Bye Bye Beetle... Hello Baby-Mobile

I knew this day was coming... the day I had to say goodbye to my beloved VW Beetle. I knew it was coming, and yet it was just as hard as ever. I know it's silly to be attached to a hunk of metal, but I loved my car. And I'm really sad about having to sell it.
Why did I have to sell it? Well, I couldn't fit a baby and a stroller in the car at the same time. And I think I'll rarely be driving around with the stroller and not the baby, so I had to make a choice between not using a stroller and bidding my car farewell.

So, I decided to sell it. BUT, lucky for me my Oma Willis (Dad's mom) bought it from me! So, not only do I know it'll be well taken care of, but I can visit it anytime! As Oma said, whenever she comes to visit my baby, I can visit her baby. Knowing that I can still give my car a hug when I need to makes me feel better.

Yesterday, which I've dubbed "Black Thursday", was the official sales day, and day of mourning. It was a very dark and sad day.
But today is a much happier day as I get to celebrate the arrival of my newest baby- a 2007 Toyota Yaris! It's a very cute, very fuel efficient, very spunky brand new car. Yes, it's a "family car" but it's still fun and sporty feeling and fun to drive. I love it. And I love that's it's brand new. I never, ever thought I'd ever own a brand new car, but Texas Ranger needed a new chariot, so what better excuse?
So we're now one step closer to being all ready for our little one.

Here are some photos of my old and new babies! Aren't they precious?!?
Cheers,
A&M

Belly Dancing

Make video montages at onetruemedia.com

I've been trying for a while to get some "footage" of Tex kicking and dancing around, and I've finally got some! So now you can see our little (big) one move about. He/she doesn't kick me straight for the whole length of the video, but keep watching as there are intermittent bursts of movement. Enjoy!

A&M

PS: The song is "My Name" by our buddy George Canyon. Here's one of the many pictures of him and us from our "Wall of Flame"

Little Bugger

Since the baby in the little "ticker" isn't actually mine, I don't mind saying the following: that little bugger isn't funny! And I don't have cankles!
You'd better start being a little nicer there ticker, or your days will be numbered! (No pun intended)

A&M

Padmasana (Lotus Pose) = Labour of Love

7 weeks and counting and I've got a new goal. Forget finding the perfect baby outfit or crib bedding, the next 7 weeks will be devoted to getting into Padmasana or Lotus Pose. Lotus pose (see photo) which sort of looks like crossing your legs upside down (or inside out), is an intermediate to advanced pose that touts numerous physical and psychological benefits and takes a lot of practice to achieve properly (and painlessly).
So while at yoga last night, Lara (my teacher) mentioned that she heard recently that practicing Lotus pose will make childbirth painless. PAINLESS! Well, I think she regretted saying it immediatly cause my ears instantly perked up. I've been working on hip openers for the last few months and have amazed myself with how much more movement I have in them. And I can now do a half-lotus with ease. SO, since I heard I can have a painless labour I've decided that I'll be spending a fair amount of time everyday for the next seven weeks stretching, warming up and getting in to a full Lotus pose.
Lara was quick to say she wouldn't give me anything in writing to guarantee her previous statement, but it was too late, I was sold! I even did some research on my own once I got home and all the websites/yoga journals I looked up said Lotus pose does wonders for childbirth and labor. So I'm now hooked. And if I do experience the slightest amount of pain I won't let Lara take all the blame for misleading me. Lol.


Cheers,
A&M

Almost Ready!

Wow- what a difference a weekend can make! I've gone from feeling inadequate and completely unready to feeling like if I had the baby now we'd be fine! (Well, almost fine.)
We went shopping with Auntie Carrie (Tex's auntie, not ours) and cousin Trey and at Auntie Carrie's house yesterday and left with a carload of baby stuff and some peace of mind! It's amazing how good it feels to spend time with someone who's just recently been through what you're going to experience and can relate to the same things you're going through.
We went through Baby's World, which has some beautiful stuff, but with a pricetag suitable only for Donald Trump, so needless to say we left there empty handed! We then made a trip through Babies R Us and managed to find a whole bunch of things (at good prices too!). So between Babies R Us and Carrie (or should I say St. Carrie?) we left with the following:

• Diaper Bag (or Couture Tote as it says on the tag)
  
• Diaper Genie
  
• Baby Hangers
  
• Change-Pad (for on top of the dresser, instead of a change table)
  
• 2 super-soft Blankets
  
• Crib Sheet
  
• Bassinette
  
• Bassinette Rocking-Stand
  
• Jolly Jumper
  
• Baby Bath Tub
  
• Portable Baby Bed
  (very cool- it's a mini suitcase looking thing that folds out into a little bed for on the run or to let you sleep with the baby in your bed - see picture)
• Air-Flow Back Sleeper

I think that's all, but I could be forgetting something. Not bad for one day, huh? Plus I also learned that all babies need to keep them entertained are a couple of spoons. Who needs toys? I've got a drawer full of spoons for my baby!

