The Tuftins

Pictures of Elizabeth

2008-02-28T01:22:00.003-07:00

We are still here!

2008-02-28T01:03:00.003-07:00

Well, obviously it has been a while, and a lot has changed since the new year.

Elizabeth is growing like a weed. She is now over 18 lbs and is growing everyday. She has started to eat solids, and so far she doesn't like bananas or carrots, however if you mix it with rice cereal, it is all ok.

Elizabeth is trying to crawl, although a little unsuccessful, she will be getting it very soon. She is already on all fours, and she will move backwards, and she rolls like it is something she has been doing all along. I have to say she is getting more and more beautiful every day and she makes me proud to be her mom. I love to hear her laugh, and it is so contagious. Just today we were in Superstore and we had even the floor staff laughing and smiling at the two of us playing Tick Tock. I don't care what I look like as long as it makes Elizabeth happy (which is a good thing, because I do a lot of really silly things just to get a smile....if I am lucky we get giggles).

I am going to start taking Elizabeth to swimming lessons on March 7. I think she will really enjoy this as she loves taking a bath.

Kelly is doing well. He is still flying with Jazz and will be trying out a month of mostly one day pairings, which means he should be home every night....YEAH!

I have started my own business called Usborne Books. I sell fantastic childrens books. The nice thing about these books is that everyone can enjoy them (including adults). They have a lot of different subjects and they have books that would be good for newborns all the way through to adults. If you want to check it out my website is http://kara.yellowducksonline.com. I have only had one party so far, but that turned out fantastic (Thanks Audrey). I also have 3 or 4 trade shows coming up in the next two months, so that should be great as well.

I have also been taking a cake decorating course. That is going really well, and I am really enjoying it. I will put a picture of my Grande Finale cake from Class one.

Anyways, here are some pictures. I hope all is going well in everyone's world.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T22:35:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year everyone. I hope that the new year brings health and happiness to you all.

As I haven't written a lot lately, I will update you all.

First of all, Elizabeth is doing well. She is starting to teeth and has 2-3 teeth coming in. She is not happy with that, and tonight the only way to get her to sleep is for her to be in her swing, so lets hope that when she wakes up I can put her to bed.

Other than that, she is now on formula. Since she has been switched onto formula she appears to be a much happier baby. She stands really well now (of course with us balancing her) and she is starting to walk on us (she is moving her feet as if she was walking). Elizabeth has started to giggle now, so when she smiles and giggles, you know that your day is complete.

Kelly is doing well. He has been based out of Calgary since November 1, 2007 and he is now getting pairings instead of being on reserve all month. Although this means he is gone during his pairings, maybe this will mean more flying for him.

Kelly is loving spending time with Elizabeth and does everything he can to make her giggle for him. She is still holding back on the giggles, but they are starting to come more frequently.

Unfortunately during the Christmas holidays Kelly lost his Grandma Martin. She was a wonderful lady and she will be missed greatly.

As for me, I am doing well. I am starting to meet more people now and I am getting out a little more often. Unfortunately, last year had some interesting discoveries of new allergies, however despite all of those allergies, I have still managed to find some sweets that I can have. Along with the allergies, and all of the bouncing that I did with Elizabeth, I have managed to loose all of the pregnancy weight along with another 15 lbs on top of it. I am hoping to loose another 15 lbs, and then I will be at my high school weight (although I am not stressing about hitting this goal - it would just be nice).

Anyways here are some updated pictures for you all to see. Enjoy and have a Happy New Year!!!!

Update

2007-10-23T17:32:00.000-06:00

Well we went to Edmonton for my 6 week checkup and low and behold everything is fine. My ECHO came back and there is nothing wrong with my heart - it is a healthy heart. This means that the fluid that was around the heart was just pregnancy related.

We had Elizabeth weighed yesterday and she now weighs 9 lbs 11 oz. She is almost at 10 lbs. Today we went and got her passport done, so now we no longer have to worry about her passport, SIN or birth certificate as they are all done now.

Elizabeth is now starting to watch things and is very interested in everything around her. She is lifting her head really well and is getting more personality every day.

Kelly goes back to Vancouver tomorrow for his last set in Vancouver. He will be based out of Calgary starting on November 1, 2007.

