Change of Plans

I'm planning on returning to work around July 1st and it feels like it is fast approaching! Thats only 7 more weeks I get to be home with Carter.


That was the beginning of a post I started writing a few weeks ago. How things have drastically changed!! As of mid May I planned on returning to work in July, and Ralph was going to go on parental leave. We also planned on putting our house on the market this year with the hope of returning to British Columbia within the next year or so. We anticipated that it would take about a year to sell. With this in mind, we listed the house on May 14th. There was one viewing that day and they bought it!!! We were shocked and happy to say the least. We move out July 31st. I will be flying back with Carter, while Ralph drives back with a trailer.

That same day we got some bad news. We got a call that Ralph's dad was very sick, and we packed our bags and were on a plane back to BC within 5 hours! It was touch and go for a few days but he pulled through, and got to meet his newest grandson for the first time. If you're reading this.... WE LOVE YOU!! Even though the circumstances were not ideal, it was nice to see family and friends. It also made us realize just how much we have missed BC; it's home and it always will be. We cannot wait to move back!

It's times like this when you reflect on your own life and it's fragility. Life can change in an instant. Ralph and I have been saying we are going to eat better and exercise for quite a while now, but never got around to actually putting those words into action. Well, recent events have pushed us to change our unhealthy habits. We started Simply For Life (SFL) on May 26. SFL is basically a nutrition program tailor-made to each individual. There are no gimmicks or pills, just good wholesome food. You are given a meal plan and a list of foods you're allowed to eat. I like that I know exactly what I am going to eat each day. I'm not used to eating healthy, so I have no concept of what foods are actually good for me other than the obvious fruits and veggies.

I'm still battling to lose 24 pounds of the 50 I gained during pregnancy. I also want to lose an extra 8-10 pounds on top of that. When I started SFL I was 162 pounds, and my goal is to lose 32. At our first weeks weigh in, I lost 5 pounds. So as of June 2nd I weigh 157 lb. I'm extremely happy with this, as we have only been loosely following the plan so far. We are used to eating out at restaurants frequently so it's difficult to break those bad habits. We have definitely cut back significantly, and plan to cut back more and more as the weeks go on. I've been cooking up a storm these past couple of weeks. It has been a little overwhelming at times when I'm home alone with Carter and have to make soup from scratch... I have never been a huge fan of cooking so I rarely did it in the past. However, with each new recipe I tackle I'm beginning to actually dare I say it... enjoy?!?! cooking! Haha! I'm hoping this feeling continues.

I also started running a couple of weeks ago, and what a slow start it has been! I haven't participated in any real exercise in over a year and a half. I'm running about twice a week right now, but I would like to go more often. I'm only able to go about 1.5km at this time. I plan on returning to soccer when we move back to BC so I really need to get back in shape. I just downloaded a couple of apps for my iPhone that I'm hoping will help motivate me to get out there more often. I downloaded "Zombies, Run!" and "Couch-to-5K". I just got them so haven't tried them yet. From what I can gather, Zombie, Run! is sort of  a game that motivates you to run by having you run from zombies . There's a storyline and missions along the way. Couch-to-5K is a training program designed to get you off the couch and be able to run 5km....eventually. Ha! I've briefly looked at the app, and it looks like the program is 9 weeks long. You are expected to run 30 minutes, 3 days a week in that time. The program starts of slowly, gradually getting more difficult with each week. I'm hoping to give these apps a try in the coming weeks, and I'll let you know how I like them.

Another iPhone app I've been using is the Calorie Tracker by LIVESTRONG. I can track my daily food intake and exercise with this. You tell the app your height and weight and how much you want to lose (or gain...) and it will calculate your daily allowable calories. When you add any exercise it will subtract the burnt calories accordingly. I'm finding it very helpful so far and highly recommend it.

I'll keep you all updated on my progress. Oh, and Ralph's doing good too! He's already down 8 pounds. Yay!

