We had a great Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve with my family and my aunt, uncle, and cousins, and Oma were there too. Usually, us kids have a 'campout' on Christmas Eve and all sleep in my brother's room, but he had a very bad cold, so I decided it best to avoid as many germs as possible. So, we ended up sleeping at our own house and then going back at 7:30am on Christmas morning for present opening. We had to go that early since Al's fiance had to work at 9am. My parents had already bought us the crib as our Christmas present, but there were still a few cute things under the tree for baby.
We then headed to Carlos' parents' house for Christmas Day with them and his sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. Baby certainly was spoiled this Christmas since I think baby received the most presents! Carlos' sister had put together a basket of a bunch of cute items for baby. We really enjoyed spending lots of time with family.
Saturday, we headed to Whitby to Babies R Us. We had a long list of items we still needed for baby and we were able to get in on some amazing boxing week sales. The playard we had picked out months ago was $50 off (reg $170 on for $120). Yay! A bunch of the other items we got were also on sale, so it was a worthwhile trip for sure! We still have a few items we need, but we are doing quite well. And some items can wait until after the baby is born.
Yesterday, we went to Carlos' uncles house for a gathering. His parents, and aunts and uncles and one cousin were all there, so it was nice to see them once more before the baby arrives.
I was lucky enough to save some of my vacation time for 2008, so I have this week off. Today, I am heading to the spa with my mom for pedicures. Then afterwards, we are meeting up with my sister-in-law-to-be, aunt, and Oma for dinner and a movie. So, it will be a girls night :)
Tomorrow, I am getting my hair cut and highlighted and then I am supposed to be getting together with a friend in the evening (still to be confirmed).
Then I have the rest of the week with no plans, which is good because I have a lot of cleaning and organizing at home I want to get done! I'm going to tackle 1 task per day between Wednesday and Saturday. The first task being wash all the baby clothes and put all the baby stuff away. That's the fun task, so I'll do that one first :)
My brother and his fiance did not get that house. Initially, their offer was accepted, but they had the home inspection this morning and I guess there are major problems with the foundation. So, they backed out of the deal and will continue their search. They are quite disappointed, but a poor foundation is a deal-breaker for sure.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
LAST WORK DAY FOR ME FOR 2008
YAY!!! I can’t wait until 4:30pm today, when I’m outta here until January 5th!
The appointment with the midwife this morning went very well. Baby is measuring right where it’s supposed to again, so apparently we have a "textbook baby" according to the midwife. She also said that the baby’s head is quite low in the pelvis; so baby has really dropped down into the pelvis. She didn’t outright say it, but I am taking this to mean that baby will more likely be born early than late since baby is already ‘getting into position’. I’m thinking we may have a January baby on our hands, I’m thinking maybe January 20 something. That’s just my guess though, I could be completely wrong!
So now our next appointment is the first week of January for a home visit. We don’t have it booked as of right now though since it will be with our primary midwife and she is on holidays this week. So, she’s going to call me on Monday when she’s back in the office to set up the home visit. They do the home visit at 36 weeks so they have more time to spend with you to go over the birth plan and “day of” sort of things in detail. So that will be sometime during the week of January 5th and then my appointments are weekly from then until the baby is born. Exciting stuff!
I can't believe Christmas Eve is tomorrow! I guess I've been so busy trying to get things done at work and at home getting ready for baby, Christmas has really crept up on me this year!
I hope everyone has a fabulous Christmas!!!!
Edit 10:35am
My brother and his fiance are in negotiations now about the house. The seller came back with a counter-offer, so my brother is submitting a second offer. Now they're only talking a difference of a few thousand and a couple weeks on the closing date, so I have a feeling they will reach an agreement soon - very exciting!
The appointment with the midwife this morning went very well. Baby is measuring right where it’s supposed to again, so apparently we have a "textbook baby" according to the midwife. She also said that the baby’s head is quite low in the pelvis; so baby has really dropped down into the pelvis. She didn’t outright say it, but I am taking this to mean that baby will more likely be born early than late since baby is already ‘getting into position’. I’m thinking we may have a January baby on our hands, I’m thinking maybe January 20 something. That’s just my guess though, I could be completely wrong!
So now our next appointment is the first week of January for a home visit. We don’t have it booked as of right now though since it will be with our primary midwife and she is on holidays this week. So, she’s going to call me on Monday when she’s back in the office to set up the home visit. They do the home visit at 36 weeks so they have more time to spend with you to go over the birth plan and “day of” sort of things in detail. So that will be sometime during the week of January 5th and then my appointments are weekly from then until the baby is born. Exciting stuff!
I can't believe Christmas Eve is tomorrow! I guess I've been so busy trying to get things done at work and at home getting ready for baby, Christmas has really crept up on me this year!
I hope everyone has a fabulous Christmas!!!!
Edit 10:35am
My brother and his fiance are in negotiations now about the house. The seller came back with a counter-offer, so my brother is submitting a second offer. Now they're only talking a difference of a few thousand and a couple weeks on the closing date, so I have a feeling they will reach an agreement soon - very exciting!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Relaxing weekend
I had a great weekend. Since Friday was such a crazy day snow-wise, I decided to use a couple of my banked OT hours and left a couple hours early. It took me 40 minutes to get home (where normally it would take me 20), but I was glad to make it home safe and sound.
Saturday we did some errands, but mostly just relaxed at home. My mom came over to do laundry again. I guess she has ordered a new washer, which is supposed to be in on the 29th. Yesterday, we didn’t do much of anything, which was nice. I had all these big plans of what I wanted to get done on the weekend, but in the end, the only thing I did was get caught up on entering my bills and transactions, etc. into my financial software. I was 6 weeks behind on that, so it was nice to get that done.
Also, some big news: my brother Al and his fiancé put in an offer on a house! I don’t know many details, but I guess they looked at the house last week and then again yesterday and decided to put in an offer. Now they’re just waiting to hear if their offer was accepted. It was only the second house they looked at, but I guess they were impressed with it! They don’t need the house until June (they are getting married on June 6th), but who knows, they could arrange a closing date for a couple of months from now and it might be nice to have a few months to work on the house before they actually move in. It’s always easier to do renovations on an empty house.
As of today, I am at 34 weeks! Since the normal range for birth is 2 weeks on either side of your due date, baby could be born as early as 4 weeks from now! That’s so close! Carlos and I are both SUPER excited!!!
EDIT 11:30am
Sometimes people just don't get a hint! My ex added me AGAIN as a friend on Facebook - this is the 3rd time now. And for the 3rd time, I rejected him. Did he not get the message the first 2 times I rejected him?!?!? SHEESH! I'm no longer bitter towards him, but I have no interest in giving him a 'window' into my life and being friends or something. That part of my life is SO over, so I have no idea why he keeps adding me. I hope he gets the message this time!
Saturday we did some errands, but mostly just relaxed at home. My mom came over to do laundry again. I guess she has ordered a new washer, which is supposed to be in on the 29th. Yesterday, we didn’t do much of anything, which was nice. I had all these big plans of what I wanted to get done on the weekend, but in the end, the only thing I did was get caught up on entering my bills and transactions, etc. into my financial software. I was 6 weeks behind on that, so it was nice to get that done.
Also, some big news: my brother Al and his fiancé put in an offer on a house! I don’t know many details, but I guess they looked at the house last week and then again yesterday and decided to put in an offer. Now they’re just waiting to hear if their offer was accepted. It was only the second house they looked at, but I guess they were impressed with it! They don’t need the house until June (they are getting married on June 6th), but who knows, they could arrange a closing date for a couple of months from now and it might be nice to have a few months to work on the house before they actually move in. It’s always easier to do renovations on an empty house.
As of today, I am at 34 weeks! Since the normal range for birth is 2 weeks on either side of your due date, baby could be born as early as 4 weeks from now! That’s so close! Carlos and I are both SUPER excited!!!
EDIT 11:30am
Sometimes people just don't get a hint! My ex added me AGAIN as a friend on Facebook - this is the 3rd time now. And for the 3rd time, I rejected him. Did he not get the message the first 2 times I rejected him?!?!? SHEESH! I'm no longer bitter towards him, but I have no interest in giving him a 'window' into my life and being friends or something. That part of my life is SO over, so I have no idea why he keeps adding me. I hope he gets the message this time!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Question for nej
Others feel free to pipe in too, I just thought nej would be a good once to ask since she just wrote the PPE.
Here is the situation. We have a mountain of landfill annual reports that we are in the midst of preparing. I am responsible for 6 of them, which means I have been/will be either writing these reports or reviewing them before I leave in mid-January. These reports will all be completed in draft prior to me leaving; however, they can’t be finalized until later since they need operations data, which we don’t typically get from our clients until mid-February or so once they get recycling tonnages for 2008 from their contractors.
Is it ethical/legal for me to still sign the reports even though I will be technically an employee on leave when they are finalized and submitted? I know as a P.Eng. I can’t do work unless I am paid for it, but the preparation of these reports I have been paid for since they will be 98% done before I leave. My coworkers just need to slip in a couple recycling numbers once received and then they can be finalized. So, I was thinking it would be okay for me to come in for a half hour while I’m on leave to sign the reports… what do you ladies think? Is this okay from a legal standpoint?
Here is the situation. We have a mountain of landfill annual reports that we are in the midst of preparing. I am responsible for 6 of them, which means I have been/will be either writing these reports or reviewing them before I leave in mid-January. These reports will all be completed in draft prior to me leaving; however, they can’t be finalized until later since they need operations data, which we don’t typically get from our clients until mid-February or so once they get recycling tonnages for 2008 from their contractors.
Is it ethical/legal for me to still sign the reports even though I will be technically an employee on leave when they are finalized and submitted? I know as a P.Eng. I can’t do work unless I am paid for it, but the preparation of these reports I have been paid for since they will be 98% done before I leave. My coworkers just need to slip in a couple recycling numbers once received and then they can be finalized. So, I was thinking it would be okay for me to come in for a half hour while I’m on leave to sign the reports… what do you ladies think? Is this okay from a legal standpoint?
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Birth Plan Talk and Other Randoms
I got the last of my Christmas shopping done yesterday, so now we are 100% done our shopping and most of the presents are already wrapped. Feels so good to get that done! Especially since my mind has been a little pre-occupied this year ;)
I’m glad it’s already Wednesday. I have just been counting the days until the Christmas break… only 5 days of work left before Christmas (including today)! Yay! And I have made some plans for some pampering in the days between Christmas and New Years. On the 27th, Carlos and I are making a trip to Babies R Us in Whitby (likely our last before the baby arrives) to pick up a few more items that we need. We are also going to use a gift card I received for my birthday for a fancy restaurant in Oshawa that day. On the 29th, mom and I are going out for lunch and then to get pedicures at the spa. Carlos gave me a gift card for the spa for my birthday, so I’m using that for a pedicure since I can’t reach my feet anymore and it will be good to have nice toes to look at while I’m in labour ;) Then on the 30th, I have an appointment for a haircut and highlites. Figured I should get my hair done once more before the baby comes. Other than that, my plans for my time off are to spend time with friends/family, get some organizing/cleaning done at home, and get ready for baby. I want to get the carseat installed in Zeke and get my hospital bag packed and birth plan put together. I also want to get the nursery complete ready with all the necessary supplies so that if the baby decides to arrive early, we’re ready.
My due date is starting to get really close. “They” recommend that you have your carseat installed and hospital bag packed a month before your due date, which means by New Years for us. That makes the birth seem all that more real and imminent! I am really very excited, just feeling a bit nervous about the birth. We have been discussing pain management options a lot lately, and I am pretty much of the mindset that I want to avoid an epidural if at all possible. I am telling myself that if I absolutely need it, I will accept it as a last resort. But only after all other options have been exhausted. I was very disappointed to find out that our hospital doesn’t have nitrous oxide (laughing gas) yet. Since it’s a new hospital, I guess they are slow getting some things and it’s supposed to be in place in about 6 months. The other drug option is narcotics (Demerol, Nubain, etc.), but those have to be timed very carefully and given at least 2 hours prior to the birth otherwise they can affect the baby.
So here’s my thinking: I consider myself more tough than the average woman when it comes to pain. For example, I had a compound fracture on my arm when I was 13 and didn’t know it for 2 days! I remember my doctor saying at the time that since I could withstand that amount of pain for so long, childbirth would be a piece of cake for me. Here’s hoping she was right! I do think I have a pretty high tolerance for pain. So, I’m thinking I’m going to try this labour with as little medical intervention as possible. So I am very thankful to have the midwives since they have a whole ‘bag of tricks’ when it comes to non-drug related pain management. Luckily, one of the birthing suites at the hospital has a bathtub (hopefully that room is available), so I can sit in the bath for a bit for relaxation. Hopefully between that and the encouragement from the midwives and my hubby, it should be okay. From what I’ve heard from others, the “transition” portion of labour is the worst pain-wise, but it also means you are almost ready to push. So, the good news is when the pain is the worst, it also means it’s almost over.
I have been thinking about this a lot lately since when I am at 36 weeks, the midwife does a home visit to discuss our birth plan in detail, so I want to get some of these details planned. I also know that I need to be flexible, so if I do end up needing pain medication, I need to not be disappointed in myself. Which is something I’ll have to work on.
I’m glad it’s already Wednesday. I have just been counting the days until the Christmas break… only 5 days of work left before Christmas (including today)! Yay! And I have made some plans for some pampering in the days between Christmas and New Years. On the 27th, Carlos and I are making a trip to Babies R Us in Whitby (likely our last before the baby arrives) to pick up a few more items that we need. We are also going to use a gift card I received for my birthday for a fancy restaurant in Oshawa that day. On the 29th, mom and I are going out for lunch and then to get pedicures at the spa. Carlos gave me a gift card for the spa for my birthday, so I’m using that for a pedicure since I can’t reach my feet anymore and it will be good to have nice toes to look at while I’m in labour ;) Then on the 30th, I have an appointment for a haircut and highlites. Figured I should get my hair done once more before the baby comes. Other than that, my plans for my time off are to spend time with friends/family, get some organizing/cleaning done at home, and get ready for baby. I want to get the carseat installed in Zeke and get my hospital bag packed and birth plan put together. I also want to get the nursery complete ready with all the necessary supplies so that if the baby decides to arrive early, we’re ready.
My due date is starting to get really close. “They” recommend that you have your carseat installed and hospital bag packed a month before your due date, which means by New Years for us. That makes the birth seem all that more real and imminent! I am really very excited, just feeling a bit nervous about the birth. We have been discussing pain management options a lot lately, and I am pretty much of the mindset that I want to avoid an epidural if at all possible. I am telling myself that if I absolutely need it, I will accept it as a last resort. But only after all other options have been exhausted. I was very disappointed to find out that our hospital doesn’t have nitrous oxide (laughing gas) yet. Since it’s a new hospital, I guess they are slow getting some things and it’s supposed to be in place in about 6 months. The other drug option is narcotics (Demerol, Nubain, etc.), but those have to be timed very carefully and given at least 2 hours prior to the birth otherwise they can affect the baby.
So here’s my thinking: I consider myself more tough than the average woman when it comes to pain. For example, I had a compound fracture on my arm when I was 13 and didn’t know it for 2 days! I remember my doctor saying at the time that since I could withstand that amount of pain for so long, childbirth would be a piece of cake for me. Here’s hoping she was right! I do think I have a pretty high tolerance for pain. So, I’m thinking I’m going to try this labour with as little medical intervention as possible. So I am very thankful to have the midwives since they have a whole ‘bag of tricks’ when it comes to non-drug related pain management. Luckily, one of the birthing suites at the hospital has a bathtub (hopefully that room is available), so I can sit in the bath for a bit for relaxation. Hopefully between that and the encouragement from the midwives and my hubby, it should be okay. From what I’ve heard from others, the “transition” portion of labour is the worst pain-wise, but it also means you are almost ready to push. So, the good news is when the pain is the worst, it also means it’s almost over.
I have been thinking about this a lot lately since when I am at 36 weeks, the midwife does a home visit to discuss our birth plan in detail, so I want to get some of these details planned. I also know that I need to be flexible, so if I do end up needing pain medication, I need to not be disappointed in myself. Which is something I’ll have to work on.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Anybody else getting rain today?
Today, we are getting lots of rain and it’s 8 degrees out. Which made for a VERY slippery walk to my car. Water overtop of ice is no fun. So, I took very small steps and was able to make it to Zeke without mishap. Thank goodness! I’m hoping since it’s so warm today, that all the ice on our driveway will melt.
I had a most excellent weekend. Friday night was my company Christmas party, which was lots of fun. This is my 5th year going, and the first one I was completely sober at ;) We had excellent dinner and hung out and socialized. We didn’t go out to the bars afterwards since I was tired and wanted to get home, so we called it a night around midnight.
Saturday, we braved the crowds and actually had a very productive Christmas shopping day. We even bought a couple things for the baby in there too ;) We now have our Christmas shopping 95% done, I just need to pick up one more item, which I am going to do tomorrow on my way home from work. So, as of tomorrow evening, we will be completely done our shopping, which will be great! No last minute scrambling this year!
