Family Photos.

We had family photos done a few days before Christmas. We had the same photographer who took our wedding photos come to Erik's parent's house and take them for us. It turns out she lives only a few minutes away from them.

We just did a mini-session and we'd woken Eliza from her nap when the photographer arrived so the poor girl didn't have much time to warm up to the idea. She perked up fairly quickly and, aside from wanting nothing to do with her mother, she was soon up to her usual antics.
She's been obsessed with her little tongue for a few months and it was in fine form during the photos. There are few shots without her tongue sticking out or her fingers stuck in, which is perfect because that is just her.

I can't be the only one who gets stressed when thinking about what to wear for photos! I decided that I wanted our photos to be normal -- I just wanted to look like us. I still went shopping on more than one occasion, but walked around bewildered and returned home with nothing each time. I decided to go with comfort. I hate having photos done and figured I would look most relaxed if I felt comfortable in what I was wearing. The shirt I wore is one I'm particularly fond of wearing on night shift at the hospital. And I didn't wear any makeup because I never wear makeup. As far as matching goes... I just tried to not makes us clash too horribly.

It was great having the photos done at my in-laws. It's a beautiful location that is very special to us and it's home.

I'm so glad we got photos done. I kept putting it off thinking I could do them myself, but I finally admitted that would never happen so I bit the bullet and got in contact with Kelly. These are only a few of the photos she took -- I have many more favourites!

2015 :: Year in Review :: September to December

September
In September we decided to start the process of purchasing a foreclosed half-duplex. We began by negotiating an initial bid with the bank. The process of buying a foreclosure was... a lot more difficult than I anticipated and this was partly due to our less-than-impressive real estate agent. I won't go into all the details about how she dropped the ball, but suffice to say I wasn't fond of her. The bank accepted our offer and a court date was set for the end of October.

We also made another trip the coast in September for a youth conference that we volunteered at. We had friends visit from up north and we enjoyed Erik's brief break from school. And I slowly packed up our house. Slowly.

We spent an extended weekend in Manning Park with Erik's brother and sister-in-law. We went on a couple hikes (one that nearly killed me), ate copious amounts of food, played countless games of Dominion, and laughed at Eliza.

October
Maelle and Elinor stayed over the first weekend in October and Eliza loved having older kids around -- she watched them play, followed them, and laughed at them. They kept her entertained the whole weekend.

My niece got married over Thanksgiving weekend so the whole family was in town again. She was married on the Friday, which was nice because we had the rest of the weekend to spend time together. I can't imagine how busy holidays will be in years to come when all the little ones have grown. I am thankful that Eliza has so many cousins near her age.

Our court date was October 29 and thankfully nobody else showed up so we got the half-duplex at our original bid! It was stressful having to have a second bid ready as we had to go in blind -- they don't tell you what other people put in as a bid so you just throw an offer in and hope that you aren't outbid and that you don't outbid someone else by something ridiculous like $15,000. We had a couple days to close and then we had possession and renovations to look forward to.

I was going to skip Halloween, but a friend invited us over so I ran out and got Eliza a costume and she was an adorable little ladybug. If you aren't picky about your kids costume (and don't mind squeezing them into something a little bit too small) Costco has them on sale for $5.00 the day of.

November
We moved in with my parents for November. We'd made the decision to do so before our court date because we had to be out of our place on October 31 and our court date was on the 29th. If we didn't get the duplex we were going to look for somewhere else to rent for December 1 and were going to stay with my parents anyway. If we got the house then we would live with them while we started renovating (floors, paint, furnace, windows).

I spent hours and hours painting the entire house. It was nice to be with my parents because they let me borrow their vehicle when Erik was at work so I could go to the house and because they would were home when Eliza went to bed at night so I could paint from 7pm-1am. My mom also helped me when she could which was much appreciated. Erik was busy working and finishing his quarter at school so he was a busy boy.

We made another trip to the coast for school at the beginning of the month. It was the last time I get to go with Erik as I will be working for the remainder of his academic career.

