Reconnecting

When we lived in Grand Rapids, I became really good friends with Kami.  When I got pregnant with Asher, she discovered she was also pregnant, with twin boys.  We had our boys within 6 weeks of eachother, and for the next year we got together often for playdates.

The next year found us in Ontario, & Kami in California.

A year after that, we were spread as far as possible in North America, with us living on Prince Edward Island, and Kami in Savoonga, Alaska


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Recently, Kami moved from Alaska to Southern Washington, so when I went to visit my parents near Seattle, we knew we had to see eachother.


So, Kami showed up at my parents’ house & we headed to the beach to see what we could find.

A big starfish…

…and a little starfish.











  We tipped a lot of rocks, & found crabs of all different sizes, eels, hermit crabs, snails, & even jelly fish.  We had a great time seeing each other after 3 years, & the time together was too short!

When it was time to go, Logan & Owen were unimpressed!

Check It Out!

I might still look slightly pregnant, but I'm NOT! Less than 24 hours after my Dr told me I'd be pregnant for the duration of FOREVER, my water broke! (And I managed to keep the sheets clean).


At 2am my water broke & off we went to the hospital. I was put into a triage room where they evaluate to see if you'll be staying or going home. The person in the next bed kept me entertained b/c apparently she was not enjoying her pregnancy. She was about 28 weeks & had come in b/c she was having some contractions. The nurses verified they were braxton-hicks, but the woman was determined. She asked what her chances were of having the baby that day & was told "not likely." She then asked if they could call the doctor b/c she wanted to have the baby out (though I could relate, I wasn't that eager at 28 weeks yet). The nurses assured her that if she were to go into labour, the Drs would do all they could to STOP it & that no Dr would induce labour at 28 weeks. The lady also mentioned at one point that she wanted to take the baby home & not keep it in the hospital for any length of time...... I was entertained!

So, they decided to keep me around & moved me into a birthing room, where I read my book, enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, & slept until around 9 when they gave me some oxytocin to get some action started. At 10:30 I decided I knew enough about pain & got some morphine. And at 11:07 our daughter Chancery Lane was born!

Chad, in all his kindness, said I make a good cow..... I have easy labours. I was just glad that my child was a bit smaller than a bovine. And she was on the small end, at 6lbs 4oz & 20.5 inches. Welcome to the world, baby girl!

The Cruelest Words

I had another DR appointment today. I was eager to find out if this baby is any closer to coming out. Not b/c I really want to meet it, not b/c I'm uncomfortable, but b/c we have a moving deadline & the older the baby is, the easier the trip will be.

So, off I went. I saw the Dr. I haven't grown at all in the last week. He listened to the heartbeat, measured the tummy & checked that the head is still down. Then he said..... "ok, see you next week!"

How cruel! I got home & Chad asked, "Well, what's the news?" ..... I don't think this baby wants to be born in Alberta. I think it wants to be born on our road trip. He simply said see you next week. Chad asked if he checked to see how far I'm dilated. No, he did not. "Well, you need to tell him to check that!" But I don't want to be one of "those" patients who thinks they know more than the Dr. He's the one who's gone to school for it & delivered countless babies. I suppose when "Baby X" is good & ready it'll come out & until then I just have to find a way to try to hurry it along a little!

The Last Few Days

Over the last week there have been many exciting developments. I was asked at the grocery store if I was pregnant, which Chad & I found quite humorous, since I have only 3 weeks to go. But many people have said I am not very big. From the back you can't really tell that I am pregnant at all, so I suppose I don't look as far along as I am, but "Are you pregnant?" I'd have to have something incredibly wrong w/ me to look like this & not be pregnant!

I didn't have to worry about them stopping me from flying b/c I don't really look like I'm in my 9th month. On one of the flights we were seated in the emergency exit row & the stewardess asked if we felt comfortable to perform the duties of the row & we said yes. Then she came back a few minutes later & asked, "wait, are you pregnant?" "Yes," I replied & she said she'd have to re-seat us b/c she hadn't realised that at first & apparently pregnant people aren't allowed to sit in the exit rows.

We did end up buying the house we had looked at. The offer was accepted Saturday night, we set up the mortgage, insurance, got a lawyer & did all the little things we had to do before we left PEI, so we feel good about getting all that done. We didn't have much of a holiday, but it feels really good to not have to worry about any of that. We'll close on Sept 22, so we can move in then.

I saw the Doctor today & he said he's going w/ a due date of Aug 26. Can we just say THIS BABY IS NEVER COMING OUT!!!!" Normally I wouldn't mind. Asher was overdue by a few days, but it was ok b/c I figure the more days he was inside, the more nights I got to sleep through the night before he came out. But this time we have a bit of a deadline. We have to get to PEI by the 19th of Sept, & we want to be in Ontario for the 14th of Sept, meaning we have to leave here by the 8th of Sept. Having Baptism on the 7th, but I'm not especially looking forward to travelling w/ such a small baby. I was hoping for a month to get everything figured out before we had to go.