Well that is it for now. Have a wonderful day.

More Pictures

2007-10-17T16:28:00.000-06:00

For those who are not on Facebook here are some pictures for you to see of Elizabeth. She is growing and the last weight measurement was 9 lbs 6 oz. She is still very colicky but hopefully in another month that will be done. She is now 6 1/2 weeks old and is in the process of going through a growth spurt. Anyways, here are the pictures.

Elizabeth

2007-09-29T12:26:00.000-06:00

Well Elizabeth is 4 weeks old today and we are going for family pictures this afternoon. Its hard to believe that it has been 4 weeks already. In her 4 weeks here she has moved to Airdrie, seen a Pediatrician, met a lot of people and is constantly growing. Her head is getting stronger everyday and she becomes more of an ACTRESS everyday (and just so that you know this is a term used by the Pediatrician). She definately wants things done her way and right now, but she remains cute even while screaming.

In other news, Kelly is loving his job and will soon be based in Calgary. We are all looking forward to him being home more in November. I'm doing well, and I get to have my ECHO done on Monday so I am a little nervous to see what will come of the results. Anyways enough about that. I will attach some pictures of Elizabeth.

Newest Addition to the Tuftin Family

2007-09-04T07:14:00.000-06:00

On Saturday morning, at 6:33 am, Kelly and I welcomed our baby girl, Elizabeth Anne-Marie Tuftin, into the world. Elizabeth weighed 8 lbs, 7 oz and was 21 inches long. The delivery was not what we expected (and/or hoped) but everyone made it through fine and mom, dad and baby are doing well.

Elizabeth is very pretty and has a beautiful set of hair (the hair even has natural highlights in it - according to all of the doctors and nurses she is either very pretty or very adorable (which I wholeheartedly agree with). She has pretty long fingers, which are absolutely adorable, and long toes.

Congratulations

2007-08-15T15:07:00.000-06:00

Well, it is official. Kelly passed his ride and is now flying with Air Canada Jazz. He had his first flight today, and phoned me in between flights to say hi. Kelly is off to Seattle tonight and then he gets to fly to Portland tomorrow (could be the other way around I can't fully remember - baby brain sucks sometimes....don't worry I have it written down upstairs in case I need to get a hold of him).

It has been amazing to see Kelly's progression throughout the years. Along with family and friends, I have witnessed him getting his initial license (in Langley, BC), get the next few licenses (in school), and then progress from a co-pilot to a captain (on three different types of airplanes) with his first job. Now he is starting his second job, and I couldn't be more proud and excited for him. He is doing what he loves to do, and is doing it very well.

Congratulations on the job well done Kelly. We knew you could do it!

Keeping busy - well kinda

2007-08-04T17:43:00.000-06:00

Well, Kelly is now back in Toronto until August 11, 2007 when he comes home for a couple of days. Brad and I dropped Kelly off at the Airport on the 1st so that he could go do his Simulator training. It sounds like it is going well for him, although it is a lot of information to learn (which is to be expected).

After Brad and I dropped off Kelly I went to my first appointment with Pregnancy Doc's. Now, on the drive from the airport to the appointment, there happenend to be a bad accident on the road that basically had traffic stopped or at least at a snail pace to go forward. The trip shouldn't have taken us that long, however it was a good 45-60 min drive to the outskirts of Edmonton from the airport. Anyone who has driven this knows that it doesn't normally take that long to get there.

Anyways, I got to the appointment (only 5 minutes late - impressive I thought), and I waited for a few minutes to go in. I happened to have a pretty good headache, so I thought this was a good time to see the doctor. I got in and they did the usual routine stuff (I saw a resident then the doctor) and throughout the appointment I was starting to feel much worse. It turns out that my Blood Pressure (BP) was quite high. So they decided to send me to the Royal Alexandra Hospital to get checked out. Now before I go any further, please do not worry I AM OK and the baby is OK too.

