Sunday update

39 weeks tomorrow 

That’s right - no baby yet!
Are we getting impatient? You bet! And not only us but people around too☺ I’ve had strangers asking me when the baby’s due and it feels like I’m on a mission at this point.:)Tomorrow is another check up and I’m hopeful the doc has some answers on the timing.
But like V says, “all in its time”:) and I can’t help but agree.

Especially, since we are not on track with baby preps. I’ve given up the idea of having the nursery ready on time a while back, I told you that. Even though I’ve finished my part of the deal – the mural (which came out nicely and I can’t wait to share it!), V is really struggling with his. He’s been crazy busy with submitting taxes for the first time as an entrepreneur these past few weeks and dealing with seasonal increase of customers requests.

On top of that, the poor guy is needed by my side badly. I find myself helpless to do anything on my own these days. Even the idea of going to a store without hubby, makes me cringe. I guess it’s another pregnancy side effect I didn’t expect – clinging to your partner every free minute he has:).

Hope I'll have more updates for you during the week!

Bag is packed but nursery isn’t ready

I wish I could say that our nursery is complete and that all V and I are doing these days is sitting on the couch and waiting for our baby to start making an appearance.
While sitting on the couch part is true, we are actually asking our little one to stay put a little longer. So that we can have some things done before the big arrival. And I’m not even talking about buying a crib (easier said than done) or adding finishing touches to the room. At this point, I’m hoping we can empty the room of the clutter we’ve been accumulating there, have the curtains up and get the door trim installed and painted. So behind!

I have this Mother’s day due date idea (my actual due date is the day after), which would be such a great day to give birth! Considering that this week is my last working week, I’ll have two whole weeks to work on the room/nag V to work on it and we should be golden. But of course, it’s out of my hands at this point.
One thing that I do have ready is the hospital bag. It gives me a huge relief that I’m prepared for that part (although doesn’t mean I’m less scared). And since we are planning to have the baby with us in our room for the first few weeks anyway, the nursery can be completed later. After all, babies really don’t care about their surroundings.

P.S. 37w3d, and I’m actually not as uncomfortable as I look on this picture!:)

My type of celebration

I’m not big on following traditions, especially the ones I didn’t grow up with or had known of prior to coming to this country. And baby shower (on any type of shower, for that matter) was one of them.
Until I got pregnant.
Boy, your perspective on things changes when you in this surreal state!
So last week I had my baby shower at my dear friend’s place hosted by my dear sister. Home made food, dessert and the company of the best people who came to wish me well on my new upcoming role.
What else can a mom-to be wish for?

The shift

As in "why haven't my mind shifted from my work-self and into my maternal-self yet?"
I’ve been on high about the upcoming reality of becoming a mother for these past months, but I haven’t really noticed any radical shifts in my thinking towards that yet. Yes, I try to eat well, rest as much as possible (hence the slow blog activity lately) but my mind is still mostly about my professional self.

Honestly, all I've been thinking about lately is my work. My mat leave date is coming up quickly, but I'm not sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, I’m really looking forward to turning off my work mind for a year and dedicating myself to the little one and V, on the other hand, I’m hesitant to this big shift and the prospect of adjusting to the new reality and different kinds of responsibilities. I’m one of those women who associate themselves with what they do and love it to pieces (total careerist, I admit) so stepping back from it all seems like a huge step that I just have to deal with.

Even though I’ve been crazy busy finishing off things at work and training my replacement, I’m enjoying being productive and interacting with my colleagues to the last hour. 
This probably doesn’t sound too good coming from a woman so close to giving birth, but sometimes I simply forget I’m pregnant when I'm working! I take breaks, snack and eat lunch religiously (by this time I’ve learned that going hungry makes the babe angry) but my mind is all about work projects and deadlines and I simply cannot just shut it down.

So there you go, a short confession of one confused working mom-to-be. And don't let that super focused look on my face fool you. Clearly, I don't have it all figured out:)

35 weeks and 3 days today. I’m officially on the last home stretch!

Best course I ever took

Holding the plastic baby felt a bit awkward

Sure thing you can learn anything online these days. Without leaving your house, information is right there - at the tip of your fingers. And I am no different than millions others moms-to-be searching/surfing the net for advise, support, reassurance, opinions, etc. – I’ve done it all and it felt great. Especially, asking doctor Google - day or night, there is an answer to your worrying mind without making an appointment.

Nonetheless, once our pregnancy progressed, I wanted for us to participate in real prenatal classes. First off, I’ve never taken one (only seen it in movies), second of all, I wanted V to learn in spite of his “I already know everything I need to” manly approach. And just like for me seeing other moms-to-be, I thought it would be good for him to see other dads-to-be being involved. So after a quick search, I found one off of our close by hospital. Once I registered, I told V about it:)

Yesterday was our last class and we both came out of it better prepared. Now we know what to do once the labour starts, where to call and at what point to go to the hospital, what to expect there, labour stages and how to deal with contractions, pros and cons of each medication, bringing baby home and breastfeeding. We got the information and reassurance we both needed from an experienced nurse and had fun interacting with other couples from our neck of the woods.

