Sweet Dreams continued

My purchase recommendation for the day is a humidifier. I have been so dry since becoming pregnant. Perhaps its because I pee every twenty minutes and try not to drink in the late hours, or perhaps its because Vancouver is a bit rain deprived, or perhaps its this nasty dry cough that is going around, or perhaps this is a normal pregnancy related ailment. Regardless, I have finally found a solution:the most amazing humidifier I have ever seen. This puppy is truly silent, and that puff of steam you see in the ad is real, it instantly produces relaxing and moisturizing mist at whatever level you desire and warm or cold. Perfection. Sweet dreams.

Pregnancy Activities

I hope not, but today may have been the last day of mountain biking on the North Shore, pre-baby. Depends on the weather and my motivation but my inability to climb is impacting my self esteem. I am sucking wind like never before. I am also the whiney girl who gets super pissed at her boyfriend when he doesn't wait. You see, I have never been waited for. I wait. It's frustrating to wait, but even more frustrating to be left behind. I now would like to offer a deep apology to anyone I have never waited for whilst mountain biking, snowboarding, running, or anything else. I am truly, very sorry. I am an asshole.

Other than mountain biking, I spent the weekend seeking entertaining activities that were not too dangerous and didn't consist of sitting at bars watching people drink or eating and eating and eating out some more. You see, I am bored. I am bored of not being able to do much fun stuff. I think my friends are dissipating and they aren't calling anymore because I don't want to sit at a bar and watch them drink and they don't want to be seen drunk by a party pooper. So I am finding myself watching lots of movies, going for lots of walks and buying useless items, amongst other time fillers. Its not that I don't love meeting with friends for chit chat and such but it might be the 'placenta brain' so many speak of, but my conversation skills are lacking. "I am mind fucked" so to say, completely blank at times, something new to me. So Saturday we went downtown and were super tourists and rented rollerblades to rip around the Seawall. Turned out that it was actually pretty fun, despite the geekiness. I did get a fair amount of dirty looks from passerbys as I gently coasted with my dog in tow and lil belly protruding from my tank. But hey, I wouldn't 'blade' if I thought I would fall. I spent half my life on the damn things, I just ain't the falling type. And I was 'blading' at about 25% so lay off. In the evening we headed out for some non alcoholic entertainment: Yuk yuks. Very good choice. It was the early show at 800pm which I would highly recommend for the pregnant gals, simply because it seems alot of people go to Yuk Yuk's simply to get sloshed, more so at the 10:30pm show though. The comedians were awesome, well for the most part. Unfortunately, the female comedian failed to challenge my stereotype and absolutely blew. But there were a few males, such as the headliner Paul Myrehaug, whose hilarious, but very perverted (be warned), performance was interrupted by a slutty stagette party getting into a brawl with a door man. Seriously. That was entertainment I would have missed watching movies at home or drinking tea in a coffee shop. More comedy shows to come. But be cautious for there were a lot of pregnancy jokes that sensitive gals would not take lightly. For example an audience member answered the comedians interrogation saying she had a 10.7lbs babe, he then made jokes about her ability to laugh at any of his jokes without leaking, her vagina sounding like a didgeridoo in the wind and so on. So do be wary if you are not fond of the rotten humour that tends to tickle me.

I am still rather agile, and have yet to encounter any balance issues so I will be heading up to Whistler tomorrow for my first and last few days of riding. I anticipate lots of groomers accompanied by the Man who is a beginner rider who will be praying I don't repay him the favour of "not waiting". And upon my return or perhaps within the few days I am away, I will bless you with a detailed report of my decision to switch from South Community Birth Program to West Side Midwives with the intention of having a home birth, submerged in water of course.

My New Snuggle Bunny

Snoogle.

I had the most wonderful night of uninterrupted sleep last night. For those of you who have yet to have babies you might not know what I am talking about. I will try to explain. I can't sleep on my back (or it is recommended that I don't sleep on my back and despite my attempt to do it anyways because I can breathe, the guilt wakes me up) and it just isn't comfortable to sleep on my tummy, or rather my baby. So I have to sleep on my side, and as my hips widen my knees dig into each other harder and harder. I can't bear the feeling of my knees touching, or my growing thighs, or even my calves for that matter. Actually as of late, I can't stand anything of my own touching anything else of my own. I hate the feeling of my toes touching each other. I sometimes pull my baby toe to the side for relief, but then I get a bit out of breath from being so scrunched up trying to reach my toes. I don't have the biggest belly outside but it feels huge inside, my feet are getting so much further away. I am a mess and just a tad bit irritable right now.

