6 Months Old!

Bad blogger, bad. I'm horrible at keeping my blog up to date. I'm just so busy running around, starting projects, shopping and wrapping for Christmas and trying to keep my business running (busy creating new products and projects and having fun doing it). To top it all off, I've been sans laptop for a week!

My big boy is 6 months old! He's finally started to slow down in his growth, but he is still a big boy! His official stats:

28 inches long
18 lbs 4 oz

Christmas is fast approaching and I am going to be a very busy mommy. I'm hoping to update and upgrade my website and continue to work on new products for my business in the new year. My 2011 New Year's resolution is "put more energy into my business". Feel free to hold me to it!

I got a Flip video camera!

A few weeks ago I entered a Twitter contest to win a Flip video camera. And you know what? I WON! I got my Flip yesterday and had to try it out on you know who. Here's Matthew's first video.

5 Months Old!

With all the excitement of preparing for the Craft Show and going to the Baby Time Show, I forgot to post Matthew's 5 month photos and stats! It's been a wonderful 5 months. He is so active and smiley and happy. I can't believe I lucked out and got an easy baby who is back on a routine and going to sleep "drowsy but awake". He plays by himself, smiles at everyone we meet, falls asleep on car rides and continues to make huge milestones every day. His new favourite trick is to slap his left hand on whatever it happens to be close to: his leg, the car seat, mommy (ok the mommy trick is not so cute when nursing). He is getting really good at sitting up and can sit unsupported for a few seconds, sometimes longer. Mommy always has to be right there when he's trying to sit because he's still a "tippy canoe". I love my smiley, giggly big boy.

As of Friday, my big boy weighs around 18 lbs and is 28 inches long! Here's his official photo.

Here are two of the cutest photos from our photo shoot at the Baby Time Show.

Busy Mommy!

So today we were all over the place. We were off nice and early to go swimming with our mom group, then drive through for lunch and Mother Goose for some sing song fun. We were quite tired by the time we got home, but somehow I found time to put him to bed and start making some ornaments. I don't know if I'll be expanding my "business", but I sure had fun making ornaments today. I even wrote a tutorial for my blog. They're really easy to make and quick too. I was able to make them during one of Matthew's famous half hour naps!

http://cupofteaphotocards.wordpress.com/

Mom of the Year Award

It was bound to happen, I know. I've been dreading it since the day we brought him home and every time I take him downstairs, I have nightmares about it. Well it finally happened. I fell. With Matthew in my arms. I was so scared. He was so scared. I didn't think he hit his head, just his leg and arm, which seemed to be ok. I checked him over up and down, stripped him down and moved all his limbs to be sure he was still in one piece. He looked normal. We went through 30 minutes of inconsolable crying, another 30 minutes of crying and whining on and off and refusing to nurse and he finally fell asleep on my chest. When he woke up he was hungry. That was a good sign. The rest of the afternoon he didn't seem like himself. He was fussy, but that could be due to the cold he currently has (his second one in his short little life). And then I noticed a red line on his head. Cue the panic, again. He DID hit his head after all. After some more crying, I called Telehealth and the nurse walked me through all the signs and symptoms and we determined that he in fact, was ok. So we're going to watch him carefully over the next two days and wake him up at night to be sure he is able to wake up.

I know. It happens a lot and it's nothing I did wrong. But I still feel like the worst mother in the world. Hearing those cries of pain, seeing the tears fall, watching him shudder and struggle to catch his breath, for a whole hour, was more than I could take. So today, I feel like the worst mom in the world. And hopefully tomorrow, the feeling will pass. As long as my beautiful baby is still ok.

Preparing for a Craft Show.

After much talk with my BFF in NL, I decided to research craft shows in my area. After a few false starts I finally found one. It was calling for Sheridan grads. Hey, I'm a Sheridan grad! The price was right too. Only $15 for one day. I can afford that. So I signed up. It's on November 20 from 9-5 at Jade Gardens and Greenhouses in Milton. I will have tons of ready made cards for sale at discount prices, cd's of ready made cards and order forms for custom designed cards. I'm hoping to sell a few cards on the spot and take some orders and just plain get my name out there. Which reminds me, I have to finish my catalog and make my order forms.

