Monday, June 30, 2008

Matleave Ponderings #3

I've finally gotten around to filling out the various matleave forms for work. It wasn't as painful as I thought it would be, though it was annoying to calculate the dates. Matleave seems to be split off into 2 - pregnancy leave, which is 17 weeks, and parental leave, which is 35 weeks. They add up to a grand total of 1 year.

I'm taking the full 17 weeks of pregnancy leave, and part of the 35 weeks of parental leave, which is why the calculations were so annoying. On top of that, I had to give estimates for:
- Last day to be worked (i.e. beginning of pregnancy leave)
- Last day to be paid
- First day of unpaid leave
- Start date of parental leave
- First day back at work (after parental leave)

I hate calendar calculations. Thanks goodness for MS Excel. :D

Although I technically have my mat-leave starting on August 1st, it's nothing more than an estimated date. In reality, I'll be working until the bitter end. I spoke with my manager and I *may* work a couple of days from home in the 2 weeks or so leading up to my due date, but I don't even know if I'll exercise that option. I think I'd be bored out of my mind working from home in an empty house. I'd rather be at work. Still, the option is there just in case.

I've also had to hash out the details of my part-time work arrangements. At first, I was thinking of working 1 day per week upon returning from maternity leave. After giving it some further thought, however, I decided to revise that plan, and have proposed working 2.5 days per week, or alternating working 2 days one week, and 3 days another week.

Why the change of plans, you ask? Well, let's be realistic. Working 1 day a week is not enough time to really get anything done at the office. On top of that, I don't think that my workplace would even be able to justify getting me a cubicle and computer, let alone approve such an arrangement. Besides, this way, I still get best of both worlds. Time spent with PK, and time to re-integrate into the workforce.

Of course, I have no idea what it'll REALLY be like once PK arrives, so for all I know, this plan may go to the dogs. Fortunately, work is pretty flexible about my changing my mind even while on mat-leave. I just hope that I can stick to the plan.

Week 33

I had yet another doctor's appointment this week. Even though they're every 2 weeks now, I swear it feels like I'm there all the time. I don't mind so much, except for the fact that it takes me a friggin' hour to get there. Plus this one was earlier in the day (13:00h), so my entire afternoon of work was a write-off. He wanted to see me earlier in the day this time because he wanted to see me right after lunch, which apparently is a time when babies get squirmy in the womb. PK is squirmy ALL THE TIME, so it probably wouldn't have mattered so much. Anyway, the reason why he wanted PK to be extra-squirmy is because he wanted to check out my placenta. Apparently squirminess and placenta-measuring go hand-in-hand? At any rate, all was well on the placenta front, and PK is still favorably-positioned!

We even made it out of there at a good time! The only sucky thing is that when we left the doctor's office, we were greeted with a nasty thunderstorm (thunder, lightning, and pouring rain), so we had to wait out the storm for an hour or so before we could walk down to the subway station. By the time we got home, it was 4:30pm, and while I was tempted to call it a day, I VPNed into work and got about 3 hours of work done to make up for the lost time in the afternoon. Not that I'm complaining. I enjoy my work enough to WANT to work those 3 hours from home, so no biggie.

In other pregnancy news, my non-sciatica butt pains seem to be at bay now (maybe all that squatting practice and Yoga stuff I'm doing is finally sticking!), but it has been replaced by foot swelling. Most of the time it doesn't bug me, because my shoes aren't all that tight, but sometimes I do feel it. My legs are a bit swollen as well, mostly on my calves. I notice it most when I get up from my desk to walk, as they feel pretty stiff. Fortunately, I've got a box under my desk that I prop my feet on, so I think that it could be worse. One other thing that helps is time spent in the pool - both at aqua-fitness and mooching off of my parents' pool on weekends. :D

I've noticed a bit of hand swelling as well, especially when the weather is warm or when I walk a lot. It's not so bad during the day because my hands are elevated. It has been significantly better now that the weather has cooled off somewhat (i.e. 25C vs. 35C + humidity), though I notice that my left pinky (where my iron ring resides) still seems to suffer a bit.

