Still waiting....

Okay.... Where to start.

The last week has been eventful! Jamie came home last Thursday night and we got to spend a lot of time with him! Angela loves having daddy around, and she is so much happier when we're all together, so it was great.

We had 2 false alarms for labour. Not cool! So Jamie stayed home from school Monday and Tuesday thinking something was going to happen when things started, but they stopped both times.

It is a little frustrating because I worry about him not being here for the birth, and I need Jamie to be with me! I blew up the birth pool, hoping that would get the stomach going, but nope! lol I also drank castor oil.... But no luck! And it actually, wasn't bad drinking it!

So, I have come to terms with the fact that baby is going to come when she's ready. My midwife offered to rupture the membranes today, Friday and Sunday to see if we can get things going, because Jamie will be home again on Friday this week. But, I don't know if I'm just being uncomfortable with an internal exam when it's not necessary, or if I just don't have a good feeling about it.... Anyways, I opted for no right now. If she's not ready to come out, then I don't want to put her in danger by trying to make her!

This pregnancy has been a lot easier in ways that Angela's was. With Angela, I was sick until the day she was born! That was not fun at all!! And I was really down and sad most of the time. Unless I was shopping for her! lol

This time, I loved teaching Angela there's a "baby" coming; I don't know if she understands exactly, but when I ask her where "baby" or "Audrey" is, she points to my stomach and rubs it and kisses it. I only had sickness until about 6 months, which was GREAT! So I've been pretty functional! I've organized my house over and over again, lol, Jamie is very grateful! And I've been in pretty high spirits!

I am excited for Thanksgiving this weekend - Another reason I wanted baby to come out last weekend! lol So I'd be mostly recovered for turkey! I don't want to miss the turkey!!!!

Anyhow - I am so grateful for this beautiful time of year. I think I'm going to make an apple pie or crisp today. =D

October!!

So here it is! The month of birth! lol

I am excited to have this baby. I really want to meet her and hold her in my arms. I love little babies. They are so wonderful and innocent.

Jamie has been home the last 2 weekends and I desperately need him to be with me at this birth, so I hope it happens when he is home!!!!

Every time I get excited and think something is going to happen, I chicken out and start thinking I can't do it! lol And then I remember, it's only a few moments. Angela's birth was really wonderful even though it was 21.5 hours, with back labour, etc. But the best part was I passed out when her head came through! Haha! And when I came to, I was so happy I felt good again. And then I had a boost of energy and all was well. My favorite part, was watching her take her first breathe. I know people are all corny and say "Oh, birth is such a miracle" yadda yadda... Now, the hippiness is corny, yes. However, it really was a miracle watching Angela take her first breath and open her eyes and look around at us. It was great!

So, this one will definetly be easier. I just look forward to holding her little cuteness, and counting her fingers and toes.

Anyhow, we are very excited. If I ask Angela where "Audrey" or "Baby" is, she touches my stomach! Sometimes, she'll lift up her shirt and touch hers. lol Today and sat in front of me, held my stomach on both sides and rubbed up and down and leaned over and kissed it! I often wonder how much she understands about the baby and if she knows. That sibling connection, you know? And she's still so young, maybe she remembers her from the pre-existence. Who knows!!

I will post pictures as soon as it happens! Well... A day later maybe. :)

September, oh beautiful September!

I absolutely LOVE the fall. It is my favorite time of year! 

I love wearing a nice comfy pair of jeans, with a warm sweater! 

Seeing all the leaves change colour. 

All the harvesty decor!

I love being cold because you can always warm up in a fun, fresh way! Hot chocolate, warm apple pie, cider with a cinnamon stick... And all in front of a little fire or a good movie, blanket and your sweetheart!!! <3>

And days like today, when the house is clean first thing in the morning, your hubby's away, and the back door is letting in a cool breeze... Nice crisp air. It's the perfect day for BAKING! 

Now, as much as I love baking, and I love baking on cold days... I didn't do any today! Haha. 

