A thankful Thursday...

So, it's been a while guys. 

I missed you.

But I really have a valid excuse this time

This gorgeous girl has been keeping me occupied!

I'd like you all to meet Lorelei Rayne Simpson. Born April 17 at 6:35 pm. 9 lbs 14 oz and 21.5 inches long. She has a big, beautiful head that is covered in hair. She's so stylish that it's naturally that new ombré look! I am so wonderfully smitten with my new baby girl.

So without further aideu, here is a Thankful Thursday post. Finally. I'm back. 

1. For friends who brought us food and flowers and gifts and hugs and visited me in the hospital and looked after Aislynn while I was in labor and have since taken her for walks or to the park or out for dinner so that I could get a bit of a break. Seriously. My friends. You are amazing. I love you all.

2. My family. Who sent flowers across an ocean, who came to visit from two provinces away, who love Lorelei as much as Cuinn and I do.

3. My Aislynn. My helper. The big sister. Lorelei's protector. I love that girl. And I love how much she loves her sister. It makes things so much easier having her love her sister. 

4. My Cuinn. My best friend. My partner. My husband. The father to my two gorgeous children. You've been such a rock star during this transition from a family of three to a family of four. I love ya, dude.

5. This wrap. Seriously. I have used this wrap more times with Lorelei in 2 months than I think I did in the whole time Aislynn used it. Aislynn liked it, but Lorelei LOVES it. She's pretty much in it 12 hours a day... 

6. Our church had their annual women's retreat a couple weeks ago. It was so amazing. I took Lorelei with me and she was always in somebody's arms. Plus, it's always wonderful getting to know women in your church who you might not talk to on a Sunday morning. Awesome. 

7. At said retreat, we made necklaces out of a washer and scrapbook paper. I made one for me and one for Aislynn. She has yet to take it off and gets mad if I'm not wearing mine too. She also pulls it out a few times a day and says, "matching mumma!" That always fills me with joy. 

8. Cuinn had a huge answer to prayer this morning. I'm not able to go into details right now, but suffice to say; God is good. All the time.

9. I know other people will have my head for this, but I am so glad the weather is not hot. I hate summer. Every year I dread the heat. Well this year? I'm still wearing pants. In June. I am ever so grateful for that. 

10. Not being pregnant anymore. Seriously. I did NOT enjoy this pregnancy, so I am so thankful it's over.

11. This apple/pear/rhubarb crisp. Best recipe I have made ever. Cuinn and I were shoveling it in like there was no tomorrow (or more fittingly, like there was no baby weight to lose)

12. Impromptu girls night. Only three of us could make it, but it ended up being one of the best nights out in a really long time. 

13. My seasons pass to the Elmvale Zoo. It's just a tiny little zoo about 40 minutes away, but Aislynn LOVES it. We even can feed giraffes and goats and monkeys and lemurs. It is such a great little zoo. Perfect size for a morning out with a two year old and a two month old. 

14. The stupid awesome double stroller that my friend K gave me. For free. I was so against getting one. But she offered it to us, and you can't say no to a free stroller. Well, let me tell you. I have been humbled and I love the double stroller. We'll pretty much only use it for days out to big places, but it's really fantastic that Aislynn can jump in and out when she's tired. And Lorelei fits nicely in her car seat in it. Well, when she's not in the wrap that is...

15. Back rubs. Cuinn, I'm looking at you sweets.

16. Parking on the street. We have a parking spot in our lot, but I really hate going up stairs to go down stairs (it's a weird set up), so I just park in the street and go in the door and I'm in my apartment. I might be annoying people, but hey, I've got two kids to lug in with 8 bags of groceries. I park where I want to park. 

17. BLT hot dip. Enough said.

18. Our tiny town now has a yarn store!  Store dedicated to just yarn! I can not tell you how pleased this makes me.

19. Getting $50 worth of kids books. For free. I traded in a whole shwack of my books a few months ago to a local book shop in town. She gave me quite a good deal on them and I have been using my credit slowly but surely over the last few months. Today, Aislynn and I went in and I let Aislynn pick as many books as she wanted (knowing that I still had about $140 worth of credit). She was in heaven. And we read all the books before bed tonight. All 9 of them. That kid. 

