36 Weeks

Week: 36

Weight Gained: 45 Pounds + 

Belly Button: I don't even know anymore...

Cravings: Hot Tamales, Milk, All food in general.... 

Sleep: I don't sleep anymore..... I nap at best.

Best Moment of the Week: Celebrating Christmas morning with my family in Lethbridge.

Worst Moment of the Week: Having my first real sleepless night before Baby E arrives.

Thoughts from Dad: "Christmas is over, New years is here, now we wait for your arrival.  I think your mom and I are both excited to see the person kicking her all the time and keeping her up all night."

We are in the home stretch now and we can't wait. We are so excited to meet our Baby E and we are starting to realize that this is going to happen soon. In the beginning of my pregnancy we were excited about all of the small milestones: hearing the heartbeat, seeing the baby for the first time, feeling movement. Now we are only excited about meeting the end of this pregnancy and our baby.

We have a fairly relaxed week planned and I am hoping to get some more sleep. I have big plans to clean out the entire condo and have everything spotless in the next couple of weeks. We are also going to pack a few items in a hospital bag this week..... that is a scary thought!

S

35 Weeks

Week: 35

Weight Gained: About 45 pounds 

Belly Button: Popping a bit.

Cravings: Spicy food, Hot Tamales, Chocolate, and Milk!

Sleep: What is sleep? I don't even know what that means anymore.

Best Moment of the Week: finishing my last day of work for over a year! Bring on maternity leave!

Worst Moment of the Week: Driving to Lethbridge right after work on Thursday, arriving exhausted, and then getting NO sleep as a result of the harder mattress than I am used to.

Thoughts from Dad: "We are in Lethbridge to see grandpa for Christmas. I am glad I got you and mom there safely after our last day of work"

 

This week felt like it took forever but it was the best! I am officially done working! I cannot wait to start cleaning the house and preparing for the arrival of Baby E. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of a few last minute baby items and then we will be ready.... or at least we hope we are ready.

 

I am starting to feel massively uncomfortable. I am in a ton of pain and my stomach is getting so itchy! There are days when I feel like I could rip my skin off because it is so itchy. My hips feel like they are going to fall off of my body and walking has become a challenge. I am in a full on waddle now, which I am sure is really attractive.

 

We have the next week and a half to relax as a family and enjoy the Christmas holidays and I feel as though it is well deserved. We pushed ourselves hard in the last month to finish all of our Christmas presents and we are looking forward to doing nothing but sitting around.

 

S

Week: 34

Weight Gained: Over 40....

Belly Button: Sections of it are starting to pop out.

Cravings: Chocolate, Root Beer and spicy food.

Sleep: Almost non-exsistant. I am really struggling to stay comfortable and I am starting to have a hard time sharing a bed with David :(

Best Moment of the Week: Coming home to a spotless house on Wednesday after Dust Queen was in to clean. Everything looks brand new!

Worst Moment of the Week: It was a pretty rough week all around. I was out until 9p every night trying to get a few last minute things done and it was exhausting.

Thoughts from Dad:

I really can't believe how far we have come. I remember being worried about making it through the first trimester and here we are... with less than 45 days until we meet Baby E.

I am really starting to feel the physical effects of being so large. I am constantly tired. Heartburn, sore hips and sore back are all normal for me now. Everyone is starting to ask me how I am feeling and if I am ready to be done. Honestly.... I am ready to meet this baby.

We have started to think about the last minute items we need to pick up. We are putting together our final lists and starting to think about packing our hospital bags. It could all happen at any time.

Amongst all of our baby planning we have been working to finish up our last minute holiday planning. We have finished all of our Christmas shopping and we have managed to get all of the details wrapped up. The house is spotless and we cannot wait to start our vacation!

S

Done and Done!

This past two weeks has been an insane combination of cooking and entertaining for friends and family and attending family Christmas functions.

Some of you may know that David and I are on a three year Christmas rotation. We rotate between my Dad's house in Lethbridge, my Mom's house in Phoenix and David's parent's place here in Edmonton. It is great to mix things up every year but it also makes for a busy month of December.

