New Baby Cook!

Congratulations to one of my best friends, Cheryl, and her husband, Corey, on the birth of their first child, Devon Riley James Cook, on August 30 at 6:31 pm! The little guy weighed in at 5 lbs 15 oz and has A LOT of dark hair (under the hat). Cheryl and I have been best friends for 15 years and I could not be more excited for her! He is such a tiny little guy. :)

Baby Weight

I just found out that by this point in my pregnancy (beginning of the third trimester) I should have gained about 17-24 lbs. I am actually just back to the weight I was when we found out we were pregnant in March. (I lost a lot of weight in the first 4 months of pregnancy).

I know, you're not supposed to worry about gaining weight when you're pregnant as it's a natural occurrence and is necessary for the healthy growth and development of the fetus but I was overweight in March! I gained a whopping 50 lbs with Joshua and it did not entirely come off in those first 9 months following his birth (before I became pregnant with #2). So, to me, this lack of weight gain is a wonderful thing! (I am still at a more-than-healthy weight, believe me!)

In fact, my doctor told me at my last appointment that if I continue like this and have 3 more kids, I can be 110 lbs by the time we're done! (I realize that at almost 5'11'' that's just not possible ... but a girl can dream, can't she?!?) ;)

Another Hospital Visit

Grrr ... I was back in the hospital on Wednesday afternoon with another migraine headache. They kept me in maternity triage for 5 hours monitoring the baby and giving me pain medication, even though I told them that the baby was fine, it was just my head that hurt! :P

It has only been 3 weeks since my last migraine and already another one?!? (My second one ever). I hope this baby comes early (like, safely at 36 weeks) because I can't handle much more of this!

In better news, the baby seems to be healthy and growing quickly! (It is very active already -- similar to how Joshua was in utero -- where I can't even go a few hours without it waking me up with a good, solid kick!) ;)

Double Strollers

Does anyone have any advice on double strollers? Since Joshua and the new baby will be about 18 months apart I have been researching and pricing double strollers, but it seems they are not only very expensive but also come with mixed reviews.

We're leaning towards getting the Graco Duo-Glide Metropolitan stroller and car seat as there seem to be more good reviews than bad about this particular brand and model but I was wondering if anyone had any ideas or opinions on this matter?!?

Please help!!

What a Day

I spent the afternoon at my friend Cheryl's house, planning her baby shower, with my sister Stephanie, for this Saturday. They did the baking before I got there and then we planned the decorations and started on the party favours. After a few hours, Joshua was ready to come home so we left Cheryl's house and he quickly ran off down the street, after my sister. I finally caught him to put him in the car but he was fairly upset at being in captivity and kept whining incessantly. So, as I was belting Joshua into his car seat, I handed him my car keys to calm him down. They worked so well that I figured, why not let him hang onto them as I got in the front seat and then grab them once we were ready to take off. Unfortunately, I didn't notice that he had hit the keyless entry remote on the keys and all the doors were locked.

Thus started 30 minutes of Joshua and I crying in unison as he was trapped in the HOT car and I waited on the outside for the tow truck driver to arrive, feeling like the worst mother in the world. It was by far the fastest BCAA call I have ever experienced as they were there in no time and were very quick in getting the doors unlocked, however, I am still traumatized by the experience. Joshua seemed to be over it as soon as I put him in the bath and got him clean and dry. Now, though, I feel like a horrible and neglectful mother ... what kind of person locks their baby in the car?!? It is definitely time to get a spare key made up! (One that Joe doesn't take with him to work in Aldergrove).

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, HERE WE COME!

And we're almost off! :)

Our last girls' road trip starts tomorrow! Stephanie, Jen and I will leave Wednesday morning for 3 days in the USA. Thursday night we will atend the Tim McGraw and Faith Hill Soul II Soul 2 Tour at Key Arena in Seattle and, other than that, we will mainly sight-see and shop. :)

Jen moves to Manitoba in September to attend a Christian University so this is supposed to be our 'farewell tour'. :P

We started our roadtrips in 2001 with a trip to George, WA for a Tim McGraw concert at the Gorge, a week-long trip to the Merritt Mountain Music Festival, and a week camping in Osoyoos. 2002 brought the beginning of our annual trips (with Deanne) to stay at a hostel in Kelowna. Those trips ended when, in 2005, Jen made a trip of her own to Nicaragua to volunteer in an orphanage for the summer. Last year, Steph and I had to keep the tradition alive by taking a trip to stay in Osoyoos for a few days with 3 month old Joshua -- that was definitely different than our trips with the girls! ;)

So, this year will probably be our last for a while ... unless Jen can get away when she comes home in the summers and I can escape the growing family for a few days next year! *crosses fingers*

Yesterday

Yesterday was an interesting day.

