Bump Love {40 Weeks}

Baby is the Size of a Jackfruit!

So crazy to even type that, even though I FEEL 40 weeks pregnant. Actually I feel like 100 weeks pregnant.

*I will be honest, I am kind of over bumpdates but I really wanted to document this week of pregnancy at least part of the way through since I have made it to 40 weeks (and 5 days, currently).

*Every day I feel closer and closer to labour, more intense contractions (still not regular and not intense enough to be the real thing) more pelvic pressure, nausea, ect. I just have no idea when it will actually start.

*I'm oddly pretty calm about being past my due date. According to my midwife, I'm not "overdue" until 41 weeks, which I will be on Sunday. Tomorrow, (Saturday) I have to go to the hospital for a nonstress test and utrasound to make sure she's still doing good in there. Which I'm sure she is, if her dance parties are any indication. I do have my moments of "OMG when is this going to happen" and "I'm so done" but I kinda keep trucking along.

*I am having to think about if/when I want to be induced, which is not fun. My midwife recommends that I don't go past 10 days overdue which brings us to about November 5th. I am slightly comforted knowing that the baby's position makes induction likely to be successful. Trying not to think too much about for now.

*Staying busy while resting has been my daily plan for the past few weeks. The reason being, I can't just sit around and do nothing because I will go insane, BUT I have to make sure I rest, because at any moment I can go into labour and then it may be hard to rest if I'm in pain. I need to be rested for that event!

*I have been doing pretty good in the last week or so. I admit I was a bit disappointed that she didn't come on my birthday weekend but I still had a lot of fun and I'm kinda glad because it seems like she's going to be a November baby now and she'll get her own birthday weekend!

*Every night for the past 4 nights, I've had contractions/cramps/pain until about 2 in the morning when I usually fall asleep. Then I wake up with nothing. So weird. I figure it's my body preparing. It does make it hard to get a good nights sleep though, so I've been going back to bed after Leigh goes to work to sleep for a few more hours. The baby is much less active in the early am which makes it easier to sleep. I'm afraid she may be a night owl like her mama because she's super active from around 9pm - 1 or 2am!

*Every single day at least 5 people ask me when I'm due and then proceed to look shocked when I tell them I was due last Sunday. A lot of people have told me I'm not even that big which makes me laugh because I feel like a giant turtle. I got really lucky in the "swollen" department so far. I haven't puffed up at all, at least with water weight :-P Shoes still fit and everything!

*I was bored the other night so I unpacked the baby's hospital bag and repacked it just so I could see all of her little clothes and hats and headbands. Which I may have overpacked. They're so tiny, who cares how many outfits she has!

*I just want to say thank you to everyone who has read my bumpvdates the whole time because I'm sure they got pretty boring especially recently! I'm sure once she is here I'll be so glad I documented this time in my life.

*That's all for now, I'm off to run some errands and get some last minute things organized just in case I do go into labour tonight (pretty pretty please!)


Happy Halloween!

Birthday Weekend!

I have had a full birthday weekend celebration! A little different than years past but still had tons of fun.

We kicked it off on Thursday night with pedicures. I got a gift certificate for my baby shower and I finally used it! J and Nicky came with me and we made a girls night of it. I got them to put shellac on my toes so that it lasted a bit longer since I doubt I'll have time for pedicures soon!

Friday I finished off my work week and went on maternity leave. I was super exhausted so I ended up resting most of the day. My body was so sore. As usual I go a bit stir crazy so I popped out for some errands and decided to stop by the pub where my friends were watching the game. This is where I found out that one of my friends (Mark) was working on a movie set with Jesse Metcalfe.

He's the one on the left.

As in Christopher Ewing from Dallas. Also from Desperate Housewives and John Tucker Must Die. His girlfriend Alicia offered to take me to the movie set to meet him. I seriously just about died of excitement I'm not a huge celebrity person but I love his acting on Dallas. Anyways, so we got to go meet him! And have "lunch" on the movie set even though it was the middle of the night. Sadly I cannot post the pic of him and I until the movie comes out because he's in his movie costume. But it happened, and it was awesome. What a way to kick off the birthday weekend! I got home at like 1:30 in the morning and felt like quite the preggo party animal.

Saturday, I had a date planned with my mom but she got hit with a 24 hour crazy flu so Leigh was my hero and took me on the date I had planned with my mom. We went to Chipotle for lunch, visited Chapters, and then the most amazing new bakery called the Sweet Bake Shop.

