runlindsayrun

Monday Secret

I almost didn't pick this one because of the huge grammatical error... But it was just too funny not to :)

More at PostSecret.com.

Labels: Monday Secret

posted by Lindsay @ 11:04 PM 1 comments

Spreading the Word

If you're able to, please consider participating on Sunday, September 26.

Labels: Current Events, My Friends

posted by Lindsay @ 10:35 PM 2 comments

So It's Friday

And I'm working on a Friday Smile... I'm just not really feeling it today.

I've been sick over the past couple of days - including a fibro flare, gallbladder issues, and bursitis in my shoulder - and it's just been tough (especially with my parents out of town and Geoff working). Plus pretty much anyone who I'd think of calling for help is sick or away. So it's kind of scary to know that your safety nets are gone... I've been fighting back panic and choosing to have good days, and so far it's been okay. Briony has napped ALL morning the past couple of days - something she hasn't done in months - and it's helped so much because I've been able to sneak in a nap too, which I usually never do.

So in the spirit of *choosing* to have a good day today, here's my list of happy things that have happened this week:
- Before I went on mat leave, I totally had a favourite client - and a favourite annual campaign that we worked on for them. I got a call this week to head up part of this year's campaign for them, starting immediately. I'm so excited :)
- Another potential client hired me for a 'test project' - so I guess my meeting with them last week went well!
- I have a baby who's getting awfully speedy in her exploration of the living room and her bedroom. It's still not technically crawling, but it's incredibly effective.
- I went to Gap to buy another pair of jeans while they were still $20 off (their new 1969 line is freaking amazing, by the way) and found out that I could also use our $10 off a $50 purchase coupon from Visa. They ended up being $39.50 jeans. I think I should win something (other than a pair of Gap jeans for $39.50).
- Briony started eating Cheerios this week (I got over my paralyzing fear of the sugar and sodium content... sigh), and it's *so* cute to watch her picking them up and then getting so excited while she eats them. I can't help but sit and laugh at her. It truly is the little things that make them happy.
- I got to see Aaron + Cait for 15 minutes before they left to move to Vancouver. Doesn't sound like much, but I wasn't expecting to see them at all, so it meant a lot to me. I'm so happy that we'll be able to see them in Vancouver next week and don't actually need to say goodbye until the middle of September.
- I cracked the cover on my September issue of Vogue this week. Happy sigh.
- Briony has developed an intense love of Elmo. I don't know why. She's seen Sesame Street maybe a couple of times ever, but there are pictures of Elmo on her diapers, and she is DELIGHTED by this. She doesn't care about the other characters on the diapers, only Elmo. Which almost makes me wonder if childrens' love of Elmo is more than just pure commercialism? Weird.
- Briony and I met up with my sister Jessie and Chloe to go shopping yesterday. It's so adorable how much those girls love each other :)

Now I need to spend the rest of today being uber-productive, because I was two major projects for clients with milestones today and deadlines coming up...

Labels: Aaron, Briony, Caitlin, Friday Smile, Going Rogue, Jessimica

posted by Lindsay @ 12:11 PM 3 comments

Nine Month Stats

Somehow in the middle of all the wedding busyness yesterday, Geoff and I managed to take Briony in for her nine-month checkup. Our little princess is not so little (I think we've known that all along).

She's currently weighing in at 21 lb 3/4 oz and measuring 29 in long. That means she's holding steady around the 90th percentile - and her head is still a little off-the-charts big, so she is clearly BRILLIANT. Clearly :)

Labels: Briony, Briony's First Year, Mommy Stuff

posted by Lindsay @ 12:28 AM 4 comments

Wedding Randoms

Labels: Emily, My Friends, The Boy

posted by Lindsay @ 12:23 AM 2 comments

Congratulations, Emily + Paul!

Labels: Emily, My Friends

posted by Lindsay @ 10:22 AM 2 comments

It's About Time

Now, if this doesn't put a smile on your face...



It almost restores my faith in humanity after this whole debacle last week.

Almost.

Labels: Current Events, Feeling Good, Stuff I Found Online

posted by Lindsay @ 10:42 PM 2 comments

The Official Recap

So today turned out well.

Katie was nice and exhibited no serial killer or child kidnapper tendencies, so we left for our massage appointment as scheduled. And Briony seemed to love her - they played and then B napped and then they played some more and B had a bottle.

Insert HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF.

