Visualizations and post ultrasound at 37ish weeks

Baby is in perfect condition. Head down, bum up.

There was no need for alarm. I'm frustrated with my Midwife Joanne and her quick reaction to send me to the Hospital right away on a hunch that the baby was breach. I would have expected her to want to consult the other midwives first in this circumstance. Of course, I can understand her concern but I mean whisking me off to the doctors again at 37 weeks seemed like a bit of a cop out.

I bet most of the midwives at Plum could've touched me the right way to verify the position of the baby. I mean it's been head down now since week 32.

Anyway, off to Powell River today to soak up some sunshine and family time. I'll leave you with my visualization posters for the birth room when we get underway. Apparently it helps a lot to imagine things opening up and getting really big.

Ps. Julian shaved off his beard yesterday, and he looks so buff!

37ish weeks

"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear"

This is the latest quote that resonates with me. I truly believe that this child has already taught me more than I will ever be able to teach it. Although I'll do my darnedest to create a safe, loving and creative environment for this little bean.

Joanne, the midwife visited the house today. She tested my blood pressure and told me that everything was under control. I tested negative for group B strep which is an added bonus. Although she poked and prodded my belly and believes that the lil bean has moved around now and is in the breach position. Which is going to make it difficult to give birth naturally, as it's illegal for midwives in BC to deliver a breached baby. Therefore, I'm scheduled for another ultrasound tomorrow morning and we will find out then if it is truly the case.

The options we have then will be discussed but if the midwife can't move the baby to the right position then we will have to look at other medical alternatives.

Yesterday was a glorious day in the sun on Tree Island. We took out Rowans sailboat with his 2 brothers and Cher. It was a perfect 20C and sunny. It was so much fun. Here are a few magical shots.

Mantras at 35 weeks yesterday

"Remember: With every contraction, you're closer to meeting the new member of your family"

"Breath deep, and longer and open wider and wider and wider, you are opening so big and wide"

"Trust: My body knows what to do, and every mother since Eve has conquered this feat."

"Power: My body is not working against me, I am my body"

"Relax: I am safe and my baby is safe"

"Patience: This is just one day. I can do anything for one day. This will not last forever"

"Relax: Open, Open, Open"

"Trust: Our baby know how to and when to be born"

Mantras on my mind. I'm thinking about all the sayings that are going to ride me through the wave of this pregnancy. I'm going to envision what I want to happen. I going to dilate huge and push my sweet baby out with all my might.

The contractions aren't bigger than me, they are me. I'm making them happen. They represent how strong I am.
I'm feeling baby kick and punch and dance up a storm in my stomach. Truly this is a very active time in the birth. I feel pretty normal, more normal than I did at 6 months, but I am getting to full term and feeling full and heavy too. It's getting harder and harder to wake up and go to work.

Speaking of work,

I have approx 550 hours right now and need 600 hours to get maternity leave. I am pushing through. I'm going to be done by the 29 April, if not sooner. The Kingfisher really needs me right now as they are very short staffed with one girl in Italy and another who quit. But I think I'm going to have to pull out sooner than later. It's a demanding job dealing with all types of personalities and standing on my feet 8 hours a day for a measly 13$ and hour.

I am really on a mission to try and find something that I can make and sell to subsidize my living costs and stay at home with the baby within the next few years. Something will come up if I think about it hard enough.

The garden is coming along beautifully and it's only a matter of time before all our meals are coming from the backyard. So exciting!!! Here's a picture of me in the back, well a few pictures at 35 weeks :)

My baby bump makes a great beer holder!!

Sunday Sunday at 34 weeks

What a gorgeous day! It was 18C and sunny today. I planted some seeds, hung out in a hammock, and made pizza. Emily and baby Maverick came by for a visit.

The baby is an active little monkey and constantly kicking my right side. As I sit here and type this there are some major belly rolls going on down there. I have really, really bad heartburn at the moment too, but that is nothing new. They say that it gets a little more difficult near the end and I can see why. I didn't think that I would be the one to say my feet are swelling or my heartburn in ferocious but I am and it does.

