42 weeks & 1 week

Here I am at 42 weeks pregnant on the left. And me and 1 week old Blaise on the right.
*please note that I have not yet learned to maintain proper posture since having the baby. Hello arched back and slumped shoulders! It's a weird feeling not to have that little guy inside me anymore!*

We are slowly adjusting but I think the slow-paced lifestyle that we live here in Uganda has been a very positive thing. That and Jamie is on paternity leave for a month {so thankful!}.
My parents arrive in less than 2 weeks and they'll be staying for a month {again - SO thankful!}.
This is likely my last post on this blog and you can find any other baby-related posts on my main blog, Strickly Speaking.
Thanks for following along with me on this journey of being pregnant here in Uganda! Blaise's birth story will be posted on my main blog {tomorrow!} so make sure to check that out.

hello world!

he's here! he's finally here!

we're so in love and thrilled to welcome blaise jonathan to our family!

he arrived september 17th {last night} at 11pm weighing 9lbs 4oz with a full head of hair!
i'm absolutely smitten.

more to come when more sleep has been had and we're settled in...

41 weeks

one gorgeous week overdue.
I admit. I went through many phases this week. acceptance. grouchiness. anger. frustration. desperation.
I've walked up and down our gigantic hill in our compound a bunch of times. I ate bowls of pineapple. I've paced and swayed and had lovely hot showers and crawled around on my hands and knees. I've done the "needful" with jamie.

if you don't like words like "mucus" and "blood" stop reading now. you've been warned.

I was getting a bit discouraged because unlike my other two pregnancies, I hadn't lost my mucus plug yet or lost much mucus at all. with noah I lost my mucus plug 4 days before he was born. with jude I think it was 2 days. to me, it's been somewhat of a "sign" that things are happening. so to not see it is discouraging.
this morning I've lost a bit of mucus which is a good thing. hopefully things will pick up.

right now there's a student meeting/retreat going on in our living room today; I can hear the clapping and singing and laughter and it makes me smile. baby B may not show up today, but if he does, he'll have a warm reception, that's for sure.

my latest plan that will likely not come to fruition;
if I am still pregnant on Monday, I will go to the hospital a couple hours early, get my ultrasound scan done and then meet with my doctor for my appointment with him at 11:30. as long as all is well with me and baby B I am going to push for the doctor to give me a stretch and sweep, since I've completed my full dosage of antibiotics {as he was concerned that I was GBS+ and didn't want to possibly push any bacteria further up and infect baby B}. I'm also going to push that I am not induced by any drugs until at least 42 weeks, as long as baby is okay. and depending on which dates he is going by, this could be either next Saturday (the 15th) or as late as the following Wednesday (the 19th!) depending on which dates my doctor is going by.

But let's all hope and pray that I announce the arrival of baby B before Monday at 11:30!

baby B's room

But it's really our room. Luckily our room is quite large and we have the space. We just had to shuffle around Jamie's desk and our make-shift change table and add the pack 'n play. Babies really don't need much. All our boys started off their lives sleeping in our room. Noah lasted a mere 3 days {o hello Darth Vader-like sleeper!} but Jude was with us for a good 5 or 6 months!
We only ever decorated one nursery {for Noah} and we moved Jude and Noah into the same room when Jude was 9-10 months {the months that he didn't spend with us or Noah were in our office}.
It's up to each family to decide what works best for your kids and you {and your bank account!}, but for us we've found that saving space {room sharing} and money {by using hand-me-downs, borrowing items from friends or buying used} is the best way to make use of the things we've been given.