Oh- since Trey is so cute, I've attached some pictures from yesterday. Enjoy! A&M

Babies Galore!

It's becoming more and more apparent that there was nothing to do between June and September of last year (2006)... It seems like everywhere I turn I run into someone else who's pregnant. And so many of our friends seem to be expecting around the same time- it's bizarre! I wonder if it's coincidence, or if it's just like when you get a new car you suddenly notice just how many other cars like yours are cruising the streets.
Anyway, along with Tex, we're awaiting the arrivals of: Yoko Van, Baby Nomad (I figure that name fits since he's a souvenir of a year-long trip around the world), Baby Murphy, Baby Sandau, another Baby Godbout (cousin) and a couple others. Doesn't that seem like a lot of babies all within a couple weeks/months of each other?

I went to Abbotsford on Sunday to try and find some crib sheets that aren't pink or blue, but aren't the typical unisex colors either and (quelle surprise) couldn't find anything I liked! And then I took on the even more arduous task of trying to find something for the baby to wear home from the hospital. Again, everything is either pink or blue or just plain too obviously unisex for my taste. So I ended up leaving (nearly empty-handed) feeling like an inadequate mother. And then I cried. Yes, I cried, because I felt like we'd never find anything and we'd (make that I'd) never be ready for the baby. Andrew was good to reassure me that we've still got plenty of time and we'll be ready, but it was just one of "those" emotional pregnancy days I think. Gotta love 'em.

Then I was browsing the internet today and came across some pretty cute/funny onesies for newborns and I'm actually tempted to buy a couple. Along with the two in the pictures there was another one that said "I'm kind of a big deal" that I thought was hilarious, but of course they didn't have a picture of it.

I don't know if I've shared this next fact with anyone except Andrew, but it's been a fear of mine (not a real fear- just a little "fear-let") that Andrew and the baby will gang up on me and play little tag-team jokes and pranks of me once it's born. And I saw my first glimpse of this last night. Tex was stretching/moving around like normal (which is to say very, very strongly) and then Andrew put his hand on my belly to feel it. And then the tag-team action began- they both started pushing, what seemed like as hard as they could! It was slightly uncomfortable, but mostly just a weird, weird feeling. Luckily, they both stopped after not too long, so I don't have any battle wounds.

Anyway, that's it for now. 62 days and counting!

A&M

Womb Mate

Buddha Belly at 29 weeks and 5 days

And now, due to popular demand, here are the latest pictures of Pregasaurus (that's me). These pictures are of 29 weeks and 5 days - just over 10 weeks left to grow, er... go. Again, we'll try and take some more in a couple of weeks and then we're going to look at getting some professional (or semi-professional) nice belly pics done. I'm really excited about that, but very nervous too!
In other news our stroller and car seat arrived today (they had to be ordered in) and so we had a lot of fun putting it all together and learning all about it! Our house is turning more and more into the baby department at Sears with each passing day! We also got the crib mattress today. And get this- the mattress for the crib has a 25 year warranty. 25 years!!! As Andrew said, if our adult-child is still sleeping in the crib in 25 years we have bigger issues than whether the mattress is still in good shape!

Tex was definetly making himself/herself known today, turning and stretching and taking up a lot more space than normal. I guess I should get used to it as he/she's only going to get bigger from here on out.

Anyway, enjoy the belly pics... I get to enjoy another hour-long pregnancy massage tomorrow. Ahh... being pregnant does have some great perks!

A&M

Poll Working!

I finally found a poll that works! You can vote more than once from a single computer, so now Andrew and I are both able to vote. Yay!
That's all... Happy voting!

A&M

Let the Voting Begin!