I was really happy with how the afternoon went. And then I walked into the kitchen, and what I saw there just about caused heart failure. She did the dishes. And not even just her own dishes... Our dishes that had been sitting on the counter when she got there. Holy *#&$. Now I need to figure out how to keep this girl babysitting for us forever (and possibly pay her more). Heck, she can come babysit ME :)

And it was really, really nice to spend a little bit of non-baby time. Not that I don't love spending time as a family. But it was nice to spend couple time, even though it was short and sweet. And I feel the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders, because now I feel like I have an option to call a babysitter. What a concept...

Labels: Briony, Mommy Stuff

posted by Lindsay @ 6:59 PM 5 comments

Lindsay Has A Date!

It's Monday! It's Monday! It's Monday!

:)

Now that you want to kick me in the face... I'll explain that Geoff got home from work just over an hour ago - with Starbucks for me - and is currently sleeping off his third-last night shift in our no good very bad summer. He's been working like a fiend for most of the last two months, with a grand finale of working nine out of ten shifts in a row (twelve hour shifts, of course). Now he's off for a couple of days, working Thu and Fri day shifts, and then on vacation until September 26.

We made it! I am *so* happy.

To mark this auspicious occasion, we are trying out a new babysitter this afternoon. She's coming after lunch for a couple of hours, and Geoff and I have plans for a couple's massage and gelati (in the rain, apparently... boo).

Sadly, this is only our third 'date' since Briony was born... We managed to catch lunch and a matinee on our own in February (thanks, Marilyn!) and dinner and the Coldplay concert two months ago (thanks, Mom & Dad!). We are looong overdue to find a babysitter. I always swore that we would NOT be one of These Couples. I guess it's not too late to change that.

-

Side Note: I was typing this quickly and came up with possibly the funniest typo ever: couples' massage vs couple's massage. I'm thinking that a couples' massage would be a different kind of date entirely... Never let it be said that proper punctuation is not important on a blog :)

Labels: Family, Married Stuff, Mommy Stuff, The Boy

posted by Lindsay @ 9:24 AM 2 comments

It Could Be Worse

Reason #4624191 Why It Could Be Worse:
Today, I went to get a pedicure for the first time. My feet are VERY ticklish. I reflexively kicked the poor lady in the face, as I wet my pants. FML. (Ontario, Canada)

Labels: It Could Be Worse

posted by Lindsay @ 9:21 AM 3 comments

(Early) Monday Secret

This week is going to be crazy, so I thought I'd post now while I had the chance...



Yeah... I totally told all the kids I babysat that I had an ear disorder that meant I couldn't hear anything spoken in a nasal, whiny tone. That way, when they would inevitably start to complain about something, I could just ignore them. After a minute, I'd turn around, completely shocked: 'Oh, I'm sorry! Were you talking to me? Remember that ear problem... I couldn't hear a thing! Do you want to try again?' It only took a couple of times for them to catch on. I think they all believed me, though. Is that bad? :)

Labels: Monday Secret

posted by Lindsay @ 11:08 AM 2 comments

Social Butterfly

Yep, this is mostly another one of those Bragging About My Baby posts. You've been warned.

It's getting pretty hard to keep track of all of B's new tricks... I love spending time with her, and it's always an adventure to hang out with her in the morning and see what she remembers from the day - or the couple of days - before.

This week's new additions? She's trying to wave back at people who wave to her. And she's obsessed with throwing her hands up into the air and yelling 'YAY!' in this high-pitched mouse voice. No crawling yet, but she's doing great with all the social stuff. I suppose she comes by that pretty honestly :)

In keeping with this theme, I got her a new book this week. We were shopping at Chapters and I was showing her some of the baby books - and she went absolutely nuts over this book that had different pictures of babies in it. It had to come home with us. And she still gets excited every time I pull it out for her.

Panda and Sophie the Giraffe are still her favourite - and a stuffed monkey at my parents' house. Whenever she sees a 'friend' she recognizes, she gets *so* excited and needs to touch them and talk to them. When reunited with the monkey at my parents' house this week, she immediately tackled him and started to tickle him (and say 'tickle tickle' so there was no mistaking her intent). Funny.

And she met a new 'real' friend on Thursday: my friend Sonja's little Elizabeth, who was born on July 1. The girls were completely in love with each other. So cute. Sonja took a few pictures of the girls together, and I wish I'd been taking a video of our little impromptu baby photo shoot because it was hilarious. Those girls both sat there and posed, smiling away - I don't think there's a single photo where *one* of them wasn't smiling.

