So my little g is 9 weeks old and I think I am still falling inlove with her a little more everyday. Sometimes I just stare at her and it feels like I need to pinch myself to make sure this is all real. She has been sleeping through the night now for a couple of weeks she goes to bed around 9 and gets up around 6. At night I give her a bottle and then I sing her a few songs, then I rock her to sleep in my arms. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries to get her down for the night. Then in the morning she has another bottle and then comes inthe bed with us. H gets a little snuggle time in with her before he goes to work and then G and I sleep for a couple more hours. When she wakes up she is all smiles for me. It melts my heart every time. It is not all easy but I love being a Mom.
Even though I know that we needed to take this particular path to get to this spot, I wish we had gone to DE earlier. I am turning 40 in a month and I guess I am worried about being an old Mom. I keep doing the math, you know, when she is 10 I'll be 50 etc. That is the only thing that will sometimes creep in and take the shine off of things for a minute.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Aunt Flo Has Come to Town
At 8 weeks 4 days post partum my period has come back. I had a feeling that it was on its way because I had noticed soe signs of ovulation a while ago. I am going to track my af on fertility friend again, just to see how regular it is, if and when I am ovulating etc.
H and I had a chat yesterday about going back to Brno. I have been doing some research on when it is safe to try again after having a csection. The consensus is that 18 months is the general wait time. From what i can find it is really safe at one year out, but we are going to err on the side of safety for me. Which means that instead of going back in November 2011' we will look at going back in August of 2012. It gives us more time with Little G and also if it works there will be nice spacng between them.
This also means we can take a vacation later this year...a much anticipated vacation..we are gong tk Hawaii for around two weeks. H's Dad had offered to give us some money towards the trip and we have decided to take him up on itl In fact he will be coming with us. We are just starting the planning process, but it looks like we will be spending time on Oahu and Maui. It will be an adventure travelling with an 11 month old. We are going to look at splitting up the flights so it is not too much for her. e.g., flying from here to Vancouver and spending the night and then flying from Vancouver to Honolulu the following day. Squee! I love planning for this kind of thing.
H and I had a chat yesterday about going back to Brno. I have been doing some research on when it is safe to try again after having a csection. The consensus is that 18 months is the general wait time. From what i can find it is really safe at one year out, but we are going to err on the side of safety for me. Which means that instead of going back in November 2011' we will look at going back in August of 2012. It gives us more time with Little G and also if it works there will be nice spacng between them.
This also means we can take a vacation later this year...a much anticipated vacation..we are gong tk Hawaii for around two weeks. H's Dad had offered to give us some money towards the trip and we have decided to take him up on itl In fact he will be coming with us. We are just starting the planning process, but it looks like we will be spending time on Oahu and Maui. It will be an adventure travelling with an 11 month old. We are going to look at splitting up the flights so it is not too much for her. e.g., flying from here to Vancouver and spending the night and then flying from Vancouver to Honolulu the following day. Squee! I love planning for this kind of thing.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Eight Weeks
Tomorrow Little G will be 8 weeks old. Time surely is flying by. I am head over heels in love and seem to fall deeper by the hour. We are thinking about going back to Brno in November. Actually, we are past thinking and will be going back then. Here is the thing, the optimisitc infertile in me keeps going over the "what if" scenario of us getting a miraculous natural pregnancy. Stranger things have happened, but lets face it, I will be 40 in April and my eggs were pretty crap at 35 so what makes me think that now things will be different. Oh, that is because people (my drs) keep sayng stuff lIke pregnancy can kick start your body. I had my post op appt on Monday and the dr said that I should take birth control. I laughed and sId that I've got my own built in birth control and that is when he hit me with the you never know statement.
So there it sits in my brain that has far too much time to foucs on things. And, if you have read my blog overmthe years you know that I am really good at thinking and worrying. I go from thinking that it would be amazing to get pg on our own after all this time, but then I think about my age and get scared. I think about down syndrome or kther birth defects that could be caused by my crap eggs. Crazy eh? In reality the likelihood of me getting pg without inftervention is close to 0. So, I need to focus on November and another trip to Brno.
About little G, at a month old she weighed 9lbs 10 oz, I think she is well over 10 lbs now. She is smiling on purpose now instead of just from gas which is pretty amazing. She is also starting to babble and also starting to recognize and play with toys although her hands are still mostly in fists. She has been out in her stroller for a couple of walks and also been in the car a lot going tonher grandparents or to the couple of showers that were held in her honour. She has to be one of the best dressed kids around. She is completely spoiled.
we'll have to do something about that if it continues. It is amazing how much she is loved by our friends and family. It feels like she was as much longed for and anticipated by the people who love us as she was by us. We are extremely lucky!
Here is a pic I took of her and used as a Valentine's Day card.
So there it sits in my brain that has far too much time to foucs on things. And, if you have read my blog overmthe years you know that I am really good at thinking and worrying. I go from thinking that it would be amazing to get pg on our own after all this time, but then I think about my age and get scared. I think about down syndrome or kther birth defects that could be caused by my crap eggs. Crazy eh? In reality the likelihood of me getting pg without inftervention is close to 0. So, I need to focus on November and another trip to Brno.