Right now we've got a bookshelf right by the door way. The top shelf has a banana fiber basket/tray with 0-3 month clothing including onesies, sleepers, socks, a few shirts and some comfy pants. The next shelf down has another banana fiber basket with things like diapers, wipes, diaper cream, q-tips and other little bottles of baby-type stuff.
Beside the bookshelf is our high-desk turned into a change table. Right now it just has a small change pad and some other ornamental-type stuff on it {my pretty lavender roses!} but I think I may end up moving the tray of diapers/wipes up beside the change pad as right now there's enough room. Baby B may quickly outgrow this tiny change pad {it was a freebie from another expat here in Kampala} but for now it'll work.
There is a pull-out drawer beneath that has things like diaper garbage bags, extra sleepers and a large tin of "bag balm".
Beneath the drawer is a cupboard that I have a small basket of toys that have been given to us from friends here and in Canada for baby B. I think there may also be a small stack of receiving blankets and burp cloths.
Beside the change table is our beloved pack 'n play that we had sent over with some students who came here in May/June. We got this brand new as a gift when I was pregnant with Noah so it's been well-loved and is now onto its third child! There is a bassinet insert which we'll use for as long as we can with baby B and a mosquito net that's hanging above.
I may move a chair into our room at some point to nurse in, but we'll see how things go. Initially we may have baby B in our bed with us for the first week or so to make things easier for nighttime nursing since it will require me getting out of our mosquito net, lifting up the baby's mosquito net and then bringing him back to our bed to nurse {back under the mosquito net} and then putting him back when I'm done nursing. It's tiring just writing it all out!
So that's all our baby stuff. Aside from the infant car seat we were given by our friends whose son has outgrown it, we just have one of those baby rocker-seats and a bumbo {don't even get me started on the recall. please. just watch your kids and stop putting the stupid chairs up high on top of things! honestly.} that we bought off our same friends.
We've been blessed with much and I am so thankful.
Here's to hoping baby B is a quieter sleeper like Jude and not another Darth Noah sleeper. :)
{the long-term plan is to keep baby B in our room with us until we move back to Canada - he'll be almost 10 months by that time - and then depending on our living arrangements to move all three boys into the same room! we'll see, though.}

THIRTY NINE

sorry about the white on white. makes it hard to tell how big the "bump" is. but holy moley! 39 weeks! how did i get here!?

also I'm trying to get creative with my outfits. my t-shirt options are limited as I don't really want to be showing off "under belly" or be constantly pulling down my shirt. so I've been rotating through about 4 or 5 shirts.
my scarf I purchased in Spain and I love it. It's often cool enough in the morning for trousers and a scarf, although this morning went straight to shorts (or short-pants as they're often called here) as I usually end up changing into shorts or a skirt by mid-day anyway.

I've been feeling lots of movement still! a few twinges earlier this week, but nothing since. my legs and feet feel heavy by the end of the days but thankfully no noticeable swelling - hooray! this is my first pregnancy that neither my feet nor my hands have swollen. absolutely amazing.
sleep has been a bit harder to come by, but once I'm asleep, I'm usually good until the morning.
I've been feeling quite a bit more tired during the later afternoon/evening but then often toss and turn once I go to bed. I must be still clocking about 6ish hours of sleep, though. which is more than I will be in a week or so.
I'm feeling fine with waiting until Mr. Uganda arrives on his own - although I am seeing my doctor on Tuesday and may inquire into a stretch and sweep as I had multiple (2.5!) s&s with Jude and that seemed to help things along.
I haven't lost my mucous plug (sorry if that's TMI) yet so I'm taking that as a sign that this baby is hanging in there 'til at least my due date. Jamie keeps hoping he'll arrive earlier. I feel confident that he won't. but whatevs.
I've been following a handful of bloggers who are also pregnant (or were pregnant) and due right around this time and it's been fun and exciting reading their birth stories (the ones who have had their babies recently) and making me excited for what's to come!
not much else is new other than I'm glad Nick is here so that if Jamie and I need to go to the hospital, we've got someone here to watch the boys. and Lisa arrives tomorrow morning so that's two people to help with the boys (which at this point is probably the thing I'm most anxious/concerned about) while I deliver at the hospital.
everything is coming together.

will update after my Tuesday appointment with more details of how that all goes.

38 weeks

Well I may or may not be experiencing a sugar high/coma due to inhaling two glazed donut muffins that I made this morning. Whoo, someone's got the shakes.

