Parents-to-be

James and I in Dill's room. Won't be empty for very much longer....

Heat Wave!

For weeks now I have been hoping and praying for the nice weather to finally arrive but, apparently pregnant Christy is reacting differently to heat than regular Christy. I usually LOVE the hot weather and could lie at the beach for hours. Not this year... It is currently 20 degrees (which really isn't that hot if you think about it) in Calgary and I decided to take a leisurely stroll down 17th ave over lunch. Big mistake! I swear the A/C was broken in every store I went into as I would immediately start to sweat when I went indoors. Could be a long month of staying in the air conditioned house if this keeps up. I am now very happy that James convinced me we needed A/C!

Week 35

34 days and counting....

Baby dill now weighs over 5 pounds and is the weight of a honey dew melon. I think all the baby really does for the next couple weeks is grow and put on weight - hence the bigger belly. I am all good with that!

I had my doctor's appointment on Monday and the doctor confirmed that Dill is head down and ready to go. I had suspected this given where I feel the kicks and the hiccups. I should have been a doctor as I was spot on. It is crazy how the doc can poke around and then announce- here is the head! I went home and tried to locate the head - no luck.

My weight gain has slowed down this month as the baby is pushing on my stomach and I find it hard to get a full meal in. After every meal, no matter what I eat, it feels like I have just finished eating Christmas dinner. Note that it is not the plesant feeling you get while you are eating the meal, it is the 'I need to lay on the couch and undo my pants' feeling you get right after the meal. The doctor assured me that this is normal that the Dill is growing right on target. That made me feel better.

She also informed me that it is time for weekly appointments until Dill is born. I don't mind going to the doctor though. You get the chance to ask questions and to hear the heartbeat. What more can a mom-to-be ask for!

Last night we attended our second baby class where we learned all about labour positions and relaxation. We had practice contractions timed by the instructor where we would try out the different positions. We also watched the long awaited birth video.... I think I have seen enough and hope to not see any more videos in the next 5 weeks! I must admit though I teared up a little when the baby was born - I just can't wait to meet our little one. Had I been alone - I likely would have sobbed uncontrollably. You guessed it... we are back to hormone central!

Baby Pool Analysis

For those of you that have not checked in with the baby pool since you casted your vote.... as any accountant would, I have summarized the results thus far below:

- 67% of people think we are having a boy. I must say this is better odds than I expected as everyone including strangers guess we are having a boy. I keep reminding everyone (including Dill's Dad) that there is still a 50/50 chance on the gender and we will just have to wait until Dill arrives.

-The birthday guesses range from Jun 23 to Jul 16 - quite a wide range of guesses. I am hoping for the earlier end - although Grandma Paulette would be quite upset to have the baby arrive that early. She plans to arrive in Calgary on June 30 and stay until the baby is born. She is also the person to guess July 16 which I am not thrilled about. I think I can handle a week overdue - I think after that Dill will be getting an eviction notice from 'Hotel Christy'!

- The weight guesses are pretty spread out ranging from 6'15 to 8'6. Nearly 40% of people think the baby will be over 8lbs which is a big baby as far as I am concerned! They obviously think the baby is taking after my size at birth!

if you haven't already taken a guess - the link to the pool is on the left toolbar. Only Dill will determine who the winner will be!

Baby Classes!

James and I attended our first Birth and Babies class last night. This is a series of weekly classes that run for 10 weeks and spread over the birth of the babies. I think the goal is to have 5 classes before and 5 classes after baby – but of course, babies are unpredictable. I noticed that the earliest due date was June 20 and the latest was July 4th. So of course… we are at the end. I just hope we don’t have the last baby. It would be so discouraging to go week after week and still be the ‘pregnant couple’! Again – this is up to Dill – not us!

Because there are some couples that could potentially have their babies in 2 to 3 weeks, they dive right into the labor process and birth. Last night we covered first stage labor which we learnt is the process leading up to becoming 10cm dilated. So no birth video yet – that is next week! I think James may have been relieved that we didn’t have to watch the video on the first night!

