31+31

Someone's looking quite scampy and saucy these days
... and it's not me

31 weeks pregnant, with a little monkey that turns 31-months old tomorrow. Time sure is flying, isn't it?

Also, important to note that I finally realized why they call it a 'geriatric pregnancy' when you're over 35. It's because by the time you're 31 weeks pregnant, you feel like you're 97. Heartburn, acid reflux, swollen ankles, and scoliosis. It just doesn't get more glamorous than that.

Happy (almost) February to all!

Cairo

I’ve been listening to the news reports coming out of Cairo. How scary that they’ve cut the phone and internet service. I hope the rumours of looting at the Egyptian Museum are untrue.

How amazing that the protesters insist they are staying out in the streets until the government steps down – this in a country where protest is unheard of. The stories of the police changing sides and joining the protesters are amazing.

It makes me remember our trip to Egypt in 2005. Rob and I walked around in shock and marvelled, mouths agape, at the history, the beauty, the ancient pyramids, and the amazing culture of Cairo. When we asked our local guide – a young archaeology student – if Egyptians felt pride at being such a cradle of civilization, she said that no, most people were just worried about getting enough food to eat. Hopefully this protest will help correct that.

Here are some Cairo photos from our amazing journey:

Odds and ends

Nothing much exciting to report on this end. It's winter (meh). It's been cold (brr) and I am roughly the size of flipper - that's about 1,000 lbs if you didn't know (insert Flipper sounds here).

Evy has been dabbling (dribbling?) in toilet training. She likes the idea of it, likes the underpants, but alas also likes to fill them with ure-een. Sigh. Maybe we'll wait another month and try again. She seems to have the capacity to pee 300 times a day (don't rats do that? leave a continuous pee-trail? Double-sigh).

Gotta say though, she is SUPER proud whenever she puts on a pair of undies. (Hellloooooo, big girl underpants are AWESOME afterall!):



We had another icy cold spell over the weekend 'til Monday. Bundled up and made ourselves go outside for a little while on Sunday, at least to get some vitamin D. And any excuse to come back inside and drink a big mug o' Ovaltine, right?

Here's little rosy cheekers, playing 'King of the Castle':


Which switches suddenly to 'Queen of the Drama', i.e. "Mommy, my hands are ice cubes, making me lose control of my musculature and collapse in a sobbing heap... waaaaaaahhhh"


Let's see, in other news, we're fighting that cold that's going around. My favourite remedy (when you're pregnant and a shot of Bailey's and 2 advil cold&sinus is not recommended) is to slather on the Vicks VapoRub. Best smell in the world. I have a wee jar that expired in 2003 (hello, haven't I lived in about 4 different houses, including one in England, since then?? Not sure how I still have it, but I'm pretty sure it's like a fine wine - only improves with age).

Seriously, that's how dull life is right now. I'm actually writing about expired pharmaceuticals (and not even cool ones like hillbilly heroin). Maybe February will be more exciting?

Seashells by the seashore

My plan has been to decorate the spare room (aka the bambino's room) with a seashore theme. As I told Alice, it's going to be our "Fundy in Millbrook" space. Found this fabric at Ikea, which is faaaaabulous! (You don't think that giant 2-foot crabs will give the baby nightmares or indigestion, do you?!)

From IKEA's Annamoa collection. Fabulous patterns - I got some
of the multicolour to do something fun in Evy's room too. Couldn't
resist the birds and crazy colours.

Rob picked it up for me today, and I'll get started on making curtains sometime in the next millenium. (Have I ever told you about my roman blinds that I started in 2008? They're going to be awesome when they're done, I swear!)

Listen, I'm the first to admit, I have a disease when it comes to fabric. A quality fabric store is like sewing porn - I'm absolutely addicted. However, when it comes to completing projects, I have slightly less enthusiasm. I blame the Higginson genes. But hopefully that crazy state of mind called 'nesting' will appear soon, and I'll get inspired.

In terms of wall colour, I'm thinking white wainscotting up to about 4 feet and then this Benjamin Moore shade, appropriately entitled Costa Rica Blue. Dreamy, non? We have some great prints by Judy Joel, who's artwork we discovered on a trip to Cornwall, UK. And, I think it should be quite dreamy when it's done!

So, 73 days until my due date... who wants to come over and do the insulation, minor demolition of an old chimney stack and drywall? I promise it'll be... um... fun?

In other news

I am getting extremely rotund...

Gaaaaaaaaaah!

Sweet merciful son of an ice crystal! It's COLD out there.

My observations from this morning:

- power steering doesn't work when your car is FROZEN solid
- neither does your suspension
- and your tires somehow turn into squares
- and why the hell aren't I still ensconsed in flannel in bed?????

Small town fun

One of the benefits of living in a small town with a high water-table-level is the skating opportunities! (The drawbacks, of course being the damp basements, but you take the good with the bad, non?).

