Today at the office, my colleagues held a lovely potluck/shower for me. It was held in the atrium, underneath the palm trees and about 30 people attended. It was wonderful! The food was spectacular and the company was superb. The organizer took up a collection and presented me with a bundle of cash to go towards the rocking chair that I hope to buy. In fact, I'm looking at picking that up tomorrow. It'll be a lovely addition to our living room. I am so grateful to have such good people supporting me at work, through all of this, both the good and the bad. They've been there and listened to my fears, cried through my disappointments, held their breath alongside me and now, rejoiced in our success. I am blessed to have them in my life and I made sure I let them know that today. Hubby and I are very appreciative.
After the shower, I hightailed it out of the office for a 2:40 p.m. appointment at the OB's office. Here's the scoop:
Petit's heartrate (on the doppler) was in the 150s and going strong.
My blood pressure was 132/80, quite normal for me.
I've gained two pounds, so over the pregnancy, I'm up 0.5 lbs.
Next appointment is set for June 26 when I get to meet another of the OBs in the office. I've made a point of asking to meet all the docs who work at my OB's clinic because when delivery time comes, any one of them might be on call and I want to know what they look like before they just show up to catch Petit during birth!! Anyway, the next OB that I am meeting is also an RE who operates out of the Ottawa Fertility Centre. Now, while I hear some good things about him, I've also heard that he's of the mind that "weight loss = pregnancy" so I may have a bone to pick with him. I'm reserving judgement. We'll see what he has to say.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Amazing Weekend Away + Sentimental Story
To echo V's and Pam's sentiments about our spectacular time in Toronto last weekend, it was, well... spectacular. As you travel through life, you meet so many people. Some simply rub you the wrong way and you go on about your business. Some rub you the wrong way and you either try to smile and make nice, or you agree to disagree and keep your distance. Some people are good people and you get on well enough, but you don't have much in common so you chat now and then or you send a Christmas card or whatnot. And then there are some others... those with whom you click and you get along fabulously. Pam and V are those people. Each time we get together, we sorta pick up where we left off; there's no end to the things we could talk about! There's a general consensus (and yeah, I'm stealing your line V!) that, "The first three times, you're guests. After that, you're on your own." You just feel comfortable with them, you know? Anyway, our weekend in Toronto was nothing short of wonderful, just like our kind hosts. And I am so glad to have been able to meet Patti, her husband and baby Jack, as well as Aurelia while we were there. I thoroughly enjoyed indulging with good friends, good food, and good conversation. My thanks and appreciation goes out to all of you for making our weekend something wonderful!
And to Pam and Patti: you both are too sweet. On Saturday evening, after dinner was done, these wonderful ladies presented me with two knit blankets for Petit. The one Patti made is brown with some green throughout and Pam's was a cream colour. I gotta upload the pics. But nevertheless, thank you both so much for doing that! It wasn't necessary of course, but I will proudly use the blankets and tell Petit of the wonderful bloggers and friends out there who are amazing, considerate people. Bless you both.
Now on to the sentimental story...
While I was in Toronto, we got to talking about fertility (duh!), children, stepchildren and all that sort of thing. I mentioned that I really needed to blog about the birthday card that my two stepchildren gave me a couple of weeks ago for my 39th birthday. It made me smile and brought a tear to my eye.
***********************
The Un-Wicked Stepmother
Once upon a time,
there was a stepmom
who didn't live up to her name.
She was nice and generous
and never once asked anyone
to sweep coal.
Word about this lovely stepmom
spread through the village,
and everyone gathered in disbelief.
"Look at her!" someone said,
"She's positively warm and wonderful!"
"Unbelieveable!" said another.
"Very rare, indeed!"
The stepmom just laughed
and went on being
her great, wise, lovable self--
helping her family
live happily ever after.
Happy Birthday to a Wonderful Stepmom.
Love, N & J
And to Pam and Patti: you both are too sweet. On Saturday evening, after dinner was done, these wonderful ladies presented me with two knit blankets for Petit. The one Patti made is brown with some green throughout and Pam's was a cream colour. I gotta upload the pics. But nevertheless, thank you both so much for doing that! It wasn't necessary of course, but I will proudly use the blankets and tell Petit of the wonderful bloggers and friends out there who are amazing, considerate people. Bless you both.
Now on to the sentimental story...
While I was in Toronto, we got to talking about fertility (duh!), children, stepchildren and all that sort of thing. I mentioned that I really needed to blog about the birthday card that my two stepchildren gave me a couple of weeks ago for my 39th birthday. It made me smile and brought a tear to my eye.
***********************
The Un-Wicked Stepmother
Once upon a time,
there was a stepmom
who didn't live up to her name.
She was nice and generous
and never once asked anyone
to sweep coal.
Word about this lovely stepmom
spread through the village,
and everyone gathered in disbelief.
"Look at her!" someone said,
"She's positively warm and wonderful!"
"Unbelieveable!" said another.
"Very rare, indeed!"
