A Baby Shower and a Birthday

This past weekend I celebrated two things. The upcoming birth of my little Victoria as well as my 26th birthday. (Although, my birthday doesn't actually take place for another week, I wanted to have it early enough so that a special friend who is also expecting - any time now - would be able to attend both my shower and my birthday)

And I have to say, I LOVE that I have such fantastic people in my life and I'm very glad that they could all be there with me during this time of celebration.

<3





 My good friend Caroline and her husband (Who made us sliders for dinner - SO GOOD!) hosted the baby shower at their house.

There was a huge spread of fruits, some delicious dip that Caroline made - seriously, it was AMAZING! Crackers and cheese, drinks, salad and Jesses yummy sliders.

After we ate dinner, we had some phenominal cupcakes, which are pictured above, that Caroline had bought for the occasion. I have to admit, that I had one of each. My favourite by far were the ones with the pink icing though. Made with REAL raspberries. You can't get any better than that, can you?

 I'm drooling right now just thinking about it and I'm thinking of heading to the fridge so I can go devour the last one!

We all decorated 0-3 month and 3-6 month onesies with fabric paints, and for the first few minutes, we all sat there looking blankly at these white onesies and had no idea what the heck we were going to do with them. Solution? We tossed on some music and that really got things rolling. And soon, we had adorable customized little onsies that Victoria could rock no problem. Caroline made a sweet one with a butterfly with my little ones name across it, Sophie created a clever little onesie with a turtle on the front that says, "I'm turtley cute" below, and Hayley made a cute design with a little giraffe peaking his

 head out from behind a big letter 'V'. (She'd wanted to do a giraffe tail on the back, but we didn't have enough time to let the paint dry for her to turn it over and get that done before we ended the night... still SUPER cute!)

And while all of my friends were putting the finishing touches on their masterpieces, I was still going at it, working on mine, which was almost done, but I couldn't figure out what was missing. I sat there dabbing away with my little paints and thought about it and finally came up with an idea!

I ended up writing 'I <3 My Gma + My Farfar' Farfar, for those of you who don't know, means 'Fathers Father (or grandpa) in Danish.



My dedication to Gma and Farfar <3

Satisfied that I was done, we could carry on with the night... well, that and it's awkward when you are the last one doing something when everyone has wrapped it up and are sitting there waiting for you.Although, my friends are really great, I don't think they would have minded just chatting while I was sitting there with my paints, tongue sticking out the corner of my mouth with a look of concentration on my face...




Erm... This isn't contagious, is it? Is there something in the water?

The rest of the evening we chatted, and I *swear* when you get any of us together, we can just gab for hours. I could get a text from someone asking when I might be available to hang out and I'll say something like, "Oh, I'm just finishing up with a friend (or friends) I'll text you when I'm on my way." and then even though we might expect to be done quite shortly, we end up talking for another hour or so. I've learned not to give a time limit when I hang out with my girlfriends, because I don't want our visits to feel rushed when we really get into it and I don't want to make a promise to be somewhere a certain time when I might not be able to make it on time. I'm anal about punctuality.

 The picture to the left is my favourite picture of the evening, because it's the first picture of all four of us since I met these FANTASTIC women a year ago. Okay, well, there was one taken the night we met, but it was on someone else's camera and I haven't been able to get a copy of it. I was DESPERATE to get a picture of all four of us together, expecially since one of my dear friends is moving away soon.

In the year that I have known these absolutely phenominal women, I've grown to like and love each one of them. And even though I might not get to see them NEARLY as much as I'd like to sometimes, I realize we all have our own individual lives and we each get busy.

That being said, I know that if any of us EVER need each other, we will be there at the drop of a hat for support, let each other vent, a hug or a shoulder to try on. I am unbelievably grateful to have found such good friends so shortly after I'd moved here just a little over a year ago.

Every time I come home from hanging out with one of my girlfriends, I find I like something new about them each time.

 Shall we get back to the main plot? I went off on a little tangent there, didn't I? I received some very thoughtful, some very cute and some very practical gifts.

