So much to share

              

            I am now 39 weeks and a few days pregnant. Nearly there!!!          

Today Nenad and I decided to spend the day out, exploring. We had high tea, quite fancy indeedy! Im not much of a tea drinker, but I have to admit, it was pretty darn tasty, plus it was just a fun, different thing for us to do. We then walked along the pier, admiring all the local artisans work. It was a relaxing and enjoyable day, just the two of us.

This blog post was going to be dedicated to the baby mobile I made and the new paint colour in the nursery, but something else ended up happening today that definitely deserves mentioning :)

                                                                                 

Nenad knew I wanted more pics of my pregnancy. It is drawing to a close and well, I have to admit, I am one of those women who absolutely LOVE/Loved being pregnant. I heard so many pregnant women complain, who just wanted it to be over. I am/was not one of those women. I will miss it. I will miss my baby kicking and rolling around in my womb, I will miss knowing that right now she is all mine, I will miss the whole feminine, womanliness of this experience. Ok Im getting off topic... So Nenad and I went to this spot on the beach, where we have gone a few times. He took a million pictures, I was his muse lol. Then when we were all finished, he pulled out a box, and asked me to marry him. He managed to smoosh the ring on my swollen, chubby, pregnant finger, after both of us wondered in confusion which was my left hand lol. I started to cry and sort of jumped into his arms. With his bad leg, this probably wasn't the best of ideas. He stumbled a bit and I was so worried that I was going to knock us over that my tears stopped. Oh boy we are engaged. The ring is absolutely the most beautiful stunning ring ever! I know, we are doing things a bit backwards, baby then engagement, but we couldn't be happier.

I painted the nursery not too long ago. The decorating is far from finished, but I am happy to at least have a new colour in there. I didn't think a baby should grow up in a beigey brown room. It is hard to tell, but it is a pale blueish green. Very pretty with the pink curtains and other pink details. I had plans to paint a pink dome shape behind the crib and then either get one of those wall decals that look like a tree or actually paint a tree on the wall inside the dome shape, and add paper flowers, but that will have to wait. Not sure Im artistic enough for that venture. Plus the baby won't be spending much time in there. The plan is to have the baby sleep in our room with us. I just can't imagine putting a baby in a separate room after she just spent the last 9 months safely tucked away in my womb, always with me and comforted but my voice and heartbeat. Seems scary to then be left all alone in a big dark lonely room. I have to say, I personally am no fan of sleeping alone. We will see how it goes :)

We brought a bed downstairs, because I have been told that after a cesarean, going up and down stairs will not be pleasant. Plus, a couple of weeks after my c-section, Nen is having knee surgery, and I doubt he will be doing to many stairs himself. Tomorrow is dedicated to setting up the new room downstairs, and grocery shopping so the house is fully stocked. Oh and do a bunch of laundry.

Belly Cast - 37 weeks

Last weekend Mom, Jill and William came for a visit. We had a fun time. We took William to a little petting zoo. He seemed excited to go, but once we got there, he quickly became bored. There were these adorable goats and everyone was petting them. William brushed a couple of them, but didn't feel like petting them. Afterwards I realized that the only reason he didn't pet them was because I told him he would have to wash his hands after. Poor kid ended up having to wash them anyways....

While Uncle Nenad and William entertained each other, Mom, and Jill did a belly cast for me! It was so much fun. I love messy things lol. Plus I have always always wanted to have a belly cast done while pregnant. When Trina was pregnant I wanted so badly to do one on her, but the timing just never worked out. It was quite interesting covering myself in vaseline and then having mom and Jill wrap me in plaster strips :) Who knew it would dry so fast. It peeled off of me so easily where I was covered with vaseline but I have to say, it was quite tender in the few areas that hadn't been covered ...... ouchy

  It was such a fun bonding experience. Just us girls, prepping the plaster strips, watching youtube videos to see what the heck we were suppose to do, and then getting down to business lol. I even bought pink dollar store table clothes to use as the drop clothes :) Can't wait for Jillybean to be pregnant so we can do one for her!!!

Mom and Jill did such an amazing job. You can even see my belly button, among other things, on the cast. I just have to sand and prep it. Im not positive how I want to decorate it, but i think keeping it nice a simple is all it needs. I think I will put the baby's foot prints on the inside where I feel her always hick-upping, and maybe put a little bird somewhere on the outside. I think it looks perfect as is :) Thank you Mom and Jill.

c-section?

I am now 37 weeks and 2 days into my pregnancy. I went to the doctors last Wednesday, hoping that they could turn the baby using the external cephalic version method. I arrived bright and early, gave a urine sample, had blood work, got on IV (ouch), and was hooked up to a machine to monitor the baby's heart rate. Finally after about an hour and a half, they took me in to the operating room (in case I needed an emergency c-section) where I had another ultrasound and waited some more for the doctor. I have to say  I enjoyed the ultrasound. We got a very very clear picture of our little baby's foot awwwwwww. The doctor arrived and after all of this, I am expecting him to dig into my gut, to push with all his might, and get this little baby to do what she needs to do. I was prepared to grin and bare the pain. The truth is, the doc spent maybe 3.5 to 5 minutes working on me. I don't even know what he did. He dug his fingers into the top of my belly sort of cupping her head with his thumb and index finger and pushed one way, then pushed the other way, then promptly told me she wasn't going to move and I should schedule a cesarean. I held back my tears.
My uterus and belly were pretty hard at the time. I think if he had waited for everything to relax, and put some more effort in, he would have had better luck. Honestly, I don't think he cared. I think doctors now a  days prefer c-sections, especially when they are planned. In and out, on their time, no waiting for the woman to dilate, no surprises. Maybe for some doctors, this isn't the case, and I know that there are times when a c-section is desperately needed, Im just wondering if that is the case with me. I was a breech baby, and my mom delivered me naturally.