Anyway, so I'm 38 weeks! My bags are packed. I've got some fun ideas to make up small little "fun" bags for both the boys to either enjoy at the hospital {if we're stuck there for awhile. Please Lord, no.} or at home before or after we get back.
Nick arrives on Monday morning and then we'll have our built-in person to watch the boys when we need to go to the hospital. I'll breathe a sigh of relief when he does arrive.

What else? I'm actually feeling quite well. Not feeling too impatient although in the evenings I'm feeling pretty tired {I looked at the clock at 8:45pm last night because I felt so tired and wondered what time it was! I did end up going to be around 9:30ish.}. I wake up to pee lots at night but usually can fall right back to sleep.

I'm happy to wait until this baby shows up on his own time. Not feeling so grumpy and expecting that he'll come early like I felt with Jude {which made being even more overdue than Noah exceptionally more of a letdown.}. Just content to wait - a bit because I'm slightly nervous of the labour/birth in a hospital and would rather just skip over that part and meet baby B already.
But it's good.

Oh I texted Dr. B again {yes. I have his cell phone number and he told me to text him for the lab results.} and haven't yet heard back about the GBS or the iron levels {correction on last time's post. apparently my hemoglobin levels were low but he hadn't heard back about my iron? I don't really know the difference, but whatever.}, so I'll just wait and see and maybe I'll hear back sometime this weekend.

No weight gain lately. Still hovering around the 16lb mark as total weight gain. Hoping for a regular sized baby this time around. No behemoths, please.

Okay, I should eat a piece of cheese or something to combat these sugar shakes!

thirtySEVEN

full-term! I can't hardly believe it! it feels so good to get to full-term. it's like i've really done it. i'm pregnant and having my baby in africa. crazy. but oh-so-good.

I've got heartburn {so thankful for the super sized package of TUMs my mother-in-law brought over for me} and this little guy moves SO MUCH {like he was keeping me awake with his crazy antics!}. i don't remember the other two moving so much and so late in the pregnancy, but really? i'm not complaining. it's reassuring that he's there and okay and very much an active, healthy little guy. and that is a good thing.

I love this sundress. I bought another just like it from the craft market a few months ago. you really can't go wrong with a dress for less than $10! and so.stinkin.comfy.

and the earrings are my newest purchase made by the young ladies of an organization here called Girl Child supporting young girls who are at risk for abuse and prostitution.

I have my first appointment with Dr. Busingye on Tuesday and will probably do the GBS test/swab then as well as getting more blood work done to see how my iron levels are. here's hoping that I don't test positive for GBS this time around, but even if I do, I'll be in the hospital regardless so getting the antibiotics are less of an issue than they were when I was planning on a home birth for Jude. still, I'd like to avoid an IV if at all possible. that was probably my least favourite part of Jude's birth!

my weight gain is about 16lbs so far so I'm quite pleased. here's hoping it'll come off pretty easily {although I'm not counting on it with me being older and it being my third baby, but ya never know!}.

off to MishMash's farmer's market again to buy another baby present and peruse the produce selection.

**pelvic pain has lessened. I have to be careful about my movements and ease into things, but it's not excruciating at this point. just uncomfortable. which is mostly to be expected.

***the fruit at 37 weeks is called a winter melon - apparently.

thirty six

Thirty six weeks today!
A bit of heart burn. Feeling big. A bit more discomfort during sleeping, but my crappy foam mattress is working in my favour as it molds to my body and is more comfortable on my side. Lots of movement still from Baby B.
The boys are liking reading this book that Jamie's Nana & Grandpa sent over. It's cute and talks about some of the more common questions kids ask during pregnancy. At the end there's a page which shows the development of the baby and Noah really likes looking at this page.
It's our last day with Jamie's family before they head off tonight. It's been a combination of busy and relaxed and it's been great to have them here. I'm sure the boys will miss them as much as they'll miss the boys when they leave.
My belly is getting so big that I really only vary between a few shirts now as most show off the "under belly" that's really not at all that attractive.
We're heading out for some last minute errands like buying illegal DVDs and for Jamie and I to get some passport pictures to accompany the renewal of our International Drivers Permits that we'll send back with his parents.
It's crazy-town in here right now!