I wish I had an old style home with a wrap-around porch, and a big kitchen window where I could let my pies cool. I swear, sometimes I wish I'd been a 50's mom!! 

Wearing a cute little dress, being perfectly put together (well, that's what everyone else sees anyhow!) and wearing those cute little aprons!! Oh, what a pleasant life!

Alright... Enough of that. So, there's lots of things I would like to get done.  I would like to do some baking - apple pies, or apple crisp!! Pumpkin pies, festive sugar cookies, etc. 

I wish I had more fall decorations for outside the house too. I'm not a good decorator, so I just don't even go there! I've got some leaf stickers on the door and that's about as far as I'll venture, right now!

I can't wait for CHRISTMAS! I loooooooove Christmas. The best best BEST time of year.

I'm rambling because I cannot sleep, by the way... A week ago, I couldn't NOT sleep. And now.... I am awake all the time. I used to go to bed at 9PM right on the nose. Now, I lie there and stare into space... Try to clear my head, but nope.... Something always creeps in. The baby moves, my back hurts.... New spot.. Nope. Nothing works! Goodness gracious.

I am 35 weeks pregnant and 37 weeks cannot come SOON ENOUGH. I feel huge. Monstrous in fact. So, at 37 weeks, the baby is fully developed and it is perfectly safe to have a home birth. That's what I'm aiming for. Of course, whether that happens or not.... Not likely. BUT... The thought that it could, and there's only 2 weeks to go is VERY appealing. It will make the rest seem not too far away.

Well, I think that's all I've got in me for now. 

Oh, I should probably mention my family... lol!

Jamie is doing great at school. He really loves the program and the constant challenge! 

He is also seminary teacher in London. And he loves that as well. He is always at his best when he is awake early and studying, so it has really helped him in just the last week! He loves to teach, and he loves the youth, so he really is the man for the job! (I grumbled at first, I won't lie.) 

Angela is a little bum bum! I love her so much. It is so great to have so much love in one's life. Even when I am trying to teach her "not" to do something, or I am frustrated at something she does, I look at that gorgeous little cheeky face and my heart melts. How could I ever be mad with her?! She is so patient with me! She is a great communicator, and knows exactly what she wants. It is incredible to see them learn so quickly when a year ago she was just a little baby!!! 

I just love my family so much, and feel so blessed to have a wonderful little girl and a fantastic loving husband. 

Life is sweet! 

Wedding Cake

Yesterday was our friends Michelle and Romolo's wedding! It was so beautiful and they are such a cute couple.

And I was lucky enough to make their wedding cake! They were expecting 200 people, so we decided on a 5 layer cake since the top layer is kept in the freezer for their 1-year anniversary!

So, we have layers, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14-inches. And that took 2 cakes per layer. So, 10 cakes total! I got all the baking done, and it worked out great. Friday I made buttercream icing, and filled them and iced the cakes all up. And then it came time for the fondant!

I made my own marshmallow fondant because it tastes very nice. So, I made a couple batches up, and rolled it out and got 3 layers done. It was also a burned hot day and I was sweating like a mad-woman since we don't have a/c!!!

Now, cake kitchens, if you've ever been in one, are freezing cold for a reason! lol The humidity and heat makes it very difficult for the fondant to stay in 1 piece! So, there were a few emergencies, but nothing unmanageable, and the pictures show the finished product!!

Pictures

So I finally found my camera cord, and here are a couple pictures! 

Angela kept bringing Jamie clothes to put on her. lol She walked around for an hour with the dress around her neck and the pants on her head. 

This is another example of her trying to get as many clothes on as possible. She had a bodysuit on, then a skort, and then pants. 

This is Jamie's hat from the Navy. She carries it around and tries to wear it though it is WAY too big! 

The movie is of Angela dancing this week. She loooooooves to dance! And it can certainly get interesting! 

This summer has been GREAT! I have enjoyed it so much. There are lots of things I wanted to do that I haven't, but it has still been great! 

