The one where Lisa promises she didn't forget about this blog...

Better late than never, right?

We're at the 36 week mark and only have about three and a half weeks left until Ladybird's due date. We've still been very very busy over here at the new house so that doesn't really help with the whole "OMG she's coming SOON!" extravaganza. Keeping busy always just makes time fly and, right now, I don't like that! I still have a ton of stuff to do and I really would like it done before the baby arrives. I've had countless people tell me that it's no big deal and that the baby won't notice if nothing is done when she arrives. Well, yeah. She'll be a newborn - she'll barely know that she's human. I'll notice, though, and if I don't get it all done before she arrives then I won't have time once she's here because, ya know, I'll be taking care of a newborn. I just like having some type of routine and I know a newborn throws all routine out the window. I can't even imagine how it's going to be when she arrives and I hadn't even had a routine to begin with. I was really hoping for a few weeks of normalcy before she arrived just for my own sanity's sake. I'm jealous of all those people who have everything washed and prepared and the nursery all finished and who get to relax in their last few weeks of pregnancy. Not me. Ugh. It doesn't help that I'm huge and sore, so even trying to get things done takes twice as long as it should. I'm never moving across the country and buying a house when pregnant ever again!

Ladybird, however, is faring through all of this just fine. I can feel her getting bigger and bigger and sometimes I feel like she's just going to bust out of the front of my stomach, haha. That's not the way out, kiddo! She still moves around quite a bit but not as often as before. I find she has a big movement spell in the morning when I get out of bed, another one late afternoon/early evening, and usually as I'm trying to go to sleep at night. Obviously she moves around more throughout the day, but those seem to be the big ones where I'm uncomfortable because I have a full size baby moving around inside me. She still stretches out a lot and it's still hilarious. She hasn't dropped yet and I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to it or not. On one hand, it'll be great to breathe again and not feel that pressure on my ribs, but on the other hand I'm already dealing with lots of pelvic pain and I'm not sure how much more I can take once she's further down there! It's so funny to think that she's basically just a regular ol' baby in there now. I'm so curious to see what she looks like now. I imagine much less Skeletor-like :) As much stuff as there is to finish up around here, I really can't wait to meet her. The hospital will only let me go to 41 weeks before they induce (not 42 like I had thought/hoped), so I guess she'll begin her journey out by October 18th? We'll see! Everyone is convinced that she's going to come early - everyone except me of course.

Anyhow, the sun has finally made an appearance outside after a few days of being away, so it's giving me a bit of an energy boost to get some things done! We'll leave with a baby update to see what's new in Ladybird's neck of the womb!


















Ladybird weighs about 6lbs now and is pretty much the same in length (anywhere between 18 and 20 inches long). Her face has filled out now and is smooth and plump! She continues to store fat and her knees and elbows have started dimpling because of the fat deposits. Cute! Her skull is nice and firm, but not hard to allow her to come through the birth canal. The amniotic fluid has reached its max in there and apparently the placenta now weighs about a pound itself!

The one with 33 days left... AAAAAAH!!

So busy.
Blog update short.
Me Tarzan, you Jane.



















35 week baby update! Ladybird is the size of ... well, the size of a baby! She's approximately 5 and a half pounds and about 20ish inches long. Her body parts start protruding when she moves and stretches (I say as her entire butt is sticking up and making me lop-sided), her kidneys are fully developed, and her liver is producing waste products. She's even started to develop her own immune system at this point. Hooray!

The one where Ladybird could be an infomercial product...

Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Shipping and handling not included.

Yes, Monday marked 34 weeks pregnant so we have six weeks left until her due date! Hooray! I enjoy that now when people ask when I'm due, it's easier to just say "six weeks" instead of "October". It sounds a lot sooner that way too and people don't make that face like gee, you're a whale if you're not due until October. Six weeks til she's due ... eight weeks until she's way overdue ... it's all coming nice and quickly!

I had an appointment at the hospital today and met with with one of the two midwives there. I really like how the hospital here does things. Apparently it's the only one in Canada that works as a collaborative practice - the midwives and the obstetricians work together as a team rather than separately. It makes me happy because I was really hoping to see a midwife when I moved home, but was told by the NS midwife society (or whatever) that they couldn't see me since I was coming home so late in my pregnancy. Anyhow, it was a great appointment. The midwife was super friendly and very thorough. Everything is still going really well with me and the baby. She's still head down (hooray!) but I do still feel her kicking my right side quite often, so I asked if she might be diagonal. The midwife could easily feel her moving around on that side and asked if Boyd was tall haha. So, she must be all stretched out! So much for the fetal position.