And I have to say, since this time it was different, I usually feel awkward and strange when it comes to opening gifts in front of a group of people - and I can't explain it. Sometimes I just want to open the gifts when everyone is sucked into conversation, so that nobody notices.

 This time however, I didn't feel awkward or strange at all, which was really nice for a
 change. Really, really nice.

At the end of the night, while we were all still sitting on the couches, I went and grabbed my "Thank-you for coming" gifts and Carolines Hostess gift. We joke that I'm almost incapable of being invited somewhere (even my own baby shower) without bringing something for everyone else. I'd made some body scrubs and put them into containers. I made a Lemon Salt Body Scrub, a Lavender Sugar Body Scrub and a Coffee Peppermint Vanilla Sugar Body Scrub. (The last one smells SO GOOD - I seriously just want to eat it every time I smell it.)

The next day we celebrated my 26th birthday at Pizza Hut.

Pizza, cupcakes, good company and LOTS of laughter. I'm sure a few tears were shed.

Oh, and we got another picture of the four of us together. Now I have a small little project that has to get underway here pretty quickly in order to be done on time!

 

 

I hope that you had an awesome weekend and that you spent it doing what you wanted to be doing and with those you love and wanted to spend time with. Let me know what you got up to.

Body Image - The Pregnant Womans Perspective

Hello again!

For this entry, I've decided that instead of diving into the MANY aspects of body image in pregnancy, I'm going to write about my experiences with my own body image during this pregnancy. That being said, I've had a very small range of emotions when it comes to how I felt about my body so far.

 

I haven't really worried about gaining weight and I only got weighed whenever I went to see my family doctor for my prenatal appointments. Now I do occasionally weigh myself at home (something I rarely did before because I don't ever want to be fixated on a certain number) since, for some reason, the midwives that will be my health caregivers for my pregnancy haven't weighed me. I haven't gotten around to asking them why yet.

Anyway, I'm pretty satisfied with my weight gain so far (25 lbs, from 175 pre-preggo to 200 as of today) and I've been eating healthy (for the most part) as well as I don't give myself the right to eat 'whatever I want, whenever I want" just because I'm pregnant. It's my job that I eat well and take care of myself so I can help this little one to grow healthy. My baby doesn't have it's own voice yet and can't say something like, "Hey mom, I'm growing pretty fast here, let's eat something healthy for lunch instead of that burger and fries so I can grow big and strong and healthy."

That being said, what's life without indulgences? I still have chips and chocolate and ice capps every now and then.

One thing that I can appreciate, is that I don't feel 'fat' (And come on, there is a HUGE difference from fat weight gain and pregnancy weight gain! It drives me UP THE WALL when I meet a pregnant woman who seriously says that she is fat. No, you're not fat, you're pregnant. Yes, you might be uncomfortable, but there is absolutely no reason you should feel self conscious.) I don't even realize that I am as big as I *really* am. If I look in the mirror or look down I think, "Yeah, sure, I have a preggo belly." but as soon as I look at my weekly pregnacy belly pics, I think, "Holy cow! This kid is getting BIG!"

 I am constantly getting stuck between the fridge door and the counter and then it clicks, "oh, right! I have a belly now..." People I know can joke about me being 'fat' and I know they don't mean it and feel secure enough to laugh because I find it it funny. I don't think that it hurts either that once my pre-preggo clothes got too small, they went in a bag and were tucked away in a corner of the basement. I switched them out with other clothes that I could grow with for a while and bought maternity jeans sooner rather than later. If the skinny jeans or tight tops aren't there for me to put on, I can't feel bad about not having clothes that fit properly.

