Wednesday was the 28 week mark! I can't believe I only have 12 more weeks left...
The past week has been pretty uneventful pregnancy-wise. I've been doing a lot of relaxing, cooking, meditating, reading and soaking up the sun. Needless to say, life has been pretty good. I'm mentally ready for the baby to arrive now...I think 9 months is much too long to wait. I don't know who to file that complaint with though...God? Most of my annoying pregnancy symptoms have gone away, which I attribute to a ridiculously healthy diet and stress-free existence.
This week I'll be going to get my bloodwork done again to check for anaemia and whatnot, but I've been popping my B12 on a daily basis so it should be lookin' good. Not looking forward to the needle though. :(
I've been looking at cribs and various baby things lately because it's getting around to that time when we need to start purchasing, assembling and readying the baby's pad. I have a feeling he's going to be a bit early so I definitely want to be prepared. Also, I think it would be nice to sit in a rocking chair in a baby-ready room and soak in the wonderfulness for a little bit before that scene includes wailing. We're going to get pictures done at the beginning of August so there will be one more set of shots to enjoy later on. I hope I'm this diligent about keeping track of things for the rest of my offspring. Being the kid with a half-finished baby book because your parents slacked off after the first one sucks. I guess time will tell - lots and lots of time though, because I'm not doing this again for a good long while!
Not having Jim around would have to be the only down-side to the current situation. This long-distance crap is really getting old. Just seven more days until he arrives though so I know I should suck it up and remember that a lot of people have it much worse. And lucky me, I get some soap when he arrives!
Sorry I don't have much to report, but I really can't complain about not having anything to complain about.
I plan on kicking up my heels and celebrating pregnant-style when I hit 30 weeks so stay tuned!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
26 Weeks!
The past few days have been pretty interesting! Jim left on Thursday morning which sucked and in the afternoon I had my first appointment with my new OB. She is really nice, and I appreciated her taking quite a bit of time to sit with me, answer all of my questions and share some of her personal experiences. She was very accepting of the way I want to do things (no drugs of any kind for any reason unless I say so) and basically, she's wonderful! She also informed me that I've lost 5 pounds since my last appointment about 2 weeks ago which made me a little worried, but after measuring my stomach and assuring me that the baby is growing according to schedule, I felt a lot better. As long as he's growing, I have no problem whatsoever with the idea of losing weight.
On Friday I found out that the baby's bassinet had arrived at Sears (thanks to some of the most wonderful girlfriends anyone could ask for!) so we went to pick it up, and I opened and assembled it as soon as we got home and I got it into the house! It is beautiful. I saw it in the catalogue, and I saw it in the store at home, but there is something different about having my own, here, sitting in the baby's room waiting for him that makes my heart sigh every time I go in there to look at it...which I do pretty often.
On Saturday I woke up at about 7am with some excruciating stomach cramps and proceeded to barf (amongst other nasty things) for the next few hours. When I realized that my barfing/cramping sessions were getting more and more frequent I started to panic a bit that something might be wrong with the baby. So, I peeled myself off of the bathroom floor, put some clothes on and went upstairs to ask Edie to drive me to the hospital. Wonderful woman that she is, she grabbed a bucket and some paper towels and kleenex and off we went! The first thing they did was send me up to maternity to make sure the baby was okay, and he was perfectly fine. Even when I was cramping he showed no signs of distress so that was a HUGE relief. Then I went back downstairs to the emergency room to wait and barf and wait and barf until finally I ran out to the bathroom to throw up only to find that it was occupied! The nearest option was outside so I ran for the door but didn't make it in time and threw up all over the floor, the door, and myself. I went into the emergency room, told the nurse that I could not sit there anymore (I'd been there for about an hour and 1/2 at this point, and the waiting time was estimated at 4 hours) especially now that I was covered in puke. To paint you a picture, my sandals were actually making squishing noises when I walked. Disgusting. Anyways, I went into the bathroom, took off my t-shirt (I had a tank-top underneath) and went outside to wait for Edie. It was humiliating. Had I known the baby was fine, I would have just stayed at home! Anyways, it turned out to be the stomach flu, so after spending the rest of the day throwing up (amongst other nasty things), sleeping, sweating, shivering and aching, I woke up this morning feeling much better. I still have a bit of an angry stomach and I'm still exhausted, but the worst is behind me and I'm hoping to wake up as my normal radiant self (HA!) in the morning.
