The Third Trimester has begun

Well I have hit the third trimester. The first two have gone by relatively smoothly, so I am assuming that the last one will be hell. And it seems to be living up to my expectations.

I am having the most incredible leg cramps, usually in the middle of the night, but the other day I had them in the pool. I didn’t know how I was going to get out of the pool. Luckily I was in the shallow end, so there was no life guarding needed. Can you just picture it: large pregnant woman being hauled out of the water by some scrawny 16 year old boy!

The nausea seems to have returned right on queue. Yesterday was my first day into the third trimester and I felt gross the whole day. Seems that my hormones kick into high gear for the next little while. Ginger tea will be reintroduced to the diet I am expecting.

Speaking of hormones, Marty got a taste of what to expect in Home Depot yesterday. We were looking at paint colours, and I burst into tears because Marty couldn’t see into my head and what I imagined Junior’s room to look like. Being the patient soul that he is, he gently escorted me back to the car with soggy paint chits in hand and brought me home to look up some ideas on the internet. We ended up finding the perfect inspiration and are both really excited about it.

I’m starting to get the nesting feeling. I want to get things ready and done. Junior’s room, stroller, organizing, getting our bedroom ready, etc… The urge is not too strong yet, but I feel it coming on. Be very afraid Marty, very afraid…

99 Childless Days Left To Go, 99 Childless Days...

More Observations

A few more observations from the first pregnancy perspective.

I have now out grown most of my initial maternity clothes. What sort of scam is this? The maternity clothing market is something I think I will consider investing in. I have outgrown most of my nice new little tops. And it's not the belly part, it's the boobs. I had to stuff myself into my pretty Christmas blouse for one last time, just because I only wore it about 4 times. And it's so pretty!! But bless Trish's heart, who is about to burst and lent me a bag full of new tops. It was just like Christmas going through the bag and trying them all of. Today I am sporting a lovely pale blue linen top, which is quite roomy and I have high hopes of wearing it for a good couple of months.

Next observation, I'm growing moles. Ick is right! They aren't technically moles (according to my investigative reading) but little skin "flaps" that change colour after a while. Supposedly they go away after delivery. I sure hope so, because I am starting to get a little freaked out. I've got a lot of them!! A few other things I am not going to miss: swollen ankles, puffy fingers, sore hips, and this weird muscle/skin pain thing (which is still there).

But before everyone starts to think that I am ungrateful, there are defiantly some things that I will miss. Like Marty kissing my belly. When he came to pick me up at the airport after my trip to New York (which I will blog about soon), I got a kiss and then the belly got a kiss. How wonderful is that! I will also miss him reading to Junior. The nights that he is home when I go to bed, he puts his head on my belly and reads from a book of children's poems. I will also miss feeling Junior moving around. The whole weirdness of knowing there is a tiny human growing inside me as passed. Now I just like to feel him swimming around and doing cartwheels. I actually get a little sad when I don't feel him at the moments when I can actually sit and relax and enjoy it. To the point that I start poking my belly to see if it will get him moving. Supposedly he will react to light now, so I think we will have to try the flash light on the belly thing and see if it gets him moving. If only I knew where his head was!

Belly Watch Episode 3 - 24 Weeks

Whilst her wardrobe perpetually diminishes, there is no denying the inevitable. The little guy is kicking up a storm on the inside, and much like his father, seems anxious to get on with things. Julie, on the other hand, tends to get freaked out at the thought of labour and delivery. I continue to assure her that I will be present to do all of the freaking out for her so that she can rest easy, but apparently it doesn't work that way.



As I write, an episode of "The World's Strongest Man" competition is on TSN (instead of the Leafs game, which is blacked out in the Ottawa viewing region thanks to the Senators, but that's another issue). Currently, the competitors are moving a hollowed out car by standing in the centre of it and lifting up with straps placed on their shoulders. I mention this because as much as I will undoubtedly support my son in any endeavour, I might feel a pinch less of pride if he decides to take this route. Perhaps if he wore a Leafs jersey while he competed...

The Battle of the Belly! - When Julie was in Montreal for New Years, she had the chance to visit with friends and family, but more importantly, the long-awaited pre-match weigh-in between Julie and Danielle took place. Julie appears to have the edge in size by a few weeks, but don't discount Dan's experience in handling the glorious girth!. Should be a good one.

The Giant Within

Had another prenatal this morning. Everything is going well, pee test clear, heart beat strong. Junior seems to be a very happy camper. And he seems to be a giant as well. I am in the 90th percentile in weight gain and uterus size. I'm measuring at 26 weeks when I am only 23 1/2. Thank you giant Detto genes!!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!! I must apologize for not being more faithful to the blog. I guess there just isn’t a whole lot going on right now that I think people will be interested in. But I figured a little holiday recap might be appropriate at this time.

