Wednesday, 18 November 2009

  • November 18



    Still waiting.
    Today we had a marvelous day. First, it's still about 10-12C above 0C, so anywhere we go i just put on my crocs (because my feet have more room in them now than my stellar walking shoes i've worn until now - you can see why in the last photo) and a hoodie. This morning a friend called to tell us that there was a special class for the 'older kids' at Mom's Morning Out if we were interested in attending. My brain has seeped into other more swollen areas of my body, it seems, and i had once again forgotten about MMO, but once we were reminded - 10 minutes prior to the beginning of the event - we were happy to go. It was fun, as always and the speaker, a lady from Sri Lanka, was very inspiring. Straight away after MMO we went to the Back Porch Cafe for lunch, since Josh hasnt been there before. We had a marvelous lunch there of soup and sandwiches and then a lovely oreo cookie blowout cake piece with cappaccinos. Mmm. I really like that new cafe - i love the way the sunlight comes in through the big new windows, the quaint old chairs and tables and mismatched dishes. I love the simple but savory food and the decadent cakes set in the little display case. I also love entrepreneurs and do so wish that they will do well in their new endeavours. New things always are inspiring to me. Anyway, after lunch we went straight to the Ark ceramic and art shop next to the post office. Judah and i had a great time painting together. Josh took some photos of the both of us, but we're keeping Judah's project a secret (or, we'll try to) so that up there's the only photo of our adventure you'll get for now. I would spend a lot of time and money at that shop if i lived here full time, i tell you! Tomorrow, however, i'm off to Barb's Country Christmas, where i'm sure to be tickled by tons of other spiffy pottery.



    I've also been busy for a day making my friend a diaper clutch because she told me that she loved the photo of the one i made for myself. (she's so encouraging ). Fortunately for her and perhaps unfortunately for me i did a better job putting this one together than the first. Alas. But you can still see i've problems with the corners/sides.



    You can assume, by lack of information to the contrary, that the new baby is still in utero. Judah greets me every morning by saying something to the effect of, "what are you doing here? i thought you were going to the hospital to push the baby out?!" This morning he called to his grandma plett, which he loves to do on his own now that he's learned how to dial the number en seul, and told her that "mom is going to see the doctor this morning to push the baby out so dad and i want to come for a visit to your house." Alas. That's how rumors get started.

    My arms, unfortunately, are still (or, once again) pinching and paining me. I can feel the water rush to my feet every morning when i swing them down out of bed. I realize i've normally got short and stumpy toes, but the puffyness of my feet is quite incredible! Apart from that i've got some TERRIBLE nerve pinching in my hips, which tends to flare up after i've walked a lot in a day. It's excruciating, to say the least, and makes it difficult to walk across the room at the end of the day. Ouch. Despite all this discomfort, the thought of labor and delivery at this point is really starting to give me the cold sweats. I mean, last time i was naive enough to think i could handle the pain, since i didnt know what to expect. This time i have the unfortunate knowledge of past experience to haunt me as i approach d-day and it's causing me no end of mental anguish.



    Anyway, stay tuned to the blog and/or facebook for the announcement. Here's to hoping it comes soon and with a lovely story of a quick and pain-less birth. :-S

Sunday, 15 November 2009

  • Bits and bobs

    It's been a bit of a flood of writing after a famine hasnt it? I suppose i'm twiddling my thumbs so much these days i've found the impetus to blog about stuff... or something.

    It's now halfway through November and i'm still pregnant. alas. However, the ridiculous notion of a due date indicates that i should still be patient about the waiting. I may resort to more drastic measures this week though.

    Judah's foot is still unwell. We've got a dermatologist appointment booked, miraculously, for December 10. The day after another round of jabs. <sigh>

    Our Christmas shopping seems to be slow in getting going. I've heard also on the radio that many Manitobans are having difficulty getting into the Christmas (read: shopping) spirit due to the warmer than normal temperatures we've been having these last few weeks of November. Can you believe we're still walking around without jackets some days?! Granted, the mornings are quite frosty, but, at least to my foggy memory, this is more like mid-October weather than mid-November weather. There isnt even any snow on the ground! I'm actually starting to get mildly concerned considering that we've only a few months in Canada to soak up as much snow and traditional winter fun as we can to last us another few years of balmy tropical weather... <ahem>.

