Week 31 - So much going on!!

Whew - I'm still here folks, and all is going well!!  Sorry about the blogging break - things were a bit hectic around here, which means I have lots to report. 

Let's see....where to start?   How about with our prenatal classes?  I know, woo woo prenatal classes, how enthralling right?  Seriously though, for those of us that are birthing a child within the next couple of months, it's actually VERY enthralling.  And for those that are hoping to birth that child in the comfort of their own home (without pain medication) it's even MORE enthralling!!   We decided to take a class with the childbearing society because of their focus on natural childbirth, and so far, we are really happy with our choice.  We've been to 3 classes and we already feel much more confident about our ability to handle childbirth.  Now let's hope the next few classes that focus on childcare instill confidence in our ability to look after our little girl once she arrives. Because I hear, contrary to popular belief, that looking after a newborn is actually more terrifying than giving birth to said newborn - heh.

And with that in mind, let's talk about doulas!  For those that are wondering, a doula is an individual who provides non-medical support to a woman and her family during labour and childbirth, and sometimes during the postpartum period too.  In order to achieve our hope of having a natural homebirth, we've decided to hire a doula to help support both Patrick and I during the beautiful (but likely long and difficult) process of giving birth to our little girl.

So a couple weeks ago, I met with one of the highly recommended doulas from Acumamas.  I soon discovered why these ladies are so highly recommended.  From the moment we first started chatting, I knew I'd feel safe and comfortable having this woman with us while going through the birthing process.  And with that, we hired ourselves a birthing doula!  She's also licenced to perform acupuncture, which means acupuncture treatments are part of her doula services.  I'm not normally one to follow alternative medicine, but I must admit, the statistics that point towards the benefits of acupuncture and preparing a woman in late pregnancy for labour are quite compelling.  And it certainly won't cause any harm - so I figure - why not!

We also plan on hiring a post partum doula (for at least a couple weeks after little girl arrives), since we don't have a lot of family and friends here to help with the baby during those crazy first few months. A post partum doula is kind of like a nurse, and a nanny, and a lactation consultant, and a light housekeeper all rolled up in one terrific package!   If we need help with the basics of newborn care, she can show us what we need to know.  If we need a couple hours of rest, she'll look after the baby while we do so.  If we need someone to run a load of laundry or two or ten, she'll do so.  If I need help establishing breastfeeding, she'll have all sorts of pointers and tips. And if we just need to know that the crazyness we are experiencing is a normal part of newborn life, she'll be able to reassure us of that too - haha.   Pretty awesome right?  I thought so too!  We've got someone in mind and are hoping to meet up with her sometime this week or next.   

Hmmm....what else?  Oh yes, we revamped our bedroom last weekend (including a new coat of paint) just in time to have our maternity photos taken on Saturday.   Yup, that's right, we redid the entire bedroom one weekend before the actual photo shoot.  Nothing like a deadline to get my arse in gear (we've been meaning to paint the bedroom for close to a year now - hah).   We also made a lovely padded headboard  (something else I've been meaning to do for YEARS) and decked out the bed in new linens.  We went with a nice warm grey for the walls, and kitted out the rest of the room with purple, white and dark grey decor.  I love it!  You'll get to see how it looks once we get our photos from the photographers!

Which brings me to our awesome photo shoot with Gracci and Rico!   The morning started out with a make up session with Ai Nagasawa.  Ai was super sweet, and easy to chat with as she did my make up.  I didn't take any photo inspiration of what I wanted - just told her to make it natural looking - and I was super happy with the results!  I felt absolutely gorgeous, which as some of you know, can be difficult to achieve when 31 weeks pregnant - hah.   Then Gracci and Rico arrived (and brought our little girl the sweetest pair of teeny tiny shoes - how crazy thoughtful is that!!) and we started the shoot with some "lifestyle" photos in our own home.  Saturday was actually one of the few sunny (albeit cold) days we've had in a while, so after we finished up at home, we made our way to the olympic village for magic hour.  Normally I'm not a huge fan of being in front of the camera, but when I'm all dolled up, and when I know the caliber of photos the photographers are capable of, I don't seem to mind so much - haha.  I had a ton of fun and can not WAIT to see the photos.  Hopefully, we should have them before Christmas - yay yay yay!!

