33 Weeks Pregnant :-)

Woo hoo....I am 33 weeks pregnant and still going strong :-)

Little Sweets now weighs 4lbs, 6oz (about the same weight as a pineapple) and measures 17 inches from head to toe. The baby's skin is gradually becoming less red and wrinkled as fat builds up underneath. How cool eh! The baby's skull is still very soft and will remain soft until after birth; however, the rest of his/her bones are hardening.

I have a lot to catch you up on as I haven't been able to blog since last week.

We've been in Revival services since Monday; tonight is the last night. My hubby is preaching :-) Yippy!!! I always get excited and nervous for him when he preaches outside of our church. I don't know why....I just do. lol  I am like one of those proud mom's who sit in the stands on the edge of their seat as they cheer on their kids; however, I am a wife and I am cheering on my husband! lol 

Last night Little Sweets was extremely active during song. I was so into the worship service that I thought I might put myself into early labour-lol!  I was singing my heart out so much that I started to get strong braxton hicks and tightening in my tummy. I didn't want to stop worshipping, so I held my tummy with one hand and kept the other lifted high! lol Dennard looked over at one point and said "Do you need to sit down?". Hand still in the air, eyes closed tightley, I leaned over and said "nope-I am good!". lol 

Being a pioneer Pastor's Wife, I don't get to worship like I like to because I am behind a piano playing focusing on Dennard's signals and trying not to mess up, lol, so when I am not in our church, I can't help but enter into worship the way my heart wants to.

I've been getting braxton hicks for the past few days now; however, the past two days have been the strongest ever. I woke up at around 2am this morning with really sharp cramps in my front and lower back. I was quite nervous to be honest; I do not want this baby coming before his/her time! The cramping is all apart of the braxton hicks from what I understand; however, it still makes me rather nervous as cramping could also be the first signs of labour- YIKES!!!!!

Fortunately, the cramping stopped and I was able to fall back to sleep :-) Now, it wasn't a restful sleep by any stretch of the imagination. I was so worked up in my mind about the cramping that I had multiple dreams back to back about going into early labour. LOL

Funny Story
Ok, if you ever heard of 'Baby Brain' before, let me tell you...there is such a thing! lol
I am embarrassed to report that I had a bit of a 'Baby Brain' episode yesterday.

I was driving home from work and I remembered that I had a cheque in my wallet that I needed to deposit. Opening my wallet to grab the cheque to deposit, I was panicked to find no cheque there?! I had specifically remembered putting it in my wallet too!!! I thought "oh gosh...it probably fell out! If it fell out, someone could have deposited it!!". Still driving, I grabbed my cell phone and called my bank to report the lost cheque and have them cancel it so that it could not be deposited if found.

After being on the phone a good 15mins providing my account information and explaining what happened to the Bank Rep on the other end, he told me that he found record that my cheque had indeed been deposited. At this point my heart just sank! The cheque was quite a bit of money too :-S
I asked him to put a request in for investigation to see who and where the cheque was deposited. He polietley told me it would take a few days to investigate and to call him back on Monday.
Immediately I called Denanrd and told him what happened. Expecting him to sound just as concerned as I was, he calmly said "Devin....you gave me that cheque at the beginning of May to deposit into the account for you; remember?".

LOL- talk about embarrassing!! Still puzzled I said "Really? Are you absolutely sure?! I don't remember passing it off to you". He said "Yes Devin! I deposited it May 4th!". Needless to say, although it was embarrassing, I was quite releaved to know that it wasn't lost and deposited into someone else's account!!!!!!! LOL

So ladies....Baby Brain is really a real thing! Not just an 'excuse'; although some probably use it as an excuse from time to time! lol

Heat Wave!!!!

Last night I experienced the worst heat wave ever!

We've had our windows open the last few days/nights to let the cool breeze in, but last night there was no breeze and I was HOT, HOT, HOT!!!

I was downstairs writing my blog with my fan on, nice and cool; however, when I went upstairs to head to bed, the top floor was unbearably HOT!!!

I started off feeling very warm and then it turned into a serious heat wave! I felt like I was in Tuscon during the hottest day of the summer! lol I couldn't bare it!!  Dennard sat on the bed and laughed at me as I scrambled around the room looking for something to cool me down with. He obviously didn't feel the heat like I did. (hee hee)

I tried sitting in front of the fan, but it just wasn't cutting it; it was blowing nothing but warm air.  My feet had ballooned up from the heat and felt tight, hot and irritated at this point. Exhausting all efforts to cool down I said 'Forget it!! I am taking a COLD shower!!!' 

I jumped into the shower, for the second time last night, lol, and stood there for a good 10mins under the cold stream of water. When I got out, I immediately ran infront of the fan to stay cool. lol

My feet were still hot, swollen and bothered, so I got a hand towel, soaked it in cold water and wrapped my feet in it. I layed on the bed motionless as I tried to remain cool in front of the fan and keep the towel from slipping off my feet. I was quite the site to see I am sure! lol Dennard just laughed and said "you look so funny!!".

As funny as I may have looked, I am happy to report that I was able to fall asleep, nice and cool :-) lol

Tonight....the air conditioning is going on!!!! LOL

Slight Cramping

 As I sit here perched on my living room chair, laptop in hand, surrounded by freshly washed and folded receiving blankets (lol), my feet are lovingly being massaged by my sweetheart-ahhhhhh!!! I can totally get use to this!!!! lol

 My feet are absolutely killing me tonight!! It is 9:17pm and I am JUST sitting down for the first time.

