Baby Sister

It's been quiet around here, I know.  I've given you a few reasons, like I don't want to spend our tight budget on crafts and I'm in a creative funk but the biggest reason I have yet to share and it's definitely time.

This little lady has stolen all of my energy.  That's right, I said lady, we're having another girl and I couldn't be more excited.  Come August 13th ish Catie will be a big sister.  We figure there will be no in between, she's either going to be the best big sister who loves this baby more than anything or she's going to be so jealous she can't stand to look at her.  I'm obviously hoping for the first option.

You know there are those pregnant ladies that just continue on with life as if nothing has changed?  You hardly even notice they're pregnant because they're just like normal?  I'm not one of those ladies.  I feel tired and lazy and have little desire to do much so don't expect too much from me around here in the next little bit.

Also, we're having a difficult time coming up with a name for this lady so if you have any suggestions feel free to let me know.  There's just one stipulation, since we already have a Catherine who goes by Catie I want this baby to go by her full name, not a shortened nick name.  Any great ideas?

Personal Space

I knew it would happen eventually but I just didn't expect it to be so soon…

Last night at softball I headed over to the other teams bench to perform my pre-game captain duties. We tossed a coin, discussed start time and I informed them that as I'm almost 6 months pregnant I'll have a pinch runner.

Pretty immediately a woman's hand shot out and she actually rubbed my belly! When her teammate gave her a hard time she stated, "I'm a mother, I'm allowed too." She then proceeded to give me a second rub. I was in shock!

I know I've given you no proof of this but I really don't look pregnant enough for people to touch me like that! I just barely started to wear maternity clothes.

Prior to the incident I've given a little thought as to how I would handle moments just like this and was fully prepared to make the rubber feel as awkward and as uncomfortable as I would but when it came down to it I was in too much shock to say anything at all. I just looked down a little bewildered and then wandered back to my bench.

I'll have to do a little more preparation for the next time, belly rubs from complete strangers are not okay! Being a mother does not change that.
L

Making the Switch

One of the best parts about being pregnant? The maternity clothes. Sure, they're expensive but they're all so comfortable! All clothes should be designed this way, are your pants a little tight? Just loosen the expandable waist. There's no more wondering, does this make me look fat? Because it all makes you look fat, and it's not fat it's pregnant so it doesn't matter. The $20 dress pants I found yesterday are just icing on the cake.

I can already tell that it will be a sad day when it's time to retire these comfy clothes and return to the binding, uncompromising waistbands of regular sizes.
L

Craving #3

It's interesting how these cravings pop up… at some random moment I'll have a thought, "I've got to have some candy". Or "Chicken wings would be perfect right now". I wasn't even thinking about food at the time and then all of a sudden my head (stomach?) wants these very specific foods. Well craving #3 has appeared and it's no less weird than the other two, right now it's all about Pop Tarts. Remember how they used to be so yummy fresh from the toaster, how the icing would burn your mouth and the filling would be sweet and warm, well they're just as good as you remember so go out, buy a box and enjoy.

I've started on Strawberry and plan on moving to S'mores later this week.
L

(as I was looking for a suitable photo of Pop Tarts I came across this... homemade Pop Tarts... they look yummy and someone should make me some because it sure won't be me)

Kicking

It seems lately that Catie has become a little less active. I don't know if that's normal but I used to feel her lots in the morning, evening and night. I still feel her so I'm not worried but she definitely kicks less these days than she did a week ago.

Brad and I were talking about how it's hard for him to feel a connection with her, I feel her growing and moving and she makes me hungry and grouchy (not so much anymore) but Brad doesn't have any of that. We've both been looking forward to the time when he can feel her move so he can start to develop some sort of physical connection. The slow down in her movements has made this take a little longer than I thought it would.

I had him try to feel her move a couple days ago but it was disappointing so I wanted to wait until I was sure there would be positive results. This morning she was giving some good kicks so I thought we'd try it out. There were a few little ones that he didn't feel but after a good size punch I asked if he felt that… he got the cutest smile and said yes, he thought my stomach muscles had twitched, didn't know it was her. So Catie kicked for her Daddy and I'm so glad! They're going to be such good friends.