The breathlessness that I was complaining about last time is still prevalent, though at this point, I've just accepted it. I'm still winded is hell whenever I go up a flight of stairs, though walking isn't so bad. The fatigue is definitely hitting me most during meetings, where, if I'm not actively participating, I just find myself feeling lethargic and wanting to doze off. Unfortunately, I think it'll only get worse before it gets better. Fortunately, since I DO actively participate in most meetings, I never quite fall asleep when the topic shifts away from my area of expertise/interest.

On the kitchen front, we are at a bit of a lull right now. Although our carpenter told us that the counters would be arriving 2 weeks after templating, our project manager said that it would be more like 4 weeks from the time of templating. While the 4 weeks is in line with the estimate that we were originally given, I really really was hoping that the counters would come sooner. That puts our counter ETA at around July 16th, and if all goes well (*knock on wood*), then they have another weeks' worth of work (hopefully less) to do odds and ends like install sinks, the toilet, and appliances. And after that, the hubby and I have the lovely task of cleaning cabinets, moving things back from our basement to the kitchen, and getting the house in order from its current state of chaos. For now, however, we are sitting ducks. Waiting sucks. I just hope that PK doesn't arrive before the kitchen is done.

And now, for the topic that I've been dreading for the last few weeks - the perineal massage. I think I'm at the point where I have to just take the plunge and do it, but I really really don't want to. First off, I hear that it hurts. Secondly, I really really don't want my fingers to be anywhere down there, thank-you very much. At the same time, the prospect of tearing during labor or being given an episiotomy (though the latter doesn't happen as much) do not tickle my fancy, so I guess I need to suck it up and just do it. Bleh.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Home Stretch Weight Gain

I had a doctor's appointment this week, and as usual, I was weighed. I can't remember if I'd mentioned this before, but this doctor has one of those scales where you muck around with the little weights in order to figure out how much you weigh. By contrast, my old doctor just had a scale with the big needle. For the last few visits, I couldn't figure out how to read the scale at my current doctor's office, because the numbers just seemed really weird. This week, the nurse moved a big weight to the 40 mark, and a small weight to the 19 mark. And then it dawned on me: THIS IS A METRIC SCALE! Major DUH moment. :P

I won't go into too much of a rant over metric vs. imperial except that for an overall metric country, I HATE the fact that most people still refer to their height in feet and their weight in pounds. Pretty back-assed, if you ask me. Anyway, I guess I must've been somewhat brainwashed over the last few years, because now I always refer to my weight in pounds and my height in feet, so I always have to do the conversion to quote it the "right" (metric) way.

Anyway, I digress. So as of Monday, I finally "figured" out my current pregnancy weight (40kg + 19kg = 59kg). I guess I could've weighed myself at home, but I've refused to do so ever since I got pregnant. Don't ask why - it makes no sense. In the spirit of the metric system, I calculated my pre-pregnancy weight in kilos, and determined that so far, I've gained 11kg in the last 33 weeks. I decided to search around the Web to see if that weight gain was normal, and this is what I found on BabyCenter.ca. The first part of the article says that you're looking at gaining an average of 11kg by the end of your pregnancy when you add up things like baby, placenta, uterine growth, extra blood volume, and so on. At 33.5 weeks, I had already gained 11kg. Alarm bells went off in my mind. Now, before you feel the urge to smack me because of my weight gain complaints, read on. Then you may give me a virtual smack. :) As I was saying, I read further down the page, and realized that 11kg is merely an AVERAGE (makes sense), and that the amount of weight you should gain during pregnancy is based on your BMI. Being the keener that I am, I calculated my pre-pregnancy BMI to be approximately 18.75. According to the BabyCenter.ca article, it means that I should be gaining between 12.5kg and 18kg. The 18kg (~40lbs for you non-metric folks out there) upper-limit seems a bit excessive, and I'm guessing that that's reserved for women who were under-weight before getting pregnant. The moral of the story is that my 11kg (~24lb) gain over 33.5 weeks is normal enough, so I really should shut the hell up.

