She is already 2 weeks old and I can't believe it!
Emily's birth story... it was the night before my due date and I went to my prenatal aquafit class (the last one of the semester). Earlier that day, I had an appointment with the midwife and I was already 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced, so she was able to do a stretch and sweep. We joked saying that with Julie, I went into labour the same day they did that, so the pressure was on!
At about 10pm, I started having contractions. They were about a half hour apart and very mild, so I was able to go to sleep. By about 2am, they were much closer together (about 10 minutes) and I could no longer sleep through them. So, I decided to get up and watch Private Practice (which I had PVR'd) and start timing the contractions. Oddly enough, the episode was the one where Charlotte had the first of her triplets, so that was interesting to watch WHILE I was in labour! By about 3am, the contractions were coming closer, so I decided to have a shower since I thought we'd be calling the midwife soon.
After my warm shower, the contractions slowed down quite a bit. So much so that I was beginning to wonder if this was all a false alarm. So, Carlos and I decided to try to get some more rest. We were able to sleep some more. Then, at about 7am, I woke up again with contractions and they were closer together again (about 10 minutes). As the morning progressed, they got more intense and closer together. By 11:30am, they were 5 to 8 minutes apart, so we called the midwife. She came to our house just before noon to check me. I was 3 cm dilated and 75% effaced. So, not quite in active labour yet, but getting there! Midwife left and told me to page her again once contractions were 5 minutes or less apart for an hour.
By 2:15pm, the contractions were 4-5 minutes apart for an hour, so we called the midwife again. She suggested we meet her at the hospital. So, we loaded up the car and were at the hospital by 2:45pm. She checked me again and I was 4-5 cm dilated and officially in active labour! At this point, I decided to labour in the tub for awhile, so I got into the tub around 3pm. I laboured in the tub for about 2 hours until I started bleeding, so I had to get out of the tub to be checked again. My water broke just as I got out of the tub and then things started to change.
I was 6 cm dilated at this point and I was starting to bleed... a lot. The midwife suspected it was a problem with the placenta, but she suggested consulting the OB on call. So, he came to the room and checked on things. I needed to be hooked up to a continuous monitor for the baby to check the heartrate and contractions. The OB told me that it appeared I either had a tear in my plaenta or it was detatching early (at least part of it). So, to prepare me, he said I can continue with a vaginal birth as long as the baby is still doing okay. If the baby starts to show signs of distress, I would need a C-section in a hurry, so they hooked me up to an IV just to be prepared for that scenario.
I was very worried at this point. I did not want to have a C-section, but ultimately, I would do whatever it took to have a healthy baby.
By 6pm, I was 7 cm dilated. The contractions were fast and furious! Way more intense that with Julie. And much closer together. By 6:45pm, I was 8 cm dilated and still bleeding an awful lot. Baby was still doing fine, so the blood was obviously from me then. Huge relief. I went from 8cm dilated to fully dilated in less than a half hour. Most painful half hour of my life! At this point, I was more focused on the welfare of my baby than my own pain. At 7:10pm, I was fully dilated and it was time to push!
Emily Rose was born after only 31 minutes of pushing at 7:41pm. When she was born, they laid her on the bed to be assessed and at that point, I could only see her head and shoulders, so I could not see if she was a boy or girl. Carlos checked and then said "It's a girl!" We were so surprised! We thought I was carrying a boy for sure! She is in perfect health! Turns out I had a placental abruption, which means the edge of the placenta had detached. Another surprise: she was born in the posterior (i.e. face up) position!
There were no beds on the floor, so initially, my midwife said we may be able to go home later that night. Then, she changed her mind saying I needed to stay for observation because of all my blood loss. We stayed in the delivery room overnight. They put me on oxytocin overnight to help control the bleeding. By the next morning, I was fine and ready to go home!
Emily Rose's stats at birth:
Born (on her due date): December 5, 2012
Weight: 8 pounds, 9 ounces
Length: 54 cm (21.25 inches)
Head circumference: 36.5 cm
So, Emily weighed 2 ounces less at birth than Julie did, but Emily's head was 3 cm larger and she was 3 cm longer than Julie.
I can't believe I went through another labour and delivery completely drug free! That's 2 for 2! :)
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
39 weeks
And we're still hanging in there. No sign of baby yet. I have my next appointment with the midwife tomorrow, so I am curious to find out if I'm dilated at all yet. If I am, then they could do a 'stretch and sweep' to try to get things going. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but I think it would be worth a try if the conditions are appropriate for them to be able to do it.
Yesterday, I finished my Christmas shopping! So, I am all done - yay! Very nice to get that all done before baby comes.
This coming Friday is my company Christmas party. I am sort of hoping I'll either already have the baby by then or be in labour so we don't have to go. We'll see. If I'm still pregnant, we'll go. We already have J lined up to go to my parents overnight that night since we'll be out way past her bedtime.
Today is my great-aunt Margrit's birthday (whom I am named after). So, today would be a good day to have the baby! So would tomorrow, my birthday!
Yesterday, I finished my Christmas shopping! So, I am all done - yay! Very nice to get that all done before baby comes.
This coming Friday is my company Christmas party. I am sort of hoping I'll either already have the baby by then or be in labour so we don't have to go. We'll see. If I'm still pregnant, we'll go. We already have J lined up to go to my parents overnight that night since we'll be out way past her bedtime.
Today is my great-aunt Margrit's birthday (whom I am named after). So, today would be a good day to have the baby! So would tomorrow, my birthday!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
38 weeks, 1 day
Getting so close! I could go into labour at any moment now - exciting!
On Saturday, I had a day with tons of energy. So, I went shopping (my first couponing shopping trip using the strategies I learned at a couponing workshop I took last week). We also got the nursery all ready and packed the hospital bag. Plus 4 loads of laundry. So, I am feeling much more prepared now. If I went into labour today, we're ready.
I am getting really nervous about the whole labour experience. I know I have been through it before, but it is still a little scary. I just have to remind myself that I survived it once, I can do it again! And really, it wasn't THAT bad the first time around. Just really long! I'm hoping this one will be quicker. From what I've heard from others, usually the second labour is about half the length of the first with a much shorter pushing stage. So, my first was 20 hours from start to finish with 3 hours of pushing and needing a vacuum assist. So, this time, I'm hoping for 8-12 hours from start to finish with an hour or less of pushing :) That would be great!
I'm getting very excited to meet our little one! We have gone back and forth several times with our boy name. For the first half of the pregnancy, we thought we had the boy name picked and were struggling with the girl name. Then several weeks ago, we decided on the girl name and have been going back and forth between 3 possible boy names. Time for this baby to come so we are forced to finally decide!
On Saturday, I had a day with tons of energy. So, I went shopping (my first couponing shopping trip using the strategies I learned at a couponing workshop I took last week). We also got the nursery all ready and packed the hospital bag. Plus 4 loads of laundry. So, I am feeling much more prepared now. If I went into labour today, we're ready.
I am getting really nervous about the whole labour experience. I know I have been through it before, but it is still a little scary. I just have to remind myself that I survived it once, I can do it again! And really, it wasn't THAT bad the first time around. Just really long! I'm hoping this one will be quicker. From what I've heard from others, usually the second labour is about half the length of the first with a much shorter pushing stage. So, my first was 20 hours from start to finish with 3 hours of pushing and needing a vacuum assist. So, this time, I'm hoping for 8-12 hours from start to finish with an hour or less of pushing :) That would be great!
I'm getting very excited to meet our little one! We have gone back and forth several times with our boy name. For the first half of the pregnancy, we thought we had the boy name picked and were struggling with the girl name. Then several weeks ago, we decided on the girl name and have been going back and forth between 3 possible boy names. Time for this baby to come so we are forced to finally decide!
Sunday, November 11, 2012
False alarm
On Friday, I woke up with some back pain. I didn't think much of it, but as the day progressed, it got a lot worse. To the point that by supper time, I was in a lot of pain and was uncomfortable sitting, standing, lying down, etc. I could not get comfy. I decided to have a warm bath to see if that helped. Sometime after supper, the pain moved into the front, so now I was in even more pain. It felt like a contraction that never ended.
After about 2 hours of becoming more desperate, we decided to call the midwife for advice. We are still considered 'preterm' at this point since we have not made it to 37 weeks yet (we're only days away). But, the handout the midwife gave us on preterm labour made it pretty clear to call if you experience anything on the list and I was having at least 2 of those things. So, we called the midwife. Our primary was off call for the weekend, so we called our second. After talking to her, she decided to be safe, we should meet her at the hospital for monitoring to see what's going on.
We got to the hospital around 10pm and I was hooked up to the monitors for baby's heartbeat and uterine activity (i.e. contractions). Of course, after being in an incredible amount of pain all day, by the time we got to the hospital, I felt fine. The pains just went away. But, since we were already there, she suggested we continue with the monitoring anyway. After 2 hours of monitoring, they sent me home. I was not dilated at all, which is good since it's still a little early. We have to make to to 37 weeks otherwise our baby would be considered preterm and it would be a transfer of care (i.e. we would be transferred to an OB instead of having the midwife as our primary caregiver).
So, we arrived home at midnight very relived that everything is okay. I was quite worried that something was wrong with the baby and I had visions of an emergency C-section. I am very thankful that it turned out to be nothing! We don't know what caused my one day of intense pain, but perhaps I tweaked my back somehow and the baby could have been pushing on my spine. I have an appointment with my chiropractor on Tuesday, so he'll fix my back. I feel much better now. My back still feels a little 'off', but nothing like what I was experiencing on Friday.
I think it was just my body getting ready for labour. I have a feeling I'll go a little early this time. Not sure why, just a feeling I have.
After about 2 hours of becoming more desperate, we decided to call the midwife for advice. We are still considered 'preterm' at this point since we have not made it to 37 weeks yet (we're only days away). But, the handout the midwife gave us on preterm labour made it pretty clear to call if you experience anything on the list and I was having at least 2 of those things. So, we called the midwife. Our primary was off call for the weekend, so we called our second. After talking to her, she decided to be safe, we should meet her at the hospital for monitoring to see what's going on.
We got to the hospital around 10pm and I was hooked up to the monitors for baby's heartbeat and uterine activity (i.e. contractions). Of course, after being in an incredible amount of pain all day, by the time we got to the hospital, I felt fine. The pains just went away. But, since we were already there, she suggested we continue with the monitoring anyway. After 2 hours of monitoring, they sent me home. I was not dilated at all, which is good since it's still a little early. We have to make to to 37 weeks otherwise our baby would be considered preterm and it would be a transfer of care (i.e. we would be transferred to an OB instead of having the midwife as our primary caregiver).
