DIY Thank-You's...and Contractions?!

This morning, I'm trying to focus and breathe and stay calm. I woke up at around 5am to go to the bathroom and found myself on the floor, on hands and knees, in a tonne of pain. After having some little mini, not-very-painful, pinching contractions earlier in the day...feeling a stabbing pain going through my back was definitely cause for some early-morning screaming. Poor C just about launched himself across the bed to find out why I was on the floor.

So...let's focus on something positive, happy and uplifting, shall we? Why not Thank-You Cards, made by yours truly!

I am very happy with how they all turned out...all 35 of them! I think I now have enough Thank-You's for my next shower, and any other little notes that I might need to send out.

In terms of the contractions, I'm keeping track of what's going on, when they happen and how severe they are. They haven't caused me to call the doctor just yet, and I'm really hoping that we will be able to make it to our appointment on the 14th without having to make an emergency call to Dr. Jordan. Obviously if it gets more intense, I will make the call but for right now, I'm okay and C is on-call.

Every one's been telling me that Bug's movements will slow down considerably when he's ready to emerge. I have trouble putting much stock into that statement for a few reasons.

1) I have a very small torso...so when he moves even a little, I feel everything

2) I have a large baby in me...well large in proportion to my small torso

However, his movements today have been....different. Not any less frequent persey, but different. I am feeling him roll, squirm and turn rather than kick, ab and punch. And its much lower down that I'm feeling him as well. There are still little flutters here and there, but considering that he's been out of room for the past three weeks anyhow, I have a feeling that I'm not going to immediately recognized the decreased movement, or that his movements are going to stay consistent right until the end.

We've read tonnes about the signs of labour, and consulted many a mommy-friend about what's going on etc. but I guess...you never know until it's really happening to you! We're not quite there yet, but I think we're getting ready!

Labour & Delivery Bag

I had always intended to pack a bag specifically for C. Whether we sent one of his friends to our house to grab it for him, had it in the car, or forgot it all together, I had always thought it'd be nice to at least have some stuff packed for him.

We got to talking about it, and he said that he didn't need anything...even that he could live in the same t-shirt for three days if he needed to, so long as everything that I needed was in the car and I felt prepared to go. Little does he know that part of me feeling prepared is knowing that he has a bag ready to go, and in the trunk alongside my bag!

At our preregistration meeting on Monday, the nurse suggested that we have a Labour &Delivery Bag in addition to my larger bag and a diaper bag for the baby. Hmmm...perhaps I should be thinking about merging the L&D Bag with C's bag, so that we have everything that we need, all right there for when we're at the birthing centre.

Well! I finished the bag today, and shuffled some of the things from my bag like the tennis ball and my iPod, and Viola! We have a fully stocked L&D Bag!



C's stuff
HABS T-shirt, swim trunks, toilettries, socks and underwear

my stuff
Change of clothes - tshirt, sports bra, socks, underwear, swim suit



Blackberries, camera charger, video camera, video camera charger.
We actually had a big talk about whether or not to pack the video camera. While I absolutely do not want the birth of Bug to be on video, it might be kind of nice to tape things like when we first get to snuggle with him, or when Nana, Grandpa and Grandma Dale meet him for the first time...and react to his name! So....in the bag it goes!

Notice any other funny items in there? LOST Season 4? Gangs of New York? Well....the L&D Nurse suggested bringing some movies since it can take a while. Originally, I was thinking of something lighthearted and fun...like Happy Feet. However...I couldn't find it! Oh well, Gangs will have to do!

Hawt? That boy has no Hawt!!

And LOST was going into the bag either way, the only question was which season? C suggested that it be all that we pack, and start with season 1 since Bug should be here only a couple of weeks after the finale. But Season 4 is when Jack and Juliet meet...and fall in love...and there is just so much ridiculous action, not to mention the emergence of Faraday and crew, that it might prove to be a really great distraction.

There you have it! All of that, alongside a fluffy towel and my pillow that is already in the trunk...and we're getting ever closer to being ready to go to the hospital.

Waterworks

Thank you, raging hormones, for making me a ball-bag lately. It's crazy the things that I will tear up at lately...commercials being the primary culprit right now.

Like....this one. Well...the Canadian People's version of it anyhow...Especially the end of the commercial, because that will be me...SOON!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAaHTypIZhE

*Knock Knock Knock*

When I came home from our pre-registration appointment yesterday, I noticed that Purolator had been by about an hour earlier. Hmmm...I didn't order anything (shocking, I know!) and wondered if maybe C was trying to be sneaky and order a gift for me for some reason (*cough cough* diaper bag...mother's day).

