25 weeks pregnant (6 months 1 week)

2 years married

It's our 2nd anniversary can you believe it! Chad spoiled me rotten this year (I don't mind at all though, lol!) About a month ago we finally found a China pattern we both loved, so we wrote down the name and hoped over the years to aquire a piece or two along the way, China is soooo expensive! Anyway Chad knew how much I wanted some China for our special dinners and stuff and this morning I woke up to a tea cup from our China set for our anniversary (Chad informs me that 2nd year of marriage is the China anniversary). I was soo sooo excited, for me this meant we were actually going to work at getting pieces over time and he was on board with the idea! I was so happy. So after oooing for a bit I went and had my shower, he had his and then came into the bedroom and asked me what I would think if he had another present for me.

I wasn't sure if he was teasing or not, the china tea cup was so much anyway and we don't have much money for presents, but at the same time if he did have something else I didn't want him to not give it to me or take it back or something! So I told him as much and then he brought out another Royal Dalton box with the 3 other plates in it! I was soooo sooooo soooooo excited, and I thought he'd gone off his rocker spending so much money, and I couldn't figure out how he had spent so much when I take care of the money coming in and going out!

I carefully walked out to the kitchen to set it all up on the table to see what it looked like with our flatwear and crystal wine glasses! When I turned around he had put my favorite piece of all down on top of the plate, the soup bowl. (take a look at how pretty it is! It's my favorite!) I was soooo overwhelmed and I love love love it! Since we found the set a month or so ago he's been putting a little bit down on layaway every chance he got, if he picked up groceries that cost $14 he said it cost $20, when he got his milage check from the church he didn't tell me about it and put it down on the dishes and then his camera he bought in April went on Sale and he got the difference back, and didn't tell me and put it down on the dishes! He's been hard at work for me to know nothing about it!



When I stopped gawking long enough, we packed up and headed to Woolastook for a picnic and swim. What a great time we had! We had a yummy picnic then Chad laid down for a nap, and I tried, but man it is really impossible to get comfortable lying on the hard ground when you're 6 months pregnant! So I sat up an read until he woke up and we went for a swim. Woolastook is great, not only is it where we got engaged, but it seems people have kind of forgotten it exists and there weren't very many people there. I decided against jumping off the bridge (seems I've lost a bit of my daring personality with my pregnancy) but we had a great time. We stopped in to visit Chad's Grammie in Upper Kingsclear on the way home and then headed home to clean up and go out for dinner.

We went to this new little Italian place down on King Street. The decor is great and the food was awesome too! We had this snowcrab warm dip thing for appetizer, and then split this bell pepper, garlic, olive oil, rosemary, basil angelhair pasta thing-- it was sooo great! For dessert we ordered this warm chocolate ravioli (however you spell that!) stuffed with cream cheese--- oh my! I can not adequatly express to you how wonderful it was! AND because it was our anniversary they gave us the dessert on the house! We were both completly impressed with the place and will definitly go again and it wasn't that pricey! They have these $5 salads on their lunch menu that look great! and you can go and try their cheeses and fruit for just $5 as well. Sounds like we need another visit there!

After that we walked along the river for awhile before I had to pee too much to keep going. What a great anniversary. The day was absolutly perfect.

Chad felt Baby B kicking!

Last night after I went to bed Baby B was kicking up a storm! The last few weeks when I feel the baby moving I'll get Chad to come over and put his hand on my belly to see if he can feel it too. Up until this point he thought he might have once, but not since. Last night however, I had never felt the baby kick with such vigor before and Chad felt Baby B kicking! It was neat to be able to share that with him! So far it has just been me and Baby B, but it was really neat to be able to have Chad feel him or her kicking too, and man did he or she ever kick up a storm! It's so reassuring to feel the baby kick and move, I like it, even if it is a bit like "alien" or something!

So thankful for this dream...

