A weekend in Halifax

I have been a terrible blogger this week! All of our stuff has been packed up and loaded onto a truck - including my modem so I'm left with an air mattress, a few articles of clothing and the worst part - no Internet. This week I plan to spend a few evenings at Starbucks so will hopefully stay in the loop a bit more. For now though, since it's always better late than never, I wanted share a few pictures from last weekend.


Ron started his job in Halifax last Monday so I went down to take advantage of the hotel they put him up in and some much needed time together. We had a great weekend together, despite the rain on Sunday. We enjoyed the city, we REALLY enjoyed the hotel, but most importantly we enjoyed just hanging out. Our work schedules lately have meant that we haven't had much time together and this was the first weekend it was just he and I in a very long time. It's amazing to think how few of those days we have left. In just a few weeks time it will be the three of us!

Only two more weeks and Ron and I will be together - finally. I can't tell you how anxious I am for July to be over and August to start.

We have a place to live!

Last weekend I mentioned that we are moving to Halifax. It is very exciting, but at the same time, incredibly overwhelming. There is so much to sort out - and I'll be arriving less than 5 weeks before our baby girl is due and have been worried about finding a doctor, finding a home and coordinating this move.

Ron flew out on Monday morning, which was really tough, and I have been feeling pretty stressed since he left. But today was a GOOD day and I am feeling so much better about it all. Today, we made huge progress - today we found a place to live! Ron has been looking at apartments the last few days and finally found the perfect spot. We applied right away and got word late this afternoon that we had been approved. I couldn't be more excited! The building is beautiful and apparently the apartment is too. It is right in the heart of downtown, which is great because we plan to maintain our 'car-free' lifestyle. It's less than 2 blocks from his work and less than a block from the closest Starbucks - seriously - what else could we want? We are surrounded by great bars and restaurants and the rooftop patio has great views of the harbour.

I just can't wait for July to be over so that we can get in and start unpacking and making the place feel like home...not just for us, but for our new baby girl.

Moving

I've known for a while we would be moving. As much as we both love it, we knew that our 520 square foot, 1 bedroom apartment in the heart of downtown Toronto wasn't going to have quite enough room for the three of us. What we weren't sure of, was where: mid-town Toronto, southern-Ontario, somewhere else? Well, after weeks of uncertainty, its now official - we are headed to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Ron was offered a great job out there, and I will be on maternity leave the next 12 months anyway, so we figured it was the perfect time to spend a year on the East Coast. We are both from that way (Ron's from Cape Breton and I'm from New Brunswick) and I am thrilled that our baby girl will get to spend so much time with her family in her first 12 months.

I have so many mixed emotions about it all. I am excited to be near the ocean again (although the Pacific would have been nice), and I cannot wait to be so close to family and friends. Halifax is a great city and I know we will love being in the heart of downtown for the next year. But moving is SO much work. Ron leaves on Monday, and I stay for a month to finish up at work and get things ready for the move. I hate the thought of another month without him, and there is SO much packing and purging to be done for this move! I have never liked to wish away time, but I cannot wait until July is done and we are settling into our new place and beginning a new chapter.

Best package EVER

I don't know if I've said it on here before, but I have a pretty amazing man in my life. Unfortunately, the last 6 months he has been working out of town, which means we have been doing the long distance thing. Well, today that all comes to an end and he's coming back...which makes today a pretty spectacular day. Just when I thought it couldn't get much better - I came home to find the best package ever in our mailbox. It was addressed to our little girl, from her father and of COURSE I ripped it open right away. Inside was the most precious little bath wrap, some teethers and a BEAUTIFUL card celebrating the upcoming arrival of our little girl. I'm pretty in love with two people right now, and I'm not going to lie, am feeling pretty darn lucky.

Oh, and since the package did come addressed to our little girl, I had to blur the name. While we have pretty much narrowed it down - we arn't telling.

The perfect patio date

I don't know many people here in Toronto so I've been working on developing a network of friends, and now that I'm pregnant it is actually becoming easier! I've been going to bootcamp bellies and yoga at Baby & Me Fitness, and in addition to getting a great workout, I have been LOVING meeting other pregnant ladies here in Toronto. Well, tonight I went to my first meetup with the New Toronto Mom's and Mom's to Be Group. It was mom-to-be patio date, and the perfect way to spend a hot, summer evening. Being able to talk with other women about their pregnancy journey is one of my favourite things about this experience. I am going to love going to more of these events in the coming months, and hopefully making lots of new-baby friends for our little girl!

Beautiful Victoria Day in Niagara Falls

Today was a MUCH needed holiday Monday, so Ron and I decided to head down to Niagara Falls for the day. It couldn't have been more perfect! The weather was amazing and we had such a great day together. We did a little bit of shopping over in Buffalo - including lunch at the cheesecake factory then headed back for an afternoon by the falls. Here are a few of the highlights from Niagara.

Comparing my belly with the hershey kiss'. This is me at 25 weeks!

A much needed refreshment on a HOT summer day!

Me and baby girl at Niagara Falls.

It was a perfect day.

Happy Mothers Day

I know our little girl hasn't entered the world just yet, however she is already a BIG part of our lives, so today, Ron and I celebrated my first mother's day. We only got home from Cuba at 4am but we still got up early and went out for waffles and lattes - SO good!! Then this afternoon we went to my favourite place, chipotle, for some mother's day tacos. It was a VERY special day, and I am still amazed that next year we will be celebrating with our little girl.

Originally posted May 9th

Back from Cuba

We arrived back home at 4am this morning after an amazing 8 days in Cuba. It was SO hard to come back. I'll post a few selected pictures once I have had time to go through them all, but for the time being, here is the perfect shot for mother's day.

Originally posted on May 9th

Packing

I'm packing for two trips tonight - the left is for Saturday's trip to Cuba, the right is for tomorrow's work trip to Vancouver. Guess which one I'm more excited about?

Originally posted on April 27th

What a week!

It's only Tuesday and I am already exhausted! With my vacation just 4 days away (SOOOOO excited) I have a ton that needs to be done at the office before I leave on Friday. Throw onto that a two-day work trip to Vancouver and I'm still not sure how it is all going to happen. Yes, I am off to Vancouver tomorrow morning at 5am, back Thursday at midnight. The image of the beach in Varadero is the only thing keeping me sane!

Originally posted on April 27th

A very busy weekend

As I mentioned on Friday, there is a LOT I don't know! So given the fact that in just four months I'll be responsible for a baby girl, I decided to take a first aid/cpr course. I was lucky that I was able to convince Danielle to come with me. Here she is doing CPR on a baby. I now officially have a babysitter.

Originally posted on April 25th

Pre-natal classes...check

I have just registered Ron and I for pre-natal classes. I am really excited, however don't think he will feel the same way so I haven't told him yet :) They don't start until July, but I am already looking forward to it. We will be taking the "Preparation for Childbirth" series through Sunneybrook, and I have a feeling we are going to need all the preparation help we can get!

Originally posted April 23rd