The Best Part of Montreal

Let me just clarify. I'm sure Montreal doesn't suck. I'm just not in the right phase of life to have really enjoyed it. Currently my life is all about my baby. Elevators and ramps and stroller friendly places are my friend. Since Montreal is severely lacking in all those areas, it made me really mad. I want to be able to enjoy things with my baby, and when things are set up that prevent me from being able to include him, I get frustrated. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.

I'm not ready to entertain the idea of going back there yet though. Montreal was never really on my list of places I wanted to go. Once I move to Colorado, there will be other places in Canada that I wanna visit that get a much higher priority. So if you decide to go to Montreal, please don't let my negative experience influence you. I'm sure you'll have a great time (as long as you're not pushing a stroller and have a rain coat).

The Interview

As most of you already know, the interview I had to get my immigration visa was successful. Let me tell you what a gong show that whole experience was though...

So I had an appointment letter saying my interview was scheduled for 8:00am. My initial plan was to take a cab to the Consulate because I didn't wanna have to worry about getting lost in downtown Montreal all by my lonesome. Mom and I tried to find the Consulate before the day came just so that I knew what building to look for, and it ended up being a really good thing we did. Posted on the door is a sign that says you can't bring in large bags, large strollers, liquids, electronics of any kind, and all sorts of ridiculous things like that. Had we not found the building beforehand, I woulda shown up with my giant stroller and diaperbag. Since I couldn't bring the stroller, that meant I couldn't bring the carseat, so I had to come up with an alternative.

Throughout the week mom and I had taken the bus a few times downtown because we learned the hard way that the Metro was just not gonna work for us with all the stairs and crap. Because we'd taken the bus a few times, I felt comfortable enough to take it on my own the morning of the interview. That meant I was gonna have to take Warren in the sling I brought. Good thing I brought that too. I would have been screwed if I didn't have it.

I woke up at 5:00am (eastern time, so technically it was 3:00am mountain time.. ugh) to give me enough time to get ready, feed Warren before we left, and catch the bus. Things went surprisingly flawless so I was quite pleased. I got on and off the bus without incident, and got to the Consulate at 7:25 that morning. As I got to the building, there were people lined up outside the door, because apparently the doors weren't open yet. There were about 15 people in front of me, and people consistently kept coming and I'm pretty sure the line doubled by the time people were starting to get let in.

I had to go through the equivalent of airport security to get in the building though. Empty pockets, take off my hoodie, take Warren out of the sling, put my purse through an x-ray machine, and walk through a metal detector. I was directed down some stairs to a waiting room, which just kept on getting more and more full. Eventually the security guard told people to pile in the elevator and go up to the 19th floor. When the elevator doors opened, all people's manners went out the window, and were just concerned with themselves getting on the elevator before everyone else. Nobody seemed to care that I was carrying a tiny baby in my arms, so I kept getting pushed back behind people and went up with the second batch of people.

When we got off the elevator, we had to go check in with this lady, and she started giving us numbers. It was at this point I realized that the 8:00 interview time was a complete lie. Everyone there had a letter saying they had an interview at 8:00. I knew it sounded too organized to be for real... So people kept pushing past one another to get the lowest numbers.. It was chaos. I was not pleased.

My plan, since I was there, was to report Warren's birth. Since he's a US citizen born outside of the US, I had to report his birth at the Consulate so that they'll issue a certificate that proves his US citizenship and allows me to take him across the border with me. The lady asked me where my husband was, and I told her that he was in Colorado, and she just stared at me then informed me that she can't do anything without him there. I told her that I was not aware of that, and as far as I understood, that as long as I had a notarized letter of authorization from my husband (which I did have), it was just as good. She again stared at me, then told me that it says on the website that my husband needed to be there. I read that website a thousand times and nowhere did I read that he needed to be there. It just said that parent(s) need to be present with the child when reporting a birth. So she went to talk to her supervisor. When she came back, she asked me for my marriage certificate, which I didn't have because the interview people had it. Then she told me that my husband needed to be there for my interview too (which I knew he didn't need to be) and then she asked me "Did you even LOOK at the website??" Oh man... My blood started boiling... I hate getting treated like an idiot... She went and got her supervisor though, and she was a lot more reasonable. The supervisor explained to me that in order for me to report Warren's birth without Ray present, I needed to bring proof that Ray has lived in the States for at least 5 years so I needed a school record or pay stub, or something along those lines. I had brought something that proved he was living there right now, because I had read that on the website, but apparently I misunderstood what it meant. The supervisor was a lot less condescending though, so when she explained to me that unfortunately they can't process the report of birth without those documents, I was mildy irritated and less infuriated. She said that as soon as I had those documents that I could make an appointment at the Consulate in Calgary and get it taken care of there. It's still inconvenient, but it's manageable to go to Calgary.

