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!

Week 19 - almost half way!

Well this week started off on a sad note for many across Canada.  On August 22nd, Jack Layton, leader of the official opposition party, passed away.  And many (regardless of political leanings) wept for the loss of a great politician, a great leader, a great man, and a great friend.  May you rest in peace Jack, knowing you've inspired Canadians everywhere to come together and make our country a better place.

And in BC a precedent of sorts was set this week - when 55.4% of residents voted to scrap the HST. Many people of BC were not happy with the underhanded way this tax was introduced, and so they made themselves heard.  It should be interesting to see how this plays out over the next 18 months before the switch back is slated to happen.

Ok, I know what you're thinking, this is a pregnancy blog, so let's get on with the pregnancy stuff already!  First and foremost, baby wants to wish a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Grandma Thompson.  Wish we could have been there to celebrate with you Grandma!!

In pregnancy news - what the heck is with all the CRAZY dreams that one gets while pregnant?  I've had some seriously messed up dreams during this pregnancy.  For example:

Patrick and his work buddies were going on a camping trip somewhere "up north", and for some strange reason I drove part way there with him so I could say goodbye.  We stopped for a snack at a donut shop in a strip mall, and then Patrick left really abruptly without saying goodbye, and without giving me the keys to the car!  So there I am, stuck at a random strip mall, with no keys, no cell phone (which didn't seem out of the ordinary for some reason) and no idea where patrick and his buddies went camping.

I wandered around for a bit and finally found a payphone, but since I couldn't figure out how to get in touch with Patrick, I was left trying to explain his general whereabouts (he's at a camping place somewhere around here) to the operator (yep, that's right - the operator). Of course, she had no idea what I was on about, and in the meantime, a long line of people waiting to use the phone was building up behind me.  So I wandered around some more, and made a few more futile phone calls to the operator, until I came up with the brilliant idea to call my parents. Thank goodness my Dad (who you may recall lives in Ontario) was able to drive all the way "up north" to get me! hahaha.  Thanks Dad - I appreciate you saving the day :)   They say it's not uncommon for pregnant woman to have dreams about abandonment - but this was just ridiculous.

Not all of my strange dreams deal with abandonment issues (thank goodness).  Let's see, I've been Bieber's mentor (yes Justin Bieber personally asked me to be his mentor); I've found myself back at my university abode, arranging and rearranging furniture in a ridiculously cluttered room with a grade school friend;  I've watched a man eat a live writhing snake and then pull it back up tail first snapping and biting (first time I've ever thrown up in a dream) and I've run from countless monsters, aliens, vampires and you name its!  I don't know if it's the hormones (when is it not really) or something else - but dag yo...these dreams are crazy!!

Not much new on the movement front.  I was home sick on wednesday and I'm pretty sure I felt a few low kicks while lazing about on the couch, but still nothing definitive.  Wait, I know - it must be my stomach of steel that's dampening the kicks - yeah that's it!  hah.  Oh and I woke up with a lopsided belly the other day, which righted itself when I gave a gentle nudge to the hard little bump!  Such a weird feeling.

Ok, enough about weird dreams and lopsided bellys - let's move on to the weekly update:

Week:  19

Weight Gain: Forgot to check yesterday - whoops!  I'll report back next week - let's say it's still 5 lbs - heh. 

Feeling: Still not feeling 100%, and still trying to figure out the right number of diclectin that will get me through the day.  Regardless, I'm just happy that I have something to get me through the ickyness!

Maternity Clothes: Nothing new to report on the clothing front - ordered some new shoes from Aldo, but none of them fit, so I took them all back.  Not sure if that's a pregnancy thing, or just a wrong size thing.

Cravings: Been having a few food aversions this week again, so no real cravings to speak of.

Milestones: Hmmm....not much to report here either - ummmm...almost half way there?!?

Movement: A few light kicks and a lopsided belly. 

Weekly Wisdom: "My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world!"  Jack Layton

Random Name Ideas: Lots of suggestions this week:  My dad suggested Olivia.  Amy: Ethan, Evan, Weston, Drake, Ryker (little nod to the trekkies out there)  Patrick: Calvin

And BUMP PIC (don't worry - next time I'll wear a shirt that doesn't blend in with the background)!

Signed,
Dreaming Mama!

Week 18 - Negative is a GOOD thing!

