In Recovery

     Kaelynn is awake after napping on & off tonight. Plus add in her usual 20min feedings and movie marathon with Daddy, it makes sense. Daddy is in bed, so I am blogging one handed & making faces at a furry head.

Friday 

     My first night in recovery was good. I booked in for a private room, but was put in a semi. Hurray for surprises. I was alone in the room. She slept through the night, granted it was only about 3 hours since Jake left at about 3am & the nurses left me alone then.
     Friday morning I had visitors. Kortney came by with a kitty for Kaelynn. Next was Mindy. Jake's cousin, Corrine, stopped by on her way to class with a tea & a muffin. Cezar & Tesah stopped in with a fruit basket and a unicorn toy. And even tho Katie doesn't hold babies, she dropped in. Mom also came by before she had errands. She said she would be back on Saturday, I told her I would let her know if/when discharged. Jake came back.
     Jake was rough looking because he got no sleep. Him & his friend Aaron were up all night organizing things and getting stuff ready for the last dump run. He hunkered down in his chair and was attempting to stay awake. He even brought me a Big Mac. At the time I was eating my burger, my family doctor stopped in to check Kaelynn over. Everything looked good. Plus, everyone agreed that he looked like Mike Meyers. Everyone left & Jake started to eat some fruit.
Daddy and baby got in lots of cuddles.
     Earlier in the day, I got a roommate. She had a little boy, her 3rd. Her & her man spoke English & dome other language. When thru spoke English, I kind of eavesdropped (because I could). She was in at midnight & gave birth Friday at 9am. She had to have her water broken & be induced. Her baby was being formula fed & mine breast fed. Whenever a nurse asked her something, she has no idea of the answer.
     The morning was usual routine. Attempt to feed, waking a sleepy baby for feedings, dealing with everyone & their mother on how to breast feed (more later).
     At least that night the nurses took both babies away to give mom a rest. Kaelynn because she was fussy & not wanting to eat at meal time & other baby because mom was zonked.  They were back for feedings.

Saturday
     I finally ate the muffin Corinne brought me. Kaelynn and I watched some Netflix and fed more. Jake came over around 10, and he had some sleep.
Earlier in the day, she had her hearing test & both ears passed.
The nurse came by & said she had paged my doctor to come around for discharge. Looks like we would be going home.
     Around noon, Dr. Green came by & looked her over again. Yes! We got to go home.
My dad came to get us & away we go! On the way to the lobby, everyone was like "Oooh a baby" "soooo cute".
     At home, everything was cleaned up. I gave baby to daddy so I could eat something & shower. I devoured my hospital chicken salad before my shower. Both seemed amazing. I also ate the crusts off some pizza (stuffed crust) and made tea. A great part/gross part was she pooped. She didn't at the hospital. I have never changed a diaper before-gross.
     She was sleeping & feeding during the day. Around 10, I had her all set for bed. She is unsure/hate her crib, so Jake offered to stay with her for a bit. They had a movie marathon (including FernGully). I woke up to feed her. We switched at 430am. Since then, she's fed, cried & wanted to be skin to skin.  At least she's sleeping on me now while I do this, drink water/eating & watch Fringe.

     As for the cats, thet fluctuate between indifferent, freaking out, curious, and acting just weird. None of them like the door closed. Kae's room is closed, but noone is in there so meh. The bedroom door is closed and they scratch and cry. Since 4:30 when I got up, Vodka has been the weird one. He's been crying at the door (its now almost 8:30am, might let him in to snuggle Jake), under the sink, in the cupboards, hiding IN the pile of shopping bags and staring at me. Bandit & Tugger have been sleeping. I keep letting them watch me with her & smell her. So far, no bad reactions -score.
     Its almost feeding time again & I am tired of my water. I shall nuke some tea & get this almost naked, sleeping squeaker her first pair of socks (and let the cats snuggle Jake- I know I missed kitties & Jake when in KGH).

