Shopping... Online

Yesterday, between doing 6 loads of Mason's laundry, I discovered that Walmart Canada had great prices on gliders and cribs and since Mark and I are not into having fancy, pricey things, I ordered the following today:

I was torn between Espresso coloured and Cognac coloured so I had Mark make the decision and he chose the darker wood. I cannot wait to get them and set them up in the baby's room.

I also updated my registry at Toys 'r Us - we don't really need much but there are a few things that I have put on there in case anyone asks- or so I remember what I wanted when I go shopping! :)

Starting to Organize Mason's Room

I finally decided to tackle little man's room today. All traces of Xmas had been removed from the room so I could get going. I spent at least 4-5 hours going through all the stuff we have, rearranging a little, reorganizing the closet and removing all the non-baby items from the room. Mark popped up periodically to assist with setting up the change table and pulling tags off of all the clothes and accessories.

Here is the mess during reorg...

The puppies had to check things out.

I sure do have to say a HUGE thank-you to the Gustavsons for without them and the deals of Kijiji, I would have very little for Mason already. It is sure amazing how much I have accumulated over the last 10 years. Right now, the laundry pile reaches halfway up the wall of his room! I will buy baby laundry detergent tomorrow and get started washing all the textiles.

I also hung a few items on the walls like three little puppies that I had on my wall as a baby and a little cloth growth chart. Mom's cross stitch will stay on the wall for Mason too. I have other lovely things too including a framed giraffe from Sue and 3 animals pics from Michele.

Nadine gave me so many toys I was able to fill our new bin stand! I am so grateful!!!! I also found a baby book so I can start filling in details for the little one.

Our shopping will be a minimum, we have only a few large purchases to go- a crib, a glider, a monitor and a breast pump. Other than that-diapers, vitamin D drops and all the smaller items will be purchased closer to his arrival.

Merry Christmas Mason!

Yep, that's Baby Boy's name! He is still in utero but so far is making a killing in the Xmas gift department! Mark/Santa bought him a 3 pack of Sens onesies then Shay and Remy got him another one and an adorable Sens hoodie! We now need to get him the proper Jets attire and he should be all set! Our neighbour, Julie also gave him a lovely silver picture frame which will have his name engraved on it one day.

He was very active last night- likely because I spent the bulk of the day on my feet in the kitchen getting ready for the Christmas lunch I hosted today. He (and I :)) can now take it easy for a couple of days before I go back to work.

It`s happening...

my belly button is disappearing!!!!! I don`t like it!

Hormones! Racing Thoughts! Oh My!

I woke at 4:30 this am and my mind started to wander. Before I knew it, I was crying.
Today's stresser: I have no one close by to be Baby Boy's godparents! That's right- bawling because I am no one's godmother and here in Ottawa, I have not made enough emotional attachments and close, close friendships to name anyone to care for our boy one day, if necessary. Not to mention, the closest (and seemingly only) Ukrainian church in Ottawa is far away from me (between 45 mins and an hour's drive) and I have been really wanting to go lately though I am far from religious. Can one name godparents by correspondence? :)

22 Weeks...

Good Doc's Appt

Went for my monthly appt yesterday and all is well. He did not have my ultrasound results in but all my testing from last month was fine. He says baby is measuring exactly where he should be. I have gained back only 5 of the nearly 10 lbs I lost during that first 15 weeks too.

Things are already starting to change as the weeks tick by. My next appt will be with the OBGYN I chose, Dr. Marleau. He was the fantastic doc who looked after me when we had the ectopic last January. He was really kind and down to earth (not to mention cute!). At one point he called me at home and talked me down from a meltdown when the lab at the hospital would not do my blood work without me waiting in emergency for 4-8 hours because it was missing a signature on my papers. This happened after Mark and I had spent 10+ hours at the emergency unit every second day for 6 days so I was not prepared to stay that long again - especially as I was still emotional from being treated for an ectopic. I went home crying and Dr. Marleau called me at home, said, "Hi, the is Alain and I really need to you come back. I will find the lab myself right now and leave all paperwork ready." When I drove all the way back to town, the lab was waiting for me- no hassles. I will meet Dr. Marleau again on Jan 26th... YAY!

Oh, as you can see from the time of this post, I am still awake in the night...

All aflutter... I think?

This past weekend, I think I felt him move. Was not sure but then it happened again last night and the evening before so I think that is him. It is a flutter in the middle of my abdomen and though I always think gas- after nearly 38 years of life, I have not experienced gas like this so I am going to call it the baby boy!