I had to work late tonight (only 5 more weeks of work left to go-woo hoo!!) so by the time I left work (5:30pm) drove to Dollarama, picked up a few things, then drove to Walmart, picked up a few more things and then home to unpack everything, fold some laundry, cook dinner and clean-up, my feet had enough! They were screaming at me  'MASSAGE ME!!!! PLEASEEE!!!' lol

After dinner Dennard said to me "put your feet up, take the laptop, enjoy the breeze from the fan (which he brought down for me at dinner as I was having a rather uncomfortable hot flash-lol) and just relax! I am going to rub your feet!".

Those were the BEST words I have heard all day!  Music to my ears and salvation to my feet. (hee hee)

Last night I started to feel a bit of cramping on my right side for the first time. It was off an on for a good hour or so. I mentioned it to Dennard and he said "It's ok Sweets....it's completely normal. You're going to feel that more over the next few weeks". I couldn't help but smile; he's obviously been listening in prenatal class :-)

I haven't felt any cramping today, but I have been feeling a lot of jabbing from the baby on my right side. Sharp hard jabs and painful stretches...oh...and many of tiny hiccups!!!

It wasn't until Saturday that I realized the off and on pattern of 'bump...bump....bump...bump' were hiccups. I always wondered what the baby was doing in my tummy to be keeping up with such a rhythmic pattern?! I thought "could it be the heart beat?"-lol.

I happened to mention it to Rubi on Saturday as I felt another episode of the 'bump...bump...bump' occur. She placed her hand on my tummy and with a chuckle said "Devin...those are hiccups!!".
Boy did I feel stupid...lol...for some reason hiccups never crossed my mind! lol

Not sure if any other mommy got this during pregnancy, but I get random headaches every now and then. When they hit...they hit! Right in my temples, across my forehead and into my eyes. I have a dull one right now. It's bearable, but a bit annoying when it comes out of no-where.

I think I am done packing my hospital bag :-) I added the last few items to my bag tonight. I need a bigger bag though as the bag I was planning on using just doesn't seem big enough. Either I am 'way over prepared' or my bag is just too small. I'll go with my bag being just a bit too small. lol

Here is a list of what I have packed:

1. A black nursing tank top to wear after the baby is born (I don't want to sit in a hospital gown all day)
2. A pair of black comfy capris yoga pants
3. A travel bag stocked with deodorant, toothpaste, a new toothbrush for both Dennard and myself and face lotion (face wash will be thrown in the bag on the way to the hospital along with my make-up bag-lol)
4.  A few pairs of underwear (for me of course! lol)
5. Two pairs of socks (one pair of ankle socks, the other pair sport socks. Not quite sure how warm or cold the hospital will be in July so I packed two different kinds to be safe-lol)
6. A fleece robe
7. Breast feeding pads and the other type of 'lovely' pads we all love so much-NOT!!! lol
8. A stack of newborn diapers
8. Wipes
9. Diaper cream
10. Two white onesis and two sleepers (one pastel green with animals and the other a white terry cloth that says "I love mommy" across the front)
11. My boys 'going home' sleeper and matching pastel blue hat
12. My girls 'going home' sleeper and matching pastel pink hat
13. Two tennis balls inside of a stocking (my prenatal teacher told us about this idea. She said it's great for massaging during contractions)
14. Zip up sweater
15. Three receiving blankets

All that is really left to pack in my bag is my birth plan, body lotion, video camera and our laptop to listen to music and surf the net on to pass the time in case my labour is long.

Does anyone know if Credit Valley hospital has WiFi?

Other than those few items, I think I am set...I think! lol   Am I missing anything?

Here is a picture of my hospital bag :-) I just need to find a bag to pack Dennard's hospital items in

32 Weeks Pregnant :-)

Well.....I am officially 32 weeks pregnant. Can you believe it? The countdown has begun.....

Little Sweets now weighs 3.75lbs and is 17inches in length. Wow!! That's a long baby for such a tiny space!!! Our little one also has a full head of hair right now.

Daddy thinks Little Sweets will have A LOT of THICK hair. Time will soon tell :-)

What's your vote? Thick or thin hair? Curly or wavy? Black, brown or light brown/blonde? Brown or blue eyes?

It's exciting to think and guess what our bundle of joy will look like and who they will take after more. I've said in previous posts that I think the baby's personality will be more like daddy in the sense that he/she will be rather reserved, patient and somewhat quiet; HOWEVER, I do think they will take after my social and outgoing side!! hee hee

Here is my belly at 32 weeks:

The baby has been VERY active lately. Lots and lots of movement; however, the movement is more consistent now. Because the baby's head is down, I feel little foot or elbow jabs on the sides of my tummy all day. I love it!!! I can still feel the baby flipping and turning, but it more feels like the baby is flipping from side to side, rather than upside down, right side up, etc.

As for me personally, my energy level is back to normal again. I am not tired earlier in the evening like I was a few weeks ago. It's rather strange as I thought I'd be getting really uncomfortable and tired in these last few weeks; however, I still feel like the same me!

