What a Good Hubby

Making me dinner. What a good man.

Made it.

We arrived at our hostel at 0400... four hours behind schedule. It is now noon and we have forced ourselves to get out of bed, chatted with the hostel worker, and are ready to explore Miraflores a bit. I am sure Erik will want to recount the events of last night, but I am far too lazy and it is not interesting enough; just your typical traveling woes. We are here, we are almost healthy (my cold is lingering), and we are happy. Delayed flights, late luggage and a lost cab driver haven't dampened our spirits.

Love from Peru.

It's Official

It is official, we are on our way to Lima, Peru. We are sitting in Los Angeles waiting for,our next flight. Erik just spent $30 at an airport convenience store because he didn't see prices until he was at the till and it was "too late". Is that a boy thing? I think I will have to be in charge of the money on this trip.

How am I feeling? I have asked myself that many times and I don't really have an answer. It feels surreal. Leaving Vancouver this morning and thinking that I wouldn't be back until July was bizarre. I think the whole trip will feel surreal -- it is so out of the ordinary and I have never done anything like it. But it will be awesome and I am (or at last I will be) excited for it.

We have a hostel booked for three nights in Lima and we have no plans beyond that. I can't tell if I am thrilled or terrified by the thought, but I am just going to embrace it and enjoy myself. We are actually doing this! Crazy!

We will be in Lima next time you hear from us. I hope it is a tad bit warmer there than it is in this airport... I am freezing!

Fun fact: I found out Lindsey was pregnant a year ago today. That was the best Christmas present ever! And I found out she was having twins around me birthday. Fun, eh?

Have a lovely day.

Master of Counselling

I am thrilled to share that my dear husband has been accepted into the Master of Counselling program at City University of Seattle in Vancouver. He will be doing a Mixed-Mode format and will take three years to complete the program so he can live in Kelowna with me while he's attending school. School starts in September and we are excited and nervous.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

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Nori Joy's Birth Story: Part One

I know there was no labour involved, but Little Nori Joy was born and the story of birth always deserves to be told.

Milena was hoping to have a VBAC and this was the goal throughout her entire pregnancy. A few weeks ago the ultrasound showed that her placenta may have been growing over the scar from her previous c-section so they booked a section just to be safe. It ended up that the placenta was not over the scar so the obstetrician said it was ok if Milena still attempted a VBAC. They kept the cesarean tentatively booked though in case anything happened. Baby was posterior so Milena did everything she could to try to spin it, but nothing was working and baby was measuring around 10lbs so, based on her history and the fact that Maelle (Nori's older sister) was posterior, over 10lbs, and unable to descend they opted for a c-section. If Milena went into labour before the section date the doctor was ok with her attempting a vaginal delivery, but he said they would quickly move to a c-section if labour was not progressing and the baby was showing signs of stress. A week before the section Milena asked her obstetrician if I could come into the operating room and take some photos during the c-section and he willingly gave his permission.

Milena did not go into labour and so the c-section went as planned. I picked up Sam and Milena in the morning so Milena's mom and Maelle could stay home. We headed to the hospital at around 8:15 and waited. Milena had some bloodwork done and then we waited some more. We had the nurse double-check with the doctor to see if it was still ok for me to come take photos during the c-section and she said that only three of us could go in. So it was Sam, Milena, and one other person -- either the midwife or I. After discussing it with the midwife, Milena decided that she wanted me there to take pictures for her. The midwife was going to wait in the recovery room so she could be with Milena post-op.

So Sam and I donned our scrubs, Milena went pee one last time, and we were off! We sat in the hall outside the OR for a few minutes and the anesthesiologist came and introduced himself (I triple ok's photos with him as I would be standing by him), the pediatrician's resident introduced herself, and the obstetrician came to say hello. We then kissed Milena as she was wheeled through the OR doors and then waited to be summoned.

It felt like we were waiting forever. At one point we were discussing my sister (who used the same midwives Milena did) and her milk-makers. I may have been demonstrating the size of said milk-makers as a doctor walked by. Sam instantly went beat red and the surgeon said, "don't worry I'm a plastic surgeon" to which the midwife called out "yeah, but these are because of milk!" It was nice to have a little comic relief while we waited.

