I am SO far behind on blogging...but promise to catch up!

Just as I was starting to write out a post about month 8 and my time in hospital on bed rest, my plans quickly changed!  Little Oliver decided it was time to have his birthday!!!!!!!!

We are madly in love and can't wait to share him with the world (soon) :)  I will be doing some posts over the next week or two to catch up, so look out for some cuteness!!!

He's officially melted...

You're Dad has melted.  I really didn't think it would happen until AFTER you were born, but... I.WAS.WRONG!

See, your Dad has become cutely obsessed.  Obsessed with my belly, obsessed with you kicking, punching and rolling around inside me, obsessed with looking at your room and everything in it.  But mostly, (and yes, I'm sure he'll kill me for documenting this) he's become obsessed with...

watching "A Baby Story" and "Baby's First Day".  Actually, he seems to love it so much, he asks me to PVR it (record it on the digital box).  He comes home from work and gets REALLY excited to be able to sit, relax and watch his "baby shows" :)  I think it's adorable. 

He loves asking me questions about "how I feel" or "if it's okay if he does x, y or z, that the Dad's do in the videos" or "gets all pouty and excited when the baby is born and the Daddy gets to hold him/her for the first time.  He then tells me, "I think when the baby gets here, I might turn to mush"...

I look at him, very lovingly and usually say to him, "Honey, you already have".

Lastly though, he is already getting territorial.

He likes to tell me that since I will have "held" you for 9/10 months, I don't get anymore turns when you come out.  He feels/thinks that he gets to be the FIRST person to hold you and doesn't have to hand you over to anyone if he doesn't want to.  I just laugh at him, why burst his bubble? :)

I wanted you to have all of this to remember, because when days that your Dad defends that he's "too manly", "a tough guy" or is the "hard one" of us two...you can rub this in his face with me...hee hee!

Month 6...a slow moving month...

Month Six (January 2012):
Going off of work, exciting news from friends, serious belly growth and a surprise present in the works for Daddy...were all things that were really memorable this month.

Last month, Mommy and Daddy had another secret to keep (there's been so many while you've been growing!), that they were just bursting and overjoyed all of Christmas!  My most favourite Christmas gift that I received, was a phone call on December 24th, that was by far, the "strangest" conversation that I had ever had with our best friends, Kathryn and Gary.  Kathryn was inquisitive, yet vague and all over the place.  Then she hung up.  I immediately told Dad that I thought she was pregnant, but knew that she would have told me if she was.  Then a photo msg came on my phone, of Brayden wearing a Big Brother shirt!!!!!!!!!!  I knew it!  I was so thrilled to find out that we would get to enjoy pregnancy together and you were already getting your first friend, closest to your age!  We celebrated New Year's together, which was such a fun time to celebrate two new lives coming this year!

This month, I also stopped working.  While I enjoyed my co-workers, it was getting very difficult for me to stand for long periods of time, with minimal breaks and constant lifting/bending.  My fibromyalgia started to get worse, my sleeping affected the most, as well as my joints, so the midwives knew that I needed to stop.  They wanted me to be able to get more rest, still be able to exercise and keep healthy, rather than go to work, exhaust myself, be in pain and not be healthy enough to not worry about your growth and wellbeing.  I felt very guilty about this and had a hard time adjusting, but the better I felt, the more I had a chance to take care of myself, the better chance I had taking care of you.  It made it a very long month, but it was the right thing to do!

You have been VERY active off and on this month!  You also like to play games on us though, hiding for hours...sometimes DAYS on end!  You'll move like crazy one day and then I don't feel you for a whole day, which not only worries me, but your Dad and the midwives.  You spent 48 hours not moving one week this month and Dad and I had to make a Friday night trip to Labour and Delivery.  Of course, as soon as we got there and they put the doppler on, you tried to kick that thing right off!!!!!!!  You were a little stinker!  Dad had a stern "talking to" with you after this, telling you not to do this again, as neither of us enjoyed that time particularly much!