If the past few days are any indication of what the next couple of weeks will be like, I'm sure the time will fly by, and Jim will be back in what feels like no time at all!
P.S. My stretch marks are getting worse, but my outlook is getting better!
On Friday I found out that the baby's bassinet had arrived at Sears (thanks to some of the most wonderful girlfriends anyone could ask for!) so we went to pick it up, and I opened and assembled it as soon as we got home and I got it into the house! It is beautiful. I saw it in the catalogue, and I saw it in the store at home, but there is something different about having my own, here, sitting in the baby's room waiting for him that makes my heart sigh every time I go in there to look at it...which I do pretty often.
On Saturday I woke up at about 7am with some excruciating stomach cramps and proceeded to barf (amongst other nasty things) for the next few hours. When I realized that my barfing/cramping sessions were getting more and more frequent I started to panic a bit that something might be wrong with the baby. So, I peeled myself off of the bathroom floor, put some clothes on and went upstairs to ask Edie to drive me to the hospital. Wonderful woman that she is, she grabbed a bucket and some paper towels and kleenex and off we went! The first thing they did was send me up to maternity to make sure the baby was okay, and he was perfectly fine. Even when I was cramping he showed no signs of distress so that was a HUGE relief. Then I went back downstairs to the emergency room to wait and barf and wait and barf until finally I ran out to the bathroom to throw up only to find that it was occupied! The nearest option was outside so I ran for the door but didn't make it in time and threw up all over the floor, the door, and myself. I went into the emergency room, told the nurse that I could not sit there anymore (I'd been there for about an hour and 1/2 at this point, and the waiting time was estimated at 4 hours) especially now that I was covered in puke. To paint you a picture, my sandals were actually making squishing noises when I walked. Disgusting. Anyways, I went into the bathroom, took off my t-shirt (I had a tank-top underneath) and went outside to wait for Edie. It was humiliating. Had I known the baby was fine, I would have just stayed at home! Anyways, it turned out to be the stomach flu, so after spending the rest of the day throwing up (amongst other nasty things), sleeping, sweating, shivering and aching, I woke up this morning feeling much better. I still have a bit of an angry stomach and I'm still exhausted, but the worst is behind me and I'm hoping to wake up as my normal radiant self (HA!) in the morning.
If the past few days are any indication of what the next couple of weeks will be like, I'm sure the time will fly by, and Jim will be back in what feels like no time at all!
P.S. My stretch marks are getting worse, but my outlook is getting better!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Salt Springs!
I have been in Nova Scotia for two days now, and I am incandescently happy. The house is beautiful and comfortable (I felt at home as soon as I arrived) and the landscape is breathtaking. It's the perfect amount of quiet too. To paint you a picture, The house is on the side of a road covered on one side by trees and rolling hills and a bush on the other, and as soon as you walk in you're in a room full of plants and wicker furniture (two house must-haves in my opinion) and the best way I can describe it is 'warm and comfortable'. Outside in the front is a patio with foliage on top and comfy patio furniture, surrounded by flowers and plants, with bird feeders everywhere! I had a hummingbird not two feet from my face this morning!!! It's magical. It's a little too chilly to read outside right now, but you can bet that once the sun decides to warm my toes again, I will be living outside. Downstairs there is a rec room with comfy old furniture and big windows, and a sliding glass doors that open onto a patio below the deck upstairs, a perfect place to sit, meditate and listen to the birds chirping all around. Down the hall there are a few rooms and a bathroom, and at the end there is a big bathroom (newly renovated, which was incredibly touching), my super-comfy and beautiful bedroom (decorated from floor to ceiling in green, my favourite colour - also touching) with a big window looking into the backyard and a little one looking out to the side yard, and then across the hall from me is the baby's room. His room is painted cream and white and has patio doors opening onto a patio that is connected by a little path of patio stones to the rec room patio. I can already picture myself rocking the baby in front of the windows. And incidentally, the baby's room used to be Jim's room. I think that's magical. I've been going to bed at night listening to the frogs doing it and waking up to the singing and chirping of birds. Now if you know me at all, you know I am in heaven here.