We were eventually allowed into the operating room. Theater 6. Sam joined Milena over her right shoulder on a stool and I was over Milena's left shoulder.... standing by the anesthesiologist. I told him to let me know if I was in his way and he nodded and said that was fine.

And so I made myself comfy. I snapped a few photos. Kept my anticipatory tears at bay. Peaked over the curtain. Wiped a few stray tears away. Watched Milena's monitor. And tried to find an angle to photograph the actual birth.

I watched Sam holding his wife's hand. He rubbed her hand with his thumb and swept the hair from her face.

I peaked over the curtain again and saw the obstetrician pushing and tugging on Milena's tummy and knew the birth was imminent. I readied my camera and battled elbows and tummy's in an attempt to snap the first moments of that sweet baby girl's life.

I saw meconium in the amniotic fluid that erupted from Milena's abdomen and my heart sunk a wee little bit, but then I saw a tuft of hair as the babe's head emerged and heard a small wail even before her head was fully extra-uterine and my heart burst. A babe's first cry is one of the sweetest sounds in all the world. At 12:34pm Milena's perfectly beautiful daughter made her way into the world. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I basked in the newness of the heartily screaming baby girl.

The obstetrician held the little girl up beside the curtain for Sam and Milena to see and then the pediatrician checked her out. Milena asked Sam to wipe her tears away as her arms were secured to the operating table. She wanted to see her baby girl when the time came and her tears were blurring her vision. Sam lovingly did so and he rubbed the top of Milen'a head as they gazed off in the direction of the robust screams of their baby girl.

The anesthesiologist un-velcroed Milena's arms in preparation for her first snuggle with her baby and one of the nurses brought over the lady of the hour.

Watching Milena fall in love with her daughter before my very eyes was indescribable. She got to snuggle for fifteen minutes and she spoke sweet nothings to her baby the entire time. The babe sucked her mama's face and even worked her hand out to hold her ma's finger. The little one kept sticking her tongue out kept licking her Ma. Milena told the babe that her daddy would take care of her while Mommy was resting, but that Milena would join her soon. She told her she loved her and that she had a big sister who was excited to meet her.  The babe kept sticking out her little tongue.

The doctor asked Sam and Milena what the baby's name was. Sam looked at Milena and she nodded her confirmation before he announced the name:

Elinor Alida Joy.

Fresh tears found my eyes as I heard her name as Joy also happens to be my middle name.

Sam followed the little Nori up to the nursery and I stayed with my dear friend while the doctor finished closing her up. Milena was radiating joy and relief and excitement. She looked absolutely lovely and so very beautiful.

When Milena went to PAR to recover I headed upstairs to join Sam nd my Little Joy. I promised Milena that I wouldn't hold the baby until Little Miss and Milena's mother got to meet her so I tried to avoid Sam's attention while I furiously snapped photos of the papa snuggling his newest baby.

I felt like I was imposing as I watched Sam get to know Nori Joy. He was enamored by every part of her little being. Her wails made him smile and I saw his heart soften as her little hand gripped his finger and her eyes focused on his face. Sam cradled Nori in his arms and held her skin-to-skin. He inspected her and commented on how much she looked like her sister, Maelle. He also noted the differences between the two. He told Nori her mommy was going to come soon and that she was going to be okay.

Nori was rooting and alert and was obviously hungry so the midwife warmed some frozen breast milk for Sam to feed Nori with a syringe. She gulped it down, settled, and contentedly stared at her daddy.

It was beautiful to be a part of those first moment's of Nori's life. I felt privileged to witness such a pure and holy experience. Birth remains the single most amazing thing I have ever been a part of. I am so thankful that Sam and Milena invited me into this moment of their lives.

T-209hrs.

Erik and I will be leaving the country in 209 hours. I can't decide if 8.5 days or 209 hours sounds like more time, but I am wishing for just that, more time.

