1 October

Lachlan: 0 to 4 Months

2013-11-22T12:08:00.000-08:00

1 Week Old

Likes: Boobs, sleep, snuggling on Daddy's chest, sucking on a pinky when a boob is unavailable
Dislikes: Thermometers, baths, wearing his incubator eye mask
Notes: Supplemented nursing with tube-feeding pumped milk to help fight jaundice. Very tricky to keep him awake to nurse. First night home at 5 days old!

2 Weeks Old

Likes: Staring at windows, boobs, making faces, his noise machine
Dislikes: Wet wipes, being strapped into his carseat
Notes: He cluster fed and slept 5 hours straight this week!

3 Weeks Old

Likes: Boobs, long walks in the stroller, passing out on Mommy mid-feedng
Dislikes: Tummy time, needing to burp
Notes: Balding, scaly and starting to plump up! Becoming quite grumpy in the evenings.

1 Month Old

Likes: Making angry goat noises at bedtime, long walks in the baby carrier, bouncy seat, boobs, Mommy's "That's Why We Wear A Bib" song and dance number
Dislikes: When he spits up milk out his nose, having a booger, being unable to locate a nipple immediately
Notes: Rash, angry nursing, super chubby

5 Weeks Old

Likes: Stripes, windows
Dislikes: Getting his face wiped
Notes: Awake a lot more, super grumpy/fussy in the evenings

6 Weeks Old

Likes: Being sung to in a very high pitched voice, ideally: You and I, Chim Chiminey, June Hymn...
Dislikes: No new dislikes this week.
Notes: Successfully held head up while on tummy long enough to give mommy a huge open eyes smile or three!

2 Months Old

Likes: Sheep mobile at Grandma's house, cheek tickles, showers, songs, Dr. Suess, smiling, Sleep Sheep
Dislikes: Stationary strollers, tummy time
Notes: Almost giggles, babysat by Nanny and Papa, slept an 8 hour stretch on June 29th

3 Months Old

Likes: Jolly Jumper, drooling, mirror Lachlan, giggles, his car seat, Dad's face
Dislikes: putting clothes on especially over his head
Notes: Visited Vancouver Island, rolled back to front on July 9th, slept a 9 hour stretch on July 17th

4 Months Old

Likes: Coo-ing at his Tigger toy, smiling at everyone, enjoying new toys, Sophie teething ring, giggling, trying to talk
Dislikes: Vaccination lady, being unable to locate his thumb, not getting to touch/eat adult food
Note: His reaching and grabbing is getting very good

Dear Santa - Lachlan's First Christmas List

2013-11-22T10:59:00.002-08:00

I didn't plan on buying Lachlan anything for Christmas this year, I also planned on discouraging anyone from buying him anything. Then, I started seeing all the awesome stuff that's out there and BOOM we had bought him an Elf on the Shelf, a percussion insturmet toy set and a baby sled. So, now I know it's not fair to ask people to restrain themselves. After years of buying gift cards, licorice, slippers and paperbacks it is SO fun to buy for a baby! I do hope to set up an RESP in time for Christmas, for those who wish to go the practical route, but in the mean time here is what Lachlan told me he wants.* (*Dictated but not read.)

Padraig's Baby Slippers - Baby Size 5 Grey Stripe

These are a staple for Westcoast babies! They are super cozy and the quality is amazing. I would have to go with a neutral colour like the grey or cream stripe because for the price you want to be able to use them on future babies too!

Northwest Native Expressions Bath Toys

We found these first nations inspired bath toys on the ferry during our last trip to Vancouver Island. Each one is designed by an artist from a local tribe. We already bought the Kwakwaka'wakw Duck! I think it would make a great little collection! Plus L loves to chew on the soft rubber and play with them in the bath! We also really love the puppets from this site!

Munsch Mini-Treasury One

We already have Treasury Two and you can never have enough Munsch! So far this Christmas list is seriously Canadian...

Name Puzzle

These are so simple but so great!

Bla Bla Dolls!

I will never forget how much my niece loved her Bla Bla. I am sure Lachlan would treasure one too. These are soft, high quality and adorable! I love Licorice the Dog, Andiamo the Dog and Bamboo the Bear. Although Hercule the Elephant and Luigia (the mustachioed) Frog are fantastic too!

Oversized Hooded Bath Towel

The infant sized ones just aren't big enough to keep him cozy!

