Today's appointment went very well. Julie now weighs 11 pounds, 5 ounces! So she gained 18 ounces since her last appointment 2 weeks ago. Little piglet! Carlos calls her a jumbo jet since her initials are JET and she is growing like a weed!
They also did her measurements and she is now 61 cm long (vs 51cm at birth), head circumference is 38 cm (vs 33.5 cm at birth), and chest circumference is 40.5 cm (vs 34 cm at birth). So, she is growing well! The midwife gave her a good look over and said she looks great and she has no concerns at all. She even took her footprints and put them on a certificate for us. She gave me a big hug when we left and encouraged me to drop in whenever I liked; they would love to see me and Julie again.
So, we are now officially discharged from the midwives care. They were absolutely amazing and we will definitely use them again! I cannot say enough good things about them; I am so glad we decided to use them!
Baby Age Ticker
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Love the new ride!
We picked up the new car last night when Carlos was done work. Since my mom was happily babysitting, we decided to go out for dinner to celebrate. That was the first time we've been to a restaurant since Julie was born, so it was nice to get out just the 2 of us.
Our car is awesome! Lots of power! It has about 10 hp more than Zeke, so it can really move!!! And I love the tinted windows, it was worth the extra $200. And we also got roof racks which I don't think were supposed to come on the car we paid for, so that was a free bonus! I drove the car home from dinner and we took a bit of a detour so I could spend some more time driving the car.
We ordered a second base for Julie's carseat, so that will be nice to have. That way, we have one in each vehicle, so it will be easy to trade back and forth since I want to drive the new car sometimes too ;)
Oh, and I am already about 1/3 of the way through "Twilight"... it's good so far!
Our car is awesome! Lots of power! It has about 10 hp more than Zeke, so it can really move!!! And I love the tinted windows, it was worth the extra $200. And we also got roof racks which I don't think were supposed to come on the car we paid for, so that was a free bonus! I drove the car home from dinner and we took a bit of a detour so I could spend some more time driving the car.
We ordered a second base for Julie's carseat, so that will be nice to have. That way, we have one in each vehicle, so it will be easy to trade back and forth since I want to drive the new car sometimes too ;)
Oh, and I am already about 1/3 of the way through "Twilight"... it's good so far!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
YAY!
We just got the call that our car is in! They will do the rust and fabric protection tomorrow and we get to pick it up tomorrow evening! YAY!!!!
Twilight has arrived!
My Twilight books arrived this morning, so I am excited to start reading them. Are they ever long! That's good though, should keep me entertained for awhile ;)
Looks like we won't be getting the car until Thursday now. The AWD models have been selling like hotcakes and there were 3 available in Ontario going into Saturday, 2 sold on Saturday, so we got the very last one. And it's coming from the Niagara region, so it will take a little longer to get here. The only thing is it has tinted windows, which they are charging an extra $200 for. We tried to get them to throw that in for free, but no luck. Oh well. Tinted windows might be a nice thing to have in case I have to nurse Julie in the car or something. So, I think it's a good thing. And $200 is only an extra $5 per month, so no biggie. Funny that we got the very last silver AWD one in Ontario! All other colours were sold out except white. And we didn't want white. Guess lots of people took advantage of the 0% financing deal!
We should find out today whether we are approved for the financing loan, so then it will be all official - yay!
Looks like we won't be getting the car until Thursday now. The AWD models have been selling like hotcakes and there were 3 available in Ontario going into Saturday, 2 sold on Saturday, so we got the very last one. And it's coming from the Niagara region, so it will take a little longer to get here. The only thing is it has tinted windows, which they are charging an extra $200 for. We tried to get them to throw that in for free, but no luck. Oh well. Tinted windows might be a nice thing to have in case I have to nurse Julie in the car or something. So, I think it's a good thing. And $200 is only an extra $5 per month, so no biggie. Funny that we got the very last silver AWD one in Ontario! All other colours were sold out except white. And we didn't want white. Guess lots of people took advantage of the 0% financing deal!
We should find out today whether we are approved for the financing loan, so then it will be all official - yay!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
We fell in love...