Saturday evening, my mom came over for a few hours to do laundry since her washer recently died. So, that gave us a chance to catch up on things and she told me all about her trip. Apparently my dad just fell in love with Banff/Lake Louise and wants to go back next winter. So, we are tentatively planning a family vacation out there for end of December (between Christmas and New Years) next year - my parents, Carlos, me, and the baby. And perhaps even my brothers and significant others. So, if that happens, I will let you know Mrs. JB since me, Carlos, and the baby will definitely come for a visit with your family either at the beginning or end of our trip since we’ll be flying in/out of Calgary! Of course, this is all in the initial planning stages at this point, but I think it would be awesome. So, I will keep you informed of any developments Mrs. JB!
Here we are at another Monday. But after today, I only have 6 more days of work this year and only 16 days of work left before baby! That’s do-able!
This week, I have a pretty quiet week planned. I have my last prenatal pilates class tonight and then Thursday evening is our tour of the labour/delivery and maternity wards of the hospital. Other than that, I have my evenings free this week, which is really nice. I do have to do some baking on Wednesday evening, since I have a work potluck on Thursday and Carlos’ is on Friday. So that will be fun.
Hope everyone has a great week!
I had a most excellent weekend. Friday night was my company Christmas party, which was lots of fun. This is my 5th year going, and the first one I was completely sober at ;) We had excellent dinner and hung out and socialized. We didn’t go out to the bars afterwards since I was tired and wanted to get home, so we called it a night around midnight.
Saturday, we braved the crowds and actually had a very productive Christmas shopping day. We even bought a couple things for the baby in there too ;) We now have our Christmas shopping 95% done, I just need to pick up one more item, which I am going to do tomorrow on my way home from work. So, as of tomorrow evening, we will be completely done our shopping, which will be great! No last minute scrambling this year!
Saturday evening, my mom came over for a few hours to do laundry since her washer recently died. So, that gave us a chance to catch up on things and she told me all about her trip. Apparently my dad just fell in love with Banff/Lake Louise and wants to go back next winter. So, we are tentatively planning a family vacation out there for end of December (between Christmas and New Years) next year - my parents, Carlos, me, and the baby. And perhaps even my brothers and significant others. So, if that happens, I will let you know Mrs. JB since me, Carlos, and the baby will definitely come for a visit with your family either at the beginning or end of our trip since we’ll be flying in/out of Calgary! Of course, this is all in the initial planning stages at this point, but I think it would be awesome. So, I will keep you informed of any developments Mrs. JB!
Here we are at another Monday. But after today, I only have 6 more days of work this year and only 16 days of work left before baby! That’s do-able!
This week, I have a pretty quiet week planned. I have my last prenatal pilates class tonight and then Thursday evening is our tour of the labour/delivery and maternity wards of the hospital. Other than that, I have my evenings free this week, which is really nice. I do have to do some baking on Wednesday evening, since I have a work potluck on Thursday and Carlos’ is on Friday. So that will be fun.
Hope everyone has a great week!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Midwife appointment went well
Just a usual check-up and everything is right on track. My blood pressure is normal, baby’s heartbeat was 140 bpm (normal range is 120 – 160), and uterine height is 31 cm (it is supposed to be within 2 cm of the number of weeks along you are), so everything is right on track! Baby is still head-down (has been for the last month) and at this point, the baby will likely remain head-down for the rest of the pregnancy, which is good. No need to worry about a breech position. So, we go back in 2 weeks, so our next appointment is on the 23rd.
Tonight we have another prenatal class, the last one that is actually a class (next week is the hospital tour). Tonight we will be talking about C-sections, and bringing your baby home (what can be expected in the first few weeks, the changes to the dynamic of the relationship between mom and dad, and changes that mom will go through).
Hard to believe it’s only 2 weeks until Christmas! We are in the midst of trying to figure out when the heck we are going to celebrate Christmas with my family since my brothers and Al’s fiancé have such crazy work schedules and they are completely conflicting. It has been a logistical nightmare. But, since my mom just spent last week in Banff getting her Professional Logistician certification, I’ll let her figure it out ;)
Tonight we have another prenatal class, the last one that is actually a class (next week is the hospital tour). Tonight we will be talking about C-sections, and bringing your baby home (what can be expected in the first few weeks, the changes to the dynamic of the relationship between mom and dad, and changes that mom will go through).
Hard to believe it’s only 2 weeks until Christmas! We are in the midst of trying to figure out when the heck we are going to celebrate Christmas with my family since my brothers and Al’s fiancé have such crazy work schedules and they are completely conflicting. It has been a logistical nightmare. But, since my mom just spent last week in Banff getting her Professional Logistician certification, I’ll let her figure it out ;)
Monday, December 08, 2008
Not much new here
I had a good weekend. Spent it doing the usual running errands and relaxing. I was actually surprised when I went to Walmart and Costco on Saturday – they weren’t as busy as I would have thought for a weekend in December! Maybe the snowy weather kept people away. We also got a little Christmas shopping done, but still have more to do. I would like to get it done this coming weekend, we’ll see how that goes.
My parents fly back tonight from Calgary, so it will be good to have them back, especially since Oma needs so much care these days. I’ve stopped in a few times in the past week to check on her, but it is much better when my mom is there full time.
My brother Thom is apparently back with his ex. This is the same girl who broke up with him so she could have causal sex with someone else and has been talking of nothing except getting drunk and high since they broke up (it’s amazing what I find out on Facebook). Seems a little strange that she would share those type of details on Facebook when we are all on her friends list, including my mom! Needless to say, we are all pretty shocked that Thom would take her back, but it’s his decision.
This coming week is another busy one and I only have 1 free evening this week: tomorrow. But, it should be a good week since my plans are fun! Pilates, massage, prenatal class, and my company Christmas party. Sounds like it will be a good week to me!
As of today, I am at 32 weeks along! Only 8 weeks to go! Things are moving along well! Our next appointment with the midwife is on Thursday morning, so I am looking forward to that.
My parents fly back tonight from Calgary, so it will be good to have them back, especially since Oma needs so much care these days. I’ve stopped in a few times in the past week to check on her, but it is much better when my mom is there full time.
My brother Thom is apparently back with his ex. This is the same girl who broke up with him so she could have causal sex with someone else and has been talking of nothing except getting drunk and high since they broke up (it’s amazing what I find out on Facebook). Seems a little strange that she would share those type of details on Facebook when we are all on her friends list, including my mom! Needless to say, we are all pretty shocked that Thom would take her back, but it’s his decision.
This coming week is another busy one and I only have 1 free evening this week: tomorrow. But, it should be a good week since my plans are fun! Pilates, massage, prenatal class, and my company Christmas party. Sounds like it will be a good week to me!
As of today, I am at 32 weeks along! Only 8 weeks to go! Things are moving along well! Our next appointment with the midwife is on Thursday morning, so I am looking forward to that.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Too cool!
Yesterday morning, as I was lying in bed, I was feeling around my belly a bit since the baby was quite active, and I was actually able to feel a little bump where one of the baby’s limbs was. It was really neat! I guess the baby is getting big enough now that I can actually feel limbs through my belly. Hard to believe I have less than 2 months to go!!! And only 23 days of work after today (but who’s counting…) ;)
I really enjoyed my day off yesterday. I wrote my thank you notes for the baby shower gifts we received on Friday, so I was happy to get that done. Other than that, I just relaxed at home, which was much needed after the crazy-busy November I had!
I finally got the details of my company’s mat/parental leave policy today. Since I am the first employee to go on this type of leave, they had to develop a policy. I wasn’t expecting any type of ‘top-up’, so I am VERY pleased that they have decided to provide this! The policy is very generous – yay!
Tonight, we have prenatal class #4. I think we will be talking about pain management options during labour and preparing for the unexpected. I’m sure we’ll learn lots since these classes have been amazing so far!
I really enjoyed my day off yesterday. I wrote my thank you notes for the baby shower gifts we received on Friday, so I was happy to get that done. Other than that, I just relaxed at home, which was much needed after the crazy-busy November I had!
I finally got the details of my company’s mat/parental leave policy today. Since I am the first employee to go on this type of leave, they had to develop a policy. I wasn’t expecting any type of ‘top-up’, so I am VERY pleased that they have decided to provide this! The policy is very generous – yay!
Tonight, we have prenatal class #4. I think we will be talking about pain management options during labour and preparing for the unexpected. I’m sure we’ll learn lots since these classes have been amazing so far!
Monday, December 01, 2008
Wonderful Birthday Weekend
My shower on Friday was great. My coworkers certainly went to a lot of effort! They made a bunch of awesome food and they all chipped in together and got us gift certificates for the diaper service in town. They gave us a certificate for 1 month free of the diaper service as well as $75 to use on products (cloth diapers, waterproof covers, etc.). So, we are quite pleased with that! We are thinking we’ll use disposable diapers in the beginning since we are getting so many for free from Carlos’ family. And, when we first have the baby, we figure it will just be easier to use disposables. So, we’ll probably use disposables for the first few months. After that, we will use our 1 month free diaper service and then once that is used, I’m thinking I may just wash cloth diapers at home and use them part-time. That’s the plan anyways.
For my birthday, Carlos got me a gift card for the spa I like to go to, so I am going to use that likely between Christmas and New Years for a pedicure since I’m sure I will really need it by then! He also got me a little massaging pillow for my lower back since my back has been pretty sore in the last month (off and on) from sitting at my desk at work. My back is fine when I’m at home, it’s just for some reason, whenever I’m at work, the pain comes back. Good thing I have my pilates class tonight, I always come out of there feeling totally loosened up. Carlos also got me 3 books to read to the baby, 2 of which I remember from when I was a child. He also took me out for lunch on Saturday, so he certainly spoiled me!
Saturday we also went to the Festival of Trees, but we didn’t get a phone call last night, so I guess we didn’t win any trees. Oh well, we’ll try again next year ;) We went to Carlos’ company Christmas party on Saturday night, which was fun.
My plan for staying in my pjs all day on Sunday didn’t go quite as planned. My dad called and wanted a haircut, so we went up to my parents house for an hour so I could do that and also get a visit in with Oma. My mom is in Banff now for a week, so I wanted to check on Oma and see how she’s doing.
We also got some sad news on Saturday morning: Carlos’ grandmother passed away. She has been sick for a long time and Carlos’ grandparents were living in Canada for awhile, but they went back to Portugal in the summer since she really wanted to live out the rest of her days there. We got word late last week that she took a turn for the worse, so Carlos’ dad and uncles decided to go to Portugual (they left yesterday), but they didn’t make it in time before she passed, which is very sad. I’m glad they are there for Carlos’ grandfather though, he needs his sons around him right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if they bring him back with them when they return in a few weeks.
This week should be much less busy for me than the last several have been, which is awesome. I only have 2 evenings busy this week: tonight with my pilates class and Thursday with our prenatal class. That’s it. I also have the day off work on Wednesday to just relax and get caught up on some things. So, this should be a good week!
For my birthday, Carlos got me a gift card for the spa I like to go to, so I am going to use that likely between Christmas and New Years for a pedicure since I’m sure I will really need it by then! He also got me a little massaging pillow for my lower back since my back has been pretty sore in the last month (off and on) from sitting at my desk at work. My back is fine when I’m at home, it’s just for some reason, whenever I’m at work, the pain comes back. Good thing I have my pilates class tonight, I always come out of there feeling totally loosened up. Carlos also got me 3 books to read to the baby, 2 of which I remember from when I was a child. He also took me out for lunch on Saturday, so he certainly spoiled me!
Saturday we also went to the Festival of Trees, but we didn’t get a phone call last night, so I guess we didn’t win any trees. Oh well, we’ll try again next year ;) We went to Carlos’ company Christmas party on Saturday night, which was fun.
My plan for staying in my pjs all day on Sunday didn’t go quite as planned. My dad called and wanted a haircut, so we went up to my parents house for an hour so I could do that and also get a visit in with Oma. My mom is in Banff now for a week, so I wanted to check on Oma and see how she’s doing.
We also got some sad news on Saturday morning: Carlos’ grandmother passed away. She has been sick for a long time and Carlos’ grandparents were living in Canada for awhile, but they went back to Portugal in the summer since she really wanted to live out the rest of her days there. We got word late last week that she took a turn for the worse, so Carlos’ dad and uncles decided to go to Portugual (they left yesterday), but they didn’t make it in time before she passed, which is very sad. I’m glad they are there for Carlos’ grandfather though, he needs his sons around him right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if they bring him back with them when they return in a few weeks.
This week should be much less busy for me than the last several have been, which is awesome. I only have 2 evenings busy this week: tonight with my pilates class and Thursday with our prenatal class. That’s it. I also have the day off work on Wednesday to just relax and get caught up on some things. So, this should be a good week!
Friday, November 28, 2008
The Trifecta
Today is a great day for many reasons: it’s Friday, my birthday, and my first baby shower. Yay! Lots of reasons to celebrate today! I still don’t know any details about my shower, they are keeping it somewhat of a secret. They’ll have to tell me when and where to be at some point today!
Last night’s prenatal class was good. The topic was labour, so we went through the different stages of labour and what can be expected during each stage. I have some fears about giving birth, so learning about the different stages was very useful since now I have somewhat of an idea of what to expect. Next week, we are talking about pain management options and preparing for the unexpected.
This weekend should be a good one. Of course tonight I have my baby shower with my coworkers. Tomorrow, Carlos is taking me out for lunch in honour if my birthday and then we are going to check out the festival of trees. Then tomorrow evening is Carlos’ company Christmas party. Sunday, we don’t have too much planned at this point, which is a good thing since tonight and tomorrow are already full. So, I want Sunday to rest.
Last night’s prenatal class was good. The topic was labour, so we went through the different stages of labour and what can be expected during each stage. I have some fears about giving birth, so learning about the different stages was very useful since now I have somewhat of an idea of what to expect. Next week, we are talking about pain management options and preparing for the unexpected.
This weekend should be a good one. Of course tonight I have my baby shower with my coworkers. Tomorrow, Carlos is taking me out for lunch in honour if my birthday and then we are going to check out the festival of trees. Then tomorrow evening is Carlos’ company Christmas party. Sunday, we don’t have too much planned at this point, which is a good thing since tonight and tomorrow are already full. So, I want Sunday to rest.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Loooooong day yesterday
I ended up working a 17-hour day yesterday. The weather was pretty bad, so we spent more time on the road travelling than we expected, which meant I didn’t get home until 1:30am last night. But, the meeting went very well, much better than I was expecting. So that was good. This morning, I slept in until around 9:30am and then had an appointment with the midwife at 11:30am and came to work after that. So, today will be a nice, short 4-hour work day.
Our appointment with the midwife this morning went well. There is a 4th year midwifery student ‘shadowing’ our primary midwife, so she asked us if it would be okay if the student did our appointment today. Totally up to us, but if we liked the student, then it would be her and our primary midwfie present at our birth instead of our primary and secondary midwives (and we’re not too keen on our secondary midwife anyway). And, the other benefit of the student is she and our primary midwife would be there the whole time, whereas usually you only have one midwife until you are actually pushing and then the second midwife arrives. So, we decided to meet the student and see what we thought. We were very impressed! I think I like her the best out of everyone! So, needless to say, we will definitely let her be involved in our care! I feel very good about this.
My gestational diabetes screen came back normal, so that’s good. Baby is measuring right on track, all my stats are right where they should be. Our next appointment is on December 11th.
Tonight is my free evening for this week, so I am looking forward to that!
Our appointment with the midwife this morning went well. There is a 4th year midwifery student ‘shadowing’ our primary midwife, so she asked us if it would be okay if the student did our appointment today. Totally up to us, but if we liked the student, then it would be her and our primary midwfie present at our birth instead of our primary and secondary midwives (and we’re not too keen on our secondary midwife anyway). And, the other benefit of the student is she and our primary midwife would be there the whole time, whereas usually you only have one midwife until you are actually pushing and then the second midwife arrives. So, we decided to meet the student and see what we thought. We were very impressed! I think I like her the best out of everyone! So, needless to say, we will definitely let her be involved in our care! I feel very good about this.
My gestational diabetes screen came back normal, so that’s good. Baby is measuring right on track, all my stats are right where they should be. Our next appointment is on December 11th.
Tonight is my free evening for this week, so I am looking forward to that!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Another busy week ahead
This week is another busy one. Seems to be the trend as of late. Tomorrow, I have another meeting out of town to attend in the evening, which means I’ll be working a 16 or 17 hour day tomorrow. Yikes! Luckily, this is my last out of town evening meeting, so I will be so glad when it is over with! This is one where we are expecting 100+ people to show up and 95% of them are opposed to the project, so there will be some angry and unreasonable people to deal with – fun. Since I’m working such a long day tomorrow, I am taking Wednesday morning off. I have an appointment with the midwife at 11:30am on Wednesday, so I’ll just go to work after that for the afternoon. So, Wednesday will be a nice, short workday to counteract the really long day tomorrow.
And Friday is not only my birthday, but also my first baby shower, so that will be fun. I don’t know any of the details yet, just that it is put on by my coworkers, it will be after work, and my parents and Carlos are supposed to come as well. That’s all I know. I’m sure it will be a great time!
