Month: July 2016

Bump Update

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How far along: 26 weeks!

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Sleep: adequate, but my belly went through a growth spurt these last couple of weeks, and as a result I’m definitely feeling more aches and pains. Pillows have been crucial to my comfort!

Movement: the midwife told us that weeks 24-28 are the time of the most movement because the baby is still small compared to the amount of space she has. It certainly feels true – she is all over the place in there like a little whale, and I never know where she’ll surface next.

Appreciating: the fans in our hot, south-facing apartment. I wouldn’t get any work done during the day or sleeping done during the night without them.

Craving: tart lemon water and all of the quinoa bowls! I’ve been making quinoa and adding all of the good stuff – spinach, tuna, edamame, homemade hummus, almonds.. whatever we have in the cupboard.

Nesting: we rearranged our bedroom recently to better accommodate the crib and to give the baby (and us) more space and storage, and we are loving how fresh and open the new set-up feels! It’s amazing what a difference a little effort and $100 or so can make!

Looking Forward To: November 🙂

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How Far Along: 24 weeks!

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Sleep: so many dreams lately, another interesting side effect of pregnancy. Since my teen years, whenever I’ve gone through major life changes and have been feeling a lot of anxiety about my lack of control over things, I’ve had dreams about my teeth falling out. It’s been a while since I’ve remembered having it, but when that dream recurred this week it made a lot of sense. I’ve felt like this whole experience is completely out of my hands, which appeals to the relaxed Type B side of me, but terrifies the anxious Type A side of me which seems to be winning out more often lately. 

Movement: the ‘milestone’ this week is that Tom has finally felt some big kicks, so I’m not alone in feeling our Tiny Dancer movin’ around in there. I think he was starting to think I was making it up..

Appreciating: coffee, affordable Canadian health care, and that so many of my friends and family are pregnant or have young kids, because I feel very tapped-in to a wealth of knowledge and experience. 

Nesting: crochet, every day! So glad that my Oma taught me to knit and crochet at 13, and that YouTube tutorials helped refresh those skills at 22. It allows me to let my mind wander and rest while still keeping my body busy, similar to the way running did before I got pregnant.

Enjoying: baking, writing, planning. 

Looking Forward To: seeing sunshine again (what up, July?), starting new projects with new yarn, and buying a house one day (I like to plan ahead..)

Tom’s Take on: What to Expect

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“No one tells you how hard it will be!”

That’s probably the advice I’ve heard the most from recent parents I’ve spoken to.  Although, to me, that sounds like a pretty clear warning to prepare for something that’s going to be really, really hard.  And I’m quite surprised that those people didn’t hear something similar when they were expecting their first child.  What did they hear?

“It’s going to be tricky, but nothing really changes…”

“Having a child is just like looking after a cat…”

So to prepare for what could be the hardest challenge of our lives, here are a few things I am expecting for us that will likely change in the lead up to Nov:

  1. Approx. 4 hours of sleep a day.  From what I’ve heard about the baby needing to feed and to keep waking up during the night, this sounds like a reasonable expectation.  If we get any less than this than someone needs to tell us now!
  2. Approx. 20 hours of crying a day.  I got to this number by simply subtracting the amount of hours we’ll be unconscious from the length of the day and expecting that those hours will be consistently full of tears (the baby’s or our own!).  If we’ll be crying while we’re sleeping then someone needs to tell us now!
  3. Baby turds will get everywhere! On our clothes, in our hair, on the new white crib and, I’m sure at some point, we’ll inadvertently taste it.  But if fire comes out of there then someone needs to tell us now!
  4. Not being able to go out! Although, fortunately, Jess and I are already an old, married couple so this will suit us just fine.  If we are required to be more social when the baby comes then someone needs to tell us now!
  5. Jess and I will get on each other’s nerves! And we will likely not agree on a lot of things.  But if we get through a hard week and the baby passes out and there’s a chance one of us will turn down the offer of a cold cider on our balcony then someone needs to tell us now!

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How Far Along: 23 weeks!

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Sleep: still sleeping fairly well, waking up periodically from discomfort or hunger or having to pee. Getting out of our low bed is another story .. 

Movement: lots of movement from this lil gal pretty much all times of day, but even more so when Tom is poking my belly, urging her to move..

Appreciating: that no strangers have attempted to touch my belly now that it’s prominently showing. 

Reading: The Birth Partner …and learning a lot about what to expect.

Nesting: we haven’t really been buying anything for the baby. What do they really need, anyway, right?

Enjoying: all of the quiet, lazy summertime moments, because I know they won’t last.

Looking Forward To: having a newborn in the crib in our bedroom! Something I’ve been spending lots of time daydreaming about, as it’s the first thing I see when I wake up. 

Happy Long Weekend!

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Happy Canada Day long weekend from us! We’re relaxing in the sunshine at Mom’s house for two days and, fittingly, putting together Tom’s application for permanent Canadian residency. As the only pregnant individual in attendance, Jess has been elected to bartend the festivities. Luckily, “sangria made from leftover wedding wine” happens to be her specialty.

 

Bump Update

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How Far Along: 22 weeks! 

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Sleep: it’s a good thing I’ve always been a side-sleeper, as this is the comfiest position when pregnant. Only getting up once per night now! 

Movement: sometimes I laugh out loud at the strangeness of feeling this baby move – such a bizarre (and amazing) sensation. Tom is still looking forward to feeling more pronounced movements, as he seems to have bad luck feeling her kicking so far. 

Appreciating: my pregnancy nails! They’re amazing. Also appreciating the availability of so many positive birth stories that make me excited to give birth instead of freaked out. 

Craving: smoothies and long walks. 

Nesting: spending a lot of time crocheting (and a portion of our budget on cozy yarns..)

Worrying: about the baby measuring too big (still). Luckily Tom has learned to measure my fundal height so we can check in on how big/small my uterus is. 

Looking Forward to: actually really enjoying exactly where I’m at. I get so excited every time I think about meeting our baby girl this fall, but I’m keenly aware that Tom and I only have 4 more months to be kid-free, and I’m savouring every day of it!