There must be something in the water!

Dill is getting another little friend!! When we were in Edmonton this weekend, Carmen announced that she and Eric are expecting a little one at the end of November! She did quite a good job of surprising us. We have a tradition of Deena going around the group with the video camera before shopping and asking everyone what their budget is and what they plan to buy. This year Carmen went last and listed what she planned to buy and then added 'and something for my baby that will be born in November!'. Being the typical girls that we are - we started squealing and asking questions a mile a minute. The really cool thing is that it all ended up being on video.

Carmen and I met in high shcool and lived together in Saskatoon for 4 years while going to university. The picture of us is from the weekend right after she announced her pregnancy. I am so excited that Carmen and I will will be experiencing the joys of motherhood together!

Congrats Carmen and Eric!

Surprise Baby Shower!!

I would like to begin this post by saying I have the best friends ever! As you well know, Gina and I were on our way to Edmonton this weekend to meet Deena, Sara, Carmen, and Candace from Saskatoon for our annual shopping trip. What I didn't know was that they had been planning and scheming behind my back planning a surprise baby shower for Dill and I!

When Gina and I arrived we met Deena in our room and Gina headed up to the second room and Deena and I headed down to check out the gym in the basement of the hotel. When we got back up to the second room - they opened the door and they yelled SURPRISE!! All of them were wearing bright blue shirts (very Christy-ish) that said 'I love Dill' across the front. Mine had a special addition of 'yummy mommy' across the back. They had also decorated the room, organized games and food, and brought gifts. Again - I have the best friends ever! I thought it would be near impossible to surprise me on anything - but I really had no clue. Their generosity and thoughtfulness means the world to me as I will not see them again (except Gina of course) until after Dill is born.

We played some fun baby shower games, ate some appies and headed out for dinner all in our matching shirts. I ended up having to take mine off as I spilt an entire glass of water in my lap... Leave it to the sober one to get a little rowdy! Dill thanked the girls for the shower by given then each a kick.

The rest of the weekend was spent shopping, eating, and visiting as always. This year - my shopping was kept to a minimum as I am done maternity shopping and had already done some post-baby shopping in Vegas. So both Dill and Daddy got gifts and I bought a pair of shoes for myself. I bought 2 more onesies for when Dill is first born. In particular I bought a onesie that has little puppies all over it. James loves dogs and thinks Dill will too.

I am now in the process of doing laundry and re-packing for the next leg of my vacation week....

Reality Hits.... I have a belly!

Today after work, Cheryne joined me at the bridal store to try on my bridesmaid dress for her upcoming wedding. To my amazement the dress was too snug in the belly!! When we ordered the dresses back in January I was not showing at all so the bridal shop recommended a size. I went up a size to make sure that we would be able to take the dress in in needed. Sure enough - the bigger size didn't fit in the tummy! Shouldn't maternity dresses always fit?? Tighter in the chest and quite baggy in the belly?? I told Cheryne I could wear it as is.... but she reminded me that I still have some growing to do in the next 3 weeks. So - they are letting it out as much as they can, about 2.5 inches. Other than that I love the dress! it is a darker red with beading across the chest and spaghetti straps. Keep your fingers crossed that the dress will fit after the alterations! I will be sure to post a picture after the wedding!

The Big 3-0

…in weeks that is! Today officially marks our 30th week, so only 10 weeks to go! Here is an excerpt of our weekly updates:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face.

Dill is still growing like crazy as I can tell his/her kicks are getting substantially bigger than they were just weeks ago. James can now feel multiple kicks in a short period of time rather than just waiting and being excited to get one little guy. The list of people that touch my tummy and try to catch a kick is also increasing and some of them have even gotten lucky! I love that people are so excited to feel Dill and are also looking forward to his/her arrival! Dill is going to be one spoiled baby!

I am off to Edmonton this weekend for our annual girl’s weekend of shopping, eating, and visiting. We picked the date 6 months in advance to ensure everyone can make it and finally the weekend has arrived. Monday James and I are off to Tofino for our last pre-baby vacation. So for all you avid blog checkers… you may have to hold out for a bit until the next post. Hopefully the wait is worth while and I will have lots to fill you in on when we return!