The stepmom just laughed
and went on being
her great, wise, lovable self--
helping her family
live happily ever after.
Happy Birthday to a Wonderful Stepmom.
Love, N & J
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Last Vacation on the Horizon! (28 weeks 2 days)
I'm taking tomorrow off and hubby and I are heading down to "The Big City" (aka Toronto) to see some friends. In particular, we're staying with Pam and V and with luck, we'll get to hook up with Patti, Mark and Jack, Aurelia, possibly MyReality and who knows all else?! We're really looking forward to it. It's my last holiday until after Petit arrives in late August, so I'm hoping to make the most of it. Pam and V? I hope you're ready for us!!
While we're there, I'm going to hook up with an old friend of mine from high school. She got married much earlier than I did and moved off the island to the mainland quite some time ago. Her children are now pre-teen I believe and she and her husband live very close to Pam and V. She and I keep in touch by e-mail and the like and if all goes well, we'll be able to see her on Saturday for a little bit.
Hubby is keeping himself busy at home. He's getting a variety of estimates to have our deck replaced and we're booking someone to come do an energy audit on our home so that we can take advantage of some of the tax credits available to homeowners who upgrade to make their home more energy efficient. We're looking at getting a new front door and a new furnace this summer, so both of those will qualify and the new deck will have some financial perks as well. One thing at a time, right?
I'm finding that lately, things are becoming more difficult. I've officially entered the third trimester (holy hell; you've gotta be sh*tting me?!) and I'm getting things organized. But doing so has become rather challenging. For example, I was adamant that I wanted to plant some flowers out in the garden so I picked up some annuals a little bit ago. Have I planted them? Nope. You see, I realized that I need to weed the garden first and that entails a whole lotta time either bent over or on my hands and knees, near our cedar hedge, which is filled with mosquitos. Joy. Now, mosquitos LOVE me at the best of times. I was once out with some girlfriends for drinks on the patio of a local bar. About 30 mins later, I said, "I need to go inside guys. I'm getting eaten alive" and I pointed to the plethora of bites I'd received. (My skin usually develops welts after a mosquito bite, sometimes for days on end.) My girlfriends were shocked; not one of them had been touched. No, of course they weren't! Because I was greedy enough to keep all the mosquitos to myself! Either I have sweet blood or my pheremones attract them or something! Whatever it is, I'm a mosquito magnet. Hubby jokes that as long as I go outside with him, mosquitos never touch him. *sigh*
Anyway, so first I'd have to deal with the mosquitos and I'm not keen on using DEET this year (though I know in small amounts it's still safe). And then the whole bending over bit. Dear God. You're kidding. A joke, right?! Seriously. I dropped my keys this morning in the front porch and for a moment just looked down and sighed. It's getting more and more difficult to bend over, to pick things up off the floor, to manoeuvre things, etc. So I have the annuals, but they're not yet in the ground. I'll get there. Slowly but surely.
On the symptom front... it's hard to bend over, my lower back and hips ache to high heaven and I could sleep for 15 hours a day, I'm sure! I've got some rib pain here and there, but nothing too drastic. Usually I give it a rub and either it disappears or Petit moves the offending body part! I don't have much swelling yet, unless I don't get enough rest, and then I get cankles something fierce! For the last week or so, I've been eating much smaller meals and sort of grazing through the day because my stomach can't hold that much anymore and I'm more prone to indigestion. Thank heavens for Tums with Calcium! I am up at least once per night because I have to go to the bathroom and sometimes the baby keeps me awake after that... so getting up at 5 a.m. is virtually impossible at the moment. I've yet to invest in a nursing bra but I can tell 'the girls' are starting to get strained in my regular bras; some of which I had to give up wearing months ago. (Ah, the lovely pink lace has been set aside for the moment!) And it's official; I can no longer see my toes unless I bend a little at the waist. I'm still taking the colace (and consuming TONS of water and the occasional prune) to keep myself regular and to try to avoid getting hemorrhoids. Please God I won't have that to deal with.
I'm in the middle of washing the clothing, bedding, blankets, etc. that we do have for the baby. One load at a time, it's getting done and hung up in the closet again. I still need to do some things like look at cloth diapers and figure out what ones to get, because right now, all I have is one package of disposables that a friend gave to me. So I gotta get on that. I hear good things about FuzziBunz and BumGenius 3.0. If you cloth diaper and have tips/tricks, feel free to leave me a comment about your preferences and why. I'd love to hear about it!
I know of two or three other women who were also due in August who have had premature labours and their babies have arrived. All safely, but all are in NICUs and being taken care of for the moment of course. But this made me think: what if that were me? Maybe I should think about putting down a waterproof cover on my mattress now just in case. Maybe I ought to figure out what to pack for the hospital, just in case. Maybe I ought to buy that nursing bra, just in case. Maybe I need to just think ahead a little more, you know? And then again, I've "thought ahead" for so much of this pregnancy (and envisaged the absolute worst), maybe I need to stop thinking altogether!!
