Too much information!

I want to apologize for this blog going all baby, all the time, but that is bascially what is on my mind 24-7 these days, so I can't help but share these thoughts.

I have been doing quite a bit of reading lately. I actually stopped reading baby stuff around week 20 because one of my books suggested that I just take a break before I freak myself out.... so I did that. But now I think I am more freaked out that my stupid baby countdown ticker over there ---> is just burning through the weeks like they are free fuel!

I haven't read a lot since week 20, now I am at week 31 with only 9 weeks to go - and starting to go into a state of shock that I haven't prepared (reading wise) as much as I could have! I have been going through the baby books quite rapidly now, trying to absorb as much info as possible - but some these books are little scary.

Like the ones that say:

'If you had a tear or episitomony during the birth, you will have stitches that can be uncomfortable while they heal. Even without the stitches the area around your vagina may feel bruised and swollen'

or

'Don't be surprised if you sweat profusely for a few days, especially at night. Blood volume increases during pregnancy, so now your body needs to rid itself of excess water to get things back to normal'

or

'The first bowel movements after giving birth may not come easily'.

No wonder I can't sleep... did someone say 'too much information?'! All this reading keeps my mind pacing throughout the night, thinking of the sweating, the stitches, the constipation... and yet during all this you are somehow suppose to be overjoyed to be a new Mom, with a new baby - right!!!

All the books you read leading into a pregnancy are all happy-go-lucky, 'children are a wonderful adventure', 'parenting is so rewarding' - yada yada yada - now that I am getting into the home stretch... they start publishing the 'pregnancy isn't a cakewalk' and 'I hope you don't think this will be easy' type books.

I am in a lovely state of mind these days... if can't already tell! I am glad some of these books try to prepare you for what is to come, but at the same time are we really that unprepared, if nobody ever mentioned anything about the nasty stuff?

Don't leave home without a back-up pair of shoes!

This weekend, we went out for dinner with friends to celebrate a birthday. It was a casual night, I just wore jeans and semi-fancy maternity top with my brown sandals. I love my brown sandals, they give me a bit of height, but have a wedge heel so the comfort for walking is still there, while providing a bit of support to.

I haven't wore them much this summer, it just seems that my maternity wardrobe doesn't require a brown sandal too often.

Lately, my feet have become increasingly sore.... and while they hurt to stand on for long periods of time, they have never showed any signs of swelling, which I thought was a real bonus - until Saturday night.

During dinner... I was feeling hot, the restaurant was warm, and it was in low lighting, and my feet felt a little cramped, so I nonchalantly removed my sandals under the table, not thinking much of it.

The drinks and appetizers came, then the main courses (which I took my sweet time eating)... and finally we decided on some desserts... in total it was a good two and half hours we were at the restaurant. Just as dessert was over and we were thinking of packing up, I decided to slip my sandals back on.

One first try, they wouldn't go on, and I immediately thought to myself: 'I have them on the wrong feet'. So I grabbed one from under the table to check, but it was in fact the right sandal for my right foot. I put it back under the table and tried again, but no go. I could only get my toes jammed into the top part of the sandal, I still had a good 6 inches to go before I could even consider standing up on the damn things to walk.

In my head, I am freaking out.... and I mean FREAKING. This has never happened to me before... my feet haven't shown any signs of swelling before tonight, and the worst part is I only brought this pair shoes for the entire night and we still had a trip to the casino on the agenda before the night could even be considered over!

As the waitress comes to clean up the table from dessert, she asks if we need anything else... or if we are ready for the bills. I confess that I can't get my shoes on, so we are going to have hang out a while longer. Thank gawd the group concurs, and orders another bottle of wine. They slowly sip away at it while I spend the next 30 minutes forcing my fat feet back into my adored brown sandals.

I hate pregnant feet, and I really hate the fact that I didn't have a shitty old pair of flip flops in the back of the car, ready for an emergency situation like this.

I finally did manage to get my feet about 4 inches in the sandals, enough to at least walk out of the restaurant with my dignity in tact, and when we reached the car, I cranked the AC on the floor and slowly my feet returned to their pre-dinner state, but trust me from now on I don't go anywhere from home without my trusty, wide/large/roomy flip flops in the back for the car.

