That's A Wrap

And just like that, we're heading home.  The past few months I have made the trip back home twice with my little peanut. It felt so good being home and being with family.  Both Kyle and I felt it.

The slate board from Kyle's last day on-set.

We've been here for almost three years.  Moving was really hard for me.  It was hard leaving our friends and family especially since we were trying to get pregnant, suffered losses and I needed my support system.  But the opportunity was too good to pass up for Kyle.

Just a couple of months ago Kyle spoke on a panel at ComicCon.  If you have any idea about what ComicCon is then you know what a huge deal this was.  I saw the panel on YouTube and cried.  I watched all of my Husband's hard work and success right before my eyes.  There he was, the Cinematic's Director, answering questions to a crowd of at least 1000 fans.  Then signing autographs.  Yes, you read that right.  It was such a proud moment! This is what it was all about.

Living here has been amazing.  Vancouver is truly one of the most beautiful places.  It's no wonder it's always voted as one of the top places to live-in the world. Not many people get an opportunity to live in another country and I feel so lucky to have been able to say we have. Also I could never live somewhere that didn't have mountains or oceans or at least some natural bodies of water. Vancouver had it all! BUT most importantly, Vancouver gave us Remi, our little dual citizen who can now come back here and live one day if she so chooses.  And I hope she does.  I want to encourage her to travel and experience living in different places.

But to me, home is home. After having Remi I knew I wanted to be close to family and friends so they can see her grow.  So they can see our family grow.  And so next month we will be back in Southern California.  Who knows what the futures holds, I guess we'll just take it one city, state - or country at a time.

So what will become of Whiskey & Tutus?  I started it after The Gaulinoscopy, which was my little blog following along with our wedding planning adventures.  Whiskey & Tutus was my way of letting everyone back home in on life here in Vancouver.  On our adventures here in BC.  I am so thankful to all of you who have stayed with me, even when I took the blog in different directions.  I am working on a post that is the most important thing I have ever written, it's a story I want to share with you all.  After that I will figure out what is next.  Maybe I'll go over to a whole new hosting site.  A more grown-up blog if you will.  I'm sure nearly all of my posts will be about being a new mommy.  Maybe I'll loose some of you, maybe I'll reach out to and gain a whole new readership of mommy's.  Maybe I'll take a break after I write the post I am working on.  We'll see.  Either way my next update will be written from home, which makes me so very happy!

~Mrs. G

Thank you Vancouver, for bringing us this little miracle.

The Day I Stopped Giving A Sh*t

I can remember the first time I stopped giving a shit pretty clearly.  It was in 1986, I was in catholic school and about to graduate 8th grade.  My friend Stacy and I decided we would shave our hair-perfect for photos and the father-daughter dance.  My dad was not impressed. There I was front and center in our class picture with bright red tights under my white dress and my half-shaved head.  I did not give a shit.

Of course not giving a shit lead me to do some pretty stupid things, but for the most part, not giving a shit throughout my life has served me pretty well.  I moved to new towns not afraid that I knew no one, backpacked through Spain and ended up in Ibiza for the year 1999-2000 after a bad breakup, tried different careers and not giving a shit even lead me to meeting my Husband. I also started going to Burning Man and definitely didn't give a shit what close-minded a$$holes thought about it.

Since becoming a mother I find myself not giving a shit on a whole new level:

-Milestones: Unless my Dr is worried, then I do not give a shit. Remi will do things when she is good and ready.

-My everyday bun: It's my new look.  It's easy and I can dress it up with a head wrap.  (I have matching ones with Remi.  I also don't give a shit if you think that's ridiculous).

-Going out with spit-up on my shirt.  I know it's there, it will dry and I cannot be bothered to change-again.

-Having a glass of wine or a beer during the day.  Some days just call for it.

I asked a couple of friends what are some of the things they don't give a shit about since becoming  moms:

-Unsolicited advise: Ahhh yes, we really don't give a shit to hear this from you.  We'll ask if we need it.

-Joining cliquey mommy clubs where the moms continually compare their baby to your baby.

-Expanding social circles-being with family is what counts now.

-Letting the dog lick the baby!  I love this.  I too don't give a shit if my dogs lick Remi.  I just clean her hands if they really got them slobbery.

-Sanitizing pacifiers: just rinse in water, that'll do!