After the procedure, I was taken to another room, where the baby and I were monitored for another 20 minutes, and then sent home. Nenad was super sweet. He stood next to me the whole time and rubbed my arm to comfort me.
Lastnight I had a good cry over all of this. I am a bit heartbroken that I have to have a c-section. I am still holding out hope that she will flip, or I will find a doctor educated enough to perform a natural birth on a frank breech baby.
Out of the three friends I know, who recently had a baby, they all had to have a c-section for one reason or another. Now I have to have one as well. I think that is a mighty high percentage. My mom said back when she had us, she didn't know anyone who had a cesarean.
I know some women actually choose to have a c.s over a natural birth. Im not judging, to each their own, but if you don't have to have one, I can't figure out why you would want to go that route. Our bodies were designed to deliver babies. I am sad that I may not get to experience my water breaking, or feeling labour, or pushing, or holding hands with Nenad and doing my best not to get cranky when he is comforting me and I am in pain. I really want that experience. I know there is the possibility to have all of that with our next baby, but maybe that baby will be breech, or maybe the doctors here won't perform a VBAC. Sorry to get so whiny. I know it will all be wonderful when I am holding our baby.
I am a little confused as to why it has to be a planned c-section. I feel like it would be healthier for myself and the baby to experience a bit of labor. I mean isn't labor the body and baby's way of saying "yooohooo, Im ready to be born".
I read that it will take 30 minutes or more to sew me up (after a c-section), and I won't be able to hold the baby during that time. I will have to stay in the hospital and recover for 3-4 days instead of wrapping my baby up and resting comfortably at home. Ok, now I am just complaining lol. It's just hard accepting this when all my life I had a totally different vision. But what is life, if not unexpected and and full of surprises :)
Im off to see my midwife. Thanks for baring with me on this post and letting me vent. I feel like the biggest complainer, since all that matters is the baby's health and well being. That is truly what is important. I just want my baby to feel safe and happy, and  to spend as little time as humanly possible in the cold sterile hospital.

***update***

I saw my midwife. She spent a good 30 mintues working to turn the baby. I have to say it was quite tender to say the least, but I didn't want her to stop so I didn't mention the slight soreness, except for one point where I jumped and made a bit of a whimpering sound... I just reacted. The baby moved a bit, but not a lot. My midwife chuckled at how easy going yet stubborn this little one is. Her heart rate didn't even budge.
She said that it is up to me if I want to schedule a cesarean. She agrees with me that going into labor is better for me and baby, as well as for future births. She wants me to talk to a doctor and see what he says, but if I want to wait for the onset of labor, the doctors can't tell me otherwise. Of course I may still need to have a c.s once I arrive at the hospital, but I feel better knowing that at least I can wait until the baby feels completely ready to make her entrance into this world. My midwife also that it is better for the baby to go through a bit of the labor, as they get certain hormones and chemicals that prepare them for life outside the womb. So we will see how it goes. If I wait for labor, the doctors may even perform a breech vaginal birth, as long as everything is going well and progressing, and baby and I are good candidates. In the meantime, I have been referred to another chiropractor, who I've been told has golden hands for getting babies to turn :) and I will start taking my pulsatilla again.
If anyone out there knows of any tricks to turn baby, wives tales or not, I am up for suggestions :)

Baby Shower

My little sis threw the most beautiful baby shower for us. Of course she had help from my mom, who made oodles and oodles of delicious food. Everything turned out amazingly. Jill did a great job decorating, I adored the colours and everything about the decor. It was a bird theme. She painted some adorable wooden bird houses and made a bunch of beautiful origami birds to hang from the ceiling. I am going to put them in the nursery. Ivan made some yummy appies as well. He is a good cook.

On the counter were some Jones Soda bottles. Upon closer inspection, I realized that on the label was a baby picture of me! and on the back was a little write about about me. My Jillybean is so thoughtful and full of great ideas. I definitely teared up when I saw them :) I will have to post a pic of the jones bottle later, since I just turned the camera on, and realized the battery is dead... boooo

I was so amazed with all of the super fantastic gifts we received for our little baby. Many many baby essentials. I loved them all, from the baby swing to the bassinet to the jollyjumper, clothes, stuffed animal, books, blanky.... oh boy. I assembled the bassinet and baby swing the other day, and am almost finished putting together the crib. The nesting has begun.

I think Trina won the game of pin the sperm on the egg lol, and then everyone decorated onesies. They all turned out so cute.

