Wellington Watch, 34 weeks

34wks (8.5 months)

Weight gain so far: 28lbs

Okay, first off I need to clarify something. There seems to be a bit of confusion around my weeks to months conversions. Right now, I am claiming to be 8.5 months, which would have you think - Wow! 2 weeks to go! Because we've all grown up with the scientific knowledge that the average pregnancy lasts 9 months. But then you look at my 'countdown to baby' ticker, and see that - WHAT? - 40 days to go?! How can that be? 2 weeks is only 14 days, not 40!

The sad truth is, that woman are in fact pregnant an average of 10 months, according to the way doctors date a pregnancy. The weeks/months start on the first day of your last period, which means that in reality, you are being counted as pregnant before you are actually pregnant. I know. Weird. BUT, in a way in makes sense. Because we all know the average pregnancy is 40 weeks. And there's an average of 4 weeks per month. 40 divided 4 = 10! 10 months. So really, I'm 8.5 out of 10, not 8.5 out of 9.

Anyways...moving on...

Doctor Appointment:

I have my next appointment tomorrow, so nothing new to report this week.

Symptoms/Feelings/Etc:

1) I feel like the time is going by really quickly, and it's hard to imagine being in that waiting mode where I'll just want to 'get this kid out of me!'. Right now I'm totally in the 'Not yet! Not yet!' mode. I know that once he's here time will fly by at a heartbreaking speed, and I'm not about to start wishing this time away quite yet. Plus, as long as he's in my belly, he's really easy to take care of.

2) Lately when I wake up, my arms, hands and fingers are really numb.

3) The 'discomfort' in my nether regions is increasing, to the point where I usually cringe or moan in reaction. This freaks Warren out tremendously, often promoting him to ask if I'm 'giving birth'.

Amanda/Belly Pics:

We were sitting out tonight, enjoying our new solar lights (in the tree) and the glow of the citronella torches. Warren snapped a couple photos of Wellington and I.

Banff, Bears & Bathrooms

Last weekend Warren & I took our 'babymoon' to Banff (if anyone doesn't know, a babymoon is the last 'romantic' trip you take as a couple before your baby is born). Although, I wouldn't call it a babymoon so much as a 'doggymoon', since it's likely the last trip we take with the dogs in tow for a while.

While we were gone, my awesome Dad & Mark The Plumber started renovating our upstairs bathroom (really, our only bathroom since downstairs is basically a toilet in the middle of a big empty room). They started demo around 8:30am, and this is basically the chaos we left behind as we headed off to the mountains:




And this was the serenity that greeted us at the Juniper Hotel & Bistro:



The Juniper takes 'dog friendly hotel' to a new level. Porter & River had shiny bowls, treats & a nice bed waiting for them too:

When travelling with (our) dogs, the main objective is to drive around and search for nice places to go for walks and possibly have a picnic. Whilst driving about, we came across this scene...if this doesn't say 'Banff National Park', I don't know what does:

Here's the knuckleheads resting up after a great bear-free stroll, with River looking content and pleased with life, as usual, and Porter looking grumpy and unimpressed, as usual:

A couple beauty shots from another walk we took, this time after having a bagged lunch outside at a picnic table:

Anyone who knows Warren, knows he is deathly afraid of bears. We were camping with my family one year, when we were woken up in our tent by a Park Ranger walking by warning everyone there was a mama bear and her cub down by the river. Warren pulled a Swiss army knife out from under his pillow and refused to leave the tent. It's a deep seeded fear.

On our last night at the Juniper, we took the dogs for a 20 minute 'pee walk' behind the hotel, before settling in for an evening of room service, a movie and the Survivor Finale.

I took this photo of Warren & Porter a mere minute or less before we encountered a BEAR. I'm really glad it wasn't the last photo of them ever taken, only to be found later by a walker-by who stumbled upon our camera and mangled remains. Okay, maybe I'm being dramatic. But it was scary!

When the bear appeared, out of the bushes, mere meters in front of us, and started to 'gallop' towards us (or so we assumed), the four of us bolted back up the hill in pure terror. There was probably a 10-15 second moment right then when I truly believed I was going to die. That Warren would die. That our parents would find out on the late night news. That is not a fun feeling. As we ran up the hill we began to debate what to do. Going UP the hill meant running further from the hotel. Running down the hill meant running towards the hotel AND the bear. So ultimately I made the executive decision to run LEFT, through the bushes.

We ran through those bushes like we were auditioning for the Bourne Ultimatum. The adrenaline made my pregnancy disappear. 10 minutes earlier I'd been slowly climbing the hill like an elderly woman, and now I was leaping over fallen trees and under thick brush like I was Superwoman. We later learned that bears can run as fast as race horses, and our attempted escape would have likely been in vain, if the bear had in fact been pursuing us. But when we came to the clearing, we saw the bear had kept on his/her merry way, unphased by the encounter.

Warren & I were not unphased, however. We bolted across the clearing, continued down & out of a small ravine, back to the hotel. We arrived in the lobby panting like maniacs.

Warren & Amanda: (Gasping for air) We...saw...a bear!

Young Guy at the lobby desk: Really? Just now? Wow! I've been here for months and haven't seen one yet. I'd sure love to though! Did you get a picture?

Warren: Picture? No way...we were too busy running for our lives!