We went to a neighbour's skating party at their own private pond yesterday and we had a very jolly time indeed. Met some folk we hadn't met before, ate, drank, and were very merry. The menfolk played some hockey after the kids got tuckered out, and considering their ages ranged from 35 to 70 and skill levels from zero to sub-zero, there were only minor injuries and a few calls of slashing.

But, before all that, the kiddies took to the ice for some fun.

Evy and Maia
Not sure if they are practicing for the luge, or just tired

Brave little girl was skating sans-parental help.
(Skating should be in quotation marks.)

Not sure if this is shock at the cold, or
amazement at Rob's awesome double flip moves

And then more fun today, which was an absolutely dreamy while incredibly freezing cold day. (Just look at that blue sky! It was glorious, if you were wearing 11 layers and a balaclava!). A lovely opportunity to slide down the driveway. (Hey, any hill is awesome when you're two!)

Wheeee daddy!

Getting a running start.

Then, this afternoon we did more skating on the pond (um, yes, it's still darn cold out there) and then had dinner with the neighbours. Other weekend highlights included a walk to the bakery, visiting with friends and their new puppy, and playing on the path Rob cleared up the backyard to the old school.

So, this weekend was pretty darn relaxing. Let's see, two meals out, skating on multiple ponds, sledding, playing, and I didn't get in the car once all weekend! Faaaaabulous! Yes, small town living is pretty great.

Now, to come to terms with the fact that the thermometer says it's -24 degrees and I have to get up and go to work tomorrow! Boooo!

Choo choo

Charley and Sammy (and Lee, Chris and Kismet) came over for some afternoon fun yesterday. Mainly, because Charley and Sam needed to scope out Evy's new train table. (Don't ask - it was fueled by my Kijiji addiction and Evy's budding obsession with trains. Wonder where she got that from? And wonder where I got my Kijiji addition from.... ALICE!)

The boys were most impressed with the new set-up. I think they're awesome too, though I mourn the loss of my living room. It's now officially the 'playroom'. Sigh. Maybe I can cover the train table and use it as a large coffee table on occasion?

Madam could not have been more excited to show the cuz's her new gear

And Charley (King of all things train-related)
gave the set-up a stamp of approval

Of course, with Ev and Sam around, the train play can only last so long. They find other exceedingly entertaining things to do with great ease and enthusiasm. For example, dressing up!

Why that tutu makes me want to kiss you!

Dressing up makes us SO happy!

Also, dressing up kinda makes us CRAZY!

And so, a good time was had by all. We're so lucky to have those crazy boys living close by! Feels like they've always been just down the road, and I know it's enriched (um... enlivened? envolumed? encrazied?) Evy's life in a thousand wonderful ways!

Memory lane

One of the xmas presents from my lovely husband was a series of black and white framed photos from the vault of family history. These are now hanging on the wall of our downstairs hall and look quite lovely.



Some of the pictures are family, a few are historical photos from Millbrook, and some are just lovely vintage black and white photos we've picked up on our travels. A few of the gems include:

Rob's maternal grandpa (Prince Charming) and
grandma (the chicken) in a church play

Evelyn's middle-name-sake Maude

with a little baby great granny Barbara
(oh, only from about 92 years ago!)

And my paternal grandparents - a seriously dapper Poppa
(hellooooo, dreamboat!) and Nanny (who is just a olde
fashioned version of sister Pee and cousin Jules)

Looks great, doesn't it? You don't want to see how many nail holes are covered up by the pictures now though... it's kinda like a swiss cheese wall. Not so easy to fit 19 framed photos on a wall while keeping some semblance of spacing and order. But, twas finally accomplished with a minimum of profanity.

Thanks to handy-hubs for the thoughtful gift, making all the frames, and for getting many reprints and enlargements made! I love our little piece of history wall!

Evy 2.5

Well, somehow my little gal is two and a half!

That's 30 months of hilarity, love, laughter, frustration, madness, chaos, and glee. She's definitely turning in to quite a little clown, and though she's still tiny, she seems very far removed from that little 6lb bundle that came home from the hospital with us.

Hark! What's this I hear?
Someone was born two and a half years ago today?

That's 2.5 years of silly smiles

30 months of mischief

913 days of high fashion

21,900 hours of monkeying around

1,314,000 minutes of grace and beauty
(ok, maybe not grace - she is my child after all)

And 78,840,000 seconds of making everyone she meets fall in love with her!

Happy 2.5 little lady! I can't wait to see how you thrive, grow and change in the coming year. A new sibling, potty training, your big-girl bed and a thousand other untold adventures await you. Am so glad I get to be on this amazing journey with you! (Um, despite the fact that you're upstairs destroying your mattress right now - an hour after I put you to bed! Sigh - 2.5 is definitely still within the realm of terrible twos, isn't it?)