Voodoo

At our last 3d ultrasound, the baby was still in a breech position. Some doctors will deliver breech babies vaginally, but few are trained in this field. On top of that, there are many are many criteria that must be in place for a doctor to choose natural birth over c-section. Apparently breech births can be hereditary. I was breech, and now my little one is breech, like mother like daughter I suppose :)

The idea of having a caesarean section was never in my plans. I just never thought I would have to worry about such things. My midwife suggested that I try acupuncture and chiropractic procedures to encourage the little one to flip to a head down position. During the acupunture treatment they put needles in the side of my baby toes and waved hot mugwort around the pins. This is called moxibustion. The acupuncturist gave me a stick of mugwort so Nenad could continue the treatment on me at home (sans needles) . So far, this hasn't had much effect.  (Have I mentioned that in your third trimester you will not recognize your feet? They get so swollen at times that I have to do a double take)

Last Thursday I saw Dr. Cooper, who performs ECV. External Cephalic Version is a procedure where they put a bunch of gel on your stomach, and then try and manipulate the baby to turn head down by externally massaging my stomach, to put it lightly. The doctor said depending on how sensitive my uterus is it could be painful. Also it can have negative side effects, such as rupturing my water, or causing stress to the baby. The ECV is performed in an operating room, incase an emergency c-section has to be performed. If this happened, I would be put to sleep, and Nenad would not be allowed in the room. The doctor said An emergency c-section is not a pleasant thing, but the likelihood of this happening is low. Oh boy. After hearing this, I called and emailed chiropractors to see if they knew how to do the Webster Technique, and could fit me soon.
The Webster Technique is another treatment that is supposed to help the baby to turn. They say sometimes the reason the baby doesn't turn, is because the mothers pelvis is misaligned or the round ligaments are too tight. I managed to get in on Saturday with a chiropractor. She cracked my low back near my sacrum, and held her finger on a trigger point near my round ligament on my right side for about 4 minutes. I don't think she has turned, but she was active for the rest of the day. I had another chiropractic appointment today with a different doctor, Dr. Raphael. He was great. He was very informative and thorough. I go back to his office tomorrow, but see yet another chiropractor, Dr. Baxter. I am crossing my fingers that the baby turns, otherwise on Wednesday I will be going in for the ECV.

 After my adjustment, I saw my midwife. She suggested on top of all of these treatments, I take something called pulsatilla. Pulstilla is a herb in pill form. It is a homeopathic way of softening the ligaments and tissues in your uterus, in hopes of creating room for the baby to flip.
Part of me thinks I should just leave everything be and hope she turns on her own, and if she doesn't, then just accept it. I don't want to be selfish, but I want to have a natural birth. I want to go through labour, and go through the whole birth experience. I want to be awake and aware after the baby is born. I would prefer not to have surgery. I would like to be up and walking shortly after birth and not have to worry about healing after surgery. The truth is I just want a happy healthy perfect little baby. What ever I have to go through to achieve this, is what I will do.

Beautiful Baby

Here she is, the most recent pic of our baby girl at 31 weeks. Ok so this is the 28,547 ultrasound we have had this pregnancy, and they still can't be sure we are having a girl. They say they don't see anything that leads them to think we are having a boy. Hmmmm, I think it is time that we can count on the fact that she is definitely a girl. Although it would be nice to here the sonographer say for certain.

Isn't she beautiful :) Its hard to tell from this shot, but I think she looks like her daddy. It looks as if she has his nose. She really didn't want to have her picture taken. She is still in a frank breech postition, so when she wasn't hiding her beautiful face behind her legs and feet, she was smooshed up into the placenta, making a not so pretty picture. The sonographer did his best to get some good shots. He had me turn on my left side, my right side, get up and do squats, drink water, drink OJ.... non of it made her reposition. Then he told me to go and have a milkshake and come back in a half hour. Well I had a mocha frapp. I thought this would give her a boost. I have been craving them for the last 7 or so months, so I gave in to the craving. All we got out of her was a yawn! Oh this little cutie pie, she is her own little being. I think she will have a very calm easy going, yet stubborn, personality.

The sonographer said we could come back in a couple weeks and see if she is more open to having her picture taken. Which is an awesome idea cause that way we can see how much she has changed since the last visit, and see if she has flipped out of her breech position. 

Wow, looking at the picture is amazing. It's strange being pregnant. I feel her kicking, and I see these scans of her, I talk and sing to her and rub my tummy, but the reality hasn't really sunk in. We are going to have a beautiful little baby, very soon. It brings tears to my eyes. Yet I can't fully grasp it. I wonder how real this feels to Nenad?

I love being pregnant

 Hello Ladies and Gents, I haven't posted in a while. Since I am so behind, I may be posting a few times this week. Well this is my tummy right now. Oh boy I am getting big. The double chin I could live without, but Nen refused to stand up to take these photos lol. I love the belly. Thankfully no stretchmarks woohoo. I guess I shouldn't jinx it just yet, but I have my mom to thank for good genetics. Also my sister Jillybean gave me some shea butter. In the background is a glimpse of our new house. We moved in nearly two weeks ago. I can't believe this is all ours. I hope people come to visit, cause we have the extra space. Riley (our puppy-dog) LOVES the backyard

As you can see    ^^^^   He is sooo adorable.

