These Days

I have a million things on my mind.  Things that need to get done.  Crib mobiles, wall art, organizing, shopping, cooking.  But mostly I'm just sleeping.  Because I'm too tired to do any of these things.

Pregnancy is hard.  I apparently make it look easy, but lately it's been kicking my butt.  I guess I am growing a human, that counts for something.

I don't want to cook anymore.  Or think about what to cook.  Or make any decisions actually.  I'm done with decisions because my mind can't handle it.

I still want to eat though.  But if I had my way (and the whole money thing didn't matter) we would eat out every single night.

Everyone's going on vacation.  And I'm jealous.  I know I get a baby, that's pretty cool I guess, but right now a week in the sun sounds pretty fantastic.

Less than six weeks until baby.  Craziness.  I'm going to be a mom.  That's terrifying.

And those are the random thoughts of a pregnant girl.

Bump Date: 34 Weeks

• Baby is the size of a butternut squash
• My body failed for me this week.  Not actually, but I had a rough week.  I was really sore and uncomfortable for most of the week.  I get frustrated when I can't do what I usually do.  I want to be able to exercise and just function normally in general, and at this point that's not happening.  So apparently it doesn't matter how big or small your belly is, at a certain point in pregnancy you are just uncomfortable.
• I feel like I have a massive baby in a belly that's too small for it.  
• I did some cardio and went for walk with Ryan's family on Sunday and then didn't do anything else until a bit of cardio on Friday.  I tried to work out on Tuesday because normally weights don't bother me, but as soon as I started my body said no
• I bought some stuff for my last few DIY projects for the nursery.  Much cheaper than buying things off Etsy as long as they actually turn out, so I'm crossing my fingers because I still spent a good amount on it if they fail!
• My brother and sister in law took some maternity pictures last weekend and they turned out great!  We didn't get a ton done (which was my fault because I was unprepared and grumpy), but really how many pictures do you need.  My brother in law is so talented, we're very lucky.
• I'm trying to think about all of the things I need to do and when I need to do them.  What can wait until I'm off work (at which point I could have a baby at any time) and what do I need to get done now.  
• So many people are going on southern vacations in the next few weeks and I'm so jealous.  I know, I know, I get a baby, but sun and sand sounds so nice!
• I have a shower next weekend and I'm really looking forward to celebrating this little one with my family!

Bump Date: 33 Weeks

Every week I now think that I can't believe I'm that far along.  If baby was born now it would have a good chance of survival and everything being ok (after a few rough weeks I'm sure) and that thought is both crazy and comforting to me.  At the same time, things can go wrong at any point, and that's terrifying.  Oh the emotional thoughts of a pregnant woman.....

I try to take my pictures on Fridays if I can, but it depends on the day and what my hair looks like etc.  So this week we made it to Sunday with no picture.  While getting ready for bed, I realized I still hadn't taken the picture.  Hence the fact that my makeup is already off.  But if I waited much longer it would have been a 34 week picture!

• Baby is about 5 lbs apparently.  Although from my size I can't imagine that there's actually a 5 pound ball of baby in there.
• I'm so sore and tired.  All of the time.  And it's an exhausting thought to think that there isn't an end to this. From what I hear you don't have a baby and then get to sleep.  It's not going to get better!
• I saw on another blog this week something described as the Hormone Hurricane.  And that is exactly the perfect description for it.  In a real hurricane you get more warning though.  This one you never know when it will hit or why it will hit.  What will set me off?  I couldn't tell you.
• This week my hormone hurricane was brought on by the fact that I realized that I'm totally unprepared to take care of a tiny human.  The pregnancy thing I can research and figure out along the way and it's not that hard.  I can design a nursery.  But I don't have baby products.  I have no newborn diapers, wipes, I don't have baby shampoo, do I need that?  I don't know what I need!  And then do I get maternity pictures?  How important are they?  And then Kaileigh went crazy and cried and couldn't stop and thought that it was best to get it out.  But no, I cried the next morning too.  If this is me now, post-partum is going to be disastrous.
• I bought some granny panties this week.  What does that have to do with being pregnant?  Well apparently they are needed after delivery... I have never bought granny panties before and there were a lot of options.  It was a tough decision.  I know I need to get started on my hospital bag at some point though so I wanted to start prepping.
• My calves and ankles are starting to swell
• I miss exercising properly.  
• Only 5 more weeks of work. Which isn't very long, but also seems like a long time.  I wish I was done earlier so that I could rest, but I know I would also go stir crazy and would rather have that time afterwards with the baby.  At this point I just hope the baby doesn't come early so that I actually get my two weeks off before to have some me time, relax and get organized. 

Mama Decisions: Cloth Diapering

I think that it's because of this blog world that I first considered cloth diapering.  So many bloggers out there have posted about their experiences and that's what made me consider it. 

For most people, you will be calling me crazy right about now.  Why would I want to go to all of that trouble and touch so much poop?  Well first of all, I'm having a baby.  Touching poop is likely to become a daily occurrence anyways.  Cloth diapering isn't what it used to be.  It's not a piece of material that you have to pin together anymore.  They are pretty fancy! So I have really been weighing the pros and cons of cloth diapering vs disposable diapering.