At the office, I have been asked numerous times about when I intend to take my maternity leave. Living in Canada, I get a year off and for that I am grateful. And being a government employee, my salary is "topped up" (I receive almost all of my salary for the entire year as opposed to the 55% that Employment Insurance pays out). So I am thankful for that as well. But that means that I want to push my departure date as late as possible so that I can still be off work for Petit's first birthday. If I'm due on a Tuesday, I'm hoping to work til at least the Friday prior. But I can only hope right? Things change and I will listen to my doctor on this one. If he sees need for me to take my leave early, then I will and we'll manage. I might take my leave a couple of weeks early and use some of my saved vacation. That might make things easier. My mom and my aunt expect to come in August before I go into labour, so they can be here and help us out. That will give me some time to spend with them too.
On Tuesday evening, hubby and I went to the hospital to attend the orientation for the Labour and Delivery as well as the Maternity wards. All very interesting. I went with a list of questions and by the time the 2-hour presentation was done, I had each of my questions answered to my satisfaction. So my nerves are somewhat appeased... for the moment anyway. I know that some hospitals still give tours of the L&D ward but the hospitals here cut that out a few years ago. With the various pandemics going around (SARS, H1N1) and the stress that tours inflicted on new mothers and babies, now you don't get to see the ward itself. You get a slideshow with pictures of the wards, facilities and equipment and essentially, they can give the presentation to 140 people at once, rather than a 20-person tour of the ward which was less effective. It's good enough for me for now. Again, one day at a time. And now I have the direct number to L&D in case I need to call and ask questions or whatever.
Last night, hubby and I broke out the doppler to listen to Petit again. We do that once every 10 or 12 days, just to reassure me. And we heard kicks and thumps as the baby moved around. We recorded it for posterity. We also recorded my heartbeat so we can play it for Petit; the theory is that the sound of mom's heartbeat will reassure a fussy baby and help to soothe him/her. So it might come in handy; we'll have it if we need it anyway.
We're getting there.
And yet, I still think about so many of you and I know you were further along than I was. And I think, "Where would so-and-so be with her pregnancy now... if...?" God knows I wish it could be different. We all deserve joy and happiness on this road, no matter the path we had to take to get here and no matter what the path to that joy. We all DESERVE it. I firmly believe that. No matter how you reach your joy, I'm pulling for you.
While we're there, I'm going to hook up with an old friend of mine from high school. She got married much earlier than I did and moved off the island to the mainland quite some time ago. Her children are now pre-teen I believe and she and her husband live very close to Pam and V. She and I keep in touch by e-mail and the like and if all goes well, we'll be able to see her on Saturday for a little bit.
Hubby is keeping himself busy at home. He's getting a variety of estimates to have our deck replaced and we're booking someone to come do an energy audit on our home so that we can take advantage of some of the tax credits available to homeowners who upgrade to make their home more energy efficient. We're looking at getting a new front door and a new furnace this summer, so both of those will qualify and the new deck will have some financial perks as well. One thing at a time, right?
I'm finding that lately, things are becoming more difficult. I've officially entered the third trimester (holy hell; you've gotta be sh*tting me?!) and I'm getting things organized. But doing so has become rather challenging. For example, I was adamant that I wanted to plant some flowers out in the garden so I picked up some annuals a little bit ago. Have I planted them? Nope. You see, I realized that I need to weed the garden first and that entails a whole lotta time either bent over or on my hands and knees, near our cedar hedge, which is filled with mosquitos. Joy. Now, mosquitos LOVE me at the best of times. I was once out with some girlfriends for drinks on the patio of a local bar. About 30 mins later, I said, "I need to go inside guys. I'm getting eaten alive" and I pointed to the plethora of bites I'd received. (My skin usually develops welts after a mosquito bite, sometimes for days on end.) My girlfriends were shocked; not one of them had been touched. No, of course they weren't! Because I was greedy enough to keep all the mosquitos to myself! Either I have sweet blood or my pheremones attract them or something! Whatever it is, I'm a mosquito magnet. Hubby jokes that as long as I go outside with him, mosquitos never touch him. *sigh*
Anyway, so first I'd have to deal with the mosquitos and I'm not keen on using DEET this year (though I know in small amounts it's still safe). And then the whole bending over bit. Dear God. You're kidding. A joke, right?! Seriously. I dropped my keys this morning in the front porch and for a moment just looked down and sighed. It's getting more and more difficult to bend over, to pick things up off the floor, to manoeuvre things, etc. So I have the annuals, but they're not yet in the ground. I'll get there. Slowly but surely.