So my advise to other expecting couples out there to look into prenatal classes in your area and participate, if possible.

30 weeks and ancient postpartum ritual

Time flies too fast…

Between daily house routine, work and baby preparations it’s easy for a first time mom-to-be to miss out on this amazing state that we women get to experience. Sometimes I feel I want to hide and just be by myself with the babe inside me without any outside distractions.

Apparently, I’m not the first woman to feel this way.

One of the many things I’ve read about the postpartum part that caught my attention was a short article on lying-in.
Basically, it’s a ritual when a woman spends 15 days in the room with her newborn to learn to mother in the unique way only the baby can teach. I was shocked at first when I read it. What? Be shut out of the world, family and friends to attend to basic baby needs? But the more I read the article, the more the practice resonated with me. The midwife that had reshaped the traditional ritual to adapt it for busy professional women, described it this way:

“…working women, who are so accustomed to multi-tasking, goal setting and receiving recognition for results achieved, have difficulty letting go of those “ego-boosting goodies” and surrendering to the humbling demands of a newborn. There is a Grand Canyon of disappointment for many women who shift quickly from high-functioning work roles to being responsible for a baby and household. The lying-in allows women to see their mothering and caretaking at home part of learning to love unconditionally”.
“No distractions (household chores, radio, television, visitors) but plenty of immersion into new smells, touches, sights, sounds and tastes. Soak it all up – especially when you turn toward something more social, intellectual or practical, or less physical.”

I was intrigued to discover this. I found that I really want to try it when the time comes. Perhaps my own version with some exceptions (does it really have to be 15 days and no visitor at all?) but the core idea or lying-in agrees with me. I find that in today's culture we rush time too much. The baby is only a few days old but I see a mom carrying it through the mall, out running errands or taking newborn pictures at the photo lab in nearby grocery store. I can't help but wonder, should it be like that? Is this what new moms do nowadays? Should we rush into our old selves after childbirth right away or stop and let the world wait a little?

At least for a few days?

Sunny Monday

So much I had planned to share and give opinions on in terms of pregnancy, yet all I’m able to do these days is take a picture or myself and update you on the progress.

27 weeks today! And I’m all smiley as the new week begins.
My sleep pattern seems to be restored and I’m grateful to the baby for the active kicking to be starting around 6am, when I’m also feeling hungry and ready to get up.
One major(and new) discomfort that I’m experiencing these days is leg cramp. I got a couple in one week and thank God V was around to massage my calf muscle, as I was not able to reach it myself without worsening the cramp. Definitely something to watch out for during my swimming sessions.

Hope your week has started with the sunny Monday too!:)

Winter pregnancy weather blues

"What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”
― John Steinbeck

I would have completely agreed with the writer, had I not been pregnant during the winter.

With around -20 degrees outside almost every single day, it’s really hard to squeeze in much needed evening walks. Not to mention, my daily stress over not slipping on the ice or the snow covering the ice is not what I signed up when getting pregnant (oh, I’m gonna use this phrase a lot!).

And you know what’s even more irritating than not having my walks around the hood?
Driving!
As much as V is trying to keep the car preheated before I get behind the wheel or fills the tank so I don’t have to (sometimes he forgets), I am not enjoying driving in winter conditions while in my condition.

But according to my due date, much of my pregnancy falls under the harsh winter months – December, January, February and March. With January being almost over, I just have to suck it up for two more months.

On a lighter note, 25 weeks today! Getting rounder and fuller and loving every extra pound of it:)

P.S  Thanks for taking the photo, Keng!

Sleepless

Aside from hunger and thirst, being pregnant has been tolerable so far. Not a single case of nausea, craving or smell sensitivity up to this day (I think my weight gain is also within normal). There is some slight back aching and stretching difficulty - hello round ligament pains! But that's due to my ignorance of physical activity prior. Other than that, I have nothing to complain about.

Except for a good sleep.

I love sleeping. I had never had trouble falling asleep or keeping my sleep throughout the night. Sound sleep used to be my thing. Now that I’m with baby, I’m up at 3 every night either because I'm hungry or super excited (baby kicking actively sure adds to that:)). So I turned to reading to get some useful info while up.
Along with some online resources and magazines, I'm waiting to get a hold of this book once it's available at my library location. Wouldn't it be great to learn from Canadian author? To me, it would. I have so much to learn about the baby culture in this country. Seems to be a much bigger deal than back in Russia. I guess I will see about that:)

Life

Too poetic for a mid week post? Well, I don’t think so. This is exactly what I’m feeling these days knowing that there is new life growing inside me. I’ve been trying to distract myself with day-to-day things but my mind always ends up on this new high note for us.
Whenever I forget, the little one makes sure to kick me from the inside to remind.:) V and I are on all kinds of clouds for this exciting and a bit scary new adventure.

Hope you’ll stick around and support us through it!

P.S. 22 weeks and finally starting to show:)