I finally looked at some of the features I can do with this blog and I noticed I can add "fun stuff" like a poll and the ticker that will constantly stay on top. So, I've played around (somewhat) and have officially opened our first baby poll; guess what Texas Ranger is and when he/she'll be coming to town! So far I've noticed that you can't vote more than once from the same computer, so I'll have to figure out how to fix that, as I'd still like to vote, but since Brittny at work did, I'm not able to. Hmm...
Now, when thinking about your vote, make sure you think long and hard. I'm not going to make any threats, but let's just say that if you vote either sex as "late", I'll track you down.
Not that I don't enjoy being pregnant, because I do, I'm just anxious to meet the baby and move on to the next (very loooonnngggg) stage. Like I told some friends last night, I signed up for this pregnancy thing for 40 weeks... not 41, not 42, but 40.
So, go ahead and think and vote how you wish... but I'll be watching. Somehow. Once I figure it out...

A&M

The 3rd Trimester

It's finally here- the New Year and the 3rd trimester! I'm saving the term "home-stretch" for March, but I feel like the home stretch is now finally in sight.
Now that the holidays are over (we had another wonderful Christmas by the way), we can start to let ourselves slowly ramp up our excitement and anticipation.

We are (again, slowly) starting to get everything we need for the baby's arrival. We now have a playpen (see pictures), a crib (see picture from the store) and the stroller and car seat (see a picture from "The Waiting Game" post).
We went shopping the other day to Babies R Us to find a crib and ended up leaving having purchased the most beautiful crib we've seen! It's a 3-in-1 crib that converts to a toddler bed and then to a double bed frame, so it'll last us many a years. Unfortunatly, the crib comes in a gigantic box and even Andrew's space-ship sized car couldn't get it home, so we'll have to either get it delivered sometime this week or borrow a truck and go in and get it next weekend. What's really funny (but not surprising) is how "a la carte" baby things are sold. I know the stores know you need, and therefor will buy, everything, but can't they sell anything as a package? We bought the crib, but it doesn't come with a mattress, so we'll have to get that and the bedding another time. But for now we're pretty excited to have the crib purchase completed.

The baby seems to be doing very well. It's as active as can be, so since we got the playpen (for Christmas) I've been telling him/her it now has somewhere to sleep- and that it will do some sleeping! It's fun that the baby's nearly always alert and kicking up a storm (and doing some acrobatic routines) right now, but once it's born it'll need to sleep a little bit, so that we can sleep a little bit. That's not too much to ask for, is it?

We hope everyone had a great Christmas and a fun New Year's Eve. Happy 2007 and best wishes for the year!

A&M

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Wow, I can't believe it's Christmas eve already. Time really does fly.
This has been an amazing year for us, and we know the next one will be filled with even more excitement. And next year we'll have a real Christmas photo of the baby... although I think this one is pretty darned cute!

From our (expectant) family to yours, have a wonderful Christmas!

Love A&M

No More Room at the Inn

I know anyone who has been pregnant before will laugh at my next statement, but I am officially done growing. There is no more room for this baby to go. My stomach is stretched to the limits and it can't possibly grow anymore.
That being said, I know I have a little over 3 months and many more inches to grow, but I'm just finding it hard to imagine.
Anyway, that's it for this week. Not much else to report. We're just getting ready for Christmas and the "No Room at the Inn" quote reminded me of how I feel about my belly!



Oh- I found this little pregnancy "ticker" that will continue to count down as we get closer to d-day. Cute, isn't it?

Cheers,
A&M

Does This Baby Make Me Look Fat?

I've heard a lot of pregnant women complain about random strangers coming up and feeling the need to touch their belly's. And so far, I have yet to experience that.
But, I have had the pleasure of two strangers commenting on my size. And to make my self-esteem sky rocket even more, both comments came on the same day.
I was Christmas shopping yesterday and while browsing in a jewelry store the lady behind the counter asked when I was due. I smiled (cause I was still pleasant at that point) and said "in March." She said "Oh- I was going to guess you were due at the end of this month!" And then she smiled. And I tried not to reach over the counter and strangle her. Seriously, I was in a jewelry store... aren't those people supposed to be extra sugary and nice?
Then I went into Bootlegger with my sister and one of the ladies said I was about the same size as a friend of hers, who was also due in March. Well this made me feel much better. Until she added "Oh, but she's pregnant with twins."
Oh, well then... that makes everything soooo much better!

I know it wouldn't do much for the stereotype that pregnant women are crazy and emotional, but I really wanted to pummel both those women.

Breathe in... breathe out... breathe in... breathe out...

Ok, I feel better now. But I think I'm going back to telling people I'm not pregnant when they ask and then watching them squirm. Haha... I'm evil.

A&M

Yoga Mom, Buddha Belly

Buddha Belly at 24 weeks!

