37 weeks pregnant

A sexy mama!

36 weeks and 3 days pregnant

What? I am? Wow. Time flew all of a sudden, yet it is still dragging by. I had a prenatal today and thoroughly enjoyed doing my own tests (ie weight, urine test, GBS,) I could have measured my stomach too probably and I could have done my own blood pressure (it doesn't look hard) and I probably could have heard the baby's heartbeat myself too ... I'm just sayin' .... Well ... that being said here are my wonderful stats

Weight - NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS ... HAHAHA JK ... - 147 lbs. I think I look much more svelte than that ;-)
Fundal height - 36 cms
Baby heartrate - 120's
Urine test - Good ... yellow :-P (all you student midwives might get this teehee)
GBS - Don't know yet.
Blood Pressure - good as always DESPITE the lack of communication.

This appointment was filled with me being super mad though because of a lack of organizational skills by my prenatal caregivers. I may edit this post later to add more detail but you can sure email me if you really want to know :)

Let's see ... what else, oh yeah I decided I should probably tidy the nursery ... think about moving the computer to it's permanent place ... I said think about it .... make a list of things we need ... contemplate tidying the rest of the house. All in good time right? Hopefully baby doesn't come before our stuff is ready :)

Only a few weeks to go ....

With only a few weeks to go, I find myself getting into that mama bear mode. Seriously. I remember how I felt after Amélie was born and I remember being guilted into having visitors at the hospital. That won't happen. Sorry friends and family :(. I had spiraled into a post partum depression that left both Corey and I (and many of you guys I'm sure) exhausted and bitter. Regardless of how this birth goes, we hope to let all our family know very shortly after the birth (starting with the grandparents ... don't worry if you don't have facebook or Internet we will be calling you ;-). You won't miss out on the big news!! You can even post it on Facebook!! But please ... don't ask when you can visit. That will have to wait until we get home. Point Final. (that means there is no negotiating this ... fyi)

Now I know many people have offered to watch Amélie and that is very sweet and thoughtful, but we have someone lined up. Someone very close by that Amélie sees often and is as protective as I am (I am her daughter after all). Having Amelie far away from me is going to be hard regardless of what I'm doing and it'll help me relax if I know she's at home with a person she feels most comfortable with other than me and Corey. (I will blog about sleepovers on another post.) If for some reason we can't be home and mom needs to be away we know that all of you are willing and able, but remember ... we are looking for someone to stay at OUR house with her.

When we get home, depending on how things go etc ... etc ... depending on when baby Linfitt decides to be born (I say the 28th of April ... it's the full moon and the due date) but he/she could be late (I doubt early it IS a Linfitt baby) we will be planning Amélie's birthday. It will all depend on the the baby, but we will definitely have a birthday for her :)

To summarize, sit tight ... it's not your baby, it's not your birth, you have no say in the matter and what happens in those precious days after baby is born will affect us all forever. If I say no ... don't ask again I will probably snap ... don't try and convince me that something is best or that I will benefit from something that I don't want to do ... all you'll get is snapped at (possibly) and long term resentment if I don't feel emotionally strong enough to stand up for myself and you will probably get hurt feelings and then tension ... you know how this is going to end ;-). I don't think it's being a bitch to ask these extremely reasonable things. In some cultures a mother stays in her hut for nearly 6 weeks before anyone is allowed to see her. Cats are constantly moving their kittens when they get too many people in their faces touching their newborns. For all I know I will come home and be ready to meet the world! But let's play it like I am coming home a whole new person with a new addition to the family, a toddler and a probably very tired hubby. Seriously ... it's not like we're going to wait until the baby's 1st birthday before you even know it's born ... yeesh ... Christmas comes before that :-P

33 weeks pregnant!

Oh ... my bad ... look at the delay since my last post. I don't even have a good excuse. sigh.