This past weekend was a good one. My visit with my friend on Saturday was nice. I hadn’t seen her in maybe 2 years, so we got to catch up on things. She has a 3.5 month old daughter, so I got to meet her as well. It was nice to hear about how pleased she was with the midwives through the birth and the weeks afterwards.
We also picked up our crib on Saturday morning and then put it together Saturday after I got home from visiting with my friend. I absolutely LOVE the crib we picked! Now we are just waiting on the mattress, which should be in on the weekend. We could have bought it in-store, but it was 10% off through the Sears website, so we ordered it through there. We decided to get an organic mattress since that was something that was really important to me – to get a mattress with no PVC, especially since the baby will be spending so much time in the crib.
My birthday celebration with my family yesterday was great. Carlos’ parents came for a bit as well. It was funny, they called us just before noon on Sunday saying they wanted to come early to come to our place (they would bring lunch) and to see the nursery. So, as soon as we found that out, we were running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to get the house a little tidied. My mother-in-law is a cleaning lady and she is one of those European women who always has their house spotless. So, I wanted our house to be at least somewhat presentable. It’s amazing what a difference we made in just a half hour!
As of today, I’m 30 weeks along! Only 10 weeks to go! Now that we have all the nursery furniture set up, I am finding that I am having a really strong urge to get all the supplies we need. I am trying to hold off though since I’m sure we’ll be getting some stuff at the shower on Friday and more at Christmas.
And Friday is not only my birthday, but also my first baby shower, so that will be fun. I don’t know any of the details yet, just that it is put on by my coworkers, it will be after work, and my parents and Carlos are supposed to come as well. That’s all I know. I’m sure it will be a great time!
This past weekend was a good one. My visit with my friend on Saturday was nice. I hadn’t seen her in maybe 2 years, so we got to catch up on things. She has a 3.5 month old daughter, so I got to meet her as well. It was nice to hear about how pleased she was with the midwives through the birth and the weeks afterwards.
We also picked up our crib on Saturday morning and then put it together Saturday after I got home from visiting with my friend. I absolutely LOVE the crib we picked! Now we are just waiting on the mattress, which should be in on the weekend. We could have bought it in-store, but it was 10% off through the Sears website, so we ordered it through there. We decided to get an organic mattress since that was something that was really important to me – to get a mattress with no PVC, especially since the baby will be spending so much time in the crib.
My birthday celebration with my family yesterday was great. Carlos’ parents came for a bit as well. It was funny, they called us just before noon on Sunday saying they wanted to come early to come to our place (they would bring lunch) and to see the nursery. So, as soon as we found that out, we were running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to get the house a little tidied. My mother-in-law is a cleaning lady and she is one of those European women who always has their house spotless. So, I wanted our house to be at least somewhat presentable. It’s amazing what a difference we made in just a half hour!
As of today, I’m 30 weeks along! Only 10 weeks to go! Now that we have all the nursery furniture set up, I am finding that I am having a really strong urge to get all the supplies we need. I am trying to hold off though since I’m sure we’ll be getting some stuff at the shower on Friday and more at Christmas.
Friday, November 21, 2008
TGIF!!!
I am so looking forward to the weekend; it has been a long week! I’ve been so busy in the evenings that the last few nights I’ve gone to bed about an hour later than I normally do, so I woke up feeling really tired this morning. Luckily, I get to sleep in tomorrow morning and Sunday morning – yay!
I got approved for my 4 days off in December, so I am stoked about that! I’m taking Wed, Dec 3rd off as a relaxing/do nothing day for me. I am also taking Dec 29th to 31st off, which means my last day of work before Christmas is December 23rd and then I won’t be back until January 5th (our office is closed on Dec 24th and Jan 2nd in addition to the stat holidays). I am so looking forward to the time off between Christmas and New Years because I want to get my house in order! It needs some serious cleaning and de-cluttering. So, I will break it down into some manageable chunks and tackle one task her day. I have been feeling the ‘nesting’ instinct lately, so I am really looking forward to getting my house clean. I need to do things like clean the inside of my fridge and cupboards and things like that which always seem to be forgotten. And I am saving my banked overtime to use in my last 2 weeks (Jan 5 to 16) if I need an afternoon off here and there. I will be within a month of my due date by then, so I figure I may need a couple hours off here and there to make myself more comfortable since sitting at my desk for 40 hours a week has been a bit difficult lately.
Last night, the topic of our prenatal class was breastfeeding and we got LOTS of good info. I really want to breastfeed because of all the amazing benefits, so I am glad I have the support of my midwives. They will come to me on days 1, 2, 3, 5, and between 7 and 10 to help with any issues I have and to check on me and the baby. I have heard from other people that breastfeeding can be difficult/frustrating in the beginning, so I am so lucky to have the amazing support of my midwives! I got lots of good tips at my class last night, so I think I am well equipped to give it a try! I am determined to breastfeed for as long as I can (Canadian Pediatric Society recommends 1 year).
My plans for the weekend include lots of fun stuff! Tonight, I am having dinner with friends. Tomorrow afternoon, I am getting together with an old friend who just had a baby in August. She also used the midwives, so I want to get the inside scoop on what the birth experience and the weeks after were like with the midwives. On Sunday, I am having my birthday celebration with my family. My mom is flying out to Alberta early in the morning on the 29th, so we are having my birthday dinner on Sunday. Which is fine by me; more time to celebrate!
EDIT 2:50pm
I just got the email from Sears saying that our crib is in and ready to be picked up - yay! We'll be picking it up tomorrow!!!
I got approved for my 4 days off in December, so I am stoked about that! I’m taking Wed, Dec 3rd off as a relaxing/do nothing day for me. I am also taking Dec 29th to 31st off, which means my last day of work before Christmas is December 23rd and then I won’t be back until January 5th (our office is closed on Dec 24th and Jan 2nd in addition to the stat holidays). I am so looking forward to the time off between Christmas and New Years because I want to get my house in order! It needs some serious cleaning and de-cluttering. So, I will break it down into some manageable chunks and tackle one task her day. I have been feeling the ‘nesting’ instinct lately, so I am really looking forward to getting my house clean. I need to do things like clean the inside of my fridge and cupboards and things like that which always seem to be forgotten. And I am saving my banked overtime to use in my last 2 weeks (Jan 5 to 16) if I need an afternoon off here and there. I will be within a month of my due date by then, so I figure I may need a couple hours off here and there to make myself more comfortable since sitting at my desk for 40 hours a week has been a bit difficult lately.
Last night, the topic of our prenatal class was breastfeeding and we got LOTS of good info. I really want to breastfeed because of all the amazing benefits, so I am glad I have the support of my midwives. They will come to me on days 1, 2, 3, 5, and between 7 and 10 to help with any issues I have and to check on me and the baby. I have heard from other people that breastfeeding can be difficult/frustrating in the beginning, so I am so lucky to have the amazing support of my midwives! I got lots of good tips at my class last night, so I think I am well equipped to give it a try! I am determined to breastfeed for as long as I can (Canadian Pediatric Society recommends 1 year).
My plans for the weekend include lots of fun stuff! Tonight, I am having dinner with friends. Tomorrow afternoon, I am getting together with an old friend who just had a baby in August. She also used the midwives, so I want to get the inside scoop on what the birth experience and the weeks after were like with the midwives. On Sunday, I am having my birthday celebration with my family. My mom is flying out to Alberta early in the morning on the 29th, so we are having my birthday dinner on Sunday. Which is fine by me; more time to celebrate!
EDIT 2:50pm
I just got the email from Sears saying that our crib is in and ready to be picked up - yay! We'll be picking it up tomorrow!!!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Blast from the past
I met up with my friend from highschool last night. We were best friends in grades 9 and 10, so it was nice to catch up with her. The funny thing was, when I walked into the café where we met, 2 other former friends from our highschool were also there – it was somewhat of a reunion! Anyways, I had a very nice visit and it was great to catch up.
Tonight is my only free evening this week, so I am really looking forward to the time to just relax.
I still have a few vacation days and some banked OT for 2008, so I am trying to decide what to do with that. I have enough for 5 days off. I spoke with our office administrator yesterday and I have a few options. Option 1 would be to use the time before I start my mat leave. Option 2 would be to tack that time on right after I leave (so I would work until the 16th, but get paid until the 23rd, which would delay the start of my mat leave by a week). Option 3 would be to keep the time and have it when I return in January 2010. Option 4 would be to get paid out on the time, but apparently this causes some difficulties when applying for EI since my last paycheck would be so much larger than typical.
I am leaning towards Option 1. My back has been feeling a bit better in the last couple weeks, but I think a few days off here and there would really help my last few weeks at work be more comfortable. I am thinking about taking the days off between Christmas and New Years. Because of the way the holidays fall and our other office closures, I already get the 24th, 25th, 26th, Jan 1st, and Jan 2nd off. So, if I use 3 vacation days for the other days between Christmas and New Years, then my last day of work before Christmas would be December 23rd and then I wouldn’t be back until January 5th, at which point I’d only have 2 weeks left since my last day of work will be January 16th. As for the other 2 vacation days, I am thinking about taking 2 Wednesdays in December off to break up the week a bit and make it a little more comfortable. So, I’m thinking about taking December 3rd and 17th off as well; just as relaxing days. So, that’s the plan! Here’s hoping I get approved for those days off! I will submit my request today, so I’ll likely hear back within a few days.
Oh, and I also found out that my company will be providing some type of top-up while I am on leave. I don’t know yet how much or for how long. Apparently the official policy is being created this week and I will probably find out more details within the next week or so. I wasn’t expecting my company to provide any type of top-up, so I will consider anything I receive as gravy!
Tonight is my only free evening this week, so I am really looking forward to the time to just relax.
I still have a few vacation days and some banked OT for 2008, so I am trying to decide what to do with that. I have enough for 5 days off. I spoke with our office administrator yesterday and I have a few options. Option 1 would be to use the time before I start my mat leave. Option 2 would be to tack that time on right after I leave (so I would work until the 16th, but get paid until the 23rd, which would delay the start of my mat leave by a week). Option 3 would be to keep the time and have it when I return in January 2010. Option 4 would be to get paid out on the time, but apparently this causes some difficulties when applying for EI since my last paycheck would be so much larger than typical.
I am leaning towards Option 1. My back has been feeling a bit better in the last couple weeks, but I think a few days off here and there would really help my last few weeks at work be more comfortable. I am thinking about taking the days off between Christmas and New Years. Because of the way the holidays fall and our other office closures, I already get the 24th, 25th, 26th, Jan 1st, and Jan 2nd off. So, if I use 3 vacation days for the other days between Christmas and New Years, then my last day of work before Christmas would be December 23rd and then I wouldn’t be back until January 5th, at which point I’d only have 2 weeks left since my last day of work will be January 16th. As for the other 2 vacation days, I am thinking about taking 2 Wednesdays in December off to break up the week a bit and make it a little more comfortable. So, I’m thinking about taking December 3rd and 17th off as well; just as relaxing days. So, that’s the plan! Here’s hoping I get approved for those days off! I will submit my request today, so I’ll likely hear back within a few days.
Oh, and I also found out that my company will be providing some type of top-up while I am on leave. I don’t know yet how much or for how long. Apparently the official policy is being created this week and I will probably find out more details within the next week or so. I wasn’t expecting my company to provide any type of top-up, so I will consider anything I receive as gravy!
Monday, November 17, 2008
How do you solve a problem like Maria?
That could have many meanings for me since my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are both named Maria, but I meant it as in the song from Sound of Music of course, since I certainly don’t consider my in-laws as problems ;) The musical was amazing! I think I have convinced a couple of my coworkers to go and see it since I gave it such a good review ;)
My weekend was fabulous. Time with the girls is always a good time! I got home just before 9:30pm on Saturday evening. It took a bit longer than normal to get home because of the congestion getting from Yorkdale to the 401 express, and then because of the very heavy rain, which made for poor visibility. But, mom and I made it home safe and sound!
So I got home on Saturday night and Carlos had finished the painting in the nursery. He worked hard while I was off having fun with the girls! I think he finished mid-afternoon on Saturday, what a man! I am so pleased with how it turned out! Yesterday, we went to get the blinds we had picked out and we spent the afternoon putting our furniture together. In a total of 4 hours, we put the dresser and change table together and hung the blinds and window valence. So, I think we did pretty well! It looks fabulous! Now all we’re missing is the crib, which is supposed to arrive on the weekend. Here’s hoping it arrives on time!
This will be another busy week for me! But I do have one evening free this week (Wednesday), so it’s slightly less busy than last week where I was busy every evening. Tomorrow evening, I am meeting up with an old friend of mine from high school. We recently reconnected through Facebook, so I am excited to see her again and catch up on the last 10 years! We are meeting for coffee, but the earliest she could meet is 8pm. So, I will likely only be able to stay until 9:30pm or so since that has been my bedtime as of late! But, I’m sure we’ll have a nice visit even if it is a short one.
As of today, I am 29 weeks along! Only 11 weeks to go!!!!!
My weekend was fabulous. Time with the girls is always a good time! I got home just before 9:30pm on Saturday evening. It took a bit longer than normal to get home because of the congestion getting from Yorkdale to the 401 express, and then because of the very heavy rain, which made for poor visibility. But, mom and I made it home safe and sound!
So I got home on Saturday night and Carlos had finished the painting in the nursery. He worked hard while I was off having fun with the girls! I think he finished mid-afternoon on Saturday, what a man! I am so pleased with how it turned out! Yesterday, we went to get the blinds we had picked out and we spent the afternoon putting our furniture together. In a total of 4 hours, we put the dresser and change table together and hung the blinds and window valence. So, I think we did pretty well! It looks fabulous! Now all we’re missing is the crib, which is supposed to arrive on the weekend. Here’s hoping it arrives on time!
This will be another busy week for me! But I do have one evening free this week (Wednesday), so it’s slightly less busy than last week where I was busy every evening. Tomorrow evening, I am meeting up with an old friend of mine from high school. We recently reconnected through Facebook, so I am excited to see her again and catch up on the last 10 years! We are meeting for coffee, but the earliest she could meet is 8pm. So, I will likely only be able to stay until 9:30pm or so since that has been my bedtime as of late! But, I’m sure we’ll have a nice visit even if it is a short one.
As of today, I am 29 weeks along! Only 11 weeks to go!!!!!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Prenatal Class last night was good!
I really enjoyed our first prenatal class last night. It is all very well organized and the instructor is amazing. Last night we talked about caring for your newborn. So we learned about the different states of consciousness, which senses are most developed when the baby is born, bathing your baby, sleep, swaddling, etc. Next week’s topic is breastfeeding, then labour, then preparing for the unexpected, then more info on newborns, and then the 6th class is the hospital tour. So, I think we’re going to learn lots! We got some really good tips last night.
There were a total of 11 couples in our class (there were supposed to be 12, but one couple was a no-show). They all seem to be couples in their early 20’s to early 30’s and we are somewhere in the middle in terms of due date (they range in the class from late December to mid-March). I think we’re going to get a lot out of this class! Carlos and I both came home feeling very excited since it seems like our due date is getting closer now that we are taking prenatal classes. Very exciting!
Carlos has made amazing progress on the nursery. He has the walls all painted, and has started on the trim (see his Facebook for a couple pics). Things are coming along nicely!
So now I just have to get through the work day today and then it’s the weekend. It has been a very busy week for me (I’ve been busy every evening), but it’s been a good week. And I am really looking forward to this weekend since I get to spend it with lj and nej!!!
There were a total of 11 couples in our class (there were supposed to be 12, but one couple was a no-show). They all seem to be couples in their early 20’s to early 30’s and we are somewhere in the middle in terms of due date (they range in the class from late December to mid-March). I think we’re going to get a lot out of this class! Carlos and I both came home feeling very excited since it seems like our due date is getting closer now that we are taking prenatal classes. Very exciting!
Carlos has made amazing progress on the nursery. He has the walls all painted, and has started on the trim (see his Facebook for a couple pics). Things are coming along nicely!
So now I just have to get through the work day today and then it’s the weekend. It has been a very busy week for me (I’ve been busy every evening), but it’s been a good week. And I am really looking forward to this weekend since I get to spend it with lj and nej!!!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Baby had a growth spurt!
At every appointment after 20 weeks, they measure the height of the top of my uterus (measured from your pubic bone). Normal growth is about 1 cm per week. At my 22 week appointment, it measured at 20 cm. At my 26 week appointment, it measured at 24cm. At my 28 week appointment yesterday, it measured at 28 cm! So that’s 4 cm in 2 weeks!!! Baby must have done a lot of growing in the last 2 weeks. The midwife said that sometimes the growth is in spurts, so we might find little change if any at our next appointment on the 26th. Heartbeat was strong at 148 bpm. The midwife was also able to feel the baby’s position, which was really neat. I guess baby is getting big enough now to feel from the outside! So, the appointment yesterday afternoon went very well. I had my blood drawn for the gestational diabetes screen, so I should get those results in a few days, by early next week at the latest.
