prego stats - week 12 + 13

So for weeks 12 + 13 I was in Florida and/or gearing up/down for the trip, so the blogs took a bit of a hit. I definitely fell behind in my weekly posts but before I turn 15 weeks (this Friday!) I want to update how things have been. This will be to the best of my recollection, because I can't say I remember every day since it was a 2 week spread...

How far along: 12 and 13 weeks

Total weight gain: not sure, but not much. probably 5lbs max? If that? But don't worry. I get bonkers heavy towards the end, it's just how my body seems to process pregnancy. It's nothing for a long time and then very sudden weight gain. Just as my stretch marks.

How big is baby: lime + medium shrimp (random)

Maternity Clothes: yep! can't wear normal pants comfortably anymore, so it's maternity or lululemon. In Florida I picked up the maternity clothes I'd ordered from the US Gap only to find out that two of the pairs of pants were huge! The one pair that I was SO excited about (floral skimmer jeans) were impossibly large and I sent them back. The Gap's sizing is definitely not the same as Old Navy's, though they have the same ownership! Weird. Because the same size pants from Old Navy (some bright blue skimmers) fit perfectly. Another pair, also from the Gap, were somewhere in between. They fit like boyfriend jeans though they're supposed to be skinnys, but I can make them work, so I kept them. 

Sleep: sleep has been good, though I can never get enough. Every day I nap for 2-3 hours. I know. Luxury right?! I'm so blessed. Lily and Oli nap at the same time, for the same amount of time (9:30am or 10am- 12pm or 12:30pm), so I always join them. If I don't nap at that time with them, I have been known to go to bed as early as 8pm. I seriously can't keep my eyes open!

Best moment this week: Florida with Oli was a nice break, and I never had to cook a meal - my parents did everything in the kitchen!

Movement: too early.

Food cravings: Sea food! While I was in Florida I was wanting fish and shellfish every night!! We bought fresh shrimp one night from a shop beside the ocean where it was caught and my dad made shrimp cream linguine and it was TO DIE FOR. Also sour things. I am loving olives and blueberries together, pickles, sour candies, and non-alcoholic margaritas. All that sour kick!

Food aversions: Still slightly averse to meat. Not that I can't eat it, but I don't desire it at all.

Gender: too early! We find out April 30th!

Labor signs: ha! no.

Belly button in or out: OUT. I knew this day would come. my pregnancy belly button is ALWAYS an outie. And it happens earlier with each pregnancy.

What I miss: real margaritas :) 

What I'm not loving: fatigue.

What I’m looking forward to: April 30th! 

What I'm loving: Lily asks if she can "hold the baby" and I say yes, and then she takes her two hands and puts them on either side of my belly and stays there for a minute. She literally holds the baby in my womb! What a sweet little thing.

Milestone(s): out of the 1st trimester! We'll see how our baby's doing on Thursday when I have an appointment, but we have every reason to believe the pregnancy is going smoothly.

for my little girl!!!

OK it is FAR too fun looking for and shopping for GIRLS STUFF.
I think I'd be happy if I just bought things for HER the rest of my life and never for myself...
OK wild dramatization, but it is so much MORE fun knowing it's for her than for myself.

Maybe I have more insight to my mom's life now.
She rarely bought herself anything new when we were growing up, but would treat us often.
Not that she was decked in 80's gear come the 90's, she was a stylin' mom, but she made personal sacrifices for me and Lisa instead of treating herself first. Come to think of it, in every arena of life my mom put us and my dad, basically our family first. Gosh... I'm only appreciating NOW (23 years after it all began) what a GREAT MOM I have.

Now, onto things I've already found that I must get for MMe (yes, it's a GIRL so since we're in French-land, now this means there must be an 'e' at the end :)

1. A Slip Cover for her BabyBjorn Carrier
   (we're getting black so we can reuse it with any future boy babies just as easily, but I found these adorable slipcovers for BabyBjorns for $25 on ebay.com (unfortunately for me, not ebay.ca).
   
   
2. Shoes from the Etsy Shop, Gracious May
   I posted about these back in January. They.are.adorable. The question is, what pair will I buy her? They're not cheap, but I think she needs just one pair :)
   
   

ALL GOOD THINGS :)

Lately the gravy train has just been dumping it's goodness on me! I have posted about many of these things (hello cheap maternity clothes that are ADORABLE, finding a terrific pre-natal-massage-goddess, and feeling slightly better than last month!) but some are new even for you!

I posted bit ago on the side bar about some sermons I've been pondering and to be honest, when I first added them they were recommended to me but I hadn't yet listened to them. Perhaps not wise. Wouldn't have done that with a book or movie, but hey. But before I loose all credibility, I did listen to the one titled Women as Home Builders and can say I LOVE IT. I've always wanted to stay home with my babies and wanting 4, that will mean many years before they're all in school full-time! It could be because my mom stayed home with me until I was in school full-time and I loved those days. I can remember maybe 2 things from before the age of six, but one of them was peanut butter and banana sandwiches with mom in the afternoon. Just us. Bliss. Or it could be because even though I love my job, there's never been anything more appealing to me than being a mom (and some people will hear that and cringe. No judgment from me, but likewise, please don't judge). I don't know what the exact catalyst is or was, but the sermon appealed to me because it was a talk on women, especially those who stay home with their kids.