Other than swollen feet, very emotional days after work, heartburn, a little anxiety about how my life is about to change and the kicking, constant hardcore ninja jabs into my side, everything is running smoothly. I have approx 2 more weeks of work to go. Which will be a relief once that is over and I can start to collect maternity. This job is so draining and I'm about to topple over these days. Weighing in at approx 155 lbs. That means I've gained about 40lbs so far in the pregnancy.

I sometimes really thing it's a girl because of all the movement and sideways kicks. Plus all my dreams that I've been having have a little baby boy in them so who knows. We will just have to wait and see. I'm so excited!

We had our first BBQ of the year a couple of nights ago. I picked up some chicken and turkey and Julian smoked everything to divine deliciousness. It was a great surprise to come home to after work.

It's April 10 today and I got a tan at 18C

I am wearing bathing suit bottoms here I swear!

You are a miracle at 33 weeks and 4 days

Little baby monkey is growing fast and furious. Right now it feels like I weigh an extra pound a day. The kicking and moving never stops and my appetite is fierce.

I have my usual bought of emotion of course. Crying for no reason really, or just letting myself get overwhelmed with the fact that things in my life are about to drastically change. Oh not to mention putting the peanut butter in the cupboard with the mugs and the milk in the pantry instead of the fridge. Baby Brain is real!

Plus, I miss my tummy and wearing nice clothes. Nothing seems to fit no matter how big the Large is. But Julian reminds me that my body won't be like this forever, so enjoy it while it lasts. Which are some great words of wisdom if I'd ever heard any before. 

Overall, it's been a mellow 4 months and I'm definitely looking forward to the adventure. Picked up 6 cloth diapers off Craigslist for $60. I paid $15 for the the Grovia which are $25 brand new. I'm happy with the purchase. Let's hope it holds up to the wee ones poops.

Today ,I have my usual Pre-Natal Yoga class at the Doghouse. It is such a wonderful way to connect with baby. Then we have an Indian buffet lunch with 3 of my favourite people in the world, Julian, Cari and Mike of course ;)

Right afterwards is my midwife appointment with Laya then onto the first of 4 weekly prenatal classes at the Island Health down the street. Julian has been a rock through this and I hope every woman is as lucky as I am to have such support surrounding her during these trying months.

It's my day off of work today, but it's definitely not a day off of life! Everything is moving along fabulously and I couldn't be happier.

Bunnies and Babies

Happy Easter Everyone!

This year is definitely the earliest Easter I can ever remember, with the weekend falling on March 26/27 which happens to coincide with Dad's birthday too! It's still pretty chilly outside but the sun is definitely making an appearance and warming up the earth. The garden soil is getting worked and the seeds are getting planted.

The overwintering garlic is coming up nicely, all 200 bulbs :)

Already we've set up a bed for peas, onions, beets, carrots, and of course the greens which include spinach, arugula, and lettuce. There was a bunch of pole beans planted today as well as cilantro in pots on the balcony.
Inside we've started leeks, broccoli, tomatoes and basil. It's going to be a feast for the senses. Oh, not to mention all the strawberry transplants and raspberry shoots awakening for their dormant winter state.

OH!! And the most important seed seed of all the baby is coming along just fine. We're about 32 weeks today and feeling the extra weight for sure. Baby is kicking up a storm ALL THE DAMN time. I have given up trying to prepare since I figure that whatever I will need will eventually come to me down the road. My biggest obstacle at the moment is finding cloth diapers and then hoping that baby latches on to breastfeeding.

I've been reading the book In the Spirit of Homebirth: Modern Women, An Ancient Tradition. The link can be found below:
https://www.amazon.ca/In-Spirit-Homebirth-Modern-Ancient/dp/1609805798

It's a great read about birth stories. All kinds of stories from 1st births to 7th births in the hospital, in the tub in water etc. It's an empowering read and giving me full confidence to make the decision to stay at home, unmedicated. Babies head is facing down now according to the midwife. Until the next update, go forth and grow happy and heathy.