Carter is now 11 weeks, and his personality reveals itself more and more each day. He smiles ALL the time now and looks like he is SO close to laughing. He will stare at you for ages, and looks like he's really studying your face. When we hold him he is constantly trying to lean forward or stand up. He can fully weightbear on his legs and loves to do so all day. We do tummy time with him each day, but he still hates it!! He will tolerate it for all of a minute then he face plants and screams bloody murder til' we pick him up. He tolerates it a little longer if we lay him over the boppy pillow, but he's still not a huge fan. I had been getting a little anxious that we weren't getting in enough tummy time with him, but we are doing the best we can. Also, I'm sure they weren't pushing tummy time 50 years ago and people seemed to turn out ok.

His torticollis is MUCH less noticeable now. He fully turns his head both ways no problem, and no longer favours looking left. The back of his head still has a little flat area, but its not that noticeable. It may resolve with time, or it may not... either way he'll be fine.

I am officially done with breastfeeding. There had come a point a few weeks ago where Carter was only feeding for about 3-4 minutes then he would scream and scratch at me. Each feeding would end in him crying and me extremely upset! He was getting increasingly fussy too, so I suspected he wasn't getting enough to eat. So, I decided it just wasn't worth the struggle anymore and I am now exclusively pumping the milk and feeding it to him in a bottle. I'm not going to lie, it's hard work pumping 5-7 times a day, then feeding him, and cleaning all the bottles, pump parts, etc. I also have to bring the pump with me if I'm going to be out for a long time. However, I am MUCH happier and feel Carter is too. He no longer screams at me and he is eating more. I'm not sure how long I will stick with the pumping, but I'm happy to say that he has received breast milk for 11 weeks so far. That's quite the achievement considering all the problems we've been through.

I'm not exactly sure how much he weighs, but I'm sure he's at least 13 lb now. I think he's going to be tall and skinny. He's growing out of his clothes so fast! I had him in a 6 month onesie the other day. Although, the sizing for infants clothes is ridiculous because he also fits into a newborn diaper shirt from another brand.

Ok, I don't want to jinx a good thing but this little guy has been sleeping fairly well the past few nights. We put him to bed around 11pm (hoping to push that to an earlier time in the near future) and he usually sleeps til around 4-6am. He usually falls asleep within a few minutes. Tonight's been an exception however, as he took quite a while to get to bed and I can hear him fussing on the monitor as I type. Yikes! I hope this is just a one off night!!

I had a wonderful mothers day. We spent the day at home, and what more could I ask for?! Carter got me a photo frame that says mommy's little monkey on it. Isn't he sweet :)

I'll leave you with some recent pics:

- Amy

6 Weeks Old

Time is flying by!! Carter is already 6 weeks old, and I see so many changes in him. For the past week he has been smiling for real, not just while he's pooping or farting. I love his little grin!

Our poor little guy has a condition called torticollis. It means "twisted neck" where his head is tilted to one side. In Carter's case he favours leaning and looking to the left. I noticed that he favoured his left side within his first day of life, so he likely acquired this condition due to his position in utero. He started physiotherapy to correct it a couple of weeks ago. We are doing stretches at home everyday and are already seeing improvement. He voluntarily turns his head to the right now. Yay! Carter also has a flat area on the back of his head due to favouring the left side. Because he's so young he has a good chance that it will round out with time. If not, he'll just have to live with it.

My Struggles with Breastfeeding

During my pregnancy I read a lot about breast feeding. I knew I wanted to breast feed from the moment I found out I was pregnant. I had read how natural it was, so I assumed it would come naturally for me. Well it has been quite the opposite! Within an hour of Carter's birth I tried feeding him, but he would not latch on! It was super frustrating and disappointing. I tried a few more times later on with no luck. Eventually one of the nurses gave me a nipple shield to help him latch and it worked! Yay! Then it appeared that I wasn't producing any milk so the nurses had me supplement with formula. I'm upset that they made me feel like I was a failure and had to supplement. My understanding is that you produce colostrum in the first few days, then the milk comes in. I had no idea if I was producing anything though! Finally after a couple of days a lactation consultant came to see me. She had me start pumping right away. After a couple of times pumping I was getting small amounts of colostrum. I finally started to feel like my body was doing what it was supposed to do. I was determined to get rid of the formula so we started syringe feeding Carter the colostrum I had pumped. He only had formula for the few days we were in the hospital.

