Slowing Down

I am now getting to a stage in pregnancy that reminds me of the first trimester because I am SO tired! Perhaps it is carrying around all this extra weight or hormones going wild but whatever it is, I sure have slept a lot this week...I took naps almost every afternoon and today we had an early start to our work day so I came home at lunch to take a nap.

My lack of energy and need for so many naps makes it hard to accomplish as much as I would like but I am working on changing my expectations so that I can be OK with taking it a bit easier. A wise mentor reminded me this week that I need to extend grace to myself and make sure to rest and prepare as much as possible before LT is born.

LT Is In Position & Hopefully Staying There

This morning we had our last opportunity to see LT before he's born at my 32 week ultrasound. Yes, I wrote "he"... today we received a fourth separate confirmation that LT is a boy!!! At this point it would be pretty surprising if for some reason all the radiologists & techs turned out to be wrong and he was a girl.

It was amazing to see how much he's grown since our last ultrasound in August! He's beginning to get cramped in there as he continues to grow bigger and bigger.

As I saw how he is positioned, I understood exactly how his position is related to the kicks and movements that I am feeling. He is head down with his head slightly to the left, his spine curved across my abdomen with his feet upwards towards my right side.

- I notice the majority of his movements by where his feet are, on the right side of my stomach.

- It often feels like he is pushing on my bladder. The ultrasound confirmed that his head is right next to my bladder so he is pushing on it! Today his hands were also up by his head, he probably punches my bladder from time to time as he moves his little hands around.

Having had the opportunity to see LT so many times already has been awesome and I'm so excited to meet him in person in a few weeks. I still wonder what he'll look like...will he have lots of hair, will his skin be dark or light, will he look more like Darren or like me? These are questions that ultrasounds can't answer.

A Great End to Week 31!

We spent last Wednesday to Saturday in Victoria, visiting friends and doing ministry together with them at UVic. Thankfully I had enough energy to really enjoy the trip.

On Saturday we spent the afternoon checking out some of the sights in Victoria.

The picture on the right was taken at Mount Douglas, a beautiful outlook over the city of Victoria.

We also had a great time walking around the city! Being in the third trimester during the fall has been awesome, I have been keeping warm without getting super bundled up for winter! It's been quite the change to almost never experience cold feet and to often feel warmer than Darren.

This picture was taken in a series of narrow alleyways connecting several of the businesses in Chinatown. Really cool spot!

LT Loves Flying!

We're hoping this means that LT is going to be a happy traveler...Darren & I have flown four times in the past number of weeks and on each flight, LT has kicked excitedly throughout most of the flights.

His kicks have been especially reassuring after my early complications and South Asian doctors concerns about me flying during pregnancy. My OB here in Calgary reassured me that flying would not cause harm to LT and since we were only flying within Canada, if there were any issues, the pilots would just land the plane. With her blessing, Darren and I have enjoyed two excellent trips, one to each of the coasts of Canada.

Waiting for Baby

Over the past two weeks, some of my preggo friends have had their babies. It's been exciting to follow their labour chronicles since I will be there in a few weeks. It has also made me begin to wait a bit more anxiously for LT's birth. I know that eight weeks will pass before I know it but sometimes I find myself wishing that I could fast forward the calendar to December...

Reserved for Expectant Mothers & Mothers With Small Children

I experienced another pregnancy milestone this past weekend. On Sunday evening after small group we went grocery shopping and parked for the first time in one of the spots that is reserved for expectant mothers & mothers with small children.

I really appreciate the person who thought up the idea of having designed parking spots for preggos! It is awesome to be able to park super close to the door, especially when you've been wearing heels all day. And I hope to be able to take advantage of parking in those spots throughout the rest of my pregnancy.

We have a doula!!!

Today we met with a potential doula. After our last, very disappointing, meeting with a potential doula we were unsure of what to expect this time. We thought/hoped this meeting would be a positive experience because she had been recommended by some friends from church and she goes to our church. We had met her a few times before and she seemed nice.

It turned out to be a great meeting! In contrast to the other doula we had met, Meghan was really confident and friendly. As we talked and got to know her better, she really seemed like the kind of person I would like to have around during LTs birth. As soon as we said goodbye to her, I told Darren that I would like to hire her. The other bonus is that she is in training to become certified as a doula and is charging a really reduced rate (thanks Vaness for the suggestion!).

I was so happy that I almost skipped home from our favourite coffee shop down the street where we had met her. As soon as we got home, I messaged her to say that we would like to have her as our doula. She responded within a few minutes to say that she would LOVE to be our doula.

I'm so thankful that we will have someone there to support us as I hope to have a natural birth!

31 weeks...almost!!!

As LT's due date approaches, time seems to be slowing down. Seems like the 30th week is taking about two or three weeks to go by. With only 10 weeks to go, the end is definitely in sight but in some ways it seems a long way off... still more than 2 months away.

I realized the other day that I have been pregnant for more than half a year! It has been over half a year of anticipation and preparation. Now that we have gotten to the point where many of the preparations have been made (office furniture sold, baby stuff borrowed and received, etc...), I feel like I'm just waiting around for LT to be born.

Not that I am not liking being pregnant, I'm just getting more excited about LT's birth.

Celebrating 30 Weeks!

Sunday marked 30 weeks of pregnancy so we went shooting on Monday to capture this milestone week on film.

We have been waiting to take pictures with colorful balloons for several weeks now. I love how they turned out!

I enjoy looking pregnant  except when I get strange looks from students on campus.

Family Reunion

I got behind on updating our blog since Darren & I went back to PEI for my younger sister, Paulette's wedding last weekend.

We had worked hard getting ready for the wedding but had a fantastic time catching up with everyone. Thought I'd post a few of my favourite pictures from the weekend.

We went to get bull rushes for Paulette's wedding. Darren & Matthew did all the hard work while I hung out with my nephew, Camdyn & my little sister, Anna. They're very photogenic!

My younger brother caught Darren relaxing in the hammock on my parents back deck.

We were hanging out in the barn where Paulette got married before the wedding ceremony began. Here I was comparing belly sizes with my Dad. Mine is bigger!!!

Me with the lovely bride, Paulette. Congrats little sis!