 

As for the 'fat' perspective, I know that I'm gaining weight for a reason and it's not actually fat that I'm gaining. I am supporting a life inside my own body (How cool is that?!) and that the weight I am gaining is:

• the babies weight
• placenta
• extra blood volume (Since your blood volume DOUBLES when you're pregnant)
• extra breast bulk (seriously, I went from a C cup to an E in a few months!)
• the weight of my growing uterus
• amniotic fluid

 I love that I can actually see that I'm pregnant now, there was a period where I really couldn't see the changes in my belly when I looked in the mirror

 

It amazes me when I can see my WHOLE belly move or whenever Victoria decides that it might be fun to play roller derby in utero and gets super aggressive in her movements.

I think it's crazy that I was even a *little* self concious about the way my stomach looked pre-pregnancy... seriously, it was SO flat! I mean, I've never had washboard abs and I've slowly had a little bit of 'growth' the past 5 years, but wow! I am freaking CUTE when I'm not pregnant. (And I'm phrasing it that way because I'm confident that I will still be super cute and hot once Victoria arrives.)

And I suppose it's time to list the (very few) negatives that I've been feeling about being pregnant, and they aren't necessarily about body image, but hey, I don't really complain about my pregnancy woes, so... here goes :)
I dislike that I have to be more dependant on others, especially since I've developed an upper back issue (for which I've started seeing a chiropractor for) and my left hip has started to bug me more. I'm used to being the (sort of) tough girl that can lift big heavy boxes etc. Now I don't even carry the laundry baskets down to the basement or back up the stairs when it's laundry day.

I have to drive to the dog park every morning so my dog can get his exercise since I've already fallen once this winter due to slippery walk ways and and over-excited puppy. Don't worry, I had time enough to think that it would be a good idea if I fell on my side and NOT on my belly. I miss going for walks and Chatum whines in the car almost all the way to the dog park...  a five minute drive, but when you can only really drink decaf, that's a long 5 minutes.

My back muscles get really tight, really quickly. Even holding out the dishes when I'm washing them can be the difference between a nice loose back or super tight muscles and having to go lay down with the rice bags.

Before I realized I was still doing too much, even after cutting down my daily activies and my "to do's", I didn't enjoy being pregnant for a few weeks because I was tiring myself out without even realizing it.

 

Other than those small (and temporary) things, my pregnancy woes are very small and few - and I am grateful that I have WAY more things that I *LOVE* about being pregnant.

The Diapers Have Arrived!

I know! It's been forever since I've posted anything and there are a few reasons for that.
1) Pregnancy tires you out and  blogging isn't your #1 priority.
2) There was a period of time where I *couldn't* upload pictures straight from my laptop, I'd have to post them say, on Facebook and then link them in - which is, to say the least, pretty inconvenient.

 3) I wasn't sure what I wanted to write about next.

Anyway! It's been weeks now, but I ordered the cloth diapers I wanted and that came highly recommended to me by an awesome friend of mine. I bought mine from http://www.sunbabydiapers.ca/ and I have to say, they have some pretty darned

cute patterns for their diapers and I was SUPER excited when they came in the mail. (Albeit, a little overwhelmed when I was first trying to figure out how to get the inserts in and how to adjust the snaps properly, although I'm pretty confident now.

I bought 34 adjustable diapers, with the inserts all for about $250.00 including shipping. My favourites are pictured individually in the photos below.

 For those of you who haven't heard about Sunbaby Diapers, a new mom who LOVED these diapers, but wasn't pleased with the time she had to wait for shipping (They ship from China... more about manufacturing after) the international shipping charges etc. What was her plan? To make these diapers more available to Canadian moms and partnered up with the owner to create a Canadian market.

 Sun Pei is the owner and founder of Sunbaby Diapers. They are manufactured in Shanghai, China where the city has strict laws about the use of cheap labour (win, win in my books) They do not use child labour in their factories (and anyone that does so in their area gets a fine and jail time) I really liked the fact that these diapers are made under fair labour conditions.

 Her employees get paid well and *don't* have to work overtime.

How great is that? It definitely makes me more confident in buying these diapers. I'm also glad that I will be spending less money in the long run, creating less garbage for our landfills and that there aren't chemicals (after the first initial washes) that will be absorbed into Victorias skin and that she won't have the diaper rashes that are associated with disposable diapers. Plus, having a cute pattern on her butt doesn't hurt either.