With love from us xoxoxoxox

The Midwife Home Visit

Yesterday after work, March 19 I had the pleasure of getting my first home visit from our Midwife Laya. She is a longtime friend of Julian and now part of our family.
She has studied Midwifery in Uganda and been fascinated by childbirth practically her whole life.

During this visit she checked my blood pressure, the babies heartbeat, and pushed around on my belly. The results being that my blood pressure is really low and the baby is now facing down. His head near my pubis bone and his little bum at my bellybutton and the feet are hanging out near my ribs.
The baby's heart rate was 140. Which is really good. The normal heart rate is supposed to be from 110 to 160.

I have approximately a month left of work. I'm hoping to get those 600 hours just in time for the beginning of May so in my 9th month I will be able to laze around, and prepare for the imminent adventure of a lifetime. I feel so blessed. But tired. So worn out now. Baby is pushing on my stomach every hour. Kicking around and running a marathon in there. I slept from 7pm to 7am last night. 12 hours!! My feet are swelling and I'm always thirsty. But that is the extent I'm going to let myself complain, because ultimately I'm too happy to be grumpy.

How could you ever be grumpy when you're carrying around a lil miracle??!

Pinch, punch, 1st of the month

Pregnancy Cocktails

It was the first day of March yesterday and spring is just around the corner. So is my baby. Well not really but it's getting closer and closer and closer by the minute. I'm approx 28 weeks now and I'm still feeling great.
At the midwife appt the other day, baby was head was in my ribs and the little bum was just down at the bottom of my belly button. Baby is still in breach position but should turn around any day now.
Head down is a good place for baby to be by 34 weeks I think so I have a good month to go before I have to start hanging upside down.

Karin was in town this weekend. A quick little visit from a super rad chick always gets my spirits up. She is on her way to becoming and Internationally certified Mountain guide (Alpine, Rock and Ski). One tough chick and it's always a pleasure to feel her strong presence in my midst. Thanks for the visit Karin!

The other day I went for my a glucose test. It's to figure out whether I have gestational diabetes or not. The test is optional of course but I figured I better be safe than sorry. So i opted to get tested on my day off.

Wednesday is a very special day for me. I wake up gently and slowly and usually nurse a very watered down coffee while meandering around the house in my pjs. I water the plants and give some of them their weekly dose of fertilizer.  I might catch something on Youtube that strikes my fancy and indulge in some pregnancy videos or how to breastfeed blogs then off to my Prenatal yoga class at 10am, which I look forward to going to ALL week. A bunch of other baby bumps and a whole lots of stretching. It's a good time. Then I usually get the rest of my errands done during the day, if it's nice out then I'll bike around town and visit thrift stores.

This past Wednesday was a little different story. After yoga and zoomed off the lab to get my testing down. It consists of downing a whole glass of glucose syrup then waiting an hour to get my blood tested to monitor how I processed the syrup. It wasn't my idea of a good time, but I thought to myself "Just this one test then it's over and I don't have to worry."

Well I got the results back today and my midwife said that I tested high. Normal is 7.8 and I tested at 8.7. She said the first test was a screening and now recommends that I do the diagnosis test which consists of MORE gross syrup, 2 more hours in that lab AND 3 vials of blood. Honestly, I think I'm just fine.
I took the test on a nearly empty stomach and my body was just reacting to that crazy amount of syrup they fed me. I'm going to opt out of the diagnostic test and just watch my sugar intact a little more closely. I have no other symptoms of diabetes except for that weird test being a little off.  So, that is my most recent update.

I'm feeling great at 28 weeks. Only 79 days to GO~ I have a few names picked out. For a girl it's Vera. For a boy it's Gardner, Mason and Nile. But that could change completely from now till well ..... it's BIRTHDAY!

