new wheels

sigh...we've continued our journey towards familyhood. tonight, i said goodbye to my 2002 2-door civic couple, and said hello to a 2002 4-door accord. nice. we finally did the car swap with my family, and now my bro is tickled pink that he has a car of his own. as for me...i already miss my little car...but i know in the long-run a 4-door will be much easier to maneuver a baby in-and-out of.

we've also made an appointment in september for our carseat check at bcaa. we've been told it's easy to install the carseat if you just follow the directions. but, for my own peace of mind (and since it's free!) we're going to have a "professional" check our work. also, a few weeks ago i heard in the news about a car being in a serious rollover accident, and the only reason the baby survived was because he/she was in a properly installed carseat. it's amazing how many people don't actually install them correctly or secure their child!

also on the very near horizon...the diaper dilemna! we're going to a cloth diaper infosession to learn more and hopefully decide which direction...disposable, cloth, or gdiaper (or a combination of any of them).

only 12 more days of work, and 6 more weeks till our due date!

a year off work

i finally determined my last day of work before mat leave...august 29, 2008. it feels so weird to know that in 3 weeks, i'll be off work for 13 months. well, it'll be a different kind of work :-) even though we're not due till sometime between september 23-26, i've got some PTO to use before the end of the year. and after the disaster last night i'm more determined to stop working.

it seems as though my hips now have a mind of their own. i know my body's probably getting ready for the birthing experience (whoop-de-doo), but it's very crippling. in the middle of the night, chris is snoring away, and i've got to pee. well, it takes me practically 5 minutes to get out of bed and make the 10 foot trip to the bathroom. on a positive note, the breathing techniques i've experienced will probably get me through labour :-) in the morning when we got up, chris tried the hip-squeeze technique to ease the pain as i walked. we probably didn't do it right, so we'll have to get some tips from the midwife and doula. i just hope that once the baby arrives, all the pain i've suffered the past 6 months goes away once and for all!

in the meantime, it's finally the weekend, and i've got 3 trips to the swimming pool to look forward to.

this is new...

...pregnancy...what a trip :P today's news is unpleasant...hopefully you're not eating as you read my blog. i was fortunate to completely bypass morning sickness in my 1st trimester. seems as though i'm not so lucky in my 3rd trimester. i was pretty nauseous on the skytrain ride to work today, and lo-and-behold, i threw up in my mouth. at least the nausea went away afterwards. but no, that wasn't the end of it. it happened another 3 times throughout the day, taking me completely by surprise. pretty gross, i know.

i can't even explain the feeling right now...a combination of wanting to barf, being constipated (oh yes, i'm sharing a lot of info today!), and just crawl into bed and die. and yet, i'm starving and must eat something! i think the heat has really gotten to me today...it's brutally uncomfortable :(

ah well, i'm gonna push all my feelings aside and head to the pool for day 5 of swimming enjoyment :P i'm also feeling extra-large today so hopefully i won't drown...

ugh. 7 more weeks to go.

splish splash!

yup, i took the plunge! i bought a maternity swimsuit, and i've hit the pool twice already! i was hesitant at first to do the swim-thing, partly because i didn't want to spend a fortune on a suit ($50 taxes included!), and i didn't want to spend a lot on an activity i might not like (only $45.50 for an unlimited 1-month pass) but i'm glad i've done it. i do feel slightly better now that i'm actually doing something physical. believe me, i'm not a very strong swimmer...i just kick around in the slow lane back and forth, back and forth.

i am pleased to see lots of families at the pool, so i know it's something baby and i can try in the future. and we're fortunate to be smack dab in the middle of burnaby between 2 indoor pools (bonsor & eileen dailly).

i know miracles don't happen overnight, but i can't help but wonder how long it will take for baby to turn around. his legs still appear to be in the same position based on the kicking, and i've been feeling my stomach and i don't think his head has even budged one inch :P of course, i'm no expert so i can't be sure what body part is where. oh well...2.5 weeks till our next midwife appt.

rain rain go away...

