The New Rocker/Glider

The new rocking chair for Baby E's room came in this week! It was almost completely assembled but David put on the finishing touches. Can't wait to spend some quality time with the Baby in this chair.

Sweet New Ride!

Check out the sweet new ride that Jamie graciously handed down to us.... We cannot wait to use it! Baby E is going to love strolling around in this super sweet BOB jogging stroller.

A Few Halloween Photos

27 Weeks.... Third Trimester!

Week: 27 Weight Gained: About 25 so far..... Crap!
Belly Button: Still the same.... I am starting to think it might just get shallow and never really pop out.
Cravings: Halloween Candy! There has been so much temptation this week!
Sleep: Still awful and painful.
Best Moment of the Week: Our second prenatal class. We learned so much and it was really reassuring.
Worst Moment of the Week: My gestational diabetes test on Friday.... Yuck!
Thoughts from Dad: "Is starting to realize that we know nothing about what the future holds for us when you arrive. So many unknowns, but trust that we are doing our best to be able to do our best."

This week was so busy. We are really starting to realize how close we are to meeting Baby E and how much our lives will change.

I have already written about how amazing our class was on Wednesday but I have yet to talk about the Gestational Diabetes test that I had to do on Friday. I went in to work in the morning and made my way to the clinic next door at 9 AM for my test. They made me drink a glucose drink that tasted like the MacDonalds orange drink but thicker and sweeter. Then I had to sit in the waiting room for an hour before they could take my blood. I felt so sick! It made me super nauseous and I experienced a serious sugar crash, including the shakes. The worst part was that I had to fast before the test so all I had in my system was sugar. Baby E was going crazy! I have no idea when I will get the results back. We are hoping soon.

This week also marked the start of the third Trimester! It makes me nervous to think about the fact that we only have one third of the pregnancy left. Hopefully it all goes by smoothly!

S

Prental Class #2

Last night we had our second Prenatal class at the Grey Nuns and it was awesome.

Each week at our classes we will have a different instructor and a different theme to the night. The instructor last night was a labour and delivery nurse who gave us the full run down on what to expect when we go in to the hospital to have our baby.

She gave us a basic run through of what can go wrong and how they will treat us if any of these things happen. We were able to see and touch forceps, a vacuum and an epidural tube as well as a few other instruments we may encounter during our stay.

We were given a slideshow tour of the Labour and delivery ward as well as the postpartum ward and we were told what we should be bringing with us to the hospital. She ran through the process of a c-section as well as our options for pain management.

Throughout the entire presentation we were encouraged to ask questions and with a classroom of 20 pregnant women and their partners.... there were a lot of questions asked. It was great to be given an open forum to ask all of those things that we wish we had time to ask our OBGYN. It helped ease a lot of our fears while creating a few new ones.

We are excited about our class next week. All we know is that we are supposed to bring a Yoga mat and some comfortable clothing.... Thank goodness we have been practicing our flexibility in our Yoga classes!

S

Backordered.... Ack!

I thought that we would somehow be the only people on the planet to actually get our furniture order on time.

Yesterday I received an email saying that the chair that we had order last week was going to be here today! David confirmed that they stopped by the House while we were away today and we will have them drop it off tomorrow.... Yay!

Our Crib and Dresser are a whole new issue. My mom just forwarded me an email saying that the crib has been backorderd to the end of next week..... ok I can handle that. No big deal. But then I read further... the dresser is backordered until December 31st! Eeeek! We did not plan on using the closet in the nursery for Baby E. Everything in the closet has been organized into a storage space for race gear and crafting supplies. If this thing doesn't get here stat we are going to be changing this kid on the floor and clothing it out of a box!

Don't worry, this is only a mild panic attack. I am sure it will miraculously show up earlier than they quoted.... that happens sometimes... right?!?!

Oh man.... well for now I will just go to my prenatal class tonight, pray that this baby does NOT come early and hope that the furniture turns up before Christmas. *Sigh*

S

26 Weeks

Week: 26

Weight Gained: Another 8 lbs in the last month.... I won't tell you what the total is now.

Belly Button: About to pop! It is barely holding on.

Cravings: Skim milk and Mexican food... still the same.

Sleep: Crap. I cannot sleep at all anymore. I thrash around all night and I have a really tough time getting comfortable at all.

Best Moment of the Week: David and I were able to see Baby E kick for the first time. It is getting so strong!

Worst Moment of the Week: Getting stuck with 10,000 other people trying to get home when the LRT went down on Thursday.