Well this week was definitely one of relief.  After hearing about our negative genetic screen results from the midwife, I am feeling more relaxed about this pregnancy!  Although I'd feel even MORE relaxed if this baby would make his/her movements a bit more noticeable already - haha.   I keep thinking I feel "something" but then I don't feel it again, so I figure it's probably gas or stomach rumbles or whatever.  And I've had a few instances where it feels almost as if I'm going over a hill on a rollercoaster - but I haven't really heard it described like that before.  And of course, since I'm paying so much more attention now, I'm noticing every rumble, bubble, nudge and noise!

In the meantime, I've started researching various baby accessories in earnest (yay planner amy is BACK - haha). And can I just say there are a million options for each baby item?!?  But I've always liked a good research challenge :)  So far I've been looking at strollers, pack 'n plays (aka playpens) and cloth diapers.  All of the options for just those items alone should be enough to keep me busy for weeks!   Babies can be pretty darn expensive with all these "must have" accessories, but we're very lucky - we've had so many people offer to help us out, that many of our bases covered already! But don't worry, I'm sure there will be more posts in the future about baby gear as I deliberate over this option versus that.

And now - the weekly check in...

Week:  18

Weight Gain: Up a lb this week to make a total of 5 lbs gained so far. 

Feeling: Slowly getting better.  I'm down to just one diclectin a day.  Tried again to cut it out completely, but the afternoons are still my witching hour.  I find if I take one diclectin at 10am - I'm good for the rest of the day. 

Maternity Clothes: Didn't buy anything new this week (imagine that) but I've been really enjoying wearing all my new clothes.  So very comfortable!

Cravings: Still nothing crazy - I keep waiting for some crazy urge to strike.  I'm sure it will take me by surprise when/if it does.

Milestones: Negative genetic screening results -woooohooo!

Movement: Still nothing definitive - lots of "odd" feelings going on - whether that's because the baby is moving, or because I'm paying closer attention is left to be seen. 

Weekly Wisdom: Make sure you get 8 hours of sleep, or you'll be paying for it the next day!

Random Name Ideas: We've been oddly quiet on the name front this week. I think we're just waiting to find out the sex of the baby - then we can go hog wild coming up with names.  Oh wait - I forgot - Patrick offered up Magenta (for a girl). 

No bump pic this week - but things haven't changed much from last week ;)

Signed,
Negative (in a good way) Mama!

We interupt this weekly broadcast for an exciting interim report!

Just heard from the midwife today, and we were given the "all clear" on our genetic screening tests!!  Which is very exciting news to this genetic counselling gal :)

Our risk for having a child with Down Syndrome went from my maternal age risk of 1 in 287 way down to 1 in 11000 - woohoo!!   And our risk for having a child with Neural Tube Defects went from the population risk of 1 in 600 to 1 in 4700 - woohoo!!

Needless to say we're very relieved and ever so happy!  Next up, the anatomy scan on Sept 6th.  Once we get an all clear on that ultrasound, I'll really be breathing easy.  But I am definitely feeling less concerned as the days go by.

And now back to our regularly scheduled program!

Signed
A Very Relieved Mama!

Week 17

It's been a quiet week of sorts. Gave a blood sample on Monday to finish up the integrated prenatal screening process (genetic screening for certain chromosomal abnormalities and a few other complications of pregnancy).  The results are usually ready in 7-10 days, so by the end of next week we should know if the pregnancy is above or below the screening cut off of 1 in 200.  If our risk is below 1 in 200 we breathe a sigh of relief and move on; if the risk is above 1 in 200 then we're eligible for further diagnostic testing aka the amnio.   We'd obviously prefer the former.  Not too much longer now - keep your fingers crossed! 

In more exciting news, I think I may have felt the baby move this week.  It was only a couple of times, so I'm not really certain, but if felt like a little nudge from the inside, fairly low in the belly, right where my uterus should be.  And yet, when I actually focus on it, I can never feel anything.  Maybe it was just gas - haha.  It's still fairly early, so I'm not worried, just impatient.