And now for the weekly (or not so weekly) check in:

Week: 31 (3/4 of the way there!)

Weight Gain: I haven't stepped on a scale in some time now - but I do know I'm well over 20lbs gained at this point.  And although the number on the scale is kind of crazy to see, it doesn't really bother me.  In fact, I was saying to some gals at work the other day, that this is the least self conscious I've felt about my body in years!  I'm not constantly trying to pull in my gut, or worried about muffin top.   In fact, I tend to wear more form fitting tops just to SHOW OFF the belly - haha.  It's really quite liberating!

Feeling:  The heartburn and indigestion have set in for good it seems.  I suppose I did well making it this far without much issue in that regard, but it really takes the fun out of eating when the first thing you think is...hmmm I wonder if this will come back to haunt me at 3am!

Maternity Clothes:  The weather has cooled off considerably, and I found myself wearing the same 5 tops week in and week out, which meant they were getting washed alot, and thus, very worn looking.  So I finally went out and splurged on some new winter items!  Picked up some sweaters and long sleeved tops, as well as a couple pair of skinny jeans to wear with my new boots.  I'm pretty much all kitted out now :)  My only problem at this point is taking the dog for a walk in the rain.  I refuse to buy maternity rain gear for such a short period of time!  So far I've been able to wear my non maternity rain paints below the belly, but that's not going to last much longer.  And I wear my rain jacket unzipped with a fleece underneath which helsp to keep most of the water out.  I think I might have to get a cheap poncho soon though.  Lovely. 

Cravings: Still none.  How boring.  Maybe I'll add a couple more things here instead.  How about a report on the belly button (still an inny) and stretchmarks (still managing to avoid these) over the next weeks!

Milestones:  How about being close enough to the end to be taking prenatal classes?  Oh and we took a fantastic infant and child CPR class too!  Aren't we the overly prepared parents :)

Movement:  More and more movement these days.  And it's not just kicks now...I can actually feel her move her hands and legs across my belly.  Just the other morning we played the "I poke you and you poke me back" game.  So cute!!  And for some reason, she loves going hog wild the minute I get into bed and rest on my left side.  Funny girl. 

Weekly Wisdom:  Enjoy the lazy moments whenever possible (and boy did we enjoy being lazy on sunday after a few hectic weeks).

Random Name Ideas:  We are really hoping that the name we have chosen fits our little girl when she arrives, because we don't have much of a list other than that - haha.

And a terrible photo - just cuz I love you all that much:

Signed,
Prepared but Hectic Mama!

Week 28 - hello third trimester!

Wow - lots of fun things have been happening around the English household!  You'll have to forgive my posting absense last weekend; my parents were visiting this week, so we were busy getting ready for their arrival (suuuuuuuuuuuuuure our house is always this clean mom & dad - hah).

First things first, I'm happy to report that my glucose tolerance test was completely normal - phew!  Now I won't feel guilty when snacking on the leftover halloween candy - om nom nom nom.  Seriously though, the test was, shall we say...interesting?  After an 8 hour fast (overnight), I arrived at the blood lab bright and early to have the first tube of (fasting) blood drawn.  Then I chugged a very sugary orange flavoured drink (think flat c-plus but sweeter) and hung around in the waiting room for two hours until the 2nd and 3rd tube of blood were drawn at the one and two hour mark respectively.  Needless to say I was very happy to have a banana and a granola bar in my bag because I was damn hungry after all that fasting!

And it's a good thing I don't have to cut out the sweets altogether because baby girl really seems to like them! She's been moving a lot more over the past couple of weeks.  So much so that she's actually keeping me up at night.  She's also kicked Patrick in the back when I snuggled up behind him in bed, and she makes my belly vibrate and jiggle with her movements.  I've always thought baby movements would seem really freaky - like the movie aliens or something.  As it turns out, when it's your own baby moving around in there, it's actually a huge comfort.   Brings a smile to my face every time I feel her moving around, letting me know she's alive and kicking :)

Of course as soon as someone else puts their hand on my belly, she stops completely - the little stinker!  At least my mom was able see her move my belly while she was here!  And we went for a 3d ultrasound while my parents were visiting too, so they got to see her rubbing her face and moving around on the screen.   We did a lot of other fun activities while parents were here too....explored the anthropology and maritime museums, picked pumpkins from a patch, ate out at tasty restaurants, walked along the seawall, and attended a surprise baby shower - for me!

