phantom

So guess what I did last night... went to Phantom of the Opera in Calgary with my mom and my sister. Our seats were on the sixth row back from the stage - well worth every penny that I paid. It was sooooo good! The costumes and sets and curtains were so rich and colorful. And the actors/actresses did such a wonderful job. For an hour and a half I felt like I was in a whole different world. It was also fun to spend time with my momma and Paige on the drive up and back. And to top it all off, Roman was a good boy for his daddy and grandma Davis - thank goodness he takes a bottle. The only bad thing is that yet again I am reminded of my total lack of any sort of singing voice. I have always wished I could sing.

On another note, the reason I have not posted in quit some time is because I am still not moved into my house. I spend all my free time doing two things.
1. Holding Ro because he is bored of laying down but can't sit up yet and has learned a new cry, at least until you pick him up and he can smile at you. And yes Lindsay it is a whole new kind of the-world-is-coming to-an-end cry. I don't feel like I can let him cry it out either because we are staying with my family and I don't want to annoy them. Soon I hope, soon we will be in our house.
2. Fixing up my house - which is made much much harder by reason number one. There are a lot more things than we thought that need to be fixed up. I know that is to be expected with a first house, but there are a few things that are a little hard to swallow. I won't get into it, but we are just working along as best and as fast as we can.

So hopefully sooner than later I will be posting from my own computer in my own house.

Ro and Alli

So as many of you know the Oilers lost game seven for the Stanley Cup. We were sad. But we did have fun wathcing the game and having a BBQ with Susie, Ryan, Lindsay, Derek, and Alli. Probably the last time we will hang out with all of them before we move - onle a few more days until we move! It has been fun being in Edmonton the same time as them. We were all in the same ward for awhile, me and Lindsay worked together, me and Susie played soccer together, and of course having Alli and Ro.
Here's Alli and Ro all dressed up for the game - not Oilers colors - we'll say they are in red and white for Canada colors.

dads

Ro doesn't like the computer; every time I sit down he cries or wakes up from his nap. I started this post on Saturday in anticipation of Fathers Day, and here I sit trying to finish it a day late.

Brad BBQ'd on Fathers Day. I offered to make whatever he wanted for dinner, but he wanted BBQ and he is the BBQer in our house. Ro and Brad took a nap together on the couch and we all watched the basketball game together Sunday night. A fun day.

1. Happy Fathers Day to my dad. I love you dad. I could never begin to tell you how much I love you and all that you mean to me on this blog, so I will wait until I see you in person (which is soon - only a week until we move down!)
I have always known that my dad would do anything for me, family comes first. Us kids come second, only to my mom - which is the way I think it should be - I have never questioned my dad's love for my mom. He has shown me how I should be treated as a wife. I have never questioned my dad's love for me. I am grateful that I have learned that love not only from his actions, but from him telling me he loves me all the time. I am glad he has always been worthy of his priesthood and has always been a rock for my testimony.

2. Happy Fathers Day to my dad-in-law. I love you too. I have felt so welcomed into the family by you. I could not ask for a better father in law. I admire the father and grandfather that you are. I am grateful to you for showing Brad by example how to be a good father and husband. Thank you.

3. And last but not least, happy first Fathers Day to Brad. I love you. You are an amazing father and husband. I always knew Brad would make a great dad, it is one of the reasons I married him. Fatherhood comes so naturally to him, I think more naturally than motherhood comes to me. I always tell Brad I love him - when he leaves for work, when we go to bed, when we talk on the phone... And of course I mean it when I say it, but I say it so much that it is - for lack of a better word - sort of redundant. So for fathers day I wrote Brad a letter telling him why I love him. It was nice to think it over and see it put into words. My love for him grows daily and writing the letter gave it an extra boost. I recommend that everyone write a letter like that now and then to anyone they love.

Funny how I know I have lots of good pictures of the dads, but of course none of them are on the computre, I guess these ones will do.

my new house!