Did any of you post-pregnant ladies ever experience the fat feet prego syndrome.... ? How did you cope?

King-Nelles Wedding - Evolution of Dance

A few weeks ago PC and I attended the King-Nelles wedding, for friends of ours, Will Nelles and Joyce King. It was an outdoor ceremony, followed by some good times indoors at the Riuniti Hall in Sault Ste. Marie.

Me, being pregnant, I wasn't anticipating anything too fun, since I can't drink, and dancing is becoming increasing harder as well, but this wedding proved to be a lot of fun even for the sober guests!

The ceremony was beautiful, the bride looked stunning... as did the entire wedding party. The reception was so much fun! After the meal was served, and some funny speeches were given, the dancing began... and that is when the fun really started.

I was waiting to make this post for this wedding, in hopes that the video on You Tube would be up and running ... and today it is, so you must check it out. Will and his lovely Mom Marilyn did their take on the 'Evolution of Dance' video - and it is not to be missed (see below). PC and I, along with 300 other guests were entertained to the max with their 8 minute choreographed Mother/Son dance. We laughed so hard at the reception, and watching it again this morning was like we were there all over again!

Great job Will & Marilyn, and congratulations Will and Joyce on your marriage!

If you can't view the You Tube video on my blog, click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lATEwGqypBk

A Letter To My First Born

Dear Baby Coleman,

It's hard to believe that you have been inside my belly for 30 weeks now. I remember the day that your dad and I found out we created you... what an overwhelming feeling that was to know that you were on your way.

Then came all of the testing and verifying that we weren't crazy, that you were in fact real, growing and developing at a rapid pace.

The first ultrasound we had of you at 11 weeks brought tears to my eyes, I almost didn't believe you were real until I saw that little heart of yours beating so fast.... that moment was really life changing for both your dad and I.

A few days after we saw you, we shared the news of your pending arrival with your grandparents, aunts and uncles, and our close friends - and our excitement and anticipation of your arrival grew enormously.

Then we saw you again at 17 weeks... and you had changed so dramatically... but you had a distinct face already: ears, nose, mouth, and your little feet - already leaving footprints on our hearts.

During the last 7 months I have really developed quite a bond with you... we seem to have a good relationship so far... you immediately alert me when I am doing something I shouldn't be... like trying to sleep on my stomach, or reaching for something on the top shelf - and I like that, as I often need to be kept in line.

Just the other day we saw you at another ultrasound, you have tripled in size since our last peak at you at 17 weeks. You seem to think its fun to keep your hands and feet in front of your face at all times but I guess that's because your starting to get a little cramped in your current living quarters.

Your dad and I keep trying to speculate whether you have indoor or outdoor plumbing... but we will have to wait a little while longer before we know for sure! Either way, we will love you and cherish you, because you are ours!

I have been doing a lot of reading lately on parenting, and being a mother, and caring for a newborn, and I have to admit - I have no clue what I am getting myself into! I am hoping your dad has some better insight in this parenting business or else you could be in store for one wild ride! I am confident that we'll get the hang of it, hopefully before your old enough and smart enough to figure out that we're making it up as we go along!

In the last little while I have made many comments that start with 'I don't want to be that parent who...' - I have a lot of expectations for myself, and I know that I won't ever be the perfect parent, but I am hoping that in some small way, I can be as good of mother to you, as your grandma has been to me.

We only have 10 short weeks before we actually meet each other in person, and I can't wait for that day. I hoping you won't surprise us with an early arrival, as I have quite the laundry list of things for your dad to do before you make your entrance! But, no matter when you decide to join us, we will be ready and waiting to bring you home and welcome you into our family.

With anticipation....
Love Mom
xoxo

Ridin' in Style!

Thanks to my Mom and Dad, Baby C will be riding in style! My parents bought us our travel system, stroller & car seat combo.... it was delivered last week via Puralator and PC assembled it on Monday night, and so we have been practicing rolling it around the house, sans Baby C!

I have to say, its pretty slick... its big and roomy, and the car seat fits right into the top of it, and it rooooooooolls rather nicely!

I was commenting to PC last night that if the baby came tomorrow at least we would have something to bring him/her home in... of course we wouldn't have a room for him/her to sleep in, but we could just stay up all night strolling around the neighbourhood in our new travel system!