This picture is of Ange when we went Strawberry picking with my mom, Nick and Britt. It was fun! We made up a whole bunch of strawberry jam with it all. I cannot believe how many strawberries we picked in just 2 hours! 

We have been able to spend a lot of time with Jamie with all of the long weekends too! He has been home every weekend for 4 days since July! 

We went to the Toronto Zoo on Saturday, and though it was super busy and I had Braxton-Hicks contractions every 3 minutes, it was great! We went to the far end exhibits where no one was and worked our way back to the entrance. After 2 hours, it was Angela's nap time and she insisted on pushing the stroller.... So, we left! She is not a fast walker, let's just put it that way. lol I am trying to find a baby doll stroller that she can push around because she is obsessed with pushing strollers and carts! 

I am very excited about my new mixer too! Once I find my camera cord, I'll put up new pictures. I bought a KitchenAid Professional HD stand mixer.. Oh, happy, happy, joy, joy! I loveeeeee it!

Also on the go - Still decorating. The painting has taken a little break. I will get the top floor done before the baby is born though. I started cross-stitching a little Noah's Ark baby thing for Angela's room. I am going to make one for Ange and for baby with their name, date of birth and weight. So cutely! 

I am almost done sewing all my blankets too! Only 4 more to go!! Woot woooooooot!

And, I also got a book for Christmas crafts! I am so excited to get ready for Christmas. 

Kayley and I were also planning a baby shower for Brooke last week. There was a bit of an emergency so we cancelled, and she's due in 2 weeks!!! So, we are planning for after the baby. I am so excited!! Showers are so fun. I made a cute little cake too! And 2 dozen cupcakes. After eating half the cupcakes, the rest met the compost and the cake is too. So sad, I know. But I love doing cakes, so I am excited to do another one! 

Speaking of cakes... Michelle is getting married this weekend! YAY! So excited for her. And I am making her wedding cake! Will post pictures. Gotta get baking. I hope it turns out how she wanted! 

Anyhow, I am being piled on with shoes by Angela, so I need to hide them....

 

Ange playing with Aarik at the pool. She was entertaining him since he was stuck in there!

We have had a very busy couple of days! We were at St. Michael's hospital from Sunday-Wednesday to visit my dad. He was in a motorcycle accident on Saturday afternoon/evening on Bathurst St. He was hit by a drunk driver. Luckily, they got the driver and charged him with DUI etc. But, I hope we can make his life difficult once dad is better. Should that situation arise... The last person you want to hit is a LAWYER. lol 

Anyhow, so we've been busy. Cadina was down until this morning. So it's been nice to see so much of her this summer! 

I've been trying to organize the house, etc. It doesn't matter how much I seem to do.... There always seems to still be more!! I moved the love-seat from Angela's room to my room. Brought the TV and stand up to my room as well. Moved the crib from my room to her room... Now, if I could paint the upstairs hallway, the big living room wall, and Angela's room... Within the next 2 weeks, I will be very happy! And then it will only be my room/closet, and the 2 bathrooms. I still have some touch-ups to do, but at least when the big part is done, the rest is relatively simple to do! 

Also, we are planning on going to England again in December... Though, the tickets have not worked out so well. Darn British Airways. I spent 2 hours calling and on the website this morning trying to figure out our different options. Now who knows what we'll do. 

We have our home visit with our midwife Lisa on Saturday. She hasn't been able to speak with Jamie at all this pregnancy since he's been in London. So, that will be good. I think we are going to try and get a birthing pool again. It was really nice to have. But, since the one I had was a home spa, it was kind of hard for me to move when I was in pain. However, there were bubbles from the "spa" you could turn on whenever, so during contractions, that felt quite nice! I am glad this summer has been pretty mild because I was dreading going through another one like 2007 and adding pregnancy to that.. No, thanks! So, it's been really good. I can't believe it's already the end of July! 86 days to go! 