    Josh's and my arm still hurts from the jab from Friday.

    One of our new "favourite" shows (ie. something that is somewhat watchable out of the 50+ channels on tv) is "Cake Boss". JOsh now knows all kinds of interesting facts about fondant and buttercream icing.

    Everyone except me thinks we're having a girl.

    Judah's new name selection for the baby is flower. Or, flour, as he explained to me last night. That is, the flour one uses to bake cookies.

    I still cant decide what's worse: the great discomfort and the ever-looming knowledge of extreme labour pain or the thought of never-ending fatigue and hyper hormonal over-drive. Fortunately i havent the choice in how long to wait to move from one stage to the next.


    Currently
    Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
    By Ray Romano, John Leguizamo
    see related

Friday, 13 November 2009

  • We've been jabbed.

    The H1N1 vaccines are available again after running out last week due to the mass panic that the Canadian government/ media has created about the pandemic in the last few months. I saw the board-notice yesterday on my way back from my chiropractor appointment telling that there was a clinic open in Lorette today (friday) from 2-7, so we planned to drop by on our way back home from 'the city' where we spent the morning shopping. Unfortunately Judah found out our intent before we even left the mall, which caused no end of pleading and whining and crying on the way home. Alas.

    Here we are after all is over and we are waiting the required 15 minutes post-jab to ensure we dont collapse or whatever. At this point Judah conceded that the needle didnt actually hurt and he was just screaming because he wanted a candy...


    This is the lineup we encountered when we showed up half hour before the clinic actually opened up at 2pm.


    it extended inside around the hall and then into the waiting seating area. I took the camera along on this adventure because, truly, this whole H1N1 pandemic situation is a national phenomenon as far as i'm concerned. The panic and confusion that it has engendered in almost everyone, not to mention the steady top-five news item rating it's held for the past few months is quite mind-boggling considering that any normal flu affects more people and causes more deaths than this one has. Anyway, i do confess that now we've had the jabs i'm glad not to have to think about it anymore: no more wondering whether it's the right thing to do or whether it's such a big deal or not. Nor will i worry though whether we'll be 'struck down' by this flu in the next few months especially considering we've an infant in the house.



    When we entered the hall Judah had somewhat of a breakdown, but we had to wait so long between entering the hall ca. 2:30 until we actually got jabbed at about 3:30 that he calmed down somewhat in the interim due to Josh's stellar distractions. There they are (middle of picture) with Judah giving me the 'thumbs up'.


    We put Judah in charge of taking photos of mom and dad while they got their shots thinking that would distract him from his imminent jab...



    notice Josh's "i'm not scared" facial expression.

    I'm kind of sad that i wasnt able to take a photo nor a video of Judah's jab seeing as it took the both of us to wrangle him to the seat and then he screamed and fought so loudly that the nurse in the next station came over to help hold him down... <sigh>. But we got the post-jab photo (posted above) instead.



Thursday, 12 November 2009



  • Today as i was driving home from my midwife appointment i was pondering why it is that i have such an aversion to the whole idea of a "due date" when it relates to pregnancy. It's no secret around here that i dont appreciate the increased attention that i get around the time when i'm expected to birth my baby. This is mostly because i'm already feeling the discomfort and significant impatience that being almost done my term means. I'm quite certain that even newly-finished-with-pregnancy-moms forget the heightened impatience that comes with the last month of pregnancy and how being asked repeatedly about the due date of the child by every Tom, Dick and Harry does little to alleviate the strain. Because i cant think of any other reason why everyone seems to feel the need to discuss this with me in every parking lot i find myself in. At this point, to be honest, i'd rather not be reminded that it looks like i'm ready to birth any day now, or, wondering why i havent already had the baby. <sigh> What people dont realize, perhaps, is that i wonder about that EVERY morning when i wake up and before i go to bed!

