Bump Update - 32 Weeks

Size of Baby? The size of a squash (is it just me or does the fruit/veggie comparison seem to be getting smaller? Hm) - Developmentally, he is pretty much all set. At this point he is just building lots of baby fat!

Total weight gain? Up 26 pounds total. I seem to be on a constant path of gaining a pound a week (which according to my doctor is suppose to happen at this point).

Gender? Sweet baby boy

Maternity clothes? Been rocking the skinny maternity jeans and maternity tank tops. Also wearing the heck out of my maxi dresses/shirts. The only non-maternity clothing I've been wearing lately is work pants (I can still wear those with my belly band) and a few shirts and of course some cardigans and sweaters while in the air conditioned buildings.

Sleep? Still the same as it has been for weeks - it really depends. I find that I have a very difficult time getting up in the mornings again. While my iron supplements my doc prescribed has helped with the exhaustion during the day, I often wake up feeling like I need at least another couple hours of sleep. Still getting up about 2-3 times a night to use the washroom.  

Belly Button in or out? That sucker is OUT and proud!

Best moment of the week? Celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary!

Miss anything? Sleeping on my stomach. And being able to wear my normal clothes!

Cravings? Nope. Seems they have magically disappeared 

Symptoms?

- Still no stretch marks (knock on wood).

- Holy heartburn batman!!

- Swelling in my feet and lower legs

- Rib pain has come back in full force. I was in such excruciating pain on Saturday that I was contemplating going to the ER to make sure none of my ribs were fractured

- Still getting tons of kicks and jabs 

- Constantly having to pee thanks to J being right on my bladder!

Mood? Still super excited and VERY anxious!

Upcoming appointments? Next OB appt is May 21st. Birth & Labour classes start tomorrow!

Looking forward to? B&L class tomorrow night and of course the long weekend!

One year later...

Happy 1st Anniversary to the best husband a girl could ask for!
 

 

I can't beleive that it's been a year already! I keep saying that I would give anything to be able to relive our wedding day all over again. It truly was the best day of my life.

 

2013 is a big year for us; it's a year of many, many firsts. I can't wait to experience life with this man and see what life has in store for us in the future.

 

Here's to the next 50!

 

 *Photos by Holly Howe Photography*



Bump Update - 31 Weeks

I started my every-two-week appointments with my OB on Monday and I have to say, it made me really excited! Most women I've talked to dread these appoitments since it is such a hassle to have to go to the doctor every 2 weeks, but I love it. I love being able to hear his heart beat and it just makes it that much more real that he is almost here!

I've mentioned before that my OB always jokes at every appointment that Jaxon is going to end up being a girl since his heart rate has been consistant with a female HB throughout my entire pregnancy (although this is an old wives tale). Well we finally have a lower HB. It was 140bpm which the lowest it has been up until this point was 155bpm.

She also checked his positioning and he is still head down (RIGHT on my bladder, thanks J) and she also mentioned that we might be able to see him one more time for an ultrasound. He went through quite a growth spurt over the last month and is now measuring about a week and a half ahead. Because my due date has been changed so many times, she is going to see how he grows over the next two weeks and will determine at that time whether or not to do another ultrasound. I'm secretly hoping that she does!

How far along? 31 weeks

Size of Baby? The size of a pineapple - All five of his senses are fully developed! His brain is also going through some major developments now as well as his eyes (his irises can detect light).

Total weight gain? Up 25 pounds total

Gender? Sweet baby boy - Jaxon Daniel (we are in the process of potentially amending his middle name to incorporate my late grandfather so this may change in the near future)

Maternity clothes? Been rocking the skinny maternity jeans and maternity tank tops. Also since the weather has been sweltering lately, I've finally been able to fully whip out the maxi's. The only non-maternity clothing I've been wearing lately is work pants (I can still wear those with my belly band) and a few shirts and of course some cardigans.

Sleep? Can I just say that I cannot WAIT to be able to sleep on my stomach again?! I've also been dying to sleep on my back the last month or two which is weird since I'm not a back sleeper. I think my body is just over sleeping on my sides (it hurts your hips like heck after a while!). Not to mention that trying to switch sides is a task all in itself. Oh, and I'm not even going to talk about the excessive amounts of pee breaks at night (or all day I should say).... Baby boy's head sitting right on my bladder is not pleasant.

Belly Button in or out? That sucker is OUT and proud!

Best moment of the week? My work baby shower last Thursday and starting my every-two-week OB appointments. I just love going in to hear his heartbeat. It gives me a sense of comfort knowing that everything is ok! Oh and the weather! The weather has been spectacular!

Miss anything? Sleeping on my stomach. And being able to wear my normal clothes!

Cravings? No real cravings this week

Symptoms? 

- Still no stretch marks (knock on wood).