So I had Brad drive me to the hospital and we got to sit in the Labour and Delivery ward for approximately 8 1/2 hours. During this time, it was decided that my BP was ok however my heart rate was a little fast - please keep in mind that this had no effect on the baby at all. They took a lot of blood work, had 3 doctors come and see me and had a ECG done on my heart. It was determined that I would be staying the night and that I would be transferred down to the 3rd floor. So Brad and I went to the 3rd floor and we got to hang out there until my parents arrived. So after a few days, and a lot of testing (including a ultrasound of the baby - who now has the most adorable chubby cheeks and weighs approx 7 lbs 7 ounces, as well as an ultrasound of the heart), I am now out of the hospital. I have to say that I am glad that I am no longer in there. It is not that it was horrible, but who really wants to stay in the hospital. They do not know what caused the raised heart rate (and every doctor seems to have a different opinion, such as stress, virus, thyroid problem - still to be deteremined, unknown reasons), but I am doing better now and I am happy to be home. I did get to hear the baby's heart beat a lot and I got to see the baby on the ultrasound, so that was a bonus to staying there.

I don't think that I will be doing acrobats anytime soon, however I am up walking around, and I am no longer on bed rest (which only applied while I was in the hospital - although that wasn't told to me until I wanted to leave the room - I had to use a wheel chair and stay near an elevator). It was definately a very interesting couple of days, a couple of days which I would not like to repeat any time soon.

Other than that, I think I will be taking it easy for the next little while. I have another appointment on Friday, pick Kelly up on Saturday and then we go to Edson on Saturday night. This seems to be the plan so far. It has been a busy last week, so I am looking forward to slowing down a bit.

I hope everything is going well and I will talk to you later.

We are now down south

2007-07-26T14:31:00.000-06:00

Well, we have officially moved down south. At the moment, we are living with family until September when we move into our condo that we have rented.

The trip down was good, and I got a picture of the barn with the Canadian Flag - my favorite thing to see while on the trip (I look for it every time). We also stopped at Alexandra Falls to check it out. It was very dirty, however very powerful looking.

We now have our trailer rented so that is one less thing for us to worry about. The moving went great (thanks to Bob, Uncle Bruce, Garton, Adam, Liz, Mom, Dad and Craig) and it is all in storage now (although some is in storage in Edson, but that we can deal with at another time).

Our not so good news is that when we came down south, we did not bring Gracie (our dog) with us. Unfortunately she was not doing so well, so Kelly and I made the decision to have her put down (this way she was no longer in pain). It was really hard to do, and we miss her terribly. It definately made the move not as exciting, but we know it was the right thing to do.

Well, that is it for now, we will post more when we have more to say. Hope all is well for everyone reading.

Moving to Airdrie

2007-07-12T17:58:00.000-06:00

Well, it is official. We will be moving to Airdrie, and Kelly will be commuting from Calgary to Vancouver. We have a place to rent (a 3 bedroom condo that has three floors) as of September 1, 2007 and hopefully by that point we will have a new baby (boy or girl - to be determined on the birth day).

I have one morning left at work and then I am on vacation for the next 12 business days. Once the vacation runs out (July 31, 2007) I will be done work and will officially no longer be a Bosco Homes Trailcross employee. Although this is good, I have mixed feelings. I have been there for almost 3 1/2 years, and I haven't had to depend on someone else paying the bills in a long time. On the flip side though, it means that the little one will be arriving soon, which means I will have my hands full soon enough.

Anyways, enough rambling. I should get packing. I will catch up with everyone later.

Moving to Vancouver

2007-06-28T22:09:00.001-06:00

Well, we finally have a place to call our new home (although we still need to find a place to stay first). Kelly has picked the base of Vancouver (which is better than Montreal as Vancouver is a lot closer to family) and has been put on a waiting list for a Calgary base. At some point we will be in Calgary, but until then, we get to experience Vancouver.

For those of you who do not know, Kelly will be flying the Dash 8. I am not sure which model (yes there are more than one), so I am not sure how many passengers he will be flying, but either way it will be more than what he flew with Northwestern.

I am excited about this move as I have not seen the Ocean, so this will be a first for me. I am looking forward to experiencing new things, which I am sure we will in Vancouver. The nice thing about this move is that it will be easier to move (as we were preparing ourselves for Toronto).

In other news, I am now in Edson getting ready to stand up for Colleen at her and Ben's wedding. I have a dress (and yes it fits believe it or not) and I am hoping for some two stepping music so that I can dance with Kelly. Hopefully we can get a good picture of the two of us. Kelly will be coming home for a couple of days starting tomorrow (we will be staying in Edson) so I am very excited.