20. That Aislynn has my love of the written word. That means so much to me. Love it.

That's it for tonight. What are you thankful for? 

A Point Or Two...

I am cranky.

I am tired.

I feel guilty for not blogging lately.

I am still pregnant. So here is my update on my life.

~ Yes. Still pregnant. My due date was April 9th, it is now nearly April 15th (in 58 minutes it will be), and I am still pregnant. 

~ It was our churches men's retreat this weekend. I kept telling Cuinn to "just go already!" because I knew he wanted to. And I knew the only reason he didn't go was because I might have gone into labor. I also knew that if he didn't go, by Murphy's Law, I would not go into labor. But if he had, this baby woulda come out in half an hour. I'm only slightly bitter that he remained at home...

~ I love cereal. A lot. Seriously. I have been going through 2 boxes a week during the last 10 months. Cereal, I love you.

~ One of my friends, who was due a week after me, had her baby on MY due date. Lisa, I hate you.

~ I don't really hate Lisa. I'm really happy for her. Her daughter is adorable and I am so excited to meet her. Congratulations again lady.

~ If any more of my friends have their kids before me though? I might go on a rampage. I really can't control what happens...

~ Hidetoshi Imura is friends with me on Facebook. He often "likes" my posts. You have NO idea how much this thrills me. 

~ When you don't read your blogs in about a month, you get really behind. And then you have to spend like... 3 hours trying to catch up. I wish all your bloggers would stop being so interesting and writing so much so that when I get back into the swing of things I don't have to read blogs for 3 or 4 hours. 

~ Please don't stop writing though. I really love your blogs. 

~ We got a new camera. Finally. Cuinn also got his "new to us" computer up and running WITH the webcam. You have no idea how much these two things excite me. The new camera because I can take pictures of my kid and share them with our far away families  and the webcam because Skype with my parents is so much better when they can actually see Aislynn and not just a bunch of pixels. I LOVE seeing the proud looks on their granparent faces. Seriously, fills my heart with joy.

~ We're in the last "chunk" before my parents come home. When my mum and dad left, my mum said, "If you break down the time in chunks in your head, it won't feel so long." So that's what I did. But, like pregnancy, that last little chunk is taking the longest to pass. 12(ish) weeks until they are home. 

~ Cuinn's parents are coming to visit at the end of the month. They have requested that there is actually a baby by the time they get here. Hey, no promises. I like to cook 'em for a while!

~ We have moved. Into our new place. I go through stages of really loving it, to really hating it. But mostly loving it. I think this is a good place for us right now.

~ Double strollers are dumb and I'm not getting one. 

~ I'm also not getting a mini van. No matter how many of our friends keep telling us how amazing they are. I do not believe you. I think you all have drank the kool aid and are just brain washed. 

~ I enjoy Creme Eggs. More than a normal person should...

~ I have nothing more to say right now. See ya in another month. I'll probably still be knocked up.

A Fact or 5...

It's Sunday evening. My husband has been gone since yesterday and just got home. What's a good wife to do but send him right back out to get me a nice cold soda?

This chick is spoiled.

While I wait for the man to come home with my ice cold soda, I figured I'd link it up with some things you might be curious to know about me.

Who isn't curious to know more about me? I'm kinda a big deal...

...to Aislynn.

5 Facts About Me...

1. I don't like that people can find me. Or know what I'm doing. Or know what/when I've read things. So I turned off that stalker thing on my iPhone so you don't know if I read your text. I read my Facebook messages through my email so you can't tell if I read it or not. I turned my location finder thing OFF on my phone so I'm not "checking in" on any social media thing. I have never named my tiny town on here. I just think it's weird that people can find me. All the time. I don't like it.

2. I put vinegar on everything. For reals.

3. I cut my juice with water, because straight juice is just too darn sweet. It hurts my teeth. And my juice lasts longer than yours. HA HA!

4. Jeans are more comfy than sweat pants. No pants are more comfy than jeans. Sweat pants are for watching a movie in, not going to Walmart in. Yoga pants are the same thing as sweat pants. You do not leave the house in sweat pants. This is law, according to the Simpson home.

5. I am more self conscious than I have ever been before, as a mother.

Linking it up with This Chick...

A Thursday Full Of Thanks...