The baby is doing well. She worries me sometimes cause she doesn't move much during the day, but 11pm strikes and its like its time for her aerobics class. She also likes to wake me up around 4 am. Im not sure if she really has anything to do with the 4 am wake up, or if its purely my bladder I have to blame for that. I worry about exercising myself cause it seems to cause Braxton Hicks contractions when I do anything vigorous.
There are a few pregnancy symptoms that have snuck up on me. They aren't new , but just progressively becoming more noticeable. One thing is shortness of breath. Walking up stairs causes me to breath heavily, but even when lying on the couch, my breathing seems a bit more difficult. I suppose it is the baby getting bigger and creating less room for my lungs to fill. No biggy really. The sore back isn't fun. It isn't my low back surprisingly, its my mid to upper back. It feels like my muscles are being stretched or are just over worked. Maybe its my ribcage spreading hmmmm. Oh ya and two things that I didn't realize had anything to do with pregnancy, but turns out they do... First, leg and foot cramps when I wake up in the morning. You know when your calf muscle or your foot seems to seize up and the muscle feels like its getting tighter and tighter? Thats what happens in the morning to me. Oddly enough, pregnant women tend to get these leg cramps more often. That and raw sore gums every once in a while. Icky!!! After saying all that, I admit , I have had a very easy going, wonderful pregnancy. This little baby has been very kind to me. I love being pregnant! I love the growing belly, I love the baby kicks, I love when people ask me about the baby and when Im due :)

OOOh I just made chocolate cupcakes from scratch and they turned out perfectly. Usually when I make cupcakes from scratch they turn out like little bricks! But these are nice and fluffy. Thank you Martha Stewart!

PS, We saw "Inception" the other night. I rally liked it. Its a thinking movie. It amazes me how someone could conceive such an idea. Very well done ( There was one part of the movie that I thought dragged a bit, but I have a short attention span at times ). I Would recommend it for sure.
                       

Home sweet home

Well the papers were signed today! We are the proud new owners of a beautiful house, to raise our family :) Closing is very very soon, so we will be able to set up the nursery before our little birdie arrives. Although I think we will have a bassinet in our room for a while.

The above photo is what sold us on the house :) A playground in the backyard!!! How perfectly cute is that? So it may be a little while till the little one can put it to good use, but there is a baby swing to attach to it, so it won't be too long until she will be swinging away. In the mean time, my favorite little nephew in the whole wide world can break it in. Hopefully he will come visit often.

I have been looking up names. There are a few that I really like, and finally Nen suggested a name! I won't divulge his suggested just yet, it is a good one. I was thinking maybe for a middle name, Eveliina. Its meaning stems back to "little bird" in Finnish, from what I have researched. I feel like there have been so many bird like things happening since I became pregnant, that there is some sort of link between the baby and birds, whatever it may be. Im not absolutely sure on the middle name, but its a thought :) 

PS, just got back from seeing karate kid..... Can't say I am a fan of Jaden Smith, and the movie was on the long side, but I suppose it was ok.

Creature in the dryer

Im starting to think this little baby is going to be somehow connected to birds when born. I named the site Bluebirdssing, my sister is throwing me a baby shower with a bird theme, and now I have rescued a baby bird from my dryer vent. There has to be some sort of connection there.

This morning I heard rustling coming from the laundry room. Ok I admit, I was scared to open the door, not knowing what it could be. The scratching noise seemed to be coming from the exhaust hose from the dryer. Let me just say that a million thoughts went through my head. As if some big scary creature had shrunk itself down and crawled into the house. I banged the wall a bit, and wiggled the hose thinking it would scurry back out from where it came. This didn't work, but it did stop moving, so I left the room and closed the door behind me. Well an hour later, I walked by the laundry room and there was the noise again. I ran to Nen, thinking the big manly man would fix the problem, but he was still in bed, and said he would look into it when he got up. I was worried that whatever monstrous creature was in there, might suffocate from the heat if left any longer. I decided to go in on my own. Wondering if I should put on some gloves or goggles, I braved it out. Bare handed, I removed the hose, made a strange little girlie sound, and ran the thing outside. With a little shake, out popped an adorable little bird. I again made a strange little girl sound. I was concerned cause the bird wasn't flying away. She just sat there and let me take a few pics as I talked a bit to her, asking her if she was ok. I didn't want to leave her out on the grass stunned and or injured, easy prey for some awful cat!. Well Riley solved that problem. Two seconds after I stopped recording, Riley noticed the bird. In an attempt to kindly sniff the birdie, he literally scared the poop out of her and she flew off. Alls well the ends well. :)

Gender Quiz

Gender Prediction

A new theory states the babys sex is determined by the mothers testosterone level which is influenced by her personality and her stress level. And while we know that the sex is determined by the X or Y sperm, this theory states that the mother is responsible for creating a more favorable in-utero environment for either the X or Y sperm, thus giving it an advantage.

What is your age?
Under 18 Years Old
18 to 24 Years Old
25 to 30 Years Old *
31 to 40 Years Old
41 to 50 Years Old

I generally....
am always be in charge of things
want to be in charge but I am not always
take charge when forced
avoid being in charge at all costs *

Do people consider you Bossy?
yes, quite often
only sometimes
very rarely *
no, not at all

Who makes the main financial decisions (TV, car purchase etc) in your household?
you do, gladly
you do, you have no choice
50/50 between you and DH
Dh does *

Who makes more money?
I do
We are equal
Dh does *
I have no idea 

Around the time of conception what kind of job did you have?
high powered with lots of stress -I love it!
average job with some stress
low key, little stress - yawn
SAHW -no kids *
SAHM

Around the time of conception what was your EMOTIONAL stress level (0= none, 2.5 = moderate, 5=high)
0
1
2
3
4 *
5
Around the time of conception what was your PHYSICAL stress level (0= none, 2.5 = moderate, 5=high
0
1
2 *
3
4
5
On a scale of 0-5 with 0 = submissive/meek & 5= domineering/bossy. Where do you fall?
0
1
2 *
3
4
5
How did you decide to get PG?
it was my idea
it was DHs idea
it was 50/50 *
it was a surprise
You have a 93% chance of having a girl