One thing that has changed though is the soreness in my feet and the slight swelling in my hands and feet on really hot days.

This past holiday Monday (Victoria Day) Dennard and I look a lovely early morning walk through the forest by our home. We went early so we could have the forest to ourselves before the dog walkers, joggers and bike riders made their way out.

With no make-up on, my hair pulled back in a pony tail and my light sweats on, we headed for our walk. A walk that turned into a solid hour and a half walk-lol. I felt fantastic- I could have walked for another hour and a half!! We walked and talked and laughed and reminisced stories. It was a wonderful morning-just the three of us :-)

Here is a picture of me and Little Sweets by a river in the forest during our walk:
(sorry for the poor lighting; it was a bright morning)

Come the end of our walk, I could feel what were my fingers, but felt like sausages!!! My fingers were so tight and swollen from the heat I could barely bend them. My feet weren't as bad fortunately. We were going to walk over to Second Cup to get a drink, but decided after all our walking and my swollen feet and hands, to drive over in our air conditioned instead! lol

Later that day we had a nice visit over at Kevin and Rubi's. It was precious to see Dennard interacting and holding Moriah. The smile and glow on his face was like something I had never seen; it was his 'daddy' side shinning through :-)

As much as he felt 'out of his realm' holding her, he looked like a true natural; except when he picked her up and supported her head like a newborn. We all died laughing!!! He is not quite yet comfortable holding babies and has not had many experiences with them, so he thought that even at 5 months, he had to support her head. It was the cutest thing!!! He's learning!! lol

Tuesday my sweetheart was a huge blessing. He wasn't feeling very well, so he stayed home from work. Saying our good-byes in the AM we discussed some of the craziness on both of our plates this week and went through our laundry list of To Do's.

When I got home from work, I found half of my To Do list accomplished for me!!!! Dennard had vacuumed the living room, all the couches and chairs, did the laundry, plucked the weeds from the yard, gathered the garbage, put my tupperware bin of winter clothes in storage, etc. I was blown away!!!

Scary Dream: I had a dream Monday night that I went into early labour!! I am praying it's not a prophetic dream!!! lol To be ready, I washed the baby's hospital sleepers and onesis tonight along with a few receiving blankets and packed a few extra items in my hospital bag for me that were recommended by my prenatal teacher. I honestly never thought to pack snacks for me?! lol I have a whole bag of snacks for Dennard....guess I'll be tapping into those!! lol

The Head is Officially Down!!!

This morning I had my third OB appointment. All looks great with Little Sweets!!! I will be seeing my doctor every other friday until I am 36 weeks. Once I am 36 weeks I will be seeing my OB every Friday.

Today in the waiting room Little Sweets and I were having some fun with each other :-) The baby would poke my belly and I would poke back. We did this back and forth for a good 5 mins. People in the waiting room must have thought I was crazy!! I would stare at my belly, wait for the poke, smile and giggle then poke back!! LOL

The doctor told me today that the head is officially down!!! Pretty crazy eh!
That would explain all the pressure I've been feeling lately. The baby is getting ready to make his/her big entrance into the world :-)

The heart beat today was 144. I asked the doctor if he thought I was having a boy or girl based on the heart beat and he laughed and said "well....144 is right in the middle, so I have no idea! If it was 150 I'd say girl, if it was 140 I'd say boy, but since it's right in the middle, I am not sure?!"

I was speaking to Jenn on my way back to the office and she said "Devin...Little Sweets is doing everything possible to keep his/her gender a secret eh-it's actually quite funny!!". In my last ultrasound the baby had his/her legs crossed so the technician couldn't see the gender and now the heart beat is right in the middle of being either a boy or a girl. Little Sweets must be just like mommy; one who loves surprises!!! He/she is doing a good job keeping daddy and I in suspense that's for sure! lol

I have some exciting news!! We think we finally found our boys name; PRAISE GOD!!! It only took 5 years of marriage and 8 months of pregnancy to pick one! LOL

Dennard actually picked the name. We were discussing spelling on Wednesday and decided on a spelling we both really liked.

We have been saying our girl's and boy's names around the house recently to get a feel of what they will sound like when we call or speak to our child. lol  It's acutally quite humorous to hear us calling these names as if the child is really there. We make ourselves laugh sometimes!!

I will post a new pic of my belly tonight when I get home. My blog is due for an updated belly shot :-)

An Emotional Prenatal Class

Last night Dennard and myself had our second prenatal class :-) Yay!!!!!

The night didn't start off so good though; lol. The air conditioning went in my car and I had to drive home in the smouldering heat from work. By the time I reached home, I was soaked right through and my feet and hands were swollen from the heat.

I opened the front door, balancing multiple bags in hand, and dropped everything on the floor and burst into tears. I said to Dennard "Never again am I driving in that car without a/c!!".  LOL
Fortunately after a nice long, cold shower, I was able to re-group myself and come back to being 'me' again. lol 

We were a bit late getting to prenatal class as Dennard forgot to take the 'Queen Street' exit. His mind is so programed to take us to church every time we are on the highway, lol, he was naturally driving us to church. lol

After getting off at the next exit and turning back around, we finally made it to class; 20mins late.
It was ok though as there were two other couples who walked in late after us :-) hee hee

We discussed good and bad foods to eat during pregnancy and certain things to avoid and stay away from. Most things I already knew, but it was still fun hearing peoples questions and answers.
The class ended with a 'birthing video' which was something I knew we'd watch at some point in time during these classes.

