Lake Louise

Fairborne's annual Xmas party was held again at Lake Louise and Gramma Jo and Grampa Phil took care of Chance. He went to bed at 8 PM and slept for 6.5 hours straight for them - he must have wanted to be a good boy for Christmas - Santa's watching! Chance also ate very well from his bottle once he figured out that's where the food was (Gramma Jo said that once he started getting milk from the bottle he brought his hands up to his face and started grunting/cooing - just like in the photo on the main page where Cam is feeding him). He also made several dirty diapers over the 24 hour period that we were gone, much to Grampa Phil's dismay.

Once we left the house, I cried off and on until we were nearly to Banff. When we checked in to the hotel I called home and got the baby update from Gramma Jo and felt better, if not still a bit weepy. I took my pump with me and pumped milk the whole time we were away so that we brought nearly 30 oz back with us (Chance drank the 20 oz I left in the fridge and had just started to tuck into the frozen stuff when we got home). After 24 hours of bottle feeding, Chance looked like he was in heaven once he was back at the breast - at least I can say he missed me (& my boobs). I missed him like mad but the break was excellent for Cam and myself. I took 2 baths, slept for 5 hours straight (woke up to pump), even had a glass of wine before and after dinner!

Leaving Baby

Well this afternoon we are leaving for Lake Louise for our overnight stay and leaving Chance at home with my parents. It feels like I've been tossing and turning all night! I wish the sun would come up! (Currently 10 minutes to 8).

Sleeping??

Wow, someone kidnapped my baby and put a sleeping angel in his place!

New haircut!

Well it seems that we have figured out part of the problem - as long as Chance is well rested & the house is kept calm at bedtime, he goes to sleep not too badly. Over the last week and a half we have only taken him for 2 car rides as a last-ditch effort to get him to sleep. Other than that he has been in bed around 9:30 or 10:30 PM, then up at 2 AM and then 6 AM.

Tonight Cameron spent his first time alone with Chance when I went to get my hair cut. Chance was sleeping on Cam's chest when I got home, which allowed me to wolf down supper before he woke up. My haircut is shorter than I intended, but I think it will be practical when it comes to styling, etc.

My folks will be back in town visiting us from December 10-17. They will be staying in Calgary with Chance while Cam and I go to Fairborne's Christmas party in Lake Louise - I'm a bit aprehensive about leaving him already, but I know I will have to do it sometime, and I couldn't ask for better babysitters.

Late-night car rides and poopy overalls

Over the last week Chance has been getting pretty wound up in the evenings. For the last 2 nights in a row we have taken him out in the car for a ride to help settle him. I had a doctor's appointment with him today and the advice given was to STOP IT NOW. The doctor said that if babies get used to only 1 way of getting settled, you'll be doing it until they are 1 or 2 years old!

We've been advised to put him down while he is awake and let him put himself to bed at this point. Next time we are at the store, I think we better get some earplugs.

His weight gain has been absolutely phenomenal, and now we have a 10-lb plus baby on our hands! Chance was wiggling on the scale so it was hard to tell his exact weight - it was somewhere between 10 lbs 4 oz and 10 lbs 8 oz.

He is developing quickly, and definitely knows who his mommy and daddy are. He's also "standing" for longer periods and turning his head to see things if I turn him away while walking. Gramma Jo said she made him smile when I was in the shower the other day, so will have to keep an eye out for a chubby grin.

I was going to take some cute photos of Chance today in his snazzy red overalls and fancy button up shirt with a little collar (his first time all dressed up), however he SOILED himself real good this afternoon. Hopefully it all comes out in the wash!

Gramma Jo Visits

Well we have had a quiet baby on our hands over the last few days and hopefully the trend will continue!

Today Chance, Gramma Jo and I went to the Calgary Farmers' Market. We bought all kinds of good food and saw lots of neat art vendors. Chance slept mostly while in his baby carrier, but that was OK.

The amazing standing 2 week old baby!

Whooooo! Yesterday Chance was a maniac! He wanted to be fed all the time & was grumpy and cried all day long! He must be growing! Today he is quiet and has been sleeping a lot and eating well. Bad baby/good baby. He cried from 6:30 PM until 11:30 PM last night - no consolation found in food, song, or dance.

He is getting stronger though - now he will "stand" up for quite a few seconds. It's pretty cute. His eyes get bigger and bigger as he lifts himself up higher and higher.

Well off to try to grab a few minutes' zz's before the little tyke wakes up.

Goopy eye "normal"

Cam's parents and Jen are here for the weekend, and surprisingly it has not been as hectic and stresful as I thought it would be. I have been sleeping more when the baby is sleeping and feeling much better for it. Will definitely miss having everyone around to help out with Chance, especially Cam (he returns to work tomorrow).

Chance had a weigh-in on Friday and he is now 9 lbs 1 oz, or 4120g, just shy of his birthweight! That's so great! The doctor said that now I can start feeding him more often in the day and let him sleep longer at night, so maybe will try stretching his night feeds to 4 or 5 hours apart, and his day feeds only 2 hours apart. More sleep for me & better sleep for Chance at night time! She was unconcerned with his goopy eye, and to be honest it has cleared up a lot since mid-last week.

The Mommy Wall

Wow I think I'm starting to hit the Mommy Wall. I just want to sleep! Is it selfish to feel this way? This has got to be the worst part about breastfeeding, way worse than the sore boobs! Because it takes up to an hour and a half to feed Chance sometimes it seems like I'm walking around the house without a shirt on 24 hours a day! Sometimes it's quick, only 30 or 40 minutes, and sometimes he's really good about falling asleep right away. But then there's other times....I just hope it gets easier.

Chance has a goopy right eye. Have talked to 2 nurses over the phone about it and neither of them are concerned, but I just wish he would be able to open both blue eyes when he wakes up. He's also started developing some baby acne spots, the weird part is they get super bright red and get larger when I feed him and then they fade out to little pink dots when he's asleep. Will pass this by the doctor when we go see her on Friday morning.