Second Gender predictor test
1I carry my baby - I can't tell, kinda inbetween but the baby itself is low and kicks bladder
- High
- Low
2My baby's heart rate
- Over 140 beats/min *
- Under 140 beats/min
3My cravings are
- Sweets *
- Spicy and salty foods
4I have morning sickness
- Often
- Rarely *
5My belly looks like
- Watermelon *
- Basketball
6My extra weight is
- Around waste and hips
- Out front *
7I have acne
- Yes
- No *
8My feet are
- The same as before * actually they are way hotter
- Colder than before
9Hair on my legs grow
- Slower than before *
- Faster than before
10My urine is
- Dull color
- Bright color *
60% chance girl

Also I used a pendulum and if it goes in a circle its a boy, if it goes side to side, its a girl * the pendulum went side to side. Well it was kind of confused and did a multitude of things but settled on side to side. I also did a Chinese gender predictor and it said girl. We will see. I did do a couple tests that came back 50/50 as well :) oh ya, and a quiz to see if I was pregnant lol.... 70% chance that I am

PS we put in an offer on a house today! We may have a place to set up a nursery soon!!!

We had our visit with the specialist yesterday. The sonographer was the same one we saw for our 18 week scan. He still believes we are having a girl. He couldn't be certain though. The baby is in a frank breech position making it very difficult to see. Her bottom is tucked deep down into my pelvis.

I was breech when I was born. I am really hoping that the baby turns. I would prefer to have a natural birth as opposed to a c-section. From what I have read, there is a high probability that the baby will flip flop. There is still a long ways to go :)

The Doctor came in to finish the scan. He said that if we go with our due date being Sept 11th (conception date around the 20th of Dec 2009) Then the baby is growing at a nice rate. If the baby continues at this growth rate, then she will probably be around 6.5 lbs give or take an oz. Sounds like the perfect size to me :)

The reason for the exam was because the doctor was under the impression that I conceived 1o days earlier, and the baby should be bigger by now. But I told them I have a longer cycle, so the time frame seems to work out perfectly. On top of that the head measurement was a little off, but that is because the baby has a narrow head shape. The circumference is normal, but if you only go by the width of the head then the head seemed to be small. What a relief this visit was. The Doctor said he thinks everything looks good. When I left the room, the sonographer told Nen that if this Doctor says the baby is healthy, then we have nothing to worry about, because he is the BEST in his field.

just beachy

Swimsuit photo taken June 5th. 26weeks and a few days pregnant. Weight gain 22lbs. I am about 3-5 lbs over what I should be.

Im back home now, after a short weekend visit with my family. The baby seems to kick more when Im at home. Maybe its just my imagination. Grandma finally felt the baby move. She wasn't kicking, but Grandma could feel her rolling around. Its a much different feeling.

While I was visiting my mom, we went to a few baby stores. Mothers are life savers. She was so helpful by showing me what to put on the baby registry. Other than eating and shopping, we also went swimming with my nephew.

I gained weight over the weekend. Im not surprised. I did eat like crazy. Im tyring to get back on track now that I am home (not an easy task, as Nen suggested fish and chips for lunch and then tried to get me to go to marble slab at 10 pm!!!)

Riley, Daddy-Bear and I went for a walk on the beach today. It was gorgeous out. We snapped a few pictures.

Tomorrow we go in for our appointment with an OBGYN for another ultrasound. He is a very well liked, and respected Doctor here. I am excited in a way because I feel like we will finally hear that all is perfect with our little baby, and find out once and for all if we are having a boy or girl hopefully. On the other hand, I am nervous, because maybe we won't hear what we want to hear. But Im leaning towards the former :)

Musical baby

I was playing phone tag with my midwife the other day. Not the most reassuring thing when your midwife calls, and then you can't get a hold of her all day because you keep missing each others phone calls. Eventually we caught up with one another. She has scheduled another ultrasound for this week. It is with a specialist. Makes me worry that we need to see a specialist, but at least I can be confident knowing that whatever the Doctor says, is going to be accurate. The reason for seeing a specialist is because the baby's head circumference isn't growing as quickly as the abdomen. The head circumference is just under the 10-90 percentile. I understand what the 10-90 percentile is, but I'm not sure how important it is, so I'm just putting it at the back of my mind and not stressing until I hear what the doc has to say. I know in my heart that my baby is healthy and happy so what more can I say. She is very active, and seems to have patterns on when she is up and kicking and when she is sleeping.

I was listening to head phones yesterday and I put one to my belly. The baby kicked a few times in the exact spot that the earphone was placed!!! That is exciting. She is kicking me right now as a matter of fact. I'm visiting with my family. I got here yesterday. We went for a delicious celebration dinner for my sister passing her RMT boards. Everyone wanted to feel the baby kicking, but she is a shy little one. I noticed that if I tap on my stomach in a pattern the baby will occasionally kick. Most people were able to feel the movement. I love that she responded to my tapping.

Last week I was cuddling on the couch while watching tv, with Daddy-Bear. He could feel the baby kicking at his hip. He accused me of having gas! Oh that man lol.