For those of you who haven't seen me in a while, here's your proof that I'm actually pregnant! And even though I see myself in the mirror everyday, seeing pictures of my lil (or should I say big?) Buddha belly is weird for me too!
I'm/we're 24 1/2 weeks here, so if you go by the nine-month pregnancy, that would be... um... 5 1/2 months. We've got about 3 months and 3 weeks to go, and a lot more growing to do!
Sometimes when I get up in the morning I feel like my tummy's grown a whole bunch over night and I swear there's no more stretch and no more room for the baby to grow. But alas, it keeps growing, and so does my belly! For a first-time preggers it's very bizarre!
We had our 4th prenatal appointment today. It was quick and painless as per usual, with a 140 bpm heart beat reading and a 24 inch fundus measurement. So everything's happening/growing right on target and everything looks good.
We'll be looking into prenatal classes soon, somewhat to my chagrin. They're supposed to teach some good techniques and basically just prepare you for the sequence of events. But a few of our friends say if there was an intermission they would've walked out because it was so mind-numbingly boring! But I guess I'd rather be bored a couple nights a week than have no real idea what the doctor/nurses/my uterus is going to do. I look at it kinda like politics - if you don't vote, you can't complain. So I guess we'd better go, cause I don't want to not be allowed a complaint or two! Besides, I can impress everyone with my polished breathing techniques!

And as for more belly pics, I'll try and take some every few weeks, so we can see just how small my current Buddha belly really is.

A&M

p.s. There are only 2 real shopping weekends left until Christmas. Yikes! I'd better get going!

No More Running Around

As many of you know I completed my very first half-marathon this June. I ended up in the hospital because of it... well, more like because the little embryo inside of me was sucking all the oxygen and blood to it, but that's besides the point.
But anyway, running/jogging is something I've really enjoyed doing this past year. So it wasn't out of the ordinary that I was out jogging on Sunday morning. But a whopping 6-7 minutes into the run I got this incredible stabbing pain in my back right around my kidneys. I thought it was just a little pain and that it would go away in a minute and I could keep going. No such luck. The pain stayed put and got stronger until I could no longer exist without experiencing tremendous pain. Jalene turned around and ran back to get the car and then took my sorry, aching-self home so Andrew could bring me to the hospital.
I was so scared because I had no idea if the pain I was experiencing was running related or pregnancy related. Luckily, after being checked out the doctors determined there was absolutely nothing wrong with the baby. And as far as they could tell, there was nothing wrong with me either. They figure I must have pulled a muscle in my back since all the muscles and ligaments are relaxing more. I still can't wrap my head around the pulled-muscle theory, as I've pulled muscles before (at least I thought I did) and the pain never lasted for an hour and forty minutes straight before. But nevertheless, the diagnosis was a pulled muscle and NO exercising at all until I saw my regular doctor. So I had to spend 3 whole days without yoga, running, walking, anything! It was painful.
I saw Dr. Tingey yesterday and she said she still wants me to be active and exercise, but my Sunday morning episode was officially the nail in my running coffin. At least I can still keep moving, because another 4 months with zero activity would drive me crazy. Which would in turn drive Andrew, and everyone around me crazy.
So, will I run again? While lying in the hospital after my half-marathon I vowed I never would, to which my mom said to me "But you don't end up in the hospital every time after you run". That's true, not every time, just every few months. And when I do visit the hospital it's awful!
The only good thing about needing to go to the hospital while pregnant- the emergency room clerk sends you right up to Maternity, where you're dealt with right away! Yay! No more waiting!
Maybe I should embrace the next few run-free months. Hopefully it'll guarantee I stay out of the emergency room until I'm ready to deliver. It'll also help ensure I don't pee myself anymore than I have to.
Ah... pregnancy... good times. :)

A&M

Look Who's Talking

I count myself among the luckiest of pregnant women... Not only is my delivery time guaranteed to be 4 1/2 hours shorter (thank you Chiropractics), stress free (thank you Yoga) and pain free (thank you Epidural), but now I get to communicate with our baby from the second it's born!
How you ask? Well, I owe the last point to Oprah. On Monday's show Oprah's guest was Priscilla Dunstan, a woman who has discovered that babies, all babies, speak the same language. A very clear and simple language that before her, had parents wondering why they couldn't get their newborn to stop crying.
She claims that all babies know and speak the same five basic words, deriving from sounds caused by basic reflexes.
These words are: Neh, Eh, Heh, Eairh and Owh. And I reiterate: all babies say them. But until now, we didn't know what they were trying to say with these "words."
On the show they showed clips of numerous babies crying and low and behold they did make these specific sounds. And by responding to these "words" their mother's were able to calm them. It was crazy. And granted, if you don't look for these words you won't recognize them, but once you know what to listen for it seems so easy.
So what do these five magic words mean? Here are the definitions:

• Neh: "I'm hungry"
• Owh: "I'm sleepy"
• Heh: "I'm experiencing discomfort"
• Eairh: "I have lower gas"
• Eh: "I have to burp"

Apparently, babies use these words for the first 3 months of their life, and after that start to change the way they communicate based on their environment. For example, if "Neh" never got the baby fed they'll start to not use it. But if "Neh" gets the reaction they intended they may use it longer, or at least until the learn the real word or sign or another way of clearly communicating. Isn't this amazing? We were both so lucky to have seen Oprah that day! (Again, don't ruin this for us, we're choosing to believe it!)

Anyway, that's it for now. I have to go practice my baby language so I'm nice and fluent for when the baby arrives!

A&M

Support

I know it's not Thanksgiving here, but since American Television is such a powerful medium I can't help but reflect on what I'm thankful for.
The main thing that comes to mind lately is what a great support system we have. We're so unbelievably blessed to have such an amazing family (that lives nearby!) who's always there to help us out.
And we've been realizing more and more lately how lucky we are to have such a great network of friends as well. It's unbelievable how many people have offered to help us out since finding out we're expecting. From lending maternity clothes and baby stuff, to forwarding emails with pregnancy and baby tips and just offering to lend a hand when we need it, everyone has just been so great!
So, I know it's a nice gushy posting, but I just wanted to say thank you (yes, you reading this) for being you and for being there for us and our little one. It means so much to us to know we have such a great group of people in our lives.
We're truly lucky and very thankful.
Aww...

A&M

What Was That? Did You Just Kick Me?

The jumping bean is alive! For the past week or so I've been feeling these weird little "what was that?" feelings in my belly. And after feeling them more and more I've realized I'm feeling the baby swim around in there! It's a pretty cool feeling as it's really quick and is almost like little muscle spasms. It's funny because the first time I thought I felt it I told Andrew and he said "Are you sure it was a kick? Not a punch? An actual kick?" - he wants to make sure we've got an upcoming soccer star practicing his/her goal scoring. Luckily, it isn't obvious kicking, punching or elbowing, but gentle "flutters" similar to holding a tiny frog in your hands when it jumps around. I still can't feel it on the outside with my own hand, but Andrew said he felt it the other night. Very exciting!
We had our 3rd prenatal appointment yesterday and, as expected, everything went well. The ultrasound results came back and everything looked normal so it was a quick little visit as per normal. The heartbeat this time was 134-145 bpm, which adds validity to Andrew's theory that the baby's getting fitter in there as time goes on.
We're officially half way through the pregnancy now, have seen the baby, have heard the baby (heartbeat anyway) and have felt the baby... It's so cool. Now we can't wait to meet the baby.
Is it too early to start the countdown? I think I'll make a giant Advent-calendar with all the left over Halloween candy... Yes, that sounds like a great idea! Gotta go get my card stock, glue and glitter.

A&M

...and We'll Call Him Texas Ranger!

Whoever said "What's in a name?" obviously never had the daunting task of choosing a lifelong name for another human being.
Needless to say, we've been trying to think of some good baby names for a while, and they've really been on my mind lately. I figure I'm running out of time- even though we still have half the pregnancy to go.
Now, there are lots of names we like (individually) and a handful of names we both feel good about, but I can't help but fear that in two years I'll regret the name we chose. I know it's not the same, but I changed the names of my dolls numerous times throughout the years. And if I hadn't? Well, I'd be the only poor seven year old playing mommy to Rice and Whilamena (yes, those were the first names of my first two dolls).
So I'm torn... between going with a couple of names we really like right now and finding a good, solid name that will still sound fine to me in 10 years, even though we're not crazy about it.
Oh, another thing, I don't want to be responsible for my child going through life with a name everyone hates. Or giving him/her a name that gets them taunted. For example: I like the name Jacob for a boy. But since we'd like to use our dad's name(s) as a middle name the kid will be Jacob John. Or John Jacob (Jingleheimer Schmidt... da da da da da da da da). Go on, sing it... I know you were.
To make the whole naming process a little easier on us we've decided not to tell anyone our name choices. That way we can avoid the weird faces of people trying not to cringe while saying "Oh... that's a "neat" name." So we have decided to tell people we plan to name our son or daughter Texas Ranger. The funny thing is, Tex is starting to grow on me! My sister said she'd pay for the child's post-secondary education if we name him or her Texas Ranger. And my cousin Danielle promised to bring us $100 cash in the hospital just to do it. Free post-secondary education? That's really starting to make Texas Ranger even more appealing than it already is.
(Don't worry- we won't name the baby Texas Ranger. Maybe just Tex... just kidding.)
So for now, I just continue to pay attention to the credits at the end of a tv show, read all the editors and staff of magazines and I plan to ask all the Trick-Or-Treaters their first name. (If I end up in jail, someone please explain to the authorities that I'm not a weirdo, I'm just looking for a baby name.) If you have any nice names you'd like to throw on the table, let us know. At least then we'll know who's being sincere in saying "Oh, what a nice name!"