I really have no reason to worry. Most people have told me that I look pretty good for a pregnant gal, and that alone should have been reassuring. I guess I need the backing of numbers to re-assure me. I have to admit that freaked out a bit when I read a few weeks back that rapid weight gain occurs in the 3rd trimester and that, while that's normal, I don't want to go crazy and gain more than I need to by having sweets and all that. I live off of fruits and fruit juices. I tend to drink the no-sugar-added juices, but even "natural" fruit juices still HAVE naturally-occurring sugar. I would hate to be doing well throughout my pregnancy weight-wise, only to blow up in the home stretch.

I probably sound like a broken record today, since I've harped on the weight thing here and there throughout the life of this blog. The purpose of this blog, however, is to allow me to vent, so venting is what I've done. On that note, I promise to not mention the weight gain thing ever again on my blog for the duration of my pregnancy.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Putting Things into Perspective

My family is probably not what you'd consider normal, but we're still close. My parents and sister live in Canada, while my ENTIRE extended family lives in Brazil. We've been in Canada for almost 20 years now, and while we visit the extended family as often as we can, I don't feel particularly close to anyone there, except my maternal grandmother. That's why my relationship with my family here is all that more important.

As L-Day looms (7 more weeks go go, give or take 2 weeks), the importance of family becomes all the more apparent. PK won't be just another addition to my little household. PK will be a daughter, a granddaughter, a great-granddaughter, and a cousin to the little extended family that we've built in Canada. Support from the extended family here will be all the more important.

Moments of crisis really make us realize that we can sometimes take the love and support of our family for granted. That's when you realize that the people you love really do love you - because they put up with your crap, and don't even think twice about it.

I truly hope, as every parent does, to have a good relationship with my child. I'm sure that my initial relationship with her will be more authoritative, as I need to give her the tools to live a successful life. As PK grows older, however, I will need to wean out of that authoritative role, in the hopes of moving into the role of friend, so that we can be equals, sharing ideas and opinions, even if our opinions sometimes clash. Easier said than done, I'm sure, but I can at least strive for it.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Ambushed!

I was called into a meeting at 2pm today to discuss a work-relevant topic. About 5 minutes in, the meeting room door opened, and a bunch of other co-workers from my team streamed in with a cake and gift basket - a little surprise baby shower! I'm not used to so much attention, so my face went BRIGHT RED.

I can't even begin to say how touched I was by what my co-workers did. It certainly brightened my Friday. That they would actually put all this time into planning things - organizing a fake meeting, buying a cake, and buying a gift basket - certainly makes me feel like a valued member of the team. I don't think I've ever felt this way at any of my previous workplaces. WOW!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Errr...???

A few weeks ago, we were at Shopper's to pick up some odds and ends. When we went to pay for our items, the lady at the check-out (who was Chinese) asked about my pregnancy:

Check-out Lady: So how far along are you?
Me: About 6 months.

Check-out Lady: That's so nice! Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?
Me: We're having a girl.

Check-out Lady: Oh, I guess you'll have to try again later then!
Me: [smile and nod]

I wasn't insulted because I know that it's a cultural thing, but it was still pretty surprising. You'd think that in this day and age, having a girl would be just as exciting for parents as having a boy. I guess every culture is different, isn't it?

Week 32

I continue to be plagued by the usual 3rd-trimester fatigue, and the breathlessness is getting a bit worse. It's no cause for concern though; I see it as just another thing that I have to adjust to. It's interesting to realize that pregnancy (at least for me) is all about adaptation. The minute you come to grips/adapt to one of its little quirks, another one is thrown at you. Maybe it's done to keep me on my toes once PK comes along. A 2nd-time mom in one of my pre-natal fitness classes says that the adaptation goes well beyond pregnancy and into childcare too. I guess it's no surprise!

