29 Weeks

Baby Connell weighs 2 1/2 pounds and measures in at 15 inches head to heel, Mama Connell's maternity clothes fit a whole lot differently than they did when they were bought in October and Papa Connell is feeling the affects of the holiday work schedule he created.

I wish I had more to say this week but I've been at work and it's been pretty slow. I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday so there will be a lot more to report.

Happy New Year!

Ode to Baby Gap

Socks and blankets and onesies oh my!
Why do you have so many cute things for me to buy?
30% off and just for today?
Now there’s no way I could just walk away!
Here’s all my cash courtesy of Ma Con,
In ten measly minutes, my money’s all gone.

Seriously, how cute is this?


1. Yes, it's green and blue but I think it's cute for a girl.
2. Yes, that's my work chair and desk but it's the holidays and they expect you to take pictures of clothing you've bought for your unborn child during the holidays.
3. Judes likes frequent updates so this one's for her.

28 Weeks

Baby Connell weighs a little over 2 pounds and measures 14.8 inches head to heel; Mama Connell only has to work until noon today and Papa Connell moans in his sleep.

Merry Christmas to you and yours from my 7 month belly (picture taken at work on - dress down day - again!).

The Princess and the Pee

At 5:30 this morning, everyone in the Connell house was up. I woke up to pee, Owen woke up because I did, Lucy woke up because Owen did and Junior woke up because 5:30 is prime kicking-Mama's-bladder time. It takes me so long to get back to sleep that this morning I threatened to just pee the bed. The only time I don't have to pee is when I'm actually peeing. It takes me four tries in the morning to empty my bladder. Owen can't believe the number of times I go to the bathroom in one given night. Michelle at work said she had to stop drinking at 4pm everyday just to get some sleep at night. I'd try that but I'm so thirsty all the time, especially when I wake up. I am not doing well with the interrupted sleep patterns and have the dark circles under my eyes to prove it.

I've peed on the Go Train, at the Go Train station, at Union Station, in every bathroom at the Eaton Center, every floor at work, every stall on my own floor and have gotten quite chummy with the cleaning staff of my building since I'm in the bathroom so often that when they come in to clean every hour they see my (fake) smiling face. I no longer have stage fright when it comes to peeing in public. I could pee in front of the Queen these days.

All of this no sleep and no modesty must be preparing me for life with a newborn.

Happy Birthday Owen!

Mr. Connell does not like birthdays. In fact, think about how much I love birthdays - he feels the exact opposite about them. Our running joke is that his ideal birthday would be to lock himself in our bedroom and listen to 'The Logical Song' over and over and over again - then again, it's not exactly a joke when he's actually done it!

Because he doesn't like birthdays it is near impossible to snap a picture of him with his cake that doesn't have obscene hand gestures or my brother crouched behind the birthday boy with his tongue sticking out. So, here's a picture of the birthday cake Judes made for him.

Happy Birthday baby.

Sign #4 Owen's Forgotten I'm Pregnant

Owen: "You're crying?! That's not a sad song! She's a heroin addict!"
Jen: "Yeah, but someone loved her!"

Song in Question: Running to Stand Still by U2

27 Weeks

Baby Connell is still around 2 pounds and measures 14.4 inches, Mama Connell is officially in her third trimester and had a dream last night that we had a baby girl - her name was Stevie and she was born with 7 teeth and Papa Connell is prefacing everything he does with ‘this better not show up in your blog!’.

It should come as no surprise that being pregnant is way different than not being pregnant. Everyday things I’ve been doing for 32 years have changed in a way I could not have imagined. For instance:

Not Pregnant: Huh, I have to go to the bathroom. There must be one at the other end of the mall – I’ll get there after The Gap.
Pregnant: I have to go to the bathroom RIGHT NOW. I know I just went 2 stores ago but I need to try out every bathroom in Sherway Gardens.
Lesson Learned: When out in public be aware of where the bathrooms are and how long it will take you to get to said bathroom. Cleanliness is key but in a pinch you can go anywhere.

Not Pregnant: Little People, Big World is a great show. I can’t believe they have Little People conferences. What a wonderful world.
Pregnant: Wow, they are at the Little People conference. Who is that? Little Zack? He’s 13? (sob) 2 feet tall? (sob) Father being shipped off to Iraq? (sob)
Lesson Learned: Keep boxes of Kleenex readily available in various rooms of your home.

Not Pregnant: This is really good pizza, I think I’ll have another slice.
Pregnant: This is really good pizza, I’m so glad I ordered it when Owen was at work so I could eat the whole thing and destroy the box so he doesn’t know I didn’t save him any.
Lesson Learned: The baby loves pepperoni.

Not Pregnant: Wow, co-worker’s wife had his baby? That’s sweet. A big baby? Toddler size? That’s funny. Good for them.
Pregnant: How big was the baby? 10 pounds? (cross legs) 10 POUNDS 12 OUNCES? (uncross legs, place head between knees and breathe)
Lesson Learned: Do not ask a question if you don't want to know the answer.

Not Pregnant: It’s warm in our bedroom. I think I’ll only use a sheet. Oh, look how cute Owen is when he’s sleeping.
Pregnant: It’s too f-ing hot in here. Get these damn blankets off me. It’s so dry, I’m so thirsty, it’s like a desert. What is that noise? Is Owen snoring? Is he trying to keep me up all night? I’m gonna kick him. Dude is like a furnace. No wonder I’m so warm. What is the matter with him? Doesn’t he know I’m dying over here? ‘Oh, you’re awake? Couldn’t sleep? No, I didn’t kick you. Now that you're up, could you go get me a glass of water?’
Lesson Learned: Pregnancy is the reason God created spare bedrooms.

O Christmas Tree

This weekend in Kitchener, Joel and I helped Mom and Dad put up their Christmas tree. I'm always surprised at the number of ornaments Mom and Dad have accumulated over 35 years of marriage. There are the sentimental ornaments: Nan Kennedy's bell, my yellow snowman from Brownies and the giant bulb Joel made in grade school made out of sequins and push pins. There are ornaments they have had since the were married, and ornaments that have just become part of the Kennedy Christmas experience over the years.

Last night Owen and I put up our own Christmas tree. It is a lot smaller than the one at Casa Kennedy and we haven't amassed such a vast ornament collection as Judes & Donnie K. have -yet - but again there are sentimental favorites: Owen's ornaments from his childhood, a Piglet ornament we bought together as part of a private joke and of course the obligatory Toronto Maple Leaf's bulb. We listened to the Ramones sing, "Merry Christmas (I Don't Wanna Fight Tonight)" and talked about how next Christmas will be different and how we'll have ornaments on our tree that our kid(s) will remember when they're in their 30's.

26 Weeks

Baby Connell weighs a little under 2 pounds and measures about 14 inches head to heel, Mama Connell’s hair isn’t as nice today as it was yesterday, and Papa Connell was woken up by our redneck neighbour playing redneck music.

Battle of the Baby Names Part 5

Jen: So I found another girl's name I like. It's Gaelic and...
Owen: Gaelic? Well that's different.
Jen: It's Gaelic in origin.
Owen: Oh. Yeah, I was thinking that was kinda weird, you wanting to name the baby Gaelic. It is kinda nice though.
Jen: Yeah (eye roll) uh, right. So anyway it's spelt A-I-L-B-E.
Owen: So, Abigail?
Jen: No, Ailbe, pronounced Al-bee.
Owen: Allllbeeee?
Jen: Yeah, Ailbe. Good, right? I really like it. Ailbe Connell.
Owen: Sounds like the name of a dog food.
Jen: Dog food? How does it sound like a dog food?
Owen: Ailbe...Alpo...dog food.

This is what I'm dealing with people.

Things...

That Are Awesome:
- reruns of Entourage on City TV
- Apple juice
- being told you are 'the cutest pregnant woman ever!' by a co-worker
- hearing from old friends
- SexyBack
- bringing my lunch to work everday for two weeks
- 19 days until Christmas
- not having your period for 6 months
- the Boney M Christmas album
- Lobello lip balm


That Suck:
- waking up every three hours to pee
- cold sores
- brown sweater, brown pants, brown socks, brown shoes (I look like a giant turd today)
- indegestion
- no parking spaces at the Go Station
- shipping and handling
- thinking you're done Christmas shopping only to turn the page over and realized you forgot someone
- sleeping on your side and not on your stomach
- biting your nails
- your husband refusing to see a doctor when after 3 weeks his knee hasn't gotten any better

Happy Birthday Joel!

29 years ago today Angus Joel Kennedy was born. I’m told I chose the name Joel after a little boy I used to play with and since remembering our childhood is Joel’s department, I’ll have to go along with that. I don’t remember anything about Joel as a newborn but I’m told he was a ‘very good baby’ and based on photographic evidence he was also a way cuter than I was - all big eyes and smiles.

Some things never change.

Happy Birthday Jo-Jo!