Weight gain

Daddy-Bear and I went to our monthly midwife appointment yesterday. The baby is doing well. When my midwife checked the heart beat, we could hear the baby swimming around in my womb. She is very active! If I went by all the old wives tales, I would swear I was having a boy. I have been craving sweets ( sign of a boy ) I think I am carrying low ( boy ) The baby has a super sttrong heart beat ( boy ). The ultrasound tech did say he was 90% sure the little one is a girl. Plus I was having dreams from the start about a little girl, so we will see.

Anyway, back to the appointment... I have to give a weight update everytime I go. Well when I told her my weight, there was an awkward silience in the room. Our midwife was trying to find a nice way of telling me I am packing on the lbs lol. OOOPS. It was good to hear though. I need to watch my diet a bit better. Cut back on the Pecan mudslides from DQ and the tartar sauce from every restaurant we go to.... Oh boy Daddy-Bear hung me out to dry. He ratted on all of my bad eating habits.

Needless to say, we ended up at the gym lastnigt, and then had a somewhat healthy, homemade dinner. Man I am getting hungry thinking about food.

At 24 weeks and 5 days along, the baby's heart rate is 140 bpm. Last month her heart rate was 158 bpm. The drop in bpm is normal from what I have read.

bellybutton

My belly button is slowly but surely becoming an outy. Its very strange to see. Hmmmm will it return to an inny after the baby is born? I have read that from here on out, the baby will be growing quite a bit and, in turn, so will I. At the moment, the baby weighs about 1.3 lb and is about 30cm from head to heel. Wow thats the length of a ruler! this baby must be really squished in there. They say the baby could gain 1/2 a lb this week alone! Her little ears are fully formed, she is developing tastebuds, and is pretty much a perfectly formed miniature baby. Her little nervous system, organs and all other systems are still developing. I noticed in the last few days that I have become a bit more emotional. I tear up at all sorts of things. My hips and glutes seem to bother me a lot, same with some back aches. I get tired easily again. For the first 3.5 months I was beyond exausted all the time, then my energy came back, and now Im tired again... oh joy lol. Snuggles on the couch are getting tougher as Daddy-Bear and I both gain our pregnancy weight. We may need a bigger sofa. I am not compliaing at all. As a matter of fact, I can't believe I only have 3 months left to be pregnant. I will miss it. Just letting you know whats going on.

I have wanted to have a baby for so long. Now that it is actually happening, I am a bit, ok a lot nervous. So many questions pop into my head. I want to be a good mom. I want to teach my child to be artisitc, confident, creative, compassionate and caring and sooo many other things. The strangest thing I am worried about is school. I know I have many years to go before I have to worry about sending my baby off to school. Even still, its on my mind. I was never a big fan of the place myself. As a matter of fact, I think I still feel a small amount of anxiety when I drive by one. But there are so many options out there. I like the idea of a montessori school, or a private school that encourages an individuals creativity.

Nenad and I went to a local childrens store a couple weeks ago. I know I have the big belly, and feel the baby kicking all the time, but walking out of that store was a wake up call. We really are going to have a baby soon! So many things to research and prepare before the baby arrives. Its all so exciting. I do wish I was in closer proximity to my family and friends, so I could share every minute of this experience with them. My sister came for a visit which was so nice. She did a massage procedure on me called "Unwinding". It was interesting. It did make my back feel better. She is amazingly talented. She is going to plan my baby shower. She is so sweet. She is keeping it all a secret from me. I know my older sis would love to be involved in the planning as well, so hopefully they will work it out.

Chewing my nails has been a very bad habit of mine since I was young. The moment I got pregnant I broke that habit without even thinkibg about it. My nails are so long and strong now. Its almost a nuisance to type with them! I know, its an odd thing to write about, but Im amazed by it. People have offered me money to stop chewing my nails, I have put fake nails on to stop myself, even painted them with the bitter tasting polish, none of it ever worked. So I recommend if you have this habit, get pregnant.... it worked for me *smiles*

This is the baby's most recent pic. We went for another ultrasound on May 11th. This is one stubborn little baby. Every time the technician had a perfect view of the baby's face, she would flip over and show us her back! Silly baby. Almost like when the baby is kicking and I put my hand on my stomach to feel and she stops kicking.

When you go for an ultrasound after 21 weeks pregnant, you have to drink 750 ml of water an hour before going. Well I didn't measure and drank about 2000 ml. I have never had to pee so bad in my life. Even the technician told me my bladder was TOO full. Oh boy, next time I will know better.

This morning I made a delicious smoothie with Banana, strawberries, apple, kiwi and blueberries, mixed with some fruit juice, water and yogurt. It was tasty! Its no milkshake, but for this little baby I will eat my fruit. I had an awful feeling of morning sickness shortly after, but thankfully it passed.

My belly is growing so fast. I need to get some type of lotion so I don't get any stretch marks. Hopefully I will be like my mom and older sister. Neither one got stretch marks. I am not a fan of cocoa butter, and I need a lotion for sensitive skin, so I am on the look out.... any suggestions?