Bottoms up! Enjoying pregnancy cocktails is a luxury that we can all afford :)

27 weeks and random thoughts

Geez, keeping this blog is easier than I had originally thought. I've been meaning to make a blog for many different things over the years.

My blog ideas included: Wanderlust: The Art of Traveling Solo, A blog from a girl who has traveled 7 continents on a serious budget. The other blog ideas were how to pack and travel like you mean it, Military Life of a Civilian and How to grow a garden. Alas, I was always under the impression that this was such a time consuming project that you needed lots of knowledge to do.

Isn't it always the case. Everything is always so scary until you actually JUST DO IT. Then it all come back around. I'm planning somehow to start a business of some kind. I don't know what yet but being able to make things or buy things that people want and the business sense to sell them makes so much sense to me.

I realized over the years, while I was working camp jobs I stifled my normal coping skills to exist in everyday life. Life on tour isn't normal. You always have a start and a finish and you work your ass off till it's time to relax. In real life, it's more a marathon. You just keep plugging away and more time you take, and the more patience you have to watch your hardwork pay off the better. It seems over the past 7 years I've conditioned myself to race to the finish and then start again. Whether it be a trip to another country, a job with military for another tour or a season on Vancouver Island everything been in spurts.

With the advent of a new baby on the way, already I'm learning to slow down. To breath and take the time to imagine a future and plan for it now. Not rush to the finish line, just to move onto something else. This baby is a lifetime commitment and to a commitment-a-phobe that's a bit deal. The real thing so to speak.

At 27 weeks, the visit to the midwife yesterday was spot on. Great blood pressure and nothing to be concerned about at the moment. The baby's head is under my ribs and it's bum is just over my pelvis. 
Also, it's been sunny and 10 C over the past few days which is a nice change from the dark grey skies and constant rain we've been experiencing. It's hard to believe that spring is just around the corner. 

A few concerns worth mentioning that slip in and out of my conscious mind include : premature birth, deformations of the baby due to toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that can be transmitted through infected cat poop, and just not being ready when the baby comes.

The first two concerns are mostly b/c I've read about a thousand articles and some just create crazy images in my head. We all know that I was 4 months pregnant when I found out and well, I can't be responsible for the things that happened during this time. But since I've know I've been really good and careful and that's all that I can ask for. Well off to work now for the day. Thanks for listening. 

26 weeks

Today was a beautiful sunny day at 10 C. It's days like these that I cherish island life. People smiling and laughing in the sunshine in mid february after a couple of hellah weeks of rain is the icing on the cake.

At 26 weeks I'm managing really well. Nothing major happening regarding the pregnancy except for random kicks and a bit of a sore lower back.


A visit to the masseuse was in order today, and it was well deserved. A bike ride there in the sunshine was just what the doctor ordered. Hopefully, I can make it more of a regular thing to keep the lower back pain at bay.

The Tiny House is coming right along, growing in time with the tiny baby.
Another couple of names have been thrown around but nothing to mention here.

I had my first visit to the Podlings baby store on 5th street today and perused their selection of cloth diapers. They can run you a fortune if you buy them brand new. So used is definitely the way to go. But I'll wait until I find a good deal for that in a couple of weeks.

Well there is the update at 26 weeks. Another visit to the Midwife coming up next week so I'll report my finding at that time. Until then all be well in babyland.

Sunshine and Text

In the winter months it's dark, and cold and wet. But on the days the sun shines, it's magic.

View right by the Kingfisher Resort

When the sun breaks through and warms you up to the bone
everything is going to be ok.
Especially when you get texts like this:



I feel like there is no darkness and coldness in our home.
Only love and respect for each other.
It's a beautiful time and I cherish every minute I get to
spend in this precious space.