So, we arrived home at midnight very relived that everything is okay. I was quite worried that something was wrong with the baby and I had visions of an emergency C-section. I am very thankful that it turned out to be nothing! We don't know what caused my one day of intense pain, but perhaps I tweaked my back somehow and the baby could have been pushing on my spine. I have an appointment with my chiropractor on Tuesday, so he'll fix my back. I feel much better now. My back still feels a little 'off', but nothing like what I was experiencing on Friday.
I think it was just my body getting ready for labour. I have a feeling I'll go a little early this time. Not sure why, just a feeling I have.
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
36 weeks!
And mat leave has begun :) I am loving not having to go to work. It is a nice break for sure. My last day was Friday and my coworkers gave me a high chair and some other goodies - very nice!
Tomorrow, we have our home visit where our midwife comes to our house to do an appointment. At this point, our appointments move to once a week until the baby is born. Which could be anytime now! We only have a week to go until we are 'full term', which is 37 weeks. So, baby could be born anytime after 37 weeks... Of course, it could be 40 weeks, or even 41. I'm hoping the baby will come a little early - I can getting quite uncomfortable these days.
Tasks for this week include: dentist appointment, last massage before baby comes, trying to sort out winter tires for our new van and get those installed (although that may need to be next week), and getting the hospital bag packed. Tonight I also have my prenatal aquafit class which is always good.
Tomorrow, we have our home visit where our midwife comes to our house to do an appointment. At this point, our appointments move to once a week until the baby is born. Which could be anytime now! We only have a week to go until we are 'full term', which is 37 weeks. So, baby could be born anytime after 37 weeks... Of course, it could be 40 weeks, or even 41. I'm hoping the baby will come a little early - I can getting quite uncomfortable these days.
Tasks for this week include: dentist appointment, last massage before baby comes, trying to sort out winter tires for our new van and get those installed (although that may need to be next week), and getting the hospital bag packed. Tonight I also have my prenatal aquafit class which is always good.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
35 weeks!
And I am down to my very last week of work - last day is Friday!!!! WOOOHOOO!
So looking forward to being done work and having some time to focus on my family. I have a month before my due date, but who knows, baby could come early! I have a feeling I might have a November baby. But with J, she was born 5 days past my due date, so who knows. Very excited to move onto the next chapter of my life as a mom of 2!
So looking forward to being done work and having some time to focus on my family. I have a month before my due date, but who knows, baby could come early! I have a feeling I might have a November baby. But with J, she was born 5 days past my due date, so who knows. Very excited to move onto the next chapter of my life as a mom of 2!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
34 weeks, 2 days
And only a little over a week left of work - I can't wait to be done!!! I have 2 reports to finish between now and then, so that should be just the right amount of work for me to finish up my time there.
I had another appointment with the midwife this morning. Everything is going as it should. Our next appointment is in 2 weeks when we have out home visit where our primary midwife comes to our house to do an appointment there - also serves the purpose of making sure she knows where we live so she can find our house when I go into labour.
I have a nasty cold right now, which isn't pleasant at all. Starting on Tuesday evening with a scratchy throat. Then yesterday, it was a full blown sore throat. Today, it has moved into my nose and I am completely congested. Not cool. I sure hope it goes away soon! I have a busy weekend with small groups tomorrow evening, taking Julie to a birthday party on Saturday, and then I'm in the nursery at church on Sunday. So, not much time to rest!
I had another appointment with the midwife this morning. Everything is going as it should. Our next appointment is in 2 weeks when we have out home visit where our primary midwife comes to our house to do an appointment there - also serves the purpose of making sure she knows where we live so she can find our house when I go into labour.
I have a nasty cold right now, which isn't pleasant at all. Starting on Tuesday evening with a scratchy throat. Then yesterday, it was a full blown sore throat. Today, it has moved into my nose and I am completely congested. Not cool. I sure hope it goes away soon! I have a busy weekend with small groups tomorrow evening, taking Julie to a birthday party on Saturday, and then I'm in the nursery at church on Sunday. So, not much time to rest!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
33 weeks!
Only 7 weeks to go! And only 2.5 weeks left of work!!! I still have 3 reports to write before I leave, so I am pretty much tapped out in terms of work. I have enough to keep me busy until I go on mat leave, I think. I might have a couple extra hours here and there, which is good because something always comes up!
I am still feeling pretty good these days. My back gets sore in the afternoons - I usually work 9 or 10 hour days, so by mid-afternoon, my back has had enough. I am also finding sleeping getting more and more difficult. It's sometimes hard to find a comfy position. I just keep telling myself this is temporary and baby will be here soon!
Update on the lawsuit... looks as though we may be proceeding to a pretrial at this point. Basically, that would be both sides stating their case in front of a Judge to get his input. It may help us get closer to a resolution and would avoid the 5 years and $100,000+ in legal costs to go all the way to the end in terms of litigation. I think we have a better than 50/50 shot in winning, but there are no guarantees. If for some crazy reason, the Judge sides with my uncle, I would rather know that now.
I am still feeling pretty good these days. My back gets sore in the afternoons - I usually work 9 or 10 hour days, so by mid-afternoon, my back has had enough. I am also finding sleeping getting more and more difficult. It's sometimes hard to find a comfy position. I just keep telling myself this is temporary and baby will be here soon!
Update on the lawsuit... looks as though we may be proceeding to a pretrial at this point. Basically, that would be both sides stating their case in front of a Judge to get his input. It may help us get closer to a resolution and would avoid the 5 years and $100,000+ in legal costs to go all the way to the end in terms of litigation. I think we have a better than 50/50 shot in winning, but there are no guarantees. If for some crazy reason, the Judge sides with my uncle, I would rather know that now.
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
32 weeks
I am feeling pretty good these days. I haven't taken any tylenol (for headaches) in the last few weeks. That's definite progress! There was a period of a few weeks where I was getting pregnancy headaches almost daily. Not anymore - yay! And I have more energy than I did a few weeks ago too. I am getting more exercise, which helps too. I'm taking a prenatal aquafit class once a week and have been making an effort to go for walks more often too. So, overall, I am feeling good these days!
Only 8 weeks to go until due date!
My brother and wife are back from Europe now and brought their laptop to dinner on Sunday, so we got to see about 1,000 pictures of their trip. They brought me a rock from Pompeii and another from the Colesseum in Rome :) It was so nice to have 3 days off this weekend to relax and spend time with family. I'm down to 3.5 weeks left of work now!!!! CANNOT WAIT!!!!
Only 8 weeks to go until due date!
My brother and wife are back from Europe now and brought their laptop to dinner on Sunday, so we got to see about 1,000 pictures of their trip. They brought me a rock from Pompeii and another from the Colesseum in Rome :) It was so nice to have 3 days off this weekend to relax and spend time with family. I'm down to 3.5 weeks left of work now!!!! CANNOT WAIT!!!!
Saturday, October 06, 2012
31.5 weeks
We had our follow-up ultrasound yesterday. We had to wait 2 hours for a 5 minute appointment - sheesh. But, we got to see our baby (briefly) again. He took some measurements and said the baby is measuring in at 4 pounds, 9 ounces. Yikes! He asked me how large my first baby was and I said 8 pounds, 11 ounces. Then I said "why do you ask? Is this baby looking large?" and all he said was "maybe". Gee, thanks! So, we may have another large one on our hands - we'll see! Or maybe baby will come a little early - only time will tell!
The placenta is no longer an issue, so that's great! That's why we needed the follow-up ultrasound since the one at 20 weeks showed the placenta low. Well, it has moved up enough for me to be cleared for a regular birth instead of needing a C-section. So, I am very relived about that.
Looking forward to a wonderful long weekend spent with family. I love Thanksgiving!
The placenta is no longer an issue, so that's great! That's why we needed the follow-up ultrasound since the one at 20 weeks showed the placenta low. Well, it has moved up enough for me to be cleared for a regular birth instead of needing a C-section. So, I am very relived about that.
Looking forward to a wonderful long weekend spent with family. I love Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
30 weeks!
A milestone for sure - only 10 weeks to go! And less than 6 weeks left of work - I can't wait!!!!
I have my next appointment with the midwife on Thursday where I will get the results of the gestational diabetes screen. They said they would call me if the results were a concern, so I'm sure everything is fine.
My youngest brother got engaged last weekend! No word yet on when the wedding will take place - his fiance is still in school, so I think she wants to finish school first. But, I will get getting a new sister in law, so that's exciting!
My other brother and his wife are enjoying their European adventure. They have already been to London, Paris, and Switzerland. They are now in Germany for a few days and then on to Venice and Rome to round out their trip. Sounds like they are having a blast!
I have my next appointment with the midwife on Thursday where I will get the results of the gestational diabetes screen. They said they would call me if the results were a concern, so I'm sure everything is fine.
My youngest brother got engaged last weekend! No word yet on when the wedding will take place - his fiance is still in school, so I think she wants to finish school first. But, I will get getting a new sister in law, so that's exciting!
My other brother and his wife are enjoying their European adventure. They have already been to London, Paris, and Switzerland. They are now in Germany for a few days and then on to Venice and Rome to round out their trip. Sounds like they are having a blast!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
29 weeks
Hard to believe! The baby is super active these days and the kicks/jabs are getting stronger! So much so that I am often woken up during the night. I don't remember J being quite this active. Or maybe she was and I just don't remember. I do remember she had the hiccups a lot and I have yet to feel that with this baby. Could also be that with J, the placenta was in the front, so I didn't feel things as much. This time, it's in the back. Also means they have had no problem finding the baby's heartbeat since there is no placenta in the way!
I should get the results of the gestatinal diabetes screen this week. Our next appointment with the midwife is on the 27th. Then we have our follow up ultrasound on Oct 5th.
My brother and his wife left for Europe last night! They arrived in London today and are doing a trip down through the UK, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. They have a lot to see in 18 days! So excited for them!
I should get the results of the gestatinal diabetes screen this week. Our next appointment with the midwife is on the 27th. Then we have our follow up ultrasound on Oct 5th.
My brother and his wife left for Europe last night! They arrived in London today and are doing a trip down through the UK, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. They have a lot to see in 18 days! So excited for them!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
28 weeks
Hard to believe I only have 12 weeks left before the due date! Yipee! I have less than 8 weeks left of work - double yipee!
On Thursday, I have my next appointment with the midwife. This is where I will have my screening for gestational diabetes completed - so, I am calling it 'smarties day' since I get to eat smarties instead of going to a lab and doing the orange syrup thing.
