30 Weeks

30 Weeks | 7.5 months | 3/4 done!

Thirty weeks along, and three-quarters of the way through. Time goes by fast! Yesterday I had an appointment with our midwife and am happy to say that I am diabetes-free! Not that that's a surprise or anything. However I do have to get one more test because I apparently have low iron - so here we go again. It's a good thing I'm not afraid of needles! She told me to eat more red meat, dark leafy veggies, etc. Good excuse to fire up the BBQ for a nice juicy steak. And I do love steak... As I drove back to work from the midwives clinic I thought how funny it is that your kids start taking from you even in the womb - at the beginning they take your energy and trade it for nausea, then you get your energy back and they take it again. And, they take your iron supply for themselves, sometimes leaving you almost depleted! After they're born they again take your sleep, then starts the cash doling. I just found that funny. Obviously as a mother I'm more than willing to give and sacrifice. :) Right now I am off to Baby's World to search and conquer the world of strollers and car seats! Wish me luck.

29 Weeks

B at 29 weeks | Just over 7 months

We're 29 weeks along, or just over 7 months. Getting bigger all the time, it feels like! This morning I went in for my glucose testing - to see if I have gestational diabetes. Basically I go in, sit and wait, drink an orange pop-like beverage, wait an hour in the waiting room, get blood taken out of me, and leave. The orange drink wasn't so bad...I hadn't had an Orange Crush since I was a kid so it was a nice in a nostalgic way...

Random photo: Chris sleeping. Notice how many pillows are needed for comfort.

Not much else to report! Chris and I went to Coldplay with some friends last weekend and it was one of the best concerts we've ever been to. Loved it! We're looking forward to U2 in October. Anyone want to babysit??

21 Weeks

Banana Baby. Brandi-Lee at 21 weeks, Chris at approximately 1,436 weeks.

Today I am 21 weeks along, or for those that don't like counting by weeks, 5 months and 1 week. My tummy is definitely growing, and I mostly really like it for various reasons: first of all, people can kind of stop wondering if I've just put on a few pounds. I actually look pregnant. As you can see from the banana, that's what size our little one is...about 10.5 inches. (I was so confused why the baby jumped from being 6.5 inches last week to 10.5 inches...apparently they measure from crown to feet now, and not crown to rump. Something I learned...) He or she has little fingernails and hair, and they are able to taste the amniotic fluid in which it lives in! Tasty. Apparently what I eat affects the flavour of said fluid: Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid (thebump.com). So I guess I should start eating more veggies. We also had our second appointment with our midwife, and Chris was able to come! Nothing crazy to report, but basically she checked my heart beat, lungs, kidneys and all that jazz by poking me and listening with a stethoscope. She measured my uterus (again by poking around on my tummy). We also got to hear baby's heartbeat which sounded like galloping horses. It's in the 150's, which we're told is also good. So basically, our baby is doing really well and is healthy! Thumbs up for our little Douce.

19 Weeks & Ultrasound

Brandi-Lee at 19 weeks

Our baby! (a picture of a picture...)

Another photo of our baby. Let's face it, it kind of looks like something that would haunt you in your sleep.

Today was fantastic! Chris and I went for our ultrasound and it was incredible. Again, it was tough to drink all that water and not pee, but I persevered and all was well (I didn't wet my pants). After my time with the technician, him pressing HARD on my stomach at some points, he called Chris in. The baby was moving all around, nodded it's head and moved its arms...so cute! I was so happy Chris was able to witness that. I can feel some stuff in there when the baby moves around so it might feel a bit more 'real' to me, so the fact that Chris was able to experience that made me happy. As we looked at our baby move around it was hard to keep the smile off my face...it was almost surreal to think that was our baby! OURS. Wow. Chris' thoughts on seeing the baby: So a lot of the time the reality of us being pregnant doesn't seem to set in. My body isn't the one that's changing (at least due to pregnancy), I don't feel anything move in my belly, I don't have nauseous spells or weird cravings so the fact that there is a child growing in B's tummy often slips my mind. Even looking at a photo of the ultra sound doesn't seem real. That being said, today I saw my child moving in Brandi-Lee's uterus and it was RAD! Good to see lil' Deuce rolling around in there, snug as a bug, having it made in the shade. To see life, real and healthy is what I think I needed to see to help me somehow connect with my child. Now if I could start teaching guitar chords in utero...hmmm Mugging News - totally unrelated to pregnancy. If you haven't yet you can read our mugging store here. As we drove back from our appointment, I saw a guy riding his bike wearing a black hooded coat, wearing a black hat. He looked over his shoulder for some reason and it hit me - "Chris! That's him" I said. "Who? What are you talking about?" Chris looked around. "The guy that mugged us! That's him!" I was yelling by this time. Chris asked if I was serious and stopped the car, got his phone out and took a photo of him! He then proceeded to drive and yelled out the window, "I GOT YOUR PICTURE BUDDY! I GOT YOUR PICTURE NOW!" (George Costanza style) I wasn't looking (half out of embarassment) but Chris said he put his hood up and looked the other way. I have no idea if the RCMP will even care about the photo, but if nothing else comes from it, I hope we scared the pants of that dude.

First Midwife Appointment

What I peed on. No, those are not my fingers. Google.

I just returned from our very first midwife appointment (sadly, without my 'partner', Chris). It was pretty much full of form-filling and family history-telling but it was great. I didn't feel rushed and it felt very personal - not at all like going to the walk-in clinic of times past with a doctor that just wants to rush you out of there. It was great! After the in-depth interview, she got me to lay on the couch so she could feel where the baby is. After prodding a little she determined that he/she is just around and a little below my belly button. Movin' on up! This is where I wish Chris were there...I got to hear the baby's heartbeat again! It was funny because the midwife was trying to get it but our little Douce kept running away from her so she would get it then two seconds later she lost it, then she would chase him down and he would dart away again! She said he's (or she?) a very playful baby already. Ha! Once we were able to get him/her settled in a spot, that weird heartbeat sound filled the room. It was awesome and I almost teared up a bit! Almost. Embarassing Moment at the Doctors #1 They got me to pee on a stick to test for gestational sugar (or something? I don't know - I'm still new at this) and I walked out of the bathroom in to a group of five ladies chatting and laughing. They all turned and looked at me as I'm standing in a dark doorway holding a thin plastic strip with my urine hanging off the end, and all I could say was, "I have this stick thingy..." They chuckled and the receptionist was kind enough to come tell me to just toss it, that because it was such a light green (the stick, not my pee...) it was so low it's not a big deal. So they really didn't need to see me with the pee stick. Could have avoided that all together. Good to know.