We bought a house this week!
We were planning on moving back to southern alberta at the end of the month and living in my parents house for July and August while they are in Montana. Then we didn't really know where we would be in the fall. We had thought about buying a house, but we would just have to wait and see. Houses in Lethbridge are so expensive, and the opportunity came up to buy this house in Raymond. Houses are selling quick right now in Raymond, and it was a good deal. There were some other people going to look at it Monday night, so spur of the moment Monday morning Brad hurried home from work, we threw a few things into a bag, and took off for Raymond. We take possession on June 30! It all happened so fast but we are really exicted. For those of you from Raymond, the house is Mark and Becky Rompains.
We didn't get the best pictures of it, but here are a few. The grass is getting replaced. And of course Brad already has plans for the landscaping. It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It's a great "starter home". Becky has the house painted really cute, I might change a few things just to make it my own, but we can move right in and feel at home. So that is what we are dong this summer!

three months old

Took Ro to the doctor early this week. I totally forgot about his two month appointment and we missed it because we were down in Raymond, so we had to postpone it a bit! He is 15 lbs 1 oz. and 25 inches. He is doing good and we are having tons of fun with our smiley little boy. Three months old today. He doesn't take very good naps during the day, so it is hard to get anything done. But he sleeps really good at night, which is way better than a good day napper. He usually goes to bed around 11:30 and sleeps until 5:30 or 6:00, eats and goes back to sleep for a few hours.

I started back to work yesterday. I am only working a 4 hour shift a week. Four hours of work is all I can earn to not affect my maternity leave payments. It is just a little extra money and some time away for me and some good Roman and daddy time. He was really good for Brad last night, they sat and watched the hockey game together.


I enjoyed being back at work and seeing everyone, but I had an emotionally hard shift. The situation would have made me sad before, but I think it was made worse because I now have my own child. I can't say too much because of patient confidentiality. One of my patients was a little one with shaken baby syndrome. So tiny, so precious, so innocent - and his life is ruined. He is such a gorgeous little boy. I just don't understand it. I stood there in the dark of his hospital room and held him and cried. I couldn't help it. When I got home I hugged Roman and cried some more. I was so upset and angered, butI am comforted by the belief I have that this precious baby has earned his place in heaven. I am so thankful for my son, my husband, my family, and my in-law family. So thankful that my son, my siblings, my nieces and nephews, my self, and my husband know love from our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.

bod - images

So I skipped week two (layers) but I will come back to it. Here is my week three page. (click on it for a bigger picture) As you can see I "transferred" text instead of an image. I'll try an image another time. Great suggestion to use muslin - I have tons of it lying around because I use it for backing on quilts. I really like how it came out and will for sure try this again. Freezer paper is different in Canada and the US, so I'm not sure if it will work the same. Does anyone from Canada know?

I just taped the muslin to a piece of paper. My scrapbooker extraordinaire sis in law Rhonda suggested printing the text first then using that same piece of paper to tape or glue the muslin to - this way I knew exactly where the text was going to print. Worked like a charm, thanks Rhonda! My Tim Holtz Distress Ink pad worked well to darken/age the muslin. The text is from my journal, some thoughts I had when Ro was 5 weeks old.

happy mom day

Happy Mothers Day!
I had a great mothers day. Roman only woke up once last night for his soother and once to eat. Then Brad took him this morning and I got to sleep in. Best present ever! Brad also took him lots today when he was grumpy and let me relax and do a page in my BOD. And he made me dinner. I also have to give him credit for changing most of the diapers today. Church was good today too - especially because our ward gave the moms chocolates instead of flowers. Yummy.
Brad gave me this chatter box album/scrapbook set to start a book for Ro and some stamps. He also wrote me a letter thanking me and telling me why I am a good mom. It was my favorite present and of course it made me cry.
It was a really nice day today so we spent a little time on the deck enjoying the sunshine. All in all it was a great day. Thanks Bradley. Also, thanks to my momma and my mom in law. Love you both and happy mothers day.

2 month shots

Long time no post. Ro's two month mark has come and gone. 10 weeks this Friday - but who's counting right! Two month immunizations today. Went okay, but I'm sure tomorrow will be the bad day. Funny how at work I can give babies needles, put in feeding tubes, hold them for IVs - it's for their own good right? But when it comes to Ro my heart doesn't do too good. Sure every mom feels the same eh. Anyway, chubbs weighed in at 14 lbs 2 oz and is 24 inches long. 90th and 85th percentiles I think. No wonder my arms hurt! We are having a ton-o-fun with him. He smiles all the time and has found his voice. He lays in his swing and smiles and chats with the fish on the mobile above him. His colic is pretty much gone. And, knock on wood, he has been sleeping for a 5-6 hour stretch at night, with an episode of needing his soother replaced of course. But he still loves to eat every few hours and he only takes good naps if someone is holding him - any tips on breaking these habits? One more bit of info, Brad is done school! Two degrees and looking for a job now. We have a few options and we will see what happens in the next few months. Also counting down the days until Rhonda and Regan and kiddies move home! So exciting!

bod - very late week one!

