The details

I had my midwife appointment with Joanne today. I love going to her office. It's in her house but there is a separate entrance and the office space is really warm and cozy. We had a really nice chat and caught up on all of the baby stuff....here are the details:

• So far, I am measuring right on track (with pretty much everything).
• I have gained 6 pounds since the start of the pregnancy. Joanne said that this number is "perfectly average" and I can expect to gain about a pound a week from here on. Guess I'll have to watch how many Christmas goodies I eat!
• She took my blood pressure (it was 90 over 60) which Joanne said is low, but okay. I told her that I've been getting really light-headed if I stand up too fast and she said that was happening because I have more blood volume now, but lower pressure so it takes a little longer for my blood to get where it's going. She reminded me to stand up slower!
• My heart and lungs both sounded fine. And, my eyesight still looks good (I guess it can change during pregnancy...who knew?)
• The baby's heartrate was 156 beats per minute and sounded nice and strong.

And, that was pretty much it! Joanne said that she didn't have any concerns with me or the baby, so that's good news. It was a great appointment: I left feeling happy. Now, I get to look foward to the big ultrasound this Monday!

Halfway

Today I am exactly halfway (20 weeks) through this pregnancy!

It's been such an awesome experience so far....I switch back and forth between looking forward to the end when we get to meet our baby and wanting time to slow down so I can enjoy this special time.

The baby is still moving around lots. I really like feeling the kicks and punches.

My tummy has popped out quite a bit this week. Today, one of my grade two students even asked if I was having a baby so it must be getting more noticeable!

I've got another midwife appointment tomorrow. I am looking forward to hearing the baby's heartbeat again. And, our big ultrasound is coming up on December 3rd. Time is going by so quickly....

Here's something that's kind of cool...

I've been reading in my baby books about how the baby is growing and what size it is now. One book I read said that the baby was 6.5 inches CRL and one book said that the baby is now 10.5 inches long....I was totally confused! I can understand a discrepancy between books of a half inch or maybe even an inch, but 4 inches difference.....no way!

So, I did some research and it turns out that the measurement of 6.5 inches is from the top of the baby's head to it's bum. And, the 10.5 inch measurement includes the baby's legs....totally makes sense! It's funny ..... I can remember writing a post about the how the baby was 4 inches long now and I was so amazed (back around week 12 maybe?) and now it's legs are 4 inches long!!!! I'm still amazed.

And a place to sit...

Our friend, Alysha, surprised me the other day with this gift: a fisher-price infant to toddler rocker. It looks very comfy! Hopefully, the baby will like to sit *quietly* in this little chair for long periods of time .... LOL! I can always hope. ;)

A place to sleep

A very generous and beautiful gift from Ken and RonaLee
~ our baby's first bed.

WOW

Last night I was lying on the couch watching a movie when I felt the baby kick. I put my hand on my tummy to see if I could feel it and there was this huge movement! So, I pulled back the blanket and had a look....I can see the baby moving around! My tummy would just kind of poke up a little bit in one spot. It was incredible! So, I called Sandy and told him all about it. He was sad that he wasn't here, happy that I could feel such big movements, and laughing because I was so excited about it! Then, I called my Mom and told her --- she was excited too. I hope this keeps up because it is so neat to see.

Baby Brain

There's this "condition" that they say pregnant women get: Baby Brain. I didn't quite get what it meant at first, but now I think I've got a pretty good understanding!

Basically, it means that you forget everything....whether it's an important detail or an extremely insignificant item. For example, I was trying to figure out Sandy's next set of dates for school. The operator at BCIT said there was a spot available in a course that will run from March to May of 2008. I thought this sounded perfect and started to register Sandy. After a few moments, I had to tell the operator those days wouldn't actually work after all. He (the operator) asked why....because I am having a baby in APRIL!!!! Trust me when I say, it's a little embarassing to have to say that you forgot that you are actually pregnant.

The other night at curling I was showing a rookie third on the opposition how to use the measuring stick to measure rocks for points. Well, partway through my explanation, I forgot what I was saying and had to look to my skip to finish! Also, an embarassing situation.

Not to mention the daily things....like forgetting that I already told someone a story and repeating it five times before they remind me that yes, I already told them this!!! (that really drives Sandy nuts :)

And, not only am I forgetting things, but I have also become an even bigger klutz than before (if that's posssible!). On Monday, we were taking Ryder for a walk and I managed to walk right into this huge tree branch that was hanging down....ended up with a big scratch on my forehead for that one!

Let's hope I make it through the next 5 months and give this baby it's own chance at life!

Thank You

We are incredibly lucky to have such an amazing family. On both sides, we have parents, siblings, grand-parents, cousins, aunts, and uncles who offer us an incredible amount of love and support. It makes our journey towards parenthood very special and enjoyable. We truly appreciate it. Thank You.

Namaste

Tonight I attended my second pre-natal yoga class (actually, my second yoga class ever!). The first class was a good introduction to what the seven-week session would be like, but I left feeling a bit unsure. I did enjoy it but thought the whole thing was a bit slow and honestly, I felt like giggling most of the time ... because of the breathing and poses and mainly because I was just being silly.

But tonight, I was in my yoga groove ;). I knew what to expect and was better prepared to breathe deeply and focus on "the babe" (instructor's term, not mine!). I was much better at the poses and at moving from pose to pose without looking totally awkward (probably still a bit goofy looking, but definitely better than the first week!)

One of my favorite parts of the 1.5 hour long class is the last 10 minutes. We do a pose that has a fancy yoga name, but I can only remember the laymen's term: "the corpse pose". Basically, we lay on our mats and stay very still and breathe....it feels heavenly after a long day.

At the end of the class, we say "Namaste".... I gather this is a similar term to "Aloha".... it covers hello, good-bye, thank you .... all the important things.

*Edited to Add: I just googled "namaste" to see if I was close in my very basic translation...not so much! Here is what it really means: "The God/Goddess within me acknowledges the God/Goddess within you." ....very yogic sounding!*

I think we know which hockey team this baby will be cheering for...

A gift from Grandma and Grandpa Watt (Pam and Rob)....so darn cute!!!!

It happened!!!!

After writing my last post, I went downstairs to watch tv and relax on the couch. I was just lying there when I felt it....the baby moving!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited!

I read in the baby books that I should feel the baby moving around this time and that it would feel like tiny hiccups or little kicks. I just could not imagine it...until I felt it happening!!! The movements were right where Joanne found the heartbeat at my last midwife appointment --- very low and on the right hand side of my tummy.

I think this is an official milestone: Sunday, November 4th, 2007 at 16 weeks 5 days pregnant, I felt the baby move for the first time. :)

A busy week.

Sunday night and I am finally getting a chance to update!

We've had a very busy week. I worked four out of five days this week. I know this isn't that big of a deal, but it just adds to the overall "busyness"!

I had curling on Tuesday night (we won - yay!). Wednesday was aerobics at 5pm and then Halloween. We carved our pumpkin and handed out candy to the kids. Thursday was my first night of pre-natal yoga (very relaxing). Friday night, we had a house full of people for a party. Saturday was spent running errands and helping Sandy pack. This morning I said good-bye to Sandy because he's off to Vancouver to attend BCIT for his first level of apprenticeship training. Then, I went for a big walk with a friend and afterwards, attended her baby shower. WHEW!

I am tired, but feeling great. Not much change in baby land. Still havn't felt any movements and am still really looking forward to it!