I've seen a few birthing videos to date; none have bothered me or scared me out of delivery; thank goodness-lol. I am surprisingly quite calm about the idea of the whole 'birthing experiance'. Many people have asked me if I am 'scared to death' with the thought of labour and delivery, but for some reason, I haven't felt any anxiety or worry over it. I guess I just see it as 'it's going to happen. how bad it will be, I don't know, so I am not going to think or worry about it!'. lol

Anyhow, as the video was playing, every couple in the room was glued to the screen. There were a few chuckles, laughs, wow's and  sounds of 'ughhh'  here and there, mainly from the men of course-lol.

There were a few parts in the video where I was fighting back tears. (I've cried through every birthing video I've seen-lol) To watch the amazing experience of birth unfold before my eyes stirs something up in my heart and moves me to tears every time. I don't see child birth as an 'ew' experience, but a beautiful one.  To think that one human being could bring another human being into this world is incredible!! And people claim there is no God....Ha!

Dennard leaned over a few times during the video and said "are you crying?".  Each time he asked, I just looked at him, teared eyed and smiled. He smiled right back and nudged his face against mine :-)

Come the end of the movie where the baby was born, the dad said on the video "I was so proud to be a daddy, but I was more proud to be the husband of Susan". At that point, the gentle stream of tears rolling down my cheeks turn into a river!!! LOL

And of course, just when the 'river was flowing', my instructor turned the lights back on. Dennard got a chuckle out of this as I tried to speedily fan my tears away with a flyer. lol

Hidden behind Dennard's shoulder, I peeked my head out to see if any of the other mother's were crying-NOPE!! It was just me!! lol  I was so embarrassed. One of the mother's connected her eyes with mine and I saw her mouth "Awhhhhh!!". Embarrassed, I flashed a smile and went back to hiding behind Dennard's shoulder. lol

After class was done, Dennard and I laughed the whole way to the car. I couldn't believe that I was the ONLY ONE who was moved by the video!!! lol 

Dennard held my hand in the car and said "Sweets...the reason why it touched you so much is because having a baby means a lot to you and because you have a deeper love and appreciation for the whole thing!".

What a guy eh!! Who could ask for a better, more sweeter husband :-) Sorry ladies....he's mine!!! hee hee

Ps. My feet are still a little swollen a bit from yesterday's drive home!!! lol The swelling isn't bad, it just feels a bit tight and uncomfortable. Just glad my feet dont look like 'Shreak's'-LOL

1st Mother's Day :-)

First off, Happy Mother's Day to all my mommy readers :-)
Today is my FIRST Mother's Day!!! What an honour and privileged it is to be crowned with the name "mother".

To some, they may feel I am not a 'mother' until I actually have the baby, but I strongly disagree. Many woman have children, but that doesn't make them a 'mother'. A mother is one who imparts love, faith, time, care and prayer into their child.. Although I am not able to physically express or do many of these things, I do express the above to my child in other ways-daily!

Yesterday, while picking up roses for the mother's in my church, I was warmly wished a "Happy Mother's Day" by the cashier checking me out. I felt really special being recongized by a complete stranger. I walked proudly out of the store, roses in hand, with a huge smile on my face :-)

I was richly blessed this morning by a storm of Mother's Day texts that flooded my phone from friends, coworkers and family from all over. It was a beautiful way to start my first Mother's Day!

We had a special Mother's Day dedication at our church this AM (another first for us; our first Mother's Day service). I bought a single long stem pink rose and a pink bottle of body spray for each of the mommies in my church.

After each being presented with our gifts, Dennard read a lovely poem called "More than a Mother" and the congregation cheered and clapped. Some of the mom's unfortunately didn't have their child(ren) there with them, so it was nice for them to be recognized publically for their dedication and service as a mother by others.

I was on my way to the kitchen after to count the offering when I heard Dennard say over the mic "my wife doesn't know I am doing this; however, I'd like to call her back here". I made my way back into the room where I was presented with a gorgeous bouquet of pink roses :-)

Dennard said "This is my wife's first Mother's Day and I want to recognize her!". Everyone cheered and clapped as I stood there moved by my sweethearts kind gesture, yet red as a tomatoe out of embarrassment! lol I am not one to get embarrassed easily, but for some reason today I was. I blew him a kiss and walked back to do offering.

This evening during prayer, Dennard laid his hands on me and our child and prayed a very heartfelt prayer that moved me to tears. He spoke beautiful words that ministered to my heart; words I will never forget!!!

After evening service he took me for a lovely walk around the neighbourhood and to Second Cup for an Italian Soda (One of my new cravings...lol. Its just flavoured carbonated water, but I LOVE it!!)

I felt like a princess today thanks to the love shared and expressed by my husband (the father of my child) and by family and friends.

Today has truly been a memorable and special Mother's Day!!