It was funny, I had to leave the office yesterday at 3pm since my appointment was at 3:30pm. My boss called a meeting from 2:30 until 3 with me and another coworker to talk about an upcoming public meeting. Well, I had to eat my precise number of smarties at exactly 2:45pm, so I had to take them to the meeting with me and explain why halfway through the meeting, they were going to see me eat a mountain of smarties in a short period of time. Figures! It was funny.
Carlos spent yesterday morning getting the first coat of paint on the nursery walls – it looks great! He’s doing the second coat this morning. Then it’s on to the trim! I’m sure he’ll have it all done by the time I get home on Saturday evening from my weekend in Toronto. Then on Sunday, we are planning to put the change table and dresser together and do some of the finishing touches (blinds, window valence, etc.). I think that by the end of the weekend, we should have everything ready except the crib, which should arrive in about a week and a half. Exciting!
Tomorrow evening, I am headed to nej’s place for a girls night and birthday celebration for lj and me. Should be good times! Then on Saturday, we are headed downtown to meet up with my mom and see The Sound of Music musical. I am really excited for this ladies weekend!!!
Oh, when I was at my massage last night (which was HEAVEN!), my massage therapist told me she still thinks I’m having a girl and she thinks the baby will be born a little early, around January 28th or so. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if she’s right!
It was funny, I had to leave the office yesterday at 3pm since my appointment was at 3:30pm. My boss called a meeting from 2:30 until 3 with me and another coworker to talk about an upcoming public meeting. Well, I had to eat my precise number of smarties at exactly 2:45pm, so I had to take them to the meeting with me and explain why halfway through the meeting, they were going to see me eat a mountain of smarties in a short period of time. Figures! It was funny.
Carlos spent yesterday morning getting the first coat of paint on the nursery walls – it looks great! He’s doing the second coat this morning. Then it’s on to the trim! I’m sure he’ll have it all done by the time I get home on Saturday evening from my weekend in Toronto. Then on Sunday, we are planning to put the change table and dresser together and do some of the finishing touches (blinds, window valence, etc.). I think that by the end of the weekend, we should have everything ready except the crib, which should arrive in about a week and a half. Exciting!
Tomorrow evening, I am headed to nej’s place for a girls night and birthday celebration for lj and me. Should be good times! Then on Saturday, we are headed downtown to meet up with my mom and see The Sound of Music musical. I am really excited for this ladies weekend!!!
Oh, when I was at my massage last night (which was HEAVEN!), my massage therapist told me she still thinks I’m having a girl and she thinks the baby will be born a little early, around January 28th or so. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if she’s right!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Another busy week ahead
Actually, the next 3 weeks are crazy busy for me. This week, I have something on every evening. I don’t like being so busy, but all the events I have this week are fun, so I’m not complaining! Tonight, I am having my friend Liz over who I haven’t seen since August, so it will be nice to catch up with her. Tomorrow afternoon, I have another appointment with my midwife at 3:30pm and then a massage in the evening. I have been really looking forward to the massage since my back has been sore in the last week or so. Thursday evening, Carlos and I have our first prenatal class! The class runs 6 weeks total (5 classes and then the 6th week is a tour of the maternity ward of our brand new hospital). I haven’t even been inside the new hospital (it only opened in June), so I am looking forward to seeing the place I’ll be giving birth! I’m sure we will really enjoy the classes and getting to meet other expectant couples.
So, that makes for a busy week. But I think it will be an enjoyable one!
My coworkers are planning a baby shower for me, which is really nice. It was funny; one of my coworkers came into my office last week and said something along the lines of “Do you live by your day planner?” And I of course said yes! She then asked me to look and see if I had the evening of November 28th free, and I replied “well I don’t need to look at that date; it’s my birthday! But, I have no real plans that evening”. So, they are planning a baby shower for me and my parents and Carlos are invited as well. That’s all I know about it so far. So, that should be fun; my first baby shower! I have a feeling my family will be planning another baby shower for me with family and friends, but I think that won’t be until after the baby is born, so sometime in March I’m thinking.
Carlos’ friend and his wife had a baby girl on Saturday evening. So, we are now officially the next ones in our group of friends to have a baby – very exciting! Our time is getting closer!
So, that makes for a busy week. But I think it will be an enjoyable one!
My coworkers are planning a baby shower for me, which is really nice. It was funny; one of my coworkers came into my office last week and said something along the lines of “Do you live by your day planner?” And I of course said yes! She then asked me to look and see if I had the evening of November 28th free, and I replied “well I don’t need to look at that date; it’s my birthday! But, I have no real plans that evening”. So, they are planning a baby shower for me and my parents and Carlos are invited as well. That’s all I know about it so far. So, that should be fun; my first baby shower! I have a feeling my family will be planning another baby shower for me with family and friends, but I think that won’t be until after the baby is born, so sometime in March I’m thinking.
Carlos’ friend and his wife had a baby girl on Saturday evening. So, we are now officially the next ones in our group of friends to have a baby – very exciting! Our time is getting closer!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Yay for new work hours
This morning in our weekly company meeting, my boss announced that we are changing our hours, effective today. We will be working 8am until 4:30pm with a half hour lunch (as opposed to 8am to 5pm with an hour lunch). We are still welcome to work the old hours any day that we need an hour for lunch. On Mondays for the next 6 weeks, I am going to stay with the old hours since I have my prenatal pilates class at 5:15pm, so there is no point in me going home first. But, this means that on most days, I’ll be home by 5pm, which makes me really happy! That will also mean a half hour less per day I need to sit at my desk, which is good news for my aching back!
AC/DC put on an awesome show on Friday night!!! It was great! Saturday, the men worked hard on the renovation. The portico is almost done now. Probably as far as it’s going to get before winter. All that is left to be done is put some crown moulding around the inside to cover the gap between the ceiling and the beams, paint it, and brick around the front pillars (which Carlos’ dad is going to do). So, the painting and bricks will likely wait until the spring. But, everything else is done and it looks great! Check out Carlos’ blog for pictures.
The nursery is almost ready to be painted. Just needs a little more primer in a couple spots and then the painting can begin! I think Carlos will work on that some mornings this week and I have a sneaking suspicion he is going to try to get all the painting done by the time I get home on Saturday night from my weekend with nej and lj. Carlos won’t let me help with the painting because of the fumes, so he’s doing it all himself. What a guy! I can’t wait to see what it looks like when it’s all painted! Then we can start putting the furniture together. The only item that we are still waiting to arrive is the crib, and it’s supposed to get to our local Sears in about 2 weeks.
Saturday morning, I got myself all worked up. I hadn’t been feeling the baby move as much as I normally do, which had me worried. I was still feeling movements, they just weren’t nearly as frequent or intense as they had been. So, I googled “reduced fetal movements” and that was probably the worst thing I could have done because all these websites for stillbirth came up basically saying that usually before a baby dies, the mothers experience reduced fetal movements and to call your doctor if you are experiencing this right away, do not wait. So, I immediately burst into tears and was totally freaked out that something was wrong. Once I had calmed down a bit, I paged my midwife (they are available 24/7 for any major concerns). She called me back within 5 minutes and I explained what I had been feeling (or not feeling in this case). She asked me to drink a glass of cold water (to wake the baby up) and then lie down in a quiet room and count the movements. She said any movement counted, didn’t matter if it wasn’t as intense as normal, it could be that the baby is facing my back or something and I’m just not feeling them as intense as if the baby was kicking towards the front. She also said that later in pregnancy, the quality of movements usually changes since the baby has less room to move, so the kicks won’t be as intense. So, she asked me to count and then she’d call back to see how I was doing. She said 4 movements in a hour when the baby is awake is considered adequate. She did say that if we weren’t satisfied, we could go to the hospital for a non-stress test where I would be hooked up to a machine that measures the baby’s heart rate and movements.
So, when she called back, it had been about 40 minutes and I had felt 6 movements. So, she said that was lots and no reason to be concerned. The movements were very subtle, so I think what happened was I was just so busy on Friday that I didn’t notice the movements as much. But, lying down in a quiet room made me notice them much more. I felt very relieved after I had talked to the midwife. Since then, I have been noticing the kicks more, they are back to the ‘regular’ frequency and intensity. So, I think the baby just had a lazy couple of days or maybe the baby was in a different position for awhile. I am so thankful to have a midwife that takes such good care of me, even when I call her all panicked on a Saturday morning!
AC/DC put on an awesome show on Friday night!!! It was great! Saturday, the men worked hard on the renovation. The portico is almost done now. Probably as far as it’s going to get before winter. All that is left to be done is put some crown moulding around the inside to cover the gap between the ceiling and the beams, paint it, and brick around the front pillars (which Carlos’ dad is going to do). So, the painting and bricks will likely wait until the spring. But, everything else is done and it looks great! Check out Carlos’ blog for pictures.
The nursery is almost ready to be painted. Just needs a little more primer in a couple spots and then the painting can begin! I think Carlos will work on that some mornings this week and I have a sneaking suspicion he is going to try to get all the painting done by the time I get home on Saturday night from my weekend with nej and lj. Carlos won’t let me help with the painting because of the fumes, so he’s doing it all himself. What a guy! I can’t wait to see what it looks like when it’s all painted! Then we can start putting the furniture together. The only item that we are still waiting to arrive is the crib, and it’s supposed to get to our local Sears in about 2 weeks.
Saturday morning, I got myself all worked up. I hadn’t been feeling the baby move as much as I normally do, which had me worried. I was still feeling movements, they just weren’t nearly as frequent or intense as they had been. So, I googled “reduced fetal movements” and that was probably the worst thing I could have done because all these websites for stillbirth came up basically saying that usually before a baby dies, the mothers experience reduced fetal movements and to call your doctor if you are experiencing this right away, do not wait. So, I immediately burst into tears and was totally freaked out that something was wrong. Once I had calmed down a bit, I paged my midwife (they are available 24/7 for any major concerns). She called me back within 5 minutes and I explained what I had been feeling (or not feeling in this case). She asked me to drink a glass of cold water (to wake the baby up) and then lie down in a quiet room and count the movements. She said any movement counted, didn’t matter if it wasn’t as intense as normal, it could be that the baby is facing my back or something and I’m just not feeling them as intense as if the baby was kicking towards the front. She also said that later in pregnancy, the quality of movements usually changes since the baby has less room to move, so the kicks won’t be as intense. So, she asked me to count and then she’d call back to see how I was doing. She said 4 movements in a hour when the baby is awake is considered adequate. She did say that if we weren’t satisfied, we could go to the hospital for a non-stress test where I would be hooked up to a machine that measures the baby’s heart rate and movements.
So, when she called back, it had been about 40 minutes and I had felt 6 movements. So, she said that was lots and no reason to be concerned. The movements were very subtle, so I think what happened was I was just so busy on Friday that I didn’t notice the movements as much. But, lying down in a quiet room made me notice them much more. I felt very relieved after I had talked to the midwife. Since then, I have been noticing the kicks more, they are back to the ‘regular’ frequency and intensity. So, I think the baby just had a lazy couple of days or maybe the baby was in a different position for awhile. I am so thankful to have a midwife that takes such good care of me, even when I call her all panicked on a Saturday morning!
Friday, November 07, 2008
Yay for AC/DC Friday!
My long day yesterday went pretty well actually. We spent a total of 5 hours in the car, but we were in my boss’ car, so he has really comfy seats. So, I was much more comfortable than I would have been sitting at my desk. I ended up working a 15-hour day yesterday, which was okay since I’m only working a 4-hour day today to compensate a bit ;) The meeting last night went well, and now I only have 1 more of these evening meetings to attend before I go on mat leave. So, I am relieved about that.
Tonight I am off to see AC/DC with Carlos and nej – yay!!!! The rest of the weekend will be spent working on the reno, I’m sure. Carlos has been working on it in the last few days and he has the nursery almost completely primed! Only need to do a little more work (installing a piece of baseboard where the door used to be and do a little more mudding) and then it will be ready to be painted! I can’t wait! I’m hoping the weather will be okay tomorrow and the men can get some more work done on the portico… we’ll see!
Tonight I am off to see AC/DC with Carlos and nej – yay!!!! The rest of the weekend will be spent working on the reno, I’m sure. Carlos has been working on it in the last few days and he has the nursery almost completely primed! Only need to do a little more work (installing a piece of baseboard where the door used to be and do a little more mudding) and then it will be ready to be painted! I can’t wait! I’m hoping the weather will be okay tomorrow and the men can get some more work done on the portico… we’ll see!
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Party last night was a success!
I picked up my parents after work to take them to the mystery location for their 30th anniversary party. I even blindfolded them. Along the way, they were trying to keep track of where we were, and they were too good, so I had to take some major detours and driving around in circles to get them sufficiently lost ;) So, once we arrived, almost all the other guests were there, which was good. My parents were very touched that we planned this for them. My mom thought that maybe we were having a family dinner, but she didn’t know I expanded the guest list to also include her closest friends! It was great! And my brothers came through on the balloons, which I was very pleased about. So, the evening was a complete success! Most of the friends we invited hadn’t seen me since I became pregnant, but they all knew I was expecting. They all made such a fuss saying how radiant I look, and how it looks like ‘I’m all baby’, which is always nice to hear ;)
So now I am trying to get prepared for my meeting tomorrow, so it will be a busy couple of days! Tomorrow will likely be a close to 16-hour day for me… yikes! At least 5 of those hours are driving time. Needless to say, I will be very relieved when Friday rolls around!
So now I am trying to get prepared for my meeting tomorrow, so it will be a busy couple of days! Tomorrow will likely be a close to 16-hour day for me… yikes! At least 5 of those hours are driving time. Needless to say, I will be very relieved when Friday rolls around!
Monday, November 03, 2008
Hello Third Trimester!
I am officially into my third trimester now, yay! I am 27 weeks along, so only 13 weeks to go!
This week is going to be a very busy one. Wednesday is my only evening free this week, so I’m sure I’ll be exhausted by the time the weekend rolls around. Tomorrow is my parents’ 30th wedding anniversary, so I am planning a party for them. I was considering hosting it at my house, but to save some hassle, I booked a private room at a restaurant instead. I have invited family and my parents’ closest friends, so I hope they are surprised! I am a little miffed at my brother Al though. I told him months ago that he was in charge of planning their 30th wedding anniversary party since I planned a huge party for their 25th. So, I figured it was his turn. Well, he’s about as useless as tits on a bull, so in the end, I ended up having to plan it anyways. I told him and Thom that they needed to bring balloons though! In reality, it will be Thom bringing balloons since he’s the responsible one. Sheesh. At least Al is marrying an organized woman, anything I need him to do, I will just ask her!
Speaking of my brothers, I feel badly for Thom. I mentioned that he got dumped last week. Well, he just found out yesterday that the reason his gf broke up with him was so that she could have casual sex with someone else. And she did this within days of them breaking up and apparently she has this whole attitude like it was no big deal since she was single at the time. She has no concept that this might be hurtful to Thom. What’s with 16 year old girls these days?!?!? So, he has now realized that there is no way he would ever want her back, so now he can be hurt, mad, and disappointed for awhile and then move on. I feel badly for him! He deserves so much better!
Thursday of this week, I have another meeting to attend out of town, so I will be working a super long day (8am until between 11pm and midnight). The good news is that will make for a very short day on Friday since I will come into the office late and I have to leave early to head to Toronto to see AC/DC with my hubby and nej! Which I am really looking forward to!
This past weekend was a good one. Saturday, we spent more money at Home Depot getting more supplies for the portico renovation. I am always surprised at how expensive lumber is. We are lucky that my dad had some left over wood that he used for all the framing, but we still had to buy the shingles, and all the wood for the gable, ceiling, and other finishing touches. Dad and Carlos finished the shingling, so now it’s just a matter of installing the wood to box in the beams and on the ceiling and gable. So, I’m hoping the weather will be decent on Saturday and they could finish this up. We will likely have to wait until next year to paint it and have the pillars at the front bricked up, but it will already look worlds better! The nursery is at the point where it is almost ready to be primed, just a little more sanding/mudding to do. I can’t wait to get this all done!
This week is going to be a very busy one. Wednesday is my only evening free this week, so I’m sure I’ll be exhausted by the time the weekend rolls around. Tomorrow is my parents’ 30th wedding anniversary, so I am planning a party for them. I was considering hosting it at my house, but to save some hassle, I booked a private room at a restaurant instead. I have invited family and my parents’ closest friends, so I hope they are surprised! I am a little miffed at my brother Al though. I told him months ago that he was in charge of planning their 30th wedding anniversary party since I planned a huge party for their 25th. So, I figured it was his turn. Well, he’s about as useless as tits on a bull, so in the end, I ended up having to plan it anyways. I told him and Thom that they needed to bring balloons though! In reality, it will be Thom bringing balloons since he’s the responsible one. Sheesh. At least Al is marrying an organized woman, anything I need him to do, I will just ask her!
Speaking of my brothers, I feel badly for Thom. I mentioned that he got dumped last week. Well, he just found out yesterday that the reason his gf broke up with him was so that she could have casual sex with someone else. And she did this within days of them breaking up and apparently she has this whole attitude like it was no big deal since she was single at the time. She has no concept that this might be hurtful to Thom. What’s with 16 year old girls these days?!?!? So, he has now realized that there is no way he would ever want her back, so now he can be hurt, mad, and disappointed for awhile and then move on. I feel badly for him! He deserves so much better!