We always try to get in all of our gift exchanging and Christmas dinners before everyone goes their separate ways. This year, we held our annual Eliuk Friends Christmas dinner last weekend and dinner with my family this weekend. That meant that I had to cook two full turkey dinners while very pregnant.

Last weekend we had an incredible time. We served up for 14 of our friends and managed to fit everyone around our giant table. It was so much fun to have everyone in the same room and we had a great night of food and wine and a fun gift exchange. David had won a turkey for that dinner to I somehow managed to fit a 28 pound turkey into our roaster and oven! It was truly impressive. Here are a few photos from the dinner:

The Meal

Huge Legs from the 28 Pound Turkey

Enjoying the Meal

Dessert... Yum!

Opening Gifts

The Tired Hosts

Last weekend was also David's aunt's potluck Christmas dinner. It was great to catch up with everyone and settle in to a nice Sunday meal. I literally ate myself sick and had to go lay down.... I really have to learn when to say no more.

This weekend was insane. On Thursday we were off to the Butterdome craft sale to pick up some last minute gifts. Friday was dinner with a friend and then we were off to the Oilers game (we lost.... booo). Saturday evening we were at David's parent's house for our gift exchange and dinner with his family. We had a great time giving everyone their gifts. We managed to get a few unique items this year so it was fun to finally be able to give them out. Last night was our last big Christmas event in Edmonton. We had my family over for our gift exchange and I put together my second full turkey dinner of the year. The 16 pounder turned our perfectly and everyone had a blast opening their gifts from each other. This is the first year that we drew names for our gift exchange and set it limit.... it was so much easier! When you come from a family of 5 kids, Christmas can get a little expensive. Here are a few photos from last night:

All together, it has been a great Christmas so far. We are officially done with all of the celebrating in Edmonton and we are on our way to Lethbridge next week. Only 8 more days of work! Can't wait!

S

Exhaustion

Last night was a really rough sleeping night. My hips were in a massive amount of pain and I had to turn and readjust on a regular basis. David could not sleep so he was out playing Wii at 1:00a.m. and I can't sleep unless he is beside me. The whole thing was a disaster.

Today, I am literally sitting at my desk struggling to keep my eyes open. My head is bobbing and my limbs feel like lead..... I am so exhausted.

When is this going to be over?!?!

Must sleep....

S

Page Updates!

Hey Everyone!


Check out the Photo Album.....New Updates!


S

33 Weeks

Week: 33

Weight Gained: 41 Pounds!

Belly Button: Flat

Cravings: Christmas baking and Root Beer!

Sleep: Super crappy still. My hips and legs are super sore all the time so I have a really hard time sleeping in one spot for a long time.

Best Moment of the Week: Seeing Baby E in the Ultrasound on Monday. It is getting so cute and chubby!

Worst Moment of the Week: Starting to feel really heavy and useless. I am really looking forward to some time off.

Thoughts from Dad: "Is blown away with what the ultrasound can show us.  Heart, kidneys, bladder, even your two little leg bones are crystal clear.  Cant wait to see the rest of you in person."  "PS.  Stop kicking mom, every time you do she gets mad at me because it makes me laugh when you do."

I am really starting to feel super heavy and done. As much as I love feeling Baby E move, all of the movements are really starting to hurt because there is no room to move. My ribs are super sore and I am starting to get random shooting pains.

This week we also found out how big our Baby is.... It is absolutely massive! Although I am really glad that we have such a healthy baby it does make me nervous. I am really nervous about the prospect of an early induction or an emergency c-section.

The last two weeks have also been very busy for us. We have been in full Christmas mode and we are really looking forward to slowing down sometime soon. After this weekend we should be able to spend some more time relaxing. We are really looking forward to it..... 9 days of work left!

S

Nesting My A**

So apparently at this point I am supposed to get the need to clean. I am supposed to be entering the "nesting" portion of my pregnancy. Call me crazy but I do not exactly feel like coming home from a full day at work and cleaning my house top to bottom. I am not saying that it is messy or hasn't been cleaned.... I am just not getting that overwhelming need to do everything at once.