25 Weeks

Baby Connell is 13.5 inches long and 1.5 pounds, Mama Connell has had a foot sticking in her spleen for most of this week and Papa Connell is trying to pretend his knee is well enough to play soccer on Sunday.

I had a doctor’s appointment this morning, up 3 pounds – that’s 7 in total for those of you keeping track. Dr. Pervy was sick so Dr. Bernstein saw me instead. He measured my belly with a nifty tape measure and told me that the baby was growing well. His exact words were: ‘no shortage of baby in there!’ so that’s good. I think. I recorded the heartbeat for the bear The Duhart is making for me and it is super fast. That means girl, right? My next visit is January 3 when I am 30 weeks. After that appointment, I will be seeing the doctor every 2 weeks as opposed to every 4.

At 25 weeks, Owen’s nephew Ronan was born. Let me let that sink in for a moment. 25 weeks into her pregnancy, Owen’s sister Carmel gave birth to baby boy Ronan, weighing 1 pound 10 ounces. He is classified as a micro preemie. From what I understand, during her pregnancy, Carmel had a fibroid growing in her uterus. As the baby got bigger, so did the fibroid until at 25 weeks when the fibroid punctured the placenta and induced labour. Ronan was born 5 years ago and I remember the months following his birth being very traumatic, not only for Richard and Carmel but for the extended Connell/Beattie family. Owen would get calls from his parents updating him on Ronan’s status based on the weekly calls Carmel made from Vancouver where they moved while Ronan was in ICU. Never did Owen think Ronan wouldn’t make it. ‘He’s part Connell! Of course he’ll be OK!’. Many a prayer was said from Ronan - from his relatives in Ireland to my relatives in Buchans. Carmel believes that it was these prayers that saved Ronan’s life. Owen and I visited Ronan and his family this past summer and cannot believe the little man he’s grown in to. He wears glasses, hearing aids, has a feeding tube, loves to pinch cheeks and boobs (which I found out day 2 of our vacation), calls me Auntie Jenny and breaks my heart. Ronan is a miracle.

Throughout my pregnancy, I waited to pass 25 weeks. I knew anything that happened after 25 weeks but before 40 weeks would be more difficult than a full term pregnancy, but in the back of my mind I knew that if I made it at least this far, Owen and I would be blessed with a little Ronan of our own.

Mai Moon

After reading Andrea's post yesterday about Britney needing to buy panties (seriously, what is up with Mrs. Federline? You've had 2 children! Put a lid on it!), I got to thinking about body parts and what you should teach your children to call them.

There are people who think that children should call their 'privates' by their proper biological name, my husband being one of them. I on the other hand, cannot think of anything more creepy than a 3 year old boy referring to his penis, unless it's a 3 year old girl referring to her vagina. I was raised properly and came to embrace words such as: moon, cookeroonie, keenies, dickie bird etc. and grew into a (mostly) well adjusted adult - until Judes started working with a woman named 'Mai Moon' and then all maturity and decorum went out the window.

I've heard many a funny word to describe human genitalia including but not limited to: bobo's, Mary's (both Paulie Grogan originals) chow-chows, cheeseburgers etc. and when I hear those words I can't help but think all is well in the world. Who needs to use clinical terms outside of an actual clinic?

Call me old fashioned, call me an irresponsible parent-to-be, but please call it a va-jay-jay!

I Can Totally Relate

Thanks to Andrea for the link to this site.

24 Weeks

Baby Connell is growing rapidly, gaining about a pound since last week and is still about a foot long, Mama Connell gets freaked out when Baby Connell moves like crazy one day, and then barely moves the next day and Papa Connell misses Mama Connell when she’s in the tub.

Here is my giant belly at 24 weeks (a.k.a 6 months). Just when you think you can’t get any bigger, you do and will continue to grow every week for the next 16. No stretch marks (yet) but from what I’ve heard they sometimes appear after the babies arrived. Good times.

‘When the baby comes.’ A lot of the conversations at our house these days start with those 4 words:

When the baby comes – we should probably listen to Classical music in the car.
When the baby comes – Lucy’s days are numbered.
When the baby comes – we’re going to have to move that: couch, chair, bed, table etc.
When the baby comes – do you think we should have chips and dip for dinner?
When the baby comes – spending $100 on boots might not be such a good idea.

They say closer to your due date, your nesting instinct kicks in and if ‘they’ are right in a few weeks I’ll be cleaning like crazy and bugging Owen to clean out Junior’s room so we (he) can paint and gets things ready for the kid.

I’ve picked a few things up along my pregnancy journey, mostly cute sleepers I’ve come across while Christmas shopping. Yesterday, I bought what is by far my favourite thing – a book. But not just any book, ‘The Monster at the End of this Book – starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover’. I barely remember anything from my childhood but I remember this book. It’s not overly educational – it based around Grover being afraid of the monster at the end of the book when in the end (spoiler alert) it’s him. Owen and I do a lot of talking about what the baby will be like and I hope that he or she will have a great sense of humour and appreciate the truly silly things in life such as Grover being afraid of a monster at the end of a book. Because damn, that’s good reading!

The Blind Leading the Blind

On Sunday, Judes and I went to Toys R Us to register for Junior's baby shower. Everything was fine up until we were given the pricing gun and sent on our way into the aisles and aisles of baby accessories. A lot of things have changed since Ma had a young one and I of course, don't know my ass from my elbow when it comes to picking strollers, playpens (now known as play yards - I guess you aren't supposed to 'pen' your child) and bathtubs. There were a lot of exchanges that went: 'what the hell is this?' and, 'Jesus, Jennifer I have no idea!'.

I've gotten some advice along the way from new mom's - buy this, don't buy that, but when it comes down to it, who knows what I'll use and what I won't. Neither Susana nor Joanne used a change table for their respective young ones but other mom's swear by them. Prince Eric didn't even like the fancy bathtub he had so Poppa Joe & Darlene had to buy him an old fashioned one.

I am getting the impression that this whole parenthood thing is trial and error. Sometimes the tub works and other times you're washing Junior in a salad bowl!

23 Weeks

Baby Connell is more than 11 inches long (another inch and Baby will be longer than my ruler!) and weighs just over 1 pound, Mama Connell tried to kill the family with some questionable pork and Papa Connell is afraid that Mama Connell is smooshing the baby’s face when she pokes around on her belly trying to locate Junior’s head.

Nothing new on the pregnancy front. I don’t have another doctor’s appointment until December 1st; soon thereafter I will have bi-weekly appointments as opposed to monthly. I’ve been feeling really good and sometimes forget that I’m pregnant – and I mean that in the best possible way – until Junior starts doing reno’s (trademark Lee Anne) in my belly. I have further developed my sweet tooth and spent the better part of this morning chewing on Starbursts. No wonder Junior’s building an addition in there!

Owen and I had another baby name conversation this week and I have to say, we are getting nowhere as far as girls’ names. I think it’s because we would both be shocked if Junior ended up being a boy.

The thing with Owen is, I can’t put anything past him. Dude knows me. So, if I suggest a name that I love, like Rory (which has been firmly vetoed by him) he rolls his eyes and makes a comment about naming the baby Lorelai instead and about going downstairs to watch the 6 seasons of Gilmore Girls I have on DVD. I think Rory is the cutest name going and can picture a curly haired girl in striped tights dancing around the living room. Owen said that with that scenario, we could name the kid Bertha and it’d still be cute. So Bertha Connell it is.

My last post made a couple people 'sniff' and left Judes speechless as far as leaving a comment so I just wanted to let everyone know things at the Connell house are going very well. Grandma Connell is out of the hospital and on the mend and Owen is back to his old self, that is making me pee my pants with laughter on a daily basis.

Kisses

What I'm Listening To: Jungle Love by The Time (downloaded for Andrea's boyfriend Jason Mewes)

When Mama's Happy, Everybody's Happy

In any relationship whether it be boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, parent/child, friend/friend it's important to figure out early in the relationship how each other handles stress. For instance, when Owen is stressed, he shuts down and goes to bed. I on the other hand, rant, rave, kick, scream and cry (and wow, pregnancy is making me more of a lunatic than I usually am!).

I am capable of keeping myself up all night stressing about various things while Owen sleeps beside me - not soundly however. Owen has what I like to call "the terrors" (best said with a Newfoundland accent) and will moan and move around in his sleep when there is something on his mind.

To live with someone who handles stressful situations so unlike me has been an adjustment. It is safe to say that I inherited my father's stress management skills while Joel adopted Judes' (side note: now that Judes has Internet access she will call me on any shit I say about her so I am treading lightly. Hi Judes! Love You!) method which I usually sum up in the phrase "Joel & Mom are so laid back they should move to California." That is not to say that they don't appreciate stress or take it any less seriously than Donnie K. and I do, it's to say that sometimes the best medicine for stress is a good nights sleep.