    There's just something strange about the time-hiatus that happens to a woman at the end of pregnacy. When i look at my calendar and enter new events for the next few weeks i keep wondering to myself if i'll actually be able to attend them or, will i already be toting around an infant by that time? Truly, this whole time period is a great big fat difficult lesson in letting go of control and waiting on God's timing, which - to be quite frank - is blastedly tiresome. If i had my way i would have a week-old infant by this time, sufficiently on our way towards feeling good enough to accomplish all the 101 things to get done post-partum-pre-departure: get infant passport photo, apply for passport, get family photos done, write and send away newsletter with birth announcement news and whatnotall... Alas. ...and horray! for the unavoidable fact that i cant do anything about it apart from the innumerable home-remedies that i've already begun in my pursuit of natural induction (red raspberry leaf tea, evening primrose oil, induction massages, walking, falling down stairs, foot massages...) You can be certain that the castor oil is coming out when the due date finally arrives.

    One thing that dawned on me for the first time this morning en route is that the term due date may also have subconscious negative connotations for me since i've always prided myself on having all my assignments completed prior to the due date, or my books returned to the library before they are due. Somehow the idea of not being able to complete this "assignment", as it were, before the due date gives me a bad feeling in my mouth.

    Anyway, apart from the mental and physical discomforts that plague an 8 month pregnant woman i've also been making note of how much i enjoy living in small town manitoba this home-assignment period. I cant believe how convenient things are living here: going to non-insane flu clinics for one (which we havent done yet but i'm hoping will be the case tomorrow), having those on-the-street chats with "the people in your neigbourhood" because you know everyone, walking to the arena for free-skate, a 3 minute drive to preschool, the video store, the candy store, knowing enough people very personally to feel quite comfortable calling up a babysitter for the first time and having full confidence in her capacity to care for my child, art shops in town, knowing the banker and she knowing you on a personal level, same with the postmistress, being able to drive less than 15 minutes to see a doctor and basically being able to just walk in because there isnt a long wait, same with the chiropractor, the masseuse, the salon... AND the other day i just walked in with josh and my passport applications (no guarantor needed to sign anything!) to the Steinbach provincial office of something or another and did in 15 minutes what would have taken me at least! 2 hours to complete in downtown winnipeg what with getting there, parking, waiting in a terribly long line up, etc etc. It was incredible! I'm also enjoying the fact that my midwives are in S.East Manitoba as well, which means no driving downtown winnipeg and finding parking for weekly appointments and they are way more likely to come and see me at home. Anyway, although there are things i miss about home in Madagascar these days, it's tough to beat the convenience of small town life just now.



    For my equally impatient friends in Madagascar i post these belly photos. What can i say, i'm a bit... large my feet and hands are swollen something fierce and i cannot function well without an afternoon nap. At this point, as my "due date" approaches i reckon i should be getting as much energy-giving rest as i possibly can.

    That's our kitchen in our sweet-suite in the background, FYI.

    While i wait i continue to check off items on my "To-do" list. One of those being to sew a "Diaper clutch" which i found online a sewing tutorial for. I've also completed a few blankets, 2 sizes of pouch-slings, bath mitts, burp cloths, change pads... and Christmas presents. The photo is here because i find it amusing to find photos of other womens' sewing projects on their sewing blogs and their descriptions of what they did and what materials they used. Here's mine: I used the orange scraps left over from my cotton lined flannel baby blankets for the middle part and scrounged in my mom's basement storage room and found her box of old ties, which i opened up and used for the sides and inside lining. The ties give it a sort of upscale tapestry/upholstry look. LOL It just needs a velcro closure yet. I also want to note that the diaper clutch, which holds a small wipes case and a few diapers together in your nappy bag so you dont have to fight all that crap floating around together with your wallet, water bottle, keys, phone, etc, also matches my 'hip' nappy bag.