late night rambles

Hello there. Late night rambles as I lie in bed with my two little ones. We have had the stomach flu this week. Fun times have NOT been had.
We received some exciting/scary/nerve racking/ put you in your place kinda news this week. It involves a move (in the Yukon). In the next few months. I'll share more when it's more finalized. It's been weighing on my mind a great deal. Ah the life of a police family.
We are off to Cuba in about 2 weeks and I am very excited to get into the sun for a bit. Living in the North takes it's toll with the lack of sun light in the winter. Warm sun, sand, bare feet, a nice drink in hand... yes, here we come! Hubby will be turning 30 while we are there....trying to think of something fun to do for him.
Today I came across some prints of a favourite artist of mine and had to give myself a little present. It's been a rough week. New art always helps that. I bought a Nikki Mcclure print and 2 by Pheobe Wahl. I really love Pheobe Wahl's work.
In other news, I have been getting into the habit of painting with Noah lately and I love it! Before
I had children, I dreamed of doing this with them one day. Painting side by side. Quiet time together. It feels so good.
And that is all for now.
xox
ps. I cut Noah's hair this week so it will be ready for Cuba! Makes him look so grown up I think.
Gosh I love his smile.

on bed rest

Hi there!

I'm still here on bed rest, counting down the days and hoping that our little one will stay in a bit longer. I never realized that I could be in this position. For some reason, I just thought that babies in my family came on time or late, but never early and never this early. If we weren't living in the North, this wouldn't be such a concern, but as I mentioned before, if our little one was to come too early we would most likely have to be sent down South (to BC or Alberta) where they have a NICU.

Anyhow, for now we are fine and most importantly, baby is fine. It's just been hard for me to sit still so much. It's really kind of torture for me, because as all women who have been pregnant know, towards the end of a pregnancy you get the urge to clean, create and make. All I want to do is sew and craft and bake and decorate her room...but I have to stop myself so that my cramps stay to a minimum.

While I've been home we've had some wonderful support from friends. I've received all kinds of phone calls and offers to take Noah out for a little bit. We've had delicious and comforting food dropped off and lot's of people just checking into say hi. Winslow of course has been amazing to me and Noah, taking care of us and the home. I truly feel blessed to have so much support.

Here's a pic of Noah and I cuddling after we were reunited. I really really really hated being away from him for those days. I felt so much anxiety knowing that I had just left him and that he didn't understand what was going on. We were quite happy to be back together, I'll tell you.

Oh and two little pics of my treat that Winslow bought for me when I came home from the hospital. A raspberry scone from Baked (oh yum!) and a caramel macchiato from Starbucks. What a sweetie he is.

greetings from the bed of....

not my bed :O( but the bed at the farmhouse we stayed at this summer in PEI

I've been given doctor's orders to take it easy, very easy, for the next week or so.

A few days ago I was complaining about some cramping and the loss of my mucus plug (yuck, I know). I wasn't all too concerned about it but had a bit of a nagging feeling that I should bring it up with my doctor. So I went in to see him on Tuesday and right away he sent me over the hospital for a non-stress test and a fetal fibronectin test.

The fFN test came back positive and my doctor was pretty concerned. Up here in Whitehorse we don't have the support of a NICU, and if a woman is showing signs of early labour before 36 weeks of pregnancy, they air on the side of caution and fly her down South to a hospital that is properly equipped. My doctor was pretty sure that I was going to have to go and all of a sudden Winslow and I were faced with the stress of deciding what we would do in terms of care for Noah.

In the meantime while my doctor was determining what the next step would be, I was admitted to the hospital and put on bed rest. I was given some medication to make my contractions stop and was monitored throughout the night. The next day my doctor came back to see me and said that I could stay put (here in Whitehorse) as long as I continued to get positive non-stress test results and as long as we could keep the contractions to a minimum.

The next two days were spent in bed at the hospital, just kinda waiting to see how things would go. It was sort of surreal because I really hadn't thought that things were that serious, and then, all of a sudden we were faced with the reality that the baby could be coming early and that we were in danger of having to leave the territory. It was a bit frightening and the worst thing for me was that I couldn't be of any use to Noah and Winslow back at home.