About little G, at a month old she weighed 9lbs 10 oz, I think she is well over 10 lbs now. She is smiling on purpose now instead of just from gas which is pretty amazing. She is also starting to babble and also starting to recognize and play with toys although her hands are still mostly in fists. She has been out in her stroller for a couple of walks and also been in the car a lot going tonher grandparents or to the couple of showers that were held in her honour. She has to be one of the best dressed kids around. She is completely spoiled.
we'll have to do something about that if it continues. It is amazing how much she is loved by our friends and family. It feels like she was as much longed for and anticipated by the people who love us as she was by us. We are extremely lucky!
Here is a pic I took of her and used as a Valentine's Day card.
Monday, February 07, 2011
Just Popping In
Little G is now 6 weeks and 4 days old. She is getting more of a personality. She smiles more and has found her fists. So cute to see her happily munching on one of her fists! The big news is that she slept through the night last night. She has been a really good sleeper from the start and lately she has been sleeping at night for between 4 and 6 hours then waking for a bottle and then going back to sleep for another 3 or 4 hours. Last night she went down at around 10pm and when I woke up at 4:45am I realized she wasn't up yet I was able to keep myself from running in her room and checking if she was still breathing. She woke up on her own at around 5:30. 7.5 hours is not bad!
We had a family shower yesterday afternoon and I think because she didn't sleep as much during the day it made it easier for her to sleep thrpugh the night. The shower was a lot of fun and she was completely spoiled!
I have to say it still feels surreal to be having showers and caring for a baby. I cannot believe how lucky we are to have been successful after so many failures. We are talking about going back to Brno at the end of this year and trying our luck again with a FET. I am a little reticent about jumping back into the fertilty clinic world, but it is what it is. If that is what we need to do to complete our family then I am in for whatever needs to be done.
On another note, my beloved Packers won the Super Bowl! Go Pack Go!
We had a family shower yesterday afternoon and I think because she didn't sleep as much during the day it made it easier for her to sleep thrpugh the night. The shower was a lot of fun and she was completely spoiled!
I have to say it still feels surreal to be having showers and caring for a baby. I cannot believe how lucky we are to have been successful after so many failures. We are talking about going back to Brno at the end of this year and trying our luck again with a FET. I am a little reticent about jumping back into the fertilty clinic world, but it is what it is. If that is what we need to do to complete our family then I am in for whatever needs to be done.
On another note, my beloved Packers won the Super Bowl! Go Pack Go!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
4 Weeks Old
This past Thursday my darling girl turned 4 weeks old. Everyone says that time flies by and to enjoy every minute, but I truly didn't grasp just how quickly time would actually go.
Today she wore her first 0 - 3 months outfit, until now she has been exclusively in newborn clothes. A lot of the 0to3 stuff is too big for her still, but there you have it, she's growing. We have her 1 month appointment on Tuesday so I'll know then how much weight she's put on and just how much she's growing.
I'll tell you something, as much as I love her and I can't even quantify how much that is, there is a part of me that is sad. Everyone keeps saying how much she looks like H. H. will come home from work and say "so and so saw the pictures of Little G and they couldn't stop saying how much we look alike". I talk to my Mom and she says oh, I showed the pics of Little G to your Aunt or to my friend and they can't get over how much she looks like H." It breaks my heart a little, she will never look like me, there's nothing about her that could be mistaken for me. That part of the donor egg process is still tough to get over. I will get over it; it's not like my every waking moment is spend focused on it, but it is there none the less. I thought I was prepared for it, but I guess my skin is not quite toughened up yet. I'll get there. It's just tough.
Weirdly, at the same time as I am grieving the genetic link, I think that I have the baby that was meant to be mine. She was the one waiting in the wings for me to get my act together and come into my (our) life.
Today she wore her first 0 - 3 months outfit, until now she has been exclusively in newborn clothes. A lot of the 0to3 stuff is too big for her still, but there you have it, she's growing. We have her 1 month appointment on Tuesday so I'll know then how much weight she's put on and just how much she's growing.
I'll tell you something, as much as I love her and I can't even quantify how much that is, there is a part of me that is sad. Everyone keeps saying how much she looks like H. H. will come home from work and say "so and so saw the pictures of Little G and they couldn't stop saying how much we look alike". I talk to my Mom and she says oh, I showed the pics of Little G to your Aunt or to my friend and they can't get over how much she looks like H." It breaks my heart a little, she will never look like me, there's nothing about her that could be mistaken for me. That part of the donor egg process is still tough to get over. I will get over it; it's not like my every waking moment is spend focused on it, but it is there none the less. I thought I was prepared for it, but I guess my skin is not quite toughened up yet. I'll get there. It's just tough.
Weirdly, at the same time as I am grieving the genetic link, I think that I have the baby that was meant to be mine. She was the one waiting in the wings for me to get my act together and come into my (our) life.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Faulty body
Being pregnant was a reprieve for me from my faulty body. For the first time in a long time my body was doing exactly what it was supposed to be doing. It nurtured and grew my beautiful baby girl. Before that, my ovaries basically shrivelled up before they were supposed to. Despite still getting my period every month my eggs were just no good and we couldn't get pg on our own.
