October, 2008:

The past two days the baby has been moving like CRAZY! I think maybe it’s been slowly working its way around in a somersault or something because without fail every time I sit down the baby starts working its magic and reminds me that its there and present. I use to feel that Jacob would try to comfort me when I was pregnant with him – that he’d move or roll at just the right time when I was upset about something or worried and I think that’s true about this baby also. I had a crappy day from start to finish on Wednesday that ended up in a migraine so I took a sick day yesterday to try and get some rest, kick back and put my feet up…that’s when the baby started moving and grooving like crazy. The movements have been the joy of the week…truly.

I have to admit that I’ve been sort of in denial about how crazy hectic my life has been and its only just beginning really. I’ve got a lot going on in terms of moving, growing a baby, work expectations, and family commitments and I think I was kidding myself to assume that I could do it all without help. I spoke early this week about gratitude and being thankful for the substantial things in life that are worth being thankful about and it never fails that my mother is one of the people I am truly thankful for. I think parents have a way of knowing when their kids are in need, when they’re struggling and need a hand because last weekend my mom went to a storage place and picked up 20 moving boxes that we needed to start packing our place for the move…then she booked 6 days off work over the next couple months to come help us do it. What was so great about all if this is that I didn’t have to ask for help but that she just sort of knew that I needed it….I’m tired. Really very tired and I’m very thankful that she has extended her offer of help and that I didn’t need to wait till I was so broke down and overwhelmed to reach out an SOS. Then on Thursday morning my mom went and got us tickets to see the musical Dirty Dancing, a show I’ve been dying to see and just her and I are going to go see that on November 7th….it’s so wonderful to have people in your life that know you need a little cheering up or an extra hand without even having to ask. I’m so full of gratitude for my mom and the things she does for me and I can’t ever imagine a life without her present. Love you mom!

Today I am expressing my gratitude to the life that is being formed and created in my tummy. I am marvelled at the process and feel blessed to be able to conceive when many in the world struggle with fertility. I express my gratitude for the heart that is beating….and the sound that brings joy to my ears…for this and every miracle in the world I am truly thankful.

Mike and I are not big juice drinkers and rarely had the stuff in our house before Jacob came along. Since Jacob turned around a year old we’ve been giving him bits of juice here or there mixed with about two thirds water to one third juice and he’s never known anything other then that in terms of what juice is. Our pediatrician was the one who told us of the benefits from real fruit juice (not from concentrate) so we’ve given it to him in this watered down fashion upon the doctor’s advice and have never had a problem until now….

It’s obvious that Jacob has gotten tastes of non-watered down juice from other people who believe that it’s all good to give juice to kids but the studies out there just prove that this isn’t true. Did you know that A LOT of children actually drink ALL of their daily calorie intake in juice and chocolate milk and on top of all the liquid calories still consume the same caloric amount in food intake? Think about that….that’s twice the amount of calories in a day! Drinking up your calories in sugar packed liquids is way too easy to do and its the main reason that Mike and I feel so strongly about getting our kids hooked on water with the occasional bit of juice now and then….

Today when Mike went to get Jacob “some juice”, Jacob said very clearly “i do not like water in my juice daddy” and while it was funny it was also frustrating because it obviously means that he is getting the experience of non-watered down juice from other people. I’m not trying to be picky and frankly its not a big deal if he gets the occasional non-watered down juice but what’s frustrating is that people don’t get what Mike and I are trying to do with our kids. Mike and I are both overweight (me more so then him) and its important for us to set good examples for our children and lead them on the right path…and quite frankly I don’t think packing our kids full of sugar and calorie laden liquids is the way to go. We beleive that everything is ok in moderation….we don’t and won’t deprive Jacob from the occasional fast food treat or ice cream cone….every now and then he gets a taste of chocolate milk (which we call special drink)….in the past we’ve let him have potato chips or chocolate cake….we aren’t calorie fear freaks….we’re just trying to do something here.

So, we’ll continue to do juice our way and hope that others in Jacob’s life will continue to do so by at least making it a 50/50 split of water and juice..understanding what we’re trying to do. Somehow over time juice has been branded a “kid” thing and many people hold the belief that “kids should just have juice because they are kids” but that’s not the case….read anything out by health Canada and you’ll see that for toddlers they recommend no more then 4-6 ounces of juice per day….it’s just the facts people….just the facts.

grat·i·tude

–noun

the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful: He expressed his gratitude to everyone on the staff.

In light of the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend I have decided to do a daily post on the things in my life that I am have gratitude for and am thankful for. I think its always important for us to focus on what we have rather then what we don’t have. If you are a person who judges the worth of your self by the objects that you have, the cars that you drive, the money in your bank then I challenge you this week to dig deeper, look around you, and reflect about the good fortune in your life that is not amounted in any bank account or material object.

This week and perhaps always…allow yourself to be defined by your gratitude and a spirit of thanksgiving…not by the standards that are created by society. Throughout this week I hope to share with you some of the things in my own life that I have made me full of gratitude.

