And Luci Thought She Got Away....

She was wrong...

Popcorn Popper

Finley got a popcorn popper from her Grandma Toot and has recently started playing with it - but not how you may think. I have demonstrated to her how it is to be used and she just loves it, and laughs the whole time. I give it to her to use and instead of pushing it, she carries it around with her. Grandpa Don tried with her on Sunday and she did it as long as he was holding it and as soon as he let go, she picked it up. It's not surprising, considering she loves to "carry" stuff!

Baby Measles

So my wretched Wednesday's in 2010 continued last week. I thought I would be safe since the first 2 Wednesdays resulted in commutes from hell and I was leaving early for a doctor's appointment so I would be good to go. I was wrong - oh so very wrong. I woke up at around 1am on Wednesday morning with the worst migraine I had in ages - complete with messed up vision and throwing up. I fell asleep briefly only to be woken up by a screaming baby. She did this 2 more times before we got up for the day. When I got Finley dressed, her body seemed really warm but she had no fever so never thought much of it. I got us both ready to leave - only going to work because I didn't have the energy to walk upstairs and use my computer.

I had felt crappy all day because of the migraine and little to no sleep. I got to Finley's dayhome at around 345pm where they told me she had a bit of a fever and was very clingy all day. I got her home and upstairs where she just kinda sat on the floor. I picked her up and laid her on me where she slept for a few hours. She woke up soaked, dehydrated, and very cranky. Checked her temperature and she indeed still had her fever. I tried to give her some milk but she refused - same with jello, ice cream and mr freezes. She then burped and threw up. She laid back down on me and slept until Greg returned home from his Macleans thing he went to. He got her to eat some ice cream and she threw up again moments later. We took turns with her sleeping on us until Greg went to bed and I stayed sleeping on the couch with Finley.
She slept pretty good as long as she was on me and in the morning her fever was still there. So we stayed home and at around 10 or so, her fever seemed to break - Finley drank her bottle and had a banana. All was good - or so I thought! At lunch time, Finley refused to eat her banana or her chicken noodle soup so I thought something was up.
This was Finley Thursday afternoon after her fever came back hotter then ever. We basically repeated the events of Wednesday - except without the vomiting and she slept in her own bed. She only woke up a few times and fell back asleep on her own and in the morning, her fever was gone and her temperature was back to normal. So to work and dayhome we went. Greg picked her up and they said she was a little sleepy in the morning and slept alot but that she had a good afternoon. Woohoo! She was on the mend. She ate dinner Friday night but she didn't seem to sleep well Friday night. She woke up screaming numerous times which is really unlike her. On Saturday, she ate well but was super cranky despite having numerous naps. She went to bed early on Saturday and again woke up about 4 times screaming - each time making her fall asleep on her own. She woke up around 930 am and didn't eat much breakfast. I thought not much of it until around 11ish when I picked her up and laid her on me in hopes of making her happy when I noticed bumps as I rubbed her back. I took off shirt and saw that she was covered in a rash and that it was getting progressively worse.
Here is a photo of her on Sunday. It turns out that she didn't have a bout with the flu but that she had the onset of roseola which is also known as baby measles. It was hard to get a good photo of her rash but I did the best I could. It is basically covering her entire body - right down to inbetween her tiny bum cheeks!
Thankfully, it's not very itchy so she doesn't scratch too much but you can really get the sense that she is highly uncomfortable. She is extremely irritable and mood swings are crazy! She goes from happy to mad to sleeping on me 1.4 seconds!
The rash is only supposed to last 1 - 2 days so we are staying home tomorrow and am hoping that we can go back to "normal" on Tuesday. She is eating well - she had a grill cheesed sandwich for lunch and some pizza for dinner which she enjoyed! She's been sleeping for about 2 hours now and hasn't woken up yet, which is a record for the last few days so I am hoping for a much better tomorrow!

I am really hoping that this coming Wednesday is much better - not really sure how it could get much worse for me!

Someone's Lookin Forward to San Fran...

Greg, Finley & I are heading to San Francisco in May and so we are busy planning our trip and getting things booked. Greg got some books out of the library on the area and apparently Finley is just so excited to go to wine country that she just had to take a look at the books herself...

4 months today until we leave.....

Finley-Lou-Who

Maybe I Shouldn't Go To Work On Wednesdays...

I am really beginning to think that I should not leave the house on Wednesday's anymore. I am sure y'all remember my post last week about my "worst day ever" where I lost my keys, had a nervous breakdown at the train station, had to catch a cab home and wait for Greg to pick up Finley from daycare over an hour late and cost us $65.00. Well, yesterday I was walking to Stampede Train Station when I noticed people piling off the Southbound train and people hanging out on the overpass walkway staring down Macleod Trail. My first thought was that they were all crazy Sidney Crosby fans since they were in town last night, however, it turns out I was wrong. While I waited for some type of communication from Calgary Transit regarding what was going on, people were swearing and complaining on cell phones about something. Then I heard it. Dear Value Customers, we are experiencing severe delays from Crowchild Station to Bridlewood Station due to a earlier emergency. Please proceed to a bus stop and take the #10 and soon we will have some shuttles...blah blah blah.

