Category — Life

I am spending my last weeks writing. Combing through pages, scraps, post-its, binders and journals that make up my book. The one I have been working on for 1.5 years. 

Soon everything will change. Irreversibly. Forever. We will welcome our child into this world with trembling arms. We will mess up. Drop him/her. Give her/him all the love we’ve got. 

I stare at my growing body and marvel. I walk across the street to Save-On-Foods for the free air conditioning and walk home smiling. 

I am trying to relish every moment with Michael because I am all too aware of the fact that our relationship will never be the same again. It will never be ‘just us’ again and I love us. Yes, we are gaining the most incredible gift in the world but I am also experiencing a real sense of loss. I will never be woman — independent and fierce — again. And yet I will be more. I will be mother. 

These days feel surreal. I am slow-moving, yet I am accomplishing much. A baby is nearly ready to be born — inside my body — baking, daily. I am preparing my heart, my mind and our home to welcome our child. Michael and I are freezing fresh berries, preparing meals, and today (against better judgement) I baked dozens of oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies and loaves of banana bread, for the days when we can barely keep our eyes open. We’ve bought our stroller, folded the onesies, checked off the labour list, and now — for a few more weeks — we wait. 

My mom came over the other night. I asked her about her labours. All but one of her children (the last) came 5-10 days early. So we may be meeting our son/daughter sooner than we think. 

These are amazing — real, emotional, overwhelming, exciting, full — days.

Thank you for sharing them with me, friends.

We took to our favourite island last weekend for an overnight stay.

We arrived a little tired:

But were quickly whisked down to the promontory to read poetry at sunset:

The next morning we rose to a big breakfast of eggs, coffee, sausages and hashbrowns to sustain us for a couple hours’ kayak:

And then we were glad. 

Here are some recent shots:

Growing and (subsequently) slowing. 

Hanging out with the newest addition to the Lim family: Eliana!

Discovering some parental perks.

Indulging in some of Vancouver’s finest dining (here, at the Vancouver Club).

Still managing to dress-up.

Savouring Friday evenings patio-side. (Here, enjoying carrot cake at Subeez with Matthew Cowper).

Working…

Here, at Main Street’s Bean Around the World, writing my Comment column. 

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Photos to come: A final pre-baby getaway to Victoria and a recent day spent on Bowen Island. 

It’s that time of year again. Within a week’s time three wedding invitations made their way to our door. Aren’t they lovely?

I always enjoy receiving couples’ unique stationery. The details speak to their personality and the type of celebration we can expect.  

Now, the tricky part: figuring out which weddings we can attend pre- and post- newborn.

So, I splurged.

Yesterday we celebrated Father’s Day with a visit to my dad and stepdad, but before stepping out of the house my husband got to experience his very first father’s day:

Eggs Benny. Homemade Hollandaise. Fruit Salad. Bacon. Fresh coffee. A letterpress card.

And tickets! to see Death Cab at the Coliseum next month. Woohoo!

I read this interesting article about how to bond with your preborn baby over the weekend. Apparently baby will be rocking out at the concert with us!

“Concert-going mothers report their preborn babies jump at the sudden sound of drums. In fact, from at least the 23rd week on, a preborn baby’s hearing is developed enough to enable him to respond to outside noise… Even the five-month-old fetus has been found to have discriminating musical ears.”  - From 7 Ways to Bond with your Preborn Baby 

And now Michael is off to Toronto for a week of work. Darling, I miss you already.

Since arriving home I have slowly been piecing our house together to make room for our new addition (due August 27, by the way.)

I’ve been purging, storing, cleaning and sorting every square inch of our home. I’m happy with the progress in all but our bedroom — the one room in our house that has always remained unfinished. Until now we’ve had two tall chests of drawers near the base of our bed, a set Michael inherited from his grandma’s deceased neighbour. (Grim, but true.) ;)

We’ve had our eyes open for a set of drawers for the past month or so, assured it is the piece to really complete the space.

I’ve had my eyes on some vintage sets, like this:

$250 at a vintage shop in New Westminster’s Antique Alley

and this:

But Michael and I differ in our affections (/repulsions) to retro furniture. (I love it, he hates it. Shocker.)

I’ve also been keeping my eye on Ikea, though our preference is for real wood. I’m particularly taken with the Engan collection.

Then, today, I popped into Value Village to pick up a VCR (I borrowed a prenatal yoga video from my sister-in-law and have also been dying to watch some of my old VHS favourites like Reality Bites and Fried Green Tomatoes) and I happened upon this find:

for only $35!

Sometimes a little determination and a little luck is all you need.

Image: by By-Your

It won’t be long until I’ll no longer be able to hop in a car at 10 pm and speed up the Sea to Sky for a sunny day spent with my nephews. So tonight I will indulge.

It’s a bit of a theme in my life at the moment. I have two more months before I am officially a mama and I’m basking in every moment. It’s not that I’m not looking forward to motherhood – I am, so much! – rather, I’m trying to fully embrace the seasons of life and for now I’ve got a midnight trip in me. 

Have a happy Monday!

The innie remains an innie (so far) although I am encountering depths of my belly button I’ve never seen before, my feet are swollen beyond belief, and I officially stopped wearing my wedding band as of yesterday when my mother-in-law had to wrench the piece of metal over my knuckle with dish soap and a lever made of dental floss. 

On the pregnancy note, I bring you this poem (of sorts) written in month three:

I am eating convulsively, though I find it repulsive.
It’s all I can do to sleep.
My boobs keep growing
and my nipples are SO sensitive
I scream in the shower
cowering in the corner –
hiding my chest away from
the faucet.

Yes. I am pregnant.

The birthday calendar is something of a Dutch tradition. The world over you will find important dates like birthdays and anniversaries lovingly jotted in something called the perpetual calendar and hanging in the powder room. I got mine in Gouda, Netherlands two years ago and since then many a visitor has commented on its practicality. 

It seems this little traditional calendar is making a comeback. Consider these online finds:

The Sukie perpetual calendar by Chronicle (complete with moveable day, month and weather wheels)

The vintage gold brass flip on Etsy

And of course, the Dutch-themed Birthday calendar also on Etsy

A fine investment, I can attest.

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Make your own!

Here’s how you can make your own perpetual calendar by hand:

1.   First, cut your paper to size. (I used 8.5″ × 11″ card stock cut in half.) 

2.  Then, draw your lines for every day of the month. (You could always cheat here and do this on the computer.) 

3.  Number each line. I chose to use my typewriter.

4.  Next, choose your theme. (I’m a sucker for snail mail so I used stamps.) 

5.  Finally, punch a hole through the top of the calendar and feed through a ribbon or twine. 

6.  Hang and begin jotting in your loved ones’ special days. (I recommend using a pencil. Mistakes happen.) 

Published today in catapult magazine