I have been researching baby bottles, cloth diapers, baby monitors, baby carriers.... Oh boy, I keep thinking I have found the perfect brand and then I read more about these items and I'm completely confused. I would like glass bottles instead of plastic. I was positive I wanted to buy bornfree glass bottles, but now think possibly Dr. Brown might be better. Then I thought I wanted Gdiapers, but there are sooo many brands out there. Some people like kissaluvs others Kanga, baby genius, fuzzibunz..... help!!!

expanding belly

OMG pregnancy brain strikes again! I couldn't remember my blogger password for the life of me. 45 minutes later, here I am with a new one. I drive Daddy-Bear crazy with my pregnancy brain. Im constantly mixing things up. Im say White Spot when I mean Wendy's, or Burger King when I mean A&W, Earls when I mean Milestones, right vs left.... He should know what I mean though haha. Ok we do eat out a lot, but I do attempt to eat healthy food. I made myself a yummy fruit smoothie this morning, and am about to make a turkey sandwich with avocado, lettuce, tomato and swiss cheese.

I thought I would post a couple pics of my ever expanding belly ( and double chin eecks). The first was taken April 10th ( just after waking up) and the second one was today May 16th. Wow, quite the difference. On April 22nd my waist was 32"and now I am 33.5" ish. Thats about belly button level, the narrowist part of my waist.

On Mothers Day I went to Home Depot, and the girl at the till said "Happy Mothers Day" to me. I was so excited. I actually look pregnant. Its funny, every time I walk passed another pregnant lady, we stare at eachothers tummies.

Daddy-bear and I went swimming a couples days ago. Its the first bit of exercise we have had in awhile. It was fun. We will have to go more often. Its a bit of a squeaze, fitting into my bikini, but what can a girl do. As I floated in the pool, with my ears under the water, I wondered if this is what it would be like in the womb. Daddy-Bear went in the hot tub, but wouldn't let me go in, I was only allowed to put my legs in. I said 5 minutes wouldn't hurt the baby, but he is right, better safe than sorry. He is so adorable when he gets all worried and protective :)

Speaking of... He felt the baby move for the first time last week. They weren't super strong kicks, so I think he is still questioning what he felt. I love when she is moving around a lot with strong kicks. Although sometimes she kicks what I suspect is my bladder, or some other internal organ, and well, Im less a fan of that haha.

I wish I had super strong cravings like some women get. I have the hardest time deciding what to eat for lunch or dinner. Well, I do have some. I just went through a spell of wanting tartar sauce all the time. Mcdonalds makes the yummiest tartar sauce. Ooh Wendy's had some really good tartar sauce and a yummy fish fillet burger, but they are no longer selling it :( booh hooo. Other than tartar sauce, I crave any type of asian food. I had some terrible chinese food the other day that cured my chinese food craving for sure ickkk.

Pitter patter

Heart Beat

We had a great visit with our midwife today. We recorded the video and posted above. There is sound, but it is pretty quiet on my computer, except for a few loud thuds, which is the sound of the baby jumping around. Hopefully you can hear the little pitter patter of the heart. I can't tell you how magical it is to hear my baby's heart beating. I get to hear it once a month. Inbetween visits I start to worry and wonder if the baby is ok and then I hear that reassuring little thumping sound and all is well. Our midwife said the baby sounds strong willed and stubborn :) The little one kept doing "karate" moves and jumping around. The baby feels pretty active right now as I type this out.

I was surprised when I watched the video, after the visit. From my view, looking down at my belly, and when ! am standing up, my tummy looks much much bigger than that.

My blood pressure is a bit low, but nothing to worry about. My midwife says I am a bit dehydrated. How this is possible I do not know, I drink crazy amounts of water. She says I should drink coconut water to increase my electrolytes. I tried it, and think I may stick with gatorade. She also said the menstrual type cramps are probably my uterus and muscles stretching, and that it is still a bit early for braxton hicks contractions.

So we have come to the conclusion that I am 20 weeks and 3 days pregnant. My due date will be around Sept 11th. This corresponds with the size of the baby and my conception date. I think this is the date we are going to stick with. At least I hope so. I am going to heave another ultra sound in a couple of weeks to make sure that the baby's growth is on track.

I will probably ask this a few times, but does anyone have any ideas for boy or girl names? I say "she" in the video, referring to the baby, but we don't know yet. Tech said its possibly a girl, but our doctor said at the time of the ultrasound, it was a little too early to tell. So no pink paint just yet. Judging by these kicks, if she is a girl, she is going to be one tough cookie!!! At this stage the baby weighs just under 1lb, about 10 or 11 oz and is around 7 inches from head to rump :) Getting big!

This is a picture of my little one at 9 weeks and 1 day. The little one is the adorable little gummy bear firgure in the centre of the photo. We were able to see the babys heartbeat flickering for the first time at this ultrasound. It was an amazing site to see. I have some pics of the baby at 18 weeks that I will post soon.

I think I have started having Braxton Hicks contractions. Lastnight they started. Im not sure if what Im feeling are for sure BH contractions, but I see my widwife next week so I will ask her then. As soon as I felt them I started doing some online research. I know, the internet isn't always the best place to look for medical advice, but good or bad, it is where I turn for some answers. Ok for a lot of answers. Every new symptom I have, I type it into google search and up pops numerous other mothers to be with similar questions or answers. Thankfully from what I have read, BH contractions are perfectly normal. They are the bodies way of preparing for real labour.

ketchup

Stats
I started at 5'6", 120lbs and waist was about 27-28"
That was 5 months ago
now 32" waist, last week it was 30
weight gain - 15lbs, I think,
I have been scared to weigh myself since my last weigh in, so Im sticking with 15 lbs. I am at a healthy weight, and I know its just a number, but oh boy its hard seeing your weight go up.
*edit April 23rd- weighed myself this morning -20 weeks and 4ish days preggers,
weight gain 14-15 lbs

I was really craving fish and chips today! Ok not so much fish and chips, more like tartar sauce. I didn't have any though :( I know its bad for me and baby, but mcdonalds has some yummy tartar sauce that I dip my fries in, yum yum yum.