Cheers,
A&M

Our Little Jumping Bean!

It's official - we're having a baby! I know we've heard the heartbeat, and I know I'm growing a tummy, but it never felt as real as it does right now.

We had our ultrasound today and it was incredible. Seeing this tiny little baby dancing around, opening and closing it's mouth with its little heart beating so fast is the most amazing thing you could ever see. And it's really hard to believe that tiny little human is inside of me! It's dancing and jumping around inside of me! And I don't feel a thing! It's so weird.

We had the ultrasound in Abbotsford and the car ride there was nearly intolerable as I had to pee sooooo bad. And then we get to the clinic and have to wait some more cause they're running late (as per normal I presume). And then, after squeezing some ice-cold gel on my stomach and pressing down with the little instrument the sonographer tells me I need to empty a bladder a bit. A BIT?!?! Yes, I need to fill a paper cup one and a half times and then stop. Yeah, ok. I have to pee like there's no tomorrow and you want me to just stop when that cup gets full? You're crazy. But somehow, I managed to do it and then the rest of the ultrasound was awesome. She was even laughing because the baby was making faces. Then we laughed cause it kinda looks like a skeleton mask for Halloween from the top. But even though it looks kinda scary in a couple pictures it's the most beautiful thing we've ever seen.

And we even got all of the pictures for free! Normally they charge $10 for a sheet of four pictures, but since we didn't have cash, it was 5:00 and they didn't want to wait for us, and Andrew told them that we wouldn't come back tomorrow they decided to give us all eight pictures for free. Bonus!

So today, I think has been the best day of the pregnancy so far, because now it finally feels truly real. We're so happy.

So now we start counting down until we get to see our little jumping bean in person!

A&M

Trip to the Maternity Store

I made my first trip to the Maternity store on Sunday (somewhat to my chagrin) and I am proud to say I made it out of there alive! I know that maternity clothes have come along way, but I was still sure I would only find shirts with bunnies and ribbons and crap on them and turkey-eating pants (you know, the ones with the giant elastic front on them.) So I was pleasantly surprised to see normal looking shirts and pants that, well, I'll come around to them.
I came out of there with four tops, all of which I'm positive would fit 90% of my friends now. (Not because my friends are pregnant-looking, but because the cut and the fit of the tops are awesome.) So I'm quite excited about my new mini-wardrobe and am looking forward to week 20 when I will let myself wear them. I know it's pretty superficial, but I'm trying to go as long as I can without wearing maternity clothes and 5 months seems like a pretty good goal to me. I'm almost there!
We have our ultrasound on Thursday and are soooo excited about it! My mom wants to know if the sonographer will write down the sex of the baby so she can start shopping. Lol, sorry Mom, but that's not happening.
Anyway, that's it for now. Stay tuned for ultrasound news!

A&M

ps - The pictures below are from Skookumchuck Narrows. We hiked up there Thanksgiving weekend, as Andrew's parents rented a house in Pendor Harbor for the weekend. The water (ocean water) rushes through the Narrows really quickly during tidal changes, making for some amazing whirlpools that look like they're going to suck the world in. It was pretty cool.

Joan and Jean at Skookumchuck Narrows 

A picture of the sign, to show where we were. 

A crazy Zodiak driver tempting fate! (Apparently lots of people boat, kayak and surf through here)

Andrew and David at Skookumchuck Narrows (a little blury, but a good picture of them) 

Water gushing through. Remember- this is an Ocean tidal change. That water doesn't move that quickly! 

