1) I always knew tanning sucks. Told ya so.

2) Unless I find a good alternative to watchtvsitcoms.com, you’ll be seeing a lot more of me. This is a SERIOUS crisis.

3) This is the cutest hoodie ever. I own it.

4) I want these. Sadly, Lululemon no longer carries them:

5) Charlotte has cut 2 teeth. They don’t show yet, but I can feel them.

6) We are going here next week.

7) We watched Bruno on the internet last weekend. It was funny-ish, but not nearly as funny as Borat.

8 ) I am running again. Slowly.

9) Pictures from Ontario Place:

10) Random  pictures to amuse and delight:

i do not always succeed. i try always to be kind and generous, to be amusing when i need to be and serious when i need to be, to give others the benefit of the doubt, to not hold grudges, to be a good listener, and to be a good friend.

for the most part, i am successful

except

i talk too much. always have. hope not “always will” though.

i share things about myself with people who don’t need to know, or don’t care.

i tell people on craigslist my whole life story when i just mean to say why 3:00pm is not a good time for a pick-up.

worst of all, i gossip. not even to be bitchy (usually) but just because if i know something, or something is on my mind, i HAVE to say it when the opportunity arises. i don’t really get it. i have a job where i have to be good at confidentiality, and at work i am. but in my personal life, i have no discretion whatsoever, and usually realize it just a minute too late. it probably makes me seem like a bitch or a not nice person, but i am really not either. it is hard to explain, but i like most people. even people i don’t like certian things about, or like to gossip about since there is just so much to say…i still like them. there are very few people I actually don’t like, or would ever want to hurt, even if i know i could hurt them by talking about them. i don’t even like to hurt people that i truly don’t like. i am just not mean, even though i know i sound mean. it is a problem, and probably part of the reason i don’t have as mnay friends as i’d like. that and that i have a huge fear of rejection that makes it very hard for me to reach out and ask people, even people close to me, to get together. i am always sure they’ll have something better to do or someone they’ed rather be with, so i never ask…and then i become “the friend that never asks”, and then we aren’t friends anymore.

there are, of course, a few exceptions to this. there are things i have managed to keep to myself, not even share with my husband, for years. not many of them, but a few big ones that i just always knew were not things to be ever considered idle gossip and that had to stay in the vault. there are also a few people in my life i do trust and do call and do reach out to, and these people i do not gossip or talk about, i do have some limits that i can keep. usually.  but sometimes i start talking, and just cannot stop. even as i am telling myself “stop”.

so, today i learned 3 things:

1) i have to learn to get this habit under control. otherwise i could hurt people i do not want to hurt.

2) my best friend is better person than i am.  i hope i can learn to be more like her.

3)  35 year olds sometimes still need to grow up.

So after a lot of soul searching, I have decided I am not going to move the girl to a booster seat when Charlotte is ready for her convertible seat after all.

This was my original plan, but with the girl being so petite (she weighs about 43lbs now) and being in a seat that harnesses to 65lbs, it seems just too soon to put her in a booster in our main car. She is already in boosters in her grandparent’s and father’s cars, but she is  not in these cars often or far. In my car she is all over the place, often even on the highway, and I was her as safe as possible as long as possible.

I know it is odd to have a 6 year old in a harnessed car seat…but I don’t care.  She has an almost $300 car-seat and the reason the seat is that expensive is that it can keep her harnessed longer, so we will do just that! A pet peeve of mine is people that buy Britax because is “the best” and they need to have one, and then don’t take advantage of the higher rear and forward facing limits that gave Britax it’s reputation (since until the last couple years they were the only seats with such high limits) in the first place. Luckily she does not complain about her seat…much.

So, I decided to buy Charlotte a new convertible seat, since I don’t plan to keep her in the bucket much longer. As soon as she is sitting up…maybe before…she is outta there. I can  barely carry it with her anyways, and once I am no longer using it as a carrier, I think she’ll be more comfortable in a regular convertible seat where she she has more space and will be higher up and able to see better. Then, when the girl is ready for a booster in my car (we already have it) we can use the Radian for Charlotte in one car, the new seat in the other-and we’ll have all the seats we need. Since we would have to buy Charlotte a second convertible for the man’s car eventually (probably when I go back to work), it makes sense to buy it sooner so we can keep the girl harnessed longer.

