He's Here!

Noah Peter Strickland arrived on Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 10:19am!
We are so excited to be parents of this beautiful little boy!
Noah's growth and other day-to-day happenings will be recorded at a new website:
http://noahstrickland.blogspot.com

home birth land

I got the call today - or rather I made the call.
My iron is officially at 110! So I'm in home birth land now - hooray!
However for having "normal" levels of iron I am feeling absolutely EXHAUSTED today so I took a nap and am opting out of going to the event on campus tonight.
It'll be good to relax and get some rest.
Tomorrow I go into the midwifery clinic for a stretch and sweep so hopefully that will give me a kick start into labour!
It's a waiting game...

2 days overdue

No news. I'm waiting to hear back about my iron levels and will go in on Thursday for a stretch and sweep to help induce labour (naturally).
The baby's head still isn't fully engaged apparently and I have been feeling pretty normal.
Jamie and I got the carseat in last night and went to the fire station to get it checked. They said they don't officially do it, but one guy took a look at it and he said it looks tight and fine.
So we're good. :)
My bag is packed in case of a hospital visit and today I got my ebay purchase of my Zanzibar linens so we're all in waiting mode right now.
Come on baby!

birthday extravaganza

Yesterday was both my birthday and my due date.
I was hoping the baby would hold off arriving until after - and he did!
During the afternoon, Jamie and I went downtown to my favourite store, On the Verge, to check and see if they had gotten in their shipment of Espe wallets that I've been waiting for for about 2 months now (I'm not even kidding). In the meantime I've been looking at other wallets, but have decided to hold out and wait for the beautiful Espe wallets to arrive. I even asked them to phone me when they got their shipment in.
So we walked in and I didn't expect to see them there, but there they were, in all their cute leatheryness.
It was definitely worth the wait - so Jamie purchased me one for my birthday and I must say, it's my first "grown up" wallet ever so that's somewhat monumental for my 26th birthday and last birthday sans children.
Who knew a wallet could bring so much joy? (So I have a slight bent toward materialism...I admit it. It's true.)


That evening we went to Strom's Corn Maze - something Kirsten and I have been wanting to do for...a really long time. I can't remember how long exactly - but probably a year.
So that was fun - fun to have a photo opp, fun to check it off my list, and actually pretty fun to wander around these really tall stalks of dried out corn! :)
The baby also held off his arrival for a delicious dinner out at The Outback in Kitchener with some great friends.
So it was a great birthday. Oh and on Saturday I went out to The Fat Duck Gastropub with some friends (and family) from out of town and I have to give props to Shelly for recommending it. Seriously - this was the best meal I have had in a really, really long time. Everyone loved their food and the prices were good, and the food was extraordinary! I would recommend it to any and everyone.
So a good weekend was definitely had by this birthday girl. I am 26 and now eagerly anticipating the arrival of this child who finds it more comfortable to be all squished up inside of me than to come out and meet his parents!

Week 40

Come on baby!

baby's room

fat feet

I realized I haven't exactly highlighted my low light of pregnancy so far.
That would be swollen feet. Or the proper term: Edema. Boo to edema I say.
Over the past couple weeks my feet have swelled to gargantuan proportions. Even when I sleep at night they still are swollen in the morning - not nearly as much as at the end of a day, but still...swollen. Jamie and I call them "hobbit's feet". It's true. Well, minus the hair.
So far, that's been the worst pregnancy symptom I've experienced so I'm definitely counting my blessings.
Still, though, being on my first week of maternity leave and having all these things I want to do and get done it's hard when my feet are the size of small islands and I know I should be resting and putting them up. The only shoes I can wear right now are my crocs.
Oh well.
And I can't believe I'm doing this, but I guess for posterity's sake, here is a picture of them last week.

Real Simple

One of the many small things in life that bring me quiet happiness is reading magazines. Specifically Real Simple. I got my first copy of Real Simple in the mail earlier this week and drove to pick up Jamie early so I could sit in the car and wait and read my magazine.
I love looking at all the pretty things I could make or do or wear - the different home decor and design ideas that I could use if I wanted to - the new recipes I could try - the delightful articles that inform and inspire - the "new uses for old things" section that highlights exactly what it sounds like it does.
It's a great magazine and after my initial browse of the entire magazine I can now go back and scour the articles and products featured in November's (yep, I get it early) edition.
*sigh*
So good.

"The Waiting Room"

So I need to rant about going to the doctor's office. I hate it.
I don't hate the doctor or the check up or even routine "icky" things - they're professionals, I just let them do what they need to do.
What I DO hate is waiting. Today for an appointment that took all of 6 minutes I waited for 55 minutes!!! FIFTY FIVE MINUTES PEOPLE. And apparently...this was her 2nd time slot of the day. What is she doing that she is late for her second appointment by 45 minutes? And the thing that really bugs me is that it's just a given that you should have to wait for this long. No apologies are given for making you wait for an extra 45 minutes. The doctor (as wonderful as she is) just waltzes in, does her thing and waltzes back out. If all her appointments were as short as mine then why is she so late?
I was reminded of Jerry Seinfeld's stand up routine about "The Waiting Room" from his "I'm telling you for the last time" show.
So I found it on You Tube and here it is (it's the first 2 minutes).

hospital birth?