But, last night I had the pleasure of sleeping comfortably for the first time in ages. Instead of wrapping my legs around the man as per usual, I wrapped them around my new Snoogle Pillow . The man was disappointed, but hey the Snoogle, doesn't snore, sweat or flick me aside when it gets too hot. The Snoogle has unrelenting love for me, it is here to give and never to ask. It holds my head gently, supports my growing belly, seperated my thighs, knees, calves and feet. It doesn't make me hot or sweaty and it is just the perfect mix of firm yet soft. It is perfection.

Job hunting

I spent a good portion of last week trying to calculate how many hours I have worked since finishing my schooling last October. Between taking holidays, being sick and working a pathetic two days a week, I have been struggling to fulfill the necessary 600 hours to qualify for EI when on maternity leave. I was scouring craigslist to see if I could find a decent part time job that would pay me anywhere close to my nursing wage, with no luck. I wouldn't mind waitressing until the bitter end, but the establishment where I currently work just isn't a pretty place for a pregnant lady. For instance, I am barely showing and yet, I have had trouble squeezing through many of the tight spots between tables as of late. I don't know my own hips, I run into people's chairs, throwing them off balance while they try to delicately sip steaming hot miso soup, and smoke their tables with my hips when I try to squeeze by ever so gently. And the under age youth who try incessantly to beg a drink out of me. I am now a motherly type, or at least I am trying to show my responsible side. No fake id is bypassing me, but the attitude that I am receiving and the shit tips from these youth is enough to drive me to unemployment. Not to mention the sanitation, enough said.

So I came up with a new idea. I am going to try to sell my face and bump for profit for the next few months. If anyone will have me that is. An old friend came by yesterday and out of the kindness of her heart she snapped away photos attempting to find a pretty shot amongst the blurry and awkward bunch. And ta da, her talent has prevailed. You can check out a few on her blog lalaandkiki.blogspot.com Successful or not, I can't deny that its a bit fun having photos taken all day with a good friend..

21 weeks and 3 days....

Sorry Aunty, Im posting pics again. I have had too many questions and unnecessary prods of the belly... here it is, or lack thereof... But I swear, we had an ultrasound last week and the boy is healthy and full size, maybe I was just sucking in???

Please take note of the American Apparel faux denim high waisted tights... a must have for all pregnant teeny boppers

Recycle, Reduce, Reuse

I have been a very poor blog writer as of late. There are a few reasons. One of which is the still lack of belly and the lack of nausea, the lack of cravings, okay basically the lack of feeling pregnant. Sure the lil' one still kicks and punches me every few hours, but other than that.... I just feel like me. I am actually having trouble limiting myself in terms of activities, for example sometimes I get a craving to down a Guinness, but then I have to remind myself that there is a lil guy who will get a whole lot more than tipsy for life. And mountain biking, I thought it was a good idea, I sort of still think it is a good idea, but then the other day when I was going down after a steep and horrible climb it clicked to me that 'this might not be the safest pregnant activity'. I haven't been since then. I am sure biking on flat wide trails is no prob but going downhill on narrow single tracks that are a tad slick and adorned with roots and rocks galore, well one slip and that belly is either flying into the handlebars or over them which could be worse. I will be cautious of the next trail that I ride. So this lack of feeling very pregnant has made me not want to write about being pregnant. Really, I don't have anything to complain about and I don't really feel the need to write about positive things (who the hell would want to read flowery shit?), but time is ticking and nothing is being written so I am going to try to write something, anything, positive or not.

The other reason I haven't written is because I have had a cold non-stop for a month straight. No fever, so no worries, but no avail either. I have been plugged up every day and coughing up chunks of phlegm all day. I can't take oil of oregano, no cold medicine, no friggen teas even! I am guzzling water and waiting to get better.

The last reason is because I have ADHD.... and its getting worse and worse with this pregnancy. I am taking my omegas and getting lots of exercise and have very limited amounts of caffeine, but I can't help but crave the relaxing effects of Ritalin, horrible I know. Or maybe it is just the 'placenta brain' that so many speak of. The inability to remember anything a minute later, I can't focus, I can't sit still, I have been reading the same page in my book for the past seven weeks, I am only on page 50!

