Friday 27 September 2013

26 Weeks and 2 days (09/27/13)

26 Weeks and 2 days (09/27/13)

Depending on whom you ask, some say today is 26 weeks, some say it is 26 weeks and 4 days.  We are sticking with 26 weeks and 2 days.  Here is the latest belly picture.  I will say, I think my boobs are outgrowing my belly. 

Don't I look chipper that morning.

As of this morning, they officially leak, ever so slightly.  Up till now, I have been noticing crystals of dried milk occasionally.  This morning I was looking to get rid of any possible crystals, and got milk instead.  Sorry if that was a little graphic.  I’m really disappointed I won’t be able to donate to the Calgary Milk Bank because of the asthma medication I am on. 

Today I had my next ultrasound.  Here are the latest and greatest pictures.

Profile picture


Profile showing a little leg


Smooshy Face Yawn


Smooshy Face mouth closed


No pictures please




Big foot

Right now, well as of this morning, he was laying sideways, technically breach, his bum on my left side, and everything else on the right, legs, feet, hands and head. 

As far as his measurements, he is about 860 grams, and almost spot on the 50th percentile.   So once again I need to keep doing what I have been doing, baby bean is doing very well.  We are that much closer to the 28 week mark which is when Deb will breathe easier with the knowledge that babies born after 28 weeks have a 90-95% survival rate.  Per the chart below we are all ready at the 80% success rate.  But the longer he stays in there the better at this point. 


Length of Pregnancy
Likelihood of Survival
23 weeks
17%
24 weeks
39%
25 weeks
50%
26 weeks
80%
27 weeks
90%
28-31 weeks
90-95%
32-33 weeks
95%
34+ weeks
Almost as likely as a full-term baby
Sources: March of Dimes, Quint Boenker Preemie Survival Foundation


Tuesday 24 September 2013

An Article Worth Sharing (09/24/13)

On Buzzfeed I was reading about Miley Cyrus's rolling stones interview.  On one of the pictures it showed the cover of the Rolling Stones mag featuring her interview.  A side story on the cover was "War on Gay Teens".  This caught my eye enough that I had to Google it, even before finishing reading about Miley. 
  
This is a link to the article

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/one-towns-war-on-gay-teens-20120202


As far as my limited life as a realized lesbian, I have been mostly sheltered when it comes to bullying and harassment.  I consider myself blessed, especially after reading this article.  It is something that Deb and I worry for about our little bean, when he starts attending school.  We are hoping to be prepared to help him battle any bullying he may come across, having two moms, but we do pray he doesn’t come against angst this overwhelming.  Calgary isn’t the most progressive city when it comes to LGBT community, but I believe in my slightly naive heart things aren’t that bad. 
 
Being gay is not a sin, nor a choice.  For those of us to enjoyed male company in their lifetime, it doesn't change the fact that we are attracted to women as well, if not more so.  I will say there are many times when hearing about husbands/boyfriends being typical men, I am glad I have ended up where I am today, not that I'm a man hater, just less tolerant I guess.  People don't choose who they fall in love with; it is a matter of the heart.  

The area that this article mentions is swayed by heavy religion stuck in the middle ages.  Even the Pope is changing the church views on gays, even if ever so slightly.

Quotes from the above link

Francis said in the interview that the catechism, or the Roman Catholic Church's official doctrine book, condemns homosexual acts, but he called on the Church to love gays and lesbians, who "must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity."  
In a much quoted sentence from the interview, Francis said, "Religion has the right to express its opinion in the service of the people, but God in creation has set us free:  it is not possible to interfere spiritually in the life of a person."  

 "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge him?" said Francis to reporters on board a plane returning from Brazil.  "The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this very well. It says they should not be marginalized because of this (orientation) but that they must be integrated into society."


Hopefully this is a good change to come from the religious segregation/bigotry, and hopefully the area from the Rolling Stones article will follow suit, along with other cities worldwide.


Friday 20 September 2013

Busy weeks (09/20/13)

I can’t believe it has been over two weeks since I have posted.  What a busy couple of weeks.  We had a visit from an old friend of Deb’s the weekend after we got back from Camping.  We had thought they were staying with us for the week leading up to as well, however with some slight confusion with their grandma they decided to stay with her.  We got a good visit in on the weekend though before they headed back to Ontario area.  They left on a very early flight, so Deb took the Sunday to head back to Golden to pick up the RV which has now been fixed.  I stayed home as I didn’t think my feet could take another long trip, they were just starting to be able to wear normal shoes again, although crocks are very comfy, not exactly office attire.  Deb’s mom was heading to visit Deb’s brother in the interior of BC so on the way through they dropped Deb off in Golden. 