Jim's parents are lovely, welcoming people and I know I am going to be very happy here. I can't think of a more perfect place to wait for the baby's arrival. I'm getting anxious for the weather to improve though so Jim and I can go carve out a trail to walk around the property and along the river on. I want so badly to start exploring outside, but I know I have to be a wee bit more careful than I usually would be.
At the Toronto airport there was a LUSH store, which in case you don't know is an store that sells handmade, all-natural soaps, lotions, shampoos and whatnot. I love LUSH soaps, especially their Karma soap, and so we went in to pick some up. I asked the saleswoman if they had anything for itchy bellies, and she said they have something that is perfect for pregnant women's bellies that prevents itchiness and stretch marks, and showed me this stuff called Dream Cream. It smells incredible, and is all-natural, so I told her I would get some because frankly I have been so itchy lately that I will try anything at this point. It was a whopping $25 fr a 250mL tub, but so far it's been working and the tub is recyclable, so I'm happy as a clam.
Jim and I went to the city yesterday for some maternity clothes, and I peed my pants in Old Navy! I sneezed unexpectedly, with no time to clench, and peed a little in my maternity tights. Thank goodness it was just a little and thank goodness we were clothes shopping! Needless to say, I'll be increasing my daily kegel exercises from now on. I managed to acquire all of the necessities I would need to get me through these last 3 months of pregnancy without spending a truckload of money, so I am thrilled. We also went out for dinner with Jim's nephew Winston and that was fun.
I don't know if it's the raw/vegan diet I've been on for a couple of weeks or just timing, but my heartburn is gone and I seem to have more energy! I'm going to credit my eating habits with the change. Jim has also decided to try eating raw/vegan which makes it easier not to dive into a meatlover's pizza. Today Jim is at work and I am working on finding a midwife, and if not a midwife, then an OB. Wish me luck!
Jim's parents are lovely, welcoming people and I know I am going to be very happy here. I can't think of a more perfect place to wait for the baby's arrival. I'm getting anxious for the weather to improve though so Jim and I can go carve out a trail to walk around the property and along the river on. I want so badly to start exploring outside, but I know I have to be a wee bit more careful than I usually would be.
At the Toronto airport there was a LUSH store, which in case you don't know is an store that sells handmade, all-natural soaps, lotions, shampoos and whatnot. I love LUSH soaps, especially their Karma soap, and so we went in to pick some up. I asked the saleswoman if they had anything for itchy bellies, and she said they have something that is perfect for pregnant women's bellies that prevents itchiness and stretch marks, and showed me this stuff called Dream Cream. It smells incredible, and is all-natural, so I told her I would get some because frankly I have been so itchy lately that I will try anything at this point. It was a whopping $25 fr a 250mL tub, but so far it's been working and the tub is recyclable, so I'm happy as a clam.
Jim and I went to the city yesterday for some maternity clothes, and I peed my pants in Old Navy! I sneezed unexpectedly, with no time to clench, and peed a little in my maternity tights. Thank goodness it was just a little and thank goodness we were clothes shopping! Needless to say, I'll be increasing my daily kegel exercises from now on. I managed to acquire all of the necessities I would need to get me through these last 3 months of pregnancy without spending a truckload of money, so I am thrilled. We also went out for dinner with Jim's nephew Winston and that was fun.
I don't know if it's the raw/vegan diet I've been on for a couple of weeks or just timing, but my heartburn is gone and I seem to have more energy! I'm going to credit my eating habits with the change. Jim has also decided to try eating raw/vegan which makes it easier not to dive into a meatlover's pizza. Today Jim is at work and I am working on finding a midwife, and if not a midwife, then an OB. Wish me luck!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
In Thunder Bay...and the living's easy.
I've been in Thunder Bay for two days now, and I am incredibly relaxed and rested. Life is good.
The trip to Winnipeg was surprisingly nice. The landscape was beautiful and captured my attention for most of the ride despite the novels and SuDoku sitting untouched in my bag. I saw two moose and two wolves! I had never seen wolves before that so I was very excited! I think the bus driver mistook my excitement about the wolves for excitement about any kind of wildlife, and he therefore proceeded to wake me up every time he saw an animal on the side of the highway. It was cute, but kind of annoying since we were on the lat 4 hours of the trip and I was exhausted.