PS – 30 week picture is posted to the left!

Fact or Fiction

My coworker told me about an item she saw on the news yesterday and I decided to pass it along. Whether there is any truth to it is debatable but an interesting read just the same. Check out the link:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24262928/

The over all message of the article is that if you eat cereal everyday before and right after conception you are more likely to have a boy. Those of you that have lived with me know I am faithful to having cereal everyday. Seems to contradict biology... but when you don't know the gender of your baby it is fun to read some of these 'old wives tales' and see which ones were actually true.

Cheryne's Shower and Stagette

This weekend we helped Cheryne celebrate her upcoming marriage on May 17, 2008. Mother Nature altered our plans as we had intended to go to Banff on Saturday night after the shower and instead ended up staying in Calgary. Despite the change in locale... a good time was had by all! As you can tell, we dressed our bride to be up in a veil and fake boobs (although it is difficult to tell in the pictures). She was a trooper and made it through the whole night!



Dill and I did surprisingly well... we were out until 2:30am!! Unbelievable, I know. I am a prego superstar!! From what I remember of the weekly updates, Dill can hear loud noises outside the womb which means he definitely heard the band at the pub. They sang great songs that the other girls danced to. I am very much looking forward to Cheryne's wedding next month!

Dill's Getting a New Friend

We just got exciting news that Kandis and Joel are expecting there first little one in November 2008! Kandis and I lived together for 2 years when I first moved to Calgary and before her and Joel moved to Bermuda. Dill would love play dates with his/her new buddy if they would just move back to Calgary already!! I am so excited for both of them and hoping our kids will have the opportunity to play together over the years. The picture is of Kandis and I at her wedding in October 2006.

Hiccups

Dill got the hiccups for the first time today. Well the first time that I have felt. I actually couldn't really feel it from the inside... but from the outside it was a continuous tap. From what I have read - hiccups are quite common and is the baby learning how to breathe. I called James over and he could feel the taps to, so I wasn't imanging it.

We are getting snowed in here in Calgary. I am hoping for a miracle as we are supposed to be heading to Banff for Cheryne's stagette tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed.....

Week 29

So this week Dill continues to have a growth spurt and weighs approximately 2.5 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is 15 inches long. 15 inches! I think the average length of a baby is between 19 and 21 inches… so baby Dill is very long and skinny at this point! Besides that – nothing exciting in the weekly update. I think we are at the point where the baby just grows each week which explains my ever expanding waist band. Some days I feel like it just can’t stretch anymore while knowing I have in excess of 2 months of expanding left in me. It is amazing how elastic the skin actually is!

I continue to contemplate the sex of the baby and when he/she will finally make an appearance. Although James and I talk about it being a boy… I am still quite aware that Dill could be a girl. Only time will tell….

Pregnancy Woes

This weekend I had my first real pregnancy related issue. One moment everything was fine and the next I felt like I had to pee my pants. I am not exactly sure what happened… but my best guess is that Dill somehow ended up right on my bladder. I seemed to feel fine when I was sitting but getting up and standing was a whole other story. It wasn’t painful just a lot of pressure. So there I was running to the bathroom every 15 minutes!

I went to bed Saturday night thinking Dill would move over the course of the night as both James and I nicely asked him/her too. But Dill, as most children, didn’t listen very well. I woke up to the same feeling. At this point I am very grumpy. Although not painful, the pressure was very uncomfortable and all I could think is how am I going to survive the next 2.5 months???

I went along with my day and hung out on the couch for the most part as sitting and laying seemed to relieve the pressure. I could feel Dill moving around a lot and magically, one of the times I got up the pressure had disappeared!!! Dill did listen!!

So now I am back to my happy pregnant self. I am really hoping that awful feeling does not return. So far I have been so fortunate with my pregnancy I am hoping this will continue through the third trimester.

Week 28

Today officially marks the first day of my third trimester! In some ways it feels like the last 6 months have gone by so slowly and in others it feels like it was just yesterday that I peed on a stick. Baby Dill will be here before we know it!

