july sixteen

This morning we all got to sleep in again. I'm really not sure what has gotten into our habits lately, but even though Sean went to bed at 9pm last night, (or shortly after) he slept in until 11:30 am today. I totally didn't mind the sleep in, but I got super lucky last night, I got a 5 hour stretch of sleep. Mack slept from around 12:30 am until 5:30 am this morning. I like that! Here's to hoping for more 5 hour stretches. Sean started sleeping through the night at 9 weeks old. Here's to hoping that the 5 hour stretches leads to "through the night"!

Last night I got eaten alive. I went out with Jenn last night to a friend's house for a book party. I kinda went knowing that it's the same company that I'm having the book party in August. A friend of mine is a rep, and convinced me to have a party at my house. I wrote down a list of books that I like, and want to order them in August at my own party. I also wanted to see how she set up for her guests, so I can do something like it for mine. The only difference is that I'll be doing mine in doors, where last night's was outside. I was eaten alive by mosquitoes and they drove me mental. Today, I want to rip off my skin. I'm do damn itchy from bites.

My mother & grandmother came over for lunch today. After lunch my mom headed out but my grandmother stayed so that I could fold some laundry and get a few things done around the house. I got 3 of the 4 baskets of laundry done that I needed to fold. Boy, the laundry doesn't end. I also was able to take a decent length shower this afternoon (instead of a rushed shower) while Mack slept and my grandmother hung out with Sean.

This afternoon a friend of mine whom I met in pre-natal aqua when I was pregnant with Sean called me up to tell me she was going to walk to the park down the street from my house. Her son is exactly a month younger than Sean. So we packed up and headed up the street. I had a screaming baby for the entire walk and had to nurse him at the park. My friend pushed Sean on the swings while I nursed Mack. We had a good time at the park. She's going to call me tomorrow and we may either go back to the park or walk over to her house to swim. We'll see.

I got me some delicious mail today! From my Secret Pal 12 Pal! I've got a great pal, and I want to share why:

Rohrspatz & Wollmeise!!

• One 150 gram skein of Rohrspatz & Wollmeise superwash 100% merino sock yarn in the incredibly beautiful, exclusive Digitessa colourway, usually enough to knit a pair of knee-high socks. This colour is only available in the Digitessa kit.

Oh wow, is it SOOOO my color! I love it.

A really nice pouch (probably not big enough to carry knitting projects in it, but to put notions in it for sure!) I love that it matches the yarn!

Inside the pouch I found some gum (I love gum) and Ravelry pins!!!! I totally wanted some! Now I can be hip & cool like everyone else. There was also some candies in the Spice Boy packet that had some pictures of other Yarnissima sock patterns. Speaking of which, I really wanted to get the XS Firestarter pattern. Eventually I hope to! I was eying it the other day, my first time on the Yarnissima site.

She or he sent me La Digitessa pattern which looks really awesome! Comes with the kit!

Thank you sooooooo much pal, I'm going to go drool over the Wollmeise in a few minutes!

In my garden there is a mini-bell pepper sighting! A little tiny green one. Thry may come in other colors I'm hoping, they're supposed to be mixed. The package had red, orange, yellow & green ones on it.... here's to hoping! I can't believe a plant this small with have peppers on it!

A tree/bush in the front of my house that had flowers a bit ago, now has these on it. Looks like berries of some sort? I'm assuming that they are NOT edible?


And tonight with dinner we had zucchini grilled on the BBQ! My very first zucchini that I grew myself. It tasted out of this world! Tomorrow, with the rest of it, I plan on making zucchini bread. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Tonight Jamie and I watched some Reality TV. Big Brother 10, I Survived a Japanese Game Show & Wipeout. It was great to veg out on the couch (nurse Mack) and watch TV. We're trying to arrange a possible trip to the Zoo over the weekend/early next week with my sister-in-law & nephew who are coming into meet Mack & see Sean.

may twenty-three :: 73 weeks

Sean is now 73 weeks old. He'll be somewhere around 77-80 weeks older than his brother. (That's 38 weeks in, 40 weeks out, and then another 40 weeks in (approx). WOW! (Sean was born at 38 weeks, water broke at 37w5d). So from the last 26 months, I've spent about 18 of them, pregnant.

