Just A Little Off Kilter....

If I wasn't a Project Manager and I was actually good at science, then there is no question that I would be spending my life as the world’s foremost marine biologist "Dr. Janet AScT, P. Biol. or R.P.Bio" because that is how much I love all the things that live under the water (even though I'm allergic to all things shellfish and they'll kill me). Sea creatures are, in my opinion, the closest thing we have to mythical creatures. Sea creatures are truly magical. From the smallest morsel of floating plankton to the biggest whale in all the ocean, I love marine animals so much I wish I could be friends with them. Thus, I present to you today’s list of stuff... Real Sea Creatures I Want to Be Friends With. *Please note that this list is not a ranking, and my potential marine friends are listed in no particular order* Dumbo Octopus - I think the Dumbo Octopus would be like having a pet dog. I mean, no offense, Dumbo Octopus, but you don’t look like the brigh...

Metaphorical pants that infuse the wearer with feelings of crankiness. The level of crankiness depends on the tightness of the pants. Today my pants are tight...very, very tight! At least it's Friday!

I'm still having some difficulty in accepting that yes, I am indeed pregnant...it's crazy. For four long years, I've dreamt of the day that I was  pregnant. The day that I was able to blog about my bump and cravings and the day I was able to post ultrasound photos.  That day is here and I'm so incredibly happy about it! This past weekend I was in Toronto to see friends and attend the Banff Mountain Film Festival  , visit the new Ripley's Aquarium at the base of the CN Tower  and see my freind Rob's little girl on her 1st birthday. It was a fun filled and exciting weekend. I even managed to get up to the market that sells my south american cheese to make arequipe! We had a few hours to spare in the afternoon on Friday so I decided to go in and have a 3D ultrasound done. At 14 weeks 1 day, I knew that baby was going to be very small but wow...I was unprepared for how incredible the images were. It was amazing to get to see baby JaAdam moving...

You are trying on clothes in a dressing room, the door doesn't lock or it’s some pointless curtain and someone walks in on you. It doesn't matter if you expose anything or are fully dressed, it’s still awkward and embarrassing for all involved. After my fair share of dressing room exposures, I've come up with some great ways to close the door on this awkward situation for good. Make Your Presence Known - The first thing I do when I enter a dressing room is put my shoes really close to the opening of the door. People associate shoes with human beings, therefore, upon seeing the shoes, the person in question should know not to open the dressing room door. A little rhyme to remember to do this is: “Shoes on the outside. Human on the inside. I’m in a dressing room, having a good time.” To really ensure that people outside know you’re changing you can also say this rhyme out loud. Make up your own tune and have some fun with it.  If you like to keep your shoes on when get...

Food is delicious. Friends are wonderful. Loves are magic. Exercise feels awesome. Nature never ceases to be beautiful and soothing. There is so much to enjoy every day in life, yet a lot of us have a hard time staying in the moment, even when that moment is singular and something worth replaying in our minds for eternity. It’s kind of like living in a constant state of looking forward or backward, or always feeling like wherever you are there’s something that needs to be fixed. Something we’re forgetting that we should be remembering. There can be lots of reasons for why we take ourselves out of the moment, but in general I’d guess that it’s a feeling of discomfort with something deep down and ancient, a discomfort with low-self esteem, feelings of depression or anxiety that we’re trying to put logical labels on, or perhaps a fear of a discomfort we knew long ago. One of the best tools I’ve learned is to remind myself that all those feelings and instincts are A. 99% made up in my ow...

Upside down baby JaAdam I had a bit of a scare...slipped and fell on the ice in our driveway two nights ago and woke up to some bleeding yesterday morning. Freaked me the freak out! Called the OB and they had me come in for an ultrasound this morning. Baby was having an upside down snooze but looked good, heart beating away. No sign of any bleeding...whew!  Baby measured 7.5 cm at 13 weeks 6 days. Does anyone know if this is normal? 

Today I am 13 weeks and 5 days pregnant. But even as I write that, I feel like I’m an imposter... a lady just pretending to be pregnant. That can’t be me I’m talking about! I've kept my promise to be positive about this pregnancy with Adam. I smile and hug him when he asks how baby and I are doing; I humor him when he rubs my belly. But the sad thing is, I still have a hard time believing it. Even with this... I'd like to think I look more pregnant then, wow...that girl has eaten too many burritos! Is that weird? I should be comfortable with this "you are pregnant" thing.  Anyone else feel this way? I could use some words of wisdom. 