Well, on the bright side, I feel lighter than my last pregnancy but I'm pretty sure my weight gain is around the same ... dang it haha. Baby is head down, placenta is fine ... turned out I didn't need the 2nd ultrasound after all! I now weight approx ... 138 lbs .... be jealous, very jealous ;-) I got an armful of maternity clothes from a friend of ours ... thank GOD because seriously ... I couldn't fit my butt in my pants anymore ... at least it's only for 7 more weeks :D. Baby's heart rate is great, baby moves lots ... I find the movements more defined into legs, arms and toes ... and a definite baby bum. I got a few stretch marks this time around, but strangely enough only on 1 side ... interesting ... very interesting ... I can't even see them so ... they don't count LOL. I can only see them in pictures. Speaking of pictures Corey and I recently updated the pregnancy pictures and decided that I have definitely gained in the belly area. I also got a haircut FYI.

The nursery isn't ready yet ... I don't feel the rush ... so definitely not nesting. I DID bring up the baby clothes and Corey moved the crib (and broke it I might add) so now I need to find a crib part (anyone got any spare parts haha) and a bassinet ... and a couple baby gates ... I've also decided it's time to put things on Amelie's walls and print some pictures up. See you soon Melissa!! lol.

Other than all that ... been feeling really good the last while, sometimes even forgetting I'm pregnant and able to move quite ably. Until I go to put shoes or boots on then it's a sharp reminder that I am pregnant :) Onward to pictures!!

33 weeks pregnant !!!

28 weeks ~ Baby # 2

Ah yes. Almost done. Super pumped. I know I'm a weird one that is looking forward to labor and delivery :) I can't wait to meet this little pun'kin. My next prenatal isn't until next week so I will update actual facts then, but for now some real life updates. I'm most definitely rounder .. in a rounder sort of way and this baby moves a lot more than Amelie did. I also had a little stretch where my symphasis pubis (look it up) was superbly sore and it still gets that way if I push myself too hard. Take it easy you say? Okay. I've eased up my work week so that I can use up my sick days (I think I have about 2 weeks left of days to use) and I'm only working until April 1st. Now lots of people ask why I don't work until the end and my response to that is ... why? For ... two-4 extra weeks ... I can have 2-4 extra weeks relaxing at home and getting prepared for baby instead and spending some time with Amélie and getting food frozen ... AND being able to sleep when I want to (mostly) Plus who finds it fun to go to work with a toddler to bring to a sitter and being huge. Not me. So ... no thanks.

In a couple weeks I also have another ultrasound ... sigh ... but a necessary one at that. (No I don't enjoy them) My placenta is lying quite low, near my cervix, therefore we need to make sure it's either stayed put ... or has moved up (which would be fantastic!) Once I get news about where that placenta is located I can relax. Baby being head down ... meh not worried about it. There are so many ways to influence a baby to turn around that it's not even on my mind. Well obviously it is because I'm thinking of ways ... but I believe baby is head down right now anyways. I'm just guessing by the harsh jabs to my ribs and the hiccups in my pelvis ... just sayin' ... probably.

I also wonder if this baby has more limbs than we previously counted because sometimes I wonder how it can POSSIBLY kick/punch in so many areas at the same time! Haha. I was suffering from restless legs for a while but after some gentle reminders (haha Eileen) that water was very important ... that seems to have settled for a bit. Now the battle is to find some clothes that fit. Luckily Gayle (who's losing weight) has sent me her clothes. LUCKILY because my maternity pants didn't fit anymore ... they were small anyways ... and that just means I have fabulous hips ;-)
28 weeks

28 weeks

Amélie update

Shame on me. I haven't updated about Amélie in a long while! She's going to be 21 months on friday. How time has flown by! I am finding this age and the past couple months some of the best :) I mean every age/phase has it's merits but this one is the least taxing on my brain haha. Now that her communication is much more developed it's easier to understand what she wants. Jus, downstairs, 'side, non, mom, (a nod), help me, hat, boot, bleu, mooo, pock pock, hiya (karate chop) dodo, bébé, Mémère and tante, tante gaye, and many others. That's just what she says she understands what I'm saying pretty good too. "Go bite dad" "Ferme la porte, brrrrr", do you want to ....? Those of you who've seen her lately know she sometimes likes to think about things before making a decision hmmmmm AHA!

