Tuesday, February 27, 2007

For the Last Time

This is a Grammy:



This is a Nanny:




Dr.'s Appointment

Today I had my weekly appointment with Dr. Pervy. Today is officially 38 weeks and I was half hoping he'd do an internal exam to let me know where I'm at (this is how badly I want things to happen - I'm wishing on internal exams. My, how the mighty have fallen). Anyway, turns out Dr. Pervy is some sort of hippy dippy brotha who believes in nature taking it's course. Translation - no internal for me until I hit 40 weeks.

I'm going to post a picture this week so y'all can tell me if you think I've 'dropped'. If I can't get the doctor to diagnose when Junior's coming, I might as well let ya'll have a crack at it!

Friday, February 23, 2007

37 Weeks

Baby Connell is considered full term this week, weighing over 6 pounds and measuring in at 19 inches, Mama Connell got all domestic and has been sending Papa Connell off to work with lunch and making him breakfast when he comes home in the morning, Papa Connell appreciates Mama Connell's transformation into June Cleaver and has never once complained that the only way she knows to cook an egg is by scrambling it.

This was my first full week off work and to be honest it felt like a long weekend. I didn't do much other than laundry and a bit of cleaning and have spent the days that Owen is sleeping (Thursday & Friday) wandering around various malls trying to keep 'active'. I put active in quotations because I don't know if my waddle-walk classifies as active movement.

On Tuesday I held Lee Ann's brand new baby boy Michael while Junior kicked beneath him. Michael is a little prince and rewarded my kisses by farting his ass off. Speaking of farting, every time I think I'm having labour pains it turns out I just have gas. Looks like I've come to the part in my blogging career where nothing is off-limits and until Junior arrives y'all will no doubt be getting updates on my various bodily functions.

Judes is finally feeling better this week after having bodily function issues of her own and has her bag packed for when Junior arrives. She also had some advice for me today to speed up Junior's arrival and let's just say her advice pretty much guarantees that Junior will be an only child.

I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday where Dr. Pervy will tell me that everything is fine and I should just go home and wait until Junior's ready to arrive.

Anybody want to cast their predictions? Am I going to go early, late or right on time (March 13)?

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

It's A Good Thing I'm Cute

Yesterday at my weekly doctor's appointment:

Dr Pervy: Everything looks good, nice strong heart beat, the head's where it should be. Do you have any questions?

Jen: Uh, yeah. How will I know I'm having contractions?

Dr Pervy (leaning in and looking me straight in the eyes): Oh, you'll know.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Maternity Leave - Day 1

To be accurate, I am currently on vacation. The only difference between this and previous vacations is that previous vacations usually ended with a tan and this one will end with a baby. Maternity leave doesn't officially start until March 12 - whether Junior's here or not. Call it whatever you want but today was the first day of a brand new life for me.

I started the day at 11:30 this morning. I had gone to bed Sunday night just after 1 a.m. and woke up at least 3 times that I can remember to go to the bathroom. I made the mistake of telling Owen that I felt dizzy the previous night when I got up suddenly to empty my bladder, so last night every time I woke up to pee, he woke up to tell me to be careful. The dizziness is something new in my pregnancy but now I know why they tell pregnant women not to ride bicycles - your balance is way off. Occasionally in the bath when I make a sudden movement I see stars which is better than seeing birdies I guess but both make me feel like I'm in a Loony Toons cartoon.

This weekend Owen and I were discussing the stages of labour and I told him that it's hard for me to wrap my head around what contractions are going to feel like. Even with all I've read about them I have a feeling it is hard to accurately describe to someone how contractions feel unless you've experienced them yourself. How do you describe pain? I've broken a bone and sprained my ankle but it would be hard for me to tell someone how the pain felt. Owen summed it up for me when he said, "well, I've never been shot but I know that it would hurt".

