Week 39!

I've got my Dr. appointment tomorrow. Last week he said we may be able to do a membrane sweep. A little something to speed up the process and jump into labour. I know he's do anytime now, but pushing the process makes the realness of it even more scary. Everything is all ready for his arrival. His dad put all the furniture together, cleaned, and organized his things. Just needs the offspring and it'll all be complete.

I've been feeling pretty good for the most part. Lots of anxiety over this reality though. I try to explain it, but I feel like I sound crazy. It actually feels like I've developed new human emotions that I didn't know existed and my brain is having a hard time processing it. I can picture the baby here with us, but my brain is still having a hard time with the whole concept. This is probably...no, no...this is definitely the scaredest (is that even a word?) I have ever been in my entire life.

We had our baby prep class earlier this week as well, to help get us prepared for what's to be expected and how to handle situations and such. It was pretty awesome. We had a private in home session, watched some videos, looked into pain killer type stuff for labour. We pretty much went through it all even post birth stuff, with the whole crying and feeding. So much stuff to remember, I feel like I need to carry a baby book around with me to look things up as they happen.

Overall, I'm quite over carrying around a beach ball around my torso. I want him out so I can get back into my normal self..which will take some time, but I'd like to get that started! I want to be able to help do things around the house, I'm tired of feeling someone kicking around my insides, I'm tired of not being able to reach my feet, or bend over, or eat certain things. I just want my old self back.

Anyhoo, stay tuned for appointment #9...at least I think it's 9.

WEEK 38!

I think I lost track of my posts. I feel like I'm on another planet right now. From time to time I'll sit there and it'll dawn on me that any day now Barry and I are going to be parents. Any day now I'll have to go to the hospital. Any day now I'm going to have to push that small person out of my vagina. Sorry for the strong "V" word. Any day now life is going to change completely. I'm a walking time bomb. Dr. A said in our last visit that I'm 2 days into what's considered full term, so it can just happen ANY TIME. I'm not sure how I feel about that. This whole thing is still pretty surreal to me. I know I've been carrying this little guy for 9 months and I should get used to it by now right? No, not really. Maybe for some people. For me it all still seems like a dream...nightmare at some moments.

I had my GBS test (Group B Streptococcus). Came back negative. Weeee, no antibiotics for me. I don't look forward to crawling into bed because I know that's when I'll start feeling the contractions. It's very comforting having Barry there during those times to help me relax. He's been really good at taking care of me and making sure I'm not lifting anything or help push me off the couch or lift me. Unfortunately I've developed that ab separation thing, which is quite common during pregnancy. Just not happy about it because I just want to get back into my yoga/workout routine, and this is only going to set me back a little bit. Have I mentioned how much I hate the way my body is changing? Looking int he mirror I just have no idea how it's all going to go back to normal! I know it will if I try, but guhhhh!

We've finished with our baby shopping as well. We've spent so much time looking at strollers that when we see a stroller on the street our instant reaction is "oh that's the Mountain Buggy!" or "oh that's the Baby Jogger, we were looking at!" Yes, this is our life now. Something that wasn't even a second thought to us has become a reality...an impulsive reaction. Barry also got the car seat installed and ready to go since we wont be able to take the Tot home if we didn't have one. All his clothes and blankets have been washed by Grandma, and I'm pretty sure she folded each little onesie with kisses and I love you's haha. I've also been addicted to this mum group on facebook that my cousin told me about. It's basically a bunch of mum's in your town/neighborhood selling new/used baby/toddler stuff. So I found a nice little high chair, some clothes, and an exersaucer. Saved me a ton of money that's for sure! Have I mentioned Barry's mum gave us a year supply of baby formula...we have boxes and boxes of that stuff. I think we're set!

We're moving into our new place soon, and I really hope the small human doesn't decide to come before. We don't have his crib set up yet, so if he decides to come, he's going to have to sleep in a hammock.

Dr. APPOINTMENT #7!