They've already moved the due date from Aug 10 to the 21st & now to the 26th. Pretty soon I won't have a baby, but a giraffe! (I believe giraffes gestate for about 26 months).

Oh well, I suppose there's nothing I can do about it by worrying or ranting, so we'll just wait until the little one is ready to make it's appearance. I suppose it might be a good time to pack my bag for the hospital & get the baby clothes out as well.

Online House Shopping

In September we will be moving out to Prince Edward Island. After much deliberation & prayer we accepted the call to go out there. So after the baby is born at the end of August we'll be making preparations to make a very loooong road trip from Alberta to PEI. We must have a masochistic side.

So, in the mean time Chad & I are planning on flying out to PEI next week for a week to go house hunting. We've been in contact w/ a realtor out there who has sent us property info for over 25 homes & we've been trying to narrow that down to about 10 to start looking at when we get there next week. It's quite a difficult proposition. Some of the hosues really sound great & then you start to look through the pictures only to discover that the house was decorated in the 70's complete w/ green, brown, & copper carpeting. The walls were papered w/ rust & brown striped wallpaper w/ floral bouquets. The cupboards are an appealing stained plywood......

Other houses are really hard to figure out b/c you have no layout of the house you are left to a few pictures & your imagination to try to figure out if the kitchen is near the living room or not. Some houses only have a few pictures of the outside & a picture of the kitchen. None of the bedrooms or the rest of the house.

I think we've got our short list now, I hope we find something we really will like while we are there next week. Of course, my main concern is that "Baby X" will wait at leat until August to make it's appearance b/c anything earlier than that & we may have a PEI baby instead of an Albertan! Yikes!

An Explanation & An Apology

I really enjoy reading people's blogs. One thing that makes it more enjoyable is regular posts so I remember who the person is & keep up w/ their lives. On that note, I want to apologize to you, dear reader, for my recent lack of posts. Here comes the explanation.....

We recently moved in w/ my in-laws. This in itself, is not a reason to stop blogging.

We have internet (obviously), so I should be able to keep up to date a bit, but the problem is that I am now sharing a computer w/ Chad. This also should not be an issue.

We brought our desk-top computer along as well, but it seems a bit silly to pull all the pieces out of the box to set it up for just a few months, so here I am, trying to vie for a little computer time here & there.

I am no longer blogging during Asher's nap b/c I am tired. Don't get me wrong, I don't really have much to do here, it's like a vacation! I have no cooking to do, I realyly only have to keep our bedroom & washroom tidy, & do our laundry every now & then, but trying to keep a 2 year old entertained in a none kid-proofed, new environment, can be tricky & tiring. Not to mention that I have about 6 weeks left until "Baby X" makes it's appearance into the world & I get NO chance to sleep for the next year (does that sound a bit pessimistic?).

So, hopefully I will be able to keep up w/ blogging, even if it's not everyday anymore. It's not that I don't have anything to blog about. We still have a funny kid, we're going to new & exciting places, I just haven't found the time to get it from my head to the computer.

So, there's my explanation, here's the apology.....

I'm really, really sorry if I'm not writing as regularly as you'd like, I'll try to be better, please, PLEASE don't give up on me!

I Feel Tired

I suppose it's par-for-the-course that when I am 7 1/2 - 8 months pregnant I would feel tired. Of course it may also have to do with taking a long road trip last week, or the fact that the boy is waking up before 6 in the mornings, or the fact that the toy room is down 2 stories from the bedrooms, but I feel like doing NOTHING!

This is a problem for a few reasons.....

1. Asher doesn't understand why I don't want to go running down the hill w/ him.
2. Asher doesn't always listen when I tell him to do something & needs to be manhandled/dragged to do my bidding.
3. I should really try to stay a little fit so that labour isn't too taxing on my body.
4. We are living w/ my in-laws & don't really want to be viewed as the very lazy person I might be coming across as.

So I am trying to convince myself to remove my posterior from the chair it seems to be glued to, but it seems there is some sort of magnetic field that pulls me toward any other chair in the vicinity. Seriously, last night I got out of one chair, simply to relocate a mere 5 paces later to another chair w/in the same room. Kind of defeats the purpose, but I suppose 5 paces of exercise is better than nothing!

Packing Up

Chad & I are busy packing up all our stuff. It's a bit of a struggle, but we are making really good progress. We have taken all the boxes out of the storage room & gone through all the baby stuff to decide what we'll need in Alberta & what we can wait for.

We've packed all the things in the laundry room which included all the kitchen things like the rice cooker, crock pot, corningware, etc. We had to stop at that point b/c we started getting carried away & headed toward the kitchen stuff. At one point had we kept going we'd have nothing to eat for breakfast the next few days.

