22 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

Size of Baby: 11 inches long and weighs almost 1 lb - the length of a spaghetti squash

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 10lbs (I can't believe I just told the Internet that)

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing some regular dresses, some regular and some maternity shirts, all maternity shorts/pants/skirts

Gender: Girl! or Boy!

Movement: I am feeling baby move more and more everyday but it still isn't' as strong as with Grady. At his point in my last pregnancy we could already feel the kicks externally! I still mostly feel kicks when I am sitting on the couch relaxing. At least I can finally feel something!

Sleep: My sleeping isn't great, but it hasn't been since Grady was born. I wake up lots and have a hard time getting comfortable. I already sleep with a pillow between my legs which makes it more difficult to turn over. Thank goodness for king sized beds!

Symptoms: At the moment I cant say I have many. The biggest annoyance I have is something called round ligament pain. It is sharp pains that run across your abdomen when you move to quickly or shift a certain way. I notice is mostly when I am getting out of bed.

What I miss: My regular jeans!! Oh and beer and clam. At the wedding this weekend everyone was drinking beer but me. I drank virgin Caesars and Shirley temples. Very tasty by the way!

Cravings: Chips and dip. I hadn't had chips and dip in like 10 years as I usually have a sweet tooth. We went over to some friends house when I was about 8 weeks pregnant and they had chips and dip out. Since that day we have had our fridge stocked with dip ready and plenty of chips for dipping. My fave? Salt and Vinegar chips with Dill Pickle chips!

What I am looking forward to: Besides meeting my baby? My ultrasound on July 17th!

Five Times a Bridesmaid

This weekend I had the pleasure of standing up for my friend Candace on her wedding day. Although the weekend did not go as planned for me, I was honored that she chose me to be a part of her day. Congrats Can and Mike!

This day also marked the 5th time I have been a bridesmaid in 6 years. Keep in mind that 3 of these weddings were within a year and included my own wedding! Yes - those were busy years of travelling to weddings, showers, stagettes and planning, planning, planning!

Wedding #1 - Carmen and Eric, May 22, 2004

What I remember most about this wedding - Carmen eating ketchup chips in her wedding gown with a big towel accross her chest and one glove off. Very memorable. I have a picture somewhere to proove it!

Wedding #2 - Deena and Dan, December 27, 2004

What I remember most about this wedding - I loved planning Deena's stagette. We did a picture scavenger hunt and sent the ladies around the city with clues relating to Deena's childhood and life in general. It was a blast!


Wedding #3 - Sara and Kris, May 14th, 2005

What I remember most about this wedding - I may have forgotten this had it not been brought up at the wedding this weekend.... Candace and I were helping Sara's mom bring some stuff up to her hotel room and on the way down the hall (after dropping the stuff off thankfuly) Can and I fell over and ended up flat on the hotel floor. There may have been booze involved.....
Wedding #4 - Cheryne and Les, May 17, 2008

What I remember most about this wedding - I was over 7 months pregnant for Cheryne's wedding and it was the hottest may long weekend I remember in a very long time. I was standing at the rehearsal and there was sweat dripping down my legs! So very gross but true!

Wedding #5 - Candace and Mike, June 26, 2010

What I will likely remember most about this wedding in a few years - The chaos of actually getting to the wedding in saskatoon. After a great day of birthday festivities on the the 24th, Grady was up all night. We cancelled our flights in the morning to take Grady to the clinic where we found out he had ear infections and couldn't fly. So... I booked a flight for myself and headed to the airport where I ahd to wait in many lines and actually run to the gate to catch the flight. Not a pretty sight at 5 months pregnant. Most importantly, I arrived at the rehearsal just on time and the wedding day was perfect for Candace!

And just for kicks, here is a picture of me with my bridesmaids just about 5 years ago... you'll notice some familiar faces from the photos above. I have been blessed with great friends and I don't for a second take that for granted!

Hope you had a great weekend!

Grady's Birthday Festivities!