Great reminders were given: Being a stay-at-home mom doesn't mean sitting in your pjs watching soaps all day while your kids eat hard Mr. Noodles from the package, utilizing the time you have with them to teach them and not just entertain them, etc.

Great cautions were given: How do I spend my free time right now? With a baby coming, and most of my current responsibilities (minus my job) staying in tact, is my current lifestyle sustainable? UM NO. Good good caution resulting in me decising to spend WAY less time online among other things.

and Great encouragements were given: You're not loosing significance because you're not going into an office every morning and you're not lazy because you're not working (if you do the whole "home builder" instead of the "home lounger" style of being a stay-at-home-mom). Ahhhh all things I needed to hear.

If this kind of thing appeals to you, do check out the link. Was one of the good things of my week, and there were many :)

Other things are:
1. I'm 11 weeks pregnant tomorrow and the symptoms are actually slowing (as promised by that illusive 3 month mark but hard to believe in the midst of puke and pity)! I'm tired like woah still, but the nausea is much more manageable and I haven't thrown up in over a week. Could it have been 2 weeks? GLORY.

2. My doctor's appointment with Dr. Hall was pushed up a week from March 2nd to February 23rd (yay!)

3. My Quebec health card has been renewed and I'm good to go under this kooky government (let me tell you, I feel like I've been jumping firey hoops since I got here) giving me heaps more assurance that if anything goes wrong (or my appointment gets pushed forward - hello!), I'm a recognized Quebecor with insurance to boot.

4. I'm going home February 23rd (after the appointment) for a couple days to hang out with my mom and dad and Caily who will be in the neighborhood, and it will be a pure love-fest with relaxing as the top priority (and there will be a jacuzzi that I am already excited about)

5. With this new commitment to avoiding idleness (thus spending less time online) I'm getting SO MUCH done! Even with sleeping way more (and we're talking several hours more each night) and having less energy, limiting my online time (because TV isn't so much of a big time waster for me - although it will be for the 2 weeks of the Olympics, but let's be honest, it's my civil duty to cheer on team Canada....it's not really an option), I've been able to keep the house tidy and clean, spend time reading the Bible each day, work longer house, and do dinners and not become overwhelmed with the every day (which was happening on a semi-regular basis with the pregnancy, work, home, etc). VICTORY.

LOVE!

Mom and Lisa are here all weekend and I can barely contain my excitement!!!!

We're picking them up at the train station in 1 hour, and I've had 1 nap today and am trying for a 2nd...staying up late doesn't happen naturally anymore! And by late I mean 10 o'clock.

Happy weekend everybody, I know mine will be :)

cravings, hope, and mom.

This week has been the same as the last for the most part. After getting my hopes up for the end of nausea and vomit, it returned with abundance. Still sleepy, still moody (but getting better!), still being spoiled by Brad (this week's gift was a plug for our bath since it never came with one and is a smallish bath so I've actually NEVER bathed in it). Same same same.

Although, as I enter into the 9th week of this pregnancy and almost the end of the 1st trimester I'm filled with hope. Hope that the baby will be healthy. Hope that I won't miscarry. Hope that I can do this whole, terrifying, natural birth thing. Hope. This part has made my days so much more joy-filled. When has Hope not been connected with Joy anyway? Think about it. Brad and I have spent a lot of time praying not only for a healthy baby, but for the right attitude in the midst of trial - miscarriage, complications, birth defects, the whole slew of potential problems. And since we've been praying not just for "our way" but for "the right heart if God's way isn't ours", my heart has been much more calm. And it's marking a huge difference from the previous weeks of anxiety.

Another change is that my cravings have changed yet again. I'm OFF meat. Like haven't had any in 2 weeks. Poor Brad. We're making a lot of pasta and eating a lot of eggs to get protein and I may be willing to have small bits of meat such as meat filled pasta or meat on a pizza, but the thought of cooking a whole chicken right now ... barf. literally. Thoughts are that powerful these days! And I was hooked on fruit for a long time, anything fresh basically, but it doesn't leave you will the satisfying fill that carbs and warm meals do. Case in point, mangoes. My obsession lately. I was eating one today and Lydia was eating a yummy spicy tomato soup and I was coveting it like no tomorrow. So long mangoes. Hello delicious hot soups.