A lot of people have also told us we should be preparing her for the new arrival ... but we have decided to let her prepare herself. She is sleeping in her crib without the side railing and with only a small bumper rail to keep her from falling out. She also has a pillow and will soon be transitioning into a temporary toddler bed until we find her a good twin bed. We tell her she's a big girl all the time and talk to her about her dolls a lot. Show her how to dress them, care for them. She doesn't get that there's a baby in my belly (I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm just eating too much haha) People always ask her what's in my belly and I'm not sure who gets annoyed the most ... me or her. We told her there's a baby in there so ... there's a baby in there. It's that simple, it's not complicated, it's not ... 3-d if you know what I mean. She doesn't imagine there is a baby in my belly it's just a fact and since she's not quite two she doesn't IMAGINE what it looks like.

She's also been loving some time with daddy! Every time the quad starts she runs to grab 1 mitten, and her rubber boots. And her hat of course because it's cold. What more could you need?? I do have pictures but she's usually naked in only her diaper and I try to keep those pics at a minimum on the internet. Ah yes ... her rubber boots ... and the age of Dora and Diego. I did try to avoid it ... but was unable too. Now I have a little girl who tells me to GO GO and that she needs her boots whenever she's going to do something. (Note to self) she needs new boots.

Now for some pics :)

Helping with dishes

Her "hat" while watching Dora

Her boots

Relaxing with Grandma Linfitt

Halloween 2009

Eating Jerky (well ... she did help make it ;-)

Reading during the roughrider game

Helping to make jerky mmmmmm

Searching For ...

I started to get into a nesting type mode ... possibly because Corey's disorganization and my need to organize work usually so well together and lately he's been winning. Or it could be that I foresee a lack of energy in my latter months of pregnancy ... either way ... as I sort through boxes of things (not sure how I got boxes of things) I realized something. I need somewhere to put these things. I am most definitely not expecting a baby shower or anything of the sorts ... please don't think that way. I do know that a lot of people often have things sitting around at home and they don't know what to do with them! I happen to be a person searching for items sitting in your home collecting dust. Some of my family/friends are either trying to get rid of their baby things as well or might have something that I am contemplating buying that I could try out. So ... because I like lists ... I made a list :) Here ... is the link ! I will send updates as I find things or as I need to add ... if you think you might have something that I might not know I need ... send me an email haha!

Linfitt Wish List

There's the link :) thanks everyone!!

Good and Good

Today as we drove home from our prenatal appointment I realized something that I knew all along. A good prenatal appointment and a good prenatal caregiver makes you feel like you can do anything! I am pretty independent and have my own way of doing things and saying things. It's a fact and not a suggestion. I like to be in control of situations as much as possible and someone ... more than one someone told me that I could not control my pregnancy, my labor nor my delivery and I would like to tell you ... that nobody else does either. My body is in complete control of how this will work and the baby growing in my womb will tell my body what it needs to do. It's a miracle how well they will communicate and make things work out. I will eat healthy and exercise. I will stay away from negativity and surround myself with positivity and things that make me happy. I will try and stay as calm and peaceful as possible. And the most important thing I will do for myself is know that I will do what needs to be done to keep us both safe ... and that's that. Point Final. :)

24 weeks!

Only 16 weeks to go! I'm pretty pumped about it. Baby moves a lot more than Amélie did and I sure eat a lot more this time around. On a high note, my boobs are SUPER nice. WELL ... they ARE. I will edit this post after my next appointment next week, but for now here's a pictures of ME!

MORE INFO : Had a great appointment. Love Ros!! I weigh 122 lbs so doing fantastic. My placenta IS low about 2cm from my cervix so I will be going for another ultrasound in 5 weeks to see if it moved up. I'm praying that it does because the higher the better. It's also sitting towards my back. I've also had a lot of hip and pelvic joint pain which will soon be better after a visit with my chiropractor. Although lots of people get it, mine is crazy because I had a back injury a long time ago and my hip likes to do it's own thing. But all is well! I have amazing blood pressure and am measuring 24 cms ... so ... as usual ... perfect ;-) This baby does NOT like people touching it and doesn't really care for the doppler either. Heartrate is about 140's ... so lower than Amelie's and baby is head down ... or was head down at the time :) Any ... questions?