What an amazing baby shower it was too!  Without my knowledge, vancouver Jayne (not to be confused with toronto Jane - although I think the two of them would get along like two peas in a pod - haha) organized and hosted a gorgeous shower while my parents were visiting!  It was awesome to have my mom there, joining in the festivities and putting faces to the names of all the wonderful Vancouver ladies in my life. I was completely overwhelmed by their thoughtfulness and generosity, not to mention the tasty treats and beautiful decor; I swear it was like something straight out of Martha Stewart Living!! Pictures to come (as soon as Jayne sends them to me *ahem*).

I must say, Patrick played his part in the surprise to a tee.  He never let on about the event, and made it seem like he and my parents had just come up with an activity for us to do that very morning.  He very casually mentioned keeping the activity a surprise "just for the fun of it" so I really didn't suspect a thing! Not even when they blindfolded me to "keep me in suspense for a bit longer" and led me over the lawn, up the front steps and through the door of Jayne's house - haha.   Well done love!!

As you can see, baby and I have been pretty darn busy!  I guess it's time for the update:

Week: 28

Weight Gain: I'm now up by 19 lbs.  The number is slowly creeping upwards, but I'm really not too concerned at this point.  I feel like I'm all belly, so that's good!

Feeling:  Feeling pretty good these days.  My middle back still aches by the end of the day, but I find it's worse if I've been sitting around a lot - so getting out and about with my parents has been great.  I also went for a prenatal massage which was amazing!  You can bet I made a second appointment as soon as my first session was done!

Maternity Clothes:  The cold weather has arrived, and my jackets are no longer zipping up, so I broke down and bought a 20 dollar fleece jacket in a men's large (thank you costco).  It's not pretty, but it has plenty of room, and keeps me warm so it will do the job for now!

Cravings: Starting to doubt that I'll ever have a "textbook" pregnancy craving at this point.  Only time will tell I suppose.  

Milestones: Third trimester - woot woot!  Scary and exciting all at the same time. This baby is going to be here in no time.

Movement:  Lots of movement in the past couple of weeks.  Much stronger, and much more consistent throughout the day too.  Except if I'm trying to get someone else to feel it of course.

Weekly Wisdom:  Make sure to get up and get moving, even if you feel slow and cumbersome.

Random Name Ideas: We're stll pretty happy with a specific name combo - nothing else has come up yet that beats it....any guesses?

And something a little different for a bump photo this week (plus a few more photos just for fun)

My belly is as round as that diving bell - haha

  My view from across the ottoman while eating breakfast (ie pls don't throw away your cereal milk)....

Patrick's new shades...

 Mom and Dad at the Pumpkin patch!

Signed,
One Very Lucky Mama!

Week 26 - Bonjour!

I'm back from a week in Montreal, and let me tell you, I am so DONE with flying!!  At least for the rest of this pregnancy anyways.  My tailbone is NOT a happy camper. Granted, it never was after a flight (even before I was pregnant), but it's being particularly tempermental after four flights over the course of three weeks in my current condition.   I've made an appointment for a prenatal massage, so I'm hoping that will help to alleviate some of my aches and pains!

The conference I attended (International Conference of Human Genetics) was quite interesting, and my poster actually recieved some attention which was nice!  As the first author of the poster, I'm required to stand around for an hour and answer any questions people have.  I always worry that no one will visit my poster, and I'll be standing there twiddling my thumbs for the entire hour.  Turns out, there was no reason for concern as there were quite a few people with questions and comments!

I was welcomed back to Vancouver by some beautiful fall weather.  We took the pup for a walk through the endowment lands on Sunday, and it was so nice to be back there wandering around.  Although this growing girl in my belly makes it difficult to wander around for any length of time without requiring a bathroom!

And on Sunday afternoon, friends of ours dropped off a whole bunch of baby stuff; it felt like Christmas!  They brought a vibrating chair, a co-sleeper, a couple of baby carriers, a bunch of receiving blankets, wet diaper bags, and 3 tubs of clothes!! I had a peek through the clothes, and there were so many adorable outfits in perfect condition.  I can't wait to dress this little girl up!