Now that HypnoBirthing is done, I've once again resumed going to my Tuesday aqua-fitness class. I don't know if it's the 3rd-trimester fatigue, but my Tuesday class was KILLER. I was totally pooped after it was done. It was just non-stop movement for the entire class. The same went for Yoga last night. Today I came to work completely sore. It's a good type of soreness - the type you get after an awesome workout - so no complaints! I can only wonder what's in store for today's aqua-fitness class!

And before I forget, a quick update on my kitchen! The cabinets were put up last week, so the room is finally starting to look like a kitchen again. The floors were put in this past Monday, and yesterday the appliances were delivered and the templating was done for the counter. If we're lucky (*knock on wood!*), then the counters will be delivered in 2 weeks, and in the meantime, they can finish up the minor carpentry that's still left. This should put us at a completion time of mid-July for the kitchen, which should hopefully give us time to actually get the house back in order before PK is born, and to have a kitchen-warming party. I'm a being too ambitious here? :P

Week 31

The more I get into my 3rd trimester, the more I've noticed that my energy levels have declined. All things considered, I still feel pretty energetic; however, it's definitely not as high as my 2nd-trimester energy level, and certainly nowhere near my pre-pregnancy energy level. I was told by several new moms that energy drain during the 3rd trimester was common. I guess I thought I was immune to that, because I wasn't feeling in the earlier weeks of the trimester. That all changed around week 31, where I started feeling plain tired. The funny thing is that it's different from the fatigue that I felt in my first trimester. My first trimester felt like I'd been given NyQuil every day for 3 months. I felt as if I couldn't move my body, and I felt drained. The fatigue I feel in my 3rd trimester is totally different. It feels more like I haven't slept in days, and that I constantly need a nap. It's certainly a lot harder to stay awake during meetings, and as part of some cruel joke, it seems that I've got more meetings to attend now, than I did a few months back.

That being said, I'm being pretty stubborn about the whole thing, and try to carry on as if I didn't have diminished energy levels. I think one of these days I'll end up coming home on a Friday night and collapse on the couch until morning. :P It'll probably happen soon, and it'll probably be a good thing. It's probably the only way that I'll slow down!

Another thing which doesn't help with the fatigue is that I get out of breath really really easily. I guess little PK has gotten to the point where she's squishing my lungs. That's okay though - it means she's growing. :) The only sucky part about the whole thing is that by the time I get to bed at night, I'm totally panting. Plus my fitness classes seem to feel A LOT more intense, so I'm just dead after I finish.

Week 31 was also the last week of HypnoBirthing. Although I didn't have the most relaxing last session ever, it was still pretty fun. I'm sad that the classes are done now, because it was nice to have the instructors to talk to about various concerns and questions that we had. Fortunately they're really cool about staying in touch via e-mail, so that helps.

I guess another "highlight" of the week was my doctor's appointment on June 9th. It wasn't a terribly exciting appointment. As usual, I spent more time getting there than I did at the appointment itself, which at least means that everything was fine. He checked PK's position with the ultrasound machine, and PK was still in a favorable position (head-down), so I'm glad. I like to think that it's all due to the nightly stories that the hubby tells PK. He's getting pretty creative with these stories nowadays. They used to be about this and that, but now there's a theme - it's about a bunny and her daily adventures. Sometimes the stories are so elaborate that we have to stop and continue with the next part of the story the next day. It's very entertaining!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Yes, I Feel FINE!

For whatever reason, when people at the office see me these days, they are inclined to ask me, "How do you feel?" I find the question puzzling. Am I supposed to be feeling bad? Are they waiting for the day when I waddle into the office? Are they waiting for the day when I can't get out of my chair because of my growing belly? Or maybe I'm just reading into this too much and just wanted a topic to blog about. :P

What I do know is this: I FEEL FINE! I'm still exercising regularly, and while my energy levels have dropped a bit and am out of breath more often than not, I still feel like I have more energy than most - certainly more energy than the hubby has. I think he was a bear in a past life due to his love of sleep. :)

Monday, June 16, 2008

Not Feeling the Love

The closer I get to my due date, I can't help but wonder if I should've done things differently. In the beginning, even though I was really excited about the pregnancy, I was also pretty upset by it for making me feel so crappy all the time and for changing my body so much. Should I have done things differently? Should I have complained less or been less crabby about it?

