Milestones

As I create this latest Blog entry, there is a blizzard sweeping across the province (came from the West- so Thanks!). It is bringing more snow, which is great timing since we bought a new shovel and ice breaker as our other tools were stolen while we were away at Christmas. Although the storm originated from the West, it has created even more bitter, cold temperatures which will hover around -40C today. These lovely days are here to stay with us for at least a week but it is said there will at least be sunshine. Yeah! Always look for the silver lining in situations!!

Our Christmas holidays were enjoyed and cherished as we had the opportunity to visit with family and friends that we have not seen for a long time. We chose this year to do a whirl wind trip that involved visiting with both sides of the family, thus we went to the west as well as east. The journey involved 8 plane trips, 3 airports, 4 homes, and visiting our large families-All of these events were new to Baby Belnor. The trip progressed extremely well and the journey did not seem rushed so it was nice to be able to relax despite going across country in a short time span.



Baby Belnor slept on the plane rides, which were timed to correspond with either her nap time or feed time. As Nor has said, we were not THAT COUPLE but I do feel for those folks-babies can not help but vocalize their issues by crying. All of us experienced jet lag-even when standing still the room kept moving. We were able to visit with most of our family members and catch up on the latest family news. Christmas dinner was delicious, and it was fun to watch the family attempt to name Christmas carols using a few clues. New Years day was spent with Nor's family, which has the tradition of ordering take out food since no one cooks on the first day of the new year. A tradition we have adopted since our marriage 5 years ago. No complaints about not cooking!

I titled this blog "Milestones" because our family returned from Christmas spent with our love ones (something not done in 15 years) and Baby Belnor has made that leap to her next stage in life. The Milestones met by our family include traveling with an infant on a plane, seeing many faces (most were unfamiliar to Baby Belnor), and of course the growth spurts experienced by Baby. She was able to sleep in unfamiliar surroundings, which I believe was made easier by doing early prep in our home. Baby Belnor rolled over for the first time-from tummy to back. That is a story in itself.

The event occurred in my brother's family room. Baby Belnor was playing on the floor on a activity mat that belonged to her cousin. Nor and myself were on the floor with her to encourage her to reach for toys, while the other members of the family were seated comfortably on the couch. Except for Papa who was trying to select a setting on his digital camera-so we were set to record this momentous occasion. However, Papa was so focused on trying to find the setting that he missed the Roll and we have no picture to prove she did it! Such is life (lol).




Upon our return home, Baby Belnor continues to moves towards new Milestones as she explores her world. Baby Belnor has begun eating solids-so far only rice cereal is a hit. Sweet potatoes, carrots, and peas are dislikes-can't blame her since peas and yams are not mom's favorites. Baby is learning that her world does not only exist in front of her but behind her body. While playing in her Hop n' Pop, she continually looks behind her to see the back of the chair and has a look on her face that seems to say "When did that get here?". Other firsts include a hair cut, accomplished by Dad and I must say he did a fine job- I can now see her bright eyes clearly!

As stated in the last Blog, our family is making a point of going green, reducing clutter, and spending more time together. Nor has returned to work. He makes it a point to walk to work whenever possible and that includes today. Baby Belnor and myself has joined a Parents group to meet other moms and we enjoy those outings. We continue to de-clutter the house and the basement is closer to looking like a cozy space. Baby Belnor is experiencing home made baby food-I hope her dislike of vegetables is not a reflection of my cooking! Our family has decided to make many of our dinners from scratch as opposed to buying pre-packaged dinners which are loaded with preservatives and other non-nutritional ingredients.

Well I shall take my leave, Baby Belnor is napping-finally-she has a cold and is teething. She does not sleep through the night and seems to enjoy being up from 3am to 6am much to the frustration of her parents. Must use this time to also catch up on my chores....Oh too late, Baby Belnor has awaken!