...with the Matrix! We went to Toyota yesterday and had a look at both the 2009 Matrix and the 2009 Corolla. We test drove them both, and I definitely liked the Matrix better; it has an all wheel drive option and I just like the look of it better. Since we will be keeping it for a long time (we tend to drive our cars forever until something happens like the engine threatens to fall out), I really wanted to get a good car that will last us a long time and I really wanted all wheel drive. I absolutely love Zeke and I have never once gotten stuck or lost control while driving him and I have had him for almost 8 years. So, AWD was important to me, especially now that we have Julie. I honestly could not think of another car besides the Matrix that I like that has an AWD option.
We both drove it and I absolutely love it! Once we went back into the dealership and crunched all the numbers, we said we would have to go for lunch and think about it, and they offered that we could take the Matrix with us when we went. So, we took it back to my parents house to show them. I wanted my brothers' opinions since they are both car guys. They both think it is a really good car.
Since the 0% financing deal was only on 2009 models (since they are selling them off to get ready for the 2010), there is only a finite number of them in Ontario since they are no longer making the 2009 model. So, if we wanted to get the 0% financing (which is only on until March 31), we decided to get one yesterday so that we would be sure to get one. The AWD ones are really popular and they are running out quickly. They only had 3 colours left in Ontario: one dark grey (which would be extra money to get since it was hours away), silver, and white. So, we thought about it for while, and we decided to get a silver one. The one we test drove was silver and it tooks awesome. And we figured silver won't show scratches as easily as something darker.
We were able to get a $700 discount through Carlos' connections, which was awesome! And they offered us $1000 trade in value for the 98 Corolla, so we were very happy with that; we thought we would be lucky to get $500 considering all the problems it has.
Here are the deets: 2009 Toyota Matrix XR AWD, Silver, 2.4L 4 cyl engine, 158 hp, automatic (the AWD only availabe in Automatic), 17" Alloy wheels (yay!), and all the bells and whistles like AC, cruise, power windows, doorlocks, and mirrors, keyless entry, heated mirrors, CD/MP3 player, 6 speakers, input jack for ipod (which I think is awesome), audio controls in the steering wheel, outside temperature gauge (sweet; I've never had that before), the rear seats and front passenger seat fold down flat which is handy if we have something large to fit in, etc.
We are very excited! We get to pick it up on Wednesday likely. Which gives us a couple days to figure out insurance. Carlos and I have been meaning to get on the same car insurance policy for awhile, so this is the perfect time. We'll get quotes from both of our current companies and go with whatever is cheaper. Carlos deals with a broker, so they should be able to get us a good price.
We both drove it and I absolutely love it! Once we went back into the dealership and crunched all the numbers, we said we would have to go for lunch and think about it, and they offered that we could take the Matrix with us when we went. So, we took it back to my parents house to show them. I wanted my brothers' opinions since they are both car guys. They both think it is a really good car.
Since the 0% financing deal was only on 2009 models (since they are selling them off to get ready for the 2010), there is only a finite number of them in Ontario since they are no longer making the 2009 model. So, if we wanted to get the 0% financing (which is only on until March 31), we decided to get one yesterday so that we would be sure to get one. The AWD ones are really popular and they are running out quickly. They only had 3 colours left in Ontario: one dark grey (which would be extra money to get since it was hours away), silver, and white. So, we thought about it for while, and we decided to get a silver one. The one we test drove was silver and it tooks awesome. And we figured silver won't show scratches as easily as something darker.
We were able to get a $700 discount through Carlos' connections, which was awesome! And they offered us $1000 trade in value for the 98 Corolla, so we were very happy with that; we thought we would be lucky to get $500 considering all the problems it has.
Here are the deets: 2009 Toyota Matrix XR AWD, Silver, 2.4L 4 cyl engine, 158 hp, automatic (the AWD only availabe in Automatic), 17" Alloy wheels (yay!), and all the bells and whistles like AC, cruise, power windows, doorlocks, and mirrors, keyless entry, heated mirrors, CD/MP3 player, 6 speakers, input jack for ipod (which I think is awesome), audio controls in the steering wheel, outside temperature gauge (sweet; I've never had that before), the rear seats and front passenger seat fold down flat which is handy if we have something large to fit in, etc.
