Getting ready for baby

We have been doing lots of things to get ready to welcome a new life into our family
-reading books-talking with other parents-taking a prenatal class-

Logistically we are working on transforming our little apartment into one that will work with a new baby. Our apartment is certainly not the smallest, but those that know me well, know that it is full to the brim. Not entirely a hoarder, but I like lots of little things. I have knick knacks, books, boxes of paper, wool and fabric, lots of craft supplies on top of those, and all the book shelves and cupboards to fill it.

We are currently living in a 2 bedroom apartment, what will be the baby's room is currently our guest room and the closet is full of all my fabric and sewing supplies.
Thom recently asked where I would put all the fabric, and I have some *ahem* plans, but then he went on to ask where we would put all the boxes storing wool and fabric and craft supplies that are under the bed. eep.... I had indeed forgotten all about that!!

We have friends who are taking our double bed for awhile, but all the hidden under bed stuff will not fit under the crib that is replacing it.

So, we have been purging, making many trips to Value Village to drop off unwanted/unused/unnecessary items, but so far, this seems to have made little difference.

We are planning on buying a new Expedit bookcase, and re-purposing a very cute curbside find dresser as a change table. But the thing is, most of the stuff in that room will no longer be in that room, how do you take a whole room and transfer it out amoungst the rest of an already full apartment?

We have some ideas, so I'll let you know how it goes!!

birthday!

Today I am 28 years old.

I was thinking this morning about where I was 10 years ago today. I was waking up at camp, in Saskatchewan, beside the lovely miss jillian sue and feeling very forlorn about turning 18.

I had just graduated from high school and was feeling intensely sad about being ‘grown up’ and completely unsure about what was next.

I had no idea really. I was considering art school or an early childhood education program. But due to my procrastinating attitude and my lack of ambition to achieve anything higher than a 65% in grade 12, it was looking pretty bleak.

Long term plans at that point? Mostly I thought that I would be married with a few kids by the time I was 24. HA!

What ended up happening was quite different and exciting and full of fun and wonder.

I took a year off and decided that maybe what I would like to do is become a nurse. I ended up having to go back to high school and take a few new sciences and redo a few of those classes I truly think to this day that I was mercy passed through. My average went from a 60% to a 90%.

After that year in back in high school, I decided to come back East. I had grown up near Toronto and somehow felt the East was calling me back. Little did I know that this would eventually become my new home.

Skip ahead 10 years. Here I am.

I am now a Registered Nurse. It took me 5 years instead of 4 (apparently I like a good victory lap in my education), but here I am, I have worked on a Mother-Baby Unit, a Surgery and Medicine Unit and now I am working with a Family Health Team.

I am a Wife. I have been married to the lovely Thom for 4 years (on Thursday we will celebrate this anniversary).

I am a Mother. Well I am mother to a little 1 pound womb baby. She will be born in October.

While those things did not occur by the time I was 24 (well I guess I did get married then, but the kids would be a few years away), there have been many other things that I didn’t think about when I was 18.

I forgot that university takes up some time, and that it can take a while to find the right man.

I also was able to become part of an amazing Church family. Many of the friends I made in first year university are still my very good friends today.

I love my life. While it has turned out to be different than I may have imagined it (really who wants the life they imagined for themselves at 18?). It is a wonderful life indeed.

So Happy Birthday to me and Happy Birthday to all those who share this day.

on being pregnant

well, most people in my life know that I am pregnant,
but maybe the people who read this blog (there must be some of you left!) don't all know yet.

I am actually half way there. But the thing is this:
sometimes I am afraid that something will go wrong.

Last summer in June, my husband and I found out that we were pregnant,
we did an excited (and partially surprised) happy dance.
We told many of our close friends right away and around 9 weeks we told pretty much everyone and our families.

I had seen my family doctor early on, but because of a genetic blood clotting disorder I have, we were referred to a high risk doctor. When I was able to get in there at 10 weeks, we found out some sad news. It turned out that the little developing egg never really developed. It turned out in the end to be a molar pregnancy, something despite being a nurse, I had never heard of before.
A molar pregnancy is when the cells for some reason come together and divide properly. In fact, it basically is like a tumor and can end up being cancerous. So I had to have a chest x-ray and everything to make sure it didn't spread. You can imagine the shock of going in for an ultrasound to see your baby and instead discovering you may have cancer. A little unsettling to say the least.

