25 weeks

I hit 25 weeks today and as much as my belly is starting to grow some people still seem to think I've just eaten too much recently.  ;-)  Anyway, I planned a fun post so here it is.  It will be very photo and baby content heavy.

My new leather club chair

But first, here is one of the 2 leather chairs I got for my living room at Ho.me De.pot yesterday.    I've been wanting to buy something for the living room to add to my 2 seat leather sofa bed from I.kea.  I looked seriously at a couple chairs from I.kea because they had removable, washable covers you can change when the fashionable colours do and because they were $149/ea.  But I still had reservations about fabric - cat and child.  Then, this week's HD flyer came out and low and behold my chairs, in brown leather, for $199/ea.  I went to the store yesterday and was sold.  They're as comfortable as the I.kea ones but the back leans away from the body rather than a straight back with the I.kea ones.  Much better.  And when I ordered the chairs and arranged for delivery I discovered that the chairs were NOT $199/ea but $129/ea!  Talk about excitement.  I am so happy to have saved $140!  They arrived today and I attached the legs.  Kitty has already checked out the one hopping up a couple times.  It isn't her favourite chair yet but if I put a blanket on it she'll love it.

25w0d

Okay, on to baby related matters.  Since I reached 25 weeks today and it has been a while since I posted a belly pic here you go.  Please ignore the super busy cotton lounging pants.  I picked them up for $4.97 a few months ago to use around the house as I get bigger.  They still sometimes fall off my waist no matter how tight I tie them.  Oh, and ignore the little bumps on the belly.  That is not the baby doing anything interesting like pushing up against the outside.  Nope.  That is a combination of a rogue elastic band inside the waist and the tie that are all sort of bunched up in the wrong spot ... making me look a little oddly shaped around the belly button.  But if you want to think it is something more interesting than a sewing accident go ahead.  ;-)

And now on to baby stuff.

I don't think people believe me when I tell them I really don't need clothes.  I tell them I literally have suitcases full.  Honestly, I do.  See. 

A suitcase full of baby clothes

This is one suitcase full of newborn and 3 month stuff from both my niece and nephew with the odd thing from 6 months on.  But then there's all this other awesome stuff I have ...

Baby's fleece winter suit

My mom found this cute winter 'snow' suit for baby to get us through the first 3 months of his life.  I still have my fingers crossed for a reasonable winter.  I can hope.

New onesies

New onesies for winter.

Terrycloth sleepers - 3 mo

Terrycloth sleepers I picked up at Car.ter's in the U.S.  I couldn't resist these.

Cotton Pek.kles - 3 mo

Cotton Pek.kles available at Cos.tco in Canada.  Some are from my sister, others from my mom and some were purchased by me. ;-)  These are 3 mo sized.

6 mo summer outfit

A cute summer outfit with matching hat I picked up at Zel.lers.  Soon to be replaced by Tar.get up here.  I must say I wasn't too impressed with my stop at Tar.get.  Did I expect too much?  And why does it look just like a Zel.lers inside, product, decor and organization wise?

Carter's onesies

Car.ter's onesies I picked up at a great price in the U.S.  Same with the next pic.  I picked up a set of 2 pants that go with these.

12 mo Carter's onesies

And I even have some handmade stuff given to me by my sister.  I feel bad that it ended up in my hands largely because people gave her seasonally inappropriate stuff.  My niece was never able to wear these because she was born in summer.  But I guess it is better that someone get use out of them than have them sit in a box forever.

Stuff made for my niece

There is more, much more.  Way more clothing and some non-clothing baby items too.  But since this post is getting a little long and really picture heavy I think I'd better leave it and wait to post a part II.  Unfortunately, I'll be away from my home computer over the next week so you'll just have to wait until next weekend.  ;-)

I'm alive

I've just been busy.  I left on a business trip on Tuesday straight from work.  Then I had to deal with kitty on Saturday and pick up my car seat.  Yes, I chose one and bought it ... 15% off!  Okay, not the best deal but certainly better than full price.  Then stuff around the house demanded my attention.  I needed to get my registry mostly finished as the gender guessing game at work is coming to an end this week.  People want to start shopping but they'll know it is a boy as soon as they see the registry.  Too, too busy right now. 

And I'm feeling the stress of prepping for 5 full hearings next week including one file that has 1000 pages of medicals to go through.  Thankfully one of our analysts loves doing that stuff and she has some time this week.  Plus I had to prep 2 sets of final arguments for Thursday.  One is done and the other just has to be tweaked.  And we have to request a review of a decision and I have to get the draft of that done this week.  And somehow fit in the 5 files to prep.  I feel like I'm going a little bit crazy right now. 