We are very excited! We get to pick it up on Wednesday likely. Which gives us a couple days to figure out insurance. Carlos and I have been meaning to get on the same car insurance policy for awhile, so this is the perfect time. We'll get quotes from both of our current companies and go with whatever is cheaper. Carlos deals with a broker, so they should be able to get us a good price.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Lost in the matrix...
The Toyota Matrix has caught our attention. We are going to go to Toyota on Saturday to check them out. For the month of March, Toyota has a 0% financing on the 2009 Matrix (and a few other cars). I think many dealerships are doing this actually because of the recession we are in. But, for people in the market for car... you can't beat 0% financing! So, in addition to looking at used cars, we will also check out a new one for comparison.
Carlos' workplace does the ads for Toyota, so we have some connections... Hopefully we can use those connections to get a good deal if we decide to go that route ;)
I have my mom lined up to babysit on Saturday so we can spend the day car shopping and going to a few places in town... should be fun!
Carlos' workplace does the ads for Toyota, so we have some connections... Hopefully we can use those connections to get a good deal if we decide to go that route ;)
I have my mom lined up to babysit on Saturday so we can spend the day car shopping and going to a few places in town... should be fun!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The search begins...
Carlos took his car to the shop yesterday since it has been having some issues. Well, turns out the engine mount is completely rotten, so basically the engine could fall out of the car at any time. Yikes! They can't say how long it would be before this happens, could be tomorrow or could be several months. But it is a safety issue, so I think we should drive that car as little as possible. Since the car is 11 years old, I don't think it's worth putting a lot of money in it at this point. So, we're going to begin the search for a new vehicle. The good thing is I'm on mat leave right now, so we can get by with only 1 vehicle for awhile. So, we're going to use my car primarily for now and then only use Carlos' car on days when we both need a vehicle. That way, we can prolong the life of his car while we look for a new one.
So, now we're trying to think about what would be best. Do we get a used car that we could get for a good price that would do us for a few years? Or should we spend a little more money and get something larger like a minivan in planning for the future? My car Zeke really isn't the best for putting a carseat in. It's a bit of a pain actually since there isn't a lot of room in the backseat, so whenever I put the carseat back there, I have to move the front passenger seat all the way forward to make space. It would be much easier in a minivan and it would be nice to have a vehicle with more space. Minivans are expensive though, so we would definitely be looking at getting a used one. The good thing is we have time now. So, we can look at vans and cars and see what good deals we can find.
So, now we're trying to think about what would be best. Do we get a used car that we could get for a good price that would do us for a few years? Or should we spend a little more money and get something larger like a minivan in planning for the future? My car Zeke really isn't the best for putting a carseat in. It's a bit of a pain actually since there isn't a lot of room in the backseat, so whenever I put the carseat back there, I have to move the front passenger seat all the way forward to make space. It would be much easier in a minivan and it would be nice to have a vehicle with more space. Minivans are expensive though, so we would definitely be looking at getting a used one. The good thing is we have time now. So, we can look at vans and cars and see what good deals we can find.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Julie is a piglet!
The appointment with the midwife this morning went very well. Julie had her hearing test, and everything is normal. Her weight today was 10 lbs, 3 oz, so she gained 20 oz in the last 2 weeks - wow! I guess she's eating well, which is great since I can't tell how much she's eating since she's exclusively breastfed. Our next appointment is on the 27th and that will be our last one with the midwives, we will be discharged from their care. They have been absolutely amazing and we will definitely use them again for any future children we may have.
I did ask her about vaccinations and she already had a brochure in the info packet she was planning to give me at today's appointment, so it was already a topic for discussion at today's appointment, hows that for timing?!? Basically, it is outside the scope of their practice and they are not supposed to give opinions about it. It is recommended by Health Canada to follow the vaccination schedule, but it is not mandatory. Parents need to make the decision for themselves. It is illegal for a child to be suspended from school, etc. because they are not vaccinated. Parents just need to provide a letter indicating the child is not vaccinated.