We had a doctor’s appointment this week which was pretty much the standard appointment up to now. I arrive and wait 15 minutes before they take my blood pressure and weigh me. Then I wait another 10 minutes before the doctor comes in. This month she gave me a handout of pain medication, what to bring to the hospital, and a fetal movement sheet. I am supposed to track the baby’s movements daily. I should feel 10 movements in 2 hours or less. So far this has not been a problem and I have completed this task within 10 minutes. I have now decided that Dill actively partakes in water aerobics in my belly!

I also got the rogane shot to prevent my RH negative blood from creating antibodies against the babies blood. After the baby is born, they will check his/her blood type and give me another shot only if the baby is RH positive.

I have one more appointment in 4 weeks and then switch to 2 weeks. Can’t believe there is only 83 days left until Baby Dill arrives. Can’t wait to see if Dill is a boy or girl…..

Vegas!

Jenn, Serena, and I made it back from Vegas in one piece! YEAH! I loved Vegas... not a place I would go go every year - but I do plan to go back again. Maybe I'll even bring James next time! The picture above was taken right outside the Belagio before Cirque de Soleil 'O'.

We spent the 3 days shopping, exploring the strip, shopping, going to shows... and did I mention shopping? We hit up the Las Vegas Premium Outlet Stores which is where I spent most of my money. I decided ahead of time that I am done with buying maternity clothes and that I will make do with what I already have. So... I bought 4 hoodies. Yes - four. I figure that will be a wardrobe staple next year and my casual wardrobe right now is crap. I also stocked up on Bath and Body Works (which by the way the guy said they are opening stores in Canada in the fall) and Victoria Secret.

Our non-shopping time was spent by the pool soaking in the rays. We had great weather for lounging however the pool was not heated, so it was a little cold by my standards. Below is a picture of me on the way to Mamma Mia - the hotel pool area is in the background.



By the way... I LOVED Mamma Mia - I went to the show expecting it to be an Abba concert as I knew it was full of Abba music, but it was really about a girl who is getting married and invites the 3 men that may be her Dad without telling her mom. It is kinda more of a 'chick flick' but oh so good.

We also went to 'O' which was really good as well. It is absolutely phenomenal what those performers can do. Most of the show was done in a pool of water with acrobatics. I don't think you can really go wrong with a Cirque de Soleil performance!




Did you really think I could go the whole vacation with out buying something for my little Dill? This is the onesie I picked out. This is the first one I have bought because I love the back. Also, orange is a new unisex color we have not yet explored... so it seemed perfect.






On the subject of gender... we were just getting seated for lunch on our last day and the waitress looks at me and asks if I am having a boy. I tell her I didn't know and ask if that is her guess. With no hesitation she tells me it is for sure a boy. See... even strangers think we are having a boy!!

My baby bump is now impossible to hide. Strangers look at it, comment on it, and try to guess the gender! I think this is because I didn't need a jacket in Vegas so it became more visible. Here in Calgary where it is still not spring weather - jackets are mandatory. So up until now I haven't gotten many looks... I have the feeling that this will soon change.

Week 27

Yesterday marked 3 months until Dill arrives and as per the ticker to the left only 89 days to go! Very exciting and scary at the same time. The closer I get to the whole labor process the less I want to think about it. For so long you are focused on getting pregnant, then you get pregnant and you realize how the baby will be born. They really have to figure out a less painful way to give birth! That doctor would be a millionaire easily.

With all the big purchases finalized, we are just waiting for the crib and dresser to arrive so James can assemble it and we can put the finishing touches on the nursery. It will be a great feeling to see the finished nursery and think that this is our first child’s room. The crib is supposed to arrive any day now so should be done sooner than later.

This weekend I am heading to Vegas with Jenn and Serena for my last girl’s trip before Dill arrives. Wait…. technically it is my last girls trip via plane as I am meeting my Saskatoon friends in Edmonton later this month. I am still busy catching up to James 4 man-cations of 2007 (Sorry James - couldn't resist one last dig)! Should be a great time and I will post a few pics when I return. Not many though… everyone knows ‘What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’. Right….. how much trouble can a pregnant woman get into!