We now know what is wrong with kitty.  She has a nodule on her thyroid that the vets could feel some time ago but since her thyroid results always came back normal it wasn't considered an issue.  But it turns out she has a parathyroid problem which is causing her high calcium levels.  Her calcium was completely fine last year so this is definitely new.  Dr. G. said this is likely responsible for her weight loss, lower appetite and her constipation issues.  My kitty is definitely special, though.  Dr. G. says that he's only seen 19 cases of this documented in the literature.  The options are (1) surgery to remove the growth and which is highly likely to fix the problem but carries with it a risk of complications like hypothyroidism not to mention issues for a 16/17 year old cat, and (2) treament with prednisone.  She might have to go in for kidney function tests with the prednisone but I think that is the option we're going to go with.  I can't justify the stress and cost of surgery on kitty.  And if the medication can keep her happy and comfortable for another 6 months or more then I'm good with that.  I'm not ready to say goodbye and totally not in a place to make a permanent decision about her.  She's doing much better, eating more, playing more so I think she's feeling much better.  I can't just let her go right now.  If the prednisone does the trick and makes her comfortable then I'm good with that.

I still have to post that fun post I promised on all the stuff I've received/purchased.  My house is overflowing with clothes ... okay, not my house, more like suitcases.  ;-)  I don't think I need anything for the first 6 months.  It is a bit overwhelming but it is a great way to save money.  Hopefully I can find some time to take pics and resize them and get them into a blog entry.  Soon!

A More Productive Weekend

Thanks for everyone's comments.  My mom and I agreed that I'm just hormonal and that things aren't really outrageously out of control.  They just seem that way right now.  My mom said that I should just get done what I can before the little guy arrives and they'll help with whatever else needs doing such as hanging curtain rods.  That's low on my list of priorities right now.

Heather - I joined the online group but haven't had a chance to check in and read the old topics.  I don't think I have time to pop in to the gathering this upcoming weekend but I'm sure there will be others. 

First, an update on kitty. We're still not quite sure what is wrong with her hence the 2nd more specific calcium test.  It has to be sent to the US so we might not get results until next week.  I spoke to the other vet, Dr. G., who is a specialist in small animal care.  He's always able to give much more in depth info than Dr. T. even though I'd take kitty to see either of them.  Kitty's elevated calcium could be idiopathic, i.e. no known cause, and it would be treated with prednisone.  High calcium can cause muscle problems which could be part of her constipation issue.  But it could be as far as cancer.  We just don't know.

But in the meantime kitty is going to the vet's tomorrow morning to stay there while I'm away.  She doesn't like it but if she needs medical attention she'll get it.  She refuses to take pills from my friend who usually looks after her when I'm away and that's not good.  She had another enema on Saturday and that one actually worked and it was done sedative free.  She pooped twice (I'm already talking about poop - ha!) and she showed more interest in food.  She was more active over the weekend and just seemed to be happier.  But I'm worried she'll backslide while I'm away so off to the vet's it is.  I know she could be very sick but I'm relieved that for now she seems to be feeling okay.

I got some other stuff done this weekend most importantly baby shopping.  I had to put off a trip to TRU until Sunday because of kitty and household stuff.  Crazy sale on this week (well, 2 weeks but that sounds sort of stupid to type) and the store was super busy 15 minutes after it opened ... on a Sunday!  Anyway, I picked up this booster seat in place of a high chair for $29.97.  It was the one I'd decided on and it was on sale this week.  My parents used a similar one for my niece and it worked fine.  My dining area is not very large and I just don't have room for a full high chair.

I looked at car seats and got all the info from a staff member on the 3-in-1 seats.  My car isn't very large so we had to abandon considering 4 options in favour of a slightly different style.  She showed me this one which fits in my car rear-facing, adjusts in size and height in the back as the child grows, is easy to adjust from the front without getting frustrated AND it will be super easy to install with the latch system in my car. She told me not to bother buying it that day as it would likely go on sale before Christmas.  I want to get into a car seat clinic (must have car seat installed even if crappily done to get in) before that just in case.  I went to the baby expo here in the city on Sunday after the TRU experience and got the seat for 15% at the BRU booth. And they covered the provincial part of the HST.  Yay!  Seat ordered.  I'm relieved.