Winnipeg was awesome, and it was soooooo nice to see Joce and Jason. It had been a little over a year since I got to spend any quality time with them. Well overdue. I guess being away from good friends is a part of being an adult though...boo. Anyways, we ate at a place called Mongo's which was INCREDIBLE and officially my favourite restaurant in the world now! I got to assemble a bowl of goodies like soy beans, black beans, chick peas, bok choy, bean sprouts, peppers, tofu and rice noodles, then a whole bunch of random sauces and spices, then watched them grill it in front of me. LOVE IT! Jim arrived on Wednesday around suppertime and that was wonderful. I missed him a lot. On Thursday we went to the mall, and I got a couple of maternity wear items (ones I really like that I would have bought pre-pregnancy, which was thrilling!) and went to Build-A-Bear to assemble the cutest stuffed puppy EVER for the baby. There were so many add-on options it was overwhelming, but in the end we picked out a red handkerchief and the thing is adorable. Picturing the baby dragging it behind him by the ear makes my toes wiggle with excitement!
The drive to Thunder Bay was looooong, mostly because I was so tired, but we got to stop in Ignace and visit Rosa and Daniella which was nice. Like I told Rosa, if I can figure out how to raise our son so that he turns out as good as the Harrington kids I will be tickled pink! I guess we will wait and see...
Anyhow, while Jim is at ground school I am on my own and have been relaxing, reading, doing a little yoga, and today I'm going on a hunt for produce! Last night we went to Boston Pizza with a bunch of Jim's friends which was nice. They were all really nice people, but after two hours of sitting in a tall chair my butt and lower back hurt so much we had to check outta there! Tonight we're going to see Sex and the City, and tomorrow is Old Navy maternity section day!!! I'm excited.
Jim felt the baby kick for the first time on Wednesday, which was incredible to watch. It was so nice because it makes me sad that he has to miss out on so much of the pregnancy. Two weeks together feels like such a luxury though, so I will be relishing every minute!
Pregnancy-wise, the past few days have been good, with my only complaints being my incredibly itchy belly, and sore feet. My tootsies enjoyed a blissful foot rub from Jim last night though!
Anyhow, next time I write I'll be in Nova Scotia. Pretty exciting stuff!
The trip to Winnipeg was surprisingly nice. The landscape was beautiful and captured my attention for most of the ride despite the novels and SuDoku sitting untouched in my bag. I saw two moose and two wolves! I had never seen wolves before that so I was very excited! I think the bus driver mistook my excitement about the wolves for excitement about any kind of wildlife, and he therefore proceeded to wake me up every time he saw an animal on the side of the highway. It was cute, but kind of annoying since we were on the lat 4 hours of the trip and I was exhausted.
Winnipeg was awesome, and it was soooooo nice to see Joce and Jason. It had been a little over a year since I got to spend any quality time with them. Well overdue. I guess being away from good friends is a part of being an adult though...boo. Anyways, we ate at a place called Mongo's which was INCREDIBLE and officially my favourite restaurant in the world now! I got to assemble a bowl of goodies like soy beans, black beans, chick peas, bok choy, bean sprouts, peppers, tofu and rice noodles, then a whole bunch of random sauces and spices, then watched them grill it in front of me. LOVE IT! Jim arrived on Wednesday around suppertime and that was wonderful. I missed him a lot. On Thursday we went to the mall, and I got a couple of maternity wear items (ones I really like that I would have bought pre-pregnancy, which was thrilling!) and went to Build-A-Bear to assemble the cutest stuffed puppy EVER for the baby. There were so many add-on options it was overwhelming, but in the end we picked out a red handkerchief and the thing is adorable. Picturing the baby dragging it behind him by the ear makes my toes wiggle with excitement!
The drive to Thunder Bay was looooong, mostly because I was so tired, but we got to stop in Ignace and visit Rosa and Daniella which was nice. Like I told Rosa, if I can figure out how to raise our son so that he turns out as good as the Harrington kids I will be tickled pink! I guess we will wait and see...