On the symptom front... it's hard to bend over, my lower back and hips ache to high heaven and I could sleep for 15 hours a day, I'm sure! I've got some rib pain here and there, but nothing too drastic. Usually I give it a rub and either it disappears or Petit moves the offending body part! I don't have much swelling yet, unless I don't get enough rest, and then I get cankles something fierce! For the last week or so, I've been eating much smaller meals and sort of grazing through the day because my stomach can't hold that much anymore and I'm more prone to indigestion. Thank heavens for Tums with Calcium! I am up at least once per night because I have to go to the bathroom and sometimes the baby keeps me awake after that... so getting up at 5 a.m. is virtually impossible at the moment. I've yet to invest in a nursing bra but I can tell 'the girls' are starting to get strained in my regular bras; some of which I had to give up wearing months ago. (Ah, the lovely pink lace has been set aside for the moment!) And it's official; I can no longer see my toes unless I bend a little at the waist. I'm still taking the colace (and consuming TONS of water and the occasional prune) to keep myself regular and to try to avoid getting hemorrhoids. Please God I won't have that to deal with.
I'm in the middle of washing the clothing, bedding, blankets, etc. that we do have for the baby. One load at a time, it's getting done and hung up in the closet again. I still need to do some things like look at cloth diapers and figure out what ones to get, because right now, all I have is one package of disposables that a friend gave to me. So I gotta get on that. I hear good things about FuzziBunz and BumGenius 3.0. If you cloth diaper and have tips/tricks, feel free to leave me a comment about your preferences and why. I'd love to hear about it!
I know of two or three other women who were also due in August who have had premature labours and their babies have arrived. All safely, but all are in NICUs and being taken care of for the moment of course. But this made me think: what if that were me? Maybe I should think about putting down a waterproof cover on my mattress now just in case. Maybe I ought to figure out what to pack for the hospital, just in case. Maybe I ought to buy that nursing bra, just in case. Maybe I need to just think ahead a little more, you know? And then again, I've "thought ahead" for so much of this pregnancy (and envisaged the absolute worst), maybe I need to stop thinking altogether!!
At the office, I have been asked numerous times about when I intend to take my maternity leave. Living in Canada, I get a year off and for that I am grateful. And being a government employee, my salary is "topped up" (I receive almost all of my salary for the entire year as opposed to the 55% that Employment Insurance pays out). So I am thankful for that as well. But that means that I want to push my departure date as late as possible so that I can still be off work for Petit's first birthday. If I'm due on a Tuesday, I'm hoping to work til at least the Friday prior. But I can only hope right? Things change and I will listen to my doctor on this one. If he sees need for me to take my leave early, then I will and we'll manage. I might take my leave a couple of weeks early and use some of my saved vacation. That might make things easier. My mom and my aunt expect to come in August before I go into labour, so they can be here and help us out. That will give me some time to spend with them too.
On Tuesday evening, hubby and I went to the hospital to attend the orientation for the Labour and Delivery as well as the Maternity wards. All very interesting. I went with a list of questions and by the time the 2-hour presentation was done, I had each of my questions answered to my satisfaction. So my nerves are somewhat appeased... for the moment anyway. I know that some hospitals still give tours of the L&D ward but the hospitals here cut that out a few years ago. With the various pandemics going around (SARS, H1N1) and the stress that tours inflicted on new mothers and babies, now you don't get to see the ward itself. You get a slideshow with pictures of the wards, facilities and equipment and essentially, they can give the presentation to 140 people at once, rather than a 20-person tour of the ward which was less effective. It's good enough for me for now. Again, one day at a time. And now I have the direct number to L&D in case I need to call and ask questions or whatever.
Last night, hubby and I broke out the doppler to listen to Petit again. We do that once every 10 or 12 days, just to reassure me. And we heard kicks and thumps as the baby moved around. We recorded it for posterity. We also recorded my heartbeat so we can play it for Petit; the theory is that the sound of mom's heartbeat will reassure a fussy baby and help to soothe him/her. So it might come in handy; we'll have it if we need it anyway.
We're getting there.
And yet, I still think about so many of you and I know you were further along than I was. And I think, "Where would so-and-so be with her pregnancy now... if...?" God knows I wish it could be different. We all deserve joy and happiness on this road, no matter the path we had to take to get here and no matter what the path to that joy. We all DESERVE it. I firmly believe that. No matter how you reach your joy, I'm pulling for you.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
A Memorable Birthday (27w2d)
A quick check of Petit today at the OB's office revealed that all is well.
My weight is down 4.5 lbs, for a total loss of 1.5 lbs over the course of the pregnancy so far. That's superb! My TSH bloodwork came back at 1.3 which is perfect! My fasting glucose came back at 4.7 , and normal fasting is between 3.6 and 6.0, so that's great.
The numbness in my upper thighs is normal and although it may get worse over the next few months, it ought to improve or disappear after Petit arrives.
The baby is active and kicking frequently and the OB is pleased with how things are progressing so far. And my next appointment is on June 11.
Honestly, this is the best way to celebrate my birthday. I'm blessed beyond belief and I could not be more thrilled to finally, at the ripe old age of 39, be expecting our first child. It's my best birthday ever. I am grateful for everything I have and the glimmer of hope that we are experiencing right now.
To my husband: thank you for everything you give to me and for being my rock. I am honoured to be your wife, and I am so happy to be looking forward to welcoming our child into our lives. And yes, the roses are beautiful. I love you.