Bed Rail

This one is not very exciting, but I would love one for the times when we cuddle in bed or when the only way I can get him to nap is to put him in out bed! A used or craigslist find would be great!

Insta-Lachlan

2013-05-16T00:57:00.001-07:00

Lachlan's Birth Story: Part Four

2013-05-05T13:17:00.003-07:00

Find parts 1-3 HERE

I asked for a napkin as my baby’s first meconium poop filled my hand. I didn’t care. I told him he could poo and pee all over me, I loved him and I loved his poop. I didn’t get to hold him long before everyone had to leave the room so that I could get x-rayed to make sure the surgical team had not left any instruments inside me as the surgery was so rushed they didn’t have time to do a final instrument count. Andrew says that upon hearing this he said that if they had left something inside of me he would punch the fucking doctor in the face. He was very tired at this point…We are thankful to the talented OB who got Lachlan out in under five minutes. The reason Lachlan’s heart rate had dropped was that he was so small that when he entered the birth canal the umbilical cord came with him and was pinned next to his head so he wasn’t getting enough oxygen. It’s called cord prolapsed occult. I had heard of cord prolapse but didn’t realize there were different versions, undetectable during labour. We will never know if I could have safely pushed him out but he is here and healthy and that’s all that matters.

Once they finished the x-rays I got the baby back, we were wheeled to our room and we started trying to breastfeed. He was brilliant. Andrew and I took shifts doing skin to skin cuddling while the other parent tried to sleep. The trauma of the day caught up with Andrew early in the morning and he got sick so we called my mom to come cuddle Lachlan while we tried to get some real sleep. She arrived and sat in the rocking chair with our baby for over three hours. That day almost all of our family came to visit. My recovery was very painful at first, putting me back in the “never doing this again mindset” but after a few days I felt better. We spent five uncomfortable, sleepless nights in the hospital, two of which Lachlan had to be in an incubator because of a jaundice scare. On Friday March 29^th we finally went home. We felt such relief to be in our own beds and start our lives as a family of three. We couldn’t be happier with our perfect boy. All the pain, frustration and exhaustion totally dissipates when he opens his eyes and looks at us.

Nothing about our birth went according to plan but we got our healthy baby boy home safe and sound…I guess that was the plan all along.

Lachlan's Birth Story: Part Three

2013-05-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

Find parts one and two HERE

Our nurse was still having a hard time finding the baby’s heart rate on the monitor. I heard her calling for backup and figured out that they had to put a scalp monitor on the baby. Things start to get really jumbled for me here. People started piling into the room, an OB was called. I would be writhing on my back and then they would suddenly have me flip as fast as I could onto my side, then the other, back and forth. I could tell that something was really wrong but the gas kept me in somewhat calm, with my eyes squeezed shut. The OB arrived (First time: I opened my eyes to see his face) and checked me, he said there was a little bit of cervix left, my midwife arrived as I started to feel the urge to push. I yelled “I wanna push!” asking if I could and both the midwife and doula urged me to. I beared down and the relief I felt was amazing. I desperately hoped I could push the baby out myself. At some point they put a catheter in to drain my bladder. The baby’s heart rate was very low and they started to talk about forceps and booking an OR. I got a needle for some freezing to prepare for a forcep delivery. Baby’s heart rate dipped again and suddenly we were rushing to the OR. By this time I had been out of the shower for maybe 20 minutes or less. Someone draped a sheet over my exposed lower half as we rushed out the door. I could hear our nurse yell, “Can we go faster?!” and felt them speeding up, running down the hall, crashing into doorways and yelling for people to get out of the way. We reached the OR wing and they told Andrew he couldn’t come with me. He was horrified and I remember calling out to him saying it would be ok (Second time: I opened my eyes to look back at him). He said, “I love you.” I said “I love you more.” And they wheeled me through the doors.

I only opened my eyes for a split second in the operating room (Third time). It was cold and bright and there were a lot of people. They gave me another couple chances to push and tried the forceps to no avail. They frantically prepped me for surgery. I felt them squirting disinfectant on my stomach as they strapped my arms down. My legs were bent and they told me I had to flatten them but it hurt too much. I knew there wasn’t time for an epidural and no one had said how they were going to numb me so I was literally worried they were just going to cut me open wide awake. I was asking if I would feel the surgery while nurses tried forcing my legs straight. Someone put a mask over my mouth and nose and said I would be asleep in a few seconds. I realized then that they were going to put me under and I managed to flatten my legs at the last second. That’s the last thing I remember before waking up.