After my appointment with the midwife, I went to my appointment at the Open Arms clinic, which is a family clinic located in the hospital. It was really nice and informative. They gave us a brief tour of the birthing area and said we can come back as many times as we want, so we'll go back again so Boyd can see it all. Aside from not having any bathtubs (boourns!) it all looked and sounded very nice. I think it's going to be a really relaxed and positive atmosphere - plus, I can bring my own snacks and Boyd will have a cot to sleep on in my room. Bonus :)

Now I'm just trying desperately to survive the hottest day on record here in Nova Scotia without ripping anyone's head off. I'm absolutely melting and pretty miserable. It's been a crazy hot week and we won't see any relief until the weekend when Hurricane Earl heads our way. It worries me a bit, since the oceans are SO warm and he's a category 4 right now. Hopefully we won't have much damage! Tomorrow we're moving a few things into the new house and removing some wallpaper to get the dining room ready for painting this weekend. We closed yesterday and got our keys - it's all so exciting! I just can't wait to get in there and get my life routine back on track!

It's too hot to even be on my computer (the heat from the laptop on my wrists is actually driving me CRAZY) so we'll wrap this up with a baby update to see what my stretchy little lady is up to this week!



















Ladybird is about 18 inches long (woah!) and just under 5lbs now! She's huge! She's getting rounder and fatter to help regulate her body temperature when she comes out. Her hearing is fully developed so she can hear me bitching and complaining about this heat. Her central nervous system is still maturing but her lungs are almost fully developed now. She's starting to shed her lanugo (remember her fur coat?) but her vernix caseosa (cheesy substance) is increasing. 99% of babies born at this point would survive outside the womb with no major problems. Yippee!

The one with 49 days left...

Yep, you read that right. 49 days left until my due date! I'm 33 weeks today. This pregnancy has just flown by - hopefully the rest of it will fly by as well!

This past week has been very busy and stressful with regards to the new house. There's been a major roadblock happening that we finally got over today (not our fault at all), so everything should be able to proceed as originally planned. Our closing date is still the 31st of the month (next week!) and we'll be moving in on the 7th of September because that's when Boyd will be home next. That's nice, though. It gives me some time to get the rooms painted and I have baby stuff and all our wedding gifts (two years later!) that my mom and stepfather will be bringing over the long weekend to unpack, sort, and put away. I'll have enough to keep me busy until all our stuff from Winnipeg shows up at the doorstep.

Aside from the house stuff, it was a nice week. On Friday, we (me, my mom, and Boyd's mom) went to Costco and Babies R Us. We got a ton of sleepers for the baby and we finally chose a stroller! I'm very very excited about it. We were finding it hard to decide on a good stroller. I wanted a travel system (just for convenience sake) and Boyd wanted something that he could go jogging with. Well, we found a jogger travel system at Babies R Us! We're going to pick it up sometime this week, I think. It's this one:























The Baby Trend Expedition Jogger travel system. I played with it in the store quite a bit and, so far, I love it. It's a super smooth ride and the front wheel swivels to make maneuvering it even easier. I also love that it's just plain black and grey with no fancy annoying print. It's easy to fold up and the back wheels even pop off to make it more compact. Hoorah! Babies R Us is also having an event where you get 20% off if you bring in old baby gear to trade. Mom got a car seat at a yard sale so we're going to use that to trade in and get 20% off this system! Perfect. Boyd's mom very graciously offered to get it for us - thank you!!

As far as pregnancy goes, things are still going relatively smoothly. However, now that Ladybird is head down, I'm feeling much more uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong - I'm thrilled that she's moved into position - but her being sideways was much more comfortable for me. I'm experiencing way more pressure now, much more back pain, I hardly sleep at night anymore, and her movements will sometimes cause me to actually jump because they're so uncomfortable. I'm getting a lot more of what I assume to be knees, feet, and elbows poking at me from the inside. At least before, those kicks and jabs and punches were off to the side. Now they're right in the front or up in my ribs. Ouch. She still loves to stick her back and bum out and it makes me laugh more and more because she's getting so big that my belly gets really funny-looking when she does it.



















Hmm, can you tell where she likes to hang out? Haha, what a goof :)

I have my next doctor's appointment on September 1st and I believe I'll also be going for a tour of the maternity ward at the hospital. I think. All I really know is that I have two appointments - one with the doctor (one of the other doctors in the practice) and, right afterwards, an appointment with the clinic there. So we'll see what happens that day. It'll be an adventure!

I think that's all my news, anyhow. Let's have a look at the baby update to see what the little one is up to this week!


















Ladybird is the size of a honeydew melon now! I believe it. Her senses continue to develop and her eyes blink, her pupils dilate, and her eyes close during sleeping times. She listens to noises outside the womb and will react to certain sounds. Aside from crying, she's basically now doing everything a newborn would do. Most babies will move into position for birth now, so her head may very well descend into my pelvis now and press firmly against my cervix. Sounds comfy!