Your nursery is REALLY starting to come along now and fabric has been decided on for your room!  Both Dad and I are REALLY excited to have found the nicest lady to help us make your custom bedding.  We wanted something "gender neutral", but FUN and she helped us pick the perfect choices for a travel themed room!  Pictures will probably have to wait till next month, as the bedding is currently being worked on, but I am on the edge of my seat till then!  Daddy has bought a few new toys for your room (mainly two 5 foot stuffed animals), that he is obsessed with and Mommy has found some of the cutest clothes and shoes for you!  A sneak peek:

Landmark Scenery fabric for some of your bedding!

I didn't think that my belly had grown too much during these weeks, but now that I compare our photo by the Christmas tree, to what my belly looks like by the end of this month, I realize that it has grown quite a bit, just not week by week!  Daddy still gets really EXCITED to my belly changing.  He loves to talk to you (sometimes through my belly button, thinking that you'll hear him better) and he loves to feel you kick!  He starts to pout when I feel you kick, he comes over and then you hide from him!  Lately though, your kicks have been getting SO STRONG, that it makes my belly bounce or my ribs REALLY hurt!  I beg you to move out of them, but it NEVER works!  You have yet to move "head down", so I pretty much spend the day, trying to push you out of my ribs, or get you to move from being sideways (transverse).  You have yet to let anyone else feel your kicks yet and are much more active when I keep my belly warm, then when I expose it...so funny!

 

A comparison of me at Christmas vs. me at the end of this month!

I guess that a lot HAS changed!  I don't know how much bigger I'll get, but I can only see it in my upper half.  It's starting to weigh down my hips and back, but I'll take that, over it spreading everywhere :)

Lastly, some cloth diaper shopping has been done for you and we have started our "stash".  Even Dad is getting excited about diapers and how soft they are, which are his favourites so far and how cute you will look in them.  He has picked out his favourite one to put you in first, which I think is beyond adorable!  We have great friends supporting us through this and giving us a lot of tips, so we are confident that this is a successful and good choice for all of us!  Dad's favourite minky diaper!

Only 3 more months to go!!!!!  I really hope that time starts moving a little faster soon!  Not only is your Dad getting more impatient to meet you, so am I!  Mom has also been working on a BIG surprise for Daddy, but that won't be revealed until next month!  All I can say is, that one very special lady helped Mommy make something for Daddy, that he is going to LOVE!

Will you take after Mommy or Daddy?

I want to mark this day as the day I am "outing" your intense cravings!  I have been craving things that are so EXTREMELY abnormal for me (yes, I like them, but I've never been an I need them now, or can't stop eating them kind of person).  It makes me wonder if you will take after Mommy or Daddy, when it comes to your eating habits, outside of the womb.  Some of these cravings last just a day or two and some of them seem to be ongoing!

Things I have craved at one point in time in the last almost 7 months:

Candy.  I mean, seriously.  Cinnamon hearts, Laffy Taffy (especially banana, but can't get it here), Sour candy (it's what helped the nausea), Dropjes (you better not take after your Dad and love these, like Mommy!), Jolly Ranchers, sour keys, pretty much any hard candy actually.  I have a feeling, that this started, because of nausea issues.

Fries and Gravy.  I almost puked at the smell of it, before knowing that I was pregnant.  But now, if I have fries, I HAVE TO HAVE GRAVY.  Sometimes, a poutine.  It's SO decadent and I really limit myself on this one.  I LOVED these before pregnancy too, so it's not that surprising.

SUPER SOUR PICKLES.  No other pickle can compare.  NONE.  I think this was because of the nausea stage as well.  I don't crave them so much anymore...but I sure did love them months 2-4.

KIWI. I like to have at LEAST two a day.  Usually with my breakfast.  They are so delicious and juicy.

Bagels and English Muffins.  I loved bagels at the very beginning, as they really helped me not feel so sick.  I stopped enjoying them after weeks 10/11, but in the last week, have come to LOVE English with peanut butter and a little bit of jam.

Salad.  I have to eat one almost every single day.  I love it with a little bit of dressing and as much "crunchiness" in it as possible (nuts, seeds, apples etc).

