Thanks...

We have had a generous amount of assistance so far from friends and family, so a big thanks goes out to Dave and Andra for the change table (among a PT Cruiser load full of other useful things), Karen, Julie I., Danielle, and Trish for maternity clothing, Meredith and Jen for baby clothes and other stuff, and to Denise and John for providing our future Toronto Maple Leaf fan with his/her first sleeper:


(I realized that the gift was intended for the baby after attempting to try it on. Apparently, I've put on a few pounds.)

And a shout out to our families, who obviously are as eager as we are to add the extra chair to the dinner table.

If anyone has been left out, please excuse my neglect as I am flying by the seat of my pants here. Now, I must begin the unenviable task of shopping for a new digital camera and trying to justify the hefty price tag to Julie after the purchase.

I've lost my belly button!!

Ack!! I no longer have a belly button. The one thing that all humans have, that one link that proves you're human and not a clone, the belly button. Well mine is gone. It's stretched out flat, well almost flat. In a matter of days it will have completely disappeared. I don't think that I will pop to an outty, like a Butterball turkey. I had a herniated belly button as a baby and it's pretty tight. Nothing really to pop out. But what am I saying, everything else has surprised me so far, so I will probably do the turkey thing.

Oh, by the way, I found out the answer to my question about the weird line on my belly. It seems that all women have this line, called the linea alba (white line). It's there, you just can't see it because it's the same colour as the rest of your skin. With pregnant woman, this line turns dark, linea negra (black line) due to all of the lovely pregnancy hormones coursing through their bodies. So there you have it. A little trivia knowledge for you. It still doesn't answer the question of why we have this line in the first place, but hey, beggars can't be choosers!

Pop!

So I went to bed Monday night with a little bump and woke up Tuesday morning looking like I swallowed a cantaloupe! I swear I heard the pop in the middle of the night. You hear about women "popping" but I really didn't realize how literal that was. I told Marty that the babies ears are now formed. I think he talks more to the belly than to me now! It's so amazing to see how happy he is and how much he lights up when he sees my growing belly. No offense to all the other dads out there, but Marty is going to be the best dad ever.

It doesn't look very hopeful for getting a mid-wife, so we are now trying to get a doula. That doesn't seem to be very easy either. It seems that April is very busy month, birthing wise. So we are still calling around and trying to find someone that will available and also match us. I really don't think that I want a drill sergeant in the delivery room with me.

Not too many more musings today. Just thought I would touch base. My back is still really bothering me but I am hoping that the yoga will help. I did some yard work yesterday so today it is stiff. I finally had the chance to clean up the yard, tidy the garden and get everything packed away into the shed. It's been raining almost every weekend, which makes yard work very difficult (or actually getting me out to do the yard work in the rain is very difficult).

More later...

Question

Here is a question for everyone out there... well, I guess mostly the women. What is that line of darker skin that divides your expanding belly in two hemispheres from your bellybutton down, that is starting to appear on my belly? Is this some throw back from our Neanderthal days? Does anyone have any clue as to why we get this? I think this is a question for Quirks and Quarks. I should write in.

I had my first very clear baby dream last night. It was a little girl and I couldn't remember any of the labour. And when it was time to breast feed, she turned into some weird grey bowling pin shaped thing, which didn't bother me in the least in the dream. Hmm... and to think that the dreams will only get weirder from here on in.

Marty and I had a great little get away weekend in Montreal. Since we don't get to see each other much with his work hours, it was wonderful to get to spend some quality time and reconnect. Hopefully his work schedule will settle down to something a little more predictable and we will be able to have some quality time together.

The Bump has arrived

As the picture below clearly shows, the Baby Bump has arrived. I have now entered that trendy stage that all the Hollywood starlets are so famous for (well at least according to People Magazine!). I have also fully succumbed to maternity clothing, tops and all. So now every time I speak with someone they look at my belly instead of my eyes and every conversation starts with " So how are you feeling?" I know everyone means well and my friends and colleagues are genuinely thrilled for me, but I imagine that this is going to get old pretty fast. We still have another 5 months to go people! Pace yourselves!