After much research on various car-seat bulletin boards and sites, I have decided on the True Fit Convertible Car Seat in Monet. It has a 35lb rear-facing limit, and 65lb forward facing limit. As well, the top piece comes off for rear-facing to make it short, which is great as a lot of  the big convertible car-seats do not fit into cars rear-facing very easily (unless you move the front seat way forward)…and we have a sedan not a Minivan or SUV with space to spare. I was actually not convinced the Radian would fit in our car rear-facing anyways.  Should be fine in the passenger side of the man’s car eventually though, since he never has front seat passengers so the front seat can be moved way forward. The my car, the man (6″1), is often in the front passenger seat.

 It is, of course, also pretty:

Last of all, it has a nicer price tag than the other options with equal limits, which were the Britax Marathon or another Radian.

P.S. I strongly recommend all parents consider  keeping their babies and young toddlers rear-facing as long as possible, and their preschoolers harnessed as long possible. I don’t wanna get preachy on you all, just sayin’ (and providing the links).

P.P.S. Though the law may still be that babies only need to rear-face until 1 year AND 20lbs, the American Academy of Pediatrics is finally saying what car-seat techs have been saying for years; which is that babies are better off rear-facing for at least 2 years. Hopefully the Canadian Pediatric Association and lawmakers will follow suit!

Remember, the bare minimum for turning to forward-facing is 1 year AND 20lbs, the bare minimum for going to a booster seat is 4 years AND 40lbs, and the bare minimum for sitting in a regular seat-belt is 8 years OR 80lbs (in Canada).

FP’S HUSBAND HERE!

FP AND OUR BABY DAUGHTER ARE DOING WELL, BUT STILL IN THE HOSPITAL AS THE BABY RECOVERS FROM A BOUT OF JAUNDICE.

WE HOPE THAT THEY WILL BE HOME BY THE WEEKEND. I PASSED ON YOUR WELL WISHES TO FP.

“THE MAN”

Hopefully, this will be the last belly shot, and there will be a baby to show instead  by 41 weeks.

I know, I don’t look very big.  I think I look bigger than this in person (and will try to get another picture if I get dressed today), but I am not huge at all for being at my due date. The baby is very low, that is part of the reason I look so small. Really though…I am not sure what is going on.  I have gained about 40lbs and I am not sure where it is hiding? Anyways, baby is measuring just fine according to the midwife, and hopefully this tummy will get back into shape quicker than my last one did (I gained about 5lbs more with the girl, and had a much bigger tummy…but my starting weight was about 10lbs less).

So, I am due today (or yesterday, according the the midwife’s calculations), but so far nothing is happening. I saw the midwife Monday and based on the condition of my cervix (a fingertip dilated,  not very effaced) she did not anticipate that I would go into labour by my due date.  Since my Blood Pressure has been going up steadily the last few weeks, and sky-rocketed shortly after my due date with the girl, the Mid-wife will be coming by the house to check it, and then I will go back to the office on Monday.

I doubt my blood pressure will stay low enough to avoid an induction for very long, and am really hoping to go into labour on my own before I need medical intervention.

I am feeling pretty sad today.  I know the day has just started, but I am also pretty  sure I will not be having my baby today.  Passing one’s due date is pretty shitty, and I was really hoping it would not happen again.  Of course I knew it could… it is more common with first babies but any baby can come up to about 2 weeks pasts it’s due date…and it just really sucks to have this day in your head for almost 10 months and then have it pass by with…nothing.  The fact that it is Christmas (which we don’t celebrate) and there is nothing open and we have no plans (who makes plans with a pregnant woman on her due date?) means there is a long boring day ahead of me.  Maybe I’ll do what I did yesterday and watch 3 episodes of True Blood (it is so, so good!)?

At least I can probably go shopping tomorrow…not first thing in the morning like I prefer though,  since I’ll be waiting for the midwife.

So I was kinda stupid yesterday, and finished the nursery myself! This involved  carrying a rocking chair and a swing upstairs, and pushing the very heavy dresser all over the room with my butt!  Don’t get mad…of course the man would have dragged the chair and swing up for me, and moved the dresser  (which was too heavy for me to move it  any other way but by pushing it with my butt) all over the room until I was happy…but he was at work, the girl was at school, and I was stuck at home alone in a snowstorm (I don’t even have boots that go up over my swollen calves) with a painted but disorganized almost empty nursery!

