30 WEEKS (BUTTERNUT SQUASH): Oct 23-29

Why does my hair look yellow/green in this photo? Haha! Oh well.

Time to hit up Old Navy to see if they're still selling black tank tops! Need to go up a size apparently... This is why you don't buy clothes when you're only 20 weeks pregnant! You don't realize how big you're going to get with the remaining 20!

• Umm... Why are there only 10 weeks left? That doesn't feel like enough time! Still so much stuff to get and prepare and learn!!! I've got pregnancy figured out now, but I've had 30 weeks to learn about that! Now I only have 10 to learn about baby?! 
• This blog is about full disclosure right?...Maybe embarrassing moment for the week should be a new thing.. Remember how last week I was commenting on kegels and how a friend said they pee when they sneeze? Well... I laughed too soon! I had a nice big triple-sneeze the other day and definitely peed a little on the last one. Sigh... Let's get those kegels going! 
• Baby's brain is developing Convolutions (wrinkles) now which allow for greater surface area and increased brain tissue! 
• Now that baby has started putting on some weight, the lanugo (downy hair) that was covering his body is starting to shed. He no longer needs it to keep warm!
• Baby's bone marrow is starting to produce red blood cells! Previously this role was taken by tissues and the spleen. 
• I felt the hiccups again at the beginning of week 30. Baby would hiccup every 3-5 seconds or so for about 10-15 minutes. Every so often it felt like the hiccup would startle him and he would spazz out all his limbs at the same time right after a hiccup! Pretty cool! Little human in there... 
• Still lots of movement happening in there. Lucky for me right now, baby usually sits quite high in my abdomen. He's up near my ribs, but facing down I think. Maybe his bum is up here. Having him up so high keeps him off my bladder most of the time, although there is the odd time I'll have to pee "SOOO BAD" and then go and it's barely a trickle! Or I'll be up 4 times in a night to pee. Usually I can keep it down to one night-time disturbance though which allows this momma to get some good rest! Having him up high also makes for fun times watching the movements across my belly. Good rolls and slides and pushes. Not many spastic kicks anymore though. There isn't enough space for that!
• The back pain comes and goes day to day. It is usually in my hips (particularly my right hip), and along the mid-section on my left side of my back. I had chiropractor this week and there is just not a lot they can do at this point. She adjusted my ribs which was heavenly, but then by the next day they were out of whack again! Darn that relaxin hormone making my body loosey-goosey!
• On Monday, October 24 we had a midwife appointment and Community Group/Prenatal Class. 
• Baby-K's position: Head down
• Bouts of Blurry Vision - Midwife says it could be due to low blood pressure. If it happens again, I'll have to get my BP taken (good thing I work with nurses!) and if it BP is out of whack, or blurry vision doesn't go away, then I have to go to hospital. So far it hasn't happened again though!
• Moving up to appointments every 2 weeks. That means I get one in between this class and our next class! I guess that's one perk(?) to being due first out of everyone. 
• Midwife recommended I up my iron intake in my diet and/or take some supplements. My diet has improved since I had my blood drawn a couple months ago, but it couldn't hurt...
• My Weight: 139 lb. (That's 16 lb weight gain since my first appointment)
• My Blood Pressure: 108/66
• Baby-K Heart Rate: 148 BPM
• Belly Measurement: 28 cm. It was actually 29, but she deducted 1cm for my leggings. 
• We learned some rather disappointing news this week. The Community Birth Program used to include Doulas as part of their cost, as you may recall me mentioning after our last Midwife appointment. We found out this week that their funding has been revoked starting January 2017, which means it is no longer free. Those of us who were planning to have a Doula would now have to hire one. Private Doulas cost around $1,000 to hire........ That's quite the shock when you're expecting $0. There is a group of about 13 Doulas who have agreed to take on moms from this Community Birth Program and provide a different support plan for 50% off at $500. Still quite the hit. I was really upset about this at first. Having a Doula had been a part of my birth plan for quite some time, and learning now at 30 weeks that all of a sudden it's going to cost upwards of $500 (for less care than we were planning on) was devastating.
  After much discussion between David & I, we've decided we would still like to try get a Doula for our first baby. We will save up, and possibly ask for "Doula Dollars" at our shower(s). Otherwise we would have had to sacrifice our maternity and newborn photos, but I those are very important to us too! Yeesh! Change is hard!
• I've been having more Braxton Hicks this week than previous weeks. I don't know if it's related to exercise, stress (lots of that happening) or just regular pregnancy progression. No pain, just sudden tightening!
• My anxiety has been pretty bad this week. We had a very busy week where we were out every. single. night. My main fear at this point is that I'm going to slip into depression again. Any time I feel the slightest bit melancholy (which happens almost daily when I'm this exhausted and working 40 hour weeks), I work myself into a tizzy thinking I'm going to get depressed again, and what that would do to my family and myself. I'm nervous about the potential to get Postpartum Depression. Am I more prone? Will the short, dark days in January make it more likely? I am VERY grateful for my awareness about the way I am feeling. A few years ago I didn't understand what/why I was feeling. I have more tools in my tool box that aren't medications to cope with depression and anxiety now. 
• I'm thinking I may need to seriously consider ways to cut down my work weeks... Every ounce of my daily energy is used up at work and then I am just a complete emotional/hormonal vegetable by the time I get home. That's no fun for anyone. 
• So far still no linea nigra (dark line that runs down many pregnant womens' bellies), and still just the on spot of stretch mark(s) on my belly-button piercing. Reminding myself I still have 10 weeks of growing to do though! +
• David had an alumni vs. Senior team Basketball game at his old high school (Frank Hurt) on Friday evening. I tagged along as I figured it would be nostalgic from back in grade 11 and 12 watching almost every single one of David's basketball games! It sure was... The smelly teenagers, squeaky shoes, loud pump-up music and hard benches. Am I getting old?? It was lots of fun to watch David play and have fun though. I have to say... Someone seemed to have more fun than anyone! Baby-K did not stop doing jigs for an hour and a half STRAIGHT! Right when we walked in and I sat down he was boppin' around to the loud tunes, and then the entire game he was going crazy to the sound of the squeaky shoes(?), the yelling(?), the stomping(?). Who knows... I had never felt him be so active for so long. It was funny. It felt like a bonding moment between daddy and son, even though David had no idea what was happening inside my belly. Maybe David will get a basketball player after all!
• Speaking of baby liking basketball, I find myself wondering now what he will be like! Will he like cars? Dinosaurs? Space? Animals? Sports? Dolls? Cooking? Dancing? I can't wait to see his personality develop over the next few years! Seeing friends with babies/toddlers I always love hearing about their quirks, personalities, likes/dislikes, etc. I just think it's awesome that they are literally just little people! But first... we must get through newborn/infant phase! Eek!

