33 Weeks - Everything I Want to Remember

How far along:  33 weeks  
Total weight gain/loss: Current weight = 121 lbs

Maternity clothes: Of course. And still wearing some loose, flowly non-maternity clothes

Stretch marks: None

Sleep: Meh.  Baby is breech and as such I can't find a completely comfortable position to sleep in.

Movement:  Decreased a little. I suspect there's less room in there for her to move around. 

Cravings: Sweet stuff

Aversions: None but finding it hard to eat large amounts.  Baby is often under my ribs and it's uncomfortable.

Gender: A little feminist

Symptoms: Pelvic pressure, Braxton Hicks contractions, cramping from time to time

What I miss: I want to say sleep but I know that once baby girl arrives I will be begging for the kind of sleep I'm getting now

What I look forward to: Seeing her for the first time and seeing how Cub Scout reacts to her

Moods: Grateful that I get to experience this twice. Trying to be appreciate every feeling knowing it will very likely be the last time I am ever pregnant

Milestones: 8 months

Medical Concerns: Pelvic Organ Prolapse.  Breech baby.  

Weekly Wisdom: Continue to appreciate being pregnant - enjoy this time - it goes by too fast!

Worst moment this week: Getting a cold
Best moment this week: When Cub Scout said "Mommy, can you hold my hand please?"

Growing Up

Cub Scout's daycare has webcams.  Which means I can look at him anytime throughout the day....which I do...perhaps too much :)  Ok, definitely too much.  But how can I not?  My little man is away from me all day long and I miss him so much and here's this camera into his world...

I watch him at daycare and realize he's growing up.  My heart both melts and breaks at the same time.  It's bittersweet.  It's wonderful to see your child grow and learn new things and become more independent but at the same time it reminds you how fast the time is going, how one day he won't need mommy to wipe his nose or hold his hand.  I want to hold on to each stage/age and not let go.  I will miss the days when Cub Scout says "mommy, hug" and wraps his arms around my neck and presses his cheek against mine.  I will miss when he says "mommy, hand" and reaches his little hand out to hold mine.  I will miss all those moments when I get to give hugs and kisses and he doesn't push me away.  I will miss cuddling him in my lap.  I want to hold on to these moments forever yet I feel them slipping away.

Even though we'll be welcoming baby #2 into our family in October and I'll get to experience it all again I will still miss those moments with my first born as he continues to grow up.

There really is nothing in the world that compares to the experience of having a child.  I am truly blessed.  I had no idea this little man would steal my heart the way he has.

Week 30 - Everything I Want to Remember

How far along:  30 weeks 
Total weight gain/loss: Current weight = 118 lbs

Maternity clothes: Of course. And still wearing some loose, flowly non-maternity clothes

Stretch marks: None

Sleep: Meh.  Still waking up at night to pee and now getting killer leg cramps again - almost nightly

Movement:  Decreased a little. I suspect there's less room in there for her to move around. 

Cravings: Sweet stuff

Aversions: Curries/Indian food - but not as bad as previous.  Mr. Scout and I ordered in Indian food one night last week and I was able to eat it.  I didn't enjoy it as much as I usually would though.

Gender: A little feminist

Symptoms: Pelvic pressure, increasing back pain - especially after sitting at my desk all day

What I miss: I want to say sleep but I know that once baby girl arrives I will be begging for the kind of sleep I'm getting now

What I look forward to: Seeing her for the first time and seeing how Cub Scout reacts to her

Moods: Grateful that I get to experience this twice. Trying to be appreciate every feeling knowing it will very likely be the last time I am ever pregnant

Milestones: I'm in my 7th month and final trimester

Medical Concerns: None.  At last ultrasound to measure growth I was informed that this baby is measuring large - 86th percentile and was already 3 lbs!  Never thought I'd be able to make a large baby!  My weight gain is the same this pregnancy as last one so we'll have to wait and see if she comes out bigger than her brother.

Weekly Wisdom: Continue to appreciate being pregnant - enjoy this time - it goes by too fast!

Worst moment this week: One day of really bad back pain that forced me to leave work a bit early and generally feeling very pregnant and less mobile
Best moment this week: Every time Cub Scout says "kiss the belly" then kisses my belly - my heart swells :)

Week 25 - Everything I Want to Remember

How far along: 25 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  Current weight = 114.5 lbs (last pregnancy I was 115 lbs at 25 weeks)

Maternity clothes:  Of course.  And still wearing some loose, flowly non-maternity clothes

Stretch marks: None

Sleep: Meh.  Up at least once a night to pee

Movement:  Tons.  This little gal is a mover and shaker.  Much more movement going on compared to her brother...though he's made up for it since coming out of the womb!