Jamie and I are not sure if we'll ever go for number 3. It's the type of thing that will be up for discussion when Mack is around 2 and a half to 3 years old. But, thinking about this, made me realize I never did a pregnancy photo shoot when pregnant with Sean. If this *may* be my last pregnancy ever (who knows), then I definitely want to do a photoshoot. (I'm also not as big or swollen as I was with Sean, and feel better about my body this pregnancy). I've emailed a friend, whom I went to photo school with, who will be in town mid June, and providing I'm still pregnant, I really want her to take my photos. (I can't really photograph myself).

Today I got my car cleaned. Total shampooing. You see, I have a son who gets goldfish crumbs all over. I also have a son who figured out how to make his bottle drip milk, and has drawn all over the car window/door with his milk. The back was a total mess. My car now... is clean. (FOR NOW). I don't expect it to stay clean too long, but at least for now, I can enjoy a clean car.

There is an almost all put up fence in my backyard now. The door is not put up yet, but that will be tomorrow, as well as the privacy slats. Oh, I can't wait for privacy in the backyard. I also can't believe how large my backyard is! Even with the 1,52m that we lost due to the servitude with Hydro Québec and Bell Canada, our backyard is huge! I'm happy with everything that has been done so far.

Speaking of Bell Canada, we'd switched from Bell Canada to the company that gives us cable and high speed internet as well. Since we switched, and I paid the final invoice that we owed, the other day I got a final statement in the mail, stating that I now have a 16.16$ credit with them. GRRRR! Same situation happened with Primus back when we moved. Remember? Well, I never got that money back, the 15.52$ that I over paid Primus. Bastards. They even went to the point of clearing the file and sending me a statement at zero dollars, but I never got the money reversed back into my bank account. I am going to see what I can do with Bell Canada, to get my 16.16$ back. For principal, nothing else.

I ran errands with my mother today while my car was at the car wash. Groceries were needed, and we had to pick up a birthday present fort he lovely Jakob. His first birthday party is next weekend for family and the following weekend for friends. (Sean's a real lucky fellow and gets to see family & friends too!) Sean's really excited to give Jakob his gift.

I am *this* close to being done the book I am currently reading. I hope to get a bit more read tonight before bed. Some mornings I read in bed too while Sean watches the Disney Channel with Mickey Mouse's Playhouse, etc, and drinks his bottle of milk, but most days I just get to knit before bed.

This evening Jamie & I watched the movie Mad Money. Well, I watched it (while knitting) and Jamie napped. Really cute movie. I really enjoyed it. I have a ton more movies I want to catch up on now that it's summer and there is nothing really on TV.

I got great progress on the sweater I'm working on for Mack. I should be able to finish the main body tomorrow and then start on the sleeves! I can't wait for it to be finished already.

By the way, sign ups for Secret Pal 12 have already started. We're capping it at 300 participants, and there are some new rules, etc, but it's going to be a lot of fun. I'm hostessing again (for my 3rd round as hostess, and my 5th round participating). I am looking forward to it! There are 2 groups this time, the 30$ group (spending only 10$/month over 3 months) and the 60$ group (spending 20$/month over 3 months). If you're interested, please go sign up! Read the rules first though.

Alright, I'm beat. Between waking up in the middle of the night and getting interrupted sleep due to a little cutie who is probably cutting yet another tooth (does it ever end?) and doing a bunch of errands today (chauffeured by my mother), I'm just, well.... beat.

ps- Does anyone have unused Pampers points? I am *THIS* close to getting something, but I'm missing a few points. If anyone can help out - please let me know! I'll be forever grateful and I'll see if I can hook you up with something in return!

My Angel

I did not get a good night's sleep last night. I just couldn't sleep comfortably, and had to wake up to feed Sean (obviously) so I only got about 5 hours (max) of sleep. I'm not even sure it was that much.

Today I ran some errands with my mother, and my father watched Sean for me. I got a lot accomplished today, even though I have a ton more errands to run still this weekend, things that I need to cross off my to-do list. I got Sean a bunch of new clothes at Walmart & at Zellers today (thanks to a gift card at Zellers) and I can't wait for this kid to start fitting into things! He's going to make one handsome kid!

Here are some pictures I took of Sean before heading out on those errands today:

Wide awake before a nap...

Fast asleep just before I left...

And here is Sean being watched by Bosco.

