Meeting Maximilion!

Ron and I headed to Milton tonight to meet his new godson: Dexter and Cathy's newest addition, and Sydney's little brother - Maximilion (aka Max, Maxi, Maximus). He was the sweetest thing... so quiet and only crying once the entire time we were there and it was only because mommy woke him up and gave him a bath.

Ron learned how to feed a baby, and they showed us how to give baby a bath - quite a learning experience for us! Ron, however, drew the line on changing baby's diaper. It was a fun night, and Sydney was having a great time making silly poses for the camera with her Uncle Ron (as per photos above).... she kept wanting to do them again and again and laughed hysterically after seeing each shot. As a gift, she gave us the following pictures... I thought they were pretty good!

2 more to go!

Tonight I took Ron for a special congratulatory dinner at Wasabi!! It was to celebrate him passing his latest exam... whoohooo! Now he's got only 2 more classes to go, but they're apparently the hardest ones since they both review all the courses he's taken to date (in the last 10 years!)... not to mention that we'll have a little baby around this time!! You can DO IT Ron!! (I expect to be a single mom for the first year....)

We were completely stuffed! Ron had tons of sashimi and since I couldn't have any raw fish, I opted for all the other 'cooked' options: King Crab Legs, Tempura shrimp, Teriyaki dishes, noodles, fried rice... you name it, I tried it! I swear my belly expanded a lot more tonight... I could barely breathe!!

Congratulations Ron!! I'm proud of you!! :)

Spending time with my niece and nephews!

My sister Sarah's kids came over today. They've been so hot that they wanted to go swimming! So swimming they went. I was tempted to swim with them, but decided not to since I actually don't even know if I have a swimsuit that would fit me now! Instead, I decided to play a game with them. Since they were the only ones in the pool today, I made a game for them by taking one of my keys and throwing it in the pool for them to find. They would all close their eyes as I threw it in, and then it was on!!

After swimming, the boys played with Ron on the Xbox while I made Oreo cheesecakes with Aleenah. It was a great way to spend my Sunday! :)

Happy Birthday Princess!

Gerwyn decided to throw Diana a small get-together for her 35th birthday since it was her last one with no baby! He even made kalbi bbq ribs himself which were very good.... we were all impressed! It was a fun evening, and I even lasted until 1am for the party! Happy Birthday Diana! It's hard to believe from this birthday on, you'll be a momma!

At some point during the party, Di and I measured our bellies, and it turns out - we're the exact same size! How can that be when she's 3 months ahead of me??!!? YIKES!

My last WND cooking class...

Tonight we made:

• Asparagus Gruyere Tart
• Mandarin Salad with Candied Almonds
• Chipotle Tamale Pie
• Basic Cornbread
• Chocolate Lava Cakes
  

and as a bonus, she taught us how to make the perfect steak! Yummmy! I was stuffed by the end of class. I ate most of what we made! My favourite was the Candied Almonds (in the salad), the Steak, and of course the Chocolate Lava Cakes!

It was sad to say goodbye to my teacher, as I really liked her. I would love to take another cooking class, but now I'm left with the dilemma of being called 'Farah' for all these classes (she teaches them all). It really is true what they say... one lie leads to another! I do regret it now, but how do I fix it?

One Year Later!

Ron and I just got back from our relaxing weekend at Ste. Anne's Spa to commemorate our 1-year anniversary! :)

Hard to believe it's been a year! Heading out to Ste. Anne's was just what we needed...to get away from the city and enjoy ourselves! Ron had never been there before and I must admit, I didn't recognize the place myself. It's been over a decade since I was there and they've certainly made some renovations since then. Ron tried yoga with me, and he even did the same Foot Therapy treatment as me (which involved a pedicure - I've been bugging him to get one for a while). The food was fantastic - from afternoon high tea, to the beef tenderloin with garlic shrimp dinner, creme brulée, eggs florentine breakfast and so much more! It was the perfect little get-away.... Happy Anniversary Ron! :)

Meeting my OB!

So I am now 21 weeks along in my pregnancy (halfway there!) and just today, I finally met my OB! :)

It was hard finding a doctor in the beginning. Everyone was booked and couldn't take on any more new patients! And then, my good friend Sebby, who's wife is also expecting in November - asked their OB if she could take me on as a patient and she said YES! (thank gawd!)