So here it is, my week one for the BOD - just a little bit late! I have lots of good excuses for why it is late, but I guess that isn't the point eh. At least it's done and I enjoyed taking my time and not rushing it. I am using an old illustrated dictionary. Not sure yet what I am going to do to the cover. (You can click on the pictures to get a bigger one)

My book is a bit different than everyone else's. I have a two month old baby boy, and sure I have a million dreams for him and my little family, but right now I am really enjoying living in the present. So my book is going to focus on Roman right now.

Here it is... It is a smaller book so I am just keeping it simple. Right now I am liking lots of the text showing through. I think I might add some buttons down one side of the page by the pocket, but I wanted black ones and didn't have any at the time.

I came across this quote one day when I was looking around online. I thought it was a good way to sum up how I feel as a new mom.






The tag has Ro's birth stats on it.
I better get going on week two as week three starts tomorrow!

One more thing, everyone is talking about glazes and sealing the page with stuff. Should I be doing that, or is it okay to just leave it as is? Other than mixing the glaze with paint to give and antique color what is the purpose of a glaze?

happy late easter

So I had good intentions of posting this on Easter, but Roman had other plans. This is actually the third time I have sat down to work on this, and I am sure it will not be the last before it is actually done and posted. Roman has had bad colic lately, and to top it all off he got a bad cold yesterday. The colic has been helped by giving him oval at every feed, me taking fennel tabs, and no dairy products for me. So of course I crave milk all day long, but what can ya do.
My family was up for Easter weekend and they all got sick with a really bad cold when they got home. So who knows where it came from, but Roman got it too. The poor little guy can't breath lying down, so he sleeps in our arms or in his new swing. Lucky grandpa Stew and uncle Kurt got him a swing for Easter!
Besides Ro getting sick Easter weekend was lots of fun with my family up here to visit. I love when people haven't seen Ro for awhile and they can see how much he has grown and changed. He is very smiley now and is focusing on things and faces a lot better. He even manages a few smiles through the coughing and sneezing and stuffy nose and fever he has right now. Here are a few pictures from Easter weekend.



Smiley Ro in his silly easter hat with his presents from grandma and grandpa - a swing and a teddy bear.


















Easter hat and chubby belly









Roman was being a happy boy one day so we did a bit of an easter photo shoot. Here are a few pics from it.

little laker

The proud papa and the little Laker fan sat down to watch the game together the other day in their Laker gear. They even brought out Ro's first basketball. (I wish I could say Brad got it especially for Ro because that would be funny, but he already had it) Now they are just waiting for the chubby boy to grow a few more inches so the Lakers pjs fit! I think a Dallas Mavericks onsie would look better, but don't tell Brad.

good ol' southern alberta

At the end of March Roman and I went down to my parents house a few days early and then Brad came down for his spring break. It was tons of fun and I had lots of help with Ro so it was a nice break. My mom and I went on lots of walks and enjoyed the nice weather. Brad and Kurt went snowboarding for a day and I was REALLY sad I couldn't go. My parents offered to watch Ro, but I just don't think my body would have done that great after not even a month had gone by since I had him. So this was the first winter in 6 years that I haven't been snowboarding. This trip was the first time Brad's parents got to see Roman. Dixie brought some pictures of Brad as a newborn and the two of them look quite a bit alike. Jacklyn was up staying with her parents so I got to see her and Luke, and of course get my bangs trimmed. (Thanks again Jack!) I spent some time with Jill and Brittany too. Always fun to catch up. My grandparents from Utah were up for a few days for Roman's blessing. He is the second (by three days) great grandchild on my mom's side of the family. One of the best parts of the trip was being able to stay in the hot tub as long as I wanted - none of this five minute stuff like everyone made me do when I was pregnant! Besides getting spoiled Ro did a lot of growing on our trip. The Friday before we came home he weighed 11 lbs and was 24 1/2 inches long. I have a big pile of stuff he has already grown out of, thankfully most of it was given to me. My mom and I had to go to Lethbridge halfway through the week because he had no PJs that fit him. Everyone says it will amaze you how fast time goes and how fast they grow, man were they right! It was fun to spend time with family and share Roman with them. I think everyone likes me and Brad more now because we bring Ro with us. To prove my point - my family is probably coming up to Edmonton for easter weekend, not even two full weeks after we were down there. So thanks Ro! (we really know it is all Ro not us, but we'll take what we can get!) Here are a few pictures we took when we were down south.




