Feel Better Soon Auntie Shawndee!

Well..she'd hunt me down and kill me if I were to post the details of whats going on in Auntie Shawndee's world, so I'll leave it at "Hope things go well and you're back to your (ab)normal self a.s.a.p." - though I still think that if anything has to happen at the Royal Alex, she should wait til I'm there too delivering the baby so we can hang out in the cafeteria looking like death warmed over together...

UPDATE: Shawndee is well and recovering at home.

Get This Thing Out of Me Already!!!!

The Dr.'s appointment went well in the sense that the baby is doing jim dandy. Heartbeat strong, movements good, etc. etc.
What I was really hoping for was that the Dr. would say: "Oh My God...that baby is huge! Lets induce you right ^&*%^ing now and get it out..."
No such luck. I see him again in a week.
But just in case baby decides to arrive before then, I have my prenatal records on hand. Small steps....

38 weeks and counting....

woohoo! 14 days til the due date. I know that most people think that we should be enjoying our childless time while we can...and we are, but I still can't wait to get this baby out of me.
We're supposed to see one last movie in the theatre before this kid bursts forth into the world, but there's really nothing worth seeing out there right now. We have day passes (thanks to Toni!) for the Odyssium that we'll be using on Saturday, unless I go into labor. Gonna run amok through the place checking out both the old exhibits and the Robotics show that arrives on Friday. Also will be taking in an Imax show...either Forces of Nature or Coral Reef Adventure. Tonight we dine out at Chili's. I know, I know..its not a hotspot or anything, but DaddyR and I have never been to Chili's together and vowed to do so before the Kid comes along. Just one of those things that we said we'd do and now realize that there is not much time to do so. Plus...I need a good steak and from what I recall, Chili's makes a pretty good steak.

I see the Dr. again tomorrow...I have a feeling that my belly will measure at least 42 cm this time instead of the 38cm that it should. Maybe not...maybe the baby will drop into birthing position sometime in the next 12 hours...one can hope! Would make sense that DaddyR and I would make plans for the weekend and baby will decide to be born at, like, 2AM on friday or something...

Belated Thank You's to the ladies at work...

I really should have posted this earlier, but better late than never...

In no particular order, Mucho Thank You's to the following people:

• Dawn-Anne: For the Burt's Bees packs for Baby and Me!
• Case: For the wicked outfit
  
• Karen: For the awesome homemade blanket, World Music Lullaby CD, and 2 sets of PJ's
• Gerda (and the ladies at her Mom's Home): For the beautiful red knitted sweater and toque..absolutely gorgeous
• Kathy: For the teether, PJ's and matching blanket
• Anthony and Lori: For the funky cap, washcloth and hooded towel, Pj's, and blankie
• Coreen: For the receiving blankets (can't have enough!) and jammies
• Cathy: For the jammies, shirt, and cap
• Helen: For the diapers and orange kitty toy! (Helen knows orange kitties are special)
• Sarah: For the awesome dino-jammies

And, again, thanks to everyone at FPB for throwing that shower and putting up with me for 8 months of pregnancy...

And another big Thanks!!! to Charlotte for giving us her playyard and crib mattress as well as 15 tonnes of extra clothes and blankets..some of which were handmade by her mother!

Still no Baby!!

Gah...my belly grows by the hour! I swear that about every 2 days or so, I can notice a difference. I have seen more of my bellybutton in the past month than ever before...its pretty much inside out now. Somehow, this kid manages to keep on moving. Latest thing is spreading arms and legs out into an 'X' form...the baby's heels make it look like I have little devil horns on my belly...perhaps I should be concerned...

Baby Horoscope

Aquarius Babies

Things that once could have been considered 'sexy' or 'dirty'

But not anymore...

Nipple-less bras: Nursing bras are just not the same as the red lace ones from the adult store...

Electronic devices to be used on breasts: I guess for some people, breast pumps could be part of sex-play...but we're not those people (well..I'm not, I can't speak for DaddyR though). No offense to any breast-pump fetishists out there...

Showing off one's belly: While many women now deliberately show off their bellies, when its a matter of growing too large for maternity clothes, it just isn't sexy. Again, no offense to any prego-belly fetishists out there...

Encounters with strange men: Today was the third time ever that I met the delivery doctor. Telling DaddyR that a man I had met only twice before shoved his hand up my crotch just didn't have the effect that it could have/would have under other circumstances.

Lastly...perineum massage...I won't even bother going there....