She did say that vaccines for children in Canada no longer contain mercury. The midwife said to do some research and make sure to get recent and Canadian information. We need to weigh the risks of Julie getting a disease that she could have been vaccinated for against the risks of the vaccine itself and make our decision based on that. She did say that MOST people get their children vaccinated and stick to the recommended schedule. Another option would be to delay the schedule a bit and have her first vaccine later than 2 months.
I will do some research and Carlos and I will make the decision once we feel we have the information we need.
I did ask her about vaccinations and she already had a brochure in the info packet she was planning to give me at today's appointment, so it was already a topic for discussion at today's appointment, hows that for timing?!? Basically, it is outside the scope of their practice and they are not supposed to give opinions about it. It is recommended by Health Canada to follow the vaccination schedule, but it is not mandatory. Parents need to make the decision for themselves. It is illegal for a child to be suspended from school, etc. because they are not vaccinated. Parents just need to provide a letter indicating the child is not vaccinated.
She did say that vaccines for children in Canada no longer contain mercury. The midwife said to do some research and make sure to get recent and Canadian information. We need to weigh the risks of Julie getting a disease that she could have been vaccinated for against the risks of the vaccine itself and make our decision based on that. She did say that MOST people get their children vaccinated and stick to the recommended schedule. Another option would be to delay the schedule a bit and have her first vaccine later than 2 months.
I will do some research and Carlos and I will make the decision once we feel we have the information we need.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Vaccine debate
We have to decide soon whether we want Julie to be vaccinated as the first round of vaccines starts at 2 months of age. I am really on the fence on this one since there is so much info out there about why vaccines are unsafe, unnecessary, can cause illnesses and damage, and may be linked to autism and learning and developmental disabilities.
But, I would hate to choose not to get Julie vaccinated and then have her get one of the illnesses she would have been protected against. I guess I have to do some research and figure this out soon!
Any thoughts on this issue?
But, I would hate to choose not to get Julie vaccinated and then have her get one of the illnesses she would have been protected against. I guess I have to do some research and figure this out soon!
Any thoughts on this issue?
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Happy birthday Smoke
My mom and sister-in-law-to-be hosted a baby shower for baby Julie on Saturday - was it ever nice! I was overwhelmed with everyone's generosity; Julie got so many amazing and adorable things! Lots of cute outfits that I can't wait to put her in ;)
Today is Smokey's 3rd birthday! I can't believe it's been almost 2 years since we almost lost him to Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. Poor little guy! That's behind us though, he has been doing great since then! We have found that since we've had Julie, Smokey has become a lot more affectionate. I guess he's not getting as much attention, so he decides he better come to us ;) One annoying thing is I think he has figured out that when I'm nursing, I can't get up to discipline him, so he uses that time to be a total trouble maker and climb on thing he shouldn't, scratch things he shouldn't, etc... sometimes I feel it's like having a toddler to look after while I am trying to look after a newborn too! But I still love him anyway ;)
Today is Smokey's 3rd birthday! I can't believe it's been almost 2 years since we almost lost him to Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. Poor little guy! That's behind us though, he has been doing great since then! We have found that since we've had Julie, Smokey has become a lot more affectionate. I guess he's not getting as much attention, so he decides he better come to us ;) One annoying thing is I think he has figured out that when I'm nursing, I can't get up to discipline him, so he uses that time to be a total trouble maker and climb on thing he shouldn't, scratch things he shouldn't, etc... sometimes I feel it's like having a toddler to look after while I am trying to look after a newborn too! But I still love him anyway ;)
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Wedding Invitation Making Extravaganza
Yesterday, mom and I helped my brother's fiance make her wedding invitations. We didn't get them done, but we certainly made good progress! It was fun to focus my attention on something other than my adorable baby ;) My brother's wedding is coming up in 3 months... coming up quickly! They just recently bought a house, which is exciting. Closing date of May 1st, which gives them a month before the wedding to paint and fix things up before they move in.
This week has been a good one. Julie is a little angel! I just love looking at all her little facial expressions - she is smiling now, which is amazing to see!
This week has been a good one. Julie is a little angel! I just love looking at all her little facial expressions - she is smiling now, which is amazing to see!
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