Since giving birth, my body has reverted to it's faulty self. Now it's the breastfeeding thing. My breasts are not made for breastfeeding. I have gone to exclusively formula feeding. It has been a difficult transition emotionally for me because it is just one more thing that my body won't do properly. H has been amazing and supportive as i have worked through my feelings around this. Ultimately it comes down to the fact that we have a healthy baby girl. My body did the most important thing - growing our child.
As for how I am now, I am healing from the c section. It is very painful today I overdid it yesterday and now I am paying for it. The best side effect from having the baby has been the weightloss. I lost 28 pounds within a week of giving birth. I had only put on 2 lbs from my pre pregnancy weight so I have lost a total of 26 lbs. Crazy!
H and I are already talking about going back to Brno and using our frozen embryos. I am on the fence a little about this because I don't want to cheat Little G out of having her parents all to herself. If it works there will be almost 2years between kids. I know I sound like I am putting the cart before the horse, after all there are no guarantees that this will work. I need to be ready for whatever happens.
Update on Little G
She is doing well, gaining weight and is smiling alot albeit from gas. It is still so cute when the smiles come across here face.
She has her days and nights a bit mixed up but hopefully that will work itself out in the coming weeks.
Since giving birth, my body has reverted to it's faulty self. Now it's the breastfeeding thing. My breasts are not made for breastfeeding. I have gone to exclusively formula feeding. It has been a difficult transition emotionally for me because it is just one more thing that my body won't do properly. H has been amazing and supportive as i have worked through my feelings around this. Ultimately it comes down to the fact that we have a healthy baby girl. My body did the most important thing - growing our child.
As for how I am now, I am healing from the c section. It is very painful today I overdid it yesterday and now I am paying for it. The best side effect from having the baby has been the weightloss. I lost 28 pounds within a week of giving birth. I had only put on 2 lbs from my pre pregnancy weight so I have lost a total of 26 lbs. Crazy!
H and I are already talking about going back to Brno and using our frozen embryos. I am on the fence a little about this because I don't want to cheat Little G out of having her parents all to herself. If it works there will be almost 2years between kids. I know I sound like I am putting the cart before the horse, after all there are no guarantees that this will work. I need to be ready for whatever happens.
Update on Little G
She is doing well, gaining weight and is smiling alot albeit from gas. It is still so cute when the smiles come across here face.
She has her days and nights a bit mixed up but hopefully that will work itself out in the coming weeks.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
G's birth story
I need to get this down in writing while it is still fresh in my mind. I want to have it for G when she is older.
On Thursday December 23rd I was scheduled to have my c-section at 10:00am. We were up early and at the hospital for around 7:30am as per my instructions I hadn't had anything to drink or eat since before midnight the previous night. That was really difficult because I had been really dehydrated at night. When we got to the hospital we had to wait for about half an hour before being brought into the pre-op room.
My Mom and Dad and brother and his girlfriend and father in law all got to the hospital around 9:30 to await the birth of our little girl. I was the second section scheduled for the day, but it turned out that there was an emergency and I didn't end up going into the operating room until 2:00pm. By that time I was so thirsty I was a practically begging for a drink of water.
I was really nervous about the spinal but I had two great anaesthitists that really took care of me and made me incredibly comfortable. The surgery itself didn't take very long and by 2:25 Little G had joined us. I heard her cry when her head was out and then briefly saw her all covered in blood and goop before they took her to be cleaned up. Then the dr went in for the placenta at that point. I started shaking uncontrollably, shivering and teeth chattering. I found out later that I had lost a lot of blood at that point because the placenta was behaving as if the triplets had still all survived.
The weirdest part of the whole thing was when they were moving me from the operating table to another bed, it felt like they were going to roll me right off of the bed onto the floor.
Then I was taken to the recovery room. H was carrying the baby and he was supposed to carry her into the room with me, but instead he took a detour into the waiting room with the baby. That scared the nurses for a minute. It took three or four hours for the freezing to wear off. While in there I could have two visitors at a time. H left so that my parents could come in and see the baby. My Dad fell in love and wouldn't let anyone else hold the baby. It was great to see.
Eventually I was moved to my room for that night - a semi private room. It was horrible, the other patient
In the room had her husband with her all nigh and every time their baby cried they called for the nurse - I didn't get much sleep.
The next day we were moved into a private room. That was much better.
I fell in love with my little girl from her first cry. The first time i held her my heart fell at her feet.
On Thursday December 23rd I was scheduled to have my c-section at 10:00am. We were up early and at the hospital for around 7:30am as per my instructions I hadn't had anything to drink or eat since before midnight the previous night. That was really difficult because I had been really dehydrated at night. When we got to the hospital we had to wait for about half an hour before being brought into the pre-op room.
My Mom and Dad and brother and his girlfriend and father in law all got to the hospital around 9:30 to await the birth of our little girl. I was the second section scheduled for the day, but it turned out that there was an emergency and I didn't end up going into the operating room until 2:00pm. By that time I was so thirsty I was a practically begging for a drink of water.
