23 weeks and venting...

23 weeks down, 17 more to go! Gotta be honest, this beautiful weather we're having is killer on my sobriety. I want nothing more to indulge in some cocktails on a patio somewhere, I know it's not quite patio season yet but I would totally settle for my back step or a park...I'm not picky. I'm ready to have my body back. Which doesn't bode well for breastfeeding. The novelty of being pregnant has definitely worn off. It was more exciting the first time, that sounds awful doesn't it! I'm excited for the baby, just not to be pregnant for 4 more months. I know it'll go fast but when you're living it, it's excruciatingly slow. I blame summer. Summer is the time for bbq's and cottage getaways. Last summer I spent a glorious 3 days at my friend's trailer and although the weather was shit, the company was stellar. No work, no kids, no hubby, just me, the girls, the outdoors and booze of course. I wouldn't even describe myself as that much of a drinker but you always want what you can't have right? I think maybe I need a virgin daiquiri to tie me over, all this booze talk is making me thirsty, in the words of the wise John Daley, "I need to wet my mouth" LOL right Meg?

*sigh* Enough of the booze talk. I can't take it anymore. You'd think I'm an alcoholic or something!

So baby is 23 weeks now! woohooo! Once you reach the 24th week the baby becomes "viable", so she would actually have a chance of survival if she was born now. Crazy! She's only weighs a little over a pound. Gotta love modern medicine! I'm pleased to announce my belly button is still an 'innie', it never popped the first time so I don't expect it to pop this time. It's usually around this time that it would happen. I have stretch marks though :( This makes me very sad. I had them the first time too. I used cocoa butter the first time around and it obviously didn't work, so this time I'm using Bio-Oil, we'll see what happens. I plan on asking my dr for something stronger once I've had the baby.

This weekend we're going home to Hali. I'm quite excited, we haven't been home since Christmas and it's way too long. I love my family so much we should really see them more often. I can always count on them for a good time. Laughter is the best medicine after all! My niece, Emily, is dying to see Nate, it's soooo cute. I love that he has so many cousins, it makes family gatherings kinda hectic at times but totally awesome. We're lucky to be so loved :)

I've really been missing Nate lately. I see him just as much as I've been seeing him since I went back to work at the end of June but for some reason, lately, my heart aches for him. Maybe because he's getting to be so much fun? He's seriously so cute and funny. There's never a dull moment. My last day of work is June 15th, so at least we'll get to spend more time with each other, even though he'll have to share me. I can't even imagine how much fun we're going to have with 2 kids!

Hubby started Weight Watchers last week and so far he's doing so well. I'm so happy for him. In one week he lost 7.7 lbs! I'm delighted that he's seeing immediate results, it helps to keep him going in the weeks to come. He too started a blog, weightwatchingdaddy.blogspot.com, gotta love the title! He's so cute! He also got a new job last week, he starts on the 22nd. Things are starting to come together now.

Life is good!

I am slowly going crazy....

What is it about girls' clothes that makes me deliriously happy? I honestly feel like a 7 year old at Toys R Us. I want to buy EVERYTHING! I'm not kidding. Then I feel guilty, like Nate's clothes suddenly aren't as fun? I'm not sure how to handle that. I already feel guilty enough about turning his world upside down, then I have to reassure myself that a sibling is one of the best gifts we can give him. I know it's gonna be rough for the first little while but I think he'll adapt. He's not clingy or jealous when other kids are around so I think that works in our favour. We're doing our part in terms of his socialization, I think daycare has worked wonders for him. And I think that still sending him twice a week when I'm off is important. I know I've talked about this before but this is only my opinion. Obviously different parents have different parenting styles. At this age, routine is so important to them. We always try to have a consistent bedtime as well, occasionally he stays up later but only when we're with family or something, even then, he's not up much later then usual. He goes to bed around 7:30pm and sleeps until 7:15am - 8:00am. We also have a fan on in his room to drown out the noise. Sometimes if we let him stay up later then he sleeps in a bit, which is nice on weekends. I know this next child is not going to be the same as him. Every kid is different. But we know what we want in terms of how and where she sleeps so I'm confident that we can stick to our guns and hopefully this next child can be just as great as sleeper. Sleep is so important for parents too, otherwise you're stressed out and impatient. Can you imagine being sleep deprived with two kids at home? It's not even like I can always sleep when the baby sleeps because Nate will be home too and he only naps once a day - again, I know I'll be grateful for those days he goes to daycare.