I feel like I am really starting to pop out now. I am still having a small appetite and now I have started getting up in the night and losing 1-2 hours of sleep time! As you can see by the time of this post, tonight was no exception so I got up and showered and had some cereal. If you can't beat it-succumb to it I suppose!

Even though I am still not myself, this is the best I have felt so far and I treasure it. I am off meds and hopefully doc's visit on Thursday is all good...

It's a BOY! Half way there...

We had our 20 week ultrasound today and Mark and I were very nervous before hand- worried about what we may see or not see. The tech sure did a ton of measurements and checking and at the very end she pointed out the little ones "twig and berries". Mark had no reaction, he says he was in shock thinking that he only produces girls! I too am happy to know the sex of the baby and now we can say "he" rather than it. Tech says all looks good size wise which is incredible considering I probably staved him and I a lot in the past months! Next week I go to the doctor so hopefully his analysis of my ultrasound is also favourable and all will continue to be well.

18 Weeks and Counting!

I am starting to look forward to hitting the halfway mark of this pregnancy. I am still NOT an excited pregnant person and I just want it all to end. I still continue to feel yucky a lot but not nearly as badly as that first 3+ months!

I also had my first dream about the baby the other night. It was at my ultrasound (which is scheduled for Dec 6th by the way). For some reason, Mark could not get there and at the end, I asked what we were having. They said a girl.

Last night's dream was also about the baby though it was a little scarier. I dreamt that once again, I had attended the ultrasound but had forgotten to ask for a picture. When I went back in to ask, they showed me a pic of a little girl aged 4- she had blond hair and was smiling. When I said that this was a mistake as I wanted my ultrasound pic, they assured me that this little package was mine. It was a series of pics- 4-5 from the womb to aged 4 showing what our baby would likely look like. The thing is, the little girl (once again a girl) had Downs Syndrome...

Now I know why I had this dream - yesterday when I surfed the net, I came across some websites about Downs and had a look. I am 37 and according to one site, the odds are 1 in 255 that I will have a baby with Downs. Those are pretty good and real odds and I suppose I stressed a little subconsciously. Other sites say there is even a bigger chance- 1 in 227 and since I will actually only be days away from 38 when I deliver... chances are 1/177!!!

Anyhow, no matter what our baby's health will be, we will love it and raise it to be the best human being it can be, but as a Lana, the thought of having a little one who may have developmental difficulties and health issues is extremely scary! I guess this is where everything gets thrown out the window and you just take it day by day doing the best you can. I will try not to dwell on it. After all, even IF we had had the screening and found out definitely that Poppy had Downs, we would have kept our baby anyway. This was the time in my life when I chose to have a child and I will accept whatever comes.

Poppy is about the size of a bell pepper or a large pickle from a deli- 5 1/2 inches. Still seems so small to be making a 180 pound woman feel like such CRAP! :) We started getting rid of the spare bed last weekend- should have it completely out of the room this weekend. I have also been teettering on names recently; changing my mind a bit but two favourites for me right now are Amelia or Mason (though Mark likes Conner too). We have the middles names covered so it is just a matter of time before we reach a final decision. The ultrasound in just over 2 weeks will help since we will hopefully find out if we are naming a boy or a girl!!


I am still wearing regular sweaters along with the 3 pairs of maternity pants that Jess gave me. This should work until the holidays for sure. 5 calendar months to go until our due date... I have a feeling it will really start to go by quickly now- I sure hope so!

Week 15 and still hoping for better days ahead

I was sick for two weeks upon my return from Winnipeg last month. I finally returned to work last week and continue to feel better. We did visit Montfort Hopspital emergency room a few Fridays ago seeking some more help as I was really sick, weak and not eating. They insisted I continue to take the Diclectin and they added on a stomach acid relief medication to assist with acid reflux from lack of food and an empty stomach.

In the last week, I have been eating more and keeping things down more too so I feel happy about that. I am still exhausted and work days mean getting home, eating a little something, showering and getting into bed but at least I can get back to work.

Mark's friends Shane and Jess gave me a bag of maternity clothes which came at the perfect time as I am desperate for some confy clothes for work. I am definitely showing something but it looks more like I am just fat than preggers.

Yesterday was my first full work-up doctor's appt where my questions were answered and I received my flu shot. Since August when I first visited the doc, I have lost 10 pounds which I know will come back soon enough but I am slowly gaining strength again. Doc says all looks fine and I will continue to see him until about week 26 when I will transfer over to the OBGYN I met last January, Dr. Marleau, unless anything changes before hand.