My aunt and 3 cousins are coming on Monday for 10 days. We haven't seen my aunt in 3 years, since she came to our wedding, so it will be really great to see her! 

Anyhow, I am exhausted! I think a little mid-afternoon nap is due! 

Already July!

We had a "Little Mermaid" party for Ange. 

This is Ange's 1st birthday cake.  

I cannot believe how quickly time has gone by! It feels like just yesterday I found out I was pregnant and couldn't even fathom getting to summer!! 

We found out a couple weeks ago that the baby is a GIRL! I am so excited. I even bought Ange and baby their first matching set of onesies! So cute! It's hard not to buy everything that's so cute right now, but the baby is going to be born in October and she won't be able to wear summer clothes! I was thinking of making the baby a little "egg" costume for Hallowe'en. She'll be the egg and Ange can be a chickadee again! =D

We are all doing well. Jamie is very busy at school, but he is doing great!!! And we've been able to seem him quite a bit the last couple weeks. We are going to see him Wednesday and then we'll be with him for almost 2 weeks! =D

We just had Cadina and her boys stay with us for a week. It was great! Though bedtime was always interesting and Ange was a little bully to Aarik! But it was fun.

Sarah is visiting too, so we've spent lots of time over there! It has been great having her home. We missed her and Jake so much!

Ooh, and speaking of travelling.... We are planning on going to England for 2 weeks in December! I am so excited!!

Anyhow - It is a lovely cool day, so I feel like painting! Or sewing! Or decorating! lol

BPA

So, I was skeptical about this whole BPA problem coming to light. First it was bad, then the government said it wasn't so bad, etc. 

They say that adults already have so much of the chemical in their bodies that it can't be removed. But, they've discovered that it causes severe problems in babies/children.

I just read this post from www.momgogreen.com and found out more information. I suggest anyone interested read this post. It is great. Also, I was sad to hear that Avent is not a good product for babies. I love Avent, so that was disappointing!! 

Anyhow, I want to raise healthy babies so I will be replacing the plastic bowls with glass ones (for when I feed her!! If she wants to feed herself then it's going on the placemat!) and I need to look out for this Born-Free company. Their products do not leak BPA! 

She's a single digit!

Yesterday was Angela's 1st birthday! 

I cannot believe the time has gone by so quickly! She is such a great baby and we love her so much. 

We had a "Little Mermaid" party on Saturday - We'll upload the pics later.

She devoured her cupcake and loved her presents! 

We are very blessed

Today is our 3rd year anniversary! I cannot believe how quickly time has passed! 

Together in these 3 years we have had some great accomplishments. Firstly, the best day ever was when we got married in the Toronto Temple. We waited a year and a half for Jamie's immigration to come through, and once it did, he started university at UOIT and amazingly, he got a great job with RBC as a manager in the Learning and Recruitment department. This allowed us to accomplish our goal of owning a home by our 2nd anniversary! We made it by 10 days! 

We had a sweet baby girl June 1, 2007, Angela. She has been a great little girl! We have another one on the way, due October 18th, so we will have 2 little angels! 

And now, without having an undergrad, Jamie was accepted under special circumstances to attend one of Canada's top business schools - The Richard Ivey School of Business (At Western) and take the intensive 1-year MBA course. 

We have been greatly blessed and are so grateful for the years we've had together and can't wait to see what exciting things the future has in store!  

Life in London (Ontario)

Jamie has been in London for 2 weeks now. I drove up with Angela on Saturday morning to get the new apartment ready! 

It is a great place... Though, I don't think I ever want to live in a previously owned/rented place! Cleaning up after the previous people is not so fun! 

We went to the London 1st Ward yesterday, and there were some people Jamie knew from his mission, so that was cool! 

There was a pot-luck last night for his MBS class, and it was great to meet the people he is going to be in class with. They were all so nice and everyone loved to meet Ange - Even though she was exhausted and would shy away! 

I don't have my camera cable here, so I'll have to post pictures when I get home! 

