Maternity photos - 32 weeks!

I got my maternity photos back from my friend. Here are some of the best.

Fun with cameras!

We got a new iMac at work for the front desk, and it has a webcam/camera. You can choose to take pics with funny effects on them. My buddy Laura got me to pose for these:

He's really kicking!!
Ummmm what?
The baby's in my butt!!

33 weeks!

Wow 33 weeks pregnant today, time flies! Only 7 weeks until we get to meet Little Baby Churchill. And are we ready? Not really. I mean, we have the basic needs, we’ve taken some classes, but I don’t think anything can really prepare us for what’s ahead. It’s exciting! And scary!

Here’s what the baby looks like at 33 weeks:
http://www.babycenter.ca/pregnancy/fetaldevelopment/33weeks/

This weekend we have our prenatal class. That’s the one about labor and delivery. THAT head is supposed to come out WHERE??? Yea, not really looking forward to that part. I have to admit that a small part of me has been hoping our little guy is breech so I can have a planned c-section (I know, so dumb, c-sections are no walk in the park either!), but no such luck. He’s in the right position. Head down, bumm up.

Last weekend we got some maternity photos taken. I should get them back within a few days. Can’t wait to see them! I’ll be posting the best ones here.

Baby registry

Our registry at Babies R Us has switched links. The website did some updating, etc, and in the process they lost some of our products (whenever I put in BLUE receiving blankets, it puts PINK... um no!), and for some reason we're also un-searchable by name, only by registry number. Sucks!

Our registry number is: 913610615

You should be able to get to it by clicking on the link in the right hand side menu (We are registered!), otherwise, search by registry number.

New arrival

Congratulations to my friend Amanda who had a baby girl August 21. Everybody is happy and healthy.

Yes, I'm shocked too!!

It was a great and busy weekend

This past weekend we had Part II of our Bringing Baby Home class. It was a pretty fun class. The owner of Milkface came in with a bunch of different baby carriers that we got to try on with fake babies. John and I liked the same two carriers, so we’ll probably buy them both. One is a Baby Hawk (like a mei-tei) and the other is a ring sling.

Babyhawk:
Ring sling:
We also went over breastfeeding stuff, and got our carseat installation inspected. It passed! So we can transport a baby now, if anyone needs help with that :)

After the class we went to Eggspectation for lunch downtown. I LOVE it there and haven’t been in probably a year, so it was a real treat for me.

Sunday morning my buddy Diane and her family came for brunch. I made fresh squeezed OJ, yoghurt parfaits, from scratch buttermilk blueberry pancakes and sausage. It was delicious, if I do say so myself. Her daughter Sonya especially liked the yoghurt, and had quite the slather on her face to show it!

And then Sunday afternoon I workd *bla*.

LOLCats (not pregnancy related)

So I’m totally addicted to this internet phenomena called LOLcats, or cat macros. John thinks I’m totally ridiculous and scoffs at me every time he looks over my shoulder on the computer and there’s a stupid picture of a cat with a caption on it, but I really think it’s just hilarious, and I get a good daily chuckle from finding new ones. ,Here are some links to a couple of LOLcats website:

http://icanhascheezburger.com/
http://www.lolcats.com/

Here are a few of my faves:And not a cat, but dog:

Classes, plastics and abnormal penises

The due date is quickly approaching and as Stephanie already posted, we've been taking a few classes. The classes have been extremely helpful but also a little scary. As practical as it may be to learn infant CPR, I shudder at the thought of ever having to use it.

On the positive side, the woman leading the class seems to think that that vaste majority of baby products/accessories are unnecessary. Yippee! Daddy needs a plasma anyway.

It seems that raising babies is more complicated than ever. From early parenting philosophies to diapers (cloth vs. disposable) to plastic products; there are many diverging viewpoints. Since its our blog, I'll go ahead and share our views on a couple of things - hopefully without being too preachy.

We are definately going with cloth diapers. While they are a little more work, I think the advantages are huge:

• cheaper
• more gentle on the babies skin.
• speeds toilet training
• avoid extra chemicals and dioxins.
• avoids unnecessary contribution to our landfill problems.
• fewer non-biodegradable plastics for our child to have to deal with in the future. And yes, our children WILL have to deal with the consequences of our culture of comfort.

Oh, and the biodegradable plastic disposables don't work either, because once they are compressed in a landfill, they aren't able to properly decompose - it takes a gazillion years - no that figure isn't accurate, but its a very long time and I can't be bothered to look up the accurate figure, but its big. Regardless, the point is the same and the new fitted cloth diapers make it as easy as possible.

While we're not perfect - we do have our share of plastic products - I think its a good idea to minimize or avoid plastics altogether where substitutes are available.

