Calming before the storm(ing)

[caption id="attachment_1975" align="aligncenter" width="388"] Snuggles for siblings[/caption]

Our current "child" is needy, high energy and relatively spastic most times.  When it is just G and I at home she calms down and is the snuggle bug we know and love.  When we have visitors? She won't settle, wants to jump and leap and lick everyone and just get all the attention from all the new people.  It is so overwhelming both for us and for those coming for a visit. We have been making such a huge effort with her lately to calm that wild spirit and get her to just relax.  We want everyone else to get to enjoy her the way we do...a snuggley, tooting, snoring, sweetheart.  Not a wild eyed, jumpy, nibbly, excited tinkler.

 I feel bad because lately she has been hearing a lot of "down, no, off, NO" from us...and yes I realize she is a dog, but she sure has the puppy dog eye look down pat to make us feel bad after we reprimand her.  We both just want her to be a good girl, and not accidentally smother/jump on the baby once that big change happens.  Everyone tells us how quickly the pup becomes second fiddle once a baby arrives, and I can definitely see that happening...I am just hoping we are able to keep working with her over the next two months and tame some of that wild puppy spirit.  I tried explaining to her this morning that she will be spending a LOT of time in the newly fenced in yard if she doesn't simmer down, at least a little.  I am sure once Gus starts eating some real food, Brooklyn will realize that the baby is her meal ticket (or snack ticket I guess?!) but until then I just sense her getting annoyed that someone else has her parent's full attention.  (I guess I should say owners?  But it's hard not to think of her as our fur baby..maybe that is the problem hahaha)

Weekend Report---crafting with mama edition

Garret was away this weekend so I went to my Mum's and had a lovely weekend crafting, ice cream eating, napping, snuggling with my nephew, chasing Brooklyn, organizing, laughing, reflecting and hanging out.  Friday night my sister in law and nephew were there as well so we had some laughs, and girl time--was wonderful.

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As always these weekends that I so look forward to fly by and my list of  what I hope to accomplish doesn't quite get crossed off.  I tend to forget I am a mere mortal and like everyone else only have X amount of hours in the day.  Aaaand like many other pregnant ladies I need to schedule "napping" somewhere in between crafting, movie watching and dog walking.

I do have a nice feeling of accomplishment from the weekend though, which I am hoping to use to push me through this week of things to do.  My Mum and I went through some of my old boxes of "stuff" at her place, as well as a box that was my Dad's.  My boxes were fun, we got to laugh at old pictures, weird things that I just HAD to keep once upon a time (and I could finally at age 33 be convinced to throw out)

 It is unsettling to try to take a step back and examine ones life based on the items that remain behind. As we were going through my father's things I couldn't help but wonder who will be the one going through my things one day when I am gone. There were so many random things that had obviously meant enough to the man to cart around with him for years and years, but held no meaning to me. Pictures of people I don't know, matches for restaurants I have never been to.  Memories that just don't belong to me.  I guess I felt a bit sad that there are those parts in his life I will never know anything about....and to be honest  it also gave me a creepy sense of my own mortality. I thought of one day, my children, or Garret, going through boxes wondering why I kept some of the things I did, a Radiohead concert ticket from '96, random childhood toys, my weird treasures that could only mean something to me.  It is just interesting to see the physical manifestation of what is left behind when you are gone.  Everyone has their own personal memories of you, but you will still have left a footprint, a mysterious paper trail of what once meant something to you.

Here is a picture of Brooklyn so I can end this on a more positive note:

[caption id="attachment_2041" align="aligncenter" width="388"] iStalker 2.0...still a-snoozing[/caption]

iStalker

My friend Harrison and his parents gave us a really cool shower gift.  This baby monitor from Apple...we set it up last night and it is really cool.  We were playing with it last night and decided it set it up in the kitchen today so we can see what Brooklyn does while we are at work.[gallery type="square" ids="2025,2023,2024"]

It is no wonder why she is all pumped up and raring to go when we get home! She spends the day in her bed.  This is definitely a fun piece of technology that is going to be really neat to have to spy on the baby..oh wait I mean keep an eye on the baby.

The Walshs

I love these 1.5 people more than anything in the world

Weekend Report--The baby shower edition

Gus Gus and I got crazy spoiled this weekend by all the ladies in my life.  Sunday was a beautiful day--the weather was just perfect and being surrounded by friends and family was just wonderful.  My day started off with coffee with G and Brooklyn...then on to my sister in law's who did my hair oh so pretty. She is amazing with hair and make up and while I have mastered a pony tail, sometimes you just wana look a bit snazzier....

My mother in law took honestly about 1,000 pictures which will take her a while to go through so in the meantime I am going to post some of the trusty iPhone photos that people have been sending me.  I will amend this to include a really cute one that is on Garret's phone that is taking him forever and ever to send to me. So...in the meantime, a glimpse of my sweet babe getting super duper spoiled by everyone.