December
I continued painting our house in the beginning of December and we moved in on the tenth. Unpacking with an 11-month-old is not an easy task. It is especially difficult when your cupboard doors aren't on yet because you're painting them. Erik worked his last shift at his job on the eighteenth as he is going to be writing his thesis, doing his practicums, and taking care of Eliza while I'm at work in the new year.

We spent Christmas in Washington this year with Erik's family. We were able to stay for ten days because Erik had just quit his job and I wasn't back at work yet. It was fun to see Eliza interacting with that side of the family. She was a great age for such a gathering and she doesn't get stranger-danger or separation-anxiety so she was happy to be with whoever wanted to be with her. She was particularly fond of her grandma, which made me smile. It is fun having a baby who happily goes to others and I'm sure the "others" appreciate it too.

Eliza turned one! I know most parent says it, but woah, that year passed far too quickly. Eliza is such an easy going girl -- she makes being a mama easy. I know I am biased, but she really is the sweetest thing. We didn't have a party for her (I've always thought first birthday parties are a little silly) but she was surrounded by people who love her, as she will be every year on her birthday (a benefit of being born on Christmas Day).

We had a mini Christmas celebration with the Kelowna Jansens when we returned from Washington. We just had dinner and gave a few gifts to the kiddies. It was nice.

And that was a brief recap of 2015. I'm curious to see what 2016 brings...

2015 :: Year in Review :: May to August

May
For some reason May is often a month that I forget to document. It is one of my favourite months, despite this, and I imagine I enjoyed it as much as any other month. In May we headed to Vancouver again for Erik's schooling again. I loved that I was able to go with him all year as we got to visit with family and friends.

Eliza's love affair with spatulas and wooden spoons began in May and we were able to visit with family from Northern BC while they were in Kamloops for a soccer tournament.

June
We tried to make a point of going on some family hikes in June as the weather was nice and our babe was portable.

Erik went to Alaska for his fifteenth season of commercial fishing in the middle of June. Eliza and I packed ourselves up and spent a month on the coast bouncing between family and friends.

Eliza learned to sit the day Erik left (I finally sat her up and she didn't fall over. Ever.). We visited my in-laws for about a week and then made our way north to the Lower Mainland to visit with my siblings.

July
We spent the beginning of July "camping" with my sister and her family in Monroe, WA. On the fourth of July my brother called to inform us that he had a son! Anthony Carter Keith arrive three weeks ahead of schedule and healthy as can be.

I spent some time visiting with some aunties and cousins before Erik came home too. It was so nice to spend considerable amount of time with everyone as we usually feel rushed while we are in town. I felt as though I was able to invest in the people around me and have them get to know Eliza instead of us frantically trying to squeeze a few visits in.

While Erik was in Alaska our landlords informed us that they were unexpectedly moving back to Kelowna years earlier than anticipated and we needed to move in few months. I was so sad about this as I loved our home and had been looking forward to living there for at least a few more years. We started the discussion of whether to continue renting or if we should look into purchasing a home of our own.

August
My mom's side of the family has Family Camp every August and we make it a priority to attend as it is always a good time. We meet at Timothy Lake near 100 Mile House and spend an extended weekend eating, playing games, reading, swimming, and talking. We were fortunate to stay in a cabin that we shared with my sister-in-law and nephew.

 We started looking at houses a little more seriously in August -- Erik was trying to convince me that buying one was a good idea, but I still wasn't so sure.

We had plenty of dinners and games nights with friends as well, which isn't abnormal for us, but I was really sad about leaving our house so we did it more often than we usually do. I was trying to squeeze every ounce of enjoyment out of the space we had.

My cousin got married in Kelowna at the end of the month. His wedding was so much fun and many of my extended family was able to make it so I was able to see people I haven't seen in a while. It was nice to attend a family wedding that didn't involve an immediate family member as no one was pre-occupied with wedding responsibilities and we just got to enjoy ourselves.

I start work this Thursday so I hope to finish off the Year in Review as soon as possible! I'm feeling panicked to tie up loose ends before heading back to the hospital.