Curry.  The spicier, the better, usually.  Dad LOVES this, as he LOVES spicy curry and I usually can't handle it.  My 2nd trimester, I couldn't taste spice, so I even liked it spicier than Dad did!  Lately though, I still like the spice, just a little bit more mild. 

Water.  Honestly, I crave it like crazy.  I didn't realize it was a craving, until Dad and my Dr. brought it up in December.  I could drink oodles and oodles of it, SUPER COLD with LOTS of ice!

Milk.  I could NOT drink milk before pregnancy and it would make me REALLY sick, but since trimester 2 started, I.JUST.CAN'T.GET.ENOUGH!  I can have it in my cereal, drink it by the glass, have chocolate milk, drink another glass and another and another!  It's so strange for me!

Red Meat.  I was going to write steak, but then I couldn't stop thinking about meatballs, burgers and mmm...now I'm hungry again :)

That seems to be all that I can think of.  I wonder if you will take on Dad's tastebuds or mine?  I wonder if I will like the things the way I did in pregnancy, once your born?  I wonder if I will ever like the taste/texture/smell of chicken ever again?  I wonder if I will get my "salty" snack habit back of loving potato chips?

Only 3 more months till we get to meet you!  Only another year (ish) before we get to see what foods you like yourself!  One thing I know for sure, Dad will not give up on trying to get you to eat spicy, spicy foods!

What we'll be enjoying together!

Last night, I took a prenatal yoga class.  I was hoping that it might move you out of my ribs and turn you around a little, so I could breathe better.  Not only did this NOT work, but you seemed to be quite unhappy with certain poses that I did.  I don't know whether it was because I woke you up from a nap, compromised your space, or just because my body was being stretched in ways that you weren't used to...but you kicked AND punched me A LOT and quite ANGRILY.  Instead of feeling your normal lighter kicks or punches, I would do a stretch and get anywhere between 5-10 good jabs in a row!  It felt good to get out and try some yoga, so unfortunately, baby, you are going to have to get used to it!

On Monday, I start aquamotion.  While they don't have a prenatal class, the instructor is more than happy for me to join the 65+ year old class.  I have a feeling that this will be both hilarious and a good workout for us!  They did warn me, that there might be a lot of "grandmas" wanting to rub my belly, but hopefully we will be okay with that on occasion!  I LOVE to swim and hope it's something that we can do together once you are born!  Your Dad used to say that I was like a "fish out of water".  If water is available to be in, I would swim ALL DAY LONG!

We are now registered for prenatal classes, which I am very excited to start with your Dad, at the end of the month.  I think that it will bring us even closer and Dad will learn a lot of the things that I am trying to teach him everyday about the birthing process and what it could be like!  We met some friends that live in town, that have enrolled in the class with us.  They are also having their first baby, so we are thrilled to not be "doing this alone".  We can't wait to make new friends and hope that this will be the start of some new "Mommy and baby" friends for us!

So baby, looks like we will be keeping active and busy until you arrive!  I can't wait to tell Daddy all about what the classes are like and whether you are active in my tummy during them!

Confessions.

You're Dad thinks that I don't think that he's funny.

You're Dad thinks that I don't have a sense of humour.

You're Dad can often stick his foot in his mouth.

You're Dad can sometimes make me forget about all of these things by saying things that make my heart melt...like these:

"I miss the baby already and (s)he's not even here yet".

"I wish the baby could talk to me and tell me what's it's like inside your tummy...did (s)he just kick?" (Me, "I think (s)he's talking to you now, hun").

"I love him/her already and (s)he's not even born yet" (He never understood people telling us this before).

"Come on baby, Daddy wants to meet you and teach you and play with you and have some cuddles".

"You look beautiful pregnant, have I told you that lately?  I love you and your belly SO much"!

"Why can't the baby just be here already?  I can't wait any longer".

I think that your Dad is JUST as excited as I am to meet you in 15(ish) more weeks!  Time is really flying by and we are getting more and more excited EVERYDAY!

Your first few months of growing!