7(39 weeks) and 6

     My due date in theory is just around the corner, so how about a naked belly picture?
Today it's a two for one blog. Yesterday was semi busy and I just didn't get around to it.

7
     My day started off with breakfast and dishes. Exciting, I know. A friend and her little girl came over to visit for lunch. I was dropped off at my moms house where I visited for a bit. I brought my brother his belated bday scarf and make him a cheesecake.
Afterwards, I came home and finished washing the clothes that were donated to us. Then, was dinner and watching crappy TV before bed.
     It doesn't seem like alot, but between pleasant visiting and waiting for the washer/dryer

6 Valentine's Day
     Today has been interesting. I folded and put away the baby clothes. Good thing she has lots, but the problem is space. They're all nice and sealed in the bedroom closet. I did dishes and laundry. It was/is also the first day of contractions.
     I've not really felt anything strong, but today was like someone just kicked me down the stairs and stomped on my back. When people compare them to period cramps, I have nothing to really base them against because I usually never got them. It feels like everything in my front is all twisted and my back feels like when you have to take a large BM. I am peeing so much. I've had them since about 230 and now its almost 630.  I am still able to walk and breathe and talk, which is a good thing - meaning not REAL labour yet.
     I even tried to take a bath, but Bandit would have none of it. She kept walking along the edge of the tub and fell back legs in. She ran away.  Came back and repeat. When she came back again, she was rubbing her tail against me and pawing for attention, yet freaked out when I went to pick her up. I was never scared of her totally freaking out and scratching me. She's now sitting on my yoga ball while I write this from the chair. She loves me. I have spent the majority of the afternoon walking and bouncing trying to find some relief. At least lil K is kicking harder. I can imagine her screaming "let me out", well, if babies could scream in words.
     The Raynaud's in my right arm has been acting up today too. I have no idea how to describe it. It feels like when you smack your limb off something and twist your elbow and wrist. Basically, this whole day has made me want to float in a warm ocean.

38 Weeks (almost)

     Tomorrow is 38 weeks, so I thought I would post now since I had a doctors appointment yesterday. Weight: 214lbs. Everything went well, except I was 2 days too soon for a membrane sweep. I have a feeling I will go over and not deliver on February 20th because it feels like nothing has happened yet. She's not even engaged yet. Maybe she's like me and stubborn (which I think because she doesn't kick when others want to feel her). Everything else seems good. She's measuring to term and her heart beat is good. The one thing I am worried about is she will actually be a he. I know I need to trust my gut that said she was a she (and the ultrasound), but it's hard.

     On Sunday afternoon, Cezar, came over and helped me make a belly cast. I had to pick up some more plaster and re-enforce it yesterday in spots (since I had the day off). It needs to possibly be sanded and definately painted. I wish I had painting skills. I have no idea what I want to put on it. I saw some neat ideas on Pintrest. I really liked a zebra print one (she has so much zebra clothing) and there was one that was painted white and just had simple stenciled flowers on it. I want her name, date, weight, etc on it too, but nothing too flashy. I really disliked the casts that had everyone at the baby shower sign it or the information right in the centre.

 

     Saturday, I went out with my dad and he got me belated baby/Christmas presents. I had no idea what I wanted for Christmas, so we just went clothes shopping. I managed to snag a $30 diaper bag for $16. Excellent.

 

     When it comes to her movements, she's been mostly squirmy and hiccupy. Kicking, not so much due to lack of room. She's currently squirming as I write this...or it could be from my Dr. Pepper/yelling at the cats. I have found out she does not like loud noises (ie: if I drop dishes at work or Jake coughs/sneezes). There are random thumps and gurgles down below that I feel and have no idea what's going on. I just pretend she's belching like Barney Gumble. No more BHs, unless I no longer feel them and they happen at work when I'm up and running around. I feel some back contractions when I lay down and go to sleep, no matter what side I sleep on.