Owen has been stressed lately and it's taken a toll on both of us. Where I want him to sit down and talk about it, he needs to decompress and think about it before he invites me in to the stressful situation because he knows that the delivery of the stress will dictate how I handle it - if that makes any sense. The bottom line is that Owen wants nothing more than my happiness and I have to learn to respect that he handles worries in a different way than I do because god knows what would happen if we were both as emotional as me.

There is nothing better in my life than when things are jiving between us. I can't believe that anyone has as much fun or as many laughs as we do. The last few weeks have been hard but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

22 Weeks

Baby Connell is 10.9 inches and almost 1 pound, Mama Connell has the day off today and Papa Connell felt the baby move for the first time this week.

The right thing to do on my day off would be to clean a little and rest up for the Peterson/Grogan girls arrival and the shopping weekend ahead. The wrong thing to do and what I've been doing all morning is watching back-to-back episodes of A Baby Story. So far I've watched a home birth, a c-section and the birth of twins and have gone through half a box of kleenex. The home birth itself seemed to be OK but the mother ended up in an ambulance anyway after delivery because she was bleeding a lot more than they had anticipated. The c-section mommy went into surgery with a kicky scrunchie and bright red lipstick and was "really into pain management" (a woman after my own heart) and I can't remember much of the twin birth mostly because I was still crying from the previous episodes!

The baby has been moving around like crazy this week mostly when I'm seated at my desk at work or in the car. I can't keep my hands off my belly and love to feel the "hey you!" tap of Baby Connell. On Tuesday night Owen and I were watching the Rick Mercer report and Owen was talking to my belly basically making fun of my love of Rick Mercer - has to be the accent. Anyway, when Owen stopped talking the baby started moving. I quickly grabbed Owen's hand and placed it on my belly and.....nothing. He kept his hand there for a good 5 minutes before the baby started kicking again - Owen couldn't believe that's what he was feeling. It was a nice way to spend an evening.

According to the baby books, at this point Junior can hear our voices so we're trying to cut down on the cursing and I'm trying to remove the words "dude" and "man" from my vocabulary. From the amount of singing Owen and I do in the car, Junior is no doubt getting familiar with our voices and our odd taste in car music. On Monday night, he/she was witness to such classics as "Total Eclipse of the Heart", "The Rose" and plenty of Rush. None of this classical stuff for our little redneck - we'd rather Junior learn the guitar solo from "Fly by Night".

How I'm Feeling: A vacation day is always a good day.

Things That Made Me Laugh Today - Parental Discretion Advised

• 'Magical' - what Owen said today when I asked him how he was. He wasn't having a good morning
• 'Oh, shut up' - what my English accented manager says to herself after sneezing 3 times in a row
• 'Getting on my tits' - what Judy (not to be confused with Judes) says when describing somebody getting on her nerves
• 'Kit-kat club' - what the same Judy refers to lesbians as
• 'Let the money ruin me' - I made myself laugh with this one. I bought a quick pick today for the big 649 draw and informed my lunch companions that if I won the lottery I'd become like Oprah - completly unable to deal with common folk
• 'They are the Newfies of the United States' - me again (I was on a roll today) describing the Kentucky couple from the Amazing Race, offending: Americans, Kentuckians, Newfoundlanders and myself!

Sign #3 Owen's Forgotten I'm Pregnant

After his sister gave me a pair of maternity pants: "Are you sure you'll wear those? They're so big!" Wait until he has to help me in and out of bed! Then he'll see how big I can get.

Dream a Little Dream of Me

I had a dream last night that I gave birth to a baby girl. Can't tell you what we named her because it's one of the names we have picked out but she was 7lbs 7oz., had green eyes and was very fair.

21 Weeks

Baby Connell is three quarters of a pound and 10 ½ inches long, Mama Connell is coming to the realization that she has to wear foundation to work everyday because holy cow does she look blotchy without it and Papa Connell? Well he’s been working 7 days a week these days and comes home to a crying and/or bitchy wife so pray for the old soul will ya?

It should come as no surprise that I am fully decked out in maternity clothes these days. I basically started showing at 3 months and have been wearing maternity pants since September. My birthday brought forth many Old Navy gift certificates that I spent basically on every maternity item they had to offer. I also enjoy The Bay Queen Street’s selection of clothes and haven’t had much luck at your typical maternity clothes stores like Motherhood & Thyme.

Although there are cons to having to wear maternity clothes – their pricey, not very stylish, boring colors etc. there are some pros:

• In this age of low-rise pants, it’s nice to wear something that comes right up over your belly button and ends 2 inches from your bra.
• No zippers! Maternity pants have elastic waists and panels to help you get them on and off.
• As someone who used to spend a lot of time pulling her shirt down over her belly it’s nice to have a longer top that gives the allusion of the waste I’m slowly losing.

I’ve signed up for many newsletters throughout my pregnancy and get the occasional email from Baby Center & Huggies. This week the subject was how to write your birth plan. I originally thought my birth plan could be summed up by the word “epidural” but it turns out there are way worse things to concern myself with like….um….shaving?!? and….enemas?! So needless to say, I’ve unsubscribed from these newsletters and will put my head back in the sand choosing to believe that by the time I have to give birth there will be a new, painless, hairy, enema free way to do it. To quote Aerosmith, “Dream On”.

February 20, 2007 - March 28, 2008

If all goes well with Junior and he/she comes around his/her due date, February 20, 2007 - March 28, 2008 will be my maternity leave. Do you know how many days that is? Alot. More than a 365!

I am aware that my maternity leave will be hard work and that leaving Junior to come back to work in 2008 will be unbearable but for now let's relish in the fact that after 10 years working full time I will have 13 months off.

Relish, relish, relish.

Cry Baby

Owen came home from work Saturday morning to find me crying on the sofa. Nothing in particular was wrong, I just hadn’t had a good night sleep and was feeling kinda down. I’ve accepted that my hormones are completely out of whack – but it’s taking Owen a little longer to get there. Imagine working a very long night and coming home to your loving wife who you really hadn’t seen since Wednesday only to find her having a good cry for herself. How would you react? Well, Owen reacted by (of course) making me laugh by stating, ‘If anyone’s going to cry in this house, it’ll be me!’ Straight to heaven to that guy for putting up with Hormone Harriet the past 5+ months (plus our entire marriage, dating – basically since he met me!).

Today I had a doctor’s appointment and I’ve channelled all my apprehension for Dr. Pervy into love for his nurse. She’s the one who weighs me (up 2 pounds) and tells me it’s ‘good’, talks to me about my test results – also good, calls me honey, darling and refers to the bathroom as the loo even though she has no trace of a UK accent. So, having her at the beginning of my visit butters me up for Dr. Pervy who spends a total of 30 seconds with me, feeling my belly and listening to Junior’s heartbeat which frankly, I could listen to all day.

Throughout this pregnancy there’s been a lot of discussion about what we’re having. So far, only 3 people (Emma & Lori Dawson, Owen’s friend Tony) in our life think it’s a boy – the rest of ya’ll look at me and to quote Joanne P. think pink. Owen and I both think it’s a girl although we have no scientific proof of that fact. I just have a feeling while Owen figures staying up all night for a living has prepared him for having a daughter.

What I'm Listening To: Girls and Boys by Blur - how's that for irony?

20 Weeks - Halfway there!

Baby Connell is no longer growing according to the vegetable family and should be about 10 ounces and 6 ½ inches long head to toe, Mama Connell is enjoying wearing tops that fit her after
her birthday shopping spree and Papa Connell doesn’t think Uggs are as ugly as Crocs.

Owen took the above picture this morning when he got home from work to celebrate 20 weeks (5 months but not really) of Junior’s life on this planet. Although I look like a tank, for all the complaining I did at the beginning of my pregnancy, the truth is I’ve been really lucky. Lucky to have gotten pregnant as easily as we did, lucky that all the ultrasounds, blood work, doctor’s appointments are coming back ‘normal’. I still have 20 more weeks to go but have such a positive outlook on the remainder of this pregnancy. Someone remind me of this post after I give birth.

On the way to work this morning I heard the song ‘My Sharona’ and it got me to thinking that if you choose to name your child after a song or choose a name that is shared with a song you better make sure you like the song because I guarantee your child will have it sung to him/her their whole lives. In the case of ‘My Sharona’ you might want to think twice because I doubt you want your daughter associated with a song that has a line like: ‘I always get it up from the touch of the younger kind…my, my, my, my, my whoo! My Sharona’. You could go with Michelle (The Beatles, Guns N Roses), Mandy (Barry Manilow), Melissa (Allman Brothers), Jessie’s Girl (Rick Springfield) and Jolene (Dolly Parton) but again anyone who meets your new addition will invariably have those songs running through their heads. Given the stalemate Owen and I have come to regarding possible baby names, don’t be surprised if you meet Junior and find your self humming ‘Jack & Diane’.

Coming up next week: I have a doctor’s appointment this coming Monday and the ‘spine finding’ ultrasound this coming Tuesday.

You Say It's Your Birthday...

