18 weeks

Lots of movement this week and I've drank more pop {that is going to change, don't worry} than I think I have in the past several years.
I told the boys that the baby can now hear things and if they put their mouth to my tummy they can talk to the baby. Noah's a bit shy, but Jude requested to "put my mouth on yo' tummy" and talk to the baby.
I'm getting really excited to find out if this baby is a boy or a girl. I've got my top four names of each gender. Currently they are unapproved by Jamie at this time. But it's really only a matter of time and persistence on my end before they are approved.
We're announcing the pregnancy this week via my other blog so that should be fun. I've got a super cute idea on how to do it. I'll post it here too of course. Stay tuned...

cutest thing I've heard all week

The boys were sitting at the table having a snack and then Noah looks up at me and says,

Mom, do some crumbs fall down into your stomach and the baby just opens his mouth and eats them? Is that how he eats?


I died. So ridiculously cute. I think he found my explanation of the baby eating through the umbilical cord a lot more unbelievable than his idea of crumbs, but perhaps that just goes to show that really, it is quite amazing how God's designed pregnancy.

organizing

I've been doing a bit of organizing lately. I organized my closet, Jude's closet and Noah's closet. I pulled out the suitcase sitting in the closet in our bathroom {we have a lot of closets} and took out all the baby clothes I brought over here with the intention of either using them {should we have a baby here} or donating them. It looks like I will probably be doing both {use them first, then donate}.
I ooohed and aaaahed over how adorable and tiny they all are and it turns out I've got a good set of sleepers from 0-6 months and a few onesies.

look how cute they are!

our house helper has been going on and on and on about how much she hopes it's a girl and how it will be like having her own daughter {um...not so much, but okay.} and gushes and gushes and part of me hopes it's a boy. Actually I would be thrilled to have another boy. I would be happy for a girl too, but I almost feel like I have to explain that in all honesty, I would LOVE to have a third boy. I just picture it for us. But a girl would be lovely and sweet so I feel excited to find out either way. I booked the ultrasound for April 11th at 9:30am and that's when we'll hopefully be able to find out if this little baby is a boy or a girl! Make sure to vote {on the side bar} for what you think/hope the baby will be.

I've also been doing decently on exercising several times a week. I aim for every week day, but usually it's more like 3-4 times a week. Today I did a prenatal pilates video and afterward felt good, but so so so tired and almost felt faint about an hour later when I was chopping up fruit and quickly ate it in the hopes that it would help. It did. Lesson learned. Eat something after working out.

pregnant friends

I've always said I wanted to be pregnant at the same as a friend (or sister) and it just hasn't really happened that I've had someone growing right around the same time as me.
But this time?
There are THREE other close friends of mine who are also expecting within a month or two of me! AND there's a friend in Guelph who's expecting within a few weeks of me and another friend who is expecting almost a month after I am. And I'm sure there are others too!
I'm jumping for joy but also trying not to be insanely frustrated with the timing of me being here and them being there. No baby showers to throw for them, no cute photo shoots together, nothing. I'm here. They're there.
But what I am excited for is coming home in just over a year and all of us having our 7-9 month olds to introduce to each other. So I cling to that and the knowledge that God's timing is perfect and He has put me here and them there for a reason.

17 weeks

17 weeks and a haircut! Gosh it feels great not to have incredibly damaged ends. The guy did a good job of the cut although at times I was a bit nervous of his approach, but all in all, I like it. And he didn't take too much off although I keep worrying it looks a lot shorter, but that's probably just coming from someone with too-long hair anyway.
The blow dry was a different story. In fact, the cut itself must have only taken about 5 minutes but he took about 40 with the blow dry. And he didn't blow dry at the roots so my roots look a little flat but then there was a slight bump coming up after the roots where he used that barrel-type brush. I fixed it up after ruffling up my roots once I left.
Jamie and I went for an afternoon date at the mall and so while I was getting my haircut he decided to get a massage. Once I finished, I went up to the massage place and the woman said he still have 45 minutes more. So I wandered around, found a bra that fits me (glory hallelujah!), went from shop to shop, texting Jamie as I went to let him know where I was and ended up buying myself a soft-serve ice cream after waiting for an hour and a half for him. It turned out to be a self-date which was kinda funny, and of course I'm not objecting to some alone time, but definitely a couple date FAIL.
I feel the baby every day and sometimes s/he is dancing (or so it feels like). It's so sweet.

and we have...

...movement! yesterday the midwife asked if I had felt any movement and I said I wasn't sure but maybe. and then yesterday I for sure felt movement and this morning after drinking a cup of african chai and eating a slice of chocolate zucchini bread the baby was dancing!
this is the fun part for sure.

heart beat

I met with M {the midwife} today for a 4 month check up.
It was short and sweet as there weren't any major concerns or questions on my part.
AND...I got to hear the baby's heartbeat.
S/he was moving about and M said that the baby is quite active! It took a few seconds to find the heartbeat and for one scary moment I thought, what if she can't find it? what if there is no heartbeat? Oh those ridiculous "what ifs".
But we did hear the heart beat and I can't wait to see the baby in a couple weeks {we'll go the week after Easter}.
I think I've started feeling movements which has been so sweet.
But I've got that pinched nerve back in my left foot. The only time it ever really bothers me is when I'm kneeling on the ground to change Jude's diaper. In fact, it's so painful at this time that I can't kneel so I have to switch positions {note to self; get Jude potty trained. soon.}
We've started thinking about giving the baby a Lugandan middle name {in addition to an English middle name}. Jamie suggested it and while not initially "for it", the idea has grown on me, and I quite like it.
Once we find out the baby's gender, and decide on a name, I think we'll at least make the first name public so as to help the boys really grasp the idea of this baby as a person and as a boy or girl.