Here is a picture of me and the Mother's in our church
(I am having to wear flats now b/c my feet swell in heels :-S Booo!! )

This is a picture of me and the beautiful roses from my sweetheart :-)

(this picture was taken right before lunch when we got home; hense the missing belt and no lipstick-lol)

 

Dennard took this of me before Sunday PM Bible Study. He was so cute! He told me he wanted to get a picture of me outside in the sunlight as a special memory of my first Mother's Day :-)

 

 

 

 

31 Weeks Pregnant!

I am now 31 weeks pregnant-and still loving every week :-)
This week Little Sweets measures 16inches in length and 3lbs-5oz in weight. They say that the baby's size is close to four large oranges put together; however, the baby is currently entering into a growth spurt.

Little Sweets is beginning to plump up and can now move his/her head from side to side (which could very well be ALL the movement I've been feeling recently-lol)

10 more weeks to go-that's if Little Sweets comes right on time and not any earlier or later!

The crib and bassinet have officially been assembled-woo hoo!!!

Here is the picture of me and Little Sweets watching the furniture get assembled :-) lol

I have included some pictures of our crib set and bassinet at the end of this blog. I just love, love, love our crib set!!!! The bassinet will be in our room once the baby is born, but for now it's staying in the nursery.

How I am Feeling Now
Had a bit of a scare on Friday. I was feeling a lot of pressure and sharp pains very low in my abdomen, not to mention some cramping. Was praying it wasn't signs of preterm labour :-S Praise God it wasn't!!!!  I haven't felt any discomfort or pain since.

I have however been feeling more back pain when it's time for bed. More lower in my back now as oppose to higher up. Funny thing is, the only way to alleviate the pain is if Dennard sticks his knee  in my back!! lol Not the most comfortable position for him, but for me its heaven! lol

Last night I guess I was tossing and turning quite a bit. Dennard woke up and without saying a word, stuck his knee in the lower part of my back and I feel almost immediately back off to sleep-pain free. LOL

He's a true husband and daddy indeed-he knew exactly what I needed without me saying a word :-)

4 Mothers, One Family :-)

First off, there has been a TON of movement from Little Sweets the past two days. Right now as I write, I can physically feel my little one stretching and moving around. With every kick and jab, my hand automatically races to my tummy to feel Little Sweets.

I love to rub my tummy and tell Little Sweets 'it's ok sweetheart....'.  I find it hard finding a comfortable position myself, I can only imagine how much more so the baby in that crammed tummy of mine!

Everytime I feel any type of movement, I get just as excited as I did the first time I ever felt Little Sweets move. I could NEVER get sick of this incredible feeling!!

Yesterday for the first time I was actually able to feel a physical part of the baby on the outside of my tummy push through my right side; it felt like a tiny foot!

It was the most AMAZING feeling!!! I held the little bump between my two fingers and felt is slowly move away. I have felt jabs, kicks, punches and full on twists and turns, but I have never been able to actually 'hold' a part of my baby-until yesterday afternoon :-)

I am still up once a night due to 'nature calls'-lol, but it's not 5am each time anymore. It's actually anytime! Anytime between 1am and 6am. I am not complaining though; I know many woman who were up more than once a night!!!

It's almost as if Little Sweets sleeps when I sleep. In the middle of the night, the baby is still as ever. I don't feel any movement until the morning when I wake up for work. The second I open my eyes and stretch to get out of bed, the kicking and jabbing begins. It's like the baby is telling me 'I am awake now too mom!! Time to get the day started!!"- hee hee

I am starting to feel a little sore in my back and feet more recently. No swelling-thank goodness!!!
Sitting at a desk all day at work is really starting to cause discomfort for me. My 'backside' hurts from sitting so long, my shoulders tense up, by back tightens, etc.

I currently sit on stacks of pillows at work to give me more cushion and support, but nothing seems to help. My prenatal instructor suggested I get a yoga ball and sit on that at work. She said it will help tremendously, plus, it will get my body ready for labour!!! Two bonuses in one!!! lol

So, I am picking one up today! lol I told my boss already and she was in complete support. She said "Definatley Devin....I can only imagine how uncomfortable it must be sitting in a desk chair all day!".

I jokingly encouraged my coworkers to do the same so I don't look so silly sitting on a huge ball at my desk, and surprisingly, they agreed! lol They thought it would be a fun idea!!

Since we are the 'Marketing Department' we can get away with doing silly things!! lol It's just the nature of the title and position.

Anyhow, last night my sisters and myself took my mom out for Mother's Day dinner.
It was the first Mother's Day with all four of us being 'mommys'  :-) It was truly very special to me. We all gave each other gifts and cards and enjoyed an evening of reminiscing, story telling and laughter. I felt so honoured to be inducted into the 'mommy-club' with my family.

I wish I had a picture to upload of our evening together, but all four of us forgot to get a picture!! lol Oh well.....there is always next year :-)

Ps. I saw my shower invites for the first time last night!! I was moved to tears!!! My sisters and Rubi did an incrediable job!! They are the most gorgeous, classy shower invites I have ever seen! I am not into the typical baby shower themes of animals and alphabets, so this shower invite totally represnts me!



Moving Day!

Last night was moving day!! Dennard and his two brothers, Duane and Drew, moved our nursery furniture up from the garage to Little Sweets room-finally :-)

I've been waiting for this day for months-literally! lol

We bought our crib set back in March and have had it stored, still in boxes, in our garage since. We didn't want to move the furniture up into the room until the walls were painted, ceiling light and closet organizer installed and when we found an area rug. Now that all of the above have been completed, it was time to bring the furniture up!! Hurray :)

I was so excited. I was so anxious to get home to watch the 'moving process' begin.
And let me tell you...it was quite the process indeed! lol
The dresser came fully assembled in the box, so it weighed a ton as you can imagine. Solid wood, three drawers and one side cupboard. It was a beast! lol

Thank goodness that both of his brothers could come to help becasue just two of them wouldn't have cut it.

