Just A Little Off Kilter....

Today marks 28 weeks into this pregnancy and wow...still hard to believe that I am here. Me...7 months pregnant. Me...going to have a baby in September. I've learned many things along the way. I've been flooded with advice, comments and suggestions. Here's a sampling...  Sleep now  - What does this mean anyway? It's not like you can bank sleep. It's like saying "Don't eat this year because an all-you-can-eat-buffet is opening up next June". Plus, who says that I'm sleeping now? I may be a congested ball of heartburn, nightmares and back pain so this kind of thing just adds insult to injury. I hate that name  - Really? Oh okay, then they won't name him that. Nobody cares that a boy named Bob took your chocolate chip cookie in grade two so please don't lift up the tarp covering your mental baggage. On a similar note, if we want to name our baby Banana or Kleenex just nod and say "nice". Should you be eating that? - The entir...

Waldo collapses on the beach because it's June & he's fully clothed with a ski cap. You spot him easily.

We are emotional beings. When we’re emotionally intoxicated, it’s hard in any moment to see outside of yourself. When we feel emotionally strong about something we make decisions about what to do about that emotional reaction. We decide things. We change our mind. We can feel a whole new reality coming on in a single day. The only problem with this process is that we tend to forget the reality we knew just a few hours before. Where we really need to be is right in the middle: aware that we have very different feelings about something, and both should be taken into account, the good and the bad. When we are not in an emotionally heightened state, we can better know ourselves and how we truly feel. One helpful practice is to create a two-selves diary of sorts. Write to yourself when you’re in this emotionally heightened place so that you can refer to letters from your opposing-self reflectively, later on. Record the date, what has recently happened, and answer these questions: How do...

Last week I totally forgot to post a 27 week belly photo...

Goodbye second trimester ~ Hello third trimester! Today is 27 weeks. Did you hear that? 27 weeks...how is that possible? I remember finding out that I was pregnant just after the New Year and would find myself dreaming about being pregnant in June. How it seemed so far, far away...but here we are. Yesterday I had another ultrasound and OB appointment. Yes, another. I'll be having ultrasounds at every appointment now to keep a close watch on baby boys growth. Having a marginal cord insertion means we get to take frequent peeks at baby. The best part...I'm now pregnant enough that having a full bladder is not necessary. Hooray for small victories! Baby JaAdam looked perfect...2lbs 3oz and measuring perfectly on track. Cervix is long and closed. My OB is happy, I am happy. I'm up 19lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight, blood pressure was perfect and overall, I'm feeling pretty good. I'll have my next ultrasound and OB appointment in 3 weeks and then I'll see him every ...

Did you know that you can buy a birthday cake if it's not your birthday? They don't even check your identification. 

Recently I was surfing when I should have been working on my course...I mean...I accidentally stumbled upon something while researching something for my course. Anyway...I came across this link and as a proud Canadian I was compelled to check it out... 7 Things You Can't Say In Canada Really? There are seven things that you can't say in Canada? This is news to me and I live in Canada! Shocking. Now I'm interested. I need to read this this. I need to be prepared in the unlikely event that a non Canadian has the courage to utter one of these "Can't Say" things while standing on Canadian soil. Does this article also give tips and advice on what a Canadian should do if this happens? I hope so. I present to you the 7 Things You Can't Say In Canada Margaret Atwood writes some awful books.  Recycling is a waste of time and money.  Only private enterprise can save health care.  David Suzuki is bad for the environment.  A National Daycare Progr...

My productivity at making progress on my Project Management course has gone down 43% since buying myself a swivel chair. Retro Orange Swivel Chair by lemonyjen via Etsy

Here’s something I wasn't sure my pre-baby self ever thought I would say... I love being pregnant. There’s a lot of responsibility on me to keep the show running, but I am more than happy to play that role. At nearly 26 weeks (25 weeks 4 days today), this baby is beginning to feel like a real baby. Not only can I feel him kicking all day long, but I can actually see him jolt my stomach! (If ever you want to kill thirty minutes straight by staring at a moving baby bump, come on over.) I feel like I’m in that sweet spot of still being able to live a normal life while simultaneously enjoying all the perks of pregnancy. Aside from intermittent bouts of nausea, having to use the restroom every fifteen minutes, and getting tired more easily than before, I feel pretty darn good.  Despite feeling pretty darn good...there was a bump in the road this weekend.  Adam left early Saturday morning for a day or rock climbing and I fully intended to stay in bed until noon! I was tired ...

Every child has various dreams about what they want to be when they grow up. Usually, it is things that thrill them in childhood. Things like pilot, astronaut, doctor, cowboy etc. As a very small child, I had a fantasy that I would grow up to be a cop...somehow, I found them chivalrous creatures at that point of time or maybe it's because I so vividly remember the police bringing my little brother Michael home when he slipped out the back door unnoticed to follow our mom to work. That was when I was five years old...by the time I turned six, my goals in life had changed, refined and evolved. I was perhaps a little more than six years old when my mother asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. My refined and evolved resolution to this problem was simple...I wanted to be a goat I'm sure there was laughter...there had to have been laughter! I remembered explained in searing maturity that as a goat, I would just travel the world, eat whatever could reach my mouth and poop wh...

I'm not sure if it's pregnancy or just one of those things but I have been thinking about dessert a lot lately...like a lot! My 'thing' as of late is vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce. I'm ashamed to admit it but this morning, I ventured out in the pouring rain, across town to buy 6 boxes of Nestlé Drumsticks. That's 24 drumsticks! There are a few desserts though that I feel might be more of a punishment then a treat. Here's my list of desserts that are actually punishment... Rice Pudding - Rice pudding had ONE job to do: Don’t resemble larvae of any kind. And it blew it. It totally blew it. Biscotti -These could easily be used as weapons. That alone should disqualify them from dessert. Humans don’t even really have the jaw strength to bite into a biscotti. You’d need a lion or a bear to make a dent in one of these and even then they probably wouldn't even want it. Ambrosia Salad - This (somehow?) walks the line between dessert and side di...

Adam's brother Jake, his girlfriend Monica and Adam's Dad Rick spent the day with us Saturday and what a wonderful day it was. The weather was lovely and suited perfectly for a day spent wandering downtown Ottawa. As always, the locks, Byward Market and downtown core did not disappoint. What was disappointing was my ability to walk long distances. I found myself needing to take frequent breaks and my pace was much slower then usual but despite that...I had a very lovely time.  Another plus of a beautiful day...an early dinner on an open upstairs patio of an Irish Pub. Someone recently asked me if we were prepared for baby...this made me chuckle! The answer to that question is a resounding no but at 6 months pregnant, I feel like we still have a lot of time to prepare. We have the car seat, cloth diapers and a few outfits but until yesterday's purchase of a stroller...that's about it. I was 100% certain that I wanted the Quinny Moodd until we actually ...