Someone in our class also mentionned additional studies released recently regarding the use of plastics in food/drink containers and more specifically with regard to baby bottles. Depending on who you choose to believe, plastics are entirely safe (plastics industry) or linked to everything from abnormal penis development - really, I didn't make that up - to autism (scientists). Yes, Gerry, given your recently expressed views, I'm sure babies in the 70's ate plastic burgers for breakfast, lunch and dinner; and it added hair to their chests and anything abnormal was abnormally large - booyah!

Admittedly, it can be easy to get desensitized to things that may be bad for you, though I'm of the school of thought that if a food/drink container is leeching chemicals into my baby's food, I'll just use glass or stainless steel while others debate whether Chemicals do the body good.

I also want to mention that I have the best wife in the world. She has been incredibly kind to me on this blog. Frankly, I recognize that I've got it pretty easy in this whole pregnancy deal. Stehanie has been truly incredible through everything... so far. She has endured all the discomforts of pregnancy even while taking on a bigger workload and going through a move. So who has the best wife in the world?

I do! I do!

She's incredibly cute when pregnant too!

Allergies!!!! Do not want!

Can I just say… AAAARGH!! Can I rip out my sinuses now? The last couple of days have been so bad for my allergies (this time of year it’s ragweed), and being pregnant, I can’t/won’t take anything. There are a couple of products that are considered safe, but I highly doubt that they would still be considered safe in the quantity and amount of time that I would need to take them for meds to be effective. So I sit here sniffling CONSTANTLY and blowing my nose, and having sneeze attacks.

So frustrating!

My new best friend:

Weekend update

So it really was a busy weekend! It started on Saturday when we had our first Bringing Baby Home Class. Very interesting stuff. We took a few things off our registry after learning some stuff in the class. Such as plastic bottles (glass or stainless steel are better) and the cuddle bag for the carseat. I was really looking forward to getting/purchasing this, but it turns out that it compromises the functionality of the carseat, and would therefore nul our insurance if we were to be in an accident. So that’s out!

The class also went over basic child care like holding the baby (John was happy to find out that babies like to be held like footballs, he GETS that), bathing, swaddling, etc. We also learnt infant CPR, and will get a chance to have our carseat inspected for proper installation next weekend. The class was obviously on a very “attachement” parenting” slant, but that was fine with me, although the instructor was not impressed with me when I brought up the Baby Whisperer *ha* after I told her I had a friend who swore by it, and another who’s totally against it. I figure, we’ll read, and we’ll just do what works for us, whatever it is.

Sunday was my dad’s birthday so we hung out with him for the day. He ended up making french toast for brunch for us. My dad makes THE BEST french toast. John had the brilliant idea of getting my dad’s car detailed as a birthday gift. It went over very well. After that it was off to John’s parent’s place to visit for Paula’s birthday. The whole family was there so it was nice to see everyone, and to hang out with the kids. They’re growing up so fast, it’s incredible! Keira’s talking lots now, and seems to have new words everytime I see her, and Cole is now in Big Boy School!

Who has the best husband in the world??

I do! I do!

Earlier in the week, John came up with some weird story about me needing to get off work early on Thursday because he had an uncle flying in from out of town who I had to meet, etc etc… turns out there was no such uncle, but there was a wonderful surprise…
a Royal Treatment at the spa!! It was amazing, and so relaxing. I was there along with my friend Theresa (her hubby surprised her too!) from 3:30 until 8:00!

It started with a fabulous massage, followed by a great facial, and topped off with soothing pedicure. I’m totally relaxed now... my skin is glowing, and my feet are super cute (but still puffy)!!

What a sweet thing for John to do, I was so surprised! He saw that I had been working so hard, and wanted to treat me to something relaxing. He hit the nail on the head!

Another busy weekend coming up!

Well, work has slowed down *yippee* but that doesn’t mean we’re any less busy!!

Saturday we start our prenatal classes. Actually, this one is a “Bringing Baby Home” class. John and I are completely clueless about babies. I mean, really. We don’t even know how to change a diaper. John doesn’t even know how to hold a baby *haha*. So hopefully we can get some good stuff from this class.

Here’s what it will cover:

• How to decide what items to purchase for life with baby
• Basic baby care including bathing, swaddling
• The difference between cloth and disposable diapers
• Benefits of babywearing and opportunity to try different baby carriers
• Breastfeeding and introducing solids
• What you need to know when purchasing a car seat for your baby
• Learn how to properly and safely install your car seat
• Have your seat inspected - suggestions for improvements will be made if necessary by a Ministry of Transportation trained installer
• Infant, Child and Adult CPR certification through the Heart and Stroke Foundation
• Babyproofing: how to make your home safer for your baby
• Learn the most common cause of injuries and how they can be prevented
• Where to purchase home safety products

Sunday is my dad’s birthday so we’ll be hanging out with him, and Sunday evening we’ll be spending time with John’s family as his sister is in town. We’ll be celebrating Paula’s (belated) birthday that night!