36 weeks...and I'm starting to get grumpy. Everything is uncomfortable. Sleeping is almost impossible. I can't shave my legs. I can, but I might as well be doing it with my eyes closed. If you're one of those people who shave their lady bits, good luck, you'll need a mirror. I've been feeling those braxton-hicks contractions...of course I get them when I'm trying to go to bed. I've had to plan out my sleep schedule to leave time for when I'm laying in bed in pain so it doesn't actually cut into my actual sleep schedule. Waddling has also become part of my walk now. Sometimes I waddle off balance, so when I walk I feel like I'm more concentrated on the side to side motion so I don't topple over. Guhhh.

So now to my 7th Dr. appointment. I didn't meet Dr. A at the hospital, instead I went to his actual office which is very conveniently close to where I work. We chatted more about the birth, and I believe I weighed in at 116lbs. Everything is looking normal, he says the little guy doesn't seem like he's going to be too big or too small, he's just right. Our visit was short and sweet. So back to work I went!

This is a short post because I'm grumpy and uncomfortable and I just don't feel like it. Can you tell I'm over this pregnancy thing?

Dr. APPOINTMENT #6!

So today I'm meeting Dr. A! I went to the hospital where I will be delivering. Once I got in I created a patient profile so I didn't have to worry about doing that in the last min. Dr. A came over and introduced himself and we went into his office. I guess today was a busy day for him so for the 1st while his assistant sat with me and went over all the family health background stuff I had to go through way earlier on.

Dr. A came in eventually and we chatted for a bit about labor and birth. He's very pro C-section, but he wasn't pushing it. He DID insist that I take pre-birth classes to help inform me about things and help me decide what I wanted. He also suggested I see a maternity therapist since I have a history with depression. I guess some mums have a hard time bonding/connecting with their little ones, and the therapy is supposed to help. I'm not too sure about that just yet.

After our talk he took me for a mini tour of the maternity ward. All the rooms are private, which I prefer. They don't have a nursery, so the baby will be in the room  with us at all times, which made me feel better...I watch way too many movies and I don't want to deal with any crazy baby stealers. We get our own nice little bathroom, and I guess you deliver in your room. Everything looked as cozy as it can get for a hospital. I personally hate hospitals, but I think I can handle it for 2-3 days.

Overall I was quite comfortable with the Dr. He seem's really passionate and professional, and I'm pretty happy we scored an awesome Dr. 

34 weeks down...nearly there!!

Back to the MOTHERLAND!

Hello week 28! I'm back in Canada and 1st thing is 1st...I've got to see my family Dr! She's a really good Dr. who is also going to recommend a good baby doc to go to, which needs to happen, like, now.

I went in for my appointment with her and of course I brought Barry with me. I'm pretty sure our appointment went on for an hr. if not a tad bit more. She basically had to go through all my medical papers from the States to determine what I've already done, and what I need to do based on the Canadian medical system. We talked a lot and she recommended the same Dr. she went to when she had her twins. Her and this Dr. are very PRO C-section, but she wasn't trying to push it on me, which was nice. At this time I was torn between a normal delivery and a C-section. I basically want the best option in order to get back to work ASAP!

She loaded me up with a ton of Iron supplements as well as a heap of prenatal vitamins. She also told me to stock up on Calcium and my Omegas as this was a definite must as of now. It was really good seeing her and she was quite informative which helped a lot. Probably the most informative Dr. appointment we've had up to now.

So now I wait for the baby Dr. to call and set up an appointment for visit #6!

Dr. APPOINTMENT #5!

27 weeks in! Can't believe it's close to be over. I don't know how I feel about that. I went in for my Dr. appointment. For those who don't know. I'm moving back to Canadaland, so this was my final appointment with Dr. M. It felt pretty weird, almost like a breakup. I've gotten so attached to him as our Dr. and he was sooooo awesome, so it was pretty hard. I will definitely miss him!