For the entirety of this pregnancy David has been amazing. He has helped keep the house clean and often makes us dinner because I just can't be bothered to get off of the couch. I have no idea what it would look like if it weren't for him..... probably a complete and utter disaster zone. I honestly did not think that David could get any more amazing and supportive... until today.

He has discovered that our work benefits will pay for the cost of house cleaning! People! This is incredible! My husband is encouraging me to call in cleaners before the new year to clean our house top to bottom so that I don't have to do it! Oh man.... I am one very round, very happy lady. Thank goodness I have him.

S

I Just Feel Off....

I am starting to feel really "off" lately. I can't really put my finger on it.... I am not sick and there is nothing wrong with me. I just don't feel like myself.

Last night when David and I got home, I ate dinner and went straight to bed. I couldn't sleep because Baby E was having some kind of aerobics class in my stomach, but I just needed to lay down and close my eyes. I think that if I had the option I would lay down and rest all day, every day until this kid comes.

I have also completely lost my motivation. When I have to wake up to get ready for work I am literally dragging my butt out or bed. Once I actually get to the office all I want to do is sit back and stare at the computer screen. I have no actual drive to get anything done. Good thing we are really slow right now or I would be in trouble....

S

The Things I Miss...

- Putting on my own boots and socks

- Sleeping through the entire night

- A normal occurrence of bathroom breaks

- Being able to relax without having my stomach move the entire time

- Getting hiccups that are mine and not Baby E's

- Clothing that actually fits

- People asking me how I am doing instead of always talking about the baby

- Being able to walk up and down stairs without feeling like I can't breathe

- Using the computer without my stomach hitting the keyboard

- Being able to walk any longer distances

- Not worrying about whether or not everything I am feeling is normal

- Having conversations with my husband that do not revolve around our baby

- The skinny version of me

- Being able to get out of a car or roll over in bed without much effort

- So much more...

- I MISS THIS:

Oh. Em. Gee. This Kid is Huge!

Yesterday was the ultimate day of being poked and prodded at. It was our big appointment day and we were out for the majority of the day.

David and I decided that it would be easier if we took the day off and gave ourselves a long weekend and a whole day to go to appointments. We woke up early and went to our OBGYN appointment first.

Everything went really well. I am up another 7 pounds (when is this going to slow down!) and the baby's heart rate was sitting at 150bpm. I am measuring right on 32 weeks. We asked our questions and so far everything is normal. Both Baby E and I are very healthy as far as Dr. McCubbin is concerned.

It wasn't until our ultrasound that things got a little bit more interesting..... Baby E is super healthy and very active. It kept on rolling and kicking out of the way when the ultrasound tech was trying to get measurements. It is already practicing it's breathing and sucking functions and passed all of the movement tests with flying colors. The only issue..... is that this baby is measuring in the 95th percentile! Resting at a hefty 5 pounds 10 ounces we are easily looking at a 9 pound or larger baby. This is nuts!

So apparently there are a few penalties for having such a big kid. I might have to deal with the following three things:

- Another gestational diabetes test

- Another ultrasound to check in on the size

- An early induction

Here is the shot we got of Baby E's face. If you tilt your head to the right when you look at it you are basically looking into the mirror image. Chubby cheeks already!

No wonder I feel like a house and I can't breathe! This kid has taken stake of my entire body! We should hear more when Dr. McCubbin gets the information from the tests in another couple of days. Hopefully all is good!




S

32 Weeks

Week: 32
Weight Gained: 35 pounds
Belly Button: Flat as a pancake
Cravings: Dairy products.....all dairy products...
Sleep: Super crappy. I am starting to get really sore while sleeping.
Best Moment of the Week: My incredible surprise shower! David and all of my friends put on an incredible baby shower for me and Baby E.
Worst Moment of the Week: Starting to feel really huge. None of my clothes fit anymore..... not even the maternity ones!
Thoughts from Dad: "Take note from the the baby shower that I organized last weekend. If you are a little girl tell me if the boys dont do things like this for you and I will kick there butts. If you are a little boy you have a lot to learn and I will teach you. But if you don't do things like this I am going to kick your butt!!"