Thankful Thursday - 62

I wasn't feeling well last Thursday and was home from work. I completely missed Thankful Thursday! Funny how some disruption in your routine really mixes up the whole day. 

Wordy this week... sorry!  
This week I am thankful for... 

1. Sherly. This past Sunday it was two years since we brought home our precious puppy Sherlock. He has been the most wonderful, needed companion and furry addition to our family. On one hand, I can't believe it's already been two years... on another hand, I feel like he's been with us forever! Can't imagine our day-to-day without him. 

It just doesn't get a whole lot more handsome.

My favorite view when I'm sitting at my craft table and turn around to check on him.

2. Agility Trial. We sort of last-minute registered for an agility trial this past weekend. I wanted to try squeeze one more in before I take a break for a while to have a baby and all that stuff! We are registering for 6 more weeks of classes, and then at the end of November we will be done. Running this trial last Saturday was bitter-sweet. 
It's always great to get out there, but it didn't go as well as I was secretly hoping. I kept telling myself not to expect much from Sherlock or myself. To be honest I haven't been working with him as much as I normally do lately. Lack of energy and all... It's hard to get him pumped up! Well... that lack of extra work translated! He was bonkers all weekend. Kept running away and visiting people in (and around) the ring while I tried to run. We had our great moments too, and I do my best to focus on those. 
It just seemed like a sad way to end our agility career for a while (I know.... I have to focus on the positives. These pregnancy hormones sometimes interfere!). There is another trial coming up November 19 I could register for, but i will be 7.5 months pregnant... so we will see how I'm feeling a little closer to the date. 

Starters Gamblers. He was with me until the end. We got enough points in our opening, but then he goofed out for the final gamble. Nuts! (In my opinion, best run of the day)

 

Starters Standard. Sherlock was with me from 1-6 pretty well... Then he kept running to the exit gate and pushing his nose through the fence. I tried tirelessly to get him back, but he kept pursuing the gate. Turns out he had to pooh... My bad Sherlock!

Starters Snooker. Sherlock's head was 100% distracted in this one. Right from the get-go he went to visit the scribe/timer. We get 60 seconds to complete the course and are whistled off for any errors at all. We didn't get whistled off, and were out there for the whole 60 seconds so that's a major positive! Negative?... We only completed our opening sequence! Haha... stinker.