I just added this picture because I like it. I love little boys in overalls, and I tricked Brad into putting on a striped polo shirt like Ro, he he he.




Roman met the puppies. Chief was good and only sniffed at him. Mattie wanted to lick him to death everytime she saw him, but she got a little better as she got used to him. They both really love the smell of babies and were constantly sniffing all his stuff and evreyone else after they held him. When we went to Hill Spring they sniffed around the house all afternoon looking for him. I can't wait until he is old enough to actually play with them.




Since coming home Ro does not like to sleep or nap in his crib or playpen, I wonder why????






There was alot of catching up on sleep - the only thing wrong with this picture is I should be sleeping, not taking the picture!

blessing day

Roman was blessed at church when we were down in Raymond. Here are a few pictures from his blessing day. And before anyone askes, it is not a skirt it's a kilt. We got the same tartan pattern as Kurt's kilt and he wore his and played the bagpipes at the family dinner we had after the blessing.
My mom, Brad's mom, and my grandpa all bore thier testimonies in the meeting and my testimony was renewed and strenghtened by this and by seeing my worthy priesthood holder able to bless our baby. It was a special day both spiritually and by being able to be together with family and friends. Unfortunatly there are a few people who still think they need to avoid family funcitons by staying in Halifax so they couldn't be there...
My grandparents (my mom's parents) were able to come up from Salt Lake. Roman is the first grandchild for my parents and the second great grandchild by three days for my grandparents. So here is a picture of my grandma, my mom, me, Paige, and Roman.

he's growing

Roman had his two week check-up today. Everything is good. He is just over 9 lbs now and has grown an inch (22 inches long now). Brad thinks he is getting rolls on his thighs, I still think he has little chicken legs.
Here is a picture of Roman all dressed up for his first day of church. He did pretty good, sleeping through most of church.
Me and Ro are off to Raymond tomorrow and Brad will be down on Friday. Roman's blessing is this next Sunday and he still has lots of family and friends to meet. My only worry is how jealous the dogs will be when he is around - they are used to being the babies of the family and getting all the attention!

11 days old

I was looking through the pictures we have on the computer of the little man and this one made me laugh, so I thought it would be my post for today. Hang ten Roman. From the moment Ro was born he has LOVED his fingers. They must have been his best friends for nine months. From day one he hated being swaddled because he couldn't have his hands by his face. Needless to say that his face was quite scratched up for the first week. As he has become more relaxed he sucks his fingers less and less - much to my dismay because it was sooooo cute. But he still hates being swaddled.
Two things to report from our house.
1. Ro had his circumcision today, so it has been a hard day. I think I have cried more than him. I feel like such a rotten mom! I have him topped up on tylenol and have been spoiling him with cuddles all day long.
2. He was weighed yesterday. With a onesie and a dry diaper he was 8 lbs 12 oz. (birth weight was 7 lbs. 15 oz.) So that was a relief, I was worried he wasn't eating enough because he feeds for quite short periods. Guess he is just an efficient little piggy when it comes to sucking!

he is finally here!

