Monday, April 26, 2010

Spoiled baby!





Today was a good day! My boss (his wife also being my boss) and the girls from the bakery invited me out to dinner where they booked a small room at East Side Mario's to throw me a little baby shower!. It was a nice small group of girls (there aren't that many of us working there, we didn't have the horrible shower games and put you on the spot moments. Thank-goodness! We all just chatted, caught up and had a good time. The baby once again made out like a bandit, I'm telling you this is going to be one spoiled little girl...a part of me fears rearing the next Nellie Olsen (from little house on the prairies~ wow that's a dated reference).


I really appreciated the evening though, it was another really fantastic thing that my Boss and his wife have done for me. I really lucked out with such a great group of girls to work with, once my Mom's visit is done I will have to have them all over for an afternoon brunch and a baby meet session!. The generosity of everyone we know has really helped to make this process allot less stressful, All the clothing, accessories, gift cards, cheques and baby supplies have really helped. Not to mention the physical help. One of the guys from work helped Chris install the new window in the babies room yesterday afternoon as well. It looks great! Now the little princess will have 'the perfect' room renovation, which her father insists must be perfect for her, ahhhhh hes wrapped around her tiny little finger already!!.
















Saturday, April 24, 2010

Contamination!!!!





In news from my doctor this week!, turns out I am a carrier of group B strep. Which for me means, I don't have any symptoms or problems but I have to get antibiotics while I'm in labour so I don't pass it on to the baby through the birth canal. For an adult there are little to no problems, for a baby it could be deadly. So needless to say I'm a bit worried but mostly upset. I was really hoping to tough out most of my labour at home and have very little medical intervention for my labour. Now I have to be hooked up to a damn I.V during the labour and if my water breaks I have to go to the hospital right away.

In other news, we have begun the process of washing up all the babies clothes and bedding and I have sterilised the feeding equipment and breast pump. As for the state of the rest of the house......forecast is not so good. I also have to get my arse in high gear and pack my hospital suitcase I'm pretty sure that's not something you'll want to worry about last minute. The closer we get to B-day (baby day)the longer our to do list starts to look!.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Science...






Yesterday my Life bank cord collection kit arrived in the mail. Its good to see that Coleman brand coolers are the industry standard for properly insulating your genetic samples. When I get around to buying some camping equipment I'll be sure to trust Coleman brand to keep my veggie dogs and beer safe from the outside world as well!.

Why save our babies cord blood? A part of me feels it is a bit paranoid, perhaps even the first step towards becoming that fretting mother with the bubble wrapped toddler playing on the playground. On the other hand as far as genetics go I have one first cousin who was killed by childhood leukemia, I can only imagine how stem cell research may have affected the outcome had the technology been available at the time. Ultimately the choice boiled down to the thought of being put in that horrible situation with the knowledge you had the once in a lifetime choice to have stored the cells that could have prevented such painful procedures as bone marrow transplants and you said NO.

It may be paranoia but for me personally I will know that it was one of the first steps I took to ensure an added layer of protection for my child. Best case scenario, we never need to use it! then maybe by the time our child hits 15 or 16 we can donate it to a family that is in need and help prevent them from the same painful procedures. Worst case scenario we do need to use it but at least it becomes an added health option in a time when you'll want to do everything within your power to save your child.

Now to get our life insurance plans set up this week and start the dreaded talk about guardianship should something happen to us. Its going to be a hard decision and need allot of hard thought, how do you choose who would raise your child in the most similar manner you would if you were not around any longer. Who has the financial and physical resources (let alone desire) to take on the added responsibility of a child. With both of our families living two provinces apart it also becomes a matter of who's grieving family members are given the opportunity to develop a closer bond with our child.

So many big decisions to make and the countdown to baby day is getting ever nearer, 17 days if she hits the due date spot on!. Everyday is feeling more and more like a race to the finish line, each task completed only makes way for more jobs to be done. Wish us luck as we fly by the seat of our pants into this parenting thing.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Going to baby mountain Charlie, going to baby mountain!!!!






I have to say as far as family and friends go, Chris and I are pretty lucky!. This passed week we (the baby) were spoiled, this week we received a card and some money from Christopher's Grandparents and Aunts (thank you guys so much for your generosity :)) which we put towards the babies room renovations, thanks to them the baby gets the good quality bamboo flooring. There will be pictures of the room on here once we complete the work.



We also received a nice little outfit and hard cover copy of Alice in Wonderland from one of my co-workers, which was a nice surprise. On top of that my boss and his wife picked us up a few cute little sleepers for the baby the last time they were in Halifax.



