3D Ultrasound - Attempt # 2 & Shopping

Mark joined me at my bi-weekly OBGYN appointment this morning, then we set off to have another peek at little man in 3D. I ate some chocolate on the way, hoping to wake him up so he would move around a little for good pics. Well, he was still asleep when we started and his foot was still up by his head. He had his opposite arm tucked behind his head too! As we tried and tried to see him, we did wake up and yawn (cool!) but he eventually brought his second leg up to his face too! Anyhow, we saw a little more than last time and it was neat.

Check out that little chicken leg!

He is opening his eyes -foot at his forehead.

Big yawn!

Best view of his face- with a foot above his left eye! The spot on his forehead is only a shadow- he is OK.

We had stopped by Chapters on our way to the appt and I found these Robeez runners on sale for $13 so I picked them up for our boy...

After the appointment, we went back to IKEA for lunch and a frame for one of Mark's Sens posters, then we stopped at the Mall where I found a good crib mattress at Zellers and Mark found a super bargain on this little kid Sens jersey at Sport Check.

Now that we have the mattress, I put his bedding on- love it! I know that normally the design on the bumper pads should face out but we don't need to see the cute animal pics, Mason does, so I reversed them.

3D Ultrasound Visit # 1

Today was the day of our elective 3D Ultrasound and Mark, Kae and I set out to a clinic across town near IKEA. We had chosen a deluxe package which costs $175 for a 30 minute session, 2 printed pictures and CD with many pictures. I also chose to buy the stuffed teddy bear with Mason's heartbeat for $25 too- it is pretty cool.


Unfortunately, Mason refused to cooperate and barely moved throughout the first 15 minutes. He had his foot pulled up near his face, holding it with his hand the whole time-blocking half his face.

Since nothing had changed even after I ate some chocolate and jumped around, the ladies invited us back on Tuesday to try again at no extra charge. Hopefully he moves for better pics!

Here's a peak at all we got!

Glucose Testing

My OBGYN called me at the office on Tuesday to inform me that the glucose testing I did on Monday came back borderline and that I needed to now do a more comprehensive test to verify the situation. This was upsetting news after the other news at my appt. on Monday so I agreed to go ASAP.


Wednesday morning, after fasting for 12 hours, I went back to the lab for the 2 hour version of the test. I had 3 separate blood tests throughout the ordeal and afterward, I was exhausted and weak from the sugar rush and come down. I managed to get to work and complete the rest of a very tiring work week. No news has come from my doc and I am thinking that is a good thing since he was so quick to call the first time.

This has been an emotional week thinking of what issues I may be facing but I just keep on going, counting down the days until this pregnancy is over and I can hold the little man!

First Official OBGYN Appt Today

I saw Dr. Marleau today. He is the great doc I had during the ectopic experience and I am glad to have him now. He commended me on how little time it took to get preggers after the consultation I had with him on March 1st. He went over all the next appointments I would be having. I will see him every two weeks until 35 weeks when I will have once weekly visits.

He asked that I take a glucose test today which involved drinking a very sweet orange drink and waiting in the lab for one hour to get my blood tested. I took it in Rockland this afternoon. Dr. Marleau also booked me in for my Winrho shot which I must have at 28 weeks. This is because I am RH negative (only 10% of the population is). I need the shot to ensure my body doesn't reject Mason since he may have RH positive blood because Mark does.

Unfortunately my blood pressure is a little too high for this time in my pregnancy and I will be monitored closely. I am sure that just not having to deal with Mark's ridiculous ex wife drama at any given point in the next three months should assist with the blood pressure issue! :)
In addition to this physical flag, my benign heart murmur may end up being an issue which will also be watched. I do get more heart palpitations than usual so I need to make sure I am more aware of these and if they get really frequent, I go in for a check up really quick.

Mason's heartbeat is right on. His size is also good for where we are in the pregnancy. My 20 week ultrasound results were good- all in order. He also saw no "soft" spots (as he called them) on the ultrasound which was a really promising sign it significantly lowered the expectation of any birth defects. I have only just gained back the weight I lost during the first trimester of illness so I am in good shape to pack on the pounds in the next 14 weeks. Hopefully I won't blimp out too much!