I had really been looking forward to starting these classes – but boy is it an eye opener! I didn’t realize how long it could take just to get into what they call active labor and how long they want you to actually stay at home for. Apparently you should not go to the hospital until the contractions are 3-5minutes apart. That is quite close together if you consider that this includes the contraction time. Both James and I agreed that the most important thing we learnt was how to time a contraction – from the beginning of one to the beginning of the next. I told James to take notes during this part as I will not be timing myself .

They also told us to start thinking of what kinds of foods we should be eating when I start contractions and what we will do to pass the time. When James asked me what I wanted to eat, I immediately answered spaghetti and garlic toast. They said it should be a high carb meal as it is like preparing for a marathon or another cardiovascular event. Whether I get the spaghetti or not is another story. James thought scrabble was a good idea to pass time… but I would go crazy waiting for him on his turn. He is the slowest scrabble player ever. I think we will have to go back to the drawing board on this one.

The best part of the night for me was when we did a relaxation exercise where the husbands had to massage their wives while the woman worked on visualization. To be perfectly honest – I didn’t hear a word the instructor said but thoroughly enjoyed my 8 minute massage!

Week 34

I cannot believe there are only 6ish weeks until Dill arrives! That is 41 days… YIKES! The time seems to be going quite quickly (knock on wood)! I am now noticing that the extra weight/belly is catching up with me. Getting on and off the couch/bed is a chore and my walking has slowed down substantially. I am proud to report that Dill and I still get out for a half hour morning walk most days. Starting in May we have moved from the treadmill to walking outdoors. I just find the sunshine such a breath of fresh air first thing in the morning before work. Speaking of which… I only have 4 weeks of work left after this week which is only 15 office days thanks to extra vacation days and courses.

As per the weekly updates… Dill is nearly 5 pounds and has a 99% survival chance if he/she were born this week. The lungs are substantially developed and it is the nervous system that will continue to develop over the next several weeks. Dill’s hearing is also fully developed now and can hear both James and I talking. Better watch the language Dad! I must admit both of us talk to the baby but not as much as we could. We’ll have to work on this over the next several weeks.

I hope to post the 34 week picture later today. I ran out of time before I left for work this morning!

Cheryne and Les's Wedding

Introducing the new Mr. and Mrs.!



This picture was taken right after the outdoor ceremony by the river. You could not have asked for a more perfect day for a wedding. The sun was out and shining. If anything... it was too hot. Never thought I would utter those words. But when you are standing there and you can feel sweat dripping down your leg - you know it is starting to get a little warm! Those poor guys in the tuxes... I can't even begin to imagine how hot they were.



Of course I had to get a belly shot in my dress. As of Saturday I was exactly 7.5 months pregnant or 33 weeks and 3 days. If you remember from a way earlier post - this was the first maternity item I purchased and I finally got to wear it. Dill fit nice and snugly in there. The dress ended up being a tad on the long side which left me either holding the dress up or tripping over the back of the dress. I think overall thought the 3 bridesmaid dresses looked great together and tied in just perfectly with Cheryne's dress with the red detailing. It was nice to finally see the finished product!.



Cheryne was an absolutely beautiful bride and I was so proud to stand up for her. We had several busy days of wedding festivities. It started Friday morning with a trip to the spa for manicures and pedicures. Followed by some decorating, a rehearsal, and dinner. Saturday morning we were off to the hair salon for 9:30am where there were lots of laughs to be had. The ceremony went off without a hitch, there was plenty of time for pictures and finally we were off to the reception.



James and I had our first dance since we became pregnant. I think it may be our last... it felt a little awkward to be standing so far away and leaning in towards him at the same time. Oh well - we gave it a go. Kinda reminds me of giving a hug as I have to put my butt out!

Overall the day was a blast and we wish Les and Cheryne a long and happy marriage!

Week 33

Dill now weighs about 4.3 pounds. A really amazing fact is they (being doctors I assume) estimate that about half of the weight I gain between now and birth will go directly to baby. So at approx. 1 pound a week Dill could gain 3.5 more pounds! I think that is pretty amazing!