I weighed in at 109 lbs. I was a little concerned that I had only gained a lb. in a month. Dr. M came in and monitored the heartbeat and said "perfect". Measured the bump. He sat down in his chair and looked in his chart and made a note and said "welp, you're completely normal and boring." Hah! I'm sure going to miss his sense of humor! He then ordered a lab sugar test which I'll have to do tomorrow, I didn't really have it in my schedule to sit down for an hr and drink sugar water. He then gave me a copy of my medical records to pass on to the next Dr. I had to ask him about the 1 lb weight gain. He said it was completely normal, and even looked at me like "why are you even worried" GEE I DONT KNOW THESE THINGS I JUST THOUGHT I HAD TO GAIN LIKE 30 LBS! Anyway, we were all done. Then we left. Sad, but glad I'm normal and boring ;)

So far I feel good, at times I wish I had a wheelbarrow or some kind of support, like crutches or something to help carry my belly around. It gets really heavy at times. I wake up sometimes during the night because of the kicking going on and boy is there kicking! So I try not to move too much in case it wakes him up and thinks it's time for moving and kicking. Other than that, the thought of supporting a baby financially has been creeping up more and more on my mind. I try not to stress out too much about it, but it's one of those things that you can't exactly escape. I know that's been floating around Barry's head a lot too. I'm sure we'll figure it out though, things usually seem to work out pretty well for us...eventually. Just have to stay positive! :)

WEEK 26 & a SHOWER to CELEBRATE!

What a nice little celebration to welcome Oliver into this scary, yet...interesting world. Okay, he's not here yet, but it was definitely a memorable experience. It was such a heart warming day, knowing so many people wanted to be part of it and be supportive. You can definitely feel the love! Not to mention the hard work Barry's mum and sister put into the planning and making it all happen! For those of you who know me, I'm not the type to WANT to be in the center of attention, so this DID break into my comfort zone just a tad. Sure it was with a group of ladies whom I was comfortable with, but still a little nerve racking.

I wasn't sure if Barry wanted him and the dudes to be part of this little party we were having, I know he's not the "shower" type, so him and the gents went out for some beers until we were done "showering" Oliver.

I woke up the morning of the shower and my mum in law was already running around cooking, cleaning, and decorating. I offered my help numerous times, but I wasn't allowed. So I sat in the chair and just watched her do her thing. I was able to contribute a little bit. I made a little chalk sign, I also helped make an appetizer...and I set up the forks. HAHA! At least I got to do a little something. We had a Monster's Inc. theme shower, since that's Oliver's "nursery" theme. Anyhoo, Barry's sister came around and brought the cutest diaper cake goodie contraption. I couldn't stop looking at it, it was so perfect! All the decorations, colours, food, and treats were just so awesome I wish it could have been that way forever.

People started showing up. More than I had anticipated. We sat down, chatted, played some games, snacked on foods. We played a candy game to which we had to match up baby/maternity related words to each other and the candy you won matched the topic you just did, if that makes sense. There was also the guess measurement of the bump, and a clothes pin game...YOU COULDN'T SAY "BABY". That was pretty fun, it's hard not to say baby when you're at a BABY shower talking about BABIES and such. OH, I can't forget to mention the cupcakes. Ohhhh the cupcakes! Mike and Sully cupcakes! Barry's sister brought 3 tiers of homemade Mike and Sully cupcakes. They were soooo delicious. I wish I had one left over for every single day, but of course I'd probably be morbidly obese.

We had gift time, and after gift time Barry's mum made a toast...not with wine, but with sparkling apple cider. I love apple cider, I could drink a whole bottle of that stuff if not more. Toast was lovely. Following was dinner time. Barry's mum makes delicious food by the way. We had baked ziti and A LOT OF IT! My mouth is watering just thinking of it. After dinner people were starting to take off, guys came home, I showed Barry all the little gifts people brought over for Oliver. Lots of onesies, books, blankets, he's even gotten his own little spa bath!

Like I said, it was such a wonderful, memorable experience and it was all thanks to my lovely mum and sister in law and the awesome guests who shared that special day with me and Oliver. So much LOVE!

WEEK 25!

MY HOW TIME IS FLYING! The little guy is growing pretty fast! There's no hiding the bump anymore! My hoodies are fitting a bit more snug now, and I'm kinda worried they're going to stretch. I may need to invest in bigger sizes. I thought about wearing Barry's hoodies, but they're too long. I'd look like a giant bell. I'm trying to avoid spending money on maternity clothes as much as possible, so far I have 3 maternity items...I just feel guilty buying more knowing I wont need it after awhile. Then again, I can't exactly wear the same tank top over and over again. I'll probably stick it out for another week or so and see how it goes.