Also, it looks like we are going to be able to make it to Ben and Steph's wedding after all. This makes me super excited as I thought that we were not going to be able to make it.

Anyways, that is all for now. I will post something in a few days (hopefully a picture of Kelly and I from the wedding). I hope that all is well for everyone.

Week 29

2007-06-13T11:44:00.000-06:00

Well, I have been asked for a new picture so here you go. To add to the fun I thought I would add some useless information (although it is funny so go ahead and laugh).

The kids at work thought it would be good to measure me each week. It was forgotten for awhile, however we have picked it back up. To make a long story short here are the results so far....March 13 - 3 ft 2" round, May 29 - 3 ft 5", June 6 - 3 ft 8", June 11 - 3 ft 9". The one that I think is the funniest is the June 6th jump. In one week there was 3". Either I ate too much, or the little one decided to grow a little. Either way it is way too amusing.

On another note, packing sucks. Kelly and I started to pack the house and will be having a garage sale on Saturday. It seems like we never have enough time to do everything that we need to do before Kelly leaves next Friday. Although, really, we only need to pack Kelly's stuff now as he is the one leaving. I can always take the next three weeks to pack as I will still be here.

Anyways, that is all that is going on at the moment. We will let you know if anything new is happening. Hope all is going well for all of you.

Kelly's News

2007-05-29T20:26:00.000-06:00

Well, it is official. Kelly has been offered a job as a First Officer at Air Canada Jazz. He starts training in Toronto on June 25th. I will not be moving with Kelly right away, however hopefully by the time the baby comes we will have a place to live wherever we are based out of. We are unsure as to where we will be based out of, but at this point, we know that we will be moving somewhere outside of the Northwest Territories.

Congratulations Kelly! I am proud of you.

Relay for Life

2007-05-26T11:23:00.000-06:00

Well, Fort Smith successfully held another Relay for Life. The Relay is a fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society. Our team, the Fort Smith Furys, helped raise over approx. $6500.00. We were one of the three teams that raised the most money.

The event started at 7:00 pm with a opening ceremony as well as having the Cancer survivors walk the first lap. Throughout the evening there were different activities going on, including a luminary sale (to put in memory of or in honor of), a silent auction, quizzes, swimming pool being open, as well as many other activities throughout the night.

I entered a few silent auction items and I actually won a couple. One of the items I won was a round trip for 2 from Hay River to Yellowknife on Buffalo Airways. As this is something that Kelly really wants to do before we leave the Territories, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity.

Although I didn't make it through the whole night (I only made it to 1:00 am) I am sure the rest of the night went really well. The relay ended around 7 am this morning and Kelly said that he could hear the ending from our bedroom. Of course I was sleeping like a baby, so I didn't hear any of it. It is definitely an experience that I would not like to have missed. It is amazing how the community can come together to help out for a wonderful cause.

New website that is neat

2007-05-24T16:43:00.000-06:00

Well, after going home due to another Kidney stone attack (and also going to the hospital to make sure that the little one is doing ok) I am now sitting on the couch (pain free after 2 morphine pills) surfing the web.

I came across this website, and for those mom's looking for new things this might be interesting, that gives free stuff away. Although this may end in May, it may continue on. We will see.

Anyways, I'm going to go and continue searching the web. Have a good day.

26 weeks

2007-05-21T18:37:00.000-06:00

Well, I haven't posted a picture in a while so I/Kelly thought that it was time. We were looking through our pictures and the one from March compared to now is really quite different. Anyways, this picture was taken on Sunday when I turned 26 weeks. Enjoy the picture....oh and by the way, if I had a better choice of clothed pictures that would be what you see, but as I don't (the one we took didn't show very well) this is what you get. Take care and enjoy.

Kidney Stones

2007-05-19T12:36:00.000-06:00

It turns out that I have another kidney stone. We went to the emergency room this morning and the doctor confirmed it. Although smaller (according to Kelly) it is still extremely painful. I broke down after having the pain since 2:30 this morning and finally phoned the midwife. She then phoned the doctor on call, and next thing you know I am in the emergency room getting checked out. I have to say this time it was a lot easier to diagnose (although last time we knew it wasn't confirmed until 3 weeks later).