I don’t know how much time passed before I woke up but I was alone and disoriented laying flat on my back in a bed in a small room with bright halogen lights. I was very warm under my blankets but there was a sharp ache in my lower abdomen. The fact that I had just had a baby didn’t cross my mind for a few minutes. An older Australian nurse walked in. I asked: “Where’s Andrew?” She replied: “He’s with your son.” “It’s a boy?” I squeaked.

I waited for a while before I saw anyone else. The nurse was checking me and warning me that I would need and x-ray soon but they would let me meet the baby first. Eventually my midwife arrived wheeling a bassinet. She was followed by Andrew and maybe the doula, I can’t even remember if she was there at that point. I smiled at Andrew and felt my emotions starting to build up. I had felt pretty numb since waking up. I saw our midwife unwrapping a pale green towel and out of it she lifted a pink, scrawny little baby. My heart was pounding, my face got warm and I felt tears in my eyes and my throat tightening as she brought him toward me. The moment lasted forever and then all of the sudden, there he was; warm and naked on my chest. All of my pain disappeared. I was so instantly happy and in love and I understood why all those crazy people do this two or three or five times! I whispered “Hi Lachlan.” And “I love you.” I hugged him close to me and took in his sweet smell while kissing his fuzzy little head. It was not the moment I had been planning for, but it was the best moment of my life…And then he pooped on me.

Skin-to-skin with Daddy while I was still in recovery

Tiny boy.

First family photo, taken on our third day in the hospital. This is the first time I held Lachlan while out of bed.

I was finally able to see him in the full daylight next to the window. <3

Lachlan Jude Gillott

Born via emergency c-section at 6:54pm on Sunday March 24^th, 2013

6lbs 3oz and 20 inches of perfection

Lachlan's Birth Story: Part Two

2013-05-05T12:20:00.002-07:00

Read Part One HERE

My phone ringing jolted us awake. I looked at the clock and it was just after eight. I sat up as Andrew passed the phone to me. Our midwife was on the other line and my heart sunk when she said I was GBS positive. I felt like it was the phone call from last week telling me I couldn’t give birth at home all over again. Our plans were falling apart; nevertheless, I was a little bit excited and very eager to meet our baby. We got our things together and drove back to the hospital, even managing to get our same pre-paid spot which still had several hours on it! (The amount of money we spent on hospital parking in the 2 weeks surrounding our birth would end up costing much more than what we would have spent on everything for our home birth.)

Up we went, again, to triage where I opted to sit in a chair with my hot water bottle on my sore back instead of lay in an uncomfortable bed. We waited a little while before our room was ready, hoping it would be one of two with a tub so at least I could labor in the water like I had hoped. Unfortunately, all the tub rooms were full so we settled in to a regular, but very nice, private room where my midwife hooked up my IV and started fluids and antibiotics. She made sure we were comfortable and then left.

Waiting

The view from our room

This couch folds out into a bed - where he would sleep the next five nights

Last belly pic!

We ended up sitting around for about 5 hours waiting for a nurse to be available. We ate toast and then a hospital lunch before our nurse arrived. I was thankful to have the extra time to let labour start on its own but by the time the nurse came I was only feeling back pain once every half hour or so. She started the drugs and seemed excited for me. I wanted to say that this wasn’t what I wanted, that this was a last resort not something to be excited about, but I just stayed quiet and waited to feel something happen. She asked what I wanted for pain medication. I told her about our planned home birth where none would have been available. She asked about my pain tolerance and I gave an uncertain answer. I didn’t end up needing much pitocin before things picked up on their own.

Slowly but surely, contractions started coming. They were not what I expected. It was just my lower back pain getting more and more intense, not that intense crampy ache women always talk about. It didn’t feel like I was in labour, just like I was experiencing useless pain. The nurse said it was back labour. That my labour “would suck and that vaginal birth was not impossible just less likely.” (This makes her sound terrible but really she was awesome and our savior especially during the long nights we spent at the hospital after the birth.) I got through these early contractions by rocking in a chair and having Andrew do knee presses. Eventually the nurse suggested I call my doula to come, thank god I did. She arrived when I was in the washroom and when I got out I was so glad to see her. She had us do laps around the maternity wing, me dragging my IV around and stopping every once and a while to brace myself on the wall while I quietly breathed and rocked back and forth through the increasing pain of each contraction. I became a bit nauseous and thirsty so Andrew got me some Ginger ale. I went back to our room after a few laps because the pain was starting to get to a point where I didn’t want to be seen coping with it by random hospital staff or other people’s visitors.