People keep asking me (particularly my mother) whether I've sold any cards. Well ... no. Turns out if you're on Etsy, you need to advertise and post every day for you not to get lost in the tons of cards already out there. So I set up Paypal on my website, though I'm not sure if/how it works. Well, I've officially run out of room on my website and I'm not sure it's worth it to pay for more. I'm on every media outlet I can think of and yet still no hits. Le sigh.

I could always start selling my hats. Yes, I've picked up another hobby. I taught myself how to crochet with a book and Youtube and I already have orders lined up. One seems serious while the others are most likely joking. I have a feeling some kiddos in Germany are getting some hats for Christmas!

4 Months Old!

M is 4 whole months old. Lots of things have changed in the past 4 months. Lots have changed in the past year. In fact, it was a year ago that we were telling my family of our happy news! I still remember my mom saying "Oh I think you gave me the wrong card. This one says grandma on it". No mom, you got the right card! Thanksgiving this year was so much fun, especially for grandma who loves to hog the baby. Mommy doesn't mind at all. We went for a wonderful fall walk and took some pictures.

M is getting so big. He feels like he weighs a ton. He is still rolling back to belly and still hating when he ends up there. He started giggling a few weeks ago. He doesn't do it very often, but when he does it is so cute!

He did better with his shots this time. I think he knew what was coming because he started whimpering when we put him on the exam table. The screaming was sad, but as soon as I picked him up, he stopped and hugged his mommy. He slept for an hour after that! He was weighed on an empty stomach, so I contend he would have been a few ounces heavier had he been fed. But he is still a big boy. He weighed 16 lbs 10 oz and is 26 1/2 inches long. But again, I think the nurse isn't quite as accurate as she should be. She just flicked a pen mark on the paper, not paying attention to the angle of the pen and I think she cut off his height by at least 1/2 an inch. Either way, he is BIG! I know this because approximately half of the 6-7 month olds in his swimming lessons are SMALLER than him!

Mommy got a needle too. When the doctor asked how mommy was, I told him the truth. I am EXHAUSTED! Some days it's hard to get out of bed, and many days I'm afraid to take him for a walk in case I don't make it back. I try to eat well, but I'm sure I could eat better. It doesn't seem to help much. I have zero energy. I know having a baby at home full time is tiring, but this doesn't feel normal. It may have something to do with my SAD that is now coming on full force, or maybe my hemoglobin is low. So the doctor took some blood to check it out. Hopefully we'll have answers soon and mommy will be feeling more energetic before too long.

3 Months!?!?!?

How did we get here? And how did I forget to post his 3 month stats? Oy. He's getting sooooo big. He as always loves to look around at everything, but now he's looking more carefully at his toys and even trying to grab them. He's rolling over back to front more often and still getting very upset when he's successful as he HATES being on his tummy. And we're getting busier. We joined a mommy group and trying to do meet ups once a week or so, we have Infant Mother Goose and start swimming lessons next week. Busy busy busy. Of course mommy is still pretty lazy. She still doesn't keep an immaculate house and her cooking certainly isn't improving, but hey, my baby is happy and healthy.

So here is my best uneducated guess at how much he weighs and how tall he is:

Weight: 15 lbs!!!

Height: 26 inches!!!

He is a big baby boy! Sure there are bigger, but he's MY big baby boy and I l

ove him to pieces. Here's his 3 month picture.

See, I told you he was big!

I'm on Etsy!

I finally got my act together and got my Esty store set up. So I now have a blog, a webstite, a facebook group and an Etsy store. I don't know if all this will translate into making money, but I can hope right? I'm still trying to figure out this Etsy thing though. I think I just need to spend more time surfing the site.

