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!

Say Adios! to dry lips with Thursday Plantation's Tea Tree Lip Balm

Canadian winters are so unpredictable. Right now, it's -11 degrees outside, and according to my Weather Network app, it's going to be a scorching +21 degrees on Thursday. If that doesn't mess with your body, I don't know what will!

If you're anything like me, the winter does a number on my skin, from my hands to my feet, and my arms to legs, everything is dry.  But nothing compares to the damage the winter air does to my lips every season. Dry, cracked and flaky would be the three best words to describe how winter consistently treats my lips.

Needless to say, I was ecstatic when I was given a new product to try by a friend called Tea Tree Lip Balm by Thursday Plantation.  Growing up, I always knew about the power of tea tree oil, as my mom was a huge promoter (and still is) of Melaleuca products and melaleuca oil (tea tree oil comes from the melaleuca plant). But as a child, I obviously knew best and knew that something so smelly could NOT be good for you, so therefore I only used it when forced. Thankfully, I don't find the smell to be too strong at all anymore, and I have come to my senses and realized that the saying "Mother knows best" is true.

The Tea Tree Lip Balm has been a HUGE saving grace to my lips this winter. They have gone from dull and dry, to luscious and soft. The healing properties of tea tree oil are just unreal. And the easy to apply tube is great, as you can apply as much or as little lip balm as you'd like, without getting a gross, caked on feeling.

And the results are (almost) instantaneous. With just one or two applications, my lips feel soft and smooth, and are no longer chapped.

One of the things that is so great about the Tea Tree Lip Balm, is that it is free of synthetic parabens, petrochemicals, lauryl sulphates, polysorbates, synthetic fragrances, synthetic preservatives and synthetic colours. Although I don't know what half of those things are, I'm glad I'm not putting them on my lips! And it is only $6.00. Definitely a small price to pay for the investment you are making to your lips! Trust me, your lips will thank you!

Thursday Plantation also has a great line up of other personal products, from acne wash to lice shampoo, insect repellant to toothpaste and mouthwash, all the way to antiseptics and dog shampoo! I can't wait to try some of their face wash!

For more information, check out www.thursdayplantation.com and then visit www.abundancenaturally.com or Whole Foods to make your purchase!

As always, I love your comments and would love to hear about your winter skin care survival secrets. As well, let me know what Thursday Plantation products you try for yourself!

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??

What's for Dinner Wednesday - Manhattan Clam Chowder

I'm always on the look out for new recipes, so I was super excited when the girls over at Shaw Media gave me Chef Michael Smith's Kitchen - 100 of my Favourite Easy Recipes cookbook as a going away gift on my last day.

Chef Michael has some awesome recipes, that taste delicious and are super easy to make. Tonight I made my first attempt at clam chowder, and it turned out great!! This one is a little different than the usual clam chowder, as it has a tomato base instead of cream, making it a much lighter dish. You can use it as a starter, but because it's so hearty, you can eat it as a main course too.

I thought I would share the recipe in case you wanted something nice and easy to make on these super dreary & cold days we've been having lately!

MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER


Serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons (30 mL) of olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped (I only had a red onion in my cupboard, so I used that instead of yellow)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 baking potato, peeled and diced
2 cans (each 5 ounces/142 g) of clams
1 can (28 ounces/796 mL) of chopped tomatoes
2 cups (500 mL) of tomato juice
1 teaspoon (5 mL) of dried thyme
A sprinkle or two of salt and lots of freshly ground pepper
1 cup (250 mL) of chopped fresh parsley (about 1 bunch)


Splash the olive oil into your favourite soup pot and heat it over meadium-high heat. Sauté the onions, garlic, celery and bell pepper until they're bright and tender but not browned, about 10 minutes. Add the potato, clams and their liquid, tomatoes, tomato juice and thyme and bring everything to a boil.  Reduce the heat so the liquid is just barely simmering and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. (It took about 30 minutes for me, so just test the potato as you go!)


Just before serving, season the soup to your taste with salt and pepper.  Stir in the parsley at the last second to preserve its fresh aromatic flavour. Serve and share!

KITCHEN TIP
Fresh parsley is often overlooked as a herb and tends to be thought of as just a pretty garnish. In fact it's packed with aromatic flavours that brighten this soup and many other dishes. Because its flavours are delicate, parsley is best when it's added last - too much heat will damage and diminish its brightness.


I hope it's as delicious for you as it was for me! As always, I love your feedback. Feel free to comment in the comment section below and let me know how yours turned out!

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!