I was really nervous about the spinal but I had two great anaesthitists that really took care of me and made me incredibly comfortable. The surgery itself didn't take very long and by 2:25 Little G had joined us. I heard her cry when her head was out and then briefly saw her all covered in blood and goop before they took her to be cleaned up. Then the dr went in for the placenta at that point. I started shaking uncontrollably, shivering and teeth chattering. I found out later that I had lost a lot of blood at that point because the placenta was behaving as if the triplets had still all survived.
The weirdest part of the whole thing was when they were moving me from the operating table to another bed, it felt like they were going to roll me right off of the bed onto the floor.
Then I was taken to the recovery room. H was carrying the baby and he was supposed to carry her into the room with me, but instead he took a detour into the waiting room with the baby. That scared the nurses for a minute. It took three or four hours for the freezing to wear off. While in there I could have two visitors at a time. H left so that my parents could come in and see the baby. My Dad fell in love and wouldn't let anyone else hold the baby. It was great to see.
Eventually I was moved to my room for that night - a semi private room. It was horrible, the other patient
In the room had her husband with her all nigh and every time their baby cried they called for the nurse - I didn't get much sleep.
The next day we were moved into a private room. That was much better.
I fell in love with my little girl from her first cry. The first time i held her my heart fell at her feet.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
She's Here!
As of 2:25pm on Thursday December 23rd Little G came screaming into the world via c-section. She weighed 7.2lbs and was 20.9 inches long. She's perfect and has really long fingers and long toes. So far she's been a great baby, sleeping a lot and eating about every three hours. i'm doing pretty good. We got out of the hospital on Sunday and the pain is very manageable.
The only issue I have right now is with breastfeeding. I can't do it. I have inverted nipples and it's extremely difficult. Both breasts are really engorged, hard and lumpy... I found a lump under my left armpit today and it looks like there's a slight infection setting in. I made the incredibly difficult decision to go to formula - i cried in the baby food aisle while we were there to get what we need. I feel a bit like a failure. But the pumping and finger feeding and supplementing with formula was just too much for me. too many tears and too much stress around it. i'd rather have a happy relationship and use formula.
Here's our first picture as a family:
Little G - in the santa hat her great grandma knit for her...
The only issue I have right now is with breastfeeding. I can't do it. I have inverted nipples and it's extremely difficult. Both breasts are really engorged, hard and lumpy... I found a lump under my left armpit today and it looks like there's a slight infection setting in. I made the incredibly difficult decision to go to formula - i cried in the baby food aisle while we were there to get what we need. I feel a bit like a failure. But the pumping and finger feeding and supplementing with formula was just too much for me. too many tears and too much stress around it. i'd rather have a happy relationship and use formula.
Here's our first picture as a family:
Little G - in the santa hat her great grandma knit for her...
Saturday, December 18, 2010
5 more days
I can't believe it's already December 18th and it's been so long since my last update. I'm currently 37 weeks and 2 days along - I weighed myself this morning and I've gained 2lbs so far. I did lose around 10lbs at the beginning so I've actually gained back about 12lbs. I have a big red quilted winter jacket and you can't tell at all that I'm pregnant when I'm wearing it. One of my big fears was that I would not be in control of my eating while pregnant and would gain all kinds of weight. Weirdly, I haven't gone crazy, but I've basically eaten whatever I wanted and this is where I am. I was very heavy to begin with, so I'm not supposed to gain a lot and Little G is right where she's supposed to be so I feel pretty good about things.
My c-section is Thursday Dec 23rd, so it's fast approaching. Today we are going out to buy the final stuff for my hospital bag and stuff for the nursery. I am doing the last load of baby clothes as I'm typing this - still have a few stuffed toys to do. And, have to sterilize the pacifiers we bought. Little by little we're getting where we're supposed to be.
All of our Christmas shopping is done and the tree is up, our cards are all mailed out. One thing this baby has forced us to do is be a lot more organized.
I'm very nervous about the surgery. I don't know how I'll react to the pain meds and I'm worried about recovery. I've got more to say, but have to run.
More later...
My c-section is Thursday Dec 23rd, so it's fast approaching. Today we are going out to buy the final stuff for my hospital bag and stuff for the nursery. I am doing the last load of baby clothes as I'm typing this - still have a few stuffed toys to do. And, have to sterilize the pacifiers we bought. Little by little we're getting where we're supposed to be.
All of our Christmas shopping is done and the tree is up, our cards are all mailed out. One thing this baby has forced us to do is be a lot more organized.
I'm very nervous about the surgery. I don't know how I'll react to the pain meds and I'm worried about recovery. I've got more to say, but have to run.
More later...
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Countdown is on
I am 35 weeks today and in 3 weeks at this time I will have my baby in my arms. Isn't that wild? Thanks to the planned c-section I know she'll be here and even if the operation is pushed back a little, I'm sure by now she'll be out in the world. The c-section is supposed to be at 10am barring unforeseen circumstances. Wow! I have a pre-admin appointment on Monday to meet with the anaesthesiologist to go over the procedure. I have scoliosis in my spine and we want to make sure that I'll be able to have a spinal. H will be coming along with me to make sure my questions all get answered as well as to remember the stuff I'm likely to forget or overlook.