Also here is a link if you want to check out the other pics Pregnancy pics

Christmas 2009

Christmas Pictures

There is the link to some cutey pictures of Amélie I think most are Christmas pictures.

This year we hosted Christmas on the Linfitt side. It went great!! OTHER than the stove almost starting on fire ... and ... other than the smoke filling the house ... and ... other than supper taking longer to make than predicted ... oh ... and don't forget the 3 hour nap that I took by accident ... but other than THAT it went pretty good I think :) Amélie had a blast and had a great time with her cousins, especially her buddy Tyler ;-) She was pretty tuckered out by the end lol.

Christmas morning was pretty cool this year too. Amélie went through her gifts that Santa brought her in a big haste! Lol, but quickly found a few of her faves. LUCKILY, Memere Rachelle bought her a storage container for all the blocks we suddenly found ourselves with. PHEW.
Amélie also sat Santa at the mall and ADORED him. I will post a picture once I declog my cluttered office (That Patricia already cleaned once for me) oopsies ... We saw Grandma and Grandpa Gareau a few days after Christmas and had some Lasagne and played a hilarious PS3 game called Fairytale Fights. Seriously ... entertaining for all adults. Luckily the game allows you to have almost unlimited life LOL. PHHEW for that one hey dad??

Corey got a PSP for Christmas and I got 4 new tires! ANd some maternity clothes that I desperately needed, and a bluetooth thingie, and a USB thingie, and a TIM HORTONS card ... and some awesome mittens! ANNNNND the SANTA CLAUSE trilogy. Be jealous. It's okay. Corey also got a few games and accessories for his PSP, this adorable little bow and arrow that shoots these toy deer, A Christmas Story ... and .... I forget. Oh yes ... I also got the game Dark Cloud and some books that I was searching for. YAY Yvonne!!! I'm already addicted to the game again.

Baby # 2 - 20 weeks

Had a prenatal appointment today. Baby's heart rate is in the 130's, blood pressure is great. Uterus is at the right spot. Baby is sitting on my bladder most of the time. Everything is looking good. YAY! Soooooooooooooo yeah ... I didn't get weighed ... not sure why, but it seems pretty normal. As you can see ... I'm roundish, but not overly. Feeling pretty good, mostly tired but luckily hunting season is now over. PHEW.

Cheer up, it's CHRISTMAS

Sigh. How many days left? It seems like it's SO far away. This year we got the AWESOMEST tree (picked it out myself from the top of the river side) Corey keeps saying he saw it ... but trust me ... I kept yelling at him to go and get it. It's so beautiful! I love fresh, real trees. Mmmm. The only bad thing is our house is so dry I have to water the darned thing at LEAST 2 times a day and with my memory these days ... seriously ... lol. I can't wait until Christmas. Amelie is the perfect age to ... have no clue what's up, stay out of the presents ... but still be SUPER PUMPED that there's a GIANT tree in the HOUSE lol. We did have to tie the tree to the wall, but technically we always have to tie it to the wall.

Baby # 2 - 15 weeks 3 days

I know. I slacked off. Shame on me! Let's see how much I can remember. I weighed ... 107 lbs, blood pressure was awesome as usual. Heartbeat was in the 150's yup. Baby is low. I'm tired, but not sick. HOORAY!!

Christmas is coming soon!

I've decided to begin Christmas shopping because I want to. That's all. I've started browsing gifts for Amélie and have decided to get her a big kitchen set. A lot of people have been asking what she wants or needs. Sooooooooo I created a blog where I will be putting what she needs or wants. I will also post up ideas for Corey and myself for people who've chosen our names :-) I LOVE LOVE Christmas!!!

