It's September 4th - could it be the day?

Today is our baby girl's due date...

And even though I was sure she would be late like her mother is - as of 11pm last night all signs are pointing to today being the day.

Time to pack the hospital bag

Our baby girl is due in just 2 days, so Ron has been reminding me that I need to start getting ready and get packed for the hospital. So today I decided to start - and I'm sitting here staring at an almost empty bag.

Yesterday my beautiful hospital gown arrived from Annie & Isabel which I am thrilled about, and that you will see and hear more about when I head to the hospital any day now. And of course, I know I need to throw a few more basics in there - clothes for me and clothes for the baby - but really -I feel a little lost on what else should go inside. What did you pack in your hospital bag - or what didn't you pack, but wished you had?

It's September which means we are due on...Saturday?

Oh my gosh - it feels completely surreal! The last months have gone by so fast, and it never really hit me that September was just around the corner. I have gotten so used to answering the question "When are you due?" and for so long it was just "September" as if that was years away. September changed to 5 weeks, to 3 weeks, to 2 weeks, but now - now its not even weeks. Now my answer is Saturday and every time I say the words it still surprises me.

I cannot wait to meet her and I cannot believe how soon she could be here. It really is an 'any day now' scenario. She has definitely dropped, and I've had a bit of cramping, but no other signs of labour. Personally - I think she is going to be late, but with her due date just 3 days away - I'd love to know what you think! Visit our online baby pool and enter your guess for due date, size, name and weight.

37 weeks pregnant = a full term baby!!

I can't believe it, but yesterday marked 37 weeks, which means I am now full term! Our little girl could safely enter the world at any time. I still have 3 weeks to go before her due date on September 4th, but if she decided she was ready there wouldn't be anything to worry about.

Right now she is about 6.5 pounds, and will keep growing, but at a slower rate. My midwife told me she is measuring right on schedule so they aren't expecting her to be a big baby or a small one, just a perfectly normal sized new born. She has been VERY cooperative and is still nicely positioned head down. There isn't really enough room in there for her to get out of that position now, so once she drops she should be ready to go.

I really can't believe how soon she could be in my arms. I'm excited and nervous and delighted and scared, all at once. I can't wait to meet her - to see this little girl we have created and spent the last 9 months dreaming about and preparing for. But at the same time I have really enjoyed this pregnancy and don't feel rushed to 'get her out'. I'm ok with her hanging out in her current home for a few more weeks (provided she doesn't grow TOO much bigger during that time) so that we have just a bit more time to get things ready for her arrival.

I know she'll come when she's ready - and when that day comes, whenever it might be - I'll be ready too. Waiting with open arms to hold her, cuddle with her, feed her, and kiss her. I may not have met her yet, but she is already one loved little girl.

The sweetest dream

Almost every pregnant woman or pregnancy book will tell you about vivid dreams throughout your pregnancy. I can honestly tell you - until last night, I hadn't had any. Maybe its the fact I can't sleep long enough to get into dream state, or maybe I just don't remember them in the morning, but I haven't woken up with any recollections of dreams this entire time.

Until now.

Last night I had the sweetest dream about our little girl. I dreamt about the day she is born and holding her for the first time. It made me think a lot about how excited I am to meet her. I can't stop wondering what she will be like. Whose eyes she will have, whose nose she'll end up with. I wonder how her personality will develop and when she will smile for the first time. I wonder what type of woman she will grow up to be.

For now though, I just wonder what it will be like when Ron and I get to hold her in our arms for the very first time. I can't believe how quickly that day is coming.

I love you baby girl - and I can't wait to meet you.

The most wonderful weekend ever

This past weekend was probably one of the best of my life. I've said it before, but I have an AMAZING group of friends in California. I spent only a year and a half there, but forged some friendships that will last me a lifetime. I've always felt blessed to have these people in my life, and this past weekend they showed me just how much that friendship meant.

Many of my friends and former coworkers pitched in to get me down to LA for the weekend. It was a quick trip but they absolutely showered me, and my baby girl with love. I was blown away by the number of people that contributed to getting me there and the generosity they showed us.

Although every moment of the weekend was perfect, the highlight was definitely the shower on Saturday to celebrate our baby girl. There is so much I could say about the entire afternoon, but I thought pictures might do it better than any words I could write. Below are just a few of the pictures from the day.