Leigh bought me some macarons (Cinnamon Roll and Caramel Apple, both amazing) and a red velvet cupcake. This place was the cutest. After our downtown day date we were pretty tired so we just relaxed ad watched a movie.

Sunday, my actual birthday,, I slept WAY in. Like almost noon. I had made plans with Nicky to go to the mall but we ended up going for breakfast first which was delicious. Nicky also gave me Hunter boot socks for my birthday. I kind of love going to the mall on my birthday because I usually buy myself a present lol. I got a really cute sweatshirt tunic thing that fits me with the belly but I will try to save it for post baby. I also got a Christmas bath and body works candle.

By the time we were done at the mall, I went home and rested for a little bit and then we went for dinner with my parents and my brother and nephews. My parents gave me new Hunter boots for my birthday! I don't think I posted about this but my pink Hunters are actually cracked, both of them! So sad. Leigh is going to fix them for me but I'm not sure how long they will last. I wear rainboots like half of the year!

After dinner and cake, we went home and relaxed and watched our Sunday night shows. It was perfect...except for no sign of my birthday present aka my baby!! I suppose she'll show up one of these days!

Tonight we have a family dinner with Leigh's family for my birthday. I know I'm spoiled rotten. And we're ordering Chinese food, because apparently that works for sending women into labour! Haha, probably not but I'll give it a shot!

Bump Love {39 Weeks}

Baby Is the Size of A Watermelon!

*Once again, this post is a day late, and I'm now today 40 weeks pregnant. And it's also my 30th birthday.

*This week I accepted that my baby will probably not make an early appearance before my birthday/due date and now I have to accept she's officially going to be late. Darn.

*I stayed super busy all week and today I'm so tired. I have been resting lots. A few times I did a bit too much and got really tired. I have been sleeping wayy in since it takes forever to fall asleep.

*Symptoms: Heartburn, sore EVERYTHING. My legs feel like lead.

*I had a midwife appointment Tuesday, everything is looking great. My body hasn't really started the labour process other than the baby already being very low and snug in my pelvis, which is a good thing. Blood pressure and heart beat are all good on our end! I have another one this Tuesday.

*I have been staying busy to keep my mind off things, but also resting/sleeping a lot. Lots of couch time with my Kobo and netflix.

*I was saying to Leigh last night that I have really enjoyed the last few weeks. It felt like a vacation before the baby comes. Of course I am super uncomfortable but I have done so many fun things and spent time with friends and family. It's just been a really nice time in my life.

*I may or may not have picked out a personalised Christmas stocking for the baby. We just have to you know actually meet her and name her before I order it.

*As of Friday morning, I am officially (reluctantly) on mat leave. I would have worked right up until going into labour but my clients were like um no how about you rest now and we will see you in January. That's how much I love my job! I know I will love being with my baby but I'm so glad my job will be such a great fit for my new mom life.

*I also miss working out, like REAL workouts. I've walked and done weights but I feel weak and tired, not strong and fit so looking forward to working my way back to that. Starting out nice and slow of course, with walking with my carrier or baby stroller!

*That's pretty much it for this week! Hopefully the next baby update I have for you guys is a BABY update instead of a preggo update!

DIY Glider Makeover

For the record, I pretty much did nothing with this project other than actually buying the chair and fabric. I took the cushions off and my wonderful mother in law offered to recover them for me. We were trying to figure out how to best paint the chair and my uncle offered to do it. There are much more in detail instructions on Pinterest, such as this easy one or this one which requires sewing.
When I first found out I was pregnant, I knew I wouldn't have a nursery to set up right away. Since then our date for move in for our apartment has been moved back till March, so baby will be about 5 months old when we move in. I may not have mentioned it on here, but my sister in law is also pregnant with her and my brother's 3rd baby, due in April. So exciting!! She mentioned to me about re-doing a glider chair and showed me the before and after pics from the Pinterest tutorials and I was totally sold on the idea.
I have never thought about gliders before, I really thought they were just for rocking babies to sleep, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to have one for a space to feed the baby comfortably. I also thought it would be great to have in her room as she got older to read to her, ect.
So I started looking on Craigslist and picked one up for $40, including an ottoman. I actually forgot to take a picture of it before I took it apart, I did have one but it was on the phone that I lost a few months ago.

So this is a stock photo of what my ottoman looked like before, this is I think the exact one.