My hubby and I celebrated our 5-year anniversary on the weekend, so we went to Kingston for a weekend getaway. Since it was POURING on Saturday, we went to a movie (The Bourne Legacy - it was really good!) and then went for a nice dinner at The Keg. They gave us a free dessert since we told them it was our anniversary. Then on Sunday, we went to Gananoque and went on the 1000 islands boat cruise to Boldt Castle. We had 2 hours to explore the castle - it was awesome! What an enjoyable trip all around. It was so nice to have some time just the 2 of us before baby arrives.
On Thursday, I have my next appointment with the midwife. This is where I will have my screening for gestational diabetes completed - so, I am calling it 'smarties day' since I get to eat smarties instead of going to a lab and doing the orange syrup thing.
My hubby and I celebrated our 5-year anniversary on the weekend, so we went to Kingston for a weekend getaway. Since it was POURING on Saturday, we went to a movie (The Bourne Legacy - it was really good!) and then went for a nice dinner at The Keg. They gave us a free dessert since we told them it was our anniversary. Then on Sunday, we went to Gananoque and went on the 1000 islands boat cruise to Boldt Castle. We had 2 hours to explore the castle - it was awesome! What an enjoyable trip all around. It was so nice to have some time just the 2 of us before baby arrives.
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
27 weeks
I am officially in the 3rd trimester now - yay! Feels good to reach that milestone.
Things are going well with baby. I'm feeling lots of movement and everytime we go to the midwife, the heartbeat is somewhere around 145 to 150 bpm. My blood pressure is always around 110/75, which is just fine. So, everything seems to be moving along well!
We have our follow-up ultrasound scheduled for October 5th to check the platenta location. I'm sure it will be moved out of the way, but it will be nice to get that confirmation. And we get to see baby again, so that's always nice!
Hard to believe I have less than 9 weeks left of work - can't wait!!!!
Things are going well with baby. I'm feeling lots of movement and everytime we go to the midwife, the heartbeat is somewhere around 145 to 150 bpm. My blood pressure is always around 110/75, which is just fine. So, everything seems to be moving along well!
We have our follow-up ultrasound scheduled for October 5th to check the platenta location. I'm sure it will be moved out of the way, but it will be nice to get that confirmation. And we get to see baby again, so that's always nice!
Hard to believe I have less than 9 weeks left of work - can't wait!!!!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
26 weeks
Our next appointment with the midwife is on Thursday. It was supposed to be today, but it was cancelled because our midwife was called away to a birth. So, Thursday it is!
I've been feeling okay lately. Not great, but okay. Last Friday was my work's annual fun day. This year, it was a road rally/scavenger hunt for most of the day and then in the late afternoon, a local cruise. There were 7 teams total and my team got second place! Then spouses and kids joined us for dinner. What a great day!
I have less than 10 weeks of work left - the countdown is on!
I've been feeling okay lately. Not great, but okay. Last Friday was my work's annual fun day. This year, it was a road rally/scavenger hunt for most of the day and then in the late afternoon, a local cruise. There were 7 teams total and my team got second place! Then spouses and kids joined us for dinner. What a great day!
I have less than 10 weeks of work left - the countdown is on!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
25 weeks
Wow, only 15 weeks to go! I have less than 2 weeks left in the 2nd trimester. The 1st trimester seemed to drag by, and the 2nd has gone by so quickly!
We had a wonderful vacation. We spent some time getting the baby room all set up. We sorted through all our baby clothes and separated anything that is gender neutral. So, we're all set for awhile no matter which gender the baby is! We also did some fun things too like we went to Ikea, I got my hair done, and we took Julie to the zoo and minigolfing. Her first time mini-golfing and she got 2 hole in ones!
Back to work as of yesterday. Boo. But, I am starting the countdown until my mat leave. Only 11 weeks of work left!
We had a wonderful vacation. We spent some time getting the baby room all set up. We sorted through all our baby clothes and separated anything that is gender neutral. So, we're all set for awhile no matter which gender the baby is! We also did some fun things too like we went to Ikea, I got my hair done, and we took Julie to the zoo and minigolfing. Her first time mini-golfing and she got 2 hole in ones!
Back to work as of yesterday. Boo. But, I am starting the countdown until my mat leave. Only 11 weeks of work left!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
24 weeks
Only 16 weeks to go :)
Hubby and I are on holidays this week and it is glorious. Really makes me realize even more how stressed I have been lately at work. With that stress gone, I feel like a whole new woman! Can't wait until I can say goodbye to work and go on mat leave. Only 11 weeks left of work - the countdown begins!
Everything has been going well with the baby. Lots of kicks - last week, hubby felt the baby kick for the first time. Kicks are getting stronger :)
Hubby and I are on holidays this week and it is glorious. Really makes me realize even more how stressed I have been lately at work. With that stress gone, I feel like a whole new woman! Can't wait until I can say goodbye to work and go on mat leave. Only 11 weeks left of work - the countdown begins!
Everything has been going well with the baby. Lots of kicks - last week, hubby felt the baby kick for the first time. Kicks are getting stronger :)
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
23 weeks
Every week gets a little closer to baby time! I am thinking my last day of work will be November 2nd, so less than 3 months to go!
We had an appointment with the midwife last week to go over the ultrasound results. Everything is normal and due date according to ultrasound is December 3rd, so very close to what we thought, so our due date won’t change. Midwife says due date is December 5th, but I say the 4th because of the leap year.
The only issue is the low lying placenta, but even then, it is not a real concern at this time. It is close to the threshold of where it wouldn’t even require follow up. But, since it is just below the threshold, I will go for a quick follow up in late September/early October just to check to make sure it has moved. There is a 96% change it will move and everything will be a-ok and it won’t require a C-section.
We had a wonderful long weekend at the cottage. Lots of swimming and time together with my parents. My bro and his wife came for a day and family friends came for a day, so it was a great weekend.
I am so looking forward to my week of holidays next week! Both CT and I need a serious break from work.
We had an appointment with the midwife last week to go over the ultrasound results. Everything is normal and due date according to ultrasound is December 3rd, so very close to what we thought, so our due date won’t change. Midwife says due date is December 5th, but I say the 4th because of the leap year.
The only issue is the low lying placenta, but even then, it is not a real concern at this time. It is close to the threshold of where it wouldn’t even require follow up. But, since it is just below the threshold, I will go for a quick follow up in late September/early October just to check to make sure it has moved. There is a 96% change it will move and everything will be a-ok and it won’t require a C-section.
We had a wonderful long weekend at the cottage. Lots of swimming and time together with my parents. My bro and his wife came for a day and family friends came for a day, so it was a great weekend.
I am so looking forward to my week of holidays next week! Both CT and I need a serious break from work.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
22 weeks
We're halfway there from the point we found out we're expecting! Hard to believe; in some ways, I feel like it has gone by fast. In other ways, it seems like I've been pregnant forever!
We have our next appointment with the midwife on Thursday and we'll go over the report from the ultrasound together. So, I am looking forward to that!
We have our next appointment with the midwife on Thursday and we'll go over the report from the ultrasound together. So, I am looking forward to that!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
21 weeks
Things are progressing! We are past the half way mark - only 19 weeks to go ;)
I have been experiencing more headaches in the last week or so. Could be the weather. Last night, we got a crazy storm with hail the size of golf balls! Julie and I stayed away from the windows because it sounded like the hail was going to come right through! It was also incredibly windy, so I was afraid of some patio furniture taking flight and doing some damage too. Luckily, everything was okay. Our deck chairs were blown off the deck and into the yard and I had to go on a search and rescue mission for our greenwaste bin which ended up halfway down the street. I was glad to be safe and sound inside during that storm - it was intense!
I am feeling lots of kicks from the baby now. I have been feeling movement for the last 3 weeks, but the kicks are getting stronger now. Still can't be felt from the outside, but hopefully soon! I can't wait until hubby and J can feel the kicks too!
I have been experiencing more headaches in the last week or so. Could be the weather. Last night, we got a crazy storm with hail the size of golf balls! Julie and I stayed away from the windows because it sounded like the hail was going to come right through! It was also incredibly windy, so I was afraid of some patio furniture taking flight and doing some damage too. Luckily, everything was okay. Our deck chairs were blown off the deck and into the yard and I had to go on a search and rescue mission for our greenwaste bin which ended up halfway down the street. I was glad to be safe and sound inside during that storm - it was intense!
I am feeling lots of kicks from the baby now. I have been feeling movement for the last 3 weeks, but the kicks are getting stronger now. Still can't be felt from the outside, but hopefully soon! I can't wait until hubby and J can feel the kicks too!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
20 weeks
We had the ultrasound yesterday and it was great! We got to see baby's head, face, legs, arms, spine, etc. Doc said all measurements look normal. We'll get the full report when we see our midwife again in a couple weeks. He is recommending a follow-up ultrasound around 30 or 32 weeks since the placenta is quite low this time. He said most of the time, it moves up as the uterus grows, so it will need to be checked to make sure it has moved. If not, we'd be looking at needing a C-section. I'm sure the midwife will tell us more about this at our next appointment, but from my research, about 1 in 4 pregnancies have a low-lying placenta at this stage and only about 4% of those end up not moving and require a C-section. So, we definitely have good odds that it will move. So, I will try not to worry about it and we'll see what the follow-up ultrasound says!
At one point during the ultrasound, he asked if we wanted to know the gender, but we stuck with what we decided and said we wanted to keep it a surprise. I'm glad we decided to wait - I like getting the surprise at the birth!
At one point during the ultrasound, he asked if we wanted to know the gender, but we stuck with what we decided and said we wanted to keep it a surprise. I'm glad we decided to wait - I like getting the surprise at the birth!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
19 weeks
YAY! Almost half way there! The baby weighs about 2/3 of a pound now!
Our ultrasound is in 1 week - I can't wait! We have talked about it some more, and we are now leaning more on the side of not finding out the gender. We just both really loved the surprise of finding out the gender once the baby was born. Sure, it would be easier to plan if we knew the gender, but I don't think it would make a huge difference. All our newborn clothes that we had from J are gender neutral since we didn't know if she was a boy or girl before she was born. So, if this baby is a boy, we won't have to buy any new clothes right away. We still have 1 week to make up our minds for sure!
I am having a hard time at work again. Same issues of them expecting me to complete projects I am not yet competent in. Luckily, I have my mentor to ask questions of and he has been awesome. But, he has a full time job elsewhere, so he does have other committments. I am counting the days until I am outta here. I am considering maybe starting my mat leave early. One, it would get me out of this stress sooner (I am concerned about the extra stress and its effect on the baby). Two, it would mean I'd get to spend some extra time with J before the baby arrives. Accoring to the EI website, I can start my leave as early as 8 weeks before my due date. Which means around Thanksgiving. The latest I would start would be mid-November. So, I'll have to give that some thought and decide within the next month what I want to do.