Today marks 13 weeks pregnant and it's still so surreal...honestly, I can't believe it!

Remember the days when watching a movie required you to trek four miles through the snow, braving the blistering wind in order to get to this big concrete block-like structure called "abuilding", ironically named Blockbuster Video? You'd spend hours roaming the endless isles of videos, cursing when the one you wanted was out of stock. You'd flip over the movie case and read the synopsis on the back.   “That’s supposed to be really good,” your Manfriend would say.  “I don’t remember seeing the previews,” you’d say and place it back on the shelf.  You'd grab a movie and hold on to it just because it was the only copy left and another couple was eyeing it.  From one end of the New Releases to the other you'd  go, up and down the Comedy, and Drama, and Action aisles. After much debating, sighing, moaning and gnashing of teeth, you and your Manfriend would finally decide on a movie and take it to the counter, only to discover neither o...

Boys will be boys. Girls will be girls. Koalas will be koalas. Just about everything will be the things they are. That's how this works.

Fear is an unpleasant emotion induced by a threat perceived by living entities , which causes a change in brain and organ function and ultimately a change in behavior, such as running away, hiding or freezing from traumatic events. Fear may occur in response to a specific stimulus happening in the present, or to a future situation, which is perceived as risk to health or life, status, power, security, or in the case of humans wealth or anything held valuable. The fear response arises from the perception of danger leading to confrontation with or escape from /avoiding the threat (also known as the fight-or-flight response ), which in extreme cases of fear ( horror and terror ) can be a freeze response or paralysis . In humans and animals, fear is modulated by the process of cognition and learning. Thus fear has been judged as rational or appropriate and irrational or inappropriate. An irrational fear is called a phobia . Being pregnant after IVF, FET and miscarriage (che...

Today's word of the day is - Surreal I didn't know how to turn “feels surreal” into a noun. My brain is a little sluggish these days. I'm 12 weeks pregnant today. However you describe it, my pregnancy feels very surreal right now. I’m not curled up in the fetal position with morning sickness (thank you Diclectin) , but I’m not bursting at the seems with a protruding belly. I essentially feel pretty normal. As in, there’s not a baby popping out of me in September.  This is not to say I don’t understand there’s a baby coming. It just feels a little bit like a game of just pretend right now.  Surreal...that's a good word to sum up what I'm feeling. Cave Surreal Town Whales via 

Baby JaAdam Baby looks fantastic and the nuchal fold measurement I was dreading was 1.4 mm. I'm 11 weeks 6 days today and baby measured 12 weeks 0 days and entertained us with flips and wiggles. I am over the moon happy!

The sun'll come out tomorrow... That's what I'm telling myself. Trying to stay in a positive frame of mind.  Tomorrow morning we have out NT scan at 11 weeks 6 days and I would be lying if I said I was feeling completely stress free. In fact, I'm feeling quite stressed about it. This pregnancy hasn't been without it's stress and I'm 38 now. Adam and I have been, on more then one occasion, on the bad side of the numbers. BUT...those day are done I tell myself. I've had zero spotting since 9 weeks. I locate baby's heartbeat easily with the Doppler. Baby has looked great at every ultrasound.  See... Ultrasound 10 weeks 4 days - There is a baby in there with arms and legs and stuff The sun'll come out tomorrow. 

We are all emotional beings with mood swings and sensitivities and for the most part, we can handle them. However, sometimes these feelings can get the best of us and they can cause us to feel pretty weak. If you get into a situation with a loved one or new condition in your life and you are feeling super clingy, desperate, depressed, angry, or anything to the point of tears, here’s a good rule of thumb that will help in even the mildest of unhappy moods. Before you do anything else, think anything else, say anything else, get back to your center. Think of yourself in your best state: when you feel normal, you've slept, you’re thinking clearly, your mood is good. When you’re in this state, you can do all your routine things: go to work, exercise, hang out with friends, laundry, all with very little issue. You’re clear, content, thinking, fine. Nothing seems overwhelming or daunting. Picture yourself in this state. Think of how it feels. This is your center. Remember it...