Unfortunately, I wasn't much help. My job was to direct them up the stairs and tell them when to lift higher, where to watch the wall, when to turn the corner, etc.

If any of you really know me, I am not one to just sit back and watch things happen; I like to help out-lol. It killed me to not be able to do anything to assist with the move other than "ok guys....get ready to turn right!" or "watch the wall at the top of the stairs".

The whole experience was a humorous one. Dennard was cracking jokes the entire time which made the move a slower and harder one. With every comment and joke, the dresser became heavier and heavier as the guys tired their best not to drop the dresser in the laughter.

 Once the dresser was brought upstairs and put into place, it was time to unwrap and bring up the parts for the crib. I stayed upstairs and took the wrap off the dresser and admired our baby's first new piece of furniture. I was so proud! I pictured all the tiny sleepers neatly folded in the drawers, the onesis lined up in a row, etc. I pictured myself in the PM opening the drawers to grab my little ones pjs, etc. So many wonderful thoughts flooded my mind at the site of the new dresser-lol.

Tomorrow the crib will be assembled and all will be pretty much complete in the room; with the exception of the finishing touches.

Tonight after work I snuck into Little Sweet's room and sat in the rocking chair and looked around the room. It was a surreal feeling. A feeling of "is this really happening?"  "am I really going to be bringing a baby into this room?" "after all these years of talking about one day having a baby, am I really having one?!". lol

As you can tell, I think a lot! My thoughts and ponders were abruptly interrupted by the sound of "squeak....squeak....squeak". One of the bolts in the back of my rocking chair wasn't tightened properly and my rocking was loosening it! lol I was quickly brought back to 'reality'.

Here are a few shots of the 'move' from yesterday. Don't ask why Dennard is wearing his hood..lol...his brothers and I asked the same thing! lol He got a big kick out of wearing it; he thought it was funny!

First Prenatal Class

Tonight was our first prenatal class :-) Every Tuesday evening from 7pm-9pm until June 12th we will be going to prenatal classes.

I have to say, although it's only been our first class, I absolutely love it!!! lol I can't wait until next Tuesday :-)

There are 8 other couples in our class; only two know the gender of their baby. One really sweet, older Asian couple is having twins (a boy and a girl) and another lady and her husband is having a girl. Everyone else is like Dennard and myself, waiting until the delivery room to find out the gender.

We all relatively have the same belly size; however, some are carrying higher and some lower than others. During our break time Dennard leaned over to me and said "you are carrying the lowest out of everyone!!". lol I am carrying quite low with this baby; whether boy or girl, the baby wont have far to travel when its time to deliver! lol

At first when we walked into the classroom no one was talking to anyone. I thought 'oh no....this is going to be an interesting class'-lol.

We all introduced ourselves, stated our baby's due date and where we are delivering. One girl and her boyfriend have decided to do a home birth with a mid-wife, everyone else is delivering at a hospital with an OB.

We were broken into two groups; mommy's on one side, daddy's one the other. We were then asked to answer a few questions in our groups about some of the physical and emotional changes we have experienced (or that our spouses have noticed in us) since being pregnant. The goal was to compare the mommy's answers to the daddy's.

I had a blast with the mommy's. We were laughing and sharing stories, etc. The guys on the other hand were very reserved, quite and very 'straight to business' on their side trying to think up their answers-lol

When we were done in our groups, we joined our spouses again for a quick break before comparing answers. Laughing, Dennard said to me" I knew you'd lead the group! lol I heard you talking the most!!!".  I killed myself laughing. What can I say, I've always been a social butterfly. I don't shy away from getting to know ppl, breaking the ice, cracking a few jokes, etc.

Anyhow, when it came to comparing the woman's answers to the men's, on the board for the woman we had 'nestng' as part of an emotional experience we are going through right now. I had put this on the board as I have been nesting for the last 4 months! lol

To make a long story short, when the teacher was reading out our answers Dennard put up his hand when she got to 'nesting'. He asked "Is it ok for a woman to want to clean and organize all the time when pregnant?". She laughed and said "Yes!!! It's completely ok; it's how a woman prepares for motherhood". The guy beside Dennard leaned over and said "hey....your lucky man...enjoy it and take it all in, at least your not doing all the housework!". His wife hit him and we all died laughing!!!!!

Overall, I am really happy we joined these classes. It's a wonderful opportunity to meet other mommy's and daddy's due around the same time and for Dennard and myself to learn and ask questions pertaining to pregnancy and delivery. Dennard even admitted to liking the class when we were leaving....lol.....Praise God!

Here are a few pics of our first prenatal class :-)

Here is a pic of 'daddy' carrying my pillow leaving our class

Here is a picture of me holding our prenatal folder; lots of great info in this!

This is a picture of us on the birthing balls. These balls are amazing!!!!! Super comfortable!

30 Weeks Pregnant!!

Hurray!! Little Sweets is 30 weeks old :-) Time is definatley flying; only 11 more weeks to go!!