- Holy heartburn batman!!

- I get minor swelling in my feet and lower legs pretty much everyday

- Rib pain has subsided over the last week (thank god) but my lower back is almost constantly in pain

- Still getting tons of kicks and jabs

- Exhaustion is also making a comeback which I just found out on Monday was because my iron and hemoglobin was low 

- Had a couple minor braxton hicks contractions

- As mentioned above, constantly feel like I have to pee due to his head being right on my bladder

Mood? Excited more than anything but now that we are getting closer, I'm starting to get a bit nervous of the birthing process. I've always said that I would most definitely be getting the epidural due to the fact that I have an extremely low tolerance for pain, but the more I read about it, the more I don't want it!

Upcoming appointments? Next OB appt is May 21st. Birth & Labour classes start next Thursday (every week for 6 weeks).

Looking forward to? Definitely the B&L classes. Despite reading and researching throughout my entire pregnancy, I still feel like I don't know anything!

Bump Update - 30 Weeks

Holy crap we are officially in the final stretch! 10 SHORT weeks to go (give or take) until we meet our sweet boy!

How far along? 30 weeks

Size of Baby? The size of a large cucumber (sometimes I wonder where they get these comparisons from... a cucumber? Really?) As his skin is getting smoother, his brain is getting wrinklier! He is also strong enough to grasp your finger (he is getting stronger everyday) and he weighs in at about 3 lbs now!

Total weight gain? Up 24 pounds total. It gets really hard seeing the scale go up into digits that I've never seen before. Whenever I feel discouraged, I just think about how it is necessary for Jax and it makes it better (but I still feel like the size of a house!)   

Gender? Sweet baby boy - Jaxon Daniel (we are in the process of potentially amending his middle name to incorporate my late grandfather so this may change in the near future)

Maternity clothes? I went and bought some more the other day. I've officially outgrown my regular tops (they are all WAY too short on me now!). I've been really hard on myself the last two weeks since nothing would fit me. I would just sit and stare at my closet thinking I am SO fat and have nothing to wear. So I bought some tops to be able to wear with my maxi skirts and also bought two pairs of colored skinny jeans that I am pretty much obessed with and wish I could wear them after pregnancy!

Sleep? Same as my last update, some nights are better than others. Overall I'm just uncomfortable 24/7 so I've come to terms with the fact that it is only going to get worse before it gets better again. Our brand new $4k bed that used to feel like sleeping on clouds now feels like I'm sleeping on bricks (aka a huge waste of money). Ryan insists that it's just me and that he still sleeps like a baby on it. I'm just going to have to take his word for it I suppose!

Belly Button in or out? Oh, it is most definitely out...

Best moment of the week? Finishing the nursery!! I can't believe it is finally done. We've been adding things here and there for months so to finally see the finished product is pretty exciting! All that's missing is Baby J!

A fellow prego-friend and myself went and got some much needed mani/pedi's on Saturday since neither of us can touch our toes... 

Also went for my first pre-natal massage yesterday. I don't know why I waited this long to get one! I've already booked my next appointment for next week and plan on going every week from here on out.

Miss anything? My normal clothes!! Now that the weather is nice out, I can't wear any of my cute spring/summer clothes and it makes me sad. Also miss feeling normal! Like for instance, not running out of breath trying to put socks on.....

Cravings? No real cravings this week

Symptoms? Alright, so I need to start bullet pointing this shizz now!....
- Still no stretch marks (knock on wood).
- Holy heartburn batman!! Experienced it for the first time in my life and WOW is it NOT pleasant! I pretty much get it every single day ESPECIALLY at night. I get woken up by it in the middle of the night which I found to be weird?
- My feet and lower legs tend to get swollen by late afternoon if I don't drink enough water.
- I also just noticed over the last week or so that the pain in my hip is gone (hallelujah!) but I still have pretty bad lower back and rib pain.
- Still TONS of movement from Jaxon. He is definitely getting stronger since his kicks and jabs are painful at times! I think he is still head down since I can feel a lot of weight in the nether regions especially when I stand up. Sometimes it feels like I'm a kangaroo carrying bricks on my bladder!
- Exhaustion is also making a comeback although it isn't as bad as it was in my first tri. I'm fine during the day, but once 8pm hits, I can barely keep my eyes open.
- I've also started to get braxton hicks contractions which are... interesting.

Mood? On one hand, I've been a little irritable lately and have been complaining to Ryan pretty much 24/7. Poor guy. On the other hand, I am so incredibly excited I can hardly contain myself! I feel like hitting 30 weeks has really amped up our excitement!

Upcoming appointments? May 6th starts off my every-two-week OB appointments. We also start birth & labour classes on May 16th (every week for 6 weeks).

Looking forward to? My 2nd baby shower tomorrow!!  