Our ultrasound is in 1 week - I can't wait! We have talked about it some more, and we are now leaning more on the side of not finding out the gender. We just both really loved the surprise of finding out the gender once the baby was born. Sure, it would be easier to plan if we knew the gender, but I don't think it would make a huge difference. All our newborn clothes that we had from J are gender neutral since we didn't know if she was a boy or girl before she was born. So, if this baby is a boy, we won't have to buy any new clothes right away. We still have 1 week to make up our minds for sure!
I am having a hard time at work again. Same issues of them expecting me to complete projects I am not yet competent in. Luckily, I have my mentor to ask questions of and he has been awesome. But, he has a full time job elsewhere, so he does have other committments. I am counting the days until I am outta here. I am considering maybe starting my mat leave early. One, it would get me out of this stress sooner (I am concerned about the extra stress and its effect on the baby). Two, it would mean I'd get to spend some extra time with J before the baby arrives. Accoring to the EI website, I can start my leave as early as 8 weeks before my due date. Which means around Thanksgiving. The latest I would start would be mid-November. So, I'll have to give that some thought and decide within the next month what I want to do.
Thursday, July 05, 2012
18 weeks, 2 days
I had my 3rd appointment with the midwives this morning. Since CT couldn't get the time off, I asked my mom if she would like to come with J so they could hear the baby's heartbeat. J had so much fun 'helping' the midwife take my blood pressure and put the gel on the doppler. Baby's heartbeat was 148 bpm and J said it sounded like galloping horses - too cute! We go back in another 4 weeks.
Less than 2 weeks now until the ultrasound! We are leaning more on the side of finding out the gender. CT would really like to find out. I don't have strong feelings one way or another. With J, I was adamant that I wanted to wait until the birth, but this time, I think it might be nice to know at 20 weeks. We could better prepare J for having a sibling - if she knew brother or sister, that might help her visualize things better. She is adamant she is having a baby brother, so if she's right, we can tell her that. If she's wrong, we'd have 4 months to convince her she's getting a sister instead. We have until the 17th to decide for sure whether we want to find out or not.
In other news, mom and I have a meeting this afternoon with our lawyer. My uncle sent us a letter a couple of weeks ago with some options for consideration if we want to settle. All of the options he put forth are completely unreasonable and him not giving one inch. So, not a compromise in the least, just him getting his own way. So, we are going to see what our lawyer suggests at this point. We are certainly not agreeing to any of my uncle's suggestions, but should we come back with a counter offer or just tell my uncle to take his options and shove them and see you in court.
Less than 2 weeks now until the ultrasound! We are leaning more on the side of finding out the gender. CT would really like to find out. I don't have strong feelings one way or another. With J, I was adamant that I wanted to wait until the birth, but this time, I think it might be nice to know at 20 weeks. We could better prepare J for having a sibling - if she knew brother or sister, that might help her visualize things better. She is adamant she is having a baby brother, so if she's right, we can tell her that. If she's wrong, we'd have 4 months to convince her she's getting a sister instead. We have until the 17th to decide for sure whether we want to find out or not.
In other news, mom and I have a meeting this afternoon with our lawyer. My uncle sent us a letter a couple of weeks ago with some options for consideration if we want to settle. All of the options he put forth are completely unreasonable and him not giving one inch. So, not a compromise in the least, just him getting his own way. So, we are going to see what our lawyer suggests at this point. We are certainly not agreeing to any of my uncle's suggestions, but should we come back with a counter offer or just tell my uncle to take his options and shove them and see you in court.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
17 weeks!
Baby weighs almost 1/2 a pound now! We're getting there!
Our ultrasound is booked for July 17th, so 3 weeks away - I can't wait!
We are on the hunt now for some bedroom furniture for J since the crib (which also converts to a toddler bed) and matching dresser will go in the nursery for the baby. So, we'll need to get something else for J. I want to get her a twin size bed, not a toddler bed (since I don't want to buy a second crib mattress, I would rather get her a bed she can have for years to come given how tall she is!)
I had a couple days off last week, which was glorious. I wish every week could be like that! I am very much looking forward to the long weekend. We are spending most of the weekend at the cottage, but coming back to town for Sunday morning/afternoon since we have our annual church picnic, which I don't want to miss! I love my church; we are a bunch of goofs :)
Our ultrasound is booked for July 17th, so 3 weeks away - I can't wait!
We are on the hunt now for some bedroom furniture for J since the crib (which also converts to a toddler bed) and matching dresser will go in the nursery for the baby. So, we'll need to get something else for J. I want to get her a twin size bed, not a toddler bed (since I don't want to buy a second crib mattress, I would rather get her a bed she can have for years to come given how tall she is!)
I had a couple days off last week, which was glorious. I wish every week could be like that! I am very much looking forward to the long weekend. We are spending most of the weekend at the cottage, but coming back to town for Sunday morning/afternoon since we have our annual church picnic, which I don't want to miss! I love my church; we are a bunch of goofs :)
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
16 weeks
Wow! Things are progressing! I'm starting to wonder when I will feel the baby move for the first time! "They" say you should be able to feel the baby move earlier with each subsequent pregnancy. First time moms should feel the baby for the first time sometime between 18 and 22 weeks. With J, it was 21 weeks. This time - who knows? Could be anytime within the next month or so. Exciting!
I am planning to call the midwife practice tomorrow since we haven't received a call yet with our ultrasound date. I just want to make sure they are on top of booking that!
Baby is the size of an avocado now and weighs about 1/3 of a pound!
I am very much looking forward to 5pm today because then I am on vacation until Monday! I needed a mini vacation before our week off in August. Plus, I have vacation time I need to use up between now and the start my mat leave!
I am planning to call the midwife practice tomorrow since we haven't received a call yet with our ultrasound date. I just want to make sure they are on top of booking that!
Baby is the size of an avocado now and weighs about 1/3 of a pound!
I am very much looking forward to 5pm today because then I am on vacation until Monday! I needed a mini vacation before our week off in August. Plus, I have vacation time I need to use up between now and the start my mat leave!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
15 week update
I am a couple days late on my 15 week update since I was out of the office all day on Tuesday and yesterday I was just too darn busy on my day off.
Baby is the size of an orange this week! My bump is getting bigger by the day! I have now made the transition to maternity clothes. The only piece I was unable to find on my shopping trip was a maternity bathing suit. I tried a few on, but I didn't find any that I liked and weren't $50 or more. So, I didn't get one. I will make do with what I have for now. I may have to buy a cheap one from walmart in a plus size once I get bigger since I want to keep swimming all through my pregnancy.
My queasiness has gone away, but what I am getting now is a ton of headaches. It is very common in pregnancy to get headaches... Luckily, taking tylenol is considered safe, so if the headache is really bad, I will take one of those rather than suffer through it.
We are trying to decide if we want to find out the gender of the baby at our ultrasound. The ultrasound is supposed to be between 18 and 22 weeks, which means at some point in July (don't have a date for that yet). We are on the fence right now as to whether we want to find out. On one hand, it would be nice to know ahead of time, but we also really enjoyed the surprise with J. She is adamant that it is a boy, so if it is a girl, it might nice to have the last 4 months of the pregnancy to convince her she's having a sister, not a brother. Or, she could be right, who knows! Also, if we have a girl, we won't need to buy anything, whereas if we have a boy, we would need to buy some stuff. And it would mean we'd only have to decide on 1 baby name, not 1 for each gender. But, there was something so magical about going through labour not knowing if it was a boy or girl and having that be a surprise after all that hard work! I can see advantages to both sides! Hence, we're on the fence! Decisions, decisions...
Baby is the size of an orange this week! My bump is getting bigger by the day! I have now made the transition to maternity clothes. The only piece I was unable to find on my shopping trip was a maternity bathing suit. I tried a few on, but I didn't find any that I liked and weren't $50 or more. So, I didn't get one. I will make do with what I have for now. I may have to buy a cheap one from walmart in a plus size once I get bigger since I want to keep swimming all through my pregnancy.
My queasiness has gone away, but what I am getting now is a ton of headaches. It is very common in pregnancy to get headaches... Luckily, taking tylenol is considered safe, so if the headache is really bad, I will take one of those rather than suffer through it.
We are trying to decide if we want to find out the gender of the baby at our ultrasound. The ultrasound is supposed to be between 18 and 22 weeks, which means at some point in July (don't have a date for that yet). We are on the fence right now as to whether we want to find out. On one hand, it would be nice to know ahead of time, but we also really enjoyed the surprise with J. She is adamant that it is a boy, so if it is a girl, it might nice to have the last 4 months of the pregnancy to convince her she's having a sister, not a brother. Or, she could be right, who knows! Also, if we have a girl, we won't need to buy anything, whereas if we have a boy, we would need to buy some stuff. And it would mean we'd only have to decide on 1 baby name, not 1 for each gender. But, there was something so magical about going through labour not knowing if it was a boy or girl and having that be a surprise after all that hard work! I can see advantages to both sides! Hence, we're on the fence! Decisions, decisions...
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
14 weeks!
Wow! Baby is the size of a lemon this week! :)
Yesterday, we finally heard our baby's heartbeat! It was such a special moment - I think it is going to start to feel more 'real' now; there is an actual baby in there that is growing and doing well! I am so happy that we got to hear our baby! Heartbeat was strong and at 150 bpm.
So, time to start spreading the news! I told my coworkers on Friday last week since we were all together at our annual general meeting, so it was a good opportunity. I will be telling the rest of my friends this week - starting with playgroup on Wednesday, small group on Friday, and then church on Sunday! I am also going maternity clothes shopping on Saturday. I have a lot from when I was pregnant with Julie, but there are definite holes in my wardrobe.
Yesterday, we finally heard our baby's heartbeat! It was such a special moment - I think it is going to start to feel more 'real' now; there is an actual baby in there that is growing and doing well! I am so happy that we got to hear our baby! Heartbeat was strong and at 150 bpm.
So, time to start spreading the news! I told my coworkers on Friday last week since we were all together at our annual general meeting, so it was a good opportunity. I will be telling the rest of my friends this week - starting with playgroup on Wednesday, small group on Friday, and then church on Sunday! I am also going maternity clothes shopping on Saturday. I have a lot from when I was pregnant with Julie, but there are definite holes in my wardrobe.
Friday, June 01, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
13 weeks!
We're at the tail end of the 1st trimester - 2nd trimester starts on Friday!!! Baby is the size of a peach this week :)
I have definitely been feeling better lately - have some energy back, which is nice. Julie spilled the beans to someone at church on Sunday - I am actually very surprised she kept the secret for so long!