I had a lovely dream last night. Have you ever had one that kind of brings things together for you, resolves something for you? I remember my Mom telling me of one she had during a really difficult time in her life. One of her most favorite Aunts came and walked with her in a garden in her dream, assuring her things would be alright. I remember Mom telling me how she drew so much comfort from that dream.

Last night I had something similar happen to me for the first time. I dreamed I was having lunch with Katrina in a beautiful garden, on a gorgeous day. I have deliberatly not written about Katrina on this blog until now, I guess things seemed unresolved for me up until this point, a tender spot, and honestly (although I try to be honest and myself on this blog) I didn't know that I could be honest about my feelings, so I chose to say nothing. I think I'm ready now.

I was telling Katrina, in my dream, that I had never imagined I would see her looking so beautiful and radiant and full of life again (I can't describe in words how wonderful she looked). I was telling her how it bothered me so much that they (the nurses in the hospital)hadn't let me in to see her, to talk with her when she was in isolation. I told her I was glad to at least have the memory of her big smile when Chad showed off my pregnant belly to her in the window of her room.

Then I started to cry and told her how I had really believed she was going to get her healing, from God, through the doctor's or a transplant..that I couldn't believe she was gone, it didn't fit with what I thought God had in store for her. I was sure she was going to get her healing. She stood up from the lunch table, so beautiful and radiant and came over and gave me a huge, tight hug and told me, tears in her eyes "Heidi, I have my healing." and I woke up. It brings tears to my eyes to think of it now, but I feel more at peace. How I wish she had been able to see our baby born. How she loved Chad & I and was so supportive. How full of life she was. And now she is with God, and she has her healing.

Canada Day Long Weekend in Elgin

I had a fabulous long weekend! As school just ended on Tuesday, and I've yet to find some work to hold me over for the summer and fall until Baby B comes, and Chad wanted to bring Angela's wedding pictures down to her, we decided to head off for Elgin (my parent's stomping ground) and Moncton for the weekend. It's been a long time since we've been able to actually go for a visit and not just a 24 hour run for an event!

Friday, Chad got off work early and we headed over to check out Sharon & Gary's new digs (Chad's parents). Very nice I must say! The bedrooms upstairs are huge! All new laminate flooring (I'm so jelous! we're looking at putting laminate in the baby's room this summer) and Sharon has a beautiful kitchen with lots of cupboard space and considering the fabulous cooking she does, she'll put it to great use!

Compression socks in toe, Chad & I headed out around 3pm for Moncton, but first we had to make (yet another) emergency stop at an Irving bathroom, for me (and a slushie of course!) and then back home because we'd forgotten the prints Chad had made for Angela to see what the pics will actually look like.

So finally on the road, slushie in hand, relieved of the bathroom and thinking we surely must have everything now we headed off. Arriving in Moncton around 5pm we stopped off at the Superstore for a few ingrediants as Chad was going to make a special stirfry for Angela, Adam & Kaitlyn in their new home.

Kaitlyn is such a doll! I love her to pieces! She of course entertained us (she's quite the actress) the entire time we were there, and I think Angela & Adam were very happy with Chad's work as photographer. He did a great job! I'm so proud of his work! Around 9pm Chad & I headed off for the mountains of Elgin where we stayed up talking with Mom & Dad until after midnight when we finally hit the sack. Poor Chad, after everyone was settled in, I thought he was snoring (he does this once in a blue mooon at home) so I poked him (which usually stops him right away) but he just kept on snoring and snoring, so I kept poking and poking until I finally realized it wasn't him that was snoring at all! LOL! Poor fella! Needless to say he was tired enough he didnt wake up.

