37 Weeks

YAY! we made it full term! based on some crazy contractions early on I wasn't sure we'd make it this far :) I'm feeling great and still love being pregnant. I've had some cramping the last couple of days but nothing seems to be coming from it. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the baby doesn't decide to arrive on Owen's birthday (the 31st) but I know that we don't really have control over when this one arrives.

I've started to pack my hospital bag and have just a few last minute things to add to the bag when it's time. We've also finally decided on a name!

I have an O.B appointment tomorrow and will update with weight etc then.

update: only measuring 33 weeks now. I have an ultrasound scheduled for next thursday just before my next O.B appointment. I'm not surprised that they want to send me for an ultrasound as the same thing happened around the same time with Noah. However, based on my last ultrasound there is a cord insertion issue? I knew the placenta had been low but moved out of the way, this is the first I've heard about the cord. In any case they are checking to see if the baby is getting enough nutrients etc. and to see if there is any other reason for small growth. The O.B mentioned that it could just be that the baby has really dropped low and throwing the measuring off but they want to be safe and check, which I'm thankful for :) I feel as though the baby has really dropped recently so I'm choosing not to worry too much about having a small baby, plus he's still very active so I think he must be getting enough nutrients to have that kind of energy :)

Owen's 4th Birthday Party

We celebrated Owen's 4th birthday this past Sunday just after the Baptism. It was easiest to get everyone together on the one day, summer is such a busy time! We missed having Jeff, Theresa and the kids but hopefully we will be able to see them before too long.

Owen was really excited about his birthday he went to bed telling us that the next day would be an "exciting day" heh. He woke up at 5:45 am and wanted to get up because the sun was coming up and that meant it was his birthday party day! Usually he wakes up between 7:30 and 8 on weekends, so he was obviously too excited to sleep any longer.

We had a great day and Owen really enjoyed spending time with family, opening presents and of course eating cake!

For months Owen had been asking for a construction site cake. He had even been viewing some on-line and deciding what details he wanted on his cake. I made a smaller cake than had originally planned so some details didn't make the final cut, but I think the cake turned out just the way he wanted. The day I baked the cake it fell apart when I removed it from the pan, luckily construction sites don't need to be neat and tidy :)



Enjoying a ride on his new bike.








I'm so glad my boy enjoyed his day!

Baptism

It was long overdue but the boys were finally baptized this past weekend! Of course I was worried that Noah wouldn't behave but he was perfect - I knew Owen would be fine and didn't worry about him as much :) The front pew of the church was reserved for our family and I was worried the boys wouldn't behave during the Mass (usually we end up in the crying room at one point during the church service) but once again they surprised us all and sat quietly the entire time. I was so proud of my boys :) I think they looked so cute in their matching khaki pants, white polo shirts and new sandals. I wasn't sure what to dress them in as any other baptism I've been to has been for babies, and they usually are dressed in white christening gowns etc.

Some pictures of the Baptism
Owen went first and he did a great job!




Noah tried to keep his head up a bit but he also did great :) afterwards he said "that water's cold" :) so cute.




With Catholic Godparents Aunt Maegan and Uncle Bill.

36 Weeks

The countdown ticker says 27 days *gulp* I'm starting to get a bit nervous now. I've been feeling anxious about some of the things I want to get done before the baby comes but I hope that after this busy weekend I'll feel more prepared. I've packed the baby's hospital bag and have everything I need for my bag, I just need to get it all put together.

I had an O.B appointment yesterday and everything was good. I'm measuring at 34 weeks and had no weight gain but so far there hasn't been any mention of concern. Next week I start my weekly appointments and will have a different O.B while my regular one is on holidays. I'm hoping that the other O.B isn't concerned about the size of the baby and send me for non stress tests etc.

