101 Days Left...

...and I think I'm ready...almost...I think...I have all the necessities anyway!

It seems Canada has jumped on the Black Friday Bandwagon...the stores here were having huge 3 day sales...& I bought a Stroller Travel System!!

I also bought the Infant-to-Toddler Rocker I really wanted. I bought a similar one for my Sister-in-Law when she had my 1st nephew & she got so much use out of it...

& I've also bought my Diaper Bag. I really wanted to get a nice bag since I had no intention of carrying it plus a purse. I searched high & low, far & wide & finally found one I loved:

The picture doesn't do it justice...It's made by Ju Ju Be & it has some bling & some sparkle plus it's versatile & practical.

Now that I'm broke, I have to shift my shopping to Christmas presents...at least I don't have too many people to buy for.

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Lo & Behold...another blog award! And such a cute one!!

Thank you so much to Gille, who awarded it to me...here are the rules:

Link back to the person who gave it to you (check)


Pass it on to five other blogs

Leave them a comment telling them about the award...so I am awarding this oh-so-cute award to:

Choice Mom
Exploring my Options for Motherhood
Fervently Wishing
The Baby Chase Project
Baby Time Bomb

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American blog friends!!

Loss

Please stop by Stork Stalking & offer Jay your love & support as she goes through this most recent heartbreaking loss.

Positive Baby Planning Progress

After the relief of knowing my daughter was doing just fine on Thursday, I realized I had to get my butt in gear & get some planning done...as of today, I am 24 weeks & think the next 16 weeks will probably fly by with Christmas & all...

I admit I have been hesitant to look too far ahead but I have reached a turning point & though I'll continue to worry, reaching 24 weeks & knowing that my daughter's chance of survival (if the worst happens) increases with each passing day does allow me to be a lot less anxious.

So I've made great strides in the Baby Planning process in the last few days...On Saturday I went & registered at Babies.R.Us...that was great fun but as someone had mentioned before, it was VERY tiring!! It had been suggested to me to register at Sears as well but aside from the free swag, I don't see the point. Besides, if someone wants to get me something off the registry but finds it cheaper elsewhere, by all means, get the cheaper price!!

My Mom came with me & she was funny...she complained that I wouldn't pick any of the stuff she thought I should...she also revealed that she'd been busy buying all kinds of stuff behind my back!! Sneaky Mommy!

On Monday, I made my Hospital Tour & Registration appointments...The Scheduler was a hoot! And it was a good thing I called when I did! She initially tried to book my registration for the end of February! I reminded her that I was due March 9th...she was able to squeeze me in for February 4th & booked my Hospital Tour for January 5th...a bit backwards but she said that was fine!

I've also narrowed my humongous list of names down to a short list of 5:

Hannah

Aislin

Grace

Julia

Layla

This may change, of course, but I am leaning toward 1 name in particular but I'm keeping that mostly to myself...for now...

I've saved the best news until last!! At my Midwife appointment she confirmed Baby's movement & kicking & we discussed that I may already be feeling some but am just not aware...So on Sunday afternoon, I was lounging quietly on the couch & started to feel what I had always discounted as gas...I laid very still with my hand on my belly over the place I was feeling it...and sure enough I felt a BOMP against my hand & then another BOMP!! Now gas definitely doesn't BOMP into your hand!!! What an amazing feeling!! I wanted to jump up & run upstarirs to tell my Mom but I also didn't want to move! So I laid there & felt it a few more times before she must have shifted & I couldn't feel anything anymore. It was so great though!

That's it for me! Take care everyone!

Warning: Pregnancy Update

I say this because many of the women I'm following are having some difficult times right now & want to give anyone not up for a pregnancy post the chance to click off...

Deep Breath....and Big Sigh...of relief that is...

I had worked myself up into quite the worrying mess lately & was so afraid something had gone wrong with my daughter...everything I read lately, from Baby Centre to What to Expect, all were saying I should be feeling Baby by now...but I wasn't...well, maybe not "wasn't" but I couldn't be sure...on top of this, hormones have been getting the best of me & I have cried more in the last 2 weeks than I had in the last 4 years!! Between the heartbreak of some of the women who's blogs I read, my own worry plus a touching encounter with a Veteren while buying my poppy, I thought I might dehydrate with all these tears!!

Today I had my Midwife appointment though & she put my mind at ease...hearing my daughter's heartbeat & her kicking away...like I said: Big Sigh of Relief! My Midwife reminded me that since I have an anterior placenta, I won't feel Baby distinctly as soon...but there were clear kicks & movement detected by the doppler which proved that I just wasn't feeling her. Now I just have to wait 5 weeks & I get to see Baby again, I have an U/S booked for Dec 15th...unfortunately I also have to endure the Glucose Tolerance test that week too...