Yesterday, we had a sad day in our house. We had to put our cat Gino down. He had a urinary track blockage, so same thing we went through with Smokey 5 years ago. Because Gino is already a senior cat, we decided we didn't want to put him (or ourselves) through all that stress again. It was awful when we went through it with Smokey - for weeks, we didn't know if he was going to make it and we had to monitor him very closely. I was a wreck for weeks.
So, the vet basically told us we had to decide what we wanted to do within a couple of hours since Gino was in obvious pain and distress. Either we spend the $1,500 to have the blockage cleared (although there is no guarantee that it will work long-term) or we put him down. So, we talked about it and decided it was time to put him down. If we was younger, we may have decided to have the procedure, but Gino was already near the end of his days. So, we decided to put him down. It was really hard. Intellectually, I know we did the right thing, but it was hard emotionally. I had a very teary day. And now poor Smokey doesn't know what to think. He keeps wandering around the house looking for his friend.
I have definitely been feeling better lately - have some energy back, which is nice. Julie spilled the beans to someone at church on Sunday - I am actually very surprised she kept the secret for so long!
Yesterday, we had a sad day in our house. We had to put our cat Gino down. He had a urinary track blockage, so same thing we went through with Smokey 5 years ago. Because Gino is already a senior cat, we decided we didn't want to put him (or ourselves) through all that stress again. It was awful when we went through it with Smokey - for weeks, we didn't know if he was going to make it and we had to monitor him very closely. I was a wreck for weeks.
So, the vet basically told us we had to decide what we wanted to do within a couple of hours since Gino was in obvious pain and distress. Either we spend the $1,500 to have the blockage cleared (although there is no guarantee that it will work long-term) or we put him down. So, we talked about it and decided it was time to put him down. If we was younger, we may have decided to have the procedure, but Gino was already near the end of his days. So, we decided to put him down. It was really hard. Intellectually, I know we did the right thing, but it was hard emotionally. I had a very teary day. And now poor Smokey doesn't know what to think. He keeps wandering around the house looking for his friend.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Glad that's over
This morning, I was feeling really nervous and anxious about telling my boss the news, so I decided to just take a deep breath and do it (I wasn't originally planning to tell him until next week). It went surprisingly well. My boss and I have had 'issues' lately where I feel like I have been treated very unfairly over the last year or so, so I was feeling very strongly that I should tell him my news before my annual appraisal meeting, which is supposed to be any day now.
Well, as soon as I told him, his face lit up and he congratulated me. I am so relieved! He said we'll figure out over the next few months how to distribute my workload. He also said he'll leave telling everyone else up to me whenever I feel it is appropriate. I said I would tell everyone over the next week or 2. We have our annual general meeting next Friday (June 1st), so I am thinking that would be a good opportunity since everyone will be together, so I won't have to tell everyone separately. And, that will officially be my first day of the 2nd trimester, so good timing. I'm a little nervous telling everyone before we've heard the heartbeat, but really, I'm sure everything is fine. If it wasn't, I'd have symptoms by now. I'm taking my growing belly as a good sign!
One week left in the first trimester - hard to believe it's been 8 weeks since we found out. How we've kept it a secret this long is beyond me. At playgroup yesterday (with my church mommy friends), one of them said to me "so, you think you'll have more kids?" and I responded with the vague "yes, someday" kind of answer. I can't wait to share the news at the next playdate in a couple weeks (we have them every other Wednesday morning).
Well, as soon as I told him, his face lit up and he congratulated me. I am so relieved! He said we'll figure out over the next few months how to distribute my workload. He also said he'll leave telling everyone else up to me whenever I feel it is appropriate. I said I would tell everyone over the next week or 2. We have our annual general meeting next Friday (June 1st), so I am thinking that would be a good opportunity since everyone will be together, so I won't have to tell everyone separately. And, that will officially be my first day of the 2nd trimester, so good timing. I'm a little nervous telling everyone before we've heard the heartbeat, but really, I'm sure everything is fine. If it wasn't, I'd have symptoms by now. I'm taking my growing belly as a good sign!
One week left in the first trimester - hard to believe it's been 8 weeks since we found out. How we've kept it a secret this long is beyond me. At playgroup yesterday (with my church mommy friends), one of them said to me "so, you think you'll have more kids?" and I responded with the vague "yes, someday" kind of answer. I can't wait to share the news at the next playdate in a couple weeks (we have them every other Wednesday morning).
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
12 weeks!
Yay! We are just a couple weeks away from telling the world! I may tell work next week, I'll see how it goes. Our appointment to hear the baby's heartbeat is in less than 2 weeks; I can't wait!!!
I am starting to feel better now. The queasiness isn't nearly as severe and I am starting to get some energy back too. I think I am really starting to show now, so I'm sure people won't be surprised when I share the news. One woman in my small group at church ran into my mom at an event last week and said to her "C is expecting, isn't she" more of a statement, not a question. My mom didn't know what to say, so this lady said "I figured she wasn't telling people yet". My mom said I would be annoucing this at the end of the 1st trimester, so in a couple of weeks. This lady said she could tell that I was pregnant. Now, she is a doula, so her whole career is based on pregnancy, so I'm sure she is very in tune with women's shapes, etc.
I had a wonderful long weekend at the cottage - we were there from Saturday morning until yesterday afternoon and it was glorious! I didn't want the weekend to end!
I am starting to feel better now. The queasiness isn't nearly as severe and I am starting to get some energy back too. I think I am really starting to show now, so I'm sure people won't be surprised when I share the news. One woman in my small group at church ran into my mom at an event last week and said to her "C is expecting, isn't she" more of a statement, not a question. My mom didn't know what to say, so this lady said "I figured she wasn't telling people yet". My mom said I would be annoucing this at the end of the 1st trimester, so in a couple of weeks. This lady said she could tell that I was pregnant. Now, she is a doula, so her whole career is based on pregnancy, so I'm sure she is very in tune with women's shapes, etc.
I had a wonderful long weekend at the cottage - we were there from Saturday morning until yesterday afternoon and it was glorious! I didn't want the weekend to end!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
11 weeks!
Only 29 weeks to go! :)
I'm getting closer and closer the end of the first trimester. I can't wait until we hear the baby's heartbeat!
On the weekend, I got out all my maternity clothes and tried everything on. Most things fit, which is good. Everything except for 3 pairs of pants fit, so I'm happy with that. I realized that this time, I will need more summer stuff (I didn't have any summer stuff last time really) and a couple more pairs of pants. And a maternity bathing suit. I was able to get away without one last time since I wasn't big until the fall and winter, but this time, I swim at the Y and intend to do so all through my pregnancy. Not to mention, I will be big this summer too, so I will need a bathing suit to swim in at the cottage and my parents pool. So, I am planning a maternity clothes shopping day in June.
I have been feeling a little better this past week. The queasiness still comes and goes, but I have slightly more energy and the queasiness has been less severe. So, I think I am starting to feel back to my old self again. I still go to bed quite early, but I am able to function at work again, so that's good. There were a few weeks where I felt like I wanted to crawl under my desk and take a nap every afternoon.
Julie is still asking every day "Is the baby out yet?" Too cute! I am really surprised that she hasn't spilled the beans to anyone at church or small groups or anything. Only a couple more weeks to hang onto the secret and then we can start spreading the good news :)
I'm getting closer and closer the end of the first trimester. I can't wait until we hear the baby's heartbeat!
On the weekend, I got out all my maternity clothes and tried everything on. Most things fit, which is good. Everything except for 3 pairs of pants fit, so I'm happy with that. I realized that this time, I will need more summer stuff (I didn't have any summer stuff last time really) and a couple more pairs of pants. And a maternity bathing suit. I was able to get away without one last time since I wasn't big until the fall and winter, but this time, I swim at the Y and intend to do so all through my pregnancy. Not to mention, I will be big this summer too, so I will need a bathing suit to swim in at the cottage and my parents pool. So, I am planning a maternity clothes shopping day in June.
I have been feeling a little better this past week. The queasiness still comes and goes, but I have slightly more energy and the queasiness has been less severe. So, I think I am starting to feel back to my old self again. I still go to bed quite early, but I am able to function at work again, so that's good. There were a few weeks where I felt like I wanted to crawl under my desk and take a nap every afternoon.
Julie is still asking every day "Is the baby out yet?" Too cute! I am really surprised that she hasn't spilled the beans to anyone at church or small groups or anything. Only a couple more weeks to hang onto the secret and then we can start spreading the good news :)
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
10 weeks!
I'm at 10 weeks as of today! YAY! Only 30 weeks to go ;) Only a few more weeks until I reach the 2nd trimester - officially, that is at 13 weeks, 3 days, so I will get there on June 1st.
I've had an okay week. I have really been struggling lately with being extremely tired and queasy. I told a few people at work on Friday since I was supposed to go to a site on Thursday of this week, and I just can't do it given how awful I have been feeling. So, I told 3 people in total (started with HR), and they all know it is confidential still. They were all very happy for me and they said it is no problem that I don't go to that site, they will send someone else. What a relief!
I am really excited for Friday because in our small groups (sort of like a Bible study, only way more fun than that sounds), we finally get to see our music videos! Each small group made a music video and we finally get to see them all and vote. One group did Weird Al's "White and Nerdy" - that is going to be hilarious! I think they are all going to be funny! Our church is so much fun; I love that place. I'm so glad we found a church that we enjoy going to and feels like 'home'.
I've had an okay week. I have really been struggling lately with being extremely tired and queasy. I told a few people at work on Friday since I was supposed to go to a site on Thursday of this week, and I just can't do it given how awful I have been feeling. So, I told 3 people in total (started with HR), and they all know it is confidential still. They were all very happy for me and they said it is no problem that I don't go to that site, they will send someone else. What a relief!
I am really excited for Friday because in our small groups (sort of like a Bible study, only way more fun than that sounds), we finally get to see our music videos! Each small group made a music video and we finally get to see them all and vote. One group did Weird Al's "White and Nerdy" - that is going to be hilarious! I think they are all going to be funny! Our church is so much fun; I love that place. I'm so glad we found a church that we enjoy going to and feels like 'home'.
Thursday, May 03, 2012
The drama never ends around here!
Yesterday, my parents' dog Koby was very sick. He was just laying on the ground all day, wouldn't eat his supper, and wouldn't drink anything. This is very unlike him. He had killed a groundhog on the weekend, and had some bites from that, so we were concerned that he caught something. All Koby's shots were up to date, so at least we weren't too worried about something like rabies. My mom was up all evening last night worried and was afraid to go to bed because she was so concerned. But, he wasn't whimpering and his breathing was normal, so she was finally able to go to sleep.