1 Week Old...

I can't believe that it's now a week since we went in to the hospital for the first induction treatment. Our little boy is doing very well at home. Cameron says that we can start going for short walks together in a few days, just around the block, provided that it gets less icy out. The weather forecast looks favorable for melting snow & ice this week, yay! I am thankful to be at home but at the same time feel a bit cooped up.

We will have our first live-in visitors next weekend, my sister as well as Cameron's parents. It will be fun seeing them with their new family member. They will just be here for the weekend. My mom is coming to stay with us for 10 days next week, I am really looking forward to that as well!

Chance's Birth Story

We went to the hospital at 8 PM on the 29th of Oct. and I was induced using a prostaglandlin gel which was applied to my cervix. 2 hours later I was having 5 minute contractions every 2 minutes apart. Yes you are reading that correctly. 5 minute contractions, 2 minutes apart! It was terrible!

So we went back to the hospital Emergency Room and I laboured there for 6 hours and the worst part was I was not dilating past 1 cm! So frustrating! I had hoped for a relatively drug free labour however when they offered me morphine at 5 AM I took it! A few hours later they wheeled me over to the Labour and Delivery ward where I showered and then a few hours later they hooked me up to an IV hormone called oxytocin. I started having regular contractions which were much more natural - 60 seconds long 5 minutes apart. However still not dilating.

The doctor broke my water and then I dilated from 1 cm to 3 cm within 2 hours, but by that time I had been in labour for nearly 12 hours and with no food nor rest was feeling like I wouldn't have enough energy to push when it came time to do that. So I requested an epidural to help with the pain so I could sleep. However the anesthesiologist was missing in action so laboured for another hour.

When I did get the epidural the effect was almost instantaneous and it was wonderful to be able to sleep a bit. I didn't feel a thing anymore. They checked me a few hours later and I had progressed only 1 cm more, and then 10 hours later I had not progressed at all.

So they gave me an IUPC - Intra-Uterine Pressure C....? I don't remember what the C stood for. It's like a pressure tester. From the IUPC they could tell the baby was stuck. His heart rate was dropping as low as 90 beats per minute. I was told I would need to have a C-section.

In my hospital room I was given medicine that would help nausea. I had eaten 6 small popsicles (the cheap kind) and they were soooooo good. When it looked like labour would be a while, I sent Cam to Safeway for better popsicles. The ones made with real fruit juice. I ate 3 bites before they told me I couldn't eat any more because I was going into surgery. They took my popsicle away! The medicine tasted really bitter like tequila.

I remember being wheeled from my labour room to the O.R., and then being told to hold still while they transferred me from the hospital bed to the operating table. They said that trying to help might make them drop me. I remember feeling the iodine being scrubbed onto my belly, and then the anesteseologist was there giving me a booster for the C-section. A curtain went up and Cam was to my right, the anesthesologist to my left. My arms were out at 90° from my body, and they were shaking uncontrollably. I was told this was normal, a reaction to the anesthetic. I was asked if I could feel anything (I presume they were pinching me), I said no. I didn't feel anything for the longest time, then I was told "you're going to feel some pressure" - it felt like an elephant was sitting on me, and there were some disturbing sucking noises. I could hear the doctors talking, they said something about "strange anatomy". The baby was out, I knew it was, there was no noise and it was just heartbreaking. It was 1:05 AM A minute since the baby was taken out. Then the baby started to cry! And cry, and CRY, and CRY! The doctor said "whoah, this one's p*ssed off".

The doctor asked if we had any names picked out - we said Chance if it was a boy, and (another name) if it was a girl....and he said "well, say hello to Chance!" Then they finally held my little boy up for me to see it was so amazing! I clearly remember Cameron holding him to show me his face (the rest of him was wrapped up in blankets) but then I lose track of time for about 8 hours when I was pretty drugged. I remember being freezing cold and wrapped up in blankets myself and trying to get the baby to breastfeed, but he wouldn't so they took him away.

The next morning I woke up as about 6 doctors, nurses, etc. were in my room. It seemed they wanted to me to breastfeed, examine my catheter and incision all at the same time - overwhelming! I was still hooked up to the IV. I was told I needed to pee 1 L before noon. I also had a baby sleeping next to me in a basinnette. He was snoring.

The nurses were wonderful, especially one who really helped me breastfeed Chance. She was very hands-on, but I appreciated the effort, because it really payed off in spades. Chance was feeding successfully within 24 hours. This was a big victory for me. I felt triumphant when he finally got it, around 5 PM or so on Oct. 31. Eating was hard work for him though, and he often fell asleep very quickly, so Cam and I spent hours expressing colostrum and syringe-feeding it to him. Lynne came to visit around supper time, bringing Chance a stuffed lamb and t-shirt declaring that he was born at Rockyview General Hospital.

I was in the hospital for a day and a half and then they said I could choose to go home if I wanted to - I nearly jumped for joy! Cam came to pick me up at 10 AM, and by the time we were through with feeding the baby, forms, etc., it as 2 PM. Cam put me and Chance to bed and we slept for 3 hours - it felt like 3 seconds. When we woke up Cam had made a simple supper and hand-fed me while I fed Chance. Real food, veggies, crackers, etc. tasted so good after days of nothing but liquids.

The first few days at home were pretty wild. We were visited by a public health nurse who weighed Chance and we were told that he had lost 400 g, or 9.6% of his birth weight. 10% is the limit where the Calgary Health Region brings the babies back to the hospital. I had a bit of trouble breastfeeding him right off the bat and it took about 24 hours to get it figured out how to latch him on and even then he sometimes fell asleep after only 5 minutes. After we got home, it was better because I was more comfortable and relaxed, but the weight was already lost and we couldn't do anything except to supplement his feedings with formula, just tiny amounts every other feeding. The next day we visited the doctor & we weighed Chance again and he had not gained any weight but he had not lost any either. The next day we went to a health clinic and my section staples were removed and we weighed Chance again...this time he had gained a little more than 100 g! The bad part was that when his temperature was taken it consistantly read low - below the 36.6°C threshold that the Health Region needs in order to send the baby back home. So we had to go to the Children's Hospital where he was assessed - I was really upset because I just wanted to feed my baby and everyone seemed to be keeping me from doing just that. At the hospital his temperature was taken again and he was 37°. Normal. It was an exhausting day. Was that really only 2 days ago...? It seems so long now.