What also made breast feeding extremely frustrating in the beginning was the fact that Carter was so tired. He was jaundiced which can make babies very sleepy. I had to wake him for every single feeding and he would barely wake up! Try feeding a sleeping baby. Very frustrating!

I managed to get rid of the nipple shield within two weeks and Carter has been latching on well ever since. He is a very efficient eater. I was told by everyone that he should be eating for at least 10 minutes on each side for every feeding. Well he has never done that! I have enough milk to feed a small village, so he gulps and gulps and finishes on one side in 10 minutes and is full. He spits up a lot due to how fast he eats. I was worried he may have reflux or something, but he doesn't. His weight gain has been adequate, and he is no longer sleepy all the time. He is bright and alert, and is poopin' and peein' up a storm.

I wanted to quit after a week. I cried because I felt like I was starving him, and had to supplement with formula. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with formula, I was just bound and determined to exclusively breast feed. Well here we are 6 weeks later and still breast feeding. Carter is a bit of a fuss pot when it comes to feeding. Sometimes he will eat for 10 minutes straight no problem, but most of the time he eats for a minute, pulls off, fusses, spills milk everywhere then latches back on for another minute. It's hard work, but I'm glad I've persisted as I know it is best for both of us. So, to anybody having trouble in the beginning, it does get easier! Through my experience, and speaking to other moms I've learned that it does not come natural for a lot of people. I wish I had known this from the beginning. I just assumed everyone else was a natural and I was a failure.

Carter has gotten quite a few bottles of breast milk so far. He had his first one at 3 weeks. I had been told that I should wait at least 6 weeks to introduce a bottle as it may cause nipple confusion. Well I was so frustrated and tired that I figured I was going to switch to formula anyway, so if he didn't go back to the breast after the bottle I would just quite. However, he has had no nipple confusion whatsoever. Thank God! So my sweet husband can give me a break every couple of days and give little man a bottle of milk. This has been a key part in me continuing to breast feed.



On April 18 Carter turned 1 month old. I decided to take my own photos and here are some of them:

I love being a mommy!! Yes, I'm sleep deprived and covered in baby puke and pee, but he is so worth it! I feel so blessed to have this little boy in my life. He's amazing :)

Speaking of pee.... this child loves to pee on himself and everything around him. Haha! I had heard that little boys tend to do that when you open the diaper and air hits them, but wow. He doesn't do it as much anymore as we've learned how to change his diaper really fast.... I also cover his particulars with a wipe to minimize damage if he does pee. Oh joy!

Little man is currently sleeping in his swing. He loves it! It also has a removable bouncy chair that he is fond of. That bouncy chair is a lifesaver. I have managed to shower every single day by keeping the bathroom door open and putting him in the chair in the doorway. He likes the sound of the bathroom fan, it usually puts him to sleep. He's not too interested in any of his toys yet. He will hold them if we put them in his hands, but thats about it. We bought him Sophie the Giraffe, and are hoping eventually he takes interest because that thing was expensive!

He likes going for walks in the stroller and truck rides as long as we keep him moving. He usually sleeps the whole time we are out anywhere. He is unsure about tummy time right now, and will only tolerate it for about 5 minutes.

Carter sleeps in our room in the bassinet part of his playpen. The past few weeks most nights he will sleep for a four hour stretch, eat, then sleep for another three hours or so. We are hoping this continues.

Well, thats about it for now. I'll leave you with some more photos of our handsome little man:

- Amy

Birth Story

As most of you know by now, our "little" Peanut has made his arrival! Carter P. Shaw was born on March 18, 2012 @ 4:58pm weighing a whopping 9lb 8.5oz and 21.5 inches long.