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning and am in my 37th week of pregnancy. To be honest, I'm ready for this baby to come. Owen, being again my voice of reason said to leave the baby alone. Just because I'm always in a hurry, Junior doesn't have to be. Let the baby stay a little longer in my belly and grow a little more before making his or her debut.

Being in a hurry to get things done doesn't sound like me does it, Andrea & The Duhart?

Thursday, February 15, 2007

36 Weeks



Baby Connell weighs almost 6 pounds and is a little less than 19 inches, and that's all that matters today MY LAST DAY OF WORK! As a reminder as of Monday morning I won't have access to email so please keep in touch by using jennifer.connell@rogers.com.


As for the belly picture, Paula took it last night after Survivor Thursday and confirmed what I suspected last week - that sir, is a stretch mark. If you look at the belly picture on Flickr I actually point it out for you. I guess I can't complain, getting this far without one. My stomach finally waved the white flag and surrendered to Junior.


I plan to update my blog while I'm off to keep everyone up to date on what's shaking at Casa Connell. I half jokingly told Owen that the moment my water breaks, I'll be online telling everyone. So keep reading, this is where it starts getting good.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Moo

Do you know what happens when you go to the doctor 2 weeks ago and they tell you you've lost 3 pounds? You get cocky. Do you know what happens when you get cocky? You eat an entire chocolate cake. Do you know what happens when you eat an entire chocolate cake and go back to the doctor for your bi-weekly check-up? YOU GAIN 7 POUNDS!!!!! Dr. Pervy wasn't worried about the weight gain seeing as I've only gained 14 pounds since I've been seeing him, but holy shit - that's .5 pounds a day everyday for the last 14 days.

This doctor's appointment was very enlightening and not only for the weight gain update. For the last week or so I've been feeling something hard in my belly and deduced that it was the baby's head. When I asked Dr. Pervy about it he filled me in on a little secret - what I am feeling is the baby's butt! The head is down around my pelvis - where it should be. So yeah, not only am I a big ol' heifer, I'm also a little slow. Today's appointment also included a swab that I had to do to myself and if you want any details about it, you'll have to email me because I have maybe 3 male readers of this blog and there are some things they just don't need to know!

Last night Owen and I had our hospital tour so when the big day comes we're not wandering around Mount Sinai with our knees pressed together (me, not Owen). The tour was very informative, my only complaint is the tour guide/nurse decision to use the term 'vag' as in ,'if you have a caesarean or vag delivery'. I am far from a prude and have been known to throw many an f-bomb but there was something about the word 'vag' that made my skin crawl.

We saw admitting (1st floor), delivery (7th floor) and recovery (10th floor). We learned about how many mother's choose to have an epidural (89%), how many anesthesiologist are on duty (3 during the day, 2 at night) and how long a woman would generally have to wait to get an epidural (maximum time - 30 minutes). Once in recovery, we are allowed 2 visitors at a time and Owen is not considered a visitor - he can stay 24/7. The tour guide/nurse said that first time moms who are nursing usually stay at the hospital 2 nights for a vaginal birth and 3 to 4 nights for a c-section.

All in all, I'd definitely recommend the hospital tour. It was nice to take a look at where we'll be in 4 short weeks....holy cow....4 weeks....pass the chocolate cake.

Monday, February 12, 2007

THIS IS NOT OUR BABY - Michael James Coon


My friend Lee Ann had her baby on Thursday morning. Michael James was two weeks early and weighed in at 6lbs 10oz. Congrats to Lee Ann & Jamie!




Friday, February 09, 2007

35 Weeks

Baby Connell weighs over 5 pounds and is just over 18 inches long, Mama Connell can't remember the last time she was comfortable and Papa Connell has eBay fever and is selling his precious hockey cards online.

Next week is my last week of work so you can imagine how productive I've been the last couple days. I've trained my replacement, run my reports and am cruising through next week with a series of lunch dates.

