Slowly but surely, it's coming together :-)

I am so excited! Today (Sunday) was an amazing day. We had one of the best church services yet and an amazing time of fellowship afterwards. The Holy Spirit really feel today :-)

After fellowshiping with our congregation after service, Dennard took Little Sweets and myself out for a late breakfast to one of our favorite breakfast spots; Flips. Little Sweets has been 'extremely' quite today; not much movement compared to most days. I guess the baby is really taking Sunday as their day of rest! LOL

In anycase, my dad was planning on stopping over today while we were at service to finish installing the closet organizer I had purchased for the nursery. We really appreciate his labours as Dennard will be the first to admit that he's not the most handiest of men! LOL When we got home, we were pleasantly surprised to find that my dad had not only installed the closet organizer for us, but assembled my rocking chair and began to pull out the parts for my bassinet.

I was literally moved to tears. To see my rocking chair set up and the parts to my bassinet laying on the floor ready to be put together, made it all so real that our little baby is coming home soon! I stood there for a while, tears streaming down my cheeks, as I envisioned myself rocking our Little Sweets to sleep and quietly putting them down for naps in their new bassinet.  Dennard chuckled at me as he left the nursery- he's getting use to my sentimental moments now and find them quiet humorous! LOL

I spent the afternoon loading some of the baby's items into their new closet and arranging everything just so. I must have put things in, pulled things out, put things back in and pulled them back out 1000 times. LOL I wanted to make sure everything was organized and laid out perfectly. I wanted to make sure the little socks and hats were easily assessable, that the toys had a special spot, diapers were stored away, etc.  I was able to get a good start today with the items I have. The rest of it will be organized after my shower on June 30th.

The room has a FAR way to come, but here is what it looks like to date. Slowly but surely, it's coming together :-)

 I am not taking the plastic off my rocker until closer to my due date as I dont want it just sitting there collecting dust.  The crib and dresser will be brought up from the garage and assembled in a few weeks.  We will be laying down an area rug within the week to make the room a little more cosy for the baby.

The room is very simple looking now as I don't plan on accessorising the room with more colours until the baby is born. I want to be able to decorate it and accent it according to the gender.

I can't take a full shot of the room due to the angling of the walls, but you can see what it looks like from the hallway going into the nursery.

 

 

29 Weeks Pregnant

Happy 29 Weeks Little Sweets! Today marks another big milestone in Little Sweets development.

Today my precious little one weighs 2lbs, 10oz and is over 15inches in length. His/her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and the baby's head is growing bigger and bigger. Every day the baby is growing and preparing more for their big entrance into the world in July :-)

Today my mom and two sisters took me to the annual 'Baby Show' at the International Centre. We've been planning on going to this show for months. The tickets were bought weeks ago and there was no way I was going to miss it!

Dennard and I were a bit concerned as to how I'd be feeling today, after yesterday's scare; however, I felt 100% better and ready to shop!

For those who may not be familiar with the Baby Show, it's a trade show put on specifically for expectant and new moms. With over 100 vendor sponsored booths by various companies such as Babies R Us, Huggies, Aveeno, Peg Perego, etc. mommy's such as myself are able to test out new baby products, take part in first aid classes, buy baby clothes and toys and walk home with a bag full of FREE goodies :-)

That's one of the best parts about these trade shows; the free gifts we get to take home. Today I walked out with a bag full of free bottles, pacifiers, lotions and shampoos, hydrosense nasal drops, diapers and more.

We had a great time visiting each booth, seeing what's new on the baby market and laughing at some of the crazy inventions new parents are so quick to buy for their tiny ones. The designs and features on some of the new strollers and carriers coming out are ridiculous! They look like something out of a Star Wars movie! lol

It was such a neat experience to see and be with so many pregnant woman; there had to be over 1000 of us there. All at different stages in our pregnancy, some with big belly's, some with small, some walking comfortably as others wobbled along.

I got a few good chuckles watching some of the daddy's tagging along behind their wives loaded down with bags of free goodies and purchased items as their wives excitingly travelled from booth to booth. I thought to myself at one point 'Dennard would never go for this!! Too many woman in one place and way too many baby things!'. LOL 

It's a tradition in my family that the 'Pepperall girls' go together to the Baby Show for each girls first child. Just three years ago we were there for Jenn when she was expecting Ava. It felt surreal that we were at the show this time for me!