So needless to say, we've been busy this week. I've made a blog, website, facebook group, and Etsy store, joined a mommy group and gone to a playdate already. Today we have another meetup to attend. We're going to the farmer's market! Hopefully we can get some nice fruits there so mommy can keep up her energy. Apparently I haven't been eating very well because I've been very dizzy, weak and nauseous for quite a while. I'm hoping some better eating habits and some exercise will help with that.

Matthew is doing great. I can't believe he'll be 3 months on Sunday! He likes to play and is rolling from his back to his front. He still isn't fond of tummy time, but he's getting better. He stopped sleeping through the night and started waking up more than just the once. Though today he slept from 10 until 5:30, so maybe he was just going through a growth spurt? I can't wait to take his 3 month photo on Sunday. We'll probably do our family portrait for the Christmas card then too! I already measured and weighed him, though I'm sure the weight won't be accurate because I guestimated his weight on my own scale. Oh well, close enough right?

Cards, Websites and Blogs

Well I've been convinced. I'm setting up an online store to sell my vast supply of photo cards I've been making "just for fun". It's been a hard slog, but I think we're nearly set up. I have most of my wares uploaded to my website and am slowly working on my blog. Soon, I'll have an Etsy store to sell my products and from there, who knows what will happen.

So between feeding my hungry monster and playing with him, I take his nap times to play around on my website and blog, and soon, my facebook page too. So much for "sleep when the baby sleeps".

So stay tuned for website updates, visit often and tell your friends.

http://cupofteaphotocards.webs.com/

http://cupofteaphotocards.wordpress.com/

2 Month Check Up

M had his 2 month check up yesterday. He did fantastic! He weighs 13 lbs 8 oz and is 24 3/4 inches long. He's such a big boy! He's getting better neck control and he's cooing and gooing and gahing at me. Sooooo cute. He also got his shots yesterday. That wasn't so fun. I think that was the highest and loudest I've ever heard him scream. But once I picked him up and held him, he calmed right down.

He's also getting in a pretty good routine now. I can predict when he wants to sleep and when he wants to eat and when it's time to play. It's nice because it means breaks for me! He's a good baby. He sleeps a lot and he loves to play. Sure he has fussy times, but overall, he's a doll. He has even slept through the night a few times. Last night it was 11:30-7!!! The night before was 10:30-7:30! What a good boy. I love my little boy. Look how cute he is. Here he is at 2 months!

Matthew's new "fussy hour"

Something is up with my baby boy. The last few days, he's been "fussy" after about 2 pm. Nothing seemed to help. Nursing didn't help, rocking, swaying, singing, patting, burping, rubbing didn't help. A car ride only helped for a while, and so did a stroller ride. He was just fussy, fussy fussy. It was heartbreaking to see my baby boy crying so hard that his face turned red, he started coughing and he overheated, which made him more upset. This went on for hours, only interupted briefly when we tried a new thing, like his swing. We finally decided to head out to Shoppers for some Gripe water. Maybe that is his problem? So we bought the Gripe water and came back as soon as we could. The Gripe water seemed to help and finally, we had a calm, quiet, happy baby. Ahhh...sweet relief: time for bed. Ok, not quite. As soon as I took Matthew up to his room, he woke up and was unhappy again. Back downstairs we went and I finished watching the movie with a baby in my arms. At midnight, Matthew was "asleep", so I took him upstairs. It took another 45 minutes of rocking and swaying to convince him to lay down in his crib, but I finally got to sleep at 1 am. I'm hoping his new "fussy hour" is just a tummy upset problem and that the Gripe water will help prevent the overtired, upset, fussy crying jaunt that never seems to end. We shall see.

Listen to Matthews Favourites

Holy Big Boy Batman!