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Belated Weekend Report--33rd Birthday Edition

[caption id="attachment_1984" align="aligncenter" width="388"] Birthday dinner at The Farmhouse in Barrie[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1985" align="aligncenter" width="388"] Went to a friends cottage for a few hours and tried to get Brooklyn to love swimming. #epicfail She was clinging to Garret and kept trying to climb up him whenever we put her in![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1986" align="aligncenter" width="388"] As per Walsh tradition we had to stop at Webers on the way home. Someone snuck a fry or two.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1987" align="aligncenter" width="388"] I said I didn't want one but I ended up eating half of G's anyway[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1988" align="aligncenter" width="388"] Birthday movie date at the Barrie Drive in. Garret, Gus, Brooklyn and I curled up in the back of the truck with a pile of pillows and blankets and watched Grownups 2 and Pacific Rim (I slept through most of the second one)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1989" align="aligncenter" width="388"] Miss B getting all pumped at the preview for Despicable me 2[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1990" align="aligncenter" width="388"] Best present of all...Garret and our friend Regan built us a fence[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1991" align="aligncenter" width="388"] A Fence, a Fence, my kingdom for a fence[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1992" align="aligncenter" width="388"] Birthday pressie---a really snazzy watch that I LOVE! Just have to get some links taken out so it fits on my bird like wrist[/caption]

How I'm feeling lately (Vol. 3)

[caption id="attachment_1980" align="aligncenter" width="388"] Granted I am wearing Birkenstocks not Givenchy, but the feeling is the same[/caption]

Image found here

[caption id="attachment_1981" align="aligncenter" width="388"] I feel like I could fall asleep anywhere at any time.[/caption]

Image from here

I think it has just been the heat the past few days but holy smokes I am just feeling all kinds of swollen and tired.  I had a doctors appointment mid day yesterday so took the day off work.  When I got home I hit the couch and forced Brooklyn to snuggle with me for a glorious nap.  I know that exercise is so important when pregnant, but the past few days it has consumed all of my energy just to remain standing and awake while necessary.   REALLY looking forward to the heat breaking later this week.  Again, extremely thankful for the bedroom air conditioner my Mum got us!

Birthday Poem (#outofthedoghouse)

My beloved is not so much a morning person.  So much so that G claims he cannot function much before 9am and he has had his coffee and a good hour or two to wake up.  (this bodes well for the insanity that will be our sleep schedule when the baby comes!)

This morning for instance....my birthday....was slightly, if just briefly, forgotten as he rushed about getting ready for work.  He clearly felt AWFUL when he realized he hadn't wished me happy birthday because by the time I got to work his facebook status had been updated to read:

Roses are red,
Violets are blue...
Today is your birthday,
No longer 32...

We fell in love,
Back when I turned 24...
After that night,
I'm surprised you didn't walkout the door!

Now we're both older,
And I love every day...
You're my beautiful wife,
With baby on the way!

Although our old life together,
May not exist much longer...
My love for our family,
Will only get stronger!

33 is just a number,
13 is too...
Except 13 are the years I waited
For the chance to fall in love with you!

Now almost 6 years have passed,
Since we met in the fall...
Who would have thought,
It would come from a phone call!

Happy birthday to the love of my life, and best friend...Julia Walsh xoxo

---I think his mostly gets him out of the doghouse, no?

A Boy and his Dog

When we got Brooklyn I really thought she would be our dog. Loving the two of us equally with her whole puppy heart.  This has not so much been the case. She is 100% a Daddy's girl. It doesn't matter that I am the one who walks her, and 9 times out of 10 feeds her, if she has her choice between me and G...she is ALL his.  I keep having this vision of Gus and Brooklyn all snuggled up with G and me all alone on the couch. Ha (clearly I have a flair for the dramatic)

This is a picture G sent me the other weekend when he and his girl were out running some errands.  She is just chilling and supervising from her fave perch--front seat of the truck.  Poor thing, I wonder if she knows what craziness is about to be upon her...someone else who will be requiring more of her Dad's attention.  At least the baby won't be riding shot gun in the car anytime soon.

How I'm feeling lately (Vol. 2)

[caption id="attachment_1971" align="aligncenter" width="388"] Gus vs Bladder[/caption]

The past week or so I have been spending an insane amount of time peeing.  (sorry for the TMI y'all)  When I look at the amount of liquid intake vs how often I have to go, the numbers just don't add up.  It would seem that Gus Gus has taken up residence chilling on top of my bladder.   I was joking around with G and told him I would find a picture to accurately highlight my feelings.  Gus is angry looking kid in the yellow, my bladder is the whiny one all arm-barred into submission.