It is also likely that the head is now drifting downwards into the correct position and getting ready for birth. I have suspected this for some time as I only feel the hiccups at the very bottom and slightly to the right of my belly and the majority of the kicks are high and to the right. I plan to verify this with the doctor next visit - I forgot the last time I was there. I have not had any braxton hicks (fake contractions) which could also happen at any time.

Swelling is also common at this stage of pregnancy. So far I am happy to say that I still have ankles! Who knows if I will be fortuntae enough to keep them for the next 7 weeks.

I still feel great and little Dill is kicking me as I write this. I guess that is his/her way of saying 'Hi'!

PS - 48 days to go per the countdown to the left!

The Dress Fits!

I have had many people ask me if my bridesmaid dress fits... and it DOES!! I went for a fitting last week and it now falls nicely along my sides rather than all wrinkly and tight in the back. I tried it on this morning to make sure it was still good, and alas it is! Really... not even a person 7.5 month pregnant person could grow that much in one week! I assured Cheryne when she asked me to be a bridesmaid that I intented to be a 'cute pregnant person' and so far I think I am pretty cute if I do say so myself :)... but no promises over the next 7 weeks!

Stay tuned for pictures of the dress in action after the weekend!

Infant CPR

Last night, Auntie Bo, Uncle Dave, James and I headed to an infant CPR course put on by the Calgary Health Region. I must admit the material was a little dry and boring at times... but overall I am glad to have gone. We started with adult CPR and moved to toddler and finally infant. It also tackled adult/toddler/infant choking.

I had never taken a CPR course so it gave me the peace of mind knowing I could help Dill - or really anyone around me if I needed to. The one that scares me the most is choking. This, to me, is the one we would most likely need to use on an infant/toddler. It really feels like you are hitting the child and you have to flip them from front to back. I would be scared of physically dropping the child on its head. We did get to practice all the techniques on a dummy or baby. FYI - all the dolls were baby girls :)

James and I are both happy to have gone as it at least equipped us with the basics of what to do in an emergency. We are confident that Auntie Bo and Uncle Dave will be great baby sitters as they have the same skills as us (or better). After watching me try and give the dummy chest compressions and seeing that I could barely move the thing Bo declared she hopes I am not the only one around if she has a heart attack! I am blaming my lack of strength on the fact I had to stand at a table to do it. Beleive it or not - my stomach did not allow me to bend over and gives the dummy breaths while kneeling on the floor....

Next week is our first weekly Birth and Babies class. So stay tuned for how those go. I heard the first class is the birthing class with the dreaded video - Can't wait! (I hope you can sense the sarcasm there!)

Nursery Pictures

As the last post revealed... the crib and dresser have finally arrived in our household!! Papa John and Daddy (aka James) set up the crib Saturday afternoon while Grandma Paulette and I shopped. Good deal if you ask me!




The other 2 pics are of my mom and I being goofy and a closer up view of the crib. Overall - we are thrilled with how the room is coming together and are very eager to fill it with a baby!

Mother's Day

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all the mom's out there! Yesterday James and I were fortunate enough to be spend time with both our mom's. This is the first time in many years that I have had the pleasure of celebrating mother's day with my mom - so I was very excited.

We started the day by going to the R's where the 4 'kids' made and served breakfast. Then followed up with supper at our place with my parents. Talk about a lot of food! I still feel stuffed today!

James informed me I was not 'allowed' to celebrate mother's day since I am technically not a mom yet. He is obviously not carrying around an extra 20+ pounds and feeling the baby kicks on a regular basis. He surprised me with a "Happy 90% Mother's Day" card that he made on the computer. I thought this was very sweet.

In my mind.... Saturday was Mom's-to-be Day as I was spoiled with baby shopping day with my mom and also James and John working around the house.