So 5 more weeks until Junior makes an appearance. I'm going to go on record to say that I think I'll deliver earlier than my due date, mostly because pregnancy has worn out it's welcome and I'm dying to meet the little one who's been kicking the crap out of me the last few months. Owen's calling for March 11 whereas I think it could be earlier than that. I have an ultra sound coming up so we'll see if Junior's made his or her decent into my pelvis (shudder).

Owen and I have the hospital tour on Monday after work and I have my bi-weekly appointment with Dr. Pervy on Tuesday.

I hope to have a new picture to post next Friday. I'll make Owen zoom in on what I think might be a stretch mark on my belly. As soon as Aunt Maureen and Lori commented about how good I looked and where were the stretch marks ol' stretchy appeared. I showed Paula the mark during Survivor Thursday last night and she's not convinced it even is one. If I get through this pregnancy mark-free I'll have to chalk it up to good genes and my nightly application of Body Shop Cocoa Butter Body Butter for Stretched Skin.

Remember when all I talked about was new shoes? Yeah, I miss those days too.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

When Baby Books Are Your Friend

I've noticed lately that Junior hasn't been moving as much as he/she usually does. There are still the occasional kicks but nothing like I experienced a month ago. After consulting the book that I had long ago put away, I learned that there was a very logical explanation for the lack of movement: Junior's getting too big for his/her britches.

Because Junior is growing so fast these last couple of weeks, there isn't as much room in my uterus as their used to be. According to the book, my uterus is 15 times its original volume and since Junior is pushing about 5+ pounds this week (update tomorrow), no wonder he/she isn't doing somersaults anymore.

So my advice to anyone planning on starting a family - avoid the baby books until you're at least 25 weeks along. Anything before that is bad news, anything after can be helpful - which is not to say that I'm reading the Labor & Delivery chapter. The less I know about that, the better off I'll be.

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Living Like Rock Stars

Evening of Monday February 5, 2007

5:00 pm- Arrive home from work.

5:15 pm - Go to Post Office to pick up a free gift from Nestle. I don't remember requesting a free gift from Nestle but I do love getting mail so everyone wins.

5:30 - 6:00 pm - Discuss possible baby names, (Owen liked 2 of the 3 girls names I presented. Unfortunately the one he didn't like was the one I really liked [Avery]. And the beat goes on.) and listen to Simon & Garfunkle. Explain to Owen why the song 'America' makes me cry.

6:00 - 6:30 pm - Eat Dinner.

6:30 - 7:00 pm - Watch Everybody Loves Raymond. Decide I don't really like Everybody Loves Raymond.

7:00 - 7:30 pm - WHEEL! OF! FORTUNE! Did you know that Vanna's from Charleston South Carolina?

7:30 pm - Skip Jeopardy (Teen Tournament - boo!) I have a bath and join Owen in bed. He leaves after half an hour to sleep in the bunk bed room because I am snoring like a trucker. Riddle me this: How can I be snoring when I haven't fallen asleep yet?!

Moral of the Story: There are residents at Mom's work who rock harder than we do.

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Nursery Pictures

Before and after pictures of the nursery are available by following this link http://www.flickr.com/photos/tworedlines/sets/72157594517797689/ or selecting 'Photos' under 'Links' and selecting 'Nursery'.

Thanks to Judes & Donnie K. for all their help this weekend.

Funniest part? Owen announcing that he had a very important board meeting....while holding a board.

Maybe you had to be there.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

34 Weeks

Baby Connell weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is probably almost 18 inches long, Mama Connell is slowly getting over her cold, and Papa Connell is looking forward to the new season of Rent a Goalie because the Esposito brothers will be at his work.

On Thursday I met Dr. Star who will be Junior’s doctor. I am head over heels in love with this woman. Her enthusiasm over our unborn child was infectious and she made it seem that she had been waiting for the Connell’s her whole life. Compared to my 2-minute visits with Dr. Pervy, this woman was a godsend. Dr. Star will visit Junior and I in the hospital and give the thumbs up for Junior to come home. I am so looking forward to her taking care of our baby I can’t even tell you.

