In The Bag

Today's a busy day, so I will apologize for the cop-out of a blog entry. This morning I have to finish gathering all of our tax information, get that into the accountant to avoid paying the ridiculous penalty from the government....then I have to finish making thank-you cards for my shower tomorrow...and wait for our lovely trees to be delivered today as well. Then this evening, Rosita's coming back to finish off our outdoor maternity pictures, and what a lovely day to do so! The sun is shining and it looks fantastic outside!

I've been stressing for weeks now about getting the car clean and my hospital bag in the trunk. Well...it's finally in there! I finished that this week, and I'm feeling a little less stressed just knowing that it's in the car...just in case.

What's in the bag, you wonder? Well...just about everything I could think of that I might want or need. Better to have it than not, right?!



A couple of tanks, a big fluffy towel, slippers that can be ruined, yoga pants, C's Laurier sweatshirt, socks, Bath and Body Work travel toiletries...the basics



Comfort measures....Wembley, a tennis ball for back pain, my iPod and new ear buds



This sweatshirt has a funny story behind it, and it definitely has seen better days. I borrowed (aka stole) it from C about...three weeks after we started dating. I opted for this sweatshirt over my Dad's blue striped sweater because it just brings a different feeling of comfort from it. I can't really explain it, but...it needed to be in the bag. I mentioned to C that I had packed it, so if it was chilly in the hospital, either of us could wear it. He laughed immediately, remarking that he hadn't worn in it almost 6 years...it's not his to wear anymore!

So....all of that in my lovely Hilary Radies bag...in the trunk!

I also put a pillow in the trunk, in a bright yellow pillowcase, and I have yet to pack my blowdryer etc. Yes, another ridiculous item, but when you have crazy curly hair like I do...it's necessary if you want to wash it after an ordeal like labour. Likely that will find its way into C's bag...which currently has next to nothing in it...a task for next week!

Shower Outfit #2

Well...it's that time again where I have a few options for shoes and accessories, and a shower to go to!

The shower this Saturday is a brunch, so I was thinking of going girly...cute little black dress (Thank you Walmart for having good deals!) with a shrug, hair down and curly much like in our maternity pictures. As far as the necklace and earrings go, well....I figured that I would wear what I wear everyday - my diamond studs and pendant from C, on my Dad's necklace that I wear everyday....which happens to now sport my wedding ring.

The outfit....


The strings hanging down at the bottom tie around the back. It's a pre-pregnancy dress, but empire waisted and fits perfectly over the belly.

Option #1


Cream ruffle clutch, turquoise flats and turquoise printed headband....it has pink and cream flowers on it

Option #2


Nine West lacy clutch, purple flats and black headband with pink and white flowers

Option #3


Unlisted by Kenneth Cole gingham heels...yes I can walk in them! Purple suede Greer Girls clutch and silver flower headband

Option #4

Same accessories as Option #3 but with gold gladiator sandals

What do you think? Would you mix and match different options together? Your input is very much welcome, and appreciated!

Thank You, Dr. Leslie!

I've got to admit, both C and I were pretty nervous about our doctor's appointment yesterday. I think she knew that there was something off as soon as she saw us.

We sat down, and I started telling her about the frequent Braxton Hicks, and how it's freaking me out that they're coupled with dizziness and nausea. I told her about some other symptoms that are closely aligned with pre-term labour that are definitely too gross to discuss here.

We went through the routine checkup first....


Blood Pressure - 104/70

Slightly higher! Imagine that! It's still pretty low, but it's been getting better and she seems happy with it!

Weight Loss/Gain - down 1lb.

What the heck!! I'm thinking that this is largely due to C working with a personal trainer, me doing all of the cooking and sticking to a very strict diet to support him. We're eating really healthy, and since I'm doing yoga and trying to stay active...the only one putting on weight is Bug!

Bug's Heartrate - 135bpm

Staying strong!!


Now...the reason for my pain.

He's HUGE! C actually referred to him as a monster baby, and Dr. Leslie said "wow, no wonder you're in pain! He grew ALOT in the past two weeks" when I lied on the table to have my belly measured and for her to use the doppler to find his heart beat, which he kicked off my belly a few times.