Young Guy: (laughs).

Hmm. I guess one man's worst nightmare, is another man's dream hike.

In retrospect, we realised that when the bear 'galloped', it was simply it's reaction to being startled by us, and it just wanted to pass us by as quickly as we wanted to run away. But it was the 'what ifs' that freaked us out. What if we had turned back 1 minute sooner? What if River hadn't held us up by taking a poop? We would have come face to face with that bear when it came out of the bushes.

Needless to say, we were rattled. We said 'I love you hon!' to each other a lot that night.

To end off this riveting adventure, here is a photo of my second breakfast-in-bed in a row:

Wellington Watch, 33 weeks

33 weeks (8 months, 1 week)

Weight gain so far: undocumented this week

Warren stories:

1) We were walking around the mall and I caught my reflection in the store windows a couple of times.

Amanda: Geez Louise! Why didn't you tell me this fleece made me look so big?

Warren: I don't think it's the fleece.

2) We were driving around and I grunted or sighed or grimaced or some other thing that goes along with the discomforts of being pregnant...

Warren: Do you need to pee?

Amanda: Nope... (grunts or groans or grimaces again).

Warren: Are you giving birth?

Amanda: No, I am not giving birth.

Warren: Okay. We're all good then.

Symptoms/Feelings/Emotions/Etc:

1) Wellington's movements. How I love them. Lately I would describe them as 'slow rolls', and they don't hurt at all. I think my hands are on my belly 90% of the day.

2) I am becoming increasingly petrified at the thought of squeezing him through 'that hole'. I know 'that hole' gets a wee bit bigger, but that in itself will be a painful process too.

3) My wedding rings were starting to feel tight and it was a struggle to take them off. So I'm no longer wearing them. Instead, I'm wearing a saphire ring I bought in an antique shop in England, when we got engaged. It's meant for my middle finger, so it fits just right on my wedding band finger :-)

Hmmmm...I think that's it for this week.

Treading Water

Warren & I are trying to accomplish a lot on our time off this week, so blogging is going to suffer a bit. Wellington Watch and anything else I have the energy to post will likely happen on Friday. Until then, adieu!

5 On Friday, May 15th, 2009

1) Star Trek Movie = Excellent! Very funny, awesome character development, clever story line, great CG effects. This all coming from a girl who had no previous Star Trek knowledge before seeing the movie. I only wish I'd been warned about the opening action/labor & birth sequence.

2) Finished reading 'Lullabies for Little Criminals'. It was a really quick read, and very engaging story. The subject matter is quite sad, like all neglected kid stories are, but there is something so inspiring about these stories when they're written from the kid's point of view. Kids are so resilient. And it always reminds me how kids actually don't need a lot, and how it's usually the really simple, basic things that they crave from their parents like love, acceptance and protection.

3) In addition to *hopefully* renovating the upstairs bathroom, looks like we are also going to get the exterior of our house painted. See, when other couples start 'nesting' they do things like bake cookies, knit sweaters and clean out cupboards. Warren & I take on mammoth, stressful projects that will be the bane of our existence.

4) Our neighborhood is part of the City's 'Neighborwoods Program'. This program removes dieing Elm trees in select communities, and then offers the residents of those communities new trees to be planted in their from lawn at no cost (except $30 for the water bag). We ordered 2 trees, then came the decision to pick which type of trees we wanted. There were 6 types to choose from. I was leaning towards 2 'ornamental' trees, as opposed to the really huge Oak or Elm trees. Warren really wanted an Oak. When I asked him why he said 'because then we'd have an Oak tree that was planted when Wellington was born'. He really knows how to tug at my heart strings. So, that was it. One ornamental tree, and one beautiful Oak tree that we'll photograph Wellington beside each year, as they grow together. Maybe when the tree is really big, we'll carve his name into it.

5) We're off to Banff this weekend with the dogs. Wish us luck! It's always an adventure traveling with those two knuckle heads.

6) PS - Channel Warren is Back On Air.

Wellington Watch, 32 weeks

32wks (8 months)

Weight gain so far: 25.5lbs

Doctor Appointment:

Another uneventful appointment this week. Wellington is still head down and he's cool as a cucumber with a heart rate of 136 bpm. Belly is measuring on target. My doctor & I joked a little about 'birth plans', because I mentioned that I thought the whole concept was a bit silly. 'It's going to go how it's going to go' I told her. She agreed. She said if I show up with a beautiful birth plan printed on frilly pink paper that I will be doomed.

Symptoms/Feelings/Etc:

1) I've noticed a definite increase in moodiness this past week. How come 'moodiness' generally doesn't include 'good' moods?

2) The other day I was wearing running shoes with ankle socks, and when I took off the socks there was a deep indent where the elastic had been, and my poor ankles had a homely looking MUFFIN TOP.

3) Wellington's head, or the bottom of my uterus, or WHATEVER, is beginning to cause me pain (or as the books like to call it 'discomfort'). Turns out there are a whole schwack of nerves 'down there', and the pressure against these nerves does not tickle.

4) Warren & I were sitting outside eating dinner, when I experienced some...ahem...gastro intestinal issues, that lasted...ahem...a wee bit longer that usual.

Warren: (after I started laughing hysterically) What was THAT?!