Month One (August 2011):
What an exciting time!  I had a feeling that I was pregnant.  Why?  You see, my FAVOURITE thing to eat as a treat, is New York Fries french fries.  I was doing some shopping for our holiday to Hawaii in September at the mall and I was hungry.  I walked towards the food court, thinking I'd treat myself and instantly ran to the bathroom when I got in line.  Weird. 

I went to Wal-Mart, picked up a test (or two, or three, or maybe a multipack box) and couldn't even make it home to see if I was pregnant...I swore I saw two lines, but it was a "squinter".  Long story short, 12 tests, two conversations with your Dad, where he said I was imagining lines, an appointment with the Doctor, who said I wasn't pregnant and some tears later, I bought a digital test, had bloodwork done and confirmed that, YES! We were having a baby!!!  Funny thing, a woman's intuition is, almost always right. 

When I finally got results that your Dad could believe, I happened to be on the phone with my Dad, your Papa.  I was SHOCKED that it was for real, rushed him off the phone, hung up and was caught in our bedroom by your Dad, staring at a test in tears!  Your Dad asked what I was doing (REALLY?) and when I showed him, he sat on the bed, completely silent.  Shows how different we are!  It wasn't something that sank in, we knew that it would take time.  But on August 26th, your Dad and I went to our favourite restaurant, The Port, to celebrate.

Month Two (September 2011):
This was a busy and exciting month!  We started to adjust to the fact that you were going to be in our lives next year.  We had a VERY hard time keeping it a secret that we were having a baby, but wanted to wait till later to tell family and friends. 

This month, we were going on a vacation to Hawaii, one that almost didn't get to happen, due to a few issues that I was having this month in our pregnancy.  It was at this time, we decided to tell Nana and Papa that they were going to be GRANDPARENTS!  We surprised them with a Grandparents card, took a video to remember the moment forever and still get emotional to this day, when we think about this amazing memory!  Nana and Papa were VERY excited and Nana and I shared some tears together.  This is one of my very favourite memories of month two, even though going to Hawaii was a great time with your Dad!

I was feeling okay during this month, although, I was extremely exhausted (I would fall asleep at 8pm in the hotel in Hawaii), despite having some thyroid and a few other issues.  I only got sick once during this month and it was on the flight back from Hawaii, after we landed in New York.  It was embarassing and I will never think the same of an airport garbage or bathroom again!

Dad and I were getting more and more excited and nervous about having a baby.  Me, more nervous than Dad for sure.  I was nervous that something might go wrong, that I would get really sick, that I would struggle with being off of my fibromyalgia medication, that I would hurt someone's feelings who wanted a baby and we were having one before them and that I wouldn't be ready for you, when you came.  Dad nicknamed you "squidgel", his name for a squirrel, when he was little, as he pictured you moving around like crazy in my belly!  He was excited to find out whether you were a boy or a girl (I didn't want to!) in a few months, to teach you things, to take you for bike rides, to be a Dad.  I was excited for all of these things and more too, but this was definetely my most nervous time in this pregnancy so far.

Month Three (September/October 2011):
There were so many highlights this month, so many, that we can't decide which one was our favourite!

1) On September 19th, we got to see you on an ultrasound!  We couldn't believe how tiny you were!  I cried the first time I saw you on the screen and I had tears, when your Dad came in the room, held my hand and we heard your little heart beating for the first time ever.  What a magical moment!

2) We asked Papa to help us announce to my Sister (and brother-in-law) and Brother (and sister-in-law), your Aunties and Uncles, that we were going to have a baby.  Your Papa said a prayer, before our early Thanksgiving meal, which ended with, "We thank you that next year, we may have an extra place at the table..."  It got a reaction of complete silence at first, followed by a "WHAT"?, from your Aunt Jenn!  It was a fun way to tell everyone and a very exciting time.

3) We told a few friends.  They were VERY supportive to us, surprised, excited and help us keep our little secret for a few more weeks!  We loved each of their reactions, all different from the other, but memories that will last a lifetime for sure!