2015 :: Year in Review :: January to April

January
I spent most of January nursing and getting to know Eliza Jane. She got a bad cold when she was only a few days old and we spent much of the month steaming, suctioning, and making sure she could breathe.

The transition to parenthood was easier than we anticipated. Being parents and having a dependent human being felt normal and wonderful. Eliza was an easy going newborn who only fussed when she needed to sleep or when she wanted to be put down. I learned early on that she wasn't particularly fond of being held, which would have been even more mind-boggling if I didn't have a niece who was the same.

February
We took our first trip to the coast in February and we were able to introduce Eliza to some of our extended families. Erik had a week-long residency in Vancouver for his Master's program so Eliza and I tagged along and stayed with various family members for the week. It was lovely to actually have time to visit with people as we are usually only down for a weekend and have way too much to cram into that time.

My friend, Heidi, came to visit from Manitoba. It may sound awful, but my favourite thing about her visit (aside from the yummy cupcakes she made) was that Heidi would rock Eliza to sleep in the evening when she was fussy and Erik and I would go to bed. Then she would sneak into our room and put Eliza to bed while we slept. It was wonderful to go to sleep without having to think about the baby waking up or not settling. And it was great to see Heidi.

Eliza was also baptized in February. My mom made her baptism gown and my brother did the baptism, which made the day even more special. Eliza was in fine form and screamed the entire service.

March
I don't recall much of March. Erik was busy with work and school and I enjoyed staying home with the babe. I do remember spending plenty of time rocking Eliza to sleep. She hated going to sleep and would put up a mighty fight. I was thankful she fell asleep easy at night because she would struggle with it during the day.

We made another trip to the coast to visit Erik's family in Washington as Erik's sister was visiting from Minnesota. A nasty bug was unfortunately being passed around when we arrived so the visit wasn't what we were expecting and we had to quarantine Eliza so she wouldn't catch the virus.

We had thankfully planned to sleep in a tent, but poor Eliza was forced to nap out on the deck sheltered from the elements by jackets, bags, and umbrellas depending on the weather.

I don't know what I was expecting, but it felt different sharing Eliza with Erik's family. It seems ridiculous but I felt almost surprised that they loved her as my family does. Of course they did! Why wouldn't they? Eliza's cousins were finally healthy enough to play with her the day before we left. We were down for a week and only got to spend one day snuggled up together! Ugh!

April
After our time in Stanwood we headed north to the Lower Mainland to spend Easter with my family. We also celebrated Erik and my brother Jonathan's 30th birthdays with a hockey party and lunch with our extended family. We rented what I believe was a practice rink and my siblings, cousins, and an aunt, and my uncles played 3-on-3 hockey. 

Our family also welcomed a new nephew in April! Cruz Kingston Black was born on April 28 to my brother, Joel, and his wife.

And our friends from Fort St. John came down for a visit to the coast. It was fun to finally have a baby of my own to add to the mess of children playing in the backyard and it was great to spend time together. I was there when all the wee ones in the photo below were born.
Next installment (hopefully) coming shortly.

Home Owners and House Renos

We are officially homeowners.

In July our landlords informed us that they would be moving back to town in November. This came as a shock as they thought they would be gone for another ten years. I was incredibly sad as I loved our home and thought we would be there for many more years.

The news of their return and the rental market encouraged Erik to turn to start looking into houses to purchase. I was not interested in buying but Erik wore me down and we started casually looking.

Long story short -- we bought a half-duplex. It was a foreclosure and the process of acquiring said property was stressful, but here we are. We got possession on November 12 and are frantically trying to renovate so we can move in soon.

Flooring is going in today and tomorrow. Almost all of the walls are primed. The first coat of colour is on in Eliza's room and our room. Windows are being done mid- to late-December. And I have made far too many decisions in far too short a time.

Is it normal to regret every decision once you've made them and can't turn back?? That's kind of where I'm at.

:: right now ::

Right now, I am... 