She took him to the vet this morning and sure enough, Koby has an infection from the groundhog bites. They gave him some antibiotics and said he should bounce back within 24 hours. So, I'm sure by tomorrow, he'll be back to his old self. My poor mom though, she has been through an ordeal and barely slept last night! And of course, you always think the worst in these types of situations.
In other news, I am going to tell HR at my office about the pregnancy tomorrow. I really have to. I am being sent to a site on Thursday of next week that used to be contaminated and I am really not sure if it is safe for me to go to. I really don't want to take a chance. Not to mention with how queasy I've been feeling, I really can't spend a day out in the field right now. Maybe in a few weeks, but not now. So, I have to come clean because I really can't go to a site that was formerly contaminated. It has been remediated, but can they really guarantee that is safe for a pregnant woman in the 1st trimester??? Figures, I haven't been to a site in months, maybe longer, and then of course they want to send me NOW. So, I'm going to tell HR what's going on and we'll go from there.
She took him to the vet this morning and sure enough, Koby has an infection from the groundhog bites. They gave him some antibiotics and said he should bounce back within 24 hours. So, I'm sure by tomorrow, he'll be back to his old self. My poor mom though, she has been through an ordeal and barely slept last night! And of course, you always think the worst in these types of situations.
In other news, I am going to tell HR at my office about the pregnancy tomorrow. I really have to. I am being sent to a site on Thursday of next week that used to be contaminated and I am really not sure if it is safe for me to go to. I really don't want to take a chance. Not to mention with how queasy I've been feeling, I really can't spend a day out in the field right now. Maybe in a few weeks, but not now. So, I have to come clean because I really can't go to a site that was formerly contaminated. It has been remediated, but can they really guarantee that is safe for a pregnant woman in the 1st trimester??? Figures, I haven't been to a site in months, maybe longer, and then of course they want to send me NOW. So, I'm going to tell HR what's going on and we'll go from there.
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
9 weeks and counting
The baby is the size of a grape this week!
I’m at the point where this doesn’t seem quite ‘real’. It has been almost 5 weeks since I had a positive pregnancy test and I still have another almost 5 weeks to wait until we get to hear the heartbeat. That’s a long time to wait! I guess I just assume that everything is okay in the meantime? It’s difficult to wait so long!
And the only people that know at this point are family and close friends. So, I am excited to be able to tell the world! We’ll be making this public after we hear the heartbeat, which should be at our appointment on June 4th.
I have been feeling very queasy lately. The last 3 days or so have been the worst so far. My midwife says the sickness usually peaks around 8 or 9 weeks and then starts to get better. So, anytime now! I have also been completely exhausted. I had to nap on both Saturday and Sunday just so I could feel like a human again. I have been going to bed between 8:30 and 9pm every night and I still find it hard to get up at 6am for work. I hope I get some energy back soon! I remember with Julie, I was really tired in the 1st trimester, but felt great in the 2nd.
I am also very busy right now at work and with my courses. I have one large assignment for my current course I need to get done tomorrow. Then, on the weekend, I will have to do next week’s work since I need to spend next Monday and Wednesday studying for my midterm on Wednesday evening. I will be relieved when my exam is over! My next course starts on the 11th, so I will be taking 2 at once after that. Needless to say, I won’t be taking another course on until July when my current one is wrapping up. 3 at once would be too much – 2 I can hopefully handle. We’ll see!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Battle of the bump
Well, I don’t have a bump yet, but my waistline is definitely changing/growing! This morning, I couldn’t get my 2nd pair of jeans done up. I still managed to wear them with a rubber band through the button hole. So, that leaves me with 1 pair that I can still zip up. I guess I’ll have to start wearing my dress pants more since those are looser to begin with. I may have to break out my maternity pants this weekend!
As of today, I am at 8 weeks in my pregnancy. I can’t wait until we get to the end of the 1st trimester and I can start telling people!
Monday, April 16, 2012
First appointment with midwife
We had our first appointment this morning. We have a new primary midwife this time since our primary from last time is no longer at the practice. And our secondary one from last time has holidays booked around our due date, so she can't be our primary one this time either. So, we have someone we have never met before. She seems very nice though. And very knowledgeable - she was an obstetrical nurse for 18 years before she was a midwife and has been a midwife for over 10 years. So, very experienced. We're not sure who our second and third midwives will be at this point, we will find that out later on.
Our next appointment will be in early June (don't have it booked yet since their appointment calendar didn't go that far). By then, I will be at around 14 weeks, so we will be able to hear the heartbeat. After that appointment, it will be time to start telling people! Can't wait! I may tell my work in late May though - I will wait and see. I am already finding that my clothes don't fit as well, so I may have to break out my maternity pants soon - or at least find one of those band things that allow you to extend the waist of your current pants. It's tricky. I am still at least 6 weeks away from telling my workplace, but I may start showing before that! I guess I will just play things by ear. I can always tell HR early since heaven forbid, if I had a miscarriage, I would be telling her anyways since I would want a few days off work.
Our next appointment will be in early June (don't have it booked yet since their appointment calendar didn't go that far). By then, I will be at around 14 weeks, so we will be able to hear the heartbeat. After that appointment, it will be time to start telling people! Can't wait! I may tell my work in late May though - I will wait and see. I am already finding that my clothes don't fit as well, so I may have to break out my maternity pants soon - or at least find one of those band things that allow you to extend the waist of your current pants. It's tricky. I am still at least 6 weeks away from telling my workplace, but I may start showing before that! I guess I will just play things by ear. I can always tell HR early since heaven forbid, if I had a miscarriage, I would be telling her anyways since I would want a few days off work.
Monday, April 09, 2012
Awesome weekend!
We had a great time sharing the news with our families on the weekend. Julie wore her 'I'm the big Sister' shirt with pride and told everyone "I'm going to be a big sister!" Everyone is very excited - my dad promptly broke out the schnapps ;)
I got the call this afternoon that we got a spot with the midwives. So, I am very happy about that! Our first appointment is next Monday, so I will be at almost 7 weeks by then.
The Big Egg Hunt on Saturday was a HUGE success! Thousands of people came - it was a great day. Another successful event for our church!
I got the call this afternoon that we got a spot with the midwives. So, I am very happy about that! Our first appointment is next Monday, so I will be at almost 7 weeks by then.
The Big Egg Hunt on Saturday was a HUGE success! Thousands of people came - it was a great day. Another successful event for our church!
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Busy weekend ahead!
It's going to be a busy and exciting weekend! I have no idea how I have been able to keep this secret for the last week, but we are finally sharing the news with our families this weekend! My family tomorrow and hubby's family on Sunday (which also happens to be hubby's birthday). Going to be awesome!
Saturday is our church's second annual Big Egg Hunt. This year, we have twice as many eggs as last time - we have over 20,000! Last year, we had 3,000 people out to the event - who knows how many we will have this time! The event is better advertised this time, so we could have tens of thousands of people, who knows! It is a free event we put on for the people of our City. Just a 'no strings attached' way to give back and show God's love.
Saturday is our church's second annual Big Egg Hunt. This year, we have twice as many eggs as last time - we have over 20,000! Last year, we had 3,000 people out to the event - who knows how many we will have this time! The event is better advertised this time, so we could have tens of thousands of people, who knows! It is a free event we put on for the people of our City. Just a 'no strings attached' way to give back and show God's love.
Monday, April 02, 2012
It has been confirmed!
I just got back from my appointment. Turns out they don't take blood to confirm the pregnancy, they do a urine test. So, we did that and it came back positive. So, it's official now! YAY! I go back again in a month to have a whole bunch of blood work, etc. As soon as I got home, I called the midwives since I know you have to call very early to get a spot there. So, she took all my information and will call me in about a week to let me know if we got a spot.
I can't wait until Friday when I can share the news with my family!
I can't wait until Friday when I can share the news with my family!
So it begins
I have been feeling very nauseous over the last few days. I think I have had more queasiness so far than my entire pregnancy with Julie! Or maybe I just don’t remember that from last time ;)
I have an appointment to see my doctor this afternoon to have the necessary tests done to get this confirmed. I am hoping I can get the results within a few days so we can tell our families this weekend. We bought a T-shirt for Julie that says “I’m the Big Sister”, so we’re going to let her make the announcement!
I can’t wait to get confirmation on this; maybe then it will feel more real. I still feel like I am dreaming this whole thing up!
In other news, there has been an interesting development in the lawsuit. The next step is to go through examinations, which could happen as early as 3 weeks from now. This is sort of a turning point since that would cost a lot more money. Our lawyer wrote my uncle's lawyer and basically told him that if he drops the suit now, we won't go after our costs, but if he continues, we will be seeking our costs for the entire time. So, if my uncle stops now, we won't go after him for the money we have already paid the lawyer, but if he keeps going, we'll be going after all our costs, which could be tens of thousands of dollars. My uncle must realize by now that his chances of winning are slim to none (he has seen all our documents).
So, last week, my mom got a call from a mutual friend between my uncle and her. He had been talking to my uncle and my uncle expressed a sense of urgency that we need to talk about things and see if we can come to some sort of settlement. This is the best news we've had since the lawsuit was launched! I think this would be a really good time to talk things over and see if there is some sort of compromise that we can all live with. We believe that we would win if this case went all the way, but we are not keen on going through a few more years of this if we don't have to. So, we are open to talking about things, provided we get the necessary guidance from our lawyer and the discussions take place with the assistance of a professional mediator. So, the friend was going to relay that to my uncle and we'll see what he says. I would be so happy if we could settle this and be done with it! I'm not holding my breath, but maybe my uncle really is starting to realize he doesn't have a chance.
I have an appointment to see my doctor this afternoon to have the necessary tests done to get this confirmed. I am hoping I can get the results within a few days so we can tell our families this weekend. We bought a T-shirt for Julie that says “I’m the Big Sister”, so we’re going to let her make the announcement!
I can’t wait to get confirmation on this; maybe then it will feel more real. I still feel like I am dreaming this whole thing up!
In other news, there has been an interesting development in the lawsuit. The next step is to go through examinations, which could happen as early as 3 weeks from now. This is sort of a turning point since that would cost a lot more money. Our lawyer wrote my uncle's lawyer and basically told him that if he drops the suit now, we won't go after our costs, but if he continues, we will be seeking our costs for the entire time. So, if my uncle stops now, we won't go after him for the money we have already paid the lawyer, but if he keeps going, we'll be going after all our costs, which could be tens of thousands of dollars. My uncle must realize by now that his chances of winning are slim to none (he has seen all our documents).