These are a pair of mittens my grandmother knitted up for Sean, so that his hands don't get cold in this nasty cold Montreal weather. Aren't they just the sweetest things!

Tonight, my cousin Jenn & her hubby came over to hang out with me and see Sean. Jenn got some baby holding (and practice time) with Sean... (she's due in May with her first baby, a boy also!) We watched the movie Flushed Away (what a great cartoon movie! I loved it!) and Yannick helped me put together this Ocean Wonder's musical thing on Sean's crib. Sean loved it so much at my parents house (my mom has one on her crib) that I finally gave in and had Yannick help me put it on tonight:

So we took a picture of Sean with it!

Yannick also helped me figure out my new humidifier (my house is dry) and also my Safety First Diaper Genie thing. It's not that or too complicated, I'm just overtired and instructions don't mean much to me!

After Jenn & her hubby left, I cleaned up my stuff from the weekend, and then FINALLY opened the two parcels that came for me as I was walking out the door on Friday to my parents house. I WISH I had opened these on Friday, but... just didn't have the time.

I received my amazon.ca order with the Stitchionaries and Knitting for Peace. I can't wait to go through them and start reading them!

And then I got my package from my Secret Pal 9 Angel! It turns out, that Shelley, who I was spoiling - spoiled me back! Wow! That's all I have to say. Look at the amazing stuff that Shelley has sent me. It was too thoughtful of her:


Opal sock yarn (she has an online Opal shop)! I even got a ball of my fave color (the pink one) in 4 ply! Been looking for that like crazy, and Shelley had told me that it's not available (was that a plot to get me to not look for any so she could send me some?

I got gum, I'm a HUGE gum chewer, and some candies (that I love!)

Shelley took the time to knit me Irish Hiking Pattern gauntlets (I love them!) and she also sent a cell phone toy for Sean (which he loves already!)

I got 2 magazines and a journal (I love journals and notebooks!)

She sent along some patterns.... I can't wait to knit them up!

And here is the loot! Beads, cinnamon candles, hot chocolate, more yarn, tea, lipgloss, face masks, bath stuff, Sharpie markers in my fave 2 colours! Air freshner for my car and vanilla soap.

And the last (but not least) two items, that I wanted to show in detail are:

Some awesome stitch markers (I collect stitch marker) and this HANDKNIT by Shelley sock keychain! How awesome is that?!!

Thank you sooo very much Shelley. Everything was thoughtful and you put a lot of work into putting this package together for me. I thank you a million times over! Thanks for being my Secret Pal 9 Angel when my original pal couldn't come through for me. It really means a lot to me that you wanted to do this for me!

Alright, my eyes are starting to close on me. I must get sleep before Sean's next feeding!

Look What the Mailman Brought!

Today brought on some mail. I received a small package in the mail from my Angel, which was super nice of her. She sent me a copy of Today's Parent magazine, which came with some gum (I love gum) and some tea. Ironically my Today's Parent first subscription issue came in the mail today, but the good news is - it was a different issue than what my Angel sent me!



I also received some mail from Patty. She sent me some beautiful denim jean colored yarn called Demin Daze. It's Alpaca baby, but I am not sure the "brand" of the yarn? (Patty??) She knit up the most cutest booties for Sean - (picture below of him modelling them), and she also sent me some spices, which was supposed to help me kick start labor, but the day she mailed it out - was the day my water broke, (I think) and now I'll just use for regular cooking!

In the mail also came a lot of goodies, (and a few bills as well - blech), but the nicest thing that was sent was a note card stating the a tree has been planted in Israel, in celebration of my son. My friends Lauren & Seth in Philly had one planted for him. Thank you very much Lauren & Seth!

Yesterday, I was talking about some gifties that my friend Leora brought me from Israel. It was these two hand bags:

They're reversable, which is really cool. I had one in blue and orange, but I used it to pieces and I had to replace it. The one I had was given to me by an Israeli soldier, that I'd met. Anyhow, at the end of my trip, I met up with my friend Leora, and she had said that she would pick me up some of these bags in Eilat (where we didn't go on our organized trip unfortunately), and mail them to me. Well, she did pick them up, back in June of 2004, and well - never got to mail them to me. So now, two and a half years later, she is back in Montreal visiting, and has brought me these bags. They're in very simple colors, and I love them. One is black and blue the other black and khaki green!