This was our first Christmas in Ottawa. We are usually in TO by the 24th the latest, but with Marty’s schedule, he had to work Christmas night. So, what to do? Olga and Jonathan invited us over for a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner. I know Marty raved about it on his last entry, but I have to rave too. It was the best turkey dinner I have had in my life! The turkey was so juicy and tender, even the white meat melted in your mouth like butter. Kudos to Jonathan, you make a mean bird!

Marty didn’t end up having to work Christmas Eve, so we got o have a wonderful sleep in together and then opened our stockings. We are obviously meant to be together as we bought two of the same things for each other. I now have a couple of good books to hunker down and enjoy. Thanks babe! And we treated ourselves to the new digital camera (see previous blogs). Marty had to work Christmas night but we enjoyed a dinner of cheese and pates, and some SFU.

On Boxing Day we headed for TO after Marty got some sleep. We arrived just in time to have leftover turkey (gotta love a holiday when you get to eat turkey twice!) with the whole Detto clan (sans Kevin whose in BC). It was nice that everyone was able to stay the extra night so that we could see them. Connor, Junior’s cousin, is a great little guy whose just learning to walk and ready to run. Marty and I did some mall walking (the malls in the outskirts of TO are incredible!!), saw a movie, walked the dog, I finally learn how to play Euker, and got to sleep a lot. Exactly what a holiday is supposed to be.

We headed back home on the 29th, had quick bite to eat and headed out to see Mere and Ron (and Ella of course, Duncan was in bed). We had to take advantage of the one night we were going to be able to get out and spend a little time with them. It was a really nice night, though short.

Marty started his latest shift on the 30th. Since he was going to be working on New Year’s Eve, I jumped on the bus and headed to Mtl to spend a couple of days with the fam. It was really nice. I had a chance to catch up with Josee and Danielle, and spend some time with Claudia and Charlotte. Seems the Strawberry Shortcake toys were a big hit! Went to a really nice dinner with Tam, Matt and the kids and then Danielle and Adrian came over to watch the ball drop. We all made it to midnight (even Tam, barely) and then all went to bed rather quickly! I got to watch the Rose Bowl parade (my New Year’s Day tradition) on a large flat screen TV in HD. Very impressive. Matt brought me to the bus stop and was his usual gallant self. The line up was crazy so he found someone, told them I was pregnant and next thing you know, I’m being ushered onto a bus. Sweet! I’ve got to start using this pregnancy thing to my advantage.

Oh, and the pregnancy. Things are moving along. I am still have some real discomfort with the muscle thing around my rib cage. It is really starting to feel like a torn muscle. I see the doctor tomorrow, so I’ll see if there is anything to do. Bras are a nightmare and I haven’t really worn one for the last week and a half. Don’t know what I am going to do now that I have to go back to work.

So that’s the news. A new belly shot will be coming in the next couple of days. And Mom, I’ve got a picture of Danielle and I butting bellies which I think you will like, that I will post as well.

Sorry for the rambling…

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

All is quiet tonight in the house. I have the night off of work (back in tomorrow, though), and Julie and I just came back from a remarkably succulent turkey dinner at Olga and Jonathon's place. We hope that everyone is well and that your holidays are full of laughter and good cheer - and by good cheer, I mean tasty beverages. We'll post again soon.

More news on the ever changing body

So my ankles are starting to swell. According to my book, this should only be happening in the 7th month. I’m not even into the 5th yet! Also, the uncomfortable factor has started. It’s pretty much all focused around my chest. Chest, not boobs: they’re fine. It’s hard to explain where the discomfort is but it’s basically the part of my chest where boob and belly meet. That fold. It is now the only place on my upper body that can fold, since the belly has arrived. Hopefully I get used to it. But I must say, it sure is making me sit up straighter. My posture is the best it’s ever been!

I’m still getting used to the fact that we can now say “he” when we speak about the baby. It’s weird to be able to personify it. I didn’t have any idea what’s so ever, so there was no surprise, but it’s really nice to know. Marty was so convinced we were having a girl that I think it took him a while for it to sink in as well. Now it’s all about names. There is one in particular that I really like, but Marty is still determined to see if there is anything else out there. But until he comes up with more serious options than Walken, B.B. and Scooter, it looks like my pick is going to win. I do have one criteria: it has to sound good in both English and French. It’s non-negotiable. As much as I like the name Ethan, it’s impossible to say in French!

