Photos

I know I've promised photos but I've changed my mind. We have always determined that the Internet won't be the place to share photos of our baby...think Facebook baby bonanzas. Apparently Canadians are the most likely to post pictures online of their little ones, perhaps without thinking through the ramifications these photos may have later on as their little ones become adults. Posting photos of myself and my belly is one thing...posting photos of our baby is a completely different deal.

That said, please leave a comment if you'd like me to send you pictures of the baby directly to your email account. I'll trust you to forward them or send them on to others we'd approve of but not post them elsewhere online.

Blogger is also incredibly slow at uploading photos so my belly shots can be sent by hotmail as well! Just let me know.

25 Days (or less) Until Our Baby Gets Here!

6 Weeks to Go

Hello!

Only 6 weeks to go and grow. Everyone thinks I'll deliver early as my belly is quite large now but I think our little one isn't ready to go anywhere just yet. See the letter below for the reason why:

Dear Baby,

Daddy and I spent most of the day yesterday fixing up your room and arranging your clothes, furniture and toys in anticipation of your arrival in January 2011. Mommy also went for a manicure with Aunt Sandra to relax and enjoy some pampering. The hand and arm massage they gave felt amazing, especially because of all of the fluid Mommy's hands are retaining lately. Her engagement ring had to come off and will stay off until you are here.

We know you are comfortable in there but could you please do us a favour and try to turn down into the proper birthing position? Right now you're laying diagonally across my belly with your head pointing toward my right arm and your bum and feet pointing down toward my left hip. You're never going to come out that way unless it's by a c-section and Mom really doesn't want to have one of those! You can do it. Just perform some acrobatics in there and get it done. You only have another few weeks to flip over so please make this a priority baby.

We're getting very excited to meet you but we won't lie: you make us a little nervous. We're hoping we can be the very best parents a baby could wish for and we hope you like us when you arrive. Some people say babies choose their parents before they're born. Thank you for choosing us. We know you are going to make our lives rich and full of love and life.

Your stroller is ordered. It's pretty trendy and urban. It's called the Sola and it's made by a UK company called Mommas and Poppas. We liked that it was very easy to maneuver, store and had great flexibility for when you are a little baby right up until you are a little girl. You'll have to thank Grandma Gallagher for this item!

Your crib is coming in soon too. It's a beautiful green colour and fits into the nursery colour-scheme perfectly. Your Daddy picked it out...he has a great eye for quality and detail. When you get here please remember to thank Grandma and Grandpa Jones for your beautiful bed.

Mommy is feeling great and is getting ready to say goodbye to her job for a full year. In two weeks she will officially be on maternity leave. She's looking forward to creating phone lists and organizing all of the resources for when you arrive, finishing your nursery, organizing the basement, cleaning the floors with the new Shark Steamer and reorganizing all of the cabinets so they are safe for you. Oh, and maybe putting her feet up and enjoying the holiday season a little too!

We love you baby and hope to see you in about six weeks!

Mom and Dad.

9 Weeks To Go

The countdown is on. As of yesterday there are officially 9 weeks to go. A little sense of panic is now setting in as we busily prepare the baby's room and order a crib, buy a stroller, decide on colours, wonder if we need a high chair right away, wonder what we're missing, wonder if we're ready...yes, excited but a little stressful as well. As long as the baby is happy and healthy we'll be good but I'm the type of person who likes things just "so" and in this situation, I'm going to be even more insistent that everything is just "so." So here we go!

Luke is in the baby's room taping, painting with no VOC paint and basically getting all of the "big" work out of the way. He'll also be putting up the crib in five weeks when it arrives. We ordered a beautiful green 3 in 1 crib from Mother Hubbard. It's a company in Toronto and they cut the wood on site as well as paint or treat it at their factory. Canadian-made for our Canadian baby!

We also looked at a huge selection of high and low end strollers and are now trying to make a decision. There are so many options at so many different price points...and we originally thought the Quinny was high-end! Most importantly we'll need a car seat, so that will drive our ultimate decision for a travel system for our baby girl, as will the price.

I'm feeling overwhelmed about how quickly this is all coming up as well as by the information and multiple decisions we'll be required to make over the next few weeks. What if baby comes early? What if we don't have everything she needs by then? Sweet panic is setting in....I'll make it. Luke is pretty calm and is good at settling me down.