I was so afraid of miscarrying, that I detached myself completely from the pregnancy. The stats are CRAZY. There's a 20-30% chance of miscarrying before a heartbeat is detected. After that, it drops down to 5%. When we told our parents partway into my first trimester that I was pregnant, I told them not to get too excited and to not get too crazy with buying baby things just yet.

I'm probably less detached now, especially after I started feeling PK moving. That put the pregnancy into a whole new perspective for me. It was the "Holy crap! There's a human being growing inside me!" moment of realization. At the same time, I feel as if I don't have that connection to PK that I see others having with their unborn babies. I don't talk to her. I don't rub my belly. I don't usually play music around her - I seriously keep forgetting to do that now that band practice is done for the summer. The hubby does all the talking and belly rubbing. And he likes to sing her some songs that we made up early on when we were dating (they're totally silly but could totally be put into a kiddie album - there's my lost calling!). As for me, I just poke my belly sometimes when she doesn't move for a while to make sure she's okay. When when she starts moving again, sometimes I'll say "Welcome back!" to her, and that's about it.

Will I be this detached when PK is born, or will the gush of unconditional love flow freely into me like a burst dam as soon as she makes her world début? Will I know how to hold her and calm her down if she's feeling distressed, hungry, or poopy? I really can't see myself doing that, but they say that the maternal instinct does kick in.

Hell, I have trouble taking care of myself sometimes. I'm 28 but I still feel like a kid some days. I still call my mom crying if I've got a problem or need advice. I seek parental approval all the time. I feel as if half the things I do revolve around getting an approving nod or comment from my parents. I need them to tell me that they're proud of me, and that I've done well for myself.

And now I'm supposed to do that for my own kid??? I'm just hoping that the Maternal Instinct Switch flicks on when it's supposed to...

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Don't Mess with my Chi

Yesterday was a bit of a frustrating day. After waking up with such a lovely HypnoBirthing dream, it seems that my feeling of serenity went the way of the Dodo. It's not that my workday was bad or anything. It was fine, actually. It's when we got to our HypnoBirthing class yesterday that it all fell apart.

It started off well enough. Last class, we were assigned a "Fear Release" exercise, where each couple wrote down some of their fears related to birthing and parenting, and then discussed it afterwards. We had done our homework the night before and had a great talk resulting from our fear points. It was quite liberating actually. During yesterday's class, we went around the room and briefly discussed the exercise, with each couple talking about its top fear. They included:

1. Interference from the in-laws and how to tell them to buzz off nicely :P
2. Financials
3. Work life after baby

After our brief discussion, we were taken through a relaxation exercise to release our fears. I was all excited because usually the relaxation exercises leave me quite serene. I leaned back on my chair, and as Natasha (one of our instructors) read out the relaxation script, it began.

First, my thought was, "Crap, my back hurts. This is so uncomfortable. Should I shift? Nah...this will last a bit longer. I can hang on." Then, my left leg started bugging me. I don't know quite how to describe it other than a weird shooting pain down my leg - kind of like when people get those pains that indicate that the weather is about to change. I told myself, "It's okay. You're being tested. Just remain calm. Wish the pain away." But I couldn't. And so I stiffened up my leg. And this caused a similar pain on my arm. And next thing I knew, my shoulders were tense, and then my neck. I started shifting in my chair, and furrowing my brow.

By the end of it, I couldn't wait for the relaxation exercise to end, because I felt that once it ended, I could at least be more at ease in my seat. Talk about counter-productive! The funny thing is that I was able to visualize most of the things that Natasha was talking about in her script. I still went through the fear-release steps in my mind, but I wasn't relaxed, and I fidgeted the whole time.