...it's (was) my birthday too yeah.

So, the big 3-2. Not much different than the big 3-1 to be honest. I had a wonderful extended birthday weekend in K-town which was filled with many, many loved one's and kisses from Eric. Who could ask for anything more?

Thanks to everyone for their gifts, cards, pictures and well wishes - you sure know how to make a girl feel loved.

19 Weeks

Baby Connell is the size of a small zucchini, Mama Connell saved $700 on auto insurance and Papa Connell thinks the ultrasound technician slipped and told us the sex of our baby.

So yeah, the ultrasound.

Our technician Alex was a low talker of Polish decent, which made most of our conversation go like this:

Alex: This is the mumble, mumble.
Jen: The what?
Alex: The mumble, mumble.
Jen: Oh. Right.

Body parts we saw for sure: the diaphragm, heart, right foot, left foot, spine (more on that later), and both hands.

Towards the end of the ultrasound it was apparent that Alex could not find the shot of the spine he was looking for and from the pressure he applied to the ultrasound….mouse?….wand? it was growing more evident to Owen and I that Alex was getting a little frustrated. I swear my belly feels bruised!

Finally he advised that I empty my bladder and move around a little to get the baby to change positions. So, I emptied my bladder walked briskly around the hallway and even jumped up and down for good measure. But Junior just wasn’t in the mood to show us his/her spine. I laid on my left side, my right side, even my stomach and…nada. Alex finally called a senior tech in to try his hand at getting Baby Connell to move positions but Carlos had no luck either. They told me to come back in 2 weeks as the doctor couldn’t report on the spine without actually seeing the spine– which seems reasonable to me.

Our actual report, which they gave us at the end of the ultrasound, had a lovely row of “normals” next to all Baby Connell’s organs with the exception of the spine which stated that due to the fetal position they couldn’t comment. So back again in 2 weeks to see Junior’s spine. I really don’t mind going at all – one of my favourite things about this pregnancy has been the ultrasounds – I love looking at Junior all nestled in my womb – just chillin’ giving the occasional high-five.

As far as Owen’s belief that Alex slipped and told us the sex, during the ultrasound Alex kept referring to the baby as “baby”. Owen says once while trying to get baby to move Alex referred to it as well….either he or she. I’m not telling and I didn’t hear what Owen heard so we’ll all have to wait 21 (!) more weeks to see if Alex really did spill the beans. Admit it - you're dying to know!

What I'm Listening To: 54-40

Junior Connell

Owen and I had our 19 week anatomical ultrasound today and everything was normal, normal, normal. I have to go back in 2 weeks to get a better picture of the spine because Junior had enough poking for one day and decided not to move at the very end so the technician couldn't get a clear shot of the spine. We tried everything: peeing, jumping, running in spot but Junior's a little stubborn - wonder where he/she gets that from?

Missing: 1 Mommy Gene

There is not a creative bone in my body – let’s get that out of the way up front.

During my pregnancy I’ve been paying attention to a lot of other Mom’s to see how they get things done. On top of the regular day-to-day Mom stuff like keeping your kids alive and your home from burning down, did you know that mothers do things like:

• Scrapbook
• Host Candle/Tupperware/Mary Kay/Pampered Chef parties
• Decorate their homes for: Easter, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas
• Go to: Pumpkin Patches, Applie Orchards, Wiggles shows

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing any of the above things and I tend to get a little envious of the people who can do those, it is safe to say that I don’t think I’m going to be that type of Mommy.

First of all – see the first line. I am not creative. This statement isn’t being made in the hopes that you’ll leave comments saying that I am creative because the jig is up – I’m just not. While I enjoy looking at scrapbooks and attending the above parties if there is hooch being served, I don’t see myself actively participating in any of those things. Second, I think I have a little bit of adult ADD – I start things (a quilt, painting, photo albums, blog postings) and never follow them through. Thirdly, I come by it honestly – Judes wasn’t that type of mother either. In her case, she probably didn’t have a choice. Mom went back to work soon after Joel went to school full time and there was a time where Dad worked 3 shifts and Mom worked straight 3-11 – not really conducive to decorating Easter trees.

Before you lose faith in my mommy abilities, there are some things working in my favour:

• I’m a good cook and not a bad baker – when I have time to and want to be
• I can throw together an ensemle
• I have pretty good taste in music (even if Owen doesn’t agree that Junior loves Duran Duran and moved around tons yesterday during Girls on Film)
• We currently live in a city where there is lots to do. While I don’t see a lot of Wiggles concerts in my future, we’ll be sure to bring our kid to other shows. Mel has wonderful memories of her dad bringing her to Cyndi Lauper shows and I think that’s awesome
• I have a lot of creative family members who’ll ensure that our baby will go through his or her life experiecing different things (even if those things include snooping for Christmas gifts, opening them and then re-sealing them - which is the height of my creativity as a child).

What I'm Listening To: My manager typing beside me. I forgot my headphones today.

18 Weeks

Baby Connell is the size of a large sweet potato, Mama Connell has been applying Body Shop Cocoa Butter to her belly nightly to ward off the stretch marks and since Nan & Pop Kennedy visited, Papa Connell lost the battle of the nursery bedding.

Mama Connell - 1
Papa Connell - 0

This is the bedding that we (Judes and I) love. We're hoping to buy it after Christmas before Owen can come up with anymore brilliant bedding ideas!



Other than the bedding battle victory, not much to report this pregnancy week. We have another ultrasound this coming Tuesday so there will be a new picture of Junior to post. Apparently over the next 3 weeks the baby will double in size which is incredible. This ultrasound is anatomical and it's to make sure that the baby is growing in all the right places. It will also firm up my due date. Owen's still hoping for St. Patty's Day while I think March 8th would be nice as it is both our father's birthday's. Then again, maybe Junior will want a day all to him/herself.

What I'm Listening To: You Wouldn't Like Me - Tegan & Sara (thanks Joanne P.!)

Snooze

To say I'm not a morning person may be the understatment of the year. I like to joke that I come from a long line of sleepers. From Nan Lane, to Judes and Joanie, to Andrea and myself it is safe to say that we Lane girls enjoy a nice snooze. It is my understanding that cousin Jill also likes her beauty rest while cousin Lori is a bonified morning person and from all accounts always was - even before Ryan & Emma came on the scene. There are aunts who use apparatis to obtain a perfect night's rest and one could surmise that said aunts spent the majority of their adult lives pretty damn tired - so awesome is their new oxygenated sleeps.

I would love to say that Judes was such a non-morning person that I went to afternoon kindergarten but that is not the case. However, I do like to think that once Laura Kerr picked me up to walk me to school that Judes went back to bed. I remember being sick as a child and having Donnie K. be the one to check on me. While Judes is good under pressure she is not so good when awoken from a deep sleep. While visiting this weekend Judes told me that Donnie K. was a great help to her when Joel and I were babies - he'd help her with the night feedings. Between you and me (and until Judes reads this, buys a computer and posts a comment to defend herself) I believe that the reason Donnie K. was so "helpful" was because Judes just wouldn't wake up to feed us!

In college my roomates Susana and Weird Robin would often have breakfast together before class. As I stumbled out of my basement bedroom and walked by them they knew better than to engage me in some early morning chit chat. Susana liked to joke that they were lucky if I gave them a wave before heading up to the shower. She also went on to say that in her family not saying good morning when first seeing your family members was paramount to a slap in the face. The Kennedy's however - I don't think we spoke until after 11am. And that's the way we liked it. I have a recurring nightmare that I never really graduated college. In the dream there is a computer course that I never completed because it was Wednesday mornings at 8 or 9am. I honestly don't remember having ever attended that class but I must have graduated because I have the diploma to prove it.

In college, I could blame the late 'Tom Collins' nights on my need for sleep but when you're 31 (almost 32) and going to bed at 8:30pm there is no logical reason why getting to work at 9am should be such a problem. Yet it is. Owen believes that I just don't care about work because if I did I would never be late. He has never been late - unless I've done something to sabatoge his perfect attendance like take the car to work, even showing up on time the day of the great Toronto blackout. Judes, my sleep mentor has also never been late for work and she starts and an ungodly 6am. True, she goes to bed around 7:30pm but nonetheless she shows up everyday to do a job more physically demanding than anyone I know.

In less than 5 months I am going to be a mother and it is my understanding that while newborns sleep a lot, new mothers do not. In the baby books it suggests that new moms should sleep when their babies sleep but from talking to other mother's I get the impression that that rarely happens.

Long story short, the title of this post should have been "When is it appropriate to give your baby Tylenol PM's?"

What I'm Listening To: The washing machine.

17 Weeks

Baby Connell is the size of a large onion, Mama Connell is starting to lose faith in the weekly updates because last week Junior was the size of an avocado and isn’t an avocado bigger than even the largest onion? - and Papa Connell is a very good brother.