Back at the room I tried sitting on a birthing ball but I had intense pressure in my rectum that made sitting excruciating so I continued to stand, hunched over, legs bend and apart, swaying side to side through the contractions. I tried to take the deepest breaths I could and let my exhalations relax my whole body. This only helped so much. Our doula suggested I get in the shower to ease some pain. I had been on continuous fetal heart monitoring this whole time, it was wireless so I could walk around and get wet but we had to keep adjusting it when I or the baby would shift too much. I stripped down to my underwear and Andrew held the showerhead on my lower back. I was still standing, still swaying, but I was already exhausted. I had only slept a couple hours in the last day and a half and my legs wanted to give out. The water felt so good but the pain escalated. I started to cry out and moan a lot. I began to question whether I could do it. I even said out loud over and over that I couldn’t. I wanted someone to offer me drugs, but I was too proud to ask. Also, I knew that if I had drugs it could make pushing take longer and I wanted this to be over. Our doula said I was coping wonderfully, that I was helping the baby down and that I would see them soon. I felt like she was lying to me. She would periodically offer me a straw to drink from and she had brought our candles into the bathroom so we didn’t have to have the bright lights on. She would suggest a new position just when I was at a breaking point. I am so thankful for her. Andrew was soaked from the back spray of the showerhead and probably freezing cold so someone gave him dry scrubs to change into. He never complained once.

Our nurse kept coming into the bathroom to adjust my monitor. Eventually, she said I had to get out as it was too hard to capture the heartbeat. I had probably been in the shower for well over an hour. They helped me out of my wet things and into and IV gown. I was forced to lie in bed. As nice as it was to lie down and rest my legs the pain was unbearable in that position. I began to lose it. I was squeezing Andrews hand, saying over and over I can’t do it. I complained about the horrible pressure in my butt. It felt like my body was going split in half. I lost all my self control and yelled “My Butt my Butt!” I grabbed the side rail of the bed and shook it back and forth. I remember bringing Andrew’s hand up to my mouth to bite it but managed to stop myself thinking they would really think I was crazy if I did that. The doula and Andrew leaned over me with reassurances. The nurse, realizing I needed something to keep me going, said she would check me. I was at 8cm. I didn’t care, this had to end. Why do people do this to themselves, why would anyone ever do this more than once!? The nurse called my midwife who was now on the way. She offered me the gas, the only thing I had said I was ok with on my birth plan as it doesn’t affect the baby. She said it wouldn’t take away the pain it would just make me care a lot less. It helped a little at first but I had no idea how thankful I would be for it in the end and how it helped me to zone out of the chaos. I breathed it in and squeezed my eyes shut. I would only open them two or three times before it was all over.

Lachlan's Birth Story: Part One

2013-05-02T13:32:00.000-07:00

We had been planning our natural home water birth for over two years when we learned that it was no longer an option. I was adamant about avoiding the hospital at all costs. My two greatest fears about labour were getting induced, and having a cesarean. So, when we found out we were pregnant we got two great midwives and started preparing for our private and natural home birth. The day after I finally finished getting together all our supplies I found out I couldn’t have my dream birth. I had suddenly developed high blood pressure which meant that there was a risk of pre-eclampsia and that we would have to deliver our baby in the hospital. I spent the next week watching my blood pressure and waiting to hear if I would have to be induced. Obviously I knew that with pregnancy things don’t always go according to plan, but the birth of our son could not have been farther from what we planned.

(We took this photo just before leaving for the party)