{1 week 'til I'm full-term. 4 weeks 'til my due date. At least 4 weeks until Baby B arrives! Hopefully no more than 5.}

35 weeks

Whew. I'm feeling it. Last night I noticed the swelling has begun. It's just minor but it's there. I can feel it and only just barely see it. So here we go. Putting the feet up. Making extra sure to drink lots of water.

Yesterday at the craft market I was sitting in the shade with Noah & Jude and another little {white} boy came up to us and started playing with the boys. Instant friendship. Eventually I got talking to his dad and found out that this family of 2 boys and a baby girl live in Gulu. The mother just had a home birth a week ago with a midwife and had a fantastic experience! I was so encouraged {and a wee bit jealous} to hear about it! I was also encouraged to hear that while they were in Kampala, she was receiving care from Dr. Busingye - the same doctor I will have. The father had nothing but good things to say about him which was so reassuring and such a sweet blessing to my heart. {thank you, Jesus!}

I got a new pair of earrings at the urging of my friend Kelly who was also at the craft market but you can't see them in the above picture, so I made Jamie take a picture so I could show them off to you.

Lovely mint green. I love 'em.

Right now there's another party next door so we can count on blasting loud music with some sweet bass until at least 11pm tonight. Good times!

Well, we're off with Jamie's family to MishMash at yet another attempt for me to buy tortilla chips and bagels. Still no luck.
Tomorrow is Jude's birthday party and I'll be making the cake later on today and possibly some of the other food that I can prep ahead of time.
Baby B is a butternut squash! Can't wait to meet this little guy.

34 weeks!

amazing. 34 weeks already! 3 weeks until I'm full-term. at least 6 weeks until baby B comes. {at least. probably 7ish. this is what I tell myself so I can be fully prepared for another overdue baby.}

I got a free baby changing pad the other day from another mom here in Kampala. I love the interwebs. Connecting people. Gettin' free stuff. She also gave me a few baby clothes and some swaddles. Hurrah for free stuff!

on Tuesday my in-laws arrive and we're all really excited! we've been trying to make the most of "just us" family time. today we're going to MishMash again to see if my bagel and tortilla ladies are there. crossing my fingers, but not getting my hopes up. we'll see. this is africa. :)

*also check out how big baby B is! the size of durian fruit! this seems random to me, but I like it. :)

portrait by Jude

So Jude drew this. Do you see? It's me with baby B in my belly! I almost died from the cuteness and amazement when I saw this. Apparently I have 4 legs, but who cares? This is so cute!

thirtyTHREE

So I splurged a bit and bought this dress at MishMash last weekend. I love it. I've been looking for a dress similar to this and it's ridiculously comfy. So after looking at it last Saturday, I went back on Sunday and tried it on. I loved it. And I hope I'll be able to wear it post-baby as well!

Lots of movement but still not any weight gain since last week. I'm hoping this means a smaller baby than at least Jude {9lbs12oz!}.

I cannot believe I'm 33 weeks pregnant! That means only about 6 or 7 weeks left {I'm giving myself a week overdue and hoping that he won't go any later than that.}! That's crazy.

This morning we got a money transfer from Jamie's grandparents with birthday money for Jude's birthday and Baby B's. I think with B's money we'll buy some sort of comfy chair to put in our room for me to nurse him in. As long as it's comfy, I don't mind if it rocks or not. 


So this week I'm hoping we'll get the "party house" painted and some furniture moved around as well as setting up the house for guests. And last night I couldn't sleep as I was thinking about a bajillion things so I made a list of {among other things} things I'd like to get for the party house {ie. garbage bins, night tables, book shelf of some sort, maybe some sort of pretty decor to hang up, etc.}. And with Jamie home tomorrow {hurrah!} we really only have a week together before his family arrives and after they leave we'll likely have a week or two to get things ready for when Nick & Lisa arrive back in country. 
Before we know it, the wee babe will be here, my brother and his girlfriend will be visiting and then my parents will be here for a month!

Time is just a-flyin' by!