I love my life. I love my job (most days). I love my family. I love my friends. I love our little house. I love my friends' babies. I just love the way things are and I am so content... it feels like the wrong time to up-and-leave. But that's good, right? I have all these things to look forward to when we return.

I am excited about our trip. So very excited as it will be awesome! I'm interested to see how Erik and I work together on our travels and curious to see how we handle the stresses we encounter. I'm looking forward to the uncertainty of endless possibilities.

We don't have too much to do... Well, we have plenty to do, but things are coming along. The house is slowly being packed up. We are figuring out what we still need to purchase for our travels. We're organizing our things for easy accessibility in our packs. Some days I feel I can breathe. I'm a little less certain on other days. But we're surviving and enjoying our time left here as much as possible.

I'm squeezing in as many newborn baby snuggles as I can manage, reveling in the joy and hilarity of my 4-month-old nieces, enjoying a very serious Gus Gus, and eating up the love and attention of my favourite two-year-olds.

I'm sick too. Missed both my day shifts... I won't have to work another of those for six months. Being sick has greatly cut into my small-children time -- we went to Lindsey's for pizza last night and I didn't even get to hold or smooch the girls.

Hoping I get better because I realllllyyy don't want to miss work tomorrow. I love my girls there and need to (need to) say goodbye! Also, the income doesn't hurt.

209 hours folks. That's all!

birth order

I know this photo is awful, but it's hilarious. On one of our last days at the resort we asked one of our regular servers to put us in our birth order. This is what she came up with. Picture Lindsey between Jonathan and Joel. Her order went Sharlene, Anthony, Zachary, Benjamin, Joel, Lindsey, Jonathan, Me, and Justin. Or for those of you who don't know the birth order yourselves... 1, 2, 5, 9, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8.

Poor Little Ben. 

Elinor Alida Joy

Elinor Alida Joy

Born December 6, 2012 @ 1234.

Weight: 9lb 15oz.

Height: 20 inches.

Jansen's Go To Mexico

My parent's had their 40th anniversary this year. What better way to celebrate than to spend a week at an all-inclusive in Mexico?? We were going to go with just the kids and our spouses, but then Lindsey went and had twins this summer and Jonathan's wife is pregnant and so so sick so we went added two babies, went without a SIL, and added a family friend. Oh ya! I haven't even shared that Jon and Courtney are pregnant!!!

Jonathan and Courtney are pregnant!! They're due on May 26, 2013! Courtney has been in and out of the hospital as she has hyperemesis gravidarum (severe debilitating nausea and vomiting), but baby is healthy and mama is hopefully starting to feel better. Due to her condition (the hyperemesis gravidarum, not the pregnancy) Courtney couldn't travel with us.

Oh! I don't think I've mentioned that Erik's sister is also pregnant! She's due May 25, 2013. So Erik and I will have two new babies waiting to meet their favourite Auntie and Uncle when we get home!

Back to Mexico. There was a grand total of 20 of us and we had a fabulous time! We went to Puerto Vallarta and stayed at Velas Vallarta. I'm told it was a small resort, but I'd never been to an all-inclusive so I had nothing to compare it to. It may have been small, but it was perfect for us because you want to be able to find people easily when you go with such a large group. The last week of November was the perfect time to go too because the resort was all-but-deserted. We had a suite on the ground floor right by the pool so Lindsey could put the girls down and take the baby monitor pool-side. It was awesome!

The week was spent lounging by the pool, eating way to much food, playing tennis, jumping waves in the ocean (read: being beaten by the ocean, drinking so much salt water that two of my brothers puked), reading, playing tennis/ping pong/beach volleyball/water volleyball, playing cribbage, chatting, laughing, snuggling sweet little babes, and enjoying everyone's company.

I love my nieces and nephews dearly, but it was nice to just have adults there. It's sometimes nice to just be us. No one had to entertain children, worry about kids running off, deal with tantrums or boredom. We just got to enjoy each other's company.

Lindsey's vacation wasn't as relaxing as the rest of ours, but she enjoyed herself too. Her girls did so well! They are now 4 months and are easy going little ladies so they slept poolside or in their playpen. They had many aunties and uncles who doted on them.