Today Sean and I hung out. We got a lot accomplished, and even though I felt like I spent most of my day pumping (that's what I feel all I do these days), and eventually late afternoon, we made it out the door to the grocery store, to pick up my photo order (honeymoon pics) and pick up some groceries.

Here are some photos of Sean from today:

Sean modelling his new booties from Patty!

And my little guy snoozing anywhere he can (here he is on his changing table):


And in our den...

Well, I must go pump (again), and go to bed. The nurse is coming tomorrow (instead of today) to weigh Sean, since today she had way too many vaccinations to do at the CLSC, she couldn't leave. Tomorrow, she'll be coming with a nurse who is doing a stage, so it'll be two nurses coming tomorrow, should be interesting. The nurse that I spoke to on the phone today, who will be coming, wants to help me get Sean back on my breast tomorrow, instead of me pumping. We'll see how I feel about that tomorrow.

Why I Love Snow...SP9 Final Contest

Why do I love snow?

• Living in a city that has a long winter, you have to like snow
• I don't ever have to shovel it (snow removal guy does that)
• You can make snow angels in snow
• You can make snow men, and use carrots for their nose
• I've been skiing since I was able to walk, and that's a snow sport!
• It started to snow as I was ready to push my son out to be born. I will always remember the snow falling so delicately outside the window of the labor room, and how it looked so peaceful and soft compared to what I was going through!

Swollen & a Little Hormonal

I couldn't fall asleep last night, so I was up until 6 am this morning. I finally crawled into bed, after watching a number of episodes of Sopranos (Season 5), and working on the Cross Stitch for my mother (progress below) (I really don't think Xstitch is for me, by the way) (I'll explain further below). I finally got to sleep around 6am, BUT it was uncomfortable, and I kept tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable, but I couldn't - and was having pains in my back, and after an amazing day yesterday with no groin pain, it's back today. I slept in today until 2pm, when Zeus woke me up by throwing up. I caught him in time, jumped out of bed, and threw him into the hallway. (Easier to clean off the hardwood floors, than my bed that he started getting sick on (Pukey the cat we call him), or even my carpeted bedroom floor. Dang cat.

My sister came over for a few hours this afternoon, to avoid traffic into the city. She had a final exam tonight for one of her courses. She has 2 more classes to take to graduate. Unfortunately the 2 courses left are both offered on the same night next semester, so she'll do next semester, plus summer school and end in the summer. She'll have her marketing degree. I quized her on a bunch of stuff, but I could tell she was nervous. She called me after the exam was over, and said she thinks she did pretty good. (GLAD!) Oh - she saw the baby's room for the first time today, and loves it! YEY! (It's been a while since she's been over).

Tonight, Jamie and I had Halishka's for dinner (Cabbage Rolls in English - Halishka's I believe is Yiddish). There was plenty of leftovers, so Jamie will take lunch again tomorrow to work (he's loving this cooking binge I've been on) and even for me for lunch tomorrow.

Patty, my SP9 hostess convinced me today to sit back and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. Luckily I had a hot chocolate with marshmellows. (I'm not a chocolate eater, but love love to drink hot chocolate or chocolate milk).

I pulled out my super huge mug (that I use a few times in the winter to drink tea, and that's it):



And filled it up with hot chocolate and marshmellows. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Oh, here is my progress on the Cross Stitch (In between the black skirt, there is WHITE crosses, so there is more work done on it, that is hard to tell!):

To show my progress, here is what I've done on the "pattern": I highlight with markers after I've worked on a stitch. Now, I don't know what I did wrong, or how I counted, pregnancy brain maybe.... but there are some extra stitches that I have no idea where they came from! As you can see, the blue line under the skirt, somehow I managed to add some extra skirt! That's okay, it'll just be unique and I'm sure my mother will NOT notice the difference - lol. I hope not anyhow. Anyhow - this is exactly why Cross Stitching is just not for me. The counting - ahhh - the counting! I am DYING to finish this already, so I can frame it and give it to my mother, hopefully by her birthday on the 22nd and then continue on knitting!

Look where I caught Zeus. Sleeping in an extra newborn car seat that I got my hands on.