Well! I trucked over to Purolator this afternoon after a lovely patio lunch with C downtown, to have the fine Purolator lady come out with this massive box from Babies R' Us. WOOHOO!! But...what could it be?! Who was it from?!

There was no information on the outside of the box other than that it was from Babies R' Us, so I drove like a crazy mad-woman back home to open it up in the garage.





From soon-to-be Auntie Sarah and Uncle Bry!!

THANK YOU!!! Today's like Christmas!

The Essentials...

Yesterday was a big day for The Family Szem...we pre-registered at the hospital where in a few very short weeks, we'll be delivering our son!

It brought a whole lot of comfort to me, personally, to meet with the nurse and go over all of the options that are available to us. We talked about family medical history, any issues that we've had so far with the pregnancy, and any thoughts and concerns as this journey comes to a close and a whole new phase opens up to us.

It got us thinking (well...it got me thinking anyway) about some of the very basic essential baby items that we're missing right now. Bottles, mattress pads, bed sheets....oh gosh!

After a long chat with Godmomma, I realized that cute outfits and snuggly blankets are great, but the essentials are what we need to focus on right now. Thankfully, she's offered us her bassinet so that Bug can sleep in our bedroom for the first couple of weeks and also her baby bath tub to make bathtime a little easier with a squirmy worm.

So, off to Walmart I went in search of bottles and a mattress pad. Originally, we were going to get everything at Babies R' Us, however...it's so expensive there! Thank goodness for bargain shopping!! We at least now have 3 orthodontic bottles, though I do plan to breastfeed (as long as everything cooperates!) and they won't be able to be used for the first 4-6 weeks. We also now have a mattress pad, which hopefully will save the mattress from getting ruined too quickly. And everything at Walmart was half the price than at Babies R' Us!!

So the playpen can wait thanks to the bassinet from Godmomma, as can the high chair for a few months until he's bigger and older and so can the mobile since we have the Sleep Sheep from Kristin at the shower on the weekend. The baby monitor, stroller, milk saver bags, diapers and bedsheets however...I think C and I might go shopping after our baby shower on the 15th to get anything that we still may need.

I asked C last night when I was going to bed to google some lists of Baby Essentials and he smiled, giggled and said "Yes Honey...but you do know that he's not coming tomorrow, right?" He then reassured me that one way or another, everything will get taken care of. He also reassured me that we're more that ready...he has a roof over his head, two parents who love each other and him very much, and a car seat that will be bringing him home shortly.

So....experienced Mommy's that read this blog daily (which I thank you for by the way!)....what are some of the essential items that you'd recommend we have at home before Bug gets here??

Photo Session #2!

We had our outdoor photo session this past friday evening and again, Rosita amazes me. Her attention to detail and the way she captured the light was absolutely fantastic!

Here are a few of my favourites, and a link to her sneak peak on her blog.

I can't believe that we haven't seen Bug for....16 weeks!

Please, please go and check out her site! She is fabulous!!

Baby Brunch!

This past weekend, we had a lovely baby shower brunch thrown for us. The table was perfect - it looked like it was right out of Martha Stewart! The company was fantastic, the cake absolutely amazing, and the gifts were incredibly generous!

Beautiful baby's breath in a watering can, the new centerpiece on my own kitchen table. Simple and incredibly elegant.

Scones! I don't know how Kristin knew, but they are probably my absolute most favourite thing in the world. I used to make them when I was little from my Grandma Belle's recipe....yum!

BEAUTIFUL cake from where else...the Whimsical Bakery! Christine even modeled the pregnant lady after yours truly!

All of the incredibly beautiful and generous gifts! So much amazing stuff, it was difficult to choose "favourites" (really...they all are at the top of the list!)

LOVE the Eeyore rattle and piggy bank - so cute! Thanks, Jan!

Did I mention that the onesie has a Tiger on the bum? It makes me giggle everytime I look at it!

From Christine at the bakery..."Get me a cupcake and noone gets hurt" - PERFECT!

Bug's very first puppy...and it looks like my Tony growing up! Thank you SO much Marianne, it just about brought me to tears!

The absolute most softest, cuddliest blanket ever. I washed it last night and wanted to snuggle with it on the couch all night long! Thanks, Karen!!!

Honestly, this is probably my most favourite item that we've received so far. Kristin, the wonderful hostess, made it for Bug and it touched my heart in a way that I cannot even begin to explain. It's perfect...and small...and snuggly...and will be perfect come the fall, and I think may need to make and appearance at Bug's baptism.

We both had a great time, and were pleasantly surprised to find trees planted in the backyard when we got home...despite all of the rain and nasty weather. Another blog entry, for another day.

Thank you for a great brunch Kristin, you are fantastic!