I had a bit of a melt down a couple weeks ago when going through the McD's drive through. I have this thing with ketchup, I love it. It drives me crazy when they forget to put some packets in the bag. I checked when we got to the window and there were only 2 packets. I asked for more, and the guy told me they only allow ONE packet per meal now!!?!?! Ummm what, are they struggling that much that they can't afford to give out ketchup. Uh oh Pregnancy hormones took over. I ranted at DH all the way home. I even looked up their website cause I was going to email them and ask "whats up?" hahaha DH laughed and said he should video tape my rants and put them on youtube. I do think it would have been a hilarious youtube video, I was a bit crazy. Honestly, I don't get upset vey often, but for some reason when I do, its over the silliest things.


I went to the mall today, cause my clothes are getting tight. Plus summer is around the corner and I could use some colour in my wardrobe. I didn't find anything though. Oh well next time.

On the drive home the baby and I played "patty cake". The baby kicked, so I tapped back on my tummy, and the baby kicked again, we did this for a couple minutes. Earlier today the baby felt like he/she was doing summersaults.

I am so excited to be pregnant, but it wasn't until I started getting a belly and felt movement that it really hit me.... we are going to have a baby soon. I can't wait to hold my little birdie in my arms, but I want to enjoy every minute of being pregnant.

Judy Garland - Over The Rainbow Music Video - The Wizard Of Oz, 1939

Somewhere over the rainbow

I believe that between 17-19 weeks your baby's ears have developed and can hear sounds within the womb. I have been singing songs to my little one. I love the song "I will" by the Beatles. But a really beautiful song that i have recently learned the words to and started singing is "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". I think I am tone deaf, but Im sure the baby won't mind :)

Some other songs I have been singing are; twinkle twinkle, You are my Sunshine, True Colours, ABC's.... I want to sing songs other than childrens lullabies, any suggestions?

* I Will*

Who knows how long I've loved you

You know I love you still

Will I wait a lonely life time

If you want me to I will

For if I ever saw you

I didn't catch you name

It never really mattered

I will always feel the same

Love you forever and forever

Love you with all my heart

Love you whenever we're together

Love you when We're apart

And when at last i find you

Your song will fill the air

Sing it loud so I can hear you

Make it easy to be near you

For the things you do endear you to me

Oh you know I will

I will

catch up

This is my very first post, to my very own blog. Im now 5 months pregnant (20 weeks and 1 or 2 days). I had it down to the day but then at my last ultrasound they said my conception date was off by a bit.



I have had three ultrasounds. The first one was very early on. I was almost 7 weeks pregnant, but spotting, and had cramps that felt just like mestrual cramping. My Midwife ordered a scan on me and the baby. Turns out the Doc figured I was only 6 weeks along. At this point The u.s only showed a black splotch with a yolk. I was so worried, cause the Doc didn't really reassure me if that was normal or not. I guess the Doctors don't want to give you any false hopes, just incase things don't turn out well. But really all I needed at this point, was someone to tell me that everything looked as it should and not to worry. The spotting eventually stopped, but the cramps continued until about 3 months along. I think it was just my uterus stretching.



My second ultrasound was Feb 3rd. I was now 9 weeks and 1 day, but after the scan the doctor said I was closer to 10 weeks. (Oh boy change of date again) This scan was better. Daddy and I could see the little babys fluttering heart. It was amazing. The baby was sooooo small, but looked like a little gummy bear, with its tiny little budding arms and legs, and the babys big head. How CUTE!!!! We received a picture to take home after this visit :)



Third ultrascan was a couple weeks ago on April 9th, I was 19 weeks along according to the most rescent conception date. I was so looking forward to this scan. I had to drink a fair amount of water for this one. I think 1.5 litres is what they call for. So i drank all the water, and ate an apple along with some cottage cheese for breakfast. As we were leaving the house, what should happen?! I had morning sicknes, i guess the baby didn't enjoy all that water, apple and cottage cheese. I quickly chugged some more water and we ran out the door. We saw the baby moving around quite a bit. The little ones arms were up by his/her face with clenched fist. The baby was holding up one index finger and sort of moving the little arms around similar to how a cat moves its paws while cleaning them. Soooooooo amazing and magical to see.I wish I could have watched the baby all day. The ultrasound tech figured the baby looked a little small, so at this point they say I am more like 18 weeks instead of 19. It all seems very silly, but when you are pregnant you want to know to the day. Its so exciting to tell people I am 12 weeks and 3 days, or 17 weeks and 1 day and so on.



So I am going to say, today being April 22nd, I am 20 weeks and 2 days :) I first noticed the baby moving at about 18 weeks I think. It may have been earlier, but it was hard to tell. The feeling felt like little gas bubbles inside your tummy. Once I realized what the feeling was I was thrilled. But this morning was the most wonderful experience. I woke up and poked my belly lightly. A couple seconds later, I felt a strong "kick" just below my belly. So strong that I could feel it externally, not just little flutters. The the baby kicked about 3 or 4 more times a bit lower and to the right of my belly button!!! It was amazing. As I write this, the baby is moving around.