After spending few good hours at the show, we headed to Tony Roma's for a late lunch afterwards. By this time, Little Sweets was starving and ready to eat- not to mention myself, my mom and sisters.

After eating, Little Sweets was either very excited to have been fed or really ticked off that it took so long to eat, because after getting up from the dinner table I was kicked repeatedly over and over again in my lower abdomen. The whole walk to the car it was 'kick, kick, kick'. At times the kicks were so sharp and strong that I had to stop for a quick second to catch my breath and keep walking.

Overall today was an excellent day. Another afternoon filled with special memories and lots of laughter :-)

Below are a few pictures from our trip to the 'Baby Show'.

Emergency Room Visit

Today was definitely an eventful day-to say the least!

I awoke around my regular time this morning, 5:00am to find myself extremely dizzy. I felt as if the world around me was spinning, twirling and twisting out of control at a rapid speed.

I tried laying still in hopes that it would soon pass; however, it did not. It gradually worsened with each passing minute. Through my tightly closed eyes, I could feel my eyes rolling around under my eye lids as if I was on a crazy roller coaster ride. I tried sitting up, which made the dizziness all that much more worse, causing me to collapse back onto my pillow.

Come 6:00am, through tear soaked eyes, I woke Dennard up as my condition was worsening. He tried everything possible to try and get me to relax and fall back to sleep; but nothing worked. The more he stroked my hair and brushed my face with his hand, the more dizzy I felt.

At some point between 6:30am and 7:30am I some how managed to fall back to sleep. Dennard woke me up at 7:30pm to remind me to call in to my work and let them know I was sick. Well, the second my body came back into conscienceness, the spinning, twirling and twisting was back-10 times worse!

I figured if I could somehow get myself to go back to sleep again, I'd be ok.....but there was no hope in that. The extreme dizziness got worse and worse and worse. Concerned for the baby, I called my mom to let her know what was happening and to see if she could come over and check and my blood pressure.

Sometimes if a persons blood pressure is too low, it will cause dizziness. In anycase, the second I hung up the phone with my mom I became violently ill. I called her back immediately and told her that I needed to be taken to the hospital.

I couldn't reach Dennard at this point as he was already at work and in meetings. I called my dad to let him know that my mom was coming over and that we were planning on going to the hospital.

He rushed over immediately. Within 15mins, both my parents were at my home and at my bedside. The sign of true parenthood!!!

My mom checked my blood pressure (which was very low) and we called Telehealth to get their thoughts on what they thought I should do. I was instructed by the nurse on the phone to go to the hospital immediately!

After about a half an hour of trying to get me out of bed, we finally made our way to the hospital. What a task that was! lol 

When we got to the hospital (Credit Valley) I was taken almost immediately, put on a bed and hooked up to an IV and gravol. I was seen by a doctor within 20mins of being there and blood work was already in progress. I was impressed at how quickly they tended to me.

After waiting an hour or so, my test results came back and everything looked ok with me and Little Sweets-Praise God! My iron levels were fine, blood pressure, blood count, etc. They weren't quite sure what to equate my symptoms to; however, the doctor said it was probably just a nasty virus.

Little Sweets was very, very active when they were doing my blood work. Both my parents were able to feel his/her hard kicks and jabs :-) Let me tell you.....there was no better feeling in the world then to feel my little one moving about. It was a reassurance that they were ok- which was my #1 concern!!

Before letting me leave the hospital, they wanted to do a fetal heart beat to ensure everything was ok with the baby. Hearing the clear and distinct sound of 'wosh, wosh, wosh' of Little Sweet's heartbeat brought me to tears. The heartbeat was 140; a nice strong beat for my little bundle of joy. Both my parents were able to hear the heartbeat as well, which was a treat for me. For them to both hear the heartbeat of their 5th grandchild was priceless!!

My incredible parents were amazing through all of this-from start to finish; a true support team! Dennard and I are both very grateful that they could be there when he couldn't. We are forever grateful!

When we got home from the hospital, my mom did a quick clean up of my belongings and my dad went straight to the kitchen and prepared soup and toast for me. I was taken up to bed shortly after where I slept a good 3-4hours; sleep that I so desperately needed!