May is almost here!

It's official - Jamie is living in London. He started his course yesterday and so far so good! He doesn't have any food though..... We'll have to work on that!

Luckily, we get to see him on Friday night!

Aside from that, we had our first ultrasound last week!! 14 weeks and as soon as she put the thingy down, the baby was waving! It was so cute :) "Hi mom!" Official due date: October 18th.

I have been trying to decorate the house... Painting is as far as I've gotten. I really want to get Angela's room done before the baby comes!

We are very excited for the summer - So much to do! And Sarah and Jakob are coming to visit for 5 weeks!! Yay! I even ventured to purchase a "maternity" bathing suit... I hope it's not too scary. lol

Anyhoo, that's all the excitement around here!

Yay for warm weather!

We finally have some wonderfully warm weather! =) We have lots of things planned for the summer while Jamie is working! We need to keep busy to not miss him so much!
We are almost all ready for him to go. He has lots of learning to get to!!

Cadina is down for the week, so we are having lots of fun.

Aarik is the only baby who doesn't cry when Ange gets excited and squeals! They climb the stairs together, play toys together and also like to play the piano together as well as switching sippy cups! =)

The baby is growing in the tummy!! We now have a visible bump. I still have to set my ultrasound appointment for dating though! Well, I am confident with my October 16th prediction. No later than that, please!

So life is good, and we are all healthy and happy!! =)

More news!!

Well, we have finally heard the news. 2 weeks ago, we found out from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western that Jamie has been accepted to the MBA program!!! He has no undergrad and he got in! Yay! 

Unfortunately, this means that Jamie will be living in London (Ontario!!) and Angela, baby and I will be staying at our home in Oshawa. 

The drive does not thrill me, so pretty much, we won't see him. Maybe a monthly trip. 

However, we found him a beautiful apartment, fully furnished, 500m from the school!! It will take him under 10 minutes to walk there, so that is great! The apartment building also has a swimming pool, sauna, and laundry! Not too shabby! Maybe we will go see him.... :)

On the 26th it was Jamie's birthday. The big 27! We didn't have any batteries, so we didn't get a picture of the cake, but he blew them all out in 1 puff like a pro. Gotta practice when you're gettin' old, eh?

Angela loves to scream and laugh. She dances when there is music on and head-bangs. She is very amusing. 

 

This movie is Angela at 8 months. She loves to be noisy. 

The news!

Well, the exciting news around the Edwards home is that we're having another baby!! 

Angela is 9 months old, and the baby is due October 16th. She will then be 16 months. 

I have received mixed reactions on the news:

One friend screamed out loud she was so excited!

A few people said "That's great" and looked genuinely happy for us.

The family were all in disbelief and excited for yet another little baby to play with.

And then there were the other group of people who gave us a crooked smile, raised eyebrows and tried to look happy though their expression clearly said "What the heck are you thinking?"

I am very excited! Jamie is very excited too. When we told Angela, she stared at us, gave a little sigh and raised her shoulders, and then turned around to play. She seems impartial to the news. I'm sure once it gets here she'll be more excited. Haha

I think that this age is the perfect age gap between siblings. They will be close and able to play without a great difference in skill levels when they are a bit older. And they won't quite be at that stage where they know what belongs to them when the new baby comes around. So, all in all, good job Edwards! 

Let's just hope I remember all these wonderful things when I have 2 of them to look after! 

Yo yo yo!!

Angela is almost walking! The little bean. She pushes herself up to stand. And she is pretty stable. She takes a few steps every once and a while. Britt  babysat on Tuesday and said that Ange was taking steps! 

She does her high pitched scream still, though has learned to stop when I put my finger to my mouth. However, she then started to growl. lol But the growling is alot better than the squealing! My mom and I went shopping yesterday, and we were in this tiny little store and there were 2 older  women behind the counter, and Angela squealed SO loud that these poor women's hearts were racing and they looked as though they were about to have a heart attack!! 