We had two appointments today. TWO! The first was to the Lactation consultant. First we weighed him. Drumroll please ... 10 pounds 5 ounces! WHAAAAA? He's HUGE! Of course, he wasn't all that small to begin with. The appointment from there went well. He's latching fine now and I'm still struggling with oversupply and forceful letdown, but he's coping. They're not worried about him getting too much foremilk since he's gaining just fine. The prescription is the same: hand express before each feed, two feeds on each side during the day, but alternate sides at night so I don't get too engorged and uncomfortable. I didn't make another appointment, but will call if I have issues again. Here's my latest picture of my big boy!

Our second appointment was a mommy appointment. I had been referred from the hospital to the Maternal Mental Health Clinic because of my history and weepiness in the hospital. We talked a lot about my history and concerns and the psychologist agreed that I did have post-partum blues, but they seemed to have resolved now. Matthew was hot and sweaty and not very happy. He was also hungry. The second appointment really screwed up our feeding schedule, so by the end of the appointment he was really really hungry. I tried to feed him in a private room, but it was very difficult without a pillow or anything. 30 minutes of feeding, crying, changing, feeding, crying later, I decided it was best just to get home ASAP. Too bad mommy decided it was a brilliant idea to save $20 and 15 minutes of frustration and park at the mall and walk to the hospital ... in 37 C heat! BAD MOMMY! We were miserable, but walking in the stroller seemed to calm Matthew down, despite the heat.

Mr. Man is a bit upset by all the day's activities, the heat and the screwed up feedings. We're hoping a nap will do him wonders. Daddy is trying to put him down right now, so we'll see how that goes. On an unrelated note, Daddy is sad today because his beloved Germany soccer team lost. Very sad, but we didn't really expect them to get this far. Maybe they will win the consolation prize next week!

Opa's Cottage!

We took Matthew for his first visit to Opa's Cottage over the long weekend. We went up on Thursday all by ourselves and set him up in his playpen in the living room. It worked out well and I nursed Matthew in the living room. The rest of the weekend took some adjustment. It's tricky business when you don't have ALL your equipment with you. Matthew was good for the most part, but I just need to figure out how to participate in cottage activities with him. My sister in law had a brilliant idea. We put Matthew in his Snugli and I carried him around with an umbrella! That way he stays in the shade and I get to hang out a bit.

Since R was with me all weekend, he was able to take Matthew downstairs at 7 am so I could sleep for an extra hour or two. This is how I found them on Sunday!

We're heading up to the cottage again this weekend, a little older and a little wiser. (I can't believe my 29th birthday is on Thursday! And my Mr. Man will be 1 month old!). We hope to put together the old crib and then move the playpen downstairs again for afternoon naps and changes. It should be fun! Matthew's big cousins can't wait to see him again and watch the "big show" of the diaper change. Oh how fun everything is when you are 6!

Day One Alone: A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!

R went back to work today. I was looking forward to my usual night of 3-5 hours between feeds, but Baby K must have known something was up. He was on 1 1/2-3 hours between feeds meaning no sleep for mommy last night. I was hoping his 4 am feed would take him past when R had to leave for work. Well, it did, sort of. He woke up at 7 and then my day of hell started. He was fussy, wouldn't nap, wouldn't be calmed, kept wanting to feed... He would cry, I'd try something, he'd stop, then cry again a few minutes later. Nothing was working and then he started to nod off on my chest. Ah, sweet relief! A nap! Then ... the doorbell rings. To answer, or not to answer. For future reference, the correct answer is DON'T ANSWER! As I walked to the door, child in arms, buttoning up my bra, I thought "this better be someone important". I thought it "could" be my SIL who I would welcome, but was realistically expecting a real estate agent bugging me to sell my house and was preparing myself to tell them to PISS OFF! I did NOT expect the person facing me when I opened the door. It was my BFF's brother! Oh yeah, he got a job here, how nice of him to visit (without a phone call grrrrrr). Well, not quite a friendly meet-the-baby visit. Turns out, he was staying with some family friends and it wasn't working out. He wanted to know if I knew anyone he could stay with. Um ... no !?! I let him (and his pet guinea pig) in and let him use my phone to call people who he thought might let him stay with them. In the meantime, I was trying to feed, calm, soothe, nap, change, and otherwise deal with a fussy, fussy baby. Needless to say, the only food that entered my tummy was a muffin early in the morning. Finally, my BFF's brother worked things out and left, at 1 pm. By that time, both mommy and Baby K were overtired.