My weight is down 4.5 lbs, for a total loss of 1.5 lbs over the course of the pregnancy so far. That's superb! My TSH bloodwork came back at 1.3 which is perfect! My fasting glucose came back at 4.7 , and normal fasting is between 3.6 and 6.0, so that's great.
The numbness in my upper thighs is normal and although it may get worse over the next few months, it ought to improve or disappear after Petit arrives.
The baby is active and kicking frequently and the OB is pleased with how things are progressing so far. And my next appointment is on June 11.
Honestly, this is the best way to celebrate my birthday. I'm blessed beyond belief and I could not be more thrilled to finally, at the ripe old age of 39, be expecting our first child. It's my best birthday ever. I am grateful for everything I have and the glimmer of hope that we are experiencing right now.
To my husband: thank you for everything you give to me and for being my rock. I am honoured to be your wife, and I am so happy to be looking forward to welcoming our child into our lives. And yes, the roses are beautiful. I love you.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
GIVEAWAY!
In honour of my 39th birthday tomorrow, I'm giving something to you!
I have one full vial, unopened, of PIO. If you are in the process of an IVF, or you know someone who is and you're looking to save some money, I'll quite happily contribute! I'd rather see someone use than have it go to waste. It's not doing me a damn bit of good sitting in the corner of my bedroom, now is it?!
So if you want in, leave a comment here and ensure that I can reach you via e-mail. I'll put all the names in a hat and have hubby draw one for the win!
I have one full vial, unopened, of PIO. If you are in the process of an IVF, or you know someone who is and you're looking to save some money, I'll quite happily contribute! I'd rather see someone use than have it go to waste. It's not doing me a damn bit of good sitting in the corner of my bedroom, now is it?!
So if you want in, leave a comment here and ensure that I can reach you via e-mail. I'll put all the names in a hat and have hubby draw one for the win!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Photos of Recent Events
Some recent photos to keep you updated...
First up, the Baby Steps Walk from yesterday. This is Kerry, one of the u/s techs who I caught up with yesterday for the first time in more than two years. She changed clinics to work at the Ottawa Fertility Centre and she was so genuinely happy to see me and hubby and learn of our good news. Oh yeah, I did make the signs for my shirt. See below.
First up, the Baby Steps Walk from yesterday. This is Kerry, one of the u/s techs who I caught up with yesterday for the first time in more than two years. She changed clinics to work at the Ottawa Fertility Centre and she was so genuinely happy to see me and hubby and learn of our good news. Oh yeah, I did make the signs for my shirt. See below.
Another blogging friend of mine, neeroc. She now has a beautiful little girl courtesy of ART and is contemplating adding to their family. She told me her husband was always sceptical about us bloggers and whether we exist in real life. Yesterday, he found out that I -do- exist! And as I told him, I can vouch for a few more of us as well!
And Dr. Leader, a leading RE in Ottawa and member of the Ontario Expert Panel on Infertility. He told us yesterday that the expert panel will be making its recommendations to the Ontario government early next month and it will be recommending that financial assistance and medical insurance be available for those who must pursue ART in order to build families.
Next up, my family. Excuse the blurriness, but this is my mom, me, my sister and my dad in West Virginia, celebrating my BIL's graduation from Nursing School. I thought it was a half decent picture, despite the fuzzy view.
And my BIL and sister, celebrating!
And a pic of me and MH, one of our friends from VA. MH promised he would 'rub my belly' when he got the chance. He surprised me by doing just that one evening when hubby and I treated their kids to Chuck E. Cheese. (Hey, we had to see what all the hullaballoo was about; we're Canadian and we don't have Chuck E. Cheese north of the 49th parallel!)
Next up, a pic of one of my cats, Shadow. I've mentioned that my two kitties have been rather, oh, shall we say CLOSE to me since I've gotten pregnant? Yeah, well, here's an example. Shadow is so close in this picture, that every time I breathed, his fur went up my nose! I was just too tired to care or move him at that point. So hubby took the pic.
And a photo of hubby and me together. Just cause I thought it was a good one. This was taken in WV at my BIL's party.
To all my American friends:
Have a wonderful long Memorial Day weekend. And in particular, I'm sending good vibes and sticky dust to Mo and Will as they hope Mo's beta rises!
Friday, May 22, 2009
A Dilemma
As I mentioned a few posts back, tomorrow is the Ottawa Fertility Centre's BABY STEPS walk for infertility awareness. I would love to attend!
I called the general inquiry number and spoke to Dr. Vause about the walk. She indicated that the walk itself is about 3.5 km long (less than 1 hour at a regular pace). They'll start at the Fertility Centre, go south on Prince of Wales to Hog's Back, east on Hog's Back to Riverside, north on Riverside to Heron, and west on Heron back over to Prince of Wales and the Fertility Centre. A lovely little jaunt on a sunny day! I'm looking forward to it.