Being at home feels really good and now I'm feeling ready to go out for a short walk with Cam and the baby tomorrow, probably late afternoon when it's warmest. I wouldn't have believed that it would feel so good to be a mom - my heart nearly bursts if I think about it too long! I'm just so happy to have Chance here with us, and we love him so much! He seems to be gaining weight and he is definitely producing a lot of dirty diapers, all good signs that breastfeeding is going well. I'm looking forward to when coughing doesn't hurt anymore - right now it is still pretty sore where I was operated on but it will be better soon.

Our first visitors will be coming to stay next weekend, Cam's parents and my sister & her boyfriend. It will be a full house, just for the weekend! A few days later my mom is flying into town and she will stay with us for 10 days which will be great. Then my dad is driving the 800 km here to spend the weekend with us and then he and mom will go home together. A few weeks later they will be back for a week in early December and then at Christmas time we are going to drive 800 km north to Cameron's parents' farm. The time will go quickly, I'm sure.

C-Section Staples Removed

Chance is changing quickly already! He is eating well 8-12 times per day and doesn't cry very much in the middle of the night anymore...possibly there's a connection (?!?!)) He has started to produce loaded diapers for his daddy to change regularly and has earned the title of "Brewmaster". Very prestigious!

Had my staples removed today and it feels so much better, they were really starting to pull and twinge when I moved too fast or in certain angles. I was a bit scared to have them removed because they looked so gruesome, but it didn't hurt at all and now I have steri-strips across my incision, which are just very strong tape. They gave me some extra so as they fall off I can put on new ones.

Also had Chance weighed today and he gained a little more than 4 oz (1/4 lb) over the last 24 hours. We're very happy! At this rate he will be back at his birth rate within 5 days or so, well within the preferred 2 week time period.Also had his temperature taken and it was quite low, consistantly. The Calgary Health Region (CHR) policy is anything less than 36°C and you must take your baby to the Children's Hospital, so had a bit of a circus this morning and I got a bit frazzled worrying over missed feedings and exposure to sick kids' germs in the hospital. Hormones, hormones! At the hospital they took his temp rectally (poor Chance!) and it was 100% normal!

I spent a lot of the afternoon being plain PO'd that we had to go through this hassle & stress of the hospital trip just because the health clinic had old unreliable thermometers, which they admitted was the likely problem.

Home Sweet Home

It feels so good to be home, thanks to everyone who sent good wishes & congratulations!

We will have a public health nurse visit today, and a doctor's visit for Chance tomorrow as well as a doula visit in the afternoon.

My C-section stitches could be removed as early as Nov. 4th, provided Cam keeps from cracking jokes & one-liners - sometimes I swear my belly is going to split open!

Baby is doing quite well, sleepin' with his daddy right now. Both my boys like to sleep in. Cute!

Chance Robertson Demmans

Our little boy arrived by C-section at 1:04 October 31st!

Halloween Party

The pedicure yesterday was definitely different than any other pedicures I've had EVER! It wasn't as relaxing as I thought it was going to be, it was more like a dentists appointment! My feet feel healthy! When the reflexology part came I thought I was going to jump out of my chair. The lady's name was Honna and she learned reflexology in Germany. I believe it! She used her thumbs to FIRMLY press into my legs just above my ankle bone and then slid up my calf about 4". It hurt like CRAZY especially when she did it after first rubbing an exfoliating scub on which felt like sandpaper! The entire time she was either pinching between my thumb and forefinger or encouraging me to do so and saying "Breathe, breathe! Don't hold your breath! Breathe from your belly! Focus!". Whenever she did this (she did it about 5 times for about a minute each time during the course of the pedicure), the baby would kick violently. I got several Braxton Hicks contractions right there in the chair, and a few more while out later that evening, but nothing serious...yet. I'm still hoping that it will kick in tomorrow too. Then Honna informed me that from the colour of the bottoms of my feet she can tell that my liver is stressed (probably from being squished by the baby) and that I'm "toxic" currently & she would recommend a "detoxifying diet" after I'm done breastfeeding. This seems unfair - no booze in 9 months and my liver is toxic??

Lynne watched as I gripped the arm rests of the chair and muttered expletives as Honna did her magic. Lynne says when she goes in for massages with Honna that she streams tears most of the time!

Cam picked me up at Lynne's house after the pedicure was done. We went to a potluck party but left fairly early because I felt wiped out. Got home & had a bath & went to bed. Have to remember to change our clocks because it's daylight savings time. We are supposed to go to the hospital at 8:00 PM to have the first part of the induction done - they will either keep me for 2 hours and send me home or things will get going then and I'll stay at the hospital, so will need to pack up the car again too.

3rd Ultrasound

Ultrasound yesterday was great and got some fantastic photos of our (not so) little baby. The weight estimate came in and the only thing I can say is that Cam and I are now referring to the baby as "The Great Pumpkin". Baby has plenty of amniotic fluid, there's good blood exchange between the baby and I, no meconium floating in the pool and Baby is moving well, so there was no recommendation for immediate induction. I have to wait until Sunday night/Monday morning.

My good friend Lynne has gone and booked an appointment for me to get a pedicure on Saturday afternoon, what a fantastic idea! I am really excited to go, as it's been a good 6 weeks since I've comfortably been able to touch my own feet (i.e. tying shoes, clipping toenails, nail polish, etc. all have been a chore and have given up where not necessary - slip on shoes, I make Cam clip my nails and no nail polish). The lady who is going to do the pedicures is also a reflexologist and was bragging to Lynne last week that she could put me into labour in 15 minutes using some secret accupressure points. So, I'm gonna ask her to push my pressure points! Who knows, maybe it will work, and I'm going to be induced on Sunday night anyways!

