Our First Baby Purchase

We found real sheepskin booties today in Rhodes, which Ron bought for baby! They are so cute and warm, perfect for taking baby home in November :)

Week 16 - Greetings from Santorini!!

Just a few quick photos from last week in Santorini! We had such a good time, despite the strong winds. The picture above is of one of out hiking excursions from Imerovigli to Oia, and the other is us trying to catch the sunset in the middle of a major windstorm!

Not much to report on the baby front. No kicks yet, and still feeling well. I have even been able to stay up past midnight a few times. Definitely a good time to be travelling.

Signing off for now! Hope all is well with those at home.

Week 15

So it's already week 15, and this will be my last blog post for a few weeks most likely. Unless I find the time on vacay to post a pic or two. I've started to hear the past week or so that I am starting to show a little belly. It makes me excited. I can't wait to get out of the pouch stage. I haven't put any weight on this week at all, which worries me a bit because I thought once you hit the 2nd trimester you were supposed to put weight on steadily. I am feeling more normal as we come to end end of month #4. I don't feel the need to nap every afternoon. I am also not STARVING on occasion like I was around week 8-11.

How far along? 15 weeks, 4 days days

Total weight gain: 7 lbs

Maternity clothes? See my last post!

Stretch marks? nothing that i've noticed.

Sleep: Sleeping well still, i haven't been up to pee that frequently as of late which is a relief.

Best moment this week: We have our ultrasound date, June 12 :)

Miss anything? smoked salmon bagelssss :(

Movement: I can tell which side the baby is on when I am lying down. But still no fluttery movements.

Food cravings: FRUIT! especially cantelope.

Anything making you queasy or sick: raw meat

Gender: I still think a girl, lots of others think boy.

Belly button in or out? In, it's starting to pop out a bit though i've noticed!

Happy or moody most of the time: I keep waiting for the hormones to kick in and make me all crazy, but so far, so good!

Looking forward to: Greece!

Symptoms: Few headaches here and there, just a dull ache when they do come. Some dizzy spells, oh and boobs are still growing!

My First Maternity Clothes

Today is the first day i've had to wear a bella-band with my work pants!

So while I was away for work last week, I crossed the border into the states and did a bit of shopping for MEEE!! It was great, I hit up Target and J.C. Penny and got some great deals on work and casual things. I got 2 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of capris, 2 pairs of work pants, and 4 shirts. Then I stopped in St. Catharine's on my way to Toronto at the Motherhood Maternity store and got a few skirts for work, some super cute leggins (which I think I will wear even when I am not prego, they are sooooo soft and comfy!!), and two bras that remind me of my mother! I am now a 38-C, yep that's right you heard it right. I couldn't believe it. I jumped a whole cup size already! They are the nursing type bras that unsnap on the strap. But they aren't as funny looking as I figured they would be, and they have wires which makes them feel half-normal when you wear them.

I find the bands on the pants so hilarious looking when you hold them up. But on (see below) you can't even tell! They look so normal.

All in all, I am pretty happy with my purchases!! They weren't cheap, but I figured it's a bit of an investment and we really don't have any selection at home other than ugly Old Navy.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you Momma's, Grand-mother's and Momma's-to-be!! I hope everyone had a lovely day on Sunday, and we're spoiled by your lovely families. I consider the Momma's in my life to be pretty amazing. Sarah and I are pretty lucky to have such a caring and loving momma-bear, who is not only our Mom but also our best friend and mentor. And Reta, my mother in-law, is amazing and has raised a pretty great son! We are so thankful for you both!

I thought it was so nice that I got many messages from good friends and family, wishing me a Happy Mother's Day. So sweet to think of me, even though I am not yet a momma. Tim got me a little gift which was so sweet. I am heading to Senses for a little pampering sesh this week before we take off for Greece! This time next year, we will have a little 6 month old bundle to spend Mother's Day with. I can't wait to make new traditions as a family of 3 (which I hope includes breakfast in bed ;)).

We had a wonderful weekend, Tim is now an MBA graduate. And to celebrate, we had a large lobster shin-dig in Souris with some of the extended family. It was a great evening. On Sunday, we travelled over to Moncton and spent the day with my Nanny.

40 pounds of lobster!

Below is a few pics from the busy weekend we had:

The Happy MBA Graduate

Mother's Day Brunch at the Delta Beausejour

Ron practicing rocking baby "teddy"

Week 14

Note: Don't mind the sweaty version of me in the pic above! It was the only time i could find to get the picture done before week 15 hits!
How far along? 14 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 7 lbs
Maternity clothes? Still rocking my regular clothes. But they're really getting tight! Stay tuned for some photos of the shopping spree i went on while away for work this week. I may have went a little overboard on mat clothes!
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: Sleeping great still!
Best moment this week: scoring lots of good deals on maternity clothes.
Miss Anything? It's funny, I don't miss drinking or even casual drinks in the slightest. I am totally embracing this new lifestyle while I am incubating! I love it. I am not a Mother yet, but I already feel so motherly. Everytime i consider having even a glass of sprite, i reconsider and opt for a big glass of milk instead. Gotta do what's best for baby OB!! Another funny thing is how now I feel much more connected to those with kids, than those without.  
Movement: not yet, but I can't wait to feel those fluttery kicks.
Food cravings: nothing as of late!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still can't quite do the fish thing.
Have you started to show yet: I have that awkward "pouch" still where it looks like I put on 5 pounds to the mid-section. But after having not seen me all week, Mom said when I got home it was the first time she actually thought I looked a bit pregnanat. I can't wait to actually have a little baby belly, and not just a pouch!
Gender: I think Girl, but most are thinking boy!!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: one happy camper. Other than crying while watching TV shows, my hormones haven't been wrecking havoc to date!
Looking forward to: taking this baby bump to greece next week!! And yes, I will still be rocking the bikinis!!