This weekend is a big one at Casa Connell – we will be getting the nursery ready (I’ll be posting before and after pics next week). Owen and Dad will be painting and putting the furniture together while Judes and I visit the Price Club and purchase a year’s supply of diapers and wipes. You may not know this about me (this isn’t the lead up to a joke – some of you might actually be surprised) but I really, really, really like being organized. The day Owen brought home a filing cabinet was a banner day at our house. I filed and alphabetized 6 years of paper work and can at a moment’s notice, present you with out tax information from 2001. Need more proof of my organizational skills?

- Junior’s clothing is organized by size. Drawer 1 houses 0-3 months, Drawer 2 houses 3-6 months and Drawer 3 holds an assortment of clothing from 6 – 12 months. Anything bigger than that is hanging in the closet.

- I have a folder called “Junior” in which I’ve filed all pertinent paper work including: birth certificate information, passport applications, daycare information and any other paper work obtained throughout my pregnancy and that is of course filed in the filing cabinet.

- Junior’s diaper bag is packed and I have outfits and travelling wear that cover any type of weather the day might bring. Inside the diaper bag is a checklist for the diaper bag so when the time comes I’ll already know I have everything. Once I finish my own hospital bag a similar checklist will go in it to ensure I don’t show up without my granny panties.

- I have baskets of various sizes to help organize the nursery. Baskets for diapers, baskets for face cloths, baskets for….baskets.

Forget being organized. I have OCD and need help.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Memories


I have no recollection of Nan & Pop Kennedy visiting Kitchener (or going to Bingeman Park) but here is photographic evidence that they did. This picture had to have been taken in 1979 or 1980 given how small Joel is (check out Donnie K's goatee!). The woman beside Judes is my Aunt Claudine and the little girl beside me is my cousin Jodi.

When I showed Owen this picture he told me he had the same outfit when he was a kid and commented that I looked like a boy. Maybe there's something to this pink is for girls, blue is for boys thing.

Monday January 29, 2007 2am

Let me set the scene. I'm in the bathroom for the 5th time that night and Owen is on his way to bed (night shift worker that he is, he rarely comes to bed with me):

Jen: Lover?
Owen: Yeah?
Jen: Can you bring me a bottle of water and a granola bar?
Owen: Bottle of water and granola bar?
Jen: Yeah.
Owen: (back down the stairs for the goods, back up the stairs where he meets me outside the bathroom door) Here you go ___ (insert nickname that I can't tell you about because frankly, you wouldn't understand AND I made him promise a) not to call me it in public and b) never, ever tell anyone that he calls me this).

So, now we're back in bed:

Jen: I cannot believe I have to get up and go to work (I've had a cold the past couple days).
Owen: Just close your eyes and get a few good hours in.
Jen: Before my bladder woke me I was having a dream about Jim on The Office.
Owen: The Office?
Jen: Yeah, the TV show.
Owen: The tall guy?
Jen: Yeah.
Owen: Well, I'm going to have a dream about Heidi Klum.
Jen: Mine wasn't a sex dream.
Owen: Well, mine's gonna be!

After some silence:

Jen: I can't get comfortable, Junior keeps kicking me.
Owen: Come on, you love it. They're gonna be a soccer star.
Jen: Every time Junior kicks me , I'm going to kick you.
Owen: And here I brought you breakfast in bed.

And so I snuggled into him, the boy I've known for 16+ years, the man I married 2+ years ago and the father to the baby that was kicking the shit out of me. And life was good.