Thursday of this week, I have another meeting to attend out of town, so I will be working a super long day (8am until between 11pm and midnight). The good news is that will make for a very short day on Friday since I will come into the office late and I have to leave early to head to Toronto to see AC/DC with my hubby and nej! Which I am really looking forward to!
This past weekend was a good one. Saturday, we spent more money at Home Depot getting more supplies for the portico renovation. I am always surprised at how expensive lumber is. We are lucky that my dad had some left over wood that he used for all the framing, but we still had to buy the shingles, and all the wood for the gable, ceiling, and other finishing touches. Dad and Carlos finished the shingling, so now it’s just a matter of installing the wood to box in the beams and on the ceiling and gable. So, I’m hoping the weather will be decent on Saturday and they could finish this up. We will likely have to wait until next year to paint it and have the pillars at the front bricked up, but it will already look worlds better! The nursery is at the point where it is almost ready to be primed, just a little more sanding/mudding to do. I can’t wait to get this all done!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Goodbye second trimester!
Today is the last day of my second trimester. As of tomorrow, I am on to the third and final trimester – yay! As I find my due date getting closer, I am finding I am getting really excited to meet my little pumpkin. I am also finding that I am getting really nervous about the whole birth process. I’m sure it will be fine, I just have all sorts of questions running through my mind… What if something goes wrong? What if I can’t handle the pain? Those are the main ones, but there are many more. I just keep telling myself it can’t be that bad because most people who have kids have more than 1 so if labour was THAT awful, people would stop at 1 child! And, if my mom could do it 3 times, and she’s a total wimp when it comes to pain, I should be fine. It’s just scary since it’s all new to me.
I will also be glad when tomorrow rolls around because it will mean October is over. The end of October is a really bad time of year in my family. My ex-fiance and I broke up at the end of October 2001, my brother Al and his ex broke up at the end of October in 2004, and now my brother Thom and his girlfriend broke up on Wednesday. Mom and I were just talking last week about how we just want to get to November unscathed, and then Thom and his girlfriend broke up. Sheesh! I’m not a superstitious person, but I do find it strange that so many bad things happen in our family (particularly relationships dissolving) during that 10-day span.
This weekend will consist of more work on the renovation. I’m hoping that the men will get some more progress done on the portico. And I’m hoping they get the nursery to a point where it is ready to be painted. It’s almost there, so I think it will only take another hour or so of work and then it should be all ready to be primed and painted – yay!
I will also be glad when tomorrow rolls around because it will mean October is over. The end of October is a really bad time of year in my family. My ex-fiance and I broke up at the end of October 2001, my brother Al and his ex broke up at the end of October in 2004, and now my brother Thom and his girlfriend broke up on Wednesday. Mom and I were just talking last week about how we just want to get to November unscathed, and then Thom and his girlfriend broke up. Sheesh! I’m not a superstitious person, but I do find it strange that so many bad things happen in our family (particularly relationships dissolving) during that 10-day span.
This weekend will consist of more work on the renovation. I’m hoping that the men will get some more progress done on the portico. And I’m hoping they get the nursery to a point where it is ready to be painted. It’s almost there, so I think it will only take another hour or so of work and then it should be all ready to be primed and painted – yay!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Appointment went well
I had another appointment with my midwife this morning. We got to see the report from our follow-up ultrasound and as we suspected, the cyst was smaller. It was 4.8mm at our first ultrasound at 20 weeks and 2-3mm at our follow-up ultrasound at 24 weeks. The doctor indicated in his report that no further ultrasounds are necessary since everything else was normal and it would be expected that this cyst would disappear completely by around 28 weeks.
Our appointments go to every 2 weeks now, so the next appointment is in the afternoon on November 12th. I’ll be at 28 weeks then, which is when they normally recommend doing the gestational diabetes screen. It is an optional test, but I decided to have it done. I just have to eat a box of smarties an hour before my appointment and then the midwife will take my blood. I could also have had the test done in a lab where I would have to drink glucose syrup, but smarties sounded way more enjoyable!
Our appointments go to every 2 weeks now, so the next appointment is in the afternoon on November 12th. I’ll be at 28 weeks then, which is when they normally recommend doing the gestational diabetes screen. It is an optional test, but I decided to have it done. I just have to eat a box of smarties an hour before my appointment and then the midwife will take my blood. I could also have had the test done in a lab where I would have to drink glucose syrup, but smarties sounded way more enjoyable!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Renos are going well!
I enjoyed my time off last week. The Who concert was good! I think it wasn’t quite as good as when I saw them 2 years ago though; they seemed to lack some “Umph” this time. Which I guess is understandable since Roger and Pete are in their mid-60’s! It was still amazing though and I’m really glad I went. We got home around 1:30am on Wednesday night and we were up and ready to start on the renovation by 8am on Thursday morning.
The renovation progress pictures are on Carlos’ Facebook page. We made quite a bit of progress in 2 days! Thursday afternoon was interrupted by a visit from the building inspector telling us we needed to stop what we were doing immediately until we had a building permit. I had no idea we’d need a permit for tearing down our old portico because it was rotten and unsafe and replacing it with something similar. If it was free-standing, there would be no problem. But because it is attached to the house, we needed a permit. So, I got on the computer right away and printed off the application form while Carlos did up some drawings on the computer of the design. We rushed down to City Hall since we wanted to get the application in before they closed since when we talked to them on the phone, they said we would get the permit the following day. So, we wanted to get it in on Thursday so we could have it on Friday. We got there about a half hour before they closed to submit our application. At 8:50am on Friday morning they called saying our permit was ready, so we went down and paid for it and were able to keep working by 9am. So, all in all, that whole stress of all of a sudden needing a permit that we didn’t think we needed didn’t slow down our progress at all. Just an added expense.
By the end of the day on Friday, we had the window in and bricked below it on the outside, drywall on the inside, and the framing up for the portico. Saturday, was pouring rain, so the men did some inside work of drywall mudding/sanding and putting the trim up around the window. I bailed on them to go visit a friend that was in town with her 11-week old baby. So, I couldn’t pass up that opportunity since I hadn’t seen her since my wedding! On Saturday afternoon, my mom hosted a “Stampin Up” party (card making with rubber stamps), so that was fun.
So, over the course of 4 days, I think I went to Home Depot 5 times and the Landfill twice. We got a lot accomplished though! I think the plan is to finish the portico this weekend and also get the nursery all ready to paint. Our dresser and change table arrived, so I can’t wait to set them up once we have the nursery all painted! The crib will likely take another month or so before it comes in, but that’s okay. We’ve got lots of time.
I am at 26 weeks now. Yay! We have our next appointment with the midwife on Wednesday morning, so I am looking forward to that.
The renovation progress pictures are on Carlos’ Facebook page. We made quite a bit of progress in 2 days! Thursday afternoon was interrupted by a visit from the building inspector telling us we needed to stop what we were doing immediately until we had a building permit. I had no idea we’d need a permit for tearing down our old portico because it was rotten and unsafe and replacing it with something similar. If it was free-standing, there would be no problem. But because it is attached to the house, we needed a permit. So, I got on the computer right away and printed off the application form while Carlos did up some drawings on the computer of the design. We rushed down to City Hall since we wanted to get the application in before they closed since when we talked to them on the phone, they said we would get the permit the following day. So, we wanted to get it in on Thursday so we could have it on Friday. We got there about a half hour before they closed to submit our application. At 8:50am on Friday morning they called saying our permit was ready, so we went down and paid for it and were able to keep working by 9am. So, all in all, that whole stress of all of a sudden needing a permit that we didn’t think we needed didn’t slow down our progress at all. Just an added expense.
By the end of the day on Friday, we had the window in and bricked below it on the outside, drywall on the inside, and the framing up for the portico. Saturday, was pouring rain, so the men did some inside work of drywall mudding/sanding and putting the trim up around the window. I bailed on them to go visit a friend that was in town with her 11-week old baby. So, I couldn’t pass up that opportunity since I hadn’t seen her since my wedding! On Saturday afternoon, my mom hosted a “Stampin Up” party (card making with rubber stamps), so that was fun.
So, over the course of 4 days, I think I went to Home Depot 5 times and the Landfill twice. We got a lot accomplished though! I think the plan is to finish the portico this weekend and also get the nursery all ready to paint. Our dresser and change table arrived, so I can’t wait to set them up once we have the nursery all painted! The crib will likely take another month or so before it comes in, but that’s okay. We’ve got lots of time.
I am at 26 weeks now. Yay! We have our next appointment with the midwife on Wednesday morning, so I am looking forward to that.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Crazy!
Our first snow storm of the season is happening right now - crazy! It started out just as flurries, then turned to big, fluffy flakes and they are currently sticking around! I thought they would melt as soon as they hit the ground, but there is some accumulation as of right now. I'm sure it will melt shortly. Some people who have been out and about have said the roads are actually quite nasty. Probably typical first snow syndrome where people forget how to drive in snow.
Here's hoping the rest of the week is snow free with the trip to Hamilton tomorrow and then the renos on Thursday to Saturday!
Here's hoping the rest of the week is snow free with the trip to Hamilton tomorrow and then the renos on Thursday to Saturday!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Wow, 25 weeks!
Today, I’m at 25 weeks along in my pregnancy! When I turn that around and say I only have 15 weeks left, that sounds like it’s getting pretty close!
I had a very productive weekend. On Saturday, I headed to Pickering and Whitby shopping with mom and Oma. We went to a maternity clothes store in Pickering, and got some great clothes for the Fall/Winter. And I got my entire order for half price because of some awesome coupons I got last time I was there – so yay! I ended up getting 2 pairs of pants, 2 cozy button up sweaters for layering, 4 long-sleeve t-shirts, and 2 other long-sleeve shirts all for half price! I love saving money! So, I think I’m all set now in terms of maternity clothes for the rest of my pregnancy. And when I was trying things on, mom and Oma were sitting in the area outside the changeroom and I was trying to make decisions about which clothes to get (since I tried on practically the whole store) and Oma said “you get whatever you want since I am paying”. Wow! She certainly spoiled me! I am so thankful!
We then went to Babies R Us to get the stroller/car seat combo. When we first announced we were expecting, Oma said she wanted to get us a stroller/car seat. We had looked at strollers all over the place over the last couple of months and had ours chosen a couple weeks ago after we “test drove” our top few choices, so when we went on Saturday, we already knew which one we were getting, which made things easy. We also got some other items for the nursery/baby (lamp and window valence that matches our crib bedding, extra crib sheet, hooded towel, 2 sleepers that are essentially a sleeping bag that the baby wears to keep warm while sleeping, books, etc.) and once again, Oma wouldn’t let me pay for anything. She kept saying it was a pleasure and honour for her to buy things for her first great-grandchild. I think she would have bought the whole store if I had let her! So, there were many times when I had to say “we don’t need to get everything today, we can come back another day”. I think she had spoiled us plenty! I was only expecting her to pay for the stroller/car seat since that's what she said all along she wanted to buy, but she paid for everything! Needless to say, I told her she doesn’t need to get me a birthday or Christmas present, she has both of those covered with all the items she bought!
Yesterday, my parents got a bassinet out of the attic for us and got it dusted off and the sheets washed. My aunt bought it for my parents when I was a baby, so me and my brothers all slept in it when we were babies. So, mom wanted us to use it as well. We’ll put it in our bedroom since the baby will likely sleep in our bedroom with us for the first couple of months.
This week is a short work week for me since I’m only in the office for today and tomorrow. I have Wednesday through Friday off for our nursery renovation and I can’t wait! Wednesday, we are tearing down our old ‘portico’ (i.e. roof over our front door) and then my dad, me and Carlos, and my 2 brothers and their significant others are all heading to Hamilton for The Who concert on Wednesday evening. Yay! Should be an amazing show! Then Thursday, let the reno begin! We’ll be replacing the “door to nowhere” in the nursery with a window. Friday, we’ll be building a new portico with brick pillars. Carlos’ dad is doing all the brick work and my dad is doing all the carpentry, so we’ve got it made! Mom has this week off since it’s reading week, so mom and I are the “Diane and Daughter Demolition and Departure to the Dump Divo Duo”. Essentially, we’ll be the clean-up crew and take things to the landfill and make sure the men are happy and well-fed ;) I can’t do any of the hard labour, but I can help out where ever I can. The front entrance is going to look amazing when it’s all done! And then we’ll have a nice window in the nursery so that we can paint the nursery sometime in November! And yes, we’ll take before, during, and after pictures ;)
I had a very productive weekend. On Saturday, I headed to Pickering and Whitby shopping with mom and Oma. We went to a maternity clothes store in Pickering, and got some great clothes for the Fall/Winter. And I got my entire order for half price because of some awesome coupons I got last time I was there – so yay! I ended up getting 2 pairs of pants, 2 cozy button up sweaters for layering, 4 long-sleeve t-shirts, and 2 other long-sleeve shirts all for half price! I love saving money! So, I think I’m all set now in terms of maternity clothes for the rest of my pregnancy. And when I was trying things on, mom and Oma were sitting in the area outside the changeroom and I was trying to make decisions about which clothes to get (since I tried on practically the whole store) and Oma said “you get whatever you want since I am paying”. Wow! She certainly spoiled me! I am so thankful!
We then went to Babies R Us to get the stroller/car seat combo. When we first announced we were expecting, Oma said she wanted to get us a stroller/car seat. We had looked at strollers all over the place over the last couple of months and had ours chosen a couple weeks ago after we “test drove” our top few choices, so when we went on Saturday, we already knew which one we were getting, which made things easy. We also got some other items for the nursery/baby (lamp and window valence that matches our crib bedding, extra crib sheet, hooded towel, 2 sleepers that are essentially a sleeping bag that the baby wears to keep warm while sleeping, books, etc.) and once again, Oma wouldn’t let me pay for anything. She kept saying it was a pleasure and honour for her to buy things for her first great-grandchild. I think she would have bought the whole store if I had let her! So, there were many times when I had to say “we don’t need to get everything today, we can come back another day”. I think she had spoiled us plenty! I was only expecting her to pay for the stroller/car seat since that's what she said all along she wanted to buy, but she paid for everything! Needless to say, I told her she doesn’t need to get me a birthday or Christmas present, she has both of those covered with all the items she bought!
Yesterday, my parents got a bassinet out of the attic for us and got it dusted off and the sheets washed. My aunt bought it for my parents when I was a baby, so me and my brothers all slept in it when we were babies. So, mom wanted us to use it as well. We’ll put it in our bedroom since the baby will likely sleep in our bedroom with us for the first couple of months.
This week is a short work week for me since I’m only in the office for today and tomorrow. I have Wednesday through Friday off for our nursery renovation and I can’t wait! Wednesday, we are tearing down our old ‘portico’ (i.e. roof over our front door) and then my dad, me and Carlos, and my 2 brothers and their significant others are all heading to Hamilton for The Who concert on Wednesday evening. Yay! Should be an amazing show! Then Thursday, let the reno begin! We’ll be replacing the “door to nowhere” in the nursery with a window. Friday, we’ll be building a new portico with brick pillars. Carlos’ dad is doing all the brick work and my dad is doing all the carpentry, so we’ve got it made! Mom has this week off since it’s reading week, so mom and I are the “Diane and Daughter Demolition and Departure to the Dump Divo Duo”. Essentially, we’ll be the clean-up crew and take things to the landfill and make sure the men are happy and well-fed ;) I can’t do any of the hard labour, but I can help out where ever I can. The front entrance is going to look amazing when it’s all done! And then we’ll have a nice window in the nursery so that we can paint the nursery sometime in November! And yes, we’ll take before, during, and after pictures ;)
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Ultrasound went great!
Our appointment was at 8:45am, so we arrived a few minutes early. So early in fact that the office was still locked up! Within a few minutes, the doctor and receptionist showed up, so we got in right away and we were the first patients to be seen today. Which I was happy about because I had heard from a few people that sometimes the doctor will get called away to a birth and he’ll make his office full of patients wait. So, we lucked out ;) We were out of there by 9:15am, so not shabby at all!
Since apparently my chart hadn’t made it to him yet, I told him the 2 issues that the last ultrasound a month prior had found. So, we had a look. First, we looked at the baby’s brain, which was really neat! The last ultrasound had noted a cyst on the brain, and today’s ultrasound still showed a cyst, but the doctor said it was so small that he normally wouldn’t even tell a patient about it since it is so insignificant at that size and will likely go away on its own. Of course, he didn’t have the report from the last ultrasound, but if he did, it is likely that the cyst today is smaller than it was. We will confirm that at our next appointment with the midwife because she’ll have both reports, so we will be able to tell if the cyst is getting smaller. The doctor said it is not a cause for concern and it is likely that it will disappear completely within a few weeks.
The other issue that we had from our previous ultrasound was a dilated renal pelvis, which is part of the urinary tract, it drains the fluid from the kidneys. So, the doctor had a look and he said the kidneys were completely normal today, so that is no longer an issue – yay!