Pros

• Money savings.  As an accountant this is a big one for me.  I have now purchased and ordered a stash of 27 diapers (12 new, 15 used) for $280.  Add in some accessories and I'm up to $360.  Sure that's a big investment up front, but buying disposables for the 2+ years until the kid is potty trained could be closer to $2000.  It's hard to know for sure what the savings will be though because if you buy diapers in bulk and on sale you can save tons.  But, since we do hope to have more children, those savings are even higher because I will save on the disposables for future children as well.
• More environmentally friendly.  This is not at all the main reason why I'm considering this, but it would save a ton of diapers from going to the dump.  
• For us cost isn't a huge concern in regards to additional water usage as we are on a septic system and don't pay for water.  Hydro will go up a bit, but an extra few loads probably won't make a huge difference as diapers will usually be air dried.

Cons

• Extra work.  Of course cloth diapering is more work as you have to rinse the diapers and clean them instead of just throwing them out.  This is my main concern.  I've heard that it's really not that bad, but until you're actually doing it, it's hard to know.  And I'm not the most domestic person I've ever met....
• Carrying dirty diapers around.  So one problem with cloth is that when you are out in public you have to carry those dirty diapers with you.  Some people use disposables when they go out, but I feel like to make this worth the money you really have to either go all in or not.  If you start using disposables when you're out, or when the baby is being looked after by someone else, then that cuts into your cost savings.  

What it really comes down to is cost savings vs extra work.  But when I found the 15 Bumgenius diapers used on Kijiji for $110 (new that stash would cost about $300), I couldn't resist.  I found a few more diaper sales for the new ones online and I'm starting out at a much lower cost than many people would.  Plus, will the extra work be a huge burden?  Apparently it's really not that bad, just throwing some diapers in the wash every few days.  I guess we will find out.  

And worst case, if I hate it, there's a huge cloth diaper market on Kijiji and I could probably recover most of what I've spent.

Have you tried cloth diapers?  Tell me everything you know!  


 

Bump Date: 32 Weeks

• Baby is the size of a squash
• Up 21 lbs, 3 lbs in the 2 weeks over Christmas.  But I blame Christmas and not the baby for that one.
• Still being told I'm small.
• My belly button is flat and funny looking.
• Craving chicken salad after having a sandwich this week.  It was so good!  (Some people might say chicken salad is a no no during pregnancy, I say boo on their shoes)
• My body is sore.  It hurts to sit, stand, move, bend over.... And I have 2 months left.  That concerns me.
• I took a sick day this week because I was feeling nauseous and super tired.  Nothing really came of it so I'm not sure what was going on.  It was like morning sickness was back, plus I was just exhausted from lack of sleep.
• The baby has started being much more active at night and I'm not a huge fan.  The movement is still my favourite part of pregnancy, but I would rather it be during the day then at night when I'm trying to sleep!
• When I was off sick Ryan put up some shelving and book ledges in the nursery because I was there to direct.  The nursery is really coming together and it makes me so happy!  We are almost there!
• I really should stop reading regular books and start reading pregnancy books.  For a reader I've been really bad at reading.  My mom gave me a breastfeeding book for Christmas that I really should start reading as my midwife said it's better to be prepared rather than leaning about it when you are actually trying to do it.
• My midwife is moving to Vancouver.  So far I saw my doctor until 12 weeks.  Then I switched to my midwives and saw the same one until 20 weeks at which point she went and had a baby (the nerve).  Now this one is moving.  So we are onto midwives 4 and 5.  But so far all of the midwives have been fantastic and I'm sure the new one will be great as well, and I really liked the one that I still have (even though I've only met her once...)

2014 In Review

I can't believe that 2014 is over already.  This year has been a big one for us for obvious reasons. 

The year started out as it always does with the annual Plunger Plop in February.  We didn't win, but we had fun!  

I celebrated my good friend Jacqui's bachelorette party.  We went to Blue Mountain and did a wine tasting.

I also went to her wedding in Niagara on the Lake.  Ryan and I made it a mini vacation and had an amazing time.  We went hiking, had a spa day and relaxed!

In June we had our most exciting month, we found out we were going to be parents!  We kept it a secret from everybody for an entire month!  That was tough.  

We had lots of good times at the cottage and on the pontoon as we always do.  Still keeping my pregnancy under wraps at this point, it was tricky at times when I couldn't drink wine.

This was our first year with our new trailer and we definitely got lots of use out of it!  We brought it to the cottage a few times plus went camping at least 5 more times.  We know we will get tons of camping in over the next few years as we really enjoy it.  We went to Darien Lake with all of our friends and announced my pregnancy to them there.

After a very long few months we finally let the cat out of the bag and told everyone.

On a sadder note about a cat, we said goodbye to our almost 20 year old family cat.  She had a rough last few years, so it was time for her to go, but I have such good memories of growing up with her.  I was just thinking last night about how she used to always cuddle into my legs when I slept.  My current cat refuses to do that and chooses Ryan every night...

We celebrated Ryan's birthday by taking a drive up to Collingwood area.  Ryan's birthday or mine?  Because I was pretty excited to meet this donkey.

One of the highlights of the year was definitely our babymoon to Chicago.  It was an amazing trip and it's hard to believe that it was our last trip with just the two of us for awhile.  I'm so glad that we did it.

2015 will bring so many changes to our family and our house.  I'm terrified but so excited at the same time.  I wish you all a happy and healthy new year!