The weekend following was a visit from my old friend from Fernie MJ and co.  She had two little ones at 3 months and 2.5 yr.  It was a good introduction to kids for me.  They arrived on Saturday and heading on for their Journey on Tuesday.  Monday night we did some babysitting so they could head to a concert on a date night.

The Tuesday they left was my birthday.  It was a lovely day.  My boss took me for lunch for Vietnamese food.  After work Deb and I went for a cheap buffet at a casino and played a few slots.  The food was good, the company was excellent, and it was a nice evening, even though we didn’t win. 

That brings us to today.  This weekend, we are shopping for a replacement hot tub.  Last year we bought a lemon, but in the times we used it, we really liked it.  So we have decided to do our homework this time and get a refurbished one.  Deb’s knees are really looking forward to the hot tub again.  I am too.  And I know I am not supposed to use a hot tub, but I have done some homework.  Most people keep their hot tub around 103-104 f.  And being pregnant you can’t have your body temperature reach 102 in fear of hurting the baby.  We usually keep the hot tub around 99-100f.  So I figure I should be ok to soak for 10-15 minutes at a time without raising my temperature too much.  My usual body temp is closer to 97.8 than the average 98.6.   I will confirm with the OB on Monday though, just to be on the safe side. 

Here are the two most recent pictures for side by side.


  
I’m beginning to wonder if taking these pictures will be worth it.   (Week 25 still needs to be taken.) There is minimal difference from the week 4 picture


 (Week 4 refresher)

In the past month or so, my head has been in a weird space.  Wondering if I will like being a mom.  Wondering if I will get a few weeks in and want to quit. Wondering if I will have the bond you’re supposed to have.  In the end I think things will be fine, but it has been a bit of a stress in my head.  For now I’m getting past that and starting to get excited.  Feeling him kick is nice, sometimes annoying but nice most of the time.  His size is affecting my ribcage.  I was very happy to see my chiropractor last week.  We have changed from going once a month two three weeks now.  Hopefully I won’t be as crooked next time. 


My blood pressure seems to be creeping up, but then again I can’t seem to sit for a period of time before taking my BP otherwise my machine won’t register.  Hopefully it is good still on Monday.  Next week I see my OB again, and then on Friday we get to see the baby again on an ultrasound.  

Wednesday 4 September 2013

My poor feet (09/03/13)

This story starts with our camping trip.  We ended up leaving Calgary very late Thursday night.  We made it to Golden with relative ease, and the RV was doing great.  We parked/slept at the Husky there in Golden.  In the morning we got up and had breakfast in the restaurant.  At the table next to us was a very “chatty Cathy” and invited us to join her and her husband for breakfast.  So we did.  It was a talkative and fun breakfast.  The remaining portion of the drive was relatively uneventful.  We were very please on how the RV did in getting there.  We got to the campground a little ahead of our camping counterparts L&D, so we got parked in the back of the spot and unloaded but not set up as we weren’t sure if we needed to move once L&D got there. 

The weekend was a great one.  There was lots of great food (some healthy, some, not so much).  L&D have a boat that has a motor, so being on the lake was great, as they towed us around the lake.  Me being me, I was a bit chilly and didn’t partake in the swimming aspect of the lake, but still had fun while out there.  Now that Deb has experiences the easy and pleasure of just letting a motor do the work, we are going do look for a “trolling” motor to attach to our blow up raft.  I don’t know what that is, but I’m up for it, for when we go down the river, so Deb gets to be as relaxed as I am. 

We played some board games and sat around the propane campfire, provided by L&D, and had a relaxing weekend; lots of fun.  I’m still on the debate of propane versus wood fire and which is better, but it was nice to have instant on and instant off, without reeking of smoke.