If it doesn't work we're going to go to stop by a few Halloween parties on Saturday night. Tomorrow I'll go shopping and look for an orange T-shirt that I can sew some felt triangles to to make a proper Jack'o'lantern out of my belly (Cam's idea). One is a pumkin carving party but I think we'll wait to the last minute to do ours. The other is is an hors'dourve potluck party, so will try the gourmet frozen food place next to my doctor's office - if the reflexology works & I go into labour, we can just save the frozen puff pastries for when we have visitors, and I'll wear the shirt to the hospital. If it doesn't work, Cam can just pop the snacks in the oven while I'm getting my tootsies rubbed.

I have a 9:00 AM appointment with my doctor - so I will check the reflexology out with her (ankles have been a bit swollen, nothing out of control, but definitely puffy), as well as the toe nail polish thing (in our hospital classes they mentioned not to wear FINGER nail polish, but nothing about TOE nail polish).My cold is getting better, just a runny nose now and if it would stop dripping I could stop sanding my nose off my face with kleenex! That sounds like Heaven!

LATER...Doctor's appointment was good, I have gained some weight again, but doctor thinks it is mostly fluid as she can see some swelling in my legs and hands. Also the baby is still growing at a rate of approximately 0.1 lbs per day. The doctor is actually glad that I caught a cold - she said that it will boost my immune system so that it is raging by the time that the baby is born, and my symptoms are well on the way to being cleared up. She's all for trying the reflexology and has no problems if I get my toenails painted (fingernails need to stay au natural so that pulse monitor can be attached if need be). Also she confirmed her schedule - she will be on call at the hospital on Sunday night and all day Monday, so that she will likely be there if the baby is born as a result of induction.

The baby pool is getting bigger! Right now the range in weight is 5.5 lbs (Aunt Louise) to 10 lbs (Nana) - thank goodness no one thinks it's going to be bigger than that! Length ranges from 18" (Auntie Marie & Uncle Brad) to 23" (Granny Anne and Grandpa Gordon). Birthdates are now stretching into November (Auntie Jackie and Aunt Louise). And it's about a 50-50 split over whether the baby will be a boy or a girl.

3rd Ultrasound

Well, here we are, a week overdue and no baby in sight. I can't deny that I'm starting to get frustrated and especially with this cold I am feeling partincularly sorry for myself. Every bump and jostle the baby gives my sore tummy makes me want to groan and I think I am annoying Cameron. I'm certainly annoying myself.

Today I have the ultrasound to see if the baby is OK or not. I will be picking Cam up at a train station near the clinic and then we will go there together. This is the same clinic that I visited June 27 and I better not get the same technician who scanned me last time, he was a big jerk and claimed that all the discomfort I was getting from lying on my back was all in my head! He never even introduced himself to me, he just grunted "get on the bed and lift your shirt". Eventually he got up and left, maybe it was his lunch break or something, he never said goodbye and then another technician came in and was super nice - her name was Jen. She said it was OK to do the rest of the ultrasound while lying on my side, which eased up the dizzy-sick-hot feeling I'd been bearing through for the last hour!

This clinic has doctors who immediately review your results with you, which is a lot nicer than waiting for next week's doctor's appointment to hear the findings. In this case, there won't be another doctor's appointment after Friday anyways. Well, at least not while pregnant!

The good news from the clinic yesterday is that I don't have to drink a bunch of water first this time. So even if I do get the mean technician he won't be able to punch me in a full bladder again. Haha!

The baby guesses are coming in and it's a lot of fun to see! So far the range includes Oct. 26 (the Pawseys) to Oct. 30 (Gramma Jo), there's about an even split between boys and girls, and a range in expected weight from 6.6 lbs (thanks, Kristi!) to 10 whopping pounds (Nana, I hope the baby isn't THAT big!).

The baby is coming when the baby is coming!

Anyone got any ideas when this kid is showing up & what they will look like? Leave a message in the guest book & I will keep track of the guesses & put them into our baby's album. My guess is that it is a baby boy, 22" 8.5 lbs. and will be born on the 29th of October, probably just before midnight.

I have come down with a sore throat! I think that is Murphy's Law! I remember reading somewhere that if you have a cold you have to have antibiotics administered during labour, or something like that. So I am trying to get better before the baby comes! At 4 AM woke up with a burning throat and so got up and made honey and lemon tea, bundled up tight on the couch with Scarlet and bawled my eyes out watching Life Network - the baby/delivery shows always make me cry.

Cam nearly slept in this morning, so I guess it was a good thing that I got up when I did. I gave him a poke at 20 to 7 and asked if he was getting up soon. He was out of the house 15 minutes later.

Last night Cam wanted to know what the odds were of me having the baby by Wednesday (tomorrow) were. I felt like spitting out a number like 13.598%! Over the past few weeks I have come to the conclusion that any inkling I may have when the baby will come is WRONG. The baby is coming when the baby is coming. Period! At least I have 100% certainty that the baby will be born before November 1!

Ticklish baby?

I had a dream that I gave birth to a baby boy...and 5 jumbo shrimp. I don't know what that means - I really don't know.

Dinner last night (the food) was great but it was very noisy! At the risk of sounding "old", all I can say is that I remember when Earl's was a nice place to go, for a mature dinner out. Now it is swamped with teenagers and families letting their kids run amok. We had a large group, 8 people, so we had to sit at a long narrow table, and because of the din it was impossible to hear the conversation at the opposite end of the table! After dinner we paid our bills and then went to a coffee shop for coffee afterwards - somewhere less noisy!

The rest of the group went out for a movie, but Cam and I just went home - it was 10 PM by then and I knew I would just fall asleep in the movie theatre!

Braxton Hicks contractions really start to pick up at night time and so does the baby's activity. Usually in the morning I wake up and the baby is stretching out so I have a bony little foot pressing against my belly button. I just poke at it until the baby pulls his foot back in - maybe this baby is ticklish??