...don't come back till after i have my baby! as i was getting ready to leave home today i discovered that one of my rain jackets doesn't fit me anymore. fortunately i can still wear my taiga, but i had to completely release the waist drawstring just so i could zip up. so sad :(

on a more positive note...when we agreed to puppyraise nugget, we bought the "soggy doggy" - a waterproof seat cover for the car. i'm putting that cover to use again as my due date approaches...just in case my water breaks while i'm en route somewhere in the car :) haha!

p.s. congrats to sue & neil on their new baby girl. all my july friends have had their babies! yah :-)

heads up!

we had our 32 week appointment with our midwife today. baby's ultrasound came back with all the measurements needed, the heartbeat was strong (baby even had the hiccups!), my vitals are good, and i've only gained 16 lbs! whoo-hoo :)

the only downside to today's session was finding out how the baby was positioned. turns out that baby is head up, not down. our baby was extremely active this morning (and hiccuping a lot!), so it was hard to gage exactly where he was positioned. the midwife thinks his head is in the middle of my belly (which could explain the rippling effect i see above my belly button), with his legs on the right side of my belly (where i feel most of the kicking movements). before our next appointment in 3 weeks, chris and i have homework to do...swimming (good exercise for me and baby, plus it'll promote the baby to go head down), chris can talk to my lower belly (to encourage baby towards the sound), and when i'm lying down we can try to push my stomach and turn the baby ourselves. fun.

8 more weeks to go!

farewell to my feet

well, i wondered when it would happen, and it has. i'm having trouble reaching my toes. showering is more difficult (TMI?), bending down to pick stuff up is painful, and just getting out of bed plain-old HURTS! fortunately, i have some gc's to use at absolute spa, so i'll be booking a pedicure as soon as i go on mat leave! or perhaps sooner...

this is an awkward weekend...chris is in vegas, my mom's going to mayne island, and my doula's on vacation for 2 weeks. god forbid anything were to happen, my dad and bro would have to clutch up! fingers crossed, everything seems to be fine :-) except my back...i can't believe the spasms have returned. i thought i said farewell to them months ago, but apparently not. it could be my body reacting to chiro adjustment today so we'll see how tomorrow goes. otherwise, i might be spending the entire weekend at home lying down :P

on a happier note, baby's room hit the jackpot today...my cousin has passed along tons of baby clothes (we removed all the pink items!), as well as receiving blankets, cuddle seats, a carseat for my parents, an exersaucer, and a playmat. apparently there's a 2nd shipment of stuff still to come...can't wait! thanks andy!

yah, babies! and a puppy :-)

so it's july 21. the due date for 4 of my friends...well, technically 3. the 4th is due on july 24, but they pushed her due-date back from the original july 21.


3 babies were welcomed into the world last week...


brendan, born july 15
cassandra, born july 17
trevor, born july 18


i'm so excited for all my friends and their new babies! now i can't wait to meet my (very) active little one :-) in the meantime, i'm all about the ice cream, slurpees, and iced capps!



and here are some pix from our weekend with little miss holly...

musical baby

what a day! when i was getting my haircut this morning, little baby was moving up a storm in my belly! usually i don't feel him until the evening, or when i sit for prolonged periods at my desk. baby was definitely inspired by the music - the bee-gees and abba, no less! it was a combination of rolling around and arm/leg movements. i've started to feel the baby in the middle of my belly above my belly button - up until now it's always been lower belly and my sides.

we went to see mamma mia tonight, and the baby was moving even more. the pop might have been an additional contributor, but baby could sense the music and was moving to it. so crazy! i guess baby's gonna take after his daddy and be a musical lover :-)

now, if only baby could tell us what he'd like his name to be...

conclusive!

phew! after 3 weeks of waiting for our 2nd ultrasound, we finally got the news we've been waiting for. it's definitely a boy (we saw his penis! haha!) and all the measurements and stats that were needed for a "conclusive" ultrasound were gathered! we'll get the official word from our midwife at our next appointment, but the technician at bc womens told us everything looked fine. our 3 lb. bun is growing well and very active...he kept waving at us :-) the pictures we got today weren't very flattering though...it appears he might have my surly personality...i definitely saw a frown on his face. hahaha!

and also on the baby-front, my iron level is low, so now i have to take more pills to keep the 2 of us going strong. darn all these pills i have to take! good thing chris is a butcher...we'll just be eating a lot more steaks over the next 2 months :-) on a happier note, despite all the sugar i've been craving and consuming the past 2 weeks, the gestational diabetes results were normal!

lastly, congrats to jen & family who welcomed their baby boy yesterday! she's the first of four of my friends due on july 21...a very popular date!