Sincerely,
Bel

Season Greetings

Well we have almost concluded another year of our lives and as shown by other "Family Newsletters" it is a time to reflect on the previous year. Family newsletters are often used to provide updates about our lives. Our clan has experienced graduation, renovation, employment, and the birth of our daughter. Nor completed his Master of Arts degree in archaeology this past March and participated in the university graduation ceremonies in June. Upon finishing this degree, he has been working as a cultural management consultant, which has taken him to many places in the province. He has found some pretty amazing sites, including one that is rare and dates to about 3000 years ago! Upon learning about our pregnancy, we decided it was necessary to renovate the basement. This task was needed so that we could gain more usuable space in the basement and to turn our "dungeon" from a creepy place to a cosy area. We put our office downstairs, added a second bathroom, enlarged the guest room, and made a laundry alcove. The upstairs bedroom was converted into a nursery. This room has always been my favorite in the house since it gets so much sunshine and one can see large trees immediately outside the windows. Of course the most important experience of 2007 was the birth of Baby Belnor! What a learning curve that has been and continues to be!!

I am generally not one to make New Year resolutions but since renovating our basement and making room for Baby Belnor, I feel I must change some of my bad habits.

Most importantly, I feel we must become more "eco-friendly"-not just to save the planet but to save our sanity when one considers how much clutter can accumulate in a house! I must admit that I am a paper hog-keep every piece of paper it seems for the last decade!

First on my agenda of becoming more earth friendly is to send electronic Christmas greetings. I have chosen to send Christmas cards via this method as well as general holiday cheer through emails. True, it is nice to receive a card after getting the typical bill notices.

Second, as I carry out my errands to gather gifts for Christmas, I can not help but notice how busy everyone seems. Holidays are a time to remember those people in our lives and show our appreciation by either giving presents, sending cheer, or the ultimate gift-our time.

Third, the birth of my daughter has given me the opportunity to learn what I should value in life, what the important things are in a day, and how to change. Baby Belnor does not like to move fast and really hates it when she feels overwhelmed. I have learned to slow down and to prioritize my tasks. Housekeeping is not essential to the survival of our family but making time for each individual is important.

For the first half of the year, we were waiting for the delivery of our child, while the second half we are learning to be parents to this child. I remember people saying that a child is a gift, someone who has been lent to us to take care of during life. I never understood that statement until now. Our daughter is making her way through life and it is up to her parents to guide, teach, support, and learn from her.

Here's to looking forward to 2008 with its new experiences! Extending warm wishes to everyone over the holiday season. Hopefully the resolutions can be maintained but one will see...

Bel

A Priceless Smile

Well it has been a month, and the time has flown by. Work has been busy, and somewhat detrimental to my relationship with my daughter, since I can't touch her having poison ivy and all. But that is a fault of mine, I did not realize that Saskatchewan had poison ivy, but if it did, I would be the one to find it. So I have some videos here of the princess as she lounges around waiting to be able to speak and move.

The first here is Rowen at 3 weeks, as she enjoys the bouncy. I would like a bouncy too, but I think it would be hard to find one that would fit a 180 lbs. man, or maybe they do and call it a hammock.

So after a month, you can see that she does pretty much the same. We had a party for her the other day and she slept through most of it, but I can't blame her, if I was a month old I would sleep too.



Now this video, her aunt Suzie took, so you will have to forgive the tilting at the end.

Hope you all enjoy (I am starting to get itchy).
-Nor-

Beginnings of Motherhood

Hello Everyone,

Since I am starting to feel better and more alert, I feel it is my turn to provide some words on the latest life experience. I read Nor's blog entries detailing the birth of Rowen and his thoughts on fatherhood. I must say he is very eloquent with his words that I am able to connect with his perspective on the situation. I sometimes do not know what he feels until I read his blog but that is likely the case of life, which is quite hectic.

I have been asked if I miss work yet-well I have only been off for two weeks and initially it felt like a vacation. But then circumstances changes drastically and now Rowen is here. Vacation is over but the journey is not boring. I do not twiddle my thumbs as some women have asked-yet I do feel twitchy since I can not do as much as I would like to - have to use the next six weeks to heal from my infection, C-section, and go through post-pregnancy changes. (Able to fit my pre-pregnancy clothes!)

