Happy Nine Months Little Man!

Yesterday marked an exciting day in the Ninaber household.

Our little man turned 9 months old! And as of today, he has officially been on the outside world longer than the inside with me.

These last nine months have been an absolute whirlwind. I remember when I was pregnant thinking, "This is the longest nine months of my life" and thought the pregnancy would never end.

Alas, it did, and we were blessed with this wonderful baby boy. This baby though, has somehow changed in the past few weeks and has turned in to a toddling little man. He pulls himself up on anything and everything, crawls all over the place, and tires himself out by chasing the Roomba throughout the house (our robot vacuum).

He has three teeth, with three more about to pop through. But the funny thing is that the top teeth that have come through are the top sides, not the front. Makes for a pretty cute smile.

He loves to eat his cottage cheese, red peppers and celery, but he doesn't like cucumber ... surprise, surprise (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!).

His favourite words are "Ababa baba" (bottle) and "Mummm mum mum mum" (self explanatory!)

He loves his bath time.

He's quite the mommas boy, but when daddy walks in to the room, the smile that radiates from his chubby little cherub face is unreal. He loves his dad.

He looks just like his grandpa.

His best furry friend is Hank. Every morning when he wakes up, Hank walks in to his room with us. As soon as Ryder hears him, he will continue to look around the room until he finds him and once again, beams with his amazingly contagious smile. The two of them like to keep watch over the neighbourhood in the morning. I can already tell they will be best friends.

Only three more months and this munchkin will be celebrating his FIRST BIRTHDAY! Ahh. I'm hoping these next three months slow down, because I'm not quite sure I'm prepared or ready for that day.

If there's one thing I've learned in my first nine months of being a mom, it is to not wish the time away. I've done my best to enjoy each stage we are in, as already there are little things that I have begun to miss.

Already I miss his tiny little 8lb self, when he'd cuddle up on my chest and just slept.
I miss when I could change his bum without worrying that he'd flip over and get poop everywhere.
I miss putting him in his swing and he'd sleep throughout the day.
I miss him playing on his play mat ... and if I had to leave the room, I knew he'd still be in the exact same spot when I came back
I miss nursing him 8-12 times a day (believe it or not) and just getting to bond with him as he rubbed my arm or he'd stretch up and play with my face and hair. Then he'd give me the perfect little grin.

Now, I love hearing him laugh. It's contagious.
I love watching his spirit of adventure.
I love seeing his determination and how he doesn't give up.
I love the claps and smiles he gives when the people he loves walk in to the room.
I love that he doesn't play strange.
I love the hundreds of expressions he shows me everyday
I love being the first one to experience all of his "firsts"
I love being his mom.

Man, if I'm this sappy at his nine month birthday, heaven knows what I'll be like when he turns one.

Happy Nine Months, Little Man. Mumm mum mum mum loves you!

Moms - God's Greatest Creation

Okay, so that may be a bold statement, and not everyone will agree with me, but let me explain.

Believe it or not (I say this for myself, you probably all believe it - haha), but by Thursday of this week, I will have a six week old on my hands.

After nine long months, 40 extra pounds, and a few too many stretch marks, Ryder Chase Ninaber made his debut to the world at 5:45am on June 14, 2012. Weighing in at a healthy 8lb 8oz and 20 inches long, Ryder arrived after only 2 hours of labour. Can you say amazing?

Now, Ryder is (almost) six weeks old, weighing in at a healthy 10+ pounds and has already outgrown not only his newborn sleepers, but his three month sleepers as well. Is it legal to have a 6 week old in 6 month old pyjamas???

Anyway, the reason I entitled this post Moms - God's Greatest Creation, is not because I wanted to boast about my new life as a mom. Quite the contrary. As much as I enjoy being a mom, and think that it is wonderful to be caring and raising a handsome young man, I wanted to boast about my mom. Mainly because, if it was not for her, there's no way I could have made it through the past few weeks.

When Ryder was born, my wonderful midwife Nasrin suggested that I have someone stay with me that night, to ensure that I was able to get a good nights sleep and wasn't up for all hours. My mom volunteered to stay with me right away, without even hesitating, all the while knowing that she had a full days work ahead of her the next day.