The baby expo?  I knew going in there weren't many booths but for a city this size I expected more ... other than just financial institutions looking for business.  There were about 4 cloth diapering booths - great!  Some chi-chi poo-poo stores that set up booths.  Nice stuff but I'm not paying THAT much money for something.  No thank you.  And a lot of this and that which just wasn't of interest to me.  I stopped at the one cloth diaper booth and asked questions.  I learned that vaseline is a no-no with cloth (no one told my mom that and she did fine with cloth for 2) but I can use coconut oil instead.  Okay.  I stuck around for the cloth diapering presentation and it reconfirmed my thoughts - prefolds + something else.  I really liked the idea of an AI2, an all in 2 because I can use prefolds in it too. I could use some prefolds in the pocket designs but for some reason I like the AI2 concept.  I don't think it is hard to get or do.  Sure there are extra steps but I grew up putting pins on little babies' diapers (and they weren't really safe safety pins) so I think I can do an all cloth version with some fasteners involved.  And I love the cost savings.  If I stuck to a basic number of prefolds and covers I could cloth diaper from newborn to potty trained for less than $400 plus washing costs.  That's a crazy savings and I'm all excited about that.

I'm planning on heading down to the one store to check out the options in a less frenzied environment.  Plus, I can ask them all the questions I want and get all sorts of feedback.  And I can set up a registry there too.  This all came at the right time because I was able to pick up some supplies online at 2 different deals site offering 50% off.  I ordered some Rea.rz Ind.ian prefolds after I read some comments online that were very favourable.  People have had really good luck with these.  I got nailed a bit on the shipping cost but I figure they're quite heavy to mail.  But because they're a Canadian company and I think they're manufactured up here under NAFTA I should not be paying any duty.  Then on the other site I picked up 4 newborn covers.  I think that will be good enough until the little one grows.  The colour options weren't that great but I don't really care.  And if baby grows out of them very quickly I will be able to sell them without trouble.  I got these ones because they have special notches for the umbilical cord stump.  Pretty important to start.  And the postage on these was only $3.26 ... yes, that precise.  lol  But I think that was because these weigh a lot less than the actual prefolds.  Very basic purchases but they make me feel better in terms of prepping.

I still have way more to do and I'm also looking at other stroller options.  The one I've picked out will be purchased because it is great for air travel.  But I'm looking at something slightly bigger for everyday use.  And I have tons more small stuff to add to my registry but I'm going guerilla on Thursday with my mom and most definitely without the niece and nephew so I can get as much done as I possibly can so I can start sharing the registry info with everyone at work who is pestering me for it.

Oh, and the front grass I gave up on last night thinking it was never going to germinate.  Well, got home from work tonight and low and behold there are little green shoots all over.  Not uniform, which is too bad, but it is at least growing in places.  I might just have to give it a small watering tonight to keep it growing.  Good thing it is supposed to be cool while I'm away.

In which I have an emotional breakdown

Things came to a head Thursday when I spoke to my cat's vet.  Some of her blood work is better than last year but one of the tests is not good but we don't yet know what is wrong with her.  It could be a continuing kidney issue, a new thyroid thing or cancer.  She already has a major constipation problem that is causing her more trouble every year.  Our necessary trip to the vet cost $500 on Saturday and the vet said the tests her partner would like to perform to figure out what is going on would come to $1000.  I don't have that kind of money.  Yes, I have a good job and I get great OT pay when I travel but I had planned on having a certain amount of money in my account when I go on leave.  I've barely put anything away for retirement this year (we get a nifty tax break until we turn 71 and have to pull it out) and I want to make sure I have something set aside for things like putting up the fence and unexpected things while on mat leave not to mention next year's retirement savings.  I have issues with money, well not actual issues, but fears about not having enough money.  Always have and I'm sure I always will so I freak whenever something like this happens.

Kitty is 16 or so we think.  We don't actually know.  I've had her for 8 1/2 years so I'm not sure where she was before I got her from the shelter but for those 8 1/2 years she's had a good life.  I can't justify putting her through crazy treatments if she has cancer.  She's 16!  Maybe if she were young like my sister's cat. I think he was about 4 or 5 when he was diagnosed and treated for stomach cancer.  The vet college used a novel treatment and he went into remission.  He's now 16.  But my cat?  I don't want to torture her.  She gets so stressed out when we go to the vet.  She went to our current vet at Thanksgiving last year because she was very sick and I had to work away for a week.  Turns out she was horribly constipated and the meds the previous vet had ordered weren't really working.  We also discovered some kidney and pancreas issues as well as past hepatitis.  And she had to board there for a week to get medical care while I was away.  So, kitty gets super upset when we go to the vet now.  I cannot put her through what would be sheer torture for her only to appease my desire to keep her alive longer.  If it turns out she has cancer I want to know the prognosis and figure out how to make her as comfortable and happy as possible until it is better that she leave us. But I still can't help but feel that I'm somehow betraying her by not trying to treat whatever it turns out to be, even cancer.