All of a sudden I felt that so called "mother's guilt". On one hand I wanted to be in the hospital, safe and sound for the baby while at the same time I felt guilty and missed my little boy oh so much. I just wilted when I heard him on the phone in the background crying over and over agin for his mama. It wasn't a nice position to be in but I didn't have a choice and we had to do what was best for the baby.

The good news is that this evening I was discharged from the hospital and sent home with strict instructions that I am to stay in bed and go straight back to the hospital if my labour signs return. I am doing my best to stay put and am just hoping and praying that our little girl doesn't decide to make an early appearance. We really want her to be healthy and strong and we also really want to be able to stay here in Whitehorse to deliver her.

So that is the latest from our neck of the woods. Just hanging on and hoping that everything continues to go well. We have been very very lucky to have some amazing friends come to our side an help us out. All kinds of offers of help have been made. Offers for food, babysitting, visits... you name it. Just another reason why we love it up here in the North.

And so as I write to you for the comfort of my bed I ask that you think of us and send out prayers or good vibes or what ever you believe in for our little one to stay inside her mama's tummy a little while longer.

Here is a little song we learned in Mother Goose a few weeks ago that made me all teary eyed. I'm really getting excited to meet our little Northern baby girl.

Twinkle twinkle Northern Lights

Shining in the Yukon night

Up above the world so high

Blue and green ribbons in the sky

Twinkle twinkle Nothern Lights

Shining in the Yukon night

coming out the other side

Oh friends. Yesterday was a bit of a rough day around here. For those of you that don't know me that well, you should know that I am a bit of a political junkie. It's true. I am passionate about politics and truly believe that who we each personally vote for reflects our beliefs about may things. I am a Liberal at heart. Always have been and most likely always will be. In the past I have wavered between "liberal" parties such as the Liberals, The New Democrat Party and the Green Party, but as sure as the sun will come up tomorrow, I am a left leaning gal and that's who I am.
So you can imagine my disappointment to learn that Canada had voted in a majority Conservative Party into government. Shock, worry and disappointment for many reasons. The government elected in has the environment low on it's priorities and backed out of a signed declaration (Kyoto Protocol) to decrease our carbon foot print. On other important issues such as women's rights, health care and the arts, they again have a right leaning approach, which means little or no and selective funding. There are a host of issues that I hold dear and close to my heart and beliefs that I know just won't get the attention they deserve from this government and now we will have them in power for the next 4 years.
I hate to be so down about it and really, I guess I have to trust that a fair percentage (40%) of Canadians voted for them. I can only hope that they will do what's right for this country, but in my heart, I think their priorities and those of the party that I wish had been elected are just too different.
It's hard for me when certain values, values that I think make Canada so unique and wonderful like public health care, multiculturalism, women's rights and a beautiful environment are at stake. It scares me and makes me upset that people would choose tax breaks over such important necessities.
So as I try to come to terms with this and try to move on in a positive way, I have a question for my American friends down South. If you were not a supporter of G.W. Bush, and his policies, how did you survive his term?
Hope this hasn't been too much for you. I promise to get back to my regularly scheduled blogging of the yummy things I make to eat and Noah's adventures.
xox

ps. for anyone interested here is a short list of 25 reasons why Harper should not have been reelected. Worth a read.

out of office reply

Hi folks! Just a quick hello and how are you today. We are in the middle of moving houses and everything feels very much up in the air! There are boxes everywhere, I don't know where to start.

As soon as we get settled in I promise to show you around our new home. It's very warm and cozy, I think.

Hope you are having a lovely week leading up to Easter. I'll be trying to get the house in order in time to have a small group of friends over on Easter afternoon for an early supper.

Missing you all!

xox

au revoir

Au revoir to Hamilton. Au revoir (for now) to the dear friends that we have made here.