This was our Birthday Boy first thing this morning. Notice that he is holding the yellow school bus that we may have let him open last night. What a great gift (thanks for the tip Stacey)! He looks a little sleepy even though he slept in until a whopping 6:30am. I heard him saying 'door open' and sure enough he was standing on the other side of the door with his yellow bus in hand.

James had to work today so Nana joined Grady and I for a trip to the zoo. We have not been to the zoo since his first birthday when I would have to say the experience was less than pleasant. this year was much better mostly because he stayed in the stroller for a a portion of the trip.

I thought he would be more interested in the animals. We have many books and even decals on the wall with all the zoo animals and he loves to point to them and tell me what noise they make. We didn't get to see the giraffes or the hippos, but we did see many others.

But our 2 year old preferred the park. Just like last year.

On the drive home Grady fought sleep the entire way. It was only 11:15. I guess the sun, pushing the stroller, and all the running he did tired him out. So we hurried home and had a birthday lunch of a peanut butter and jam sandwich. Very gourmet. Grady ate only the topping. Notice that the yellow bus is 'eating' with him...

Next up was a birthday nap which thankfully lasted 2.5 hours! I cleaned the house and decorated.

Finally everyone we arrived, the party hats were passed out, and as always, everyone was a good sport and put on their hats!

We, or should I say, everyone but Grady ate supper and then not suprsingly Grady got hungry for cake!

Check out the Elmo cake... it was made with love by Nana! Not only does it look good - it tastes super yummy to!

Grady is no stranger to eating and loving sweets! Just like his Momma!

Finally it was on to presents and there was no question he knew what to do! Grady was super spoiled and thanks everyone for the gifts!

The day was a success! Our young birthday boy is tucked snugly into bed after a birthday bath and a little 'Toopy Time'.

Happy Birthday Grady!

Happy 2nd Birthday Grady!

From this...

To this....

In 2 years.

Happy 2nd Birthday Grady!

(Party pictures expected later today)

Vocabulary

I have been wanting to do this post for a while now but time just seems to slip away.... I wanted to post it to help any other parents that have/had just a little anxiety over their child's speech development.

I had always heard that kids started to talk at 18 months. Many other moms where posting on facebooks and blogs all the words their 12 month old was saying and here we were at 18 months and our little man said nothing.

I remember the exact timing because Grady turned 18 months on cmas eve and we were at visiting my family. On that visit, Grady didn't say anything except the occasional buh-bye (which by the way I believe was his first word, followed closely by 'daddy').

We went for his shots in late December and I expected to be drilled about his speech and what words he could say. I dreaded this visit. One of my friends had a bad experience and was told at 18 months that her son needed a speech pathologist. That is a rant for another day.... What not even 2 year old needs a speech pathologist??? Any how, due to staff limitations from h1n1 my appointment was less than thorough and his speech development was not discussed. This however did not help me understand why Grady didn't talk yet.

So for the rest of my cmas vacation I spend oodles of time working on Grady's body parts with him. Not so much how to say them but teaching him where they were. We worked on the face in particular. Low and behold, by the time I went back to work, Grady knew where his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose were. He could even find them on my face... bonus!

Then it happened. As if over night, Grady started to say words. More, up, please, daddy, mommy, nana and more! We were delighted. We then started doing animal noises and it exploded. Over night.

All this worrying over something that essentially resolved itself in the blink of an eye. One week he babbled, the next week he talked. Don't get me wrong, there is still lots of babble, but some of that babble was evolving into words.

A mere 6 months later, Grady can count to 10 (usually skipping a few numbers), sing songs (the itsy bitsy spider, twinkle twinkle little star, ABCs), and even use 2 word combos!

The sound of his sweet voice singing to you a smile on his face and a cheer at the end is music to a mother's ears!

Just the other day Grady came running into the computer yelling 'Mommy, come, come , come' he actually was telling me to follow him! On the weekend as James was prancing around the house with no shirt on he said 'Daddy shirt' as in 'put some clothes on Dad'! Some of the things he says are just so endearing and you could just eat him up.