After talking to my good friend S online, I decided to try and clean up and take a nice walk to McDonald's. Baby K went into his crib and "seemed" to be sleeping, so I washed my face, brushed my teeth and got dressed. By that time, Baby K was awake and crying again, so I put him in his stroller and off we went on our hot and sticky walk. Baby K immediately fell asleep. Ah, sweet relief! Too bad mommy was hot and tired and started getting a stitch in her side half way there. We finally mad it to a lovely air-conditioned McDonald's and mommy ordered herself a nice cold drink and a hot fudge sundae. Mmmm.... But halfway through the sundae, Baby K was fussing again. Time to move. Again, Baby K slept all the way home. Yay. Maybe now mommy can put him down in his carseat and he'll sleep for a bit? NOPE! Cue more fussing, crying, screaming, oh please daddy get home soon!

Daddy comes home and Baby K is finally calm. We put Matthew down and I tried to take a nap. No go! Time to feed ... again. So daddy makes dinner and mommy gives Baby K his dinner. Mommy got to eat over Baby K and then daddy tried to get him to sleep. It took some doing, but Baby K finally went down for good! Too bad mommy is so overtired she can't sleep. I hope this was just a day one adjustment thing. Maybe Baby K missed having daddy around all day? Maybe mommy just needs to learn how to read him better? I can only hope that Baby K is tired enough tonight to sleep and give mommy a break. Tomorrow is a new day and I'm sure there will be better (and worse) days ahead. I must keep in mind, he is only 2 weeks old. We're both still learning. Things will get better. Breathe in, breathe out!

Gigantic Catch-Up Post!

Ok, so I promised my 40 week bump pic would be up and running ON TIME this time. Well, that didn't work out so well. So this post has a lot of catching up to do. First things first, the (shortened, less gory, birth story).

I was told to call the hospital at 5 pm on Friday, June 11 to see if there was a bed ready for my induction. Well, the hospital called me back at 3 to say "get your butt in here now!" So I called Roland and told him to get his butt home immediately. We got to the hospital at 4:30 and got hooked up to monitors. Turns out, I was already contracting at around 5-7 minutes, though to me it felt like nothing more than the menstrual cramps I'd been getting for weeks. Dr. Gurland was doing some c-sections, so we had to wait. Just before 7 pm, he finally came to check on me. I was still 2 cm dilated and my blood pressure was still high. So, out came the crochet hook and POP, my water was broken. Immediately, the contractions ramped up. They were instantly 1 1/2 minutes apart and 50-60 seconds long and getting stronger by the minute. By 8 pm, I couldn't stand being in the bed much longer, so we went for a long, leaky walk. We got into the birthing suite just before 9 pm and I was definately in active labour. I was able to smile in between contractions (for all of 30 seconds), but once the contractions came, I was inconsolable. I tried to hold out until 9:30 for the nurse to check me, but after the vomitting started, I cried mercy and got checked at 9:15. I was 4 cm already. One more strong set of contractions sent my calling for the epi. The anesthesiologist was between c-sections, so it's a good thing I called him when I did. Before he got there though, I went through another bout of vomitting, one big long 5 minute contraction, shiverring and hyperventillation. The epi couldn't get here soon enough. At 10 pm, the epi was in, and by 10:15 it was working. R and my mom were able to sleep for a while, but by 11 I was uncomfortable again. The nurse turned up the epi, but the pain was getting worse. We kept topping up the epi, but the pain only increased. Finally, at 11:30, the nurse checked me and I was 8 cm. In another hour I was fully dilated and ready to start pushing. But I couldn't feel a thing! We tried and low and behold, I was able to push effectively even though I was completely numb. The nurse got everything set up and by 12:40 we were pushing. By 1 am, the doc was called in the room and 20 minutes of pushing later, Baby K was born! It's a BOY! 9 lbs 1 oz, 21 1/2 inches long.