Bump Update - 28 Weeks

I can't believe we are 12 weeks away! I'm at the point now where I am just ready; ready for pregnancy to be over and ready to meet our son. I've been told by many mom's that by 9 months, you just want everything to be over with. I'm only a week into my 7th month and I am already feeling that way. I am so over the pains and aches and I just want to finally be able to see Jaxon! Not to mention preperation wise (as in the nursery, getting all the baby essentials, etc) we are basically done. I just have to go pick out a glider and am waiting on a few things to be delivered for his nursery and then it will be completely finished! Even his diaper bag is pretty much stocked and ready to use. What can I say, I'm a planner and like having things done early!

How far along? 28 weeks

Size of Baby D? The size of an Eggplant - His skin is getting smoother and less wrinkly every day thanks to the healthy fat he is gaining. All his organs are basically fully developed at this point so the remainder of his stay in womb-town is dedicated to gaining a little more weight and getting nice and chunky :)

Total weight gain? Up 22 pounds :/ Apparently I need to put down the ice cream! I keep being told I'm all belly so I will just have to take their word for it ;)

Gender? Sweet baby boy - Jaxon Daniel (we are in the process of potentially amending his middle name to incorporate my late grandfather so this may change in the near future)

Maternity clothes? Bump is getting a little out of control lately so I'm not sure how much longer I can go without buying some maternity stuff! I'm still only rocking the maternity leggings for pants (everything else is still pre-prego with the help of the belly band - I'm actually pretty surprised that I still have a pair of jeans that are working for me at this point!). As for shirts, I have two maternity tanks that I wear basically everyday under looser pre-prego tops.  

Sleep? Still pretty rough but I've come to terms with the fact that it's not going to get any better at this point. With my back and hip pain I am constantly uncomfortable although some nights are definitely better than others. I typically only have to get up once a night now to use the washroom so that is a plus! 

Belly Button in or out? It is definitely out! 

Best moment of the week? I thought the day that I first felt him move was unbelievable, but this past week I actually felt his foot with my hand and it blew my mind! I was laying in bed watching tv and he was kicking up a storm just as he normally does each evening (his most active time of the day). I was just laying there giggling at how energetic he was being when I could feel pressure every once in a while in certain spots of my belly. At one point, I pressed down on the pressure spot with my hand and I felt the outline of his little foot. It was so surreal!

Miss anything? I miss being able to walk around the mall for more than 30 minutes without my hip feeling like it's going to give out! I also miss being able to move around normally (putting on socks is becoming quite the task!) - ditto from last week!

Cravings? No real cravings this week

Symptoms? Still no stretch marks (knock on wood). Still experiencing pain in my right hip and lower back. Over the past week I am also experiencing sore ribs in the front and back. I am taking a wild guess that it is Jaxon wedging his feet up in there since he is head down now. It's getting harder and harder to maneuver my way around. TONS of movement!

Mood? Just pure excitement! I can also feel myself getting more and more anxious too as the time draws nearer. I think this has to do with why I am almost completely prepared already... still with 12 weeks to go. I'm honestly surprised I don't have my hospital bag packed yet... lol

Upcoming appointments? My last 4 week OB checkup is on May 6th -- after that, I start going every 2 weeks! Crazy! We start birth & labour classes on May 16th.

Looking forward to? Starting birth & labour classes in 4 weeks -- not sure why I am so excited for this but I think it's because it gives me something to do since basically everything else is ready!

Bump Update - 27 weeks

Thought I would whip out my sweats that I wore a couple of weeks ago and do a little comparison. It's crazy how much of a difference 10 weeks make!

How far along? 27 weeks

Size of Baby D? The size of a...rutabaga?? What ever that is...? Ha. He is now inhaling and exhaling and is now gaining more and more brain activity as the days go on.

Total weight gain? 17 pounds total 

Gender? Sweet baby boy - Jaxon Daniel :)

Maternity clothes? Mix of both but still mostly regular clothes - The only maternity pants I've been wearing are my leggings -- the belly band is still working wonders for my regular pants. I've been wearing maternity tank tops under cardigans or loss fitting sheer tops. I also can't wait to be able to whip out my maxi dresses! 

Sleep? Sleep has been rough over the last week or two. I just can't seem to get comfortable. Last night I was up probably 4-5 times and for once it wasn't to go pee. I would just wake up from being uncomfortable and then I would toss and turn (with some added grunts in there) for a while each time.  

Belly Button in or out? It is officially not an "inny" anymore which is still really weird for me! It's now flush with my belly, but by the end of the day, it's poking out a bit.

Best moment of the week? Hard to answer this question considering the death of my grandfather, but in a way he had a hand in this. His death brought my entire family together from all over the country so one of my cousins decided that since we were all together in one city for once, they would throw me a surprise baby shower. It meant so much to me to have those who mean the most celebrate baby Jaxon amidst the pain and sorrow we were all feeling. It was a great night and gave us something to laugh and smile about.