I am officially a house. I am starting to feel gigantic and exhausted. Everything that I do is so much harder than it used to be and I am getting very frustrated. I cannot wait for the end of January! You know you're pregnant when your maternity clothes are getting too small...... It sucks.

This week was pretty slow. I spent a lot of time getting ready for our big Christmas dinner on Saturday and I did a lot of baking and cleaning. Other than that we have not been up to much. David put on an amazing surprise baby shower for me last Saturday that made me feel so loved! It was definitely the highlight of the week.

This weekend will be insane. We have a ton of Christmas events and we cannot wait!

We will fill you in on more later!

S

Blog Updates

I have been really working on updating the additional pages on this blog. It is a ton of work and with everything I am trying to accomplish before Christmas, it not really been a priority of mine to update.

Well, today I completely uploaded all of the blog posts from our Australian honeymoon. There are also a few photos of our trip for those of you who are interested. I am going to aim to work on the photo album sometime tonight or this evening.

Check it out!

S

Rock Party in the Belly

This kid is nuts! I have been dealing with constant movement in my insides all week. Baby E was active before but these movements are different. I can now feel distinct body parts and rolls. David and I can now watch my belly move and tell what the baby is doing.... it's crazy! My favourite is when I can tell that it's sticking it's bum out at us. I am telling you.... it is a constant rock party in my belly.

S

The Countdown Begins...

I am officially counting down to my Maternity leave starting today. I am way too excited to wait any longer and it is starting to feel so much closer! I only have 23 days left until I am on Christmas holidays for a glorious week and a half and if all goes to plan, I only have 58 days until my due date and last day of work! I am nervous that this part of my pregnancy will start to feel like it is taking forever but I can't help but start the countdown anyway.

I am also getting really excited about Christmas. We have so much happening this month and our first Christmas dinner is this Saturday. This month should fly by and then all of a sudden it will be time for us to pack our bags and head down to Lethbridge for some quality family time and well deserved relaxation.

Progress on our Christmas To Do list is going well. We have figured out what we are buying for everyone and have begun to pick everything up. I have made an excel spreadsheet with everyone on it and their corresponding gifts.... I know it's lame but nowadays I cannot trust myself to remember things.

Who else is starting to get in the Christmas spirit...... I am!

S

Grey Cup 2010

So I have officially survived the Grey Cup! When we decided to go to Canada's version of the Superbowl I was a little bit concerned. I knew I would be huge at this point and bordering on uncomfortable but I had no idea how bad it would be.

I was one of two women in a group of 12 who went to the game and I was so nervous. I was terrified of getting to the game and getting home and having big crowd anxiety. We parked the car super early and took the park and ride bus to the game. It was relatively quiet because we were over an hour early and the line-up to get in was not bad at all. I managed to go for one pee break before the game started and I didn't pass out on the long walk up to our seats.

Although it was cold we came well prepared. The boys kept me happy with a steady stream of Hot Chocolate and it was a great game. I only had to hike down all of the stairs for one more pee break the entire time! David and I left the game with about three minutes left to avoid the crowd and we were home by 8:30p. It was perfect.

Here are the few photos we got of the game before our camera died:

S

The Perfect Surprise

I have the most incredible husband in the world. On Saturday after yoga and lunch we got back to the condo and when I walked in to the house I was bombarded with balloons and friends!

David secretly planned a shower for me with all of my good friends. He sent out custom invitations, ordered a custom cake, ordered personalized chocolate bars for favours and organized all of the food and games! It was incredible! I couldn't believe that he even knew what women do at showers! All of my friends were amazing and we had such a fun afternoon. I can't even thank David enough for everything that he did for me. He is the most incredible person I know and I am so lucky to have him in my life.

Baby E will be starting life with some pretty great things thanks to some very generous people and I can't wait!

S

31 Weeks

Week: 31
Weight Gained: 35 pounds

Belly Button: Flat

Cravings: Milk! And anything that will calm my heartburn.

Sleep: Tough and really inconsistent. I am awake constantly and now I am getting leg cramps!

Best Moment of the Week: Going to my HR Maternity leave session at work!

Worst Moment of the Week: Leg cramp.... for sure.

