your seat in excitement.

James gets to go first because his news is a bit more interesting than mine. This past weekend James volunteered with Ontario Streams. He got to participate in burying Atlantic Salmon eggs in a tributary of the Humber river. The eggs were placed in a plastic tube where they will hatch. In May the tubes will be opened and the success rate of the of the project will be determined (they have had great success rates in the past). This is all part of the Lake Ontario Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program. It was an awesome way spend a morning: outside in beautiful Mono, wearing hip waders while sitting in a stream. He really enjoyed himself and it was a great conservation effort to be part of! Here are a few pictures:

 

 

 

Now for me. Officially, I have two more weeks before this child is due, but unofficially, I am ready any time now! We would be happy with an arrival at any date from now on. I'm done work (although I did pick up a shift at CH today), so I'm free all the time! 38 weeks has also brought a few more aches and pains, and I'm definitely slowing down... but I count those as positive because it means Baby G is on its way!

That being said, I needed a way to pass some time, so I made up a Top 5 Best/Worst Things About Pregnancy" list... just for fun. We'll start with the worst:

Top 5 Worst Things About Pregnancy

1. Waking up 10 times a night... either to roll over (although I don't think it really counts as "rolling" at this point) or go to the washroom.

2. Mood swings. If you didn't suffer (I say "suffer" because it is not a choice!) from this, you are lucky!

3. Rib shots. At 3 in the morning. When I can't sleep. Because baby thinks it's midmorning. And time to play the piano with its toes on my ribs.

4. Mobility Issues. I don't know about you, but this whole waddling thing is overrated. I can't seem to go anywhere without looking like an 80 year-old with hip problems who forgot their walker. That and having to make important calls whether the thing that fell on the floor is really worth picking up.

5. Waiting. And waiting. I just want to know what's coming. I want to know what my baby looks like.  I want this bundle of joy in my arms!

Top 5 Best Things About Pregnancy

1. Movement. As much as I complain about the rib shots, there is nothing quite as amazing as feeling your baby move around inside you. A little foot poking out here, a bum sticking out the top... does it get any better? 

2. Less shaving. Yes, you heard that right. I need to shave my legs about half as often as I did before. It has been amazing! The downside: hair loss from my head is up 200% at the same time.

3. Tiny clothes! Maybe you don't get as excited as me, but I love sorting and looking at all the little onesies, outfits, shoes, hats... you get the picture. I can't wait to see my baby in all my favourites!

4. Dreaming. How exciting is it that in a few weeks we will have a baby to love and cuddle and take care of? At this point, I am only excited about all the things that come with a baby. I am looking forward to changing diapers and soothing cries. I'm not so naive to believe that this will last, but for these last few weeks I'm going to get my dreaming done and be only ecstatic for what is coming!

5. Seeing James' excitement. I do believe that dads-to-be have a harder time bonding with baby before it's born, so I love seeing James light up when he feels the baby kick or helps to pick out clothes/toys. He's going to be a great dad!

So there's my list. I'll finish with a 38 week picture, just so you can get a laugh out of my low-lying trucker belly. Now that baby is dropping, the belly gets a little lumpier and lower each day, giving the impression that I've really had a few too many beers, rather than having grown a baby for the last 8 1/2 months!

A Little Bit of Nesting...

Disclaimer: most of you will likely not be interested in this boring housekeeping post... if so, pleae disregard. But if I know my Roodzant relatives and OCD family members... you will love it! So I am going to share. :)

I am currently 36 weeks and am starting to get the urge to get things organized and ready for when the baby comes. Yesterday I spent most of the day doing some organizing and cleaning- setting up a dresser for the baby, doing little's laundry and making my messy house neater in general. It felt so good to get organized!

Here are some before/after pictures to prove I worked hard!

before

after

before

after

before

a preview of the crib set- can't wait to see the finished quilt!

baby laundry!

before

after

before

... in progress. Who knew they were so time-consuming to put together?

le produit finis!

And finally... another progress picture. I am certainly getting larger and the kicks are definitely getting harder. We've moved in the downward direction, which has resulted in my back being less sore (aw yeah!), but making bending over generally more difficult (groan). I'm still feeling great and I'm excited to see how the next few weeks will progress! Tomorrow I've got an appointment at the hospital to get a tour and do pre-admission stuff, and pre-natal classes officially start tomorrow evening... it's about to get real!

36 weeks and counting down!