Oh Saturday

Summertime Saturdays aren't much fun. Clark works a 12 hour day, so it's long for all of us! Our apartments this year are in a great location though, so when the day gets long and boring, there's plenty to see and do. 

Today saw us taking a walk to "Hog's Back Falls". While oddly named, it sure was a fun little adventure! 

The buildings are part of our apartment complex.

Cameron and Daisy at the falls.

After checking out the falls, we walked through the trees and parks nearby. 

I guess sometimes Saturdays aren't so bad after all! How can they be, with this little guy?!

Moment of creative rage

I'm a creative person, and this blog is foiling all my internet habits. Why do I feel like I am using a program that is stuck in the 1990's when I try to personalize this thing? Having 10 "templates" to choose from is just not cutting it my friends.

Back to business

Wow, am I ever bad at this blogging thing. It's been so long, that I actually forgot how to post to it! I really am going to try and get back into it again though. I have a million things I'd like to blame my laziness on, but in all actuality, it is just that.

First item of business...the bump is no more. Contrary to how I felt at the time, I was not pregnant forever. We welcomed Cameron Clark Platt into the world on November 11th 2009. He was a hefty 8lbs 2oz, and 21 1/4 inches long. Mama's visit was scheduled for the 9th in the hopes that the bundle of joy would already have arrived. I was impatient by a week after the due date, and Mama wasn't going to be around forever, so I elected to be induced.

My labor was 7 hours...almost exactly. I was induced for the second time at 1:30 in the afternoon, and the contractions started immediately. I finally got the epidural at about 7:00, and Cameron was born at 8:22pm. Because of the H1N1 epidemic, only Clark was allowed in the hospital, so I asked my doctor to be let out asap so I could get home. I was out of the hospital 15 hours later, and back at the mall a day later!

6 months later, and my cute little guy is doing great! He has been a great sleeper from the start, sleeping through the night on occasion since a couple weeks old. Cameron is an extremely agile, active little fella. He has wanted to be standing up since day 1. He rolled from tummy to back at 5 weeks, back to tummy at 3 1/2 months, and learnt to sit up alone at 5 1/2 months. He had his first babysitter at 1 month old, first swim when Grandma and Grandad Macmillan came to visit at 7 weeks old, and went on his first airplane at 4 1/2 months, when we took a family trip to Vegas. He started solids at 4 months, and has graduated up to fruits and vegetables....he especially likes his strawberries!

Now, he is rolling around all over the place, has started pulling his knees up, and has been up on all fours several times lately. Needless to say, I have no idea how I am going to keep up with this kid when he DOES start moving! He loves jumping in his jungle gym, napping in his swing, he loves to blow raspberries with his tongue and scream VERY LOUDLY...especially with Daddy. He REALLY likes food, and eats like a little piggy...though I can't seem to keep an ounce on the child! He is constantly in the 80-90th percentile for height, and 20th for weight!!

On to other matters. The summer has begun, and we have left our little home again...this time for Ottawa. It's beautiful here. There are rivers, lakes, canals, and plenty of trees. The weather has been gorgeous since our arrival, and we've already done a little sightseeing downtown. I spend my days outside for the most part. There is a nice park by the canal, and also a beach, both a 5 minute walk from our apartment. Cameron and I have already been swimming at the beach! It was so hot last week.

There will be plenty to do this summer, so I'll do my best to keep the blog up to date! I can't guarantee anything though!

40+ week bump

Well....the due date has been and gone, and the bump is still in plain sight! We will keep you updated......if it EVER happens!

Birthday Surprise

It's birthday number 30 for Clark on the 5th, and although that just so happens to be my due date, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do something special for him this year! So I planned a surprise party for him, with some good friends. No big deal I thought....I'll just keep it simple, and have a little get-together. It turns out that even a "little get-together" is a boatload of stress when it's a surprise!

Keeping it from him up until the day of the party was no big deal. I thought I had everything under control! I told Clark I was going out with my sister in law to the mall for some girl shopping, which was my alibi for getting all the food and decorations I needed for the party. Our little nephew got sick though, and she couldn't come out with me. Clark had a work meeting, so I had no way of getting out of the house to buy everything! I started calling people, but with no luck! My last resort was my next door neighbor. I showed up on her doorstep practically in tears! Luckily she was available to drive me around, and stored it all in her garage until I needed it in the evening.

I had arranged with one of Clark's friends to take him out to rent a movie or something. He was coming to pick him up at 6:00...all the guests would arrive, and he was to be home at 7:00. Clark called him at 3:30 however, and asked to be picked up at 4:00 instead because he was bored at home! It actually turned out for the best....there is no way I could have been prepared with everything I needed to do in just 1 hour! I felt bad that Shane had to figure out how to entertain Clark, and keep him out of the house for 3 hours though!!!!

Another dilemma was attendees! I had invited about 13 couples along, half of which had to back out on me at the last minute due to the H1N1 epidemic that's hit Lethbridge! It seems like everyone is getting sick around here!

Thankfully almost everyone showed up on time! We had a few late comers...people that couldn't make it any earlier, but the surprise remained a surprise until it was supposed to, and the rest of the night went smoothly!

Clark's first comment was in reference to masking tape. haha...he was very concerned about the decorations taped to his walls! I had streamers hanging down...he thought I must have decorated for halloween, and didn't understand why I had used GREEN streamers! All these thoughts were fleeting until he walked far enough around the corner, and everyone shouted surprise! And don't worry too much...the tape didn't wreck our walls!

There was no cake at this party. Clark isn't a huge cake fan, so I had his Mama make 30 miniature Lemon Meringue pies. Those he IS a big fan of!

He was a happy boy after the kids fingerprints had been wiped off all the glass at the end of the night! So the stress was worth it. I was kind of hoping all my nervousness would put me into labor! No such luck yet.

He's not ALWAYS right

I officially own a diaper bag....and a cute one. Clark suggested that we already had a few black backpacks somewhere in the basement. Thanks for saving me with your cuteness, Petunia Pickle Bottom.

Landscaping

Our landscaping is finally done! Clark worked overtime for a solid 3 weeks to get it all finished, and what started out as a couple of piles of dirt, now look awesome!

Here's the front yard, we still intend to plant a tree in the front, probably next year though. What a difference grass makes!

Entryway...

Clark put a rock water feature in the front. It's sooooo heavy! Quite the ordeal!

Walking into the backyard...

Clark built the retaining wall, and came up with the idea for the rock steps to overcome the sloping backyard! The Bulldog statue we found in Regina during the summer, his name is Iceman.

We have 9 trees in our little backyard! It'll look great when they're all grown!

Our little garden. Hopefully we'll be able to plant something one of these years!

Staining the fence is still on the schedule. Clark started doing it, but then it got too cold, then rained, then snowed! It could be a while until he's able to finish it!