First, they picked up the crib and dresser and set them up (pictures to follow). So when we returned, Dill's room was essentially done! We had to try out a few different locations as we are not quite happy with the original furniture placement. But I think all 4 of us agreed on a way that looks great. Then.... they installed our new outdoor lights for the house. Mom and I pulled up to the house after shopping and there they were in the front yard working away! I was super pleased with their productive day. Thanks again Papa John for all your help!

I hate to say it... but shopping for all the misc. baby item's was not as fun as I expected it to be! Thankfully my mom was there to provide advice on what was needed and what wasn't. It is just so overwhelming in the baby section and I really didn't know what I did and didn't need. I think we managed to cover everything for the baby except diapers. Believe it or not... Walmart didn't have ANY newborn diapers. It wasn't even that we were being picky! We bought everything from bath stuff for Dill, to the change pad for the dresser. Not even one item of clothing was purchased - now that takes willpower! We even bought some things for my hospital stay like slippers and a cheapy housecoat. I was so tired by the time we finally arrived home!

We spent last night going through all the clothes and blankets getting them ready to be washed and put away. The next big job is to take all the purchases and actually decide where to put them. Right now - everything is just thrown in the closet. It looks really clean in the room.... until you attempt to open the closet dwarer!

All in all it was a great Mother's Day spent with our family and preparing for the little family that will be expanding soon! Can't wait to celebrate with Dill next year!

Week 32

Dill now weighs nearly 4 pounds and is about 17 inches from head to toe. I still find it hard to believe that there is a room for a baby that size in my belly! At this point, I think baby is fully developed except for the lungs which will continue to mature right until birth. Dill continues to ‘practice breath’ as hiccups are now a daily occurrence. I can feel them right at the bottom of my tummy which I hope means that Dills head is moving in the right direction and he/she will not end up breach. I have a doctor’s appointment this week and I am hoping she can shed some light on this. This will be my last monthly appointment, as now I will be going every 2 weeks and eventually every week.

I am so excited to see all the guesses on the baby pool! A few comments on the ones there so far…
• July 6th seems to be a popular arrival date. It is a Sunday….. I can live with 4 days overdue.
• As expected, the majority of the guesses are for boys. Thanks to those that went out on a limb and guessed girl. I keep telling everyone there is a 50% chance Dill will in fact be a girl.
• It looks like the majority think that the baby will take after it’s mom in size. I noted there are several 8 pounders and a few high 7 pounders. Thank you for not guessing in the 9’s. I may have cried if someone guessed that big!

I did confirm with my mom that I was in fact 9 pounds 4 ounces. I am surprised she had another… and brother James was in the high 8 pounds! I really hope this is not hereditary. Although speaking of genetics – if I have to have a big baby I hope I get her good labor as well!!

Thanks again to everyone who took part in the baby pool… it will be a great keepsake! I look forward to those yet to be posted!

PS – as always… the 32 week picture is posted to the left!

Dill's Baby Pool!

It is official... check out the link on the left side of the blog to take part in Dill's baby pool. Essentially it is just a fun way to make guesses on Dill's gender, birthday, length, and height. As some background, both James and I were late babies according to our parents. James weighed 6 pounds 13 ounces when he was born and I was a whopping 9 pounds 4 ounces (correct me if I am wrong Mom).

We are very excited to see these guess as they come in!

Good luck and may the best guess win!

Tofino, BC

It is hard to believe that our vacation has already come and gone! We had a very relaxing week with great accommodations and varying weather. The first 2 days we arrived were bright and sunny but very windy by the ocean. We bundled up and were troopers as we trekked along the beach and down many trails in the national park between Tofino and Ucluelet. I tell you though these extra 20 pounds I am carrying around are sure slowing me down! It then rained (HARD) for 2 days and cleared up on Saturday, our last day. It was still nice timing as we had not had a chance to wander around Tofino and check out the stores (other than the restaurants!).