No one will love her quite the way that he will. He can't wait to nibble on her toes and her fingers and her nose. We're hoping they'll watch hockey together and we're determined to build us a softball player. I can't wait for this girl to meet her Daddy.
L

Second Lunch

I think I've started to notice an increase in my appetite... today my lunch just wasn't enough so I'm now working on second lunch.

Time to brown bag a little extra.
L

My Weight in Wings

My sister told me once that in her last pregnancy she gained an especially large amount of weight because all food tasted so delicious, she didn't eat anything for 9 months that she didn’t love.

Well I seem to have a touch of that. After our softball game last week we went out for 1 cent ribs. Ribs and I don't get along, we have an unhappy past and wings have never seemed worth the effort but being a good sport I ordered a plate of ribs and Brad ordered some wings. I've never tasted more delicious wings and those ribs were amazing. I've been dreaming about them all day and night and I've got to get more!

Monday night is cheap wings night… who's in?
L

Sugar and Spice

Little girl's clothes are so much fun to look at!

We're trying to control our selves and not buy out of control but we really love to look at all the fun things Catie might wear.

To celebrate finding out we were having a Catie we went and bought the cutest dress that I fell in love with immediately.

I'm sure going to like dressing this little girl.
L

The Ultrasound

Our little dinosaur just became a baby. It was quick, quicker than I'd imagined. She said, it's a girl, and click… she's a baby, she's real. No longer is there just something growing down there but there's someone, someone I already love so much I'm surprised.
Someone with adorable 3 cm long feet and legs that aren't short little Wiebe legs (yet), with lips that move and hands that wave.

I've seen lots of these ultrasound pictures and they never really mean anything to me, but this one is different, this one is beautiful, because this one is mine. My beautiful Catherine Mae Wiebe "Catie"
L

A Little Rant-y

We didn't expect it to be so easy but boy or girl we have a name picked out, that even includes the middle names. They're names that mean something to us and we really love them so we're excited to see which one we get to use.


Now to backtrack for a minute… there are a few things about pregnancy that I don't understand. It's nothing but a difference of opinion and despite my not understanding I'm completely supportive of those who think differently than me, this is in no way me telling others that they're wrong.

I don't understand not wanting to find out the sex of your baby. The technology is there, I'm not the type of person that wants that surprise. There are enough things going on that I can't control, I'll take advantage of the few that I can.

Next… finding out the sex of your baby but not telling anyone. Why find out if you can't share your good news? And wouldn’t it be obvious once you started buying only pink clothes? There's no way I'd be able to keep it a secret if we knew.

And thirdly (and this is where the start of my post comes back). I was recently at a baby shower where the Mom is due any day. They've chosen not to tell anyone the name they've picked out for their baby boy (a fine choice) and I casually mentioned that once we find out what we're having we'll have no problem sharing our chosen name. Suddenly about three women I didn't even know where listening popped in to say, "Oh no, you can't tell the baby's name. You have to have at least one surprise." That last statement… you have to have at least one surprise… why? And it's not a surprise to me, I already know the name. So why do you have to have one surprise in my pregnancy.

Another women said that people would tell us all the reasons why our chosen name is so awful and I think that's terrible! If I tell you my son's name will be Frankincense, named after my great, great grandfather who did some amazing thing, and you don't like it then if you're any sort of friend I absolutely expect you to lie to me and tell me how nice it is that I've chosen a name that means something to us. It's not your decision, it's mine.

This is all on my mind as the ultra sound date approaches and we get closer to finding out if we're have an Abigail or a Justin.

So if you're the type that loves the gender surprise and waited to tell people the babies name when you knew the sex then tell me why. Tell me what you loved about it and if you'd make the same decision again. I'm interested in understanding that point of view.
L

(Neither of our picked names have been included in the above post, don't worry, we're not calling our son Frankincense.)

Popcorn

I've always loved popcorn, I think it's the best part of going to the movies and a great snack anytime. My Dad used to make it when we were little and had already gone to bed and I would always come up with some sneaky way to get out of bed and eat a bowl. My tactics included a glass of water and having to go to the bathroom, I'm sure Dad never suspected a thing.