I have officially entered the second trimester, the wonderful time of the pregnancy when I will feel wonderful, full of energy and will glow... or so the books tell you. Well, I'm still waiting for it. As I type this I sip my ginger tea slowly to try and bade the nausea, try desperately not to scratch my stomach raw because it's so incredibly itchy and stay awake long enough to watch a new episode of House. But who knows, maybe I'm glowing all the while! Actually, I have been feeling much better, the nausea is not as frequent and I do have great energy during the day. Mornings are my best time when I have the most energy, which kills Marty on the weekend when he needs a few hours to get up to full steam and I am dancing around him impatient to get moving. By the time he's ready to go, I'm ready for a nap. I'm sure we will synch up eventually.

That's the news for now. Keep on visiting, you never know when I will be inspired!

Belly Watch, Episode 1 - 16 Weeks

Our first in an ongoing series. Who's getting excited?

The sounds of life, with an apology on the side...

OK – so the blog has been hijacked. Normally, I would spend an inordinate amount of time ranting about Julie’s entries regarding wireless bras and fat pants. All men have now vacated the site, deleted the bookmark, and most likely have had any reference to me permanently wiped from their memory. None of this matters, however, now that we have heard the heartbeat.

That’s right! It was somewhat surreal sitting there listening to the gurgled pace, and any disbelief as to the reality of the situation has now gone completely MIA. By the end of the month, we will have hit the halfway mark! In all my elation, it took me a moment to realise that the doctor had asked Julie to lie on the table. Upon hearing the word “PAP-…”, I suddenly recalled the article in Home & Garden that I left unfinished in the waiting room, and left to research potential pergola designs for our yard.

A superficial struggle has begun over potential names. I say superficial because Julie is steadfast in her choices, and do I really have any chance in changing her mind? As much as I like them, I’m not ready to close any doors quite yet. Besides, how can she not think that Christopher Walken Detto is an outstanding name (boy or girl – it’s all the same)?

All the best to the women still reading the blog, and to the men, I’m terribly sorry…I let you down…

Bras

You would think that with breast cancer being a huge issue these days and awareness campaigns running full throttle, that you would be able to find a bra with no underwire. The Canadian Breast Cancer Fund recommends that women not wear underwire bras, but every shop that sells bras only has underwire nowadays. I have some wonderful no underwire t-shirt bras, nice molded cup, good support, super comfortable, but they no longer make them. Why? Is society now moving backwards in bra fashion even when 1 in 9 women are diagnosed with breast cancer?

Why this rant today? Well as my boobs inflate daily, my cups runneth over and I am in need of bras. Comfortable bras that I won't feel the need to undo under my sweaters and walk around work with no support (I was desperately uncomfortable!). Yesterday was my second attempt to find bras with no underwire, that were comfortable, didn't have the seem that runs across your nipple (anyone know what that's for?) and provided some semblance of support. After an hour and a half of tying on bras (and there is no exaggeration here) I finally came across one bra that fit, was comfortable and had no seem. Unfortunately it's not a molded cup, but beggars can't be choosers. So I bought three. And even better, there was a one day sale on undergarments at Sears yesterday. Bonus!

Mourning

I would like everyone to take a moment of silence please. I have reached the point of no return. Today, I am wearing... gulp... maternity pants! I am mourning the loss of fashionable pants, and trying to accept the fact that for the next 6 months, I will be wearing fat-nable pants. But I do have to admit, this things are super comfortable!

Julie's Musings

I have a feeling that every time Marty posts something, I will have to come back with some sort of rebuttal. But considering that my brain is slowly turning to mush, they probably won’t be as witty and provocative and they seem to be in my head. By the way, all that talk about “pregnancy brain” is totally true! What’s up with that? Marty is really enjoying the fact that I repeat the same question four times in an hour, can’t seem to concentrate or form complete sentences, and now I have begun to drop things. Can’t wait until I have a belly that protrudes past my line of sight and I start to bump into things.

We are going to start a photo documentary of the belly for those that are not around so that you can see the progression of the beast. We’ll post a photo every month of my silhouette, and you can all get a big kick out of the fact that my t-shirt will seem to get smaller and smaller as the months go by. I have to admit that I am having major clothing woes. I think this will be the last week that I can get away with putting an elastic around my buttons to keep my pants up as every time I bend over, the zipper goes down. I thought that you could where your normal clothes for at least 4 months with your first pregnancy! Oh all the myths that are being dispelled to be these past few weeks. Can’t wait to see what else is to come!