However, there's a small fly in the ointment. While my doctor hasn't told me to restrict activities, there are two minor issues that may hold me back:
1. I'm VISIBLY pregnant. How will those infertiles who are attending view me? Will I only serve to remind them of their own heartache right now? Could I possibly make a poster or something to pin on my belly that says "PG thru IVF"? Or maybe "6 years TTC, 27 IUIs, 12 weeks of PIO, 1 vasectomy reversal, 1 IVF = Baby on Board... Priceless"? What do you think?
2. For the past month or so, when I stand or walk for any length of time, I have tingling and then severe numbness in my outer thighs. It's weird to be walking around and suddenly not feel my own hand touching my thigh! It's likely due to increased pressure and fluids which is quite normal during pregnancy and expected to go away after Petit arrives. But do I want to risk it happening tomorrow during the walk? And then again... if I can shop for the baby for an hour, what's to stop me from participating in the walk for an hour?! Nothing really. So I should probably go and deal with the numbness afterwards.
What do you all think? Would you go? And why or why not? Looking for your advice and thoughts!
I called the general inquiry number and spoke to Dr. Vause about the walk. She indicated that the walk itself is about 3.5 km long (less than 1 hour at a regular pace). They'll start at the Fertility Centre, go south on Prince of Wales to Hog's Back, east on Hog's Back to Riverside, north on Riverside to Heron, and west on Heron back over to Prince of Wales and the Fertility Centre. A lovely little jaunt on a sunny day! I'm looking forward to it.
However, there's a small fly in the ointment. While my doctor hasn't told me to restrict activities, there are two minor issues that may hold me back:
1. I'm VISIBLY pregnant. How will those infertiles who are attending view me? Will I only serve to remind them of their own heartache right now? Could I possibly make a poster or something to pin on my belly that says "PG thru IVF"? Or maybe "6 years TTC, 27 IUIs, 12 weeks of PIO, 1 vasectomy reversal, 1 IVF = Baby on Board... Priceless"? What do you think?
2. For the past month or so, when I stand or walk for any length of time, I have tingling and then severe numbness in my outer thighs. It's weird to be walking around and suddenly not feel my own hand touching my thigh! It's likely due to increased pressure and fluids which is quite normal during pregnancy and expected to go away after Petit arrives. But do I want to risk it happening tomorrow during the walk? And then again... if I can shop for the baby for an hour, what's to stop me from participating in the walk for an hour?! Nothing really. So I should probably go and deal with the numbness afterwards.
What do you all think? Would you go? And why or why not? Looking for your advice and thoughts!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Less Than 15 Weeks Left
Annnnnddddd... we're back!
After a very hectic few weeks and some much needed vacation time, hubby and I are back at home and back to our routine. Well, mostly. More about that in a moment.
My folks arrived near the end of April and spent a full week with us here in the Capital before all four of us piled in our van and headed south of the 49th parallel. We drove to West Virginia, with a stop overnight near Buffalo, NY. We headed that way because I wanted to get some shopping done in Watertown and then in Waterloo (at the outlet shops). Despite a little rain, we had no problem and made it to Ripley, WV in good time.
We found my sister's new house with no trouble and we hit the ground running. Over the course of our week in WV, we went to my BIL's graduation from Marshall University (ever see the movie We Are Marshall? Great film. Highly recommended.), we attended a party organized by my sister and my BIL's sister to celebrate. And we made sure to attend yet another local gathering of graduates in his hometown. Talk about busy! We went to dinner and brunch with my BIL's family, whom we all adore. We took one full day when all six of us went to my sis's old house to clean it up for the next tenant. We spent one full day shopping (mostly for Petit on my part). And Mom made sure to buy me some new maternity clothing to hold me over the summer; that was my birthday gift from her. All in all, a crazy, busy week. But it was so much fun to see everyone.
As a note, while we were there, my sister used a glucometer to check my blood sugar levels. I don't yet have my fasting results from the bloodwork I had done right before I left on this vacation, but to reassure my brain, and my sister, I didn't mind having the tests done. Keeping in mind that the numbers are American (Canadian numbers differ vastly as the method of measuring differs), I am pretty sure we're safe. My fasting sugars were at 80 and two hours post-prandial, I was at 96. My sister is the diabetes coordinator for the state of West Virginia and she said she wanted to see my numbers at less than 100. She seemed happy with the results. As am I.
On Thursday the 14th, hubby and I said our goodbyes to the entire gang and headed out to drive from Ripley, WV over to Woodbridge VA, just south of Washington, D.C. I have to say, the drive was harrowing! The Applachian Mountains are really something to behold, but holy heaven, the twists and turns, the hills and valleys, the plethora of dizzying drops and steep inclines had me sucking in my breath on more than one occasion. Yikes!