Let's see what else is going on?  Oh right, we've booked a 3D ultrasound for next week when my parents are visiting.  I can't wait to show of this little girl to her grandparents.  Patrick and I are pretty excited about getting to see her in more detail too.   And we've booked a maternity photo shoot with our wedding photographers!  We're going for a "lifestyle" shoot more so than a bare belly shoot, and I couldn't be more excited.  Don't worry, I'll be sure to share our favorites here!

Weekly Update:

Week: 26

Weight Gain: I'm now up by 16 lbs.  I'm actually pretty happy with that number.  Hopefully the weight gain will be sure and steady from now on (just a bit less than a pound a week they say).

Feeling:  Looks like my most recent aches and pains are due to something called pubic symphysis diastasis. Basically,  it's due to the release of relaxin causing a widening of the gap in the pubic bone.  It's generally a good thing as this allows for more room during the birth process, but it can cause pain in both the pubic bone area, and radiating out to the lower back too.  I'll talk to the midwife about it during my next appointment, though I don't believe there's much that can be done for it other than resting!

Maternity Clothes:  I finally found some new boots!!  They aren't maternity boots or anything, but they look good under my boot cut jeans OR over my maternity leggings - so I'm really happy.  I've been trying to find new boots for over two years (hate all the round toe stuff out there).  I guess I'll have to get some more leggings and perhaps some skinny jeans since I have a pair of boots I can wear with them all winter long.

Cravings: Just this week, for a fleeting moment, I really wanted jello.  It didn't last long, and I think it's because I caught a fruity smell that reminded me of jello when it's first disolving in hot water.  Don't know if that counts - but I can tell you that jello is NOT something I usually wish for - haha.  

Milestones: No major milestones to report this week.  I'll be going for my glucose tolerance test this week, so hopefully I'll be able to report a pass on that next week.

Movement:  She's been a bit more quiet this week.  Perhaps all this travelling has messed with her internal schedule - heh.

Weekly Wisdom:  Take time to really enjoy being a couple before baby arrives.

Random Name Ideas:  So we have a name that we both really like, but we're going to hold off sharing it for now.  It's not set in stone, and we're still open to new ideas - but I think that's why we've slowed down a bit on the name front.  Perhaps my parents will have some ideas for us next week!


And bump photo for this week:

Signed,
Montreal Mama!

Week 25 - Thankful

Things continue to move right along!  The weeks just dragged by in the first trimester and now they are flying by.  Baby girl is growing away (as is my belly) and she seems to be doing quite well.   Had another midwife appointment this week and my fundal height (size of my belly) was bang on for how far along I am in the pregnancy.  Her heartbeat was chugging along (still love hearing it every time) and she's moving around a lot more in there now.   The only issue was that the urine dipstick test (lovely I know) came back positive for sugar (not for protein which is the more worriesome of the two).   It's (very) possible that I ate lots of some sugar laden items the day before my appointment, so I'm not too worried yet.  The midwife recommended I go for the fasting glucose tolerance test (which I would have done anyways) so I'll do that next week at some point.  They just want to be sure that I am not developing gestational diabetes.

And before you say anything Dad, one does not get gestational diabetes from eating too many sugary treats!!  heh.  But the midwife did suggest that I try limit my intake of sugars regardless, as too much sugar makes big babies.  She also said it can make babies that are dependant on sugar when they first arrive on the scene (haven't heard much about this before - but word on the street is they can be kinda cranky if they are sugar dependant ruh-roh)!   However, she also said not to deprive myself completely, so the apple crumble pie I made for thanksgiving did not go to waste :)

Speaking of thanksgiving, I ended up making a whole turkey for just the two of us! No, this was not the original plan. So the story goes like this.  I wanted to make a turkey loaf that a friend from work told me about (two small turkey breasts layered in a loaf pan with stuffing and cranberry sauce between them, all wrapped up with prosciutto - yum) so we went to granville island market as I knew my chances of finding just turkey breasts at the supermarket were rather slim.

There is a specific store in the market that deals mainly in turkey meat items (some chicken too), so I figured that was the best bet.   The market was packed (it was a beautiful sunny thanksgiving weekend saturday - what the heck was I thinking!!), but luckily the store was in the midst of cutting up more turkey breasts - score!   So I explained what I wanted and she said she could portion out two small turkey breast halves for a total of 5lbs of turkey - double score!   She told me the price, which I heard as 16 something - also very reasonable.