On Saturday March 23^rd I was exactly 38 weeks pregnant. Our next midwife appointment was scheduled for the following Tuesday and we knew that it would probably result in the scheduling of an induction as they had already let me go longer than the OB suggested. On this night, however, Andrew and I were going to a welcome home party in Vancouver for our friend Tim. I was determined to go out “one last time.” The hour-long drive out was very uncomfortable for me but the party was fun and it was nice to see all our friends. We ended up leaving later than we had planned at around 12:30am. It was funny; as we left the party everyone wished us good luck. I remember thinking that was so nice, like they were all rooting for us. We dropped our friend Jenna off at another party in Gastown and then made really good time getting home. We arrived home at about 1:15am. I went to the bathroom right away and while I was peeing I felt a kind of “pop” accompanied by some “extra” fluid. I wondered if it was my water breaking but wasn’t alarmed as I had periodically leaked tiny bits of fluid over the last few days with no outcome. We sat in the kitchen on our bar stools to have a midnight snack and talk about whether my "pop" was significant. I was eating Cheerios with chocolate almond milk while Andrew started making himself a bagel when all of the sudden I felt a warm gush. I said something along the lines of: “Ok…um yeah, my water is breaking!” Andrew got me a towel, I wrapped myself in it and proceeded to sit on the kitchen floor and finish my cereal. At this point I thought it might be my last meal before giving birth. (Little did I know I would have two more “last meals.”) Andrew stood there in a kind of daze so I ordered him to eat his bagel. We debated when/whether or not to call our midwife or doula. I couldn’t remember what to do if my water broke before contractions started, we hadn’t discussed it as it is somewhat uncommon. At some point I called my mom. I was shaking/shivering by then.

Eventually, we got in bed while I called the doula. She was already at the hospital with another client and said to definitely call our midwife. Our midwife told us to come to meet her at the hospital so that she could check to make sure that my water had, in fact, broken. We called Andrew’s mom to come get Jack the dog and off we went! I was damp and would randomly gush more fluid so it was pretty uncomfortable even with my entourage of chux pads and beach towels. It was a freezing cold night, there was frost on the ground and the hospital was deserted. We met our midwife in triage where she confirmed that I was leaking amniotic fluid . She brought up the fact that we hadn’t gotten my GBS results yet so we didn’t know if I needed antibiotics. The lab wasn’t opening until 8:00am so she sent us home to get some sleep and said she would call us as soon as she knew my results. If I was positive we would have to come back right away and get induced. If I wasn’t we could wait a bit for labour to start on its own but not long as the risk of infection would increase with time. We drove home; abandoning our 12 hour pre-paid parking spot and tried to sleep. I had started feeling some lower back pain in bed so I slept with a hot water bottle against my back. It never occurred to me that this pain, which I had been feeling occasionally for weeks, was actually contractions…

Instagram Dump: nursery details

2013-04-26T21:02:00.001-07:00

Newborn Photoshoot Preview

2013-04-05T22:39:00.002-07:00

Visit our wonderful photographer's blog to see our whole "teaser" post. :)

Week 39 or Week 1

2013-04-05T22:27:00.003-07:00

39 Weeks (1 Week Old)

Introducing...

2013-04-05T22:23:00.002-07:00

Lachlan Jude - Born March 24th at 6:54pm - 6lbs 3oz 20inches

Birth story to come...

Weeks 37-38

2013-04-05T22:19:00.002-07:00

38 Weeks

How far along? 38 weeks

Baby's size and development? Baby G is still a watermelon, pretty much done developing and just gaining weight in preparation for their arrival. :)

Best moment? My water breaking!

Symptoms/Changes? Lost 2lbs so now I have only gained 13. It worries me a bit that it is so low but my midwives don't seem concerned so maybe all the baby books' recommendations of a 25-35lb weight gain are a bit extreme. Still no stretch marks! Dreams do come true! I am very uncomfortable all the time, especially during our drive to/from Vancouver for a friend's party on the night of March 23rd. Luckily my water broke 15 min after getting home from it so I won't have to suffer anymore long pregnant car rides for a while.

What I miss? Our hopes for a home birth. :( My blood pressure has stayed up, that combined with a prelabour rupture of membranes (PROM) and testing positive for GBS meant it was off to the hospital for us (of course just after we finally finished getting all our home birth supplies together).

What I'm looking forward to? Meeting this baby. <3

DIY: Simple Babylegs

2013-03-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

Baby legs are adorable. I made some. Here's how:

Supplies:
socks
scissors
sewing machine (or if you don't have one and have tons of time to kill I guess you could handsew them with just a needle and thread)
sewing pins (sort of optional)

1. Get a pair of knee-high adult socks (maybe use kid-sized if you want some newborn babylegs).

2.Cut off the toes and heels.

3. You want the leftovers to look like this. The foot pieces will become cuffs and the longer pieces will be the legs.

4. Flip the foot-piece inside out and sew a seam approx. 1/2" to 1" from the edge.

5. Cut off excess to reduce bulk, if you want.

6. fold the foot piece in half, into itself, so that the outside is facing out and in with the raw edges at the top together and a nice folded edge at the bottom. Do you see a cuff emerging?