So, last week, my mom got a call from a mutual friend between my uncle and her. He had been talking to my uncle and my uncle expressed a sense of urgency that we need to talk about things and see if we can come to some sort of settlement. This is the best news we've had since the lawsuit was launched! I think this would be a really good time to talk things over and see if there is some sort of compromise that we can all live with. We believe that we would win if this case went all the way, but we are not keen on going through a few more years of this if we don't have to. So, we are open to talking about things, provided we get the necessary guidance from our lawyer and the discussions take place with the assistance of a professional mediator. So, the friend was going to relay that to my uncle and we'll see what he says. I would be so happy if we could settle this and be done with it! I'm not holding my breath, but maybe my uncle really is starting to realize he doesn't have a chance.
Friday, March 30, 2012
This will have to wait
I just called my doctor's office to see if I could get in today to have this confirmed, and his office is closed this week. They re-open on Monday morning. So, I will call first thing on Monday to see if I can get in on Monday afternoon. I should be able to get the results by Wednesday or so - I really want to tell my family on Good Friday and CT's family on Easter Sunday!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
We're expanding!
We are expecting our second child! I took a pregnancy test this morning and it came back positive! I will try to get in to see my doctor to have this confirmed tomorrow. But, I am quite certain I am pregnant since my period is 3 days late and I had a positive result on a home pregnancy test (two actually, I took one yesterday (cheapie) and another one (digital) this morning - both were positive). The digital one even tells you how far along you are - so I am 2-3 weeks after conception, so 4-5 weeks total.
We are excited! Based on an online due date calculator, it appears as though we will be having a holiday baby with the due date in early December. So, baby #2 and J will be almost 4 years apart. Perfect spacing I think since J will be at a good age to 'help' with the baby.
This is still on the DL for now - we are planning to tell our families at Easter since everyone will be together. That gives me a week to see my doctor and get the necessary confirmation on this before we tell our families. So, you ladies are the only ones who know this besides me and hubby! So, this is strictly confidential at this stage; but I had to let you gals in on this!
We are excited! Based on an online due date calculator, it appears as though we will be having a holiday baby with the due date in early December. So, baby #2 and J will be almost 4 years apart. Perfect spacing I think since J will be at a good age to 'help' with the baby.
This is still on the DL for now - we are planning to tell our families at Easter since everyone will be together. That gives me a week to see my doctor and get the necessary confirmation on this before we tell our families. So, you ladies are the only ones who know this besides me and hubby! So, this is strictly confidential at this stage; but I had to let you gals in on this!
Friday, March 16, 2012
The end of an era
Yesterday, I said goodbye to Zeke – my 2001 Toyota Rav4 that I have had for 11 years. We decided to upgrade to a larger vehicle; it was time. I sold Zeke to my brother Alex, so at least Zeke gets to stay in the family! Alex and his wife are very excited to have Zeke; I am thrilled they wanted him because I really didn’t want to see him go to a stranger. I sold Zeke to Alex for the same price that the dealership offered me for a trade in value (which was probably half of what I thought he was worth), so Alex gets him for an awesome price and it’s no different to us financially than if we traded him in. So, it’s a win-win for everybody!
Our new vehicle is a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT. It’s pretty sweet! It has the full Stow n Go seats, which are awesome. It’s got so many cool features – and so much easier to fit Julie’s car seat into. We picked it up last night. It doesn’t have a name yet, but I’m sure we’ll name it soon ;)
Our new vehicle is a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT. It’s pretty sweet! It has the full Stow n Go seats, which are awesome. It’s got so many cool features – and so much easier to fit Julie’s car seat into. We picked it up last night. It doesn’t have a name yet, but I’m sure we’ll name it soon ;)
Thursday, March 01, 2012
*Hopefully* the worst is over
So, things have been going slightly better at work lately. I had an unpleasant meeting with a client earlier this week, but I was able to get through it. I was upset that my boss wasn’t able to be there, so I had to do the meeting by myself. The client is very mad and upset, so that wasn’t fun to deal with. But, it’s over now.
I was talking to one of my friends at church on Sunday and he told me he got a big promotion at his company and they are looking for more people in his group. I told him a little bit about how unhappy I have been here, so he wants to talk to me about possible opportunities there. It’s the same company I did 3 of my co-op terms with in school – the only reason I didn’t apply there earlier is I really don’t like the president of the company – I don’t think he’d be much better than my current boss. But, my friend said he is the ‘shield’ between any employees in his group and the president, so maybe that would work out okay. I will definitely take him up on his offer to talk more – can’t hurt to find out more about it and see if that might be a good ‘change of scenery’. It would be nice to have another option in my back pocket in case things get bad here again. He was horrified when I told him a little bit about what I have been expected to do here with no help or guidance. He told me it has taken him months and months to develop his skills with these software programs. I was expected to learn them and be an expert instantly.
I have been enjoying going to the Y – I think that has been a good way to combat some stress. I enter the pool all stressed and mad and then get out of the pool all relaxed. Maybe next time I’ll try the hot tub too!
I was talking to one of my friends at church on Sunday and he told me he got a big promotion at his company and they are looking for more people in his group. I told him a little bit about how unhappy I have been here, so he wants to talk to me about possible opportunities there. It’s the same company I did 3 of my co-op terms with in school – the only reason I didn’t apply there earlier is I really don’t like the president of the company – I don’t think he’d be much better than my current boss. But, my friend said he is the ‘shield’ between any employees in his group and the president, so maybe that would work out okay. I will definitely take him up on his offer to talk more – can’t hurt to find out more about it and see if that might be a good ‘change of scenery’. It would be nice to have another option in my back pocket in case things get bad here again. He was horrified when I told him a little bit about what I have been expected to do here with no help or guidance. He told me it has taken him months and months to develop his skills with these software programs. I was expected to learn them and be an expert instantly.
I have been enjoying going to the Y – I think that has been a good way to combat some stress. I enter the pool all stressed and mad and then get out of the pool all relaxed. Maybe next time I’ll try the hot tub too!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Things not much better
So, things got a lot worse since my last post. To the point that I started getting stomach pains over the stress and ALMOST made an appointment with my doctor. I did talk to HR again though and was very clear that I am at my wit’s end and completely burned out and overwhelmed. But, since then, things seem to be getting better. I have one huge project submitted, so that feels really good. My mentor told me that site was only the 2nd most complex site he has seen in his 25+ year career. So, obviously it was a heck of a one for me to work on as a beginner in this field! He said he was going to email my boss and the PM to let them know just how complex it was – I think they may actually listen to him since they don’t seem to be getting it when I tell them how complex it was.
My mentor invited me (and hubby and daughter) over for lunch after church on Sunday. He offered to talk to me about workplace stress since he has dealt with it a few times in his career (once it got so bad he had to take medical leave for a summer!). So, I was completely honest with him about how things are going and that I am concerned for my health at this point.
I also joined the YMCA since physical exercise might be a good way for me to combat the stress. So, I went for the first time on Wednesday and I am going again tomorrow. I’m going to try to go at least twice a week on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. If I can go more often, great, but that will be my minimum.
Also, my mom and I had a meeting with our lawyer on Thursday. Basically, since all the documents have been received, we know that my uncle doesn’t have a case. But, he wants to proceed anyway. I think he is hoping to drag this out so long that we’ll have to give in because we can’t afford to keep paying to fight him. So, we’re thinking at this point about whether there may be opportunity for settlement. We are open to some possibilities and want our lawyer to ask his lawyer if my uncle has any suggestions for a reasonable resolution. If we are going to settle, now would be the time to do it before things get a lot more expensive. If there is no settlement, then we need to go through examinations, which will likely cost us another $5,000.
We had a meeting yesterday with my brothers to talk about how they feel. Surprisingly, we are all on the same page where we would be open to some sort of compromise. We have realized that sharing the cottage with our cousins would not work since we are afraid they would sabotage, etc. We would rather not have to go through all that stress.
So, we’ll see what happens. We are praying that my uncle will be reasonable. I’m hoping we can reach some sort of settlement. He has got to realize that is better for him than continuing since he will only lose in the end. We just can’t afford to keep fighting for much longer – our lawyer costs $350/hour!
My mentor invited me (and hubby and daughter) over for lunch after church on Sunday. He offered to talk to me about workplace stress since he has dealt with it a few times in his career (once it got so bad he had to take medical leave for a summer!). So, I was completely honest with him about how things are going and that I am concerned for my health at this point.
I also joined the YMCA since physical exercise might be a good way for me to combat the stress. So, I went for the first time on Wednesday and I am going again tomorrow. I’m going to try to go at least twice a week on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. If I can go more often, great, but that will be my minimum.
Also, my mom and I had a meeting with our lawyer on Thursday. Basically, since all the documents have been received, we know that my uncle doesn’t have a case. But, he wants to proceed anyway. I think he is hoping to drag this out so long that we’ll have to give in because we can’t afford to keep paying to fight him. So, we’re thinking at this point about whether there may be opportunity for settlement. We are open to some possibilities and want our lawyer to ask his lawyer if my uncle has any suggestions for a reasonable resolution. If we are going to settle, now would be the time to do it before things get a lot more expensive. If there is no settlement, then we need to go through examinations, which will likely cost us another $5,000.
We had a meeting yesterday with my brothers to talk about how they feel. Surprisingly, we are all on the same page where we would be open to some sort of compromise. We have realized that sharing the cottage with our cousins would not work since we are afraid they would sabotage, etc. We would rather not have to go through all that stress.
So, we’ll see what happens. We are praying that my uncle will be reasonable. I’m hoping we can reach some sort of settlement. He has got to realize that is better for him than continuing since he will only lose in the end. We just can’t afford to keep fighting for much longer – our lawyer costs $350/hour!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Nearing the end of the month
The first couple of weeks of January went quite well (compared to December, which was hell). Then last week, things got very stressful again. But, I managed and there were no tears shed, which is improvement. It meant I had to work a bunch of extra hours, but I did what I needed to. And instead of thanking me for my effort, my boss thanked another guy for staying a couple of hours late one night to get the drawings done for one of the projects I’m working on. I laughed out loud when my boss thanked that guy and not me. He thanks him for putting in an extra 2 hours, but I get no thanks for putting in an extra 9 hours that one week when I have a toddler and child care arrangements to juggle? GRRRRR!
If it weren’t for the mentorship they are providing me, I would be outta here in a heartbeat. But, I am learning a lot from my mentor and am gaining valuable skills, so I want to stick it out here for at least a couple more months so I can learn all I can from my mentor.
In my meeting with my boss last month, he said probably 5 times during the meeting that the mentor is here to mentor the company, not me. So, that was drilled into my head. Then, I found out last week that the mentor said no to mentoring the company and only wanted to mentor me. Ha! Too bad for the company, but awesome for me!