Starters Jumpers. This is normally one of my favorite things! There were some distractions around the rings (one of his favorite dogs was by the fence), so it took us a minute to get going. Once I got his attention a little we flew through numbers 1-5. After that it was time to visit again... Bring him back and attempt 7, 8, 9... WAIT! Must visit my friend!!! I wanted to end on a positive note before our time ran out, so I got his attention back and we ran over and did 12, 13, 14 and then leashed up and got out of there! I have to remind myself he's just a dog... he had fun... we're new to agility... any experience is a good learning experience. I hope I'm feeling well enough to register for the next trial as well. There is lots I want to work on between now and then!

**Agility Update: We had class on Wednesday night and I barely recognized Sherlock. He was absolutely perfect. He was fast, focused, and INTO IT! I could not have asked for anything more. It was so so encouraging after our rough weekend at the trial.**

3. Savoury Saturday. After the trial on Saturday we had Scott & Courtney over and we made homemade pizzas. Scott had the dough, and we baked them on the BBQ on a pizza stone. Yum Yum!!! 

Scott & I all aproned up. (Wine improves with age; I improve with wine) and (May the Forks be with you) - this is fitting as we watched Star Wars IV that night too.

Mise en Place - on my giant cutting board David got me for Christmas last year :)

Perogie Pizza - Sour Cream Base, Mozarella, Sliced Potatoes, Bacon, Green Onions, Cheddar Cheese. Can't go wrong!

Italian Sausage & Pepperoni Pizza - Pizza Sauce & BBQ Sauce Base, Pepperoni, Italian Sausage, Onions, Yellow & Red Pepper, Mozarella Cheese. Oh yes! 

Everything Else Pizza - We piled all our leftovers onto this pizza. It was piled right up... Half a pack of bacon made it on here!

The boys perfected the crispy thin-crust. The tip of this pizza is quite heavy with potatoes and bacon and cheese at the end. The crust is beautifully thin, and held up perfectly against the weight! I was/am very impressed!

4. Fall Colours. When we walk the dog around our neighborhood, I occasionally become obsessed with all the leaves on the trees/ground. I feel a need to collect the most beautiful ones I can find. I had great success the other day with these beauties!

Okay... David is so embarrassed. I plucked this flower from a bush on the corner. There were lots of other great flowers on this bush, and also lots that were dead already! I figured I would appreciate it more in my 15 minute walk home than these people would if they're just letting them die! They wouldn't miss this one flower... Right?! (Not like it was a special flower they planted or anything... Just grew on a bush...)

I think I am so enthralled with the leaves in the Fall because... Well just a month ago these leaves were all green! Look at them now! Amazing. 

5. Paper Chain Countdown. Last Friday near the end of my day I was waiting for some calls back at work. Elissa often makes paper chains when she is counting down to something (her wedding, for example), and talks about how much she loves to rip off one link each day and watch the chain get smaller! While I was sitting at work, I got to thinking how I only had 30 days of work left after that day. That's not a lot at all!!! I made up a paper chain for my 30 days, and at the end of each work day I can rip off a link until I only have one left! Amazing.  