Broken internet

Computer issues! Do not load Internet Explorer 7! Our internet access is screwed! After spending nearly an hour on the phone with the Tech Support group at our internet company, there was no progress. I was frustrated so I went to take a shower, 5 minutes later Cam had fixed the problem. Maybe they only hire special idiots at the internet company.

Cam and I going to Farmers' Market this AM, then out for dinner. Keeping busy!

Trapped in the elevator!

Had another medical appointment today. Traffic was a bit hectic so was 5 minutes behind schedule (I usually like to arrive 10 mins early because they make you pee in a cup every time and also I don't want elevated blood pressure readings due to stressful driving). So arrived 5 minutes prior to my appointment, but got stuck in the elevator! The maintenance crew said they'd be coming "shortly" and my cell phone didn't work in the elevator, so I couldn't let my doctor's office know! So I just tried to relax on the floor of the elevator, and then 10 minutes later the door just opened and so I got out of there and took the stairs (doctor's office is on the 3rd floor). It wasn't a problem at all, but I still felt flustered! My BP was 110/70 (normal), so it mustn't have been THAT stressful! Baby was calm too, heartbeat was only 140 beats per minute.

I got checked for dilation, but unfortunately my cervix had closed up since last week! So the doctor did the cervical stretching again, this time to 1.5 cm. Was advised to keep an eye open for labour signs within the next 24-48 hours. Also I'm booked for an ultrasound on Thursday or Friday just to make sure the baby is OK (enough amniotic fluid, good placenta exchange, etc). If the ultrasound shows that the baby isn't doing so good, then will be induced right away, so I guess we will be taking our hospital bags to the ultrasound clinic in case they say "umm....better go to the hospital now!". If everything looks fine but I'm not going into labour yet, my induction will start on the evening of October 29th with a gel application and then on the 30th an oxytocin IV, which should get the ball rolling within 12 hours or so. So....if I do need to be induced it's looking like we could definitely have a Halloween baby!

Due Date

It's our Due Date! Baby's got 10 days to come out, "or else"!

Had at least 4 contractions over night, may have slept through some of them.

I'm going for coffee with my girlfriends this morning to help pass the day more quickly.

No sleep

It's 5 AM and I feel like I've been up all night! Sleep has just been very light, I guess, and I haven't been snoring because Cam is still in bed.

My guts feel noisy - gurgling and churning and they're up by my lungs by now, so it's quite distracting!

I'm going to try sleeping on the couch, that always worked in the summer when I couldn't sleep.

Scarlet has gone back to bed with Cam. Traitor.

The snow arrived before the baby did!

No...baby....yet...But it's snowing today!

I feel sorry for our neighbours Stefan and Delanie, they are moving. Yesterday was cool but at least dry. Today is freezing cold & heavy wet snow falling. Blah!

Baby bassinette

Visited with Anne Sherman yesterday & she generously gave us some baby things she isn't using anymore, including a beautiful bassinette. Will see if our baby likes sleeping in it. Also she gave me some maternity shirts, which were badly needed as all of the ones I have either have stains or are too small (my belly is always poking out, quite embarassing!).

Yesterday afternoon I went to get a glass of milk and found the stupid iron in the fridge. I know how it got in there and I don't want to talk about it. Haha!

Woke up early this morning and went to Canmore with Cameron to volunteer at APEGGA's annual geo-outreach day there, held at the geological museum. For 3 hours identified little kids' rocks ("it's quartz...this one too....yep...another quartz..."). Also had some adult rockhounds bring in some interesting specimens. So returned home around 3:30 PM and now going to have a cup of tea - our throats are sore from talking all morning!

Doctor's Visit

Just returned from doctor's office. Cervix was not dilated but it was soft, so the doctor stretched it open to 1 cm. I have to go back next week, unless I go into labour within the next 48 hours, which is the usual timeframe that it takes for this cervical stretching procedure to work. Baby's heartbeat was 165 beats per minute, which has been the usual over the last month or so, but this time was on the left side, rather than on the right side, and much lower. The doctor thinks that the baby has definitely started to descend. I didn't gain any weight, again.

Nope, not in labour yet!

Yesterday went to watch Cam practice curling with his team. They were supposed to play a game but the other team cancelled. It felt good to get out of the house.Today was busy doing some small errands, this afternoon will vacuum the house and dust, etc. until it is 4:30 then will walk to the train station to meet Cam.

Belly is achy and hard, especially at the top. Baby gave me a good kick around noon, almost like "yah, I'm still in here, what are you gonna do about it??"

Tomorrow is my doctor's appointment, but not until 11:30 AM.

Is *THIS* labour??

It's 1:00 AM and woke up to a contraction - hurt enough that eating toast had to temporarily be put off. Will sit up a bit to let toast digest/see if there are any more contractions...

Is *this* labour??

At 4:00 AM woke up with another contraction, this time Baby's sharp little foot was trying to poke through my belly, about 4 inches north of my belly button! This has happened before, but wow, my belly was positively cone-shaped! Realized then that I was alone in bed - must have been snoring again & Cameron fled for the basement bedroom! The cat was still with me though, so couldn't have been too bad...right?

Today I will call another pregnant friend and see if she wants to have tea today - she is being induced tonight if there's no sign of her baby, so maybe a little company will help pass the time for her.Also this afternoon we are getting the furnace & duct work cleaned in the house. It is supposed to be pretty noisy so if it bothers me too much I can leave and get some shopping done.

Is this labour??

Just came back from a walk in Fish Creek Park with Cam. Halfway through had a nice healthy contraction that hurt quite a bit. Hmm. Definitely different than a Braxton Hicks contraction, but no more activity to report. Had a great supper using leftover steak to make beef stir-fry. Cam loved the hot chili peppers & sesame seeds I put in the sauce.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our family and friends! We're thinking of you all & I promise to eat an extra piece of pumpkin pie for you! :)

Banff Trip

Yesterday's trip to Banff was beautiful! We ended up walking on the paths behind the Banff Springs Hotel. We saw 3 deer (a mama & 2 fawns), as well as about 7-8 elk. I took some nice photos on my Minolta camera, I will have to wait for the film to be developed to share. Digital cameras have really spoiled us!

