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.

What to Expect When You're Expecting - While Expecting

The other night, my dear husband and I decided to venture out to what may very well be one of our last movie theatre dates as a single/married couple. So we thought, "What better way to celebrate one of our last movies without a babysitter at home than watch What to Expect While You're Expecting?"

We laughed at the thought, but continued on our journey (in our Journey!) to our favourite theatre, Empire on the Boardwalk in Waterloo.

Once there, we went in line to grab some popcorn and our tickets. As I stood in line, I noticed the lady in front of me watching my and talking quietly to her friend. She turned around and continued to tell me how wonderful I looked with my baby bump and began reminiscing about her pregnancy 20+ years ago. I was slightly weirded out, only because she kept staring at my belly. I was just waiting for her hand to reach out and rub it like it was a crystal ball. Well, my belly is definitely no crystal ball, let me tell you. But I could guarantee that I would show her her future if she came anywhere within 10 feet of me and my tummy,  as I mentally prepared to swat her hand from here to Timbuktu.

Thankfully, I was able to get my popcorn in peace, with no tummy rub upsets.

For those of you who have not heard of What to Expect When You're Expecting, where have you been?? I have been waiting since the beginning of this year for this movie to come out when my friend Jessica from FlatsAreForQuitters.com sent me the trailer. The movie is based on the best selling informational book by the same name, but put into a fictional story.  What to Expect When You're Expecting is "a hilarious and heartfelt big screen comedy about five couples whose intertwined lives are turned up side down by the challenges of impending parenthood."**

This movie has an all-star cast, starring Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Rock, Elizabeth Banks, Chace Crawford, Anna Kendrick, Dennis Quaid and Joe Manganiello, just to name a few. I honestly don't believe they could've done a better job casting this movie. All the actors were fantastic.

I will try to give you my review of this movie without spoiling anything, but for those of you who haven't seen it, well, I absolutely loved it. And if you're pregnant (or have had babies in the past 5-10 years), even better, as you can probably relate to exactly what they are going through [or at least some of it]. But be prepared with some Kleenex, something I wish someone had told me to bring.

This movie had me laughing hysterically at parts, as they covered almost every single aspect a pregnant woman would experience during her pregnancy. They also cover what it's like to be a dad and the things dads go through during pregnancy and child-rearing.

What I wasn't prepared for, though, was the part where they all go in to labour. It started out great, I was laughing as all the women were rushed to the hospital (because of the way they set the scenes, obviously). But then all of a sudden, once those babies were all born, I began to put myself in the room, realizing that in just a few days/weeks, that will be me, holding my own baby.

It started with just a few tears trickling down my cheeks. I tried to subtly dab the corners of my eyes so that no one would notice I was choking up. Then the scenes became so much more emotional and touching that I started sobbing.

I had no Kleenex. No leftover napkins. Not even a sleeve I could wipe my face on. I was a mess.

I was just starting to compose myself when Matt leaned over to me and said "Just remember, you still have to walk out of here!"

I leaned in to his arm, and what was supposed to be a quiet "I know!" and a chuckle, turned into a wail at one of the most touching parts. "I KNOOWWWW" is what came out, so loud the entire theatre could hear me. I started choking back sobs, and laughter, all at the same time, and lost my composure altogether. Matt lost it too, laughing and telling me that I sounded like a slaughtered pig, literally, which only made things worse. I don't think I have ever heard such a horrendous sound come out of my mouth before.

This could possibly be classed as one of the most hilarious, yet humiliating times of my life. I can only imagine what was going through people's minds as they laughed at the gianormous pregnant lady slumped down and bawling her eyes out in the 6th row, yet laughing at the same time and fanning herself repeatedly.

Once the credits started rolling, I couldn't get out of that theatre fast enough. I literally grabbed my purse and bolted, ready to take out anyone that stood in my way as I ran to the washroom in an effort to compose myself.

I'll admit, it was basically impossible. My face was the colour of a tomato. My makeup practically gone, as it had run all down my face, and I was sweating so bad from my laughter/crying combination that my hair had gone completely limp and was plastered to my head. I walked out of the stall with my eyes downcast, refusing to make eye contact with any other lady in the washroom, only to walk out and see Matt burst in to laughter at the sight of me.

This, folks, is what to expect watching a romantic comedy about pregnancy when you're expecting.

I will admit, I wouldn't change it for the world. I still had an amazing time watching it with an amazing man. And I think it was probably one of the best ways to celebrate our journey in to parenthood.

Now here's hoping the same thing doesn't happen at the hospital when I go in to labour!!




** Synopsis taken from http://whattoexpectthefilm.com/

Ninababy in the Park - 35 Weeks

Time flies. Literally.

I feel like it wasn't that long ago that I blogged, but as I sat down to finally upload some pictures and work on a post, I realized it's almost been 10 weeks since I last wrote. Oh, and did I mention that D-Day is only 5 weeks away. Where does the time go?

That being said, the past few weeks have been filled of crazy preparation, as we are getting ready to meet our little man soon. My best friend and sister threw two wonderful showers for me, the nursery is 90% finished, the name is picked out, and my hospital bag is pretty much packed. Now to finish prepping the rest of the house for his arrival.

Matt and I are beyond excited to meet the little guy. As I write this, he is currently giving me left hooks and jabs in my tummy. I can't wait to see his flailing little arms in real life. But in all honesty, I am most looking forward to seeing his cute little face and seeing if he looks more like his momma or daddy. And hold his tiny body. Putting all of his new little clothes away have been so surreal, as I look at how small his newborn onesies are, the size of his diapers, and the little hats and mitts that we have to take him home in. It's hard to believe that in just a few weeks, I'm going to have a tiny little bundle that is going to be mine to love and cherish and care for for the next 20+ years. Crazy!

