Just dropping in

I've been super swamped after my week away.  It was great to be gone for a week and start that week off with 2 days where I could sleep in.  Awesome!  But the subject matter of my job does exhaust me and I'm feeling the fatigue creeping up on me now that I'm into my 28th week.  I flew back on Saturday which made a huge difference.  Much nicer than arriving home at 3 am.  :-)

I've been very busy this week too.  I've been busy at home tidying and organizing the main floor ahead of what was supposed to be my Pam.pered Ch.ef party this Friday.  Everyone seems super busy this month so with only 2 rsvps it looks like I'm going to have to reschedule.  So, I've stopped my baking projects and didn't stop to buy wine today.  Imagine the looks I'd get at the LC.BO with my cart full of wine bottles!  No really, they're not for me.  I'm drinking plain old lemonade.  Anyway, I got a bit bummed by this and the fact that the only person who has purchased anything from my registry is my parents.  Um, okay.  I know something will happen at work but being a long term planner it is driving me nuts not knowing what I need to add to my list of things to buy this close to baby's arrival.  I think I've got all the absolute essentials for the first month or so but I don't like the thought of having to do a bunch of shopping the first month my little guy is here. Not to mention I'm rethinking the whole stroller thing ... *hanging my head in shame* ... I might actually buy a bigger stroller for everyday use.  I can't envision myself using the little one to go for walks or shopping trips.  I got a tip on a better store with more selection and less expensive pricing so I'm going to check it out and see what options are available.  I really didn't want the infant car seat thing since I have a good 3-in-1 car seat but if it comes with the stroller at a good price I might just end up with one.  It might be helpful for things like grocery shopping when he is little.  We'll see what I can find.

And in totally non-baby related news I scored a great deal on Den.by dishes today.  I checked the Ameri.can site to register my new email address in the event my pattern is discontinued and discovered that the American factory ships to Canada now (instead of from the UK with its less favourable exchange rate) and that shipping to Canada is currently free!  I scored some awesome seconds for $5-7 each.  Mugs usually cost between $35 and 40 so getting real Den.by mugs that might have a small colour flaw for only $5 each is making me super happy.  And I found a casserole dish that is being discontinued so I got it for 50% off.  And the free shipping?  I managed to save $130 on that.  That makes me so happy ... I love it when I get a good deal on housewares. 

I'm so boring.  lol

Pure Exhaustion

(warning - nephew's photo at the end of the post)

Sorry, nothing fun today.  My connecting flight in Toronto was late last night.  Way later than normal.  The way AC organizes their schedule makes everyone scratch their heads.  But when the only option to get back home on Fridays is to take the 00:15 flight (okay, technically Saturday) you take it.  Then the 00:15 flight is delayed until 1:10 am.  When many models of the same plane are sitting at the gates totally unused.  *sigh*  I ended up walking into the house shortly before 3 am last night.

The power went out at some point this morning.  A friend said it was about 7:30 am.  I didn't care.  When I went to the bathroom I just knew it was early and I was getting back into bed afterwards.  When I checked my watch again I thought, okay 10:30 time to get up.  Except ... I hadn't changed the time on my watch last night.  It was still on SK time which is currently 2 hours behind.  So my 10:30 was actually 12:30.  I never do that!  But apparently my body and the baby think I needed to be in bed that late.  I've been lazy all day and I just don't see myself going anywhere, not even for groceries tonight.  I've got enough stashed in the freezer that I can find something tasty and healthy to eat for supper.  Tomorrow is another story.  I've got to figure out lunches for the week.  And I'm going to visit a friend and her little guy who will be a year old when my baby arrives.

The trip was good but it felt long.  My hearings have been going long lately, mostly because I've had newer adjudicators who even a year of doing this work seem to take forever to cover what the more experienced ones do.  Plus I had two 3-hour driving trips tacked on to longer days.  The OT is nice but I'm flat out tired.  I would love to schedule my next trips for return on Saturdays but I don't think I'm going to get lucky.  I think kitty will have to spend time with the vets for my next 1-week long trips.  She's going to be switched to prednisone soon and she absolutely cannot go without those meds.  She did okay this week with my friend but at the end of the week she wasn't eating much.  I expect that was because she wasn't feeling well.  I found a couple of large po.ops upstairs in one of the bedrooms (lovely, kitty, just lovely) so she's definitely having some constipation problems.  But since she actually passed solids more than once this week she's doing okay. But I'm worried about her so I need to check with the vet office.  They're only open until 12 on Saturdays so I'd need to take that late flight back on a Friday night to get back in time to pick her up the next morning.  I don't like leaving her there but if she gets the meds she needs she's happier in the end.  And the vet staff love her and love having her there since they don't usually have pets stay with them.  Not the worst place she can stay.  I am looking forward to stopping travel so I can give kitty her meds regularly.

Other than all of that the trip was good.  I did a little shopping.  I picked out the fleece and flannel for the blanket my mom is making for the little guy.  I also picked up a pattern for curtains which my mom now said she'll sew when she's out here.  Um, okay.  I picked up a few things for things I have to fix sewing wise and some stuff for Christmas crafts I make.  And I when I go shopping with my mom we use her membership card so I get a discount.  ;-)  Otherwise I'd buy stuff here.  I picked up a couple more baby clothing items on sale but in bigger sizes since my house is overflowing with clothes for baby.

And I got to spend time with my niece and nephew.  My niece gets a bit wingy in the afternoons after school but she wasn't too bad this week.  And my nephew is getting more interactive every day.  He has been teething for almost 2 months and it appears one of his teeth has come through.  But he's still a bit fussy lately because of it.  Overall, though, he did quite well.  And he had his first foot bath and pedicure because of his chunky toes not getting along too well with his toenails.  

3.5 months

My niece declared that he looked like a country bumpkin that day thanks to his Jo.hn De.ere onesie, the green overalls and matching hat.  And the next day I saw him? She declared he was a gnome thanks to his green jacket with pointed hood.  She's nothing if not imaginative. 

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.  ;-)

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.