The items from the desk have been packed, which has become an issue already b/c all the rubberbands are gone.... How are we supposed to wrap electrical cords now? We did leave out a few pens, but we don't really have any paper to write things on..... I suppose we could write ourselves notes on boxes, but w/ our luck the box would get moved & we'd have no idea where that person's phone number went.......

All the books & art got packed before the weekend & now our living room echoes.... echoes... echoes....

Asher is enjoying being at daycare this week. Yesterday he managed to talk his way out of a nap there, but fell asleep on the couch about 20 minutes before we picked him up. This resulted in him sleeping in 'til quarter after 7 this morning! Of course b/c he is always awake at quarter 'TIL 7 most mornings, I woke up then & couldn't get back to sleep......

This morning Asher woke up & asked to play w/ his trucks, BUT we got a little carried away in packing his room yesterday & the only toys that are left are ones that we are going to get rid of, so there were no trucks. We did leave about 1/2 of his books out, but since he couldn't play w/ toys while we got ready, one of us had to read to him while the other got ready this morning, so we were a bit later than usual. That's ok though, we aren't really in a huge rush.

It's been really enjoyable having Chad around w/o Asher. I know that sounds bad, but normally one of us is preoccupied w/ Asher so we don't really spend all that much time talking & just BEING together.

This morning we got started packing our room. We're pretty much done, though it was not a whole lot of fun. We had to go through all our clothes & decide what we're going to wear in the next 2 months, pack THAT stuff to take to Alberta, & then pack the rest of the stuff for storage. For me, that consists of maternity clothes & post-maternity clothes.... It's not so easy to decide what clothes are going to fit after you have the baby, when you are currently 7 months pregnant.... How skinny will you be 2 weeks after your baby is born? What clothes (that you haven't even THOUGHT about looking at in the last 5 months) will you be able to/want to wear in 2 months?

Pretty much all that's left now is the washroom & the rest of the kitchen stuff. That shouldn't take us too long. We have 'til Thursday night when all the people come to load the trailer, but I think we should be able to be done sometime tomorrow. It's nice that we are so good at packing b/c I would NOT like to feel rushed doing this. It's nice to be able to relax in the evenings & not feel like we should be packing. Besides, I'm PREGNANT! I should be taking it easy, eh?

A New Timeline

The other day I had another OB appointment. I am to the point where I see a different doctor everytime I go so that I can meet them all before I have the baby. O f course, I'm not having the baby here, but they didn't know that, so I was meeting them.

The last time I was there, the doctor asked if I was small when I was pregnant w/ Asher too. Well, I don't know really. I didn't gain a whole lot of excess weight, but I certainly got a big belly by the end. Then she asked if I was on a 28 day cycle.... well, not so much. So she changed my due date.

This time I saw a male doctor, & he said that since the ultrasound pictures had been a bit small for the time frame & I was more than 28 days, the new due date was August 21 instead of Aug 10. Then he asked if I was ok w/ that. Let me tell you, people are not expecting to hear that you'd rather have the baby inside for longer b/c it's quieter that way!

I am GREAT w/ having the baby later for that reason, but it does change things a bit for taking a call to a church somewhere. Our timeline has kinda been that we'd be in Alberta until the end of August & then move to wherever we are going, but I REALLY don't want to drive across the country 10 days after I have the baby, although at that point it will probably sleep most the way, nights will probably be another story. Asher was awake almost every 2 hours & was a Looooong nurser. That could make for an interesting trip.

Hot Feet

For the last few nights I have had a TERRIBLE time getting to sleep. I always have a problem w/ my feet being hot at night, it's kinds of a funny issue b/c quite often I'll go to bed w/ FREEZING cold feet so I'll put socks on, only to have to remove them 1/2 way through the night b/c my feet are too hot. This issue runs in my family as well. My brother always sleeps w/ his feet out of the covers & I think we both get that from Mom (Hi, Mom!).

So, last night I went to bed, no socks. My feet were sufficiently warm. After an hour of hanging my feet out of the covers, I finally had to get up & douse them w/ a cold washcloth. It didn't have much effect, but it felt pretty good at the time. I did realise that my feet were all swollen as well (one thing about pregnancy I could do w/o). FINALLY I was able to get to sleep.

I told Chad about it this morning & his reply was, "but the room was COLD! I had the window open all night." Yes, the room was cold, I was a little chilly, but my feet? Not so much. I do recall this hot feet problem from when I was pregnant w/ Asher & could quite often be found sitting on the front porch w/ my feet in a 5 gallon bucket of water to cool off my tootsies.

I think I may fill the hot water bottle w/ cold water & try that tonight. It's not like the weather has been that hot... just my feet!