Joe and I had plans for a dinner/football game date night but, once he finished work, it turned into a 'rush to the game and get there just as it started' kind of date. It was still very nice, though. The BC Lions won against the Edmonton Eskimos, 34-17. We then came home (where my parents and Steph had already put Joshua to bed in his own room ... I love this set-up!).

I was starting to get a small headache as we got home but that's a normal pregnancy thing for me so I just ignored it. Then, however, at about 2 am I awoke with the worst headache I have ever had and couldn't get comfortable, was too dizzy to walk and kept vomitting from the pain. I took countless pills of tylenol before I realized I couldn't keep them down long enough for them to work and so decided to call the BC Nurse's Help Line for assistance.

When I explained what was happening to the nurse on duty last night she demanded that I call 911 immediately. This completely freaked me out since she told me I couldn't even have Joe drive me to the hospital but needed to be taken by an ambulance on a stretcher. So, I called 911 and made the decision to have Joe drive me anyway mainly because I didn't want to get a bill for an ambulance ride when he was home and, thanks again to Steph and my parents living nearby, able to leave Joshua sleeping in order to take me to the hospital. The rest of my story is pretty disgusting from here on out so I will just say that my headache was a migraine (I have a complete new respect for people who suffer from migraines ... I always just thought they were really bad headaches), which caused almost constant vomitting and then the vomitting caused contractions. By early this morning I had been admitted to the maternity ward at MSA Hospital and repeatedly pumped full of copious amounts of Morphine, Gravol and another anti-nauseau medications that I can't pronounce. :P

I am now discharged and home with the lingering remains of a headache (as the Morphine is wearing off), getting ready to have some friends over for a barbecue. I probably should have cancelled and stayed in bed but then what kind of a friend would I be?!? ;)

The moral of my story ... don't ever get a migraine (as if you could help it)!!

Baby Updates

I had my first appointment with the Obstetrician today and had forgotten how annoying these appointments can be. *L* (Not the appointments themselves, just trying to get in to see a doctor who delivers several babies each week).

I set my alarm early so I could be up and at the office for my morning appointment and then got the call just as I was heading out the door that Dr. Shaw was at the hospital delivering a baby. So, my appointment was resceduled for a later time. (This was not actually that annoying and wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't already set my alarm and gotten ready!) ;)

The appointment went well. I had only gained 2 pounds instead of the 4 I thought and the doctor is happy with the baby's growth and development to date. She made a comment about the size of the baby already and told me if I wanted to have smaller babies I would definitely have to choose from a different gene pool, though. *L*

My due date has been changed to November 30 (based on the last ultrasound) which makes me really happy ... the end of November doesn't seem as far away as the beginning of December did! :P

My only concern is that the baby's heartbeat was irregular. Dr. Shaw couldn't even find it using the doppler (despite the fact I am over 23 weeks along) and had to use the ultrasound machine to locate it. When she finally found the heartbeat it was only at 60 bpm. The average baby's rate ranges from 120 to 170. When she poked the baby and made it move the heart rate rose to 150 bpm but she said we'll have to keep an eye on it. Dr. Shaw gave me a name for this developmental condition but I can't remember it and so can't even go on the internet and learn more about it. :(

Has anyone heard of this before? Any ideas? Apparently it can happen when the baby's nervous system is developing ...

Otherwise, things are going great. I will go for some blood tests in a few weeks to check for gestational diabetes and also to check my iron levels. They want to rule out anemia since I have been so run down and exhausted lately. (I have been anemic several times in the past but this exhaustion could also be a result of having a VERY active 14 month old boy at home!) ;)

That's what's happening in my pregnancy today ...