Junior (I figure that’s better to use on the blog than “he” all the time) is moving around pretty steadily now. I can’t always feel it on the outside, but he is definitely enjoying the room he has in there. Marty briefly touched on his first experience of feeling the baby move. He totally freaked!! It took him almost a week to want to try again. It’s a bit more subtle then it was that first time. I think Junior really wanted to make sure Marty knew he was there. I do have to admit that it’s very alien like to think there is a tiny human growing in my stomach! Not to mention that in four months I'll be a mother... Pardon me while my brain explodes trying to wrap it around that concept.

Oh, one final word on poop… prunes. As gross as they are, five before going to bed each night seems to be doing the trick. At least for now.

Big Announcement!

It has come to my attention from my parents that the Detto lineage has proven to be full of men. All of my direct aunts and uncles have given birth to boys. On Julie's side, all of the women have produced girls. The girl-boy odds seem to be even in our case. Well, as I mentioned in my previous post, we had another ultrasound yesterday and now know the outcome:





Not that you can tell from the images, but we are definitely getting ready to have a little boy. I say "definitely" based on the 5 second flash he gave us. (Apparently, he will need a little lesson on discretion that I have already begun to prepare.) All is good with him in the womb. In the first image, his face is to the front...he's quite a looker! We got a really good look at him from all angles, as he was really bouncing around. I wasn't prepared, though, to discover how active he actually is until I placed my hand on Julie's belly last night and got a substantive kick. I'm still schocked by the force at which it literally knocked my hand off of Julie. Somewhat icked, but mostly excited, I'm anxiously awaiting the next opportunty. If he keeps this up, he'll be ready to run right outta there during the delivery.

Belly Watch, Episode 2 - 20 Weeks

In this latest installment, we can clearly see some progress in the size of Julie's belly. Of course, being Marty, I remind her of this far beyond the reasonable limit, jeopardizing my life in the process. As Julie becomes more radiant by the day, I too, have packed on a few pounds. Despite the numerous warnings of my "As the Father-to-be, you are still a part of the pregnancy" literature, I have succumbed to my sweet tooth without a fight. I constantly plead with Julie to stop baking those brownies with the chewy centre, but to no avail.
As I'm not feeling creative today, I will just point out that we should know the gender after tomorrow's unltrasound. I am extremely anxious to find out, as I need as much time as possible to prepare for one of the following speeches:
a) The "I'm her father and you are nobody" intimidation speech at meeting the first boyfriend; or
b) the "I'm his father, and he IS the next Mario Lemieux" rant. DISCLAIMER: If graced with a girl, I still intend on "guiding" her into a career as a future hall-of-famer. It's not societal expectation thing with me...honestly.

Update

We had another prenatal appointment this week. Every thing seems to be tickety-boo. The heart beat was nice and strong, my blood pressure was bang on and nothing came up on the pee test. But there was one kicker. I've gained 10 pounds since my last visit. That was four weeks ago. That's over two pounds a week! At this rate I'll barely get out the door in a couple of months. I've been really good, eating at least four pieces of fruit a day, not eating the stereotypical chocolate-bar-a-day. I do love my bread though. It's jut so yummy and usually helps with the ickyness I am still feeling on an almost daily basis. But I have a theory. Poop. You heard me, poop. For those of you who don't know, pregnancy pretty much slows your colon to a grinding halt. And for those who know me, my colon wasn't exactly Speedy Gonzales to start off with. So, I figure a few of these pounds have got to be poop. It's my excuse and I am sticking with it!

Tonight is Marty's last night at the house of terror. He is absolutely giddy. He has five full days off without any chance of getting called in before he starts his new shift at the house in Almonte. It's a little farther out, but he has worked there before and really likes the way it is run and the kids seem to be pretty good. Well, he hasn't had his life threatened there, so I'm all for that! The other place was just terrible. He was so stressed about going to work that he stopped eating and got very little sleep, and when he did, he dreamed about work. So now he will be working the over night shift, four days on, four days off. We will actually get to spend some time together! Very exciting. Maybe I will eat less bagels for dinner and actually start to cook some real food! I hate cooking for myself.

We have met with a doula. A woman called Leslie who is actually a registered nurse. She seems really nice and very calm. I think we will probably sign up with her. I've just received the name of another doula that I am going to see if we can meet just to compare. It wouldn't hurt to see how we like her.

So there you have it. Stay tuned as this weekend we will post a belly picture update. We just received our new digital camera. Marty did a bunch of research, and found the perfect one for us, until we found out the price! But, he got on eBay and starting bidding. After a pretty intense afternoon of bidding , he won! My little techno-geek was so happy! And it arrived today. I am being very good and will wait for tomorrow and let Marty open the box, even though it's killing me!

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.