28.5 weeks

this constant sleepiness is driving me MAD! i'm so drowsy. it's almost enough to drive me back to caffeine... almost.

on friday, i finally ordered some more maternity clothing. reluctantly. with only 10.5 weeks or so left, i was sort of hoping that i could make do without! if it weren't for my job, i could probably do it, but i've got 9 weeks left of work so i gave in. it is SO frustrating that there is not a single store in calgary that offers plus-sized maternity clothing. argh. oh well, hopefully everything i ordered will fit! i have to admit, i'm desperately looking forward to getting my old (or something close to it) body back - i miss working out and swimming etc etc. my pre-pregnancy suit does not fit anymore, and no way am i shelling out $75 for a maternity suit! i have big plans for getting back into my workout routine.

one thing i'm curious about... leaky boobs while swimming? i wonder if nipple pads will stay put in a bathing suit? lol? anyone know?

cohen and lili are being such troopers about this entire process. i can imagine that to them, this must seem like it's been happening forever. considering that a week seems like a lifetime for them. they've been so patient with me, and love talking and singing to my belly. they've also been great at brainstorming names - although i feel so bad that we have to turn them down time and time again. i do not, regretfully, wish to have a daughter named "crusher".

we've been trying to think of a gift to give each of them from their new sister. i think we've decided on a camera for each of them, since they both love photography so much. they have those awesome toddler digital cameras. this way, they can be involved with the new baby as well. i'm also going to make them the requisite t-shirts ('big sister' and 'big brother'). i can't wait to see their faces when they first meet the baby. i'm looking forward to that the most. they are such gentle, loving kids.

10.5 more weeks... honestly, i'm getting pretty freaked out. things are only getting busier for us, and there is so much more to do. i desperately want to paint the baby's room... but i can't until i get cohen and lili moved in together... and before i do that, i have to at least paint half of lili's room a colour other than pink, or else cohen will freak! i have neither the time or energy for these things... lately, it's all i can do to fold laundry!

ian has his vacation coming up in april... i'm SO hoping that he'll be able to at least get some of this done for me :)

ok, time to nap. at my desk, at work.

oh yes, since a few have asked, my baby registry is through babies'r'us, just search under my name and i think it will show up...

note - i just checked and it's at toysrus.ca - go to baby registry and search under my name.

27 weeks, 5 days

hello, third trimester.

recent updates - no problems with my third (and final) glucose test. hurray! guess all that working out has paid off in more ways than one.

new issue though - i have pelvic instability. yeah, great. well, turns out it is likely a result of a past back injury (think waaaaaayyy back, 10+ years). the way i'm carrying this baby is causing additional stress and as a result, incredible pain! some days are better than others... if i don't walk a lot or sit a lot, or lie down a lot. haha. sitting at my desk for 8 hours is pure torture. getting out of bed in the morning, not so fun. taking the kids out for a walk, not smart.

anyways, i got a prescription for massage therapy, but honestly, and sadly, i don't have the time. ian's doing a pretty great job regardless!

nesting like crazy these days! i've had this week off of work (had to take some of my vacation hours!), and i've been driving myself crazy trying to get everything done. everything, that is, except the baby's room. cleaning out drawers, organizing linen closets, etc etc. it's been fun, and satisfying, but i'm EXHAUSTED! i can't really start on the baby's room until we get cohen's furniture (next week), and get him moved into lili's room (still don't have a bed for her, argh!). i feel SO bad for him - he really should have his own room. ian and i are actually contemplating moving our room into the basement, and letting each kid have their own room. i dunno. maybe.

so, i've done a little bit of shopping this week (mostly second-hand, as per usual), and have a pretty good idea of what i have/don't have. so - i actually went ahead and created a baby registry. i'm not having a shower this time around, but for family/friends who keep asking me what i need... well, now you can look for yourselves! hehe. i'll figure out how to post it today or tomorrow...

a note on having your third child:

in many ways, i'm grateful that this is my third. the first, well, it's the first. it's a great learning experience. although there are some things i really miss about having your first child (for example, that quiet, sweet, milk-filled one-on-one time in the first few months), the learning curve is SO big (especially once baby turns into toddler turns into preschooler!)... i'm glad i don't have to do that for the first time again! the second - great experience. much more relaxed, confident, able to focus on the experience and not so much on what i should or should-not be doing. however... lili and cohen were so close together, that i really was quite overwhelmed with caring for both of their needs at once, plus having to go back to work so early... it was challenging.

this time - my kids are a GREAT age for this - they are so cognicent of what is going on. they are SO excited. it's so amazing to see them step into their respective new roles. this i love. the confidence of knowing what to expect, this i love. knowing that this is our last child, it's something i've tried to remind myself of daily. and really, after the first trimester, it's been a fairly easy pregnancy. even the heartburn has been mild.

but here's what is becoming mildly annoying: everyone treats a third pregnancy like it's nothing important. "oh, your third", i hear often, with a bored tone. as in, i've done this before, twice, so been-there-done-that = nothing special? i don't know. even with ian... with the first pregnancy, he held open every door, called me frequently to see how i was feeling, asked lots of questions, worried about me and baby... with the second, i noticed a slight reduction in that lovely treatment, but hell, if i had a craving he'd still go get it! this time around... i believe he said "if you want ice cream, get off your butt and go buy some!".