And finally, MY MOM AND SISTER ARE COMING THIS WEEKEND TO VISIT ME!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited it's hard to put into words... I have missed them both so much since this pregnancy began. Not being able to share all my thoughts with them (hence, this blog was created), not being able to relax around them, or have them serve me (which they both love to do, read: SPOIL) with yummy meals, cuddles, advice, etc. And of course they're not just thinking of me, Mom has even said "we're just so excited to spoil Brad since he's been taking care of you so much, make him great meals, have red wine with him since you can't, etc". Isn't my family amazing? And did I mention they're COMING TO MONTREAL IN 4 MORE SLEEPS?

poor investments?

Well, my birthday has come and gone, bringing with it many lovely gifts from friends and family. One such gift from my Mom resulted in my shopping (she gave me both cash and a Winners gift card - one of my favourite stores).
I got a couple thinjgs, a nice tank top that fits just perfectly, a new wonderful lime green wool sweater that may be the most cozy and beautiful thing I've worn since it's distant cousin that I bought from Winners last winter in pink from DNKY (another steal, love that store!!)

And then it hits me... I could be pregnant like NOW. I technically could be and not know, or even could be in a couple months... either way, these great new clothes purchased would be kind of a waste depending on how much of a bump I get (fingers crossed for a glorious, sizable baby bump!)

My friend Loni always says she has more maternity clothes than normal clothes since she's on her 3rd pregnancy in about 5-6 years. Makes sense. I need to think twice before spending money on clothes that may not fit in a few months... There's always next winter of course, and who really knows when we'll conceive. But it's some good food for thought... Maybe I'll stop saving up for that pair of dark denim jeans I've been drooling over and re-think the whole wardrobe of a non-pregnant woman thing seeing as how we're trying... But then again, if I'm not yet pregnant it's not really a poor investment after all. Hmmm...

Old Enough?

I was young to get engaged - 21
I was young to get married - 22
I'm young to be trying to get pregnant - 23 (as of today, in fact!)

"So what's the rush", as people always ask?

1) when I met Brad, I'd never met a Christian man like him. He was perfect for me. I was surprised every time I learned more about him, finding more and more things that compliment my personality, likes, habits, perspectives, family history, faith journey, etc. Not that we're exactly the same at all, but compliment is the key word. And he does. He was the one, why wait?

2) When I met Brad the timing was right. I was done university, we both had full-time jobs, and he was the crutial 4 years older than me, making us ready at the same time to get engaged (isn't it great how it took that extra 4 years to bring us to the right place?! Oh boys to men....)

3) A long engagement didn't suit us. He lived in Montreal, I lived in Hamilton. Our work was waiting for us in Montreal, and we chose not to live or sleep together before marriage. Our wedding wasn't outrageously expensive and we divided up paying for our wedding into 1/3 for each of our parents and of course us, so saving up for us or our parents wasn't as necessary as if we had a really big and expensive wedding and it was put on one person. 6 months engagement was fine, and so we were married - 6 months after getting engaged, 1 year after beginning to date, 17 months after meeting each other

4) Starting young suits the family we're dreaming of. We've always wanted a medium-large sized family. 3-4 kids is our dream. We also want them fairly close together (1-2 years apart each, max, ideally of course). Also, even if we get pregnant immediately, Brad will be 28 when our first child is born, and I, 24 (approx). I would love to be done having babies in my early 30's, if not by 30. Maybe a pipe dream, but that's what we're talking about here - our dream scenario.

5) We believe we're ready. We had some scares (read: thought we were pregnant and didn't know that we were ready) early on in our marriage. Think one month in...and oops, my periods late. And yes, I did forget the pill from time to time... Though I was terrified, Brad rose to the occasion like a Saint. He reminded me that God is in control, that we love each other and have people in our lives who we can watch and learn Christian parenting from... He was a dream! a day later, my monthly friend came. But my perspective changed.

That was nearly a year ago, and since then we have had other "Near-Child Experiences" that made us realize if it did hap[pen, we could handle it, and we started to get attached to the idea as well. This summer we had a "Near-Child Experience" though we were not yet trying and still using the pill. Only a short 24 hours of thinking it could happen, but about a million emotions flooding our minds. And then my period came. This time we cried. If that was as hard as it was, how hard will a miscarriage be? I pray against that experience, but statistics tell me it could easily happen to me. Yet, through these experiences, we believe we are ready, and are eager to join the baby bump ranks :)

6) My mom is one of my heroes. I love my mom, I admire her parenting, I loved my childhood, my sister and I are close as a result, I believe, of her parenting skills in raising us to play together, be best friends, kiss and hug each other when we're sad, etc. She stayed home with us for a few years before going back to work (something I've been thinking about lately and what we'll do in that regard). Mom was young when she met my Dad. He's sweet, blond and blue-eyed, hard working, and so handsome... so she fell for him, getting married at 22, and being done her child-rearing days at 25 when I was born. Is there anything wrong with wanting to be like your mom? I hope not :) The times have changed, but she's still heroic to me, so if God wills, I'll follow those foot steps.