I give her my debit card, and she rings it up on the machine.  As I am wont to do, I hit the ok button barely a glance at the price...but luckily catch a glimpse of the numbers six four zero zero before the machine changes to the next screen.  Hmmm...that can't be right.  Hit correction button. Yep, it says $64.00.  She must have punched it in wrong.   "Um excuse me miss, I think you put the wrong amount in - the price here says 64.00"   And here's the kicker - the price WAS NOT WRONG!!!  They wanted 64.00 for 5lbs of turkey breast meat.  I sputtered, turned red, and mumbled my apologies and walked away without those seemingly gold infused turkey breasts!

Off to save-on we went...hoping beyond hope that they might have turkey breasts.  Of course they didn't.  But they did have a small 9lb turkey for 20.00.  SOLD.   Turkey sandwiches for everyone - haha.  It actually turned out quite good if I do say so myself.  And I still used prosciutto in the making, so all was right in the world again.

Seriously though - SIXTY FOUR DOLLARS PEOPLE!!!  Oh, I'm sure they are very happy, organic, free run, grain fed turkeys (er..were), but you know what....I am not a millionaire.  I can not justify spending that much money on a single meal that I must cook myself.  And no, my conscious does not keep me up at night (it would if I spent that much moola on 5lbs of turkey breast though - hah).

Other than that - not much else to report.  I'm heading to Montreal for the International Congress of Human Genetics conference meeting this week.  Yep, makes me sound smart doesn't it?  Don't be fooled.  So back on a plane yet again,  My tailbone is going to be SO angry with me.  Ah well, all for the name of science right?

Week: 25

Weight Gain: I finally had a chance to weigh myself in the morning (the usual time I weigh myself) and the scale said 14lbs.  So either I lost a pound (unlikely) or the extra pound was due to weighing myself in the evening (more likely).  Regardless - the midwife said this is a good range to be in, so not too worried.

Feeling: The middle/upper back pain is becoming rather bothersome.  It gets to a point at the end of the day, where I just can't get comfortable no matter which way I sit.  You can bet I'll be booking an appointment for prenatal massage as soon as I get back from Montreal!

Maternity Clothes: I'm thinking I'll be wanting a few more sweaters yet - hello rainy winter vancouver! I'm also going to have to start thinking about a winter jacket of sorts.  And something for walking the dog in the rain.  Perhaps just a cheap poncho for the latter issue, but I'd like to find a convertable winter coat (maternity to non-maternity) that I can use even after the baby arrives.  Saw a couple in Motherhood - might have to give them a whirl.

Cravings: You know, I still haven't had a TRUE pregnancy craving.  And by that I mean, no MUST HAVE IT RIGHT NOW cravings.  I was kinda looking forward to that, in a weird science experimenty way - haha.  Oh well, it could still happen I suppose. 

Milestones: Nothing major this week - she's just dancing along in there.

Movement:  I like to think of her movements as dancing, and gymnastics with a bit of karate thrown in!

Weekly Wisdom:  Take time to really enjoy being a couple before baby arrives.

Random Name Ideas: No ideas this week!  We really need to get on the name train - heh.  Any suggestions?

No picture at the moment - but I'll try to take one tomorrow morning after I get ready.

Week 24 - Papaya!

Whoops - did you see that time warp?  Somehow we jumped from Week 21 to Week 24...now how in the world did that happen?  Oh wait, never mind, I remember now....things got a little hectic and I sort of kind of slacked off - hah.   But not to worry, weeeeeeeeeeeee're back!  And I do mean we, because baby girl is starting to take up a whole lot of real estate around these here parts.

Why so hectic you ask?  Well let's see, it might have had something to do with flying to Italy and back over the course of a single week.   Might I suggest that a trip of that distance is not really a great idea when you only have a week?  We were juuuuuuuuuuuust getting accustomed to the time change when it was time to turn around and head back again.   Ah well, the weather was gorgeous...28 degrees and sunny (dare I say almost too hot - blasphemy I know), the wedding was lovely, as was leisurely strolling around Rome with Patrick's family, and the food was plentiful (mmmmmmmmmmmmm gelato)!

