Ultrasound update...

Hey all,
I just realized I didn't update you with news regarding my ultrasound.
Well, my "spot" is still there, but the good news (I guess) is that they think the spot has been there forever. They figure it is a scar and told me that it shouldn't cause any complications. They monitored it for almost a year and found no changes in shape or size so they are quite confident in their diagnoses. Thank you for your prayers!! :)

Family fun!

Bonjour Bloggers!

What an exciting couple of weeks this has been!!

Those of you who know me, know how much I love my family. Well, these past 2 weeks I have been surrounded by family INCLUDING my husband! Can you hear the hallelujah chorus? I sure can :) Chris was only home for a mere 3 days and 2 nights but it was pure bliss.

Aside from Chris, my sister Amber was home from Calgary, my brother Jon, his wife Erin and their 2 girls were home from Battleford Saskatchewan, my Grandfather was here from South Carolina with his wife MaeAnne, my Uncle Alf was here from the city, my Aunt Donna and her BF Wayne were also here for a day from out west. We did everything from going to the zoo to celebrating my sisters 30th birthday :). But most importantly (haha!) we spent time with a lovely lady named Heather who makes crafts and we bought up a storm. Those of you who are saying "like Amy needed more crafts" better SHHHHH! because you are probably going to get one for Christmas! :) and one ALWAYS neeeds more crafts. Crafts = Cozy, and who doesnt like cozy? Anyhow, you all need to check out "The barn", heathers blog - here it is:http://thebarnprimitivecollectables.blogspot.com/


Those of you who live around Bridgewater really need to check out her booth downtown by the garden of readen every Saturday morning. You will love not only her, but ALL of her treasures.
Erin and I discovered her store last year while we were both home on vacation. She did have a location downtown on King Street but moved it to her backyard. Anyhow, obviously Erin and I fell in love with EVERYTHING in sight so this year we were very excited to go back and this time we took Amber. When we arrived we werent sure that the store was open so after a gentle nudge (or push depending on who tells the story) Erin knocked on the stores door to ask. Heather's very kind husband greeted us and much to our dismay the store was no more :( I could have cried.

But her husband simply told us to wait while he ran and got Heather. I am sure they must have exchanged concerns over the crazy craft ladies who were stalking them on their property but you would never have known. Heather came out and let us browse around her now craft workshop and lucky for us although there is no store she still makes crafts, and yes, she let us buy some! :) So all turned out well, and we were even invited back. I hope to stop by really soon as I have some old chapel wood (from the chapel at TFY in Blomidon that they tore down) that I would like made into something country, crafty and beautiful (Heather, if you are reading this it would be at your leisure!) :)
Anyhow folks, that is all for now.
Talk soon.

Sorry So Slow!

Well, time has been flying right past me and I haven't taken any time out to blog, so here it goes - Sorry I am so slow!

Life these days is a whirlwind of diaper changing, playing, nursing, going to exercise class, coming home and repeating the previous. There is very little "me time" in my day but so is the life of a mom? ...

I am so thankful that I have the escape of exercise class. Most people would dread the thought of going to get their butt handed to them on a platter, but I welcome it. What a great way to get out my stresses!! Not that I have a ton, but they are there.

Everyday seems to present a challenge of some sort these days, great or small they are always popping up. But as fast as they pop up they seem to work themselves out, for that I am so grateful and I hope things continue to work out.

Right now I am awaiting news from my ultrasound. Most of you don't know about that but after Owen was born they found a "spot" on my uterus. They have been monitoring it for awhile, first in Ottawa and now here and on the 21st I should know what it is and how they plan to proceed from here. I obviously have pondered the worst outcome but am praying for the best. I dont want "Always Amy" to turn into "Sally Sob Story" so for now that is all I will say on that. But I will keep you informed. If you say prayers, please include me in them.

Chris is still doing great. On Friday (tomorrow, or rather later today) he is officially half done RCMP depot! WOOHOO! How awesome is that? I feel like jumping up and down. That kind of news should be celebrated, :) and it will be! Chris is coming home on August 1st for a visit. YAY YAY YAY. In the meantime my sister, my bro, sis in law, nieces and aunt are coming from out west, and my grandfather is coming to visit from the states. Such excitment! Our house will be full (full of chaos?) but bring it on! I am so looking forward to it.