We also got a really good look at the baby’s heart. We could see all 4 chambers – man, was that ever cool! Totally amazing to see the little heart beating away!
The doctor took all the measurements, and the baby is measuring right when it is supposed to be (24 weeks, 3 days). And the baby weighs 1 pound, 10 ounces, so he said that is just perfect for this stage. He said that everything is normal and there is nothing to be concerned about.
I am so relieved that everything is progressing normally! Our baby had its arm up to its face, so the doctor said getting a 3D image of the face would have been impossible. He did get us a 2D picture of the other side of the head (profile), but it’s not the best image. You can see the nose and mouth though, which is neat. Just before he snapped this picture, we got to see our baby open and close its mouth. Too cute! Here’s the pic we got (side profile of head and you can see a fist above the head):

We are very happy and relieved! And excited to meet our little one!
In other news, my littlest bro Thom is leaving for Edmonton today. He’s actually going to Fort McMurray to visit a friend who is picking him up in Edmonton. My mom was a little worried about sending her 19-year old son on a trip on his own, but then she remembered she was backpacking through Europe at that age! Now, if it was my brother Al going, I’d be more worried. Even though Al is 4 years older than Thom, Thom is WAY more organized and responsible.
Since apparently my chart hadn’t made it to him yet, I told him the 2 issues that the last ultrasound a month prior had found. So, we had a look. First, we looked at the baby’s brain, which was really neat! The last ultrasound had noted a cyst on the brain, and today’s ultrasound still showed a cyst, but the doctor said it was so small that he normally wouldn’t even tell a patient about it since it is so insignificant at that size and will likely go away on its own. Of course, he didn’t have the report from the last ultrasound, but if he did, it is likely that the cyst today is smaller than it was. We will confirm that at our next appointment with the midwife because she’ll have both reports, so we will be able to tell if the cyst is getting smaller. The doctor said it is not a cause for concern and it is likely that it will disappear completely within a few weeks.
The other issue that we had from our previous ultrasound was a dilated renal pelvis, which is part of the urinary tract, it drains the fluid from the kidneys. So, the doctor had a look and he said the kidneys were completely normal today, so that is no longer an issue – yay!
We also got a really good look at the baby’s heart. We could see all 4 chambers – man, was that ever cool! Totally amazing to see the little heart beating away!
The doctor took all the measurements, and the baby is measuring right when it is supposed to be (24 weeks, 3 days). And the baby weighs 1 pound, 10 ounces, so he said that is just perfect for this stage. He said that everything is normal and there is nothing to be concerned about.
I am so relieved that everything is progressing normally! Our baby had its arm up to its face, so the doctor said getting a 3D image of the face would have been impossible. He did get us a 2D picture of the other side of the head (profile), but it’s not the best image. You can see the nose and mouth though, which is neat. Just before he snapped this picture, we got to see our baby open and close its mouth. Too cute! Here’s the pic we got (side profile of head and you can see a fist above the head):

We are very happy and relieved! And excited to meet our little one!
In other news, my littlest bro Thom is leaving for Edmonton today. He’s actually going to Fort McMurray to visit a friend who is picking him up in Edmonton. My mom was a little worried about sending her 19-year old son on a trip on his own, but then she remembered she was backpacking through Europe at that age! Now, if it was my brother Al going, I’d be more worried. Even though Al is 4 years older than Thom, Thom is WAY more organized and responsible.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Good Thanksgiving!
My thanksgiving weekend was a good one. Saturday, we spent the day running errands and cleaning up a bit at home. I got the rest of my closet and dresser cleared out so all my clothes that no longer fit me are in storage in the attic and my maternity clothes have lots of room now. I am planning another trip for maternity clothes shopping this weekend since I will be in need of a couple more items for fall. We also cleaned out the nursery a bit in preparation of our renovation next week. We want to have the room all cleared out by the end of next weekend.
Sunday, we went to my aunt and uncles cottage for thanksgiving dinner, which was really nice. Amazingly enough, both my brothers were able to be there. They both work shift work and both of them having the same evening off is rare. Yesterday, we went to my inlaws for dinner. Of course, my mother in law cooked WAY too much food, so I was completed stuffed. Then, when we were getting ready to leave, she said “You can’t leave yet, I have crab legs in the oven!”. I was just too full to even think about eating anything else, so she sent some home with me.
Now it’s back to work. I am finding it more difficult to sit through a day at work because I’m finding that I only last a few hours before my lower back gets sore. I have tried taking breaks and walking around the office and doing some stretches, which seems to help minimally, but then the pain comes back. The pain is not severe at this point, so as long as it doesn’t get any worse, I can probably deal with this. Luckily, I am going to the chiropractor tomorrow morning.
I’m also glad that it’s a short work week this week! And next week will be a 2-day work week for me since I have the 22nd to 24th off (going to The Who concert on the 22nd and then our nursery renovation will take place on the 23rd to 25th).
I am now 24 weeks along; only 16 weeks to go! Or, if you count in months, I am 5.5 months along, with 3.5 months left to go. I am only a couple weeks away from the 3rd trimester – we’re getting there! We have our follow-up ultrasound on Thursday morning, so we are really looking forward to that. I’m sure the ‘issues’ that came up in our 20-week ultrasound have cleared up by now… at least I hope so!
Sunday, we went to my aunt and uncles cottage for thanksgiving dinner, which was really nice. Amazingly enough, both my brothers were able to be there. They both work shift work and both of them having the same evening off is rare. Yesterday, we went to my inlaws for dinner. Of course, my mother in law cooked WAY too much food, so I was completed stuffed. Then, when we were getting ready to leave, she said “You can’t leave yet, I have crab legs in the oven!”. I was just too full to even think about eating anything else, so she sent some home with me.
Now it’s back to work. I am finding it more difficult to sit through a day at work because I’m finding that I only last a few hours before my lower back gets sore. I have tried taking breaks and walking around the office and doing some stretches, which seems to help minimally, but then the pain comes back. The pain is not severe at this point, so as long as it doesn’t get any worse, I can probably deal with this. Luckily, I am going to the chiropractor tomorrow morning.
I’m also glad that it’s a short work week this week! And next week will be a 2-day work week for me since I have the 22nd to 24th off (going to The Who concert on the 22nd and then our nursery renovation will take place on the 23rd to 25th).
I am now 24 weeks along; only 16 weeks to go! Or, if you count in months, I am 5.5 months along, with 3.5 months left to go. I am only a couple weeks away from the 3rd trimester – we’re getting there! We have our follow-up ultrasound on Thursday morning, so we are really looking forward to that. I’m sure the ‘issues’ that came up in our 20-week ultrasound have cleared up by now… at least I hope so!
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
Somewhat surprisingly, this week has seemed to go by quickly so far. It’s already Thursday! I’m really looking forward to this weekend because Thanksgiving is one of my favourite holidays! Probably second only to Christmas.
This weekend, we are planning to do some errands and cleaning up around the house on Saturday. Sunday, I have to bake some pumpkin pies and then we’re going to my aunt and uncles cottage for Thanksgiving dinner in the late afternoon. Monday, we’re going to Carlos’ parents house for Thanksgiving dinner with them. So, it will be a delicious turkey-filled weekend with family. I can’t wait!
One week from today is our follow-up ultrasound. I am actually feeling pretty calm about the whole situation right now. Google scared me since apparently these two abnormalities can be ‘soft markers’ for chromosomal defects such as Down Syndrome and Trisomy 18, but I’m sure if the baby did have a problem like that, there would have been other things come up on the ultrasound (i.e. heart defects, structural abnormalities, etc.). And they are only ‘soft markers’ which means they are not a strong indication of an increased risk. I am really thankful that we are going to a doctor for this ultrasound since then we can ask him any questions we have and he can tell us exactly what he sees. He’s been around a long time, so I’m sure he’s seen this a lot, so even if the issues are still there, we can find out exactly what that means in terms of long-term effects. So, I think either way, I will feel much better after the ultrasound since at least then we’ll know what we’re dealing with.
Carlos and I both have friends who have recently had babies. My friend had a baby boy on Saturday, and Carlos’ friend had a baby boy on Tuesday. Very exciting! It seems that of all the friends we’ve known to have babies in the last year or so, almost all of them have had boys (I think the ratio is about 8:3). Which I thought was very interesting. Makes me curious as to whether we’ll go with the trend of having a boy or if we’ll be one of the few to have a girl. I guess we’ll find out in a little less than 4 months!
Oh, and here's something exciting: we now have a Costco Wholesale in town! Yay! And it's only 5 minutes from my work! Very convenient! It opened on Thursday, and we decided to pop in on Sunday afternoon and it was quite busy. I'm sure the craziness will die down a bit once it has been open for awhile. I'm excited!
Hope everyone has a fabulous Thanksgiving!
This weekend, we are planning to do some errands and cleaning up around the house on Saturday. Sunday, I have to bake some pumpkin pies and then we’re going to my aunt and uncles cottage for Thanksgiving dinner in the late afternoon. Monday, we’re going to Carlos’ parents house for Thanksgiving dinner with them. So, it will be a delicious turkey-filled weekend with family. I can’t wait!
One week from today is our follow-up ultrasound. I am actually feeling pretty calm about the whole situation right now. Google scared me since apparently these two abnormalities can be ‘soft markers’ for chromosomal defects such as Down Syndrome and Trisomy 18, but I’m sure if the baby did have a problem like that, there would have been other things come up on the ultrasound (i.e. heart defects, structural abnormalities, etc.). And they are only ‘soft markers’ which means they are not a strong indication of an increased risk. I am really thankful that we are going to a doctor for this ultrasound since then we can ask him any questions we have and he can tell us exactly what he sees. He’s been around a long time, so I’m sure he’s seen this a lot, so even if the issues are still there, we can find out exactly what that means in terms of long-term effects. So, I think either way, I will feel much better after the ultrasound since at least then we’ll know what we’re dealing with.
Carlos and I both have friends who have recently had babies. My friend had a baby boy on Saturday, and Carlos’ friend had a baby boy on Tuesday. Very exciting! It seems that of all the friends we’ve known to have babies in the last year or so, almost all of them have had boys (I think the ratio is about 8:3). Which I thought was very interesting. Makes me curious as to whether we’ll go with the trend of having a boy or if we’ll be one of the few to have a girl. I guess we’ll find out in a little less than 4 months!
Oh, and here's something exciting: we now have a Costco Wholesale in town! Yay! And it's only 5 minutes from my work! Very convenient! It opened on Thursday, and we decided to pop in on Sunday afternoon and it was quite busy. I'm sure the craziness will die down a bit once it has been open for awhile. I'm excited!
Hope everyone has a fabulous Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Lj's wedding = beautiful!
Friday, I left work early to meet up with nej to head down to lj’s wedding rehearsal. It went well and then for the rehearsal dinner, we had an amazing dinner of Persian food that A’s mother had prepared. Yummm! We then headed back to my place to spend the night.
Saturday morning, nej, my mom, and I headed to the spa to get some pampering in before the wedding. We also did a little shopping and went for lunch. Then it was time to get dolled up for the wedding and we drove down to the wedding location and checked into our hotel. Before long, it was time to head to the wedding – exciting! The weather held up, it was a little on the chilly side, but no rain! The wedding was absolutely beautiful!!! Wow! Lj was such a stunning bride! And the flower girls and ring bearer were absolutely adorable. We had a lot of fun reconnecting with some people from university we hadn’t seen in awhile and dancing the night away. Brought back memories of old times, that’s for sure. I requested Livin’ On A Prayer, and we were definitely thinking of you Mrs. JB!
Sunday, we went out for breakie with nej and then started making our way back. We stopped a few places to look at baby stuff (Babies R Us, Sears, Walmart) before we left town since those 3 places were all within 2 minutes of our hotel. We now have our stroller picked out at Babies R Us. I had 2 in mind, and once I ‘test drove’ them both, it became very clear which one was better. It just felt WAY more secure and sturdy, so it was pretty much a no brainer at that point! We’ll be going to Babies R Us later this month with Oma since she is purchasing the stroller for us. At Sears, it was the last day of Sears Days, and they had the Fisher Price Rainforest Open Top Swing on sale for $50 off (reg $179 on for $129). I remember that was the one that Mrs. JB recommended, and I asked the sales lady if it was a good one, and we decided to go for it since it was such a good price.
We put it on our registry so that when we bought it, it would count towards our ‘waiting game’ total. That’s something they have at Sears. You sign up and then any purchases made at Sears from your registry are totaled up. You pick a date that you think your baby will be born and if you’re right, you get the total amount spent in gift certificates. Of course, it’s a long shot, but you never know! I had a friend that won and she got over $1,000 in free items! So, we picked February 4th as our date since we are hoping that’s the day the baby is born because that will mark exactly 3 years after Carlos and I had our first date.
Yesterday, we ordered our crib, dresser, and change table as well. The dresser and change table are supposed to arrive Oct 24 and the crib on Nov 22. So, here’s hoping those dates stick! So, it was a very expensive weekend, but we are starting to get things in order for the nursery. And my parents are paying for the crib, so that’s awesome!
As of yesterday, I am 23 weeks along! Only 17 more weeks to go ;)
EDIT: 10:58am
I forgot to mention something very exciting that happened last night: Carlos felt the baby kick for the first time. Yay!
Saturday morning, nej, my mom, and I headed to the spa to get some pampering in before the wedding. We also did a little shopping and went for lunch. Then it was time to get dolled up for the wedding and we drove down to the wedding location and checked into our hotel. Before long, it was time to head to the wedding – exciting! The weather held up, it was a little on the chilly side, but no rain! The wedding was absolutely beautiful!!! Wow! Lj was such a stunning bride! And the flower girls and ring bearer were absolutely adorable. We had a lot of fun reconnecting with some people from university we hadn’t seen in awhile and dancing the night away. Brought back memories of old times, that’s for sure. I requested Livin’ On A Prayer, and we were definitely thinking of you Mrs. JB!
Sunday, we went out for breakie with nej and then started making our way back. We stopped a few places to look at baby stuff (Babies R Us, Sears, Walmart) before we left town since those 3 places were all within 2 minutes of our hotel. We now have our stroller picked out at Babies R Us. I had 2 in mind, and once I ‘test drove’ them both, it became very clear which one was better. It just felt WAY more secure and sturdy, so it was pretty much a no brainer at that point! We’ll be going to Babies R Us later this month with Oma since she is purchasing the stroller for us. At Sears, it was the last day of Sears Days, and they had the Fisher Price Rainforest Open Top Swing on sale for $50 off (reg $179 on for $129). I remember that was the one that Mrs. JB recommended, and I asked the sales lady if it was a good one, and we decided to go for it since it was such a good price.
We put it on our registry so that when we bought it, it would count towards our ‘waiting game’ total. That’s something they have at Sears. You sign up and then any purchases made at Sears from your registry are totaled up. You pick a date that you think your baby will be born and if you’re right, you get the total amount spent in gift certificates. Of course, it’s a long shot, but you never know! I had a friend that won and she got over $1,000 in free items! So, we picked February 4th as our date since we are hoping that’s the day the baby is born because that will mark exactly 3 years after Carlos and I had our first date.
Yesterday, we ordered our crib, dresser, and change table as well. The dresser and change table are supposed to arrive Oct 24 and the crib on Nov 22. So, here’s hoping those dates stick! So, it was a very expensive weekend, but we are starting to get things in order for the nursery. And my parents are paying for the crib, so that’s awesome!
As of yesterday, I am 23 weeks along! Only 17 more weeks to go ;)
EDIT: 10:58am
I forgot to mention something very exciting that happened last night: Carlos felt the baby kick for the first time. Yay!
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Ultrasound Report Results
I just got back from my appointment. It went well. We got to meet our 3rd midwife and she is very nice. Reminds of my family doctor since she's soft-spoken and kind. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat again and this time, the midwife found it in about 10 seconds! It was much less stressful than our last appointment! Still strong at around 150 bpm.
We did get to see our ultrasound report and while everything is normal, there are a couple of things they found that the radiologist recommended a follow-up ultrasound on. The midwife said it's our choice, we don't have to have another ultrasound, but it would likely give us peace of mind since both things found will likely disappear during pregnancy. One is a cyst on the baby's brain, (which sounds scary!), but is very common and usually disappears on its own before the baby is born. She said it is absolutely nothing to worry about, that she's seen many cases of that and they usually disappear on their own or if they remain, they don't cause any problems.
The second thing was a dilation of the renal pelvis (which is part of the urinary tract). It was still within the "normal range", but nearing the upper limit of the normal range. Again, this usually clears up as the pregnancy progresses. Worst case scenario, if it continues, then the baby will need to have an ultrasound when baby is a month old and if it persists, baby may be more prone to UTIs. So again, the midwife said it's nothing to really worry about at this stage. The majority of these cases fix themselves before the baby is born.
She said it was up to us as to whether we want the follow-up ultrasound. We decided to go for it to give us some peace of mind and if it does persist, we can get more info on exactly what it means. She's sending us to a doctor for that since he has the best equipment in town and since he's a doctor vs an ultrasound technician, he can tell us exactly what he's seeing during the exam so we don't have to wait for the report.