Pregnant !! - 11weeks

Okay it's official now. We are expecting a little bundle of joy ... again ... around April 30th 2010. For the record ... I think it's a boy. But I reserve the right to change my mind as we go along haha. Our PCG (Prenatal Caregiver) from Saskatoon took the time to find the heartbeat to calm our concerns. And she FOUND it. We could barely hear it because the baby kept hiding behind my own heartbeat sounds, but we could definitely hear it. She figured about 150-160. Exciting I know!! It was pretty cool. Amelie got to hold the doppler and was very amazed by all this. I weigh 106.2 lbs already and I feel pretty good :-) Amélie weighs 28 lbs ... she weighed herself also. What else ... what else ... cravings come and go ... lots of watery cravings (watermelon and cucumbers) so I upped my water intake and that seemed to go away. Of course now I'm hooked on lemon water lol. I'm already showing a tiny, teeny bit and we will be posting a picture in the next week. Yay!

Smells - 10 weeks

Although I haven't actually thrown up yet throughout this pregnancy (knock on wood) I find that smells entice my gag reflex. Sometimes it's so surprising that I can't help but laugh as I vacate the area or look around for a calming smell. Sometimes ... it's not surprising and I see it coming ... such as Corey coming back from hunting. Argh. Strangely enough Amélie's diapers don't phase me at all. I have had the odd morning of feeling not so wonderful, but usually a tame breakfast or a glass of water will help alleviate that. It's been mostly afternoons ... and I get so tired ... too tired to snack sometimes. ahhh ... I'm counting down the days :-) Also, I've had to clean my house ... and keep it smelling very clean ... ahahahaha there is an upside to nausea after all ...

9 weeks

Today we went to Saskatoon to listen in and get some information. Since we are so unhappy with the maternity care we previously endured ... we decided to venture out and look for new options. Well, it wasn't anything new, in fact it was exactly what we were looking for. You'll hear more about it as we go along, after all I don't want to recommend something I'm just trying out! Anyways, it took a lot less time to actually find the building, yay for Corey, but ... quite a bit of time figuring out the parking meter. (FYI Parking meters are stupid; why have a sticker that says turn the lever ... and then NOT have a lever) I saw an old friend there and was quite happy to see her :-) but I hadn't seen her in person for a long time and barely recognized her, she didn't recognize me, but I have no hurt feelings. The following session was boring and Corey and I spent a lot of time doodling ... and ... I accidentally may have walked out with private property ... oopsies ... :-s. BUT don't worry, I'll bring it back!! lol Once that was done we went to Costco's (insert heaven music here) wow. It deserves it's own post. Which you will probably read before you read this, but this will be posted before that, but you won't see it until I undraft it. MUAHAHAHAHAHA.


On the baby side, been feeling sick, lots. In fact I feel like I have to eat 24/7 to keep it away. That and my pants are getting tight and my shirts looser because I have to wear shirts that don't stick to my stomach. I wonder if anyone is noticing ... oh well. Anyways, more later.

You should be grateful ...

I saw this photo on a website (fan page) that I currently like to follow. It's called the Unnecesarean. http://www.theunnecesarean.com/. It's a site where women go after they've had a c-section and grieve their lost birth experience. I followed the link (http://birthlove.cyclzone.com/pages/gretchen/grateful.html) and I read the story there. I know you're all wondering what the heck I'm doing at a site like that, but I wanted to get a little insight on c-sections. It upset me and made me feel better at the same time. It's more of a letter of a lost birth experience. I beg you all to read it and hope it touches you as it did me. I am so tired of being told this exact phrase, and I didn't even have a c-section. I am a woman. I can adapt. Why can't the doctors? Nurses? Other hospital caregivers? Why are we women always the ones who must adapt? The entire birth experience and baby's health should be treated as one entire event. It's sacred and transitional if you ask me (I know you didn't haha) ... How can we get a healthy baby and a healthy birth experience? So many people tell me that their birth went the way it was supposed to ... If we all REALLY looked at our birth experiences ... what would we change? I challenge all of you who've had babies ... to dig deep and tell me ONE thing (or more if you want) you would change in your birth experiences. What would have helped you? Whether you had a good experience or a bad experience ... Perfect birth is rare ... let's share our stories and heal together. This is not to advocate homebirths, but for safebirths (which I will blog about on another day :-)

Salt in the Wound

I have to vent. I have to absolutely, vent. In case you are not aware, recently I lost my job to a teacher from out of province. I was given a new job as a teacher's assistant. Okay. Grrrr. That whole situation was a load of crap in the first place. Okay ... i'll start at the beginning

In June 2009 I was informed that they wanted to hire a teacher to teach preschool and phys. ed in elementary. I was confused. We have a preschool teacher and a phys. ed. teacher. Were there complaints? No. Glowing praise. I was so bewildered I actually tried to see the positive of the situation immediately ... then I began to think about it. I went and saw a few people I knew would give me good points of view ... and they confirmed my suspicions. It was a load of crap.