i don't know. i'm not explaining it very well. i guess everyone just assumes that i know what i'm doing and i've been here before, and thus, it's no big deal? i guess? i suppose, after 4 years of focusing on my kids, i want a little bit of attention too! is that horrible? even my doctor, sometimes, seems somewhat put-out if i have a question or a concern. it's not like i expect everyone to swarm around me or anything, but maybe a simple "how are you and baby feeling today?" would be great. ahem, Ian.

i'm just feeling sorry for myself, i guess. everyone deserves to wallow in some self-pity every once in a while. all done now :)

by the way - we're down to 4 names... they start with: L, E, A, L respectively. now we're just trying to choose 3 that go together nicely. tough choices. could be we'll end up with something totally different, but with only 12 weeks to go, decisions will have to be made!

gogogogogogogogo!

i'm exhausted today. the last few days at work have been very tiring, as i haven't been feeling very well and all i've wanted to do is go home and sleep. no such luck, of course. the chairs at work are terrible - both chairs i've been given are broken, so i've been having back/hip problems. today, i pulled something in my right shoulder (funny - i did this trying to carry all of the kids' stuff out of the van, and lift lili at the same time etc etc) too. and... this is so weird... the only pair of maternity pants i have that i can wear to work (aka not jeans), well, they are too small now. right in the waist, where the elastic belly starts - this section, when i sit at work, pulls SO tight across my abdomon. whenever i am sitting for too long, baby starts to kick somewhat frantically, and i have this horrible (and totally inaccurate) image of her being crushed by my pant-waistline. too funny. but painful too!

so i can't put off buying new pants any longer. even if i order them today, it will still be 3 weeks before i get them. i may have to beg my boss to allow me to either wear jeans or yoga pants to work for awhile. ugh.

anyways, definitely not feeling 100%. in the midst of craziness with alberta winds - seems that i've bitten off more than i can chew there - plus craziness at work, and the usual whirlwind of family life at home. today, lili started swimming lessons again, and i almost burst into tears when the lifeguard told us, as we walked out of the changeroom that we were 10 minutes early (aka 5 minutes late for me), and could we please go wait in the bleachers. why the tears? because the bleachers require climbing about 15 stairs. yeah, not alot, unless you're carrying 1)a super-heavy and awkward purse with tons of files in it that need working on 2)2 jackets (the kids') and 3)a goddamn baby that apparently doesn't realize that she's only 25 weeks.

the thought of climbing those stairs, getting the kids settled, and then climbing back down... so instead, i just had lili wait in the shower for 10 minutes. anyways, as cohen and i sat in the bleachers minutes later, i put my head in my arms, leaned on the railing, and i'm pretty sure that i fell asleep.

of course, the more stressed i become, the more uncomfortable my belly gets. i KNOW stress is bad... but it seems unavoidable. life can't just stop so that i can be pregnant. the kids' activities are already going to be somewhat curbed after baby comes - no fair to them to take them away now, too.

i don't know. i have a week of vacation time available to me at work, but i fear that taking it now would be a mistake - things are only going to get more stressful the further along i get. best to wait until the end of march or something.

anyways. that's my sob story tonight. i have so many chores i should do tonight (although ian did lots already today, thank god for small favours), but i'm thinking maybe 8:30 is bedtime!

through all of this... i am so grateful to be healthy with 2 healthy kids and a so-far healthy baby. i just... i dunno. need a break.

i know - 18 years or so, i'll get one. if i'm lucky!

25 weeks

Really starting to feel progressively uncomfortable these days. Sleep is somewhat elusive - I'll fall asleep all right, but usually wake up sometime around 5am.

Had my second glucose test yesterday, so we'll see how that goes.

Finally decided on the crib bedding - as I did with Lili, I got it through EBay. Smokin' deal. Most decent crib-sets here (aka those not found at WalMart) cost between $300-$500, so I'm always thrilled at the EBay option.

Here's what I chose...



I know - it's not really what I would have predicted! However- all of Lili's stuff is soft pink and very delicate... so I thought, for her sister, I'd go with something brighter, more cheerful. I'm just trying to decide what colour to paint the walls...

I've been lucky - I got a changetable for free (thank you Freecycle), the crib from my sister-in-law, and a basinette from my cousin... so far so good! I also found this GREAT set of furniture for Lili -

Well, here's that situation - currently, Cohen and Lili each have a double bed. The problem is, since they will be sharing a room, there is NO room for 2 double beds in the one room. Aha, but I had forsight! These double beds are BUNK BEDS! Except... it turns out that neither of them will sleep on the top bunk. So much for that. SO:

I'm trying to buy them each a single bed set - (w/dresser and bedside table). The room is fairly large - should be able to accomodate a bed, dresser and table for both of them. Problem is - furniture is WICKED expensive! So, I've been doing daily searches on craigslist, kijiji, and usedcalgary.com. I finally found something - a dresser, mirror, desk and bedside table for Lili, white, beautiful. $100. Now I just need to find her a bed. Still on the hunt for Cohen.

As for the bunk beds - we're going to put them in the downstairs bedroom for J & B. No waste! And that way, when Cohen/Lili have sleepovers, they can have the downstairs bedroom with the bunkbeds.

Hurray! I think we've got it all figured out. Now I just have to get painting, buying furniture, and organizing!

In other shopping news... Ian and I have hired a financial advisor to help us with our investments, retirement, RESPS and budgeting. Great move, we're excited so far. Only problem, she's going to curb our spending I'm sure - just when I need to be going shopping for baby! LOL! I will have to put aside a set amount for it. Good think I'm pretty thrifty... especially since I know how quickly babies grow, and how many needless gadgets there are out there!


Back to work!