Frankly, I'm nervous about the surgery and also about the recovery. I'm nervous about breastfeeding and whether we'll be able to do it or not. I'm nervous about a whole lot of things, but in another way I am so ready to be a Mom. I mean, this is what it's all about, right? This is what all the struggle and tears and failed tests and disappointments and set backs were about...getting to this point. I can't wait to be a Mom and I really can't wait to see H be a Daddy. I'm sure I'll cry the first time I see him holding Little G.
Despite expecting our new arrival, life marches on which means Christmas is just around the corner. We are doing our best to get all of our Christmas shopping and cards done early this year. I think we've got a pretty good handle on things. The weekend of the 12th we're going to get our Christams tree. Usually we cut one down, but this year we're just going to hit up a tree lot. I have started to put up a few decorations, but we have to wait for the house to be cleaned up first. You see, Little G's room used to be our storage space so we have boxes upon boxes of papers and stuff and knick knacks to go through. H is the one taking the lead on this and he's doing a great job! We're almost there. Once that's cleaned up I can decorate.
Frankly, I'm nervous about the surgery and also about the recovery. I'm nervous about breastfeeding and whether we'll be able to do it or not. I'm nervous about a whole lot of things, but in another way I am so ready to be a Mom. I mean, this is what it's all about, right? This is what all the struggle and tears and failed tests and disappointments and set backs were about...getting to this point. I can't wait to be a Mom and I really can't wait to see H be a Daddy. I'm sure I'll cry the first time I see him holding Little G.
Despite expecting our new arrival, life marches on which means Christmas is just around the corner. We are doing our best to get all of our Christmas shopping and cards done early this year. I think we've got a pretty good handle on things. The weekend of the 12th we're going to get our Christams tree. Usually we cut one down, but this year we're just going to hit up a tree lot. I have started to put up a few decorations, but we have to wait for the house to be cleaned up first. You see, Little G's room used to be our storage space so we have boxes upon boxes of papers and stuff and knick knacks to go through. H is the one taking the lead on this and he's doing a great job! We're almost there. Once that's cleaned up I can decorate.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Happy Turkey Day!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends! Hope your day is as restful or eventful as you need it to be!
As for me, I'm currently at work and taking a couple of minutes to say HOLY CRAP - MY C-SECTION IS 4 WEEKS TODAY! Little G will be here in my arms in 4 weeks. Crazy. And, I'm off work in 2 weeks (well 2 weeks tomorrow). This is really happening.
As for me, I'm currently at work and taking a couple of minutes to say HOLY CRAP - MY C-SECTION IS 4 WEEKS TODAY! Little G will be here in my arms in 4 weeks. Crazy. And, I'm off work in 2 weeks (well 2 weeks tomorrow). This is really happening.
Monday, November 22, 2010
In 34th week.
I'm now halfway through my 34th week. Holy smokes! This baby will be here in no time... 4 weeks Thursday! I worry about the strangest things and one very big item that we had not purchased until this past weekend was the carseat. They don't let you leave the hospital with the baby unless you have a carseat. I was so afraid that I was going to have this baby before we actually had the carseat.
We went yesterday and bought the stroller and carseat combination that I wanted.
We bought the Chicco Cortina Discovery...
We had to go to two different stores t get it because at the first store it was a special order item. Which means it was going to take 8 or 9 weeks for delivery. Yikes!
We also bought a gate to keep the dogs out of the baby's room:
It has door that swings so you don't have to remove the whole thing all of the time. It's also pressure mounted so that we don't have to drill into the door frame. All wins. And the best part is that Little G's room should stay relatively pet hair free.
We also bought a video monitor for her room. It zooms and pans around the room with a remote which is very cool.
Additionally, we bought a basket to go with the change pad to hold diapers etc, change pad cover, a couple of change pads, a tigger toy that H. thought was too cute to pass up.
We have also decided to go with gdiapers for our diapering needs and I've ordered the starter kit. Hopefully, it will be here in time for baby, but if not we'll use disposable until we have them.
I haven't got any bottles etc yet because although I want to breastfeed, I'm not sure if I'll actually be able to. I'm not sure what supplies I should buy.
On another note, I had my 2nd shower over the weekend. I have a small group of girlfriends and they got together to shower the impending baby. We went to a fancy schmancy hotel for tea. It was a lot of fun - I'd never gone out for tea before. It was a great time, the little sandwiches were delectable as were the scones, clotted cream, lemon curd and pastries. The theme of the shower was Winnie the Pooh, now Little G has so many amazing Winnie items includind a beautiful big book of the complete works. I (and little g) was completely spoiled.
As an added bonus, the Boston Celtics were in town to play the Raptors, and they checked in to their hotel while we were at tea in the hotel lobby. It was pretty impressive to see Shaq. He seemed to be a really nice guy, stopping to give autographs and talking with people.
hmm, what else. Oh yes, I am able to control my blood sugar levels quite well through diet. I don't have to see the dr. every week about it - just every other week and instead of testing my blood 4 times a day, I'm down to 2 times a day. I have been a little more lenient with the sugar, but as long as my numbers are okay I feel like we'll be fine.