So thankful to have my bestest friend there with me that week. She lives in London but happened to be in town for Easter. I don't know what I would have done without her being there for support!

Clearly it was a surprise considering I am in sweats and no makeup! I didn't think anything of my whole family being there since everyone had plans to have a few drinks (water for me obvi), reminisce, and just have some good laughs together before all the emotional stuff started the next day (the wake was the following day). I wasn't planning on having a baby shower since I have no family over here on the west coast, but I am so thankful that they did this for us. We now have basically everything we need for J's arrival!

Miss anything? I miss being able to walk around the mall for more than 30 minutes without my hip feeling like it's going to give out! I also miss being able to move around normally (putting on socks is becoming quite the task!)

Cravings? No real cravings this week

Symptoms? Still no stretch marks (knock on wood). Still experiencing horrible pain in my right hip and lower back. It's getting harder and harder to maneuver my way around especially getting out of bed or even just moving positions in bed. TONS of movement! His heart rate is still high (155 as of my last appt on Monday) so he is still extremely active to say the least! He is already head down according to my Doc which freaked me out but she insists there's nothing to worry about. 

Mood? Excited for his arrival and VERY thankful for family for getting us the remaining things we needed. We just have a couple of things left to pick up to complete his nursery and then we are all set!

Upcoming appointments? Gestational diabetes screening on Apr 12th and my last 4 week OB checkup on May 6th -- after that, I start going every 2 weeks! Crazy! We start birth & labour classes on May 16th.

Looking forward to? Finishing the nursery! It's ALMOST done!

I will see you again someday xo

My sweet grandfather passed away on Saturday, March 30th.

I mentioned a couple of times how he hasn't been doing well but the truth is, it really depended on the day. He would have bad days but then turn around and have an absolutely amazing day where he would be sitting up joking with the nurses. I think we all had it in the back of our mind that he would pull through this, just as he has every other time.

It was nearing the end of the day on Thursday, March 28th, and I was beyond ecstatic to have Friday off; I was having a great day. While I was getting some last minute paperwork done, I got a phone call from my Aunt. She knows that I was at work so my first thought was my grandfather. My heart stopped. I answered it and just as I had suspected, she informed me that he had taken a turn for the worse. The pain he was in was becoming unbearable and for a man that never EVER complained, he was telling everyone to let him go. His doctor told my family that he suspected it wouldn't be long.

After thinking all night about it, I decided that I was going to wait and not fly out just yet. Instead I would see how he does throughout the weekend and go from there. Again, I still had it in the back of my mind that he was going to pull through this.

Early Friday morning I get woken up by my Aunt again telling me that the doctor had officially given him 24-48 hours.  I was up and at the airport by 5:30am on Saturday. I went through security and decided to stop by a cafe on my way to my gate to get a hot chocolate. The lineup was huge but I was in no rush and had lots of time. While I waited, I decided to text my Aunt since it would have been 8:30am her time to check up on him. She had spent the night with him so I asked her simply "How'd he do last night?". After a few minutes, I get a text back saying, "Lace, he just passed away".

I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces.

There I was, standing in a massive lineup waiting to get my guilty pleasure, oblivious to what was going on across the country. While I was contemplating what kind of hot chocolate I would be getting, my grandfather lost his long battle.

I stood there in a state of shock for what felt like hours just staring at her words: "Lace, he just passed away". Finally I managed to snap out of it and immediately ran to the washroom.

After awhile, I managed to regain my composure enough to head towards my gate. I decided that I was only going to let myself think happy thoughts about my grandfather. The last time I saw him was at my wedding. This was a thought that was becoming more and more comforting to me.

That day was emotionally and physically exhausting. I had a layover in Montreal which I ended up missing my connection since my first flight was delayed 2 hours. There was 17 of us that had the same final destination, and everyone had been placed on another flight that was leaving in 2 hours. When I went to get my new boarding pass, it was discovered that they completely missed me altogether so I had no choice but to stay overnight in Montreal. I had a complete meltdown in the middle of the Montreal airport. Thankfully, they put me up in the Sheraton for the night, but not before they lost my luggage (they later did end up finding it thankfully).

It was a long day, but I was just grateful to finally be home with my family on Sunday. We had many tears but also lots of laughs together remembering him and his crazy personality. There truly was nobody like him.

His funeral was on Wednesday April 3, which also happened to be the 25th anniversary of my mother's death. It was a hard day, but I couldn't help but feel like she was there with us.

My grandfather was a true hero - fought for our country in 2 wars and was the proudest Canadian I knew. He wasn't just a hero for our family but a hero for our country.