The last bit of good news the doc gave me was that if Mason is late, I will be induced after just 7 days so Mom will definitely meet Mason. She may even be in town for his birth!

So here we are, all is well... let's hope we can keep it up!!!!

26 Weeks and Off to the Rodeo

Here I am in one of Mark's more western looking shirts today for the occasion of our evening at the PBR (tix were an Xmas gift from Mark).

More Progress in Mason's Digs!

Look at what my hubby did for us this week! Our crib and glider finally arrived and he put them together for me.

I have to tell you just what an amazing deal M's crib was! Ordered it from Walmart online- retail was $162. I read the reviews and they varied but I ordered anyway. This crib looks fabulous and feels really sturdy; not to mention it comes with an attached 3 drawer storage unit with what could be a change table on top (but I placed the CD player and a nightlight on there). It also comes with a little trundle style storage unit on wheels that rolls under the crib which is a little flimsy but still handy! Choosing the espresso colour makes it look even richer and I am so pleased!!!

I plan to pick up the mattress from Costco next week and once I have done that I will have spent, with shipping and taxes, a total of approx. $350 on the full crib (with all that cool storage!!!!) What an incredible buy. The crib is convertible too, if we choose. For those on a budget or even for anyone who just wants more for their money, I recommend this Stork Craft crib!!!

On the downside, the glider cushion colour is not as I had expected. I ordered the limey green one but it is really light and hardly green at all BUT it is comfy and will do the trick for sure!

On the physical front, I am tired and still not really having a full night's sleep. My heart burn is annoying and I am getting tons of leg cramps which is so bizarre to me. My breathing is more laboured and my heart beats very strongly. I think this week, my belly really popped- I am looking much bigger than last week!

More good news this week too - I booked Mom to come see us from April 28th to May 8th for just $400, all in. She arrives late on the 28th and leaves really early on the 8th but that gives us 9 days together and hopefully Mason will be born just before she arrives or as soon as she does...

Above His Crib

Today I decided that rather than place a saying or quote above Mason's crib, I am just going to go with his name and a little cartoon giraffe. I ordered it from this company and it will transfer onto the green wall. It is chocolate coloured text in a "curlz" font. I made it 1 ft by 3 feet in size and that should look cute and simple on the wall behind little man's crib. I can always add other things as we go along.

Toys for Mason

I just surfed the net and found a decent deal at Chapters for some blocks for little man. I also want to use them in any pregnancy and newborn photos we take in the months to come. This "pound-a-peg" toy should be lots of fun for him too!

Week 25- The Full Update

So I thought this was a good time to give a thorough update on how things are going. I am nearing the end of the second trimester and these last few weeks, I have felt the best since the pregnancy began. I am painfully aware, from literature I have read, that this will change in the weeks to come as my tummy starts really stretching and things kick into high gear!

OK- let's get the gross stuff out of the way- my boobs are not nearly as sore and I can poop with a little more ease and for those two things, I am very, very grateful.

Now, on to the rest...

Food: I certainly crave two things daily- fresh fruit and chocolate. After 8 mints and chocolate milk are deeeelicious and regular milk has absolutely NEVER tasted better than it does these days. For a while there I could also eat a small Hawaiian pizza from Gabriel's everyday if given the chance. As for aversions - I have minimal desire for veggies, though lately I am considering some cauliflower and cuke with dip- we'll see. I still cannot eat avocados either but other than that, nothing really repulses me. My appetite is good but I am NOT hungry all the time like some pregnant women experience and given my size, that is probably a good thing. I am trying to avoid ballooning up as much as possible since I am not a good exerciser!

Sleep: As you can see by the time of this post, uninterrupted sleep is a hit and miss thing for me. I do not feel nearly as tired as I had been in the early months and I am getting used to waking in the night which will only help me to cope when Mason is actually here.

Bathroom: Beyond what I mentioned above, I am having to pee more during the day- I was only going once or twice and now I am going every couple of hours. The night time breaks continue to be two or three. Shaving my legs etc. is also getting tricky but let's move on again from this direction for your benefit!