A new belly shot should be coming shortly.
We went yesterday and bought the stroller and carseat combination that I wanted.
We bought the Chicco Cortina Discovery...
We had to go to two different stores t get it because at the first store it was a special order item. Which means it was going to take 8 or 9 weeks for delivery. Yikes!
We also bought a gate to keep the dogs out of the baby's room:
It has door that swings so you don't have to remove the whole thing all of the time. It's also pressure mounted so that we don't have to drill into the door frame. All wins. And the best part is that Little G's room should stay relatively pet hair free.
We also bought a video monitor for her room. It zooms and pans around the room with a remote which is very cool.
Additionally, we bought a basket to go with the change pad to hold diapers etc, change pad cover, a couple of change pads, a tigger toy that H. thought was too cute to pass up.
We have also decided to go with gdiapers for our diapering needs and I've ordered the starter kit. Hopefully, it will be here in time for baby, but if not we'll use disposable until we have them.
I haven't got any bottles etc yet because although I want to breastfeed, I'm not sure if I'll actually be able to. I'm not sure what supplies I should buy.
On another note, I had my 2nd shower over the weekend. I have a small group of girlfriends and they got together to shower the impending baby. We went to a fancy schmancy hotel for tea. It was a lot of fun - I'd never gone out for tea before. It was a great time, the little sandwiches were delectable as were the scones, clotted cream, lemon curd and pastries. The theme of the shower was Winnie the Pooh, now Little G has so many amazing Winnie items includind a beautiful big book of the complete works. I (and little g) was completely spoiled.
As an added bonus, the Boston Celtics were in town to play the Raptors, and they checked in to their hotel while we were at tea in the hotel lobby. It was pretty impressive to see Shaq. He seemed to be a really nice guy, stopping to give autographs and talking with people.
hmm, what else. Oh yes, I am able to control my blood sugar levels quite well through diet. I don't have to see the dr. every week about it - just every other week and instead of testing my blood 4 times a day, I'm down to 2 times a day. I have been a little more lenient with the sugar, but as long as my numbers are okay I feel like we'll be fine.
A new belly shot should be coming shortly.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Almost 33 Weeks
I had my u/s and check up on Monday and also a follow up with the endocrinologist about my glucose impairment on Tuesday. All is going well. The u/s went really quickly because Little G was in a cooperative mood. She did her practice breathing right on queue so we didn't have to wait around for her to do it. The only thing she wasn't cooperative about was having her picture taken. She is head down and manages to always have her face turned at an angle that is really difficult to get a good shot of. So, no photos to take home with me. I then waited an hour and a half to see my dr. My blood pressure was normal - woohoo and my weight was steady. I think I've gained a total of 2lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight. Which is fine because, they use a score out of 8 when giving the u/s and Little G scored an 8 out of 8. She's about 4lbs now and measuring right on track. They think she just went through a growth spurt. So, it was all good news and then the Dr. said the following... "I've booked your c-section for December 23rd..." I just looked at him for a minute and then had to have him explain what he meant. I have been getting more and more comfortable with just playing things by ear and going into labour on my own etc. And, now I find out that I have to have a c-section.
My current Dr. and my high-risk OB got together and went through my chart and decided between the two of them that based on my family history, and also what I've been through with this pregnancy that a c-section is the way to go. Apparently, because I lost the twins a little later in the pregnancy that there may be left over tissue that is not reabsorbed into the body. If I give birth vaginally, they won't be able to tell if all of the tissue has left my body which could result in uterine infection or hemorhagging. So, a c-section it is. On DECEMBER 23rd!!! I will be in the hospital for Christmas... with my baby (and my husband of course!)!!!!
I will be 38 weeks along, and full term is 37 weeks so Little G should not have any issues. I can't believe that she'll be here so soon. We still have quite a bit of stuff to buy - particularly a stroller and carseat. I know we'll get it all taken care of.
My current Dr. and my high-risk OB got together and went through my chart and decided between the two of them that based on my family history, and also what I've been through with this pregnancy that a c-section is the way to go. Apparently, because I lost the twins a little later in the pregnancy that there may be left over tissue that is not reabsorbed into the body. If I give birth vaginally, they won't be able to tell if all of the tissue has left my body which could result in uterine infection or hemorhagging. So, a c-section it is. On DECEMBER 23rd!!! I will be in the hospital for Christmas... with my baby (and my husband of course!)!!!!
I will be 38 weeks along, and full term is 37 weeks so Little G should not have any issues. I can't believe that she'll be here so soon. We still have quite a bit of stuff to buy - particularly a stroller and carseat. I know we'll get it all taken care of.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Remembering
For my Grandfather...
In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae, May 1915
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
In Canada, November 11th is Remembrance Day. It is the day we honour the veterans who have served our country in past and current battles. The Royal Canadian Legion, Canada's largest veterans', ex-service persons' and community service organization , sells poppies that we pin to our jackets over our hearts, to commemorate the date. The money from these sales goes to the widows, orphans of vets, as well as injured vets (I believe).