Amanda: (couldn't speak, was laughing too hard and trying desperately not to...ahem...let out more gastro intestinal noises).

Warren: No, seriously...was that YOU? Seriously? It sounded like someone started a power tool or a hydraulic lift... I thought the neighbors were trimming their hedges or something!

Warren story:

1) All week Warren has been saying 'You're ALL belly!' and 'From behind, you don't even look pregnant!'. Clever little bugger has been reading my blog. He quickly lost points however, when he told me one of his clients is 9 months pregnant and ready to pop and that she's 'much smaller than I am'.

2) Reverting back to my 'moodiness', Warren has started doing this thing where, if I'm being 'testy' he'll start looking cautiously down at the floor, with a pouty look on his face, like he's searching for something that he can't quite see. Then, in frustration, I'll burst out with 'What?! What the heck are you looking for?!" and then he'll whisper, "Oh, just the egg shells I need to walk around".

Funny Baby Item:

Don't be surprised if Wellington is sporting 'The Donald' in his birth announcement photos.

Belly Pics:

Photo Session Outtakes:

5 On Friday: May 8th, 2009

1. This is a photo from last weekend of myself and my 'tall-blond-viking-bombshell' friend Becca, on our way to the S.A.I.T reunion. We've been pals for 9 years now. Her friendship is the best thing that came out of my time at S.A.I.T. , that's for sure.

Becca & I with our friend Kelly Belly, at the reunion.

2. Yesterday, everyone in my Pod at work (pod is what we call our 'cluster' of cubicles) wore blue, by total fluke. When you have an office job, you tend to find things like this entertaining. (Editors note: John, the tall man in the middle, is not developmentally challenged. He's making that face on purpose. Also, after the photo was taken I kicked myself for not taking off my black cardigan first - stands out like a sore thumb and distracts from all the blue!).

3. Finished the Jodi Picoult book 'Mercy'. It was meh. Wouldn't recommend it. Now I'm on an official Jodi break, and am reading a recommend from my mom called 'Lullabies for Little Criminals'. So far, it's great. Keri B - I will let you know if I still like it when I'm done, and maybe you can 'download' it to your fancy dancy e-book thingy.

4. Warren and I are taking the week of May 18th off, to hopefully work on the bathroom renos and other house 'nesting' type things we want to get accomplished. We may even go on a mini road trip with the dogs. I mentioned to Warren my hesitations about a 2-dog road trip, because Porter has anxiety issues and I know that a road trip with him will be less-than-relaxing. But Warren said he'd rather be on a road trip, with restrictions on what types of things we can do, than be stuck at home the entire time. Hopefully this is a sign that we'll be willing to travel with baby, knowing that it will be 'hard'.

5. My mat leave posting is up now. Over the next month we'll be reviewing resumes and then setting up interviews. Tick-tock-tick-tock.

Wellington Watch, 31 weeks

31wks (7 months, 3 weeks)

Weight gain so far: 23lbs

Things NOT to say to a pregnant woman:

1) Are you sure you should be eating Greek salad?

2) Are you at least trying to eat healthy? (said as pregnant woman grabs a fried spring roll off the tray at the company team building party).

3) You're not drinking coffee, are you?

4) You're sure starting to show in your face - I really notice the plumpness.

Things you SHOULD say to a pregnant woman:

1) From behind, you don't even look pregnant!

2) Wow, you are ALL belly.

3) You have really blossomed! (instead of 'you're getting really big').

Nursery Update:

Ladies and gentlemen - we have an assembled CRIB. (No mattress yet, but that's just a minor detail, right?).

So my question to the parents out there - to bumper pad, or not to bumper pad? I don't really understand why, if they're considered unsafe, they are still sold in stores? Are they still considered unsafe? I don't think we'll get any, but I'm curious to know what y'all did.




Symptoms/Feelings/Etc:

Lately I've been feeling this very strong desire to be affectionate towards Warren. To hug him, kiss him, grab his butt cheek as he walks by, snuggle him in bed (this takes effort, since I'm often cocooned in a nest of pillows). These affectionate advances sometimes make Warren uncomfortable and he'll whisper "Not in front of the baby...". He also says that when I use a cuss word.

I also have fleeting moments of short anxiety attacks. These are very short lived and are a result of feeling selfish and afraid of 'giving up' my freedom. I quickly snap out of it and remind myself "Yaaaah....because sitting on the couch doing nothing is SOOOOOO rewarding...".

Lastly, and I'm not going to go into the details, but I do want to document here that I have had one dream/nightmare that we lost the baby. I'm going to assume that's fairly normal.

Warren story:#1:

When I told Warren that the resident doctor asked me about contractions, he went into a mini panic-mode.

Warren: Well, maybe we should have a 'code word' that you can email me when IT happens.

Amanda: What, like 'The Boy Has Landed' or something?

Warren: Umm, sure...or maybe something more straight forward like 'I'm in labor'.

I guess I misunderstood what he meant by 'code word'.

#2:

Out of nowhere, Warren came into the kitchen and asked me if I was afraid of the pain of labor.

Amanda: Ya, for sure. But I'm trying not to psyche myself out about it. Why do you ask?

Warren: Well, all this time I've been thinking about this great thing that is going to happen, and I just started realising that a very BAD thing has to happen first.