The one where Ladybird is showered with love and delicious food (pt.II)

My lovely Mommy hosted a baby shower for me and Ladybird this weekend. Thank you so much to everyone who came and everyone who thought of us even though they couldn't make it. The amount of people and gifts was pretty overwhelming - it's very nice to know that there are so many people out there who care about me and my family. So, again, thank you!

Here are a few pictures from the day. As always, click on them to enlarge.















Chatting with my high school homies :)















A portion of the guests + tent + food + gift mountain

A montage of me opening presents:

















































I don't think I've ever opened so many presents in my life. This kid has way too much stuff already!















OMG it was hot outside!




















Nice little Mommy-daughter-mommy-daughter moment.
Thanks for your help, Momma :)















The beautiful handmade cradle that Mom and Joe got for us. So nice!















The aftermath of the afternoon! Wowza! Thank you everyone!

Okay, I'm done putting up pictures. That took fo'eva! If the layout of the photos looks weird on your computer, just deal with it. Blogger doesn't make putting up photos a very easy task, unfortunately.

So, today marks 32 weeks! I met my new OB today and everything went really well. Blood pressure is good, I haven't gained any weight since my last appointment, her heart beat is nice and strong, no word on my glucose test so I assume I don't have the baby diabeetus - and the best part of the appointment? He checked and said that Ladybird's head is where it should be - down! Hooray! All that swimming and hanging out on my hands and knees paid off, I suppose. Now she better not move back to being sideways. I'll have appointments about every two weeks now and will get to meet the other doctors and the midwife in the practice. Exciting!

OH! And speaking of exciting news - we bought a house!! Yes! We found an adorable bi-level in Lower Sackville (for those non-Nova Scotians, it's about 20 minutes from downtown Halifax and 20 minutes from the airport ... perfect location!) that has three bedrooms, nice big living room, beautiful kitchen/dining room, one and a half baths, a laundry room, a nice big deck, a fire pit, and - get this - a pool! It's a newer house (only 12 years old) in a great little subdivision with everything we need (grocery stores, restaurants, banks, move theatre, etc.) about five minutes down the road. And the best part? The previous owners are already out so our closing date is at the end of the month! Hooray! We're very happy about this whole thing and it's so nice to know that we'll have a place to bring Ladybird after she's born. Just a couple more weeks and we get to move into our new house. I can't wait! After our ridiculous house-hunting experience in Winnipeg, I'm still in a bit of disbelief at how quickly and smoothly this process went for us.

So there's definitely been a lot of excitement going on around here. Lots of things to keep me busy (read: slightly overwhelmed) but that's good! Now, what kind of excitement is going on in Ladybird's neck of the woods? Let's check out the baby update to find out!

















Ladybird is just under 4lbs now and is about 17 inches long! Not much more to go, kiddo! Her lungs won't be fully functional until birth but she is inhaling amniotic fluid to practice her breathing. No wonder she gets the hiccups so often. She sleeps about 90-95% of the day and her movements will peak this week. She's running out of room! Her growth does begin to slow down now, but she'll continue to put on weight (and lots of it!) over the next few weeks.

The one where Ladybird needs to do more acrobatics....

31 weeks!




















This was actually taken at 30 weeks 5 days but the two days don't really make a difference, I don't think.

I had my doctor's appointment on Friday and it was pretty typical. I was weighed, my blood pressure was checked, I was measured, and all that fun stuff. The doctor felt around to see where Ladybird is positioned and it's not good news. She's freakin' transverse. She was transverse at the 20 week ultrasound as well ... only now she's transverse the OTHER way. Ten weeks ago, she had her head on my right and her feet on my left. Now she has her head on my left and her feet on my right. So she's moved, but she just moved into another sideways position! I'm starting to get a little nervous about it. Breech I can handle. Breech is possible to deliver. Transverse lie? I'm getting cut open to get her out. I really want to avoid a c-section if at all possible because the idea absolutely terrifies me to my very core. So, she better turn and turn soon. I've been reading online and some websites make me feel better by saying that babies can turn all the way up until labour and other websites make me feel worse by saying that transverse babies past 30 weeks are unusual and likely won't turn on their own. Oy. I'm not going to start panicking too much until I actually speak with my OB (hopefully within the next couple of weeks) but I'm not going to lie and pretend that it's not bothering me. Man, if she doesn't turn, I'm holding it against her for the rest of her life.

"Mom, I can't believe you won't let me go to the party! That's so unfair!"

"Oh yeah?" *lifts shirt to reveal c-section scar* "Well, I can't believe that you didn't turn around!!"