There are certain things that Owen is never going to understand – why he can’t use my salon shampoo, why I smile when watching television like the sitcom stars are my friends, how I can eat a peanut butter sandwich sans milk and why things cost what they cost. Case in point, I was telling him how expensive baby bedding was (especially the bedding I like) and he asked why we needed bedding for the crib.

And it went a little something like this:

Jen: So, you need a fitted sheet…
Owen: We already have fitted sheets.
Jen: You can’t put a queen size fitted sheet on a crib mattress. This is not the ghetto. You need a comforter…
Owen: I just brought you a brand new comforter from work. You said you loved it!
Jen: I really like the Nate Berkus (side note: Judes cannot believe he’s gay because he’s so handsome) QUEEN SIZE Comforter you brought home but it’s way too big.
Owen: (Silence)
Jen: And bumper pads.
Owen: What do you need bumper pads for?
Jen: Um, so Junior doesn’t roll into the wooden crib and suffer a concussion.
Owen: And you need special pads for that? Can’t you just put some foam around it and duct tape it?
Jen: (Red faced, hands drawn into a fist thinking that even crack whores get to buy bedding for their babies) No.
Owen: I’m sure your dad can put something together for the crib. I mean how long does the kid sleep in a crib anyway?
Jen: (Walking Away)
Owen: (Calling out to me) Yeah, I’m gonna ask Donnie K. if he can rig something up for the crib. Ha - I’m no rube.

Speaking of Owen, I recently showed him this blog and he’s threatened legal action if I’ve slandered him in any way. He’s thinking of writing his own blog called, “I don’t know why my wife doesn’t like me”.

What I'm Listening To: Sheena is a Punk Rocker - The Ramones ("She's a punk punk, punk rocker, punk punk punk rocker, punk punk rocker, punk punk punk rocker.")

Houston, we have movement!

I was just leaving the lunchroom when I felt the baby move for the first time. I had thought I was feeling it all along but given what just happened, the previous feelings may have been gas!

It's like that feeling when you're on a rollercoaster and you're coming down a big hill. Took my breath away.

Wow.

That whoosh, whoosh?

Today I heard the baby's heartbeat. This was my second doctor's appointment with Dr. H AKA Dr. Pervy (for doing a pap test on my first visit) and it lasted all of 3 minutes. I hopped up on the table, he put the dopplar thing on my stomach and said, "that whoosh, whoosh? That's the hearbeat". Owen wasn't with me so I didn't cry but I did have a good nervous laugh because that hearbeat is attached to the baby that I am going to have to give birth too and raise and oh my god what the hell have we gotten ourselves into?!?!?!.

I also found out that I had gained 2 pounds since my last visit which is, according to the nurse, "good". My next appointment with Dr. Pervy is October 30 and I'm set for an anatomical ultrasound on October 17. According to Dr. Pervy, if we wanted to know the sex, this was the ultrasound to ask for it. Officially we don't want to know the sex but unofficially it wouldn't take much to change my mind about that. I know Owen's not going to cave and is quite willing to go through the next 24 weeks not knowing what we're having. As time goes on, I'm getting more and more curious so we'll see how things go on October 17. Maybe Papa Connell will have a momentary lapse of reason and want to know the sex.

Yeah, right.

What I'm Listening To: Nothing. I'm waiting for Owen to call from work so I can do my "whoosh, whoosh" impression

16 Weeks AKA 4 Months

Michelle Moore requested a picture so here I am at 4 months. I took the picture this morning before work on my cell phone. I’m kind of twisted trying to take the picture and show the belly side-on. I think you can see the bottom of my bra in this shot – boom chicka boom!

Baby Connell is the size of an avocado, Mama Connell has a rash on her belly, Papa Connell doesn’t want you to know that he watches Project Runway so keep it under your hats, the artist formerly known as andrea_collins is now andrea_grogan, and Eric is on his way to Newfoundland to charm the pants off everyone in Buchans!

The pregnancy week-by-week book I’ve been reading has “Dad Tips” included in each chapter and they are all as brutal as you think they are. Here is a sample:

• When you’re away from your partner call to check in. Well duh. Owen works nights 3 days a week and I work 9ish – 5 everyday so the majority of our communication is done over the phone. Next!
• Vacuum without being asked. Ha! Owen wouldn’t notice if the dust bunnies crawled into bed with him let alone vacuum without me throwing a tantrum. Onward!
• Rub your partners feet. They may be on to something with this one but after 8+ hours in trouser socks and shoes I don’t want to get near my own feet let alone subject Owen to them!
• When you’re away from your partner without access to a phone, have someone call and check up on her. Right. Any volunteers?
• Give your partner hugs & kisses for no reason. Oh for the love of Pete, if you need a reason to give your partner hugs & kisses, perhaps parenthood isn’t the path you should be on.

I have a obstetrician appointment this coming Monday and I’m hoping that Dr. H. will give me nothing but good news; that I’m fine, the baby’s fine and that the lower back pain I’m experiencing is only because of the way I sit at work – one leg tucked under the other one and completely slouched down in my chair.

What I'm Listening To: I Don't Feel Like Dancing by The Scissor Sisters - I dare anyone to listen to this song without shakin' their groove thing.

Sign #2 Owen's Forgotten I'm Pregnant

...after I told him that I shouldn’t be allowed to go grocery shopping on my own….

"So, you basically spent $60 in the bakery department?"

Pressure, pushing down on me....

You know on medical shows where you hear the doctor say, “it won’t hurt – you just might feel a little pressure.”? I never knew what that meant. What does pressure feel like? Does it change from person to person? Is one woman’s pressure another woman’s PRESSURE?!

Well for the last week, I’ve been feeling pressure in my abdominal/stomach/uterus area. And while it might not be PRESSURE, it’s definitely Pressure. It feels like I have to either pass gas or go pee (putting the “ass” in “class”). The woman that sits 2 cubes away told me today that before she got pregnant (she’s due in November) she never understood why pregnant women go around holding their stomachs. Now she knows why. Pressure. You feel like you’re carrying a heavy rock around (or in my case a heavy softball).

And it gets worse as the day goes on. The only thing that’s giving me relief in the evenings is putting my feet up. And I’m only 15+ weeks. What the hell happens at 30 weeks? You hire someone to carry your stomach around for you?! What do you tip a person like that? Whatever it is, it can’t be enough.

What I’m Listening To: Under Pressure by Queen – Word.

P.S. Many, many thanks for all the comments. There is currently no way for me to track how many people are reading this so leaving comments is really appreciated. Especially when you tell me how great I am. Carry on.

15 Weeks

Baby Connell is the size of a softball, Papa Connell threw his back out and Mama Connell’s eyebrows have reached Brooke Shields circa 1984 levels of thickness.

While visiting Kristy a few weeks back she gave me her theory on whether you are carrying a boy or a girl based on how quickly your hair grows. I can’t remember what she said if the hair on your body was growing at an alarming rate - something about the testosterone. I think it’s if your hair is growing faster than usual you might be having a girl because the testosterone isn’t going towards the growth of a boy. Kristy, if you’re reading this, help a sister out.

I’ve started thinking about how I’d like to decorate Junior’s nursery (it is really early to be having those kinds of thoughts but if work was going anymore slowly, it would be stopped). Owen would like to paint the walls blue – something about the sky. Michelle at work told me not to paint the walls yellow as it could increase the chance that Junior has colic. I personally don’t have a preference and think blue would be cool for a girl Connell or boy Connell. I’ve seen some really nice nursery stuff but as is usually the case, I have very expensive taste – especially in bedding. There is an American company called Banana Fish and their stuff is modern and cool looking so I think I’ll keep my eye on that and see if they have any Canadian distributors. Wow, I used to get this excited about Nine West shoes – not bumper pads and coverlets (I so didn’t know what a coverlet was until Michelle explained it to me yesterday. It’s like a less thick comforter.).

Another exciting development is the current list of baby names Owen and I have on the go. I’ve made a list of Irish boy and girl names for us to choose from. It’s going to be hard to keep it a secret but we’re going to. There is a website (Http://www.babynamesofireland.com/) that gives you girl and boy Irish names with their meanings and English equivalent. When you select “Listen” Frank McCourt of Angela’s Ashes fame pronounces the name and it’s meaning. So, take a look, take a listen. Tell me what you like. Who knows, it might be on our list!

How I’m Feeling: I’m going to stop this “How I’m Feeling” thing and change it to….

What I’m Listening To: Somebody Like You – Keith Urban – The iPod loves country.

Normal

Normal [nawr-muhl]: conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.

Last Friday, I was arriving home after picking up some dinner because Mrs. Connell? – not so much with the cooking on Friday’s – and Owen met me at the door with a kind of worried look on his face. He said that the OBGYN, Dr. H. had left an automated message with my test results. This was very unexpected, as Dr. H had told me that he would only be calling if the test results were not “normal”. The message said I could call an automated service to receive the test results or access the results online using the login information Dr. H provided to me on my first visit.