My wonderful friend Kat (top left) hosted the event, and 10 of my dearest friends came out to share the day with me. We played silly shower games, ate AMAZING food, caught up on two years of life and enjoyed just being together. One of the most special parts of the afternoon was our 'craft time'. Everyone was given a onsie to decorate and each of the girls designed a special custom made gift for our baby girl. I couldn't have imagined how beautiful they would turn out! I can't wait to dress her up in them all and tell her all about the amazing woman that made it, especially for her.

Thank you to Kat, Eleah, Shawn, Janelle, Michelle, Kim, Susan, Janet, Liz and Emily for blessing me with such an amazing afternoon. Thank you to Lyric, Melanie, Dama and Tamara who couldn't be there but still sent lots of love. And thank you to everyone else who helped make it possible to be there and sent gifts and well wishes for our little one.

I cannot wait to bring her back to LA to meet all of you, and I feel SO blessed to call you all friends. I love you. xo

Reading to baby girl

There has been a LOT going on these past few weeks. It's exciting, scary and overwhelming. In addition to life, work has been more stressful than usual and some days have been long. A few people have asked me how I stay balanced. The truth is, I have found something that makes me feel more peaceful, relaxed and grounded than I have ever felt. Reading to baby girl. A few weeks ago I picked up two little books that I have started reading to her. I've heard that it can be comforting to a baby to hear the repetition of their mothers voice and that once they are born, they will recognise the stories that were read to them in the womb. Beyond that though, reading to baby girl makes me feel connected to her. It almost makes me feel like she is already here. Sometimes I'll read her the same story three or four times in a row because I just don't want to stop. Even if it's not calming baby girl, it is certainly calming this momma to be, and that is more than enough reason to keep it up. The two books I am reading her are "night-night baby" and "my little miracle."



Reading to her now makes me excited to read to her when she is born. I've spent hours looking at books on shelves at chapters and flipping through them. There is such a big selection out there!! What books did you (or do you plan to) read to your baby?

What a difference a few weeks can make

I feel like almost every week I look at my belly and think - I can't possibly get any bigger! So I thought I'd take a quick look back over my belly growth from week 10 to 20 to 30. What a difference a few weeks can make! It's amazing to think that in less than 10 more weeks, our little girl could be in our arms, instead of in my belly.

Morning Sickness

In case you missed it buried in yesterday's post, I'm 30 weeks pregnant and my morning sickness is back. No fun. Apparently while its not common to get third trimester morning sickness, it's nothing to worry about. I just need to eat more and drink lots of ginger tea. I also think that heaps of ice cream is a suitable solution.

I actually love being pregnant

I have to say, I am really enjoying this pregnancy. I guess I never really thought too much about what it would be like to be pregnant, yet every day I'm surprised how much I enjoy it. It's not always comfortable, I want to cry sometimes when I can't find anything to wear, I'm exhausted, have a hemorrhoid and in this heat my ankles are starting to swell...but I still love it. I love when a stranger stops me on the street to say congratulations. I love when the person next to me on the subway chats with me about baby girl and is genuinely interested in her name, movements and due date. I love when Ron puts his hand on my belly and tells me how much he loves his girls (yup...he's going to melt when he meets her). I love feeling baby girl kick, even though it doesn't always feel good, because it reminds me she is there and doing well. I love when I can see my belly move and trying to guess what body part is poking through. I love talking to her, singing to her and the genuine connection I already have with her. And I love dreaming about what she'll look like, how she will act and how our lives are going to change when she arrives. I have 10 weeks to go, and I'm sure in a few weeks I'll be enjoying it all a little bit less, but right now I am soaking up every moment of this experience.

This week baby girl is the size of...

It's hard to believe I am already half way through my 29th week - which means just a little over 10 weeks until baby girl's due date! The time is going by so fast, and week by week i am amazed by how quickly she is growing and developing. She is now about the size of a butternut squash - approximately 17 inches and just over 3lbs. And believe me - my stomach is keeping up with her rapid growth! You are all being very kind and telling me I look great, but I still feel like a house :) Oh, and apparently in the next 10 weeks she is going to triple in size!