And in baby news - we have reached VIABILITY!!  Medically speaking, viability is the point at which a prematurely born infant has a 50% chance of long-term survival outside of mom's womb.  Of course, we don't want baby girl making an appearance any time soon (hear that little girl, you stay right where you are, snug as a bug in a rug), but it's still an exciting milestone!

She's been kicking up a storm as of late too. Her little staccato beat keeps me entertained through out the day, and I've even felt a few kicks from the outside.  Even more exciting - Patrick was finally able to feel a kick the other day too!  There really IS a baby in there :)

We arrived home from Italy on Wednesday, and both of us took Thursday and Friday off from work to recover from the jet lag. Whose great idea was that again? Oh right - mine - heh.  Turns out the nesting insinct beats out jet lag - who'd have thought.  We managed to clear out a ton of stuff from the second bedroom and dropped it all off at the local thrift store.  Baby girl's closet may actually have room for baby clothes!

And now for the weekly update:

Week: 24 (baby girl is the size of a papaya)!

Weight Gain: I haven't had a chance to way myself in the morning (my usual time) but I did step on the scale the other night and it claimed I was up 15 lbs now.  Between you and me, I think he's lying.  Either that, or all that pasta, pizza and gelato is catching up to me!   

Feeling: On the diclectin front - I'm down to just 2 a day, so I thiiiink I'm finally turning a corner here.  Just in time too, as it looks like I'll be replacing that discomfort for heart burn, round ligament pain, and backaches - haha.  And have I mentioned the night wakings to go to the bathroom?  Yep, that's started already too.  I woke up four times the other night.  FOUR!!  I didn't think THAT was supposed to happen until I got a bit further along.  Stupid small bladder.  Ah well, good practice for when baby arrives I suppose.

Maternity Clothes: We arrived home from summery italy to wintery vancouver, so of course I had to get a couple more pairs of jeans and some new sweaters too! 

Cravings: Truffles!!  And I don't mean the chocolately kind.  Last time we were in Italy I was able to taste truffles (of the fungus variety) for the first time, and boy was I happy to have them again this time - YUM!  And the gelatooooooooooh.  Makes me want to run out and buy myself some right this instant.  Lemon of course.   But as soon as we stepped off the plane and felt the cool autumn breeze, I instantly wanted pumpkin everything! haha.  

Milestones: Viability baby!  And of course feeling baby girls kicks from the outside too :)

Movement:  Lots of movement now.  Thank goodness she's not keeping me up at night with her gymnastics (yet), though she whomped an "oof" out of me the other day, so I am guessing it won't be long now.

Weekly Wisdom:  Stop eating BEFORE you're completely full, unless you enjoy feeling as if your stomach  might explode at any moment!

Random Name Ideas: Lots of ideas from family and friends while we were in Italy: Ludovica, Mercedes, Natasha, Danielle, Delilah, Chiara, Brietta...and so many more that I forget now!

A change in weather equals a more fall-ish photo this week:

And a little bonus - here's a video that Patrick put together of our trip to Italy.  My belly makes an appearance a couple of times, as does my favorite gelato place! 

Signed,
Viable Mama!

Week 21 - over half way there!

Wow - time is really starting to move along quickly now!  Those first few months of pregnancy seemed to last FOR-EV-ER and then all of a sudden we're more than half way there with lots of stuff to do between now and the due date - haha.

Of course the big excitement this past week was finding out we're having a little girl (and getting an "all normal" on the scan was awesome too)!   It's really starting to sink in now - wow, a little girl!!   We keep talking about things that she might do or say or experience.  Or what we might have to deal with as she gets older - haha.  And of course, the planner in me has been set free to plan, plan, plan and shop, shop, shop.

This week, I've been focused on cloth diapers! I've been doing a ridiculous amount a decent amount of research on the subject, and I'm pretty sure I have a good handle on it now.  Before I go on, I'm sure some of you are probably wondering - just how much research does one really need to do for cloth diapers?   Let me just say - these are not your grandparent's cloth diapers!   Not that there aren't cloth diapers around that are similar to what our grandparent's used (they're called "flats"), it's just that there are a whole heck of a lot more options now!