Future playdates will be inevitable. And Briony's mommy could not be happier that we've managed to find a few people who mommy likes playing with too (hehe). B is *not* the only social one in this family :)

Labels: Briony, My Friends, Sonja

posted by Lindsay @ 10:47 AM 0 comments

Baby (Food) Making Machine

This past week, I decided that we were now at the point where (a) Briony had sampled a bunch of different fruits and veggies already, (b) Briony could handle some texture in her food, and (c) Briony was starting to eat a good portion of a jar's worth of baby food. It was pretty much the perfect storm. And so I decided to try making some baby food for her.

I first did what any modern mother would do, and I googled it. I read up on the how-to's (and I'd already memorized the lists of things to avoid giving your baby in the first year or two). And then I went to Superstore, picked up some ice cube trays and some organic produce, and went to work.

HOLY COW is it ever easy to make baby food. And I'll admit that I'm just dorky enough that I actually think it's fun. Other than the odd day where it's just too tricky to figure out (our travel days to and from Vancouver come to mind), this is what we're doing now. I fully acknowledge that there's a place inside me that somehow connects my feelings of inadequacy surrounding our lack of breastfeeding success with my feelings of awesomeness for being able to feed her food that I made now. But whatever. I've decided it's healthy and okay.

And Briony freaking LOVES it, which is maybe the best part of all :)

Labels: Briony, Mommy Stuff

posted by Lindsay @ 5:17 PM 4 comments

In Transition

Isn't that the story of my life? :)

This past year, I've literally spent hours in prayer, begging God to just let me have a year or two of drama-free life. No major upsets, no major changes - even good ones. I've had it. I just want half a second to get used to something, to catch my breath, to figure it all out. I thought that moment was coming, and then I met Geoff. And then I saw it coming again, and then we got engaged and started planning a wedding and house shopping and planning our trip. And then there was cancer. And then there was Briony. And then there was the decision to start my business.

I'd like to pause and figure out how to be a mommy - and even more importantly, to figure out how to be a mommy and a wife and a writer and ME, all at the same time. For the record, I totally (mis)underestimated the whole simultaneous mommy and wife thing... I think that's been the very hardest change for me. But I'm probably supposed to pretend it's no big deal, right? Is that how the game is played? :)

I've been feeling so... unsteady. Then on my drive home today, I got this song stuck in my head and I don't think it was an accident. For the first time in a long time, I found it. It was not exactly the feeling I'd been looking for, no promise that life won't keep changing - but the confidence that whatever changes, it's okay.

I don't pretend to have a 'traditional' faith. Whatever that means. Church doesn't always make sense to me, and other Christians often confuse me. At the same time, church can sometimes be awesome, and other Christians can be a huge encouragement to me. So my faith feels the truest to me when it's intensely personal. I like to think that my faith lives in these quiet moments when I feel like I can have a conversation with God, moments when I can feel things and trust that he's listening and that he cares. He knows that when we finally meet in heaven, I'm likely to run and give him a hug, and then smack the back of his head and ask 'what were you thinking?!' And I like to think that he'll be totally cool with that.

God above all the world in motion
God above all my hopes and fears
I don't care what the world throws at me now
It's gonna be alright

Cause I know my God saved the day
And I know his word never fails
And I know my God made a way for me
Salvation is here
- Salvation is Here (Hillsong United)

Labels: Faith the Universe and Everything, Married Stuff, Mommy Stuff, Stuff I'm Thinking About

posted by Lindsay @ 3:26 PM 1 comments

August Randoms

After a bath...



My new short hair (and pretty much a 'how to' on how to take a horrible self-portrait without make-up on, hehe)...


Adventuring at Toys R Us...


Camping...




Conference between Chloe, Briony, and Uncle Aaron...

Labels: Aaron, Briony, Photos, The Boy

posted by Lindsay @ 10:39 AM 3 comments

Friday Smile

I can't believe that my little Emily is all grown up and getting married.

Okay, so 'my little Emily' is actually older than I am. But STILL. I don't think it would be possible for me to be more excited for her upcoming wedding. And the fact that she's marrying Paul just makes it even better. They have one of those completely adorable stories where they've known each other since junior high, but didn't reconnect and start dating until their late twenties - and I think that's such an incredible foundation for a marriage.