So back to the clothes...Our good friends Jay and Jen are giving (lending? we can give them back after lol, I know we haven't discussed that part) us their daughter Sophie's clothes. I can't wait!! Sophie is always very well dressed! I don't really want to buy too much until I see what's there. Sophie was born in December and this baby will be born in July so I know that I can buy some summer dresses. I've attached a couple of photos. I couldn't resist!

These are from Old Navy and Gap. I want to vomit with excitement. I should probably steer clear of the mall until I calm down a bit. But honestly, can you see where I'm coming from?

So I talked to Rye about telling you guys the first name we have chosen for our daughter. He says I'm allowed to share! If you don't like it, I don't care. We can't please everyone. Keep in mind that Rye is choosing the middle name, he's already put 'feelers' out there so we'll have to see what happens. One I don't like at all, another I like a lot. Time will tell. So the name I've chosen is 'Violet'! Two things had me hooked. 1) I don't know anyone with this name (besides Violet Affleck, which is where I got it from) and 2) It's not on any 'Top 100' name list. Rye doesn't like "Vi" for short, he thinks it sounds like an 80 year old lady, and I get where he's coming from but I know that once we have her and if we do call her 'Vi', then we'll just think of our daughter and not an old lady, hopefully anyways! We also had Ellie, Grace and Ruby on the list. I'm off Ruby. I like Ellie and Grace but Grace is way too common. I'd like Rye to choose his Mom's name (she passed away when he was young) but he's not sure it "goes" with Violet.

So that's it for today guys! Hope everyone is enjoying their Friday.

Happy Weekend! Anyone have any good plans? We're going to Jay & Jen's for dinner Saturday then hopefully watching the gold medal game on Sunday! I plan on making a roast chicken in the crockpot for Sunday's dinner. Let's talk recipes next blog!

GO CANADA!!!!!!!!!!!

Drum roll please....

Well, I am pleased to announce that we're having a girl! Seriously shocking. I could barely hold back the tears!! 3D ultrasounds are really cool, I wish we had had one with Nate now too. If you're considering it I highly recommend it, even if you're not considering it, you need to do it. I've attached some pics below. She was super cute, sucking her thumb and had her hands at her face most of the time. She looked really cozy in there :) Now I can shop!!!!!! YESSSS!!!! AND I got Rye to agree on the name! The deal was that he got to choose the middle name, which is fine by me!

Reunited and it feeeeels sooo good!

Okay so I know I'm an asshole. I haven't posted in forever and people are starting to get antsy. I owe you, my loyal readers, an apology. Usually I write during the day while I'm at work, LOL, and we've been crazy busy lately. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE being busy at work, the guilt is just starting to eat away at me. So I'm back. I will do better, I promise!!

First things first, we have a 3D/4D ultrasound booked for tomorrow morning!!!!!!! So unless the baby is REALLY uncooperative we should definitely know the sex. They pretty much guarantee it! I'm so excited! It's at 9:30am at BabyView in Pickering. I'll blog about it right away. I honestly don't care what we're having. I just need to know. I actually caved and bought these adorable hair clips off True Cuddles, they're an awesome website for kids items. Every Monday they have a item they sell at a deep discounted price. So the hair clips were such a great deal, I couldn't resist. I figure if we're having a boy then I'll just give them away and if not then *squeal*!!! I had to stop myself from buying these adorable leg huggers yesterday. Of course when I looked to Meg for support, she wasn't that much help and commented on how cute and what a great price they were! I feel like I'm just not destined to have a girl, I guess because I have 3 brothers. I told this to my Mom and she understood. It took her until the 4th try to get me! But saying that, perhaps Ryan's three half-sisters offsets my three brothers? Wishful thinking maybe? I think I'll be shocked if it's a girl. That being said, every cousin/brother of mine (except for my cousin Heather who has 1 child, and we're still waiting to hear about what Phil and Cheryl are having), has a boy and a girl! So weird. Sooooo excited!!!! Thankfully the appointment is in the morning, I don't think I could wait all day!

Has anyone been watching the Olympics? We're into it. I'm SO far behind on my regular tv shows because of it. I still have to watch: two desperate housewives, brothers and sisters, heroes season finale, a couple general hospitals (I was two weeks behind so I finally caved and just read the write-ups online because no way will I have time to watch them all), the amazing race, and private practice, I think that's it? Lost is on tonight, so is Idol and of course Hockey! So I guess Rye and I will watch hockey then Lost afterwards, gonna be another late night! Of course then it means I'll be behind on Idol! Do you think I watch too much tv? It's exhausting really. Thankfully we have PVR. I couldn't live without it.

