Last Bump-related post, I promise!

Just checking in to say that yes, we're still here, my poor blog has been neglected to no end, but with everything else that's going on, that's just the way it's going to have to be for a little while I think. I'll hopefully be back in the somewhat-normal swing of things by Spring (I'll need a blog makeover before then for sure!)

A few things:

-I made the collage above last week and put it up on my Flickr/Facebook but forgot to post it here (sometimes I feel foolish for posting things in so many spots, but it has to be done I guess). Anyway, it covers all of my Belly shots from Weeks 18 to 36.5. I didn't bother posting the 12 Week or 15 Week shots because they weren't taken in front of the garage door so they don't match, and plus I wasn't showing then anyway so...I probably should take a 37.5 Weeks shot, but I don't think I have it in me to find clothes that would look decent in a photo, so this is how it will stay. And plus, if the baby sticks around inside until next weekend, then I'll take a 38.5 Weeks shot instead. Anyway, it's really neat to see the progression of my bump (and the lack of creativity in my outfits later on, haha), it's been a long journey in a way, but at the same time it flew by, and I can't wait to make some sort of photobook or mini with these shots.

-I'm SO ready for Winter to be over...I waited as long as I could before making any sort of statement like that because really, where I live, Winter runs into the middle of April usually so wishing for Spring in January or February is just silly and counter-productive. It's not so much Spring that I need, I don't mind the snow or colder temps (it's been pretty mild here actually, most of the time just above freezing), it's just plain ole' SUNSHINE that I want. It's been a long stretch of gray here so it makes the days much less bright, my moods would be lifted quite a bit if only I could feel some warm light coming in through the windows. Soon enough I suppose...

-So this is it, this is our last week here, and if we had things our way, the week we'd meet our little bébé. I'm going to the doctor on Thursday for my last check-up, if things haven't progressed or started by then, they're going to set a date for inducing me the week after. Since I'm not a huge fan of the idea of inducing, I'd really like to start this thing beforehand, but I haven't felt a single thing that would indicate that our little Flynn isn't perfectly happy where he's at, so I'm not super hopeful that it'll happen like we want. But it's ok, I know that within the next couple of weeks he'll be here and one way or another, we'll get through it and we'll be a little family soon :)

-Dan and I went out to see Shutter Island last night and in my preggo brain state, I couldn't stop dreaming/ thinking about it all night. 'Twas strange. We also went out to eat and did groceries, and I kept saying to him "this is the last time we're going to be doing this here in Halifax" (or at all for a little while!) It's kind of sad really, I will miss this city and the people I've gotten to know over the years here, but I still truly feel like it's time to move on and that we'll be happy in NB again. Now Dan on the other hand, he may need a bit more convincing, but it'll happen with time.

(We also talked about how we're so different when it comes to making changes: Dan is really good at trying new things and breaking outside of his daily routine when it comes to the smaller things in life, but important and/or permanent changes worry him, while as I'm really good at making big, life-altering decisions without much fear or worry, but trying to get me to try a new restaurant or watch a movie I'm not familiar with and I get really uncomfortable. Another case of us being opposites that attract I guess.)

-We're almost completely packed up, all that's left really is the kitchen, our clothes and a few other little things, so I'm hoping that by the middle of this week everything will be ready to go. I also want to get started on cleaning this place up a little bit, so those 2 tasks are going to be my main mission for the week.

-I went in to work (at HPP) 2 days last week to clean up my stuff and get a few final things sorted out, and I must say that I'm really happy that I did, I got to say goodbye to some people and I can now leave that job feeling like I did as much as I could under the circumstances. Along with missing Halifax, part of me will really miss that job (my first truly 'grown up' job), but I'm more excited for what the future will bring for me when I decide to return to work, so I'll look back at my 3 years there with fondness (mostly) and will carry forward all the skills I learned while there into my future endeavours.

Ok, that's quite enough rambling, but like I said, I may not be back for awhile so I need to get it all out! (I may be back this week but I can't promise anything.)