In other exciting news...25 weeks in...this kid knows what's up and what's down! I wonder how he's handling yoga with all the downward facing dogs and crow poses and such. According to some pregnancy apps. my uterus is the size of a soccer ball now. Not too thrilled on that fact considering I'm still kinda bummed out about how my body is changing. Apparently I'm supposed to be ecstatic about the change, but mmmnope! I miss my old self. I  miss how flexible I used to be, I miss being able tie my shoes, I miss my strength, I miss how my clothes used to fit, I miss all the energy I used to have, I miss being able to do yoga like a little champ, I miss not hurting all over...so many things I miss. I know it'll all be over and back to normal soon, but I still can't help but miss it.

On a brighter note, I buckled and bought the little guy an outfit the other day. I know I didn't want to spend money on clothes, but it was too cute to pass up, specially with the sale and all. I felt like such a mum. I went to the mall to just wander and pass up the time before I had to pick Barry up from work and I walked passed the Disney Store. Something told me that I just had to go in there...maybe it was the badass Darth Vader costume, who knows. So I waddled on in and casually scanned the premises thinking "eh...I've seen all of this before, there's nothing new...I'm just going to leave..." before I could turn away I spotted the baby clothes in the far back corner. I figured I'd just give a little looksie for shits n giggles. There were these cute character costume onesies...they had Donald Duck, Tigger, 101 Dalmatians..and then I saw it...MIKE WAZOWSKI! I couldn't help myself, so I went to the register to purchase said item still keeping my eyes on the other onesies, then I asked the lady if they had the matching slippers, she said "no, we'd have to order them for you..." My shopping impulse took over and said "yes please!" As she started ordering them...my shopping impulse spoke again..."Do you have the 101 Dalmatians in 6mo-9mo?" Lady said "no...do you want to order those too?" "mmmmyes please...and the slippers..." DONE AND DONE! I have yet to receive my package which would be in 3 more days! Until then I took a quick snap shot of the Mike outfit for you to lay your eyes upon. It's really no big deal, it's just a onesie, but being the 1st thing I purchased for the little guy...I'm kiiiiinda excited.

OH, I suppose I should update you on baby shower planning! I have no idea what's going on! That is all.

Hah! Just kidding, I do know it's on Feb 7th. I'm excited. I'm not a very fufu kinda gal, but I think it would be nice to have a little shindig with some family and friends.

That's all the updates I have as of now! Oh look, belly pic!

DR. APPOINTMENT #4!

I think week 23 has given me a small case of brain mush. I missed my appointment! I woke up the morning of thinking "Oh crap we slept all morning! Oh, but it's ok the appointment isn't for another 45 mins. So we got ready and made our way there. I signed in and sat down. I noticed the Dr. was away at the hospital that day so his appointments were slightly backed up anyway. Barry and I sat there as usual, and the secretary called me over. She says, "is there a reason why you couldn't make it to your appointment this morning?" I said, "What?! Isn't it at 9:45?".."umm, no it was at 9:15..." "OMG!" So I went to sit down so she could see if he could squeeze me in, but unfortunately he was too busy, so I rescheduled for 2 days later...GUHHhh I hate missing appointments!

So, NEW appointment day rolls around. Barry couldn't come with me unfortunately...so I asked my mum in law to accompany me. Dr. was about 45 mins delayed today, just my luck. I checked in, I peed, and we waited. We waited a little bit more. We did some more waiting. I started wondering if I was sitting somewhere where they couldn't see me and they just forgot. Last appointment of the day, we get called in. I weigh in at a whopping 108lbs! 4 pounds more since last month's appointment. Good sign, I guess. We listen to the heartbeat, and what a heartbeat indeed! Sounds like he's running a marathon in there, not to mention all the moving around he's been doing. He's quite the active little fella! Dr. M tells us that measurements and developments are all perfect! YAY!

I guess so far I've been doing everything right! That's quite reassuring since you can't exactly SEE what's going on. I've got another check in appointment next month, and after that I guess I see him every 2 weeks!