:: thankful that Eliza is finally sleeping. It was a long night as she had a wicked fever that just broke this morning.

:: living with my parents. It has been a while since I've been able to say that.

:: adding keys to my key chain as we just bought a half-duplex!. We got the keys on Thursday and now the renovating begins. It was a foreclosure in need of some desperate TLC.

:: deciding on flooring. I love carpet, but I'm told carpet is not the preferred flooring for most people. We're still doing mostly carpet in the house. With a little bit of laminate. And some vinyl.

:: wishing I wasn't so indecisive.

:: forcing myself to drink water in an attempt to get rid of my pounding headache.

:: missing Eliza while she sleeps (but I'm still happy she is sleeping).

:: snacking on chocolate chip cookies.

:: wondering why the previous owners of our home felt the need to put hundreds of nails and pins in every wall of the house.

:: dreading all the patching said holes will require. And the fist sized holes too.

:: missing being pregnant. I'm not the only one, am I?

:: addicted to Scandal. I didn't think I would like it, but I do. It's not as good as West Wing, but that disappeared from Netflix before we could finish it so I needed a replacement show.

:: ripping out carpets later today.

:: trying to get back into blogging. And trying to write about something other than birth and Eliza.

Eliza Jane

::: Eliza Jane :::

Born December 25, 2014 @ 0754.

Weight: 6lb 15oz.

Height: 19.69inches.

The Birth of Eliza Jane: Part Five

If you need to catch up... Pregancy. Part One. Part Two. Part Three. Part Four. 

Erik telephoned his parents and then we called my family. We used Facetime and had the camera on the baby when my mom answered the phone. Much of my family was huddled around Mom as they were greeted by the face of the newest family member. I told them there was someone for them to come meet and when pressed for more information told them they'd have to come find out.

I called my sisters next. As Lindsey only lives a five minute drive from the hospital, they arrived shortly after I called them. I heard them well before they entered the room. They’d been to see us in the wee hours of the morning so they knew exactly where to come. Their tears and laughter filled the room before either of them did. I remember my heart began racing in anticipation and I was so excited to share my baby with them. I was so excited to share the joy and surprise and excitement! My tears and laughter joined theirs as they burst into the room.

My parents arrived shortly after my sisters. My dad had tears in his eyes as he held the babe for the first time — I could see the awe and adoration shining from his face. My poor mom is adorable. She sobbed as she hugged me and met her grand-daughter; her birthday present.

I had texted my mom when we were transferring to the hospital, but only that we were “going to the hospital” and I didn’t give her any updates after that. She didn’t know what was going on or if something was wrong with either me or the baby. And she’d known how dilated I was the previous morning so, like everyone, she’d anticipated things moving a lot quicker. 

We were discharged at 12:00, four hours after delivery, and we met more of my family in the hall on our way out before we headed home to rest.

We didn't have a girl name picked out. Jane was going to be the middle name - after Erik's sister Jayna. We'd known that for years, but we didn't have any first names. I kind of liked a few names though I didn't love any. Harper was probably my top name at the time and I am so glad we didn't go with that. Erik had suggested Eliza a few months back, but I immediately vetoed it. I was less than a fan. He timidly brought the name up again when we were getting ready to go to my parent's for dinner. He told me he really loved Eliza Jane. And that was that. I didn't even like it at the time, but I figured it was better to have a name that one of us loved than one that neither of us was particularly fond of.

And so she had a name :: Eliza Jane ::

Fun fact. Her Uncle Jayna's middle name is Elizabeth. So we have Jayna Elizabeth and Eliza Jane.

Arriving at Grandma and Bapa's for Christmas Dinner. Being bombarded by cousins.

We made it to my parent's house for Christmas dinner that evening and Eliza got to meet the entire Jansen clan. And we got to eat delicious food.

It was a busy week. Too busy for my liking, but that's what happens when you have a baby on a holiday when your gigantic family is in town. We had extended family photos at the beach the next day, which was a long three hours of standing.

I plan on taking it a little bit easier the next time around.