So, the only thing to do is drink 2-3 litres of fluids and pain management. Due to being pregnant, I didn't get Demerol again, but they have prescribed Morphine, which is safe for the baby - no long term affects. I am going to try and make it with just one tylenol extra strength, but if worse comes to worse I have a back up.

The one good thing about this is that Kelly got to see the baby again. When the doctor did the ultrasound, he checked the baby out after he checked out my kidneys. The baby is doing great, the heart beat is good, and he/she doesn't seem to be affected by the kidney stone (which is good).

The baby had hiccups the other day and that was interesting. At first I didn't know what it was, but after a few hours I really suspected that it was hiccups. After consulting Carmen, it sounds like yep he/she had the hiccups.

I offically put in the date for my maternity leave this week. I can't believe that I now have less than two months left before I finish work. Time has gone fast (at least the last 10 weeks have anyways). My last day of work is the 17th of July (when I will take all of the banked/vacation time that I have and then I will start my maternity leave (should be the first week or so in August).

Well, that is it for now. When something else happens, I will let you know. I hope everyone is doing well.

Bridal Shower

2007-05-12T17:08:00.000-06:00

Last weekend was eventful as I got to go down south and spend time with my family. As it was Jen's bridal shower, it provided some time to spend time with family I have not seen in a long time. It was great fun and it was good to see everyone again. Although the surprise was wrecked (thanks Scott) it was good to see her before the wedding.

Jen and Scott are now in Mexico along with the family and they are getting ready to be married. I can't wait to see them in June when they get back. Congratulations guys.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELLY!!!!!

2007-04-15T10:27:00.000-06:00

Today is Kelly's 26th birthday. I am going to bake him an angel food cake with Lemon filling with a cool whip frosting for dessert and a nice roast with potatoes and some kind of vegetable for supper.

IT'S A.......

2007-04-14T18:38:00.000-06:00

SURPRISE!!!! We had our ultrasound yesterday and even if we wanted to find out what the sex of the baby was the little one had other ideas. He/she kept his/her legs together the whole time. There was no showing any goods if there are any. The little one moved his/her arms and gave a good punch (which I felt very strongly) when the lady was trying to get different views of the head. Everything looks good and healthy and my due date has now changed to August 28th, 2007. This is only two days from what we had originally estimated so I think that we did very good. I have added the pictures for those who want to see them. For those who don't....too bad. I am a proud mom to be and I want to show the little one off.

In other news, we spent the last week with family, both Kelly's and mine. It was great to see everyone again and it was a good break for Kelly and I. It gave us a little break together before the little one arrives. While we were down south, we went shopping and Kelly now has contacts and a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses. Kelly also got to spend time with Brad riding horses, which he seemed to really enjoy. Well, that is all I can write about now. When more happens, I will add to the blog.

I hope all is going well and I will write soon hopefully.

16 week picture and the heart beat

2007-03-15T12:39:00.000-06:00

Well, we had another midwife appointment today and we got to hear the heart beat again. It is amazing and this time we caught it on video (thanks Kelly).
Link to Video
Everything appears to be going just fine. The heart beat was approx 140 bpm (approx as it wasn't actually counted) and everything else seems to be where it should be according to Lesley. Hopefully we will get our ultrasound this month, but if we don't we are looking at April 13 or 16th. At least we have a date one way or another.

Nothing else is really happening at this point. I will keep everyone informed if something happens.

Rambling from Kara

2007-03-12T21:00:00.000-06:00

I went to aquasize class today. It is the third time that I have gone and I am really enjoying it. The only thing that I do not like is that I end up doing the same thing for quite a period of time while the others are doing ab work. It sucks being the only one doing something different, although the reason is the best reason in the world. It is a good work out and I plan on doing this as long as they are offering the course.

We have another mid-wife appointment on Thursday. Hopefully we will get to tape the heartbeat this time. Maybe we will also get an approx. date for the ultrasound appointment. I can't wait.

In other news, it has snowed a lot here in Smith over the last couple of days. Kelly has been out and shovelling the driveway and the paths. Gracie seems to be doing ok. She doesn't seem to accept the fact that she is on restrictive activity for the next few weeks. She wants to play like nothing is wrong. Kelly is flying a lot right now, which is good for the mileage and the time. He is loving every minute of it I am sure.

