Wow, it's been a long time since I've written on here.  Can't believe how much things have changed for us in a year.

Last fall, our expediting business went belly up and we wound up losing the truck.  I had to move to Manitoba with Kyra to live with my parents while Danny tried to get a decent job.  After two months, he gave up and joined us in Winnipeg.  A month later we were forced to officially declare bankruptcy.

I went back to work as a temporary office worker in October when our daughter was only 4 months old.  Two months later, I was able to get a good job as a receptionist at a personal care home that I really loved.  Dan managed to find work as a general labourer, but was laid off in the spring.  He was off for about 3 weeks and managed to find a similar job rebuilding brake shoes for large trucks and busses.

On our third anniversary (April 13th), Danny surprised me by finally proposing!  We're getting married next August in Niagara Falls. . . Kyra's going to be our flower girl.

In July, Danny managed to get a job back in Ontario as a recycling truck driver.  It's hard work and he's lost 40 lbs already.  I can't believe how good he looks. . . he's thinner now than he was when I meet him in 2001.

We were apart for another two months while I continued to work in Winnipeg while looking for a job in London.  I didn't have the same luck so I quit my job (boy, I miss it there!), went back on EI, and now I'm having absolutely no luck finding a job of any kind.  It's nice being home with the baby again, but I've always enjoyed working and I'll be glad to get back.

In September we moved out of his friend's basement and into our own place again for the first time in 18 months.  We were also officially discharged from bankruptcy. 

Kyra's gotten so big already. . . she's now 16-1/2 months old.  She's been walking for a little over a month now and is finally starting to say "mama".  She knows a lot of words and listens well, but she just seems to be quiet.  I myself didn't talk until I was three from what I've been told.  She's had two haircuts and has 16 teeth already.  She's two foot six inches tall and weighs about 25 lbs.  She plays really well by herself and loves Winnie the Pooh (especially Eeyore) and Baby Einstein DVD's.

It's been a rough year. . . when we decided to have Kyra, we were well enough off financially that we were self supporting and I didn't have to work so it's been a big change.  We've had to make a lot of sacrifices but she's worth it.  She's my everything.

After we get the wedding out of the way, I'll have to talk Danny into the next one!! 

Hey, look who's back . . . for the time being anyway.

Hope all your little ones are doing well. . . our little monkey is great!!  She's such a little ham, and, oh, do we love her.  Kyra is now 12 1/2 weeks old, weighs close to 11 lbs and is 24 inches long.  Believe it or not, I've got her started on pablum already. . . I thought it best to wait until the 4 month mark the experts recommend, but although she was breastfeeding well, she started getting awfully cranky, and my mother-in-law suggested we try her on rice cereal . . .

I figured the worst case scenario would lead to a sore tummy and a sleepless night so I went ahead and tried it. . . and the little doll not only ate every last bite but slept from 8 pm. 'till 7 am. without waking up for her night-time feeding!  Heaven. . . she's been sleeping straight through the night for a week and a half now, almost without exception.

I know every mother says this, but we seriously got the best baby.  She's been a good sleeper since day one-- waking up twice a night those first few weeks, then only once a night until maybe 10 - 11 weeks and now not at all.  She takes her vitamin D drops almost without a fuss (and not at all now that I mix it into her cereal with her being none the wiser) and drinks 3 - 4 oz of boiled water (even without sugar now) almost every day.  She's already eating 4 tbsps of cereal split between breakfast and dinner, and feeds perhaps 5 - 6 times a day only now.  She hardly ever cries unless she needs something and stops as soon as responded to.  She loves to smile and work her kick and drive gym; she can hold her rattle but can't put it down.

Oh, mother's bragging rights.  To think, just a few short months ago, I couldn't imagine my life with her in it, and now I can't imagine living without her.  Babies are truly wondrous things.  I love you, Kyra, you are my everything.

Hey, sorry I haven't been writing, I don't have the internet at home any more so it's not often I make it online.  Anyhow, just in case anyone still reads this, I figured I'd update you on our baby!

Kyra Elizabeth was born on June 14th, 2003, weighing 7 lbs, 4 oz and was 20 2/3 inches long.  She's already 9 1/2 weeks old, and now weighs 10 lbs 1 oz, is 23 inches long and smiles like the little treasure she is.  All the best to everyone. 