Over in VA, we were met by our friends and we stayed with them for three nights. It was good to see them again. We needed a little downtime and I was thrilled to have time to go for a pedicure with KH and her six-year old daughter. It was her daughter's first pedicure and she was tickled pink with the results! So cute! I got a ton of shopping done for Petit. I picked up the exact swing that I was looking for which was sheer luck. You see, what I wanted was the Ocean Wonders swing. However, it's now discontinued by Fisher Price in favour of the Precious Planet line of products, much to my dismay. However, we found one just by chance that had been returned (unopened) and was on the clearance rack at the local store in Woodbridge. I saved over $70 on that one item alone! We picked up a travel-sized play yard too, and I got some sheets and bedding, a cute mobile, and a few more odds and ends that we were looking for. I even managed to find the baby gate that we wanted with the small cutout door for my cats down in the States! We can't seem to find or get it up here, so I was happy that Petsmart had it when we went there. I really lucked out on some items, that's for sure. Mind you, we still have some things to get (lotions, cloth diapers, the monitor, etc.) but we're checking things off the list.
I'm down to under 100 days to go in this pregnancy and that alone still stuns me. Double digits! Jeez. I never thought I'd make it this far. It doesn't seem fair though. We took 6+ years to GET pregnant, and we only have a mere 9 months to enjoy it?! Talk about a cruel joke that Mother Nature plays on us infertiles. I say that we ought to revel in being pregnant for just as long as it took to get us pregnant! Not the discomfort or complications or things like that. But the glow. The round belly that everyone wants to touch. The prospect of unbridled joy. We all deserve to enjoy it to the absolute fullest, don't we?
During our time away, Petit has become much more active. Frequently Petit will be wide awake around 11 p.m., again around 3 or 4 a.m., and then again around 6 or 7 a.m. And kicking up a storm each time! There was one night that the baby kept me up for over three hours as I tossed and turned trying to settle him/her down enough to rest again. It just wasn't gonna happen. I probably got 4.5 hours of sleep that night; a harbinger of things to come I suspect. One night, I was lying in bed at my sister's house, about 3 in the morning as Petit had woken me, and I put my hands on my tummy. I felt the ripples, over and over. The weird, yet incredible, sensation of feeling the baby beneath my palms. I smiled. I get to enjoy these simple moments for such a short time; it's only a very small window of time that I have the opportunity to connect with Petit on my own, before he/she arrives in the world. It's so fleeting. Like I said, never long enough.
Hubby has been feeling Petit move as well. Just the night before last, he was lying in bed, arm around me (as he frequently does) and while I slept, Petit kicked him. And last night, Petit made a spectacular show of skills as Hubby's fingers felt every move. For more than an hour, the two of us lay in the dark and giggled and grinned, smiling as Petit reacted to Hubby's voice and the occasional poke. I am humbled by the experience; I wish nothing more than to remember exactly what this feels like. I wish nothing more than to let all of us experience these moments. We deserve it. We ALL deserve to experience this.
Now that we're home, I'm back at work and Hubby is, unfortunately, looking for work. His contract expired while we were away and financial cutbacks have seen to it that contractors are no longer requested by the organization he worked for. I expect it won't be long before he finds something, however, given his field (he's an IT support specialist), it may be harder at the moment than it has been in a long time. We're keeping our fingers crossed. Wish us luck.
Next Thursday is my 39th birthday and on that day, I believe my office has organized a shower for me. As well, I will have my last monthly OB appointment on that same day; after that I move to appointments every two weeks. I cannot believe I'm about to hit my third trimester. And I continue to hope and dream about bringing this baby home safely at the end of August.
After a very hectic few weeks and some much needed vacation time, hubby and I are back at home and back to our routine. Well, mostly. More about that in a moment.
My folks arrived near the end of April and spent a full week with us here in the Capital before all four of us piled in our van and headed south of the 49th parallel. We drove to West Virginia, with a stop overnight near Buffalo, NY. We headed that way because I wanted to get some shopping done in Watertown and then in Waterloo (at the outlet shops). Despite a little rain, we had no problem and made it to Ripley, WV in good time.
We found my sister's new house with no trouble and we hit the ground running. Over the course of our week in WV, we went to my BIL's graduation from Marshall University (ever see the movie We Are Marshall? Great film. Highly recommended.), we attended a party organized by my sister and my BIL's sister to celebrate. And we made sure to attend yet another local gathering of graduates in his hometown. Talk about busy! We went to dinner and brunch with my BIL's family, whom we all adore. We took one full day when all six of us went to my sis's old house to clean it up for the next tenant. We spent one full day shopping (mostly for Petit on my part). And Mom made sure to buy me some new maternity clothing to hold me over the summer; that was my birthday gift from her. All in all, a crazy, busy week. But it was so much fun to see everyone.
As a note, while we were there, my sister used a glucometer to check my blood sugar levels. I don't yet have my fasting results from the bloodwork I had done right before I left on this vacation, but to reassure my brain, and my sister, I didn't mind having the tests done. Keeping in mind that the numbers are American (Canadian numbers differ vastly as the method of measuring differs), I am pretty sure we're safe. My fasting sugars were at 80 and two hours post-prandial, I was at 96. My sister is the diabetes coordinator for the state of West Virginia and she said she wanted to see my numbers at less than 100. She seemed happy with the results. As am I.