I have joined the Relay for Life (a Canadian Cancer Society fundraiser) again this year. I am hoping that it is full of fun like last year. I stayed up all night (had a panicked husband for a few hours - I almost had my hair shaved off if they had raised enough money) and spent time with friends. It was a good time. Should anyone be interested in sponsoring me you can go to the Canadian Cancer website (www.cancer.ca), click on Alberta/NWT, Relay for Life 2007, Get Involved, Make a pledge, pledge a participant (first and last name) and put my name in it (Kara-lea Tuftin). If you have problems give me a call and I will walk you through it on the phone.

Anyways, I should start getting ready for bed. It has been a long day and I need some sleep (didn't sleep well last night). Hopefully all is going well for everyone.

Update

2007-03-08T18:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I should update everyone with what is happening with our world right now.

Kelly and I have decided not to get Gracie the surgery. It was a very hard decision but with the little one coming, it is the only decision that really makes sense. It would have cost us a lot of money, and quite frankly with me going on maternity leave in 5 months it wouldn't make a lot of sense to spend our money that way, when we should be saving and paying our debt down. Don't get me wrong, I love Gracie, but we need to think of the whole picture which didn't include very good odds of working out the way we want it to. So the plan now is to keep her quiet for the next 6 weeks, and hopefully this will help heal it better. We have her on a new form of Glucosamine so this may help her as well.

Other than that, nothing much is happening right now. I was going to go to Calgary (for Gracie's surgery), but with that cancelled now, I am going to go to work instead. I am hoping that we will get to go down south at some point before May. It would be nice to see everyone.

Right now I am sitting on the couch with Gracie and we are watching American Idol. I went home from work early today because I wasn't feeling well. I am hoping that this is just a 24 hour bug, I really do not want to be sick again. I finally got out of the 1st trimester and I was thinking I was done with all of that. Anyways, enough complaining. That's all that is new right now. Catch you all later.

Monday's been unusual and interesting

2007-02-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

Well, for a Monday, it has not been usual. I was supposed to go up to Yellowknife with Liz and hang out with her when she wasn't in with the doctor. It was supposed to be a fun girls day and a great break from work. Unfortunately it didn't work out as it looked like I was going to get bumped off the plane on the way home, so I would end up in Yellowknife overnight.

As I do have to work tomorrow, it was decided that I stay home. So instead, as Kelly had the day off, I decided we should do a day trip and go to Hay River (3 hours away with basically the same stores as Fort Smith). So after some convincing, Kelly agreed and we were off (well once we sent Gracie on the plane - but I will save that for after this explanation of Hay River). We arrived in Hay River at approx. 10 am this morning and we went shopping. It was very fun and exciting to be out of Fort Smith. I definitely needed out for a little while. It turns out our flooring that was supposed to arrive today at our house, didn't get send so we picked it up while we were there. We can finally finish the flooring in the weight room (could be the baby room but we haven't really decided yet). So I am super excited for that. The bowling alley wasn't open until 4 pm so we unfortunately couldn't partake in a fun game of bowling. We had a good trip, had lunch out and then came home. It was fun and exciting and well worth the trip (at least I think so).

In the mean time, we had sent Gracie up to Yellowknife to get checked out by the vet. She has been having problems with her right hip and she just recently has started limping with her left foot. So we phoned the vet and they suggested that she come up and get checked out. So, off she went on the plane this morning to go see if we could find out what is wrong. So they had sedated her and taken some x-rays of her. We came home from Hay River to find out that she has torn the ligament in her knee and her hips seem to be fine. The only way to fix this in a large dog is by surgery so we await the information regarding this surgery. This can be done in Yellowknife, so that is OK, but we do not know when they can do it. Once she has the surgery she will be kennel bound for three months. She is not to jump or anything while she is recovering so she gets to go pee and go in her kennel. So, we need to get a new kennel for her as she needs one larger than what she currently has now. Right now, I am anxiously awaiting hearing news from the vet. I want to make it so that Gracie is not in pain any more and I want to make sure she is getting the care that she needs. So as more information unfolds, I will let you all know.

Well that is all for now. Catch you all later.