That little episode freaked me out. What if I can't remain calm when I'm in labor? What if I start getting this annoying shooting pain? I've had this shooting pain before, when we went to see a movie a few weeks back. I spent the entire 2 hours writing in my chair, stiffening my limbs. Shifting here and shifting there. It was excruciating!

Class ended late because it was our last class *snif* (though we have a make-up scheduled for that one class we missed a couple of weeks back). We didn't get home until 10:30pm, and I was pooped by then. A nasty thunderstorm the night before had kept me awake and I felt like I hadn't slept in days.

In spite of all this, the HypnoBirthing classes have been pretty empowering. Besides realizing that having a drug-free birth not only is good for me, I also know that it's good for the baby. Plus I know what to expect when it comes to L-Day (Labor Day :P). I know that I can tell them that I don't want doctors/nurses to break my water for me, and that I can decline an episiotomy, and that I can tell them to bugger off if they tell me to birth lying down. (Did you know there are TONS of birthing positions???)

The only thing that sucks is when I tell people about HypnoBirthing, and they roll their eyes at me, like I'm some new-age psycho or have been brainwashed by a cult. I hate defending my decision to go with HypnoBirthing. I'm not crazy. It's not part of a cult. Sure, it's not mainstream, and that's probably what gets people. We've been going along with birthing in hospitals with drugs and being seen as potential C-section candidates because that's the status quo. But just because something is the status quo doesn't mean that it's necessarily right.

People used to believe that the Earth was the center of the Universe. That was the status quo and people went along with it. Today, we know better, because science has taught us otherwise. Maybe someday HypnoBirthing and other birthing methods like it will become more mainstream and people will learn to embrace it. I guess until that happens, we have to deal with the fact that in the Medical Universe, the Earth is still flat and is still the center of the Universe.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Strange Dreams

I had the strangest, yet most comforting dream last night. I dreamt that I was in labor. I've had dreams like that before throughout this pregnancy, but this one was a bit different.

A few days ago, for example, I dreamt that I was in labor and that I wasn't at all prepared to go through with it. I kept fumbling through my HypnoBirthing exercises, and was distraught to realize that I'd forgotten my CD of birthing music. The dream ended before the baby was born, which is just as well, because that particular dream had left me a bit frazzled.

In last night's dream, I was in labor again. This time, however, I was applying the HypnoBirthing techniques, so the entire labor was easy and pain-free. The hospital staff were quite supportive about my decision to go the HypnoBirthing route, and let me do my thing. The baby came out in no time, but here's the kicker: when she came out, she was fully-clothed (yellow shirt and denim overalls) and looked like a 2-year-old, even though she was the size of a newborn. Her hair was brown and straight and short, and she had bangs. The other funny thing is that in my dream, she was born in June, which would make her 2 months pre-mature, but that didn't seem to bother me at all.

I'm not at all disturbed by this dream, in spite of the fact that PK was born pre-mature in it. Rather, I am filled with a calming feeling. Maybe it's because I've been really focusing on my HypnoBirthing relaxation techniques over the last few days, determined to show all those non-believers that it IS possible to have a relaxing, pain-reduced (if not pain-free) birth au naturel. These relaxation sessions have certainly changed my overall demeanor lately, and putting me in a surprisingly good mood. (The warmer weather and sunshine help too!) I'm just hoping this more relaxed, less apprehensive (I said less apprehensive, not un-apprehensive :P) of me continues to exist long after PK is born. :)

Thursday, June 5, 2008

HypnoBirthing in Review

I'm really glad that I'm taking the HypnoBirthing classes, and even happier that the hubby has totally gotten into it. Although I totally dragged him into this, he comes into the classes with a very cheery disposition and is always ready to participate. That's my boy!

The classes are great because they're so much more than just the breathing and meditation. They're also all about birthing prep. It has been quite the stark contrast to the Journey Into Childbirth class that the hubby and I took back in March or April (can't remember which). That class was useful but it was more centered around childbirth being more of a medical thing. Granted, it was refreshing to know what to expect from an epidural (should I ever need one - don't want to think about that). At the same time, it's equally-refreshing to hear that women CAN give birth without epidurals and that I'm not crazy for wanting a natural birth.