He was lying with his head down at my right hip, hands and arms in my right rib cage, and feet and knees in my left rib cage. She said that it's no wonder I'm uncomfortable and in pain alot of the time....he's gotten alot bigger and has run out of room.

Any bets on how early he's born? Hopefully not before my spa day with the girls at the end of may, I'm so looking forward to that!

Here's our BARE BELLY ALERT!! 34weeks and 1 day...if not maybe a little bit further along gestationally since he's so huge!




So...we're okay, both of us! We're not going into pre-term labour, though I do need to stay as hydrated as possible and keep track of the frequency of the Braxton Hicks and sort of rate the intensity the best that I can.

The scariest part of yesterday? Getting our pre-registration kit from Sharon and being told to get it into the hospital as soon as possible! EEK!

We're really doing this! There's no going back now! (Love you, Bug! See you soon!!)

Reality Check

Over the weekend, reality set in for us. We're going to be parents...well, I guess that we already are, but it's going to be much more real very shortly.

Part of that reality has been hitting me like a tonne of bricks because of how I've physically been feeling lately. I can now feel Bug's head rather low "down there", and his movements have gotten alot stronger in the past week...so strong that I've actually been known to scream out in pain when he hits a certain spot in my ribs.

The Braxton Hicks have also picked up, and typically are accompanied by dizziness, shortness of breath, my face feeling flushed, nausea and sometimes a little bit of pain and cramping "down there". Yesterday while I was driving, I had about 6 Braxton Hicks contractions in 15minutes...enough to freak out a new mom who hasn't ever experienced what it's like to go into labour.

So...reality has set in. We're going to have a baby, and possibly sooner rather than later. Yesterday, I set out on the task of making sure that my hospital bag is packed and today will make sure that it finds its way to the car...after cleaning out the trunk. Thankfully, it's nice and sunny here today and should be nice enough to get it all doine shortly after lunch.

We also had a big talk about not having a carseat installed in our car yet, over the weekend. We both realized that at 34weeks...this is going to happen and it's going to happen when we least expect it to, and knowing our luck, probably when we're not ready in the slightest.

So we started doing our homework. Infant carseat, travel systems, strollers, infant-to-toddler carseats, 3-in-1 convertibles...there are so many options! Originally, we had registered for a Peg Perego travel system in a beautiful red colour at Babies R' Us, and were hoping to use our completion discount to get it for ourselves in a few weeks. However, it is very expensive and probably not as practical as we (aka I) first thought it was.

After researching the options, and talking extensively about what our needs and wants for a stroller/travel system/carseat were, we (aka I) decided to get a carseat that is compatible with a lightweight, compact stroller. For me, having something lightweight is very important as I'm not super strong and having something compact is important since we travel a fair amount and I'm not exactly one to stay at home when I could be out enjoying the sunshine, catching up with friends and taking some really great walks this summer with Bug.

The carseat we chose is the Maxi Cosi Mico in Chocolate-mint. I love the look of it, the safety rating is fabulous and it even has side impact protection. We ordered it yesterday, and it should be here at the very latest just after may 9th.

It is compatible with the Quinny Zapp stroller, which is probably one of the coolest, weirdest looking things I've ever come across in this baby-gear-selection process. It's really awesome though, and has all of the features that we're looking for. It even has its own carrycase for travel, which should fit nicely in the overhead compartment!

And this is the carseat on the stroller, a do-it-yourself Travel System of sorts

A little...space-aged look to it, but we like it! The frame that the carseat sits on isn't exactly like the picture above, since the Zapp has four wheels and a mesh carry bag at the bottom.

And the price point is more within our comfort zone, which is always a plus. Baby gear is incredibly expensive here in Canada (as compared to in the US at least) so any price break that we can get, we'll take!

April Showers

Yet another whirlwind of a weekend was had in the Family Szem. While C was off gallivanting with his friends T & R in Windsor, I was hosting a bridal shower for my very good friend, A.

Since it's just about 5am here on Monday morning, I'll do a little photo-entry of the details of the event. I'm very pleased with how everything came together, and was so incredibly happy that everyone enjoyed themselves!


