TGIF!

I just took this picture of Ryder. He is tuckered out after a full day at doggie daycare. Sandy is exhausted - he's been working long hours and staying up later than usual. I am worn out after working all week - I always am on Friday afternoon. Even the baby seems tired - it's not moving around as much today. We have rented a movie and are getting ready to order pizza .... sounds like the perfect way to spend this Friday evening!

Is this even possible? ...and Spring!

Last night I was feeling sooooo crappy. I had a bad headache, my stomach was kind of upset and I just felt "off". I really couldn't figure out why I felt so bad .... then it came to me. I felt the way I did when I got motion sick way out on a tiny little boat bobbing around in the ocean. The baby was moving even more than usual yesterday and not just little kicks here and there, but big huge flips and flops. I think all that movement was making me feel ill! If that's not what it was, then maybe I was just really tired because I feel way better now!

I don't start work today until 12:30pm, so I had a lovely sleep in (see, there are benefits to being a TOC). It's nice and bright out ... I think it's time for Ryder and I to go for a walk. I am so thankful that Spring is on its way. I am loving the brighter mornings, longer days, and little tiny daffodil shoots that are starting to show. Everything is starting to bloom. ;)

33 weeks today!

Amniotic fluid is at its highest level during your pregnancy.

Your baby's head size has increased 3/8ths of an inch due to rapid brain growth.

Neurons and synapses are developing in huge numbers -- forming connections in your baby's brain will give him the skills he needs to thrive as a newborn. This week, he may be able to coordinate sucking and swallowing with breathing.

While most of his bones are hardening, his skull is quite pliable and not completely joined. The bones will be able to move slightly to make birthing easier.

You baby takes intermittent deep breaths -- of water! That's okay, though since she gets oxygen from the placenta. This breathing exercises muscles and encourages her lung cells to produce more surfactant (a protein essential for healthy lung development).

If your baby is a boy, his testicles will be descending from his abdomen into his scrotum. Sometimes one or both testicles won't move into position until after birth.

Your infant is now 17.2 inches (43.7cm) long and weighs 4.23 pounds (1918gm).

A few things to note...

Things I can no longer do:

- bend at the waist (this includes tying up my running shoes, picking stuff up off the ground, etc. I now either squat and hope to stay on my feet, bend down onto one knee, or kind of lean down sideways!)

- sleep through the night (pretty sure this won't change with the arrival of the baby). I am up frequently to go to the bathroom or change sleeping positions. Usually when I wake up, I start thinking about things and then I have even more trouble falling back asleep!

- wear any of my regular clothes without looking and feeling totally ridiculous!

- walk for more than thirty minutes without a.) having to go the washroom b.) slowing down to the pace of a snail c.) experiencing real back pain.

Things I can now do:

- rest my plate on my tummy when I am lying on the couch .... makes a perfect little table!

- avoid Guilt!

For example, I can sit down at work without feeling too bad, sleep in when I am tired without feeling incredibly lazy, and indulge in a treat or two without knowing I'll have to work extra hard to get rid of it tomorrow .... although that's going to change very soon!

- rest my hands on my belly without looking totally weird

- relish in the special attention that I get from strangers ... everyone is nice to a pregnant lady!

Appointment today

We had an appointment with Joanne today. For the first time, Sandy was able to come. He likes Joanne (says that she seems "calm") and was amazed when we got to hear the baby's heartbeat.

Baby is still head down and shouldn't move from that position now. My uterus is measuring 31 cm. Heartrate was 148 beats per minute. My blood pressure was good and I gained 4 pounds since my last appointment (total weight gain to date is 29 pounds....ahhhhh!)

Everything else is great. Joanne kept asking me if I had any other questions or concerns, but I couldn't think of anything else to bring up! I know I am incredibly lucky to be having such an easy pregnancy....hopefully labour follows suit!

For comparison's sake!

Here's what is happening this week:

Week Thirty-Two

Your baby is up to 3.75 pounds (1702gm) now and is 16.7 inches (42.4cm) long.
You might notice she's not moving around as much now. Don't worry! She is fine -- just running short on room. She still has plenty of growing to do though, believe it or not!
All five senses are working. Your little one is fascinated and practicing testing these out as much as possible!
Toenails are completely formed even though she may not be quite ready for a French manicure.
Hair on your infant's head continues to grow in. Will he have dad's black hair or your red hair?
Brain scans have shown that babies have periods of dream sleep (REM) starting around the eight month. What do you suppose your son is dreaming about?

Truly a miracle

Baby is very active tonight (as usual!)....lots of kicks and rolls. All the action reminds me of how miraculous this time in my life actually is. It's amazing to think that there is a new life growing inside of me....our baby.