In other news my little brother injured his hand in a workplace accident today. He had us worried for awhile but he should recover just fine. Lets just say that it was bad enough that bone was exposed but good enough that he can wiggle his fingers. Basketball shouldnt be in any jeopardy.

So, to all my friends, I have not fallen off the planet but my phone may as well have. Please call me! I want to call you, trust me, but everytime I go to reach for the phone I get distracted... if it is handed to me I am good to go. :)
Miss you guys!
Love Always.

Crying yourself to sleep

I can't even believe that it is June already. Time is flying and I am loving that because it means Chris will soon be home for a visit, and hating it because my baby boy is already 6 months old! Wow. It really seems like yesterday... I used to hate when people said that, but now I totally get it. I am watching time fly by me everytime I look at Owen. He is getting so big so fast. Learning so much everyday, and teaching me so much more than I ever thought possible.

Time has been passing quickly for us. But I have a feeling this week may be slow. The nights will be atleast. Owen hasnt had a regular sleep sch'd for awhile now and he really needs one. So, starting tonight Owen is crying himself to sleep. He needs to learn that bedtime is bedtime. He has a full belly, a clean bum, and his eyes are rolling, but he just wont cave. He is stubborn like his mommy! As I sit here and type my heart is breaking. I cant cave though or this will just take longer... he has been crying for almost 5 minutes but it seems like an hour. He is slowing down, but just when I think he is going to stop he gets a boost of energy and lets out a loud cry. Being a baby is so tough. I wonder what is going through his mind? Perhaps, "Why did my Mommy abandon me?"

Our visit out west was just awesome. AWESOME! We had soooo much fun. We went out thinking we would see Chris once and ended up seeing him 3 times. I have uploaded a million pictures to facebook so please feel free to check them out :) I cant even begin to tell you about the details of our trip. It was a whirlwind of excitement, and just like all good things it ended too soon.

Yesterday Chris was pepper sprayed. He said it was like having your eyes lit on fire and sealed shut. He had to pry them open with his fingers to finish his task and arrest the "suspect". Those cadets are so disciplined, I would have ran away crying never to return. Actually, I wouldnt have even made it to that point. I would have ran away crying ages ago!

Speaking of crying, I need to tend to my little monster.

Wish me luck!

update!

Well, a lot has happened since I last updated everyone. For starters, I am in Saskatchewan. :) I am staying with my older brother Jon, his wife Erin, and their girls. Owen is simply loving life. He thinks his cousins are great. Dorey was insistant that Owen was "jacky boy" (another one of her cousins) for the first couple of days but now is running around saying "where's Owen?", "Hi Owen". Jennie is getting around these days, crawling and pulling herself up, she likes to touch Owen - I am sure she is thinking "is this light weight for real?" ;)
My coming here was not planned in advance which is very out of character for me. But I am having a blast! This past weekend we went to Regina. We saw Chris! Yay! He is doing great. Our reunion was a strange one as he was in uniform and when in uniform you can not show emotion. We couldnt hug, kiss, jump up and down... but, lets face it, Chris isnt that type anyway :) So after Chris found us he went back to his dorm to change and was marching off into the distance when all of the sudden he ran into his troop, spun on his heel and started marching back towards us. I thought he was in some sort of trouble but no, his troop wanted to meet us. AH! Those of you who know me know I am on the shy side until I get to know you or unless I am in a familiar environment. I was freaking out but managed to stay composed. So his troop formed 2 lines, did their thing and then I went through each line of people shaking each and every persons hand. Erin documented this and every other event so I will send around pictures. I can not post pictures online because Chris is in uniform. Anyhow, after he changed he gave us a tour of depot, not at all what I had imagined, the place is HUGE and the people are soooo friendly.
Chris was able to stay off "base" with us from Friday night to Sunday late afternoon. It was great to catch up. Chris was very happy to see that Owen remembered him. Most people have to work for a smile, but Chris just had to speak. Dorey who is 2 was also having a great time at depot. She kept saying "There's Daddy", "Daddy's hat", etc. (My bro, her dad, is an RCMP officer). But what took the cake for me was when we were at the store and Dorey saw a little ornament of an officer in a red serge that had fallen over and she pipes up "daddy fell down!" haha. She is so cute. She also warmed right up to Chris, she even asked him to snuggle :).
So we are back in Battleford and Chris plans to rent a car and come visit us again this weekend. I am already looking forward to it. Now when we go back to Nova on June 2, it wont seem as long until we see him again. He has a break around the end of July.