So dinner (California Sandwiches – chicken with tomato sauce, provolone cheese and mushrooms – if you were wondering) was quickly set aside as I tore around the house trying to find my login information. Owen sat on a chair in the living room with his head in his hands.

I finally found the paper I was looking for and dialled the automated service using the speaker setting on the phone so we could both hear the news delivered by a robot:

“Your pap test result is……normal.”

High five from Owen. Yay vagina!

“Your first trimester test result is…..normal.”

Double high five from Owen. This test was the “Down Syndrome” test. Based on the measurements of the fetus and blood work results the doctor was able to determine if further testing was needed to see if there was a chance that the baby would have Down Syndrome. Because my test was normal no further testing was necessary.

Owen and I hugged and headed down to the basement to eat our sandwiches, watch America’s Funniest Home Videos, (because that's how we roll on Friday nights!) and periodically rub my belly and let the baby know that even though we were both off our rockers, it was normal.

Normal.

God, what a wonderful word.

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14 Weeks

Baby Connell is the size of a lemon and Mama Connell is the size of a house. Papa Connell is looking forward to putting on sympathy weight with a steady diet of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and apple turnovers.

14 weeks down, many more to go. I've officially entered my second trimester and am determined to enjoy the rest of my pregnancy. Looking back, I really didn't enjoy the first 3 months and it was basically my fault. I read too much and worried that things happening to people around me would happen to me. I am trying to go by Owen's advice now which is to firmly believe that everything is going to be fine. No need to worry until there is something to worry about. Basically, I'm going to have to become a whole new person because worrying is like breathing to me! Now that I'm starting to see the doctor on a monthly basis, I'm going to let him do all the worrying. Let him tell me if there is something wrong rather than reading in a book what could possibly go wrong.

I simply cannot wait for Junior to get here. I can't wait to have a new person to share our life with. A new person for Owen to make laugh, a new person to get smothered in all our love.

Cannot.

Wait.

Owen was on vacation this week and enjoyed sleeping at night with the rest of the world. Unfortunatley, his wife snores like a trucker so while he started his nightly sleeps with me in our bed, he continues said sleeps in the bunk bed room. At first I put up a fight when he gets up to leave ("oh, don't go lover - I'll stop") but it can't bother me that much because I wake up the next morning on his side of the bed. I'm going to have to invest in some breath right strips to see if that solves the problem. Any advice?

This Saturday is the Peterson's 25th Wedding Anniversary party and I could not be more excited. It's been years in the making and promises to be a great night. Congratulations Aunt Paula & Uncle Roy!

How I'm Feeling: So much to look forward to!

Music is the Victim

Today is my company's annual golf tournament. Needless to say, I don't golf. Half the office is at said tournament and if it were less busy here I'd be in a coma, so y'all get treated to 2 posts today.

At the end of Season 5 of Queer as Folk, the cast and crew were given an iPod Mini. Owen also received one as thanks for his work that season and due to the fact that I take public transit a hell of a lot more than he does I use the iPod the majority of the time. I listen on the way to work, at work and on the way home from work. Aside from our own music we've uploaded (Ben Harper, U2, Jack Johnson etc.) I've also purchased many songs on iTunes and if you thought my television choices were sad - well, read on, this is just a sample of the songs I've paid for:

• Easy/Sail On - The Commodores: Easy: he knows it sounds funny but girl, he's leaving you tomorrow. He's done all he can to make it. Begged, stole and borrowed. Sail On: He's giving you back your name. He'll be on his way, he won't be back to stay. He's looking for a good time. Aren't we all Lionel? Aren't we all?
• Too Close - Next: This song reminds me of Saturday nights at Sammy's. If nothing was going to make The Duhart comment on this damn blog, the mention of this song just might do it. Choice Lyric - "All the songs you requested, you're dancing like you're naked".
• Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot: I love this song for the way it begins, the acoustic guitar. Someone covered this song and it wasn't even half as awesome. Plus, I think Gordie circa 1977's a hottie. Choice Lyric: "I can see her lyin' back in her satin dress, in a room where you do what you don't confess".
• Dance Hall Days - Wang Chung: I hat a rat tail in the 80's. This song requires no other explanation. Choice Lyric: "Take your baby by the hand, and make her do a high head stand". What the hell does that even mean?
• Talk Dirty to Me - Poisin: This song reminds me of teenage dances in Buchans when I was in 13. Being asked to fast dance and then doing so in two parallel lines. I bet they still play this song in Buchans during teenage dances. Choice lyric - "You know I never, I never ever stay out late. You know that I can hardly wait, just to see you. And I know you cannot wait, wait to see me too".
• Drop It Like It's Hot - Snoop Dogg: I have a little crush on Snoop. He's such a criminal. Choice Lyric: "I got my rolly on my arm and I'm pouring Chandon and I roll the best weed cuz' I got it going on".
• Don't Be Cruel/My Prerogative/Every Little Step - Bobby Brown: Oh man, I had this on tape in the 8th grade. Bobby Brown before Whitney and before crack was whack.
• Whiskey Girl - Toby Keith: I think this song reminds Joanne P. of Andrea. So, it reminds me of Joanne being reminded of Andrea. Choice lyric - "so damn good looking boy it ain't even right"
• Summertime - Kenny Chesney: For all the time spent at the Stampede, I still don't consider myself a fan of country music. But I like this song and I enjoy watching people at the Stampede dressed in bikini tops under denim vests "dance" to it. Choice lyric - "it's a smile, it's a kiss, it's a sip of wine, it's summertime!"
• Building Bridges - Brooks & Dunn: See above. For someone who isn't a country fan I sure pick the countriest of countriest songs to download. Choice lyric - "I'm building bridges, straight to your heart. All of this distance won't keep us apart".
• This Is How We Do It - Montell Jordan: Thursday nights at Loose Change Louie's. If Suz wasn't going to comment she will now. Choice Lyric: "So I reach for my 40 and I turn it up, designated driver take the keys to my truck. Hit the shore cuz I'm faded, honeys in the street say monty yo we made it".
• Doctor My Eyes - Jackson Brown: Remember Chym in the 80's in Kitchener? Before it was FM? So does this song. Choice Lyric - "People go just where they will. I never notice them until I get the feeling that it's later than it seems"
• Do Ya Think I'm Sexy - Rod Stewart: My parents had the Rod Stewart box set. I used to think that they were perverts because of the song "Tonight's the Night" because Rod says the word virgin. I could never figure out if being a virgin was a good thing or a bad thing. That god I got that all figured out. Choice Lyric: "she sits alone waiting for suggestions, he's so nervous, avoiding all her questions. His lips are dry, her heart is gently pounding, don't you just know exactly what their thinking? Oh Rod, you sly fox.
• It's Like That - Run-DMC: Maybe I've been watching too much Run's House becuase I predict this will not be the last Run-DMC song I download. Choice Lyric - "it's like that y'all and that's the way it is"

So, what's your musical guilty pleasure?

Sign #1 Owen's Forgotten I'm Pregnant

"You have to pee again?!"

13 Weeks

Baby Connell is the size of a jumbo shrimp, 3 inches head to rump. Mama Connell is still very tired and can't seem to shake the cold she got last week. Papa Connell is a very happy man becasue he is on vacation next week and is going to do all the things around the house that both Ma & Pa have been neglecting.

My next doctor's appointment is October 2nd and we are scheduled to have another ultrasound on October 17th so more pictures of Junior that can go on our bulletin board and here on the blog.

Tonight I am meeting Kristy & Suzanne for a long overdue ice-tea. It's been so long since I've seen them both that I'm sure we'll spend the first couple minutes just staring at each other. So much has happened to all of us since we last saw each other. It's crazy how life goes sometimes. I used to see these girls weekly to watch 90210. Then people move, get married, have children and suddenly it's been a year(s) since you last saw each other. I'm really looking forward to seeing them and remembering why we were friends in the first place.

How I'm Feeling: Still trying to shake this cold but very, very happy that it's Friday.

I Was Raised on TV

And now, a non-baby post....

A few months ago I talked Owen into trying Rogers Personal Video Recorder (PVR) under the guise of taping shows that he likes that he often misses due to his work schedule - mostly shows on A&E. The PVR allows you to digitally "tape" 2 shows at once - without using an actual video tape. It also allows to you to pause and rewind live television. Rogers was running a promotion to try the PVR out for free for 2 months so I picked one up at lunch 2 months ago and it has changed my television life.

My real interest in the PVR was rooted in the fact that channel 54 was starting to run all original episodes of Beverly Hills 90210. I'm somewhere towards the end of season 3 where Dylan has to choose between Brenda & Kelly (Spoiler: he picks Kelly) Unfortunatley, 90210 is far from my most embarassing PVR'd show. Here is a list of what I am currently taping on a day to day basis. I am well aware that I am going to have to get a life.

