i've moved!

i forgot to post this earlier and meant to probably a handful of times...but i've moved my blog to http://themartynjourney.tumblr.com/ and i hope you'll all come follow me there!

thanks everyone :) happy blogging!

it was, like, totally rad!

there's something so fun about the 80's. the style, the wildness, the crazy colours...and who can forget the massive hair. that was our theme for my sister's crazy bachelorette party and we all had so much fun.

our suite at the river rock was out of this world. it was 2600 square feet, 2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, huge wrap around deck, a living room, our own bar and buffet setup, and plenty of space for all of lisa's gymnastics skills. beautiful! the beds were amazing, the star-lit ceiling was gorgeous, and the view was second-to-none. i can't say all that happened....i mean, what happens in vegas richmond stays in vegas richmond right??

i think the best part about our suite was that we stole it from russell brand...sorry pal, we booked first...

the bride-to-be and russell brand...photo courtest of aly whittle!

we did enjoy some fantastic food! on our list was lamb meatballs, tandoori chicken sliders with guacamole, crusty breaded shrimp, spring rolls, fresh fruit, dungeness crab cakes and so many more great eats! the highlight of this big preggo's night.......the waterslide in the pool! oh man was that thing wild. it was amazing. i could have spent hours going down the slide!

my amazing calamari at the cactus club where we went for lunch

the super-crazy-fast waterslide from heaven!

living life and loving living!

we've had such a great few weeks the past few weeks. the weather has been lovely, kingston is thriving, baby number two is growing as well as can be and we're chugging along! we've been lucky to enjoy some really fun weather the last couple weeks.

we have had picnics in white rock and cultus lake, walked many evenings, enjoyed the playground, and really enjoying our back deck. it's been a fantastic august thus far and it's only the 5th!

i've spent a good portion of this week preparing for a weekend away with the girls tomorrow! we're headed off to celebrate my sister's bachelorette party. so much planning and thought has gone into this weekend and i'm so excited that it's finally here!!!! she's got some great surprises coming her way...mwah ha ha. a lot of this weekend will be a surprise to her, so i'll post more about our fun getaway next week!

this weekend also marks the first night i've ever been away from my sweet prince charming. it took over 13 months for me to get this far...and i'm sure everything will go well...it always does when he's home with daddy...but i'm going to miss him like crazy. he's turned into such a little mama's boy. sometimes it can be a little annoying to have little feet always on your feet and arms constantly grabbing at you...but honestly, it's one of the greatest little moments in life. how can you look down at a beautiful little boy and not pick him up?? that's his biggest trouble at the moment? wanting to be carried by mommy? sure! i'll soak up as much kingston time as i can this summer because come early january our world will durastically be changed.

baby number two is healthy as can be. i saw the doc yesterday and he gave me the two thumbs up. healthy heart rate of 144bpm, weight gain is on track, blood pressure is all good, and measurements are about on par. i measured 16cm instead of 17 but that's all minor. i still haven't gotten my "second wind" this round, but i wasn't chasing around a 13 month old when i was pregnant last time so this pregnancy has been a totally different world in comparison. either way...this could be the last time i'm pregnant so i need to soak up all this pregnancy time too!

work has been going really well. i've been picking up shifts fairly steadily. it's been a weird change being back at work, but i've been lucky to have the support of my family and cameron's family to help with my little man while i go to work. we're so lucky to have a baby that doesn't play strange. since he was born we made a huge effort to bring him into our lives. we wanted him to be socialized, be adaptable, and have a fairly flexible schedule. i like to think we've done a pretty good job at it. he never plays strange, he is fine when mommy and daddy aren't around, and he's just a charming little man for whoever watches him. i can't believe how well he's doing.

time to roll...dinner is cooking, laundry is washing, baby is sleeping, and my bags aren't packing themselves...TGIF! enjoy your weekend!

Welcome, Fall!

Anyone else feeling like we're being ripped off of our summer heat? I'm a heat lover. I could spend all day and all night out in the sun and booming heat...this year has been slightly disappointment. Sure makes me glad I took advantage of the 3 hot days we've had and spent them waterfront!

We should be enjoying this:

But instead, we're seeing this:

Yuck! Rain, rain...go away!

we've got time on our side...

AHHHhhhhh....

So here I sit; 14 weeks and 3 days pregnant with my second love child. For those of you that don't remember (don't worry, I don't expect you to...) here's my story on Kingston's labour and delivery:

Part One: Labour
Part Two: Kingston's Birth Story

To summarize, my labour was a total of 44, yes...44 long f@%king hours of labour. I did get all the way to 10cm on my own with no pitocin or "help" from the doctors. I took an epidural after 32 hours or so and relaxed slightly; although I had weird circles of pain that I still felt every ounce of. To make the really long story a bit shorter, I ended up with a c-section (thank the LORD after that many hours of contractions!).