Here's my beautiful baby boy!

Baby K is doing much better. He's been perfect at every test he's had, but we had some breastfeeding issues initially. Well, not really, but we definately had a hard time due to some conflicting messages. First off, Baby K is a powerful sucker and I was very soon blistered and bleeding. The second night, I hadn't slept yet and Baby K was fussy. He wasn't feeding well, and I couldn't console him. The nurses took him off my hands and promised to return him at 1:30. Well, I woke up at 12:45 anxious for my 1:30 feed. 1:30 came and still no Baby K. 1:45 came, still no Baby K. 2:00, no Baby K. 2:15 I was freaking out and called the nurse to return my baby. I was told that they finger-fed him formula and he was sleeping nicely. Very shortly though, he was up and fussing. I tried to feed him, but it wasn't working. They came to weigh him at 3 and gave me a bottle to give him because "he's a big boy and very hungry". In the morning, we were taught how to supplement with formula while breastfeeding with a tube. It seemed tricky, but we didn't question it and went home on Sunday. Tube feeding at home was horrendous. Very quickly it wasn't working and Baby K wasn't sleeping and neither was I. We went to a lactaction consultant on Tuesday and it couldn't come soon enough. Tuesday came and we were told that I had "sabotaged" myself with the tube feeding. Great. Just lovely. Why would they send me home tube feeding if it was going to screw me in the end? The consultant sent us home with an electric pump with orders to pump after every feed to ensure a good supply for the long haul. Well, two days of that and Baby K was choking at every feed. He would only feed for 5 minutes and sometimes it would ALL come right back up. Talk about a fussy baby! I couldn't wait for my next appointment with a lactaction consultant. On Friday, we had our appointment with the lactation consultant who was NOT affiliated with the hospital. She told me that I had TOO much milk and he couldn't feed properly because it's hard to suck on a boulder! She taught me how to hand express before each feed so as not to choke him and only offer one breast, then hand express the other one to comfort. This worked much better and by our next lactation consultant appointment on Tuesday, I was feeling better. The consultant helped me with some tips to feed him more inclined to makes sure Baby K doesn't choke, and suggested I try sidelying position. Let me tell you what a savour sidelying has been. 2 am feeds are so lovely when I can just lay back in bed and feed him for as long as he needs. He doesn't choke, and my arms don't get tired, and he even self latches properly most of the time!

So the moral of this story? Hospital nurses are on crack! Why would baby need 30 ml of formula at a feed if naturally he'd only get a tablespoon of collostrum? Why should I fuss with tube feeding if it's going to mess up my supply? Let nature take its course. Yes, sore, cracked, bleeding, blistered nipples are par for the course, and you'll probably be crying through each feed for the first week. But if you get a good lactaction consultant and good support to learn how to properly latch baby, your body will normalise and things will work themselves out. Do I still have some issues with feeding now and again? Yes, but Baby K is sleeping well at night and most days isn't fussy until just before bedtime.

We are slowly getting into the swing of things, but next week, Daddy goes back to work. It's going to be a whole new kind of adventure to learn how to do everything by myself. Hopefully I can find time to update how we're doing in our first week alone.

Eviction Notice Has Been Served!

It's Baby K's Due Date today and we had our 40 week appointment this morning. I finished my last day of work yesterday and was looking forward to checking some more things off my to-do list after my appointment. The nurse takes my blood pressure and it is 120/70. I commented that it sounded a bit off. "Oh, is that high for you?" "No, my blood pressure hasn't been that low since before 30 weeks!" The cuff seemed to be coming off during the reading so she takes another reading on the other arm ... twice. It was 150/92. The OB didn't like my blood pressure, so he ordered an induction. I was "supposed" to call at 5 pm tonight, but the hospital just called and want me to come in NOW! Off to make the rounds of phone calls and then we're on our way to have our baby! The next post will have a picture of Baby K!