In other news, our basement renovation is in full swing. We were originally planning to wait until spring, but my dad is off work right now and will be busy in the spring, so we decided to make use of his free time while he has it! So, he has been working on our basement for the last week and a half and we’re at the stage now where it is being primed. So, the painting can start early next week, most likely! I am hoping to have it almost done in time for Julie’s 3rd birthday party next weekend so we can show people.
When we bought the house, the basement was unfinished. We are finishing one area of the basement to make it into a home office. It will become my office if I decide to proceed with my own business.
Then eventually (as in sometime in the 5 years) we will finish the rest of the basement. Half of the remaining space will be a laundry and storage room and the other half will be a family/rec room. That’s the plan anyways.
For those who are keeping up with the law suit saga, we finally have a copy of my uncle’s affidavit of documents. I had to submit our documents in early December. The deadline was Dec 11, which is a court ordered deadline, so on Dec 12th, our lawyer phoned my uncle’s lawyer to get a copy of his affidavit. He responded with “oh, we haven’t done that yet, we’ll need some more time”. You’ve had months! Really made me mad that he could miss a deadline like that. But, he got his act together and submitted just before Christmas.
So, we got a copy of the documents last week. All in all, he really doesn’t have anything. He has some statements from one select group of Oma’s friends (whom she was estranged from for awhile) which basically explain Oma’s deterioration with dementia. One even went so far as to suggest elder abuse on the part of my mother because she found rotting food in Oma’s fridge once and Oma smelled sometimes. The truth was Oma refused to shower most of the time and my mom did seek help for that very issue from the Alzheimer’s society. I fail to see how that is my mom’s fault. All the statements are dated within a couple days of each other, so I know my uncle solicited those statements. And they are dated the summer of 2009, when Oma was just beginning to seriously deteriorate, so it did take a little time before my mom clued into things and figured out how to handle things.
They also claim that my mom was isolating Oma from her family and friends, which is a total lie. Oma had a very active social life and never declined an invitation from this group of friends. So, I really have no idea how they can claim that. We can prove otherwise.
He also has a hand written note from Oma to her first lawyer stating she wants her Will reverted back to the previous version (i.e. the one Ken wants). But, that letter is not witnessed, so I’m sure my uncle dictated that to her. So, I’m not worried about that.
So, overall, given the evidence, I really think we have a stronger case. We are going to meet with our lawyer on Feb 16th to discuss things and we’ll see what he says.
If it weren’t for the mentorship they are providing me, I would be outta here in a heartbeat. But, I am learning a lot from my mentor and am gaining valuable skills, so I want to stick it out here for at least a couple more months so I can learn all I can from my mentor.
In my meeting with my boss last month, he said probably 5 times during the meeting that the mentor is here to mentor the company, not me. So, that was drilled into my head. Then, I found out last week that the mentor said no to mentoring the company and only wanted to mentor me. Ha! Too bad for the company, but awesome for me!
In other news, our basement renovation is in full swing. We were originally planning to wait until spring, but my dad is off work right now and will be busy in the spring, so we decided to make use of his free time while he has it! So, he has been working on our basement for the last week and a half and we’re at the stage now where it is being primed. So, the painting can start early next week, most likely! I am hoping to have it almost done in time for Julie’s 3rd birthday party next weekend so we can show people.
When we bought the house, the basement was unfinished. We are finishing one area of the basement to make it into a home office. It will become my office if I decide to proceed with my own business.
Then eventually (as in sometime in the 5 years) we will finish the rest of the basement. Half of the remaining space will be a laundry and storage room and the other half will be a family/rec room. That’s the plan anyways.
For those who are keeping up with the law suit saga, we finally have a copy of my uncle’s affidavit of documents. I had to submit our documents in early December. The deadline was Dec 11, which is a court ordered deadline, so on Dec 12th, our lawyer phoned my uncle’s lawyer to get a copy of his affidavit. He responded with “oh, we haven’t done that yet, we’ll need some more time”. You’ve had months! Really made me mad that he could miss a deadline like that. But, he got his act together and submitted just before Christmas.
So, we got a copy of the documents last week. All in all, he really doesn’t have anything. He has some statements from one select group of Oma’s friends (whom she was estranged from for awhile) which basically explain Oma’s deterioration with dementia. One even went so far as to suggest elder abuse on the part of my mother because she found rotting food in Oma’s fridge once and Oma smelled sometimes. The truth was Oma refused to shower most of the time and my mom did seek help for that very issue from the Alzheimer’s society. I fail to see how that is my mom’s fault. All the statements are dated within a couple days of each other, so I know my uncle solicited those statements. And they are dated the summer of 2009, when Oma was just beginning to seriously deteriorate, so it did take a little time before my mom clued into things and figured out how to handle things.
They also claim that my mom was isolating Oma from her family and friends, which is a total lie. Oma had a very active social life and never declined an invitation from this group of friends. So, I really have no idea how they can claim that. We can prove otherwise.
He also has a hand written note from Oma to her first lawyer stating she wants her Will reverted back to the previous version (i.e. the one Ken wants). But, that letter is not witnessed, so I’m sure my uncle dictated that to her. So, I’m not worried about that.
So, overall, given the evidence, I really think we have a stronger case. We are going to meet with our lawyer on Feb 16th to discuss things and we’ll see what he says.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
A new year, new beginning
Well the situation at work got much worse since my last post. December was an awful month at work with many tears and me wanting to storm out and quit. I felt like I was being blamed for things that weren't my fault and I basically felt completely incompetent, which is not a feeling I am used to!
I decided to talk to one of my coworkers about this in mid-December. He is one of the 4 senior managers, so he has lots of 'pull' in the company and he and I have been friends since I started 8 years ago. So, he is probably the coworker I am most close to. So, I asked him if we could go for lunch and talk. I was completely honest with him about how I was feeling and that I didn't think I was being treated fairly. I also told him I was concerned about being fired over this and he told me that won't happen. So, I was relieved to hear that - I was feeling like I better find another job quickly before they fired me, but knowing that they weren't going to fire me took the pressure off to find something else quickly.
He was very understanding about the whole situation and was completely on my side. He suggested I also talk to the head of HR about my concerns, which I did the following week. She was also very supportive and suggested I meet with the president of the company and another senior PM involved so I could have a chance to voice my concerns because up until that point, I felt like I wasn't being heard. I agreed to the meeting and asked that the head of HR also be present.
So, that meeting happened the Tuesday before the Christmas break. What an awful experience. This was a meeting I called - it started out well, I had notes about what I wanted to say, so I was able to get through all that. Although, I still don't think they really got it. Then the meeting basically turned into a discussion of my weaknesses and resulted in me being demoted - again. I am now in the same position I was 8 months ago before my big promotion last May. I left that meeting feeling completely deflated and like a piece of garbage. I think they need to learn how to manage people better because you don't just beat someone down and then end the meeting. I am willing to accept criticism, but they should have ended the meeting on a high note. Instead, I left feeling completely useless and went to the bathroom and cried.
Over the Christmas break, I decided to just put that all behind me and start fresh in January. I made myself a deadline of the end of January to see if things can turn around a little bit or not. If I am still miserable at the end of the month, I will seriously consider other employment options. As of the end of December, they have hired a mentor for me on a casual, as-needed basis and he is the in town guru in this subject area (and I worked with him for 3 co-op terms and he and his family also go to our church, so I do already know him). So, I am feeling hopeful that things can turn around. If not, I can leave with no regrets or guilt because I don't owe them anything.
I know I can't go on like things were in December - I was crying all the time and completely miserable to the point I dreaded going into work.
Onto happy things - we had a great Christmas. Julie was so excited and everyone spoiled her. I was spoiled too - Carlos bought me a blackberry playbook and then I bought myself a Kobo on Boxing Day since it was an awesome deal. I love both my new gadgets ;)
I can't believe how much Julie is growing up. She will be 3 in less than a month! She amazes me with her vocabulary every day! As much as I hate my job these days, I keep trying to focus on the fact that my most important jobs are being a wife and mother, so Carlos' and Julie's opinion of me is WAY more important than my boss. It's just a job - Carlos and Julie are my life.
I decided to talk to one of my coworkers about this in mid-December. He is one of the 4 senior managers, so he has lots of 'pull' in the company and he and I have been friends since I started 8 years ago. So, he is probably the coworker I am most close to. So, I asked him if we could go for lunch and talk. I was completely honest with him about how I was feeling and that I didn't think I was being treated fairly. I also told him I was concerned about being fired over this and he told me that won't happen. So, I was relieved to hear that - I was feeling like I better find another job quickly before they fired me, but knowing that they weren't going to fire me took the pressure off to find something else quickly.
He was very understanding about the whole situation and was completely on my side. He suggested I also talk to the head of HR about my concerns, which I did the following week. She was also very supportive and suggested I meet with the president of the company and another senior PM involved so I could have a chance to voice my concerns because up until that point, I felt like I wasn't being heard. I agreed to the meeting and asked that the head of HR also be present.
So, that meeting happened the Tuesday before the Christmas break. What an awful experience. This was a meeting I called - it started out well, I had notes about what I wanted to say, so I was able to get through all that. Although, I still don't think they really got it. Then the meeting basically turned into a discussion of my weaknesses and resulted in me being demoted - again. I am now in the same position I was 8 months ago before my big promotion last May. I left that meeting feeling completely deflated and like a piece of garbage. I think they need to learn how to manage people better because you don't just beat someone down and then end the meeting. I am willing to accept criticism, but they should have ended the meeting on a high note. Instead, I left feeling completely useless and went to the bathroom and cried.
Over the Christmas break, I decided to just put that all behind me and start fresh in January. I made myself a deadline of the end of January to see if things can turn around a little bit or not. If I am still miserable at the end of the month, I will seriously consider other employment options. As of the end of December, they have hired a mentor for me on a casual, as-needed basis and he is the in town guru in this subject area (and I worked with him for 3 co-op terms and he and his family also go to our church, so I do already know him). So, I am feeling hopeful that things can turn around. If not, I can leave with no regrets or guilt because I don't owe them anything.
I know I can't go on like things were in December - I was crying all the time and completely miserable to the point I dreaded going into work.
Onto happy things - we had a great Christmas. Julie was so excited and everyone spoiled her. I was spoiled too - Carlos bought me a blackberry playbook and then I bought myself a Kobo on Boxing Day since it was an awesome deal. I love both my new gadgets ;)
I can't believe how much Julie is growing up. She will be 3 in less than a month! She amazes me with her vocabulary every day! As much as I hate my job these days, I keep trying to focus on the fact that my most important jobs are being a wife and mother, so Carlos' and Julie's opinion of me is WAY more important than my boss. It's just a job - Carlos and Julie are my life.
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