Thoughts from Dad: "I am getting excited for things to come."

This week has been fairly uneventful. We have been in the process of preparing for Christmas and it is taking up most of our time. I have been baking up a storm and we managed to set up the Christmas decorations on Wednesday. The house is finally coming together!

For some reason, we have both been super exhausted this week. We have been really crappy about attending yoga and we have decided to be as anti-social for the time being because we have so much coming up. On the plus side we have established a new Saturday morning routine that we are both really excited about. We are starting to realize that we don't have much one on one time left and I think we both started to panic. So every Saturday morning we wake up, have breakfast in bed, go to yoga (David does the hot class while I hang out with the prenatal yoga ladies) and then we go for a nice quiet lunch after. It is a nice excuse to catch up on our week and spend some quality time together.

Baby E is doing great as far as I can tell. We still have our morning dance parties in the belly and every time there is music on this kid goes nuts! As of this week the baby can also see light and all 5 senses are developed. It is still head down and to the left and feet up and to the right so I get a lot of kicks in my ribs.

We have the Grey Cup on Sunday so I will try to update with some more photos.

More soon!

S

Calf Cramps and Christmas Gifts

Last night, David and I were introduced to the wonderful world of muscle cramps as a result of pregnancy. I woke up in the middle of the night with the most excruciating pain in my right calf. Now... I consider myself to have a fairly high pain tolerance... this made me feel like I was going to puke and actually made me start crying. Nothing we did made the pain go away and I couldn't move from the position I was in.

Looking back on it now I can laugh. In the middle of clutching my leg and crying all I could think was "I have to go pee!". David had to half carry me, half help me hop on one leg to get to the bathroom.... pleasant. I was told that it could be dehydration, potassium deficiency of calcium deficiency (it is definitely not a calcium issue since I drink a mountain of milk on a daily basis).

Aside from calf cramp issues and strange middle of the night aches, pains and pee breaks, we have been very busy. Our first major Christmas event is on December 4th and we have been prepping like crazy! I have been in full on baking mode and David has been trying to maintain a clean house.

In the midst of all of this we still have to do all of our Christmas shopping. I know that we have a month until the big day but we have a dinner or Christmas event every Saturday and Sunday for the next four weeks! We have to be ready well in advance. I still have to pick out a gift for our friends gift exchange and our family one and so does David..... yikes!

Hopefully we can get everything ready in time!

S

No Comments?

I noticed today that we have never had a comment on our blog... why is that? I want to hear from you people! Where is my peanut gallery? Whether I know you or not, please feel free to leave comments at any time.

Thanks!

S

The One Where I Get Sent to the Hospital...

Ok, so it sounds a lot more serious than it actually was.

Last Tuesday we went in for our routine OBGYN appointment. As usual we arrived early and got it quickly (I love my OB!). She weighed me (up again!) and we listened to Baby E's heartbeat. Then she asked me about movement. I was honest and told her that I had only been feeling a few kicks each day for the last four days which was unusual for Baby E. As soon as I said the words.... I knew that our day was about to get longer.

We were promptly sent to the hospital OB assessment centre for a non-stress test.... ugh. I was super embarrassed walking in to the hospital knowing that I had probably just been too busy and pre-occupied to notice any of Baby E's smaller movements. We were admitted and I was strapped to a hospital bed sandwiched between one girl who was due in a week and was in to be monitored as a result of her gestational diabetes and one woman who was being prepped for her c-section that morning..... I did not fit in.

We were seen by a nurse who really could have cared less about her job and was super difficult to understand. I was told to pee in a cup (again...) and get comfortable in the bed. Side note: do they seriously think that it is easy for a woman with a large protruding belly to pee in the tiniest sup imaginable? I mean.....seriously! I can't even see what I am doing! Half the time I end up with most of the pee on my hand instead of in the cup... gross.

Anyways. Once strapped to the monitor I was told to stay still and press a button every time I felt the baby move. We were not told how long we would be there or what they were even looking for. So David and Baby E and I chilled out for a while. We were just listening to Baby E's heart rate and counting movements. As I suspected, the minute I started to relax Baby E started to go crazy. Everything turned out to be perfect!