From prefolds, to fitteds, to pockets, to all in one's to, all in two's, to hybrid systems, to covers, to soakers....well you get the idea.  And of course everyone that uses cloth diapers have their favorites, and much of which depends on personal preference.  I'm not going to go into great detail, as there are many that have gone there (in much better detail) before me, but I will tell you what we have in our cloth diaper "stash" so far!

Newborn diapers:
12 newborn prefolds + 3 bummis covers (free from a friend!)
5 rearz fitted diapers (awesome deal on well.ca)
17 motherease fitteds (on loan from wonderful friends of ours)
3 kissaluv fitteds (also on loan from our wonderful friends)

One Size (will fit after newborn stage up until potty training)
3 Grovia all in ones (great deal from babysteals.com)
8 Fuzzi Buns pockets (by 6 get 2 free - woo)

Not bad eh?  They say if you have approximately 24 - 30 diapers, you'll be doing laundry every 2-3 days which is fairly reasonable. I'm happy with our newborn stash but I do have a "wish list" of one size diapers I'd like to add: 

GoodMamma Turned Fitteds
Tot Bots All in Ones
Bum Genious 4.0 All in ones
Annie Marie Padorie (AMP) One Size Duo Pockets
Rumparooz One Size Diapers
Flip One Size Day Pack

Whew - that's a long wish list of cloth diapers haha.  And most of those are not exactly cheap either (retail between $20.00 to $30.00 each)! So I'll keep an eye on various sites for sales and deals, as well as craigslist for barely/gently used diapers.  By the time baby girl arrives (and she is big enough to fit into the one size diapers) I should hopefully have a good stash built up.

I've also been working on a "registry" of sorts.  I'd been looking for a way to keep track of all the items we'd like to buy for baby girl, that could also be easily accessed by both of us while out and about, and I think I've found the perfect solution.  Originally, I signed up for a registry at Babies R Us and TJ's (BC based kids store) but when neither of those stores had specific items, I became frustrated at needing to sign up for yet ANOTHER store registry.  And that's when I came across wishpot.com.  It's a centralized registry that allows you to add items from any store (online or brick and mortar) which means, only one place to go when trying to remember exactly what the name was of that very specific swaddle blanket that everyone considers a must have!  It's free to sign up, and the best part?  With the simple click of a button (easily added to your search bar) you can add just about any item on the web to your wishlist.  Now that's my kind of registry!!

And now for the weekly update:

Week: 21 (baby girl is the size of a banana)!

Weight Gain: The scale says I'm up 9lbs now.  Hmmmmm so now the weight starts to add on a bit more quickly.  I'm sure it's all baby.  Yeah, that's it.   

Feeling: I'm feeling gooooooooooood.  Haven't weaned from the diclectin, but I ordered some B6 in 25mg pills (which is half of what diclectin is) So once that arrives, I'll start trying to substitute those in place of the diclectin and see how that goes.  Finding myself easily out of breath when walking uphill (why didn't I get in better shape before I got pregnant - doh) and my upper back has been bothering me after sitting all day.  But again, nothing major to complain about. 

Maternity Clothes: Nothing new this week.  Saving up for our trip to Italy - heh

Cravings: Did I mention that my sweet tooth is back?  The sweeter the better it seems.  Yeah, gotta put a curb on that!

Milestones: Real honest to goodness movement!

Movement: There is no denying it now, I am definitely feeling little kicks and punches and flutters in there!  The placenta is still muffling things a bit, but the kicks are getting stronger every day!  I can't wait for patrick to feel her kicking too. 

Weekly Wisdom:  There is no such thing as too much research!

Random Name IdeasSeverine, Bria, Ivy   Patrick: Emerald (Emma for short).

And a couple pictures this week - first the usual side view:

And the mama perspective view!  I can still see my toes - barely :)

Signed,
Cloth Diapering Mama!

Week 20 - Bring on the PINK!!

Well I'm a little late posting this one up, but it was the long weekend and I was feeling lazy (imagine that) AND we were booked in for our anatomy scan this morning, so I knew I'd have exciting news to share anyways.  And so I put off the post until today :)

Now let's get to the exciting news!!  The anatomy scan went VERY WELL this morning - HUZZAH!!  Everything looks normal with no soft markers for chromosomal anomolies - and we found out we're having a GIRL!!!