The baby dreams are picking up again. For two nights in a row I've dreamed about our baby. The first night we had a baby girl and the doctor went out to buy me a capucino. I was also moving my own hospital bed around the room...? The second night I dreamed we had a baby boy and I left him with my Mom and he went missing...dragged somewhere by an animal. It was horrible. Valium would have been a blessing during that dream. Maybe it was all the tums I swallowed for heartburn before going to bed!

I'm so looking forward to the Christmas season when work is done and I can focus on everything baby. 5 weeks from now I will be done work for an entire year. This will be our last Christmas as just us two and our first as a married couple.

It's a lovely time.

Almost 30 Weeks Update

After driving home from a check-up this afternoon I realized how busy I've become and how I've forgotten the whole purpose of this blog!

I'd like to work harder to record the progress of my pregnancy so that, one day, our little girl can read about the whole nine / ten months before we were able to hold her, kiss her and care for her.

If today's check up was any indication, she will be a spirited child with lots of attitude. She may even be stubborn. The tech had trouble measuring her because she would move and kick too hard during the exam. She even commented on how feisty baby is.

Our little girl is right on track for her projected birth date of January 15, 2011. Ten weeks away...and I thought Christmas was coming up quickly!

The baby is currently breech and her legs are up over her head so she's literally folded in half. Her cheeks are chubby and her hands are up over her face and head.

I'm getting more and more tired. Work is fast-paced and we are running from school to school so I'm starting to feel the effects. There's only a short time to go and I hope I can give the usual 100% up until that point. My last day is December 17th and I won't lie: I'm looking forward to it for the physical benefits.

Hoping to post more soon!

29 Weeks = The End of Seven Months!

Our wedding was exactly a week ago today. We are now Mr. and Mrs. Jones. I loved every minute of it and have really enjoyed introducing Luke to people as "my husband." Those are my two favourite words!

We celebrated our one-week anniversary by shopping for the baby's room. Our colour choices are white, green, pink and white. After shopping at Home Sense and IKEA we are off to a good start.

I really need to start posting pictures of everything so people can visualize all of these great events.

Today I also realized, with some relief, that I am now in my seventh month of pregnancy with only about a week to go until I hit eight months. I've been trying to count in weeks and convert over to months and thought I was about six and a half months pregnant. Thank goodness I was wrong as I'm getting quite large and a little uncomfortable at this point. It's a bit of weight off of my shoulders to know that I only have 11 weeks left until baby is delivered and spending time in her beautiful new nursery!

Hooray for misconceptions and hooray for seven months!

The 24 Week Update

Baby is getting bigger! She is over a pound now and it's really starting to show in my belly size.

I will post pictures soon of my growing stomach so that you can see the progression.

All is well with baby but now that she's so big there are some side effects for me. Last night I woke up to a terrible leg cramp which went away for a minute and then came back again. I can still feel it this evening. Ouch!

We've been keeping busy planning the last details of our wedding in 25 days!! Last Friday we went out for supper to a great Italian restaurant in town and came home to find a beautiful patio set all set up on our back deck. There were balloons and wedding bells attached and a card was under a candle on top. It was an early wedding present from friends!

Life is good.

22 Week Update

Hello!

Tomorrow we are 22 weeks pregnant. It's been a wonderful, exhilarating and sometimes stressful experience. It's hard to believe we will be strolling down the street with our baby in about four and a half months!

Work started on September 7th and it has been going really well. I'm happy to be back into the swing of things, keeping busy and reconnecting with my team. I'm less tired than the first trimester (thank goodness).

New: breaking out like a teenager! Except I never did have breakouts as a teenager so this is not fun.

: baby is almost one pound!

There are no new cravings to report, but I did have a massive heartburn attack two nights ago. Luke had some antacids so I took two and that helped enough to go to sleep. I haven't had any since so I'm hoping it was an isolated incident...please God let it be! It felt like I had eaten a whole pot of spaghetti sauce and it was creeping up my esophagus.

Well, that's it for now. I had a second ultrasound last week and the baby's spine is looking like it's in mint condition. They gave me four more pictures for the fridge :)

My second bridal shower is this weekend so I'm looking forward to showing off the bump to all of my friends and family.