Nice and all, but definitely not the look I was going for, except I couldn't figure out what that was. I wanted to pick nursery colours before I picked fabric. I was looking for something gray and neutral and couldn't find anything, finally I came across this turquoise fabric and realised it would be perfect.  Turquoise goes with so many colours and would fit perfectly with the other colours I wanted to use. Once I had this idea in my head I could totally picture what her room would look like! 

This is the after:

Bunny just gifted to baby from Nana Julie (Leigh's mom) and Auntie Claire

For now it's going to sit in our little sitting area in our suite, which will be the perfect place to feed the baby while having access to my kobo and Netflix! I have to send a huge thanks to my mother in law and uncle and also my Mom for picking it up and bringing it back :-)

Bump Love {38 Weeks}

Baby is the Size of a Pumpkin!

*This post is officially super, super late. I am now 39 weeks and the baby is now the size of a watermelon. I will try to have my 39 weeks post up before my due date.

*This post could also be titled "Random End of Pregnancy Thoughts"

*I am due in one week, which is also my 30th birthday. I would really, really, like my baby for my birthday. That is all.

*Remember when I said I wasn't going to wear real pants? For some reason I decided to wear my maternity jeans one last time. It was horrible.

*Every time Leigh and I go anywhere, to the store, to a restaurant, out for coffee, I wonder if it's our last outing before we are a party of 3. I have so loved being pregnant, but I am ready for this little girl to join our family. I keep wondering when it's going to happen, where it's going to happen. Will I get to call Leigh at work or will he be with me? Will it be the middle of the night or the middle of the day? Will it progress quickly or be calm and slow?

*I still need to blog about my second baby shower! That post will be coming in a few days, I promise!

*There is a mile long list of things that are supposed to help induce labour naturally. I feel very skeptical about this list. I think you go into labour when the baby is ready and when your body is ready. Which makes me wonder how the body decides, exactly? I picture the baby pulling some kind of escape latch when she's ready to enter the world. The only thing I'm really doing is walking, sitting on an exercise ball and taking "Mother's Cordial" which is a disgusting tincture that I got from my midwife.

*I finally feel like I have everything ready for the baby. Car seat installed, stroller, baby swing, bouncy chair, glider chair, basinette. Everything is all in place, thanks to our amazing family and friends! It's amazing how I started out months and months ago with this long list wondering how I was going to pull it all together but honestly, we were so blessed to have been given and lent a lot of things we needed. Everything is all set up and I just can't wait to put it all to good use!

*My personality is to assume that everything is going to be a challenge and then I'm usually pleasantly surprised and that has totally applied to pregnancy. I researched the different phases and symptoms and everything was totally manageable. HOWEVER, I did not expect that I would have contractions all the time. From 37 weeks on (a whole like 10 days, which feels like a decade) I have had worse and worse contractions every day. They hurt (but are manageable) but they mean NOTHING. I'm not in labour, I don't know when I will be in labour, these contractions are just for fun. Well actually, they're kind of for practice but still. I always thought contractions = labour. Nope. You can be doubled over in the pharmacy and not be able to breathe and still not be in labour.

*Main pregnancy symptoms this week have included dragon lady heartburn, sore back, sore pelvis, tired legs, and oddly a lot of nausea. Definitely feels different than the past 9+ months lately so I'm going to take this as a good sign.

*Everyone is anxiously awaiting me going into labour so I have to be careful that I don't get everyone too excited when it's not happening yet. Anytime I call a friend or family member they sound so hopeful on the other line.

*The baby had dropped even lower yesterday when I woke up, which I didn't think was possible. Also hoping that's a good sign.

*I will leave you now with something happy. This weekend I insisted Leigh take me to Krause Berry Farms for Pumpkin Waffles. So worth it. Here is a picture of a very happy pregnant lady.

Waiting for Baby

Random headless bump photo from this week. 

Last week I started to go a little bit crazy. Time felt like it stopped, I was trying to spend time resting but it kinda backfired and started making me feel like I was losing my mind. The last few weeks of pregnancy are no joke. Luckily I have some amazing people in my life taking care of me and pretty much spoiling me rotten.

This week has been a lot more fun. I made sure to book myself up with lots of fun activities. This is what I've been up to lately:

 I also bought a few things off buy/sell/swap sites off Facebook, which I totally recommend. I got a baby tub for $10 and they sell for $40 at baby stores. Last weekend my mom and I went shopping for last minute baby things. I needed random things like a few bottles and some things for my hospital bag. Afterwards we went for a girls lunch.