Last night, we sent her off to Married Land in style with manis/pedis at Tiber River, a lingerie shower, and lots of food and laughter. It was a fun Girls Night, and I can't think of anyone more deserving.

Now the countdown is on... Three more sleeps!

Labels: Being Girly, Emily, My Friends

posted by Lindsay @ 10:33 AM 1 comments

Not Laughing

Okay, so to recap, this week you all discovered that I am a freak who can't deal with time left behind on a microwave. Well, let's round out the week by admitting another quirk that helps to make me Lindsay: I hate bridges. HATE HATE HATE. I hate driving over them, I hate driving under them, I especially hate when they're really long or when I get stuck underneath one for longer than necessary because of a traffic jam or a train. I always imagine them collapsing under me (or over me) and that never ends well.

So you can imagine my *delight* to hear this today: St Adolphe Bridge Closed. I just freaking drove over this bridge YESTERDAY.

I am never driving over a bridge again. At least, when I am forced to, I shall do so with much less class than usual. (Poor Geoff.)

Labels: Current Events, Stuff I Found Online

posted by Lindsay @ 11:47 PM 5 comments

Counting Down

After tonight, Geoff has three more shifts left in this stretch... Please feel free to send a little bit of extra prayer in our direction. It's been a rough week for me, and I'm not exactly sure why. I'm just feeling overwhelmed. Happily, we are less than two weeks away from being on a plane bound for Vancouver.

Labels: Married Stuff, Mommy Stuff

posted by Lindsay @ 11:52 PM 2 comments

Playful Peanut

Have a rugrat? Have friends with rugrats who have birthdays and stuff? Please go check out - and support - my friend Kari-Ann's incredible Etsy creations. Not just because she's my friend, but because her stuff is gorgeous and clever and reasonably priced.

Labels: Great Baby Stuff, Kari-Ann, Stuff I Found Online

posted by Lindsay @ 3:40 PM 1 comments

Monday Secret

This was the easiest secret to pick in the history of Monday Secrets. I HATE HATE HATE when people leave time on the microwave, and I must compulsively fix it.

Yes, MUST.

It's stressing me out to think about it now, actually.

Labels: Monday Secret

posted by Lindsay @ 8:47 PM 5 comments

One Tiny Thing

It's amazing how failing to accomplish one tiny thing in the morning (namely, not emptying out the dishwasher that ran overnight) can screw up SO MUCH. My kitchen looks like it was ransacked by some hungry intruders. And that's the optimistic assessment. The good news is that it means I cooked dinner today :)

I'm usually really good about emptying out the dishwasher first thing, while my coffee is brewing, so that it can fill up during the rest of the day. But I ran out of coffee filters yesterday, so no coffee for me this morning. And no empty dishwasher. I'm not entirely sure, but I believe I may have discovered the root cause of my entirely 'off' day.

Blargh. Yes, BLARGH.

Now, I'm off to empty the dishwasher and fill it back up (possibly the most depressing thing ever, as you realize that - truly - the cycle of work required to run a household NEVER, EVER ENDS).

Labels: Bitching About Nothing, House Stuff, Married Stuff, Mommy Stuff

posted by Lindsay @ 8:39 PM 0 comments

Anything For Ratings

This story is *way* beyond creepy...

Labels: Current Events, Stuff I Found Online

posted by Lindsay @ 10:56 PM 0 comments

Car Seat Conundrum

Does anyone have a travel bag, to protect a car seat that's checked on an airplane?

On previous trips, we've been able to check ours at the gate (with the stroller), but I'm thinking it would be easier to check it with our luggage this time. The thing is, it's obviously critical that it arrives there in one piece. And I'd much rather borrow than buy - unless someone out there has a better idea? Thanks!

Labels: Briony, Mommy Stuff, Travel

posted by Lindsay @ 9:45 PM 2 comments

Nine Months Old

I think that every month has been my favourite so far, and this one has been no exception. She's getting so FUN. I think the best way to describe nine month old Briony is SILLY. She'll do almost anything for a laugh, and she loves to babble and giggle and play.

She's also getting to be a little bit more work to deal with, now that she's developing an opinion of her own (deciding to skip a nap or getting upset when we take her away from something). I'm also realizing that she doesn't nap as well when she knows that someone else is in the house - we had a few times this month when she was playing with Chloe or Emily before naptime or bedtime, and she was *not* impressed with me. At all. And so it begins... Can't wait for fourteen :)

This was the first month that I was really trying to work from home, and it went even better than I'd hoped. I need to be pretty flexible to work from home while there's a baby in my care, and I'm getting used to doing things in smaller steps than I ever have before - but it is absolutely working, and it is absolutely going to work. I could not be happier.