Yesterday I was miserable. Mis. Er. A. Ble. I was so cranky at the man from a stupid tiff on Tuesday night that wasn't resolved to my satisfaction. (Read, I lost.) My blood stealing appointment was "cancelled" without reason after i had fasted for 12 hours. Then asked if I could come back the next day. Well, I couldn't. Aislynn is in daycare WEDNESDAYS. Not THURSDAYS. The lack of packed boxes was stressing me out to the max. And my blood pressure was high at my midwives appointment. Well. High for me. Normal for a normal person. AND, I had eaten all my mini creme eggs and I had no chocolate in the house. Which, for pregnant Sarah, means someone might die.

Anyway, bottom line? I was really cranky.

Then Thursday came along. Aislynn came into our bed in the morning and rubbed my back and kissed me. Then she let Cuinn and I have a few extra cozy sleep moments before asking for cereal. Then we drove daddy to work and then we headed to Bible study. I have to say, I was a bit reluctant to go today, being so cranky and kinda not ready to let go of my crankyness. (You know how sometimes you're just not ready to get over it yet?) Well, I went anyway. Because I had told Aislynn she would get to play with her little friend "Naley" if she would just stop whining. She stopped whining immediately. And if there is one thing I learned about parenting from my parents it's, "You always keep your promises. No matter how big or small." So off we went to Bible study.

And that's when all my crankyness went away. And I was humbled again. 

So, my Thankful Thursday post is coming pretty easily today.

I'm Thankful for...

1. Our good friend K. Who took some amazing maternity shots of me last Thursday. To see the sneak peek, go here. We can't wait to see the rest! We are so blessed to have such talented friends!

2. Our good friend K, again, who is watching Aislynn for me tonight. Cuinn has class on Tuesday's and Thursday's. Usually I just bring Aislynn along and she can play with one of her friends, R. But I just know that today she won't be ok with that. So K is coming to our rescue. Thanks again, lady friend! I owe ya one. Or seven.

3. A reconciliation with a good friend. Again, we are so blessed by the people who love us here. I'm not going to go into too much detail, but a friend and I had a thing. And Tuesday afternoon and evening we hung out and had a heart to heart and I'm so relieved to be back on track with her. It had been weighing on me for far too long.

4. Aislynn's little friend, N. Those two girls. Sigh. Her parents and Cuinn and I really will have many a story to share about them as the years go by...

5. Girls night out with our fantastic group of girls. 6 more days until the next one!

6. Cuinn had his review today at work. Basically he was told he was a rock star. Which I already knew, but it's really great for him to hear that from his boss.

7. Cuinn is also getting an unexpected bonus. Which really, could not be coming at a better time.

8. Our birthday weekend away at Niagara. It may have been a couple weeks ago, but I haven't done one of these in a while. I'm so thankful that we were able to do that for Aislynn. 

9. How well my painted onsies for the new baby turned out. Seriously, it was so nice to do something creative again.

10. The small group prayer that we did during study this morning. What a refreshing time that was. 

11. Our new pastor and his family. I have gotten to know J a little bit in the last little while and it has been such a joy! 

12. There may be snow on the ground, but the sun is shining, and I can tell that spring is just busting to get here. 

13. Our good friends J and S, who I know I have mentioned before, are watching Aislynn overnight for us tomorrow. This will probably be the last time Cuinn and I get a night to ourselves in a long time, and we are so at ease knowing that Aislynn will be loved and well looked after at the N's house.

14. Our friends M and M who have included us in their wedding guest list! I am so excited to go to a wedding with Cuinn where I am not sick!! The last two we went to together I was really sick and had a hard time enjoying myself fully. This time though, we're gonna tear up the dance floor!

15. Aislynn's vocabulary is exploding. I LOVE hearing the sentences that she comes up with. She is so funny and smart. I love listening to her babble and I love that I can finally understand most of it. 

16. When Aislynn comes over and kisses the baby and rubs my tummy and says, "Hi baby. Nice baby. See you soon!"

17. That I only have about a month left to go until we get to meet this new babe. I'm 37 weeks now, so technically full term. Aislynn was two weeks late though, so who knows. 

18. It took me an hour to do this post with all the Aislynn distractions. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

19. Aislynn is so polite. She almost always says please and always says thank you. That is so important to Cuinn and I and it's so rewarding hearing her say those words. 