32 weeks

My sweet and talented friend Beth took some maternity shots for me on Thursday. They all turned out oh-so-lovely. Except for the little black dot that is not on my lens, but actually inside my camera and appears on every.single.picture {and which we lovingly referred to as the "traveling mole" when it appeared on my face}, I love them all!
I figured I would use one for my bump pic this week.

I'm feeling pretty good. I have braxton hicks many times a week now and lots and lots of movement which is quite good although can be quite sudden and jumpy.

I got a ton of baby clothes from my sweet friend Aletha last weekend {on Canada Day} and sorted through them all into sizes. I'm dying to start rearranging the room and I may start rearranging furniture after Beth leaves. And by "I", I mean probably James taking a part the bunk beds at the very least and moving them up into the "party house". I'll probably use my nesting energy to clean up and clean out the "party house" for when Jamie's family arrives - on the 24th! So soon!

Only 8 more days until Jamie returns from the Philippines, but it seems like he's have a really good time there. Wish I could be there with him...perhaps Jamie and I will have to have an overnight getaway when his family is here. Maybe?

We're about to head out in a bit to MishMash even though it's a cool, cloudy day. I need to get me some bagels, tortilla chips and possibly an avocado or two to make some guacamole.

*oh and an assortment of the pictures that Beth took can be found here.

**so I weighed myself today hesitantly. still only at 11lbs gained! hoorah! but perhaps now is the time i should lay off the brownies and reece's pb cups, eh?

31 weeks + 3 days

I had my 2nd last midwife appointment with Michele today. It went well.
Jamie dropped me off because he had to go pick up our camera that I left at a friend's house on Saturday for his trip to Manila.
Of course this was the one time I sat waiting for Michele to finish up with her previous appointment. But it did give me enough time to chill, relax and almost doze off as I waited. Because of this, my blood pressure was nice and low. So we laughed about that. I should probably come to all my appointments early enough to sit and relax for a few minutes.
We heard the heartbeat and it sounded great and we only caught the ectopic beat at the very beginning and then the heartbeat sounded perfectly fine and regular. Again, she reassured me this was nothing to worry about and I'm not. I feel good and at peace about it.
I had her go through my birth plan and help me with wording and taking things out that are irrelevant and highlighting things that will be important for me and Jamie and the baby.
I also got the results of my blood work and for the first time in 3 pregnancies, my blood levels are within a normal range! Amazing. Perhaps I'm eating more red meat living here? I'm not sure. But I'm pleased.
I'll get blood work done once more around 36 weeks to double check as well as get tested for GBS and here's hoping it's negative. But we'll see.

Jamie got off to the airport okay and we all said good-bye to him after lunch.

I think that's it. I'll have one more appointment with Michele before she leaves for the UK and I'll meet Dr. Busingye (boo-sin-jee) at that time.

My next appointment is on Jude's birthday - July 31st.

thirty ONE

o canada!
breaking out my patriotic side with this shirt. i finally gave in and bought some maternity clothes. this shirt is not "maternity" but it's long. so it works.
there are some strawberry cupcakes sitting on my counter awaiting slatherings of icing and hungry bellies. tomorrow. i will likely eat at least two.
tuesday i have my next midwife appointment. i think i'll run through my birth plan with her to see if and what i need to change if they are things that are just not applicable. we'll see.
and it may be my last appointment with michele. i'm not sure but i'll find out on tuesday morning.
and now? i will sleep. and hope that jude does not wake up for the third night in a row with a tantrum because he doesn't want to be in his bed any more and that he wants to eat. um, no. we do not each at 3am. just because you chose not to eat your dinner, does not mean you get to make the rest of us pay the consequences.
that's all.
{31 weeks! crazy!}

30

I'm thirty years old. I'm thirty weeks pregnant. With my third child.
Pretty cool.
Thought I'd do one of these nifty little pregnancy questionnaires. In case you care.