One last thing though, I thought that now might be a good time to start doing a 'baby pool' to see what everyone's guesses will be about this little guy, so if you want to leave your guesses in the comments (or send me an email or post on my Facebook, for the family), I'll keep track and will maybe do a little giveaway for whoever is the closest :)

Here's what you can guess:
Date he'll be born (if not induced):
Time:
Weight:
Length:
Name will start with a __:

I guess that's everything, I'll most likely be back with an update if I do end up being induced, otherwise the next time you'll see me it'll be with a few pictures of my new son :)

Peace,
G.

I can see the finish line...

Well, here we are, 36 and a half weeks, nearly full-term, and nearly time to meet! It's so crazy, I never thought I'd get here, and at the moment I'm constantly juggling between wanting it to come faster, and wanting it to slow down (usually I want it to happen faster when I'm sore and feel huge, and usually want it to slow down when I look at everything that still needs to be done!) Overall though I'm still filled with much excitement at what's to come in the next few weeks, it's a constant waiting game, but it's going to be a wonderful finish.

As for how I'm feeling, overall I still feel pretty good, my energy levels and appetite are about the same, no crazy mood swings or freak-outs, the only thing that I can really complain about is having a bit of difficulty sleeping/breathing at night, and just the overall feeling of being BIG. I'm up to 153lbs as of Thursday, so I'm nearing or have passed the 30lbs mark, which is about where I'm supposed to be, but still, I definitely notice the extra weight on my legs and joints (we're guessing that the baby is between 6 and 6.5 lbs, so still a few more ounces to go). My groin muscles are still sore from when I pulled them (not once but twice), so that makes moving even harder, but I try to get around as much as possible and not let it stop me. I'm still technically on bed rest, but my doctors have given me the ok to go out for short walks and to resume light activities, so for the past week or so I've been doing some housework and leaving the apartment with Dan, which has really helped me feel 'back to normal'. As I mentioned before, the doctors are looking at inducing me at 39 Weeks at this point, so I'm hoping that by doing these light activities it will kick things into gear before induction becomes necessary. If our plans go how we're thinking/wanting them to go, that means that the baby will be born in less than 2 weeks!

Most days I still take the time to feel my belly and to watch him tumble and roll, and I grab the little feet/arms/legs/elbows/hands when I can and imagine how they will look and feel 'in real life'. The occasional rib-kick aside, I think that I'm actually going to miss feeling these little movements inside. I'm sure that having him here in front of me will make up for it though :)

Well that's all, just wanted to share my current state, and like I said, if things go according to our plan, I might not be taking another Belly Shot, since he'll be here soon after 38 Weeks (I may take a 37.5 Week shot next weekend, depending on how busy we are.) I've really enjoyed doing these Belly shots, as crude and as simple as they are, it's been amazing to watch and see the progression, I will definitely do it again (hopefully in a more creative way) with my next baby. (I'll also be taking these shots and either making a little mini with my blog posts, or doing a photobook, I'm not sure yet.)

What have all you mums done with your Belly shots, if anything?

Happy Weekend, I'm off to watch New Moon (finally!)
G.

Nuggets

Just wanted to quickly share a few little things I've seen on the Internet this week that I'm loving:

This photo makes me long for Fall again (already!)
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When I'm not daydreaming about my baby, I'm daydreaming about my photography goals, and this list is just the thing I needed to feel more confident about it (I'll have to blog about this more at some point, it consumes many of my thoughts.)
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I LOVE this dress from Bleubird Vintage. I don't think the measurements are my size, but the fact that I want to wear and purchase a dress is a big deal. I must REALLY want out of this pregnant body!
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I've been using this yummy smelling body butter to dry and beat my dry winter skin, and I've been rubbing it on my belly to hopefully combat the much-feared stretch marks that are about to come my way. I hope it works!
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Now I'm not a Valentine's Day girl AT ALL, it's just not a holiday I can get behind, but when I saw this Valentine I thought it was beyond adorable and clever. I wish I had found it earlier to send to my other LOST-loving friends!