My labour only lasted 6 hours and 15 minutes, which I'm attributing to the constant contractions over the past 4+ months toning my uterus. If you don't want the nitty gritty details of the labour and delivery stop reading now. If you want to know read on... you were warned....

0300 March 18, 2012 -  Ralph and I were heading to bed. I felt kind of nauseous and when I went to take my socks off I noticed my legs and feet were quite swollen. My hands and face have been swollen for months but I haven't had much swelling in my feet or legs. I checked my blood pressure and it was around 160/95 which is unusually high for me. I waited a few minutes and checked it again. It had increased and continued to rise over the half an hour that I checked it. I called labour and delivery and told them what was going on so they had me go in to get checked out.

0400 - We arrived at the hospital and my blood pressure was still elevated. My urine was negative for protein and my blood work checked out fine so I figured I would be going home as I did not have pre eclampsia. However, the on call doctor, whom I'd never met before felt it was best to induce me as I was 39 weeks 6 days anyway. He informed me that I had to be induced in Moncton because there would be no obstetrical coverage at my local hospital after 5pm and of course we had no way of knowing how long my labour would be. The doctor checked me and I was 2 1/2 to 3cm dilated already.

0710 - Left our local hospital, went home, packed and headed to Moncton.

1050 - I was assessed by the doctor and found to be 3cm dilated and 50% effaced. At this point I was still having my usual random contractions every 3 to 5 minutes. The doctor went ahead and broke my water to get things moving.

1150 - Went for a walk.

1235 - Contractions fairly regular every 2 to 3 minutes and stronger. Also feeling some pressure.

1258 - Had the most intense contraction!! I told Ralph if I was at home wondering if I was in labour or not, this would have been the contraction to let me know I was for sure! Ouch!

1308 - 5cm dilated, 100% effaced.

1330 - Went for another walk. Having to stop for all contractions as they are very intense.

1400 - Started using gas for the pain. It definitely took the edge off the contractions. It also made me light headed and a little loopy. Haha!

1405 - 7cm dilated, 100% effaced. The nurse starts prepping the room for delivery. I can't believe I'm only 3 hours and 15 minutes into labour and I'm progressing so smoothly. I discuss with my nurse whether I want an epidural or not. I am having very intense contractions at this point, but I am able to handle them with the gas. However, I know they are only going to get stronger and more painful. I attempt another walk and only make it a short distance before turning back.

1450 - I am in a lot of pain! I tell the nurse if I have progressed more I will try to deliver without the epidural, but if I haven't then I will be getting it. She checks me and I am still 7cm. I decide to get the epidural.

1505 - The epidural is hooked up and it's not really helping the pain much. After a few minutes the left side of my face and my left arm feel numb and tingly.

1518 - The nurse checks me and I am now 10cm dilated! It's time to push!

Around 1540 - My epidural was discontinued due to the numbness and tingling in my face and arm... it wasn't doing much for the contraction pain anyway!

1628 - We could see the top of Carter's head. He has lots of dark hair. I used the mirror when pushing so that I could see the progress I was making. I highly recommend this!

Around 1650 - I had been pushing for about an hour and a half, but Carter's head just didn't want to move any further. The doctor give me an episiotomy. At this point the pain is so intense that I barely felt the needle to numb the area nor the cut.

1658 - Carter is born screaming and laid on my chest immediately. This is the happiest moment of my life!!!

Here he is moments after birth:

One day old:

Going home:

We got to bring our little man home after 3 days. He was a little jaundiced so we were keeping an eye on his bilirubin levels, but he didn't require the bili lights. We are completely in love with him and feel like the luckiest people in the world! I am so grateful to have a healthy baby boy, but I miss his big sisters terribly!! Having another child does not take that pain away. I know Chloe and Zoe are smiling down and watching over him.

Carter keeps me super busy, hence writing this post a month late. However, I will try to update my blog on a fairly regular basis.

- Amy

No Dice

I just got home from my doctor's appointment and she didn't check me for dilation or do a membrane sweep. I asked her if she would do the sweep but she said she didn't think it was beneficial and can cause more problems. I'm kinda bummed, but I guess I can hold out 11 more days or less. Other than that everything is great. My next appointment is with my regular doctor next Thursday. Here's hoping I deliver before then!