I went to go sit back down, and no sooner after I did that, my number for the interview came up. So I went to the place they told me to go, where they took my fingerprints and looked through all the paperwork they had from us. It was nothing like I pictured it would be. I wasn't sitting across from someone at a desk, I was standing on the other side of a glass panel with a dude on the other side in front of his computer. The guy doing the interview was really nice though. I'm pretty sure he was gay too. haha. That made it even more enjoyable. He was all smiley and said "Sooooo... Tell me about yourself! You married an American. You obviously just had an adorable little baby. How did all of this come about???" haha!!! So I told him "our story" and he just smiled and asked me a couple more questions about where I worked before and where I would be living in the States. Turns out he graduated High School in Colorado Springs too. Small world eh? But because of everything I had just gone through with Warren's paperwork, my mind was totally somewhere else and I didn't even think to ask him what school it was he graduated from. Then he just said, "Well. I've approved your visa! Welcome to the United States!" I was kind of taken off guard because there was no warning. He just said it out of the blue! And again, since I was still processing all the stuff to do with Warren, I didn't give him the reaction I think he was expecting. I just said "Oh. Thanks." hahahahaha... He looked at me a little confused, but he continued on and explained to me that he was gonna keep my passport so they could stick the visa sticker inside of it and courier it back to me.

That was it! All done. Just like that. All this waiting and having to make the special trip to Montreal just for that. Yeesh.. They really need to get more than one Consulate capable of doing immigrant visa interviews. At least it was over though, and I didn't have to go back to that Consulate for Warren's stuff. So I got my marriage certificate back, and I was free to go.

By that time, I had been at the Consulate for three hours. I was in the first batch of people to get there in the morning though which ended up being a better thing than I woulda thought. By the time my interview was done, there were prolly around 200 people left waiting for their numbers to come up. I had number 11. Whew.

I brought a bottle to feed Warren, so I did that before I left and I also changed his diaper. That diaper change was pretty eventful and hilarious though. The change table was in the handicap stall, so I got him all situated and when I was in between taking the old diaper off and putting the new one on, he began to pee. My first reaction was to grab his leg and point him away from me, which meant he was pointing to the wall. He had a pretty impressive range too! He cleared everything and just hit the wall. HAHA!!! I didn't have anything to clean up other than the few drips he got on his leg. He just peed on the wall. Oh man. I was laughing pretty hard, and I was actually kinda proud of him. Hahahaha...

So that was my interview adventure. I talked to Ray as soon as I could after I got back to the place we were staying at and told him what I needed from him in order to report Warren's birth. We flew back to Edmonton the next day, and I got the papers I needed from Ray the day after that. So I've got the appointment scheduled in Calgary for Halloween morning. Here's hoping that everything goes well this time! I already got my passport back, so I have all the documents I need to cross the border, I just need this certificate for Warren to cross the border now. They print the certificates in the US, so it'll have to be mailed to me. So I've prolly got about three weeks left in Canada. That's both exciting and terrifying. haha.

Here's hoping all goes well in Calgary!! It's the last step!!!

My Analysis of Montreal

So I've been here for a whole 24 hours now, which by no means give me the ability to tell you everything about this place, but I've definitely come to some of my own conclusions already. haha.

First thing I noticed, and it's prolly THE most frustrating thing ever... THERE'S NO ELEVATORS ANYWHERE!!!!!!!! So when you're pushing a stroller around town, it increases the difficulty level immensely. ESPECIALLY when you use the Metro. It's not like those trains are just a few steps underground. It's more like you're going on a caving expedition when you decide to take the train. There's a couple stations we were at today that had escalators, and those are doable, but there's never any escalators taking you out of the station completely. It's like a great big tease. You get off the train and are pleasantly surprised that there's an elevator. You go up only to discover that around the corner where the street exit is, there's 20 more stairs and no elevator or escalator. Let me tell you... Lugging a stroller and a baby up and down stairs is NOT easy. Fail, Montreal... Great big giant FAIL.