I'm grateful for blessings.

It's A Girl!

So much for maternal instinct! I was wrong and our baby is a sweet little girl.

We couldn't possibly be any happier and it's a wonderful blessing to know our lives will be graced with her presence. I'm so happy she will have Luke as a father. He will be an incredible Dad. Not that I'm biased but this kid will have "Daddy's Little Girl" written all over her.

Happiness.

Morph Thing 2

18 Weeks

Cravings: mayonnaise, ribs, egg sandwiches ala the egg mcmuffin

Feeling: started feeling small fluttering movements yesterday, some days zonked and exhausted but much better than before

Looking forward to: finding out the sex of our baby in less than two weeks at our anatomy ultrasound

Sleep: Good with the exception of the early morning trips to the loo

What I miss: Eating sushi, sleeping on my stomach, being able to eat when I want and not when my body screams "feed me!", the really cute size 4 clothes at the mall

What I bought this week: My wedding dress!

Vivid Dreams (Nightmares) at 17 weeks!

So this morning I wake up to go for my usual pre-wake up pee at 5:30 am only to discover I've had a terrible nightmare in which Luke has been diagnosed with cancer and has become distant and runs off to a cottage in the middle of nowhere whenever he gets a chance. Note: in the dream Luke tells me he was diagnosed with cancer AFTER he is cured of it. Turns out while he HAD cancer, everyone knew about it except for me, including a waitress at a restaurant who served him soup on a daily basis. Completely rational dream? I think not.

Fast forward to a couple of hours later and Luke is getting out of bed to get ready for work. I say good morning, still reeling from my own nightmare when he tells me he's had a nightmare as well. I asked him what it was about and he told me he was in a Canadian Tire but couldn't decide on a Christmas gift for the kids.

Looks like anxiety over our little bundle is hitting us pretty hard lately. In all of the reading I've done (Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy!!) the authors mention that women will, generally, have misplaced anxiety over their partner's intent to stick-it-out for the entire pregnancy and men will, generally, be anxious over providing for the wee one. Of course everything will be fine and my rational, conscious mind understands this. It's interesting how the subconscious will totally play out your deepest fears, like it or not.

Now that we're 17 weeks pregnant we are really looking forward to finding out just what kind of an adventure we're in for: boy or girl!! I totally want a girl absolutely and completely, however; I will be just as happy with a boy, though a little disappointed that I will not be able to buy super cute and adorable baby girl clothes :( Luke is pulling for a boy and, in all honesty, I have a gut feeling that this baby is of the male sensibility. Call me crazy but both my sister, Rachelle, and I thought the ultrasound picture of the baby resembled a boy. I even said it out loud at the ultrasound which made Luke and the ultrasound tech laugh out loud.

Our wedding is also coming along and it feels more real as well. Only 75 days left until we get married!! I was online yesterday looking up pregnant brides at six months trying to gauge just how big I would be for my big day and found this bride:



I think she looks stunning! I'm hoping to find a similar dress even though I will look completely different seeing as how she is at least 5 feet 5 inches and I'm only 5 feet 2 inches (and a half!). This picture restores my faith in being able to look somewhat graceful while carrying a big belly on my wedding day :)

Had to Share This Video

The subtext of this video is a little strange but if you don't read the person's comments (who knows why they posted the video?) the video itself is one of my favourites!

Pregnancy Progress

So I'm working really hard to get a literacy course I'm teaching in Toronto next week organized, collated, tight and effective. Today I found out a Ministry representative will be visiting on the second day which will definitely force me to review my second day plans. Nothing like a little pressure to improve your delivery (no labour pun intended)! I'm hoping that, in spite of my pregnancy brain, I will deliver the goods and everyone will be happy and better equipped to implement great literacy programs this fall. I love my job :)

I am absolutely positively looking prego now. My belly is rounded and sticks out and I'm just barely able to squeeze into some size six skirts my sister donated to me. Thanks Sandra! Pretty soon they will be going the way of all of my other petite clothes...into storage. I may someday see them again...?