Things are going pretty well out here for us.  Had a little scare on Monday night-- I started bleeding and totally freaked out as I'm still only 28 weeks.  I had Danny's mother take me to the ER but luckily everything turned out to be all right.  I was very much impressed with the staff there; they were really reassuring and helpful.  They hooked me up to a fetal monitor for a little better than an hour to make sure the baby was still moving (I knew he was; I'd just finished telling Danny he'd never been so active before two seconds before I discovered I was bleeding) and his heart was still beating like it should be, and all the numbers were great.  They told me that bleeding like that can be caused by many different things (from housework to intercourse) but they can never tell exactly what causes it.  So they just told me to take it easy and keep an eye on it; as long as it doesn't get any worse and the baby keeps moving at least 10 times an hour we're fine.  It's still a real shock though-- when they warn you about spotting, they don't tell you you can bleed as much as a light to moderate period!!

Was further reassured by my second ultrasound yesterday.  That was also done right at the hospital (things are pretty weird there with this SARS scare; they had a big military tent set up out front and they had to screen us before they'd let us in) and this time I had a really nice technician.  She told us everything looks perfect, and that the baby looks really healthy and really cute (her words, I'm not even being biased).  He's really grown too-- from 5 oz at the last one in January way up to 2 lbs 12 oz now!!  We tried again to determine the gender but the little bugger wouldn't cooperate, so I guess it's meant to be a surprise-- and I kind of like that.  It'll be a little more difficult with having all the clothes ready and such, but I really feel it will add to the day when I finally have him to be surprised.

Things have been a little hectic around here.  We may be moving again although we swore we wouldn't until we could afford to get a mortgage on our own first home.  Danny's parents approached us a few weeks back about their financial situation and asked if we would consider renting a house with them to share the expenses versus renting individual apartments (they just live down the hall).  We talked about it, and decided that if we can get out of our lease here (which looks like it might be a little tricky but we should be able to do it within a month or two) it would probably be for the best for us too.  My EI benefits ran out last month so now we're short +$700/mo because I can't find anyone willing to hire someone pregnant and therefore literally CAN'T go back to work.  Plus with this war going on and Chretien having pissed off the Americans (and for the record I am FOR the US troops and so are a lot of us, I don't know how that idiot got into office), Danny's business has really slowed down because the US companies just aren't having things expedited lately and it's really been slow-- he didn't get any work yesterday or the day before.

We found a three bedroom house across town in what looks like a really good neighbourhood that we're itching to take if things work out with getting out of our lease.  Kathy and Jake would take the two room basement, and we'd have three bedrooms plus a little fenced yard.  Another bonus is that the whole house would be ours, no worrying about the unit above or beside us (the people here have a massive stereo right above the nursery, and we've been told they don't have to turn it down until 11 p.m., like the baby's going to stay up that late to wait for them).  There's a little plaza two minutes walk behind it where Danny could park his truck, plus a convenience store.  The other way, there's a big optimist park complete with an arena and a library, and within walking distance there's a public school (getting a little ahead of myself there).  I'm really hoping we get it, but we have to wait and see if our landlord can get someone into this unit before someone else takes the house!!  I hate these waiting games.

Anyhow, hope this finds everyone doing well.  My thoughts and prayers go out to your boys!!

Sorry to have been away for so long, folks-- been riding along in the truck to give Danny some company, and it's been busy.  Hope it can stay this way as money isn't so good around here, especially with fuel costs going up and the US exchange going down like it has. 

Well, feeling pretty depressed this week (I've got Seasonal Affectation Disorder, and I think it's starting to swing into full gear  ), so I'll try to keep this as light-hearted as possible.  Got a little good news the other day: I signed up in a pen pal forum through a Canadian magasine called Today's Parent and have been writing back and forth to several other Canadian mothers/mothers to be.  I got an email last week inviting me to a get together for such members in my area!  As spouses and children are welcome and the get-together will be in a public place, I think I'm going to wind up going.  I've lived in this stupid city for almost three years but I still don't know anyone here and I really hope to make a few friends.  I need to get out more, plus I'm thinking it'll be good to have know some other mothers in the area for advice, and so our children can play together.