Looking back on my trip to Honolulu, I wish I had taken a little more time to myself. I don't think it would have been an issue if while we were all gathered around the pool, I stepped out on my own for an hour.


As an introvert I literally crave alone time, even from those closest to me.This is not something I am ashamed of, as I truly believe there is no reason to be. I love being around friends and family, but I also love the alone time that comes after it. So, Honolulu. I wish I had stolen some moments for myself - found a quiet spot on the beach, or sat out on the hotel room balcony - because now I'm back home and back in the thick of the mess that I left behind, feeling trapped and running out of patience with the status quo.

Before I go any further lets get the obvious out of the way: yes, i'm sure that all you been-there-done-it mom's are laughing at me right now, but I never claimed to be a pro when it comes to babies. In fact, I've told my husband a few (hundred) times now that because of his 8-years-younger sister, he probably has more experience with babies than I do. So, now that that's out of the way....

What goes in a diaper bag? Well, opinions vary; mostly because some mom's like to keep things to a minimum, and others are packing as though they are going to be gone for three weeks at a time. Judging by the state of my purses that I carry, I think I will probably fall somewhere in between, maybe  tipping a little more towards the apocalypse-type packing.

One thing is for sure: when I first began my search for a diaper bag I quickly found out that what I really wanted was a bag that I could use a a diaper bag, but didn't scream that it was one. I wanted something that was functional, but still stylish so that I'd be happy carrying it with me everywhere. Also important, was that it was something my husband wouldn't be embarrassed to carry around if need be.

What we decided on came as a surprise, because I found it at a Quiksilver store while we were on vacation in Honolulu. I spotted it the first day, pointed it out to my husband and said I would sit on it for a while and think it through. Needless to say I thought about it every day we were there, so the day before we packed up for home we went back and bought it.




Now that we have the bag - and four more months until my due date - I have time to think about what needs to go inside. Here is what I have come up with so far (not counting my personal items such as wallet, keys, cell phone, etc):

• Diapers: D'uh!
• Baby wipes
• Anti-bacterial hand sanitizer 
• A foldaway changing pad
• A small tube of diaper-rash cream
• Burp cloths
• Receiving blanket
• Nursing pads
• An extra change of clothes
• Cover up for breast feeding
• Babys bottle
• At least one toy or comfort object (I had a blankie when I was younger)
• A bib
• Two pacifiers
• Plastic bags for sealing and tossing dirty diapers or for taking home soiled clothes

Bonus items:

• A business card with my name, address, and phone number, in case the bag gets lost
• An extra shirt for mama for those unexpected spit-ups

I have to say that I think this is a pretty good start. Naturally, I'd love to hear some opinions from all you mom's out there!

I've been beginning to feel a little under the weather, which has come as a surprise seeing as I've been sleeping + eating well. In fact, my appetite has taken a big turn and I'm probably eating a little too well, if you know what I mean!

I think I'm going to blame it on the time of the year + the drop in the weather (in the mornings and evenings, because lets be honest; the days have been beautiful). So for the next few days I'm going to try and take it easy, which of course made me think of all the things I love to do when I'm feeling sick.

- drink plenty of tea + hot chocolate.

- watch silly shows and movies on netflix

- make + eat plenty of soup

- enjoy leftovers

- write in my journal

seeing as i'm pregnant and there isn't much I can take to help out with the cold i'm just trying to continue to eat well + get plenty of sleep.

i hope everyone's work week goes better than mine!

I've been delayed in posting this what with the vacation and everything else, so I'm a little overdue in announcing that we're having a boy!



































Dom and I are both very excited to be welcoming a little man into the family, and because I'm sure that many of you are curious about names, I'll fill you in: my husband is Dom III, so we will be passing down the name, making this baby Dom IV.

Last night I dreamt that I was back home in Canada going to the church I used to attend when I was younger. I was planning to sing with the choir but twenty minutes before mass the choir director told me I needed to perform a flute solo because their flutist had come down with the flu and had called in last minute. I immediately began panicking because – while I did play flute for many years – I hadn’t picked it up in at least six years. I wasn’t even sure that I remembered all of the keys. I wasn’t really given a choice as to whether or not I wanted to play so I began reading over the music and practicing the best I could but I soon found out that not only did I not remember some of the keys, I couldn’t even recall how to read the music very well. I began to get visibly upset and about five minutes before I was to go on stage I ran up to the choir director with the intention of telling her that I would not be playing. Right as I was about to burst into tears I woke up.

I know what this dream was really representing.

Yesterday afternoon I admitted to my husband that I’m scared to death about giving birth, and that’s the truth. But I know that what is waiting for us on the other side of that is our baby, our family, and I try to focus on that. And even more so, I am trying to accept that it is perfectly normal for me to feel scared; "Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death."

Well, it's hard to believe that it's here already, but I'm 20 weeks today, at the halfway mark!


























Late, late Saturday night we head to the airport to fly out to Honolulu for five days and I couldn't be more excited or more in need of a break! Like many many women out there I struggled through weeks and weeks of horrible morning sickness that lasted all day long, and I've been busting my hump at work all week long too, so I'm more than ready to get out of Vegas and relax with no schedules or deadlines or emails!

Happy hump day everyone and congratulations to Barack for being re-elected! I'm a proud Canadian living in the U.S. today!

Make sure to come back later this week as I will be revealing the baby's gender!