I've been really busy this week. I exercised 4 out of 5 mornings, went grocery shopping for all the food I'd need to make more than a month's worth of dinners, cooked those dinners (lasagna, spaghetti sauce, pot pies, banana bread, etc!), finished up some of the decorating in the baby's room, washed all the things that we hadn't done yet (baby sheets, etc.), installed a dimmer switch in the baby's room, organized all the work stuff I brought home (textbooks, health insurance files, etc.), went to Wal-Mart and forgot to buy half the things that were on my list (@#$@!~!), went to the library, got my hair cut, sewed a pillowcase for a u-shaped nursing pillow, visited a friend who will be having a baby soon too & delivered a lasagna to her, wow that was a busy week! I didn't vacuum, dust or clean the bathrooms though. Maybe we'll do that today (Cam will do the bathrooms because the belly doesn't allow me to reach the tub or the mirrors any more - very convenient!).

We are going to Thanksgiving dinner at Lynne's house this weekend. We are bringing our customary apple pie. It all started when I was in Holland a few years ago & Lynne invited Cam over for Thanksgiving. He told her he was making an apple pie. What he really did was buy a frozen M&M's apple pie, baked it at home, and then brought it over. Lynne saw right through him, but Matt (her husband) was so impressed that he raved about the pie for days! Now whenever we have a special meal with the Drovers, we always bring a frozen apple pie. Kind of a long-standing joke.

Next week we are having the furnace and duct work cleaned, and I have a doctor's appointment on Friday again when the doctor is going to mechanically start the process of baby being born if it hasn't happened naturally by then. She's just going to move things around a bit. This will give me about a week to dilate & deliver the baby, and in her experience has resulted in fewer chemical inductions, which is something that I realize might have to be done, but if she knows how to try to avoid it, I'm all for giving it a go.

Pregnancy Snoring

My snoring is awful! It's so bad that if I get going, Cameron just leaves. He did an impression for me & I just about died laughing, and then I stopped when I realized he was serious. I bought some nose strips but they come loose by morning - and now they're having a hard time holding on until even 1:00 AM. I wonder if it's because I bought the drug-store brand or even if I bought the name-brand ones they would fall off too. Maybe will give the expensive ones a try - the difference in price was $3.

I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow morning. She is going to check again for any cervical changes. I am half-afraid to hear "you haven't progressed at all" - starting to feel like I'll never get to be a mom, even though I KNOW I will be pretty darn quick. This isn't unlike when I was a girl & my mom armed me with a training bra and a box of maxi-pads. I was waiting to become a woman, I just didn't have a clue when it would start! OK, I've grossed out everyone now, but it's true.

Moving on...After the doctor's appointment, Cam and I may head out to Banff, despite a less-than-stellar weather forecast. The weather is supposed to be similar here in Calgary, so that will help us figure out if it's worth driving all the way out there to go for an easy hike to Johnson Waterfall.

Pregnancy Photos @ 37 weeks

Well after a few days at home alone I'm starting to get in the swing of things. Have been doing a fair bit of cooking so have 6 litres of spaghetti sauce, 5 chicken pot pies, I'm about to embark on a banana-bread endeavour this afternoon along with some laundry, sewing, organizing, etc.

Have been doing regular exercises each morning to encourage baby to "drop": bouncing on exercise ball, squatting, etc. Also some leg muscle work - leaning against walls & so on. All in all it is not very vigorous work but it feels like I'm doing the right thing.

Yesterday had 2 wicked Braxton Hicks contractions - one at 6:30 ish driving home from the zoo AKA Wal-Mart (bought some fabric to sew into nursing pillow covers). Then had another on the couch at about 8:20. No contractions through the night, although I had a vivid dream that I had given birth without being aware of it (i.e. I couldn't remember any part of labour/delivery). But it was a little girl and she was very smart, as she was able to change her own diapers!

On the weekend we took some photos. Today there is a birthday party for a colleague after work, so I'm planning on catching the train and saying hello to everyone. It will feel good to be in touch with "people" again.

On Friday Cam has the day off so we are going to go to Banff after my doctor's appointment. Maybe will do a nice hike and then do a bit of window shopping. Looking forward to it already.

Bye-Bye Shell (For 1 Year)

Today it's official: I'm done work! All in all, it was such a frazzled day. I had a doctor's appointment at 9 but there was an hour and a half backlog, so did not get to work until 11 AM. At 11:30, my co-workers took me out for a surprise lunch, which was very nice but unfortunately pushed my schedule even further behind! My car was parked in short-term parking, so I was constantly in and out of the office pumping change into the meter, while trying to pack my office, say goodbye to everyone, put my email on auto-reply, as well as finishing up some loose ends on some projects! I didn't get it all done, and when I got home tonight I laid down for a bit of a nap but couldn't sleep because my mind was abuzz with all the things I didn't do and who I would have to chat with in order to get the work complete!

Tomorrow Cam and I will take advantage of the nice weather and go have some pictures taken of just the 2 (3??) of us at Fish Creek Park. The fall colours are in full swing and should make for some nice photos. We had planned on going to Banff, however may not get that done this weekend. Evening plans include a football game with the boys for Cameron and a girl's night at Lynne's house with usual sappy movie for Dani. Sunday have been invited over to Corinne & Graham's house for dinner.

With only 20 days left before our due date, I can count down using my fingers & toes! I can't believe we are getting so close! Doctor's visit this morning yielded very little information, other than blood pressure was good, baby's heartbeat high (165 beats per minute), and that baby's head is still "quite high". Because of the huge backlog of patients, the doctor did not do an internal exam, but I don't think that there would be any changes as last week was pretty uneventful - very few Braxton-Hicks contractions. Maybe next week there will be some progress! Another interesting fact: I LOST a pound! Apparently this is normal, but it still feels strange to me as I KNOW I'm still getting bigger!