Nursery Furniture - Getting Creative

I am trying to find a white rocker/glider for the baby room before we settle on the color scheme for sure. They are so hard to find. Has to be something with lots of padding, my tush needs padding for long nights of rocking!!

My next option is to look for one second hand that we can paint and re-upholster...but that could be a big job! Also looking for a nice white dresser that is big enough to put a change mattress on top of. We don't want to buy a change table, because we hear that people rarely use them and the baby grows out of them fast. We thought a better idea was a dresser than can be used for years down the road, and add the change pad mattress to the top. Multi-purpose!

I love this glider from Pottery Barn Kids. If only it wasn't $1100!

Also this is what i was referring to when I mentioned the multi-purpose changing table/dresser. Again, from Pottery Barn Kids.

Sighhhhhh, this bedding is adorable. And hand-quilted. Too boyish? I'm not sure.

Also very cute, if we went with yellows and greens. It would be so much easier to just wait and do the nursery AFTER we've already had the baby!

Fun Facts About Our Baby - Week #14

Well folks, no photo this week as I am off to Niagra for work all week (hope to get one up when I get back). However, I thought i'd post some interesting facts about little baby z (that's what we've been calling "it") or baby Charlie - which is what the O'Brien's are calling him. (most people think its a he). Baby Z stands for zygote hahaha, which is what they referred to the baby up until week 9 until it became a fetus. But it kind of stuck. So Baby Z it is...now if only we could find a cute name that starts with Z and keep the name going!

• baby is the size of a lemon and is 3.4 inches long and 1.5 ounces!
• He/she is almost double in weight since last week, and keeps growing! (and i keep eating)
• He/she is likely sucking their thumb and wiggling toes.
• Kidneys are making urine, and his/her liver and spleen are working now too.
• He/she is growing hair!
• Only 175 days to go until we meet baby Z!

Bio-Oil : A Momma's Best Friend

Bio‑Oil is a specialist skincare oil that helps improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks and uneven skin tone.  It's won 78 skincare awards and has become the No.1 selling scar and stretch mark product in 11 countries!! I am a fan already, and I just started using it. I haven't felt that stretching/tight feeling yet in my belly, but you can never be too prepared! I tend to apply it to my boobs, bum, hips, thighs, lower back and stomach, it is an oil but doesn't feel greasy or slimy when it's on your skin which is a bonus. Plus a little goes a long way. It smells yummy too!


Thanks Kyla for the recommendation!! How is it you know so much about babies when you haven't had one yourself??

Nursery Ideas

Well we've been playing around with some nursery colors and ideas. We aren't finding out what gender we are having, so it makes planning a bit difficult. However, we are leaning towards turquoise blue or green with white and/or yellow accents.

  Here's some inspiration from pinterest:

I loveeeee this bookshelf idea from Martha Stewart that allows the books to be displayed/used as a decoration. If only i knew someone handy who could build one similar to this!

 the cloud mobile is from the store Gosh and Golly on Etsy. I think it is so cute, especially with the turquoise background.

I love tissue poms, I am going to attempt to make some myself! Stay tuned for updates on that DIY project!Here's the "how to" link.

Welcome to the 2nd Trimester!!!

Week 13

So we decided to wait to tell the rest of the world till we'd heard the heartbeat, and now that we are officially out of the first trimester we can spread the news! We are SO excited we can finally share the news with everyone. We heard the heartbeat this morning, and honestly it was the best moment of our lives hearing our little baby, the little heart beating away (very fast!). We could hear my heartbeat first, it was slow and steady. Then, shortly after, a very rapid sounding whoosh whoosh whoosh sound of the baby's heartbeat. Tim's face lit up like a kid in the candy store when we heard it.

So now that we are on to trimester #2, here is my experience of the first trimester :)
Morning Sickness
I never actually threw up, I felt a bit nauseous on and off, some days were worse than others. I kept up with the exercise and I think that really helped me. Cooking raw meat and seafood was a battle, salmon and hamburger (foods I normally love and eat regularly) totally turned me off. However, I could eat them! Just not cook them.

Tender boobs
OH GOD YES!! I feel like they've grown an entire cup size!

Frequent Urination
Only for a few weeks....it became quite annoying. I would go, sit down, then within 30 minutes or so, I would need to go again, even if I hadn't had anything to drink. It was worse at night, I would go beforehand, then wake up 3 hours later andand had to go AGAIN!

Heartburn
I only had this a little bit, but when I did, it was at night before bed after eating a big meal. I've come to the conclusion that small, lighter meals are the way to go. Especially when eating late.

Skin Breakouts
It's quite common to have skin breakouts, with all the hormones pumping through your body, it obviously won't stay balanced. I don't really get spots, but I was getting a few on my cheeks...and also I got some on my back as well (yuck), apparently it's normal to get them here and they have faded which is nice :)

So that pretty much sums up my first trimester, a lot of people have it so hard, I honestly do feel so lucky, I think i stayed so positive when i was feeling a bit crappy, telling myself it's all for a good reason and that it's only for 12 weeks, plus it's all good signs that baby was doing well :)