Blog False Start, Re-start!

Hmmm... ok my last attempt to update the blog failed miserably! To be fair, I had decided to start up a blog because I was made redundant (American speak: laid off) in my last job (I feel the need to caveat that with the fact that I wasn't the only one!). But less than a month after I lost my job, I found another one! Yay, me! The novelty of staying home and watching trashy daytime TV hadn't even worn off when I found the new gig. The downside was that it was just a contractor position that ended last week. Still, it was good 5-month gig while it lasted! Now it's back to bumming around the house and therefore time to try to keep up a blog again.

First, a bit of background: I found out I was pregnant in the same week that I found out I was being made redundant! Of course, when you're working full-time, there's no 'ideal' time to get pregnant, but B and I had already decided we would try for a baby after we passed our one-year anniversary. It's not ideal to have a baby with no job to return to, but in the end, I think it's all going to work out. More on that another time...

Fast-forward 6 months later and I'm about ready to pop in a month's time! Scary! I didn't deliberately try to hide the pregnancy on Facebook, but I didn't necessarily want to broadcast it to the world either. That being said, I had been e-mailing a few friends and family with a 'bump watch' update. In the interest of catching everyone up who wasn't on that mailing list, here's what the last few e-mails have said:

Week 12: Trip home to share the news!

(Note: Photos are blurry because I was too lazy to scan them, so I held them up in front of my laptop camera...)

Week 20 1/2 report:
IT'S A BOY!

...though i still don't have a huge baby bump...

baby and i are fine. i had my 2nd ultrasound and everything is normal. he's growing healthily and is the right size for his age! the due date is still nov 5 or 6, so still right around my bday! feel free to give me presents instead of the baby ;) i'm starting pregnancy yoga tonight, so i'll keep you posted on how that goes!

(Note: B scanned them so they're much clearer!)

Week 30 report:
thought i'd send another 'bump watch' update now that i've reached my 30th week and 3rd trimester. just 10 weeks left until my due date - crazy how time flies! the baby and i are doing well. i can't remember if i mentioned it last time but i def have a feisty one here! he kicks all the time, especially in the ribs! and especially when i'm trying to get my work done! haha i also had my glucose tolerance test on mon and everything is normal - so no sugar-free diet for me! yay! i celebrated by having a huge slice of cake with a scoop of ice cream yesterday! ;)

now that we're at the end of august, b and i are starting to get everything prepped for his arrival. i've ordered a gliding crib (as opposed to one that rocks) as well as a bigger cotbed for when he's a bit older. i love e-bay! since most places advise getting a new mattress anyway, we thought we'd save some money and get the crib and cotbed second-hand. we're off to pick them up later today so hopefully it all works out!

i've got one more month of work before i finish contracting with the current company i work for. i might be able to do a few hours a week from home later on but i will pretty much be unemployed from oct on! scary but exciting at the same time! maybe i'll start a baby blog... we'll see how much time i actually have! i had to skip yoga this week because i had to work a bit later than usual on wed but i just got this pregnancy fitness video that is supposed to make your thighs burn! fitness pregnancy blog anyone? haha

the only down side to the pregnancy (besides the dietary restriction!) so far is that i've developed carpel tunnel syndrome. that means my fingers have been numb for the last two months and i have to wear wrist splints at night. but otherwise it's been ok. considering some of the horror stories i've heard about people with morning sickness, i'm glad this has been the only pregnancy ailment i've experienced!

i think i'm supposed to gain a pound a week until i deliver so i have a feeling i will be growing exponentially over the next few weeks! i still have my belly button innie tho! haha i dunno if everyone's belly button pops out but mine has yet to!

Week 34:
it's been about a month, so i thought i'd send another 'bump watch' update. i was just looking at the picture i sent at week 30 and i think my bump doubled in size! i've got 2 more weeks of work left and 6 weeks until my due date. things are still going well - although i'm feeling tired all the freaking time! i've managed to get some sleep on my train into work but i've also hit the point where i'm getting up anywhere from 2-4 times a night to pee! it's so annoying!

things are slowly coming together although i feel like the house is a bit of a mess! we've got cardboard boxes everywhere!!! we picked up the gliding cot and cotbed and both are assembled, although the cotbed is a bit bigger than i thought, so we're going to have to re-arrange our room to accommodate it. we decided to put the cotbed in our room, freeing up the spare room for when my parents arrive on nov. 4 and the office so b can iron/get changed for work without waking the baby up. we also decided to put the gliding cot in the living room so we'll have a place to lay down the baby when we're downstairs. so yeah, like i said, things are slowly starting to come together.

i just ordered a tens machine, too, which is supposed to send electric pulses to your back as a drug-free method of coping with labor. i'll let you know in a few weeks if it works! b and i attended our two parent craft classes and we learned so much! labor is not at all like how they portray on tv. on tv shows, someone's water breaks and then they rush to the hospital. not here! you call the labor ward to let them know your water breaks but otherwise stay home until your contractions are regular and less than 5 minutes apart. luckily the hospital is only a 5 min drive from here, but still!... so the tens machine will hopefully help to keep me calm at home... i might also get a yoga ball. i missed yoga 2 weeks in a row and when i went on wed, i felt so stiff! i def need to do more yoga, maybe some swimming and other stretching before my due date. once i finish work, i might check out an aquanatal class that they have wed mornings. i bought this pregnancy exercise dvd with erin o'brien (apparently she's married to james denton from 'desperate housewives'), which uses pilates moves, and it totally kicks my ass. rough on the thighs but the burn is good. it makes me feel like i'm accomplishing something! haha no pain, no gain, right?

well that's about it for now. this weekend i'm going to pack my hospital bag (just in case) and wash the baby clothes that we've bought so far so he has something to wear in case he decides to make an early appearance.

p.s. I STILL HAVE MY BELLY BUTTON! woohoo!