While I'm sold on HypnoBirthing, however, I am still pretty apprehensive about the day I give birth. First off, I don't know how my doctor will react to it. Part of me thinks that he'll mock me. The hubby and I still need to work out a birth plan so that we can discuss it with him and let him know that we want a natural birth.

Secondly, I hear that the nurses attending the births can be on the bitchy side and can get pretty darn bossy when it comes to showtime. One girl in my class said just today that she wanted to try a different birthing position (other than the standard lie-on-your-back position), and that the nurse gave her some lipservice over it. I heard of another girl who wasn't allowed to use her the breathing techniques that she'd practiced, having been told by the nurse that she was "getting in the way". I'm sure that not all nurses are like that, but it's good to be aware that some nurses ARE.

The other part of my anxiety stems from the fact that I don't know if the hubby and I can handle all this HypnoBirthing stuff on our own when it comes to showtime. Part of me would feel really comfortable having a doula around (I NEVER thought I'd ever hear myself say that), because she could tell off the hospital staff if they gave us trouble, and could walk me through my breathing exercises without me wanting to tell her off. I could totally see myself telling the hubby to go fly a kite during labor if he were to try to calm me down. The hubby could probably tell off the hospital staff if he needed to, but would he cave if a nurse or doctor said that my membrane needed to be ruptured at a certain point even if it wasn't life-threatening? Or could he tell the nurse to bugger off if she (or he) keeps trying to offer me drugs?

Fortunately, we still have some time to work this stuff out! Stay tuned!

Week 30

I suppose that I could classify this week as semi-eventful. I had my baby shower last Saturday, which was quite fun. We had a great turn-out of work friends from one of my old jobs, university friends, high school friends, and even junior high friends. We got together at Jack Astor's in downtown Toronto and had a blast. The only problem with such a large group (I think that there were 20 of us!) is that it's hard to talk to everyone. So I spent part of my time chit-chatting with clusters of people to make sure I got to chat with everyone. My apologies if I didn't get to talk to you. :(

Earlier that day, we had a little gathering at my parents' place. My sis was in town for the weekend, taking time off from her busy med school schedule. She'd organized the shower, and did a fantastic job. Anyway, we also got together at my parents' place for lunch earlier that day, and she bought me a really nice cake - VERY yummy too! The writing that she chose to put on the cake was so great that I just HAD to post it here! See photos below.

Kitchen renos are still ongoing. At least now they're done tearing stuff up and have actually started putting things in (e.g. drywall). Hopefully we'll have some semblance of a kitchen in the next week or so. Keep your fingers crossed!

This week we managed to make it to the HypnoBirthing class. We're still making arrangements to do a make-up class with the instructors, but they've been more than willing to accommodate us, so there should be no problem.

Now, for the Stupid Injury of the Week. On late Tuesday afternoon, my ribs on my left side near my back started hurting. I thought nothing of it because I had just gotten over my springtime allergies (yes, FINALLY!), and my ribcage is always a bit sore from the crazy coughing fits. No biggie. THEN, later that night, I sneezed. I have NEVER felt such excruciating pain in my life. Seriously, I kid you not. It was so bad that I screamed. It scared the crap out of the hubby, poor thing. My side was hurting for a good few minutes, and now I'm in constant pain. The pain is not as bad as the post-sneeze pain, but it's still annoying. Turning in any way hurts, as does lying down. Plus, I sneezed a couple of times since then, which causes that excruciating pain to return. I really really hope that it's *only* a bruised ribcage and that nothing is broken. I don't see why or how I could've possibly broken my ribs, but if my ribs end up being broken, it will go down as one of the world's DUMBEST injuries. I'm seeing my OB on Monday, so I'll mention it to him. I'm sure he'll end up telling me to see my family doctor.


My belly at 30 weeks.


PK on the Way Cake!