So that night after I woke up to feed him, she stayed up and settled him for the next little bit until he fell asleep, and did so a few times during the night. I'm pretty sure she was lucky to get three hours of sleep that night, while I was lying in bed trying to sleep myself.

Pretty much every day for the first two weeks, my mom made it a priority to stop by my place, whether it was in between clients, or after a long day of work, to make sure I was doing okay.
Some days I was doing great! Other days, I felt like a kid who got hurt on the playground and was fine until mom showed up - that's when the waterworks would come.

But on days like that, my mom was always there to comfort me, give me a shoulder to cry on, and tell me that I was doing a great job and that I was going to make it through. I don't know if a thank you is ever  enough to express how much her dedication meant to me.

After the phone calls slowed down, and I started to figure out my routine and develop into my own role as a mom, she would still stop in occasionally, but I could always look forward to a text in the morning: "How was Ryder last night?" "Did you sleep okay?" "How are you?" "How goes the day?" -- I always look forward to those messages.

Then there was this past weekend where I came down with a crazy bacterial infection, resulting in the worst fever, aches and pains I have ever experienced. With a simple phone call, I said "Mom, can you come over? I'm really sick and can barely hold Ryder." Her reply? "I'm on my way." Her one weekend off to work, and she spent it with me to take care of me, help me get better and to make sure Ryder was taken care of while I slept.

I would also like to mention all of the time she spent at my house before Ryder's arrival, helping me prepare my house and his room and making sure everything would be in order before he made his appearance. She helped organize clothes, sorted his laundry, cleaned out my spare bedroom (I think she knew she'd have to use it once he showed up), rearranged my kitchen with me. She also reupholstered the old rocking chair she used for me and my sisters while we were babies for the nursery. She's Wonder Woman, I tell you.

It's funny how becoming a mom yourself creates a bond you never had before with your own mom.  My mom and I have always been close, but these past few weeks have really brought us together.

Mom - Pregnant with me in 1987

I realize I'm repeating myself here, but I truly don't think a simple thank you will ever be enough to express my gratitude towards my mom.

I wanted the world to know just how wonderful she is. This is only a small snapshot into what an amazing mom Yvonne Cyr is. There are so many things she does on a continual basis that make her the absolute best mom ever, but that's for another blog post at another time.

All of this to say: Thank you mom for being there for me. I couldn't have gotten through these past few weeks without you.

I love you.

Goodbye, Joe. Parting is such sweet sorrow

I have this bad habit. I like to hold on to things - like, for a really long time. For some odd reason, and for as long as I can remember, I have found that I become attached to things and have a hard time giving them away.

Yes, I am one of those people who still has their grade six grammar pages and grade 12 biology and data management notes because, someday, I just might need them. I still have a Winnie the Pooh, styrofoam nameplate my best friend Kristine gave to me in grade five when I moved away to Waterloo, and a snow globe from NYC that a friend gave to me in high school.  For whatever reason, I get attached to them and feel as though they represent a special part of my life, therefore making it near impossible for me to get rid of anything.

This is also true for me when it comes to cars. Years ago when my dad traded in his Ford Expedition for a brand new (beautiful, might I add) Dodge Ram 2500 diesel, I cried. When the time came for the Dodge to be traded in for a Chrysler 300 ... I cried. And when it was time to say goodbye to our lovely Ford Windstar and hello to a 1999 Toyota Camry, once again ... yep you guessed it ... I cried. For me, cars represent different times in my life, and for whatever reason, I get extremely attached to them.

So I knew I was in for it when it was time to say goodbye to my 2000 Mazda Protege, named Joe, this Wednesday.

Joe was a great friend. Here he is displayed in all his dust, rust and glory. I bought Joe four years ago and he was probably one of the best investments I have ever made.

He was with me through 3 years of school, 3/4 of my dating relationship with Matt, my marriage, many shopping and leisure trips to Toronto, Buffalo and numerous other destinations, and was there for me whenever I needed him.  At the end of his life, he had 238,889 km on him. But with consistent car repairs, unknown strange noises and a new baby on the way, it was time to say goodbye.

So it was then our adventure began, or you could say Journey, as we searched and searched for a new car. We knew we needed an SUV, as we needed something with space for Hank, as well as something with towing capacity and room to move film equipment around. That was when we set our eyes on the Dodge Journey, the #1 selling cross-over vehicle in Canada.