Here's what they look like:
In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae, May 1915
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
In Canada, November 11th is Remembrance Day. It is the day we honour the veterans who have served our country in past and current battles. The Royal Canadian Legion, Canada's largest veterans', ex-service persons' and community service organization , sells poppies that we pin to our jackets over our hearts, to commemorate the date. The money from these sales goes to the widows, orphans of vets, as well as injured vets (I believe).
Here's what they look like:
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
32 weeks tomorrow
Tomorrow I will be 32 weeks along, only 8 more weeks to go assuming I will make it to my due date and don't go overdue. My last day of work is Friday December 17th 5 and a half more weeks... so crazy. At the same time it feels like this pregnancy has flown by and also that it is just putting along. Although, now that I'm approaching the end the weeks definitely seem to be going by more quickly. Tonight we have our final prenatal class. I think the classes were valuable, but I can't really pinpoint why. Well, one thing they have done for me is to make me feel more comfortable about the labour process. I was very worried, but now I'm just going to let things happen and have confidence in myself. If I end up with a c-section so be it, but there's a small part of me (that is growing) that would really like to see if I could do this thing naturally.
I think that Little G is doing well, she's moving quite a bit and I can feel that she's gotten a lot bigger in the last little while. Her kicks are getting stronger and while they don't hurt, they can be jolting at times. I do have one minor health issue right now - I have impaired glucose tolerance. I failed my 1hour test by .1 and had to do the 2 hour test. For the two hour test they test your blood 3 times - fasting, an hour after drinking the glucose drink and then 2 hours later. I failed the 2 hour test - the other two numbers were fine. So, that meant that I had to go to a gestational diabetes clinic on Tuesday to learn about nutrition etc. They treat GD and Impaired Glucose Tolerance the same. I have to eat a little better and have to test my blood 4 times a day. It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be, and so far my blood levels have all been right around where they are supposed to be.
Apparently, this will go away as soon as I give birth, so I can handle poking myself 4 times a day for 8 weeks. The weird thing is that all of my numbers are fine, so I'm not sure what exactly will go away.
I think that Little G is doing well, she's moving quite a bit and I can feel that she's gotten a lot bigger in the last little while. Her kicks are getting stronger and while they don't hurt, they can be jolting at times. I do have one minor health issue right now - I have impaired glucose tolerance. I failed my 1hour test by .1 and had to do the 2 hour test. For the two hour test they test your blood 3 times - fasting, an hour after drinking the glucose drink and then 2 hours later. I failed the 2 hour test - the other two numbers were fine. So, that meant that I had to go to a gestational diabetes clinic on Tuesday to learn about nutrition etc. They treat GD and Impaired Glucose Tolerance the same. I have to eat a little better and have to test my blood 4 times a day. It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be, and so far my blood levels have all been right around where they are supposed to be.
Apparently, this will go away as soon as I give birth, so I can handle poking myself 4 times a day for 8 weeks. The weird thing is that all of my numbers are fine, so I'm not sure what exactly will go away.
Monday, November 08, 2010
Friday, November 05, 2010
Um... 9 weeks left
Holy crap! I'm 31 weeks pregnant which means my weeks left until my due date are now down to single digit. Not sure why, but I just got a little overwhelmed by how much we have left to get done. Crazy!
I don't have any blankets, baby sheets, receiving blankets, bath stuff etc yet. I have to get a move on buying that stuff.
I went to my cousin's baby shower last weekend. It was really nice. She had a baby girl and she's adorable! There was one very special gift that my Aunt gave to my cousin. It was one of my dresses from when I was a baby. I had worn it then my cousin wore it a few years after me. My aunt has held onto it all these years.
She kept saying how she's had the dress "almost 40 years" and that she was waiting and waiting for one of us to have a baby etc. I wanted to scream that I'd been trying. I know that she wasn't trying to be insensitive and perhaps I was being oversensitive, but I realized that even though we have been successful after so many years of failure, the wounded infertile is still lying there inside.
I don't have any blankets, baby sheets, receiving blankets, bath stuff etc yet. I have to get a move on buying that stuff.
I went to my cousin's baby shower last weekend. It was really nice. She had a baby girl and she's adorable! There was one very special gift that my Aunt gave to my cousin. It was one of my dresses from when I was a baby. I had worn it then my cousin wore it a few years after me. My aunt has held onto it all these years.
She kept saying how she's had the dress "almost 40 years" and that she was waiting and waiting for one of us to have a baby etc. I wanted to scream that I'd been trying. I know that she wasn't trying to be insensitive and perhaps I was being oversensitive, but I realized that even though we have been successful after so many years of failure, the wounded infertile is still lying there inside.
Monday, November 01, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
30 Weeks
Now that's a milestone! 30 Weeks. Wow, we are in the home stretch here. With the help of my parents, my brother and his girlfriend, H and I have finished painting the nursery... I'll post pics when the furniture is in. My parents came over yesterday during the day and finished all of the trim and did the touching up. My Mom also cleaned my bathroom which really really needed it. I'm embarassed that she saw it in that condition, but I'm also thankful because it was really helpful.
