"Hilary Homemaker"

So last night, D and I were hanging out on the couch watching TV. Maya was kicking up a storm (or maybe she was punching? I can’t really tell yet…). At one point I lifted up my shirt and pointed out an area on my belly and said, “Honey – watch this spot right here”. D and I both stared at the spot intently. After about 10 seconds passed, we were starting to give up when all of the sudden – POP! – my belly jumped! D got this huge grin on his face and said, “I saw that!!” He was so excited. I’ve been watching my belly twitch and jump for a couple of weeks now, but this was the first time that D was able to see it. To see D so excited and happy made my day, week, month…

Baby girl had a couple of quiet days earlier in the week (which were total agony for me), but thank goodness she has been active again lately, which I just love. Keep it up, Maya!!

I am in total countdown mode to maternity leave. I have 4 weeks to go (after this week) but next week is my last “full” week. I am using some banked vacation time to take a couple of days off during each of the remaining 3 weeks. Maternity leave in Canada is a full year, and I feel so lucky to live here. But I feel even luckier to be having this baby girl - seriously, somebody pinch me!

I plan to be Little Miss Happy Homemaker once I'm on maternity leave. My job will be to take care of the house, the cooking, the cleaning and of course – the baby.

I think it’s time to buy an apron.

24 Weeks Today

24 Weeks = 6 Months! Hooray!!

I am starting to get bigger by the minute. To think that not that long ago I was complaining that I didn't think I looked pregnant. Well now, there's no hiding it. And everyone tells me the belly size increase takes off exponentially from here.

Last night D and I went to our friends' place - L and S's - for dinner and a video. While I was sitting on the couch, L looked over at me and exclaimed, "Wow Hilary, you are looking SO pregnant!". I love that people are starting to say that kind of thing, I must confess. Being visibly, noticeably preggers makes me feel really beautiful, despite the acne, gas, bloating, heartburn.....but I digress.

Baby girl's movements have been a lot more frequent lately and I love it. She still has no real pattern, but over the last week I have been lucky enough to feel her at least 3-4 times a day and usually even more than that. Additionally, I am becoming more keenly aware of what I'm feeling - what is actually baby movement and what is something else (gas, twinges, etc.). Every morning I wake up excited to feel more of those gorgeous movements.

Here's some exciting news: On Friday I was contacted by the National Post (it's a large Canadian newspaper) and asked if I would be willing to be interviewed with regard to my experiences with infertility and IVF for an article they're doing in May. They got my information from Dr. T. I am super excited and flattered to be thought of. I am very passionate about raising awareness about infertility (plus, I love to talk people's ears off about the subject) and I feel really honoured to have been asked to do this. More info on this to come as the details roll in!

Understanding Her

Well, since my baby girl doesn’t seem to like being at all predictable, in response to my last post, she’s definitely been more active. I hope I’m not jinxing anything by saying this, but indeed her movements and kicks have become more constant over the last few days. I am in seventh heaven when she kicks. Nothing makes me smile more.

As it stands now, it seems like she puts on a little show every 2-3 hours or so. Her movements don’t seem to be in response to food; rather, I tend to notice movement when I’ve settled, either sitting or lying down comfortably, after I’ve been walking around and busy. The lack of MY movement seems to get her going. I can’t confirm this pattern yet, but I am paying close attention.

I’ve also noticed that she tends to “sleep in” in the mornings. I usually don’t notice much activity before early afternoon. Of course, it’s about 10am right now and I am feeling little flutters as I type this. Oh my little girl really doesn’t want her mummy to catch on to her mysterious ways. No complaints out of me though – the more movements the better!

My husband told me this morning that, for the first time in our relationship, I snored in my sleep last night. Actually, he eloquently stated that it sounded as if “someone was subduing a wild boar”. Thanks, honey. (For the record, he sounds like a chainsaw when he sleeps, so there!)

Quiet Again...And Then...

Baby girl has gone quiet again over the last two days. I swear these quiet days are absolute agony for me. I even had to bust out the ol’ Doppler this morning just to put my mind at ease (and thank goodness, everything is fine).

I just don’t get it. It seems like she was more active over the last two weeks than she has been this week. Am I being crazy? Is 23 weeks too early to expect frequent movement?

Thankfully, I have felt her at least once every day, even on her quiet days. But her movements have indeed been softer and less “kicky”. What could she be up to in there?

I am so curious about other people’s experiences, I am posting a poll. Please see the top right corner of this blog.