New Things This Month:
- Inventing her own strange little military crawl to get where she wants to go
- Lots of creeping and rocking on all fours, but no *official* crawling yet
- Still loving solid food - so far, we've tried sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, peas, green beans, apples, bananas, prunes, apricots, peaches, pears, blueberries, mango, and chicken
- A new Briony-style 'word' every day - most often, it's mama or dada (still not entirely sure that she knows what she's saying), hi or hey (ditto), gaigaigai, ohhhh, mmmm
- Tickling people and saying 'tickle'... officially the cutest thing ever
- Dancing along with So You Think You Can Dance or Yo Gabba Gabba on TV
- Making up games to play with Geoff and I
- Still spending lots of time 'talking' to herself in the mirror
- Still inventing new ways to be silly
- More often than not, getting incredibly giggly when she's overtired
- Most days, we're down to only two naps a day (sometimes one, but those are *not* my favourite days)
- A couple of first little fits when we move a toy that she wanted to play with or take her away from what she was still having fun doing
- Officially not being swaddled to sleep anymore, making naps a little more challenging (booooo...) - and therefore also discovering that cribs are more fun to play in than to sleep in
- Learning how to 'click' her tongue and 'pop' her lips - doing it ALL DAY LONG, and making instant lifelong friends with anyone who will play her game and make the same sounds back at her
- Using Geoff and I as her own personal jungle gym
- Learning how to 'swing' in her Jolly Jumper, most often tucking her legs up once she gets herself going
- Becoming absolutely fascinated with eyelashes, and trying to touch ours at every opportunity (she's usually gentle, but we occasionally get our eyes poked)

Favourite Moments:
- Watching her world open up at the realization that if she sees something out of reach, she can get there on her own
- The fact that she's not crawling or pulling up on furniture yet :)
- Playing her new little game where she throws her hands up in the air and we cheer... over and over and over... and over...

Looking Forward To:
Another trip out to BC to let Geoff's family and our friends out there get to know our nine month old Briony.

*Picture will be added tomorrow :)

Labels: Briony, Briony's First Year

posted by Lindsay @ 9:18 PM 2 comments

Things No One Warned Me About: Babysitters

So I think we have a *very* solid lead on a good babysitter for Briony. So far, we've been calling in favours from family members (or more accurately, we've been taking Briony along with us everywhere), but I think we're getting to a point where we're much more comfortable with the idea of leaving her for a few hours at a time - and I'm craving normal things like date nights with my husband or saying yes to the occasional girls night out when he's working a bunch of night shifts.

But it's incredibly hard to imagine leaving your baby with someone you don't know very well. And it's *so* hard to know what qualities to look for (other than to clone myself). But the hardest thing of all so far is knowing how to pay a babysitter. Seriously. Does anyone know what the going hourly rate is for babysitters?

Labels: Mommy Stuff, Things No One Warned Me About

posted by Lindsay @ 3:21 PM 7 comments

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good:
Call me twisted, but I've been absolutely addicted to this blog lately. Something about reading other people's 'f my life' stories makes my life seem sooooo good. I suspect that it might come from the same place as my love for America's Funniest Videos (and injury videos in particular). And possibly the same place as my secret-until-now love for Maury's 'who's the baby daddy' episodes - which are second only to the 'my baby's so fat because he'll only eat chicken wings dipped in ranch dressing' episodes :)

The Bad:
You can just imagine the conversations that resulted in these horrible, horrible cakes. Though I'm willing to deem them so bad they're good.

The Ugly:
This article scared the crap out of me. But it also motivated me to start making some solid plans for an extra-special second anniversary date next month. So maybe being a little bit scared is okay?

Labels: Stuff I Found Online

posted by Lindsay @ 11:28 AM 0 comments

News Flash

So I'm beginning to realize that the guys who dated me before I became Mrs Lindsay Wright eventually moved on.

They are not, as I previously presumed, holed up in shacks scattered over random Canadian mountainsides, penning poetry with my name in the title or writing songs about the only girl they could ever love (me, you idiots!) or carving our initials into every tree in the surrounding forest and naming our unborn children who will never be, praying to God for just one more chance.