Then came the box from my Mom and Sister!!! the Mother Load of first time Grandma and Auntie gifts!. Going through the package was a task and a half, I was pretty much ready for a nap by the time the last item was plucked out of the box!!!. (you'll notice Mushu was convinced most of this new stuff was for her, a reoccurring theme whenever any baby stuff makes it into the house)



My sister has been working long and hard on some really special gifts for the baby, she went out of her way to sew the baby a classy little diaper bag with matching car storage system (not pictured) as well as an AWESOME set of fantasy hand puppets~complete with theater (that hangs on a dowel in the door frame).







She also went a little shopping crazy for the baby as well.....













(the Eeyore outfit is from Grandma and the blanket is from Auntie, My sister also had a bunch of cute little surprises tucked in the diaper bag like a beaded binky link and some little baby frames)



Now for Grandmas haul!!!!































Sorry Mushu, but its still not for you!!!!



Oh wait Mushu!!! Look Auntie packed up a bag of doggie treats for you and Foxy too!!!!




Monday, April 12, 2010

5 more days...




This is officially my last week until my Maternity leave begins. 5 more days, for months now I have been eagerly awaiting the day I could walk away from the working world. No more annoying customers, no more early mornings, no more exhaustion when I get home. But now that the time is fast approaching I'm realising it will also mean I lose connection to some of the only people out here that I consider friends. I have been really lucky the past few years to be working at the bakery.

Both my Boss and his wife have been nothing but good to me since I began, they are the type of people that would give you the shirt off their back if you were in need. I will miss them both allot more than I thought I would. I will have to be sure to visit them often and once we get this house a bit more presentable (IE: get a kitchen table set :)) have them over for dinner a few times. I'm also going to miss the girls at work as well, this week I'm going to have to get their cell numbers and be sure to invite them out for a few movie nights and fun activities before the baby arrives....then out after to meet her.



Friday, April 2, 2010

Tiny little baby.....




So I went for my routine prenatal exam on Wednesday and all seemed to be going well, no sugar in my urine, no high blood pressure, the doctor went over my birth plan with me and was supportive about it. We discussed my wishes to store the babies cord blood and I left her a copy of the documents she would need to fill in for me to register online.

Then for the babies check up, The heart beat was good and strong, BUT she had barely grown since my last visit two weeks ago. The doctor was a bit concerned and wanted to rule out any problems with the babies nutrition due to.....you guessed it placental problems. So she booked me another ultrasound the following morning. My last two ultrasounds I needed to wait at least two weeks to get squeezed in, so the speed of the appointment gave me a bit of concern about the severity of the potential problem.

I was a bit worried and I phoned my Mom to talk to her about my appointment. She told me I was 6 lbs 4 ounces when I was born (and I was a week overdue) and that my sister was 6 lbs and 6 ounces, so small babies may be a genetic thing. That made me feel a bit better but I did spend the night wondering what if?. The doctor told me if the radiologist found any sign of fetal distress or any problems with the placenta she would send me directly to labour and delivery for an assessment then we would decide whether or not it was safest to induce an early labour or not. So the possibility of having the baby 6 weeks earlier than planned was a bit terrifying to say the least. The babies room hasn't even been started, I still need to pick out a good quality breast pump, I'm wanting to pick up a few more cloth diapers and covers not to mention all the little odds and ends that seemed like they would be achievable in a 6 week time frame.

So the next morning bright and early we set off for our ultrasound. Now the last few ultrasound technicians I have had have been very pleasant so I was expecting the same this round. Who did I get? Nurse Ratched, this woman had a very visible scowl. Instead of a greeting when she walked into the room I get a "name", "date of birth", "lay down and pull your shirt up over your stomach". Then down to business. She even made the point of ensuring the ultrasound screen was moved so I couldn't glance at it. She started slamming equipment into place and then we began. Not even the customary warning about the gel being cold.

But as the 1/2 hour went by the over whelming power of cute broke through her tough exterior. The scowl started to turn into a grimace then her mouth relaxed into its normal setting on her face, eventually she turned the screen to me and started to point out all the babies bits I let her explain it all to me even though I could see it all clearly. She even began to smile and laugh at the baby, who at the time was making little suckling motions trying to get her hand in her mouth. The yawn was the last straw the mood was changed. This baby has already got her secret weapon well developed, look at those pouty little lips, once they begin to tremble the world will be jumping through her hoops.





Before I left she let me know the baby scored 8/8 which means she is at all the proper developmental stages for her gestational age. So a giant sigh of relief was sighed by me. Chris on the other hand is feeling the pressure, once I got myself off to work he began to take apart the walls and moulding in the babies room. Better to stop procrastinating just in case we get an early arrival, this also means I should probably start to research the labour aspect of having a baby a little bit more seriously.