How far along? 30 weeks
Total weight gain: 10ish lbs.
Maternity clothes? Am I wearing them? Some. Mostly my regular clothes because I'm too cheap to buy anything new here. I am itching to find a couple more sundresses, though. That may be in the works this week.
Stretch marks? Probably. If the past has taught me anything, I find them after I give birth. Nothing major, though.
Sleep: Surprisingly good. Last night was a dreamy sleep except for the ridiculous birds on our roof this morning that sounded like animals in our attic. My kids of course slept in 'til 7:40 and the birds woke me up at 7am.
Best moment of the week: I'm not sure if it was the best of the whole week, but the other night I lay on the couch watching a movie and "holding" my belly. Mr. B was kicking and moving and it was a sweet thought to think that in less than 3 months I'll be holding him in my arms. Outside my belly.
Miss anything? My stretchy maternity brown culotte pants.
Movement: So.Much.Movement. Sometimes it feels like he's doing an Irish Jig inside of me. Sometimes I wonder if this is normal. Such spazzy movements.
Food cravings: Sugar. Peanut butter & chocolate.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Only when I eat 6 homemade "timbits" in a row.
Gender prediction: I'm no gypsy, but I'm pretty sure the ultrasound revealed Mr. B in all his glory. {boy.}
Labor signs: Starting to get a lot more Braxton Hicks. Achy joints.
Symptoms: Heartburn has arrived. Slight shortness of breath these days.
Belly button in or out? Out/flat
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time? Mostly content. I do have two little boys running around here wreaking havoc. It's good. We're cool. I cope with humour.
Looking forward to: Nesting! Organizing our bedroom and setting up the baby furniture in our room.

That's it for the most part. My next midwife appointment is July 3rd I think.
30 weeks! I feel like once I hit the 30's I'm on the home stretch. Still at least 10 more weeks, but still. Crazy!
Also? I adore these earrings. I've never seen anything like them since I bought them at the craft market back in November.

twenty9

Good gracious I feel large and ungainly.
This morning I told Jamie that I have nothing to wear. Which is a lie. I just have nothing that feels comfortable. I'm big. And I still have at least 11 more weeks to go.
Sob.
No, it's not all bad. I just have some days where I wake up and I feel huge. And achy. And tired.
We're headed out to MishMash and I'm going to treat myself to some delicious cinnamon raisin bagels.
Maybe I'll weigh myself first because "hello rolls of fat on my back."

**weight gain so far is 10lbs**

26 weeks

After eating something that didn't sit right I haven't really felt like eating for the past day. I lay in bed for the last part of yesterday afternoon and all night feeling my stomach clench and unclench. I thought I was better but then it started again today.
Hopefully it's nothing serious and will pass on its own.
Just resting and looking forward to swimming in Jinja tomorrow until Wednesday.
My stomach looks weird because of the capris waistband pressing into my belly. Awesome.

25 weeks

So I got a big surprise last night. A surprise baby shower! We had been planning for a girls spa night in for all the students on project here. It was a success - and just as it was all wrapping up, I was pulled into another room by Kelley to talk to me about something only to walk back out to the living room and all the girls were standing there with that gorgeous sign you see in the picture above with a bunch of gifts for me and le bebe. So sweet! I feel so blessed by these awesome girls.

So I'm 25 weeks and according to the fruit picture on the side bar I'm 6 months pregnant now and I'm carrying an eggplant baby! So cute.

I have another midwife appointment on Tuesday so I'll probably do a mid-week update this week as well!

24 weeks

This morning it was wet and rainy and cold and I wore jeans and a 3/4 sleeve shirt {is that what they're called?}. Then the sun came out and the shorts went on and the hair went up. 

Not much baby action to report on here. I feel him moving lots and lots and I'm just trying to get enough sleep and drink enough water and I've just come to accept that this baby will likely be another big baby. I just make 'em big. 

I bought a pair of black tights today to go underneath dresses & skirts that are a bit on the short side. They'll mostly be worn on cooler rainy days. 

And yesterday I pulled out all of the clothes my friend Irene gave {back} to me. It was cute going through all the tiny clothes that Noah and Jude both wore. 

I might acquire a baby swing depending on the swing and the price through a friend of a friend in the next few days. We'll see.

Other than that...not much else to report. Still growing. Still feeling pretty good. Can't wait to meet this little guy.