1. The View (10am daily) - Rosie's back. Andrea and I have a strange and perhaps unnatural love for Rosie. I hope she kicks Hasselback's ass.
2. Oprah (4pm daily) - It's not that embarassing that I tape Oprah, what's embarassing is that I delete the serious episodes. I only want to watch celebrities and makeovers. Oprah's catching pedophiles? Well good for her, but I'm not watching. Gayle is on with a hard hitting story about finding the country's best hamburger? Sign me up.
3. Mad About You (2:30am daily) - This might be where things take a turn. A common theme of my PVRing is that I fast forward through 80% of the shows I tape. I started recording Mad About You somewhere around the season where they are trying to have a baby. I skip any scenes where Paul is at work or talking to his cousin Ira. Basically any scene where Paul & Jamie aren't talking to each other.
4. Run's House (10pm weekly) - Who's house? Run's house! This is a reality show showing the "real" life of Run of Run-DMC fame complete with his wife Justine and their 5 kids. Apparently Run's now some type of Reverend. Rev-Run. Get it? You can start feeling embarassed to know me now.
5. A Different World (4:30pm daily) - I have very little interest in this show until Denise Huxtable leaves it to have Lenny Kravitz's baby. Again with the fast forwarding.
6. The Facts of Life (7:30pm daily) - How happy am I that the Christian station started running this show? Last nights first episode showcased Molly Ringwald (who'd get tossed soon after the first season) and cameo's from the Different Strokes cast as Mrs. Garrett leaves them to work at Eastland. I can't wait until Jo arrives and Blair gets fat. Yippee!
7. The Office (8-9pm weekly) - Where the hell was I when this show came out? Probably wasting my time in Survivor-ville. The Office is the best show on television. Not only am I not embarrased to PVR it I watch scenes daily on You Tube.

So now I wanna know - what's your guilty TV pleasure?

12 Weeks

Boy oh boy, what a week it's been. I have somehow contracted a viral infection and was off work Tuesday - Thursday. Sick, sick, sickie. According to the baby sites the only thing I could take was Tylenol and frankly, that didn't do squat. I prefer a Neo Citron coma when I'm under the weather. For my effort I have a sore nose and cuts inside my lips from sleeping with my mouth wide open. Better than the alternative which would be not breathing at all.

Yesterday was a HUGE baby day. Owen and I went to the ultrasound and caught our first glimpe of Baby Connell. I was laying on the bed and couldn't see the screen and the ultrasound technician wasn't giving me anything - complete poker face. Good thing Owen could see the screen and answer my many, many questions: "How many do you see?" - answer: 1 "do you see the hearbeat?" - answer: yes "is it moving?" - answer: yes. When she finally got around to showing me the screen, all I could do was burst into tears. Nothing could prepare me for seeing the life inside me. He (we now think it's a boy. There is no scientific reason for that, it's more of a feeling) moved for his mama, gave me a wave and kicked up his legs. Awesome. It was one of the best moments of my life. I've been showing the ultrasound picture off all day today and remember when I said 7 weeks ago that good news rocks? Well it rocks all over again when you get to tell your co-workers the reason you've been looking a little green the past few weeks. Many hugs, many well wishes. Yay!

After the ultrasound I had to get bloodwork done and then it was off to meet Dr. H, my OB-GYN. I'd love to tell you all about him but I had to have a pap smear so my visit is kind of a blur. I know, I know, you're thinking "how is she ever going to have a baby when she passes out from a pap smear?" Answer: If they could give me an epidural before a pap I'd have one weekly. In all seriousness, he seemed like a good doctor and I will be seeing him every month until closer to the due date (now moved up to March 13) and then I'll go weekly. Next ultrasound is October 17 and I hope to have another picture to share.

How I'm Feeling: If I was feeling any better in the 5-0, they'd have to call the po' (ask the bridesmaids).

11 Weeks + 3 Days

Saturday was the Collins-Grogan extravaganza and a wonderful time was had by all. The bride was beaming, the groom was handsome and 1 of the 4 bridesmaids barely squeezed into her dress and made it through her speech without having a complete meltdown. Andrea's aunt told me I was having a big baby and her uncle told me he wouldn't rule out twins - so that paints a pretty accurate picture of how big I'm getting.

This is an exciting week - the ultrasound is on Thursday and I meet my new doctor on Friday. If all goes well I'll have a picture of Owen or Jen Jr. to post on this site.

Congratulations to Jackie Molson on the news that she's expecting baby #2 a couple weeks after me. That makes for 4 pregnancies within the "Buchans" family.

At 11 weeks the baby loses it's tail and it's liver, intestines, brain and lungs are beginning to function on their own. Little Connell is about the size of a large lime.

How I'm Feeling: I should have taken a vacation day today! Yawn!

10 Weeks

1/4 of the way through the pregnancy and finally into double digit weeks. Not much going on this week other than impending wedding stuff. Dresses to be fixed, suits to be dry cleaned, speeches to be written. I was telling Andrea that it's hard to write a speech about someone you love without it sounding like a eulogy. So I've printed the speech and am bringing it home to see if Owen can punch it up a little and to make sure that I will actually receive laughs at the funny parts and not blank stares. Because there are funny parts - oh boy - are there funny parts.

How I'm Feeling: Bien

Let Out

Happy 1st Birthday Eric!

This past Saturday was my godson Eric's first birthday and he celebrated in style. I can't believe how quickly the year went by since he was born.

One of the attendees at the party was Joanne's cousin Denise who is 5 months pregnant. This is her third pregnancy - the first 2 ended in miscarriages. So far this pregnancy, she's been in the hospital more nights then she's been home. She gets violently ill and has on occasion fainted from being so sick. She is on at least 3 medications and has her own room at the hospital. Lesson #1: Suck it up Jen, your hangover nausea ain't that bad! So, good vibes out to Denise (and her baby girl) this week.

Yesterday I went to a tailor to get my bridesmaid top (12 days to the Collins-Grogan nuptuals!) taken out. The top was always snug but when I tried it on yesterday the seamstress gave me a look like, "she's gonna blow!". They are going to let out the seam which should buy me at least an inch on either side. I pick it up on Friday so fingers crossed. According to the seamstress, after this I have nowhere else to go seam-wise. Lesson #2: You aren't eating for 2 if 1 of you is the size of a small plum (finally a food a like!).

How I'm Feeling: According to Mike from Sales, it's not how you feel, it's how you look. And I look nice today.

P.S. Let your comments fly - it's nice to know that people are reading this thing!

9 Weeks

I have to say that the last 2 weeks have been the worst so far pregnancy-wise. When you hear about "fatigue" and "nausea" in terms of being pregnant it's hard to wrap your head around what the words mean. How tired could you really be? How sick could you actually feel? I think the feeling is best summed up in the word "hangover". I have felt, for the past 2 weeks perpetually hungover. Like I started out the night drinking at Toots', went to the Stampede, drank too much Corona, fell on the dance floor with a beer tucked in to the back of my pants, left the bar when the lights came on, went to Roddington, passed out on a random couch, woke up at 5am, left Roddington, passed Mom on Ottawa street on her way to work, went back to Toots' and fell into a sleep with 2 other women in the bed, and woke up to Jim Furey hammering nails into the stairs and screaming for Marg to bring him a cup of tea. Not that anyof that's ever happened to me - every weekend for 2 years. Nope, not at all. So for those of you who are wondering what being newly pregnant feels like, go out tonight and get hammered. Tomorrow when your head is in the toilet you can feel the wonders of pregnancy. Burp.

This past Tuesday our building held it's annual Tenant Lunch. Basically it's a BBQ for all the tenants in the building. My building has 30 floors and therefore there are A LOT of tenants. I stood in line for an hour (Owen said there really is no such thing as a free lunch and he was right!) with my new work friend Michelle and shot the shit. Michelle is a sweet girl - in every way that I'm not so sweet. She doesn't curse, is on time for work, goes to church and probably never woke up in the International House of Porn wondering if there was a new Prime Minister. Anyway, Michelle and her husband have 2 children and to me she seems like a really good mother. She always has a cute kid story and absolutely lives for her family. While we were waiting for our "free" lunch we were talking about pregnancy and how I was feeling. Most people I've talked to have loved being pregnant. It was the best time of their life, they never felt so healthly - yada, yada. Michelle turned to me and said "You know what? I didn't enjoy being pregnant." In those 2 sentences Michelle endeared herself to me. Here she was, what I think a perfect mother is and she was honest enough to say that although she loved her children she didn't like being pregnant. She didn't like being sick all the time, the getting big, the constipation, the heartburn etc. I guess she showed me that I don't have to feel like there is something wrong with me because I'm not all glowy and earthy. I'm just me. Going through more changes in the past 9 weeks than in all of my 31+ years. In those 2 sentences Michelle made me enjoy my pregnancy more because she showed me that whatever I was feeling was fine because it was mine.

How I'm Feeling: I could really use a Coronoa!

For the Record (and so I'll remember)

I had a dream last night that we were having a boy. He looked just like Owen (whew!) and I was carrying him around upsidedown.