What the heck?! :)

Labels: Bitching About Nothing

posted by Lindsay @ 12:26 AM 2 comments

Friday Smile

I have *so* many reasons to smile today.

1. Last night, I finally went to enjoy my birthday present from Geoff - an evening at the spa where I was buffed, polished, and wrapped in imported Italian mud. It was possibly the most ridiculous thing I have ever done. But I will happily admit that I'd jump at the chance to do it again. It felt AWESOME. And my skin is super soft today. It was the perfect jump-start to a nasty little stretch for our little family (Geoff is working nine out of ten shifts in a row beginning this morning).

2. I spent a couple of hours with Sherisse and Danielle yesterday, finalizing details for our high school reunion that is a mere two weeks away. I'm actually pretty excited to see people - and it's always fun to spend time with those girls.

3. Yesterday was an awesome day for my little start-up business. I had a great meeting with a potential new client, and received an email about another potential writing project. It's nothing I can talk about yet, and nothing is guaranteed, but it made me realize that I can do this. In the meantime, I had my best week so far in terms of revenue - and that was with a mini-vacation to the lake. It's still peanuts compared to what we'll need when my mat leave ends in October... But it's such a good start.

4. For some inexplicable reason, Briony didn't wake up until 10 am this morning - more than thirteen hours of solid sleep. She's generally a very good sleeper, but more of the 8 to 8 variety, and I'm absolutely okay with that. This morning, she must have sensed that mommy could use a little bit of extra sleep. The funny thing is that her best nights are ALWAYS when Geoff is home. When he's working, I can pretty much count on some sort of disruption - an early morning, a random night-time wake up, or a general refusal to go to bed at her usual time. Silly girl.

5. I read another book this week. I picked up Best Friends Forever (Jennifer Weiner) to read at the lake, and it was a fun little read. It wasn't my favourite book of hers, but it was still a good book. The only thing is that the characters - and a few little plot elements - are starting to get awfully predictable in her writing (the heroine struggles with her weight?! really??!!). Oh well. It's still better than 80% of the other chick lit that's out there. And if you haven't read all her other stuff, then maybe you won't roll your eyes at some of the little plot details like I did.

6. And in case you need a non-Lindsay-related reason to smile today... You can laugh in the general direction of Jessica Simpson instead :)

Labels: Friday Smile

posted by Lindsay @ 12:56 PM 0 comments

Princess Sitting

So this might be the weirdest thing *ever* to blog about, but is anyone available and interested in babysitting our little princess on Saturday, August 29? Send me an email. People I don't actually know (and like) in real life need not apply :)

Labels: Briony

posted by Lindsay @ 7:04 PM 3 comments

Things No One Warned Me About: Fantasies

I can remember when my wildest fantasies revolved around exotic vacation destinations and... um... other stuff.

Now, I can't imagine anything more amazing than a cleaning service. I swear that my primary motivation in pursuing freelance work is to secure enough income that I can justify paying someone to come in and clean my house for me. Is that wrong? Or just incredibly sad?

Labels: Things No One Warned Me About

posted by Lindsay @ 9:21 AM 6 comments

(Early) Monday Secret

This one's early, because - have I mentioned? - we're going to the lake!

Labels: Monday Secret

posted by Lindsay @ 11:25 AM 0 comments

Maybe I'm Bored

But I'm honestly curious to hear your opinions on this one. I've been wanting to post about the 'issue' of immunization for a while now, but hadn't gotten around to it - and then I found a perfectly eloquent post already written that presented my point of view almost exactly.

Lazy, hey? :)

I've listened to other opinions and done lots of research, and after it was all said and done, we made a decision to vaccinate Briony - at least the major ones (I'm still pretty sure we'll skip the chicken pox vaccine). It just felt like the responsible thing to do. The risks are statistically insignificant, many of the really big scary things out there in the media can't be definitively proven by science, and I can't stand the idea of relying on other parents who took the risk to keep my own child safe - which brings about many of the same feelings I have about living freely in a country that other people's family members fought and died for (both sides of my family are Mennonite and conscientious objectors). Talk about a can of worms, hehe. But I digress.

I don't judge other parents for making a different decision, and we've definitely landed on the other side of the fence on a couple of other parenting 'issues' so far (HELLO bottle feeding and decidedly unnatural delivery). But I feel like it's *so* important for ALL of us to talk about our decisions and the rationale behind them, so we can better understand each other.