When I awoke, my sweet dad was still home with me. He was quietly working away in the baby's room installing the baby's blinds, curtain rod, new ceiling light, dimmer and closet organizer.

Once he knew all was ok with me and that I could manage on my own until Dennard got home, he left to make his way back home.

Words can not express how truly thankful I am for the love, support and labours of my parents today! Only God knows how much it meant to me! Truth be said, no matter how old you get, single or married, your parents will always be your parent and you will always be there baby.

Funny Story:
Hard to believe there could be a funny story in any of this, but there is! lol
Laying the hospital bed, I desperately needed my head elevated. My parents worked together trying to figure out how to get the head part of the bed to go up. Stepping on all the petals, pulling all the handles, etc. they could not figure out how to get the head part to rise. Feeling extremely dizzy and nauseous, seconds away from being sick, my parents worked quickly to figure out what to do. In the confusion of figuring out what petal did what, my dad hit one of the petals under the bed in hopes that it was the petal to elevate me...BUT...it wasn't!

Instead, it was the petal to drop the bed down. lol I was dropped down a good few inches where the bed came to a crashing hault mere feet from the ground. All three of us broke into a roar of laughter! He couldn't have hit a worse petal than one that jolted my body more than it already felt! lol
I looked up at my dad, room still spinning a mile a minute and said though chuckles "Dad...this is why you never pursued becoming a doctor!"-lol
The whole situation was priceless! I just had to write it in my blog to share with Little Sweet's one day :-)

The Essence of the Word 'Mom'

Last night was a very late night for myself and Little Sweets! I am sure paying for it today! lol I feel pretty exhausted! Shocking as this is, I was so tired last night that I slept through the ENTIRE night without waking up once!

I know I'll be getting a firm rebuke from my mom after she reads this blog! lol I can just see her email now "Devin! What are you doing out so late! You need to be getting rest!! You're going to burn yourself out and make yourself sick".

Mom, to spare you the email...it was only a one time thing, don't worry! lol I will get to bed 'extra' early tonight! :-) lol

Dennard and I brought two of our converts out to the Mississauga church service to give them the big picture of what our fellowship and Etobicoke church vision is all about. They live quite far in Toronto, both on opposite ends, so we didn't get home until midnight. We had fellowshiped for quite some time after service, so we didn't end up leaving the church until around 10:30pm. Oh yeah....and we had to stop off at Tim Hortons on the way to dropping them home because 'Little Sweets' was hungry....or maybe it was just me! (hee hee)

Anyhow, I don't know if it's hormones or me just not getting enough sleep, but I had a bit of a teary-eyed moment on my drive into work this AM. Thinking about some of the upcoming events happening in our church this May, it dawned on me that Mother's Day is coming up and that I need to plan something special for the mother's in my church. I started to go through various ideas in my head and how I want to recognize them in our Mother's Day service. It hit me in that moment of thought "oh my gosh....this will be my first Mother's Day!".

I then started to picture myself standing up with the ladies in our church as we received our Mother's Day cheers and claps from the congregation. I fought back tears as I tried to stay focused on the road ahead of me. Wow! I am a mommy!! That sweet reality hits me from time to time.

I feel so privileged to be given such an honorable name like 'mom'. The name 'mom' is not just given to a woman who carries and gives birth to a child, but to a woman who lives up to the name 'mom'.
A woman who loves, prays and invests in her child(ren). A woman who devotes her time and life to raising her kids and giving them the best life has to offer. Kissing their 'boo-boos' when they fall, staying up and stroking their hair at night when they are sick, sitting at the kitchen table helping with homework, proudly cheering them on with video camera (and kleenex) in hand at school plays and recitals, etc. The list is never ending....

My goal is to live up to the name 'mom'...in every aspect of it's meaning.