After this news, I had to have blood work to make sure all my hCG levels (or baby hormones if you will) were coming done, if they went up that can be a sign that the cells have spread. Because of this, we also had to wait 6 months before trying to get pregnant again. The good news was that if you wait the 6 months, and your hCG has come way down, it is very rare to have it happen again.

So, 6 months later, we started trying again, and bingo, first time's a charm!

My lovely lovely lovely OB/GYN Dr. Cargill booked us in right away at 6 weeks for an ultrasound.

That ultrasound was nothing more than a dot, the teeniest dot. But that little dot... it had a heartbeat.
We decided to tell our friends and family right away, it was amazing to have their support the first time through, and a missions trip I was supposed to go on but didn't because I was advised against it, pretty much gave away that something was up.

We've had probably 4 ultrasounds already, though the last one was around 12 weeks, and I have heard the heartbeat 3 times since then, but I still get this dreading feeling right before I have my next appointment. I find that doing things that make this pregnancy seem more real help, like registering for baby items, and telling my work, and even writing this post (probably part of the delay in writing it has to do with a little fear).

But here is the thing. My God is a big God. He sees me, and Thom and he knows our hearts. I trust Him and love Him no matter what.

I believe this baby will come, he or she will come healthy and will be loved loved loved.
By us, our family and all our friends.

Monday we have our ultrasound to find out if baby is a he or a she.
I will be putting a little picture up here after that.

oh spring...

oh spring...
when will you come to stay?

I have been growing some little seedlings indoors and I have been waiting to put them into their pots on my balcony, then yesterday...
we had snow
ew.

I truly do not mind snow in the winter, but after a couple of weeks of +18 degree Celsius weather, snow was a fairly unwelcome surprise!

and my little indoor seedlings keep on getting bitten by a mischievous Olivia the Cat!
I've started keeping my plants on the cutting board, which is not Thom's favourite spot for them, but it does seem to be the only place that Liv won't jump up on.

Speaking of my husband, can I share just one of the lovely reasons I love him?
Monday night, at 11pm, when we were both already snug in our beds, I suddenly remembered the forecast for that night and the next day, and my hydrangea still sitting on the balcony, and my wonderous hubby got out of bed to save that little ol' plant from freezing!
That is love!

the long overdue circle quilt!

this quilt has been a little while in the making. i actually started it before baby isaac was born, but then school and sickness and other things got in the way.

this may also be one of the very few circle quilts i make, i loved making it, but it was tricky!! lining up all those circles took a lot of time!

i do love the way that it turned out though!

here is baby isaac lounging on it. we have had a rough start to our relationship, it seems he never forgave me for poking him very hard when he was in the womb, one time (while still womb-bound) he kicked me very hard, sort of a get-your-hands-off-of-me kind of kick! that little man always gives me furrowed brows and sideways glances and the first time i held him he screamed!!

but by the looks of this picture, i may be forgiven!!

you can see this pic and some of the other blankets that baby isaac at ben and mary's blog

Baby Isaac is here now. He is Ben and Mary's little guy, he came about 3 days after Mary and I finished the nursery. We figure he couldn't wait to see it. He was a week early and delivered at home! See the pics of the nursery here.

He may love the nursery but he seems to remember all to well all the belly pokes I gave Mary to get him moving. Today he grumbled in my arms and kept giving me shifty glances. I don't think he trusts me.

Once I finally give him his quilt he will be much happier with me. Maybe he thinks that I forgot it!

i won!!!

hurray!

I have been following lots of blogs over the past 6 months. One that I really like is The Shabby Nest, Wendy's blog.

She has the same love for anything shabby, thrifted and found as I do.

So, this past week I entered her contest to win some beautiful apothecary towels from Dreams of France.

And. I. Won.

wonderful! I can't wait!

Thanks Wendy!!