Saturday morning we got ourselves together and headed in for lunch at Dad's favorite spot The Irving Bigstop. Here we had a yummy lunch (and onion rings!) and then met Angela & Kaitlyn to go shopping. We did a little looking around, Dad & Chad took Kaitlyn and Angela, Mom & I looked at Maternity and Baby things. Us girls headed off to the Motherhood clothing store where I was treated to great sales and some beautiful clothes! I laughed so hard as I tried on different maternity clothes. One pair of pants, i didn't understand went above your belly an I started laughing in the change room telling the girls we had a problem. I opened the door with the crotch of the pants hanging between my knees and everyone in the store got a good laugh as they explained to me that this pair of pants was not supposed to hang on my hips! Angela suprised me and bought me some nice capri's that do sit on your hips and mom got me this really nice two piece brown, blue etc. stripped outfit and I bought myself a shirt (that matches the capri's really nicely) and a white skirt. I walked away with beautiful clothes and I had fun adding up how much they would have cost if they hadn't been on sale, and how much I actually spent.

We then went to Costco so Chad could buy us a huge box of frozen chicken breasts, and the brought a pizza back to Angela's for supper and so Mom & Dad could see the pictures. Chad then headed back to Fredericton for church the next day and Mom & Dad & I headed back to Elgin. There we watched the movie Flika until late and hit the sack. I must say I had the best sleep in a long time that night, I was actually comfortable! and woke up around 10am to shower up before the new Lewis family came up.

It was so precious I wanted to cry. Angela & Adam & Kaitlyn pulled into the yard Sunday afternoon and Angela got Kaitlyn out of the car and gave her her little pink suitcase and she just came serious as can be all by herself, down the driveway to the house. She looked so cute coming for her first sleepover at Grammie & Grampy's since the wedding. Dad (Grampy) was going to set up the tent for them to sleep in (her first camping experience) and we were going to have a bonfire (her first bonfire too). All afternoon she and Dad (Grampy) played and worked together setting up the tent, bringing the garbage to the road etc. Finally she fell asleep for a nap in the wheelbarrow, that's our country girl.

Mom, meanwhile, was busy in the kitchen preparing food, cake, supper etc. for Monday when April & Trevor were going to join us all for a big Canada day bbq. She worked tirelessly and I believe I did at least 4 loads of dishes! and there were more than that done in that span of time! We all watched Barnyard, the movie together and then had supper and Mom continued on the cooking sprea. Around 9pm she was making Black Forest Cake and the cake was cooking in the stove and smelled so good I had to have some so she convinced me to make brownies instead (just a mix from the dollar store but they tasted soooooo good), so that was our bedtime treat by the time the cooled. I had been waiting to see if the rain would let off so we could still have our bonfire but just as soon as it would clear it would start to down pour again, so no bonfire this time around. We'll have to do that another time I guess. Dad & Kaitlyn entertained us playing bass and soprano recorder and harmonica. And Kaitlyn thought Chad (by this time he had returned from Fredericton) was just the best thing when he started stomping his foot and dancing around the livingroom with her! She says "Chad" in this matteroffact voice, and "Heidi" in this sweet little voice, and of course the more we laugh, the more she does it. What a clown! Finally we all went to bed.

Kaitlyn had had a full day and she actually stayed in bed until 10:30 Monday morning which meant we all slept in as well. Later in the day Chad & I went for a trek through the mountains and trails, Elgin is so beautiful. We scooped out the farm house going up for sale behind Dad's property and dreamed a little dream of having a family retreat for the summer. 10 acres of land are going along with it and there is a trail that meets between Dad's land and that one. It would be so nice to have...but alas it is unlikely it will be ours, but it is still fun to dream! We came back to Mom & Dad's and rested a bit (I MAY have overdone the walk a bit) and Mom got to getting things ready for supper (what a crazy worker!) April & Trevor arrived just as Dad was taking the burgers and pork ribblet things of the grill and what a feast we had! Mom had made my favorite potatoe salad and I must say I had way too much, but it was soooo good!

Anyway around 8:30 we tore ourselves away and headed for home. What a fun weekend! I'll cherish this one for years to come and close my eyes and see Kaitlyn coming with her little suitcase! I can't imagine your long weekend was as great as mine but hope you had some fun!