Other than feeling brain dead a lot of the time, the little guy has been moving around like a crazy person. I thought they were supposed to sleep 14 hrs a day, but I guess he might be an active sleeper. Sometimes the movement gets to be a little too much, and at time uncomfortable, but I suppose it's better to feel him moving than never moving at all! Oh, I can't forget to mention those amazing body aches! Gotta love those. They leave you walking stiff, as if you've been strapped to a piece of plywood or something. I wont miss those when they're gone, that's for sure!

So that is my week 23 update, time is going by so FREAKING fast, it makes me nervous!

WEEK 22!

So apparently my little dude is the size of a papaya. I don't think I've ever eaten one before, so I think I might buy one just to try it for the sake of baby size. I've been feeling him moving around a lot more lately. It tickles sometimes and I've become more okay with it. At 1st I wasn't too keen on the idea of someone moving and kicking my insides, but I guess the little guy has come to grow on me...literally. You know when you get the urge to call a friend or text them just to see what they're up to? That's kinda how I get from time to time. If I don't feel him moving, I'll start wondering..."hmm what's he doing in there?"

I've also noticed my yoga practice has gone out the window. I've worked so hard to reach a certain point in my practice, and now with this organism growing within, I've become limited to what I can and can't do. I can really start feeling the extra weight causing me to not be able to push my poses the way I used to. It's disappointing, but I know it's all temporary. At the same time I worry about how it's going to be after, whether or not I'll have to build my strength back up or not...or how much time I'll even have to go to a class! I guess I should just be glad that I'm still doing it considering how helpful it'll be during the labor and birth process. SPEAK OF BIRTH...

I'm trying to figure out ideal ways to preform the evacuation on D-DAY (hah). No, but really. I know a lot of women have a very specific birthing plan, which most of the time doesn't end up happening to the T. I'm a bit of a wiener when it comes to pain in a lot of ways, specially if it's going to be in the belly/crotch region. I don't believe for a second that anyone says they're a fan of what goes on down there at that time. Sure it's a miracle that you're having a baby, but honestly, it's not something you'd want to feel on a daily basis. I wouldn't know, yet, but, let's be real, people! Anyhoo, so I've been asking around, checking in to other people's experiences, how they did it, whether they used epidural, how they felt during, how they felt after. I've come to realize that everyone has a different story, being they had a water birth and it was magical or they had an epidural and it hadn't worked fully or they had it, but made them feel shitty or did it naturally and felt wonderful or whatever. I also don't want to be one of those people who walk into a hospital, lay my notes down in front of the DR. and say "hi, this is what we're doing, make sure it's done JUST LIKE THIS!" I'm quite easy going, and I have no idea what it's like to be a DR. nor what a DR. is really supposed to do, so I'm leaving it all up to the hospital to do what they think needs to go down...with a few little customizations on my part...I am liking the idea of floating around in water for relaxing purposes before birth, but I don't think I'd want to do the deed in a tub, it just doesn't seem comfortable to me. As for epidural, I'm still on the fence...I think I'm going to play that one by ear. If anyone is saying "pfff she can't do it without..."...you can just go stick your head in a bucket... if I feel like I need it I'll do it, and if for some reason I'm feeling adventurous, I wont do it. I'm not saying I'm super woman and I'm going without, I'm just going to see how I feel in that point in time. That is pretty much all I've gathered up to this point about the big day. I think Barry and I  need to attend a birthing class now! So that's next on my agenda!

Other than that...I've been feeling completely normal, just more heavy. I feel the extra weight when I'm walking around. I can't lift my legs up as far as I was able to before, I've got a slight waddle going on. My clothes don't fit as well as they used to. I can't hide the bump anymore. I'm still not feeling the need for eating strange things. Although I do get those headaches still, and my asthma and allergies have kicked in full force. Not sure why considering my allergies are seasonal, so I've never had them in the winter. My nails are growing like crazy. Oh! I decided to try a new belly lotion, just to see how it was. I was pretty happy with the Honest Co. stuff, but it's a pretty small container for how much you're paying, and I could pay the same amount and get a bigger jar of something that's just as good, and smells more appealing. So I decided the Basq brand. Smells pretty yummy, and it doesn't have that greasy/oily feeling. It's just straight lotion. I'm quite fond of it. So far no stretchmarks. At least not any new ones apart from the ones I've already had from just being human.

So that's my week 22 update. I'm sure I'll have something else to blab about soon. :)