Saturday, September 29, 2012
*Navalgazing* Reflections at 29 Weeks Pregnant
So, 29 weeks. Even though I officially started into my third trimester last week, I think it took me a little while to realize that this little baby is going to be arriving (relatively) soon.
I feel pretty good about everything. As I've said before, I think Jen and I are both much more relaxed about this pregnancy than we were when she was pregnant with The Bean. Of course, we also had quite a few scares when she was pregnant and therefore more reason for concern. Right now I think our two biggest concerns are 1) how The Bean will react to having a baby around and 2) sleep. Jen doesn't do well with little sleep, and The Bean is quite a good sleeper, so hopefully this baby doesn't throw either of them too off their schedule. I know we've still got a few months to go, but I'd in terms of nighttime, she seems to have a very active period around 9-10pm (Jen was freaking out last night watching her move my belly) and again somewhere around 3-5am. I'll be curious to see if it remains the same once she's born.
This week has been pretty bad on the sleep front for me as I'd had a number of bad nightmares. There were a few nights where I woke up with my heart racing and had a very, very hard time falling back asleep. I hope it's a brief phase.
In other news, it seems I am starting to develop what Jen lovingly refers to as "the creepy line" (the linea nigra) and losing my belly button. I feel enormous and constantly seem to be misjudging how much space I now take up. Friends and family have told me I look great, which I wouldn't necessarily agree with, but is nice to hear just the same.
I bought some cheap prenatal vitamins at the grocery store and seem to be digesting them much better than the "good" ones from my naturopath. The Charlie Horses have eased up, but my legs are still getting sore/tight in the nights. Jen has been really good about rubbing them out for me before bed.
So, things keep ticking along. We're nearly 3/4 of the way there!
Photo from 29 weeks +2 days.
I feel pretty good about everything. As I've said before, I think Jen and I are both much more relaxed about this pregnancy than we were when she was pregnant with The Bean. Of course, we also had quite a few scares when she was pregnant and therefore more reason for concern. Right now I think our two biggest concerns are 1) how The Bean will react to having a baby around and 2) sleep. Jen doesn't do well with little sleep, and The Bean is quite a good sleeper, so hopefully this baby doesn't throw either of them too off their schedule. I know we've still got a few months to go, but I'd in terms of nighttime, she seems to have a very active period around 9-10pm (Jen was freaking out last night watching her move my belly) and again somewhere around 3-5am. I'll be curious to see if it remains the same once she's born.
This week has been pretty bad on the sleep front for me as I'd had a number of bad nightmares. There were a few nights where I woke up with my heart racing and had a very, very hard time falling back asleep. I hope it's a brief phase.
In other news, it seems I am starting to develop what Jen lovingly refers to as "the creepy line" (the linea nigra) and losing my belly button. I feel enormous and constantly seem to be misjudging how much space I now take up. Friends and family have told me I look great, which I wouldn't necessarily agree with, but is nice to hear just the same.
I bought some cheap prenatal vitamins at the grocery store and seem to be digesting them much better than the "good" ones from my naturopath. The Charlie Horses have eased up, but my legs are still getting sore/tight in the nights. Jen has been really good about rubbing them out for me before bed.
So, things keep ticking along. We're nearly 3/4 of the way there!
Photo from 29 weeks +2 days.
Friday, September 28, 2012
30 Day Photo Challenge Catch Up (Again)
10: Water
11: Something Blue
12: Sunset
13: Today's Weather
14: Eyes
11: Something Blue
12: Sunset
13: Today's Weather
14: Eyes
{this moment} birthday
A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
Inspired by SouleMama.
Monday, September 24, 2012
*Navalgazing* Reflections at 28 (+2) Weeks Pregnant
I feel like at various points throughout this week I felt I had a lot to say, but now that I'm actually sitting down to write, not much is coming to mind.
The little girl continues to wiggle around poking and kicking me. Either her position has changed enough or she's getting strong enough that it sometimes hurts a bit. I guess she's getting a little cramped in there. (She punctuates my writing this with a kick!) We can now quite clearly tell which way she is lying because her bum pokes out making my belly lopsided. She also seems to react very strongly when I've eaten.
Eating has become a slight issue. No more nausea, but the heartburn is getting really bad, particularly in the evening. Breads seem to be pretty bad, fruits and milk products not awful. Often as soon as I look at something I know whether I'm going to react or not. I have been consuming A LOT of Tums.
I've been thinking about labour and birth some more. After looking at various classes online, I think we've decided to hire the woman who led the birth classes we attended when Jen was pregnant with The Bean and ask her to tailor a private session towards strategies for partner-coached natural birthing. I checked "Husband Coached Childbirth: The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth" from the library and plan on starting to read it this week. We also borrowed a copy of "The Birth Partner" to re-read.
Final note: I think we're getting closer to coming up with a shortlist of names. The same few seem to be popping up whenever we discuss names, so it at least feels like we're making some progress. I'd like to narrow the list down to maybe five or so front runners so when she is born we're able to make a decision more quickly. (Middle name is set as Jen's mother's name, just as The Bean has her father's name for his middle name.)