This past week I feel as though the baby is dropping - more trips to the bathroom and feeling movement really low etc. I've read that second babies usually drop later in pregnancy, so maybe I'm wrong. My hips have been aching at night and I feel like I am constantly waking up to change positions and get comfortable. I can't even count how many times I wake up during the night - I think they say this happens to prepare yourself for a newborn :) but I could really use a few more weeks of sleep before the newborn nights start!

Here is my 36 week Belly Pic:

Camping

We invited some family to join us on our camping trip this year and I think the trip was a huge success! The kids entertained each other freeing up a bit of time for the adults and having the extra eyes, ears and hands around to help with the little kids is always a bonus!

We had a great adjoining site and the kids could run back and forth and there was plenty of space for all of our tents and eating area etc. This year we were close to a rowdy group of people and didn't get much sleep the first night. The second night when the group started getting loud again we made a phone call to the park office and a park ranger came by and put a stop to the noise :) yes - we were those people. Seriously though - they were loud and we all needed sleep, especially the kids.

Usually we try and take a hike along the trail in the woods but this year we never even made it to the trail. Noah started whining not long into the walk and wanted to be carried and with the hot weather and getting close to lunch time we decided to forget the walk and head back to the camp site. The kids were more eager to go to the beach anyways so I don't think anyone missed the walk.

Below are some pictures from our weekend, Owen loved swimming and eating marshmallows and Noah could have played in the sand and dirt all day. There were a few times I thought he couldn't get any dirtier and he proved me wrong each time.


















What great fun we had spending time with family and I'm sure the kids will remember the special time they spent with their cousins!

34 Weeks

34 Weeks! This week I'm taking advantage of having some time off (hannah is on vacation) and crossing some things off of my ""To Do" list! some things are baby related and some things aren't but it sure feels great to be getting things done :) I've made a list of things to pack in my hospital bag and plan on getting that organized next week. I'm not sure if it's 'nesting' or just the realization that this week is the only time off I have before the baby comes, but I have a sudden interest in cleaning. I've been cleaning out the closets, plus we steam cleaned the carpets last weekend and I'm bothering Gavin to pressure wash the house and clean the windows :)

I had an O.B appointment today and everything continues to be good. I've been feeling great, although getting more tired by late afternoon. I'm up another 2lbs (total is 24lbs so far) and am measuring at 33 weeks (1 week behind). I booked my next appointment two weeks from now and then I start my weekly appointments! Yikes! Not long until baby comes now! 41 days and counting :)

Canada Day Weekend

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend with their family! we had planned on taking advantage of the long weekend to get some work done around the house, but woke up on friday morning and decided to take the kids to the zoo instead! The rest of the weekend was spent doing work that was long overdue (by about a year if I'm honest) like clean the carpets but we did manage to squeeze in some family fun as well.

We packed a picnic lunch and our bathing suits and we were off to spend the day at the splash pad at the zoo. The rest of the city must have had the same idea as the place was packed! I didn't get any pictures of the splash pad fun because Gavin was afraid the camera would get wet :( but the boys had a blast! even Noah got more wet than usual and it was hot enough that I even went in the water :) The boys wore their new ankle bands without any fuss, and I'm so glad to have them! they are bands that are embossed with My Mommy and my cell number in case one of the kids get lost.Thanks Catherine for ordering them for us! hopefully we will never need them but they certainly make me feel better about taking the boys to busy places, especially since Noah has been wanting to walk more than be in the stroller. I ordered some daycare ones as well so we will have them on our outings :)

A Birds of Prey show was starting just after we finished at the splash pad so we decided we would sit and watch the show instead of walking around the zoo in the crazy heat. I was definitely feeling the heat on friday and my hands and feet were so swollen even though I tried to stay as hydrated as possible and sit when I could.

This bird freaked me out a little. We sat in the front row and he got a little too close at times.








The boys loved the show and loved seeing the owls the most, not surprising as Owen knows many facts pertaining to owls because of a couple of books he often wants us to read to him. We had to laugh when he would point out the seagulls flying overhead and thought they were in the bird show too :)