We were definitely surprised - for some reason I think we were both leaning towards boy....but when the tech said "looks like you're having a little girl" and the 3 tell tale white lines appeared up on the screen (like this picture - which is not ours but you get the idea) we couldn't argue with the evidence - haha!

So it looks like it's sugar and spice and everything nice for us!  And I know I said the first ultrasound made things more real, but both Patrick and I agree, that getting the all clear on this ultrasound, and finding out the sex of the baby, makes it so much MORE real, and so much more exciting too.  It's so nice to be able to say "she" and "her" instead of "it" or "baby" when referring to the pregnancy. And we're already daydreaming about what our little girl will be like, and what amazing things we'll get to experience with her.  It's just so much easier to feel connected to her now!

She was really wriggling around in there during the scan, and when I mentioned that it was hard to  believe I couldn't feel her movements, the tech said there was good reason for it!  Turns out, I have an anterior placenta - that's doctor speak for placenta on the front side (tummy side) of my uterus - and it's acting like a cushion against all of baby girl's kicks and punches!  Which of course, makes so much sense now as any movements I have felt have always been very muffled.  He said I'll be able to feel more definitive movements in the next couple of weeks - yay!

Let's see....what else happened this past week?  Not much can trump the anatomy scan news - haha!  I must say it's been a rather productive week/weekend.  We spent much of it tidying up the house and clearing out a lot of junk from the laundry room, which is now completely reorganized with plenty of room to spare for all our costco purchases.  Yep - the nesting thing really does come in handy!

Hmmmm....I discovered that the dress I purchased for Marc and Fra's wedding went on sale - isn't that always the way it goes? Usually this kind of thing is very frustrating and doesn't work in my favour since I almost always rip off the tags and throw on the new item of clothing about 10 minutes after arriving home. But in this particular case, I hadn't worn the dress;  better yet, I hadn't taken off the tags either; even better still, I was within the 30 day refund window!  So guess who returned the dress and bought it back for a much lower price?  SCORE!! And of course since I was in the store already, I had to take advantage of the great sales they had going on. Picked up a pair of grey cords, a long flowy skirt and a couple of new tops too - DOUBLE SCORE!! 

Oh and I finally hemmed my two pair of maternity jeans so I'm not dragging the cuffs around in the dirt!  Yep - pretty darn productive!  Next weekend we're planning on tackling the second floor including the second bedroom (which will eventually be the nursery) and the den.

And now for the weekly update!

Week: 20 (baby girl is the size of a cantaloupe)!

Weight Gain: I'm up 7lbs altogether.  Still not too bad for half way there, but I must say the last few weeks has been about a pound per week - which is a bit more than they suggest.  I wonder if that has anything to do with my sweet tooth returning?  Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!   

Feeling: Haven't tried to stop the diclectin this week, but I am feeling really great.  Definitely starting to feel the weight of the baby.  Spending the day on my feet in flip flops probably isn't the best idea anymore.  And my hips are starting to get a bit more achey at night - but really - not much to complain about at all!

Maternity Clothes: New cords, skirt and tops for a really great deal - woot woot!  I also splurged and bought myself a few more pairs of maternity underwear from Thyme Maternity.  They really are ridiculously comfortable!

Cravings: My sweet tooth is back!  Just in time for the arrival of halloween candy season - ruh roh!!  Mmmmmmmmmmmpumpkin mellowcremes....I have missed you so!

Milestones: Gee, let me think - oh right - IT'S A GIRL!!!  And a healthy looking one at that - YAY!

Movement: Definitely feeling more movements every day, though still quite muffled.  Baby girl enjoyed kicking my very full bladder this morning before the ultrasound.  I guess it was cramping her style! 

Weekly Wisdom:  Hearing the word "normal" when having an anatomy scan is like music to thine ears :)

Random Name Ideas:  Not many suggestions this week - I think we knew we'd be able to eliminate 50% of the name pool really soon, so we held off - hah.  I have a feeling the name game will pick up with great speed now!

I haven't taken a pic yet this week (bad mama) but I will scan the ultrasound pics and add those tomorrow, and I'll try and take a belly pic tomorrow night too!

Signed,
Girl Lovin' Mama!