Indeed.

Now, some obligatory 31 week Amanda photos / belly pics:

5 On Friday: May 1st, 2009

1. A sign that Facebook has infiltrated our lives a bit too much #1:

Over the weekend I finally got around to printing & framing some wedding photos and hung them in our room, with the word 'love' about the frames. Warren came home and when he saw my handy work he proclaimed : "Thumbs up. Warren likes this".

2. A sign that Facebook has infiltrated our lives a bit too much #2:

On Wednesday, Warren confessed that 'Bruce the bat' was not the soft furry creature I'd made him out to be in my head. No, he chose to tell me on Facebook that Bruce hissed at him with beady bat eyes, but that he didn't tell me because he knew I'd freak out. So we had a back and forth conversation on Facebook about this, when we were literally one room apart from each other at home.

3. Have you hugged your Realtor lately? Seriously people, Realtor's need hugs. Especially the tall, hard working, really nice ones.

4. This week I had a crummy morning at the office. After a refreshing lunch break with my dear friend Shawna, I promptly returned to my desk and moved my 'last day' up a week on my wall calendar. Take THAT, stupid crummy morning at the office :-)

5. Email conversation between Warren & I (Warning - Erin K should NOT read this):

Amanda: Boo! We went into overdraft on the mortgage account! *

Warren: Crap! You know what else? We still need to file our taxes AND update the registration for both cars!

Amanda: Man, being a grown up SUCKS!

Warren: Tell me about it!

*For the record, we did not go into overdraft because we didn't have enough money, but rather because we forgot to TRANSFER the money...not sure which is worse, really.

Wellington Watch, 30 weeks

30wks (7.5 months)

Weight gain so far: 23lbs

Extra cool (and ODD) milestone this week:

As of this week, my weight has officially reached what it was before I started Weight Watchers 3 years ago. As odd as it is to see that number on the scale again, I have to admit that I'm proud that it took me becoming seven and a half months pregnant to gain all the weight back. (For the record, I had gained some back before getting pregnant...but that's not the point people!).

Doctor Appointment:

Not much to report here. Wellington's head is still down, wedged between my pelvic bones. He's kicking up a storm, which I love. Doctor isn't concerned about the 'iron' thing, so no more blood tests. She also pointed out that I'm almost at the 'single digit weeks left' mark. The male resident that was with her asked me if I've felt any contractions yet. Excuse me, Sir, but I think it's far too early to be asking me that question. Now, do not mention that word in front of me again, until Wellington is at least 37 weeks along. Thanks.

Symptoms/Feelings/Etc:

1) My eyesight has gone to hell. Some days I wonder if I should even be allowed to drive.

2) I've now entered the waddling stage of pregnancy.

3) I have definitely noticed the decrease in lung capacity. It is embarrassing how quickly I can become breathless, doing almost nothing.

4) The belching. Oh, the belching. Sorry Warren.

Warren story:

I'm not sure if this is truly baby related, but I think it speaks to Warren's nurturing side (or CRAZY side?).

I came home from work yesterday, and as I was walking up the front steps, I glanced down at the corner of the door - something drew my eye there.

Warren: Don't look!

Which of course made me look. Clinging to the corner of the exterior wall, down by the ground by the door, was a little, black, furry mammal of some sort. On the ground just beneath it was a little blue tupperware lid with something on it.

Amanda: What. Is. THAT?

Warren: Ummm...I don't know, but I think it's a bat.

Amanda: A WHAT?!

Warren: I think it's sick, so I'm nursing it back to health.

Amanda: Nursing it back to HEALTH?!

Warren: Ya. I've left it some crumbled up dog food.

Amanda: DOG FOOD?!

This new guest of ours has been named Bruce (aka Bruce Wayne, aka The Batman). We're still not sure what Bruce IS exactly, or what's wrong with him, or what he likes to eat.

Yet more evidence that my husband is truly RIDICULOUS. If Warren comes home to find Bruce dead, laying on his back with his stiff little paws/hands/legs/claws/wings up in the air, I'm pretty sure we'll be having a funeral for him. And in case you're wondering, the answer is yes. Yes, you will all be expected to attend.

(Editor's note: happy to report that since this was written, Bruce has disappeared, or 'flown away' as Warren likes to believe).

5 On Friday: April 24th, 2009

1. There is an add on the bus that cracks me up every time I see it. There is a photo of a woman yelling at a man over his shoulder. The headline reads "Hear Life!". The caption below reads "Because a hearing aid is cheaper than a divorce". Reminds me of my Grandma & Grandpa. Grandma is always 'yelling' at Grandpa, but really it's just because his hearing has gone to hell.

"Peter! PETER! AMANDA is ON THE PHONE! Do you want to SAY HI??!!".

2. I've decided we need a new oven/stove. First, I scorched the bottom of my left arm making pancakes. Then, I scorched the top of my left arm cooking a roast. I blame the oven. It's old and cranky. A new shiny oven wouldn't take out it's anger on me this way, I'm sure of it.

PS - if anyone finds oven mitts that go all the way up to your shoulders, please buy me a pair.

3. I am shocked and amazed at how much recyclable stuff I used to throw away before we got our City of Calgary blue box. I still catch myself going to chuck something, only to realise I can toss it in the giant blue box. I'm excited about the program, but I'm fully expecting City Council to up the cost every year from now until eternity.