Thanks Mom & Dad, greatly appreciated... we know Baby C will be very happy in the new ride!

Baby Coleman @ 30 wks

Today we had an ultrasound to check up on the baby and my previously low-lying placenta.

The good news is the placenta has moved far far away from my cervix, so the threat of a planned c-section no longer looms at this point, which was great news! The baby's head is also facing down now, so if I were to go into labour tomorrow this would be a good thing too!

In previous ultrasounds at 11 wks and 17 wks there was lots of room for the baby to move about - today's ultrasound showed just how cramped up the baby really is... hands and feet covering its face ... it was hard to get a good picture this time around, but the technician was able to snap one (see below), when the baby peaked at us for a brief moment.

Still no clues on the sex... we didn't see ANYTHING, the technician didn't go anywhere near the baby's privates, but PC and I are still thinking boy for some reason (however we did look at the Chinese gender calendar today, and according to the chart, it's a girl... so who knows!).

Here is Baby Coleman at 30 wks:

PC's Big 3-0 Party!

Well... PC's 30th birthday party has been here and gone - and if I had to sum it up in my own words, I would say it was a HIT! Everything went fairly smoothly! Friday night I was a little skeptical of the weather as it was down pouring in half hour shifts.... but Saturday the skies cleared (although the humidity didn't) and it turned out to be a very sunny and hot day for the party.

My 130-O girls came from near and far to help me get the party ready... outdoor games, and food, and just some general party decorating.. so by 2:30 pm I would say we were ready to host a party!

PC was clued into the fact that we were having a 30th party for him, but I would say the surprises started when the guest slowly trickled in after 3... as he wasn't expecting to see a lot of them! He had a huge smile on his face the whole night, and that was sweet satisfaction for me!

My biggest contribution to the party, would have been my Yukaflux concoction - which is also referred to as Ditch Juice or in PC's words 'Porch Crawler'. It's just a mix of alcohol and fruit... basically you can empty your liquor cabinet... rum, vodka, gin, wine, you name it, throw it in a large (clean) Rubbermaid storage tub... then add some sprite, gingerale, frozen concentrates, and then slice up 100-150 piece of fruit and dump it in the tub.... you let it sit over night, and then just before serving the next day you add 8 cans of beer, a 2L of 7UP, and a bag of ice and you are good to go! This is sure to get the party going - apparently for every piece of fruit you eat, its like taking a shot of straight alcohol - but the best part is that you don't taste the alcohol!

I have always wanted to make this (as I can remember it being a few parties during my high school career), but never had a good excuse to... I was a little disappointed that I couldn't even try it, but it was a big success at the party, so I will be sure to make it again when I can fully participate in the festivities.

I barely saw PC the entire day, he was chatting and drinking with a new crowd of people every time I turned around, but that is exactly what I wanted... I had him make a Washer Toss game and we had Spin It Ball going on and those two games seemed to get people having a good time too.

We had a little BBQ fiasco, which I won't elaborate on, except to say that I should have checked references on my first volunteer to be the BBQ Master - let's just say that within no time, 12 hamburger patties looked like street hockey pucks, and I won't even comment on what the juicy jumbo hot dogs looked like, but we ended up disposing of the first round of BBQ food, along with the first BBQ Master, and the replacement got control of the situation nicely! All in good fun, but I was killing myself laughing for about an hour over the whole episode.

After the food was taken care of and everyone ate, we did cake and then lit a fire in the back yard, finally using the lovely fire pit we got for our wedding.

The day couldn't have gone better... the crowd slowly thinned out by midnight (we were 43 adults and 11 kids)... except for our neighbours who didn't have to drive anywhere ... they kept the party going until 3 am... we closed with some famous neighbourhood nachos (Ginette's)... and by 3:30 amam PC and I were in bed... both exhausted but for different reasons - he had been drinking since noon that day, and I had been on my feet all day!

The 130-O girls (and Kel) stayed the night, they were my fabulous clean up crew the next morning, which was MUCH appreciated - PC opened some gifts that people had brought (and he loved them!), we went for breakfast, the girls and Kel got on their way, and PC and I had the laziest day ever, napping and watching movies!

I have to say, I don't have many pics from the day on our camera because PC and I were both busy ... but there were a few, so I will post them now and if others send me theirs I will update the blog with them when I can.