I enjoyed hanging out with my family, having no responsibility, eating when I wanted, drinking as many strawberry smoothies as I wanted, and snuggling with those babes to my heart's content (are there ever enough snuggles though?).

It was just a wonderful time.

Does anyone know why I can't upload pictures anymore? And how do I fix it? Or do I need to change to another blog?? And where would I go?

Nori Joy

I am pleased to announce the arrival of Maelle's baby sister, Elinor Alida Joy. She was born via cesarean section this afternoon at 12:34pm. Little Nori Joy weighed in at 9lb 15oz and both mama and babe are doing well.

weekend for the ladies

We had a weekend for the ladies and it was awesome! As I mentioned before, the kiddies joined us the second day, but we did have 24 hours free of interruptions. I love those kids with all my heart, but those 24 hours were wonderful. They were absolutely wonderful.

I had no idea what to expect as we haven't actually spent any time alone together, but it was excellent. I make it sound like I was worried, but I wasn't... just curious to see how things would go.

We all brought books and projects to work on, but we ended up talking for 12 hours straight. We tried to watch a show, but it didn't work so we just ended up chatting the night away. We talked about everything... marriage, parenting (and auntie-ing), family, pregnancy, birth, books, movies, and life in general. We laughed, we cried, we talked, we ate, we read (a wee bit), we played a game and we just enjoyed each others company. It was refreshing.

These girls. These girls are just too much sometimes. All weekend I couldn't help feeling overwhelmed with love and appreciation for these two fabulous women. They challenge me, encourage me, pray for me, laugh with me, and they make life more lovely. They are wonderful.

Milena Mai is eccentric. She's a little bit crazy and 100% lovable. She is so full of knowledge and is more than willing to research a topic if it will benefit her health or her family (or her friends even). She is a devoted mother, a committed wife, and so full of love and energy. She's the first person to laugh at herself and she manages to find "the positive" in each and every situation. She constantly reminds me to pray about everything and is always ready with open arms.

Ms. Mandi is the most patient person I know in the entire world. She is the calm, steady force in our trio. She is selfless, serving, and sweet. Mandi is the first to jump up when you need a hand and the first to throw a party in your honour. She's a hard worker, a thoughtful friend, and a perceptive and gracious mother. Mandi may be the most consistent person I have ever met and I love that about her!
She is consistent, but she is also spontaneous and up for anything. She is adventurous and so sweet.

There is no doubt in my mind that I am a better person because of these girls. I'm a better wife and a better friend because of them. If I am half the mother they are then my children will be so lucky.

It was nice to have the kids join us even though I relished our time alone. Those little ones are so full of love and energy and they bring joy and life everywhere they go. I also enjoy seeing my friends as mothers -- it gives me something to aspire to.

So, to make a long story short, we had an awesome weekend and we should definitely do it again sometime.

Quail Ridge Bed & Breakfast

You may or may not remember me saying that my parent's moved to Kelowna and bought a B&B. Well, they did and their website is finally up and running. Take a look and come for a visit!

http://www.quailridgebb.com/

Some OT

I'm going in for some overtime tonight. I was hoping to catch up on some blogging, but work has been a bit ridiculous lately and we've had quite a few sick calls. There's a strong cold going around and people are having a tough time shaking it. I'm praying I don't get sick as we leave for Mexico on Friday and having a cold would negatively affect the experience. I got off my regular set this morning and was awake all day. I succumbed to sleep at 2:45pm and was offered OT at 5:30pm and in my half sleepy state I accepted. Let's hope it is a wonderful night and that I don't regret this decision.

Erik and I talked Scotland this afternoon. We skyped with our friends who are living in Scotland and who we plan on visiting and it made me so very excited to see the country. I wish we had six months to travel around Scotland alone, but 10-12 days will have to suffice. We're trying to just hit the main highlights in the North and then hoping to spend ample time exploring Edinburgh and the Isle of Arran with K+E. That is really the only part of the entire 6 month trip that we will have the day to day planned of. I think it would be overwhelming if we didn't have it planned as there is so much to see!