So, nothing major. Of course we were a little caught off-guard and are concerned over these 2 things they found, but the midwife was very reassuring that they are not serious, so I am trying not to worry! I am glad in the fact that no major problems or issues were found!
EDIT 2:36pm
My midwife just called and they have scheduled my follow-up ultrasound for October 16th. I'm sure we'll enjoy that ultrasound because we'll get to see our baby again (in better detail this time since this doctor has better equipment). And I'm sure these issues will have cleared up, so this will give us some peace of mind! And if not, we will at least be able to get some more info to know exactly what we're dealing with. But I'm sure everything is fine.
We did get to see our ultrasound report and while everything is normal, there are a couple of things they found that the radiologist recommended a follow-up ultrasound on. The midwife said it's our choice, we don't have to have another ultrasound, but it would likely give us peace of mind since both things found will likely disappear during pregnancy. One is a cyst on the baby's brain, (which sounds scary!), but is very common and usually disappears on its own before the baby is born. She said it is absolutely nothing to worry about, that she's seen many cases of that and they usually disappear on their own or if they remain, they don't cause any problems.
The second thing was a dilation of the renal pelvis (which is part of the urinary tract). It was still within the "normal range", but nearing the upper limit of the normal range. Again, this usually clears up as the pregnancy progresses. Worst case scenario, if it continues, then the baby will need to have an ultrasound when baby is a month old and if it persists, baby may be more prone to UTIs. So again, the midwife said it's nothing to really worry about at this stage. The majority of these cases fix themselves before the baby is born.
She said it was up to us as to whether we want the follow-up ultrasound. We decided to go for it to give us some peace of mind and if it does persist, we can get more info on exactly what it means. She's sending us to a doctor for that since he has the best equipment in town and since he's a doctor vs an ultrasound technician, he can tell us exactly what he's seeing during the exam so we don't have to wait for the report.
So, nothing major. Of course we were a little caught off-guard and are concerned over these 2 things they found, but the midwife was very reassuring that they are not serious, so I am trying not to worry! I am glad in the fact that no major problems or issues were found!
EDIT 2:36pm
My midwife just called and they have scheduled my follow-up ultrasound for October 16th. I'm sure we'll enjoy that ultrasound because we'll get to see our baby again (in better detail this time since this doctor has better equipment). And I'm sure these issues will have cleared up, so this will give us some peace of mind! And if not, we will at least be able to get some more info to know exactly what we're dealing with. But I'm sure everything is fine.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Geepers!
I had an appointment with my midwife scheduled for Friday afternoon. Then they called me on Monday to let me know it would need to be rescheduled. So, I called yesterday and rescheduled for today at lunch. Before all appointments, you’re supposed to call your midwife’s pager to check to make sure they weren’t called away to a birth. Well, I just called her pager and sure enough, all her appointments today are cancelled. So, I just called the clinic, and I will be going tomorrow morning instead. My appointment will now be with my 3rd midwife, whom I have not yet met. They want you to meet a total of 3 midwives over the course of your pregnancy so that you get to know them and they get to know you and then it’s guaranteed that 2 of those 3 will be at the birth. Here’s hoping my appointment tomorrow sticks! I do like the fact that you can check a couple hours ahead of time whether your appointment is still on instead of going all the way there and then finding out it has been cancelled. So, it is a pretty good system they have. This is the first time I’ve had to reschedule my appointment so far, so I guess that’s not too bad!
We have given a lot of thought lately to which crib we would like to get. We narrowed it down to 2 at babies r us, and I went on the sears website, and they have one of those 2 for even cheaper than at babies r us! My parents are getting us the crib as an early Christmas present, so now it’s just a matter of picking it out. So, I think I’m going to have to have a look at sears to see if they have a display model of the one we’re thinking of. Hopefully we can get our crib (and matching dresser) chosen and ordered in the next month or so since I have no idea how long it would take for them to come in.
Carlos went to go pick up our rocker recliner this morning, so that’s exciting! Things are starting to come together. If we can have the nursery all done and furnished by Christmas, I’d be happy!
We have given a lot of thought lately to which crib we would like to get. We narrowed it down to 2 at babies r us, and I went on the sears website, and they have one of those 2 for even cheaper than at babies r us! My parents are getting us the crib as an early Christmas present, so now it’s just a matter of picking it out. So, I think I’m going to have to have a look at sears to see if they have a display model of the one we’re thinking of. Hopefully we can get our crib (and matching dresser) chosen and ordered in the next month or so since I have no idea how long it would take for them to come in.
Carlos went to go pick up our rocker recliner this morning, so that’s exciting! Things are starting to come together. If we can have the nursery all done and furnished by Christmas, I’d be happy!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Update from my weekend
I had a good weekend. The triathlon on Friday was a lot of fun. It was sort of more like the amazing race than a triathlon. Each team was given a GPS unit and then clues to find GPS co-ordinates. We then had to drive to the different locations to get our next clue. There were a couple activities along the way (glow in the dark mini-golf and darts). All teams were really close, but our team came in 3rd of 3 teams. So, at the BBQ on Friday evening, as the losing team, we each had to choose a costume out of a bag and had to wear it for the entire evening. I got butterfly wings and antennae, which was actually kind of nice, so I didn’t mind. I had 2 guys on my team, so I think it would have been funnier if one of them had chosen that one! One guy had to wear a marty gras mask and the other had to wear a clown fro, so I think we each got the costume that suited us the best. It was a really fun day.
Saturday, we relaxed for the morning (I watched Greys that I had taped from Thursday) and then we decided to go shopping in the afternoon. I wanted to look for a rocker recliner for the nursery. I decided against getting a glider rocker, since I just think they are too narrow when you are holding a baby in your arms for feeding. Someone suggested to me that a chair with big comfy arms would be much better, and I totally agree. So, we thought we’d look around town to get an idea of what’s out there and prices. We went to 5 places total and ended up finding a lazyboy, all leather rocker recliner for $300 off! It was a sale on just that weekend trying to sell off their stock, so we didn’t have a choice of colour, but it was the colour we wanted (medium brown) anyway. So, we thought we’d jump on that chance! We get to pick it up this week. We also spent some time on Saturday trying to figure out how we’re going to set up the nursery. Since it is a smaller room, (9.5’ x 9.5’), it’s a bit of a puzzle trying to figure out how to fit a crib, recliner chair, bookshelf, change table, and dresser all in there. It will work though ;) We are going to buy the crib first and hopefully find a matching dresser, and then my dad is going to build us a change table (since all the change tables in the stores are for people who are 5’ tall I think, they are all too short for us!I) and a bookshelf, so we can get whatever size we want and we can paint them our accent colour. I think we’re going to take a trip to babies r us sometime in the next month or so to get our crib and stroller. My parents are getting us the crib and Oma is getting us the stroller, so we lucked out there!
As of today, I am 22 weeks along! Wow! I’m glad things are starting to come together now in terms of the nursery. We have our renovation scheduled for October 23-25, and then painting after that, so I can’t wait until it’s all done!
So now I’m back for another week at work. I can’t wait until this week is over since I have my next appointment with the midwife on Friday afternoon and then of course lj’s wedding on Saturday! Yay!
Saturday, we relaxed for the morning (I watched Greys that I had taped from Thursday) and then we decided to go shopping in the afternoon. I wanted to look for a rocker recliner for the nursery. I decided against getting a glider rocker, since I just think they are too narrow when you are holding a baby in your arms for feeding. Someone suggested to me that a chair with big comfy arms would be much better, and I totally agree. So, we thought we’d look around town to get an idea of what’s out there and prices. We went to 5 places total and ended up finding a lazyboy, all leather rocker recliner for $300 off! It was a sale on just that weekend trying to sell off their stock, so we didn’t have a choice of colour, but it was the colour we wanted (medium brown) anyway. So, we thought we’d jump on that chance! We get to pick it up this week. We also spent some time on Saturday trying to figure out how we’re going to set up the nursery. Since it is a smaller room, (9.5’ x 9.5’), it’s a bit of a puzzle trying to figure out how to fit a crib, recliner chair, bookshelf, change table, and dresser all in there. It will work though ;) We are going to buy the crib first and hopefully find a matching dresser, and then my dad is going to build us a change table (since all the change tables in the stores are for people who are 5’ tall I think, they are all too short for us!I) and a bookshelf, so we can get whatever size we want and we can paint them our accent colour. I think we’re going to take a trip to babies r us sometime in the next month or so to get our crib and stroller. My parents are getting us the crib and Oma is getting us the stroller, so we lucked out there!
As of today, I am 22 weeks along! Wow! I’m glad things are starting to come together now in terms of the nursery. We have our renovation scheduled for October 23-25, and then painting after that, so I can’t wait until it’s all done!
So now I’m back for another week at work. I can’t wait until this week is over since I have my next appointment with the midwife on Friday afternoon and then of course lj’s wedding on Saturday! Yay!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Good news
We got a message yesterday from our midwife saying that she had received the ultrasound report and that everything is normal. We will be going over the whole report with her at our next appointment, which is next Friday. I thought it was so nice of her to call to let us know instead of making us wait another week to get the results; they are really taking awesome care of me there! I wasn’t expecting there to be any problems, but it is good to know that our little pumpkin is growing well!
I have definitely been feeling lots of kicks this week, which is awesome! They aren’t very strong yet, but I can certainly feel them! I usually feel them just after lunch and then again in the late evening (like as soon as I crawl into bed). I have also been feeling them at other times throughout the day, but those two times seem to be the most consistent. Yay!
I had 2 baby-related dreams last night. In the first one, I dreamed that I gave birth to a cat. And the even stranger part was, everybody around me (nurses, friends, family) were acting like this was not out of the ordinary in any way… and I kept thinking “what’s wrong with you people! I gave birth to a cat! Am I the only one who thinks that’s strange?”… very weird. In my second dream, I dreamed that I gave birth (to a baby this time). A little girl, and she was absolutely perfect. But my mom was too busy to come see the baby when we were in the hospital, so it was days before my mom saw the baby. Which is completely far-fetched since I know my mom will be in the waiting room while I deliver just waiting for the news and to get to see the new baby!
I’m looking forward to the afternoon out of the office. I will post on the weekend about what our ultra-secret triathlon entailed! I’m very curious!
EDIT 11:28am
Oh, and I heard the most excellent news on the radio this morning: Led Zeppelin may tour in the summer of 2009! I absolutely HAVE to go if that's the case, even Carlos and I have to fly to the concert and take my mom along to babysit ;) I'm not getting my hopes up though, because at this point it is just a rumour. That would be so sweet though! Imagine, my favourite band of all time going on a tour after all these years!!! That would be like a dream come true for me if I can get to see them!
I have definitely been feeling lots of kicks this week, which is awesome! They aren’t very strong yet, but I can certainly feel them! I usually feel them just after lunch and then again in the late evening (like as soon as I crawl into bed). I have also been feeling them at other times throughout the day, but those two times seem to be the most consistent. Yay!
I had 2 baby-related dreams last night. In the first one, I dreamed that I gave birth to a cat. And the even stranger part was, everybody around me (nurses, friends, family) were acting like this was not out of the ordinary in any way… and I kept thinking “what’s wrong with you people! I gave birth to a cat! Am I the only one who thinks that’s strange?”… very weird. In my second dream, I dreamed that I gave birth (to a baby this time). A little girl, and she was absolutely perfect. But my mom was too busy to come see the baby when we were in the hospital, so it was days before my mom saw the baby. Which is completely far-fetched since I know my mom will be in the waiting room while I deliver just waiting for the news and to get to see the new baby!
I’m looking forward to the afternoon out of the office. I will post on the weekend about what our ultra-secret triathlon entailed! I’m very curious!
EDIT 11:28am
Oh, and I heard the most excellent news on the radio this morning: Led Zeppelin may tour in the summer of 2009! I absolutely HAVE to go if that's the case, even Carlos and I have to fly to the concert and take my mom along to babysit ;) I'm not getting my hopes up though, because at this point it is just a rumour. That would be so sweet though! Imagine, my favourite band of all time going on a tour after all these years!!! That would be like a dream come true for me if I can get to see them!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Competing in a triathlon tomorrow
The company kind ;) Every year, we have a triathlon which involves fun events. Past events have included such things as bowling, mini-golf, go-karting, etc. I hope the events this year are pregnant lady friendly; I’m sure they’ve taken that into account. The events are a surprise until the triathlon begins. So, tomorrow afternoon is our annual triathlon, which will be fun I’m sure! It also means we’re only working until noon, so that’s awesome! And then in the evening, we have our annual post-triathlon BBQ which will also be fun I’m sure. Really, it’s only this event and the Christmas party when we all get together with our significant others. So, I’m looking forward to it.
Mrs. JB, as a recent new mom, I would love to hear your perspective on the whole cloth vs disposable diaper decision (see previous post). I am on the fence; although, as I mentioned, we will be getting lots of disposable diapers for free from Carlos’ family, so I think we’ll start with those and decide once the baby is here about whether we’ll want to switch to cloth once we use the disposables up or stay with disposables.
Mrs. JB, as a recent new mom, I would love to hear your perspective on the whole cloth vs disposable diaper decision (see previous post). I am on the fence; although, as I mentioned, we will be getting lots of disposable diapers for free from Carlos’ family, so I think we’ll start with those and decide once the baby is here about whether we’ll want to switch to cloth once we use the disposables up or stay with disposables.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Anyone else hate getting up in the pitch black?
It’s back to that time of year when I am up before the sun. That makes me want to just pull the covers over my head and go back to sleep! And we have over a month before we get to put the clocks back.
The prenatal health fair on Monday was good… I got lots of information! I even saw a couple people I knew: one was manning a booth and the other was there with her husband and they are expecting, about 3 weeks before me. I used to work with her husband, so it was nice to catch up with them. At the health fair, they had an “empathy belly” for the men to wear with was strapped onto them and had big boobs, and a large, heavy belly. So, Carlos was a good sport and tried it. They made him walk around, pick something up from the floor, sit down and try to tie his shoes, and lie on the floor and then get up from that position. They even took a Polaroid of us standing belly to ‘empathy belly’, so that was neat. Another one for the scrapbook! ;)
There was also a booth there about a diaper service in town. I am in the middle of trying to decide about whether we’re going to use cloth or disposable diapers. Cloth are better for the environment, and since I work in waste management, of course I would like to keep as much as I can from the landfill. My big reason for not wanting to do cloth is I don’t want to deal with washing dirty diapers, just seems like it’s not worth the mess. But when I learned about the diaper service, it is run by a mom and she sells the diapers too and once a week, she comes to your house and picks up the old diapers and brings clean ones. So, that would make it just as convenient as disposables. I think I will send her an email asking about the cost, because if it’s significantly cheaper than disposables, we may go that route.
Although even if we do decide to do cloth, I think we’ll still use disposables for when we go to visit people since I don’t want to be carting dirty diapers home. So, that might be a good compromise. I guess we could always start with disposable (since Carlos’ mom and sister have been stockpiling diapers since they found out we were pregnant, Carlos’ brother-in-law works at a pharmacy and I guess he has been taking them home and saving them for us). So, we will be getting lots of disposable diapers for free, so we’ll use those to start and then see how we feel after those are used up… we could always switch to cloth after that. So many decisions!
Tonight is my only free evening this week, so I'm going to enjoy a nice, relaxing evening... I can't wait!
Oh, in other news, mom has a meeting today with the Dean of the university as well as the head of HR to discuss the crazy lady situation. I hope that goes okay! I'm glad that crazy lady will not be there, although it won't be long before she is told what is happening, so I hope she doesn't retaliate in any way towards my mom! My mom has taken precautions though and makes sure she is never alone with crazy lady. My mom basically is just going to campus to teach right now, she doesn't hang out in her office since she's afraid of what crazy lady might do. I really hope this situation gets resolved quickly and crazy lady is fired soon! My mom can't handle this stress on top of all the Oma stress lately.
EDIT 3:45pm
Mom just called and said the meeting went very well and that the university is taking this very seriously. I guess mom's complaint isn't the only one recently against this woman, which is good to know. So, she's not just bullying mom, seems as though others are also being bullied as well. The dean and head of hr will be meeting in the next couple of days to figure out how they are going to deal with this. So, it was very positive and mom feels that it went well.
The prenatal health fair on Monday was good… I got lots of information! I even saw a couple people I knew: one was manning a booth and the other was there with her husband and they are expecting, about 3 weeks before me. I used to work with her husband, so it was nice to catch up with them. At the health fair, they had an “empathy belly” for the men to wear with was strapped onto them and had big boobs, and a large, heavy belly. So, Carlos was a good sport and tried it. They made him walk around, pick something up from the floor, sit down and try to tie his shoes, and lie on the floor and then get up from that position. They even took a Polaroid of us standing belly to ‘empathy belly’, so that was neat. Another one for the scrapbook! ;)
There was also a booth there about a diaper service in town. I am in the middle of trying to decide about whether we’re going to use cloth or disposable diapers. Cloth are better for the environment, and since I work in waste management, of course I would like to keep as much as I can from the landfill. My big reason for not wanting to do cloth is I don’t want to deal with washing dirty diapers, just seems like it’s not worth the mess. But when I learned about the diaper service, it is run by a mom and she sells the diapers too and once a week, she comes to your house and picks up the old diapers and brings clean ones. So, that would make it just as convenient as disposables. I think I will send her an email asking about the cost, because if it’s significantly cheaper than disposables, we may go that route.