And I think the nesting instinct might be setting in too.  While putting away the flour the other day, I just HAD to stop and immeadiately clean up all the shelves in the pantry.   Like I literally could NOT go on with my day unless those pantry shelves were neat and orderly!  haha.  Wacky.  I could see this nesting thing coming in handy - so long as it doesn't get out of control that is.  I've heard stories about woman that get a bit obsessive about needing things C-L-E-A-N clean.  Yeaaaaaaaaaaaah,  I can see all my old housemates laughing now.  For some odd reason, I don't think I have to worry about that.

And now for the weekly update!

Week:  17

Weight Gain: Hasn't changed from last week - still at a respectable 4 lbs. 

Feeling: Still feeling a bit icky if I haven't eaten in a bit, but I definitely have more energy again, and am finding myself contemplating all sorts of home improvement projects. 

Maternity Clothes: I finally splurged and bought a new bra at Change.  I asked the lady for my regular pre pregnancy size and she took one look at me and said, "ummm, I don't think so".  HAH!  Turns out I have moved up a whole cup size.  And we aren't even half way through.  Oh dear.

Cravings: I still haven't experienced true "I MUST HAVE THAT NOW SO PLEASE DRIVE TO THE 24 HOUR GROCERY STORE AND GET IT FOR ME HONEY" cravings.  But I have bought lunch from the same sandwich joint all week long. It seems baby really wants soup and salad this week.

Milestones: Movement (I think)!

Movement: A few nudges that seemed too low for gas.  But not really any of the classis "bubble" or "popcorn" or "fluttery" feelings. 

Weekly Wisdom:  There's no use worrying over things you can not control (hey I didn't say I actually FOLLOW my own words of wisdom).

Random Name Ideas:   Patrick:  Troy, Amy: for once I didn't have any!

And new this week - BABY BUMP PICS!  Look at that facial expression - oh yeah, I'm glowing alright. 

Signed,
Is it gas or is it baby Mama!

Week 16 - mmmm avocados!

Baby's size has reached one of my favorite fruits - Avocado - YUM!  Don't worry baby, I won't eat you....I promise!

Not a whole lot going on this week.  I had my monthly appointment with the midwife, which means hearing the heartbeat - so much fun!  She found it right away, and it was chug a lugging along just as expected.  My blood pressure was great, and all of the blood work that was done in Week 12 came back normal.  She said the ultrasound was normal as well, although they did mention seeing a small posterior fibroid.  Nothing to be concerned about (and I'm not) but they made note of it and will check it again at the 20 week ultrasound to see if it has changed.   Shouldn't pose a problem regardless.

I tried weaning myself off the diclectin (again) - not such a great idea (again).  Ah well, it was worth a try I guess.  Luckily my benefits WILL cover the cost of the prescription, so it's not going to cost us an arm and a leg should I need to get it refilled.  I'm holding out hope that it will get better before I need to the refill.  I'm not worried about taking it, but it would be nice to feel better all on my own.

I finally found a dress for Marc and Francesca's wedding!  It was a bit tricky as the empire waist dress has gone out of style, so most regular dresses won't do, and the maternity stores I've checked haven't had much to offer either.   Interestingly - I ended up with a dress style that I was pretty sure I did NOT want - a maxi (long) dress made of jersey.   I was worried that the maxi would make me look like a tent, and the jersey would be too casual, but the dress I ended up with is a nice shade of green (somewhere between army and forest) with gold beading around the neckline so it's a bit fancier (will be dolled up even more with some nice gold accessories) and it fits quite well according to my husband - heh.   Plus jersey is easy to pack too - bonus!

And on to the weekly update:

Week:  16

Weight Gain: I think I'm still hovering around the 4 lb mark, though I haven't checked in the past couple of days!

Feeling: Unfortunately not feeling good enough to be free of the diclectin - boo. 

Maternity Clothes: Bought a cute top at Winners that I wore to a couple of parties this weekend.  It shows off the new bump quite prominently and as a result, I had my first comment from a stranger - asking me when I'm due!

Cravings: This week it's been fudgsicles!!  Mmmmmm now I want one.

Milestones: See mention of stranger asking me when I'm due!

Movement: I keep trying to focus on feeling movement - but haven't felt anything definitive yet.  It's still early.  But I keep hoping!

Weekly Wisdom:  A watched baby never moves - hah.

Random Name Ideas:   More name suggestions from the peanut gallery: Farcas, Hercules, and Apollo (you'd think we were having a puppy, not a baby - haha)

Signed,
Avocado Mama!