The home stretch.

Well, I can't say country drives are a fun with a baby. There were many breaks in farmer's fields.

It didn't help that it was hot. Well, hot for John and I. They said it was about 20, which is hot enough. The tail end of my pregnancy was an eternal hot flash. I remember those last couple of weeks at work, nearly passing out from the heat, even though I worked in an air conditioned office. For some reasons, those hormones haven't fully snapped back to normal, so I'm still always warm. It's been awesome for the winter - we've saved a bundle in gas costs. I'm dreading summer though - especially the hot, muggy summers we have down here. John prefers the cold as well.

To beat the heat, we opened all the windows, which John loved. Whenever we peeked back, he had the wind blowing though his hair and a big smile on his face. He loves it when we blow on his face, so this was just a big version of that game to him.

He did get grumpy now and then - especially once he started to get tired. I didn't bring nearly enough toys to rotate. By the end I was passing back water bottles and pens for him to play with. But I guess all in all, driving with John was tolerable.

The trip was meant to cheer Mike up, which it did, but it morphed into a dress rehearsal of sorts. It looks like we're coming home after all! The plan is to leave Thursday, and be home by the end of the month, as long as all the relations are OK with us bunking in. The union bosses have given their blessing. I still want to fly, but the driving seems to be a deal breaker for Mike. Once we're back at work, there won't be another chance, probably until next winter, so I caved. Hopefully, it won't be as big a nightmare as I think it's going to be. Travelling 2,000 KM with a baby - each way. Why does he want to do this?!

Anyway. Now I just need to plan the logistics of this. Do you guys still have lots of snow? If so I'll just leave the stroller at home. We have a portable crib, and my parents have a high chair, so all that's taken care of. Not sure how baby food will work on the road. I guess I'll get some of the jarred stuff? Maybe we can get a little cooler for it. Who knows. At least I don't have to worry about bottles! The house and cats will be fine - Adrian will still be here to keep the kibble flowing.

Holy moly. This is going to be a challenge! Though it will be nice to come home for a visit. We'll give you all a call to plan out the details.

John is doing great. He's been figuring stuff out lately, which is fun to watch. He can open and close doors now - probably from watching the cats do it, becuse he uses the same technique as them. It has brought a whole new dimension to peek-a-boo. I'll be cooking dinner, and he'll sit in the kitchen doorway. If I look down at him, he'll close the door really quick, with him on the other side. He giggles away on the other side, then slowly opens it and peeks around. If I'm still watching, he'll squeal and hide behind the door again. It's pretty funny. He plays peek-a-boo with Mike a lot, too. We'll be in bed and he'll pull a blanket over Mike's face, then pull it back down, then back up, and down, giggling the whole time. He's a master of the light switch - he's figured that one out. He's working on the bathroom taps - they're lever style. He's watched me use them a million times and now he's trying to turn the water on and off himself. Hasn't managed it yet, but he's a real hundfull while I brush my teeth now, because he's constantly lunging for the faucet. That and flushing the toilet. If I need to use the washroom, I'll often take him with me and let him play in the tub, rather than let him roam unsupervised, or abandon him in his crib. When I'm done, he always tries to flush for me, but he's not strong enough to do it yet. He likes to watch the water swirl around. Totally mesmerized by that. He wants to help me cook too, but I don't know how to help him feel a part of that. The ECE teacher at the Early Years Centre said to give him a plastic tub and spoon and let him mimic, but he knows it's not real - he wants to help with the real thing.

In other news, the strike lives on...and on...and on... The guys just rejected the company's "final offer." It was actually the first offer, but they claim they won't budge. The union thinks it's trash and won't budge either. So, it's going to be a looooong strike. One of the key reasons why Mike wants to head up - there's no chance of going back to work anytime soon. He thinks the strike is the reason he lost the job, as well. At least that's what he hopes - the plan is to apply again for future openings, so if he didn't get the job because of him, not the fact that he's on strike, then it could make the plan impossible.

In the meantime, the drywall has been abandoned. Typical. It will stay half finished until the next job opening, when he slips into panic mode to get it all done. I'm determined not to have it that way. The only stressor was the house. It was a wake-up call that we need to start now, so that doesn't happen when the time to sell comes - which might come sooner than we think, if this strike goes too long. There's lots we can do that costs little, or nothing, but will make a huge difference. My first pet project is the upstairs bathroom. We discovered that the wainscotting on the bottom is real wood, but has been painted so many times, it looks like cheap panelling and there are huge patches where it's chipping and flaking. The paint is so thick, there's no covering that up with new paint - you can see very clearly where the paint chipped away. There's about 15 layers of paint, at least, so I'm scraping it all down to get the grooves back. It looks so much better! Once it's re-painted, it'll look brand new. Wainscotting is such a trendy look for bathrooms right now, it's worth the effort to fix it. It's neat to see all the different colours. A lot of beige, tan, sage, dusty rose. Every room in this house hs been pink at one time or another - I really hope not all at the same time! I had a peek under the floor as well. Those of you who've seen it know we have two different types of flooring down. One half of the room is lino - the other is peel 'n stick tile. I can't get under the lino yet, but the other side has four layers of lino, all installed one on top of another! That's just what I can see from peeling back a corner - there may be even more, each one uglier than the last. It's such a small room, it won't be that much to replace the floor when the time comes - we worked out we'd need 56 12-by-12 tiles, if we went with tiles. We don't now how to get flooring around the tub and radiator feet, though. I guess they have to come out while it goes down, but Mike isn't keen on anything that requires a lot of lifting.

Anyway, I had better go. I have lots of laundry and packing and stuff to do.