20. Hugs in the kitchen with Cuinn. That's one of my favorite part of the day.

A Feeling...

You know those songs that make you feel. Like... feel a lot. Those songs that come on that you almost need to pull over to the side of the road when you're driving. Just so you can sit and listen and not worry about crashing the car or something silly like that?

Yeah, I love those songs.

Mumford & Sons has a lot of these songs for me. In fact, pretty much all their songs do this to me. Cuinn and I just picked up their most recent album for the car. Aislynn even loves them, as soon as this song comes on, she sways and hums and her eyes are half closed. To be honest, she looks a little high.... which is hilarious.

I also love that they are featured in the only Disney movie of Aislynn's that I don't mind watching over and over and over again. Brave

Anyway, I really needed to share this song with you, as it has been on repeat in my car for a while. I don't like the video so much. I would rather the music video, but I am kind of a newb at YouTube. I can never find exactly what I want. SO just pretend it's not just the lyrics and just listen to the song.

At 3:30, that's when I get chills. I close my eyes, and just let the music envelop me.

Below My Feet - Mumford & Sons

Sorry, I'm also not clear on how to put the actual video on my blog. I told you, I'm kind of a YouTube newb.

Enjoy.

A Moment In Time...

This little girl, my little angel, is turning 2 this Saturday.

For 2 years (and nearly 10 months), I have loved this little girl. I have worried for her. I have watched her grow. I have been so proud. I have been so frustrated. I have seen so much of me in her and so much of her daddy too. I have seen her big personality shine through.

Cuinn and I prayed for her before she was created. We longed to be parents. There were many tears shed by me because I wanted her so badly. God knew what he was doing though. Giving us a little lesson in patience, knowing that we would need a healthy dose of it when we became parents. 

Aislynn is so loving. She is funny. She is smart. She is fiesty. She is independant. She is beautiful. She loves to tell us what she sees. She loves to watch Cuinn and I while we have a conversation and get right in the middle of a hug so she can be included too. She goes to bed with 6 different dollies and stuffies and mummy and daddy need to kiss and hug each and every one good night. She likes to cuddle right before she goes to sleep and loves to hear about the things we did that day. 

She loves her friends fiercly, and says hello to them when we drive past their homes. She loves to make new friends, especially little babies. When she sees a baby on it's tummy, she gets right down on the floor and says, "hi baby!" and gives it a hug. She is going to be such an amazing big sister.

She eats more than anyone else in this house. Well, maybe not more than daddy. She likes to help daddy make pancakes. She likes to stir the pot when mummy is cooking. She knows that the oven is hot and warns us not to touch it. 

Aislynn like to read books with mummy and sometimes we go through 6 books in one sitting! Her favorite book is a Curious George pop up book. She loves to play with dinosaurs and makes the RAWR noise that they make. She loves it when daddy turns the music on and dances with her. She even likes to "head bang" to daddy's favorite type of music. 

Aislynn always says, "My daddy!" and "My mummy!" She even sometimes calls us Cuinn and Sarah. She kisses my belly and says, "My baby." She claims us. Just as we claim her. She is a child so full of love and joy and emotion. Sometimes those emotions come right out of her eyes because they are really hard to deal with. Aislynn loves to be with people, but she also really values her own space and sometimes just needs to be by herself. She likes to sit in the bathroom cupboard with the door closed to have a little think. Or sit on the window ledge and watch the cars and trucks go by. But she always makes sure that "my mumma" is still near enough to come if she needs me.

Aislynn is such a joy to Cuinn and I. Motherhood is not at all what I was expecting. It is so much more. I love the little person that she is and I am honored to be her mummy.

Happy birthday, my darling girl. You are special. You are precious. You are loved.

A thing or two a bestie would know...

One of my all time fav blogs is doing a sort of link up. She made up this kinda post a while ago, and decided to add to it. Since I am one of those "I like to read your diary" types, this kinda post excites me. So here's to all you other nosey nelly's. 

What you should know if we're going to be best friends...

I hate cleaning myself. I don't enjoy a warm shower or a hot bath. Showering and bathing is such a chore to me that I only do it once every couple (sometimes few) days. No one has ever complained about me being stinky though, so whateves.