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And even though I don't want to celebrate Valentine's Day, that doesn't mean that hubs can't spoil me with a sweet treat, does it? An ice cream cake from DQ sounds like the perfect gift to me.

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Well that's it, today I need to get some more work done (will it ever end?!), clean up and do some laundry, and then later this afternoon I'm Skyping with my friend Jelena from Italy, I haven't talked with her in forever so it should be fun! No plans for the weekend besides getting more things crossed off of our never-ending checklist. I found out yesterday at my doctor's appointment that they will probably want to induce me at 39 Weeks, and since I really don't want that to happen, it looks like this baby is going to have to be born not next week but the week after! Insane-ness. I've been looking into natural ways to help labour start (walking, foods, scrubbing the kitchen floor), so I'll probably start those late next week, wish me luck!

Have a great weekend to all the lovers out there!

G.

Oh, and PS-When we have our 2nd baby, I'm definitely stepping up my Belly Shot game and will attempt something like this AMAZING Maternity series. So wonderful and beautiful.

Brain Spill

I love this blurry photo of Dan playing his guitar, I don't know why.

I must admit, my mind is pretty jumbled at this point, with so many little things running through it that it's just a buzz most of the time, but I'm trying my best to keep myself organized and, most of all, calm. I have about 4 weeks left before the baby comes (possibly less), and 2.5 weeks left before we pack up our stuff and head to the camp. It has always seemed so far away that now, with our departure being so close, I may start to freak out a little (I'm more frazzled about the move than the baby, oddly.) This absence of extra time is making me think that we really have to get on the ball with our to-do lists (both me and Dan), and that we better get ourselves prepared because from here on out, our plans could be stopped at a moment's notice, when that first contraction hits or my water breaks, whatever isn't done now just won't get done.

So, here we go, I'm going to try and get some of these thoughts out of my brain and into some sort of order, please excuse the randomness and length of my rambles:

-We have our storage facility in Sussex booked for Feb 27th, so that is going to be our official 'move day'. We're renting a big U-haul, and Dan is probably going to have to try and wrangle up some extra hands to help him move, since I will be pretty useless at doing anything except directing what goes where. The plan is that if the baby is born before then, we will head straight to the camp and set up, and if he's not, we'll drop off all of our stuff except for a few items of clothing and my hospital bag, and we'll trek back up to Halifax to stay in a hotel for a couple of nights to wait it (him) out. I'm really hoping that he's born just before we move (Feb 22nd or something would be ideal), but of course I have no say in the matter so we will just have to see. Of course all these plans may change depending on what actually happens, but right now this is how we're going to attempt it.

-We picked up the pack 'n play that my mom bought us from Sears last night, and I think that Dan is going to try and put it together tonight. At first we debated whether we should bother or not, but really, if I'm expecting to have the baby before we move and have him here for a few night at least, then we should have somewhere set up for him to sleep (it's a bassinet, change station and playpen all in one, and it'll be where he sleeps until he's a couple of months old). At the very worst we'll just have to pack it up in its travel bad and lug it to the camp for when he's born (after we move).

-We also need to get the car seat installed, that's one of Dan's to-dos for this weekend, to clean out the car and install the seat.

-My major to-do is to get everything packed. We're about 70% there, the only problem is that a lot of what needs to be packed, we're going to be using over the next 2.5 weeks, so we'll have to wait until the last possible moment to pack that stuff up, which will be quite inconvenient if the baby comes too early...

Evidence of my day out, it was so nice!

-Last weekend Dan and I went to Keiser's to get what will probably be our last sub sandwiches (this is the place about 25 mins outside of the city that I had Dan drive me to a few times in my first trimester, I love it there!) On the way home I had him stop at a local Salvation Army and I was so glad that I did, despite breaking my 'no shopping' bedrest rule. I managed to get about 5-6 inexpensive sleepers for the baby and a few things for myself (a pair of Maternity jeans that I don't loathe and a post-baby plaid shirt). The feeling of thrifting was just awesome, I really really missed it during the last 6-8 weeks. I loved it so much that I actually went to Value Village on Monday for their 50% off day and got a ton of stuff there too, mostly things for the baby, but also a pair of pyjamas for the hospital, a few shirts/sweaters for Dan and some shirts for me post-baby.

