Hmmm, this might be a long post.

First off, I hope that everyone had a great Christmas! We managed to make it to Ottawa for the holidays and spend some quality time with friends and family. Michael's grandmother was also gracious enough to let us stay at her house on the way to Ottawa, even though we got there at 2AM...sorry Grandma! We did have a nice visit with her, but I didn't really want to leave because I was so comfortable there!

Our little car proved to be up for the test as we criss-crossed Ottawa. I saw my friend that is due a few days before me...it's nice to commiserate with someone who is feeling *exactly* the same way as me. We're both first-timers with our babies. She's not finding out the sex either, but it's not stopping us for coming up with strategies on how to make our kids best buddies with each other. We're both hoping that we have the same sex, and it'll be easier to set up playdates.

My brothers got a good look at me with my belly, and after their eyes stopped bugging out of their head, they seemed really excited about being uncles. Being the firstborn, I threatened them that *I* had to have a baby before them...or else! They were more than happy to comply. :)

We got to spend Christmas Eve and morning with my mom, and then we went to Michael's dad's for Christmas dinner. I found out that a good family friend had her baby Christmas eve, so I went to the hospital to see her new boy. WOW! He was soooo cute, with dark hair, and cute lips, and nose, and fingers, and head....you get the picture! He was over 7 pounds, and when I was holding him, I was thinking, "It looks like a tiny head to everyone else, but it looks big when you think of pushing it out of the birth canal!". His mom looks awesome; she was so relaxed and happy and glowing. I can't wait to see them both again when we get back to Ottawa.

The baby is getting stronger now; when it moves, I can see my belly moving. It's quite funny to watch and it looks like waves on the ocean when it gets really active.

I went to the doctor's today for my latest appointment. Heartbeat is 150/minute, and the baby is now upside down. I'm sure that my ribs will be getting a pummeling in the near future! I don't really have any questions for the doctor, as I'm reading like crazy on the internet (the reputable sites), as well as my 2 baby books.

I also found out today that a good friend of ours is pregnant too!!! She's due 3 months after me, and I could hear her smiling & glowing over the phone. So many little friends for the baby to play with, (or at least drool with!).

I looked at my calendar, and I have 10 more weeks of work to go. Yikes!

You made it to the end of the post! Congratulations! When I find the camera, I'll put up some Christmas shots. I know I packed it somewhere...Nothing like baby brain to forget that you're forgetting everything!

Have a great New Year's!

98 more days to go! That means I have 13 weeks, or just over 3 months left. Yikes! Time is flying by fast! We're heading back to Ottawa in a couple of weeks to spend Christmas with the family, which will be great, because we haven't seen them since the middle of October for Canadian Thanksgiving.

I put some pictures up of my Christmas party at http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/utic2003iriley/my_photos

It's at the very bottom under "L-Windsor"

I didn't realize how few pictures that we've been taking since we got here. I guess we're just not playing tourist, that's all.

Ooh, recovering from the Christmas party....

For those in the know about Windsor, we went to a place called the Caboto club for the annual TDCanadaTrust Christmas Party. We went to a manager's house for pre-party drinks (and yes, I was the designated driver, and no, I only smelled the drinks!). Our branch was in fine spirits when we headed off to the main venue.

Upon arrival, Michael and I checked our coats and walked inside the hall. I was surprised to see everyone sitting down and eating already. I asked one of the servers where our table was and she said that we just sit wherever we want to. Michael went to the bar to get some drinks, and I walked outside to where some people from my branch were.

They asked, "What are you doing in there?"
I replied, "There's no seats in there for us! What are we going to do?"
"That's not our party. Ours is around the corner. This place is really big. Haven't you been here before?"
"Noooo." (Of course no one looks familiar to me either as we don't know too many people in Windsor).

I immediately ask one of my co-workers to get Michael, and he saunters out with drinks. Turns out that the place next to us is open bar, so he accidentally got a free drink...oops!

We were eventually guided to the right room where the festivities are underway.

I wore a wonderful red dress that my mom picked out for me in Trinidad and wore my inappropriate-but-oh-so-cute high heels...no Shelley, I didn't fall down this time! I danced to such memorable tunes like:
"Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson and
"My Humps" by the Black Eyed Peas. Hum the chorus and you'll laugh!

I realized that my branch is the party branch, as we were the only people that stayed until the lights went back on and we got kicked out-at the early hour of 1AM!!! What's up with that? In any case, we had a blast, and it was great to see a new side of my co-workers. Plus, there was no snow yet, so the ladies didn't have to bother with things like heavy coats or snowboots.

So today finds us relaxing and recovering at home.

*yawn*

Hope that everyone else has had a great weekend!