Although even if we do decide to do cloth, I think we’ll still use disposables for when we go to visit people since I don’t want to be carting dirty diapers home. So, that might be a good compromise. I guess we could always start with disposable (since Carlos’ mom and sister have been stockpiling diapers since they found out we were pregnant, Carlos’ brother-in-law works at a pharmacy and I guess he has been taking them home and saving them for us). So, we will be getting lots of disposable diapers for free, so we’ll use those to start and then see how we feel after those are used up… we could always switch to cloth after that. So many decisions!
Tonight is my only free evening this week, so I'm going to enjoy a nice, relaxing evening... I can't wait!
Oh, in other news, mom has a meeting today with the Dean of the university as well as the head of HR to discuss the crazy lady situation. I hope that goes okay! I'm glad that crazy lady will not be there, although it won't be long before she is told what is happening, so I hope she doesn't retaliate in any way towards my mom! My mom has taken precautions though and makes sure she is never alone with crazy lady. My mom basically is just going to campus to teach right now, she doesn't hang out in her office since she's afraid of what crazy lady might do. I really hope this situation gets resolved quickly and crazy lady is fired soon! My mom can't handle this stress on top of all the Oma stress lately.
EDIT 3:45pm
Mom just called and said the meeting went very well and that the university is taking this very seriously. I guess mom's complaint isn't the only one recently against this woman, which is good to know. So, she's not just bullying mom, seems as though others are also being bullied as well. The dean and head of hr will be meeting in the next couple of days to figure out how they are going to deal with this. So, it was very positive and mom feels that it went well.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Beginning of a new season
Autumn began at some point yesterday, so today is the first full day of autumn. The nights are getting cooler, the leaves are changing, I really like this time of year.
My weekend was a busy but good one. Saturday, we went window shopping. Literally. We are planning a renovation in the room that is going to be the nursery next month, and we are going to replace a door that goes to nowhere (used to go to an old balcony which is no longer there) with a window. So, we stopped in at Home Depot, and much to our surprise, they were having a sale just for the weekend of 20% off all windows. So, we ended up getting the window for a nice sale price and we found just what we were looking for in the exact size we needed… score!
Saturday evening was the engagement party for my brother and his fiancé, so that was nice. My aunt, uncle, and cousins were there, so it was nice to see them again. I hadn’t seen them in a few months, so it was good to catch up. They hadn’t seen me since I started showing, and my uncle told me how great I look. Actually, a lot of people told me I look fabulous and that I am glowing. It was so great to hear! So far, I think I’ve been pretty lucky and have only really gained in my belly (and chest too – but I don’t mind that!). I hope it stays that way!
Yesterday, we headed to my in-laws for an 11th birthday party for our nephew. He was so happy that we were there, so I’m glad we went. So, it made for a very busy weekend, but that couldn’t really be helped.
And something very exciting happened last night! I am 99% sure I felt the baby moving when I had just crawled into bed! In the last week or so, there have been times when I thought I felt the baby, but wasn't sure. Well, last night, the kicks were stronger and there were 5 or 6 of them within 5 minutes or so, so I am quite sure it was the baby! I don't know if the baby is more active when I first lie down to go to bed, or if it's that I'm not doing anything else except lying there so I notice them more easily, but it seems that's when I feel the baby, in the evening when I first lie down. So, I'm excited! I hope I feel it again soon! They say in the beginning, you may not feel it every day, but once the baby gets bigger and stronger, then you'll feel it much more regularly. I’m at 21 weeks today, so 19 weeks to go!
Tonight I have my prenatal pilates class, and then after dinner there is a prenatal health fair in town. It’s run by the health unit three times a year. This is the first time it’s on since we got pregnant, so we’re going to check it out. I’m sure we’ll get lots of info!
EDIT 4:20pm
I have been feeling the baby lots today throughout the day, so now I know for sure it is the baby! I am so happy I can finally feel it! The midwife said it would be sometime between 18 and 22 weeks, and I have read that with an anterior placenta (which is what I have), it can take longer to feel the baby. And I'm at 21 weeks today, so I'm still within the "normal" range. Yay! It is a really exciting feeling knowing that the baby is doing well and growing! From all the kicks I've been feeling today, I think we're going to have a very active baby on our hands!
My weekend was a busy but good one. Saturday, we went window shopping. Literally. We are planning a renovation in the room that is going to be the nursery next month, and we are going to replace a door that goes to nowhere (used to go to an old balcony which is no longer there) with a window. So, we stopped in at Home Depot, and much to our surprise, they were having a sale just for the weekend of 20% off all windows. So, we ended up getting the window for a nice sale price and we found just what we were looking for in the exact size we needed… score!
Saturday evening was the engagement party for my brother and his fiancé, so that was nice. My aunt, uncle, and cousins were there, so it was nice to see them again. I hadn’t seen them in a few months, so it was good to catch up. They hadn’t seen me since I started showing, and my uncle told me how great I look. Actually, a lot of people told me I look fabulous and that I am glowing. It was so great to hear! So far, I think I’ve been pretty lucky and have only really gained in my belly (and chest too – but I don’t mind that!). I hope it stays that way!
Yesterday, we headed to my in-laws for an 11th birthday party for our nephew. He was so happy that we were there, so I’m glad we went. So, it made for a very busy weekend, but that couldn’t really be helped.
And something very exciting happened last night! I am 99% sure I felt the baby moving when I had just crawled into bed! In the last week or so, there have been times when I thought I felt the baby, but wasn't sure. Well, last night, the kicks were stronger and there were 5 or 6 of them within 5 minutes or so, so I am quite sure it was the baby! I don't know if the baby is more active when I first lie down to go to bed, or if it's that I'm not doing anything else except lying there so I notice them more easily, but it seems that's when I feel the baby, in the evening when I first lie down. So, I'm excited! I hope I feel it again soon! They say in the beginning, you may not feel it every day, but once the baby gets bigger and stronger, then you'll feel it much more regularly. I’m at 21 weeks today, so 19 weeks to go!
Tonight I have my prenatal pilates class, and then after dinner there is a prenatal health fair in town. It’s run by the health unit three times a year. This is the first time it’s on since we got pregnant, so we’re going to check it out. I’m sure we’ll get lots of info!
EDIT 4:20pm
I have been feeling the baby lots today throughout the day, so now I know for sure it is the baby! I am so happy I can finally feel it! The midwife said it would be sometime between 18 and 22 weeks, and I have read that with an anterior placenta (which is what I have), it can take longer to feel the baby. And I'm at 21 weeks today, so I'm still within the "normal" range. Yay! It is a really exciting feeling knowing that the baby is doing well and growing! From all the kicks I've been feeling today, I think we're going to have a very active baby on our hands!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Strange evening
We had a strange evening last night. When I got home last night, our house smelled very strongly of fumes. I can't explain what it smelled like, sort of like a combination of spray paint and shoe polish. So, it didn't smell like gas. We had no idea what it was. So, we opened a few windows to try to air it out. It seemed that the smell went away, so we went to bed. Well, the smell was back throughout the night (good thing we slept with our window open) and was back in full force this morning. I am completely stumped! It couldn't be the furnace since we have it turned off, but the smell does seem to be worse near air vents.
Carlos did say they were doing work in the manholes outside our house yesterday morning, so we're not sure if that has anything to do with it.
If the smell doesn't go away by this evening, I think we'll ask my Dad to come down and see if he can figure it out. I wouldn't worry so much if I wasn't pregnant, but this has me worried. This can't be good for the baby! Carlos is going to try to figure out where the smell was coming from this morning, so I hope he figures it out. We certainly couldn't figure it out last night! It seems to be the worst in the laundry room and entrance way, which is strange. So, this has me a little scared! Especially since we have no idea what is causing it. We did nothing different yesterday to cause such a strong chemical smell!
EDIT: 11:23am
Moral of the story is: read your mail, even if it looks like junk!
Carlos figured out what the smell was. Earlier this week, we got a flyer in the mail that I just disregarded as junk, so I didn't even read it. But, I left it on our front bench, so Carlos read it this morning. It was a warning about the work they were going to do on the sewers yesterday. It said not to use the water between 10am and 3pm. Since we didn't know that, Carlos used the water in that time, doing the dishes and taking a shower, etc. So, since we used the water in the time we were not supposed to, we likely got some back-up (luckily no sewage or anything) or it's from any welding, etc. that they did. Because it did smell like plumbing work. So, I think we solved the mystery.
So, if that's the case, I'm sure it will be gone by tonight. And if not, I'm sure there is a number to call on the flyer to get more info and I can call and explain what happened.
So, the moral of the story is: read ALL your mail!
Carlos did say they were doing work in the manholes outside our house yesterday morning, so we're not sure if that has anything to do with it.
If the smell doesn't go away by this evening, I think we'll ask my Dad to come down and see if he can figure it out. I wouldn't worry so much if I wasn't pregnant, but this has me worried. This can't be good for the baby! Carlos is going to try to figure out where the smell was coming from this morning, so I hope he figures it out. We certainly couldn't figure it out last night! It seems to be the worst in the laundry room and entrance way, which is strange. So, this has me a little scared! Especially since we have no idea what is causing it. We did nothing different yesterday to cause such a strong chemical smell!
EDIT: 11:23am
Moral of the story is: read your mail, even if it looks like junk!
Carlos figured out what the smell was. Earlier this week, we got a flyer in the mail that I just disregarded as junk, so I didn't even read it. But, I left it on our front bench, so Carlos read it this morning. It was a warning about the work they were going to do on the sewers yesterday. It said not to use the water between 10am and 3pm. Since we didn't know that, Carlos used the water in that time, doing the dishes and taking a shower, etc. So, since we used the water in the time we were not supposed to, we likely got some back-up (luckily no sewage or anything) or it's from any welding, etc. that they did. Because it did smell like plumbing work. So, I think we solved the mystery.
So, if that's the case, I'm sure it will be gone by tonight. And if not, I'm sure there is a number to call on the flyer to get more info and I can call and explain what happened.
So, the moral of the story is: read ALL your mail!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Sleepy
Once again, I’m tired and can’t wait until the weekend… I’m starting to notice a trend ;) I’m just glad I have more energy than I did in the first trimester! I am definitely feeling much better than I did back then, so I’m happy. I can understand why a lot of women say the second trimester is their favourite! You no longer feel crappy like you did in the first trimester, but you’re not huge and uncomfortable like in the third trimester yet. But I still have to get up in the night at least 2 or 3 times to pee, which is annoying. But I’m sure it will only get worse as the baby gets bigger and my bladder is squished even more!
This weekend should be a good one. We’re going to an engagement party for my brother and his fiancé on Saturday evening. And they have set the wedding date: June 6, 2009! Less than 9 months away! Wow! Next year is going to be a big year in our family with our baby due in early February and then the wedding 4 months later!
Oh, did anybody else hear that AC/DC is playing at the Rogers Centre November 7th? Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning. I’m trying to decide if we should try to get tickets… we’re going to see The Who in October, so 2 concerts that close together might be a bit much. But, this would likely be our only opportunity to see them since they rarely come to Ontario! So, I’m thinking maybe we’ll try to get tickets! I imagine they will sell out within seconds, so we may not even be able to get them. No harm in trying though! Besides, gotta get the baby accustomed to good music early ;)
This weekend should be a good one. We’re going to an engagement party for my brother and his fiancé on Saturday evening. And they have set the wedding date: June 6, 2009! Less than 9 months away! Wow! Next year is going to be a big year in our family with our baby due in early February and then the wedding 4 months later!
Oh, did anybody else hear that AC/DC is playing at the Rogers Centre November 7th? Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning. I’m trying to decide if we should try to get tickets… we’re going to see The Who in October, so 2 concerts that close together might be a bit much. But, this would likely be our only opportunity to see them since they rarely come to Ontario! So, I’m thinking maybe we’ll try to get tickets! I imagine they will sell out within seconds, so we may not even be able to get them. No harm in trying though! Besides, gotta get the baby accustomed to good music early ;)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Ultrasound was amazing!
We had our ultrasound this morning and it went well! I was a little nervous after all the strange dreams I'd been having lately that something would be wrong with the baby. The tech took me in first to do all the measurements and then asked Carlos to come in at the end and she sowed us both the baby. The baby was on its stomach, but we got to see the head, face, heart beating, the spine, and both arms and feet. It was SOOOO awesome! Seeing the little hands and feet were so cute! She said the baby measured 20 weeks, 1 day, which is exactly where it was supposed to be! She said the baby weighed about 12 ounces, which is exactly where it is supposed to be.
It was so awesome to see our little one, we even saw it punch at one point! Too cute! And, it turns out the midwife was right, my placenta is in the front, which explains why the midwife had a hard time finding the heartbeat at our last appointment. That also explains why I haven't felt the baby move yet, it may take a little longer until the movements get stronger since the placenta is in the way.
This pic is of the baby's face on the left, with its fist up to the face on the right... a little hard to make out. And the second photo is a profile view with the head to the left of the picture.

It was so awesome to see our little one, we even saw it punch at one point! Too cute! And, it turns out the midwife was right, my placenta is in the front, which explains why the midwife had a hard time finding the heartbeat at our last appointment. That also explains why I haven't felt the baby move yet, it may take a little longer until the movements get stronger since the placenta is in the way.
This pic is of the baby's face on the left, with its fist up to the face on the right... a little hard to make out. And the second photo is a profile view with the head to the left of the picture.


Monday, September 15, 2008
OOOOOOh, we’re half way there!
As of today, I am at exactly 20 weeks along, which is half way through the pregnancy! Yay! Although, since for the first month you don’t even know you’re pregnant, I think week 22 is a better half-way point, but, technically speaking 20 weeks is the midway point. So, I’ll take it ; ) And, although my ticker says my baby is moving about and keeping me up at night, I have not yet felt that. I should feel the baby move sometime in the next 2 weeks, so I am anxiously awaiting that! There have been a couple times when I have felt something ‘different’, but I haven’t been sure if it was the baby or not. So, I can’t wait until I can feel those undeniable kicks and jabs ;)
FINALLY, tomorrow morning is the ultrasound! I am so excited! This may be our only ultrasound (unless there is a reason that comes up to do another one), so I really hope we get some good pictures of the baby! Speaking of ultrasounds, there is a place in town where you can get a 3D/4D ultrasound done (it is a private clinic and costs money). Originally, we were thinking we’d like to do that sometime in October because you can get much better images than with a 2D one. But, there has been a lot of controversy lately about the safety of these private clinic 3D ultrasounds since they are not regulated. There have been a few articles in the paper lately and even a segment on CBC and the message basically is there is no answer one way or another about their safety. The concern is the long exposure and since this technology is still relatively new, they are not sure about the long-term effects. Doctors do not recommend it at this point. So, we were thinking we’d get this done, but after all this has come out in the last couple of months, I think we’d rather be safe than sorry and we’ll likely not get it done. Having said that, we know lots of people have had it done and went on to have healthy babies, but we’d rather not take the chance. So, that’s why I’m really hoping tomorrow’s ultrasound goes well and we get some clear images!
My weekend was good. We went to the wedding on Saturday and the weather was actually okay. The ceremony was outside and although it was cloudy, the rain held off. The reception was in a tent in the same backyard, and it did spit at one point, but that was okay. So, they had to move the dance into the same tent instead of having it on the patio outside. All in all, it was a nice wedding.
FINALLY, tomorrow morning is the ultrasound! I am so excited! This may be our only ultrasound (unless there is a reason that comes up to do another one), so I really hope we get some good pictures of the baby! Speaking of ultrasounds, there is a place in town where you can get a 3D/4D ultrasound done (it is a private clinic and costs money). Originally, we were thinking we’d like to do that sometime in October because you can get much better images than with a 2D one. But, there has been a lot of controversy lately about the safety of these private clinic 3D ultrasounds since they are not regulated. There have been a few articles in the paper lately and even a segment on CBC and the message basically is there is no answer one way or another about their safety. The concern is the long exposure and since this technology is still relatively new, they are not sure about the long-term effects. Doctors do not recommend it at this point. So, we were thinking we’d get this done, but after all this has come out in the last couple of months, I think we’d rather be safe than sorry and we’ll likely not get it done. Having said that, we know lots of people have had it done and went on to have healthy babies, but we’d rather not take the chance. So, that’s why I’m really hoping tomorrow’s ultrasound goes well and we get some clear images!
My weekend was good. We went to the wedding on Saturday and the weather was actually okay. The ceremony was outside and although it was cloudy, the rain held off. The reception was in a tent in the same backyard, and it did spit at one point, but that was okay. So, they had to move the dance into the same tent instead of having it on the patio outside. All in all, it was a nice wedding.
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