She had follow up tests today, urine and a calcium test that is supposed to be more definitive.  She had to stay with the vets all day and needed another enema because she is still constipated.  She hasn't used the litter yet.  That set me back another $400.  I'm hoping this test shows something because I'd like a diagnosis and treatment plan before the vet wants me to add another $700 to the bill.

I just lost it last night.  My good appointment with the midwife seems to have gone out the window.  I know that she'll work with me to find out what is best for me and what I want to plan for.  I'll still be responsible for all the decisions but at least I'll feel like I've got someone to lean on.  Then I still have my horribly messy house that is still horribly unorganized.  I feel so behind on that.  Every time I walk into the baby's room I cringe at how much I have to get out of there and organize.  I had trouble adding items to my registry last week.  So much was scanning wrong.  No, I did not add pink anything thank you.  And no, I really didn't add the hooded towel with cars.  I chose the one with the ducks on it for pete's sake.  And I didn't get down there until it was my niece's bad time (mid-afternoon) so she was freaking out.  My mom and sister were wandering around somewhere else.  I wanted their help and I was totally overwhelmed.  How am I supposed to know what to add to my registry, especially breastfeeding gear?  My mom didn't BF us and my sister is the only one close enough for me to ask.  I wasn't going to ask the teenager stocking the shelves what she recommends.  I don't know what else to add but I know I'm missing things I should probably get.  And I have no idea how I'm going to pay for everything.  And that doesn't even include choosing the car seat ...

I'm ticked off at the city for their stupid water main failure and repair earlier this year.  Necessary?  Yes.  Badly timed?  Absolutely.  It rained heavily all of April but then went completely dry just in time for a 3 month water ban while they fixed the water main.  My lawn looks awful, it is embarrassing really.  I'm trying to get new seed to grow in what was supposed to be a cool wet week.  Rain?  Not a single drop all week?  Cool?  Not bad until today when it hit 25 and 29 with the humidity.  I feel like stopping my efforts and just ripping the whole stupid thing out next year and sending the bill to the city.  I'm going to have to move up my perennial transformation plan for the front yard to next year and dump a bunch of decent soil in there to counteract the stupid beach I have under my dead grass.  *sigh*  But I think some decorative stone and succulents like sedum and chick and hens should be easy enough to plant and they'll be fine in the searing summer heat. No matter what the grass at the bottom of the front yard is coming out next year.  Period.

I just lost it last night.  I'm feeling so overwhelmed.  I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing.  I need help but have no one to help me and when they are supposed to they don't do it.  Were I living near my parents I would have been on the phone late last night an emotional wreck.  I was even willing to pay to have my mom fly out just to be here to help for a week. 

The good news is that baby is measuring on time.  The MW broke out the measuring tape for the first time and she said I was measuring 23 weeks so right on schedule.  Baby's heartbeat was in the 150s and was easier to find this time.  And my urine test strip was clear of glucose.  So that was positive. As well as the philosophy of the practice.  I want the least amount of intervention possible while still recognizing that things happen and if I need a c-section so be it.  Just don't ask me to stay on my back during labour, thank you very much.  The midwives won't make me do that, thankfully. 

Even so I just lost it last night ... completely.

Okay, I have to add this new blogging format is really ticking me off.  I managed to delete 3 paragraphs of this entry with a single mistype.  WTF?  This new format doesn't seem to save automatically as often as the old one did.

How did this turn out to be more like thought vomit than a coherent post?

Midwife appointment Thursday

This wasn't the fun post I thought I'd be making but I got hold of the midwifery practice this morning and I'm meeting my midwife on Thursday afternoon!  Well, the one who is currently filling in for the midwife who will be there for delivery.  I feel a bit odd developing a relationship with a midwife who isn't scheduled to be there for the birth but this is a large, joint practice so it isn't unusual for more than one midwife to be involved in a mom-to-be's care. 

They didn't balk when I told them my health issues during the initial screening phone call many months ago ... I think I called within a week of being released from the RE and I still ended up on a waiting list because my due date falls at the end of the Christmas/New Year's vacation period.  I've got my fingers crossed that my PCOS, which seems to have taken a temporary hiatus during pregnancy (yippee!), holds off and doesn't give me the usual potential complications such as gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia.  I really want to remain under the care of a midwife until baby arrives.  But I guess I should look at the bright side.  If I do need to be under an OB's care at the end the midwife is supposed to follow me through right to post-partum check ups.  She doesn't just pass me off to an OB.  She is supposed to be there for delivery just as much as if she and her partner ('cause apparently they have 2 in the room at the crucial moment) were caring for me alone.  At least that is what the website says.  I'll get more info at my first appointment on Thursday. 