Warning: Bare Belly Picture Ahead!

I'm getting a little behind on my belly pic updates. I finally got around to editing my 39 week belly pictures. I think I actually look smaller than at 38 weeks. Oh who knows!


I've reached my original EDD, but my OB's EDD is still 3 days off. So one way or the other, I'm 40 weeks or almost 40 weeks and yes, I'm still here! My last day of work is officially Thursday and it couldn't come any sooner. I'm tired, sore and sitting all day is a pain in my ... ribs and back. I have no idea how much "progress" I've made. My OB doesn't do internal exams until you go into labour, so as for dialation and efacement, I have no clue what's going on. I haven't had any real contractions, only painless Braxton Hicks that sometimes push up into my ribs and cause me pain. Baby K seems rather comfy in there and loves to stretch his or her little legs out, which makes mommy quite uncomfortable. You'd think the cramped quarters would encourage the little one to start making its way, but Baby K shows no signs of wanting to meet us. My wish at this point is to have Baby K in my arms before Father's Day. I already bought Daddy his Father's Day gifts and I really want to see his reaction when he recieves them!



It could be a long wait ahead! I hope I can keep myself busy in the meantime! Here are my 39 week pictures. I hope to get my 40 week pictures up a little bit quicker.

38 Week Update

I know, I know. I'm a little late in my updating. Just now getting around to editing my pictures. I'm 38 weeks and feeling ... well ... feeling like the end is near. After work, I'm just done. My back pain is still no fun, though I have learned to cope better with it. My feet and legs are rediculously swollen by the end of the day, and all I want to do when I get home is nap. Baby has dropped as low as it's going to drop and is engaged. The OB doesn't think I'll make it to my due date. We shall see. I'm getting more and more crampy and other pre-labour signs are definately here (I won't go into too many details because, well, it's just gross).

I thought I had finished all my growing, but apparently I was wrong. Here is my 38 week bump pic. Not sure if will be my last one, at least judging by the general consensus. I'm still betting on Baby Kurz being fashionably late.

Maternity Photo Shoot!

We finally got our photos back from our maternity photo shoot. My photographer commented at how small and cute I was. These were taken at 34 weeks and surprisingly enough, I think my belly has only grown another inch since then. There were so many to choose from, but I managed to narrow it down to my favourites. I plan on printing one or two of them to put up in the nursery, but I'm not sure which ones yet. Anyone want to help me decide?

NURSERY IS DONE! Warning, LOTS of Pictures Ahead!

It's done, it's done, it's done! The nursery is DONE!!!!! I'm so pleased with how it worked out. There are still a few minor details to take care of, like painting the ceiling, washing the stuffed animals, putting the rest of the books and toys in a basket, but these things can wait. Let me remind you of what the nursery looked like before.

The Guest Room "Before"

The Nursery "After"

My height chart is in place!

My hand-painted murals

(OK, so the flash makes this look beige, but I swear it's yellow)

My Book Collection on my new IKEA book ledge.

Some Classics, including my favourite book that I got when I was born "Mr. Gumpy's Outing"


I used the bumper as my valance on my window. I love that I can reverse it or change it up for the other bumper with the cute owl on it.


My "Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" and some shower gifts: A silver spoon and a crystal pacifier from Egypt. Thanks Auntie Jan!

I couldn't resist painting some cute bees around the light switch.

My beautiful Classic Winnie quilt.

I love my nursery. Now all I need is a baby to put in it! I hope Baby Kurz grows up to love Winnie the Pooh just like I always have!