Thoughts from Dad: "It has been a very interesting week for your mom and I. It has not been easy but trust me when I say that everything we are doing is only to make things better for your future and ours. I am also learning, after only one class, that prenatal classes are more for clueless dads like me and not so much for moms since they know everything already."

This week was busy. Between doctors appointments, prenatal classes and yoga it has been pretty non-stop. We are busy preparing for the changes that we will be facing once Baby E arrives in January.

This week we ordered the crib, the dresser, the crib bedding and the rocker/glider. It should be non-stop deliveries for the next couple of weeks and we cannot wait! Our goal is to have the majority of the nursery set up by December 1st so that we do not have to worry about it over the holiday season.

Physically I have been having a tougher time. I have started having an incredibly hard time sleeping and it is starting to wear on me. I have also started having quite a bit of hip pain and sciatic nerve pain on my left side. The only thing I can do to help any of the pain is to keep moving and stretching. Hopefully it will ease up soon.

S

Surviving Regular Yoga

Tonight I dragged David along with me to a regular Hatha class at Yogalife. I was so nervous about attempting to keep up with a class of non-pregnant women. It was a lot harder than my prenatal class but I think it was good for me. I know how to adapt the postures to make them comfortable for myself and having David there helped me feel a lot less self-conscious.

David was the only man in the class and I was the only pregnant woman and we did great! After class all of the other women were asking me how I was feeling and I got a lot of comments on how impressed they were that I was still practicing yoga.

I am so excited about finding something physical that I can do! I have been feeling the urge to go for a run or bike ride lately and I really think that going to yoga on a regular basis will help.

S

The Prenatal Classes Begin...

Tonight was our first Prenatal class at the Grey Nun's Hospital. We had no idea what to expect going into be but we were very excited. The power went down on the LRT after work and by the time I got to Mill Woods Town Centre to meet David it was 6:30p and our class started at 7p! We grabbed food and just made it in time.

We were shocked to see that there were 15 couples in our class. It is huge! It was so much fun to see all of the other pregnant women and their partners and how we are all going through the same thing. We are really hoping to meet some new people while attending these classes. We will be going every Wednesday for the next five weeks!

We will keep you updated on what we learn!

S

Second OBGYN Appointment

Today David and I had our second appointment with Dr. McCubbin. Everything went really well! We only had to wait about twenty minutes before going in to see her.

After having my blood pressure checked and my weight taken we got to listen to Baby E's heartbeat. It was coming through at a strong 150 bpm! We were just about to ask our questions when our doctor's beeper went off. She had to run out to do an emergency c-section. We asked our questions quickly before she ran out of the room.

When we left the office we re-booked for 3 new appointments!
- Gestational Diabetes Test October 29
- OBGYN Appointment November 16
- Second Ultrasound December 6

We have so much to do and it is all going by so fast!

S

Yoga is Hard!

This Saturday I went to my first prenatal yoga class. I have been looking forward to going for a while but I have been putting it off until I felt better.

Saturday morning David had to work so I woke up really early with him, ate breakfast and went to yoga. Class was at 10:30a and I was super nervous. There were six women in class ranging from 13 weeks to 32 weeks. We all shared how we were feeling and one piece of advice that we felt was worth sharing.

While practicing yoga we performed several stretches and balancing poses and focused on getting rid of hip and back pain. Before I got pregnant I was attending some fairly advanced yoga classes. This was supposed to be a super easy going class and it ended up being the hardest class I have ever attended. It is not that the movement or postures were difficult at all. It was all in adjusting to my new shape and weight gain. I plan on attending classes until the baby is born so I am hoping it gets a little bit easier.

More soon!

S

25 Weeks

Week: 25

Weight Gained: Still don't have an updated number

Belly Button: Sore and flat.... this thing might actually pop out at some point!

Cravings: Chicken tacos.... yum! I can eat 6 homemade, hard shell chicken tacos in one sitting. I have no idea how I am fitting it all into my body and I usually have some serious heartburn after.

Sleep: Rough.... I have been an insomniac all week. I toss and turn all night and cannot get comfortable. My hips also start to ache and my limbs go numb.

Best Moment of the Week: While I was in the bath earlier this week my entire tummy jumped. I actually SAW a kick!

Worst Moment of the Week: Every morning that I went to work in a daze because of the lack of sleep the night before.

Thoughts From Dad: Coming Soon

This week was so much fun and so exhausting all at once. Last weekend was thanksgiving and we managed to get in two amazing turkey dinners, some time with friends and an Oilers game. It was busy but we enjoyed every minute of it.