I want to share with you, Shelley - my very adorable Secret Pal. I'm spoiling her, and here is a picture I requested from her. I asked her to model the hat I sent her! She posted it on her blog, and I had to snatch the photo and share it. She's just a cutie! Shelley and I have been really close, even though she has NO IDEA who I am!

I've started REGRETTING chopping off my hair back in August. I'm totally growing it back. That was a REALLY dumb pregnancy move to make. I SHOULD have listened to my hubby. I wish it would grow faster, so that it could fit into a pony tail without falling out. Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! That's what is bothering me today.

I've got a headache, a little one, so I am going to go TRY to lie down. Maybe I'll be able to sleep tonight, it's a good possibility. I'm a little zonked from lack of sleep, so maybe that is why I have the little headache (though I won't take anything for it - for Sean's sake).

Tomorrow on tap - relax, cross stitch, laundry, a little crafting, and who knows what else is in store. I just want this groin muscle to heal, and I need to keep my feet up so that the swelling goes down.

Maybe I'll get some knitting done.... I hope! But the Cross Stitch comes first. Must be done by next Friday. Shoot - I TOTALLY forgot about my step-mother-in-law's purse that I want to make her for her birthday. ARGH! Gotta get my act into gear on that too.

Wow - I can't believe tomorrow I start week 37. Will my dream come true? Will Sean be born in his 37th week of being in my belly???

A Long Way To Go

Alright, about my day. Well, first off, I never got to sleep last night. I just couldn't. I maybe closed my eyes for an hour this morning between 5:30 am and 6:30 am. I think it was a combo of sleeping in until 4pm on Sunday, and being uncomfortable that got to me.

I had my 8:15 am OBGYN apt this morning. A re-cap. The nurse Harriet got there late. She told me that she got addicted to something on the internet before coming in and then got stuck at every red light. (However, before she told me this she got chewed out by a patient in the waiting room, and we both made fun of that girl together while she took my blood pressure and weighed me). The weighing thing; I'm starting to get really annoyed with it. I feel like a beached whale, and I'm retaining so much water I'm swollen everywhere. I gained 7 lbs of swelling in the last 2 weeks. Harriet told me to tell the doctor when he saw me that I'm really swollen, and his response? "Welcome to the 9th month of pregnancy". LOL. The doctor did his check up and announced that Sean has not yet dropped, and I have a long way to go still. He definitely won't be a December baby, that's for sure. And the pain in my groin area... I pulled a muscle, or was it a ligament (or is that the same thing?). He said there is nothing to do about it, and it may get worse. Today, at my appointment, I did get my "paperwork" that has to stay on me at all times, and it will be required when checking into the hospital when I'm in labor.

After my apt, I got breakfast at McDonalds, and then took the bus the three blocks home. It was too slushy out, and my feet were killing, so I didn't chance walking.

This afternoon I went to the post office to mail some stuff for Jamie that he sold on ebay, and I also got Lainie's package in the mail. I still have 2 more packages besides my SP9's Xmas package to finalize (one at a time), and get in the mail, but I feel soo much better that I am on top of things! I have a swap package to finish for Cynthia, and another for Raesha, which both will be mailed by latest Friday. (The deadline we set).

I did some groceries before heading home, and that took me a long time, because I was having really bad groin muscle pain, and so it took me forever to walk around the grocery store. I needed a few essentials (cooking oil, all purpose flour, and some ingredients to make my mother-in-law's minestrone soup recipe, which I will be making tomorrow).

Today, Zeus took a break in an empty diaper box:

And then it was Jazz's turn in the same box:

I totally forgot to take my 36 weeks shots on Thursday, I've been feeling really icky these last couple of weeks, so lack of motivation to be photographed looking like a swollen beach whale, I present to you, 36 weeks, 4 days: (A picture taken in my office:)

And due to my hormones, and my pimply face, I LOVE photoshop today, and the clone stamp tool. I've eliminated my pregnancy pimples, and I actually wish I could erase them in real life. Wouldn't that be nice? I'm using stuff to hopefully get rid of them, they are driving me nuts though.... I thought, really, that I was supposed to have the best skin of my life??

My rings are now worn around my neck, I can't get them on my swollen fingers...