All is still well

Had another dr.'s appointment today. Everything is fine. Blood pressure still holding well. Heartbeat is strong, baby movements are strong as well (like I needed a Dr. to tell me that)
I managed to lose a few pounds (yay) while the baby grew larger (uh..yay too, i guess)
I am 36.5 weeks along and baby measures at 39 weeks. The doctor wasn't sure if that meant its a big baby or that I am just a small person, thus making baby seem bigger than it is.
Baby's head is down, but not engaged yet. No dilation as of yet either.
First day of not working was OK too...I slept through the alarm, DaddyR's shower, and him getting dressed and ready for work.
Got up, went to the doctor, came home and slept until DaddyR arrived home again. I must have been both really tired and really relaxed as I drooled an ocean...gross. I also know that I must have been really tired as I forgot to move the little bag of chinese cookies that I snacked on before passing out from DaddyR's side of the bed to the dresser. Busted! He came home to find me on my side of the bed swimming in an ocean of drool and the bag of cookies and crumbs on his side...

Darth Tater

The baby will be too young for this for awhile, but its gotta be one of the kewlest toys I have seen in ages...

http://www.starwars.com/collecting/news/hasbro/news20050113.html

Thanks to Uncle Lucas for the heads-up!

Done!

I am officially finished working for the next 50 weeks...EI claim has been filed online. Nothing left to do but sleep, clean the house (including laundry), attend Dr.'s appointments, and wait for the birth of the baby.
Anthony took to my position well, so I don't need to worry about some dumbass destroying my server while I am away, which is a Good Thing. When one of the owners initially suggested that I source a contractor via a temp. agency, I worried. I am fully aware that great people can be found via temp. agencies (as I was once one of them...as is my bro currently), but it still filled me with a sense of dread at the goons I would have to weed through. Luckily, Anthony was sick of the position he held at the Evil IT Company and was interested in escaping said position, even if it meant finding something else in a year or so. Yay Me! Yay Anthony!

Off to add vinegar to the final rinse...

Thanks Auntie Helen and Uncle Steve

For giving us William's Winnie-The-Pooh 'Hunny' lamp and the kewl Classic Pooh storage boxes!

Spoiled Rotten @ Work

Tomorrow is my last day of work for the next year or so...yay! Not so 'yay' will be having only about 1/2 of my current income until going back to work. Better than a kick in the teeth or no income at all, as is the case with many other mommies in this world. Being a Canadian has its perks, for sure. At least the EI should be enough to cover the mortgage, which is my primary financial concern.
The folks at the office spoiled me something terrible today. We had a fantastic potluck lunch that I didn't even have to contribute a dish to! And I mean fantastic...two types of ambrosia salad, two different kinds of cheesecake, hot wings, meatballs, funky berry crumble crockpot dessert, shrimp ring, spinach dip, cupcakes, you name it!
In addition to the feast, they literally showered us with baby gifts. Individual thanks will be posted later. The office as a whole contributed money and gave us a $340 toysrus gift card..I was shocked and slightly overwhelmed at the same time. The people that I work with are far too good and generous to me, Danny, and baby-to-be. Now we can get the baby monitor, microwave bottle sterilizer, diaper bag, and baby bathtub that we need.
I promise to resist the temptation to use the gift card for a Nintendo Gamecube and games. I think I can get by with the Playstation2, Gameboy Advance, PC, and all the other older console game systems that we still have hooked up and play.

Thanks Auntie Barb and Cousins Amos and Leo!

For the groovy tie-dye 'onesie' and matching cap...all the way from the Hippie capital of North America: Eugene, Oregon...

Hope you have fun in France!

Yay Drugs...again

The drugs worked...all is well with the baby to be.
I'm 35 weeks, measuring at 37 and would be willing to let almost anyone with a sharp knife perform a c-section right about now...

177lbs doesn't suit me. 120lbs does.

Limited mobility doesn't suit me. Bouncing off walls does.

My feet no longer suit me...I can only see them when they puff and swell like a large inflated rubber glove though.

4 more days of work left. After that, hopefully, I can just sleep until the contractions get to be too much and I have to go to the hospital...if no one has volunteered to perform a c-section by then...

Thanks Grandpa Sherman!

For the fancy new crib...especially since DaddyR was going to replace the missing pieces from the crib that was older than me with duct tape...

Thanks Grandpa!

Thanks to Grandpa D and Grandma Campbell for the spanky new travel system! Rocking and rolling in style...

Thanks Scruff

Thanks to Scruff the Cat for the music box teddy bear, the 5 diaper shirts and the socks!

Thanks Auntie Fran!

Thanks to Auntie Fran for the teddy bear and blankets. Fran's cousin in Calgary sewed a couple of big thick flannel receiving blankets...not your wimpy little square ones!

Yay Drugs

I know I said that I would get into the Xmas Thank You's and wishing people Happy New Year and all that, but life is getting hectic again!

Had another Dr.'s appt. yesterday. She told me that I have mild toxemia and have to be on meds for blood pressure for the next couple of weeks.

I see Dr. Hodges, the delivery doctor, on Monday for a follow up. As long as things have not gotten any worse, I will be allowed to work until January 14th, 2005. If things are worse, I get pulled onto bedrest immediately and they will more than likely induce labour or perform a c-section shortly after Jan 12th....joy.

The good part is that as far as the doctors can tell, the baby is doing fine...happily poisoning his/her mother and growing fat.