Flowers on the mantel...you'll start to notice a theme very shortly


Flowers at the front door


And in the bathroom...however, flowers were not the theme!


The ocean and beach were the theme! A's getting married in Panama, and I really wanted to bring that tranquility to her shower!




Seashells were just about anywhere that you could find them






Even the favours, which I forgot to hand out until right near the end when some of the last guests were leaving, were seashells!

But I know what you're really all wanting to see...the dessert table! One of the benefits of designing cakes for the Whimsical Bakery is cupcakes are always a-plenty!




Cupcakes and Strawberry-cream-cheese-crescents



Hand-rolled Chocolate-coconut and Chocolate-Skor truffle pops


Cupcakes and Honey-apple-brie-bites....yum!

Sunday was certainly spent watching movies and enjoying the company of C...along with LOST Season 3, and a lunch out at Boston Pizza.

Notes From C

I've been asking C for a little while now if he would write a blog entry for me to post. Well...he finally sent me one this morning while I was out and it couldn't have come at a better time. I'm running around like a mad-woman getting ready for the bridal shower that I'm throwing this weekend (pictures to follow on Monday...).

Without further adieu....here are some notes from C...
---------------------------------------------------

I’ve been asked for a few weeks now to write an entry for The Family Szem blog. I suppose it seems rather logical that I would be a contributor, given that I am the (soon-to-be) patriarchal member of our version of the Szems.

What will come as no surprise to a few of you, though, is that this is a task that I have been putting off. Until now, however, it had been largely unclear (even to me) why I had been putting the task off. Typically asking me to share my thoughts or my opinion doesn’t require too much arm-twisting (OK, it doesn’t usually require any….). For some reason, though, I have been reticent to put my thoughts down on this particular subject matter.

And then the (rather obvious) reason hit me: What exactly are my thoughts? Truthfully, I don’t have the appropriate means to articulate everything that I am experiencing as we rapidly move towards becoming first-time parents.

Am I excited? Of course I am! And I mean that, too. I can’t imagine you’d find too many soon-to-be parents who would readily tell you that they’re NOT excited about what’s all about to happen – although I suspect that some are simply saying what they think you’re supposed to say. But I can honestly tell you that “excited” is the most apt description for what I’m feeling. Am I nervous and scared? Yeah, but we’ll get to that part of the blog later.

How could I not be excited to be getting to help our son experience, for the first time, all of the amazing things this world has to offer? I cannot wait to share with him many of the things that I remember so vividly from my own childhood!

I still remember my first NHL game, at the old Montreal Forum. While I couldn’t tell you how old I was at the time, I can tell you that our beloved Canadiens played to a 2-2 draw with the Flyers, and my Dad just about caught a puck for me to take home. Looking back now, I imagine that had the puck made it up that extra row to us, any maneuver to catch it would have been primarily in self defense! (Note: From the “Good Parenting Handbook”, my parents were sure to never take me to a Leafs’ game at the old Gardens in Toronto – a practice we will be certain to follow to ensure our son is not subjected to a lifetime of cheering for mediocrity and disappointment)

I remember my first time at the Skydome, watching a Jays’ game. Walking out of that tunnel and seeing the mass of people (I guess not everything stays the same) and the whole stadium opening up in front of me is an experience I can still picture to this day. The Dome remains a colossal structure, but remembering it as a small child, it might as well have been the size of the whole planet. The last few years, the “Rogers Centre” has simply been where I go to drink overpriced beer and boo the team that consistently disappoints me – but soon it will once again be a place of wonder and amazement. And I can’t wait.

Disney World? Oh, we’re coming.
Hide-and-seek? You’re it!
Giant ball-pits? Cannonball!!!
Road hockey? Game on!

Frankly, these are all things that my friends and I would still do on a regular basis if it was considered socially acceptable for a group of 26-year olds to bring a case of beer to Chucky Cheese (somehow I think the local Police might end up involved in that one). But with a son, these things are not only accepted, but encouraged (minus the beer, of course)!