My SP9 Pal received a pre-Xmas package in the mail today. Along with some cotton yarn that I sent her, in a bunch of shades of her FAVE color, I sent her this hat... which I whipped up in no time, now that I can crochet in the round (Along with green, she likes baby pink and baby blues, so I made her this hat in baby pastel pink!):


Now she's ready for winter in Edmonton! (I hear it's been nasty cold there!) I saw this style hat in a magazine once, and doodled (sketched) it out, and decided to create it.

Came out pretty good, I think. All you need is yarn, a crochet hook and some chunky buttons.

So, a friend of mine, got this today in the mail as her gift in a mitten swap. Do you notice anything wrong with these mitts??


Even Jamie, who doesn't knit, was able to pick out that the two THUMBS DON'T FRIGGIN' MATCH, nor does the width and size of the actual mittens. I am horrified that someone would actually mail this out to someone else on swap-bot.com!!!

Another funny thing.... Click here. Sorry, had to share!

Tonight at Aqua, the INSTANT I got into the water, my muscle pains and aches disappeared. The INSTANT I stepped out of the water, it returned. Gravity I tell you. It's not on my side. I felt great in the water, and I loved the hour that I was in there. I don't think I could have stayed in any longer though, my fingers were starting to prune! I look forward to my last Prenatal Aqua next Monday night (18th). The Monday after that is Xmas Day and the Monday after that is New Years Day. IF Sean isn't born yet, which I'm hoping he is - then I'll go to Aqua on Monday January 9th, 2007, providing I can still get into my bathing suit. But I have a hunch that this next class on the 18th will be my last. Too bad for the holidays being on Mondays this year.

More tomorrow about how I'm feeling.

I'm now officially ZONKED due to lack of sleep from last night.

My Fave Recipe: SP9 Contest

My fave TWO recipes are very simple. One is for an apple cake, and one is for meat sauce. It means a lot to me because they are from my step-mother-in-law, and one can only get their hands on it upon marrying into the family. Both times, for both recipes, the first time is always taught to you. I went over both times to my in-law's and learned how to make them. Unfortunately I can't give out those recipes - family secret!! (Both recipes I can now make without even looking at the ingredients or measurements!)

Fetching Version 2

The Yarn Harlot finally posted about her trip to Montreal. Here's a pic from her site, from her angle, of her travelling sock - but with me in the audience - FRONT ROW!!! The pink arrow - that's me.

My SP9 pal finally got her package number 1 today. I stole this pic from her blog, since I forgot to photograph the loot before mailing it off. One of the mugs I sent her with purple sheep on it, broke en route (dang canada post!), so I will have to replace it!

Yey - so happy she got it. And that breast cancer card in the corner, (pink and white card) that was mailed seperately, with a needle guage in it (needle guage is sitting in the mug in the back) which I guess came in the mail today with the big package, so voila - photographed all together!

I got this email today from Pregnancy Weekly:

Week 32: Baby's First Mall Portrait?

Ultrasound is a tried-and-true prenatal tool (and a window into the wonderful world of your womb), but lately this procedure has taken a giant leap from the confines of a doctor's office to a storefront at the mall. Is it safe to take a peek inside your tummy on the way to Sears? While the FDA has yet to establish rules on these prenatal photography studios, they do warn against having ultrasounds for fun (as opposed to for medical reasons), since such three-dimensional imaging machines use much higher power than the typical ultrasound machines at your doctor's office. And many medical professionals fear that nervous moms-to-be will come away wrongly convinced there's something wrong with their babies, or, worse, that the untrained wand wavers will miss real problems that would be detected by a pro. If you do choose elective sonography, do so wisely (and after you check with your practitioner for the go-ahead). While there's nothing more precious than seeing your baby in three dimensions (except, of course, seeing your baby for real once it's born), limit your visits to one or two, each no more than 15 minutes in length. And bring your wallet! Some studios charge up to $300 for a photo, CD-ROM, and a video of the fetus.

Uhm... I only get this now? A week after my first 3d and the day before the second attempt?? Makes me wonder, but I don't think it's going to harm anything.....

If you're interested, here is an article on Graphing Patterns with Excel.