I had a midwife appt today.
Iron saga update:
I did not get blood taken today as it's possibly too soon to tell if my iron levels have gone up so I'll get blood taken next Monday. However if I do go into labour before next Wednesday (that's approximately when they'll hear back about my iron levels from the lab) I asked my midwives and they said they would err or on the side of caution and I would be having a hospital birth.
So that's that. Even if they do get my iron results back after Wednesday and they still aren't up to 110 then I would have a hospital birth anyway.
So that wasn't exactly in the game plan but at this point I'm okay with it. Not what I wanted originally, but whatever has to happen has to happen I guess.
The baby also hasn't dropped yet so it could be a little bit still.
I guess we'll see. He'll come when he's ready.

Week 39

Man...am I ever big! Sometimes I feel as big as I look, but often I don't feel as big as this picture (especially) makes me out to be.

last day

Today was my last day of work. My official last day.
As I got home from tonight's weekly meeting I was standing in front of the bathroom mirror taking out my contacts and I looked at myself (I was half blurry since I had only taken out one contact which made for a half serious, half funny moment) and thought to myself: "Self...it really doesn't feel like today was your last day, does it?"
It doesn't feel like I now have a year off campus and into motherhood.
Isn't it funny how when you think about the future and possible milestones you may reach that you imagine it will feel all epic and grand and that you'll FEEL different? But when you get there you feel the same way you've always felt. You feel just like you going through *insert milestone here*. Whatever it is. Turning 25, or 30, or graduating or getting engaged or married or having kids or getting your first real pay check or just.growing.up.
When I was a kid I always imagined that by 25 I'd have life figured out. That I'd know who I was. But I think that would make life boring. I don't think I imagined I would have life LESS figured out than when I did at age 8. But then again, life at 8 years old is far more simpler than life at 25. So in a way, I do have life figured out. An 8 year old's life, that is. I'm still figuring out life as I know it, though. And I'm okay with that. It's a good place to be.

the iron saga and other points of potential interest

Well the iron saga continues.
My iron results came back and I'm only up to 103. I was at 101 before I started taking the iron supplements so that was disappointing that it only boosted it by two. But now we figured out why. The iron supplements I was taking wasn't nearly enough so I'm frustrated that the salesperson gave me what he did instead of what I was supposed to be taking.
So now I'm on PalaFer (1 1/2 tsp a day) and Nutri-Chem Ferrotrate (2 pills a day). Hopefully this will boost my iron by the time this baby decides to show up or else I'm having a baby in the hospital.
I'm not stressed or worried, more disappointed and frustrated that I wasted two weeks taking iron supplements that barely affected my iron levels.
So that's that.
But on a positive note, I am GBS negative which means that when I go into labour - whether at home or at hospital - I don't have to get the antibiotics administered via IV. I was extremely pleased and relieved to find that out.
And tomorrow is my last day on campus before I go on maternity leave. I am both sad and excited and also hoping that this baby gives me a few days to get some work around this house done. There is still a bit of unpacking to do as well as organizing files and figuring out where things are and whatnot. It's livable...but ideally I'd like to have blinds up in the baby's room and curtains up in the living room, etc.
Other things to note:
My hips definitely feel looser. Sometimes I feel "uneven" when I walk and think that this is perhaps "the waddle"?
I am getting more and more excited to hold this little one in my arms, take tons of pictures of him and be a proud Mama. I look at pictures of my friend's child that she and her husband just adopted and am so excited to be able to join in the joy and excitement (and probably the lack of sleep and frustration at times) of raising a little human being.
I also can't imagine doing this on my own. One thing that is pretty much as exciting as looking forward to being a mom is going to be watching Jamie as a dad. I know he is going to be so good at it and such a natural. When other people's kids LOVE you, how can your own child not?

my to do list

Today I rearranged the baby's room and tidied. I put the stroller in the front closet, took the padding off the car seat so I can wash it, put the growth chart giraffe guy up on the wall and put away all the newly washed clothes and blankets. Here are some things I realized I need:

• hangers - can you buy smaller ones for kid/baby clothes?
• the "J" dresser (ahem) sanded and primed to put extra clothes, diapers, blankets, etc. in which will probably stay in the closet
  
• the proper sized brackets for the Ikea shelf I bought
• a small valance rod for the window
• blinds/curtains for the window
• a glider chair :)
• a toy box or hamper or net or some place to put toys
• a night stand and lamp to put beside the glider chair for late night feedings (this is probably more of a "want" than a need)

So that's why I am in no hurry to have this baby ahead of time. I will need all the minutes, hours and days I can get. The window treatments are probably the most important to get up. I'll also need to put up the shelf, find another screw to finish putting on the light switch cover and put up the adorable Zanzibar hooks on the wall.