 

    I have only 3 more days of work, Friday. Then I plan to focus on organizing the house and her room. The crib is built, and the clothes she will be wearing the most are put in the dresser. Her knit clothes are put in the 3 tiered plastic drawers and her 12-18mth clothes are all put away in a clear storage bag. Her diapers/inserts need to be washed and in a home of some sorts and I need to pick up a container from the Dollarrama to hold her wetbag. The TV in the bedroom needs to be moved and the crib needs to be placed in our room (Yea, I gotta measure that). Is it bad I was thinking of putting the TV in the nursery (swapping it out with the crib), so I will have something to do? Even if I can watch the TV in the livingroom as I nurse etc?? We'll see, since Jake needs to do another dump run at some point. (And as I type this, him and Aaron come through the door with 2 boxes of yarn for me and start to head to the basement to organize and pitch/ditch. I locked all 3 cats up, after fighting with Vodka. Apparently, he knows if a cat goes in the bedroom and the door gets closed, he has to run).

 

     Tiffany put up pictures from the baby shower. I went through and picked some of my favourites from the baby shower, better than putting up all 80something.

 

 

     And since I now have 2 boxes of yarn in my livingroom and a bolt of camo fabric, time to go snoopy...and here I was wondering where I would get $100 to buy the yarn from one of his coworkers. (And I've spent almost an hour writting this rambling).

36

     Only about 4 more weeks left, if on time. Cramps have started, as much as that sucks, it's a good thing. Her movements have been more squirmy than kicking. Some days she moves more than others. On the non-movement days when she's minimal, I get worried. I then feel the need to drug her up with Dr.Pepper, a warm bath, and sometimes a poke and a flashlight. I feel I have been good with the caffiene, so now it's just a stimulant to get her kick'n.

     Saturday afternoon is my baby shower. An update and pictures after that. I can't wait for the party to be over, so I can update with some of the gifts for people I made (they could be reading this).
 My poor cat, Tugger, has a cold. He's the last of the 3 to get sick. He's been a sleepy head and he sneezes funny - it sounds like a zipper. If he;s like the others, it will last a week and then be over and done with. Until then, I feel bad laughing whenever he sneezes.

     Yesterday it was -24*, felt like -35*. Brrr. I am creeping through my Flickr and am determined to pick up photography again.
Feast your eyes on some greenery, to get away from the cold.

    

  
      A badly lit picture of my new hair cut(and no, I don't like to smile -specially when tired) (better pics from the baby shower, etc). My boss at work did it. It's back to my natural colour, with no damaged ombre/bleachy residue on the bottom.
      While she was driving me home from her place, we had to stop off at the mall for the bank. She made a detour to shop and came back with a gift for me/baby K: a onesie with a pink cat on it, pink polka dot pants, a cat hat with ears, and socks to match..<3

     Time to start thinking about something for dinner, Jake is home from work around 10 and it's almost 8:30 now. Plus, I'd like to be in bed early-ish. Tomorrow, I am working 8 hours (definately longer than my 5.5hours that usually kick my butt) and then a trip to the grocery store. Hopefully afterwards, home to just melt into the couch with some kitties and some snacks (or probably an easy to cook dinner).
    

    

35 Weeks

         On Sunday, we took a pre-natal tour of the hospital. It was basically "this is the rooms" "this is what to expect" "this is what you should pack". Basic things that help alot.

           Yesterday was  my 35 week appointment. Everything looks good and I am measuring where I am supposed to. They say its the Home Stretch, but it's been going slowly. It probably doesn't help that I have that count down and my count down of "days worked" left. In the mail, I have recieved my Nestle baby package. It contained a diaper bag, new born diapers I am taking to the hospital, a bottle, and even though I plan to breastfeed, formula and glass prefilled formula bottles for the hospital. I really like the glass formula bottles.