29 WEEKS (CABBAGE): Oct 16-22

• Embarrassing moment to start this post off... I was in the shower the other day after brushing my teeth. I was shampooing, and then realized I needed to spit. With my eyes closed, I spit out the excess toothpaste, and went back to rinsing out my shampoo. When I opened my eyes again I looked down and noticed my spit didn't make it to the drain. Nice toothpaste slobber sitting on top of my belly. Ugh... I forget sometimes that I have this belly now to catch things for me! Haha! Thank goodness I was in a convenient location for quick and easy clean-up!
• This week baby is the size of cabbage... I don't know what this means. The measurements are getting weirder and more confusing by the week!
• Baby weighs 2.5-3 lbs now, and is about 15.5-16 inches long. 
• You know what's crazy? It's not all that uncommon for babies to be born at this time... I'm not ready! 
• We went for our usual dog walk on Monday and I started having cramps. I don't know if they were exercise-induced, gas cramps, from back pain or what. All I know is that they were worse than period cramps for me. I almost considered sitting down and asking David to grab the car. Not because I couldn't tolerate the pain... Just because I'm 29 weeks pregnant and I didn't think it was normal to have such bad cramps. We (eventually) made it back home, and I drank a big glass of water and sat on the couch for a while with my heating bean bag. If this happens again this week I will definitely bring it up with the midwives at our next appointment. Otherwise I'll chalk it up to regular pregnancy discomforts and figure it is nothing to be concerned about. 
• In the third trimester, it is sometimes recommended to do a "kick count" where you count flutters and movements and kicks from your baby. The goal is to get to 10 movements in an hour. They recommend having a light snack and laying down for an hour to see if you can get the 10 movements in. I decided to try this a couple times this week. The very first time I do this, I get my 10 movements within 30 seconds of laying down. Yeesh!! This is not uncommon for me. I find it hard to believe it could take an hour. I figure maybe as baby gets bigger and runs out of space (as if there's space in there now...) he won't move around as much? At least I'll know if baby decreases movement significantly! He's such an active guy most of the time. 
• Baby-K is starting to fill out and put on some chunk now! They call it white fat... I prefer chunk :)
• "Common symptoms" this week include pregnancy brain and fast-growing nails. YUP! That's a fact! 
• Someone needs to remind me to register at the Surrey Hospital and to get a tour of their maternity ward!! *David... I'm looking at you!*
• After we returned from our baby-moon, I was talking to a nurse at work. He asks what we like to do in our spare time. Watch movies, go out to eat, play games, go for walks, etc. He just looks at me and says "spend the next 2.5 months DOING ALL THOSE THING! DO ALL THE THINGS!!! And sleep in... SLEEP!!!" He seems to think we will never have time again to do the things we enjoy together. Granted he has two little girls at home, and I'm sure he is in the midst of the craziness. Maybe I should remind him that one day it will get better :). But yes. We plan on "doing all the things" we enjoy before baby changes our lives!
• I keep being reminded to do my Kegel exercises. I'll try! Have to make a habit/routine of it! I received a text from a friend with a baby recently that said, "I pee when I sneeze :(... do your kegels." Thank you for the laugh and the reminder!! ;)
• Baby starts producing androgens and estrogen necessary for my milk production. I'm not sure I'm ready to give up my body to milk production... Let's try hold off until baby is born and my body isn't my own anyway. 
• Getting tougher to get my shoes/boots on by myself! I feel like all the air gets pushed out of me when I go to put my boots on... Oh hunnyyyyy!!!! Almost time to feel needed! Haha.
• Mom sent the below message to our WhatsApp group. The top photo was taken with me and the brothers when I was 18 weeks. Now I'm 29 weeks... 11 weeks ago, and 11 weeks TO go... Wow! That just doesn't seem like all that long ago... 

• I went for a massage on October 18 which was LONG overdue and very much needed. I asked if there was anything I can do (posture, stretches, etc) to prevent my back getting so tight and sore. He just said, "Unless you can shrink your belly and change the laws of gravity... no not really. Kind of par for the course." Nuts! That's what I expected... 
• After my massage I headed back to work. I parked my car and as I was walking, I noticed a spot of blur in my vision. It was like I had looked at a bright light and was seeing spots in one spot near the bottom of my vision. 15 minutes later, by the time I was at work and walking around talking to people, it had gotten MUCH worse and I could barely see peoples' faces and could hardly read emails or text messages. It looked like I was trying to see the world through a plate of water. Fluid movements and all. I got pretty concerned and called Dave to let him know if it wasn't better soon I'd be asking him to pick me up. Over the next 20 minutes it gradually got better until it went away. So a total of 40 minutes of rapidly blurring and un-blurring vision... Huh... not sure what this means, but I will definitely be mentioning to the midwives next week. 

Love my little photo-shoot buddy! <3

Fall Things - Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch

October 11 was David's sister, Rachel's birthday. She wanted to get everyone together to go to the corn maze. I hadn't been in at LEAST 10 years. So fun! Although I must admit it crossed my mind how much extra fun it would be if we were a little tipsy. 

It was an absolutely perfect night for the corn maze. Clear and chilly!

On October 16, the realtors that helped us purchase our house, and who David does photography/video for had a client event at the Hazelmere Pumpkin Patch in Langley. We had just returned home from Whistler, but were committed to attending the event to visit and pick up some pumpkins! 

We highly recommend looking into Greg & Liz Holmes if you're looking to buy and/or sell. They go way above and beyond for their clients. We had such an amazing experience with them! It helps when David works with so many realtors, so he picked someone he thought would mesh well with us and that he trusts 100%.

Being the animal lover I am, I was MORE than delighted to see there were multiple petting-zoo pens. I did not go in any though, as we had Sherlock with us. Half the fun is seeing Sherlock react to the farm animals though, and vice versa.

I got a hold of the camera... Creepy shipwreck with Halloween decorations strewn about.