My mom also took me to see Alexander and the Terrible,  Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day which was a cute family movie with a little bit of adult humour thrown in.

I've been going for lunch with friends  every day this week, which has been really fun. I even had an impromptu lunch date with Leigh this week, at one of our favourite places, Lunch Doctor in Pitt Meadows.

I got treated to another movie this week by Nicky, we saw This Is Where I Leave You, which was funny and sad but somehow I managed to keep the tears in, because I hate crying in public places.

image via Pinterest, love this idea for baby's room

I have always loved Chapters but I have found myself going there almost every day lately. First of all, it literally calms my body and mind. I don't know why but as soon as I go in there I feel happy. I have also kind of discovered children's books, and I am obsessed. They are so beautiful and sweet and I want to buy them all for my daughter. Thankfully I have a little time to build her up a library before she starts reading and even being read to. I've started a wish list for her on Chapters so I can keep track of what books I want to get her!

I've been reading like crazy, The Rosie Effect (Sequel to the Rosie Project), Shopaholic to the Stars, and currently Charlie's Glass Slippers (modern day Cinderella story, yes please). It's really been keeping my mind occupied while my body rests, which is important. I am very concious of not exhausting my body because I really have no idea when I will go into labour and I might need my energy. Reading helps.

So does watching lovely fall TV! I have been watching a lot of pilots for new shows. So far, I love A-Z starring Cristin Milioti from How I Met Your mother (love her!) as well as Marry Me. I think my favourite new show would have to be Jane the Virgin. Sounds kind of bizzare but I can't wait to see what happens and I think it's a well done show!



I made this quiche earlier this week, using J's homemade pie crust. It was amazing.

Last night I got together with J and Nicky and we watched Frozen. I know, it's shocking, both Nicky and I hadn't seen it yet.  It was really cute! I wonder what the next Disney Phenomenon will be.

This weekend we will be keeping busy doing fun things, because I'm sure this baby is going to show up when we least expect it. Oh, and 38 week bumpdate will be up tomorrow.

Bump Love {37 Weeks}

Baby is the Size of a Giant Baby (Also a Winter Melon)

*I have total nap hair in the above picture.

*I'm currently at 37 weeks and 6 days and I am currently starting to understand why pregnant women who reach the start of full term look like they want to kill someone. Being this pregnant kind of sucks.  EVERYTHING hurts. My entire lower body feels like I did the craziest workout yesterday, except I didn't, I just maybe walked for an hour which I've been doing every day even though it hurts so bad. All of the pain is manageable but it's getting annoying.

*The other part of being this pregnant is that every day is like a year. Seriously. Time that has flown by so fast is now pretty much stopped. The fact that I'm due in a little over two weeks means nothing to me because that is decades away.

*I am trying to keep busy but I get exhausted pretty easily. I have been reading like crazy because at least it keeps my mind occupied and my body resting.

*I am having lots of little signs that labour is "coming soon" all of which mean nothing to me because if they are not happening in regular intervals and getting stronger and more frequent, it means I'm not having the baby today (or this "year") and that sucks. Don't get me wrong though, I am happy to let her cook as long as she needs to!

*I am still working a little bit, and it's keeping me sane. I have such a better day if I go to work for a bit in the morning!

*My mom and I had a girls day today, we went to Babies R Us and Target and Walmart and got all the little things I need, it was super fun! We went for lunch after and even stopped by to check on our apartment building. So I pretty much have everything I need but I don't feel ready. I'm pretty my first reaction to going into labour is going to be "Nope, not ready!" despite the fact I've been waiting for it for months.

*I checked in with the midwife on Friday, baby is in a perfect position, measuring right on time and I haven't gotten any fatter. All good news! Next week I will get "checked" for progress so that should be interesting.

*As you can see from the above picture, I was not kidding about not wearing real pants. Literally leggings every day, hoodies even though they can't be zipped up, and comfy sweatshirts including one of Leigh's that I stole. I love being comfortable when I'm so UNcomfortable from the inside out.

*This feels like the most boring pregnancy update yet. Sorry guys! I'm kinda just done and ready to meet our daughter!

Maternity Photos by Carol-Ann!