Little Sweets is still 15inches long this week; however, he/she now weighs roughly 2lbs-13oz (about the same size as a cabbage).

When asked how far along I was by a visitor in church this AM, she was shocked when I told her that I was almost 8 months. She said "you mean 8 weeks!!". I laughed and said "No, 8 months!". Because I am carry Little Sweets very low and small, people are always shocked when I tell them how far along I really am.

However, if you speak to my husband, he'll tell you that my belly is getting 'really big' and that he can't imagine it getting any bigger. lol Little does he know it will only get bigger from here.....lol

As for Litle Sweets, either the baby has gotten much stronger or the baby's bones are getting harder. The kicks and jabs I feel now are 'very' sharp and strong. I don't know if it's an elbow or knee or what part of the baby it is, but boy does it hurt when it connects to my tummy! lol

Today I was getting ready for church and I was putting my earrings on in front of my dresser mirror. My belly was slightly touching the edge of the dresser when "WHAM" I was kicked so hard by the baby that the baby actually pushed me off the dresser! LOL I am being completely serious!   I was left standing there stunned and in shock. lol Not only was I in shock, but the kick hurt too! lol  My baby has some pointy parts he/she loves to jab me with :-)

Needless to say, when they baby kicks now, he/she definatley lets me know!!!

With my ever growing belly, I am finding it more difficult to bend over and pick things. Today at church I dropped a piece of paper on the ground and bent over to pick it up. It took me a little longer to get down to pick it up....but I made it. lol I stood back up to hear the laughter of Ashea, one of the girls in my church, laughing at me. She said "Ohh Devin! It's funny watching you try to bend down!". lol I couldn't help but join her in the laughter as I could only imagine what I must have looked like.

Hey, this belly doesn't stop me though. Every Sunday I am bending down, hooking up wires, plugging things in, setting up chairs, etc. We were so blessed by a girl who comes out to our church as she said to us when dropping her home today "Next week I am going to learn how to hook up the wires and set things up so I can do it myself as I know Devin wont be able to do it much longer!". That really touched my heart :-)

On the topic of 'getting up', some mornings I need to rock back and forth a bit to give myself a little momentum to get out of bed (I sleep with a body pillow, so I have to get myself over the hump of the pillow!! lol). If I could relate what I probably look like getting out of bed, it would be the little boy in the snow suit after being thrown on the ground in the movie 'A Christmas Story'. lol
If any of you know who I am talking about, it's hilarious!!

One thing I love about being pregnant are all the happy faces and smiles I get from people who pass me in the mall or on the street. I don't know what it is, but there is something magical about seeing a pregnant woman or a new baby.  I am now getting use to people looking at my belly first, then my eyes, as oppose to my eyes first. lol It's actually quite funny to watch.

I also love how quick people are to start up a conversation with you when in line at the store or in a shopping aisle. I wish people were always that friendly and quick to say 'hello' or 'how are you doing'. I often get asked how far along I am and if I know what I am having. Many woman love to relate how I am carrying to their pregnancy, which I find really neat. We end up sharing stories and then going on our merry way, back to the rush and hurry of getting things done.

3rd OB Appointment

Today I had my 3rd OB Appt at the medical centre by Credit Valley Hospital. I am seen by one of eight OB doctors each visit. I do have my favorite doctor thus far; Dr. Corbey. She has a wonderful bedside manner and is very knowledgeable. She is very thorough with her check-ups and is always more than willing to answer any questions or concerns Dennard and myself may have.

In anycase, all looks great with myself and Little Sweets :-) Praise God! My weight, blood pressure and tummy size are all good.  'We' are exactly where 'we' should be for 29, almost 30 weeks :-) My appointments are now every other week, which blows my mind. It's just proof that time is counting down...

I have been feeling a little ill off and on throughout the day today; just a bit queasy in my tummy.  I plan on taking it easy tonight and hanging low. Little Sweets however has been having a blast surfing the waves in my tummy!! lol  Lots of baby movement today :-)

Last night was a big night for Dennard and myself!!!! For the FIRST TIME in months Dennard finally witnessed Little Sweets kicking and moving around inside my belly. No...he didn't feel the movements unfortunately, lol, but he saw it.

We were laying on the couch and the baby was moving up a storm. My belly was doing waves and ripples like no tomorrow!!! I quickly pointed it out to Dennard and we sat and watched in silence for a while. He then said "what is that??". I laughed and said "It's Little Sweets moving!!!". It was so cute. To see the look of wonder on his face was priceless. I can FINALLY say he's a believer!!! A believer in the fact that you can actually 'see' the baby moving that is. lol

I knew it would happen one day...it was just a matter of when :-)

Tiredness is kicking in....

Tiredness is officially starting to kick in. I still have the same energy as I always have; however, I am starting to get tired a lot quicker these days.

I don't know if it's just because of the busyness this week or the affects of being in my last trimester, but I've been having a hard time getting up in the morning and making it through the day without 100 yawns!
Once I'm out of bed and my day starts moving,  it's not so bad; however, come 2pm, the sleep fairy starts calling my name-lol.

I got to work this AM to find out that my girlfriend at work who is also pregnant, due at the beginning of June, had her baby last night! She went a month early; however, she had a healthy, beautiful baby girl named Sophia Grace weighing in at 5lbs-7oz :-) I was SO excited to hear she had her baby that I nearly screamed! lol I fought back tears as another co-worker shared the exciting news with me. I just couldn't believe my ears!!!