Photo from 28 (+1) Weeks:
The little girl continues to wiggle around poking and kicking me. Either her position has changed enough or she's getting strong enough that it sometimes hurts a bit. I guess she's getting a little cramped in there. (She punctuates my writing this with a kick!) We can now quite clearly tell which way she is lying because her bum pokes out making my belly lopsided. She also seems to react very strongly when I've eaten.
Eating has become a slight issue. No more nausea, but the heartburn is getting really bad, particularly in the evening. Breads seem to be pretty bad, fruits and milk products not awful. Often as soon as I look at something I know whether I'm going to react or not. I have been consuming A LOT of Tums.
I've been thinking about labour and birth some more. After looking at various classes online, I think we've decided to hire the woman who led the birth classes we attended when Jen was pregnant with The Bean and ask her to tailor a private session towards strategies for partner-coached natural birthing. I checked "Husband Coached Childbirth: The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth" from the library and plan on starting to read it this week. We also borrowed a copy of "The Birth Partner" to re-read.
Final note: I think we're getting closer to coming up with a shortlist of names. The same few seem to be popping up whenever we discuss names, so it at least feels like we're making some progress. I'd like to narrow the list down to maybe five or so front runners so when she is born we're able to make a decision more quickly. (Middle name is set as Jen's mother's name, just as The Bean has her father's name for his middle name.)
Photo from 28 (+1) Weeks:
Fall Activities
I first thought of writing this post last year, when I was in the "fall activities for kindergarteners" mindset, but just never got around to it. This year I have a little bit more free time on my hands.
I'd say most of these actitivies are probably appropriate for 3-6 year olds and reflect somewhat of a Montessori approach. I wish I had some pictures, but I don't. Hopefully my little descriptions are self-explanatory.
-set up a nature table with leaves, indian corn, gourds, etc.
-have the child tweeze the kernels out of a cob of indian corn or the seeds out of the centre of a sunflower
-use acorns as counters (very cute if paired with felt oak leaves with numbers on them!)
-identify/classify leaves from a nature walk
-pound golf tees into a large pumpkin
-wash gourds
-core apples
-peel apples using an apple peeler (my kindergarten students LOVED this and would argue over who got to eat the skin!)
-bake and cook fall foods (children can grate apples for muffins or apple sauce, clean pumpkins and roast the seeds, etc.)
-plant bulbs for spring
Some other fun ideas for fall include:
-nature walks
-apple picking
-visiting the pumpkin patch
-going to a corn maze
What are your favourite fall activities to do with/without kids?
I'd say most of these actitivies are probably appropriate for 3-6 year olds and reflect somewhat of a Montessori approach. I wish I had some pictures, but I don't. Hopefully my little descriptions are self-explanatory.
-set up a nature table with leaves, indian corn, gourds, etc.
-have the child tweeze the kernels out of a cob of indian corn or the seeds out of the centre of a sunflower
-use acorns as counters (very cute if paired with felt oak leaves with numbers on them!)
-identify/classify leaves from a nature walk
-pound golf tees into a large pumpkin
-wash gourds
-core apples
-peel apples using an apple peeler (my kindergarten students LOVED this and would argue over who got to eat the skin!)
-bake and cook fall foods (children can grate apples for muffins or apple sauce, clean pumpkins and roast the seeds, etc.)
-plant bulbs for spring
Some other fun ideas for fall include:
-nature walks
-apple picking
-visiting the pumpkin patch
-going to a corn maze
What are your favourite fall activities to do with/without kids?
Sunday, September 23, 2012
07: Food 08: Morning and 09: Autumn
Playing catch-up with the photo challenge tonight. Here are some shots from the past few days.
Enjoying lunch surrounded by some of the yummy food from the farmer's market this week.
Best bedhead ever. (Only to be rivaled by his mommy, who might kill me if I posted a photo of her taken first thing in the morning.)
Autumn boy.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Welcome Fall
It's fall and I'm looking forward to enjoying my favourite season as our last season as a family of three. The days are becoming noticeably cooler and the trees are starting to change colour. This week I pulled our duvet out of storage. Scarves and hats are also coming out. I have a urge to start baking. My first batch of wheat-free pumpkin muffins weren't so successful, but I have another recipe that seems more promising. I'm also thinking of apple cake and zucchini loaves and butternut squash soup. There are balls of yarn waiting to be crafted into tiny hats and baby sweaters. To me, this is the season of long walks outside, of warm cups of tea, of preparing for the retreat into the colder months. This will be A Special Winter. A winter to hold my most loved ones, big and small, close. But for now I plan on enjoying these bright crisp days.
Friday, September 21, 2012
{this moment} guitar
A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
Inspired by SouleMama.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
06: From a Low Angle
A low-angle fail, but too cute not to post. This is The Bean mimicking me lying down to take his photo. (NOT easy to do with a six-month belly, BTW.)
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