 Have you ever used/thought about using cloth diapers? Do you find the idea of them intimidating or just don't like the idea of extra laundry?

Preggo Lady Survey! 25 weeks 4 days

How far along: 25 weeks 4 days

Weight gain: 22.2 lbs

Innie or outtie: Innie - but my deep deep belly button is really shallow now!
Maternity Clothes: Maternity jeans/pants/night gown bought from Value Village. Maternity top bought from Walmart... lots of 'regular clothes' that I bought from Smart Set etc that I could grow into.

Sleep: Not well lately :( My back is acting up and part of my spine starts to feel tingly (I have a doctors appointmen tcoming up to discuss that very topic - don't worry!)

Pregnancy Perks: Being told to have a sit down, have a lay down or a nap :)
Embarrassing Pregnant Moment: Farting at prenatal yoga. Not super loud. Not even during a position that could really squeak it out of me.
Lastest Baby Purchases: Cloth diapers from Sun Baby! SUPER EXCITED!
Latest Baby Gift: One of Victorias great grandmothers sent two quilts, 3 onesies along with some other thoughtful gifts! I was super excited and dancing around the house.

Movement: I swear, this little girl is going to be a Roller Derby Girl!
Food Cravings: None really. Although I really enjoy guacomole.
Food Aversions: Pork most times (but not every time)
How's Mama? Tired. Between the back issues, my bad hip/knee on the left side, waking up to pee in the middle of the night and lack of sleep - tired.

What I'm Looking Forward To: Having my mom come to visit after Victoria is born. Finishing the nursery. More baby gifts in the mail.
My Baby in Veg/Fruit Terms: Victoria is roughly the size of a head of cauliflower, is 13-15 inches, 1.5-2.5 lb and knows which way is up and which is down now
Next Doctor (In my case, midwife) Appointment: February the 8th/

What Do I Think My Baby Will Look Like? Blonde/light brown hair, greenish-blue eyes, chubby little cheeks but a long/lean little body.
Natural/C-Section/Drugs? Natural with a midwife baby

Signed up for any classes? YES! Prenatal Classes, Preparing For Labour, Breastfeeding 101, Prenatal Yoga.

Brazilian Wax During Pregnancy?

A note to the family members, you might not want to read this post. I don't want you to be in a situation where whenever we get together and when you look at me, all you think is about my groomed lady bits. (I guess it will help that I'm not posting this entry on Facebook.) So seriously, if you think that's going to happen, avert your eyes and read another blog today.

Okay, I did it. I got my first brazilian wax since I've been pregnant - if you didn't gather that from the title of the post - and I have to say, I was a little nervous.

Since I haven't been working most of the year, my EI has run out and getting pregnant, I've stopped going to the spa for my once a month (Or at least every second month) visit. I've instead opted for grooming myself with my trusty electric lady shaver... buuuuutttt as my belly has been getting bigger, so is the challenge of being able to see what I need to without the possibility of missing whole patches (or hurting myself) I do use a mirror, even before the belly got bigger, to be able to see those far off and tucked away bits, but being able to sit on the floor or the edge of the tub is strangly tricky. I'm not as nibble as I used to be - and if I'm on the floor, I'm about as graceful as a newborn giraffe trying to get back up. (How's that for a visual?)

So, I made the appointment online, read about other womens experiences (And those vary GREATLY) popped a Tylenol an hour before my appointment and decided this might be a great opportunity to practice breathing exercises.

I have to say though, the spa I go to uses this really great and gentle wax. I've never had a wax job hurt as little any other place. I LOVE the wax they use for brazilians. With that Statement out of the way, it still does hurt a little, even if you focus on being relaxed and breathing (Which I have always done right from the start - it doesn't help ANYONE if you are tense and anticipating on the pain. I try and be as chatty as I can with my esthetician as a distraction.