On Thursday the 14th, hubby and I said our goodbyes to the entire gang and headed out to drive from Ripley, WV over to Woodbridge VA, just south of Washington, D.C. I have to say, the drive was harrowing! The Applachian Mountains are really something to behold, but holy heaven, the twists and turns, the hills and valleys, the plethora of dizzying drops and steep inclines had me sucking in my breath on more than one occasion. Yikes!
Over in VA, we were met by our friends and we stayed with them for three nights. It was good to see them again. We needed a little downtime and I was thrilled to have time to go for a pedicure with KH and her six-year old daughter. It was her daughter's first pedicure and she was tickled pink with the results! So cute! I got a ton of shopping done for Petit. I picked up the exact swing that I was looking for which was sheer luck. You see, what I wanted was the Ocean Wonders swing. However, it's now discontinued by Fisher Price in favour of the Precious Planet line of products, much to my dismay. However, we found one just by chance that had been returned (unopened) and was on the clearance rack at the local store in Woodbridge. I saved over $70 on that one item alone! We picked up a travel-sized play yard too, and I got some sheets and bedding, a cute mobile, and a few more odds and ends that we were looking for. I even managed to find the baby gate that we wanted with the small cutout door for my cats down in the States! We can't seem to find or get it up here, so I was happy that Petsmart had it when we went there. I really lucked out on some items, that's for sure. Mind you, we still have some things to get (lotions, cloth diapers, the monitor, etc.) but we're checking things off the list.
I'm down to under 100 days to go in this pregnancy and that alone still stuns me. Double digits! Jeez. I never thought I'd make it this far. It doesn't seem fair though. We took 6+ years to GET pregnant, and we only have a mere 9 months to enjoy it?! Talk about a cruel joke that Mother Nature plays on us infertiles. I say that we ought to revel in being pregnant for just as long as it took to get us pregnant! Not the discomfort or complications or things like that. But the glow. The round belly that everyone wants to touch. The prospect of unbridled joy. We all deserve to enjoy it to the absolute fullest, don't we?
During our time away, Petit has become much more active. Frequently Petit will be wide awake around 11 p.m., again around 3 or 4 a.m., and then again around 6 or 7 a.m. And kicking up a storm each time! There was one night that the baby kept me up for over three hours as I tossed and turned trying to settle him/her down enough to rest again. It just wasn't gonna happen. I probably got 4.5 hours of sleep that night; a harbinger of things to come I suspect. One night, I was lying in bed at my sister's house, about 3 in the morning as Petit had woken me, and I put my hands on my tummy. I felt the ripples, over and over. The weird, yet incredible, sensation of feeling the baby beneath my palms. I smiled. I get to enjoy these simple moments for such a short time; it's only a very small window of time that I have the opportunity to connect with Petit on my own, before he/she arrives in the world. It's so fleeting. Like I said, never long enough.
Hubby has been feeling Petit move as well. Just the night before last, he was lying in bed, arm around me (as he frequently does) and while I slept, Petit kicked him. And last night, Petit made a spectacular show of skills as Hubby's fingers felt every move. For more than an hour, the two of us lay in the dark and giggled and grinned, smiling as Petit reacted to Hubby's voice and the occasional poke. I am humbled by the experience; I wish nothing more than to remember exactly what this feels like. I wish nothing more than to let all of us experience these moments. We deserve it. We ALL deserve to experience this.
Now that we're home, I'm back at work and Hubby is, unfortunately, looking for work. His contract expired while we were away and financial cutbacks have seen to it that contractors are no longer requested by the organization he worked for. I expect it won't be long before he finds something, however, given his field (he's an IT support specialist), it may be harder at the moment than it has been in a long time. We're keeping our fingers crossed. Wish us luck.
Next Thursday is my 39th birthday and on that day, I believe my office has organized a shower for me. As well, I will have my last monthly OB appointment on that same day; after that I move to appointments every two weeks. I cannot believe I'm about to hit my third trimester. And I continue to hope and dream about bringing this baby home safely at the end of August.
Monday, May 04, 2009
Feeling it
At 23 weeks 4 days (Saturday, May 2), hubby felt Petit kick for the first time.
I cried. He kissed me.
We are truly, madly, desperately in love with this baby and I pray every day that we get to bring him/her home in August.
I cried. He kissed me.
We are truly, madly, desperately in love with this baby and I pray every day that we get to bring him/her home in August.
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Chugging Right Along...
At yesterday's OB appointment, here's the dish:
Petit's heartrate = 146
Measurements = 23 weeks 2 days (we calculate 23 weeks 3 days)
My BP = 135/85 (normal for me)
My weight = -1lb (so a total gain of 3 lbs so far)
And everything with Petit looks great. See for yourself.
Petit's heartrate = 146
Measurements = 23 weeks 2 days (we calculate 23 weeks 3 days)
My BP = 135/85 (normal for me)
My weight = -1lb (so a total gain of 3 lbs so far)
And everything with Petit looks great. See for yourself.
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