7. Tricky part: attaching the cuff to the leg. Turn the leg inside out and place the cuff just inside the end with the raw edge. All 3 raw edges should be lined up nicely, hold in place with your fingers or with sewing pins.

8. Now, sew those raw edges together! It's finicky but it doesn't have to be perfect.

9. What the finished product should look like when inside out.

10. One down...

11. Voila! Baby legs. Make sure any loose threads are cut off and give them a gentle wash and dry before you put them on baby!

Total cost:

$1.25 for dollar store socks

Total time:

less than 10 minutes

Weeks 30-36

2013-03-16T10:29:00.001-07:00

OK, so not only have I seriously fallen behind but photobucket changed their editor and it totally ruined the contiguity of these weekly photos. I did my best to recreate. :)

36 Weeks

How far along? 36 weeks

Baby's size and development? Baby G is now being compared to watermelon on all of my apps. This is a frightening fruity comparison, and a particularly cruel one. I am going to go ahead and imagine one of those small, perfectly round little watermelons. Or a nice quartered one all wrapped up in saran wrap ready to eat. A whole watermelon is a lot. I don't even like watermelon! At approximately 6+lbs and 20ish" our "little" one will be ready to come anytime after St. Patrick's Day when I reach 37 weeks. Also, that's the point at which we are safe to attempt our birth at home, anytime before and we would have to go to the hospital. However, with my diastolic BP reading looking a bit high that could still be a possibility. Fingers crossed it goes/stays down and we have our dream waterbirth in the comfort of our little home. :)

Best moment? Lots of good stuff! Seeing our maternity photos, having our baby shower, getting the nursery to farthest point we can without knowing the sex (so I can finish decorating appropriately), never having any dirty laundry because the second we get a baby item we wash it so we can fold it up all tiny and put it in the baby's room, my last day of work, my sister finally feeling the baby move and our date night last night!

Symptoms/Changes? I have gained about 15lbs so far, with a steady 1lb/wk gain since someone in my second trimester. I am still stretch mark-free with an innie belly button but I am just starting to see the faintest linea nigra. I have a bit of swelling when I am warm or at the end of the day. I will spontaneously lose my breakfast but this is rare. I still get nasty indigestion and cannot wait to no longer fear hot sauce. The baby is apparently very low in my pelvis but it is still so high up in my ribs I have to sit in a permanently reclined position. Something tells me very tall women would not have this problem. I am waking up A LOT at night, apparently if you roll onto your back your body will wake you up so I think this is what's happening. I have finally started to get out of breath easily, especially when talking, probably because I talk really fast. One of the last art lessons I taught was splatter painting. At the end of each class I was on my hands and knees wiping paint off the floor with a rag. At the beginning of the next class I would try to do my spiel on Jackson Pollock and end up just panting and having the kids free draw until I could catch my breath. I love this little baby and love the comfort of knowing it's safe inside me but after tomorrow I will gladly welcome a slightly early arrival...

What I miss? My brown boots that are now a bit too hard to zip up. Also: Spinning in circles, cartwheels, jumping up and down, running fast, handstands, dancing without looking like I'm celebrating a successful watermelon theft.

What I'm looking forward to? This week off with Andrew to finish preparing for baby and to relax, Easter, the first signs of labour and the total excitement/fear I will feel knowing that we are close to meeting our baby!

Nursery Progress 2

2013-02-28T11:07:00.001-08:00

A few details that are coming together...

Maternity Photoshoot

2013-02-26T22:16:00.000-08:00

Here are the final photos from our awesome shoot with Theresa of TsaCreations. I highly recommend her!

Star Wars Baby Shower

2013-02-25T21:40:00.000-08:00

We had our baby shower last Saturday at my mom's place. It was a big noisy party with lots of yummy food, friends, music, baby clothes and star wars action figures. We had the most amazing cake mabe by Laura of Blossom Cakes.

It was a great party! We tried very hard to keep it from becoming too much like a traditional ladies only, tiny sandwich party by inviting husbands and boyfriends and having it the evening with lots of beer, wine, music and tons of food. We chose a theme that was fun and silly and true to our personalities. We had a 50/50 baby pool for $5 and also rented out the amenity building at my mom's so that if anyone got bored they could go over and play pool.

Esty Baby Goodies!