In other news, right now I'm dealing with a pissed off family who want to be there while I'm giving birth, and I DONT WANT THAT. I dont even want anyone at the hospital, only to visit once I get home. I want my privacy and space. And they just don't get it. I am not trying to be selfish, it's just the way I am. Sometimes, I can be anti-social. But if everything goes well, you're just in the hospital like 36 hrs (non c-section) and I dont plan on staying long if all goes well... and baby is okay. So - they can't wait a few hours?? Maybe I just wont tell them i'm going into labor, and just call them from home afterwards, haha! That would be bitchy, now wouldn't it? Anyhow, am I wrong for wanting my space and privacy? Of course Jamie will be there throughout everything, but I first off, don't need my family members seeing me nude in the birthing room, and afterwards, when the baby is sleeping, I'll be sleeping. When the baby is awake, most likely he'll be feeding, and I want to use that little time I'm in the hospital, to utilize the nurses for learning how to breast feed properly. Also - if I have to have a c-section for whatever reason, I don't want others to see my child before I even do. Do I have the right to be that selfish? Is that selfish? Who knows, maybe it's my hormones talking right now, they've been really bitchy lately. They have made me into a monster, and I'm trying not to be! It's worse than when was PMS-y bitchy! And I'm trying to keep my cool. Maybe it'll pass soon. I hope.

Tonight I went knitting with Montreal Knits. I cast on for Fetching. I decided to add more rows of cabling though, instead of 4x1 ribbing all the way up the arm, so to give it my own unique effect. Here is my progress from tonight, casting on, and knitting:

I am loving Noro. My first time working with it! I have some discontinued Noro Kabuto, which I swatched once, but never made anything with it - (totally forgot I had it), so this is my first time knitting with Noro! I'm addicted. I want more!!

Alright, I've got my diabetes test at the hospital tomorrow, and my 3d ultrasound (take two!), so I'm going to hop into bed and hope I can sleep. Feeling a little wired right now.

Baby Shower Pictures & Other Fun Stuff

First off, More views of the elephant that Jenn knit for Sean on her blog today. Click here to view. Just want to remind Jennifer that it was my fave baby shower gift by far... because it was made from her, with love. Of course I received other gifts that were handmade, but this one, is truly special to me. (Besides the diaper cake that my UNCREATIVE mother actually creatively put together! See below).

This morning, I had my last monthly checkup at the OBGYN. My next visit is in 3 weeks exactly, on November 27th. Then I believe after that - it is a 2 week visit, and then weekly. (I only have 8 weeks left until my due date as of this Thursday, so I am sure that time will pass fast and I'll be sick of my doctor! LOL).

The other day, when mentioning to Jamie that I didn't want to have an epidural, he laughed at me, and said that he can't see that happening. But now he's told me that he supports whatever decision that I choose to go with - and he'll be there for me in any which way. That's the words I want to hear! But yes, the thought of epidurals sends chills down my spine - literally.

Jamie dropped me off at the doctor's office this morning on his way to work. After the doctor's office, I walked home. It was a nice walk, only took me about 15 minutes, and I didn't even need the hat, scarf and mittens that I brought with me to bundle up in. It was just warm. Warm in November. Odd. But nice.

I have to go this week for my diabetes testing. Apparently it's routinely done around 24 weeks, but my doctor had thought for some reason that I'd done it, but I didn't - so I'm going sometime this week to do it. I don't want to bother even trying to "take a number" at the hospital, which is the same walking distance as my doctor's office pretty much, so, I'm going to a private lab, and for 35$ (instead of free covered by medicare) to save me from headaches and line ups and aggrevation, I can do it at my convenience. I like convenience. Sometimes that's better than free. Plus, when it's private, they care more than free service. (That's how I feel anyhow). Anyhow, since I'm afraid of needles, and they did a good job at the beginning of my pregnancy, when they had to take 5 viles of blood - I'm trusting them again for the diabetes testing. I have to fast from midnight one night until the next morning. They take your blood when you get there, then you have to drink a liquid that apparently is like orange crush, and then after an hour, (ooh - an hour of knitting and/or reading), I get more blood taken from me. I just need to decide which day this week I want to do that.

My day went like this: Stopped by my mother's house. Stopped by my sister's apartment. Did a return at Zellers (and then went to go buy 2 items that I wanted to buy Sean or for Sean, with a gift card that I received to HBC yesterday, and the card was blank. BLANK! My mom says she's going to find out what happened, from the person who gave me that gift, but it was just weird. I hope they didn't get stiffed! That would be awful. I'll keep you updated when I find out what happened to the gift card that I received!) I then went to do an exchange at Sears (where I have my baby registry and pick up a few items that I needed) and after doing that - I think that I have everything that I need for Sean - just about. Of course there are a few other things that I'm missing (baby wipes, and a few other items), but I've got everything that I think I will need. Almost to the point, where Sean's room is SOOOOO full, that I have no idea where he is going to go!!! He's just soooo spoiled and has so much stuff now!