Anyhow, Little Sweets has been pretty calm and quite today. I think the baby is just as tired as mommy! lol

People say that you can tell a lot about your child and their personality as early as in the womb based on the baby's movements. If that is true, I think Little Sweets will be very much like their daddy-calm, quiet, patient and reserved. Not like their mommy; loud, active, busy and wild! lol

Little Sweets hasn't been the most active baby. Many days I poke and prod my tummy just to try and get the baby to move, only to get no response in return! lol  The days and moments that I do get a nudge, kick or jab, I cherish greatly!! I could be having the craziest day, but when I feel a kick or punch, my day is turned right around. An overwhelming sense of love comes over me and situations just don't seem so bad anymore :-)

Pregnancy is great....but I know motherhood will be even better!!! I can't wait!

Daddy's Hospital Bag
As mentioned in an earlier post, it is important to me that Dennard is just as comfortable as I am when we head to the hospital to meet Little Sweets. You never really know how long you'll be there between labouring and recovering after birth, so it's important to go prepared!

With that being said, I stopped off at Walmart (again! lol) on my way home after work to pick up a few snacks for his hospital bag.  Here are the snacks I picked up:
1. Nurtrigrain Granola Bars
2. Cheedar Rice Cakes
3. Whole Wheat Crackers
4. Dennard's fave....BBQ Lays Stax
5. Gatorade- to keep him alert and hydrated! lol
6. Bottled Water

And yes...I checked the expiry dates on all the items I bought to ensure they will still be fresh come July! lol Rest assured, they don't expire until September!! lol

I have yet to pack his comfy clothes for the hospital, but I will wait until later on to do that! lol

Oh, and if you are wondering, yes, I have started on my hospital bag as well-lol. I started this a week ago :-) So far I have packed newborn diapers, wipes, breast pads, formula (just in case the baby doesn't feed-which I CLAIM they will!!!), a nursing tank top for me and a few extra little items.

Side Note: 
I also stopped off at Bonnie Togs and picked out two adorable little sleepers to pack in my hospital bag; one pink, one blue. I want to bring our Little Sweets home in the colour of their gender :-)  Since we decided to wait to know the baby's gender, I picked up one of each colour! lol Better safe than sorry right! Here is a picture of the two sleepers; so tiny and soooo sweet!!!
Now I just need to find hats to match :-)

Little Sweet's Homecoming Outfit :-)  

'You will be huge!"- LOL

What started off as a tiny little bump just a few short weeks ago has now grown into a full size tummy! lol I can't get over how fast a woman's body can change over night when pregnant. I feel like every day my tummy gets a bit bigger than the day before.

It's amazing to see and watch the transformation. Before people would say "I heard you are pregnant? Where are you hiding the baby?" to "Awwh, look at you now! You just popped over night!"-lol. For months I looked like 'me' and then in just a span of one week I looked pregnant. I just popped!

I was sooo anxious to look pregnant and now that I finally do, I LOVE it! :-) My dad saw me last night and couldn't get over how much my tummy has grown since I saw him the prior week. I said "Look at how big my belly is now dad!". His response-"Just wait until your 8 or 9 months, your belly will be huge!". LOL

I got a good laugh out of that as it's dawned on me that this is really the only time in life when someone can tell a woman her belly is big or huge without her getting offended! LOL

My belly button has really changed the last few days! My growing belly has caused my belly button to start to pop. What was once an inny belly button is almost a non-existent belly button. lol It's almost flat against my belly now-with the exception of a small part that still pokes a bit. Dennard is quite fascinated to see the changes day to day-lol. Everyday he touches it and says "eww-it looks and feels so funny!". lol Thanks Dennard! lol

I learned today that chocolate chip cookies give me heart burn. Not many things thus far have given me heart burn, but I guess this is one of them. Within minutes after eating it I was hit with the wonderful feeling of heart burn! lol Thank goodness I carry mint Tums in my purse everywhere I go as it became a quick salvation for me. Other mothers know exactly what kind of relief I am talking about! lol

I had a rough time getting to sleep last night. The mid section of my back was very achy. I tried stretching, positioning my body in different spots and moving my pillows around. At one point I tried laying on my left side and sticking a pillow under my tummy to alleviate some of the discomfort, but Little Sweet's wasn't having it! I was hit and jabbed multiple times over and over again  by the baby telling me to get the pillow out!! As soon as I removed the pillow, the jabbing stopped and Little Sweet's was at peace again. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself.