____________________________________________________________________

I had a doctor's appointment this morning. Although Junior is growing wonderfully, I've lost 3 pounds since my last visit 2 weeks ago. I told Dr. Pervy that it's ironic that before I was pregnant, I couldn't lose 3 pounds in two weeks if I tried. I've had a cold the past couple days so that accounts for the weight loss but I was a little concerned that I haven't gained any weight in the last month or so and trust me, I've been eating! The thing is, I've been eating healthier now than I ever have! Maybe my body is shocked at the sheer amount of good stuff it's receiving! Dr. Pervy assured me that the baby was fine, was a good size etc. so we'll see what happens next on my next appointment on February 13. Either way, I see a lot of trips to Dairy Queen in Owen's future!

Friday, January 26, 2007

33 Weeks

I don't think you're ready for this belly...





Baby Connell weighs a little over 4 pounds and measures in at 17 inches, Mama Connell has entered the ‘uncomfortable’ stage of her pregnancy and Papa Connell’s dinner choices have been at the mercy of Mama Connell’s ever-raging appetite.

33 weeks. 7 more to go if Baby goes full term. Sometimes it feels like I’ve been pregnant forever and other times I wish I had a few more months to let it all sink in. I’ve been concentrating on my last day of work (21 days as of today) and not so much on the pending delivery. I feel like there is still so much to do. According to the weekly pregnancy emails I get from babycenter.com I should have my bags packed for the hospital. My bag and baby's bag. Lee Ann gave me a list of items to pack that her doctor gave to her (Dr. Pervy is a slacker).

For Mom:
- Comfortable clothing/track suit (check)
- 2 –3 nightgowns - in case one gets…um…’stuff’ on it (check)
- Bath robe and slippers (I think I’m going to skip this one. I’ll bring my birks or something in case I do any walking around but I’m not bringing 2-3 sets of pyjamas AND a robe. (check)
- 4-5 pairs of underwear – not thongs – well, duh (check)
- Toiletries (check)
- 20 overnight maxi pads (oh Lordy – after 8+ months of not having a period I’m really not looking forward to this part)
- A favourite pillow - exactly how long do they think I’m staying?
- Snacks – who is doing the snacking? Owen & Judes?!
- Clothes for going home - should be something that fit me when I was 6 months pregnant (check)

For Baby:
- 20 diapers (check)
- Wipes (check)
- Cotton knitted hat (check)
- Vaseline (check)
- Clothes for going home – well, I’ve got what Nan sent so I still need something for Junior to wear under that. Andrea said it’s good luck for a baby to come home in yellow. Maybe I’ll use one of the shower gifts for this one.
- Car seat (check) - We bought the stroller/car seat the weekend of my shower and Judes & Donnie K are delivering it next Saturday. I’m going to practice putting a doll in the car seat to figure out how it works. Something tells me the day Junior comes home isn’t the best time to figure out a car seat!

I’ve added a few things to the list including our camera, phone numbers, smelling salts for Owen and my own epidural in case they run out by the time I get there.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

He Loves Me*

5 Words:

Late.

Night.

Ice.

Cream.

Run.

* or alternatively, he's afraid of me.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Eating & Sleeping - The Most Boring Post Ever

Last night Owen and I went to Jack Astor's for dinner. I had been craving their chicken bow tie pasta all day long and it didn't take much to convince Owen to abandon our original dinner plans, which was a stir-fry. Given the speed with which I ate the pasta it is safe to say that I've entered the "all eating, all the time" phase of my pregnancy. Once the pasta arrived, I politely offered Owen some and once he declined - well, let's just say it was a good thing he kept his hands away from my knife in fork. The same thing happened last time we ordered pizza. Owen can usually bank on me leaving him a few slices of my side of the pizza but not this time. He was working on his second slice and I had finished my half – crust included.

The reason for the increased grazing is not only that Junior is growing rapidly but also because I’m starting to feel the nausea again that I experienced during my first trimester. The only thing that makes me feel better is shovelling food into my mouth. I’m halfway through my lunch today and it’s only 10:30!