Coming Right Along

We are coming right along. It's almost 24 weeks into the pregnancy.
I've had a guinness and a glass of wine and a toke of the bong. But that's about it. Been keeping it pretty chill these days.
Picked up a new Instrument Cluster from Port Alberni for the old Jetta.
Bought a a new forest green 1991 Jetta
Set off the Alarm this morning that I didn't even know it had
Ate an amazing Ciabatti Tuna sandwich for lunch and blackberry oatmeal for breakfast
A quick visit with my parents last night and a quick read by the sun lamp keeps me entertained.
Downloaded movie to watch tonight named Chappie. Die Antwoord rocks my world.

Started Prenatal Yoga classes with other moms at the Doghouse last week with Toni Dunne.
Really interested in this pregnancy voyage
Think about it every minute of everyday without fail.



The good thoughts and bad thoughts fly by, fly through me
Names, places and dreams of where we're going in this life
Trust the glorious unfolding of the mysteries of life.

My baby Yota

The Jetta. The sweet Jetta is officially going to be put to rest. She ran awesome for a good 2 years on and off while I was in camp. But realizing that she needs A LOT of body work and the idea that I was going to weld her together died fast.

It was going to be a summer project to get the body up to snuff, but it was a longer harder process than I had expected. Especially since Julian was working full time AND building a Tiny House.

Since the Cluster has been removed and it hasn't been running in a week or so, I'm going to try to sell it since we can't seem to find a replacement part anywhere. Julian has fixed the Toyota pick up for me to drive in the meantime. Don't think it will be suitable to drive a baby around in but it will do the job for the next couple of months until summer anyway, or until we can get the proper part for the Jetta.

I'm excited about the Toyota. It's a real beauty.

Haven't felt the baby moving too much over the past week but getting bigger and bigger by the minute!

Bye Bye Baby Blue 

Fog lies low, must keep spirits high

Well it's been quite the week.

I started my job at the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort and Spa as the Guest Services Manager, and it's going well. The other lady with whom I work is 20 weeks pregnant as well. We're practically due at the same time. I don't know how the Kingfisher is going to manage with all their good staff on Mat leave. But that's up to them I guess.

Yesterday was a bit of a gong show. It's my days off on Friday and Sat. It was the day we decided to fix the dash lights in the 87 VW because driving at lot in the dark these days isn't safe.

Well one thing led to another and needless to say the whole instrument cluster now has to be replaced. It's not driveable anymore but no one got hurt, so hat's what counts. I stressed out yesterday thinking about how this is going to affect us over the next few months. I think I'm even more stressed out at the fact that it's going to be a bitch to fix.

I feel pretty helpless when it comes to cars and I've had a lot of bad luck. Hell, I could write a blog about all the cars I've owned in my lifetime and how all the problems associated with them have taken years off my life.
I want to help but it's so cold and foggy and dark and gloomy, and raining all the TIME! Sometimes it makes me just want to curl up and watch movies all day.

Julian has been the most amazing partner over the past weeks. He's been making incredible dinners which include:
- Spring Salmon, Diakon salad, sticky rice and noodle salad
- Deep fried cod with handmade corn tortillas and black beans of heaven
- Mexican Nacho soup
- 4 citrus halibut with steamed Kale ( Yes FOUR citrus, orange, lemon, grapefruit and lime!)

It tastes way better than it looks, but that's a cheap iPhone shot for ya!

Kicking up a Storm

Julian woke up this morning and rolled over and said "Why don't we name the baby Mogli, or Tarz like Tarzan?". So cute. Cutest ever.

Today was the 2nd Ultrasound at 20 weeks and 1 day. The little baby was kicking up a storm and just wouldn't stay still for the nurse to take the pictures needed.

One hour later she called Julian in to come and check out the video.  The cutest baby ever.

I feel little kicks now and then. Bring on the belly!

I start my first day of the job at Kingfisher tomorrow. It's a pretty fancy resort, with a spa and a 3.5 start restaurant. I'm very nervous like the first day of school. Wish me luck!!