So over to you... Did you immunize your children? Why or why not? Would you made the same decision again? Or if you don't have kids, what do you think about the whole 'issue'?

Labels: Mommy Stuff, Over To You, Stuff I Found Online, Stuff I'm Thinking About

posted by Lindsay @ 9:21 AM 6 comments

What Comes Next

It's been a few months now since my mom's amazing news that her preliminary tests came back cancer-free. I still get choked up every time I pause and let myself think about that day... It was a very good day.

It was the miracle we'd been praying for, but it wasn't miraculous. It wasn't anything like what I imagined our Answer To Prayer would be like. We're still journeying through a place that's sometimes very dark, in the aftermath of an incredibly difficult year. My mom is still experiencing some of the physical symptoms of her treatments and surgeries, and she's still on medication that makes her sick. And I can see the battle scars on other members of our family, who are only now really beginning to go through their own processes of feeling and healing.

It's like the whole world around us wants to celebrate this victory. But it doesn't always feel very victorious. There is no date marked on my calendar as The Day My Mom Didn't Have Cancer Anymore. We're still working our way through.

And there is no way to go back to Before, to bury your head in the sand and pretend that all there is to life is right in front of you. I'm reminded of that every time I see my mom with Briony. Some days, it feels normal and happy and absolutely fine. Other days, it feels like I'm going to explode, I'm so full of emotion - wondering how I could have done this without her or thinking about how this moment would be completely missing from Briony's life if the outcome of surgery and chemo and radiation had been different. Sometimes, watching Briony's face light up when she sees my mom absolutely breaks my heart. Some days, I just need to cry, and I wonder how something that happened eighteen months ago can still feel so raw.

I feel so lucky... And then I feel so guilty. Because I did absolutely nothing to deserve the blessing of being able to spend more time with my mom. And everywhere I look, I'm surrounded by people who weren't as lucky as we were. It makes me want to simultaneously dance and puke. (Now there's a pretty picture.)

It turns out that I know how to be the daughter of a breast cancer patient. I have absolutely no idea how to be the daughter of a breast cancer survivor. But I'm learning.

Labels: Can You Handle The Truth?, Family, Stuff I'm Thinking About, The C Word

posted by Lindsay @ 9:26 PM 2 comments

Warm & Fuzzy

I signed on last week to be a moderator for the Chronic Babe forum I've been obsessing about as of late. I'm so excited... It's amazing to see how the community is beginning to grow, and how connections are forming and so much important information is being shared. And I'm so happy that I've found a way to give back and be a part of making it all happen. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I see how it makes such a tangible difference in these women's life - and in my own, of course, because it always seems that you help yourself the most when you're helping someone else.

Labels: Chronic Babe

posted by Lindsay @ 11:58 AM 2 comments

Blame Amber

If anything in my life is not getting done right now (making dinner, doing laundry, packing for the lake, diving into my shiny new stack of books... I'm just getting warmed up, people), it's Amber's fault. She introduced me to Dooce.com this week, and I can't figure out why I haven't been reading this amazing blog for a long, long time. I vaguely remember hearing about it, and then dismissing it because the idea of reading a personal blog about family life and kids was incredibly uninteresting to me (gasp! hypocrite!). Anyway. It's not incredibly uninteresting. It's incredibly hilarious, and the new highlight of my day.

Now I'm all sad about my own blog. I *wish* I had the time and energy to make my blog writing as interesting as Heather manages to do... Granted, it's her full-time job to write one post a day. But STILL.

Someday, I'll have time to do more than just flop down in front of my laptop, type frantically for a minute or two, and then click 'publish post.' Like maybe when Briony is 20 :)

Labels: Amber, Stuff I Found Online

posted by Lindsay @ 11:56 AM 2 comments

Friday Smile

It was a dreary day in Winnipeg. Hardly noteworthy - it's been cloudy and drizzly all summer (I hate you for stealing our summer, Vancouver!) - but today I'd had enough. And so I partook in my very favourite rainy day activity, maternity leave 'paycheques' be damned.

Geoff, Briony, and I spent the afternoon at Indigo. They went to look at magazines while I picked up a Starbucks and took my time choosing a few treasures to bring home with me.

I ended up with:
1. Real Simple Cleaning (because I'm a dork - it is beyond awesome)
2. Eat Pray Love (for my new ChronicBabe book club)
3. Best Friends Forever (chick lit for the lake next week)
4. Still Alice (verrry excited about this one)
5. And one for Briony, of course :)

It was *so* hard to pick... Isn't it always?! But I've been reading voraciously so far this month, and I don't really see it slowing down until I'm back in school at the end of September.