So needless to say, I’m extremely excited to get to share all of these fun things with our son. Does that mean I don’t have any trepidation about being a parent? Uhm, not exactly! All of the experiences I described above that I shared with my parents helped to shape me to be the (fine, upstanding, handsome, intelligent, verbose, long-winded) person that I am today. That’s kind of daunting. The stuff that we do over the next couple of years is going to have an impact on what kind of person we’re ultimately bringing into the world. So, y’know, we better not mess it up.

And then there’s the “nitty-gritty” of caring for a baby. Of course, I have no clue what I’ll be doing at bath-time, and when I’m changing diapers (I paid attention at Pre-Natal Class, but somehow I think the real thing might be a little different). But I’m not “worried” about those things. Despite what “S” might tell you in sharing her fears and nerves about what we’re about to experience, I get to do all of this with – what I can only imagine is –the most prepared new-Mom there’s ever been. If there’s a book to read about babies, she’s read it. If there’s a question to ask the doctor, she’s asked it. She’s even had practice caring for her two best friends’ kids over the last couple years. I’ve heard it before, and I certainly anticipate that it’s true that “you’re never really READY for what it’ll be like to be a parent”, but I promise you, she’s as close to ready as you’re going to find.

As I’ve worked to assuage her growing fears in recent weeks, I’ve assured her of all of these things. So many babies around the world are born into challenging situations (disease, poverty, abuse, to name a few), that I can’t help but feel contentment in knowing the surroundings our son will be born into. We’re fortunate to have an incredible support system of both family and friends, and our son is going to be born with every advantage he could need – including (CORNBALL ALERT!!) the most important one: two loving parents.

The stuff I’m worried about comes later. It comes when our son is out in the world, making decisions for himself about right and wrong, with the countless negative influences that are out there. Naturally, it’s our job as parents to prepare him to make all of these decisions based on a set of values and morals, but raising a child in this day and age is going to be a whole new ball of wax, even from what my parents faced just a few short years ago.

So I guess that’s what I’m thinking! I’m excited, I’m nervous, I’m anxious, and I can’t wait. Really, I think those are all of the things that I’m supposed to be feeling right now. And if not, I don’t really care. This is an incredible time in our lives, and I’m going to enjoy it. My mind is definitely in a few different places: getting ready for a newborn (physically and mentally), while trying balance a new job, a hormonal pregnant wife, and a stable of under performing Fantasy Baseball teams (so many stresses). But life is great, and it’s only going to get better.

C

34 Weeks...WOW

Where did the time go?! In only 3 short weeks, I'll be considered full-term, and just read that babies born between 34-37 weeks rarely have health issues unless there is a pre-exisitng condition (that would have been found in an ultrasound etc.). That's fantastic!

At 34 weeks, Bug's continuing to develop his nervous system, put on baby fat and his skin is smoothing out so that he won't be all wrinkly when he comes to meet us. His lungs are just about fully matured, which probably explains for the increase in hiccuping lately! From here on in, the developments aren't all that exciting...he's really just bulking up and putting on fat!

Gone are the days of developing ears and eyes, webbed toes and fingers...we have a real baby now!

C and I were chatting the other day (as in...I was asking him a tonne of silly questions) and I think I've concluded that Bug will likely have some very cute blonde curls and big brown puppy dog eyes. He's going to be a heart breaker! How could these two kids not grow up to make one super cute human being?!



Symptom wise lately, I've been feeling pretty good however occasionally suffer from a shortness of breath, nausea every now and then, and over all discomfort from having a small torso and an almost full term baby in there. Yoga seems to help to create space and ease the bruised-ribs feeling, but lately I've noticed that my hips are really sore when I wake up, or if I've been sitting for too long...particularly my left hip. I've also been getting the "wow, I think I did 1000 crunches yesterday!" feeling, and know that the tightness is primarily due to Braxton Hicks.

That's probably my least favourite part of the day...Braxton Hicks. Sometimes, it's fine and takes but seconds to go away. Other times though...wow...uncomfortable! I know that it's just preparing my body for what is to come...and soon...but it leaves my belly rather sore sometimes. All part of the process I guess!