- Amy

39 Weeks

Yes, peanut is still super comfy apparently. We are 39 weeks! Yay :) I had another doctors appointment on Friday and everything is still looking great. I've been getting quite anxious about going overdue lately. I know there are risks to the baby if you are allowed to go past 42 weeks, as sometimes the placenta cannot continue to adequately nourish the baby. However, I know many women who trust their body's and prefer to let things happen naturally. So, if mom and baby are doing well they will just continue on with the pregnancy. If I wasn't as anxious as I am and didn't have the history that I do I would probably be ok with this. However, I do not want to go too far overdue. I'm so scared something will happen!! I expressed my concern to my doctor and she agreed to induce me at 40 weeks 5 days if I was still pregnant then. I feel much better with this plan. So the longest I could be pregnant is now 13 days!

I've been getting a TON of contractions the past week. I mean I get them all the time, but these are becoming much more uncomfortable and quite frequent at times. I keep getting my hopes up that labour is starting. Oh well, peanut will come when he/she is ready... I'm still not sleeping at night, and am officially a day sleeper. My belly continues to be extremely itchy. I was close to tears one morning last week as it was so itchy I wanted to rip the skin off! I continue to use the bio oil and tons of lotion. I also picked up some Aveeno Anti Itch Lotion which I use just before bed and that seems to be helping a little. Anyway, thats enough bitching... I'm extremely grateful to be 39 weeks :) :) Oh, yes... my cravings these days? quesadillas, nachos, tacos, etc. Especially quesadillas, I could eat them for every meal of every day! My appetite definitely doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

Well, thats really about it for this week. I see a different doctor on Wednesday as my usual doctor will be away. I hope she doesn't miss peanut's birth, as she has been a great support throughout this pregnancy. I'm hoping this other doctor will do a membrane sweep at my appointment. I will be 39 weeks 2 days, so I don't think it would be too unreasonable. I'll update on Wednesday and let you know if she did it.

If you haven't already made a guess in our baby pool, you can do so here: Amy and Ralph Shaw's Baby Pool. We left out the guess for gender, as so many people already know and would have an unfair advantage. So, go ahead and submit your guess.

Here is my 39 week belly :)

- Amy

The Other Side

Well, there are always 2 (or more) sides to every story. I posted yesterday regarding the KONY 2012 campaign created by the non-profit group Invisible Children. I was extremely touched by the video and felt compelled to pass it on and spread the word. However, while browsing the web today I discovered many people are critical of the work done by Invisible Children. At first I rolled my eyes and thought "Really? Is it so hard to believe that there are some people out there that are genuinely trying to do good?". Then I thought I should at least read some of the criticism so that I may have all the information, from all sides.

I'm not going to restate all the criticism out there, but will provide you with links to the articles I've read so far:

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/africa/120307/kony-2012-campaign-criticized-dumbing-down-conflict

http://justiceinconflict.org/2012/03/07/taking-kony-2012-down-a-notch/

http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/post/18890947431/we-got-trouble

I will also provide a link to Invisible Children's response to these criticisms:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/www.invisiblechildren.com/critiques.html

It will definitely be interesting to see how this all plays out in the following days, weeks and so on. For now, I am leaning more toward the belief that Invisible Children's intentions are primarily good. I believe they truly want to help the afflicted Central and Eastern African countries and bring Joseph Kony to justice. Based on what I have read so far I  believe their plan and methods in doing so are appropriate. With that being said, I suggest you read all you can from all points of view and draw your own conclusions.

- Amy

Nothing is more powerful than an idea

I just learned today of a man named Joseph Kony. He is #1 on the International Criminal Courts list. He is the leader of a rebel group, The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda. This group abducts children, gives them guns and forces them to kill. This has been going on for over 25 years and the LRA have abducted over 30,000 children in that time. Kony is not fighting for any cause, he is fighting only to maintain his power.

