Baby's First Gift

Two onesies from my sister.

Don't you just love Sundays?

This week has been a blur.  I had my first prenatal appointment on Tuesday - or at least that's what I thought.  There was a miscommunication and my doctor's office thought I was coming in for my 'prenatal counseling' appointment.  Apparently, everyone has to have this counseling appointment first (which is only 15 minutes long).  But since I was a patient at the fertility clinic, I was way past the point of a counseling appointment.  Once my doctor heard how far along I was, she kinda freaked out and said I need to get in for my real first prenatal appointment ASAP.

Easier said than done!  Appointments with her are usually booked at least a month in advance.  She's so great though, she said that she would give up her lunch break to see me.  So my real first prenatal appointment is on Tuesday.  She also gave me the paperwork for my first trimester screening tests - which are scheduled for Weds.  I'm excited to see my little baby again!  Maybe this time it will actually look like a baby??

My doctor said that she usually discusses OB referrals at the second prenatal appointment.  Yes, that means she won't be delivering my baby.  SHIT!  Apparently, she used to 'catch babies' (she's from South Africa), but too many decided to come at night and her family asked her to stop.  I don't want some creepy OB as my doctor!  As I learned at the early pregnancy course, midwives view childbirth as a natural process, OBs view childbirth as a procedure with many possible medical complications, and family doctors are somewhere right in the middle.  I liked that 'right in the middle' option.  Getting a midwife in Calgary is virtually impossible; there are just soooo many people having babies these days.  I don't like the prospect of being on a waitlist to have a midwife.  I think I may still look into having a doula.

On Weds. I flew to San Fransisco for a conference on Character Education.  It was really great to get away!  I was with another teacher from my school (who knows I'm preggers), and an old friend who teaches at a high school (who does not know -yet).  I was kinda worried about what to say if she noticed I wasn't drinking, but it was fine, since she wasn't into drinking either.  She did make a comment about how often I pee!  We were sharing a bed (a double!  Who the hell puts double beds in $250 a night hotels???) and she said I woke her up each time I got out of bed to pee.  She's going to be so mad at me when I tell her!  She likes to know EVERYTHING!

We did a lot of walking, and I'm not normally a fast walker, but now that I'm preggers, I am SLOW!  They were constantly making fun of me!  I wanted to say, "I will be out of breath if I go any faster!", but I didn't.  I just ignored them and continued to walk at my own pace.

It was great to get home to my kitty babies!  Now I'm having a lovely, relaxed Sunday afternoon.  I'll go Trick or Treating with my nephews later today.  There's NO SNOW in Calgary!!  I think this is the first time since I moved here in 2006.

At 11 Weeks

Early Pregnancy Course

I went to an Early Pregnancy Course on Thurs. evening.  It is one of a series of free courses put on by the Calgary Health Region.  I walked in late and quickly took the seat closest to the door.  Then I looked around... everyone was there with their partner, including the lesbian couple.  For the first time since starting this journey, I felt really different.  It's not like anyone knew I was a Choice Mom, they could have thought I had an asshole for a partner, one who was too busy to attend the class.

Throughout the class I noticed everyone holding hands, giving each other tender little kisses, etc.  Blllleaaccchhh!!  It was enough to make me lose my dinner.

Or maybe I was just jealous?

The class was good - it was nice to see that the other women are having exactly the same issues as I am.  Most people were around 10-13 weeks, so I also made a mental note of how much everyone was showing.  I don't think I'm showing yet, I'm just fat!  One of the women already had a kid, so she was showing the most.  The others ranged from totally flat to obviously bulging.

The two most helpful things I learned that night are that's it perfectly OK to have baths, because you are not immersing your entire body, and the water gradually cools off.  The instructor also said I don't need to worry about dyeing my hair since the dye is only on for such a short time, no chemicals are going to make their way to my baby.

My sister and I started Christmas shopping last weekend.  I love the build-up to Christmas!  It's soooo much better than the actual day.  The Children's Place had some great sales on so I stocked up on $1.00 onesies, shirts, a dress, and tank tops.  Without even trying, almost everything is girlie.  I want a girl!  There is no denying it!

I'm leaning more and more towards finding out the sex...  I NEED to prepare myself if it's a boy!

At 10 Weeks

Control Issues?

I've just finished reading this book, and one of
things that stood out to me was when the author said that labor and delivery are full of lots of surprises and shocks.  Do I really want the sex of my baby to be one of them?  From the beginning I've said that I want to wait to find out, that "there are so few surprises in life", but now, now I'm thinking I REALLY want to know!

My sister found out with both her kids, and now she says she totally regrets it.  She wished she had something more exciting to tell people (during those first phone calls) than just the name they picked out.

I've looked at what's out there for unisex clothing and it really does suck!  I sort of have my heart set on a girl, so I think it would be pretty shitty to get my hopes up, only to have them dashed in the delivery room.  Of course, I'll love a boy just as much as a girl.

Waiting will mean letting go of the control that I almost always have over my life.  Finding out early will mean that more people can help me out with 'baby stuff'.  Let's face it, I'll need all the help I can get!

I don't know...maybe I'll just 'see' something on the ultrasound?

At 9 weeks

Oh, shit!

I've been very lucky with my pregnancy symptoms.  I've only felt nausous a few times.  I nearly puked about twice (but I think it was just heart burn), and my breasts are tender, but not painfully sore.

Shitting, however, has become an issue.  Two weeks ago, I was so constipated I thought I was going to explode.  I made an effort to eat more fibre and drink tonnes of fluid.  The result?  Well, now I have terrible gas ALL THE TIME.  I'm back to being very regular, but I'm so bloated and gassy that it's become an embarrassment!

My stomach seems HUGE already, and I know it's too early to show.  It's just bloated FAT!  The evenings are the worst.  It's times like this that I'm happy to live alone!

I think I'm going to be one of those women who gain wayyyy too much weight.

At 8 Weeks

At 7 Weeks