Copy Cat

Being a mother is so amazing. As a mother you are a protector, a teacher, a punisher, a security blanket, a napkin :), a food source, a nurturer, a doctor, a listener, a story teller, and so much more - really, what aren't we?... At this point, for Owen, aside from a food source I would say my most important roll is teacher. As mom's we try to teach our little ones everything they need to know to succeed in life. We are teaching even when we don't realize it. For instance, Owen is very VERY alert. He takes everything in. If we meet someone new, he will study their face before he will give them a smile. If we go somewhere new, he will look around until there is nothing else to see. His newest thing is mimicking noices. Just before we moved Chris and I rented a movie where a girl growls - for fun - peoples names. So being the dorks we are, Chris and I give it a whirl. Owen is right there but we dont think anything of it. This goes on for a couple of days. Then a few days later we are sitting at the RCMP head quarters in Ottawa and Chris is about to sign his RCMP papers. The room is so silent you could hear a pin drop. There are several mothers there ready to snap pictures of their own children who are also there to sign their papers. They all love Owen. They keep looking over, smiling, nudging their husbands. All of them no doubt expecting my precious little boy to break the silence and coo and caa and make cute little baby noises. Well, not our boy. Owen does break the silence, but it isnt cute nor little. My 4 month old baby boy lit up the room with the loudest ROAR, "GRRRRRowl" I have ever heard. Oh my soul. He didnt stop there, he continues to growl for the rest of the day. So fast forward to this past weekend. Owen and I have been around a lot of kids. They all have colds. They are coughing like its going out of style. I develop a cough. Enter Owen :) he now coughs all the time. It isnt a real cough, you can totally tell he is faking, but oh my soul it is adorable. Everyday brings something new. It is so strange that the one thing that is going to make Chris being away easier for me, is the one thing that makes Chris being away the hardest for himself, and that thing is Owen. What an amazing little guy. Cant wait to see what tomorrow has in store.

Reality Strikes...

Well, Chris has been gone for just over a week and reality is starting to sink in, I miss my husband!!! I am totally strong enough to do this, I'm strong enough, I'm strong enough... If I say it enough it will become a true, right? Chris and I have been apart before, but I have never been a mother before. It is so different being alone with a baby. Thankfully my situation is not permanent, but at this moment in time 5 more months seems like an eternity.
My sister in law has told me that she got through the exact same situation I am in by counting down to special events. Erin, I am counting down your visit! I can't wait for Owen to meet his Uncle, Aunt, and Cousins, but even that is so far away! (Amber, have you booked your flight? I need as many dates to count down to as possible!).
Also, it isnt like I am alone, alone. I have my parents and my younger brother. But no husband is no fun. There is a void, and every morning when I wake up, every time Owen smiles or does something new, everytime I look around... I miss him. Awwww. I know, i'm lame. But do me a favor, don't judge until you have been in my shoes. Erin, I guess that means you can judge.

Chris is doing amazing. He misses us, and I know it is true because I can actually hear it in his voice when he says the words. Before it was just "miss you too", now it's "I miss you and Owen so much". But thankfully they keep him very busy so his miss us moments are usually countered by "RCMPdom" :) Something new is always taking place. Our calls are quick, but are FILLED with much excitement. For instance, Chris has already recieved and has been wearing his uniform and today he got his gun. In true Chris style he calls me and says "guess what I'm holding?", "my gun, its awesome". I am not certain, but I will assume that when an RCMP cadet is handed his or her gun reality sinks in for them as well. Sooooo much responsibity! Being an RCMP officer is no easy task. Lately when I think of that I always think about something Scott (a friend from Ottawa) wrote on a frame for Chris "...Thank you for your service". We dont thank our RCMP members enough. We are so quick to criticize and agree with the media's portrayal of the RCMP that we forget that these men and women risk their lives to keep peace in our communities, they risk their own lives to ensure our safety, these fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, friends, etc put all they have on the line each and everyday. That reality also struck when Chris said he was holding his gun. Guns save lives, but they also take lives. Chris' new job will be nothing like his old job - sitting behind a desk on the 4th floor of the health canada government building what was going to happen? A paper cut? ...

Reality can be a funny thing. We all have different realities. We all believe our own to be true, and they are, for us. My reality is my husband is an RCMP cadet and my brother is an officer. They are hero's. Thank you for your service!!