Baby Shower

Yesterday was my baby shower. My friend Lynne organized the whole thing - from electronic invitations to the food to the decorations & games! She even did a bunch of baby research to put the games together and talked with other moms to figure out what I didn't have yet & would need for the baby so that she had a list ready for people who needed gift ideas! I am truly touched at all the work she went through!

There were a total of 13 people present at the shower - from 2 circles of friends: work and university, as well as Cameron's sister Rennal. Everyone mingled well and before long the whole house was full of laughter! One of the guests brought her 1 and a half year old son, who was taken with the kitty cat and vice versa. At first, however, the little boy wasn't so sure and when Scarlet went in for a head rub, he backed himself up against a wall & when he realized he had no where else to go he panicked and SCREAMED. BIG tears, but he was still pretty curious, so his mom and I PROPERLY introduced him to the cat - they were friends after that.

Everyone was so generous - I think we have the clothes we need now and even a few toys, books, etc! Also received some blankets and a little Eskimo suit to keep Baby warm through until the really cold winter days hit. A very special gift was a glass picture frame with the word "family" written below where the picture goes - that got me very choked up. I know Cam is my family but it seemed so emotionally significant that we will be family to this little baby! Some very practical gifts too: a hygiene kit & small containers of baby supplies for the diaper bag, bath towels with little hoods and a Saskatchewan Roughriders Gainer piggybank to start Baby's savings plan! A few gift certificates as well, to the GAP, the Bay and Bo Bebe, which is a store located in my neighbourhood which sells "the best" diaper cream. There was even a "for mommy" gift of a little tea pot (makes 1 cup at a time) and some delicious-smelling peppermint tea.

Everyone left around 5 or 5:30 and I think the house was cleaner than when everyone arrived! There was some fruit and veggies left over which just got put in the fridge so Cameron and I have been snacking on those leftovers. Today the weather is supposed to co-operate and so I think I will thin out my perennial flower bed and take them over to Lynne's house. Cameron is gone to the core lab with a colleague - they just cut a new core so have to go quality check it. He should be back in an hour or so. Then we are going to go shopping for a little while, not too long. The plan is to return in time for the Roughrider game this afternnon, I'll go do my gardening then.

A man at Cameron's workplace brought his 1-month old daughter in for a show&tell at work on Thursday or Friday - Cam got to hold her and since then he has been very excited about our immenent arrival. This morning he was holding my belly feeling the baby kick, he was practically begging me to have the baby as early as possible - like I have anything to do with it! This baby is going to come out when it's ready. Friday's appointment with Dr. Tupper revealed that the baby is still high (from all the heartburn, that was pretty obvious), and no effacement/dilation yet. :( I had been hoping for some progress, especially since there have been a few whopper Braxton-Hicks contractions.

Congratulations Kike!

My friend Kike from the Netherlands gave birth to a beautiful son on Sept. 15th! It is so strange to have lost my "pregnancy partner". Her daily photos are a highlight and I can't wait to send my own to her!

Taco Night

Did you know it's possible to snort a taco through your nose?

It happens when your baby makes you fart at the dinner table and your husband gets so flustered he says it sounds like you just laid an egg.

Then the pressure from laughing makes you fart more, which starts the taco-snorting.

2 weeks 'til maternity leave

My massage was wonderful, I didn't have a sore back all day Wednesday, Thursday and only in late afternoon Friday did it come back! Can't wait to see the massage therapist again next Tuesday.

Baby is doing his best to stomp my guts to bits. Every now and then get breathless spells that feel a bit panicky/scary. Can't wait for the baby to drop the rest of the way into my pelvis!Have been feeling so scatter-brained lately.

I am just waiting for someone at work to ask "What is WRONG with you???". Looking forward to my last day on the 29th. The people at work are throwing a bit of a party on the 21st - they ordered a cake so plenty of people will be there, I'm sure! My friend Lynne is throwing a baby shower for me on the 23rd. That should be a lot of fun!

39 Days and Counting...

The baby has really been taking out his or her frustrations on my ribs! Ouch! My right ribs feel sore, tender and bruised! The baby hasn't been kicking as much over the last 2 days, so maybe found some sort of comfortable position, but my goodness it was a painful 3 days before that! Cameron likes to joke that the baby has piped down in some form of "agreement": less kicking, and he gets to stay for a few more weeks. At least that might be an indication that the feet are up and the head is down at this point - will get my doctor to check that on Tuesday.

Another random pregnancy grumble: my back is killing me on that same side as the sore ribs, I wonder if it is related to all the rib-kicking? I have a massage booked on Tuesday (actually, for the next 3 Tuesdays), at a clinic that specializes in pregnancy massage. It won't come a day too soon, I can tell you that!Slept late again this morning, got up around 9:30 AM (bedtime was 10:30 PM, and only woke up 3X, so got some pretty good sleep).

Cam went golfing early, so it was just me and the cat catching z's. Woke up and showered, and Cam came home just as I was finishing up breakfast.Cam and I figured out how to put up/take down the play pen this afternoon. Had intended on figuring out how the carseat goes in the car/truck, but did not get around to it.

The countdown to our due date is crazy! 39 days! And only 21 more days before I'm officially done work. 15 business days!

Cam wants me to pack my labour bag this week - the urgency is rooted in a dream he had a few nights ago. He dreamed that my water broke! Ever since then he has been suggesting that I should get my bag packed, "just in case". I know he feels strongly about it because now he's put a deadline to it - "get it done by the end of the week!" I know he is also getting concerned because I have been experiencing more and more Braxton-Hicks contractions, some are even quite painful with cramps in my lower belly. No other indications of labour though, so I am chalking it up to my body training to get this kid out of me unless my doctor tells me otherwise on Tuesday!

3rd Trimester Cold...Yuck

Came down with an extremely sore throat on Thursday and took the day off work to get some rest. Phoned in and then slept until 2 PM! Can't believe how tired out I am from just a simple cold!

Felt much better Friday morning and went to work.

Saturday - September Long Weekend, no real big plans. Feels good to just bum around the house. Need to figure out how to put the car seat into the car and truck. Still wiped out from this cold. Sneezing lots, head feels blah. Can't wait to feel better!

