Author Archives: Kara

The Strongest Man I Know

Posted in Emotions, Family, Hard times, Life by

My Grandpa is the toughest man I know. He’s my hero, I can’t say that more than enough.

Yesterday afternoon, my Grandma quietly passed away surrounded by family, myself included. Yesterday was by far the hardest day of my life. And while my family wept, sobbed and showed their emotions, my grandpa was quiet. He loved that woman more than one could ever know, but there he stood – almost at peace with what had just happened. She was the love of his life for 36 years, always taking care of him. For the past month and a bit, he’s taken care of her; he’s been at her bedside every day that he could be. It’s funny how the tables can turn sometimes.

My grandpa had confessed that he always thought that it would be him to go first, and that my grandma would live to be a ripe old age. (His words, not mine) I think we all did. My grandma was always so full of love and life – planning, laughing, just living. My grandpa always stood beside her, going along with her elaborate plans.

Seeing my grandpa so broken hurts me so much. He’s really the strongest man I know.

I’m going to miss my grandma so much. She was always there for me, no matter what. Her love was always unconditional. It’s going to be so hard accepting the fact that she’s gone.

I love you so much Grandma, and I promise to take good care of Grandpa for you.

If you’d like, you can read a little about what happened here – I’ve taken the password off.

28 Weeks and Finally Painting

Posted in Baby #1, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Update, Renovations by

After two months of having Baby’s room all primed and ready for paint, we finally got started on actually painting her room!

On Sunday my grandpa came over to help me paint the baby’s room. Originally, my mom was going to help me do it, but when that we were going to paint to my grandpa, he mentioned that he LOVED painting and so my mom suggested that maybe I’d like his help. Of course I would! He’s got a lot going on right now, so it was a way for him to get a little break, even if it was only for a few hours.

We only got one coat done of the main colour done, which is a really pretty creamy yellow colour. We’ll do the final coat soon, and then we’ll just have to paint the accent colour (a light lavender) and we’ll be done! My goal is to have everything done by the end of this month – We need to start buying furniture!

You can read about/see what the room in my post here, but here’s what the progress looks like so far:

Before:

Primed:

First Coat:

The photos definitely don’t do the colour ANY justice whatsoever, so I’m hoping once the second coat of paint goes on, along with the purple, it will pop a lot more!

Now, onto your regular programming!

How far along? 28 Weeks!

How big is baby? She’s about 14.8″ long from head to toe and weighs approximately 2.2lbs, according to BabyCentre.ca.

Total weight gain/loss: At my doctor’s appointment last Thursday, I came in just under 135lbs, so in total, including the 4lbs I lost during my first trimester, I’ve gained about 20lbs. My “normal” weight floats between 115-120lbs, so I’m okay with that!

Maternity Clothes? Kyle took me shopping Friday night and I picked up some more shirts – Yay! Now I can stop rotating the same five shirts during the week for work, lol. I plan on buying spring/summer clothes in a couple weeks.

Stretch marks? None!

Sleep: I’ve been sleeping a lot better lately even since I starting using a 2nd pillow for under my belly/between my legs. I can’t be bothered to buy a body pillow, so I just spoon with a regular one and it seems to help support my belly and help with my hip pain.

Movement: Still lots! Baby likes to press “out” near my belly button and it gets pretty uncomfortable, but if I lean over or just rub where she is, she usually moves along. It’s a fun little game we play, lol

Food cravings: Nothing in particular lately, actually.

What I miss: Being active. Slo-pitch starts in a couple weeks and I’m bummed that I won’t be able to play for most of the season, if at all. I have the agility of a brick now. I will, however, make the world’s greatest scorekeeper!

What I am looking forward to: Finishing the baby’s room!

Milestones: My gestation diabetes test and blood work came back all clear, so I’m good to eat donuts and ice cream still! I also signed Kyle and I up for prenatal classes in May.

Photo:

Meet Campbell!

Posted in Kara and Kyle, Pets by

So, last week I may have mentioned in brief that Kyle and I got a new dog. And then on Wednesday I posted a photo of my two dogs.

Well, since our foster-to-adopt period is over today, I’m excited to finally introduce you all to Campbell!

Isn’t he adorable? Now, for his story …

Campbell is a 7-month old pit bull. Kyle and I adopted him through HugABull, a pit bull advocacy and rescue group based out of Vancouver. We had originally contacted HugABull back in January in regards to another dog, but unfortunately we were unable to adopt him because he had an altercation with another dog (which was the other dog’s fault), and they didn’t think that he would be a good match for us in the end. We were sad, but okay with it, and they let us know that if any dogs came to them that were a match for Kyle and I, they’d let us know!

A few weeks ago we got an email from HugABull telling us about a 7-month old male that just entered into their 1-month foster program. (All dogs are fostered and assessed for one month before being eligible for adoption). After seeing pictures, Kyle and I both fell in love with his cute face and immediately said “Yes please!”

So, two weeks ago Kyle and I drove out to Kelowna (with Daphne in tow!) to meet Mr. C! The “meet & greet” went really well, and after a walk to get to know each other, Kyle and I brought Campbell home with us for the two week foster-to-adopt program! Basically, if all goes well during his two week stay with us, he’s ours if we’d still like to have him!

It was a marginal adjustment for us considering we haven’t had a puppy in the house for almost 8 years (how is Daphne already almost 8, BTW?), but we can’t imagine him with anyone else! Despite a couple on bathroom accidents in the house, Campbell has settled in quite nicely and he’s learning more every day! Even Daphne has warmed up to him and lets him clean her face. I think she even likes having a playmate, although he has WAY more energy than she knows what to do with!

Most people’s reaction to us adopting a teenaged dog has been, “You’re nuts.” Maybe so, but we’ve been wanting to get another dog for a loooong time. With Campbell being older, but still young enough to mold into a well-behaved citizen that suits our lifestyle, he’s the perfect match. Really, we don’t think that having a baby and another dog is going to be all that challenging. Campbell is an amazing listener already too; we’re still working on “Come”, but he already knows “Wait” and “Leave it”, which is HUGE since he’s a hungry little guy who LOVES food. We’re also crating him while I’m at work and at night, so that’s a big help. He’s already putting himself to bed at night when he’s had enough of us!

And I know what a lot of you are thinking – “Why on earth would you want a pit bull? They’re mean!” Well, no, they’re not. When you train them correctly, they can be the nicest, calmest, and most loyal family dogs around. We want Campbell to be an ambassador for his breed, and if things keep going the way they are, he’s definitely going to be! He loves people, loves other dogs and is just a pleasure to be around. He’s melted my heart. I hate the stigma behind the breed, because the way I see it, any dog has the potential to be vicious. It’s all in how you raise and train your dog. (And for the record, we do have Campbell is doggy training lessons)

So – I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! Tomorrow we are FINALLY getting the baby’s room painted, and I can’t wait to share photos with you!

What are your weekend plans?
What are your thoughts/options on breed-specific stigmas?