SO....here's where I'm at...

I met with the surgeon yesterday who would perform my repeat c-section. He gave me a few things to think about and basically left me feeling like the decision would be totally up to me.

I know I can labour...hell, I survived 44 hours the first time around. I'm almost positive (although never certain obviously) that my body COULD deliver a baby. I don't remember clearly because I was so thankful to just be over and done with my delivery, but I do think that the reason for my c-section the first time around was solely because Kingston was coming through sideways...like 1/4 of a turn posterior (also helps explain the wicked back labour I was having).

After seeing a different doctor today, he really left me feeling so positive about attempting a VBAC...but only after I can see the delivery records from Kingston's delivery to confirm that he WAS indeed coming through sort of in a posterior position. The doctor today basically said that if I were his daughter or daughter-in-law, AND if Kingston was indeed in a semi-posterior (face up position for those that haven't been here before), then he would most definitely recommend a VBAC for me. IF, and that's a big IF, he was coming through face down and was having his heartrate drop due to distress, then he would without question say to just go with a repeat c-section.

I'm just so confused by it all. I really do want to keep an open mind about it all...but it's a scary and stressful situation to be placed in. And maybe you're wondering why I'm feeling such a dilemma?

My deliveries will be just over 18 months apart...for those that aren't aware, between 18 and 24 months there are increased risks involved. Having said that, I would be monitored in the hospital very closely and would almost be prepped for a c-section prior to delivery...just to be on the safe side.

Here's a great read on the guidelines for a VBAC: http://www.sogc.org/guidelines/public/155E-CPG-February2005.pdf

Okay...so thoughts???? Help me out...give me your opinions, your thoughts, your experiences...be honest!

Thanks everyone! I see the doctor and the surgeon again in August and will hopefully have more of a clear mindset on what I'm leaning towards....

Hello summer!

This week has been amazing for me! I have gotten so much one-on-one time with Kingston and have thuroughly enjoyed every second of it! We spent two afternoons up at Harrison Hot Springs and spent yesterday walking Tynehead Park and visiting with friends in Langley. Kingston has had such a fun time in the sun.

This week has made me really thankful that I was blessed with a child who loves the outdoors. He doesn't even need to be in the hustle bustle of everything, even playing on our deck is a great time for him. He can be fussy as all hell and then I open the door in the kitchen to the deck outside and he smiles and runs for it. I absolutely love the simple joy that a child sees in life.

Getting ready to enjoy the Canada Day parade!

Kingston is such a mover these days. He's walking everywhere. He hasn't quite learned to stand up on his own and still uses things to pull himself up...but he really only crawls when he's desperate for something to pull him up. Amazing how fast they learn these tricks!

He LOVED the parade. He waved his flag, showed off his tattoo, did plenty of clapping, and lots of dancing!

He's learning new words every day too! He now says cat, dog, car, carkeys (in his own verbiage), mama, daddy, dadda, and a few others I'm sure. I'm always amazed at how much he actually understands too. It's such a wonderful thing to get to watch a child grow up. They change daily!

I'm enjoying my last day with him today before I work tomorrow morning and Saturday night. I love being a mom to this sweet little man!!!

Have a great day!

this, that, and the other stuff...a big catchup blog

I don't even really know where to start. I've missed so many things in my blog lately. Life has been a bit chaotic and hectic at the Martyn household...so we might just need to start fresh after this one.

Mother's Day this year was my first ever! It was so special. My boys spoiled me with a trip to Whistler to stay one night at the Four Seasons. We had an amazing time. We ate great food, we sipped hot chocolate on our patio, Kingston slept in his very own room walk-in closet (hey, the kid is far too nosy to sleep in the same room as anyone!). It was just a fantastic night away to celebrate my first Mother's Day, and my last Mother's Day with just one baby...

sneak peak of our mother's day brunch decor

Yes, that's right...in case you missed my earlier Facebook post...baby Martyn #2 is on his/her way! We shared the news with our family by hosting Mother's Day brunch and Kingston rocked a cute little t-shirt to spread the good word. Our initial due date was December 19, 2011 (hence the shirt date); however, after ultrasound measurements were confirmed our due date was changed to January 8, 2012! We're so excited and ready to be a family of FOUR. It's amazing how fast life goes. In just over 18 months, our family size will have doubled. Amazing, really!

Following our amazing Mother's Day extravaganza, we've been just really pushing to complete projects around the house, get organized for summer, prepare for another c-section, gear up for my sister's wedding, etc. It's been a whirlwind of a few months but it's been mostly good!

I promise to be more diligent in my blogging this summer. I hope you find time to keep updated on our life. We hope to spend time with all of our friends and family this summer and feel blessed to have each and every one of you in our lives.

Today is my last day having my cousins during the week...I'm off to spend some fun quality time with them. Happy Thursday everyone...stat tomorrow!