Even in the womb the baby trys to communicates with you. They let you know what they like and do not like; however, they tell you their 'do not likes' a lot more! lol

Funny Story:  Just a week ago I had come home late from work and was working on some things on my computer at home. I was exhausted and didn't have the energy nor the desire to cook that night. Dennard said he would go out and get me anything I wanted; however, I felt bad and said I would just find something in the fridge to quickly throw together. Anyhow, we went back and forth and back and forth again for at least 10mins with Dennard insisting he go out and buy me something and me saying I'd just put something quick together from what we had in the fridge. At one point I said "Sweets (we both call eachother Sweets...lol) I don't want to be one of these pregnant wives where the husband is running around catering to her every want and need. I feel horrible! I don't want you running around town for me! Just because I am pregnant doesn't mean I can't still do things for myself".  Long story short, we continued to go back and forth for a little while longer; however, I saw Dennard head to the front door (well at least that's where I thought he was going...lol) In the same breath of me saying "Sweets...please! I dont want you going out just to get food for me...I blurted out 'two thighs, two legs and mashed potatoes please!". LOL  He stopped in his tracks and almost dropped to the floor in laughter. He was actually walking to the washroom-not the front door! LOL But what made it so funny was fact that I was insisting over and over again that he not go out to get me food; however, the second I thought he was leaving the house to get me food, I blurted out my order! LOL We just about died laughing.  LOL We joked about it for days after!! 

Needless to say, he went out and got my two tighs, two legs and not mashed potatoes, but potatoe salad that night!!  LOL He's such a good husband and daddy :-)

Safety First!

Natures been calling way too early these days and way too many times! lol It's like clock work; every morning at 5:30AM my bladder wakes me up. I use to pride myself in being able to sleep through the night without any interruptions, no 'nature' calls or trouble getting comfortable or sleeping. Sadly, I've now kissed two of the three good-bye! lol Since entering my second trimester of pregnancy, my sleep is now interrupted at least two to three times a night b/c of 'nature' calls. lol

I've come to the harsh reality that it wont get any better-lol. My nice, long, peaceful and restful sleeps will never be the same; at least not for the next 7-8 years! lol I will soon be up multiple times a night feeding and changing the baby, then up multiple times a night to the crys of "mommy" ringing through the night when my toddler cant sleep or had a bad dream, etc.

It's a part of motherhood you can never really prepare yourself for. God defiantly has a sense of humor though! Many nights I find myself lying awake (b/c I can't go back to sleep since having been up-lol) and thinking to myself "God, this must be your way of gradually getting me ready for sleepless nights and going off of only a few hours rest!".

I don't know how my husband sleeps through all my tossing and turning; however, he seems to have no problem at all-lol.

Anyhow, today after work I popped over to Babies R Us to change a few items on my registry that were in question from Saturday. While there, I decided to pick up a pack of Safety 1st baby plug protectors.

I know, I know....call me crazy, but I like to be well prepared when it comes to things! I also think it's part of the whole 'nesting' stage and wanting to have everything 'just right' for when I bring the baby home.

Although I wont be needing to 'child proof' my home for another year or so, I didn't see the harm in starting early; safety first right! LOL When I got home, I went around the house and plugged all my exposed ground level outlets. I am officially ready for tiny fingers curiously making their way to the outlets in my home! LOL

I've been craving fruit all day. Something very typical since being pregnant. Not a day goes by that I don't crave fruit, especially gala apples. I didn't have any apples in my fridge today, so I had to settle with just plums :-S  Unfortunately, they did not satisfy my craving, so I am going to pop over to Walmart tonight to pick up some apples. lol

New Developmet This Week: The past week or two Little Sweet's movements have changed from mild punches and kicks, to full out stretches, hard kicks and sometimes painful jabs; not to mention funny creepy-crawly sensations in my tummy. The painful jabs are becoming more frequent now that the baby's bones are harder and the room in my tummy is becoming more limited the bigger Little Sweet's gets.

I felt a part of Little Sweets poking through by my belly button this week which was SOOOO cool!! When I pressed on it, Little Sweets slowly moved away as if to say "Ok...that's enough now Mommy!" hee hee. Now everyday, I am feeling around my tummy to see if I can feel more of Little Sweet's poking through:-)

Did you know that according to the website BabyCentre.Com, Little Sweet's currently measures 15" in length from the top of their head to their heels and weighs roughly 2lbs-3oz (about the same weight as a cabbage). Little Sweet's can now blink his/her eyes, which now sport eye lashes :-) Crazy eh!!! The baby from now on will be gaining more and more weight to prepare for life in the outside world.