We finally got our little baby boy - Roman Henry Davis. I went into labor on my due date, Feb 27, and was going to be put on a drip the next day to move things along, but labor stopped after 9 hours. So when it started again on March second I didn't get my hopes up,
but my water broke that night. (Brad wasn't impressed that it was right before survivor started!) So I spent Thursday night in the hospital with smaller contractions and my mom and Brad came back the next morning when I was started on an oxytocin drip. Boy did that do the trick. Ouch. But then I got an epidural and all was well. So from start to finish was 5 hours, most of which was epidural so who cares and then 45 minutes of pushing and we got our little boy March 3 at 2:35 pm. 7 lbs 15 oz, 21 inches. So pretty average size, but he got his dad's long limbs, fingers, and toes and big feet and hands. We can't really tell who he looks most like yet, I think Brad is winning at this point - guess we will see when he grows a bit.
Brad is a very proud daddy. His ability to be a great dad was one of the things that made me want to marry him, so it makes me very happy to finally be able to help him get his little boy. I must admit I am very into being a mommy too, I could just sit and look at Roman for hours.
Sorry for the late post, we had a few days of working to get him to eat enough to keep his strength up, not get dehydrated, and clear his billiruben - we have a yellow baby on our hands who wouldn't pee or poop much and alsmost had to go back to the hospital for the baby tanning bed. It was pretty much a day or two of working on feeding and supplimenting, which usually took up to and hour cause he was so sleepy, then an hour break and start all over agian. But he is doing great today (after my milk came in) and all is well.
My mom was able to come up to Edmonton for awhile before he was born and then she was there for the delivery and is here helping until this weekend. It was a great expereince to be able to share Roman's birth with her and I think it was good for Brad to have someone else there to support him too so he wasn't the only one supporting me. And I would be falling apart if she wasn't here now to help and take him in the morning so I can get some sleep. Brad was AWESOME through the whole thing, I coudln't have done it without him. I felt so loved and supported without him even saying a word and this gave me strenght when I needed it. He was able to sleep at the hospital the first night with me and the baby too which was a great bonding experience for our little family. Brad even got me a dozen red roses, so sweet and that's why I love him!
So here is a before and after picture, and a few of our favorites. I think most everyone who looks at the blog already got an email with pictures, but I will update again in a few days because we are those crazy first time parents who take a picture of EVERYTHING and think it is so cute!

planner

Rhonda has the best ideas, and this one I just had to copy - so here is the planner I made. I have a notebook I really like with elastic on the open end to hold it closed, so I did the same thing to the planner. I left the first few pages blank so I could add pictures later - some of Brad, the baby, and of course Mattie and Cheif! I have only been using it for a few days but I love being able to make a list for each day and have it all in the same place. Each page is half of a normal sheet of paper and they are all double sided, but there is still lots of room for a good list. So to all you who love lists like I do you need to make yourself one of these. Thanks for the great idea Rhonda!

happy heart day

Happy Valentines Day. I just thought I would brag for a minute. Lins and I work in one of the coolest places - pediatric cardiology in one of the leading children's heart transplant centers in North America. This was a story on the CBC national news today. So to all of you out there that think we are crazy to be nurses, it isn't all that bad.
"Xander Dolski's heart problems were discovered by ultrasound 20 weeks into the pregnancy... His mother was brought from their home in Winnipeg to Edmonton's Stollery Children's Hospital...Once an organ was found, Xander was delivered by caesarian section five weeks prematurely on Dec. 19, 2005 weighing about five pounds. He was immediately taken to surgery to get the new heart... Had this baby been born elsewhere, he wouldn't have survived more than three hours outside the womb even with the best of medical care... An organ needed to be found before Xander was born but after his lungs were developed enough to accept the strawberry-sized transplant." Here is the Link to the CBC website if anyone is interested.
I got to have this little guys and his parents as my patients in January after the transplant. We do get heart transplants, but more often we care for kids who have major heart surgery, some of them two or three surgeries. There are some kids and familys that you get to know really well, seeing as they are often there for months at a time or come in and out of the hospital so much. It is easy to get attatched to these families and is sometimes hard to deal with when something goes wrong or the kids pass away. It is also hard to know that in order for a kid like Xander to get his heart a little baby somewhere else had to die. But for all that is bad, the job is very rewarding - especially when you see one of your patients and your hospital on the national news in such a happy story! So thanks Lins for talking me into working on 4C and teaching me so much. And might I add that 4C has the best staff ever and I really miss seeing everyone now that I am off on maternity leave - I emphasize I miss the people and some of the patients, not necessarily "working"!

getting set up

So now that I'm not working I have been getting stuff ready for the baby. Here are some pics of what I have been up to.
I am having trouble getting everything on the same post so I am putting it in as 4 different posts - Rhonda you can expect a call one of these days to help my computer challenged self!

1. I got this dresser/armoire at the salvation army. I LOVE it, and it is the perfect size for kids. Brad and I sanded it, repainted it, put new knobs on, and lined the closet with cedar. Brad also added a second closet bar. I love the bar on the inside of the door, not quite sure what to hang on it, maybe a blanket...