Handsome little Billy Goat

Sherlock was not very cooperative with my wish for super adorable Fall Toller photos.

Such a poser!

He looks happy, but this is actually one shot of 6 rapid-fire ones as he was eating a piece of grass and chewing obnoxiously. Don't believe everything you see in photos people! The actual situation is very rarely as magical as it seems!!

It took me a long time to find the perfect pumpkin... Sorry dear.

I thought we could take a cute family photo with the scare crow. Sherlock had other plans. ATTACK! He wasn't so sure about this creature. Took lots of convincing to even get close. David and I both had to go touch the scary being in order for Sherlock to stop woofing at it.

Still not quite sure about this thing... In the end, we did not have a successful cute photo. If we did though, it would have been magical. Reminder again that those super cute photos are rarely as they seem!

My strong husband carrying our pumpkins to the car. I selected mine without attempting to pick it up... Apparently it was really heavy... and huge... So sorry dear!

Sherlock and the Llama having tender kisses

More gentle kisses with this handsome goat! I was worried the goats were going to try head-butt him, but everyone either ran away or came and greeted Sherlock (and his crazy energy) with a calm nose-to-nose sniff. So precious.

Tough to get a good shot of this fat pot-bellied pig. 

I love the Fall, and I'm glad we got to get out to do a few Fall-ish things this year! I usually have every intention of doing these things, but something gets in the way! 

Next year's trip to the Pumpkin Patch is going to look a LOT different for us!

28 WEEKS (HEAD OF CAULIFLOWER): Oct 9-15

Woo! Who put that basketball under my shirt!!

• This week the internet is trying to tell me baby is as big as a head of cauliflower. Maybe all curled up in fetal position? A GIANT head of cauliflower?
• Baby is roughly 15 inches long, and weighs in at around 2.25 lb. At this point in pregnancy, babies will start really growing at their own rate, but the numbers I'm quoting are the average. If I had to guess, I'd say I'm going to have an above-average-sized baby... None of my brothers or David were small... or had small heads... (Nervous chuckle).
• Babies at this gestational age have been recorded experiencing REM sleep. This suggests baby may be dreaming. I wonder what Baby-K dreams about... The flashes of light he might see on my belly? Playing with the umbilical cord? The noises he hears around him throughout the day? What does it look like in his little brain when he hears Sherlock barking, or bacon sizzling? 
• Baby could be sticking out his tongue, possibly to taste the amniotic fluid around him. Neat, I guess... It seems pretty gross to me, but whatever floats his boat! 
• Baby is practicing his blinking. This will come in useful when he's born into the real world of light and dust and dog hair!
• I am experiencing more heartburn. Still nothing to really complain about, but it is something I notice more now than I have before. I presume it is going to get much worse, so I'm hesitant to even mention it now! 
• My lower back, tailbone and hips are still pretty sore. Again, I'm scared to complain as I'm sure it's going to get worse and I'll look back fondly on these days and say, "Remember when I thought that hurt? Pfft.... I was weak!" 
• I'm still sleeping well. I will be forever grateful for my ability to fall asleep quickly. I sincerely hope that this "skill" continues into the days when Baby-K wakes me up 17 times per night. At least if I can fall back asleep quickly I'm maximizing my rest time!
• I'm feeling baby move consistently. He has much more controlled movements now, which makes things feel strange. It feels like he's trying to escape, or explore his boundaries sometimes. Just a slow push out to the left, and a roll of his hips over to the right... and then a QUICK JAB to the ribs! 
• I noticed for the first time after a shower the other day that I've started producing colostrum. This is the substance that is very high in nutrients and antibodies that will feed baby for the first few days after birth until my milk actually comes in. It was just a tiny drop and it was clear, but I got a little excited and mostly wierded out at first. 
• Remember the stretch marks I said I felt coming last week? I officially have my first purple stretch mark. It is right over top of where my belly-button piercing is/was. At least now that the skin stretched out it's not itching anymore!
• At the end of this week, David and I are in Whistler for our "Baby-Moon" weekend away. So much wonderful relaxation. It's hard to believe how different our lives are going to be in a few months. We left Sherlock at my parents house (Thanks Mom & Dad!!) and we missed him so much! I felt guilty for leaving him... How sad is that? Just wait until it's our BABY we're leaving with a sitter (aka family). I'll be a mess! Haha
• Fatigue has made its comeback. I nap almost every day now, particularly after work. Some days it's 1-1.5 hours, other days I can get away with just a quick 15-20 minute power nap. Nothing like first trimester though... yet!