We have shared countless stories and many laughs since finding out we were both pregnant. I have loved being pregnant with her and having someone at work to compare stories with and share advice with on a daily basis.

It became all so real to me that I am next!!! lol

What's even crazier is that I had a dream about her Tuesday night. I had a dream that she came to work pushing a baby carriage. When she approached my cubicle, I looked into the carriage and said "Awww, you had a baby girl!! I can't beleive you had her premature; she's so tiny!! I knew you were having a girl!!!"

What's crazy about this dream is that I had it the day before she went into labour.  Not only was my dream strangely accurate about the baby being born premature, but I was also accurate on the baby's gender!! She and her husband, like myself and Dennard ,didn't want to find out the gender until the baby was born. We have been guessing eachother's baby gender from day one.

I also said to her in my dream "Well...since you had the girl, I must be having a boy!!". Let's see how real that part of my dream is come July 15th!!! lol

I have recently been feeling like I am having a boy the last 2-3 weeks. At the beginning of my pregnancy I felt 'boy' very strongly. Then into my 4th month I started to feel I was having a 'girl'.  Now I am starting to feel 'boy' again! LOL

I am still having quite a bit of back pain today. It was really bad again last night. Praise God for my loving husband who massaged my back until I feel asleep last night. I called him this AM at work and asked "can you massage my back again tonight; you put me right to sleep last night!!". I could tell by his voice on the other end of the phone he wasn't so thrilled about the idea!!! LOL

Amazing Pregnancy Tip:
Four simple words.....VICTORIA SECRET BODY BUTTER!!!!!!
A friend of mine blessed me with a jar of Victoria Secret's Body Butter at the beginning of my pregnancy. She used it during her pregnancy and highly recommended it.
Within the first few weeks after receiving it,  I used the whole thing up!! I lathered it on religiously every morning and night over my tummy, arms and legs. I have since bought and used two more of these body butters. Nothing has worked so famously for my growing belly.  Not only does it leave my skin feeling silky soft and smelling wonderful all day, but it's amazing for stretch marks. I am almost 8 months pregnant and I have yet to get one stretch mark-GLORY TO GOD!!! lol

A Treat for my Feet!

This past week has been crazy busy! My days and nights have been jammed packed; hence the lateness in this blog entry-sorry!

Monday night Dennard and I picked up the new area rug for the nursery :-) I think Dennard was more excited than I was to lay the carpet out once we got home; he was so cute!! He had to be the one to lay it down and set it up; I wasnt allowed to do a thing but watch-lol. Once he laid it out exactly where he wanted it, we stepped back to admire the room. Dennard said with a smile "Wow!! It looks so good in here! This room is really coming together; it's feeling more real that we are having a baby!". My heart just melted. It was the sweetest thing to see him just as proud and excited about the room as I was.

It goes beyond the newly painted walls, freshly laid carpet, new furniture, etc. It is the mere fact that 'our' child will be coming home and occupying that room soon :-)

Yesterday after work Dennard and myself travelled to Yorkdale Mall to run some errands.
I usually do very well walking and standing for long periods of time, even now being pregnant, but last night was a killer!! Leaving the mall, my feet were throbbing and my back was aching-BADLY. I couldn't get to the car fast enough to sit down and take the pressure off. I was in so much pain I wobbled the whole walk to the car-lol-I must have been a sight to see!!!

Unfortunately, the damage was already done. I could not alleviate the pain when I got home.  I ended up going to sleep very uncomfortable to say the least. Little Sweets on the other hand was as cosy as could be. The baby remained pretty quiet most of the night with very few kicks and flips.

Today was a new day however! One that was even busier than the day before and a day with more backache-lol. I am finding it very hard to sit at my desk at work now; each day is getting a little harder. I find that I get uncomfortable much quicker these days.

Little Sweets was moving a lot today and pushing very hard against my tummy. It felt as if my skin was being stretched like an elastic band-lol. Many times throughout the day, especially on the ride home, I felt many of the baby's little body parts poking through around my belly button area. That seems to be where I feel the baby's parts the most. I love to rub the spot and apply a little pressure to the area to see how the baby reacts. A few times today the baby pulled away and then came back even stronger as if to say "Mommy...don't do that!"-lol. I have yet to figure out what I am feeling though; whether its a bum, arm, shoulder, foot, etc.

Overall, today was a very long, busy day at work! I decided on my way home to treat and pamper my feet with a pedicure. What a treat it was indeed!! I am not one to ever go without polish on my toes. Fingers yes...but never my toes. I haven't been able to bend over as easily recently to paint them myself, so I was excited to have someone do it for me :-)

Relaxing in the big massage chair, I got a few puzzled looks from some of the ladies in the salon. Not b/c of my growing belly or b/c of my chipped polish, lol, but b/c I was wearing a mask! lol Call me crazy, I really don't mind. I by no means wanted Little Sweets to be breathing in any of the salon chemicals floating in the air. Nail salons are never well ventilated and I was not going to expose my unborn child to such harsh chemicals.

In anycase, the woman in the salon caught on very quickly as to why I was wearing the mask when I stood up and unveiled the big belly. lol The puzzled looks soon turned to smiles :-)