Safety first! LOL

28 Weeks Pregnant

I am officially 28 weeks pregnant today; Saturday April 21st :-)

I had an early start this AM. I woke up at 5:30AM starving, with a splitting headache and the shocking reality that I only have 12 more weeks of pregnancy left! Oh my goodness!! A wave of emotion passed through me as I absorbed the truth that my pregnancy with Little Sweet's is quickly approaching it's end.

There are no words in the human dictionary that could explain or define the utter joy and pleasure it has been being pregnant. I truly mean that! For some woman, they count down the days until pregnancy is over, but for me, I am holding on and cherishing each day as if it were my last.

Some woman have said "Devin, you say that now, but wait until your 8 or 9 months pregnant". Truthfully, I can't see my mindset changing. I suffered from all day pregnancy sickness in my third month, but even then, I never wished for my pregnancy to go by faster. I just prayed the sickness would end come my fourth month; and praise God it did!! lol

Aside from that, today was a very eventful and fun day for myself and Little Sweets; it was registry day :-) My sisters, mom and myself spent 4.5hours in Babies R Us, registry gun in hand, registering for every baby item known to man-well at least it seemed like it! lol

I would have never imagined that registering would take so long, but between all the laughs, pictures, product discussions and decision making, we were longer than we had thought. I left feeling a sense of accomplishment though knowing I had completed what I went there for.

I am so grateful to have had the input and wisdom from my sisters on what products they recommended since they are both new mothers themselves. My mom was such a blessing b/c she pushed the cart around with all of our purses and drinks and cracked most of the jokes-lol.

Even though I came prepared today with my list of items to register for and being well educated on what brands and products had the best ratings,  I still found myself feeling overwhelmed at times.

Three (3) of the hardest decisions for me today were:
1. What swing to get
2. What bouncer to get
3. What bottles to get

I feel a sense of relief now being home and being able to check one more thing off my list of to-do's.

I am off to practise my piano and make a few follow-up calls before heading to bed. One day done, another one to prepare for :-)

Here are some pictures from our day of registrying :-) We had a lot of fun and laughs....as you can tell!! LOL

The 'Pepperall' Girls...and Little Sweet's :-)

Me joking around and getting stuck in the baby bath tub! lol We laughed so hard. My mom had to tip me over onto the ground to get me out!!! LOL

This picture cracks me up! We didn't realize until after the picture was taken that Cheryl was pretending to be sleeping on the baby head rest pillow!! LOL

Pregnancy Humour :-)

Q. What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's gender?
A. Childbirth.

Q. The more pregnant I get, the more often strangers smile at me. Why?
A. 'Cause you're fatter than they are.

Q. My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labor, but pressure. Is she right?
A. Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.

Q. What are the terrible twos?
A. What your breasts look like after you stop breastfeeding

Q. What is the best time to wean the baby from nursing?
A. When you see teeth marks.

Q. Since I became pregnant, my breasts, rear-end, and even my feet have grown. Is there anything that gets smaller during pregnancy?
A. Yes, your bladder.

Q. How will I know if my vomiting is morning sickness or the flu?
A. If it's the flu, you'll get better.

And my favourite: (I actually laughed out loud when I read this one!)
Q. How does one sanitize nipples?
A. Bathe daily and wear a clean bra. It beats boiling them in a saucepan

Cirque Du Soleil In My Tummy!!

Awwwh, home, home at last :-) It has been a busy day today. Between waking up late (it would have been later if Dennard didn't wake me-lol), racing to work, putting in a full day, participating in a company 'Earth Day' city clean up, outreaching after work and bridal shower shopping for my coworker, I am finally home. I couldn't jump in the shower fast enough and just wash away the busyness of the day.

I am truly grateful for the 'busyness' of my days though as it wouldn't feel quite right if they weren't so busy. For anyone who knows me, I am 'go, go, go' all the time. Being pregnant has not stopped me or slowed me down in the slightest-YET (lol).