-Can I just say how much I'm looking forward to wearing normal clothes again? Honestly it's going to be one of the best things (after having the baby I mean, ha).

-My creative streak is pretty much gone, so much so that I'm thinking of packing up my scrap stuff early (I was going to leave it out until the very end.) I was going to do a layout about Dan, but it never happened, and I was going to try and finish my 52Qs, but I've run out of photos that I need and also the motivation to finish. Maybe I'll take one more stab at it and if nothing comes of it, I'll pack it away and hope that it returns when I'm at the camp.

-I did start filling out some of the lists from my Listography book, and I actually had Dan fill some of them out too along with me! I need to fill out a few more, but I figure that this is something quick and easy that I can save for the camp.

The lists.

-As for my knitting, I'm about 75% done the first ball, I want to finish it before we move (I know I had grand plans for finishing the ball in a week, but when it takes 15 mins to do one row, it's just not realistic). I had a small mistake a few night ago and had to call my mom to get reassurance that it would be ok, and I managed to fix most of it, but there's one little section that you can tell I went astray...oh well, overall it's coming along really well and I can't wait to take pics of my baby with it later this Spring :)

Well that's all I can think of for the moment, like I said the jumble makes it hard to be coherent about anything, but one thing for sure is that I'm extremely anxious to meet our son, to hold him, to see what he looks like and begin life with him. These last few weeks, as busy as they are going to be, can't take away this excitement I'm feeling (despite all the soreness and hugeness).

Be back later perhaps with some more rambling, or sharing what I can before I log off for a little while, so until then, hope you are enjoying your week, snowy or not!

G.

The Camp

For those who don't know, in about 4 weeks Dan and I will be moving to my parents' "camp" for a few months. I say "camp" loosely because really it's more of a rustic little house. It's fully winterized, has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (well, used to), a full kitchen, fireplace, living room, phone, satellite TV, everything you could need to live (except for one thing-more on that later.) They bought it about 2-3 years ago as a place to get away, and we've been in love with it ever since. I've talked about it many times over the years and our visits there, but now we're going to be the first permanent residents since they bought it from the old folks that called it home (ha!).

The idea first came up of us living there late last year when we were trying to decide how we were going to manage moving and having a baby at the same time. We were worried (and rightly so) that we weren't going to have a chance or be able to find an apartment in Sussex in the middle of winter before we moved, so we were trying to think of solutions and I casually brought up the idea of us living there until we could get ourselves settled in NB. My parents only use it during the weekends in the winter, and hadn't been using it much lately, so I thought it might be ok. As the months went by, the idea became more and more ideal for us (and as it turned out, quite necessary, since my bed rest has not allowed me any opportunities to look for an apartment). My parents were extremely gracious in agreeing to let us use the place, so now it's been settled and we'll be living there next month!

There are so many great things about this plan, the most important being that Dan and I and the baby will truly be 'getting away from it all' to hibernate for the rest of the winter (we're planning on staying there until May). It'll just be the 3 of us (+ Shimi), out in nature, bonding and enjoying (and struggling through) our new lives with a newborn. Dan will be off work so he'll be there to help me and we can re-focus on what matters. I'm also hoping that by being out there I'll get a better sense of what I want for our future and what kind of life we want to live. I'm going to try to keep things as simple as possible while I'm out there, so we're not bringing a lot with us, just the basics we need to get by for a few months, and that's it. We're still debating whether we should get Internet or not, if we end up choosing not to have it then I think the 'withdrawal' from the online world will do me wonders (not saying that I wouldn't prefer having it, I would, but I think it would be good for me not to have it at the same time).