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In other news, over the last two days, I have really “blossomed”. Hehe this is a nice way of saying my belly has gotten HUGE. I don’t know when exactly it happened, but I woke up yesterday feeling big and after I got dressed and checked myself out, I discovered the mirror was definitely agreeing with this sentiment. All of the sudden, I am shaped like a big ol’ pregnant pear. A big pear with big boobs. And a fat ass. OK, maybe I’m shaped more like a “B”. Yeah, that’s more accurate.

Oops! Maya just kicked me. Hooray! It’s almost like she can sense that I’m writing this post and had to let me know she is just fine in there. Another kick! There she goes again!

I think I’m really starting to get a feel for baby girl’s personality now... She really likes to keep ‘em guessing. That’s my girl.

Kickity Kick

23 weeks and baby girl’s movements are starting to get more regular. She definitely still has her quiet days (which are agony for me) but in general, I think I can safely say I am feeling her more often and the movements are getting stronger. She was super active on Friday and Saturday – then she went quiet on Sunday. Now today (Monday), she is a busy bee again and I LOVE it.

Lately I have been feeling like my stomach is a bottomless pit, reminiscent of the first trimester. And the need to eat feels so urgent. I really am trying to show some restraint, as per my doctor’s orders, but I am finding it difficult. I am just loving food so much right now. I’ve already gained a grand total of 16 pounds and my doctor says 30 is the max for me. Honestly, I am not one of those women that care about the numbers on the scale – really, as long as Maya and I are healthy. But I don’t want to put myself at greater risk for gestational diabetes so I truly am trying to behave myself.

Speaking of stomachs, mine is definitely getting bigger, but I am not *quite* at the point where I look “obviously pregnant” to strangers. This bugs me. Those that know me can easily see the change in my belly and to them, it’s obvious; but to everyone else, I think I just look chubby. I am very excited for the day that a complete stranger approaches me and mentions something about my being pregnant. Right now, I don’t think anyone would dare.

Everyone keep asking me if I’m having any cravings, but I’ve had no pregnancy cravings really so far. I will say, however, that I do love those little mini-oranges called Clementines. Those puppies are crazy de-lish. Other than that, my “cravings” generally consist of whatever delicious food is in front of me at the moment.

I always heard that the second trimester was the “glowing” trimester. Some even refer to it as the “Honeymoon” trimester. But I gotta tell ya, I have been more tired, more hormonal, more achy, more gassy and more bloated during this trimester than I was during the first. Plus, my face is quite reminiscent of a pizza right now, and I normally have fairly cooperative skin. The third trimester should be interesting. But all sarcasm aside, I can’t wait!

Despite all these silly annoyances, I absolutely LOVE being pregnant. I just adore it. I honestly wouldn’t care if I turned purple and grew antlers, just feeling this beautiful life growing inside me is soooo worth it. Without a doubt, pregnancy is everything I hoped it would be and so much more. It has permanently altered my perspective and my reality. I’ve never been involved in anything so important, meaningful or fulfilling. I lack the words to describe how this feels. I am a different person now. I’m a mum.

23 Weeks Today

23 is my lucky number :)

Wet Dreams

I was awoken this morning by some serious kicking! At first, I incorporated the sensation into my dreams. But a few minutes into it, I woke up realizing what was happening. The kicks were higher than I’m used to – above my belly button this time. Let me tell you, there is nothing more magical and wonderful than being woken up by little kicks. You know it’s going to be a good day.

Maya’s movements still have no rhyme or reason yet. At nearly 23 weeks, I’m not sure what kind of regularity I should expect at this point. She has her quiet days and her busy days. Sometimes I feel nice (relatively) hard kicks and other times I feel really light taps and twitches. Sometimes I feel her barely once a day and sometimes I feel her 2-4 times a day for 10 minutes at a time. Is this normal? When will her movements get more “regular”? I would sincerely appreciate any comments and insight about this.

I also discovered this morning that I had “leaked” again. Not nearly as much as the other day, but still noticeable. I think I’ve all but convinced myself that I am pissing my pants in my sleep. I honestly don’t know how this could be possible because I wake up, like, at least 8 times every night to pee. (Oro – to answer your question, I am shamefully lax at doing my Kegels – I hate them. Perhaps this might be a contributing factor?)

In my defense, I don’t think I’m actively pissing in my pants – I think it’s more like maybe it doesn’t completely stop trickling out in small amounts even after I think I’m done.

Wow, this is an embarrassing confession to type to all of cyberspace.

Hello, my name is Hilary and I’m a bed wetter.

In any regard, none of this can be confirmed quite yet – more observational testing needs to be conducted before a final theorem on “The Night Pissing Epidemic” can be formed.

In other news, it’s Friday! This week has gone by relatively quickly because I’ve been sick with this stupid head cold most of the week and haven’t been going in to work. But I finally feel like I’m on the mend now – just in time for the weekend!