16 weeks

16 weeks! So crazy. So big. But it's nice to have water to shower with and being able to exercise (due to having water).
My emotions are still all over the place (ie. I'm still cranky and can be - for lack of a better word - quite bitchy) and Jamie says that sometimes when he's called me or when we've spoken on the phone that it's like that Seinfeld episode where the girl that Jerry's dating looks nice in certain lighting but then sometimes different light falls on her and she looks hideous. Will it be "good light" Vanessa or "bad light" Vanessa?

http://youtu.be/TFeUrC2gR30 (for some reason blogger isn't allowing me to embed any videos in this blog - maybe because it's private? not sure. anyway, check out the link for more on that Seinfeld episode.)

For those curious (I was), here are my other 16 week pregnancy photos:

16 weeks with Jude

16 weeks with Noah (love those culottes!) 

I was definitely smaller with Noah, but now I'm not sure, I think I kinda look about the same as I did with Jude...that makes me feel a bit better. At least the quality of my pictures has progressively got better. 

I can't wait to find out if this little one is a boy or a girl! 

Anyone have any name suggestions? We feel like we used up all our favourite boy names and none can compare, but I guess we felt that way when I was pregnant with Jude and his name popped up and we love it just as much as Noah's. So there's hope. 

Did you know that in your first trimester you should be drinking 2 quarts of water every day and in your second trimester you should drink 3 quarts of water every day and in your third trimester you should drink 4 quarts (a gallon!) of water every single day?! Now obviously I got this from an American website but I think a quart of water is 4 cups of water? Now I think I'm doing alright, but I know I need to up my water intake for sure. And especially being in a warmer climate.

15 weeks

So it could be the giant bowl of stir fry leftovers I just gobbled or the lack of exercise for a week and a bit or the increased amounts of sweets I've been eating, but gosh. I look about as big as I feel these days!
Don't mind the squinchy eyes - it was bright.

I seriously do feel a lot larger and I think I am, but now that we have water, I can exercise again because lo and behold...SHOWERS! 

I had a lovely morning with my friend Kelly at an amazing cafe where I had the best latte I've had since being here and a huge croissant. I bought 6 new (to us) children's books for the boys - I gave them each one (Peter and the Wolf & Peter Pan and Wendy) and am saving the others, possibly for Easter baskets or something. Oh and I also bought the most amazing bread from the cafe - filled and covered with whole grains and seeds. DELICIOUS. I could eat the whole loaf myself. But I won't.

It's amazing what a couple hours with a friend can do for your spirits! Thankful for friends here.

grouch

pregnancy hormones. they aren't pretty. at least not this time around. I honestly can't remember the other times feeling like this. grumpy at times, yes. but this?
I'm impatient. I snap at my kids and Jamie. I grumble {I try to keep the grumbling in my head - especially around the kids}. I yell - or at least I raise my voice a lot more than I have in the past.
blech.

I'm tired of feeling like this. Will this pass or will I be more easily frayed until the baby is born?
who knows.

also, we haven't really decided when to let the general public know about the pregnancy. close friends and family know. but yeah, we're keeping it off facebook/twitter/the interwebs for now.
that's all.
week 15 tomorrow.

14 weeks!

dreams and other bits of randomness

My skin {mainly my forehead} has been breaking out - big time. At least for me. Makes me wonder if there's a wee little girl growing inside me as I had lovely skin when I was pregnant with both the boys. They do say every pregnancy is different, no matter the gender, so it's just a pondering at this point.

Noah's moved from baby Mater to baby Magic and now to baby Izzy {after a character from Jack and the Neverland Pirates}. I must say that I'm not opposed to the name Isabelle/Isobel and the nickname being Izzy, but for now...we'll see.

And my dreams have picked up on the vividness and frequency. I blogged about one of them the other day on my Strickly Speaking blog and then last night I had another dream I was in Canada with my Mom and Sister at Stone Road Mall in Guelph buying a wedding present for a guy from our church in Toronto who was married last summer, if I recall {I was not invited to said wedding in real life}. Anyway, so I'm wandering around Home Outfitters trying to find something cool to give. I suggested to my Mom that she do a "games night theme" and now I'm annoyed because I can't figure out what to give. And of course we're at the place they registered with the least amount of things.
The boys may or may not have been there, I can't remember.
I think this is when the dream within a dream part happened and I "woke up" and thought, that's silly. I'm in Africa. I can't even give them their gift. Maybe I can send money.
Then I woke up and thought, A) The wedding happened many, many months ago. B) I wasn't invited, therefore I'm not obligated to buy a gift. C) Enough with the shopping dreams in Canada!


This morning I moved my head too suddenly to check what time it was and ended up feeling dizzy for the most part of today. Not completely dizzy, just mostly feeling "off", so we're taking it easy around here.

And a last bit of randomness...I have two new lovely "baby" sites I've been checking somewhat regularly. Check them out:
Lay Baby Lay {nursery/kid room designs. I adore pretty much every single "room" idea she posts.}
You can't call it "it". {a look at baby names of all sorts.}

And now it's thundering so that calls for a spot of tea.