One of the more positive things that are happening these days is my ability to sleep. A lot of mother’s at work have been telling me how uncomfortable they were when they were at 33 weeks pregnant. I (knock wood) have absolutely no problems sleeping. In fact I’m sleeping better now than I ever have probably because I’m so tired by the time I hit the sheets. This morning I even got up before the alarm went off which is unheard of at Casa Connell. Even Owen said, “Where are you going? The alarm didn’t go off!” So, yeah – Employee of the Month over here.

All the eating and sleeping is why I haven't been posting as often as I'd like to. When your life revolves around your kitchen and your bedroom you tend to lose your blogging touch!

Coming up this week - Belly pictures! I promise!

Friday, January 19, 2007

32 Weeks

Baby Connell is almost 4 pounds and measures in at 17 inches, Mama Connell went to the doctor this week and while she hadn't gained any weight since her last visit, Dr. Pervy said she was the "perfect size" for 32 weeks, and Papa Connell has come down with some sort of Guinness induced 24 hour flu.

This week Owen removed all of the clutter from what is going to be the nursery. The clutter was mostly things from his dad's house; old pictures etc. Amongst those old pictures we came across 6 of Owen as a baby. Being the youngest of 5 children pretty much guarantees you won't get very much camera time but the pictures are adorable and show that Owen was a pretty chubby baby. Grandma Connell can't remember exactly how big Owen was when he was born so I'm beginning to worry that Junior is going to be some sort of behemoth!

Judes & Donnie K are coming out the first weekend of February to help us get the nursery ready. Dad & Owen going to paint, put together the crib and change table and hang some pictures and Judes and I are going to shop for the few remaining items we need for Junior's arrival. I'll be sure to take lots of before and after pictures.

Last night Owen had a mini panic attack after he picked me up at the Go Station, worrying about what we need to do before the baby comes. I told him everything was under control other than the fact that if Junior's a girl she will be nameless. Thus started Battle of the Names Part Infinity. And that's a story for another day.

I owe you guys a belly picture so I'll get Owen to take one this weekend.

Friday, January 12, 2007

31 Weeks

Baby Connell measures about 16 inches long, weighs a little over 3 pounds and is headed for a growth spurt, Mama Connell noticed that the baby had the hiccups Wednesday night and wondered what could possibly so funny in utero, and Papa Connell said that Mama Connell should not be blaming Baby Connell for her messed up sleeping habit which frankly is b.s. If I can’t blame Junior, who can I blame?

This week I found a paediatrician for Junior, which was a load off my mind. My own female doctor does not treat infants and Dr. Pervy’s relationship with me ends pretty much when Junior makes his debut. Junior’s doctor is Dr. Star, which is an awesome name. I meet her February 1 and then the next time I see her will be at the hospital when Junior arrives. I’m looking forward to meeting a doctor who for once won’t be poking and prodding at me. Next on the baby to do list is call day cares. I’m not kidding. You have to call while you’re still pregnant as the majority of day cares have waiting lists. The good news is with Owen’s work schedule we’ll only need day care part time – Wednesday afternoon, all day Thursday and Friday once I go back to work. It is hard to still be at work, counting down the days until I’m off work, only to organize what will happen to the child I haven’t even had yet once I come back to work. Try to wrap your head around that one. It ain’t easy.

I have a doctor’s appointment this coming Tuesday as part of my bi-weekly visits to Dr. Pervy. I’ve said it before and have been wrong but this time I know I’ve gained weight since my last visit 2 weeks ago. My maternity tops are starting to ride up while my maternity bottoms are heading south. On the walk to Union Station yesterday I felt a slight breeze and realized that one inch of my glowing white (and somewhat hairy – thank you hormones!) belly was showing. I’m also running out of Owen’s t-shirts to wear and might be sporting some of his hockey jerseys for the last 9 weeks (holy shit!) of my pregnancy.

Looking forward to seeing everyone this Sunday at my shower. I can’t thank everyone enough for all the support I’ve received on my journey so far. I am blessed.