About a month ago, I met up with my very favourite photographer, Carol-Ann for our EIGHTH photoshoot! She has been my photographer for engagement, wedding, boudoir, business, you name it! I cannot WAIT to have her take family photos next year! She literally sent me the link like five minutes ago and I couldn't wait to share! Here are some of my favourites so far in no particular order!

My mama joined in for a few pics, she is loving that her baby girl is having a baby girl!

Ahhh I love them!! I was just telling Carol-Ann that I can't wait to finally have our own home where we can hang all our beautiful photos that she has taken! Thank you Carol-Ann for another amazing photo session and for always making me feel like a supermodel!

Bump Love {36 Weeks}

The Baby is the Big as a Honeydew Melon 

*What can I say at this point? I'm no longer counting weeks but days. I am 36 weeks and 4 days. In 3 days I will be 37 weeks, which is considered the START of full term.

*I had my 36 week appointment today which was pretty exciting. It felt much more exciting than my other appointments have been. First of all, the midwife did the teeniest ultrasound ever on her laptop which was pretty cool. She only checked to make sure the baby was head down so all I saw was a little circle. Secondly, the baby's head is engaged in my pelvis which is the proper way of saying she has dropped. I definitely felt like she had dropped this past week and my belly took on a different sort of shape than normal. I have been googling about babies dropping and one thing I found interesting was people saying that it will feel like the baby is sitting in your lap when your sitting up, which I totally find to be true.

*The midwife laughed at my next question, which was is my baby normal sized or giant? She said she's usually able to guess within a pound either way and she thinks our girl will be about 7lb at birth. Perfect!

*I won't be checked for dilation or anything like that until 39 weeks, which is just the way my midwives do it. Others may check earlier and doctors start checking probably earlier. The reason is that there's no point, I could be dilated and it means nothing or I could be NOT dilated and go into labour the next day. It's not a predictor of the baby's birthday. Seemingly nothing is!
*Since I'm almost full term, I'm going to just be honest - I am holding steady at 40 pounds gained. I am totally fine with this, I don't FEEL like I have gained 40 pounds. I wouldn't have even checked my weight except they do it at the midwife office and they make you do it and tell you your weight. 40lb is pretty much exactly what I was expecting. I didn't go overboard but I didn't stress about food either. I enjoyed my pregnancy and I'm happy with that. I also know my body and when I eat "normal" food vs "diet" food I gain weight very quickly. Once  I have the baby and am given medical clearance to exercise, I will see where I am at and set some goals and put my newly learned info from my course to good use!

*I was thrown a shower by my sister and two of my best friends last weekend and it was so much fun! I couldn't believe I was at my own baby shower and it went by so fast! I will share pics from it soon. I cannot believe the adorable wardrobe this child has already.  I am so thankful to have so many amazing women in my life!

*Since maxi dress season is pretty much over, I purchased a pair of super soft tights from Aritizia and I refuse to put real pants on for the next month.

*Symptom wise....I am just super pregnant. Heartburn is probably the worst. I am sleeping okay sometimes but waking up a lot. It's hard to get into a comfy sleeping position. It's also hard to shut my mind off. Thankfully I am reading the new shopaholic book before bed which turns my brain into cotton candy fluff. I have a lot of random "pains" happening from the belly down, some of which stop me in my tracks. I wouldn't say anything is that painful, just feels so WEIRD! Since she is engaged it explains why I have so much pressure in my pelvis the past week!

*I am emotionally feeling pretty good, I am pretty calm and happy MOST of the time. I reserve the right to be crazy if needed.

*Leigh and I are ready to meet this daughter of ours. I think Leigh is maybe more ready than me, but then again I'm the one who has to go through labour. Although I do feel way better about labour after spending quite a bit of time googling "things that hurt more than labour" general consensus is lots of things hurt more, such as tooth pain. If I can handle horrible tooth pain/wisdom teeth removal/dry socket for two weeks, I can handle delivering this baby.

*Energy levels have been all over the place, ranging from "Must organize and clean everything" to "cannot get out of bed". I'm listening to my body, doing what I feel like I doing and resting when I feel like resting. I'm training a few clients still and will probably up until when I go into labour. I set up their workout and then sit on an exercise ball and supervise/motivate them from there!

*Everything is being checked off my to do list slowly and it feels great. This week I FINALLY decided on and ordered my baby carrier (Happy Baby Wrap) so that's exciting. I can't wait to get it and try it out! Of course I will be posting about all my baby gear and what I think of it, hopefully I made the right choices because it was HARD to pick stuff!