4. My mom was really confused by my last 5 on Friday post. She thought Warren & I crank Barbie Girl in the car. So to be CLEAR - we crank Poker Face. There is one line in Poker Face that REMINDS us of Barbie Girl. We are not stuck in the 1990's. I swear. And  mom, you really need to FOCUS when you're reading my blog. This stuff is very complex.

5. Latest gift from my mother-in-law: A pair of red Wellington rain boots! Or 'Wellies' as they're properly called in England.

6. Some exciting changes might happen in the Cronin household in May. My Dad has planted the idea that he will help us renovate the ridiculously out-dated (and moisture damaged) upstairs bathroom...and finally finish the Pub fireplace. Will it happen? He is smokin' busy with work these days, but I have faith that he will have some loyalty to his pregnant daughter, or 'Grampa Guilt' as I like to call it :-)

7. Super cool videos of baby development for anyone who is interested. Only downside is you have to sit through a long Winnie The Pooh movie preview before you can view them...

Wellington Watch, 29 Weeks

29wks (7 months, 1 week)

Weight gain so far: 20.5 lbs

Extra cool milestone this week:

Warren felt the baby move :-) It made me so happy, because anything that lets him in on the experience just brings us closer. He's always asking me 'What does it feel like?', and now he finally has an idea. He felt the full belly 'quiver/tremor' type movements, as well as the more isolated 'kick' type movements. I have to say, I'm really enjoying this stage of pregnancy because I can feel so much movement, and it's not uncomfortable or painful yet. I can still breathe and I don't have an elbow lodged in my rib cage.

Last night I SAW Wellington move. Soft, gentle ripples across my belly. LOVE IT!

Also - Wellington would have a 9 out of 10 chance of survival if he was born this week.

Doctor Appointment:

This week I popped in to get the Rh Negative shot, so that my blood doesn't attack Wellington's blood. My mother in law is RH negative, and when she was pregnant with Warren she had to be hospitalized because they didn't have a shot back then. I'm so lucky to be pregnant in this day & age.

Oh - and I've officially been upgraded to the 'Every 2 weeks' appointment schedule.

Symptoms/Feelings/Etc:

1) Some days my body is just WRECKED by bed time. My feet, legs and lower back just ACHE beyond belief and I feel like I'm 100 years old. I gave Warren the official warning that I've now entered the 'I need a foot rub' stage of pregnancy. And it's not that I need a foot rub to relax or because I'm a diva - it's that the bones and muscles in my feet actually need to be rubbed BACK TO LIFE, otherwise they will die a slow, painful death and fall off.

2) For some reason, my legs & arms have gotten really soft & mushy - more so than usual. Boo! And I can't blame it entirely on lack of exercise, because it's not like I was following a strict regiment of squats and weight lifting before.

3) I have found myself being more irritable lately. So far I'm able to identify those days/moments, and can give Warren fair warning...because it's often things he's doing that irritate me. If he does something klutzy, if he takes a long time to say something really simple, if he's lost something in the house and is rummaging around looking for it, etc. Any of these situations bring out a snarly comment. Like Monday night, when he BBQ'd burgers for us. He came into the kitchen with the cooked patties on a plate and stopped in his tracks and said 'Crap, I forgot the cheese'. I glared at him and said rudely 'I knew you would.' Basically implying that I assume he's a forgetful idiot. Poor guy. I apologized when I realised how awful my comment sounded, but still. The guy just made me a burger! And it's just cheese!

Belly Pics:

Figured it's time for an updated belly pic. This is my 'sassy' top. I call it my 'sassy' top, because it's an animal print...and if you pair anything with hoop earrings, it's instantly sassy, right?

Seeing the photos though, I realise there is nothing sassy about being pregnant. I don’t think I could go clubbin' in this outfit. Is that what the kids call it these days? Clubbin'?

Wellington Watch, 28 weeks

28wks (7 months)

Weight gain so far: 18 lbs

I LOVE THIS:

Hello Baby Book #1
Hello Baby Book #2

Can't wait to see if she's able to bring down the price a bit. Hard to justify the current cost of the 'big' version (even if we received it as a gift - I'd feel bad if someone bought us a $150 baby book!).

I WANT THIS:

Wellington, You Are Awesome Poster.

We figure we'll wait until Wellington is born to order one. We're still trying to think of what 'word' we would use. Personally, I think 'Awesome' sums it up pretty well, but Warren wants something a bit more personal. Maybe once he's born, the word will come to us. Words I hope don't apply:

Wellington You Are Colicky
Wellington You Should Nap More
Wellington You Are Trouble

Haha. He'll be loved and cherished even if all the above apply though :-)

Doctor Appointment:

Some blood work came back and it turns out I'm iron deficient. This surprised me, because when I look up iron rich foods, they are all things I eat on a regular, if not daily basis. Almonds, cashews, dried apricots, tuna & spinach. Turns out little Wellington is quite the iron mooch.

Wellington You Are A Mooch (but I forgive you).

I may have to resort to drinking prune juice, but before that I will gladly eat some egg-filled breakfast sandwiches in the mornings, and steak sandwiches at night. Doctor's orders people, doctor's orders...