Nesting: Yep, I am doing that but likely no more than my Lana usual. I am getting excited about having little man's room all set up so I can sit in our glider and read him stories! I want to see his crib all ready to go since I have had his bedding for ages. My only unknown in Mason's room is what to put on the wall above his crib. I am considering some sort of text- something inspirational- I am hoping it will just come to me and when it does, I will be able to get it relatively easily.

Clothing: I continue to wear a few pairs of maternity pants to work. The hand me down jeans are still too big and fall down but they all work well enough. I mostly wear my pre-pregnancy long sweaters with white Ts under them. I have enough maternity tops to get me through the pregnancy also. One of my winter coats still does up but not for much longer and I refuse to buy another so let's hope the groundhog doesn't see his shadow and we have an early spring!

Work: It is really starting to sink in that I only have about three months left of work. I have lots of organizing to do to get things ready for my replacement. I cannot imagine not going to a job for a year. I also want to put together a reference manual for the next person to help them out. I was going to try to get my level C before I left but I have decided that I do not want that stress at this stage so I will not apply for the AS-04 permanently. It was a tough decision and a little disappointing but I want to enjoy my last 3 months of work and pregnancy without the added stress. I will still have my AS-03 job to return to and that makes me luckier than most.

Baby Gear: We are really well on our way to being set to welcome the baby. My latest Qs revolve around diapers and wipes. Which is best- Pampers or Huggies? Where do I buy them the cheapest? I am polling FB moms on this. I have also updated our registry and also Michele is going to send me some good stuff including a breast pump which I really need to familiarize myself with.

Things we need to figure out as soon as Mason is here: We need to figure out how to get his birth certificate and passport ASAP after his birth so we can visit the O'Briens in the US and fly to Winnipeg within his first 6 months. Also need to get my mom here in May to meet him -just want to try to time it right. We also have to start asking Qs about daycare for when I return to work. This will be a huge decision and expense...I am nervous about it.

Books and Hats

We stopped at Chapters today where we bought two special and very popular books for Mason. Then I found these cute newborn hats on sale for $4 at GT so I grabbed them!

I am getting really excited about the crib and glider delivery which I am hoping is Monday. I am leaning toward this mattress from Costco once we are ready for it. Seems like a good concept and the price is reasonable as well:

"The Safety 1st® infant to toddler mattress features superior support for your growing baby. One side offers a thermo-bonded fibre core providing firm support for infants. Turn over the mattress and the other side offers a soft layer of cushioning for optimal comfort as your child gets older."

We shall see...

Mark set up the Stoller!

Yay! Love it! Thanks husband. I cannot wait to push Mason in it as we stroll with him. I love the dual parent cupholders!

Check out my HUGE belly!

Stoller/Car Seats- Travel System Decisions

I have been reading and reading reviews and pricing out travel systems like crazy over the past week. I would like to find something functional, good looking and inexpensive! I read so many reviews on all sorts of strollers and car seats and there are ALWAYS good ones and bad ones. Mark and I noticed on boxing day that there was an Eddie Bauer one on sale at Toys 'r Us for 30% off but one of the reviews said it was heavy so I ruled it out.

I continued to research systems on the internet all week including Graco. Costco had one online for just $250. I was thinking of going with it but today, we stopped into T'rU to check out some options physically. The Eddie Bauer one was there and we had a good look at it and I found it to be OK- good colour, good storage and not heavy. We were going to come back on payday with the truck and get it.
This is it:

This evening, I discovered the sale was over today and I called Mark who had already gone to his dad's to head to a Sens game. I told him the sale ended today and we kinda got frustrated at each other and I hung up on him.

Then, at 7:15 this evening, he called from Scotiabank place and I could not hear him. He told me to check my email and hung up on me. I found this picture in my inbox:

Turns out Mark mentioned to his dad that I wanted this and they went and got it. Alan bought it for Mason as his very early b-day present! That leaves only a couple of bigger ticket items to go- crib mattress and breast pump... we are doing really well.

I love my hubby for looking after this for me!! He rocks!!! Thank you so much dad for getting it for me while it was on sale!!! I really appreciate it.