For the past 9 years a group of people in the United States have been trying to bring attention to Joseph Kony so that he may be captured and brought to justice. This group is known as Invisible Children. Their efforts had mainly been futile because the U.S. government stated they would never get involved in a conflict where their national security or financial interests weren't at stake. However, Invisible Children have been spreading the word across the world and brought enough attention to the cause to force action from the U.S. government. With hundreds of thousands of people behind them Invisible Children finally convinced them to send help to Uganda. In mid October 2012 Barack Obama authorized a small group of U.S. forces to deploy to Central Africa to assist the Ugandan Army in the removal of Joseph Kony. Unfortunately Kony and the LRA caught wind of the U.S. plan to stop them and changed their tactics to avoid capture.

If we do not show the government that we want this man captured they will pull out forces in Central Africa. We need to keep the pressure on so that they will stay and find Kony. Invisible Children has started a campaign, "KONY 2012" essentially to make him famous, not to celebrate him but to raise awareness and support.

So what can you and I do? Spread the word!! We have the power to make a difference, and show that we can come together as a global community for the greater good. Children, no matter where they live deserve a childhood free from war and violence.

**All preceding information taken from the InivisibleChildrenInc video**

Please take the time to watch this video and pass it on.




- Amy

Insomniac

in·som·ni·ac

       [in-som-nee-ak] 
noun

1.

a person who suffers from insomnia,  the inability,especially when chronic, to obtain   sufficient sleep, through difficulty in falling or staying asleep.

I CANNOT sleep!! It is so frustrating, I'm close to tears! I've never been a good sleeper; I've always been a night owl, but these past few weeks have been so draining. I can't sleep at all at night and am only able to get in a couple of hours during the day. Everyone keeps telling me to rest up now because I won't be able to when peanut is here. I wish I could! It's not so much that I'm uncomfortable because when I do finally roll over from one side to the other I'm actually ok, it's more that my mind just won't stop. I'm just so excited and anxious for peanut to get here. I keep playing scenarios through my head of when I finally go into labour. Will it be in the middle of the night? or while I'm out shopping? I am a planner, I need to know everything that's going to happen in advance so it's really difficult for me not knowing when the big day will be. 

I had a doctor's appointment last Thursday. Everything's great with peanut and I. I've gained a little more weight than I wanted to, but what do you do? The Dr. said baby had a big growth spurt according to my fundal height soooo I'm just going to blame the weight gain on peanut and not the massive amounts of chocolate I've been eating. I told her how anxious I've been feeling. I just want our baby here safe and sound! She thinks I likely have an anxiety disorder, which I've sort of suspected I've had for a few years now. So, I think I'm going to try and meet with somebody to learn techniques to decrease my anxiety, and I want to avoid medication if I can. This is definitely not something I want to pass onto peanut when he/she is older. I want to take care of this now! 


I forgot to post a recent pic of my belly in my last post so here it is at 37 weeks 4 days. You can see all my lovely stretch marks. They are making my belly so itchy. I'm applying Bio Oil twice a day and regular lotion about 2-3 times a day to cut down on the itchiness.

Oh, and here is a video Ralph took on his phone of me shopping in Walmart when I was still on bed rest. I'm not sure exactly how far along I was.... I'm thinking around 28-30 weeks... Usually when we went shopping back then Ralph would push me in a regular wheelchair, but that night one of their employees suggested I take the electric one. I felt SO ridiculous, I couldn't stop laughing while riding it. It even beeped when you backed up. Hahaha!

I got my hair done yesterday. I figured I won't be able to get it done for a while after baby is here so I got it done while I still had the time. My hairdresser was shocked to see me still pregnant. Haha. 


Ok, so I think I've pretty much abandoned the 365 project. Maybe I'm just not creative enough to come up with an interesting photo each day, or it could be the fact that I'm just tired and lazy right now. Once baby is here I'm sure I'll be posting lots of photos, but I just feel guilty each day that I don't post one so I'm saying I'm done for now. 