Anyhow, while Jim is at ground school I am on my own and have been relaxing, reading, doing a little yoga, and today I'm going on a hunt for produce! Last night we went to Boston Pizza with a bunch of Jim's friends which was nice. They were all really nice people, but after two hours of sitting in a tall chair my butt and lower back hurt so much we had to check outta there! Tonight we're going to see Sex and the City, and tomorrow is Old Navy maternity section day!!! I'm excited.
Jim felt the baby kick for the first time on Wednesday, which was incredible to watch. It was so nice because it makes me sad that he has to miss out on so much of the pregnancy. Two weeks together feels like such a luxury though, so I will be relishing every minute!
Pregnancy-wise, the past few days have been good, with my only complaints being my incredibly itchy belly, and sore feet. My tootsies enjoyed a blissful foot rub from Jim last night though!
Anyhow, next time I write I'll be in Nova Scotia. Pretty exciting stuff!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Home.
Well, it's Sunday morning and I sit here writing this with tears streaming down my face. I just woke up and looked around my empty room and realized that for the first time I'm leaving and I have no idea when I'll be back. I've left before, and those of you who know me well (including myself) probably knew it was just a matter of time before I left again, but this time it's different.
This time I'm embarking upon the greatest, hardest, most wonderful, rewarding and challenging thing I will ever do and I'm doing it miles and miles away from the people I love, who love me, who have raised me and shaped me into this wild crazy woman that I am. I love you all. I will especially miss you women (Mom, Auntie Laura, Auntie Debbie, Auntie Lynda and Auntie Suzie) who have taught me what it is to be a strong, caring, willful, creative, wise, loving and lovely woman. You five have taught me what it means to be a mother, and I just hope I can take all of your best qualities with me and teach my son just how valuable they are. Most girls are lucky to have one mother to raise and love them, and I was blessed with five. I am really going to miss you. You are irreplaceable to me.
I know in my heart that this is going to be the most incredibly exciting time of my life, and I am incredibly anxious to meet my son. Soon enough, I will be home and you will meet him too!
I'll be living out of my suitcase for awhile, so I don't know when I will write next, but considering all the change that is about to take place, and all of the hormones surging through my body, I'm willing to bet it will be soon...
This time I'm embarking upon the greatest, hardest, most wonderful, rewarding and challenging thing I will ever do and I'm doing it miles and miles away from the people I love, who love me, who have raised me and shaped me into this wild crazy woman that I am. I love you all. I will especially miss you women (Mom, Auntie Laura, Auntie Debbie, Auntie Lynda and Auntie Suzie) who have taught me what it is to be a strong, caring, willful, creative, wise, loving and lovely woman. You five have taught me what it means to be a mother, and I just hope I can take all of your best qualities with me and teach my son just how valuable they are. Most girls are lucky to have one mother to raise and love them, and I was blessed with five. I am really going to miss you. You are irreplaceable to me.
I know in my heart that this is going to be the most incredibly exciting time of my life, and I am incredibly anxious to meet my son. Soon enough, I will be home and you will meet him too!
I'll be living out of my suitcase for awhile, so I don't know when I will write next, but considering all the change that is about to take place, and all of the hormones surging through my body, I'm willing to bet it will be soon...
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
23 Weeks!
This week has been BUSY! With volunteering, packing, seeing people to say goodbye and going to appointments I have been exhausted, but it's been a great week. I can't complain about being busy because pretty soon I will be relaxing on the beautiful Nova Scotia countryside! I can hardly wait.
Some recent developments (besides my ever-growing boobs, of course) are an extremely itchy belly, very swollen ankles and a couple of teeny tiny stretch marks under by belly button. For the tummy I've got some oatmeal, which has helped a bit. For my swollen ankles and feet my midwife recommended cucumber, watermelon and hot water with lemon. And for my stretch marks the fine ladies at the health food store suggested shea butter. Not shea butter body shop or pharmacy style, but 100% shea butter. After reading about how many harmful chemicals are in the hair and body products we use every day, I decided I would put nothing on my body unless it would be safe to eat. I figure if it's not safe to put in my body, it shouldn't be considered safe to put it on my body.