Also at the doctor's appointment this week, my doc was able to feel around my belly and determine how Wellington was positioned. I found this fascinating, because when I feel around I'll be damned if I can identify a head, foot or butt. Anyways, his feet are on my right side, his butt is on my left side, and his head is perched quite nicely upon my hoo-haw. Even though I'm sure that positioning will become very uncomfortable (for my hoo-haw), I hope he stays that way!

Family Portrait / Pseudo Belly Pic:

Warren's latest camera gadget, that he just picked up today, is a camera remote. No more setting the timer and running to get into frame. Now we just pose and press the button on a tiny remote and say 'cheese'. So we took a couple impromptu self portraits after work today.

The first is the fully impromptu photo, the second is the 'adjusted' photo - I positioned myself so my blossoming belly would show (and blossoming cheeks - WHOA!), and Warren took off his glasses. Pretty cool little gadget, I must say!

5 On Friday: April 10th, 2009

1. I was telling my mom how Wellington kicked me so hard the other day, that my arm bounced right off my belly. Then I jokingly said we should name him 'Hercules'. This got us onto the topic of this terrible cartoon Adam & I used to watch when we were kids. Well, thanks to the miracle that is You Tube - I found an old clip from the show! Mom, this one is for you...



2. The following song is the latest guilty pleasure added to our iTunes library. It's always the first song we crank when we get in the car.

At the 1:03 mark, there is a male voice that kicks in that says 'She's got me, like nobody'. We think this vocal sounds a LOT like Aqua's 'Barbie Girl', so when that part of the song comes, we sing 'Come on Barbie, let's go party' and it fits perfectly! (Editor's note: embedding was disabled, so here is an old fashioned link...)

Lady Gaga 'Poker Face'

3. We recently discovered the virtues of Superstore. We did a spur of the moment grocery shop there last week, and a load of groceries that I estimated would have been around $200 at Safeway, costs $131 at Superstore. We are SOLD. Now we just have to figure out when the 'quiet times' are...

4. A HUGE THANK-YOU to Erin who brought us a car seat, 2 bases & matching stroller. This way, we don't have to worry about finding the perfect stroller before Wellington comes. We can see how we like this one, BEFORE going out and spending $600 on a new one. This makes us so happy :-)

5. Anyone seen Monsters Vs Aliens? We're thinking of going, but aren't sure if it's just a 'kids' movie.

Sad Day in the Blogosphere

Large, swollen tears stream down my face as I read over this weeks Wellington Watch. As I sit at my computer, typing my way through the joy that is expecting a baby, the Blogosphere is mourning.

First, I heard the news on Redneck Mommy. Then Baby On Bored. Next on Flotsam. Then...on Backpacking Dad.

I do not know any of these people personally. I only read their blogs. I first clicked on The Spohrs Are Multiplying months ago, because I thought the name was funny.

It's just so sad.

Wellington Watch, 27 weeks

27 wks (6 months, 3 weeks)

Weight gain so far: 16.5 lbs

What we did with our time:

I totally expect that once Wellington has made his grand entrance into this ridiculous family of ours, we'll be hard pressed to remember what exactly we spent all our time doing, before we were parents. So I thought I'd document a typical day in the life of Warren & Amanda...for nostalgia sake.

Typical Week Day:

6:30am - Amanda wakes up, has a shower.
6:50am - Amanda has a bowl of cereal, reads daily ilovelife blog post.
7:05am - Amanda gets ready for work.
7:50am - Amanda leaves for the bus, Warren wakes up.
8:30 - 5:00pm - Amanda works at the office.
5:30pm - Amanda arrives home, winds down by watching Global National & 1st 20 minutes of Global Calgary.
6:20pm onward - evening could be made up of any combination of the following: dog walk, nap (often a result of falling asleep while watching the news), cooking dinner, impromptu dinner out, dinner with friends, evening in front of the TV, shopping, house chores, yoga, reading, bath, painting my nails, blogging.
9:30 or 10:00 - Amanda reads in bed until she's sleepy.

Typical Weekend (when Warren is off work):

7:30 or 8:00am - Warren wakes up.
8:00 or 8:30am - Amanda wakes up.
8:30am - 10:30am - Warren & Amanda laze around, surf the net, have coffee and toast, shower & take time getting ready.
10:30am - go out for breakfast (maybe Limericks, Seanachie Pub, Phils or the Lido).
12:00pm - go shopping - Ikea, Kensington, Consignment gallery, Home Depot, groceries...
2:00pm - nap.
3:30pm - house chores, walk dogs, putz.
5:00pm - feed dogs.
5:00pm onwards - evenings spent going out for dinner, having friends or family over, drive to Bragg Creek with the dogs & a Ricky Gervais Podcast, going to a movie (impromptu), hanging out at Chapters & browsing HMV, having a beer & pizza night in front of the boob tube.

Name guesses:

Warren's mom has started a 'name' pool. We aren't supposed to know what people are guessing, but a few people have let it slip. Here are some of the guesses we know of so far:

- Tobias (Toby for short!)
- Heath
- Daniel Wellington Warenko Cronin (This is my brother's guess - he went for the full name, 2 middle names and all. He's convinced 'Wellington' will make it into the real name somehow. Only time will tell...heh,heh.).

I have to say - those are some sharp names! Can't wait to read them all.