dreams & the subconscious

Over the past 9 months when I've dreamed, I've only been pregnant once in my dreams. Is this weird? I told someone that and they said that's probably because my view of myself in my subconscious is not as a pregnant person, but just...a person.
I think that's healthy. I'm not defined by my current state as a pregnant person (and one day as a Mom) - or at least, that's not the be all, end all of who I am. There are other facets to who Vanessa Strickland is and at least in my subconscious I am aware of that.
But I like dreaming. When I think back to those first few months of being pregnant and the vivid and strange dreams I had and how well I remember them I am sad that they didn't continue.
Oh well. I guess I'll have to wait until the next child comes along or I travel somewhere (I usually remember my dreams when I'm somewhere different) or whatever. :)

Week 38

2 more weeks to go!

Homer & Lionel

Ever since I saw this episode on tv I've been waiting for this clip to show up on YouTube.
So FUNNY!

update

This may be a long post but there's a bunch to say right now.
First:
We had our home visit from our midwives. Except only R, our intern showed up. No midwife. I really like R so that was okay. She said that C was sick at home today and that S was going to going a little bit late.
So that was fine. We went over lots of things like who will be at the labour, where we hope to labour/give birth (bedroom, bathroom, spare room, etc.) and her recommendations and thoughts concerning post delivery and who will be coming to visit/help and when. These are all things I've been thinking about a LOT and so we talked through some of the things I wasn't sure about (where I want to deliver, who will come to visit and when) and I let her know about the things we've already decided upon (who will be at the labour). So that was good.
I'm measuring the same as I did last week so that's fine, she said.
She took blood to check my iron levels again. Apparently if my iron levels do not get to 110 before I go into labour I am not allowed to do a home birth. I didn't know this! At least it wasn't made clear to me! So...I hope that my iron levels have gotten bumped up with the supplements I've been taking.
I also did a GBS swab test to check if I have a bacteria that is not harmful to adults and a high percentage of women have it at any given time anyway. However it can be harmful in a small percentage of babies (the bacteria is located in the nether regions and is passed on to baby during delivery) and can cause infant death in a very tiny percent of births. So if I do test positive I will have to go to the hospital and get a first dose of antibiotics during labour. The doses after that can be administered at home, but that initial dose occurs at the hospital. Which is annoying since I've planned for a home birth. So I'm hoping I test negative for that to avoid all of that. The test was optional, but I guess I figured it was better to know - at least for my first.
Then I met S when she showed up. She is nice and thorough so that was good. But then she explained to Jamie and I that one of our midwives (M) is on sick leave and the other midwife (C) is going on holidays (not sure for how long - hopefully only 1 or 2 weeks) and so as of right now I have no midwife. So the other midwives are taking over and juggling M & C's patients and if I go into labour before C gets back from holidays I will have midwives I've never really dealt with.
So I'm pretty disappointed about that since I've spent the last 7 months getting to know M & C. At least R (the intern) will be there. And the other midwives are nice, but I don't know them. I do trust them ... but it's just disappointing if that happens that if C isn't back (or unavailable) from holidays when I go into labour I will end up with our back up midwives (which could have happened anyway I suppose) or someone I don't even know?
Oh well. I guess it's for the best...just not what I anticipated.
So that was the home visit.
Ummm....oh yes.
Second:
We've registered for a Baby Bjorn carrier at Babies R Us, but it's quite pricey ($199) and I don't anticipate that anyone will get it for us. So I decided to check out ebay to see what's on there and there are a TON of brand new Baby Bjorn's (just like the one I've registered for) that are like $90! So I'm pretty pumped and will probably buy one off of ebay if we don't get one.
So that's exciting.
I also found this website that carries clothing with funny sayings on them. There are a bunch of "onesies" with hilarious sayings like:
STORM POOPER
Boob man
iPood
and my current favourite: I'm kind of a big deal.
So funny.
I'm not sure if I'd fork out the $13-20 per onesie for them, but they certainly are fun to look at.
So yeah. I just spent the evening chatting on the phone with my lovely cousin and then surfing the internet looking at baby stuff, checking facebook and just chillin'.
So that's my update for now.

expectant parents

this weekend

So this weekend was a good one. Tiring, but I didn't feel overly wasted or anything so that was good. I tromped around the camp grounds with the best of them. I did experience some Braxton Hicks on the Friday night as I sat and did power point for the main session so I kept my eye on my clock and paid attention to if they were getting any worse. They didn't. The same thing happened on Saturday night too. But I figure my body is just getting ready for labour. And that's a good thing! I don't want to go too far past my due date.
I did a mini photo shoot on the docks and it was a lot of fun. I don't think I realize how big I actually am until I see myself in pictures.
It was a good weekend and I'm glad nothing traumatic happened. Now all I want is for this baby to drop - he's cramping my style. And by style I mean...ribcage.