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, it is too late for me to have amniocentesis to see if our Poppy has any congenital defects as I should have had that between 11 & 13 weeks 6 days. At this rate, I say, "oh well" since this will be our only baby, we will have it and love it no matter what its health situation will be. I will have an ultrasound in the next month and I hope to find out the sex of the little one then.

This morning, I had to go for blood work and since it was first thing in the morning, I am still quite weak, I had a flu shot last evening and I had not eaten anything but a Boost drink, I fainted at the lab. Big commotion and had to go back home and rest for the day- what a disaster I am!

Mark and I had a peek at Baby's 'R Us this weekend and started to discuss our immediate baby needs, which are few; car seat & stroller, baby monitor, breast pump and glider. A crib can wait until Poppy is born if necessary.

Hopefully I will feel well enough to start preparing for the upcoming holiday season and to start getting excited about having this baby.

Not such a Life-saver

I have not been around a while. I have been sick, sick, sick... The diclectin that I received gave me relief for exactly 2 days before I fell ill with a terrible cold/flu virus that knocked me on my a** for 4 weeks now. As I type this, I feel better than I have felt in ages but I am still so exhausted I must rest between any little exertion. We visited Montfort Hospital on Friday nite and I was re-hydrated and given more meds to help me cope. Doctor has asked me to get back on the Diclectin also and though I am leary to retry it, he suspects that the virus was inhibiting its effectiveness so if the virus is on its way out, I may have a chance to get better. Today marks 13 weeks pregnant but I am not as excited as you would think because until I can feel better and get back to work and a normal routine, I am miserable!!!

Diclectin is Saving My Life!

After 3 weeks of suffering, starving, dehydration and near depression, I was given a lifeline in the form of a drug called diclectin. On Wednesday afternoon, one of the EAs heard of my suffering and gave me the name of this drug. I promrtly arranged to visit my doctor that night and got a prescription for it. It costs $180 for a montth's supply but I have full insurance and paid nil. I starting taking it Wed. evening (2 before bed, one in the am and one arounf 2 pm).

By this afternoon, I actually feel more like my old self and the constant feeling of sick is gone. The drug does make one very drowsy in the beginning but I am feeling hopeful that by the weekend that will subside too!

I sure hope these effects continue as I might even begin to get excited about the baby now!

Week 9 was a disaster!

Last week was week 9 and it was a nightmare. I was home sick from work for 4 days then still ill all weekend! I came back to work this week and am still really struggling to keep a float.

My appetite sucks but I must eat something to stop the ill feeling from hunger and the heartburn. I have a constant bad taste in my mouth and brush my teeth and tongue throughout the day to try to stop the feeling but of course, that causes gagging and throwing up. I can barely drink anything as I feel nauseous thinking about move liquids. Today I am craving a Shirley Temple! It is that and water only.

I am so completely exhausted that after some semblance of dinner, I shower (because I am just too tired to do it at 6 am) and go to bed by 8 or 9 pm. Each morning I wake, hoping I have slept off the ill/hung over feeling and every morning it is still there!

I also feel now that the anxiety of wondering if I will still be feeling this way when I return home to Winnipeg is making it even worse. I want to escape the bad feeling so badly but I simply cannot.

So, being this sick really took away from the good news we received last week at our first ultrasound. All looked well, baby is in correct place, we saw the heartbeat and the age is on track with what I calculated which gives us an official due date of April 22, 2011. Yes, great news but at this point April and the dream of feeling better are a lifetime away. :(

So for right now- not excited at all about this!

Week 8 - Just as Sucky!!!

I suffered though yet another week of this pregnancy. We had the kids this week so rather than trying to explain away my lack of appetitie and early bedtimes, we just told them. They both seem OK with it.

On Friday afternoon, I was really sick at work and I also would up wearing maternity clothes all week to make my very sore and bloated body more comfy. I just wish there was something I could drink that would quench my thirst- my tastebuds are a mess and my tummy is too! I hate this!!!

Week 7 = Very Rough Week

Saying I started feeling yucky this past week is an under statement. I have felt hungover all week long and had a hard time deciding what I felt like eating. It truly feels like I have mono and it SUCKS. I am praying this only lasts a few weeks because I feel miserable.

I have tried drinking fizzy water, fizzy water with lime, sucking hard candies.... doesn't help. I fell asleep in the car on the way home last night at 6:30. I basically was only awake for 1/2 hour from then until 5 this morning. Right now, I feel pretty normal-I pray it lasts...

Poppy is now the size of a blueberry!