Here's a few though....

The Big 3-0 has finally arrived!

No... not for me, I am still a young pup in my twenties, but today, is PC's 30th birthday... 30, three-O... old!

Okay... so now that I have offended a good portion of my readers... I take back the 30 being old joke!! It's not old, but it is quite a feat - I mean 30 years of existence, it reminds of that country song 'Strawberry Wine' when she says 'I remember... when 30 was old' - so true!!

I find this birthday, 30, so humorous for PC and I... mostly due to the fact that when I first met PC, I put him in the 30 range... and it turns out he was only the tender age of 24 at the time. Now, finally, 6 years later 30 has come and its seems somewhat milestone-ish for both of us!

Tomorrow I am having a 30th BBQ for him.... it should be a good time - the weather is suppose to be sunny with clouds, so I am hoping to be out in the backyard, with some ice cold beverages, and some backyard games to celebrate with some friends! So stay tuned for photos.. and a party breakdown next week, after the party is over, and the mess is cleaned up.

Not that PC reads this... but I should cover my basis by saying:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE...

I HOPE YOUR THIRTIES ARE GOOD TO YOU...

I LOVE YOU!

Hello from Thessalon!

Just a quick note to say hello!

PC and I are in Thessalon this weekend, and have been enjoying our time here. We came to attend a wedding in Sault Ste. Marie for friends and to visit family. I also had the pleasure of being the guest honour at baby shower my Mom and sister put on for me today! It was really nice, I got to see and visit with a lot of people from home and we received MANY very nice gifts for Baby C!

More to come on the weekend events later, but since we are on the road tomorrow travelling home, I thought I would post a couple pics my dad took as we were leaving my parents house for the wedding!

This week is shaping up to be a busy one for me, but I hope to get a few posts in on the wedding, the baby shower, and whatever else comes to mind!

Love love LOVED the Bachelorette this season!

So I have been HOOKED on this season of The Bachelorette big time... I have to admit, the Bachelor/Bachelorette series is one my guiltiest tv pleasures... (ever since University when my partner in crime Erin Boyd and I did our own little study on the Bachelor series for an audience research class).

This season of the Bachelorette has just been soooooooooooooo good. I know I know... its a reality tv series, and its kind of unthinkable that a girl could date 25 guys in a six-week time period and end up engaged to one of them at the end, but I am sucker for love stories - and even if the relationship goes south a month or two after the show ends, I still fall in love with the thought of these people falling head over heels in love.

This season, DeAnna Pappas ended up choosing a snowboarder from Colorado - the most unlikely of candidates at the beginning of the show... but as the show progressed, she ended up falling for the 'rad' snowboarder Jesse Csincsak. I was actually disappointed that she chose him over the other final candidate, Jason Mesnick - he seemed like he had all the right pieces to make up the 'perfect' husband - but in DeAnna's heart she felt Jesse was her soul mate - and she chose him, and accepted his marriage proposal!

I don't know what it is about this show, but I just get so caught up in it, I love LOVE I guess - and I think to see people falling in love on tv just renews my faith in my own relationship, because everyone remembers how great the beginning of a relationship is, and shows like this just remind me what it was like in the beginning for PC and I! No - not the helicopter rides, and horse drawn carriages, or the private concerts by superstars - but just the feeling of the first kiss, the falling for someone, the wondering what it would be like to be with this person long term. This show has all of the elements of what relationships are like in the beginning - and that's the part I love!

They should probably do another show about 3 years time (if these couples ever make it that far), and remind people of what a relationship is like after the initial honeymoon phase of a relationship is over as I imagine it wouldn't be all that glamorous - but that's besides the point, for now I just love this show - and as stupid and unrealistic as it may be - I hope they air it for another 10 or 15 seasons, as I will watch every single season!

Did any of you get hooked on the Bachelorette this season, or any other seasons of the Bachelor? Are you a sucker for love like me, or are you rather unimpressed that networks like ABC would waste precious airtime on something like this?

P.S. Birthday wishes go out to faithful reader Erin Boyd today, and as well, my sister who celebrated her b-day on Sunday!! Happy Birthday ladies!

And the rings come off!

Since the day PC and I got engaged, and then married a short 9 months later, I have wore my wedding rings faithfully... I don't even take them off for bed!