Baby gear!! There are a couple big purchases we'll need to buy before the baby comes 1) a double stroller, I thought long and hard about this one, is it really necessary? But Nate will only be 2 when this baby is born so it makes sense. After a lot of research, I've decided on the Baby Trend Sit 'N Stand LX Stand-On Tandem Stroller, I think this would suit Nate and the new baby perfectly (it takes a infant car seat) and it's not ridiculously expensive like a lot of strollers are. 2) We need to buy Nate a twin bed and a new dresser. I'm waiting to see if we'll be moving until we make those purchases. I think we're pretty much good for the other large items. Maybe I would want a new baby carrier but that requires some research! We already have a baby bjorn but I think a sling would be nice. I'm concerned about being home with 2 kids and this would enable me to be mobile. If we're having a girl then I would probably want new crib bedding and obviously I would want to do her room up super girly. We should really start stocking up on diapers too. It never hurts to have them! It feels weird to not have bought anything yet but I think after tomorrow I might go a little crazy!

So until tomorrow my friends! Wish us luck!

Look who's 18!

Yet it still feels wrong!

To Doula or Not to Doula

Okay so a lot to write about today.

First off, we had our 19 week ultrasound yesterday. Rye was unable to attend because of work so I was flying solo. It's a really long ultrasound because they have to take a lot of measurements, not good for the bladder! The technician was really nice and gave me 3 pictures of the baby, free of charge, without me even asking her! She couldn't tell the sex of the baby because she couldn't get a clear picture, but she thinks that my doctor might send me back in a week or two because she couldn't get a good picture for the radiologist. She told me that everything was fine with the baby, I'm a bit skeptical only because I don't know how much the technicians can really tell you. But I'm not going to stress over it until I hear from my doctor. I have an appointment next Thursday anyways.

My friend Sarah called me last week and asked if I wanted a doula, my response was yah definitely but they're expensive (around $1000), she said that this one was free, they need to volunteer to get their certificate. So I called and Melissa is her name. We had a brief talk and she explained that July was too far away and she was looking for someone who was giving birth sooner but she said that if June rolled around and she needed more experience then she would keep me in mind. So then she called me last night and said that she was thinking about it, she's really passionate about pregnancy, and she wants to be our doula. We chatted for a bit and she said the next step was for me to talk to my husband then we would meet in person and go from there. You're probably wondering what a doula is?

A doula, by definition, are trained professionals who provide non-medical support to a woman or couple before, during, and after labour. A doula is different than a midwife, a midwife is like a doctor but more involved in the birthing process, they provide prenatal care and deliver the baby (unless you need a c-section, in which case a doctor would have to perform) and provide postpartum care along with breastfeeding support. So I would have both a doctor and a doula. In cases with a doctor, they really just come in to deliver the baby and placenta anyways so if you're looking to a doctor for support you're out of luck!

A little more in depth about the role of a doula...

We would meet with Melissa a few times before the birth to discuss what to expect in labour and Ryan's role in the birth, a doula is not there to "take over", she's there to support us and to help him support me. She would also help us write a birth plan (A written description of what the expectant parents would like to include and what they'd like to avoid for labor and the birth of their child). She would be available to us 24/7 for the 2 weeks up to my due date, if we need to talk or whatever.

During labour, Melissa would help me to be as comfortable as I can be, through the use of relaxations techniques, suggestions for laboring positions, massage, and emotional support. She would encourage Rye's role and also support him in terms of reminding him to eat etc.

After the birth, she would stay with us for 2 hours to help with breastfeeding to ensure the baby is getting a proper latch. I believe most doulas would also make a home visit or two afterwards as well but Melissa and I didn't get that far in our conversation.

So what are the benefits of having a doula?

- Reduces a woman's likelihood of having pain medications and other interventions if that's what the mother wants
- Increases her satisfaction with her birth
- Increases her chances for spontaneous birth
- Helps her feel better about her partner, her baby and her experience
- Helps fathers interact more during labor and birth
- Enhances breastfeeding success
- Creates better maternal-infant interaction
- Leads to less postpartum depression, anxiety, and greater self-esteem
- Leads to greater satisfaction with the birth experience

My main two reasons for wanting a doula are 1) breastfeeding support and 2) labour support - to make a long story short when I was in labour with Nate, once we got to the hospital, about 2 hours after my water broke, my contractions were 1-2 minutes apart and I couldn't recover between them so I had to get the epidural very early on, epidurals slow down labour and I wasn't dilating so they had to put me on pitocin (sp??) to speed up the process and 28 1/2 hours later Nate was born. So ideally this time, I would like to hold off on the epidural for as long as possible. A doula would REALLY help with that.