2013-02-16T16:13:00.000-08:00

I have spent many an evening oohing and ahhing over the adorable things for babies on Etsy.

A few of my favourite shops:

I love this little baby blanket and will be ordering it for sure in these colours if we have a baby girl. If it's a boy I am leaning towards the adorable mustache print items!

I love the prints in this shop, not just the Star Wars ones. They are all colourful and simple.

This shop has onsies, shirts and bibs with adorable sewn on characters that look just like those from various films and shows such as Star Wars, Anchorman and the A-Team. Plus the names of these look-a-like characters are entertaining enough to visit the shop "Boba Felt" and "Handy Solo" are just two of my favourites.

Maternity Photoshoot Preview

2013-02-16T14:51:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had maternity photos taken with Theresa of tsaCreations. It was a wonderful experience and this sneak peak has me super excited to see the rest!!

Weeks 26-29

2013-01-27T16:11:00.000-08:00

29 Weeks

How far along? 29 weeks

Baby's size and development? Baby G is now being compared to a butternut squash! 17 inches long, approximately 3lbs and almost done developing all the important stuff (time to get chubby). Little one is losing space in my uterus and is doing less kicking but more throwing of elbows (much as you would in a mosh pit).

Best moment? Buying the first items of clothing for our baby. It has a few outfits from others but for the first time we gave in and bought a couple hats and some socks. :) Also, regstering for the baby shower was fun and it was really nice to see how into it Andrew got. I am incredibly lucky to have him for a husband and this baby has no idea what a good Daddy its going to have. <3

Symptoms/Changes? My net weight gain so far is 8lbs! If I continue at my current rate of a pound a week I will have gained 18 for the whole pregnancy and that seems pretty darn reasonable. My belly gets sore sometimes from feeling so stretched out but no stretch marks yet! I have been getting occasional Braxton Hicks but they are very mild. Every once in a while I get super dizzy and have to sit down, especially when blow drying my hair for some reason. My indigestion is still bad and so is the terrible rash on my face but overall I feel lucky to have had a pretty easy time. My midwife says everything looks good and that we are measuring right on track. :)

What I miss? Cute dresses.

What I'm looking forward to? Picking up the crib next week, my maternity shoot on February 10th, my baby shower on the 23rd and finally meeting this little baby. I have to stop myself from willing it to come early out of impatience but not knowing the gender is starting to wear away at me!

The stuff we bought from babyGap.

I'm actually 30 weeks today!

Forever 21 Throw Pillow

2013-01-11T23:22:00.002-08:00

F21 has a few throw pillows for sale. They are pretty cute I just ordered this one because buying clothes makes me sad right now and I had a gift card. There is also one with an owl on it and a floral/sequined one and they all have two colour options. $23.80 CA

Nursery Progress

2013-01-09T18:26:00.003-08:00

The inspiration for our nursery comes mainly from laybabylay.com, she does the most amazing mood boards, but it's her daughter's nursery that I really love. Other bits of inspiration came from pinterest, etc.

Here are some photos that inspire me:

All photos from laybabylay.com

There were tons of photos not shown here that I looked at and saved that helped me come up with our idea for the room. The strategy I used was to find common elements in the photos to help pin down exactly what it was I loved about a room. These things tended to be: a Jenny Lind Crib, and black and white chevron rug and a pale aqua wall colour. I also love the grey-taupe dresser/change table and the comfy chair in the top photo. I chose to use these things as a base for our nursery and then add accent colours and details once the baby is born and we know the gender. If it's a girl I will accent with pale pink or coral, and if it's a boy I am thinking more gold, black and neutrals.

This is what the room looked like shortly after we moved in. We threw some stuff in there to remind us that this is where our baby would sleep one day. :)

Our first step was to clean the room out of all our junk and pick a paint colour. We brought home three sample pots from Home Depot (a $5 each) and painted a patch on each wall. We let it sit for a while and looked at it in every possible light before settling on the middle one. "Aqua Sky" from C-I-L paints. We patched holes, sanded, painted baseboards, the closet, the messy edges around the ceiling and the sill inside the window white. We let this dry befrore taping it all off and doing all the cutting in with the aqua before fininshing off with two coats of rollering.

Terrible shot, I am almost never home during good daylight so it will be a while before I can get a photo of the true colour. It appears paler in person. The cradle will go in our living room once we get a crib. My grandfather made it for me as a baby! Luckily we only needed two coats for the room as it meant only needing one gallon of paint (for a room that is roughly 8'x10'). Our next task will be to find and refinish a dresser!