Adam story:

My younger brother (but not youngest brother) Adam, who is 28 this summer, has this odd fear/fascination with my belly. He'll look at it and ask "What does it look like? Is it sick? Can I see?". Then he covers his eyes like he's watching a suspenseful horror movie and says "Oh God! Is it gross? Let me see...no wait! What does it look like? Will it be sick?". I'm not sure what horrors he expects to see...maybe stretch marks? Anyway, instead of lifting up my shirt, I showed him the pictures I took, to which he replied "It just looks like you're arching your back and sticking out your stomach!". This annoyed me, so I tried to trace the picture with my fingers to show him what part was 'the bump', and what part was 'the old me'. To which he replied, "Ya right, you were never that thin".

That guy sure knows all the right things to say.

Symptoms/Feelings/Etc:

- Lately I've been getting the dreaded 'leg cramps', that are sometimes painful enough that I want to take my own life.

- Unfortunately for Warren, I've also been experiencing the uncontrollable belching/gassy sounds. Whenever it happens though, I just say, "Wellington! Stop that!".

- In a lot of ways I'm glad I have an office job while pregnant. It gets me wearing different outfits and jewellery and I still do my hair & make-up. Otherwise I think I'd live in yoga pants and a house coat, with my hair pulled up into a hap-hazard pony tail on the top of my head.

- My feet & legs are starting to swell - ever so slightly. Just enough that I don't recognize them as my own. I guess a 'thin' ankle is something I used to take for granted.

- My emotions and thoughts about becoming a parent are a bit of a roller coaster. I'd say right now, they're 90% excited/looking forward to holding little Wellington, smelling his head and stroking his gentle little hands, and 10% terrified that my life, my Self and my relationship with Warren will be completely unrecognizable. I have a feeling this 90/10 split will shift the closer we get to the Birth Day.

Nursery progress:

Still haven't put the crib together, and we've accumulated a lot more items since these were taken, but here's what it looked like when it was sparse and tidy!

5 On Friday: April 3rd, 2009

1. I'm currently at war with our socks. We have a laundry basket full of un-matched socks, that have been un-matched for what seems like a year. When I was at Walmart last weekend, I loaded up on a whole wack of new socks, and now I plan to just out-and-out CHUCK the old ones, and start fresh. No looking back, no regrets. Good-bye stupid socks.

2. I have a 4-month white board calendar at my desk at work. I recently erased March, and added July. I wrote in bright red marker - the week of July 6th - BABY DUE THIS WEEK. It's odd to see the due date up on my work calendar...tick-tock-tick-tock.

3. We're going to make a pancake breakfast tomorrow! Complete with eggs, bacon and lots of fruit. Ahhh...the simple joys of life.

4. Advance tickets for Seinfeld go on sale tomorrow. I'm not holding out hope, because Ticketmaster is currently on my hit-list, but wish us luck anyways.

5. Warren & I took the day off together, and we ended up at Ikea. On the way out we both stopped in our tracks to gaze upon one of the over sized framed photos they had on display. It was a black & white (& some red) photo of our favorite place in the world. So we bought it.

(editors note: the bright white light in the middle is from my flash, and the darkness in the top right corner isn't actually part of the photo - don't know what caused that. I'm sure I'm also infringing on copyright laws by photographing the photo and posting it here...).

Wellington Watch, 26 weeks

26 wks (6.5 months)

Weight gain so far: 15.5lbs

Crazy Dream:

I woke up in the middle of the night and rolled over to snuggle Warren. I said "I had a really bad dream and need to hold you for a while". "What was it about?" he asked. "It was a labor dream" I replied. "Oh boy" he said, and we both fell back to sleep.

In the morning he asked what the details of the dream were...I'm sure hearing about someones dream isn't really interesting to most people, but I'm going to document it here anyways, for my own memories...

In the dream...I went into labor 3 months early (March 27th to be exact), but thankfully the baby came out healthy. Warren missed the birth because he went to the washroom. So my brother (??!!) was the one with me at the birth. He asked what name we had chosen, but in my shock/awe I couldn't remember. So he handed me a list of names he had made, and I chose from there. So our baby was named Russell. Then I asked the nurse how much the baby weighed and she looked at me like I was crazy. 'Does anyone weigh newborns anymore?" she asked. Then she walked over, begrudgingly, to the scale to weigh him, like I was asking her to move a mountain for me. He weighed 6 lbs, 1 ounce. Then I discovered that 'Russell' was speaking in full sentences. No one else seemed to think this was odd, but I was certain I had given birth to an alien child. He would actually say things like 'Mother, I am ready for your breast now'. It was freaky, but again, no one cared. Warren was completely indifferent to the whole thing, and once we were home, he got dressed and ready for work and asked me 'So, what are you going to do today?'. I replied sarcastically/angrily "Well - look after the new KID we have now!". Then he walked out the door "Okay, bye. See you when I get home".

After describing the dream to Warren, he looked at me and said "Hon, that's not a scary dream. Weird, yes. But not scary."But it felt so real, I woke up very frightened.

Oh - I forgot to mention that 'Russell' had features similar to the evil nemesis of Stewie in the Family Guy - the baby with the freckles & orange hair.

Warren stories:

My favorite thing Warren does these days is ask me, out of nowhere, "How's the boy?".