Seriously again? Am I not meant to get home at a decent time on Wednesday's? I called Greg to advise him of the situation and he got me a number for a cab company so that I could get home to Finley. I called the cab and was told one would be there in 2 minutes to get me. I see my cab turn down the road when some dude flagged him down and got in. The taxi needed to do a uturn so I ran to his window and asked what was going on. He asked my name and I told him and he said, ya this is yours but there will be more coming. Cabs were in severe demand and impossible to flag down at this point. I was seriously on the verge of yet another breakdown in yet another transit lot when another taxi showed up for Emily. Emily asked where I was headed and it turns out we were both headed to the deep south so we shared the cab. Thank God for Emily! Not only did she share the cab with me but we were able to split the cost of the cab as wel!

She was on the train behind the train that had the accident. She said that they couldn't see much but that she saw passengers jumping out of the doors and being walked down the transit line and getting interviewed by police officers. She said they turned around and were let off at Erlton and forced to walk back to the stations. We ended up driving by the accident which occured at 25th Ave and the roads were blocked off, police tape had everything cornered, transit passengers were all over Macleod - just a mess. There was no vehicle so we knew it had to have been a pedestrian.

The cab driver turned on the radio where we heard that somebody had tried to beat the train but they had been killed in the process. Since then, the only information that has been released regarding the victim is that they were a female. This I found in a tiny blurb on page 9 of the Calgary Sun. Although I feel sorry for the family and friends of the person who died in such a sad, tragic and yet unavoidable manner, I can't help be frustrated.

When will people realize that you can't beat a train? Do they not realize how heavy and how fast these trains are coming? You never win!! Again I don't mean to sound heartless and evil but seriously, when will these people learn? And if you think you can beat the train, can you try and do it in non-peak transit hours? That would be much appreciated by all transit users!

Again, sorry about the last comments, I do feel genuinely sad that somebody lost their life but it was seriously frustrating with all of the delays!

Oh and next Wednesday? I have a doctor's appointment so I am leaving work at 2:30 so hopefully all will be good!

She's Almost Got The Hang Of It....

Pizza

To say Finley loves pizza would be an understatement. She doesn't care what's on it, who makes it or where it comes from - she LOVES it! Saturday night, we decided to make homemade gfree pizza's - we loaded Finley's with pineapple, cheese, onions, peppers, mushrooms and meat - all things I hate - well with exception of the meat of course! Yes, that's right, I eat my pizza as follows: dough, sauce & meat. That's it, that's all. Don't get me wrong, I would love to eat cheese, but I gag at the thought of it. Anyways, back to my original blog topic. Finley seemed to love her veggies & meat & cheese more so the crust itself, which is a good thing. Although, not to sure if it's because it was a gfree crust (one of the tastiest gfree products out there) or if it's because she prefers her toppings!

Her face gets extremely dirty and of course in pure Finley fashion, she refuses to let me wash her face off....

My Little Shopping Buddy

Worst Day Ever

I normally leave at work at 4pm on the dot so that I can catch the first train and get to FInley's daycare on time. Today I didn't leave my desk until 4:03pm and then got on the up elevator instead of down so I didn't leave my building until 4:07pm - As I proceed to walk to the train station, 2 trains head South. Damn. Another train comes and it is not in service. Another train comes and it is packed fuller then a can of sardines. Double Damn. At 4:23 another train comes and I can get on. I am pretty freaked out that I won't get to Finley before 5. I am normally getting to my car at 4:31pm. For some reason, FInley's daycare number is not in my phone nor is it listed online anywhere. Damn. So I finally get to Bridlewood trainstation at 4:51 so I got 9 minutes to get there on time - could be possible. Go to grab my keys and I notice my command start is gone. Wait, the only keys on my key chain is my house key and mailbox key. WTH??? I immediately start to cry with my tears freezing to my face because it is soooo cold. I call Greg and he tells me he is leaving work right away and will come and get the car. He tells me to grab a cab that are normally waiting by the station. No cabs. I am pretty much hysterical at this point - mostly because I am stressed with work and getting to daycare on time with some shift changes that will occur over the next month and I am worried about FInley and really about anything, maybe I was overreacting but I was seriously stressing out. I walk to my car to see if the doors are open and my key is magically inside. Neither is true.