I still don't have a huge appetite but notice that I'm enjoying the carbs more this week which has resulted in a severely distended belly.  I don't think the PCOS agrees with the carbs even in pregnancy.  So, I think I've got to manage that a little better.  I refuse to gain 50 pounds during the last 4 1/2 months of pregnancy because I got lazy.  But before I started this carb fest I could tell that the belly was finally starting to pop albeit not that much.  (Just don't count today which was severely affected by post-carb absorption PCOS gut reaction.)  Here is a shot from Sunday at 22w1d.

Belly at 22w1d

Kitty wanted to be in the picture too ... especially after the vet drama.  lol

Next post?  Can't promise I'll be able to update you on the midwife appointment Thursday because I have a meeting that evening.  I do hope to update everyone about it as soon as I can plus add a post about the fun stuff that I've received or purchased ... and the niece and nephew.  ;-)

I'm back ...

Back from another week on the road, that is.  When I disappear like that it is usually because I've been away for work.  I don't have much time to post today as I'm trying desperately to get stuff done this long weekend. 

I got screwed out of the last one by the builder when it forgot to organize contractors to do the necessary work to address outstanding items in my 1 year old home.  Now that almost all of that is finished I can move stuff back into my bedroom.  I was pretty zonked yesterday - arrival home at 2 am, a sick cat who cost me $500 in care yesterday and grocery shopping.  Kitty is fine, she's just old and has a major constipation problem that flares up from time to time.  And yesterday she needed fluids and an enema ... lucky her.  We're getting blood work done again to see if anything with her thyroid, kidneys or pancreas has changed this past year.  But I'm thankful it wasn't worse.  The vet originally told me she would likely need fluids and an enema each day over the long weekend at an emerg clinic.  Kitty would not be happy and my bank account would be livid.  Luckily for her the single enema worked and she was able to come home with me albeit in a very drugged state (sedative required).  I woke up to a much changed and happier kitty today.

I slept in this morning since I couldn't do it yesterday and haven't gotten as much done, volume wise, as I'd like but I've made good progress.  I got the master closet completely cleaned, as well as my master bath and a quick cleaning of my very empty bedroom.  I can now start moving my stuff back into the master area and start working on the baby's room.  I have another book shelf to put together and then move the 2 of them into my room so I have a place for books.  I need more book shelves but I'm waiting until I put in another order with I.kea before I get them.  I do have to take one more stab at removing the kitty urine smell from my bedroom carpet.  Yes, she has accidents and sometimes she gets lazy ... I've purchased another litter hut for her but she has been banned from my room for months now.  My mom suggested trying vinegar first as (1) it is natural and (2) it should work.  So I'm going to try that on the carpet.  And she didn't even pee much there ... it is potent stuff. 

I also got a bit of yard work done today.  I started it a couple hours early and I'm glad I did.  Thanks to this year's water ban my lawn is horrible ... dead horrible.  The parts that got shade are okay now as they are coming back thick and green, greener than the neighbours' who obviously didn't fertilize.  But there are huge patches of dead lawn.  And I know they are not coming back.  I picked up some lawn seed yesterday and after cutting the lawn attacked the front one with seed.  The forecast is for rain tonight and cooler temps most of the week thanks to a cold front that (yikes!) brought snow to parts of Ontario yesterday.  Nothing like that for us but with me being home a week and a half before my next trip + cooler temps I thought this would be a good time to try reseeding.  I spread the stuff out on the front lawn and watered it to help it stick.  I'll be out there every night for a week to water it if we don't get much rain.  I still have to reseed the backyard but at least I cut the grass.  Oh, and I discovered a creature burrowed itself into  my little flower bed in the back.  No idea what it is since I haven't seen a single gop.her out here. That would normally be my first guess.  The stupid thing pulled out one of my sedum pieces.  Luckily I've got 3 plants going strong so it isn't much of a loss.  But I'm still not happy. 

Tomorrow I've got to tackle some cooking so I have lunch for the week and stuff to add to my collection in the freezer.  And get ready for the work week.  And address more stuff around the house.

I'll provide a better update asap but just a warning that it will probably be quite heavy on the baby and child content as per usual after I've been home for a week of work.  I just wanted to provide fair warning for my readers.  Until then, I hope you're having a good long weekend ... for those who get one!