My parents are here to help and they have been a blessing. Mom takes care of the housework and gardening-which she finds relaxing. Dad is painting the basement which is now finished and just needs paint and carpet. Soon I can have my dining room back, the office moved downstairs and the nursery set up.

Motherhood does change a person-I suddenly feel more responsible, confident in my choices, and Rowen is teaching me to take life as it comes. As Nor described, we were planning for a traditional birthing experience but the stars did not align themselves that way. Rowen entered the world amid a spectacular thunderstorm (nurses told me at least I have that to distract me from the pain-by the way it does not work) and I was admitted to the hospital for what I thought was a simple fever and shortness of breath. I thought I had heat stroke.

I am going to use the maternity leave to figure out how to add more balance to my life. I am a career woman, feminist, wife, mother, and an individual with many dreams for my family, daughter, and myself. It should prove to be an interesting year.

Bel

On Being a Dad

Lightening tip-toed across the nights sky, just under the clouds, making its way from one cluster to another, like children playing a game of hide-and-go-seek. The night air rumbled in protest as thunder crashed after the lightening in what seemed like an attempt to catch-up.

The light was red.

It was 1:15 am.

I had gotten the call just moments before, rousing me from a failed attempt to sleep. It seemed that she had been take to the delivery section and that although it would take a while, I should still come.

The voice on the other end had a sense of emergency that I didn't like. Maybe she just wanted me there, maybe Bel needed me, or maybe there was an issue. Whatever the case, I sprang from the bed and was dressed in such a short time. I knew there were things I needed, because Bel and I had talked about them before, but the words "Just come" rang in my mind bouncing off every wall.

The light turned green.

The drive was uneventful, despite hitting all the red lights. It seemed as though the gods didn't want me there just yet, toying with me, causing every moment to last an eternity.
The parking lot of the hospital was almost empty, like all the doctors told everyone to go home. Maybe it was the gods making the journey a little easier, maybe it was just luck. I had taken Bel to the hospital earlier, something to do with an infection somewhere, but the doctors were really vague. They kept her there, preventing us from returning to our home as the couple we were.

"Observations must be made" said the doctor. "There is something weird with the tests"

Something weird

What a loaded statement...one that was never really had any more elaboration.

But that was hours ago...

I found the nurse,the one who told me to wait for the call. She spoke urgently, pointing me to the room where Bel was in. I opened the door slowly.
For some reason, memories of my father attached to hoses and IV units flashed through my mind. That was years ago...grade 11, and this was now.

I pushed the curtain back slowly, and there she was. Pain was written across her face, tagged like the gang graffiti on an abandoned building. She was hooked up to a machine that measured her heart rate, the contractions and the baby's heart rate. All seemed well...but what do I know, I'm an archaeologist.

We waited together for what seemed like eternity and a day, the nurse popping in and out like a moth approaching the flame then realizing it was too hot, but too compelled to reach the flame.

Finally, a doctor came in.

A flurry of activity seemed to spring to life in the room, nurses and people with whom I had never made acquaintance with seemed to find my wife interesting. Before I knew it, the dreaded "C" word popped into the room and began to dance on everyone's lips. My heart quickened.

This was not the way it was supposed to be.

We were to take it together, in stride, staying home for the early labour and leaving when contractions were timed right.

Now a doctor stood in front of me and what he said didn't make sense. "Today you will become a man" A man!!! A MAN!!!! I am already a man, what the heck does that have to do with the situation at hand?

We walked down the hallway, Bel in bed, cords stuck to her, in her, and her senses dulled by what those tubes carried within them.

"You will want to witness?" the nurse asked. "Of course", I said but thought "Why wouldn't I want to?"

I sat in a room, dressed in scrubs, green from head to toe, waiting....

Once again the gods wished me to wait, as the sands of eternity fell from the hourglass, I waited in patience, wondering how it came to this and what would the result actually be.