-Getting dressed up.  I love this!  My friend explains that while she takes the time to make sure her babe is dressed really cute, she herself goes out in yoga pants. She also goes out with spit-up on her shirt too.

And lastely...Showering.  This made me laugh.  Yes I don't give a shit to shower everyday either.



~Mrs. G

Here's me and my friend Stacey not giving a shit in Venice Beach in 1986.

My First Time Mommy Confessions.

I cannot believe it's been five months already!  She has changed so much, we have all changed so much.  Our little family is doing great and I feel like we are in a good groove.

Though I have only been a mom for a short time (although really I think I became a mom the moment I got pregnant) I have a few confessions I thought I'd share with you all.  There's only a few and I suspect this list will keep growing...

Confession #1: Remi was super fussy and crying for what seemed like hours.  Kyle said "I'll take her for a while, please just heat up a bottle."  I went downstairs to the kitchen, opened the fridge and grabbed the bottle.  I saw an opened bottle of chardonnay and took a swig. Straight from the bottle. It was 3:00 am.

Confession #2: I don't know too many nursery rhymes, Kyle always laughs because the one I know (sorta) has a line that I made up and goes something like this: "Hush little baby don't you cry, momma gonna buy you a five and dime??" The other day I found myself singing: "Fish heads fish heads, roly poly fish heads. Fish heads, fish heads eat them up yum".  I used to listen to the Dr. Demento show in the 80's and he played this religiously.  
      
Confession #2A: (Update)-I sing "You Are My Sunshine" to her as part of our nightly routine and because I think I am the best singer ever, I think my version would win me a Grammy.  I often wonder if she is impressed by my vocals. 

Confession #3: When Remi spit up, which was a lot, I let Maggie lick it up.  When she burbs, Maggie now comes running or just follows us around the house waiting for her snacks.  Gross I know, but I look at it as once less thing I need to clean up.

Confession #4: My "mommy voice" is supppppppppper dorky.  But as long as it makes her laugh I don't care.

Confession #5: I actually like washing bottles.  We use the Dr. Brown's bottles and I find it calming to wash and arrange all of the parts.

Confession #6: I'd be lying if I said that maybe once or twice I passed gas and blamed it on the baby.

Confession #7: I still check the monitor during the night to see if she is breathing, especially when she sleeps for 9+ hours.

Confession #8: I feel like I have won some sort of "F*ck Yeah, She Slept Through The Night" award when the above happens.

Confession #9: I drink way more than I used too.  


~Mrs. G

Our Lives Have Forever Been Changed.

Introducing Remi Rose Gaulin
Born February 17th 2015

Today is Remi's 1 week birthday and it's been the best week of my entire life.  I have so much to tell you all about this week but need to sleep, eat, shower and sleep some more.  

More to come...

~ Mrs. G

The FOMO Diaries

People ask me what I miss most, you know things I've had to stop doing since becoming pregnant. I feel bad saying I "miss" things because truth be told, we have wanted this pregnancy for so long that I have happily given up things I am supposedly "missing out on."

But OK let's be honest, I do secretly miss a few things:

Champagne and those champagne brunches.

I actually already missed these when I moved to Vancouver because where you can still go to brunch and order champagne, they don't have places where you have refills all the live long day.  My friend's and I know how to rock a champagne brunch.
Favorite bubbly:
Baller status: Perrier-Jouet Rose.
It's a special occasion: Perrier-Jouet Belle.
My go-to's: Veuve Clicquote & Moet Chandon.
Easy like Sunday morning's: aka your everyday sparkling and what you mix
with that OJ: Domain Chandon.

The girls in Napa-enjoying our bubbles.

Sushi: oh. dear. lord do I miss sushi.  Especially albacore!
Favorite restaurant of all-time:
NOBU!  All day, everyday.  I still remember my dad taking me to Nobu's first restaurant, Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills over 15 years ago.  When ever my best friend Shawna and I would go to NY many years ago we made a point to make reservations at Nobu in Tribeca. We would also go to Scores, but that was a whole other story.  When the Malibu location opened, I was front and center - same with the San Diego location.  One year for Kyle's birthday I surprised him with a trip to Vegas to see Social Distortion. I took him to Nobu for dinner, I had to have him experience what I had been going on and on about and he 100% agreed that it was the best sushi he had ever had.