Monday morning L&D left a little before we did.  But we also got a quick depart for about 7:30.  We wanted to make sure we didn’t have a long wait for the Ferry, which was about 40 minutes away, we had to catch.  We decided even to empty our grey/black water tanks in Revelstoke, after the Ferry, instead of Nakusp.  We were in a good place in the line up for the Ferry to get on the next one, excellent timing.   BC is idle free so we turned off the RV while waiting for the next one.  The Ferry arrives; Deb goes to start the RV; nothing.  This was a nightmare.  The battery had plenty of juice (through a bit of tinkering) the starter technically worked, but the ignition wouldn’t start it up.  We had a few people offer to help and tinkered a bit, but after no movement forward in getting it started we decided we need to call a tow truck.  Luckily we have the AMA RV package, which got us a tow for up to 320 KM.  Deb had to walk down to the Ferry and up to the captain’s peak to be able to use a satellite phone (no cell service).  While on the phone she organized that she would get towed to Lake Louise.  The furthest we could go without paying, $3/km.  The wait began.  Deb mostly directed traffic around the RV, even with cones behind us and our hazard lights on people would honk for us to move forward. 

Deb called the tow around 9:00 am.  We waited and waited.  Around 1:30 we got word that the tow was on its way over.  When he got there, he informed us he would not be taking us to Lake Louise.  He would get us to Revelstoke.  We were a little miffed, but had no other option.  He tried to repair the RV first (Most of which we had tried all ready) again to no avail.  So he loaded us up.  The Ferry workers said we would be on the next Ferry, but once it arrived some more people nipped ahead of us and we couldn’t fit on.  So we needed to wait another hour for the next ferry. 

Once on the other side we stopped a moment at the food truck for a quick bite to eat (we were supposed to have breakfast in Revelstoke around 9:00 AM, it was now 3:30.  On the way to Revelstoke he informed us that there wasn’t a car rental place in Revelstoke, nor a garage open (Holiday Monday).  He also informed us that there weren’t really those things in Lake Louise either.  We get to the towing company’s yard and he unloads us, saying the big boss would be there shortly to sort us out, and to be leery of the guard dog, while no one was there.  Needless to say we stayed in the RV until Jon the big boss showed up.  At that point he was yelling at someone on the phone, so we didn’t approach him.  We waited for him to come to us. 

In the mean while we had called Deb’s mum, as we had hoped to at least be able to get to Golden, in which we needed a ride from there.  She was our saviour, and immediately left from Calgary and headed to Golden. 

In the end he called in his mechanic to try and get us going again.  He also gave us a jerry can of gas, in hopes that once we got going we would have enough gas to get to Calgary without stopping for gas, as this “fix” at best would be a patch.  While they were piddling fixing the RV I laid mostly on the bench to elevate my feet, but it was hot in the RV. 

They got it started, and we were trying to settle the bill, which was a great deal considering, and it stalled again.  So they continued to try to fix it.  At one point the electrical started to smoke, this is when Deb said to call it quits. 

After some kerfuffle, the mechanic started taking off pieces of our RV in order for it to be towed.  Something about the differential and U joints, is what came off.  They then hooked up to the tow truck and Jon said to hop in.  Deb and I looked at each other and did just that.  As we were heading off, Deb asked where we were going, thinking we were being towed to a shop in Revelstoke.  He didn’t answer.  In my head, “We are being kidnapped, RV and all.”  A little ways down the road Deb asked again, in which he said, “Where did you want to go?” Deb said “In the long run we would like to get to Golden.”  To which he replied, “That’s where we are going, I just hope we don’t run out of gas.”  We were hovering between an 1/8 and a ¼.  Along the journey he had been in contact with another driver.  About a quarter of the way there he pulls over on the side of the road and we wait.  A few moments later another tow truck going in the opposite direction pulls off on his side of the road.  Jon gets out and we get the next driver.  He was also not a very chatty driver. 

As we arrived in Golden we went directly for gas.  He then dropped us in front of a shop (right by a no parking sign), which was closed of course.  By this time it was about 10:30 pm.  Mum was waiting there for us and we transferred the required stuff to her van and went to Tim Horton’s for dinner to go.  From there we were homeward bound. 

By the time we arrived at home it was about 1:30 am.  My feet/ankles /calves had become one from swelling.  While sleeping I elevated my feet on a lot of pillows, but this morning they were still swollen.  Normally in an evening my feet, when really bad, have enough time to recover, this was not the case.  So today I was sans la socks and wore crocks to work.  They have been getting progressively worse.  I was able to put them on a stool for part of the work day, but it wasn’t enough.  My feet tried to outgrow crocks.




 Update: September 4, my feet are doing a bit better today.  But still needed to wear the crocks, as I didn’t feel my shoes would be comfortable, still a bit too restrictive with swelling.  After tonight my feet should be back to a more average pace of swelling/releasing in a day/evening.