Anyway, enough of my ramblings ... here are some pictures that I took last week at 34 weeks with my wonderful mother-in-law, Bunny Ninaber. The "bump" has turned more in to a mountain, but thankfully I am still all keeping it in my belly and it isn't surrounding to other parts of my body haha.

Enjoy :)

25 weeks in Mexico

Two weeks ago, Matt and I had the great opportunity to travel to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to relax in the sand and sun, and marvel in the fact that we were on our Babymoon - celebrating one of the last vacations we will have kid-less.

Although we don't have many pictures from our trip (we misplaced our camera charger), we were able to get some pictures done by a friend at the resort to document our time together, as well as my pregnancy.

Seeing that I haven't posted belly pics in quite some time, I thought some of you might enjoy these. Although I am currently 27 weeks (and bigger now than I was two weeks ago), this is me at 25 weeks.

Let me know what you think!

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!

Blue or Damask? That is the question ...

Last week we had the chance to once again see our beautiful baby, and from the looks of things, I'm going to be one busy momma! The baby was moving around so much in there, that the ultrasound tech actually had a hard time getting pictures at points!

I was hoping for creative pictures of my tummy to post this week, for the ultimate reveal ... but with the Last Run premiere coming up (if you don't have you tickets yet, get them NOW! www.lastrunthemovie.com) and a super crazy weekend, we just didn't have time. So I thought I'd post a video of how I told my dad.

Disclaimer: This video is NOT a High Rise Studio production - haha. I just wanted to clarify, as the quality  is 100% sub par :)

Needless to say ... it looks like there will be lots of blue in our future!

We're especially excited, as the Cyr family hasn't had a boy in the family for almost 15 years!

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't completely freaking out at the moment, as I have absolutely NO idea what to do with boys, but I know I'll figure it out as I go!

What was some of the best advice you received/can give about having a boy??

Bigger & Bigger - Week 17

Not much to say this week! Although, I do feel like my belly grew over night. And people are noticing!

So excited for January 23rd when we can find out what this little munchkin is going to be!

Here are a few pics of the belly! The cool lights in the background are the CN Tower. We thought it was a nice touch!

Post Christmas Wrap-Up (or Un-Wrap!)

Well, it is December 28th and another Christmas has come and gone. It always amazes me how quickly Christmas can sneak up on you, and then all of a sudden we are at the start of a new year.

This Christmas was such a wonderful time for me, as I was able to finally connect with my family again, after being away for two months. Man, have I ever missed them.

I was reminded this past week just how blessed I am to have the family that I have. I was blown away by their love and generosity and willing hearts this Christmas. I don't know about you, but this year I had nothing on my Christmas list. NOTHING. I couldn't think of a single thing of what I needed/wanted this year, and because of that, I really didn't give anyone any ideas whatsoever. I figured there probably wouldn't be much under the tree for me this year, but I was 100% okay with that. There are others out there that are way more in need than I am.

Needless to say, without even having a list, my family blessed my socks off with their thoughtfulness and love. I now have a (partially) full wardrobe of beautiful maternity clothes that I would have never bought for myself (mainly because I'm cheap and maternity clothes well... aren't). I think Matt was the happiest because he won't be hearing me complain for a while that I have nothing to wear!

I have to share with you though, one of the most special gifts I received this year. It just went to show me that sometimes gifts from the heart make the most unique and special gifts.

There was a bag under the tree marked "To Mommy & Baby, From Grandma." I already had a gift waiting to be opened, so my mom (Grandma) decided to let Matt open it, explaining that I would understand the significance once I saw it. I couldn't imagine what my mom could be giving me already for the baby, but when Matt opened it, tears immediately sprung to my eyes. It was my first ever Christmas stocking. I had actually thought she had found one at a store and picked it up, because it was in such pristine condition. Then I realized it was the original and my mom had kept it in safe keeping for 24 years. She smiled at me and said, "Now you can use this as your baby's first stocking." Just the idea that my mom had kept this for so long, and then decided to hand it down to our baby blew me away. I'm so excited to be able to use this for our "Ninababy" and then have him/her be able to pass it down to their child, 20-some odd years from now.

The picture doesn't really do it justice (makes it look kind of creepy, actually), but I promise you it's the cutest! His little overalls open, so you can stuff them with loads of gifts! And if you really wanted, you could use it as a teddy bear. Hard to believe that next Christmas we'll have a 6 month old baby to spend it with!

I hope that your Christmas was filled with family, fun and food. I know mine was. And that you were reminded about the true meaning of Christmas.

I'd love to hear about what were you blessed with this Christmas season!

14 Weeks Down, 26 to go!

Week 14


People always say to enjoy your pregnancy because time goes by so fast, and I'm starting to realize just how fast it does go.

It seriously feels like yesterday that I went running in to the bedroom with a positive pee stick to tell Matt that he was going to be a dad. I feel like it was just the other day that I was only at 4 weeks, just waiting for another two months to go by so that we could share our little secret. Now, I'm at 14 weeks and my tummy has officially popped.

Just last week, it grew two centimeters. Pretty insane if you ask me. But that just means my little muffin is growing and growing, and inside I have a healthy baby developing. Thankfully I am starting to get out of the "I look/feel fat stage" and am starting to actually look pregnant!

I've already experienced so many changes, it's hard to think that there's only more waiting for me just around the corner. But it all comes with the territory! And I know that in the end, all the stretch marks and the wider hips will be worth it when I get to hold our Ninababy for the first time :)

[Nicole, these are for you :)]