I had recently started taking Early childhood Education classes ... and had been greatly praised for this and encouraged. I was asked if I planned on making this a career. I was asked if I was planning on staying at the school. To which I replied of COURSE ... and then in June I'm told too bad so sad. Why the HELL wasn't I told EARLIER that there was even a remote possibility that this could happen. My boss KNEW this could happen. He KNEW it was going to happen and did not tell me. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! (I learned this a bit later though)

So numerous meetings and ventings later, I'm sorta told they might not find anyone and would I be willing to take the job. I said ... yes. I'm an idiot. I know. I was led on by a job I ADORE and CHERISH. It's not my fault!! Then a week (ish) before we go back to work they decide to call me and tell me they found someone. From _______!!! OMG. So I'm thinking, this person is qualified and amazing. I'm hurt beyond belief that the bearer of bad news sounded so cheery about it and insulted beyond belief that I was on f-ing speakerphone (pardon my ... french) I decided I was going to do the best I could do at animation culturelle and being a new teacher's assistant. I would just accept it. Get over it.

I get to work on monday and I'm met by my co-workers. Lots of fun and stories. Fast forward a bit to where I meet the new teacher. She's like I'm so happy to meet you. and i'm thinking .... maybe she won't be so bad. Maybe I'll even help her a bit. Onward with the meeting, which was long and disorganized and I'm still confused about it. anyone??

THE NEXT DAY

I go with mom to pick up Eveline for lunch (Patricia and Maddie and Gayle too) I get into the school and mom is chatting away with Helene (the new principal) They are having a good time figuring out the alarms. LADY (she who can not be named) taps my shoulder. I turn around, surprised and a bit taken aback. She's like 2 inches from my face. She has the nerve to begin asking me where I've been. I'm a little amused and tell her I'm not working today. She tells me I'm supposed to help her. That she was told I would help her plan her year and classroom. THIS Lady is supposed to be QUALIFIED and capable to teach preschool Why the FFFF would she need my help??? How DARE they (SHE) expect me to help her!! THEN she had the nerve to insult my work ethics and asked me ,... : So you only work on days you get paid for?? OMG YES. I worked my ASS off for two years prepping that class. It got thrown out when I went for mat leave and then in June I'm told it was pointless to do it over again. She took my job right out of my hands and then I find out she has NO experience. She used to teach COLLEGE biology. OMG OMG OMG ... AND at the end of this insulting tirade, I found the costumes for her and she had the nerve to be INSULTED and MAD ... as if I'd HIDDEN them in the BOX marked COSTUMES. ARRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

So ... that is the story minus a few more details that I may add later as I decompress from this situation.

Pictures August 2009

Here is the link to some more pictures and I posted a couple to peek at !! :-)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=132206&id=543155419&l=3602dca114

Pulling a temper tantrum because daddy's outside with the Quad and Amélie is ... not

Pépère Rodger


Helping to clean the beans for canning

Hahahaha I climbed up here!!

4 weeks pregnant

Yeah!! I took the test this morning and at first I saw the first negative line and I thought, okay now I know. Right? But just when I was going to set it down, I saw another line appearing and I thought ... how dark does it have to be. So I actually had to go and get the instructions LMAO. Seriously. Who does that??!! I can't tell you how cautiously excited I am!! I hope it goes great. Of course you won't be reading this until I hear the heartbeat in a couple months, but it's still caution :-) It's going to be hard hiding it haha! This gives us an EDD of April 27th for baby # 2. Let's hope it goes good everyone!!