So that is where I have been, out walking the dog, mountain biking, enjoying the sun, eating good food, running, watching movies, and nothing requiring very much attention at all. Oh I did have one bad dream about leaving my newborn in the front seat of a car for a few hours unattended on the way home from the hospital. I returned to the car in the dream to find my dog smothering my babe... I freaked out a bit. So we bought a car seat. The first big purchase! We also bought about fifty onesies(how do you spell 'onesy'?) in blue. But, we didn't make the mistake most first timers make.... we walked into the store, past the bamboo onesies and the hemp onesies and the brand name onesies into the cost effective aisle, the consignment aisle. There we loaded up on brand new looking onesies priced at $2.00! Upon leaving I glanced at the brand new onesies and was shocked to see that they were priced as high as $35.00. For a piece of clothing the size of my foot.... when perfectly handy onesies were available basically for free one aisle over. Maybe someone can offer a damn good reason why I shouldn't buy second hand baby gear, but until then I will continue my Sally Ann ways and stock up with more for less. My name brand loving Man can drool at Baby Bjorns, but there is no way we will be throwing our cash into that pile. Besides, we recycle, we have been working on reducing, but now we can truly work on the first principle: reuse! I actually made the mistake of titling this blog Recycle Reduce Reuse, when in actuality it should be Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. This makes much more sense, but in our day it is so much easier to start at recycling and make minimal attempts at the other two. Well no longer for us, we are now a Reduce, Reuse and Recycling duo, he has no choice.

I also should mention that this store was fantastic. The staff ranged from new moms to grandmas wanting to stay in 'baby mode' forever. They were knowledgeable and took the time to walk us through the intro to reusable diapers, car seats, strollers, and cribs. They didn't laugh at us, even when we were laughing at ourselves (which made it a bit awkward), but instead offered more and more advice and information. They even told me that the maternity dress I tried on looked horrible, honest but yet so sweet. Check it out if you are ever expecting at Lonsdale and 20th, Boomers and Echoes . And lastly, we left with one very very important article with which I would recommend to all new parents. Especially for men like my Man who have never ever changed a diaper and will be sure to be slower than the bladder of a new baby boy. The pee-pee teepee. Enough said.

20 weeks

Yesterday was the day. I will quote the man because I found his email to his friends slightly amusing:

Subject: so today we had our 20 week ultrasound
Body: All I have to say is 8---------->

He is a child still. We are children having children and his words confirm this. Regardless, the other great news we received and which he omitted, is that the babe is healthy. Not only does he have a penis but he has four limbs, a full brain, a beating heart and proper organs. It was quite a process, this 20 week ultrasound. We were in there for a good hour with the tech, Parm, telling me all about her and her husband starting to talk about having babies, different details of the ultrasound and measurements and then the brief time that the man was allowed in the room to show him the penis, basically.

I am happy. I would be happy with a healthy girl. But I am happy for the child that it is a boy. I will be able to do a better job as a mom. I wouldn't know what to do with a little girl. My mom had two boys before me, and although she was happy to have a girl finally, she was cheap and adorned me in boys clothes entered me in baseball and hockey because we had the gear and basically raised me like her third son except on church days when the dresses would come out. I can't dance, I can't sing, I don't know anything about make up or dating and I don't like gossip and chit chat. I like sports, I still have dreams of being a professional athlete (just haven't picked a sport yet), and I hate talking on the phone. I am happy, and I will force this boy to love all the sports I love and if he decides he wants to sing and dance, well then he's his father's son, what more can I do?

This morning a friend forwarded me a link to her friend's blog which outlines her opinion of what you can and can't do during pregnancy. I was thrilled to see that I am not the only one out there who still wants to live and not spend each day worrying about miscarrying or harming the fetus. I am watching the foods I consume, true. But I am riding my scooter, this weekend I am going xc mountain biking and snowboarding, I am running, I get massages, I fly on airplanes and want to take a big trip before I deliver, I drink coffee, I continue to work in East Hastings and a filthy restaurant, I use a lap top (sometimes on my lap!) and this morning I had deli meat (microwaved until steaming) and loved every minute of it. I am tired of feeling guilty, yet due to my still lack of belly, I have not been scolded by any strangers. I will refrain from doing something if it feels wrong. Thank you pregnant chicken lady for confirming that I am not a horrible person.