We found our soon-to-be vehicle at Bustard Chrysler in Waterloo, and after a month of debate (and it still being on the lot!), we decided to make the biggest (so far) purchase of our life, and we couldn't be happier. Our new-to-us 2010 Dodge Journey R/T edition is everything we ever needed AND wanted in a vehicle, right down to the heated leather seats, sunroof and back-up camera, just to name a few.

I also want to give a big shout out to Derek Killins at Bustard Chrysler. He was with us all along the way, when we were unsure about buying it, all the way to our big purchase. The service he provided us was wonderful, and if anyone is looking for someone to purchase a car from, Derek is your man. (Just tell him Matt & Jacqueline sent you!)

The day I went to pick up the car, he took me through and introduced me to the entire staff, including Bill Bustard. Everyone there is super friendly and once again, exceptional service.

I won't lie, I felt like the biggest traitor handing my keys over to Derek and officially saying goodbye to Joe. He was a great friend, and even though we have been blessed with an AMAZING new car, I will still miss Joe.  Believe it or not though, there were no tears this time, just a bittersweet feeling as I said goodbye to a good companion.

All of that being said, I LOVE driving my new Journey!!

Now to find a new name for it!

Welcome to the Family!

Well, a few months ago Matt and I welcomed a new member to our family. His name is Hank and at the time he was a 9 week old chocolate lab. Our little baby has grown up and we just celebrated his 8 month birthday last week. Where has the time gone?? Our little baby has grown into a man. If time flies this fast with a puppy, I can only imagine what life will be like as our family begins to expand.

Oh wait. Did I forget to tell you? It looks like time is going to start flying even faster, as Matt and I will be welcoming a new addition to our family this coming June 2012.

Yes. That's right. I'm about to become a mom ... and Matt's going to be a dad ... for real.

Probably one of the craziest feelings ever. Knowing that there's a new, little life growing inside of me right now. It wasn't until yesterday that it became even more real, when Matt and I went for our first ultrasound and had the opportunity to see our baby for the first time.

It doesn't matter how many ultrasounds you see, whether they're your friends, or people in your family. It completely changes when it's your own. Quite emotional, actually. More so than either of us expected.

And hearing the heartbeat for the first time .... unreal.

Anyway, we're so excited to become parents and to finally be able to share it with family and friends. I think if my family had to wait much longer to tell, they may just burst. So here is your permission to tell the world!

Life has been fully of changes lately, with the news of the little one, my placement in Toronto, and a bunch of random other things, but bring it on! I'm ready for a change :)

Oh, and it looks like my 25 before 25 is going to be due for a little change up ... but that's another post all together!

Let the mommy blogs begin!

500 Days of Marriage

It's hard to believe that 500 days ago today, Matt and I officially tied the knot!

That day was one of the best days of my life, but life has definitely gotten better since then.

I can truly say I love Matt more than I even did before we got married. We've definitely had our ups and downs this past year, but each time we come out stronger.

Here are five things I've learned after 500 days of marriage:

1. I am way more particular about things than I thought I was. Okay, maybe anal is a better word. I have learned that sometimes it doesn't matter what way the edges are folded when making the bed, as long as the covers are on. If they don't fall off when we sleep, then it's really okay.

2. Always make sure to make time for date night. No matter how hectic the day, week or month, always make sure you have one night a week (or month) to get together and connect. Whether that's going out for a nice dinner at Golf's Steakhouse, or spending the weekend together cuddling on the couch and watching a season of Lost, always leave room to connect with each other.

3. Never have a deep conversation after 10 pm. I'll admit, we've broken this rule a few times, and after each one, I remember "Don't have a deep conversation after 10". It usually doesn't end up too well.

4. Who needs a duvet in the winter when you sleep with a furnace? Enough said.


5. Getting a dog really does help you understand your parenting styles and prepares you for kids. I realize that this may not be true for everyone, but for us, it has worked wonders. Thankfully to Hank, we're able to work out some of our kinks on him instead of our first born child!

Happy 500 days of Marriage Anniversary, babe. Here's to 500 x 500 x 500 x 500 x infinity more :)

I love you.