Anyhoo, that's really all the news for now! 

Yipee yipee!

Now, I probably already mentioned this, but Ange is crawling up the stairs! lol She crawled up a couple today. I only got one on video because her skirt was interfering and she ended up trying to climb up her skirt. lol

Here are some recent photos. Oh, how I love my beanlet.

Video!

This is a movie I took when we were in Boston. lol We were stuck under a little shelter because we were by the Sea and it was CRAZY!!! There were rocks flying at us and we couldn't even talk to each other the wind was so strong. lol It was hilarious. 

Our new mac!!

This is us outside the first LDS church in England. It was so amazing to go see it. And Donny Osmond was there just before us!!

Angela is crawling all over. 

She has become so independent and just goes off and does her own thing. She took 3 steps last week on her own and she starting to stand on her own as well. 

The weather has been crazy! We have had 4 or 5 snowstorms in February alone!! 

Here is one day, shot from our front door. This was the afternoon when it had begun. 

Here is a video of Angela squealing. She does this every time we open the front door whether it is night or day. That night she was just crazy. lol 

We are very much looking forward to the spring that the groundhogs predicted would come shortly!!! We can't wait to have play dates at the park and picnics and all those fun things!! 

Speaking of which... We went to Pam's last Thursday for a playdate with Logan and Jakob. Ange gets very excited when she sees her friends and she squeals very loudly! And poor Jakob cries every time she does it. She is so loud!! Haha  

Ruth and I are taking a cake decorating class for some fun. It has been nice to get out and spend time with a friend doing something fun! It is on Tuesdays, so we miss out on our Stars and Strollers... I do so much love Stars and Strollers!!!!! Can't wait to go again. 

Anyhow, I just wanted to get some stuff up here. The site won't let me post any more pictures, so that will have to wait until next time! 

Oh my goodness!

Well, Angela will be 8 months tomorrow! I cannot believe how the time has flown by! She is such a smart little bean!

She loves to crawl around and chase her daddy. We play peek-a-boo and she gets so excited!

Recently, whenever we open the front door, she freaks out! She loves it! She starts squealing so loudly and she makes little fists and shakes her arms. lol It is so funny. We have a bit on video... Once I find that cord I'll be able to put it up!

She crawled up the stairs yesterday! lol She was so proud of herself. She was standing on the stairs holding the rail and shaking her little bum. It was so funny.

Anyhow, other than that, life is cruising by. I painted the dining room last week. It's a burnt orange colour!! It looks really good. =)

We are so blessed! We miss our family in England but hope to see them soon! It was very hard to leave...

Anyhow, we have lots to do today!! xoxo

We are all doing very well!! Jamie is still doing work and university, though thankfully he has a lighter workload than the previous semesters, so we get to see him much more!

Angela is crawling around and pulling herself up to stand on anything that is stable enough to do so!! She loves to watch Baby Einstein and she loves making noise.

We have not uploaded our pictures from both the Boston holiday and our England holiday. I have temporarily mislaid the cord so we will do that as soon as we find it! :)

I decided to paint the dining room this week. We have all the paint for the main floor in the basement so I got into one of those crazy power-woman moods and went for it! It's the finishing touches that always seem to take so long.... Anyhow, I'll get a picture of that up too. I found some gorgeous drapes for the back door and I am very excited!!!!!!!! It's so exciting to own a home!

Anyhow, we are off to do some grocery shopping and check out some cake stuff at Michael's. I am hoping to make and sell specialty cakes in the near future. I will also put up those pictures when I get the chance! :)

Holiday in England!!

We have been in England since Christmas day and we are leaving tomorrow. :(
It has been a great visit! We went to London a few times, Leeds Castle - So beautiful!!! We went to this awesome mall, Bluewater and it's built basically in a big hole in the ground! lol

We have had lots of fun visiting friends and family and we are sad to go!

Angela still isn't over the jet lag so going home should be all right! :)