Despite the weather, we were still able to venture onto various beaches, explore the townsites, and walk many trails. The picture of me is on the beach right in front of Middle Beach Lodge where we stayed. The tide would go out really far and I beleive reached its furthest point about 630am. James and I would stroll along the beach shortly after breakfast when the tide was still far out and we could rock around the rocks that were covered in the ocean later in the day. As you can tell from the lack of jacket... this was the nicest weather day - the last day!

The picture of James in taken on long beach between Tofino and Ucluelet where we stopped to have lunch. It was kinda spur of the moment when Dill (aka Mom) all of a sudden needed food NOW. We stopped at the next place that served food. It ended up being OK food, but a fantastic view overlooking long beach where James is standing. This was one of the days that was dry but very windy and cold. We did short stroll along the coast before heading back to shelter!

We also ventured down to Ucluelet about 30 minutes away and did a trail that circled around a lighthouse. James an I both agree that this was the highlight of our trip as it was right along the ocean. The weather was wet that day but the wind was light - so a decent compromise as I was wet... but not cold. I put on a borrowed rain jacket from the hotel and away we went!

The very rainy days were spent playing scrabble in the lodge overlooking the ocean. It was quite pleasant actually. I managed to get through one thick book - but being that James doesn't read books... I had to get all my reading in during the hockey games. Another perk to the lodge we stayed at was they had free hot chocolate, coffee, and tea all day everyday. I enjoyed a daily mocha and James had green tea. They even had take-away cups so we could bring our drinks back to the room. But even better was every weekday night they had homemade cookies in the lodge from 8 to 10pm. They had multiple kinds that were freshly baked where the chocolate was still soft. Both James and I agreed that the white chocolate macadamia nut ones were the best. I am going to miss that nightly treat!

I was also able to make it for a massage which I was very looking forward to. It was no where near as good as the MOMassage at the Stillwater Spa in Calgary - but it is always nice get a massage. James was especially happy that he was off the hook for the night!

Finally... we couldn't forget about little Dill who is kicking up a storm in mom's belly more than ever. In Ucluelet we went to a store called Ukee baby which is just an abbreviated version of the town name. A portion of the proceeds of the Ukee Baby line is donated to the Ucluelet daycare. James picked out the onesie... and as usual - it has blue in it. Apparently the argument is that you can put a girl in blue but not a boy in pink. This was the most unisex one we could find.

Now we are back in Calgary where I will pateintly stay until Dill decides to make an appearance in the outside world. We have no further plans to leave the city. Still a few busy weekends ahead full of weddings and company... but other than that, we are just waiting......

Week 31

Now at 31 weeks I am really noticing more pregnancy inconveniences related to my expanding belly. A few include:
-Shaving my legs... I can barely reach them.
-getting out of bed. I have to roll on my side and push myself up with my arms. And forget getting up from laying on my back - I think this is impossible now!
- picking things up off the floor. I actually have to squat if I drop something rather than leaning over.
-sleeping. No one tells you that you have your last good nights sleep well before the baby is born. If I sleep on my back I snore, if I sleep on my side - my hip hurts. There are no more good night sleeps - for me or James!
-tying my shoes. I haven't had James tie them yet - but it is sure to happen in the near future.
-increasing/decreasing appetite. The size of my stomach must be shrinking as I can no longer eat as much in one sitting as I used to - but I have to eat more often. It is so frustrating to serve yourself up your usual portion size and feel overly full before you are have way through... then you are hungry again 2 hours later. I expect this to continue now right until the end.

Although I have noticed some of the less attractive changes, there are some good ones as well:
-although my weekly updates say Dill is running out of room in his home and we may notice decreased activity - he is more active now than ever. I love being able to feel every little movement that he/she makes.
-James is able to feel most movements as well and enjoys laying with his hands on my belly waiting for Dill to kick.
-We can actually see Dill movements from looking at my belly. Another constant reminder that there is a little person in there

Overall - I am really going to miss being pregnant. I think the whole experience thus far has been such a miracle. As excited as I am to meet Dill and hold him/her in my arms, there is a part of me that will always treasure the 9 months that Dill spent developing and growing in my tummy. Any 'inconveniences' I have now will be so worth it come July!