We had our co-ed baby shower yesterday.  We had rented a pavilion in a conservation area.  Thank goodness for the pavilion!  The weather was terrible!  Well, for most of the day anyways.  It rained all morning but let up as soon as we got there to set up and decorate.  Then there was no rain for about 3 hours.  But just as we started opening the gifts the rain started and it was quite the downpour!  It didn't let up at all so everyone had to pack up and leave in the heavy rain.  I guess we wanted to be literal when we said "baby shower"!

My mom and aunt came down for the weekend from New Brunswick for the baby shower.  My mom helped out a lot with the decorations and keeping track of the gifts.  Jeff's parents and sister came as well.  And so did Jeff's uncle and Grandma.  Nice of everyone to drive such a distance to be there!  A lot of our friends didn't show up and I guess we can blame it on the weather.  At least my closest friends were there.  A few close friends had to cancel, but they let me know at least a few days before the day.  I was a little disappointed about those who didn't show up, but it certainly did not ruin my day.

We kept is casual and just BBQ'd.  My best friend brought her chocolate fondu fountain and it became the hit of the party.  The kids just loved it!  We had so much left over food, but hardly any fruit becasue it all got eaten with the chocolate.  We had so much left over food, but at least we have good leftovers for our lunches this week!

We got some really nice gifts.  I think we have all the "gear" we need except the playpen.  But one friend gave us money, so we will pick that up this week.  We will have to get a few things on our own like the diaper bag, the bumbo chair, breast feeding pillow, etc.  Luckily we got most of the most expensive items as gifts.  We also got a bunch of hand-me-down clothes from my cousin who has a 6 month old.  I am feeling more prepared for the arrival of this little one.   But not just yet....s/he can stay in there a few more weeks!

This week has been pretty tough.  I have not been sleeping well and therefore my days are pretty long and tiring.  The reason for the sleeplessness......part heartburn, part sore legs/hips, part hunger, part baby kicks, part being hot.  a few nights this week I have woken up and was then wide awake.  I could not get back to sleep for a long time (1-2 hours!).  Monday I had to leave work early to go home for a nap.  The other couple days after my terrible sleep were just awful but I had to put up with it.  Yesterday was pretty busy at work and I just wanted to cry because I was so tired.  But I made it through.  Last night I got a pretty good sleep and I feel much better today.

The heartburn continues....the endless saga!  This is my major complaint.  Not so bad compared to others I suppose.  At least I never had morning sickness.  I did have some return of familiar friends this week: fatigue, constipation, and gas/bloating.  Hmm, am I back in the first trimester again?  Oh wait, nope, couldn't be...I have this nice 30 cm belly!

Speaking of the belly, everyone at work keeps commenting that I am "blossoming".  This is the nice way of saying "your belly is getting huge!".  I don't mind it most days, but when I am tired and grumpy I find it hard to keep smiling.  I guess the shape of my belly has a few people now guessing that we are having a boy.  It is quite the nice out-front belly now.  But that doesn't mean I didn't gain a lot through the hips in previous months!  Just ask all my pants that no longer come up past the thighs!  Anyways, as I keep saying....we will see in September.

This Sunday is my baby shower.  It is co-ed, which is great because I don't want all the attention on just me.  We are having it outside at a conservation area.  We rented a pavilion, which we might need since they are calling for rain.  I hope everyone turns up....should be a lot of people.  I hope it will be a fun day!

week 29 brings on some fatigue.  I have been like a zombie in the mornings and much more awake in the evenings.  I have even had some trouble getting to sleep and a lot of waking in the night.  unfortunately I have developed a little Iced Cappuccino habit this week (I know, I know, I should avoid caffeine!).  It is too hot for tea and the Iced Cap is so sweat and delicious!  It is way too convenient to have a TIm Hortons here in the hospital where I work.  A few days this week the fatigue hit like a ton of bricks all of a sudden....it was kind of like the first trimester all over again.  I hope this doesn't last up to the end.  (Although, the Iced Cap does wake me up...not the best solution, but I gotta work.)

I think another reason for giving into the sugary cravings is that I got good news about the gestational diabetes test.  I had high levels with the one hour screening and had to go back for the two hour test.  what fun that was to sit on that hard chair at the lab for two hours!  I brought a pillow and a book, which helped a lot.  I passed the two hour test....what a relief.

We started our prenatal classes this week.  Everyone else there is due in August, so I looked kind of small compared to the rest.  We wil be away for two weeks in August so we took the class early. I think everyone in the class hates us becasue I mentioned that we have a pool and that I don't pay for parking since I work at the hospital!  We talked a little about our symptoms, the changes in our bodies, and a little about labour.  I hope there is more to learn in the upcoming classes because I feel like I already knew almost everything we covered in this class...but then again I research everything!

I was so happy to see the baby's room all painted!  Jeff did a great job and the colour we chose for the one wall looks so great.  It is a beautiful shade of turquoise and it matches the crib bedding perfectly.  we finally learned from previous decorating mistakes and picked the fabric first, not the paint!  it is much easier to match a paint colour than to find fabric to match an already painted wall.  anyways, we spent some time on Canada Day putting the furniture together.  now the room is pretty much set up.  all I need to do now is accessorize....curtains, lamps, rug, etc.  that will be a fun trip to Ikea I am sure!

We were away last weekend at the cottage.  The weather was pretty good and we were able to do some swimming.  I hope the baby enjoyed the lake because s/he will be up there a lot!  I noticed that I got really winded going up and down the steps to the water.  It was bound to happen.  In all fairness to myself the steps are long and kind of steep in spots!  I missed my last yoga class because we were up there, so I did some poses on the sun deck and on the dock.  this was very relaxing, although it was hard to have privacy with a full house up there.  I don't think it is appropriate to be doing downward dog in front of the in-laws!

I cannot believe that I am already at the 7 month mark.  Wow!  Time is just flying now.  I am feeling the baby kick, punch, and dance around a lot in there now.  I am ensuring that s/he is as much of a music lover as Jeff and I by playing some Beatles through headphones a few times per week.  I will have to download some Mozart or something too.  But we figured we both grew up with the Beatles and the melodies are simple and sweet, so why wouldn't a baby love them?  I always feel a few dance moves when the headphones are on!