Buying Cloth Diapers in Canada

2012-12-28T16:32:00.001-08:00

We chose cloth diapers because they not only save money, but they also save waste. The ones we decided on were Bumgenius Elemental One Size All-in-Ones. I chose these partly because they are easy to use (no stuffing), organic, last your baby through pretty much the whole time they are in diapers and because Young House Love swears by them and their word is pretty much gospel. The problem is that buying these in stores in Canada is virtually impossible or super expensive. I knew I had to get them online and in a multi-pack rather than individually. Amazon.com has an 12-pack of neutral colours for $250 while Amazon.ca has the same for $350 (pretty crazy when the Canadian dollar is currently worth $0.01 more than the US). I also found a website called snugglebugz.ca where you can get 12 for $362.75 and one called newandgreen.com who offer a discount based on how many you buy so that 12 cost $328.61. These were both Canadian websites so I wouldn't have to deal with duty or crazy shipping charges and I could feel good about supporting a Canadian company. I could have orderd from Aamazon.com and had it shipped to Ship Happens in Sumas, WA, just across the border and saved money. However I would have ended up saving only about $42, having to deal with a middleman and not getting to choose the colours of the diapers. I opted to go with New and Green and placed an order for 12 diapers in specific colours (white, noodle, butternut, mirror, grasshopper, albert and lovelace). I got my automated confirmation e-mail and all was good. However, the next day I got a personalized e-mail from Collen at New and Green apologizing profusely that they did not currently have all the colours I wanted. She outlined my options and offered a free diaper to make up for the inconvienience. I opted to have her ship what she had then and the rest when she got a new order in. TWO days later there is a knock on the door and 6 diapers (including our free one) have arrived. Inside was a handwritten note apologizing again and reminding us to prewash them. This is some of the best customer service I have ever received! I am so happy I chose to order from them, especially since with the free diaper we spent less than $20 more than we would have ordering from amazon. Thanks Collen and New and Green! I can't wait to get the rest of these diapers!

P.S. Speaking of online Canadian companies with great, personalized customer service have you ever shopped from Dress911.ca? They are awesome and practically a one woman show!

Weeks 21-25

2012-12-28T15:59:00.000-08:00

I guess I have abandoned trying to do these in 4 week blocks, life gets in the way, etcetera.

25 Weeks

How far along? 25 weeks

Baby's size and development? Baby G is a beast! The size of a papaya or an eggplant depending on the app. 13 inches long and nearing 2lbs in weight. Little guy/gal is starting to open their eyes and learning to tap dance while wearing ice skates everytime I lay down to go to sleep.

Best moment? Both Grandmas finally getting to feel kicks. Getting baby stuff for Christmas! I tried to ban shopping for baby before the New Year but knew that realistically this would only limit the number of things bought, not elimiate it entirely. I was happy to get things though as the more time passes the more I realize this is coming quickly.

Symptoms/Changes? Dry skin like crazy, super runny/stuffed nose, not liking chocolate anymore!! Also, my belly is starting to look pregnant from the front instead of just the side. My belly button is stretched but far from an outie. I have finally starting gaining weight! Whoo Hoo up 4lbs at 25 weeks!

What I miss? My sister. (Get to see her tomorrow though!) How easy conversation flows after a glass or two of wine. I find myself zoning out a bit at social functions where others are drinking. My sweet husband is going to try not to drink from January until the baby is born.

What I'm looking forward to? Painting the baby room (which we are doing in the next couple days). Getting more baby stuff! So far we have a cradle, pack'n'play, a couple litte onesies, a bib, two blankies, a pacifier clip, a toy, some books and 6 diapers. Stay tuned for my experience ordering cloth diapers online!

Christmas House!

2012-12-28T15:43:00.001-08:00

That "JOY" canvas was a super easy DIY. It's actually an abstract canavs that was already hanging there that didn't go with my Christmas decor. So, I wrapped it in a graphic wrapping paper and made some letters of out of printer paper. EASY! It will all come off when our decorations go away after New Years and I can make a new one next year. :)

Jack the Christmas Dog

If our child ends up with an "S" name we will need to rearrange our stockings a bit...

Finally hung some blinds in this room after 4 months of living on display. We will still need some solid curtains before trying to birth our child in this room in April.

Feather tree from Value Village!

Happy Holidays!