all finished!

i can't believe it. where did the past 9 months go? it feels like just yesterday that chris and i announced our pregnancy, and now all of a sudden i'm finished work! this past week has especially flown by...we've been so busy - puppysitting caber, attending the PADS fundraising walk, and creating our birth plan.

on tuesday, my workmates threw a surprise baby shower for me. i was truly overwhelmed by all the gifts we received! baby boy is going to be dressed in style :-)

and now i have another equally busy weekend ahead...hotpot dinner, manicure, bridal shower for pauline, `dinner tasting` for baby`s one month party, my baby shower, and a 1-day puppysitting stint with jolie. plus hopefully chris will set up the crib, and we`ll be bringing home the basinette soon, too! only 3 more weeks to go...holy shit :P

finally...happy news!

after 3 weeks of swimming and chiropractic adjustments, our baby boy has found his way! yup, that's right...he's now head-down! whoo-hoo :-) thank goodness...i started to get worried that i wasn't going to have a birthing option!

tonight we also had our hospital tour at burnaby general. the birthing suite was pretty impressive...bigger than i thought it would be, complete with shower facilities (no tubs though). once baby arrives, he never has to leave my side...the incubator for him is right beside the bed, along with all the medical technology necessary for a healthy birth. then we'll get sent down to the maternity ward where i'm hoping for a private room. unfortunately we were informed that september is a very busy month for births...something about a lot of xmas celebrations :P

we also peeked in at the nicu, but since we're at the 35 week mark, it's pretty much guaranteed that our baby won't be spending any time in there. we did peek at a baby who was born at 33 weeks gestation, and had just turned 3 weeks old...as we looked at her, we realized our baby was currently around that size in my belly...so little still!

it's been a busy week of blogging, and there's still so much more to come this weekend! we're getting rid of our old computer desk, and making room for the crib to be set-up...ready or not...it's almost september!

cloth & disposable diapers

after much deliberation we've finally decided on our diapering solution...we're going to use cloth diapers! it's definitely a more labour intensive route than disposable diapers, but we're gonna do our little part for the environment, our wallets, and our baby's health. after attending the cloth diapering session held by new & green baby co. we were very excited about the variety of diapers available and what appears to be a very easy process. the only thing left to determine is how many diapers we'll be needing and which types to buy.

this was the cost breakdown (for 3 years) given at our session:

disposable diapers = $2,679
diaper delivery service = $3,059
cloth diapers = $1,019 plus $534 for laundry
gdiapers = $3,069

of course this would be subject to potty-training or EC (elimination communication). we're hoping to save on some of the laundry money by hang-drying the diapers. we figure since we'll have at least 30 diapers (for a minimum 2-day period), we'll have more than enough to go around. and depending on which diapers we buy, they could last us from 8-35 lbs!

we've also decided that we want to start off with disposable diapers. in the beginning few weeks it might be easier, and when baby poops out the miconium, there won't be any messy clean-up to fight with on a cloth diaper. also, assuming we'll have some sleepless nights at first, the last thing we want to do is fiddle with a 2-step diapering system. so we went shopping and bought our costco-size box of disposable diapers and baby wipes! fun times.

what a klutz

i've read in my pregnancy books that as pregnancy progresses, one can get very clumsy. well, i started noticing it when i would drop my keys for no reason. but i brushed it off as general clumsiness. then i noticed i kept closing the fridge door on my belly. a few weeks ago, as i avoided colliding with our dresser, i ended up walking into the doorframe. and over a 2-day period last week, every time i walked into the spare room i would scrape my arms on the cd rack as i passed it :P

but today was the real whopper...chris had set up our new computer table, and i hipchecked into it and ricocheted right into the bar stool where i managed to crush my baby toe. at first i thought it was just a stubbed toe that hurt really bad. when the swelling and pain hadn't subsided by the end of the work day, i went to the walk-in clinic for a medical assessment. fortunately my toe's not broken or dislocated...just badly injured, and quite possibly could be sore for another week while it recovers :P so now i have a make-shift bandage splint for my baby toe and i'll be wearing flipflops for a few days.

just ONCE i wish i could say i had a pain-free pregnancy day. well, i have to ice my back and baby toe now. good night.

there was a bit of everything!

on one of the hottest days of the year, chris and i had a wedding to attend. it was a cambodian/vietnamese celebration at a chinese restaurant. we showed up 10 minutes late. turns out we could have shown up 1.5 hours late and still been on time :P i should've known better...i was absolutely starving by the time the reception started...i would've gone to dairy queen for a snack, but my poor ass/back was killing me!

anyways, it was definitely one of the more interesting weddings we've attended. the couple had hired a vietnamese band to perform, there was a dance crew (think america's best dance crew, but on a lesser scale), the bride AND the bridesmaids all changed 1/2-way through the reception, when the head table went around to "cheers" at each table, they left a bundle of cigarettes at each table, and after cutting the cake the couple actually threw it at each other. oh yes, and the speeches...unfortunately the ppl at the back tables were rowdy so no one could hear the speeches, and the poor groom was so shy and embarrassed, he couldn't even speak.

oh well, at least i got one wear out of my maternity dress :-) 1 wedding down, 2 more to go for 2008.

PADS - Me? MC? Really?!

wow, so i must've been experiencing a moment of weakness when i agreed to be the MC for the PADS Walk & Roll 2008! more info is available on the website if anyone is interested in signing up :-) chris and i will both be there on august 24, and we plan on puppysitting for the weekend.

as much as i hate speaking in front of a crowd, it'll be lots of fun because it's such a casual and fun event. i've also worn different hats at the event: a general volunteer, a puppysitter (we had cary last year), and now as MC this year. i was approached by jennifer a few weeks ago, and since i've been a puppycuddler, a puppysitter, a puppyraiser, and now i'm the volunteer puppysitting coordinator, i have lots of PADS knowledge! it'll also be great to get out and meet more of the PADS volunteer family.

even though everything will be pretty much scripted for me, i'm still nervous. i've been promised that no one will throw darts at a pregnant lady :-) wish me luck!

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.