Sept 1st already!

In less than 8 months, Baby Robertson will be here! I have thought about September 1st a lot this year as it was to be my original due date for my ectopic pregnancy babe last January. It is sure bittersweet. Anyhow, just another 4+ weeks before I can share the news with all my Winnipeg family and friends, then with everyone else.

How am I feeling? Well, kinda crappy actually. This week has been the worst week so far and I fear it may get a little worse before it gets better. I am having food aversions and having a hard time decided what I feel like eating from one meal to the next. I am soooooo tired I can barely stay awake past 8 pm and choose to eat something then crash on the couch because I just cannot move. Mornings are tough- I am not dry heaving or anything but brushing my teeth did cause a gag this am. I just feel sucked out and with 16 people coming over for dinner this weekend, I need to muster up the energy to prepare and clean our house and yard. Thank goodness I have Mark to help!

I ordered a bunch of Maternity clothing online this week- Motherhood was having a 40%off their sale prices sale and I could not resist! I cannot wait to wear these clothes as I am in that stage where I am bloated and my clothes feel tight but I am not "showing" yet. I just need comfy clothes- AND I NEED TO SHARE THE NEWS SOON OR I WILL BURST!!!!!!!!

Shopping with Lentil Bean

We went off to the States this weekend. I bought some comfy maternity bras and some maternity tops at the outlet malls. Our ultrasound was booked for Sept 13 and I am hoping all will be well. I feel fine and Poppy is now the size of a lentil bean! 5 more weeks until we tell Baba!!!

Taking it all in...

Mark and I told Keith and Hiro about the pregnancy yesterday. Well, actually, I told Hiro but Mark had already spilled the beans to Keith and his other gamer buddies including Shane (and Jess) on Friday night. He might be worse than me!!! :)I still have 6 weeks to wait until my trip home when I want to tell my mom...THAT IS A LONG TIME!

I felt a little achey and like I was about to get my period all day yesterday but so far this morning, I feel good. I think everything I am feeling is stemming from anxiety more than anything else... fear things will end. Each twinge I feel in my belly is noticed because of what happened last January. I need to get past it... time should help with that!

I am also looking forward to going to the US this weekend- I will look for some comfy maternity bras and other clothing.

Yesterday, I bought 10 onsies of various sizes for $12 at Walmart. Good deal!!

Blood Tests Confirmed

I was home again today. I just needed these 3 days to process it all. I called the doc this afternoon and they confirmed I am pregnant. I told A.L. tonight, then she told U.G. and their neighbour. I am still going with the plan to surprise my mom when I arrive in October BUT I may burst keeping it in that long!!! Wish me luck!

Some interesting and important dates for us!

Your Conception Date is: (Approximately 2 weeks before your next menstrual period)
You're in your First Trimester (week 1-12) 7/31/2011

Your period of greatest risk for birth defects is:
(5 to 10 weeks of gestational stage) 8/21/2011 to 9/25/2011

Your baby's fetal organ formation begins: 8/21/2011

Your baby's major organs have formed: 9/25/2011

Second Trimester (weeks 12-27)
Your risk of miscarriage decreases: 10/9/2011

If your baby is premature, but born after this date,
s/he has a chance to survive: 12/25/2011

Your Third Trimester begins on: (Weeks 27 - 40) 1/22/2012

Your Pregnancy Due Date is: (Weeks 40 - Full Term) 4/22/2012

Spilled the beans...

I could not resist telling my hubby about my test so I showed it to him tonight before dinner. We are both happy and hopeful...


Pregnancy Week 4:
How Big Is Baby?
Your baby is growing—but she's still very, very small. This week your baby is no bigger than a poppy seed.

Excited and Shocked and Cautious too!

Today started off wonderfully because I found out about Poppy! Poppy is what I call the baby we are going to have because shortly, it will be only the size of a poppy seed and from that, we will end up with a miracle!

Lately, I have been waking up between 4-5 am to have a pee. This is unusual for me. I was also expecting my period so my breasts were very sore so I decided to take a test at 4:30 am! I grabbed my last Clearblue digital from my closet and went into the loo. I sat ans waiting for the blinking on the screen to stop and then it happened... the screen said "pregnant". After many tests I had taken in the last 6 months being "not pregnant", this was a wonderful surprise!

As I type this, it is mid-day at work and I have not told a soul. I want to wait a little longer since things are in such an incredibly early stage (2 weeks!). So much can happen and it could all end tomorrow. I really hope it doesn't though because if we are successful this time, our Poppy will be born sometime late April 2012.