Only 4 weeks of work left now (and one of them is a short week due to Labour Day weekend!). Time will be going by quickly! If the baby doesn't come early, I'm planning on making plenty of freezer dinners.

Drumheller Camping Weekend

Well, it seems like I am getting another cold. :( I have a sore throat.

Some exciting news this week was that I got 3 Braxton-Hicks contractions on Monday! I got 2 in the morning while walking to work and then another one in the evening while standing in the kitchen. I have been having tightening sensations ever since mid-June, but these ones actually hurt a little bit. An indication that practice period is nearing its end, I suppose!

Official weigh-in this week was 154 lbs, officially 27 pounds more than I weighed before I got pregnant! I can't believe that it is that much! Here is an interesting belly photo there that I took while waiting to be picked up from the golf course a few weeks ago!

2nd Wedding Anniversary

What a great day it has been! We are treating today as our 2nd wedding anniversary, because our ACTUAL anniversary is on Monday, and who knows what kind of mood we'll (I'll) be in after a full day at work.

We went to Millarville's Farmer's Market and spent some anniversary gift money there buying fresh bread, cucumbers, peaches, etc. Then we took our loot down to Elbow Falls in Kananaskis Country and had a picnic and read the newspaper next to the river. Cam fell asleep but I was having a hard time getting comfortable, so just walked around a bit and then we headed home. On the way from the Farmer's Market to the picnic spot, we stopped at one of the new building developments that is going up - very ritzy places & took a tour of a showhome. Some beautiful decorating ideas!

Our evening plans include dinner out & a movie - something we haven't done in ages (it's probably been longer than a year). Cam said that he thought it was a good idea because "we won't be able to do this for a long time after the baby comes, you know". Haha, I think it is starting to sink in.

Have taken a look at the list of things we need to get for the baby & tomorrow plan on going on a bit of a shopping trip, so will pick up some things then. Still a bit short-handed on clothes etc., however did receive 2 lovely warm fleece body suits & a snowsuit that looks warm enough even for Saskatchewan from a lady at work. She also is giving us her playpen, highchair and mobile. She has 3 kids and is "DONE DONE DONE".

Oatmeal Cookies and Labour Fears

Hubby gained 100 bonus points tonight. The first thing I did once we got home from train station was crawl into bed for a nap. Woke up, put dinner in (I had made it the night before, just needed to cook it. If I'd been thinking straight I would have put it in to cook while I napped). I helped Cam back the camper back into the garage after he had put on new tires. Then we watched the baseball game/I read ANOTHER stinking baby book. I think this is when I mentioned that I had been thinking about oatmeal cookies all day for some stupid reason. Maybe Cam deserves 200 bonus points: 100 for actually listening to me during the baseball game, another 100 points for making me a batch of oatmeal cookies. From scratch. With raisins, because I like them (he made 1/2 the cookies without raisins for himself).

We started prenatal classes at the hospital last week. We did the usual meet&greet with all the other parents - there are approx 30 people in the class. Then discussed 3rd trimester pregnancy symptoms - everyone seemed to know PLENTY about those. Discussed early labour/warning signs that should be mentioned to the doctor immediately, etc. Then we watched a birth video. First off - the day had been a long one (I'd been in a team conflict workshop all day). Second - I was already emotionally sparked after one of my coworkers mentioned that his wife's pregnancy was not going well - the way he said it made it sound like he'd lost his baby. So I was bawling in the kitchen with my colleague who'd lost HER baby twin girls earlier this year. Thirdly: The woman in the birth video had opted out of an epidural, and the instructor told us this was an "easy" birth. I can tell you this: it sure didn't LOOK like much fun. So there I was in class - tired, emotionally charged, and scared as hell. So I bawled (for the 2nd time that day), only this time in front of 30 strangers. Yeesh. I am somewhat dreading this week's class. I'm considering walking in with a box of kleenex hung around my neck.

God I've got heartburn right now - how can you get heartburn from peanut butter on toast?? Better get some Tums before lying back down to sleep. (1:06 AM currently)

Putting diapers on a cat - it can be done!

After a great vacation in Saskatchewan, the return to work brings new meaning - maternity leave is only 7 weeks away! While on holiday did plenty of fishing and golfing and sleeping and visiting with friends/family.

My ability to eat has been hampered by my squashed tummy! As a consequence, I am always hungry, yet after a few bites am too full to keep eating.

Next doctor's visit is tomorrow, and first baby birthing class is this week as well. Belly size is 38", the same as my chest & hips! It's official: I have no waist.

Our cloth diapers arrived in the mail while we were gone on vacation. While they appeared quite large, they fit our cat Scarlet quite well, and she weighs about 10 lbs. The diapers are supposed to be adjustable from 5 to 35 lbs.

A double set of congratulations are in order! My cousin's wife, Alicia, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Zaynna, on Thursday, August 10. Also, my friend Anne Sherman (who gave me a mountain of maternity clothes) had her baby boy, Sam, on the same day. Both moms and both babies are doing well!

Sour milk at midnight is not fun!

Up for a glass of milk in the middle of the night - I drank nearly all of it before realizing that it was slightly off. Yuck.

Last doctor's visit blood pressure was low - 80/50. They took it a second time to be sure - 100/50 (probably a bit excited over initial low reading). This is after I had just taken a bus that was 5 minutes late to the doctor's office and then sprinted from bus stop to medical building, about 300 m!! Have had a few episodes of dim vision/spots since then. Doctor said that this is normal during pregnancy but I don't like it!

My sister was here for 3 days last week - we had a lot of fun just hanging out and doing a bit of shopping. When we were younger, shopping meant going to the mall and buying clothes we probably didn't need. Now shopping means going to Wal-Mart and Future Shop to get things that we're really going to use (batteries, milk that goes bad at 2 AM when you drink it, flashlights, etc.) We still did a bit of browsing, but for the most part if we didn't need it, we didn't look at it! She was very patient with my frequent visits to the bathrooms!

2nd Ultrasound

The baby is certainly coming along!