I've been eating about 65% raw for the last little bit (except for Saturday when I had a lunch and dinner date and ate whatever caught my eye...which I paid for dearly later) and have been feeling great because of it! Raw food seriously changes your life. There are a couple of articles about it on my other blog (the link to it is on my blog profile at the right side of this page) if you're interested in the most wonderful, energizing, nourishing way to eat possible!
My little boy is obviously destined to be a great soccer player because he has been kicking like a maniac! My midwife was saying at our appointment today not to be worried about not feeling the baby often, because I won't feel him daily until my 24th week. I told her I don't just feel him every day, but multiple times a day! She said active babies are healthy babies, so that was wonderfully reassuring. In fact, on Sunday night I was watching TV and my belly was popping up in the place he was kicking me. It was so thrilling that I started squealing with delight! I'm excited for Jim to be able to feel him kicking from the outside when we see eachother in a week.
I wish I could write more, but I have a lot of putting-of-stuff-into-boxes before Friday afternoon, and I plan on going to bed early because I am WIPED.
Next time I write I will either be in Winnipeg, Thunder Bay or Salt Springs, NS!
Ciao!
Some recent developments (besides my ever-growing boobs, of course) are an extremely itchy belly, very swollen ankles and a couple of teeny tiny stretch marks under by belly button. For the tummy I've got some oatmeal, which has helped a bit. For my swollen ankles and feet my midwife recommended cucumber, watermelon and hot water with lemon. And for my stretch marks the fine ladies at the health food store suggested shea butter. Not shea butter body shop or pharmacy style, but 100% shea butter. After reading about how many harmful chemicals are in the hair and body products we use every day, I decided I would put nothing on my body unless it would be safe to eat. I figure if it's not safe to put in my body, it shouldn't be considered safe to put it on my body.
I've been eating about 65% raw for the last little bit (except for Saturday when I had a lunch and dinner date and ate whatever caught my eye...which I paid for dearly later) and have been feeling great because of it! Raw food seriously changes your life. There are a couple of articles about it on my other blog (the link to it is on my blog profile at the right side of this page) if you're interested in the most wonderful, energizing, nourishing way to eat possible!
My little boy is obviously destined to be a great soccer player because he has been kicking like a maniac! My midwife was saying at our appointment today not to be worried about not feeling the baby often, because I won't feel him daily until my 24th week. I told her I don't just feel him every day, but multiple times a day! She said active babies are healthy babies, so that was wonderfully reassuring. In fact, on Sunday night I was watching TV and my belly was popping up in the place he was kicking me. It was so thrilling that I started squealing with delight! I'm excited for Jim to be able to feel him kicking from the outside when we see eachother in a week.
I wish I could write more, but I have a lot of putting-of-stuff-into-boxes before Friday afternoon, and I plan on going to bed early because I am WIPED.
Next time I write I will either be in Winnipeg, Thunder Bay or Salt Springs, NS!
Ciao!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Big Belly Roadblock...
I thought I'd share with you two stories from today.
When Anthony got home from school this afternoon, I was napping on the couch. Obviously his entrance woke me up, and the urgent need to pee directly followed. I started trying to roll myself off the couch (grunting with effort while I did so) with Anthony watching and laughing. After a little bit I gave up on the rolling (Anthony didn't give up on the laughing) and managed to get myself upright by pulling on the top of the couch and hoisting myself up into a sitting position. I looked up at Anthony, said "I'm fat" in a dejected tone, then walked past him to the bathroom as he fell onto his knees laughing at me. He's such a nice kid.
On a more delightful note, today another volunteer at the soup kitchen looked at me and said "You really look like a mother." I was beaming for the rest of the day.
My throat is on FIRE right now.
When Anthony got home from school this afternoon, I was napping on the couch. Obviously his entrance woke me up, and the urgent need to pee directly followed. I started trying to roll myself off the couch (grunting with effort while I did so) with Anthony watching and laughing. After a little bit I gave up on the rolling (Anthony didn't give up on the laughing) and managed to get myself upright by pulling on the top of the couch and hoisting myself up into a sitting position. I looked up at Anthony, said "I'm fat" in a dejected tone, then walked past him to the bathroom as he fell onto his knees laughing at me. He's such a nice kid.
On a more delightful note, today another volunteer at the soup kitchen looked at me and said "You really look like a mother." I was beaming for the rest of the day.
My throat is on FIRE right now.
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