A better look at a whirlpool 

A Skookumchuck Narrows whirlpool - I thought the world just might get sucked in there. 

Pregnancy Brilliance

Wow- I'm so lucky that most of the time I have some smarts about me. I'm also soooo lucky I didn't turn on the dishwasher before I left for work this morning like I meant to. Anyway, in an attempt to get a dirty glass "extra clean" I dumped a bit of liquid dishsoap into it before putting it in the dishwasher. Ok, there were a couple glasses. After getting all mad that I had forgotten to put the dishwasher on this morning, I started it as soon as I got home from work. And precisely 5 minutes later we had bubbles pouring out of the dishwasher and on to the floor. I spent probably 15 minutes scooping bubbles from the floor into the kitchen sink, while switching up towels to soak up all the water. Then both Andrew and I heard a dripping noise. The water had already leaked from the dishwasher and was coming through the vent in our downstairs bathroom. Luckily Andrew caught this right away and we were able to avoid any sort of disaster. I shut off the dishwasher (yes, it was still running) and cleaned up the rest of the mess. Hahaha (nervous laughter)... oops... Who knew? Pregnancy brilliance is to blame, not me.
I had my second prenatal appointment today, and Dr. Tingey still says I'm a week ahead of what the rest of the world says. So I'm 17 weeks (or 16 if you're the rest of the world), but the ultrasound in two weeks will confirm it. I got to hear the heartbeat again, this time is was 145 bpm. Andrew says the baby is getting fit!
I was also told that I'm most likely not having twins! Whew... I was kinda worried, only because I'm already kind of nervous about having one. And like my Auntie Debbie said when she found out she was having twins "No one will want to babysit my kids!" But luckily, that crisis has been averted.
We are heading off to Pender Harbor for a couple of days this weekend to spend Thanksgiving with Andrew's family (his parents rented a gorgeous house up there). We're both looking forward to another mini-holiday to just relax and be thankful. I'll hopefully have some pictures from there to post next week.
Happy Thanksgiving to you! Enjoy the long weekend!

A&M

Delivery Time Cut Down!

I went to the chiropractor yesterday to get rid of my four-day headache, and along with fixing me he gave me some great news! He said that studies show women who see their chiropractor regularly during pregnancy (once a month for the first six, and then every two weeks after that) have delivery times that are 4 1/2 hours shorter than women who don't see the chiropractor. 4 1/2 hours! Well, I'm sold, even though this information came directly from the guy who will make $30 off of me for each of my 15 second appointments. I'm so excited to be in labour 4 1/2 hours shorter than I normally would be! Yay! (Don't ruin this for me- I'm choosing to believe it anyway).
So yesterday was a great day- that is until the crazy lady got loose in our house. And by crazy lady, I mean me.
I don't know what happened to me, but I cried and cried and cried last night (so much that I missed my yoga class) that is was nuts. I wasn't mad, or even upset, just feeling sooooo sad. All because Andrew said he would be too busy/rushed (from an away soccer game) to have a family dinner on Sunday. And the tears they just started flowing. It was really weird as it was my first real experience with pregnancy hormones. But after a bit of breathing (and a good 'ol Full House re-run) I was able to calm down, come to my senses and even laugh about it a bit.
It also made me feel better to read (in both Jenny McCarthy's "Belly Laughs" and "The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy") that a lot of women go right off the deep end and turn into Psycho Chick when pregnant. At least I haven't encountered that. Right? RIGHT?!?!?!? (Just kidding- I really have been feeling great.)
But seriously, thank God for yoga class.

A&M (well, just M)

ps- that symbol is the "Om" symbol, to remind me to breath and be calm.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