Lastly I wanted to extend my congratulations to: Hopeful, Jay, & S...their BFPs were another reason I was brought to tears recently :)

Half Way There, Baby!!!

20 weeks today!!

Wow, I can't believe we're half way there! What a ride so far...things are going along fine...no cause for concern or worry...but that hasn't stopped me from being concerned or worried, lol!

I really can't wait until I can feel my Girl move on a regular consistant basis...I feel a nudge or a twinge every so often throughout the day but am never 100% sure it's Baby. Then, when I don't feel anything for a while, I get worried.

I went to my 1st Prenatal Class last night...hopefully it gets better because last night was pretty dry. The one thing that struck me was this list the nurse put up on the Top 10 Worries Expectant Mothers have...I was surprised that my worries didn't appear on the list (except for maybe 2 or 3) & there was a bunch of other things I'd never thought to worry about! Then I started to worry that I wasn't worrying enough...or that I was worrying about the wrong things...I know I have become a worrying mess since getting my BFP but this threw me to a whole new level. Then I stepped off that crazy train & remembered that I think I'm managing my worry pretty well...I've stopped Googling stuff since you most often find the worst case scenarios...I talk it out with those close to me so I can identify when I'm being irrational (which is most of the time) plus, their reassurance is comforting...I'm not afraid to discuss even my silliest worries with my Midwife so she can reassure me from a medical & professional point of view...but it's constantly there, like white noise, this worrying in the back of my mind...I'm not stressed out or anxious or anything...I just...worry.

Amusingly, they played a video last night & I thought, "Here we go, here comes the scary birthing video." Yet this video was all sunshine & rainbows & oh, look Baby just slid right out...I mean, Come ON!!! I've read enough Birth Stories & seen enough The Baby Story on TLC to know that the video they showed was not an accurate portrayal of what to expect!! I felt like telling the nurse, "Come on, Sister! Give it to me straight! No more of this fluff!!" Maybe they're just easing us into it...

Anyway, even though I have that Worry White Noise I am still enjoying being pregnant...okay, enjoy maybe isn't the exact right word...but it's still a worthwhile means to an end...& it is all still very facinating what our bodies do!!

Lastly...just a quick shout out to all you ladies in or just entering your 2ww (Rachel, Hopeful, Single Mom 2B, Jay, Baby Chase Project & S)...I'm hoping for BFP for all of you & sending positive baby thoughts your way!!

The Big Reveal!!

Okay, patient blog friends...here comes my big reveal!!

I'm a little hesitant though, as my wonderful U/S tech said she couldn't give a 100% answer to the gender question...so there is still a chance it could go the other way...knowing that I wanted to know, she kept her eyes peeled during the entire 45 minute appointment...the area was obscured by the umbilical cord a lot of the time...she was able to get a few glimpses & combined those with her technical & scientific markers & made her best educated guess. So even though she couldn't give me a 100% sure answer, she wouldn't have given me any answer if she wasn't somewhat confident...so...

I'm going to have a...DAUGHTER!!! Probably, lol!!!

That brings me to another realization this whole U/S brought on for me...all this time, I had been thinking in terms of Baby & Boy or Girl...but I am going to have a Daughter! A Daughter! OMG, a DAUGHTER!!! (Or a Son, but you get my drift...) It just seems so surreal to me! STILL!!

It's an odd feeling for a dream of mine to come true...I'm not being pessimistic or negative...I mean, my life hasn't always worked out the way I wanted, but it's always worked out & I am happy with the turn out (especially now!)...but for the most part, the things I've really really desperately wanted haven't worked out...I've dealt with a lot of disappointment...but this one dream, my dream of motherhood...the one dream I want more than anything I have ever before wanted or I believe I'll ever want...it's the dream that's coming true.

I'm having a Daughter!

P.S. I had boy's names picked out...girl's names? not so much...I'm so jealous of those of you who know what you're going to name your children!!!

Sex Party!!

Well, I was all excited when I got home last night to post that I was having a...

...a...then it dawned on me...there are those in my close network of friends & family that weren't at the party..so they don't know yet...do I want them to find out that I'm having a...{insert gender here}...by reading it on my blog?

So, dear blog friends, I have to hold off just a few more days before I let the cat out of the bag...but I couldn't resist a little teaser :)!!