Then a faceless person asked me if I was ready, and the door opened. There was Bel, strapped to a table, like Christ to the cross. Her arms were outstretched with more tubes attached. My heart stopped for a moment and a feeling of panic entered. What if something went wrong. She seems so helpless at the whim of these people who didn't know her name, didn't know anything about her except that she had a baby that needed to be removed. Much like a wart, or boil.

She seemed dreamy, all dull and drugged up. She smiled and I took her hand, not wanting to let her know how scared I was I stroked it and smiled at her. "Everything will be all right Bel," I said. "You are going to be okay." Her hand was soft, the skin warm and relaxed. Before I knew it, a doctor was pointing over the curtain, and I looked down at Bel, one last time, then rose to witness my child being brought into the world. At first I didn't know what to make of it, she was covered from head to toe in a yellow, mucous substance. The doctors were fiddling with her, pulling the umbilical cord from her, and as I watched I realized it was wrapped around her neck.

Suddenly her screams filled the air, and that was all I heard. I watched as they took her across the room, three doctors checking and inspecting her. I looked down at Bel and could not speak. She was asking what it was, a boy or girl, and...as my eyes filled with tears, I managed to say, "Its a girl, hun"

From that moment on, my life has had different meaning. In three days, she has been my world, my life, my reason to continue. Her face lights up my day, her coos are the sweetest song to my ears and her scent, well there is nothing like the smell of a newborn child, especially your own. Currently, mother and daughter are resting and discovering each other.

My job has yet to come, although some may say that taking care of the small things so Bel doesn't have to is my job, I would beg to differ. Ours is a relationship of compliments, whereby Bel contributes one aspect and I the other, this way we can accomplish more because we accept the role we each play. And like I said, my job is on the horizon, moving ever so closer like the ship off the tide. When it arrives though, you can be sure that with all the being within me, I will fight, I will teach, I will cause laughter, joy and sorrow to the thing that has taken my heart...

My Rowen

The Time has Arrived!!

Well, it has been a long nine months (longer for Bel I am sure, but the waiting has paid off. I would like to introduce to friends and family the reason why this site was created, my Daughter Rowen. She was born July 15th at 6:14 am, with a full head of hair and a great set of lungs too! Right now I am working on about 10 min. of sleep in the last 24 hrs so I will leave you with pictures and a short movie (if it works).
-Nor-


It may take sometime for the movie to work, but check it out because it is pretty cool.

On Becomming a Father (Part 1.5)

So it has been a while since my last post and my thoughts have been scattered here and there, much like disturbed dust in an old room. Work has been hectic, but don't get me wrong, I love the job and am thankful for it. There have been many times in my life where things have come and gone and I did not realize its true value. This time, it is different, and I am unsure why. I think part of it lies in the fact that I have found my life's passion, but that is not entirely it, for there are a thousand things I wish I were doing everyday. I think part of it is my current situation in life, with a child on the way, the importance of work, money, bills become all that much more clearer. It seems as if a fog has been lifted from my eyes. The rose colour tint of the veil that dangled before my eyes has vanished and the vibrant colour of life splashes before my vision.

It is scary, and with someone who will learn from you it is more fearful. I do not want my child to make the mistakes that I did, but knowing myself and the trials and tribulations of life that I went through, I know they will have to learn somethings for themselves.

We are rounding the corner, coming into our 30th week? Movement within Bel is crazy, so much so I found myself watching her belly rather than the T.V. The thought that something could create movement like that astounds me, and I wonder how she deals with it. I would find it truly annoying...especially when trying to sleep. Thank the gods she is the one pregnant!!(I would have been bed ridden months ago!!) ;)

Soon I will graduate, I have achieved the degree of Masters and for that I am very proud, maybe more so than most. It has been a long journey, and not an easy one. But I am here, and I have earned all that I have. I can only hope that I will pass on this passion, this thirst for life to my child. I see most people depressed by life, angered at the politics that shape the world and generally not happy with the situation they are in. I can only hope that I cull those feelings in my child and foster the strength to change what is in their power to change so that they can be as happy as I have grown to be.

But then again, I am merely a mortal...a human one at that!

-Nor-