There will be other advantages as well (being rent-free for a few months will definitely help), but at the same time it's not all going to be easy. While we'll be closer to our parents and friends by living there as opposed to Halifax, we're still at least 30 mins away from the nearest town, meaning that getting groceries and supplies will be a once-a-week occurrence, something we're not used to at all. There's also the added 'risk' that if something goes wrong, we're far away from help/the hospital, etc. We might not get as many visitors because of the distance, which means less help too. Also, the winters out there can be way rough (it's kind of up in the hills), there's always a ton of snow so Dan will have to make sure to keep our driveway as clear as possible in case we ever need to get out in a hurry, and our car will have to be super winterized (studs, etc), just to make it out. I'm really hoping the winter starts to let up by the time we get there, but in past years the snow hasn't completely melted until nearly May, so unfortunately it's not going to be as pretty/wonderful as the pics I'm showing. We'll be cooped up and will probably get a bit of cabin fever, but at the same time I know we'll be busy enough just surviving that it shouldn't be too bad. There's also the practical problem of there not being a washer and dryer available, but I'm hoping that we'll be able to get a fairly affordable set to bring with us, so that's not too much of an issue.

Overall though we're both really looking forward to it (even Dan, which surprised me, he's actually looking forward to having 1) chopping wood, 2) keeping the fire going, and 3) clearing the driveway, as his main jobs), and I think that we'll remember our 'cabin time' with fond memories.

And if we're lucky we'll get some of this too (I highly doubt it though).

(All pics of the camp are from this past Fall, and 2 summers ago.)

Hope you all have a great weekend!
G.

February Goals.

As much as I complain about time going slowly sometimes, it really does fly. I can't believe that February is here already, and more so, I can't believe I spent all of January in my house! I can probably count the number of times I left this apartment on my hand, which is crazy, and the next month will bring much of the same, but it will also bring much excitement, preparation and impatience...bring it on February!

Ok, time to check in on my January Goals (the ones in bold I actually did):

*Rest and stay off my feet as much as possible; grow this baby
*Re-do/clean up blog
*Blog at least twice a week
*Buy a car seat, look for a 2nd hand glider, choose crib
*Write out our birth plan
*Finish my 52Qs
*Finish my December Daily
*Pack as much as I can (meaning Dan will pack with my direction)
*Buy more 0-3 months clothes for baby
*Look into photographers for Heather
*Get as much done as possible for work (from home)
*Get my short-term-illness and Mat Leave sorted out
*Finish Jelena's mini; mail
*Record v-log for Weeks 26-32, take 30.5, 32.5 and 34.5 shots
*Go through house, decide what to give away/throw out/keep
*Buy thank you cards from Etsy for after baby
*Cut my hair
*Work on post-baby budgets

As you can see, I came up pretty short on the scrapping front, and a few other things as well (things that involve me leaving the house mostly). This month I'm trying to keep my goal list extra short and easy, since it could all change in an instant if I go into early labour.

So here we go:

*Book storage facility in Sussex (decide on move date)
*Rent U-haul (decide on move date)
*Finish packing all non-essential stuff (to go in storage)
*Prepare/pack what we will be bringing with us that we are not using at the moment
*Get my hair cut
*Work on 52Qs (another 10-15)
*Finish a ball and a half of yarn on baby blanket (50% of blanket)
*Buy thank you cards/baby items from Etsy
*Cook and freeze a few meals to have for after the baby
*Record v-log for Weeks 32-38 (if I get that far), take 36.5 and 38.5 Week shots
*Look up BB support groups/classes in Moncton/Sussex area
*Read most of this book:

*Play a little bit with this book:

I can think of more, but I'll leave it at that. This is it, this is the last month that I will not be a mother...it's a lot to take in, and I'm sure it'll be even harder-and yet even more rewarding-than I could ever imagine, but that's the adventure we're about to embark and I honestly can't wait.

I'll be blogging as much as possible throughout the month, but if you don't hear from me for a little while, that means that bébé Flynn has decided to present himself early to the world. I'll be sure to update as much as possible though (there's a chance we won't have Internet where we'll be staying in March and April, so we'll have to see what happens.)

Be back later this week with some more 52Qs and maybe a few of the lists above :)

Do you have any goals for this month? It's hard to feel motivated in the dead of winter, but we can make it through!

Loves,
G.