The hubby is skeptical, I understand his point of view. He doesn't want a stranger there and thinks that it should just be us during the birth. Obviously she would not be a stranger because we would meet with her a few times beforehand. I think he just needs more information. I've spoken with a few ladies on the baby centre message boards and they said their hubbies reacted the same way but were on board once they met with the doula and understood their role. So I'm hoping things will click once we meet with Melissa. I've really enjoyed speaking with her on the phone and I think Rye will come around.

I have to say thanks to Sarah for hooking us up! I'm hoping everything works out!

Did any of you use a Doula for your birth?? Comment and let me know, we need all the advice we can get!!

Feeling kinda Monday!

Whew! What a weekend! Lots to talk about! Should be a good blog today. I'll leave the talk about how I drool even without a cold for tomorrow's blog for my homie Sarah Brown! Let's get to it!

So friday night was fairly low key. I cleaned the bathroom, getting ready for our Superbowl party, then I went to bed around 9:30ish. I've been SO exhausted lately. I don't remember being this tired with Nate. The second trimester is 'supposed' to be the best in terms of how you feel but this baby is totally kicking my ass right now. I can barely get through the day without a nap :( What does this say for my third trimester? It can't be good lol.

On Saturday afternoon we took Naters to get his first haircut! OMG what a difference. I didn't think they would really take much off but after seeing the end result I felt like such an idiot, why didn't we do it sooner?? They were awesome at http://www.littletotshairshop.com/, we highly recommend it. Nate surprised us and was a real trooper! He just didn't want to wear the apron, can't say I really blame him, it did look like it was choking him a bit, but that's alright. We just had to entertain him with a few cars and trucks and he was set! The lady even busted out the razor to clean up the back because he was being so good! I was so proud of our little man and had to hold back a few tears, we'll blame it on the pregnancy hormones!

After Nate's haircut we took him to Pop & Gigi's for the night and headed down to Big Daddy's Crab Shack and Oyster Bar for Giulia's Birthday. We had a great time, it's not often that Rye and I get out without the little man. It was so nice to have a great meal. I had steak and shrimp and Rye just had steak, he doesn't like seafood, I can't even get him to try a shrimp, so annoying! Giulia's family was so nice and her brother is hilarious! Is it too much to say I love that guy? LOL I would definitely hang out with him again. At one point I had to choke back my water so I didn't spit it out all over the table, resulting in a coughing fit which obviously led to pissing myself a bit. Oh the joys of pregnancy.

Sunday was a very busy day! I woke up around 8:30am to immediately vacuum and mop the floors, it really needed to be done but I was waiting until closer to Sunday so I didn't have to do it twice, makes sense. We got all of our grocery shopping done then we were off to Pop and Gigi's to pick up our little man! Once we got home we had tons of prepping and cooking to do! On our menu was: homemade lasagna, a veggie tray, honey garlic meatballs, salad, buns, buffalo chicken wontons (all homemade), and a sundae bar - definitely my favourite lol. We had a choice of chocolate and vanilla ice cream with either caramel or chocolate sauce topped with reeses pieces, oreos, whipped cream and a cherry! Mmmmm. It was a great night! Obviously we were ecstatic that the Saints won! Nate and Gavin got some BFF time in, it was so cute to watch them together, Gav kept feeding Nate, so funny! I'm so happy they got to spend some time together, we really don't do it enough. By the time everyone left it was around 10:30pm, let me tell you, Monday morning came WAY too soon. Rye took the day off today and I'm so jealous! He did get up with Nate and let me sleep in a bit so I can't complain too much. I wonder what he'll make us for dinner? Hmmmm...

In baby news, tomorrow's the big day. Our ultrasound is at 11:00am. I cannot wait. I REALLY hope baby cooperates. I'm so excited. The baby has been so active lately and I am loving it, I can't wait to see all those little arms and legs waving around on the screen. I'm gonna post a blog as soon as I get back from my appointment tomorrow so I'll be sure to let everyone know if it's a boy or a girl! If we can find out that is, because that's not always the case. Wish us luck!

Hope everyone has a great Monday and the week flies by so we can enjoy a 3-Day weekend! YAY!

xo