I am paying for it now though…my hips and lower back and thighs are all killing…not pregnancy pain, but over-exertion pain…and added to the pregnancy aches and pains, well, today has not been a good day!

I wish the exertion had put me into labour…but nope…just major pain!

Anyways, here is the room. As you can see, it is nothing fancy…just a basic baby’s room in a cute colour.  I dont use crib sets  (The bumpers and blankets are not safe anyways, and all matchy -matchy is NOT my thing) and  I am not into magazine worthy nurseries (of course I think they are cute, but not worth my effort or money since a baby is just as happy without it..and I am not a natural decorator) but I will add some more gender specific decorations after the baby comes.

Here are a couple different views of the room:

Yeah, I know the chair cushions does not match. We may buy new ones..but these have been used by the girl as well as all our neices, and the cheerful primary colours are kinda a tradition!

And the contents of the dresser:

The one area left that needs a little work (I don’t think the baby will need men’s dress shirts for a while, if ever):

and a picture of the girl’s room, with the cat in her usual position,  scheming to get to the fish:

Lastly, because I was bored and googled “nursery”,  some pictures of nurseries I would like, if I was motivated and talented enough to create them (or rich enough to pay someone else to do it!). I would not use the bumpers though, of course!

Good

1. The crib is finally set up.  It took the man and I several hours last night as there were some…um…issues. But it is now finally together and sturdy as could be. I will do some work in the nursery today and take pictures later.

2. That’s about all, except that there are no serious pregnancy problems, which is of course a good thing.

Not so good

1. I am so friggin’  achy. My hips, back, neck, hands, wrists and…of course (since baby is pretty well fully engaged now) pelvis are in constant agony. Taking hot baths is about the only thing that helps…but of course getting out of the bath is no picnic. The good thing (I am scared to say it) is that I don’t really have bad headaches now.  By bed-time I am headachy in a *I am tired and it is bed-time* sorta way, but to my utter disbelief there have been no migraines since I finished work.  Hmm….

2. There are no indications of impending labour, so I could be feeling like crap for quite a while yet.

3. Our cat is OBSESSED with getting to the fish.  She is,  as  I type, methodically trying to push the fish tank off the table.  Now, I don’t actually care about the fish (who has been holding onto life by a string for months) and even the girl is not so concerned (she’d like a purple one next)…but I don’t want to deal with the mess of a dumped fish tank. We have not changed the water in…awhile…so it’ll be a very stinky thing.

4. There 3 snowstorms fore-casted between today and my due date. That is kinda scary. To be honest…if I was not GBS positive, I would not mind. I wanted a home birth from the start but was just not quite there, so as long as there were no complications, I would secretly (ok, I guess it is not a secret anymore) be pleased to have my midwives say *The weather is horrible, everything is going well, you are a good candidate for a home birth if you want to stay here*.  But, because of the GBS I really should be in the hospital.  So, the snowstorms plus the GBS are not so good!

5. The girl has been such a brat lately.  She never  does what she is told, and gets so sassy and angry when she is forced to do what she needs to. This is mostly with her morning routine…which she knows  well and is perfectly capable of following (go downstairs for breakfast when called, eat, put dishes in sink, go to bathroom to use toilet and wash and brush teeth, go to bedroom to meet mommy and get dressed with some assistance), but refuses to follow without being forced and cajoled into every single step, leading to arguments and tears every morning. I know I need to come up with a plan (probably a chart or something) but I am so lazy and unmotivated to do so. I need to deal with this though, as mornings are  (potentially…if the baby is like the girl was, it’ll be asleep at this time, but who knows?) going to get a whole lot busier soon.

The belly

I know, it still looks like it is getting smaller. The midwife says that is because it is very very low (not like I needed her to tell me that LOL). It feels heavy!

The baby’s room

There is also a crib with the “decontructed look”  out of sight.