Most of baby girls organs are fully formed and functioning well, although her lungs are still maturing. Her bone marrow has taken over production of the red blood cells and her brain is developing and grooves are forming to allow for an increased amount of brain tissue. I am completely in awe of this entire process. I know I've said it before, but every day I am amazed at this miracle and still have a hard time believing that there is a life growing inside me. Then she kicks (and usually hard) - and it all seems real again.

What are the must-haves?

I posted yesterday about feeling a little overwhelmed and unprepared. Well, to combat that, I headed off today to start my registry, something people have been asking me to do for weeks now. Unfortunately I left without having starting one. As I roamed the isles looking at the plethora of baby items I realized I was biting off a bit more than I could chew on a Sunday afternoon. How do you ever decide on one soother over another? I could have put almost every item in the store on my registry but then, how much of it will we actually use?

So I decided before I scanned everything in sight - I'd do a bit more research. What are the must-haves for the first three months? What could you not live with out? What didn't you have that you wish you had? I know its different for every mom and every baby, but any advice is appreciated.

A little overwhelmed and a lot unprepared

I've been having a hard time sleeping the last few weeks...some if it is definitely because baby girl and I are already on different sleep cycles, but a lot of it is just anxiety. I'm not really worried about her birth, or even life after that. I know it won't be easy, and I know I'm in for some pretty big changes, but to be honest, I'm looking forward to all of that and I believe it will come together. Right now I'm just worried about being ready for her actual arrival. She is due in just 12 weeks, and there is so much to do in that time. We know we will be moving before she comes, but don't know where - and that is weighing heavy on me right now. We've given up our 550 square foot apartment in downtown Toronto and will either be moving a little more uptown, to another city, or possibly even another province. Ron has some jobs he is considering and we aren't quite sure where we are going to end up. Because of that uncertainty we haven't really been purchasing much beyond a few little outfits for baby girl and that has me feeling slightly unprepared. I have this desire to nest (or so I hear its called) but no where to do it. We also haven't signed up for any pre-natal classes since we aren't completely sure where we are going to be in a few weeks time. I am so ready to just be settled, to be finished with work, to get the nursery set up and ultimately to get ready to meet our baby girl.

This week baby girl is the size of...

As I've mentioned yesterday, this week I somehow crept into the third trimester. It still amazes me that I am two thirds of the way through this journey. Our baby girl is growing rapidly and now weights 2.5lb's and measures about 16 inches (approximately the size of a head of cauliflower). She has started blinking and coughing, and may even have started dreaming. The nerves in her ears have completely formed and she is aware of sound and even the rhythm of music. Her lungs have almost reached the point of maturity and her breathing is becoming more regular and consistent. My midwife tells me she is head down which is a great sign. Hopefully she stays that way until she is ready to enter the word.

Oh and she is moving - a LOT! Sleeping is getting more difficult as I am more aware of her movements and as they become much stronger inside me. Ron can feel her more regularly, and every once and a while I can actually see my belly move when she kicks. I continue to be amazed by this miraculous experience each and every day and am trying not to take a single moment for granted.

89 days??

It only just hit me that I have less than 100 days until our little girl is 'expected' to enter the world. Her due date is September 4th, which is just 89 days away. I cannot believe how fast time is going and how soon I will be meeting her. I cannot wait to hold her in my arms! Until then though, I have a LOT to get done in just 89 days...

The home stretch

I cannot believe it, but yesterday marked the first day of my third trimester. This pregnancy has been going by so quickly and I almost wish I could slow it down. I have been incredibly fortunate that this has been an easy pregnancy so far, and I know things are going to get more difficult over the next few weeks. Yet, I am excited to experience every change my body is still going to take. This little girl may be our only child and I don't want to take a moment of this experience for granted. I know she will come when she is ready, but her expected delivery date is less than 13 weeks away.

With that said, at 27 weeks I am larger than I ever thought possible! I can't believe that this belly still has almost 13 weeks to grow. Since I haven't posted one recently - here I am on the first day of my third trimester.

Goodbye belly button

Today is the last day of my second trimester and my belly button is officially gone. I'm not an outie just yet, but where there was once a cute, little belly button there is now just skin flush with the rest of my ever expanding belly. Good bye belly button - I hope to see you again in just a few short months.p