My poor husband is on my case all the time 'Devin, please sit down!' 'Devin, can you just sit and relax for a while?' 'Devin, you don't always have to be doing something!'. lol I love him for that; he's always looking out for me and always has my best interest at heart :-) I can't count the number of times he has run out late in evening to get me something I casually mentioned that I was craving (even after begging him not to go-lol) taking care of the house work for me, rubbing my sore feet or refusing to let me carry anything on my own! (I've received a few firm rebukes from him for lifting or carrying something he felt I shouldn't-lol)

Funny story: One evening in my third month of pregnancy, I was feeling a little ill. I didn't have much of an appetite; however, I was craving milk, Lipton chicken noodle soup and saltine crackers. We didn't have any in the home at the time, but Dennard was adamant he was going to run over to Walmart and pick them up for me. When he got home, he had multiple bags in hand. Once going through each bag, I couldn't help but break into a belly hurting roar of laughter. He had bought 6 bags of milk (2 large bags containing 3 pitcher size bags each) three boxes of Lipton soup and the BIGGEST, jumbo size box of saltine crackers. lol  Dennard's response to vast amount of items "I wanted to make sure you had enough!"-lol We must have laughed together for a good 5 minutes!

There are many stories similar to these, but it would take an entire day to write them all :-) lol

In anycase, today Little Sweet's had the most active and busy day so far in my pregnancy. I have never felt the baby move as much as he/she did this morning. Mornings are usually the baby's quiet time, but not today. I was so distracted at work by all the flipping, turning, kicking and stretching. At one point I called my coworker over and we both sat and watched my tummy doing waves and rolls. lol It was so neat!!

This went on for hours; at least until lunch time. After lunch, Little Sweet's was as calm and quiet as could be. I guess the baby is like his/her father; after a good meal, it's lights out for them! lol

Aside from the Cirque Du Soleil show in my tummy, there's nothing really new to report today.

I do have to say though, one thing I am dying for, which I have been craving since I found out I was pregnant is.....get ready for it.....HOT DOGS!! Yes, you read right! I told my coworkers the other day that one of the first things I am going to indulge in once the baby is born is the biggest, juiciest, street dog I can find; loaded with ketchup and mustard!! lol Call me crazy, but it's the truth. I am sure other mother's can relate to this bizarre craving. 

Doctors advise against eating hot dogs during pregnancy b/c they could harbour the bacteria called listeria if not cooked thoroughly. Plus, they contain a high dose of nitrates which isn't good for the baby. So, it's better to stay away than take the chance; at least to me it is.

Fun Fact for the Day:  I officially can not see my feet when I am standing up straight! lol I will post some pictures of my growing tummy soon; as soon as I can figure out how to post pictures! lol






(27 weeks pregnant)

Fun & Interesting Facts About My Pregnancy Thus Far

Here are some fun and interesting facts about my pregnancy with Little Sweet's thus far:

1. When we went for our first ultrasound appointment, we were shocked when we found out Little Sweets was actually 11 weeks old and not 10 weeks like we had thought

2. Little did we know, Little Sweets was with us for our church farewell on October 9th and for our first Etobicoke service on October 30th :-)

3. Rubi dreamt that I was going to be pregnant by her baby shower on October 29th; low and behold, she was right! I didn't know at the time that I was pregnant; however, I had a strong feeling I was.

4. Dennard's mom was so excited when we announced our pregnancy to the family on Christmas, she nearly feel over and someone had to get her a chair! lol

5. Little Sweet's favours my right side. All movements, kicks, rolls and punches are felt mainly on my right side; rarely in the middle of my tummy or on the left. It has been like this since I started to feel the first signs of movement; February 19th to be exact :-)

6. We first heard Little Sweet's tiny heartbeat on January 12th (3.5months old)

7. Little Sweet's LOVES milk :-) Everytime I drink a glass of milk, the baby loves to dance around. I find myself loving milk more now than ever; I have to have at least one tall glass a day!

8. I love, love, love and crave Gala apples. I eat about 2-3 a day. For the last few weeks I have craved non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiris. YUM!!!!