23 Weeks down….17 weeks (give or take) to go!

What can I say about the past week of pregnancy….nothing!  It’s been a very boring nothing to report type week for me and quite frankly I’m happy to say it out loud!  At this point in my pregnancy with Jacob I was in a lot of uncomfortable pain due to SPD (symphysis pubis dysfunction) and it just makes me ecstatic that so far I have not had to deal with that pain again!  The busy work week paired with a hectic weekend made week 22 seem to fly by and now I’m here on another Monday reporting to the world that I’m 23 weeks pregnant. 

This week the baby is the size of a LARGE mango….that’s right a LARGE mango. I believe a few weeks back the baby was the size of a SMALL mango!  How’s that for progress?  Ha!

The baby’s lungs are slowly starting to develop over the next couple of weeks but it will be quite a few more weeks before they are ready to function effectively outside of the womb without the help of ventilated breathing or oxygen. Over the next couple of weeks the baby reaches that important point of actually being viable outside of the womb but trust me we want that baby to bake bake bake!

I’ve got no appointments this week and no ultrasounds so its setting up to be another boring pregnancy week which is exactly how I like it! The baby has been moving up a storm and most of the movement happens in the day and evening which I hope is a sign of good things to come when the baby comes! Ha! Who am I kidding!

I’ve spent the past couple of days organizing my day planner and trying to make sure all of our exciting family activities, events with friends, moving preparations, doctor’s appointments, etc. are included. As I looked over the next three months I realize that many of my “off days” are already booked with various events or obligations which leaves very little time for moving preparation and baby preparedness. At top of all the events and obligations we have we’ll also need to paint the new living room, baby’s room, and Jacob’s room at the new place. Ideally I’d like to also paint the kitchen and the Master Bedroom but I guess those projects will have to wait…there’s just zero chance we’ll be able to get it all accomplished unless a fairy god mother showed up and made it all happen. FAT CHANCE.

Next weekend is Thanksgiving and we’re planning and hoping to have a dinner at my mother’s as well as a dinner at my father’s house since Mike’s family is not doing anything this here and our life is currently too hectic to plan…we usually host Christmas for his family anyways. On Saturday morning I think we’re off to the pumpkin patch before dinner at my dad’s which might be Saturday but could also be on the Monday. The 14th of October is my prenatal appointment and at some point in the 2 weeks following that appointment I’ll probably have to arrange to get my gestational diabetes test done. Jacob has swimming every Wednesday night at 630 and skating lessons start on October 18th and will happen every Saturday at 1145 am. We have another appointment on October 25th and then a couple days later its Halloween. Ahhh! The weekend of November 1st we’re visiting family in Fenelon Falls for a family reunion and then on the 15th I believe we’re going shopping in Buffalo to get some things that we need for the new baby. The day after shopping (November 16th) is the Toronto Santa Claus Parade which we would never miss and the following weekend we have special plans that just got made this past week with friends….The last weekend in November is moving time for us! That’s about as far as my life goes for now and I guarantee it would probably go further if i had my work schedule that far in advance! At the end of November I’ll be 30 weeks pregnant and probably dying for some time off!

Are you overwhelmed yet? I am!

It’s ok though because I bet it helps the time pass by quickly in terms of pregnancy and getting to meet our new family addition! I just think I’m going to be exhausted!

We took Jacob to see Thomas Live on Stage today when the tour came to Toronto. It was a pretty great day overall…he had some moments where he was really scared and started to cry like when the lights first went out or when Percy and Thomas got stuck behind a rock avalanche during a storm…Overall though he was singing and clapping along with everyone else. Here are a couple pics….we couldn’t get any good pics of the show because they won’t allow flash photography and even though many people were breaking this rule we didn’t want to…..trying to be good examples and all that jazz….lol…

On the train heading into the busy city of Toronto…

Before the show with his Thomas Live Flashlight…Ugg 15.00 for this. I usually hate forking in for these things but all the kids had them and I gotta admit it was really cool when all the lights went out and all the kids were waving their flashlights…

Enjoying some popcorn before the show…

When we were at the apple farm last weekend Jacob rode a pony for the second time in his life and at first he seemed like he might enjoy it but he quickly lost interest towards the end of the ride and wanted off. Oh well…it was worth a try and we did get some cute pics!

Waiting in line…

Up on the pony…

Looking a little unsure…

Jacob started his fall swim class last night at our local parks and recreation pool and like all the other times he absolutely loved it! At first I sensed his apprehension about the new teacher and his uncertainty about doing things like jumping off the edge on his own and back floating was back after having the past 4-5 weeks off of swim class. I am sure that in no time Jacob will be back to his old swimming superstar self! I’m so relieved that we got into the pool that we love because its such an easy trip home and the pool is not overheated like at the location we were at in the summer. Jacob refers to his teacher as “Stephanie” because that was the teacher he had for two ten week sessions recently so we’re trying to help him see that this time his teacher’s name is Anica. We’ll have swim class every week for the next nine or ten weeks on Wednesday nights at 630 pm!

The next BIG thing for Jacob is his skating lessons that start on October 18th and go for ten weeks also on a Saturday morning!

I rarely post pics of myself as I’ve said before……but there’s just something about this picture of me holding Jacob while he triest to eat a leaf that makes me smile!