You can imagine my delight when I felt a little popcorn popping inside me last night. Glad to feel the babies first movement (at least I think that's what it was) and I look forward to feeling it more often.
L

Practice Makes Perfect

A Story about My Pee

I have this ultrasound coming up and every time I thought about it I was really nervous, you have to drink a lot of water before you go and hold it in for a long time. I've heard these horror stories of women who cried because they had to pee so badly and was starting to feel a bit of anxiety about it.

I decided the only way to not feel so nervous was to practice. So last night at 8:30 I emptied my bladder and then started in on my 1 liter. You have half an hour to drink it and then you need to hold it in for an hour, sounds scary right?

Turns out I have a marathon bladder and it really wasn't that bad. My only remaining fear is that the car seems to be a trigger for me, every time I get in I realize I need to pee so I'm a little worried about the drive to the ultrasound but I proved last night that I can handle it no problem.

I think tonight I'll make Brad do it with me, just so we can see who can hold it the longest.
L

What Kind of Candy are You?

I took this quiz once before but it seemed appropriate to re-take now considering my current craving.



discover what candy you are @ quiz me

Turns out when you pick all the lazy answers you're a candy necklace.

L

How's Married Life?

You know how when you first got married and everybody asked you the same question in exactly the same words? "So, how's married life?"

Well it turns out there's a new questions when you're pregnant, "How are you feeling?"

Now if you're a friend or family member I'm glad you're concerned and I'm happy to answer but so many people who didn't care how I was feeling before I was pregnant don't know what else to say, so I get the question. I answer with, "Good". Then there's an awkward silence as they wait for me to elaborate, but I have no desire to elaborate.

When it was the marriage question I was tempted to answer with something like, "Worst mistake I ever made." Perhaps I'll have to start answering this one with as many graphic, gross medical conditions as I can think of :)
L

Candy Land

Lately I've had a couple people ask me if I've had any cravings and there really hadn't been any one thing that I had to have, until this weekend.

Candy. I'm all about candy these days. Swedish Berries and licorice and sour straws, really any sort of gummy candy will do. I can't stop eating it because I just can't get enough. I suppose it could be worse and I could be eating multiple cupcakes all day but I hope my poor teeth make it through this pregnancy.
L

Tips are Welcome

I thought my jeans were so tight because they were fresh from the wash… turns out that's not the case, they're just tight.

I've implemented the elastic, thanks for the tip pregnant friends, it's making them bearable.
L

14 Weeks and Our Own Personal Doppler

At our last doctor's appointment we tried to hear our dinosaur's heartbeat but instead all we ended up hearing was mine. The doctor warned that it still might be too early at our next appointment so I didn't ever get my hopes up. I expected it to be difficult to find if he was able at all but as soon as he put the Doppler on my stomach Brad stood and came closer so he could better hear the fast little horse galloping inside me. It was such an unexpected, lovely sound and a perfect start to our day.

Our doctor happened to mention that you can buy your own Doppler's these days. Out of curiosity I looked it up and you can buy them for as little as $50, so in a short three weeks we can expect our very own Doppler to show up in the mail… I’M KIDDING! No Doppler was purchased nor will be. Who needs that? Though I'll admit a recording would be fun.
L

Bladder Control

I think my uterus expanded well into my bladder last night… I've already peed 3 times this morning!

Makes me miss my old building where I sat just outside of the bathroom.
L

Pregnancy Brain

I’m not sure I believe in what many women call pregnancy brain and have suspected it’s just a myth to explain silly everyday behavior but I’m finding it harder to deny these days.

It was my Mother-in-law’s birthday so that means we all get together for dinner and plans are made through a mass email chain. The plans were set for Monday (yesterday) and we were excited.

Sunday my Father-in-law calls to confirm that I’m making a cake for dessert… what? A cake? This is definitely the first I’ve heard of it and I must not have got that email. Brad knew about it but said he forgot to mention it. It’s okay, Father-in-law has a back-up and I’m off the hook.

The thought of this cake keeps coming back though and I keep wondering how I missed the email, so I double check… I definitely did get the email and I’m certain I even read it; the cake part just went in one ear and out the other. Didn’t sound familiar and I made no initial plans, that’s definitely not like me.

Then today, I’m working on a project and later in the morning I try to confirm some details, only the person I confirm with has no idea what I’m talking about. It’s not their project at all and despite me clearly remembering talking to her about it, it really wasn’t her.

I need to pull myself together, this is getting embarrassing.
L