9. I've listened to only Jazz, Classical and Gospel music since being pregnant. I want the best influences for my child even in the womb :-)

10. March 6th at 4:30am I awoke to the hiccups of Little Sweets. One of the most amazing feelings! I was so excited, I couldn't go back to sleep after. Haven`t felt any more since that night though :-(

11. The first person outside of myself and Dennard to hear Little Sweets heartbeat was 'Nana' (my mom) at a doctors appointment

12. The first person to feel Little Sweets kick outside of myself was 'Grampy' (my dad) on March 25th. Dennard has YET to claim he feels the baby move! lol One day he will....I claim it! :-)

13. One of my favorite songs I like to sing to Little Sweet's is: Frankie Valli's 'Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You'. I have changed some of the words in the song and made up my own to reflect my feelings towards the baby.

14. First out of country trip for the family; Dennard, myself and Little Sweets, was to Buffalo, NY on March 30th for a shopping trip

15. Dennard made up a funny song for me called "Big Belly Woman" that he sings and I dance to. We get many laughs out of this together. It gets even funnier the bigger my belly gets....lol

16. Little Sweet's is very quiet throughout the day, but very active in the evening; usually around bed time

17. Last ultrasound appointment, Little Sweet's heart beat was 150

18. We have two girls names picked out; one that we picked in our courtship 7 years ago and one that we picked out 5 years ago. We are still deciding between the two.

19. We are struggling with finding a boys name; however, we've picked a boys middle name! lol Go figure!

The image of love; our first 'family' photo at 17 weeks pregnant :-)

Little Sweets; God's special and precious gift to us!

Let me take you back a few months; 6 to be exact :-) Monday November 7th of this year, I awoke very early, snuck downstairs to my main floor washroom, closed the door ever so quietly and took out a pregnancy test from the box held tightly in my hand. Not wanting to wake Dennard or let him know what I was doing, I tried my best to stay as quiet as possible.

Once completing the test, the long and anticipated wait began. Glaring at myself in the mirror infront of me, trying to remain composed in the excitement and anticipation, I starred myself direct in the eyes to avoid prematurely glancing down at the test that lay infront of me.

I remember saying over and over in my head 'oh my gosh...oh my gosh...I could be a mommy! I could have a baby inside of me right now!'. During the 'waiting game' I cupped my hands over my face a few times in sheer excitement not to let out a sound.

Not being able to handle the anticipation any longer (I probably only waited 30seconds-lol), I took one final look at myself in the mirror, took a deep breath and reached for the test. It was POSITIVE! A dark, solid blue line screamed in my face "YOUR PREGNANT". I couldn't believe it!!! I had a strong feeling I was pregnant for weeks; however, I wasn't able to confirm it until this very moment.

I threw open the bathroom door, ran to my living room couch, grabbed a pillow and screamed into it with utter joy!!! I was ecstatic!!! Over the moon!!!! My screams soon turned to tears of thankfulness and happiness. I began to pray and thank God for this wonderful new blessing in our lives and for giving me the privilege of being a mommy and carrying one of His precious children.

After waiting for what seemed like a lifetime to be able to confirm my pregancy (when in fact it was only a 4 week wait! lol)  it was now confirmed....I was a mommy and Dennard was a daddy!

Dennard had 'daddy's intuition' from the very beginning and felt very strongly that I was pregnant. He would tell me almost every day for the 4 weeks 'You're pregnant! I know it! I just know it!'. lol

It was that night I told Dennard the wonderful news. I waited to tell him that evening as I wanted to plan and announce it to him in a special way. When I told him, he was thrilled! We held eachother for a while and then he leaned over and kissed my tummy :-)

We had planned for this child and prayed for a summer baby and God answered our prayers!

I am excited to announce that come July 15th, 2012, our precious 'Little Sweet's' will officially be here!!!
The nickname 'Little Sweet's' derived from my dad's childhood nickname for me and Dennard's nickname for me which is 'Sweet's'. 'Little Sweet's' is something we thought was cute and sentimental to us.

Anyhow, I am very late, lol, yet excited to start this blog on the joy and journey of motherhood (pregnancy).  I invite you to join me on this journey as I take you through special moments, funny stories and updates on 'Little Sweet's' development and progress from week 27 to week 40 (or beyond depending on when I go into labour! lol)



Our precious 'Little Sweet's' at 11 weeks

The face of an angel! Our precious 'Little Sweet's' at 21 weeks