Aside from panicking about trying to get a sideways baby out of my body, I've been feeling good. I'm starting to get more tired again, but it's a different tired than the first trimester. I feel like I'm just using up my energy to keep myself from toppling over because my belly is getting so big. Standing for longer than ten minutes makes me feel like I'm going to fall over and even doing things like washing my hair or putting on my makeup makes me feel breathless. Lovely! But, really, I can't complain. It just takes me longer to get ready and I need a chair more often than I used to - things could definitely be worse! :)

As far as life news, Boyd and I are actively hunting for a house. We went to look at four properties today and, unfortunately, were pretty disappointed. There was one home that was absolutely gorgeous but it was in one of the worst areas of the province and I really don't want to be living alone, taking the baby for a walk, and having to pass through the projects. It's too bad. But we're trying to remain optimistic that our house is out there for us and that we'll get it before the baby is born. We have another six that we want to look at, so possibly tomorrow or Wednesday. Everyone keep your fingers crossed for us! I really just want to get into a home of our own, get our routine back, and start getting the baby's room together! My mom found us a beautiful quilt on Etsy and the seller is going to make some matching bumper pads as well.




















Cute, eh? The back of the quilt is the same fuchsia colour and there are little airplane outlines stitched on it. Then we'll just look for some plain crib sheets in green, yellow, purple, etc. that match the colours in the quilt. I'm pretty pleased! She just needs a room so we can set up her crib and get that beautiful bedding into it.

So that's the update on the outside of my uterus. Let's check out the baby update to see what's going on the inside!




















Ladybird is about 16 inches long, a little over 3lbs, and looks much more like a newborn now. She's putting on more fat, her skin is pink rather than red, and her arms, legs, and body are in proportion with her head. Exciting! Her fingernails have grown to the end of her fingers and she may scratch herself while in the womb. She's running out of room in there to move a lot, but she does squirm more and I'll still get bigger kicks and jabs. Studies show that fetuses at this stage also have periods of dream sleep! Awesome!
(PS - Hey Ladybird, see that baby up there? HEAD DOWN!)

The one with the home stretch...

30 weeks! Can you believe it? I sure can't. 10 more weeks (give or take) to go until this little lady makes an appearance. Just to put that into perspective: we had our ultrasound ten weeks ago. Say what?!

I had to go into the hospital today to do my one-hour glucose tolerance test to see if I've got the gestational diabeetus. I'd heard pretty icky things about it, but it wasn't bad. The drink just tasted like orange pop, so I just got a free orange pop out of the deal. Awesome. Now let's hope I don't "fail" this test because if I do, I have to do a three-hour one, and if I fail THAT one then they determine that I have gestational diabetes. So come on body, break down those sugars!
While I was waiting the hour after drinking the drink for them to take my blood, I peeked down to the maternity area and saw the big doors with "birthing room" written above them. It made me pretty excited to actually see where Ladybird will be born. I'll be getting a tour of the place sometime soon, but I just had a quick peek today.

I have my next doctor's appointment on Friday. I somehow lost my file in the move (we think it's packed up in storage somewhere) so I need to call the office in Winnipeg and see if A) they even still have my file and B) they can fax me another copy. I meant to do that today but I came home from my blood test and fell asleep for three hours. Oops. Hopefully I can get another copy easily enough, but it really wouldn't surprise me if the office gives me some trouble.

Other than that, not a whole lot is new here since the big move. The next thing on our agenda is buying a house, so that's where our attention is focused right now. We've found some listings that we want to see, so Boyd and I will be heading out to look at houses when he comes back home on Monday. Our realtor emailed me tonight just to let me know that two of the homes (out of like, seven or eight I think) already have offers on them. I just laughed. Good to know. In Winnipeg, every house we bid on we were up against a good 15-30 other offers. I think this process is going to go rather smoothly. Let's hope, anyway! I still can't believe that we've moved halfway across the country, are buying a house, and having a baby all within a two month period. Yep, we're officially insane!

And how is miss Ladybird handling all this craziness? Great, as far as I know! She's still wiggling around lots but I can tell that her movements are starting to slow down a bit (since she doesn't have as much room in there anymore!). It feels more and more like body parts moving around rather than just spastic bubbles. It's neat. I'll hopefully get a new belly picture up by next week. It's getting bigger for sure! Let's check out this week's baby update to see how Ladybird is developing!





















Ladybird is still about the size of a squash and will be all month, apparently. Her growth in length is starting to slow down but she'll keep gaining weight until she's born (and uh, obviously afterwards). She's already between 15 and 17 inches long and weighs about 3lbs. She can differentiate between light and dark, track a light source, and see what's going on in utero. She has eyebrows, eyelashes, and if she were born now, she has enough body fat to keep herself warm.