No new baby news this week. Everything is still going well...
We went to Whistler this past weekend for our 1st anniversary (and only anniversary without kids). It was awesome! We went up for two nights of rest, relaxation and shopping. We had a couples massage at the Vital Spirit Spa at the Pan Pacific Hotel on Saturday morning which was heavenly. Andrew got a sports massage and I got a pregnancy massage. What's a pregnancy massage? Well, it's basically just a regular massage, only it's $20 more. The masseuse only knew I was pregnant because I circled "pregnancy" under the conditions and ailments part of the form. But nevertheless it was a very relaxing massage.
We spent the rest of Saturday shopping, eating and watching crazy people jump up and down (dancing) to Spirit of the West. What is it about the fiddle that makes Canadians go nuts?
The Vancouver/Whistler 2010 organizers put on a free concert at the Whistler driving range to unveil the emblem for the 2010 Paralympic Games. So we went and got to see the emblem, lots of paralympic athletes and saw Spirit of the West, Chantel Kreviazuk (amazing) and the Philosopher Kings all perform live. It was pretty cool. Oh- and apparently, I'm the only one who finds it troubling that blind athletes compete in the Biathalon. Skiing and shooting a rifle when you're blind? Yikes. More power to them for doing it though because I can't even imagine skiing and shooting off a gun with sight.
Anyway, we then went out for a late dinner at the Bearfoot Bistro, which is apparently the #2 restaurant in Canada. (According to who? I don't know) It was a pretty swanky restaurant... and the price tag suited it. I had an "interesting" 3-course meal consisting of caesar salad with a poached egg on it, game birds (duck, pheasant and quail) and then a honey nougat dessert (mmm...). Andrew had the chefs surprise 5-course meal which had a lot of raw fish, veal and other meats that put a huge smile on his face. Or wait... was it the 5 glasses of wine that made him smile? Either way, we had a great anniversary dinner.
But now it's back home and back to reality. Reality is pretty good right now though, we're just so happy and excited for the baby.
I also just found out that my old boss from the radio station, Teresa, and her husband Justin are also expecting a miracle baby! I saw "miracle" because they've been told for so many years that they couldn't have kids. I guess there was something in the water over in Turkey that defied the doctors diagnosis'.
Not much else to report... but we'll keep you posted.

A&M

The Waiting Game

I've discovered the hardest part about being pregnant- waiting. Man is 40 weeks a looooonnnngggg time to wait! And this early part (early 2nd trimester) is especially hard because nothing's really happening.
We went to TJ Kiddies yesterday to hopefully buy a stroller and car seat. However, the ones we like (the Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe Travel System in "Moonstruck") is the newest model and so it's not on sale. So now we wait... and wait... and maybe one day it will go on sale. I was all excited to buy the stroller, but no, we just get to wait some more. I'm not the most patient of people, so this really is killing me.
But- it does look like we're buying our digital camera this weekend, so that will keep my mind off things for a while!
Seriously... I'm gonna take this "40 weeks" thing up with someone and see if we can't change it to a little more reasonable of a waiting period. Either that, or I've got to get all geared up for Halloween and Christmas so the time passes.
If you're a parent, please let me know how you passed the time!
Oh- I'm also taking suggestions for Halloween costumes. Let me know your thoughts...
A&M

PS- Correction to our previous entry:
Apparently marathon runners have low heartbeats, not really fast ones so my "My Baby's a Marathon Runner" theory isn't really accurate. Nevertheless, with a heartbeat like that I can't help but think the baby's doing something acrobatic in there. Right?

My baby's a marathon runner!

Well today was our first prenatal appointment and it was amazing! We actually got to hear the baby's heartbeat! It was beating at 154 bpm, which makes me believe it's going to be a marathon runner- after all, it completed its first half-marathon at only 3 days of existence!
Seriously though, hearing the heartbeat was incredible, I felt like I was going to cry, I was so full of emotion.
Everything at the appointment went well, we're both healthy and have healthy families so everything looks like it will be normal. And, according to Dr. Tingey's little magic wheel, I'm actually 13 weeks and 2 days along- one week further than I had thought. The due date is still mid March, I guess I had just been counting wrong.
I have gained almost 5 pounds now, which she said is fine... Andrew on the other hand has gained 10! I guess he's getting pregnant right along with me.
She also booked me in for my ultrasound, on October 19th in Abbotsford. Apparently, if we want to have an ultrasound here we'll have to wait until after the baby is born because they're so busy. I'm very, very excited for that- but I have no idea how I'm going to drink 32 oz. of water and then not go pee for 2 hours. But I guess we all have to make sacrifices.
Oh- the doctor also told me I have a nice, roomy pelvis. Umm... thank you... I think...
And, the second best part of the whole appointment - I can have both tea and feta cheese! Hallelujah!

I went shopping on the weekend with Marissa for some clothes and to browse through the baby stores and she showed me the best store ever: TJ Kiddies in Abbotsford. The Abbotsford store is closing mid-October so EVERYTHING is on sale! So it looks like Andrew and I will be buying a stroller and a carseat pretty quickly, for just less than what the stroller alone would cost. Good news to our wallet!
We're also getting a skookum digital SLR camera pretty soon, so we'll be nice and practiced by the time the baby comes.
Besides finding out I was pregnant, this has been the most exciting day so far!

Cheers,
A&M