3 months to go!

So here I am at 27 weeks. The belly began showing by the end of January but I only got to taking a belly pic today to share with everyone. There is definetly no hiding this belly now!

Only 3 months to go 'til due day. :)

I seem to know so many women who are expecting this year, and most of them are due in March (almost ready to go!) or in the summer. In the past month though I have met 5 women who are due in May...and all 6 of us are due on the 26th! It should be interesting to see when each of our little ones actually decide to come out!

Some good news: the hemotology expert has decided that my blood work has shown I don't need the Heparin and should be able to get through the pregnancy on the low-dose aspirin I've taken daily for years (since finding out I had a blood clotting potential problem). As this was the biggest fear for Dr. Rhone it would seem that I am no longer a high-risk. Though there is still potential for complications (like with all births!) I should be able to have the midwife as my primary care-giver for the delivery...so I am a very happy camper indeed! By mid-March it should be official.

This week I begin some prenatal yoga classes to help limber me up...looking forward to it!

And we've started calling the baby 'little gem' for our little gemini. Either a boy or a girl will be a gem to us, and as long as it isn't more than a week early it will be a gemini for sure (no way it's staying int here to become a cancer!) Wondering how much of a 'twin personality' it will end up having!

A last retreat for mom-to-be

We just got back from 5 days at Harrison Hot Springs resort!

Mark was there as a delegate for CUPE 391 (for those of you who don't know he is one of the union's vice-presidents and has been active in his local for years!) at this year's Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) Winter School. While he spent his days learning about collective bargaining, I went for long walks and spent lots of time standing near beautiful waterfalls like this one - taking in all the beauty :)

I learned a lot this week through Mark and the other folks I met. I joined everyone at meal times - taking advantage of the buffet breakfasts and lunches (lunch also included desert buffets! so much for my nothing but healthy eating this week...those deserts were too much to resist!) and three course dinners... mmmmm! - and asked lots of questions about what they were learning in their classes. Mark and I sat with different people at virtually every meal, giving us a chance to meet some great people. All the conversation was fascinating, and I also got to know his fellow 391 exec member Laura which was super.

At night we would spend a little bit of time in the hot spring pools. They have 3 outdoor pools which very in temperature from mild-hot. The hottest one I only stayed in a few minutes, then I moved on to the medium pool which was just right. I had checked with the midwife that it would be safe and then thoroughly enjoyed it while I was there!

On top of my daily long walks, I also enjoyed lots of reading and writing time, a few nice afternoon naps and general relaxing time overall. Taking advantage as I know things won't be quiet for me for a while after baby arrives! :)

The next year brings many contract renewals in the labour world, so Mark is now feeling better about representing his workers after a intense week of learning...and I am feeling calm and replenished!

An exciting new year to come!

Happy new year everyone!

our new years celebration was a low-key family affair this year. Mark, Che and I had a fondue dinner (yum!) and watched movies before counting down into the new year :)

yesterday we went for the detailed ultrasound where they check all of baby's vital organs and see how development is going.

good news is that so far it's all going well...even "textbook" was what the technician called it.

so here you see the most recent pic of baby - head to the left, tips of fingers above the forehead. it's too big now to fit into one image!

it was very weird to see the baby from the inside out. fortunately the technician was super nice and she talked to us throughout to let us know what we were looking at...the kidneys, the lungs, the heart, etc. we even got a glimpse of it's cute little face!

both of us seem to be doing very well indeed. my appetite came back just in time for the Whittam clan xmas dinner and I've been hungry ever since. I've been very good at keeping my meals small, nibbling throughout the day (the habit I developed early in pregnancy to keep the blood sugar at a constant level and therefore keeping nausea at a minimum) on lots of fruit, veggy, nuts and wholegrains. healthy food for me is healthy food for baby!

I seem to have begun that wonderful bliss period where my energy is up, and overall I feel great! I have been working a lot lately so the extra energy has been just enough to get me through...though I totally veg when at home to prevent burnout and keep my stress level low.

Mark has been taking great care of me and is looking forward to when he can feel baby move. Everyone tells me I should feel it soon...can't wait! :)

We are very much looking forward to our most exciting challenge together for the new year...bringing baby into the world!

cheers to a new year full of positive times and great adventure for you all!
:)

Ready for the holidays

This is our family pic for everyone's cards this year. If Che were standing you would see that he's almost as tall as me now...mere inches from being taller!

A quick update on the status of baby:

• after a belly review by the midwife, the hemotologist, and the Obgyn it is a sure thing that baby is actually due May 26th...and all the dates below are incorrect!
• the pic of Mark and I is actually when & where baby was conceived!
• my 1st belly pic is actually at 15 weeks
  
• it's been a few weeks since Dr. Rhone told me I was actually a high risk pregnancy...news that really bummed me out! (especially because it may mean I can't have my delievery with the midwife - which is what I really want!) In a few months this designation may change if the hemotolgy expert doesn't believe I will need to start taking Heparin due to my potential blood clotting disorder. This is a blood thinner most often prescribed to pregnant women as it doesn't cross the placenta effecting baby's blood - but it would mean two injections into my belly a day! So time, my blood and my pituitary, will tell whether my risk will be high or low...I'll keep you posted...
• so far the baby is developing as it should be and I have been feeling fine...aside from those pesky symptoms like nausea, fatigue, etc. In comparison to some stories I've heard I'm pretty sure that my sypmtoms are all quite minimal, and I hope this trend continues! ;)

Given how flakey I feel I've become, I'm actually on the ball this year with my letterwriting, etc...most of you should have received some pics in the mail by xmas I hope!

hope your holidays are joy-full!

much love and many hugs

Our first peek!

So last night we went for our first ultrasound. My Obgyn, Dr. Rhone, wanted me to have a dating ultrasound to make sure I'm as far along as I think I am. (My period has never been consistent so it could happen that I am wrong on the conception...which I think is Sept 18th)

The technician told me they don't usually do dating ultrasounds between weeks 10-17 because it's hard to gauge in this time.

However, the technician believes that I am actually a few weeks farther a long than I thought! I'll have to have another ultrasound in a few weeks to confirm this suspicion...but so far it seems out little one is already a trickster and keeping us guessing! ;)

Though this picture is not highly detailed you can see baby's head on the right, tummy on the left, and arm over the head. :)

It made it feel very real for me to actually see it's heart pumping and watching it move around inside! For the past few months it's been kinda surreal to be nauseas and tired all the time but otherwise normal. I officially feel pregnant now! :)