As much as I've been reading about prenatal events and happenings I now have this sort of compulsion to begin learning about WHAT TO DO WHEN THE BABY COMES. I can already hear you saying, "one step at a time!" but I have a real fear that all of this pregnancy stuff is going to be a piece of cake compared to actually raising a child out of the womb. And I know I am right to be a little scared ;) I have nephews and a niece.

As the weeks progress I am becoming more settled into pregnancy. The second trimester has definitely been much easier than the first trimester at this point. I'm less tired, have less uncomfortable gas and my appetite has tapered to a dull roar rather than a full blown howl. Maybe not working every day has something to do with this...:)

As a final note I am also really starting to wonder how great of a Mom I can be as a multi-tasking Mom. At work I tend to give 100%, at least, and that's been a successful strategy for me. If my brain is divided into 1/4 work and 3/4 childrearing I wonder how I will fare in both arenas: childrearing and work? I'd like to be 100% effective in both. That's why I'm considering (JUST CONSIDERING) staying home after baby turns one. This will depend a lot on our finances and our ability to keep our current lifestyle on one income.

Lots to think about!

Measurements

We had our second ultrasound last Friday and it was amazing. I teared up when I saw our baby looking like a real baby with fingers and legs and a belly and a big head. Stunning! I am completely enamoured with the ultrasound picture.

The ultrasound tech measured the baby at 13 weeks 1 day on Friday, so we were five days off on the original prediction of 13 weeks 6 days. This means the due date will most likely be later than January 15th but you never know.

Five days isn't a lot but, from what I've read, five days may mean a lot near the end of pregnancy. I'm going to block off a two week period in January instead of setting my heart on one due date (even though I will most likely keep to that date in my mind).

I'm still quite hungry all of the time and today I'm particularly tired. Luke's parents were here for the weekend and we talked about the wedding and baby which was exciting for all involved.

Time to take a nap...thank goodness for summer break!

Our Baby...?

Let's Grow!

Make a pregnancy ticker

12 Weeks and 4 Days

Woo hoo! Almost done the first trimester!

I had some more spotting that started on Monday but it appears to be a lot like the prior spotting. Small amounts and not serious or threatening to the baby. I am much more relaxed this time than I was at the six week mark.

My thyroid levels are stellar at .73 thanks to an increase in my dosage. I'm hoping they stay good throughout the pregnancy even though my baby is now able to produce his / her own thyroid hormones at this point.

To Luke the pregnancy is becoming more real as my belly gets bigger and bigger! It's so much fun to watch it grow. The doctor told me I still look pretty skinny but I've never had a belly this big before ;)

Our wedding plans are also coming along. We set the date for October 23rd, 2010. Between invitations, booking an officiant and everything else that comes along with weddings we'll be pretty busy. No complaints though!

3 Days to Go!

It's my last day of work today until September! I'm looking forward to doing things on my own time and when the mood strikes me. We are also looking forward to Vegas in the next few weeks.

Luke's 30th birthday is on Saturday and that's the baby's three month birthday as well. With each passing day the baby becomes more and more real to me.

I've gained four pounds since becoming pregnant and it seemed to all pile on at once. I'm also showing already!! There is a definite protruding belly where there was a much smaller belly before. Reading up on this shows that everyone is different and that my belly may not be as much baby as it is distended bowels and movement for baby to grow up and out. Needless to say I am excited that tight t-shirts reveal a baby bump! It's still easy to hide if I wear something more roomy though so I've got it good ;)

Looking forward to Saturday...

10 weeks 5 days

I'm feeling more and more confident about the fact that this baby is going to make it to three months. Three months pregnant! Wow. That's a mouthful.

It has both flown by and has seemed to take a lifetime. I have been waiting for the end of the first trimester!

My symptoms are definitely reducing. I have had more energy during the day and the ill feeling (without throwing up) only visits at times. Yesterday was great. I had very little gas during the day and then only felt ill after dinner, around 8:00 pm. Today was great as well. Minimal gas, a little tired in the afternoon but overall I'm feeling good.

Sleeping has been off and on. Some nights I am able to sleep through the night without getting up to go to the bathroom and some nights I'm up to go to the bathroom and can't get back to sleep again for awhile. This probably doesn't help with that tired feeling during the day!