The computer nook

The computer (the view from my bed)

A closer look into the most organized area of the house, my closet

Good

1. My headaches are so much better since I have finished work. I have not had to take a Tylenol since Friday, and and have already been able to cut my caffeine intake (the last few weeks I was having 4-5 caffeinated drinks a day just to keep the headaches under control, which is not a good thing as I kicked a caffeine addiction a few years  back…but it was the ONLY thing that seemed to help at all) to about 2 caffeinated drinks a day. (knocks on wood).

2. Things are slowly coming together. All the laundry is done, and we have  everything we need (though there are a few things we stil want, and of course once baby comes shopping for gender specific clothing will begin). We have put together the stroller and car-seat, and I will install the car-seat base this weekend. The change table/dresser is ready and organized, my bags are packed.

3. There are no problems with me or the baby. My blood pressure is right back down to normal, and the baby is still head down, measuring well, engaged, and has a good strong heart-beat.

4. I love the new washer and dryer. They are not fancy, but they get the job done well. They are both much larger capacity than my previous set, and the dryer is way faster!

5. Probably about 3 more weeks now.

Not so good

1. I have developed what seems to be pregnancy induced carpal tunnel syndrome. It started out  a few weeks ago as very mild numbness in my left hand when I woke up…not a big deal since by the time I was done my shower it was back to normal. Now my fingers  on both hands are so stiff when I wake up I cannot use them until I run my hands under cold water for a good minute or so, and they get stiff and require cold water repeatedly throughout the day (which is drying out my hands and cuticles, ouch!).  In addition my right wrist is very weak and achy. My chiropractor and midwife assure me it’ll probably get better soon after having the baby, and meanwhile using lots of cold water, wrapping the offending wrist, and wiggling my fingers a lot is helping somewhat…but it is still annoying and certain tasks (like pulling up the girl’s tights, or my socks, or using chopsticks) are very awkward and the wrist pain in d0wnright… painful. Oh well.

2. We still have the computer in the middle of our nursery, and the computer nook the man is building in the closet is still a pile of boxes and dirty laundry. We have several ideas about how to deal with this situation…but have not committed to any of them as the man still really wants to follow his plan, but does not have time to do so. I am starting to get very annoyed at the fact that our baby is coming in 3 weeks or less, and the nursery is still not ready. Just getting the computer out of there without finding another place for it (or getting a lap-top we can use anywhere)  is not an option. I use the computer often and being at home alone or with a newborn and no compter would be really miserable for me.

3.  We still have no name for the baby. I have several boy and girl names I like, and have a favorite in each gender, but cannot get the man to agree to any of them.

Neutral

1. I am now spending much of my time looking on craigslist for a second stroller.  I am looking for a stroller that will be good to keep in my front entrance-way and use for walking the girl to school and back and neighborhood walks with my baby, so I don’t have to lug my main (as in lives in the trunk to use at the mall) stroller out of the trunk a million times a day. With the girl I only had one stroller, but since I rarely walked somewhere I did not first drive to get to, it was not a big deal. This time I will be walking  from home often (since the girl’s school is so close and parking in front is so crazy, walking is much much easier than driving), and would like really like to have a nice warm stroller inside the house for this purpose instead of  having to lug an icy cold stroller out of my car-trunk several times a day (or lug a warm stroller into my car-trunk several times a day). It is hard to choose though …there are so many to choose from. The fancy ones are tempting…but I know it is silly to  get a secondary stroller that is nicer than my main one (even if some of them are not overly expensive).  The ones that are not fancy are mostly really junky looking, and I don’t want that either. Also, it needs to be a decent stroller since it needs to be warm, go over snow,  recline for a newborn, and fold small enough to keep inside.  I also need to decide if I want a jogging stroller or not, as I did start jogging a couple years ago and plan to again. I think not though…since I am not a heavy duty jogger (about 1/2 hour is my limit) so I imagine I will prefer to do it in the evenings when the man is home than with the baby during the day anyways. I have always enjoyed jogging most in the evenings when I need some space for myself. Anyways, right now I am leaning towards this stroller as it looks to be in good condition and has everything I need…but it is really more money than I would like to spend on a second used stroller. Maybe I could just wear the baby to walk the girl to and from school? That is another option and I am sure in spring I may do just that…but I don’t think I’ll want to in the winter.

When I was around 8 or 9, for a good year, I prayed every night before bed that when I spun in the morning, this would happen:

Click here. Sorry, embedding did not work!

It never worked.