How was it this time with the hormones, the extra hair growth, the sensitive skin and the extra blood circulation? To be completely honest, for me, it wasn't any worse than it normally is - and you can bet that I was thanking my lucky stars! As usual, I did focus on relaxing and exhaling before each strip was pulled. I was really happy that the hair came off quick and clean and she didn't even have to redo in some spots (I never really get the timing right, I usually go in when I'm entering a new stage of hair growth)

And! It was my first time with this esthetician since my regular lady was out that day. (I get my waxes done on Wednesdays because every Wednesday is 15% off all waxes, which covers what I pay in taxes, plus 2%.)

Anyway, SUPER glad that it didn't hurt any more than it usually does and that it went so smoothly. (Pun unintended.)

Have you ever had any sort of waxing done during pregnancy? (Or otherwise)

Gender Reveal! It's A...

Girl!

And her name is going to be Victoria. I am happy that I get to pass down a family name too. Alice (which will be Victorias middle name) is a family name that has been passed down from mother to daughter for four generations now. It was originally my great freat grandmothers first name, and since her, it's been passed down to daughters as a middle name. I'm glad that I'm able to pass down

Aside from names, amazing news right? Okay, I know it's 50/50 shot of being either (Or if you're a weirdo like some of my friends, 33.333333 chance that it would be a hermaphrodite) but, I'm kind of glad. Girls are very helpful and like helping mom out with household tasks and like to help out with younger siblings. (Although my friend Sherrie has an amazing son who loves his little sisters very much.)

That, and I have a few really AMAZING halloween costumes in mind. I did have a few really cute ideas in case I had a boy, but dressing girls up is so fun.

Now, I just have to figure out what I want to do with Victorias nursery. I don't really want to have the walls repainted, but thankfully they aren't stark white - they're a very light beige. I'm thinking beige, with touches of pink and purple... mayyyybeeee a little bit of gold in there. I want to see if I can have fun with decorating while challenging myself to be creative, frugal and be spacially aware - since it's a pretty small room, I don't really want to fill it up.

I'll probably post pictures as things develope. Right now all I have in there is her crib and my crafting table - which I've brought up from the basement to do my Christmas Craft Challenge (Making home as Christmas-y and in the spirit of the holiday season, while spending as little as possible... so far, I've spent I think $10-$12 on it. Most of that is hot glue. The rest of the supplies I found around the house :D)

Anyway, that's my little Christmas gender reveal.

How is your holiday season going? Is there anything on your want list you'd like to see filled? Or, is there a gift that you are giving to someone special that you are really excited about?

My (Other) Baby

So, last week I had about a day and a half where I was just bummed out. I couldn't pin point exactly why (Thanks hormones.) but I missed my mom and I missed my other baby. I know that since there wasn't any chance that it was ever going to form into a person since all I had was just an empty sac, but you still have an idea of how your life is going to be with that new little life. And I, like any other mother, envisioned my life with a new little baby.

Like I said, during those couple days where I was feeling down, I couldn't remember when our first baby would have been due. And I couldn't find my old day planner, but knew I had kept it. And I haven't been able to satisfy that need to know.

When was my first pregnancy due to end?
Today I found my old day planner, went online to calculate my due date - and my other baby, would have been due October 31 and would be a little bit more than a month old right now.

I'm at odds how to feel about all of this. I'm not really sad. I'm happy that I'm not mourning the loss anymore. I'm happy that I'm pregnant right now and I'm halfway to my due date now. But part of me is upset that I forgot when my little bundle was due - and that the date came and went and I didn't notice or remember. I thought I would. If I don't remember, then who will?

I am glad that it doesn't take up all my thoughts anymore. I used to think about it everyday. Multiple times a day. Now there are whole days in between where I don't think about it and life is moving on like normal. (Which is okay).

Today, I go to the hospital to get my last ultrasound. The ultrasound where I will (hopefully) find out the sex of this little one. And while I know I'm going to have a good day and I will be excited no matter what it is, I think that today will be bitter sweet.

It's a good thing I decided not to wear makeup, because I might have left the hospital later with my mascara running.