To prove that - here is a picture of me surrounded by all the lovely gifts yesterday at the baby shower! That's me sitting on the floor - because chairs are just not comfortable anymore!

Here is a picture of me wearing the ribbon hat they made me with all the bows and ribbons from all the gifts that I received:

Here, below, is a picture of my sister, my friend Saskia, myself & Angela:

This is my mother & sister (above), the two proud diaper cake makers. (My sister apparently helped out on it, but my mother is taking full credit for it!)

nd this is the WONDERFUL diaper cake that I received:
(Apparently I nagged about wanting a diaper cake, which I do not recall, but my mother said I did. That's what mothers are for, to nag to... BUT I honestly would never NAG about a diaper cake, so I have NO idea what she is talking about - really!

I absolutely love the job that my mother did with the diaper cake. I am soooooo very impressed with it. I even scored the rest of the box of the diapers (my mother bought the 228 diaper jumbo box from Costco. And that's now on top of the 228 box I already received last week from Jamie's dad and step-mom. So... I'm well equiped with over 456 newborn diapers. (And those aren't the only ones that I have!) 456 diapers, at 65 diapers per week (is what the average is apparently), with those 2 boxes alone, I'm good for approx. 7 weeks. CRAZY!

This afternoon I went knitting with my cousin Jennifer and Trish, who is an American living in Montreal with her husband, whom I met also, when he came to pick her up. Trish and her husband both are very nice people, and I'm glad that I got the chance to go knitting with her, and meet new people. Glad to have met you Trish - and glad to of gotten you out of the house. Just let me know when you want to go meet up again - I've got time on my hands (until the baby is born - lol!) I hope you had a good time too - both Jennifer & Trish!

My Secret Pal received the Needle Case that I made for her. She was VERY happy to receive it.

My SP9 pal, is only a few provinces over, and she's already building a slope in her backyard with snow for sledding. I WANT SNOW! I love snow. I would love to play in the snow. Where is our snow?

On the baby update, from Pregnancy Weekly:

Your baby now weighs approximately 3.5 pounds, measures about 18 inches from head to toe, and is getting used to the world of light and dark by opening and closing its eyes. Its facial muscles continue to strengthen, and your baby can make different expressions.

(As long as he's not making faces at me - then it's all good!)

I saw this today, and wanted to share:

TWENTY THINGS THAT CHANGE WHEN YOU HAVE A BABY:

1. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.
2. You finally stop to smell the roses, because your baby is in your arms.
3. Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.
4. You're less self-involved and more self-motivated.
5. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.
6. You respect your body ... finally. (Hooray for baby-making!)
7. You have stronger opinions and are stronger willed.
8. You respect your parents and love them in a new way. (Hooray for grandparents!)
9. You find that your baby's pain feels much worse than your own.
10. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child. (Hooray for the tooth fairy!
11. You lose touch with the people in your life that you should have banished years ago.
12. Your heart breaks much more easily.
13. You think of your baby 234,836,178,976 times a day. In fact, you're so busy with this that you forget everything else.
14. Every day is a surprise.
15. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)
16. You think before you speak.
17. You become a morning person. (Hooray for watching the sun rise!)
18. If you have a son, you no longer curse men. (Hooray for all men!)
19. If you have a daughter, you hope she won't endure your same heartaches.
20. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.

Alright, Prenatal Aqua pooped me out tonight. I love being in the water, I feel so weighless, I love it. I'm really glad that the Y around the corner from my house offers this class. It's just wonderful. I really recommend it! But, now, I'm zonked. I'm going to go take my knitting into bed, and hopefully pass out! Got stuff I want to do tomorrow before my mother picks me up (Jamie will meet us at dinner, and it's silly to have 2 cars (mine and his) out in the west, near my parents place) so my mother is picking up my grandmother and I, and we're spending some of the afternoon together, before dinner). Always chores to do around here - they never end!

Progress picture of my Woven Trellis coming tomorrow. Promise!