I must give credit to the few nice people that helped us when they saw us struggling with the stairs. That was great, but it still doesn't make up for the fact that the access to places here suck. What about the other mothers? Are they just condemned to driving and paying the ridiculous parking costs? Not to mention those confined to wheelchairs.. Grrr... I never realized that something like this would ignite such fire within me...

Dear Montreal. Fix it. The End.

Anyways......

I've also noticed that there's an abnormally large amount of people who smoke. There's a constant stench of cigarette smoke downtown, and people carry cigarettes in their hands inside in anticipation to smoke them outside. Yuck.

The people here are also very stylish. Some more oddly styled than others, but it's quite clear that image matters to these Francophones. This is not a negative observation. haha.

Also... French is EVERYWHERE. Obviously... But it's kind of a lot overwhelming for me. I don't ever know where I am, so the French street signs and billboards add to the frustration of trying to navigate. Everyone we've talked to has a French accent too. I don't know if anyone could live here without knowing the language. Come to think of it, I wonder if anyone who does live here DOESN'T have an accent. Just a thought.

The apartments here are interesting too. I think the area where our place is that we're staying is very European. Each building is very different, so the streets are really interesting and full of character. But the entrances to the apartments seem to be by fire escape-looking stairs. I'll take pictures.

I've pretty much had enough galavanting to last me for a while though. Finding the medical office for my exam today was an absolute gong show, and I'm dreading having to brave the Metro and downtown again... but I have to... twice... blech. But I have until Friday to regain my nerve. That's when I have to go back to the medical office and pick up the results of all the stuff that happened today (blood work, chest x-rays, and physical exam) so I can take them to my interview on Monday. They sure don't make things easy. I even had to get a flu shot and now my arm is sore... :(

It's a little unnerving that through this whole process I've provided the government with EVERYTHING about me. Past and present, inside and out... literally... So bring it on interview. I'm ready for you. I've given them all this personal information already that I've pretty much got nothing left share. All that's left is to convince them that I'm legitimately in love with my husband. But since I don't just go around making babies with anyone, I'm sure it'll be a breeze. haha!

Oh by the way. My son is the best travelling baby ever. He barely made a sound while we were on the 4 hour plane ride. Woot! Just thought you should know. haha.

Thank You

So it's just barely starting to sink in how close I am to moving to Colorado, and to be honest, it's kinda freaking me out... a lot... This whole process I've been so focused on being with my husband that it never really crossed my mind that I'm leaving people I love too.

Despite my complaints about living at home with my parents these past 10 months, it really has been a great blessing. The greatest thing that has come out of this is the great relationship I've gained with my Mom. Throughout my pregnancy and having little Warren around, my mom and I have been able to bond in a way that we never have been able to before. My own motherhood has given us more to relate to one another with. This time has been precious to me, and the more I think about it, the more I realize how Heavenly Father made sure everything happened the way it needed to.

I was thinking about how if I would have gotten pregnant with my first kid and not have had Mom here to help me though it, I would have hated being pregnant even more than I already did. My mom had complete understanding of what I was going through. It was what gave me the strength to keep on pushing through all the sickness and be as strong as I could because I knew she did it too. Going through my first pregnancy alone would have been the worst thing that could have happened to me. Heavenly Father knew that so He made sure I didn't have to go through it without her.

I've really enjoyed being able to talk with my mom about things more openly than I ever have. She's pretty amazing, and I regret not being more open with her as I grew up.

I'm usually really good at describing how I feel in writing, but all I seem to be able to say is that I have so much love and appreciation for my mom, and that of all the people that I'm leaving, it's going to be hardest to say goodbye to her.

This is where I remember how thankful I am for technology because I'm pretty positive I'm gonna be on Skype with my Mom everyday. I'm also gonna have to show her how to text on her iPod. She's definitely gonna be more tech savvy because of me. Dad's gonna be proud of her.

Speaking of my Dad. Seeing how Warren completely melts his heart has brought me so much joy. I guess I was a little scared how he would react to him, but my worries were put to rest pretty quick. That little guy makes my Dad light up. It's wonderful. So really, being at home has done nothing but improve things between me and my parents.

I guess I just wanted to say thank you to them and this is the best way I know how... I love them so much and I appreciate all they've done for me... because they've sure done a lot.

Adventures of Motherhood

This evening was crazy!! Warren just did one thing after another, and when I thought he wouldn't pull out any more surprises, more came.. Holy moly...