Nothing new

2007-02-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

Well, this week has been uneventful (at least for us here in Fort Smith). We have been taking it easy and now Kelly is doing some training for work (all the pilots are - it is one of their annual training sessions).

I got confirmation yesterday that I will be going back up to Yellowknife on March 21-23, 2007 for union negotiations. Hopefully we will be able to get this finished so that we can start on the contract that is coming up (starting April 1, 2007). This batch of negotiations seem to be taking a long time to get completed. Maybe this is the way it usually works, but it has not been this way since I started at Trailcross.

I am going up to Yellowknife on Monday for a girls day with Liz. She actually has a reason for going, but I am just tagging along to get out of town. Hopefully this will still happen - it is really going to depend on the numbers. Apparently they are starting to be very high, which is not good news for me.

As far as baby news goes, I do not have a lot to report as on the outside nothing seems to be changing a whole lot. The baby is now the size of a sweet juicy peach (I love how the books actually describe the size of the baby - it is always about food) and the eyes are now moving from the side of the head towards the middle (where they will stay). My stomach is still measuring the same size, however I have been told that I am starting to show a little. My pants are starting to get tight, so to me that means it has got to be changing a little. Maybe the toilet paper measuring does not work (it's a long story that involves my online baby group - we all measure our bellys with toilet paper every Tuesday). My belly has measured the same size since the 7th week. In the scheme of things I guess is has only been 6 weeks. Maybe I will start changing that soon.

We haven't thought about everything we need for the little ones arrival, so I was a little unprepared for someone at work asking me what I would want for a baby shower. I have been told that I need to start coming up with a list of what Kelly and I want. I have been in the "lets make it through the first trimester" mode that I haven't really thought too much about anything else. I guess that now that the first trimester will be over on Monday (14 weeks along YEAH!!!) we better start thinking about what will happen in the next year. Anyways, enough rumblings. I should go and get ready for the day. Liz, Erin and I are supposed to be having a girls afternoon, so I need to go brush my teeth.

I hope everyone is doing OK and I will let you know if anything comes up.

Happy Birthday and Happy Valentines Day

2007-02-14T19:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Scott. I hope that your day goes well.

Also, Happy Valentines Day to everyone. May your day be full of romance and loving.

Our news

2007-02-08T18:43:00.000-07:00

Well, most everyone knows by now, but we are expecting our first child at the end of August. We are 11 weeks and 4 days along in the pregnancy.

Today was the first time that we got to hear the heart beat. It was the most amazing thing to hear. I have been waiting for this since we found out before Christmas. The heart beat was fast and strong. Everything seems to be going good.

After some discussion with our midwife, it has been decided that I try this medication called Diclectin. Due to the nausea (which could be a lot worse, I am definitely not complaining), I have not been able to get enough fluids in my body. By taking this safe medication, this should enable me to get more fluids down without feeling sick.

The one not so positive thing that we heard today was that I may possibly be having problems with my kidney. It could be nothing, but the midwife is double checking everything to make sure that we can have the healthiest pregnancy possible. I may be getting an early ultrasound (before April) because of the possibility of kidney stones. They want to do the ultrasound early because when they baby grows bigger the baby sometimes blocks the view that they are looking for. This may change as well as soon as I start getting more fluids in my body. At this point we are not really worried about this. I should know more by the end of the month. Until then, everything is good, and the baby is growing. According to books, the baby is the size of a large lime.

Other than this news, there hasn't been a whole lot of new news. Kelly is still flying lots and he is loving every minute of it. Gracie is doing great. She can't wait until summer as she will get more walks in. Right now it is way too cold to be out for long walks - even with the parka.

Anyways that is all for now. We will be posting more regularly. We haven't until now because all I wanted to write about was the baby, and it was too early to do that. Now that I have heard the heart beat, I figure it is fair game to talk about.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-24T11:01:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas everyone. May all your christmas wishes come true and may you all have a wonderful day.

Picture of Kelly and I

2006-12-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture from Kelly's Christmas Party. It is very rare that we actually get a photo (good) together so I thought I would share with everyone. Enjoy.