Big Brother

This morning I was commenting on how Asher's jammies were a bit big. He kept stepping on the feet & couldn't go anywhere. Chad said "that's ok, he's a BIG boy." Which Asher then had to repeat, since he repeats almost everything at some point.

Then Asher informed me he was going to be a big brother today. I told him that he was going to be a big brother, but I hoped it wasn't going to happen today. Then he said, "Asher be a big brother when a baby comes out..... Thaaat's right!" (he likes to affirm himself).

So does that mean I don't have to give him the birds & the bees talk? Sounds like he's got it down doesn't it?

They Gave Me Sugar Water

Yesterday when I went to the Doctor I thought I'd kill 2 birds w/ one stone & get my bloodwork done that my other doctor had ordered last week. I kept seeing the lab order on my counter & just hadn't found a convenient time to go, which isn't like me at all. If you know me in the "real" world, you'll know that I actually LIKE to go to the doctor. I think when I was a freshman in college I was either at the hospital or the doctor every week. (I had physio for my ankle for 2 months, plus I was a BIT accident-prone).

ANYWAY, I went & they told me that the test that was ordered was a 1 hour Glucose Tolerance Test & I'd have to sit there for the whole hour. I knew what kind of test had been ordered, but in the doctor's office where I used to work, we never had made the patients wait, so I had figured I could drink the stuff & go home, then come back w/o Asher in tow, since I knew that sitting in the lab w/ Asher was not going to be a pleasant experience. So I told the lady I'd come back later instead.

Today Chad came home a little early so I could get the test done since I was supposed to get it done as soon as possible & it had already been a week & then some. So off I went w/ my book for an hour of sitting. I have to tell you, it was a rather enjoyable way to spend an hour. I could sit & read w/o any interruptions of any kind. The only issue I had was the chairs in the waiting room weren't very padded & neither is my bum, so sitting there for that long led to a bit of a sore tush, but I suppose most people don't have to sit there that long.... unless they come on a Monday morning, those were always busy.....

They gave me the delicious orange drink & said they'd call me back for the bloodwork in an hour. My baby was enjoying the sugar-rush. It was wriggling & squirming all over the place! When the time was almost up I sure felt tired though!

When I got home it was lunch time & now I have the issue of what to eat since I feel quite sugary & I need something to balance that out....... Any suggestions?

Brownies

Just so you are aware....... the brownies are DELICIOUS!!!!

Cravings

As I type this little blog, dear reader, a sad thing has happened. I am baking brownies. The smell is wafting around the apartment & tantalizing my taste buds. I had to go into the kitchen to get something & noticed that the brownies only had 15 minutes to go. I started to think of how good fresh home-made brownies are. I figured I could wait 15 minutes for one, but then I remembered that I would also have to wait for them to cool down a bit & I decided I couldn't wait that long. Soooooo, I ate a Suzy-Q. Not so bad, you say? Well, the brownies have just come out of the oven & I am starting to rethink that I could probably wait until they cool down a bit & have one of those as well. No wonder my stomach is getting so big!

A Sign of Things to Come?

I've heard many times that parents generally are more lenient w/ second children than they are w/ their first. I know some who are diligent about filling in the baby book for baby #1, begin a baby book for #2, & don't even bother buying one for subsequent children b/c they know it's not eve going to be started, let alone completed. I am really hoping that baby #2 & beyond at least get baby books in our family, but if things continue to go as they have thus far, I'm not so sure it'll happen.

When I was pregnant w/ Asher I was diligent about buttering my belly w/ cocoa butter in order to avoid the dreaded stretch marks. I put on a thick coat every night w/o fail & for the most part it worked, until he "dropped" & I got a few stretch marks in the last few weeks. Generally I faired pretty well.

Maybe it's due to being tired at the end of the day, or the fact that I'm getting older & I know that I will probably almost never wear stomach baring clothing again, but I have been very negligent on the belly buttering front. I am really hoping this isn't a sign of things to come, like neglecting to feed my child, or change their pants......

The Power of Suggestion

So, I'm pregnant..... I feel gross in the mornings, I feel gross whenever I have to cook something, and I feel gross whenever Asher makes me spin around (but he enjoys it so!). I'm really hoping that in a few weeks I'll go back to feeling somewhat normal again. I don't think it lasted very long when I was pregnant with Asher. I remember pregnancy being Wonderful!
The other day Asher and Chad were watching Fraggles. I was reading a book b/c I find the Fraggles to be quite annoying. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of the Muppets, just can't stand the Fraggles. Anyway, the guy and his dog were discussing a donut...... I then wanted a donut, so off to Tim's we went!
A few days later I was watching Gilmore Girls, and they made Cinnamon rolls. Cue a trip to the store for some Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls! Granted, what I really wanted was Cinnabon, but I couldn't justify a trip into London just for some Cinnamon Rolls.
It should be interesting to see what the next 7 months bring!