Others such as 'no pool, no ocean' when you want to go to the beach, 'no gym' when his gym class is about to start, or 'home' when you take him to the grocery store after work, are less appealing but still fantastic that he is able to express himself in words rather than in screams or cries.

I was lucky enough to have a friend reassuring me that her son was the same way and that Grady would start to talk. I wanted to reassure any other parents out there that your child's time to speak will come - sometimes it just takes a little patience....

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

I asked Mommy if I could do a special post just for you on father's day and she agreed! I am so lucky to have such a great Daddy. I enjoy all the time we spend together in the morning before I go to 'school'. I know mom especially enjoys that it is you and not her that gets to change a dirty diaper every morning.

I also love how you lay with me in the morning when I get up before 6am so mom can shower and get ready for work. I some times just cry out because I know that you will come and snuggle with me. I love that!

I love how on your Friday's off work you always take me some where fun to play. Whether it be Market Mall play area or Coffee and Scream, I love the time that we spend together just you and me!

I had so much fun swimming with you in the pool in Hawaii and making sand castles on the beach. I especially loved sleeping with you and mom in he big bed for a portion of the night. I always cuddled up on your side of the bed!

I love how much fun we have when you give me my bath and I even don't mind when you give me my weekly haircuts with the clippers. I love the stories you read me before bed time and that last kiss before we say goodnight.

I love the sound of the garage door opening after work because I know that you are home. I run to the door to make sure I get the first hug and kiss before Mom (she let's me win every time)!

Really I just just feel so lucky that I have you for my Daddy.

Love,
Grady

Maui Ocean Center

So a different day that Grady declared 'No pool, No ocean' we headed to the Maui Ocean Center which is an indoor aquariam with a few outdoor exhibits. It is great on a day where you are sunburned, it is raining, or your toddler decides he doesn't want to swim!



Grady did really well and we spent over 2 hours looking at the fishies and visiting the gift shop. There was so much to see and Grady was eager to point everything out!

He was eager to stand with Daddy on the ledge and tell us that color of every fish. In his world everything is black or white with the occational yellow. We are still working on those colors.....



Here we are standing on another legde....


This is by far the coolest part of the aquarium - it is a tunnel where you walk through and you are completely surrounded by water. There are all sorts of fish, and even sharks, that swim over head and all around. At this particular spot there is even an openning on the floor to look down into the tank. Grady laid on the ground to get an up and close and personal look!

I highly recommend Maui Ocean Center if you are ever in Maui... even adults occasionally need a break from the sun!

20 Weeks!

(The outfit in the photo is for the ladies who were with me in Vancouver when I bought the black leggings that I have yet to wear out of the house. I am wearing them in this photo. I am getting closer to wearing them in public but taking baby steps in getting there!)

Today we are 20 weeks plus a day. According to the doctor I am 20 weeks 2 days... which gives me a new due date of October 31st! Yeah for having an October due date again and Boo for it being Halloween. No matter which way you look at it we are more than half way to meeting out little DJ. Time is flying by!

After a very long wait, first in the waiting room then in the doctor's office, the doctor finally arrived with nothing but good news. The ultrasound report came back clear which was what I was looking forward to hearing the most!

The heart beat was 140 which apparently is right in the middle. Even the doctor said no indication of boy or girl :) Speaking of which I have been asking Grady what kind of baby is in mommy's tummy, a boy or a girl. He replies girl just about every time. I even switched up the order to see if he just repeated the last one, but he in fact responds 'girl'. Occasionally he changes his mind when I ask him if he is sure. Not sure this is a very scientific way of determining DJ's gender!

On another side topic, we have been practicing our favorite names with Grady to see if he can say them. So far so good. So if you hear Grady walking around repeating a name it could be the name of his little sibling!

I am going to cautiously say that i am starting to feel little baby kicks. They are few and far between but what a relief after waiting what feels like forever! I was looking at my ultrasound results and it says the placenta is 'predominantly anterior'. I googled it and it means that the placenta is along the front of the uterus tucked against my stomach. This creates a cushion and makes it harder for mom to feel the kicks until they kicks are stronger. I guess that makes sense.... The doctor confirmed this at the appointment today and reassured me it could be a while before I get to feel some good kicks.