So in the meantime, I'm taking book suggestions. That was *way* beyond a hint, fellow book worms :)

AAAAAAND... Anyone interested in doing a book club with me this year? Maybe a Girls Night kind of thing?? I have another friend who's interested, but I'm thinking one book per month and a potluck get-together to gab about it. Maybe a blog to discuss during the month? Let me know. Still in the processing stage.

PS - Hmm. I went online to add those links to the books and realized that I could have saved a crapload of money by purchasing them all online. Grr. I hate that. Shopping in person is about a million times more fun. It totally killed the high of my awesome in-store iRewards discount.

Labels: Friday Smile, Stuff I Read

posted by Lindsay @ 11:24 PM 4 comments

I Need Some Help

We want to make custom t-shirts for Briony and Chloe to wear at Run for the Cure in October, seeing they'll be participating in strollers as opposed to participating in utero this year (and causing their mommies to waddle rather than RUN for the cure)... We're currently trying to decide between two different ideas:

1. My grandma beat breast cancer (and all I got was this lousy t-shirt).

2. Please cure breast cancer before I get boobies.

What do you think? Or do you have a better idea?? :)

PS - Notice how too much blogging totally removes the ability to make your own decisions? hehe

Labels: Run for the Cure

posted by Lindsay @ 7:06 PM 14 comments

Hmmm

I clicked on 'New Post' without really thinking about it, and now I'm not really sure what to say... That always makes for an awesome and interesting post, doesn't it? :P

Let's see. We had a good weekend here. Emily came over and spent time with Briony and I on Friday afternoon/evening while Geoff left for a night shift. After she left, I had big plans for the rest of the evening that involved the third season of Arrested Development on DVD and my lime margarita bath salts from Tiber River. Oh, and did I mention that my favourite popcorn bowl FLOATS?! Life is unbelievably awesome sometimes.

On Saturday, the Wright family made an appearance at my friends' Kris & Char's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and a beautiful day to honour probably the sweetest, most well-matched couple I've ever met. Every piece of their special day reflected them so perfectly, I couldn't help but smile. And it was a bonus that Geoff and I got to spend some time with a few other friends who were at the wedding. The reception was at the Heritage Centre in Niverville, so we even got to pop in and say hi to my grandparents who live in another part of the building.

Sunday was spent at Falcon Lake. We took a little road trip to spend the day with my parents - and it was another lovely, sunny day (who knew?!). We went for a walk, had lunch on the boardwalk, sat in the sunshine, read books, and barbecued dinner outside. It was everything I'd been needing and made me super-anxious for next week when Geoff, Briony, and I will be able to spend a few days out there on our own little mini-vacation.

And that's pretty much that... Geoff is working again tonight, but we had some good family time during the day today. I managed to read an entire 'fun' book this weekend (FINALLY got around to reading The Time Traveler's Wife, which has been sitting on my bookshelf for years and years - and was well worth the wait). And Anja came over for tea this evening, which totally made my day. I had intended to do all kinds of things today

I'm still feeling icky. I'm not even sure what to blame it on. I just know that I really want to feel better, and SOON. I see my naturopath on Saturday, and I can hardly wait to talk to her and have someone on my side trying to figure this all out.

Wow. I said a lot for a girl who had nothing to say :)

Labels: Anja, Briony, Emily, Family, My Friends, The Boy

posted by Lindsay @ 9:56 PM 3 comments

Tickle Monster

I didn't want to be one of those parents who totally cry wolf or pretend that the first recognizable 'word' that passes through their child's lips was truly meant as it was said. We've been hearing baby babble for months now - most notably, her tendency to yell 'mamamama' when she's mad and wants to get my attention. And she'll sometimes repeat sounds that she hears.

But yesterday, we heard her say a word - all on her own - that she's said a few times now, and always accompanied by an action to let us know that she knows what she's saying. And so we're making it official. My baby girl's first word is apparently TICKLE. She's said it a bunch of times over the last couple of weeks, usually while attempting to tickle someone. Yesterday, she did it while tickling her own foot. It's pretty much the funniest thing ever (at least to a mom who stays home with a baby girl all day, hehe).

What were your babies' first words?

Labels: Briony

posted by Lindsay @ 8:31 AM 6 comments