          In some of of the baby clothes I have, there was a white onesie that had a giant yellow stain on it. For the past 2 days, I have been attempting to embroider a fairy over top of it. It's not amazing, but it's my first time doing it. I say it doesn't look too bad it you look at it from far away.

     
                  2 of the 3 kitties have colds. This pains me. I can't really do anything for them. Sneezing and watery eyes. I have to keep wiping Bandit's eyes. My poor baby girl.

                   Lastnight, I put together collages of my "Growth of a baby" from week 19-35. I might have gained about 20? pounds (I am seriously not sure) but the bump looks huge. The last picture is the last ultrasound I will get, week 18.

 

 

Blurbs from the boyfriend:

"As much as I say I'm not going to, I have a feeling I will probably spoil K"

 

"It's ok K! Your mommy's hard stomach will protect you!"

A promise is a Promise

     I just spent about 28 minutes trying to upload the picture of my stash. I know how long because pizza was cooking in the oven. The uploader failed. I went and logged into my Flickr. Turns out I haven't used it in over a year. Now with blogging, I hope to change that...but everything seems to have an Instant Uploader. Anyway...
I have 24 diapers. The suggested amount, but when it comes to these kinds of things, the more the merrier. I have no idea what are good diapers and what are bad. Seems like most of the ones I have are all One Size Fits All due to the snaps and they take microfiber insterts. Definately going to have to get the man to deal with those after cleanings. I can't stand the feel of them "sticking" to me.

     Today was my doctors appointment at 3. Everything seemed fine. Her heart rate was 140bmp. The doctor/resident/whatever seemed shocked/pleased that I was experiencing Braxton Hick's already. "Its just your body getting ready...sooner than some". As long as it's not all the time and not super debilitating, I should be good. It's only off and on. I stop. Breathe. It goes away. Plus, K is head down.
My next appointement is in 2 weeks. I just hate how due to my work schedule it cuts into work hours. Thankfully, if no one lied to me, I already have all my EI hours. The resident/doctor that I saw today was super nice. It wasn't the one I was used to because rotation was over. I was dreading the man doctor/res I wasn't too fond of (simply because he never told me anything and dismissed my concerns). Instead, I got a cute female Asian. She told me what was going on, where she thought my baby's parts were, and what she was doing. She even offered to help me off the bed. I hope I see her again.

     After the appointment, I met up with a friend and we went to Michael's to pick up notebooks. The type I wanted was about $30. Yikes. I settled for 2 mini sketchpads for a total of $6. I came up with the idea of 365 Days Of Happy Things. Everyday (backdated to Jan 1st), write/draw down the one thing that's made you the happiest. Perhaps if/when money gets better I will get my black hardcover and transfer it all over. I am excited for this, even if I can't really draw well.

     A picture from my Flickr from June 15, 2011. One of my many garden manids. This was my first batch we ever tried. This was a few hours after they were born.

     And since I uploaded the babies from the season before last, here is a mantid from this Summer. Upclose and personal...

                                        

Fur kids

    I realize that animals are not children. We can go away and the pets can stay, depending on how long with no one checking in on them. My cats are LIKE my children.
     In our household, we have 3 cats. Two are mine and have been mine since before they were born, and one is boyfriend's cat (who I call my own).
     Yesterday was Thanksgiving and we went to the boyfriend's dad's house. After dinner the topic of pets came up. Everyone was like "you will have to watch the cats around the baby", "you will have to get rid of the cats", "having no cats means its easier to care for the baby and less fur/dander means less potential allergies".
      Well, let me tell you, that's not going to happen. If a new baby is expected, you don't get rid of current children. These cats are like my children. I feed, clean, pet, cuddle, and basically all around take care of them. I could understand if they were total trouble makers, but they're not.
       When we got home lastnight, he was like "You kitties only have four months left, then you go out the back door". I glared at him. He better have just been being a jerk, or else I am going out the back door too.

Tugger

Vodka

Bandit