It seems that I feel the kicks mostly at night while I am sitting watching TV (usually the Bachelorette) and not chasing a young almost 2 year old around... Can you believe it is Grady's birthday next week?

And finally I want to congratulate my 'true blue friend' Deena, her husband Dan, and big brother Willis on the birth of their daughter Lucia Kelly. After 5 boys in a row we finally have a girl in our group of friends. Time to have some fun buying pink. Maybe Lucia will have a little 'true blue friend' of her own come October. Maybe not!

Heels 'n Wheel 2010

Our family (including Nana and a friend) participated in the Heel 'n Wheel a-thon this past Sunday to raise money for Crohn's disease and Colitis. It was our 5th year of participating and this year had the best weather by far.


The year that I was 37 weeks pregnant with Grady it rained. My mom and I bundled up and did it anyway. Don't believe me - read about it here!

The best part about this year's walk is that we actually walked the full 5km! Last year we had an unhappy almost 1 year old who wasn't really into the stroller.

We took this picture as proof that we finished! (From James' blackberry, so not the greatest quality)


Notice the marker says 2.5kms.... well that means that we made it to the half way mark at which point you turn around and walk the 2.5 kms back to the starting point.

Want to know our secret of how we kept a 2 -year old in the stroller for nearly an hour with little to no complaining? Lots of Cheerios and little cars!

Lahaina

On or about day 10 of our vacation Grady decided he needed a break from the water. We got everyone all covered in sunscreen, in bathing suits, loaded up the stroller with everything we needed for the morning and headed to the pool When we arrived, Grady simply said "No pool, No ocean" in the sweetest little voice ever. I was thinking he didn't know what he was talking about and got him out of the stroller. Sure enough he cried "My stroller" over and over until we put him back in. He was not happy until we were back at the condo.

We took that to mean he was ready for a change in routine and took a trip to Lahaina. Lahaina is a little town about 30 minutes away. The drive is fantastic as it is right along the coast. Not sure if James and Grady enjoyed the drive as much as Nana and I as James was busy driving our van and Grady was watching Toopy in the back seat.

There was lots to see and Grady was eager to point everything out.... from the stroller. Our child has gone from hating every second of the stroller to wanting to be in it most of the time.

Nana was his personal chauffeur for the day :)

We walked along the street and casually looked at the shops and just really relaxed and went with the flow. It was a nice day.

We decided that we were going to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. before even arriving in Lahaina and was that ever a good decision!

(This is James being forest gump with the briefcase, chocolates, and shoes)

Right in the entrance of the restaurants they had toys for the kids to plays with. It was great as it amused Grady right until the food arrived. The only downside was that I hung out in the entrance instead of sitting at the table drinking my virgin Margarita and enjoying the view :)

The pink ride 'em toy was his fave!

Here is a group shot at a park we hit along the way.

After a long day of festivities, Grady fell asleep in the car.

What a great morning it was!

DJ's Ultrasound Pictures!

So without further a due..... here is a glimpse of little DJ at 19 weeks 1 day!


DJ's little footprint is just over 3cm. Oh so tiny...

DJs heartrate was 136. I couldn't resist googling what gender prediction sites would say... and of course it said BOY!

I assume that the heart is on the left, but it kinda looks like a face. Our tech was terrible but I'll get to that after.


Here is what is likely the best picture we got from ultrasound. I think DJ is pretty cute (but I may be biased)!

So this is our 6th ultrasound over both pregnancies and I would have to say I am most dissapointed with our technician from our ultrasound today. I was so excited to see little DJ and I felt that the tech didn't even try to make this an enjoyable experience for us, the parents-to-be, who have been looking forward to this appointment since the moment we walked out of the last ultrasound.

When she entered the room she warned us that she would not talk much during measurments and not to assume something was wrong. I was fine with this and glad to have the warning. However, I didn't know that she was serioulsy not going to say anything. She muttered the odd 'this is the head' 'this is the heart' sort of thing but overall I got lost in the ultrasound. She didn't take the time to explain what anything was or even a simple explanation of what we were looking at while she was measuring. I hate to admit that I actually got bored at the ultrasound because I didn't know what we were looking at!