I thought it would take something drastic to make me take them off... like some form of infidelity, or major accident that would required me to have my hand amputated, but apparently all it takes is a 28 week old fetus, and a few extra prego pounds.

The last few weeks, as the weather has gotten increasingly nicer out, I have found my rings posing a real problem. They are tight to get on, and the warmer its gets in a day the harder they are to get off.

I have now stopped wearing them to bed altogether because I get so hot when I sleep, that I wake up feeling like my hand is triple its size and my rings are so tight I start to panic.

Since last week, putting them on in the morning is basically a 50/50 shot that they will actually go over the knuckle. I basically know how my day is going to go based on whether or not the rings fit.

When they don't fit, I find myself cursing and swearing, saying 'perfect, I should have left the house 5 minutes ago, I don't have time to stop for a coffee, and my rings won't go on - god damn it'.

But on a good day, I am like 'wow, I woke up 10 minutes before my alarm, I knew exactly what I wanted to wear, and my rings slid on like a well oil machine - its great to be alive!'

I have read its just part of being prego... the ring thing, and people have reassured me that once the baby is born, the rings WILL go back on, but at the same time its depressing... my rings mean a lot to me, and when I casually look down at my hand and see they aren't there... it seems wrong.

However, I know its all for a good cause, these extra prego pounds, chubby fingers, swollen feet, puffy cheeks... the list goes on!

As I am now OFFICIALLY 28 weeks, and in the third and FINAL trimester... I guess the rings are the least of my worries... I should just be satisfied that even though I can't always wear the rings, I at least have a solid marriage that is going to be around regardless if I ever am able to get the rings back on!!!

Belly Update #3

I have had a few requests lately for a belly pic update.... this one is especially for Darlene!

Here's the belly at 27 weeks... its growing by the day according to PC, and the scale too! I can't really complain... I am slowing down by the week, but I am trying to accept that this is what it is suppose to be like!

I still don't think I am overly HUGE for being just a few days shy of 7 months pregnant, but perhaps I will be eating my words in a month!

Anyways... for your viewing pleasure, check out the belly where Baby Coleman is currently living (rent free) and will be for the next few months!

Pregnant Lady Freak Out!

We interrupt your regular scheduled programing to bring you: Freak out from a Pregnant Lady!

Hooooooooooooooly shit - can you believe we are in July already?

Back in June, I was feeling a little moody, but not at all overwhelmed by the thought of having a baby in September. I actually felt that June dragged by a bit... the weather was nothing to write home about, and my social life wasn't all that active either! I keep saying to myself, 4 long months to go... lots of time!

But now.... July has arrived - and I have a feeling its going to whiz by... PC and I have plans every weekend of July from here on in... and then for us, July rolls nicely into the first two weeks of August, so by the time we get done our festivities, weddings, and holidays the baby's arrival will only be 6 short weeks away - and even less than that if the baby decides to pretend its not ours and arrive early!

This weekend I made major, and I mean MAJOR progress on OPERATION CLEAR OUT, of one of our spare rooms... the room that will be made into the nursery. I wasn't quite aware of how much stuff crap we have managed to accumulate in the last 3 years. This spare room has a spacious closet, and so whenever I didn't know where to put something, I would just causally throw it in the closet.... well now, I need this closet for all of the designer clothes the baby will own, and it turns out there are a lot things in there that needed to find a new home.

Luckily with my nesting skills I managed to find a new home for just about everything... and have narrowed down the crap to just 3 tubs that still need to find a home, but I am confident I can do that over the course of the week.

Then next phase is to get the crib bedding and accessories in, select paint, and then put PC to work on actually doing the painting... and then - well the list goes on and on and on and on.

Do I feel like 'WE' are anywhere close to being ready? NO.
Am I confident it 'WE' will get it all done before the baby arrives? YES.
Do I think I will have a few more freak outs before 'WE' get everything in place? DEFINITELY.

Let's hear from some of the experience prego couples out there... did you or your wife/girlfriend (for the men out there) have any major freak outs on the way while you were preparing for the arrival of your little one(s)?

Note to all who are brave enough to comment: this is where you strategically post things like 'don't worry Sara, it will all get done' or 'this is normal, you have nothing to worry about' or 'don't stress... I have full confidence in you that you will be prepared'!