Last weekend mostly

2006-12-09T09:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was full of hockey as I played in the Fort Smith hockey tournament. It was jam packed with 5 games and we ended up in 4th place. We did an awesome job, and I have improved greatly. I actually achieved my first assist last weekend (to which I won the Prize Patrol for that game). One game I successfully passed the puck to myself by bouncing it off the boards skating forward and having it hit my puck. This is really quite advantageous especially if you have a member of the opposite team standing there waiting for you to give them the puck. Kelly laughed a lot at me because I had a few really Kara-like moments (one of which I spun on the ice for quite a while because I couldn't stop spinning).

I also attended the annual Ambulance Christmas party where I managed to get rid of the Lost Sole Award. Thank goodness I took a leave of absence otherwise I think it still may have been mine (it was a close race and I only lost by 1). The party was good (I arrive 2 hours later because I had a hockey game - I'm dedicated can you tell).

I baby sat Keewaitin on on Wednesday. That was fun, although he really wasn't feeling too good. This caused him to not want to be put down, snuggle time only. He ate one cracker (which got all over me) and didn't want anything else - until Charis (mom) came over. Then I watched him get all excited and play like he normally is. He is an adorable kid.

Kelly and I are attending the Northwestern Christmas Party tonight and hopefully will be attending the Hockey Garage sale this morning. Other than that, nothing is really happening here. Hopefully something exciting will happen tonight so I can do another post.

Back in Fort Smith

2006-11-30T23:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I got back from Yellowknife tonight (7:00) and went to play hockey at 10:00. It was interesting. I now have a jersey (and soon my name will be on it) as well as socks that match our jersey. It definitely makes me feel more like part of the team.

For those of you who didn't know I play hockey (new development this year) I am and my positions are usually the forward positions (left, center and right). It is fun and definitely a workout (which is great). We have a tournament here in Fort Smith this weekend and I am guaranteed to play four games so cross our fingers everything will go well and we will win.

Negotiations did not get finished so I will be going back up to Yellowknife to continue them at some point in the New Year. It is unfortunate that more couldn't be done this week, however we needed to do things the exact way that they happened. Who knows what will happen. I spent three days up in Yellowknife and worked for maybe a total of 6-7 hours the whole time. The rest of the time was spent shopping and spending time with friends in Yellowknife. It was definitely a good experience and a good break from work.

Well, it is late and I should really get ready for bed. That's pretty much all of the news that I have right now anyway. I will keep you posted for further news on the tournament.

Negotiations

2006-11-28T22:17:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. I am up in Yellowknife for Union Negotiations (for work) and I have decided I love it. This is of course mainly because I haven't had to do any real sort of work and I spent a good portion of the day shopping. Gotta love it.

I got into Yellowknife this morning at 8:10 and we went to the hotel room. I found out that I got a hotel suite. My own room, kitchen, living room, bathroom and storage room with a washer and dryer. It is sweet. Considering I thought I would have a room with a bed and a t.v. and that was it, this is awsome. Plus the hotel is right across from Wal-Mart (which for those who know Yellowknife it is also right beside the hospital - convienent especially considering my track record).

I went to supper with Ben and Steph tonight and the food was delicious. I forgot my leftovers either at the restaurant or at Ben and Steph's house (which is really unfortunate). It was good fun to see both of them again and I spent a lot of time laughing (which is great). I met their two puppies who are really cute and well behaved.

Well, not much else has happened today. It has been fun, but I am looking forward to going home on Thursday night. Well, I should go to bed now. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow.

Welcome to our page

2006-11-26T18:51:00.000-07:00

Well, we decided to try out a blog page in order to share with everyone what is happening in our lives. As we are so far away, we do not always get to see all of our loved ones, so this will hopefully be a way that we can keep in touch.

Currently the weather here is cold however it could be much colder. Christmas is coming soon and we are starting to get into the Christmas spirit. Soon it will be time to decorate our Christmas tree and get our Christmas decorations up. I can't wait. This time of year is always exciting. The lights, sights, sounds and smells are always great.

We are looking forward to May when we get to go to Cancun for my brothers wedding. This will be fun as this will be a family vacation and wedding all in one. Plus, we get to leave Fort Smith and experience Mexico (at least I will if my passport ever shows up).

I will be going up to Yellowknife this week for Union Negotiations and hopefully that will not be as bad as I am anticipating. This will definately be a learning experience that I am sure I will never forget.