The fact that I now walk at a snail's pace, have gained over 25 pounds, and am starting to get uncomfortable braxton hicks contractions regularly does not matter. What does matter is that we have a healthy, strong baby who is safe inside of me. It astounds me that together, Sandy and I have created this child .... a miracle.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Cute picture, isn't it? Even though our baby obviously isn't a "Valentine Baby", I love how the snow woman has a little tummy ... too cute! I am feeling about that round right now....the milk chocolate hearts from Sandy didn't help that cause!

The real deal

I always post "nice" pictures of myself and the belly ... ones where I look good! Usually, I am wearing work clothes, have on make-up, and have styled my hair. Well, today after taking Ryder on a huge walk, I decided to stage a mini photo shoot (still not sure why!!!) ....in my dog walking clothes, toque, and a sweaty face from our big walk! So, here are some photos that show the "real deal"!!! (Baby is 31 weeks)

Hey "you"!

This is what we will be calling our child. Seriously, I think our baby will remain nameless! We are having such a hard time finding *any* names that we like. There are a few names that I like (like, not love), but Sandy doesn't like them at all. And, since I don't really love them, I don't feel like it's worth pushing for any of them. Plus, I would really like it if we could find a name that we both really like. And, it's not just him --- there are a few names that Sandy likes that I am not too fond of either.

I am not sure if we are being too picky (although, I don't think that is the case - this is the name that our child will have for it's whole life!) or if we just haven't come across the right name yet (even though we must have looked at over a thousand!).

At least we've got some time left to figure this out....if the baby comes early, it could be nameless for the first couple weeks!

Single digits!

We are into the single digit countdown now....9 weeks until the baby's due date! It still seems so bizarre that we are actually going to have a baby .... who we will be totally responsible for .... who will live with us for the next 18 or so years .... who is going to totally change our lives! It's amazing to think about (and also kind of scary).

My other countdown is how many weeks of work left. We've decided that as long as everything continues to go well, I will keep working up until Spring Break. It is two weeks long this year and when school starts up again after the break, I'll be 38 weeks pregnant - probably not at a stage where I'll want to spend a full day keeping a classroom full of kids in line. So, it just makes sense for me stop at the beginning of Spring Break (at 36 weeks....hopefully, I make it that long!)

That means my last day of teaching will be March 14th .... that's only 5 weeks from now! I have mixed feelings about leaving teaching for a full year. I know that I will be really busy with the baby and my life will be a lot different than it is now, but I am really going to miss the students and teachers who I've gotten to know from going to the same schools again and again. Plus, I think I will miss the actual teaching...I really like my job. However, 5 weeks from now when I am even larger and more uncomfortable, I may experience a change of heart and feel ready to take a break!

Baby in Action!

I was trying to get a video of the baby moving around, but it's tough to capture the exact moment! I have noticed that if I give the baby some encouragement and rub my tummy, sometimes that gets it moving. So, nothing too exciting happens in the first part of the video, but if you are patient and wait for it, around 15 seconds in, you can see some action!

ps. If you are wondering about the noise in the background, I was watching curling on TV.

Some pictures of the baby's room (so far)....

These pictures are of the spare room/baby's room. It looks a little crowded in the last picture but the stroller/car seat and basinette won't be stored in there when the baby's actually here, so as long as there is enough room to move around, I think it should be okay.

We decided to leave the bed set up in case the baby is awake a lot during the night. (Sandy is a light sleeper and is very cranky if he doesn't get enough sleep, so I may end up spending a few nights in this bedroom with the baby :)

So far, everything is gender neutral - white, blue, and green. I made the curtains for the window and the curtain for the closet and am happy with how they both turned out. You can't see it in the pictures but the detail on both fabrics is the same: white embroidered butterflies, dragonflies, and curly cues.

My last project for the room will be choosing the artwork for the walls. There are already a few pictures in the room. I am thinking about re-arranging them and then adding some new ones.

Even though the room isn't very "babyish", I am still happy with it. Because of the size of our house (small!), we decided not to paint the room a different color and keep it as a space that flows with the rest of our place. Maybe one day our child's room will be one of those really cool theme rooms that I keep seeing online, but not right now! Regardless, it feels great to have it almost ready for the baby.

Too cute!

I taught in a 2/3 split class for a couple of days this week. One of the grade 2 students (Dianna) made me this card....way too cute!

Yum!

I can't say that I've had any actual cravings throughout this pregnancy, but there are definitely some foods that taste reaaaaally good! For example, tonight for dinner we had pancakes (Aunt Nancy's recipe), lean sausages, and fresh fruit....yum! It was soooooo good!

Ugh...

I feel LARGE! 30 weeks today and I am totally feeling every single day of it. It used to be a bit uncomfortable to bend at the waist (to pick something up off the ground or tie my shoes), but now it is virtually impossible!

Pre-pregnancy, my waist measured 29 inches. Well, I just measured where my waist would be if it actually still existed and my "middle" area is now 39 inches around!!! A difference of a full 10 inches...yikes! That is a substantial increase .... and it is just going to get bigger.

No wonder I am starting to feel a bit "squished"!

Ryder and Baby