4) We told your Grandad and Yaya (Grandma in Greek).  We had to do this at separate times, as Grandad was in Australia and Yaya was in Crete.  We also wanted to catch their reactions on video and Skype, which you can't do by having a three-way call, so we talked with each of them one at a time.  Grandad was SHOCKED, but sounded very excited!  He knew that your Yaya, would be "over the moon".  When we talked with Yaya later that day, we caught her off guard, using the same "fake story", that we told your Grandad... "We had a present that we wanted to give them for Christmas, but it would take a little while to get there, so we wanted to show them a photo of what was coming their way"!  Your Yaya cried, so happy that we were having a baby and couldn't wait!

5) We flew to England on a business trip for your Dad.  We had booked it in August, finding out that we were pregnant, the day AFTER we booked our flights.  We had dreamed that this would get to happen, but didn't think that we would actually be able to tell your Grandma, Uncle Tom, Great Auntie Sue and Great Uncle Martin IN PERSON, that we were having a baby!  We kept it a secret the whole time leading up to the trip, with everyone knowing we were coming, apart from your Grandma!  The plan was to meet everyone at a restaurant in London, for her birthday and surprise her, not only with us showing up for the meal, but to also surprise everyone and tell them that we were having a baby as well!  It worked out perfectly (amazing) and not only was Grandma thrilled and surprised to see us, the wedding album that we made her, containing your ultrasound photo, shocked her, on the last page of the book!

This truly, was a month of amazing memories.  A lot of them caught on video.  A lot of them that we can't wait to show you, or tell you about when you get older!  We know that it was hard for family and friends to keep it a secret until we got back from England, but once we got back, the news was out and everything started to feel a lot more REAL!!!!!!!

Month Four (November 2011):
We got to see you again on an ultrasound!  You were so much bigger and your heart was beating so much faster!  You're Dad only got to see a photo of you though, as this time, I took Nana with me!  She was so excited to come and loved getting to see you move, wave, suck your thumb and hear your heart beating.  It was such a special time for me to get to share with her!

I had still been so tired, during this month...but we were now in Trimester #2!!!!!!!  So much relief came, when that 13th week hit, that I took your Dad out to celebrate at our favourite Pho restaurant! 

I was starting to really "show" and was no longer able to wear any of my non-maternity pants/skirts/dresses.  I had to go out to buy maternity clothes, which was so much fun for both Dad and I!  It meant that you were growing and soon, would start moving so that I could feel it!!!  It was one of the things that we always talked about this month, dying for it to happen!  At 15 weeks, I could feel little bubbles and flutters, which was one of the COOLEST things that I could ever imagine!  Dad LOVED seeing my belly grow, he loved rubbing it, talking to you and telling me everything that he was getting excited about!

Month Five (December 2011):
Food Aversions, "cravings", kicking, DIY, boy or girl and a QUICKLY growing belly...were all things that were really memorable this month.

I can't stand chicken while pregnant.  Chicken and fish were my "go-to" meats for dinner, as I don't usually like red meat...however, I can't tolerate chicken now (it makes me sick everytime), but you seem to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE when I have steak!  Yup, baby, you love when Mom eats steak and spicy food and lots of fruit and veggies for that matter.  You also seem to really enjoy it when I drink chocolate milk, something that I haven't done in YEARS.

I felt you kick inside for the first time on December 9th.  I was watching TV with your Dad and could swear that I felt something trying to kick the right side of my belly, near my kidney surgery scar.  He was jealous that I could feel it and he couldn't and was hoping that he would feel it soon enough.  It was few and far between, which our midwives said was normal, as my placenta is in the front.  They even said that I might not feel you very much, which made me so sad.  But you showed us all wrong!  I felt you kick again on December 13th and this time, I was 100% sure!  Not only did I feel you kick, but on the way to going out for ice cream, I felt you turn and flip in my belly!  That night, I got the flu which lasted for a horrible two days, but it won't erase the memory of how exciting and amazing that felt!