I'm not putting too much stock into my dreams because I also dreamt that Andrea was marrying Sebastian Bach (from Skid Row and more recently Gilmore Girls) and his hair looked nicer than hers.

8 Weeks

So, here I am. 2 months pregnant. 1 month to go in this trimester and 27 days away from hearing the heartbeat of the little kidney bean growing inside me. One thing I like about one of the baby books I bought (Your Pregnancy Week by Week or something) is that at the beginning of each chapter it tells you how big the baby is. For some reason they always compare the size to a food - ironically a food I don't like. I've gone from a lentil to a kidney bean and in about a month I'll have a green olive frolicking inside of me.

This morning I was thinking about how I would answer the question, "How do you like being pregnant?". Truth be told I think I would like it better the second time around. This pregnancy - obviously my first - has been nerve racking. I just don't know what to expect next. I go from not feeling any physical changes to all of a sudden being overwhelmed with tiredness or nausea. I have a hard time enjoying the "now" and always wish of the "later". I want to be 5 months pregnant instead of 2 months. Owen says that I never enjoy the day, that I always have to have something to look forward to. I don't want to be that way. I want to enjoy the now of the pregnancy instead of focusing on what's coming next. Hormones - gotta love them.

Yesterday at lunch I went to a maternity store with Lee Ann (AKA 3 weeks more pregnant than me). The styles go from "bigger regular clothes" to "come and knock on my door" patterns that you would never see at a non-pregnancy store. It's like once you're pregnant you can decide to dress like a completely different person, wearing chevron stripes and polyester stretch pants. There are pregnancy bras, tights, pajamas - even thongs. Like at 8 months pregnant I'm going to be worried about panty lines. Who knows? This pregnancy might bring out my inner hooch and I'll be showing up to work in fishnet stockings and a plunging neckline.

Re-reading this post it is pretty apparent that I am all over the place today. That can be attributed to the fact that my neighbour decided to have his own little dance party last night around 11:30. I finally gave up on our bed and went to sleep in the bunkbed room. I shouldn't really complain about buddy next door seeing as 95% of the time he's not even home but he listens to the beginning of a song and that's it. And then he plays the beginning again...."kiss an angel good morning"...pause..."kiss an angel good morning"....pause..."kiss an angel good morning". Owen says that he plays in a band (side note - Owen has met everyone in the neighbourhood - Harold from Conception Bay, Bill the handicapped guy down the street who wanted to take one of our front yard flowers for his mother, Old Guy across the street who walks his cat on a leash. For someone who hates people as much as he claims to Owen certainly is chatty) and that he's probably trying to learn the words. Either way it gets really old, really fast.

How I'm Feeling: Comme ci, comme ca

Good News Just Won't Wait

Today I told my manager (and her manager) that I was indeed (almost) 2 months pregnant. I did it because I have some doctor's appointments coming up soon (August 31 - blood work & ultrasound and September 1 - meeting the new doctor) and because last week's layoff hit close to home. My manager reacted wonderfully and gave me a hug which just cements for me the fact that good news rules!

How I'm Feeling: Still tired (trust me, I hate typing it as much as y'all hate reading it!)

7 Weeks

How am I? In a word...exhausted. I have honestly never been this tired in my life. There are not enough hours in the night for precious sleep. This morning when I picked up Owen and went on (and on) about how tired I was, he made some joke about getting a year off. I think he's forgetting about the bundle of tears and poop that will be spending it's first year with us. Anyone I've known who's had a baby says, "you're tired now? Honey, you ain't seen nothing yet". So yeah....tired, very tired. I'm taking Monday & Tuesday off to celebrate the magic that is my bed. We're talking naps and sleeping in - I can hardly wait.

Other than that, not much new on the pregnancy front. Still waiting for my family doctor to hook me up with an OBGYN and then the real fun begins - poking and prodding and confirming that the little lentil inside of me will one day grow up to be a right winger for the Leafs or...the first female right winger?

Yesterday was a day of bad news - someone I worked with was let go, a coworkers spouse passed away and other mommies-to-be had been given some potentially bad news. If you believe in this stuff, and I certainly do - put some good thoughts out in the universe today. We're all so lucky for what we have and who we love and people everyday deal with shit that would flatten me.

How I'm Feeling: Tired - duh

6 Weeks Plus 4 Days

I kept forgetting to post on 6 Week Friday and my weekend was quite busy so here is the belated 6 Week post. Everything is going well so far. I am actually feeling better today than I have in about a week or so. I finally got the whole sleeping thing under control - going to bed earliar and sleeping pretty soundly until around 3am where it is pee time at my house.

According to the books who are not my friend, it is the increased blood in my body that increases dramatically now that I'm pregnant (not knocked up - no one finds the humor in me saying I'm knocked up. I find it an endearing term myself) which leads to a lot of extra fluid getting processed by my kidneys and ending up in my bladder. As my uterus grows that will also play a part in my frequent bathroom visits. Plus when I'm at work, I'm drinking a lot of water which is good for the skin, the pooping and much better for me than Diet Coke but I pay the price for the eau all day long.

On the weekend Owen and I told our extended family the good news. I highly recommend telling the people you love something they want to hear because the reactions were freaking awesome. Everyone was so happy. Owen wanted to wait until we were further ahead (the mandatory 3 months) but I figured that everyone we told this weekend would be told if there was any bad news so why not let them in on the good news? There was a lot of squeeling (Michelle in Buchans) and a lot of squeezing (my ma's whole fam damiliy!). Good news is awesome.

This is also the week that I've decided to tell people about this blog. Full disclosure I guess. I want the people I love and who love me to join me on this journey to the Epidural Empire. No time like the present.

How I'm Feeling: Today is a good day, a very good day

Baby Books Are Not Your Friend

On Friday (AKA 5 weeks) I bought one pregnancy book and was lent another. The book I bought divides your pregnancy into weeks so you can read about how your body is changing and the baby is growing on a weekly basis. The book I was lent is called "The Mother of All Pregnancy Books".

These books have freaked me out. Do you have any idea how many things can go wrong in a pregnancy? Especially early in a pregnancy? Ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage...the stuff they can find out from your blood alone is especially alarming.

I am by nature, a worry wart - I expect the worst and don't really hope for the best but I am trying to thing really positive about the life growing inside of me (cue Enya). Both of my grandmothers had 7+ children and I guarantee you they didn't read books or take prenatal vitamins. They didn't hold their breath everytime they went to the bathroom for fear of blood and basically just chilled and (hopefully) enjoyed their pregnancy.

Owen recommended that I talk to other people my age who have had children. See how they felt during the early stages and what got them through.

I've wanted to have a baby for as long as I remember and I have to keep reminding myself to enjoy every single day of my pregnancy. This is what I've been working towards my whole life and I don't want to ruin it by worrying away all of my joy.

How I'm Feeling - Not too bad. My hair looks cute and my new-found adult acne has cleared up - thanks Lulu!

5 Weeks

According to my doctor, I am as of today 5 weeks pregnant. My due date is March 15, 2007. I guess I should be saying "we are 5 weeks" and "our due date is" but as of right now this pregnancy feels like something that is happening soley to me. I'm too early for my husband to feel the baby and so far I'm not having any symptoms that would affect him directly - no vomiting etc. plus with him working nights he hasn't been affected by my 5am trips to the bathroom.

The only word to describe this whole thing is surreal. It's like when you've wanted something for so long and finally get it, you don't know what to do with it. Plus, I don't feel pregnant - or whatever that means. I felt a little crampy this morning and super hungry by the time I got to work but I don't have any of the feelings I thought I'd have. No tingling, no glow except that my newly developed adult acne has disappeared. Yay hormones!

I'm going to Indigo today at lunch with Lee Ann (due 3 weeks before me) to buy some pregnancy books to ensure that I spend the next 35 weeks in a state of paranoia. I know I should be enjoying this time, enjoying the fact that I have a secret but I really can't wait until I'm further along and can tell people and get an ultrasound to see little Lulu (there is no way that Owen would agree to name our child - if it was a girl - Lulu but I think that's what I'll call my little raisin (that's how big the baby is at 5 weeks. I find it ironic that I'm calling it a baby already. For someone as pro-choice as I am I feel like I should refer to it as a fetus but as soon as the two lines/plus sign became visible I started thinking of a baby growing inside of me).

How I'm Feeling - TGIF

Passing the Tests

By the Numbers

Last period - June 9, 2006 - Andrea's Irish Bridal Shower
Today's Date - July 13, 2006 - Cheech Marin's Birthday
Number of Pregnancy Tests Taken - 2 - Clearblue Easy & Early Something or Other
Number of Positive Pregnancy Test Taken - 2 - one plus sign and two red lines
Doctor's appointment to confirm the tests belief that I am indeed knocked-up - July 13, 2006 @ 4pm

How I'm feeling - Not pregnant or what I think being pregnant should feel like.