Au revoir to such an important chapter of our lives. You will all be missed.
Much is going on these days. With the sad news that has come to us and our own changes that are taking place, I'm going to be taking a few days off from blogging.
I hope that you are all well my dear friends. I'll see you soon.
xox

a walk down memory lane...

Just to make it clear... I am 110% percent in support of peaceful protest. Here are a few pictures of myself and my best friend at the National Day of Action for Aboriginal People in Canada from the summer of 2007. I will ALWAYS support peaceful protest and the right for people to voice their opinions. ALWAYS.

G20

(photo sources: cbc.ca, ctv.ca)

I was up all last night, eyes glued to the television watching the chaos unfold in a city that I normally live 45 minutes away from. Police cars set on fire, shops and media headquarters vandalized, arrests...it wasn't the Toronto that we are used to seeing

Yesterday and today Toronto will be hosting the G20 Summit, a meeting for world leaders to get together and talk about the pressing issues of today. Some say it is an important venue for leaders to come together and talk. Others argue against it and say that it is an undemocratic meeting, that it excludes other countries from the discussion table, only allowing the wealthy countries to come together. And some argue that all that comes from these summits are empty promises, a huge bill to foot (they have spent at least 1 billion dollars in security alone), a lot of talk and not enough action.

And while I see merit in the criticism of the G20 I don't see how violence and criminal action can be justified. Really when it comes down to it, why on earth would anyone want to listen to an angry violent criminal? And who are these anarchists trying to punishing when they set fires to shops and police cars....the people they are punishing are the public, the shop owners, the tax payers. Keep it peaceful people!

Call me crazy, but doesn't it make more sense to be productive in your criticism of the injustices in our society?

This is what I would say to those angry anarchists who seem to have so much energy to spare. So you hate the fact that there are many homeless people in your city and that they are left marginalized with no rights? Then why not go down to a soup kitchen or homeless shelter and volunteer your time to make a difference? Why not help out through service?

What also angers me is the fact that the police are dragged into this whole mess in the first place. I heard it over and over again. Do you think they used enough force with the protesters? Why did it get so out of hand? Did they use too much force? It's the classic case.They can never do right.

My husband was out at 7 am yesterday and ever returned to his hotel last night. He worked into the night doing one thing, restoring order from the chaos that was caused by those senseless supposed anarchist protesters. He, just like the other men and women out there is a parent, a spouse and a very caring person who just as much as the next person wants to live peacefully. Sadly however, he and the other thousands of police officers who worked around the clock yesterday will be criticized for what they did or didn't do. No thanks or gratitude will be shown towards them, instead they will be asked how could this have been played out differently. But tell me, what would happen if there were no police? I sincerely hope that those who are so against the police never have to call on them for help.

A messy state. I hope that it turns around for today but something tells me that it won't.

xox

being in the "now"

There is so much in front of us at the moment. This week we got word that we have 90 days until Winslow has to report for his new position in Whitehorse Yukon and as you can imagine between now and then, there are a million things to be done. My mind is in overload. There are lists that are running through my head, people I want to see and say goodbye to, household items to sort ad go through....but all I want to do is sit and smell the lilacs.

You see I am one of those types that when faced with stressful life changing events, likes to put things off, likes to avoid the obvious and instead just focus on the present. The now. I guess it's a coping mechanism. Something that I probably learned to do a long time ago when times got tough and well, here I am once again faced with big changes and all I want to do is continue on as though nothing is happening.

So yesterday instead of getting on top of things, Noah and I went for a walk with some friends and then spent the afternoon lounging around the house and in the backyard. And you know what? Doing just that, being in the present and just enjoying the moment was exactly what I needed. Why stress about the unknown? Why fret and add to the chaos- in my opinion.

So happy Friday mes amis. Here's to enjoying each day and each moment. Here's to having a wonderful day. Have a great weekend and a very happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mamas out there.

On a totally different note we watched this last night and boy was it good. Boy could he preform. Definitely see it if you liked his music.

xox

exciting news!

Tune in tomorrow as I debut a new weekly collaborative project with my friend Desiree from So Fawned . Should be fun! We can't wait to share it with you.