Cravings:  Sweet stuff

Aversions:  Curries/Indian food - typically my favourite food but I haven't been able to touch it this pregnancy

Gender: A little feminist

Symptoms:  Pelvic pressure, some back pain

What I miss:  I want to say sleep but I know that once baby girl arrives I will be begging for the kind of sleep I'm getting now

What I look forward to:  Seeing her for the first time

Moods:  Grateful that I get to experience this twice.  Trying to be appreciate every feeling knowing it will very likely be the last time I am ever pregnant

Milestones: I'm in my 6th month!

Medical Concerns: None

Weekly Wisdom: Continue to appreciate being pregnant - enjoy this time - it goes by too fast!

Worst moment this week: The awful heat wave we are experiencing makes me just generally uncomfortable
Best moment this week:  Every time Cub Scout says "kiss the belly" then kisses my belly - my heart swells :)

Baby Girl

This is a long overdue post to document the fact that we will be welcoming a baby girl to our family!

A girl.  A daughter.  A little feminist. 

Having a daughter terrifies me when I think of mean girl culture, sexting, the prevalence of porn and how it distorts men and women's ideas of how a woman should look and act.  While girls and women today have choices that my mother never had, the playing field is still far from equal.  I hope to raise a little feminist.  A rebel.  A revolutionary.  A shit disturber.  A "I will move mountains because I can do anything I put my mind to" girl.

I also hope to raise my son to respect women.  To cherish them.  To treat them as his equal.  To believe there are no differences between boys and girls when it comes to abilities.  To teach others the same.

I never imagined that I could fall head over heels in love with a little boy.  Then I had Cub Scout and realized I wouldn't trade him for all the girls in the world.  Now I will have a little girl.  I will love her fiercely too, this I know.  My little Girl Scout.

I am blessed.  Truly.

Weeks and weeks before I found out that this baby was a girl, I was home alone and felt the baby move.  I put my hand on my belly and said "Hi baby girl."  I knew.  It wasn't wishful thinking.  If anything I might have been leaning towards wanting another boy because I love Cub Scout so much and would have loved for him to have a brother.  But I just knew this little one was a girl.

Week 20 - Everything I Want to Remember

How far along:  20 weeks 4 days

Total weight gain/loss: Current weight = 109 lbs

Maternity clothes:  Combination of maternity and non-maternity

Stretch marks: None

Sleep: Interrupted and never enough of it

Movement:  Feeling small movements every day

Cravings:  Chocolate

Aversions:  Indian food, anything with curry, which is normally my favourite!

Gender:  Girl (aka my budding little feminist)

Symptoms: Tired, back pain

What I miss:  My fabulous non-maternity clothes that I can't fit into

What I look forward to:  Holding my DAUGHTER! 

Moods:  Relaxed

Milestones: Every new week is a milestone

Medical Concerns:  Low-lying placenta (being sent to fetal medicine clinic for monitoring)

Weekly Wisdom: Try to enjoy every moment of pregnancy

Worst moment this week: None. The glass is half full!

Best moment this week:  My midwife confiring that I'm having a girl

Hi Mommy

My favourite two words these days are "Hi Mommy."  If Cub Scout sees me walking towards the car or if I walk into a room where he is he'll say "Hi Mommy" in the cutest voice imagineable.

At 22 months, he's such a little talker.  This morning I sneezed and he said "bless you, Mommy."  When I replied "thank you" he said "no problem."  Every day when Mr. Scout and Cub Scout pick me up from work, Cub Scout starts waving from the back window and saying "Hi Mommy, Hi Mommy, Hi Mommy" repeatedly as soon as he sees me walk out of the building.  It melts my heart every time.

He loves to say "hi" and "bye" and wave.  He'll be watching a cartoon and when it's over he'll say "bye Toopy Binoo" or "bye Max & Ruby."

I have finally gotten out of the crippling fatigue that plagued me from the beginning of this pregnancy. It is so nice to have some energy back. I spent the entire weekend playing with Cub Scout, going for walks with him, playing in the park. He enjoyed the slides at the park this weekend so much. He would climb to the top, say "ready, set, go" and then slide down laughing all the way. When he got to the bottom he'd say "Fun!" and climb back up again.

The ipad is his new favourite toy.  He'll sit and watch the educational videos as long as we'll let him and he knows how to scroll through the videos using his fingers and say "this one" when he finds one he wants to watch and then tap the screen to make it play.

And his fascination with trains continue.  He says "chugga, chugga, choo choo" every time he hears or sees one.  He says "all aboard" and I say "here's your ticket" and he'll pretend to take it out of my hand and put it in his pocket.  He also loves to pretend sleep these days and will making snoring noises. Or if he sees mommy or daddy or one of the cats with our eyes closed he'll hold his finger to his mouth and say "shhh, mommy sleeping."

Today when he saw Grandma he said "come Grandma dance", took her hand and walked over to the carpet to dance with his Grandma.  Grandma's heart melts every time :)

There are so many more things he says and does that I want to remember and will write them here as I recall them just so I don't ever forget them.  I love this age.  He's a ball of cuteness.  Every time he holds my hand I never want to let go because I know there will be a day when he won't want to hold mommy's hand anymore.