I told one person at work today that I'm pregnant. We were going for a walk at lunch and she asked what was new. When I told her she said she knew already! Either my baby bump is a lot bigger than I thought or she really does have "a gift" for identifying pregnant women, as she claimed. There were a few clues for her: my usual tailored blouses and pants have been replaced by baggy tops and pants, I'm eating kale and lots of vegetables and she said I have a pregnant glow and a sense of calm about me. I wonder who else has noticed???

9 Weeks 4 Days

It is getting more and more exciting to think about whether we are having a boy or a girl baby. Fairly soon our baby will be a fetus and take on more of the features of a 'real baby' versus a tadpole. I wonder if it will have Luke's eyes, my sticky-outie ears or a whole new combination of features. The baby can now move around in my stomach and virtually swims around in there! I can't feel anything yet but apparently there's a lot going on.

Soon we will be telling all sorts of people we're pregnant and I'm so excited! Luke doesn't enjoy telling creatively so when we're together we just blurt it out which is fun too! When I'm alone, however, I think of all sorts of funny and amusing ways to do the big reveal. My Mom already has five grandchildren so I bought a dozen eggs and drew the baby faces of four boys and one girl on all but one. On the sixth egg I put a big question mark and our baby's due date: January 15th, 2011. It was a lot of fun watching her try to figure out what all of the eggs meant.

Today is a more energetic day for me...less exhausted and ready to tackle all of the work that has been shoved to the side for now.

9 Weeks Tomorrow

Feeling exhausted. Craving hamburgers and fries and gravy, but mostly hamburgers. If this baby grows up to be vegetarian it will be because of all the (mostly) lean red meat Mom consumed in utero. It's more likely baby will be a strapping football player.

I can't wait until June 30th as it marks the end of the work year which is really putting a dent in the amount of time I can spend napping, but also marks the end of my first trimester which, I hear, also ends the most tenuous time of pregnancy.

Feeling great as long as I can eat on a whim and nap every few hours :)

Stay tuned for an update on my doctors' appointments next week!

Pregnancy Ticker

Make a pregnancy ticker

Pregnancy Woes and Joys

Don't get me wrong: pregnancy is such a blessing and I feel so grateful for the opportunity to carry, birth and raise a baby. I know I'm lucky. HOWEVER, this past week has been such a roller coaster that I found myself more worried than joyful! To spare you all the gruesome details, everything seems fine now but I am anxiously awaiting the end of June when I will officially hit the three month mark. I've basically been labelled a high-risk pregnancy due to my hypothyroid condition and there were some other complications I won't discuss here. The great thing about this is that I will receive lots and lots of attention and monitoring over the next several months :) What more could a new and worried Mom-to-be ask for? Oh, and no morning sickness? Keep it coming!

5 Weeks and Counting

It's amazing how much pregnancy takes over your every thought. Right now I am listening to an audio post for my Masters while blogging about being pregnant. It will be a miracle if I get my assignment done by Friday! I am also eating ice cream. Yay pregnancy!
It feels like much longer than a week since I found out we are having a baby in January 2011. Every day brings new worries, joys and additions to the to-do list!
I just found out that at five weeks the baby's heart begins to develop. It is absolutely amazing and makes me realize how helpless I am. Aside from getting a lot of sleep and eating much more than I'm used to (love it!), I don't know how else I can help the little one grow to be a strong and fully developed person aside from lots of prayer and even more good food!

Stay tuned for next week's thoughts :)

Reactions

Your Daddy- he laughed. I told him while he was in Windsor working.

Your Aunt Rachelle- she laughed. I told her while shopping for a half dozen eggs at Metro.

Your Aunt Sandra- she hugged me after she figured out the 6th egg was you.

Your Grandma Gallagher- she paused for a moment and then hugged me after she figured out the 6th egg was her 6th grandchild.

Your Grandpa Jack- was shocked but happy and continues to be happy happy happy about you.

Your Sault Ste. Marie Nona and Grandpa- Your Grandma / Nona (we don't know what she wants to be called yet) laughed and cried and your Grandpa was a little shocked but very very happy!

After a six hour wait at the Doctor's office I finally found out you were on your way. It was the best news and well worth the long wait.

Read this first!

Dear Lucas,

Our baby will be born on or around:

January 15, 2011

I am 4 weeks pregnant and in my 5^th week.

Congratulations darling!

I love you.