For the next two weeks, your Dad was DESPERATE to feel you kick on the outside.  I had felt it once on Christmas Eve, but everytime you moved and your Dad would put his hand on my belly, you would stop moving.  It made him so sad!  But December 27th, at 6 in the morning, you gave a REALLY good kick near my ribs.  I woke Dad up, told him to put his hand on my belly and be patient.  You gave him 5 good kicks to his hand in a row!  He was THRILLED!!!!!!!!!!!  It took 4 days for it to happen again, but when it did, you kicked his hand so hard during a movie at the theatre, that his hand moved off my belly!  He is desperate to feel it everyday and hopefully that will come soon enough, as you get bigger and stronger.  But I have to remind him that, some days you turn back to my back, so I can't feel you either...

This month, Dad worked SO hard on your furniture for the nursery.  We went and bought your crib in the States and came home to Dad wanting to build it IMMEDIATELY.  He was too excited to let it sit in the box!  We loved your crib once it was set up, so Dad started doing some DIY work to make your nursery beautiful!  He took an old dresser that we had been given and sanded, stained and varnished it to match your crib.  We bought a chair for nursing, rocking and reading to you and Dad put it together.  We ordered the fabric for your room, getting a friend to make it for us.  And while your room is already painted a nice, light blue, which we are happy to leave on the walls till after you're born, your Dad put a fresh coat of white paint on the trim, window and shelves.  He learned a lot along the way and worked incredibly hard.  I am so proud of him!

We had our big 20 week ultrasound this month as well, where we could have found out if you were a boy or a girl, but where we live, they refused to tell us!  I didn't think I wanted to find out, even though your Dad did, but once we got to that ultrasound, I was dying to know!  I left feeling so disappointed that we couldn't find out, your Dad trying his best to make me feel better!  Our plan was to keep it a special secret between the two of us and not tell anyone till your BIRTH DAY that you were a boy or girl.  He got to watch a lot more of the ultrasound, being so excited, as he hadn't seen you on the screen since you were 9 weeks!  That's a lot of time to grow, change and look like a much bigger baby!  You were bouncing around, kicking, sucking your thumb, giving a thumbs up and refused to give us a good look at your face, as you were facing my back!  I had to go back the next week, just because you were too stubborn to move!  Typical for a Clarke/Mosselman.

My belly has been changing rapidly this month!  I go to bed and wake up, sometimes feeling really sore/stretched and can't believe how much can change from one day to the next.  Your Dad LOVES taking photos of my growing belly, giving it kisses and saying, "WHOA" everytime he sees my bare tummy.  Christmas was a perfect time for Dad to take photos of us by the tree.  Our last Christmas just the two of us and a Christmas with you in my belly!

I don't know why, but Dad now likes to call you Gizmo.  I don't rememeber when this month it happened, but that's what he calls you now!  SO FUNNY!  I have been less tired and less hungry.  I am more excited and getting less sleep, my growing belly making my hips, back and shoulders hurt.  I have been too sore to work some days, being on my feet all day long, so this is being monitored by the midwives.  I feel you kick more and more and can at times, feel you move/flip/turn/change positions!  I keep getting told that I have what looks like a beach ball in my tummy, as I am "all belly and all baby".  I don't get too many "guesses" on whether you're a boy or a girl, but occasionally, older ladies in random stores, like to look at me, touch my belly and tell me that "it's a boy".  Too funny.  I have had dreams that you're a boy and dreams that you're a girl...

I have one more month before I start my last trimester!  I can't believe how quickly time is going by!  I lost sight of my feet weeks ago now and can only imagine that this belly of mine and you are going to get much bigger, much faster!  I have gained minimal weight, which is surprising to both Dad and I, but everyone keeps telling me that "it will come".  For now, I am happy to carry you around, my little "beach ball".

A Prayer for You, baby.

Little baby on the way,

Getting bigger every day, Kicking mommy here and there, God please listen to our prayer.

Keep our baby safe and strong,

Let his time with us be long, Help us teach him right from wrong, And we shall praise thee all day long.

This little on, though not yet here,

Is loved so much, has grown quite dear. Delivery time is growing near, That's why we pray our plea you'll hear.

Please help up Lord, we pray to Thee

With thankful heart, on bended knee, To raise this child that he might be, A happy child because of me. -Tina Greenfield