This week was also really tough for me. Sleep is starting to get really difficult and I am finding it really hard to concentrate at work after long nights of tossing and turning. I am really hoping that it gets better soon. Between the pain in my hips and my limbs going numb it is really starting to wear on me.

Baby E has been getting VERY active. It is constantly moving and kicking and everything is getting a lot stronger. David can feel movement on a regular basis now and the baby is starting to move on a schedule. Baby E wakes up with me every morning and kicks me to sleep. I am really enjoying all of the movement. It makes everything feel so much more real.

More Soon!

S

Baby E's First Oilers Game!

Thought I would share a fun picture from last Sunday. David and I went to our second Oilers game of the year but the first of the regular season. Pre-season doesn't count so this was taken before Baby E's first official Oilers game!

Note that I am not wearing my jersey.... it is a little too small for me now. I am still showing my team pride with the blue tank top and orange ribbon in my hair.

While we were there we checked out a few of the super cute Oilers baby gear. We can't wait to take this kid to a game!

24 Weeks... Viability Day!

Week: 24
Weight Gained: Not sure anymore....
Belly Button: Itchy from all of the pressure the baby puts on it. It is getting really flat.
Cravings: Milk! I loooovvvvee a cold glass of milk. I think that I am just finding it really refereshing.
Sleep: Difficult. I get very uncomfortable very quickly and it is getting harder to roll over. Everything takes so much more effort!
Best Moment of the Week: David felt the baby for the first time! It has been non-stop since last Sunday.
Worst moment of the Week: Being exhausted all week. All of the work I have been doing on the Run for the Cure and the Minerva dinner have finally caught up to me and I need a week off to recover.
Thoughts from Dad: "Baby your kicks are strong! Thank you for finally kicking hard enough for me to feel it.... now stop kicking your mom."

This week was so long and incredible at the same time. We had a million charity events happening and I was planning all of them. I was so relieved when the were on finished on Tuesday. I had a massage on Tuesday evening to help myself relax and after that it was all about trying to recouperate.

The best day this week by far was last Sunday. After the Run for the Cure David felt the baby kick for the first time. He was so excited to finally feel what I have been talking about and I was excited that I could finally share it with him. It has been non-stop since Sunday. Baby E loves it's dad and is always willing to kick him a few kicks.

Can't wait to see what happens next!

S

Minerva Dinner

Last Monday was the Minerva Foundation dinner at the Hotel MacDonald. This year I was asked to plan the dinner with an admin assistant from the Little Warriors group.

The Minerva Foundation is our family's foundation. Some of my family members founded it 32 years ago and has been raising money for non-profit and community organizations. I am proud have helped the foundation raise thousands of dollars this year and look forward to helping plan the dinner next year.

My uncle, Steve, spoke at the event about working for AMOR Ministries for almost 30 years building homes in low income communities internationally. It was very interesting and actually taught me more about my own family.

Here are a few photos from the event. I have included a photo of David's parents and my mom and uncle Steve.

Festivus of Breastivus Run for the Cure

I don't even know how to explain how proud I am of our Run for the Cure team this year. Team Festivus of Breastivus was in it's second year and with 16 members we managed to raise almost $3000 to fight breast cancer.

Everyone got into the action and came out in pink to support the cause. We had twelve runners and four walkers and everyone had an incredible time. I managed to walk 4k of the 5k course before I started getting some tightness in my tummy. We wrapped up the day with a nice post-run brunch at Brewsters before heading our separate ways.

All I can say is that I cannot wait until next year! We will raise more money and it will be Baby E's first time at the event!

Here are a few photos from the day. Take note of my amazing husband's super hot pink tights.

S

23 Weeks

Week: 23

Weight Gained: I don't really know anymore
Belly Button: Still shallow and still an "innie"
Cravings: Plain spaghetti noodles
Sleep: With the aid of a million pillows that are strategically placed
Best Moment of the Week: Baby E's clothes arrived from Old Navy... Yay!
Worst Moment of the Week: Pretty much the entire week. There was far too much stress and I took on way too many things at once.
Thoughts from Dad: "Stop tap dancing on your mom's bladder. I'm tired of making bathroom pit stops."

If I had to choose one word to describe this week, it would be stressful. I am in the middle of planning two major charity events that are happening in the next week and it is just too much. Everybody keeps telling me to calm down, but the more they tell me I need to slow down the more frustrated I get and my stress level increases.

Luckily everything will be over by Monday and I have a massage booked for Tuesday.... The countdown to relaxation begins.

S