36 Weeks Down, 4 To Go?

I just had my 36 week appointment and all is well. My blood pressure was 140/90, which is "borderline", but has become "normal" for me. The doctor isn't too worried as long as it doesn't spike, but in her words "it depends on how long you go". So here's hoping it doesn't spike, or I "go" early! The baby's heartbeat looks good at 151 bpm and my belly is measuring right on track at 36 cm. I had the courage today to ask the doctor if she had any predictions on how big this baby was going to be. She said because I was still "so small", that it would probably be an average sized baby of about 7 pounds. Then when I told her how much I weighed at birth (8 lbs, 14 oz), she revised her estimate and said, "maybe this baby will be a bit bigger since you were a big baby". So we will see. She also said the head was really low, yet the bum and feet are still way up in my ribs. I'm not a short woman, so the doctor predicts a TALL baby! This ought to be fun.

I'm guessing the doctor doesn't think I'll be going into labour any time soon because she gave me the go ahead to drive up North for May 24 weekend (as long as I'm not the one driving). So don't worry Mom, I'm not going to "pop" on the drive up. I'll ask again at my appointment next week just to be sure, but it looks like travel is still an option at this point (as long as my back holds out).

So here's my "small" bump. Apparently I still "don't look pregnant from behind" and am "soooo small". Well co-workers, friends and family, I certainly "feel" pregnant and definately don't "feel" small. If anyone knows some voodoo or has friends in high places, I'd appreciate you putting in a good word for my little one to get OFF MY NERVE! Owie kid, owie!

The funniest part of my appointment today was the doctor's comment as she was leaving. I guess she saw a peak of my sandaled feet and commented "your feet are puffy". No Shit Sherlock! I've had swelling on and off since 22 weeks, but now it's getting quite rediculous! If you don't believe me, have a look at my morning photo and my afternoon photo of my feet and legs. I feel like I'm smuggling softballs in my ankles! Ha ha ha. Not so funny when your legs feel like they're about to explode! This is one of many reasons why my new routine involves coming home from work to have a nap. 4 more weeks you say! This is going to be the longest month of my life!

"Before"

"After" Ha ha ha!

35/35!!!

Well, I'm 35 weeks and have less than 35 days to go! Holy cow! How did I get here? I feel like this pregnancy has been the strangest rollercoaster ride ever. They say that you feel like crap in the first trimester, feel great and have loads of energy during the "honeymoon phase" of second trimester, then it all starts to go downhill in third trimester. Well, it's sort of like that, only you have ups and downs and bumps along the way. I don't think I ever had that "honeymoon phase", but I certainly felt better than I did, or do now. Now, it seems like every time a new symptom or complaint crops up, something worse is yet to come. I thought my aching lower back was bad, then I got back spasms. Just when I thought the back spasms couldn't get worse, Baby K decided to sit on a nerve and now I can't remove the knife from my back. I have managed to find something to relieve the pain, at least temporarily. I will show you my magic formula for relieving back pain when you sit. Ready? Here it is:

That's right folks, a tennis ball. I keep this puppy in my purse so I can stick it behind my back when I drive. I pull it out to use at my chair at work. I bring this with me everywhere! It's surprising to me that as uncomfortable as leaning on a tennis ball is, it feels sooooooo much better than the stabbing, radiating, burning nerve pain my little one is causing me. This miracle cure will be with me in labour and delivery as well, you can rest assured.

In honour of my 35/35 milestone, here is my weekly bump picture. I took this last night on our way to our breastfeeding class. Boy I wish I had worn this dress all day. Had I known it was going to be 28 C and HUMID, I wouldn't have worn pants to work. Live and learn I suppose!

I have also started to work on some more baby shower thank you cards. I'm feeling the pressure to get them done, so instead of scrapbooking on Friday like I usually do, I'll be card making! Hey, paper crafting is paper crafting right? I love these ones I made using the stamps I bought on sale. I made 10 of them and still have another 15 or so to go. I have to mix up my cards, or I'll get bored. I don't know quite what my 3rd set of cards will look like, but I'll be sure to post them here!