That's the last time I admit anything to my doctor knowing that I am fine. Oh, and for those who are curious... I passed my gestational diabetes test with flying colors! Yay!

More later,

S

Movement

Karate chops to the bladder and round house kicks to the ribs hurt..... a lot.

That's it. That's all I have to say. For now....

S

Sickness and Pregnancy

I have to admit something.... I kind of always thought that pregnant women were over-exaggerating when they went on and on about how crappy it is to be sick while pregnant. I was wrong.

I have been trying to fight off a cold since Thursday and I am fighting a losing battle. There is nothing more exhausting than weighing an extra thirty pounds than your used to and trying to do all of the things you would normally do. Add blowing your nose, trying to breathe and working through a wicked headache to the mix and it is damn near impossible to accomplish anything other than sleeping.

I took Friday off to recuperate and slept the entire day. I probably could have done with an additional week of sleep be even us preggo sickies have things that need to get done. I was already starting to feel like giving up on keeping up with my normal schedule and being sick threw me into full on countdown mode. I cannot wait until Christmas!

S

David's New Job!

So for those of you who don't know, my husband was just given an incredible work experience opportunity with our organization. Starting in January he will be moving to the same downtown office that I work in and he will be working completely different hours. His new job will involve working within the market to buy and sell gas and therefore he has to work eastern market hours. That means that he will be downtown from 6:30 am to 3:00pm!

We are so excited for him to start this new position. It will be more of challenge for him and the hours actually work really well with having a newborn. The best part about the change is that he is guaranteed his old job once his work experience is up and if an opportunity arises for him to stay in the position permanently he can choose to do that as well.

Can't wait for January!

S

30 Weeks! 3/4 Baked!

Week: 30

Weight Gained: I am officially up about 33 pounds people! Ahhhhhh!

Belly Button: Flat. Parts of it are sticking out.

Cravings: Nothing really. I have gotten to that stage where I can barely fit anything into my stomach and I am constantly full.

Sleep: Still non-existent with frequent pee breaks.

Best Moment of the Week: Finally getting all of the nursery furniture all set up and ready to go!

Worst Moment of the Week: Getting sent to the hospital for a non-stress test after my OB decided Baby E was not moving enough and getting sick.

Thoughts from Dad: "That's the last time that I stay up until 2am building you something unless it's a bike that I get to ride too."

Yay! 30 weeks feels like a huge milestone. For some reason I am only now really starting to realize that this is all actually happening. We are starting to get SUPER excited to meet Baby E. I am also starting to feel like people look at me differently when they ask how far along I am and I tell them I am in my 30's. It just seems so much more serious now.

The last couple of weeks I have gone really downhill physically. I am struggling to do simple tasks such as putting on my own shoes and picking things up off the floor. I feel like I weigh 400 pounds when I try to tackle any stairs and I have officially kissed my balance goodbye. The extra weight I have gained is also really taking a toll on my back and hips. I can only stand and walk around for so long before everything starts to hurt and I am forced to sit down.

Baby E has been super active this last week. I am starting to get used to really hard kicks and punches. The baby's head is down and to the left and the feet are up under my right ribs. It is not uncommon for Baby E to get a foot stuck under my ribs for a few hours which makes me feel like I can't get a full breath of air.

Aside from all of these things that are driving me crazy, I am nothing but excited. I am secretly starting to hope that we do not make it all the way through January and I cannot wait to see what Baby E looks like.

Let the countdown begin!

S

A Day Full of Furniture

After the back order issues on Friday we made the decision to cancel our original furniture order and start looking for replacements. We spent all day on Saturday shopping for baby gear and managed to find a beautiful crib and dresser for Baby E's room.

After two trips back to the store and some help from our neighbour we managed to get the two giant boxes into our condo. We were going to wait until Sunday to put everything together but we were way too excited! We stayed up until 2am putting everything together and it looks great!

Putting together the furniture makes everything feel very real. We are so excited to add the details to the room and bring Baby E home! Here are a few photos from our furniture building night. I will add more photos of the final room setup soon.