My first appointment with her was back in June, but she was suddenly called in for an emergency, and a resident had to do my first examination. Tonight was my next appointment, and I finally got a chance to meet Dr. Biswas. She's super nice, and not that much older than me (she looks young anyway). It's such a relief to like your doctor.. and hopefully, she will be the one delivering our baby at Sunnybrook hospital! (in their brand new spankin' maternity wing)

WND Cooking Class 4!

Tonight we made:

• Pasta e Fagioli (very hearty soup)
• Orzo with Roasted Vegetables (salad)
• Cornflake Crusted Baked Chicken
• Rustic Peach and Blueberry Crostata

I liked them all, but I didn't loooove any of the recipes tonight. I think my favourite part of all the recipes above was the crust of the Crostata. But I always like the crust!! :)

Oh, to be Young@Heart!

On May 8, 2008 I had watched a documentary movie on a group of senior citizens called Young@Heart with my old co-workers Nicole & Renée. (blog post: http://sallyinmontreal.blogspot.com/2008/05/young-heart.html). A couple months ago, Nicole emailed us to let us know that this group was coming to Toronto!

So the three of us got tickets and watched them live tonight! It was hilarious! What a great group of people - they were like a geriatric 'Glee' club! They even did a Canadian medley in honour of being here in Canada with us. I only recognized one or two songs, however, as they weren't really songs from 'our' generation. We had dinner prior to the show, and it was great catching up with these two! Thanks for organizing tonight's outing Nicole!

3D photo of baby!

I had to go to a follow-up ultrasound today, as they were unable to take all the measurements last week. So I asked them to try and take the 3D type photos of the baby. I actually think they're creepy-looking, but I wanted to be able to show them to baby in the future! You can kinda see some of the features of the baby's face below. So - does baby look like Ron or me??? :)The coolest part of the ultrasound was when I saw the baby move, and felt something at the same time! So it wasn't just gas, but the baby moving afterall! hahah. I asked again for the sex of the baby, but I will have to find out at my next OB appointment for the report, as the 'technician' can't tell you those things.

WND Cooking Class 3!

In tonight's class, we made:

• Fregola Salad with Fresh Citrus Fruit
• Baked Macaroni and Cheese
• Linguine with Garlic Shrimp and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
• Oatmeal, Pecan and Chocolate Chip Cookies

We didn't make a soup this time, as it was way too hot out! So we made two pasta dishes instead. My favourite tonight was the Garlic Shrimp pasta! It was sooooo good! The cookies were yummy as well. We made 100 cookies in class so that we could all take some home. Ron had two in one sitting... he liked them! :)

My first prenatal yoga class!

Tonight I headed over to my first prenatal yoga class. It's 9 classes, which will last me throughout the summer. I wanted to try and take something to get my lazy a*ss off the couch... so this was one thing to help!

The first bit was just on relaxation and breathing. Then we did some poses which I thought were very helpful! To be honest, I've never been a huge fan of yoga. But I thought I'd give this one a try since it should help me stretch out and strengthen some of the muscles I may need later on for labour and delivery!

A day at the cottage...

Ron and I headed up north to Muskoka today to spend the day with some good friends! On the way up, I took Ron to eat lunch at Webers famous hamburgers.... YUM! We then hit the road again and found the cottage where Mel, Norm, Diana, Christine, Wendel and Tita Merly were waiting for us. We relaxed, talked, and ATE... boy did we EAT! It was a hot, sunny day... perfect for the cottage! Thanks guys! This was Ron's first trip to a cottage and he had a great day... we both did! :)

Boy or Girl?

Ron and I just came back from our second ultrasound... the one where we could find out whether bebe is a boy or a girl! The result?? WE DON'T KNOW. Bebe was apparently in the worst position during the ultrasound - curled up into a ball, and the technician couldn't even get all the measurements that she needed, let alone see what's between the legs! Arrgh! I actually have to go back next week so she could try again. (sigh) We did, however, see the bebe put their hand on their mouth... which was kinda cool to see.

After our ultrasound, I took Ron to Terroni - he's never been, can you believe that? We shared the fungi salad, a pizza, a pasta and the tiramisu! We both came out so full by the end of our lunch that all we could do was go home after... (to go to the bathroom). hehe