This Saturday my folks are going to help us get the baby furniture and set it up. Then I'll be able to put the decorations in place and get a new rug and window coverings and the bedroom will be done. I feel like there is so much more to get done though. I have a list of things you need to buy to get ready for baby and we've only got about 20% of the things on the list. It makes me feel a little overwhelmed if I dwell on it too much. I just have to think about one thing at a time and hopefully all will be ok.
As for the pregnancy, the baby is really active these days wiggling around and sometimes it feels like she's trying to kick her way out. I don't think I've gained anything over my pre-pregnancy weight as of yet... I had lost 10lbs and I think I've gained them back. The next 10 weeks should show me piling the pounds on. I think at this point I'm supposed to be gaining .5lb to 1.5lbs per week which means by 40 weeks I should have gained between 5 and 15lbs. That's pretty good. I started out pretty big and I was really afraid about how much I'd end up gaining.
I am still feeling good and sleeping OK - although I am not sleeping soundly anymore. The fatigue during the day is pretty bad. And, I've been having some very strong cramping - yesteray was horrible. I'm not complaining, I'll take whatever comes my way in order to have a healhty baby at the end of this.
Speaking of which, I had my 2 hour Gestational Diabetes test yesterday after failing the one hour test by .1. I should have the results at my appointment next week (Nov 2), hopefully I don't hear from them before that because no news is good news. The test wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I had my blood taken 3 times in 2 hours and only have 1 small bruise so I'll consider that a success.
This Saturday my folks are going to help us get the baby furniture and set it up. Then I'll be able to put the decorations in place and get a new rug and window coverings and the bedroom will be done. I feel like there is so much more to get done though. I have a list of things you need to buy to get ready for baby and we've only got about 20% of the things on the list. It makes me feel a little overwhelmed if I dwell on it too much. I just have to think about one thing at a time and hopefully all will be ok.
As for the pregnancy, the baby is really active these days wiggling around and sometimes it feels like she's trying to kick her way out. I don't think I've gained anything over my pre-pregnancy weight as of yet... I had lost 10lbs and I think I've gained them back. The next 10 weeks should show me piling the pounds on. I think at this point I'm supposed to be gaining .5lb to 1.5lbs per week which means by 40 weeks I should have gained between 5 and 15lbs. That's pretty good. I started out pretty big and I was really afraid about how much I'd end up gaining.
I am still feeling good and sleeping OK - although I am not sleeping soundly anymore. The fatigue during the day is pretty bad. And, I've been having some very strong cramping - yesteray was horrible. I'm not complaining, I'll take whatever comes my way in order to have a healhty baby at the end of this.
Speaking of which, I had my 2 hour Gestational Diabetes test yesterday after failing the one hour test by .1. I should have the results at my appointment next week (Nov 2), hopefully I don't hear from them before that because no news is good news. The test wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I had my blood taken 3 times in 2 hours and only have 1 small bruise so I'll consider that a success.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Starting the Nursery
A few weekends ago H. and I bought Little G's crib (that converts into a toddler bed and then eventually a double bed) and also a change table/dresser & hutch. We are picking up the furniture next weekend. So, this weekend we are painting the nursery. At first we were going to have white furniture and a robin's egg colour on the wall. Then we saw the furniture and fell in love with a mahogany set - so much for the white furniture. Then we couldn't find the right shade of robin's egg. H. happened to see a picture ripped from a magazine and hanging on the wall by the paint chips in our local paint shop. The picture was of a little girls room. The walls were a vibrant green colour - and we both just knew that would be the perfect colour for Little G's room.
So, we bought that paint, ceiling paint and paint for the trim and, along with my brother and his girlfriend, got started yesterday. My bro could only stay for a few hours so we didn't get as much done as we had expected. Today we finished the second coat and are now ready to start the trim and then touch up the mistakes we've made. I think I over-exerted myself today. My whole body is achy, but I can't help but smiling when I think of what we've been doing... getting ready for an actual baby to come into our home. I am still in a little disbelief over this. And, if I let myself think of all we haven't done I get very overwhelmed. So Much To Buy!
In case your interested... this is the crib:
This is the dresser/hutch:
Sorry about the weird size of the pics - just click on them if you're interested in seeing them. When I have pics of the finished room, I'll share them.
So, we bought that paint, ceiling paint and paint for the trim and, along with my brother and his girlfriend, got started yesterday. My bro could only stay for a few hours so we didn't get as much done as we had expected. Today we finished the second coat and are now ready to start the trim and then touch up the mistakes we've made. I think I over-exerted myself today. My whole body is achy, but I can't help but smiling when I think of what we've been doing... getting ready for an actual baby to come into our home. I am still in a little disbelief over this. And, if I let myself think of all we haven't done I get very overwhelmed. So Much To Buy!
In case your interested... this is the crib:
This is the dresser/hutch:
Sorry about the weird size of the pics - just click on them if you're interested in seeing them. When I have pics of the finished room, I'll share them.
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