GUYS!!! I haven't updated this blog since NOVEMBER 2016. NOVEMBER!!! It is now APRIL 2017. I guess it goes to show how you have a baby and suddenly it seems like you have no time for anything anymore. Hahaha. Just kidding. You do have time for things! Life just becomes busy (And I thought I was busy before being a mom. Well. In my fairness I think I was busy! It's just a different kind of busy). Now I end up typing blog posts late at night when the baby is passed out. Holy moly guacamole has our life changed since my last blog post. So, I last posted up until week 36. I took 4 weeks off of work prior to my due date because, for my personality, I wanted to be ready for this baby and I wanted time to mentally transition to being home, preparing for motherhood, etc. Also, the thought of possibly going into labour while at work terrified me. So! My last day in the office was November 18 or something like that (due date was Dec 13). I absolutely loved my decision to take a few weeks off (and I'm feeling lucky I did because Parker came 2 weeks early!) I took the time to clean my house, finish the nursery, pack my hospital bag, make freezer meals, help my mom decorate her house for Christmas, and just enjoy SLEEPING IN (heaven knows I needed it because I was NOT sleeping at night). The last few weeks of my pregnancy I could not sleep at ALL. I think a mixture of it was being SO large and uncomfortable, having to pee all the time, and then just the anticipation of baby arriving. I seriously wouldn't sleep though. There were nights I would go to bed at 11 pm and stare at the clock until drifting off somewhere around 4 am. That wasn't fun. But!
Bump dates. Week 37.
So- week 37. This was a fun week. I was off work, I finished the nursery, packed my diaper bag. I really loved this stage of pregnancy. Its like the last 9 months were totally worth it and you're nearing the end. I get so many emotions just typing this. Pregnancy was such a magical time for me, I really enjoyed it (except the first 14 weeks. Those were ROUGH). I just felt the stress of "real life" was off my shoulders- I didn't have the responsibility of work, clients, etc. My focus was solely on my growing family. And it was so nice. My friend Ashley also helped me make a bazillion freezer meals. We split it up into 2 events. 1 day we went grocery shopping at Costco, and then the next day we tackled making the meals. I am SO grateful. I am doing this for every baby. And if anyone is pregnant and reading this.. MAKE FREEZER MEALS. They SAVED my life. We made so many! And they FED MY FAMILY FOR THREE MONTHS. I had dinner ready to go for THREE months because of the 2 days we invested in getting them ready. When people ask me: "what advice would you give a new mom?" It is.. do yourself a favour and MAKE FLIPPING FREEZER MEALS. I am so so so grateful for Ashley and that she helped me make them. Without her help and motivation I'm not sure I would've tackled it on my own. Ashley said her Relief Society president helped her with freezer meals, and she felt she had to pay it forward. I now feel that same ownership because they were seriously SO helpful. Have I said enough times how much I enjoyed my freezer meals? Seriously, incredible. But, do yourself a favor. BUY PRE-CUT SQUASH. Cutting squash. Is miserable. Just saying. My mom also bought us a stroller this week! I really wanted the City Select stroller (lots of my friends said to get this one). So I had been searching Kijiji for a used one, because to buy them brand new is expensiveeeeee. I found a lady in Calgary who was selling one that was in basically brand new condition for such a good price. My auntie Barb was an angel and picked it up for us, and guys- I LOVE IT. I had Parker in December and so this stroller is a beast and managed the snow and mud so, so well. It also has the BEST basket underneath so I can take it grocery shopping and I don't need a cart cause so much fits underneath. I absolutely love it. Thanks mom & dad!
Week 38
I went to my doctor and he checked me and I was 2 cm dilated and like 80% effaced or something? Don't ask me what that means, all I know is it has something to do with my cervix ripening (WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?) or something, and prepping for this baby to come out of me. So my doctor asked me if I wanted to be "swept" (ask your mom what it means, I'm not telling you). Lots of my gf's said it sped up their labour, and at this point in my pregnancy all I wanted was to meet my baby. So I said YES SIR! Sweep that membrane! It was highly uncomfortable and then my doctor said if it were to work, I would go into labour within the next couple days. The thought of going into labour seemed so surreal. I know I'm pregnant, but now this baby has to COME OUT OF ME? And I'll finally meet this precious human that I had been growing for the past 9 months? Amazing.
 |
| When I walked out of my doctor's appointment there were FIREWORKS. I have no idea why or what was going on that merited fireworks at the beginning of December. But hey. I thought it deserved a picture. |
After my doctor did the membrane sweep I was determined to get this baby out of me. So I went on Pinterest and searched "natural ways to induce labour." I found many ideas, and one of them were Labour inducing cookies (They're basically a really spicy gingersnap cookie... you literally add Cayenne Pepper to the cookie batter). They were yummy!
I also bought pineapple, and ate a whole bunch of it as I heard that is supposed to start contractions. I also read these other smoothies and things you could make using dates that was also supposed to help.. but I didn't get a chance to try those because I WENT INTO LABOUR AT 38 WEEKS! I had the sweep on a Wednesday night, and late Saturday night/Sunday morning I went in labour. So. Who knows if any of these things actually helped or if thats just when Parker decided he was coming. But was so funny because Ashley and Reid were hosting a Christmas party on December 3, and the big joke was "I'll be there if i'm not going into labour." So we went to their house for the Christmas party- and I felt fine. Nothing out of the ordinary. We got back around 10:30 pm and I was in bed by 11 pm. Then... dun dun dun.. LABOUR BEGINS. Parker was kind enough to wait and let me go to the Walter's Christmas party. What a nice and thoughtful boy. Even in the womb. ANYWAYS! I was so behind on this blog that I wanted to take the time to sit down and update it before these memories start to fade! This blog is a mini journal for me and I'm happy to share it with family and friends who might be in the slight bit interested in the happenings of my family's little life. I'm going to blog our Birth Story next, but that's for another night. I'm slowly but surely getting caught up. G'night world. xoxo - Jenny