Must order: Nobu's New Style Sashimi!

Sugarfish in Marina Del Ray: OMG the sushi melts in your mouth.  Also don't even think of asking for soy sauce, I'm not even sure they have it?
Kishimoto (no website available): this is our local spot that we walk to and it does not disappoint. You will wait for EVER to get in, but we got wise to that game and started ordering it to-go. The Tuna Oshisuhi is my absolute favorite.
Snowboarding: yeah, this is killing me. I think I have been riding every year for more than...well a lot of years! I moved to Mammoth and Tahoe in my 20's because I loved resort towns and riding so much. Kyle and I have gone so many times together I can't even count. Mammoth will always be our home base, but Whistler is pretty freaking amazing.

My 1st trip-18 years old.  Gotta love that Papas and Beer sticker.

21 and living in Mammoth, learning my first trick.

2007: Quiksilver's heliboarding trip to Tyax, Canada:
I was beyond honored and stoked to ride with an awesome crew of people that included Raimana-Van-Bastolear, Todd Richards (not the hockey player), and Tony Hawk. And let's not even get started on the girls that have become my best friends to this day, to ride with other girls at this level was amazing. I learned so much. This was a trip of a lifetime and yes I will brag about it  for many years to come.

I promised myself two things after this trip:  I will never take a chairlift again and I will always fly in private planes and helicopters when snowboarding.  Reality is a bitch.

Me and my love.  Getting freshies in Canada.

Burning Man:  I took a break for a few years after going back to back for many, many years and was more than ready to get back this year. This was the year my family finally wore Kyle down and got him excited about going.  We said the only thing that will stop us is if I am pregnant and well, it was the BEST reason for missing it this year. My nephew went for his first time this year, I think I was mostly sad about not being there with him for his first time!  He'll be an old pro by time we take our little one!  

You can't find art like this at Disneyland folks...

My 4 year old nephew, Luke.Owning the Playa.

My family started a new camp: Cirque De Formage (yes intentionally spelled that way).  This is my big brother, Scott and Tami: aka the people who created my perfect nephew.

This photo is so cute.  Her parents built her a little nail salon.

This little nugget with her parents. Love.

So I have to say that is really all I missed this year.  But what I am gaining from "missing" these things is SO MUCH GREATER.  Even if, in this last trimester my smooth sailing of a pregnancy hit a few bumps (baby is fine, me on the other hand took a beating).  I wouldn't trade any of it for our little peanut coming next month...or March if she wants to be fashionably late.

~Mrs. G

Appreciating The Little Moments

I'm learning to appreciate the quiet moments that I have left.  Sleeping in, taking long showers and soaking in the bath while listening to music is at the top of my favorite things to do.

I've washed and organized all of Baby G's clothes, swaddles, hats, blankets, burb cloths etc.  Her closet is broken down into months and her drawers are organized accordingly too.

All of the nursery furniture is built and Kyle is working on the swing, bouncer, installing the car seat, painting the nursery, hanging art work and anything else that is on his list to get done by next month. Yes, I'm a total planner. And yes, many, many people told me I need to let go of that.

The biggest advise I have gotten for these last few months is to take time for myself and enjoy time with Kyle, just being us.

Speaking of Kyle, he is the sh*t.  No really he is.  I've been dealing with out of control emotions, been really homesick and a stress case making sure we have everything ready.  I walk around the house and see Kyle staring at me, smiling.  I always think he is laughing at the waddle I have developed. He said to me this morning, "You ask while I am smiling at you, it's because you look so beautiful.  You're carrying our child".  It's these moments that stop me in my tracks. (And remind me to try and be less cranky when he goes for beers with the guys!)

When I look over and see him reading baby books he downloaded on his own, picking out outfits when we shop and coming to nearly every Dr. appointment I can't help but well up with tears and be thankful for him every day. And appreciate these moments.

We are less than 8 weeks away and I look forward to our last few weeks of just us, coming and going as we please, staying up late-sleeping in late and going to the nicest restaurants in town.  But not nearly as much as I look forward to the new moments coming our way with our little girl.

Enjoying the Holidays. I made it out 'till 10:00pm!

Our little protectors and The Bump.

Daddy and The Bump.

~Mrs. G