Well, I should be on my way. I hope you all sleep warm and cozy in your own beds tonight. I'll be eating apples until I have diarrhea and drinking tea tea tea.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a wonderful weekend! 

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steam rollin'

I feel as though we are just steam rollin' forward. Well, to be more precise, I feel as though time is steam rollin' ahead and I am being dragged behind. I can feel myself digging my heals in wishing it would slow down ever-so-slightly so I can breathe a little bit. That's not the way it ever goes though. When you want it to go fast, time crawls on by, but when you're begging it to slow down it seems to pick up speed and zip away from you.

I'm not ready for our trip yet.

I know... poor me. About to gallivant around the world and stressing because my vacation is coming too quickly. But it is! I'm not ready! I have things to do, people to see, and my life to organize.

And I only have 10 shifts left at work. Ten. Four shifts until Mexico and only six shifts between Mexico and Peru. Eleven shifts. That is 121 hours of work left. Yippee skippy. And... guuuullllppp.

To break it down even further...

We leave in 35 days. Well our flight leaves in 35 days, but we are catching our flight out of Vancouver so we will actually be leaving a day or two before that.

So of those 35 days...

10 will be spent at work.
9 will be spent mexico-ing (traveling there, back and being there).
15 will be spent not working (though three of those are sleep days and Milena will be having a baby with roughly 10 of those left).
2 will be spent heading to and being in the Lower Mainland.

Wowza. 

the girls in their emma's.

I had the Abba and Bronco's tunics knit up months ago, but it took until last week to actually finish them. I know... typical me. The important thing is that I actually finished them! Yippee!!! It's been a while, but do you remember them?? Abba's Emma and Bronco's Emma??

They're little Emma Tunic's knit in size 6-12 months, but they fit right now as little dresses. Don't Peyton and Avery look sweet in them?? Don't they look sweet anyway? Oh this auntie just love love loves them.

And I'm not the only one. Everyone I know adores these two... and how could they not? I keep saying that the only thing better than one smiling, cooing, and giggling baby is two smiling, cooing and giggling babies. And that is their usual state, despite what these photos show.

Sawyer wouldn't leave their side when we were at my parent's. She was rubbing their faces, holding their hands, petting their heads, and asking to hold them. Peyt even gave Sawy a few smiles which she seemed to enjoy.

But I digress. Back to the little tunics, though I suppose I have nothing more to say about them expect that I wanted them to be similar, but not the same. So I used the same colours, but made different patterned tunics and I was happy with the way they turned out. Maybe even more than happy... thrilled even.

But I'm even more thrilled about the wee ones wearing said tunics. They're something special.

Music Monday

Hola! Yo escribo una carta. El nino come pan. Nosotros somos hombres porque bebemos leche.

I'm learning Spanish, slowly.

Have I ever told you about Radiohead? About how they are my absolute favorite band? No? Okay then; Radiohead is my absolute favorite band.

Moving on here is a song from my absolute favorite band. A song called Feral



One of my most favorite things about Radiohead is how much they have changed through the years. They started as melancholy heavy pop rockers and steadily went crazy from there. You never know what you are going to get with them. By their second album they had started experimenting with sounds, instruments, rhythms, etc to make very interesting music. Each album is very different and I am always interested to see what they do next.

That being said they do have a few signature maneuvers that are fairly common in their songs. The first is layering. They have multiple layers of instruments, vocals, and sounds that they use masterfully. I have listened to the same album from them almost every night for 8 years and I still hear new things in their songs. The second thing to watch out for from them is that they build songs right in front of your ears. One has to listen to an entire song before you hear all it has to offer which is completely opposite from pop songs that give everything catchy all at once and that's it for the rest of the song.

It may also be important to give an idea of how important Radiohead has been for the music industry. Everything from innovations in recording technology to marketing strategies they have left their mark on the music industry. I like them.

Until next time, keep yourself domesticated.

EDO

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a wonderful weekend! 

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