I thought about walking home but it was way too far, so I started walking towards the platform and I saw a cab. He drove me home but we could not get to Finley because we have no carseat. So I thought I will just grab my keys and he can take me back to my car and then I can go get Finley. But no car keys. I have no idea where they are since I just used them last night. (Greg drove to the train station this morning so I didn't need them). This was the first time I had ever taken a cab by myself and the driver was quite pleasant. I still feel bad that i didn't have enough cash so that I could give them more than a .60 cent tip. He knew that I was having a bad day and was so grateful for the ride home.

I called Alicia as soon as I got home and explained the situation and she said that Finley was happy and that they would go watch a cartoon until Greg got there. This was at 5:11. It is now 5:44 and they are still not here. So far my losing the keys has cost has 10 bucks for the cab ride, 44 bucks in extra daycare fees ( they chg a buck per minute you are late) and whatever it will cost for me to get a new key and a new fob unless it has falled under my car seat or something......

Seriously the worst day ever. Or at least in recent months.

She Warms My Heart....

There is nothing overly special about this photo but there is just something about it that completely warms my heart. How lucky am I?

Zoo Lights

With my mom and sister in town, we decided to head to Zoo Lights! It was a little chilly but as you can see, we were all bundled up! Finley was the warmest by far - in fact, she was so warm she fell asleep. She tried SO HARD to stay awake to watch all the lights and new surroundings, but eventually she gave in. I wonder if she realized at any time that it was the same place her mama took her at least once week this summer?

My hand bag obviously does not go with my outfit....what was I thinking? HAHA

Hanging with Easton & Ashton

On the afternoon of the 27th, we headed back to my Great Aunty Sandy's place to visit with Finley's cousins Easton & Ashton, who were returning from Christmas at Candle Lake with their mom's family. I can't believe how much bigger Ashton has gotten! He and Finley are exactly 6 months and 1 day apart....can't wait to watch them grow up together! Easton is still a little cutie who loves playing with both Finley & Ashton!

The above 3 photos are of me torturing Easton. His head was squeezed between the arm of the couch and his mom's bum. I had my feet in his face while his dad was tickling him. He was laughing so hard he almost peed his pants. Yes we are that kind of family....hahah

Christmas # 7

On December 27th, we had our 7th and final Christmas celebration with Finley's Great Grandma & Grandpa Florizone. We met for lunch and were happy to see that Aunty Theresa, Uncle Gary, Megan & Brandon were there - we missed Rachele! We had a great lunch and Finley had a great time playing with Grandpa and Grandpa and Brandon!

Christmas # 6

The latter part of boxing day was spent at Great Grandma Janet's. Almost the entire Florizone clan was in attendance and Finley was definitely the highlight of the get together - although it didn't start out that way! She had spent the better part of the afternoon at the Diederichs Christmas so she was completely tuckered out. She fell asleep after only 2 minutes of rocking her in my arms. She slept for about an hour but she woke up and was the life of the party and totally spoiled by all!! She certainly enjoyed the dutch auction but was not happy when she couldn't open any of the presents! Her daddy gave in to her though and got her a talking penguin in the dutch auction. That silly penguin still makes Finley laugh!

Christmas # 5

Boxing day began very early as we headed out to Midtown Plaza and the Big Box area in Saskatoon. We snagged some great deals and got Finley some very cute clothes and lots of discounted Christmas decorations. After the quick shopping in the morning, we headed to our first of two Christmas celebrations at Great Grandma & Grandpa Diederichs.

As soon as we got there, she was immediately spoiled by all that was there

She got into Great Grandma's tupperware drawer and managed to get the chip clips and a measuring cup. These toys kept way more happy then any of those I happened to bring alone for her to play with.
Great Grandma trying to keep Finley from undecorating her tree. She succeeded for the most part. I think Finley only managed to take off one or two decorations!
Finley was being her usual silly self - she kept doing this throughout the afternoon - I think it was a sign that she is wanting to be in a gymnastics class of some kind.....
Finley and Daddy opening some of Finley's Christmas presents
Opening more presents...Greg was clearly more excited then Finley was
Grandma Erna getting the presents all ready for the dutch action. This is the second year we have done this at the Diederich Christmas. Unlike most dutch auctions, Grandma provides all the gifts. This year we came out with a Christmas decoration and some great additions to our camping kit.
Finley playing the keyboard with her cousin Kristen. Finley loves spending time with her!
Her cousin Zach got a pail of popcorn for Christmas. Finley LOVED carrying it around and took it everywhere!
Finley grabbed hold of Great Great Uncle Victor's Tire Gauge - perhaps being a mechanic is in her future?

Finley clearly enjoyed her time with the Diederich family on the 26th - especially since they kept feeding her all kinds of fun foods that mama and daddy normally wouldn't feed her! After this, we drove 2 mins down for Christmas # 6......