I think jeans are more comfortable than sweats.

I'm also not allowed to leave the house in sweats. It's a legitamite house rule. When I put Aislynn in track pants or sweats, I feel like a rebel. Sweats/pajama pants/"yoga pants" are for lazing around the house.

I think "yoga pants" are ridiculous. And you are ridiculous for wearing them to Walmart.

Tomorrow is pj day at my mummy group, I am, for real, having anxiety over leaving my house in pajamas. 

I put vinegar on everything. Ev. Er. Y. Thing. In fact, when we go to the states, I have to bring my own vinegar bottle because I know that even in McDonalds if you ask for vinegar they look at you like you just asked for rat poison.

I don't believe in cry it out and I'm not ashamed that we still occasionally cuddle Aislynn to sleep.

I also love that we have a family bed.

I can't make breaky. Not even eggs. And I usually burn toast. I have been craving bacon and eggs and pancakes for the last week, but Cuinn has been so busy with work and school that he hasn't really been home for dinner, so I haven't gotten it yet. If I don't get it soon, Aislynn and I are going to breaky for dinner this week.

I don't iron clothing. If Cuinn needs something ironed, I tell him to hang it up in the bathroom during his shower. It works just as well.

I am an aggressive driver. As in, one of those drivers people look at and think, "She probably just needs to poop really badly, that's why she's driving like that."

Unless Aislynn is in the car. Then I am the kind of driver that people look at and think, "Why is she being so cautious? She must be 94."

Although being a mum is so rewarding, and I love being able to stay at home with my kid (soon to be kids), I find it kinda boring sometimes. 

That whole nesting thing that other pregnant mums feel? Yeah, I don't get that. I feel the want to want to nest, if that makes sense. But I have no desire to scrub the entire apartment clean, do up a new nursery, cook meals that will last us for the first 6 months of having a new baby. I know those things are important, and I should be doing them, but I'd rather be sleeping.

My family is most important to me. But my relationships with my friends is a very close second. If I had to choose between never eating again, and never having a friend again. I would choose never eating again.

I put Worcestershire sauce on my KD. It's amazing. I also can't eat it with a fork. It has to be a spoon.

I never finish my meals at restaurants and I always have to get it to go. Cuinn and I always have the same exact conversation:

Cuinn: Sarah, are you really going to eat it for lunch tomorrow?

Sarah: YES Cuinn. Stop hassling me.

Then I never eat the leftovers. 

Unless it's East Side Marios. I always eat my pasta left overs.

I still think Ceasar Salad is a healthy option.

I don't wash my face. Ever. I am constantly asked what facial scrubs/washes/products I use and I always lie and just say whatever product comes to mind. The truth is, I never wash my face. Not even in the shower. I figure, the water hits my face and shampoo always gets in my eyes which are on my face, that's good enough for me!

I can't stand sticky hands. If Aislynn has sticky hands and tries to touch me I tell her, "Don't touch mumma! Gross, wipe your hands please!" It's so bad that Aislynn is also anal about washing her hands after she eats or plays with something messy.

BUT, I couldn't care less if she has a booger nose. I also don't care if she wipes it on her sleeve. I'd rather she used a kleenex, but in the grand scheme of things? A little bit of boogers is not gonna hurt her. (I also don't care if she eats the occasional handful of dirt. I am not a germaphobic type of mum. And I know it annoys one of my friends to no end.)

I'm dreading my midlife crisis. In fact, I think my midlife crisis will happen sooner and be much worse than Cuinn's. 

I am too impatient for cable. I can't stand only being able to watch tv shows once a week. I would much rather wait until the whole series ends, and then buying all the dvds and watching them in one week. I'm waiting until 2014 to start watching How I Met Your Mother, because that's when the show ends. Walking Dead has been the first show in a very long time that I have watched while it's currently on the air. And it really annoys me when I can't keep watching. 

Every time I see Niagara Falls, I get choked up. Then when I walk Clifton Hill, I get annoyed. Stupid humans.

I still can't believe that my tiny little baby turns 2 this Saturday. How is it possible that I feel like I've been a mother forever but at the same time, feel like it was only yesterday that I was walking the halls of our old apartment building trying to start labor so I could meet her? Surreal. 

What do you think I should know about you if we're going to be besties?