I've started reading the "Hunger Games". So far I've only read the first chapter, but I think it's going to be a good read. I haven't read a book other than a textbook in at least 9-10 years which is so sad because I used to read 1-2 books a day when I was a kid. I have a hard time concentrating on a novel, but I'm bound and determined to make it through this one then hopefully continue on with others.


Ralph and I went with a friend to see "Safe House" last week. It was a good movie, I recommend it. I felt kind of silly though because I had to bring a pillow for my back. Oh well, I was comfortable and could enjoy the movie that's all that matters. 


Well, that was a long and random post. Since I'll be 38 weeks pregnant tomorrow and I've pretty much updated you on everything I may not post tomorrow. I may post a belly pic, I'll see how I feel. It's 6:45am, I'm going to attempt to sleep here in a few minutes. Wish me luck!


- Amy

FULL TERM!!!

Peanut is officially full term!! Yes, that's right full frickin' term! I had a doctor's appointment on Friday and everything continues to look perfect with peanut and I. I can't believe I brought up induction during the appointment. You know me, I like to be prepared for everything so I was just curious how long she will let me go for. She told me she will induce me if I make it to 41 weeks, and will sweep my membranes at 39-40 weeks. This plan sounds good to us. We also got to see one of the labour and delivery rooms while we were there. The room is really nice, and seeing it made things feel even more real. I can't believe we will be meeting peanut any day!

I had my baby shower on Saturday, and it was so nice to see everyone! A couple of friends from work hosted it, and they did an awesome job. Thanks ladies!! We are so grateful for all the gifts we got; peanut is spoiled already. Thank you to everyone that came, and all the wonderful gifts. The big present we got was a baby bullet. Even though we all know I don't cook, I think I could handle blending up some delicious food for baby. I'm super excited to use it! 

Here I am opening gifts:

I think sometimes when people have battled with infertility and/or loss it is assumed that they will not and should not have any complaints about their much longed for pregnancy. While I am so extremely grateful to be pregnant, I am not immune to the aches and pains that go along with it. With that being said, I have been dealing with really bad pelvic and hip pain the past few weeks. It literally feels like my pelvis is going to break in half! Rolling over in bed takes me like 5 minutes, and I have to roll over every 45 minutes to an hour because my hips hurt if I lay on them for too long. Also, these stretch marks are getting out of control! My hips, thighs and lower belly are now completely covered and I can see them starting to come in on the top of my belly. I was talking to my mum yesterday and she was telling me to try bio oil. I haven't bothered trying any lotions thus far because I figured if I'm going to get stretch marks there really isn't any way of avoiding them. However, my mum says that bio oil has worked really well on her skin for any small scars, etc. So, I went and bought some yesterday because I figured it can't hurt. 

Ahhh, it's nice to be able to get that out there. I've been feeling like I am not allowed to complain, but I'm only human after all. Despite these complaints I would not trade them for anything!! I don't care if my whole body is covered in stretch marks, and as much as my pelvis and hips hurt it is so worth it. I am grateful to be this far along and as big as I am that I even get these pains in the first place! 

That's about if for this week. When I do go into labour I will try to update on Facebook and Twitter so stay tuned. 

- Amy

Days 53 & 54

I decorated a couple more wipes cases. They aren't for anybody in particular, I just liked the fabric.

- Amy

36 Weeks 1 Day

I can officially deliver at my local hospital! Yes! Oh, and it's only 27 days til' my due date. There were at least 3 days this past week where I started getting painful contractions around 2-4 minutes apart. I thought for sure I was starting labour every time! Nope... still here! Other than that there isn't really anything else new this week.

Here's my belly today:

I've still been doing lots of crafts to keep me busy. A friend showed me how to create a custom wipes case. Here is my first one. It obviously looks much better in colour. Soon I won't' have to make the photos black and white. Once peanut is here I can post them in colour.

I've almost finished these closet dividers. I just need to write the ages and make a cut in them so I can hang them. I bought cheap foam door hangers, and just covered them in different scrapbook paper. 

- Amy