As this was going on, I was thinking to myself that maybe she was going to do the measurements and pictures she required and then take some fun shots and show us our baby. Nope. Nada. Zilch. After the last measurement she briefly showed us a profile and pointed out the head, the body and the feet and said ' and that is baby'. And with that, she took the pictures and off she went to show the doctor.

I took one look at James and told him how awful that was and he agreed. This was to be our last ultrasound. Not only with this baby, but ever, and I didn't even know what we were looking at. I had to fight the tears back as we waited for the tech to come back and say we could go. I assume this means that baby is healthy but she didn't even take the time to confirm that. I did not leave the ultrasound with that giddy excited feeling that I have come to expect. Instead I felt dissapointed and upset. James blamed it on hormones.

So... I called and made an appointment with Ultrasound Preview here in Calgary to get another look at DJ. The great thing about this place is we can bring both Grandma's and even Grady to the appointment. We get the traditional 2D version and the more advanced 3D/4D version as well. At the end we will walk away with some pictures and a DVD of the entire session including what the technician says and what the people in the room say. What a great keepsake! The appointment will be in July sometime between 24 and 28 weeks when they baby is at the best size. Now I just sit back and wait for the appointment to arrive......

I almost forgot.... Did we find out whether DJ is a boy or girl?

Of course not!! I bet I had some of you going for a bit. We'll all have to wait in suspense until November to find out whether baby DJ is a he or a she!

Aloha!

You may or not know that for 2 weeks while Calgary was suffering through snow, rain, and cold temperatures.... we were basking in the Hawaiian sun!



(this is a picture taken off our patio at 5:30am on the first day we arrived. Little Grady got up at 4am... )

It is hard to beleive that we have already come and gone and that life has to get back to its normal routine. While we were away, our routine was less than typical of our days back home.

Grady adjusted to the 4 hour time change as well as can be expected. The 530am he usually wakes at would be 130am in Hawaii. He decided that before 6am was a good time to start the day. How he managed to get into the same routine as back home I will never know. On the bright side. When I left for work this morning at 7am, Grady and James were still sleeping. Keep your fingers crossed for me... Please???

Our days started with a walk to Honolulu Coffee Co. where we would enjoy a blended coffee and Grady would enjoy juice in a coffee cup and chase the birds and ride the escalators while we drank our energy in a cup. We did this every day. Many days I would think that I would get a hot latte and every time I would arrive at the coffee shop sticky with sweat and order the slushee coffee instead.

The next portion of the day was filled with the pool.


Or Ocean.

The pool seemed to be the popular pick for Grady as the ocean seemed to scare him. The first day we were standing at the shore and a little wave hit the back of his legs when he wasn't looking. I'm not sure if this is what scared him away from the ocean or whether it would have hapenned anyway...

Grady would have a 2-3 hour nap. We would shower and grab our books to head to the lanai to catch our down time of the day. Every one knows that there is no 'down time' when there is a 2 year old around.

After nap time we would do an outing to the park, the grocery store, or do some shopping.

Then dinner was served up on the patio overlooking the ocean.

DJ must have loved the sunshine too as (s)he did a lot of growing!

Or maybe that was just the icecream I was eating. (This picture was taking at 17 weeks - today we are 19 weeks and bigger yet!)

Life doesn't get any better than this......

PS - I have a few more Maui related posts I still need to write and post but have posted some pictures on the picassa link. I seem to only have pictures of Grady... funny how that works! I'll add more as I get pictures from Nana and Uncle Dave and Auntie Bo.... Enjoy!!

Dental Hygeine

Grady loves brushing his teeth. The problem is he doesn't like it when we brush his teeth.

I think he actually just likes the toothpaste.

On a completely different topic. I have cleavage in this picture. I have never had cleavage. I wore this shirt to work. Now I am slightly embarrassed. ::blush::