Here's the chronological list of events.

- I was going to change his diaper, so I put him down at the end of my bed to do it because I don't have a change table.

- Opened his diaper to see what I had to deal with.

- He started peeing before I took the diaper off, so I let him finish.

- Took off the diaper and started wiping him down, and he decided he wasn't finished and peed even more... all over my bed. Luckily I wasn't hit. But my comforter sure was so in the wash that went.

- Decided that I should just give him a bath right then because I was gonna do that tonight anyways.

- Got the kid all naked, wrapped him up in a towel, took him to the bathroom and filled up the tub.

- Discovered that he peed in the towel he was wrapped up in while I was filling the tub... Seriously... How much can one baby pee in a five minute span?! But I was prepared and had another towel handy just in case.

- Washed him all off in the tub.

- Just when I was about to take him out of the tub, totally without warning, he pooped!!!

- Grabbed the baby out of the water ASAP, and wrapped him up in the back up towel.

- Realized that I had to re-bathe him because he was in poo water...

- Emptied the bath and washed out the poo.

- Called out to my dad to ask him to get a new towel because I didn't wanna dry Warren off on a towel that had poo water on it.

- Refilled the bath and rewashed my baby. This time he only peed in the water. I'm not so concerned about pee in the bath. But really?! He already peed so much!!!

- Finished cleaning him, got him out of the bath without anymore poo, and dressed him without further incident.

Seriously!!!!! I don't know what else could have gone wrong! I thought I was all prepared with an extra towel, but NO!!! Yeesh...

Good thing he's so freaking cute... and that he didn't pee on me...

"What's wrong Mommy??... I had a good time."

Canadian Thanksgiving 2011

This year Thanksgiving was fantastic. I really wanted to learn how to make a whole Thanksgiving dinner because next time I'm not gonna be in Canada to have my mom to make it all for me. I need to be a grown up and make dinner for my own family now. Next month will be American Thanksgiving and I'll be in Colorado for good by then! How convenient that I get to have a practice run before I have to do it alone! It was a really good experience to prepare dinner with my mom though. We had some great quality time together. She really enjoyed the help and I really enjoyed the conversation. My mom is the best.

Preparations started last night. We made apple pie and pumpkin pie (including the crust), stuffing/dressing (whatever you call it), and cranberry sauce. This morning we put the 16ish pound turkey in the oven, and had some down time. Mom made buns (rolls for you Americans). I figured that since I'll be in a city that's 5000 ft higher than here, practice making buns would be pointless. The altitude does stupid things to my cookies, let alone bread...  That's something I'll have to work up to in the future.

Preparing the vegetables is pretty straightforward, and I missed out on helping peel and chop things because I was feeding Warren at that time. Good thing I'm smart and know how to make mashed potatoes and salad already. haha. But when I was done I made corn scallop, which is a delicious corn casserole type thing. It's my favorite. I also learned Dad's secret to making the perfect gravy. Somehow gravy making became my Dad's responsibility in our family. I guess it's because he's really good at it and it's one less thing for Mom to do. haha.

Pretty much it was a huge success. Everything was super delicious and I was proud of myself for what I did, and Mom was just super happy that she didn't have to do it all alone this time. I didn't take any pictures of the food because I'm just not a food picture taker-er.

Next step is for me to write down all the dishes and recipes so that I can remember how to do it all next month! I'm excited. It's so fulfilling to make awesome food, especially for people other than yourself and your husband. Maybe it's a matter of pride. I dunno. haha. All I know is that I like it when I feed lots of people good food.

Watch out American Thanksgiving! I'm armed with new found cooking skills, and I'm gonna whip them out next month. November 24. I'll be there.

What I do take pictures of are babies. So since my niece was there, I took the opportunity to snap some shots of the two little ones.

Nap time for the little burritos!!

Quality Grandpa/Grandson time :)

Great Grandma with Great Grandchild #1

My kid makes the most awesome faces ever.

And he's way relaxed and just looks around at everything.

hehehe... More awesome faces.

Great Grandma with Great Grandchild #2

Lily's cantaloupe sized head

My mom wanted this picture. Last Christmas the Elders that were living with my parents made a piñata version of my little brother. Their thought was that it would keep my parents company while he was out serving his mission. haha. It works. So the two babies got a picture with their uncle this Thanksgiving. haha!