I am a terrible liar. I am also not particularly good at omission. This is why it’s been five weeks since my last pregnancy journal. My pregnancy isn’t taking place in a vacuum: it includes all the other stuff going on in our lives. And some pretty important stuff that I haven’t been able to talk about until now has been going on!
Yes, we’re having a girl, but that’s not the biggest news!
Drumroll, please…… In less than one month, we are moving across the country! We currently live in Montreal, but will be relocating to Calgary, Alberta so my husband can pursue a new job opportunity.
This is huge! The past few weeks of silence have been ones of waiting with baited breath: would he get the job or not? Did I want him to get the job or was I secretly hoping he wouldn’t and we could stay? Certainly moving isn’t on my list of favourite endeavors to undertake while pregnancy, but the excitement I felt when we finally got 100% confirmation that he’d been hired assured me that this was the right move to make.
Now don’t get me wrong: moving isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. In terms of my pregnancy, it means sacrificing the care of a midwife and the chance to give birth in a utopian birthing centre which we visited mere days before finding out a move might be imminent. Were we to stay in Montreal, Cub 2.0 would’ve been born here:
Can you believe it? Isn’t it GORGEOUS? [This is the Maison de naissance du Boisé in Blainville.] Although I’m confident they will fast track me, a pregnant lady, to adequate healthcare once I arrive in Calgary, I don’t have a lot of hope that I’ll be able to get a midwife.
The roughest part of moving is leaving friends and family-in-law behind. When I moved to Montreal from Vancouver, it was heart wrenching to leave my family. But I can’t say that I left behind a close group of friends: I didn’t really have one. My best friend, yes, but regardless we live very different lives so even in the same city we speak on the phone more than we see each other. When I moved to Montreal I made my closest adult friends and when I had Cub I met three amazing women who have become my dearest confidantes. I’ve always imagined Cub growing up with his three “Wolf Pack” buds, and now I know this is not meant to be. Adrienne, one of the Mommy Wolf Pack, was also supposed to be my doula.
Cub is at a good age to move. He’s not in school yet and I doubt he’ll be too overwhelmed by the change. But I am heartbroken for him to leave his daycare! It’s not easy to find someone to care for your children whom you trust just as much as yourself to ensure his wellbeing. I’m sure there are wonderful caregivers in Calgary, but it will never be the same as what we have with Nathalie. Cub is surrounded by his gang of five other children of different ages, and they have a blast all day. He doesn’t even want to see me when I go pick him up. Her devastation at learning we were leaving was enough to show me how much my son is loved.
Despite those sad things, I know that regardless of where and with what type of care provider I give birth, my husband will help me have the best birth experience possible. I know that the marvels of technology and possibility of return visits will help ease the pain of leaving loved ones behind and that Cub will find new friends and perhaps a new adventure in the form of preschool awaits us in Cowtown.
Now you might think I skipped one pretty awful part of moving in my list of “cons,” you know, the whole MOVING thing. Well, I don’t know that I would’ve agreed to the move at all while pregnant if it weren’t for the fact that, as part of the hiring package, our move will be 99% taken care of. So I cannot and will not complain about this amazing perk!
My excitement about moving to Calgary overshadows my reluctance and fear because this move brings me so much closer to my family in Vancouver. For my parents to be only a 75-minute plane ride away versus what seems like a day-long 5-hour journey feels almost miraculous. People can even road trip to come see us, if they want to tackle a 12-hour trek through the Rockies! (My brother apparently does!) It is no longer ridiculous to plan a visit home for a long weekend, no longer impossible to say to my parents: “Let’s meet half way!” (We already are talking about a “meet halfway” holiday in the Okanagan.)
I don’t know a ton about Calgary, but I have made myself a couple friends in advance of arriving, thanks to the network of Moms across Canada who follow my blog! I am so excited for my first “Mommy date” with a Mama whose son is the same age as Cub, is also due with her second in July and shares my “born in BC” love of White Spot.
We currently live in an 800 square-foot condo, and we’ve always known that we would have to eventually make the move to something bigger. I guess this is the kick in the pants we needed! Once we arrive in Calgary, we have three months of temporary housing, and the house hunt has already begun online.
So, if you live in or around Calgary, tell me:
- Where would you recommend living? My husband wants to commute dowtown via transit so he can leave me with the car. I want to still be in a neighbourhood where it’s possible to walk to most necessities such as groceries, coffee shops, the library and parks. We would like Cub to go to school in a Francosud school if possible.
- What are the best activities in Calgary for a kid Cub’s age (2.5 years)?
- Which are your favourite Calgary-based baby brands or shops? I really want to run a “Maman Loup Moves to Calgary” promotion!


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