At the hospital on Tuesday, while we were hanging out 'counting movements', Warren leaned in close to my belly and said "Son, this your father speaking. This is the only time you will have permission to kick your mother".

Yesterday morning, when Warren woke up he asked me 'How are the movements?'. I replied 'Really good. I'm pretty sure Wellington is trying to make a fool out of me!'.

Pregnancy item I couldn't live without:

I recently discovered the magic of the WIRELESS BRA. Being somewhat chesty ever since puberty hit, I've always thought I needed an underwire. It wasn't until being pregnant that I've found underwires uncomfortable (sadly I bought 2 underwire maternity bras early in the pregnancy), so I bought my first wireless bra and I'm SOLD. Maybe permanently :-)

Impromptu Belly Pics (that I took myself):

Lessons In Motherhood

...before I'm officially a mother.

Over the past couple days, maybe since Saturday or Sunday, I've been silently concerned. I was feeling Wellington's movements less, and when I did feel them they were weaker than usual. I'd pay special attention after eating or walking, and not notice much improvement. We went out for a big dinner on Monday night, and I made sure to eat lots in the hopes that the sugar rush would get him hopping. But nothing. When a walk during my lunch hour didn't yield any noticeable improvement, I decided to call Heath Link, to get some advice from a nurse. So, from my desk at work I called. I expected the nurse to reassure me that at 26 weeks baby movements were unpredictable, or that maybe she'd coach me on the art of 'Kick Counts' and give me some homework for the evening. First she asked me all the red-flag questions - Any bleeding? Broken membranes? Contractions? - to which I answered no. Next she asked if it was a 'sudden lack of movement'. What does 'sudden' mean anyways? I told her that I couldn't say it was 'sudden', but that it was enough for me to take notice, and I noticed it starting a couple days ago. I was concerned because I thought the movements should be getting more regular, more forceful - not the other way around. Then, she hit me with it. The Un-Expected Response.

Nurse: Since you are over 20 weeks, you need to go to Labor and Delivery at the hospital you're delivering at, and get checked. And you need to go immediately. We do not want you to drive yourself. Is there anyone who can take you?

Amanda: (stunned)Uhh...well, I can certainly call my husband. I'm sure he could after work.

Nurse: No, you need to go immediately. Is there anyone who can take you right now?

Amanda: Uhhh...ya. My husband. Or, I could take a cab.

Nurse: Okay, good. Call us back afterwards.

I think I sat stunned at my desk for a minute or so. Then the tears started to well up in my eyes. Then I called Warren. No answer. So I emailed him on his Blackberry with the secret 'Amanda' code that he gave me, so that he can identify emails that come from me. I typed "Call me please". Then the phone rang. His voice chimed on the line "Hey Hon, what's up?". Then the tears came full force. I choked through the tears, explaining the situation and that I was making it sound worse than it was, and that I was okay, just emotional.

He was there within 5 minutes, with all his appointments cancelled. I can't put into words how much I love this man.

Not once did he question my judgement. Not once did he ask 'are you sure? is this necessary?'. He just drove. And cussed at any and all drivers who got in his way. Could these people drive any SLOWER!!?? he would holler in frustration. It was then that we laughed at the idea that all expectant couples should be given a siren for the roof of their car.

After getting a teeny tiny bit lost inside the hospital, we finally found the Labor & Delivery unit. I was seen within minutes of getting there. It was a simple test they do - they put 2 monitors on my belly to measure the baby's heart rate (and there was one! Praise The Lord Hallelujah Sweet Mary Mother of God), and I was to lay there and push a little blue button every time I felt a movement. Over the next 45 minutes or so, I pushed the button 6 times. That was really good, the nurse reassured me. She said sometimes all it takes is for a woman to come lay in a hospital bed for the baby to get moving.

This experience taught me a few things. Things I've heard my friends talk about, and am now starting to learn for myself.

1) Trust your gut.
2) Don't let anyone make you feel like an over-protective mom.
3) Better safe than sorry.
4) Nothing is more stressful and emotionally draining than when something could be/is wrong with your baby.
5) Guilt comes in so many forms.
6) My husband will instantly turn into a 'Papa Bear' when he needs to, and he'll do things he wouldn't normally do to get me and Wellington the help we need RIGHT NOW.

5 On Friday: March 27th, 2009

This week, I'm switching it up a bit. I'm going to post 5 of my favorite 'internet videos' at the moment. Or at least ones I've been exposed to lately, that either make laugh, make me think or just generally entertain me. I promise none of them have to do with Battlestar Galactica. Pinky Swear.

Hope you enjoy them too!

1. Lost Generation Video
I saw this on a friend's blog, and loved it. So well done. Written by a 20 year old.


2. Flight of the Concords "Business Time".
Freaking. Hilarious. Had Warren & I rolling on the floor with tears in our eyes.




3. American Rejects sing Britney Spears.
If you've heard Britney's song 'Womanizer', you have to watch this. Brilliant.


4. Who needs a movie?
Omigod. As someone who works in the 'TV Biz', the production quality this couple puts out (and charges for!) is remarkable - remarkably HORRIFIC, that is.


5. Dove 'Evolution'.
Oldie, but a goodie. Always nice to remind ourselves that the images we see in magazines are NOT REAL.