maddison rose and more pics of my belly

No, this is not our baby. It's too white. :) LOL This is Maddison Rose Loize. Dave and Janine graciously agreed to let us post a picture of her. But how could we not? She is terribly, terribly cute! And such a good baby, too. She sleeps really well, she feeds really well, and she hardly cried while we were there, in spite of the fact that we were passing her around for the hour we were there.

It might have been a bad idea to bring Vergil there so soon after Janine's surgery, though. He always makes her laugh so hard, and that's not necessarily a good thing when your gut is already split. That was Dave's joke, not mine. Don't groan too loudly now! Anyway, all things considered, everyone is doing really well. And all the waiting and all 30 hours of labour were worth it. We just can't get over how cute this little thing is. She doesn't look like a newborn, though, does she? She's only two days old in this picture, if you can believe that!

Okay, and here's a new picture of my belly. This is me at 11 weeks. My puking finally seems to have relaxed. My gag reflex is not nearly as touchy as it used to be. That's a very good thing. I was able to eat some raw broccoli today at lunch, which is something I've avoided for the last few weeks. I'll tell you this much, thank goodness for prenatal vitamins. It's so hard to eat right when you're afraid of food. I just hope I'm not jinxing this run of good days by saying it seems like it's done.

What else is new? Not too much. Vergil and I were at my uncle's cabin this weekend and decided that we definitely need a longer stay there. Vergil worked on his golf game all weekend (we have special rubber golf balls that he can whack around without breaking anything) and I basically hung in the hammock by the dock and read. It was great.

And that's all from the dela Rosa household. Stay tuned for more! :)

ooo, look!

Look, I found a countdown thing-y for our blog! How fun is that? Now everyone will know how far along I am at any point in time. That's very cool. Many thanks to my friend and co-worker, Sara, for finding that for me.

On a very, very, very happy and exciting note, my best friend Janine just had her baby! I am so excited!!! Maddison Rose Lozie was born yesterday, Wednesday, August 16 (a week overdue) at 9:36pm by C-section at St. Boniface Hospital after 30 hours of labour. She has a full head of brown hair and weighed in at 10lbs, 14oz! Now that's a big baby! Both mom and baby are doing great. Vergil and I are going to go see them tomorrow before we go to the cabin. Maddison is my first unofficial neice and I can't wait to meet her!

Janine called me at 11:30 last night, just as Vergil and I were falling asleep. I knew right away it was her because I've been waiting for this call for a week! Anyway, despite having just been through surgery, Janine sounded great - though she did make the comment that she was going to need a whole lot of painkillers in the near future. So yeah... needless to say I had a hard time falling asleep again after that. :)

Vergil asked me if it made me excited to have our baby. I wasn't sure. I don't know how keen I am on 30 hours of labour and an almost 11lbs baby! I'm pretty sure ours won't get to that size, but still... I was mostly super excited last night because Maddison has been 5 years in coming. Janine and Dave had such a hard time even concieving in the first place that Madison is really just a miracle baby in my opinion. I'm so happy for them. Now their family is complete!

Did I mention that I can't wait to see her? :D

on a more practical note...

I think I have as much of my 'pre-planning' in place at this point. I've signed up for my pre-natal yoga (which I'm very excited about), we're registered for prenatal classes and I got a call back from a midwife yesterday. I meet with her next week August to assess if we're right for each other, I guess.

I don't know if I've explained on this blog my reasons for wanting a midwife. See, my family doctor doesn't deliver babies. If she did, I would probably just stick with her for the entirity of my pregnancy. She told me my choices were an obstetrician or a midwife. The thing with an obstetrician is that you only meet them a month before you deliver and you're not guaranteed to have the same person on the actual day of delivery. I figure if I'm going to be in that vulnerable a position, I want to actually get to know the person who'll be staring back at me, and not just have someone waltz in, catch the baby and leave again. A midwife does all of your prenatal care, is there for the delivery and follows up with you for six weeks after the baby is born. That's appealing to me.

So yeah, that's all I wanted to say today - just give a quick update as to some of the more practical aspects of being pregnant. Fun, fun!

stop watching the news

I don't know how many people know this about me, but I strongly dislike watching and/or reading the news. There are many reasons for this:

First, I find it depressing. 98% of all news (especially lately) is bad.

Second, I don't trust the people who report the news. Before you accuse me of being judgemental, let me explain. I spent two years of my life learning how to be one of those people, so I know how they work. Did you know that most reporters go into an interview with their story already written? (Apparently male reporters are particularly more guilty of this than female reporters.) That means the interviewee is not really able to accurately tell his or her side of the story because the reporter will only take the quotes that fit the already written story. All news is biased, I don't care what anyone says. The trouble is that most viewers/readers are too lazy to be critical of what's fed them and just blindly swallow whatever the media feeds them. Not only that, but there just isn't the time and/or space in most media outlets to REALLY cover a story adequately. All we get are soundbites and snippets, hardly enough to qualify as a 'both-sides-of-the-story-objective-report'.

Anyway, enough ranting. This is essentially all to say that every once in a while, when I do watch the news, I have to wonder at the world I'm going to be bringing our baby into. What are we thinking? Everything seems to be going to hell in a handbasket and I'm going to drop this child right into the middle of it. I have no idea what I'll be 'leaving behind' for him or her. Will the economy crash? Will the war in the Middle East make its way to North America? Will he or she have the same kinds of creature comforts and emotional/physical safety that I've enjoyed?

I know, I know, I'm a total killjoy. I just... I can't help but think about the big picture sometimes. I think I'll just keep my resolve to not watch the news and trust that Christ will come back before me or my children have to experience the worst of what people can do to each other.

On a lighter note, I've discovered one thing that I've begun to 'crave'. I don't know if I like that word because it's not like I can't live without it, it's just something I seem to particularly enjoy right now. Earl Gray Tea. Weird, huh? Not Orange Pekoe, not even my Rooibos, which I bought specifically to help with my 'Folkers stomach'. Very strange. Maybe my kid will end up with an English accent. Wouldn't that be hilarious!

While I'm on the topic of cravings, can I just say that it's really weird that Vergil is having crazier cravings than me? One day last week, all he could think about was coffee. This weekend, it was Star Apples. It's so strange. My cousin Alesha tells me that it's quite normal for dads to gain weight, have cravings and feel nauseated while their wives are pregnant. I guess Verge is gonna be one of those dads! LOL

bunnykins rock!

Opa and Oma stopped by my work earlier this week and gave us a place setting for the baby. The girls at work saw it and promply gave a unanimous "AAAAAWWWW, that's so cute!".

Kinda rubbed me the wrong way cause I wanted Krista to see Opa and Oma's gift first. I know that wouldn't be possible because I've got a bunch of "nosy rosies" working for me.

Back to the gift...It's bunnykins; made from melamine (indestructible plastic); came with a plate, bowl, and cup. It's Royal Daulton (very chi chi). It's wicked awesome!

While I'm talking about gifts, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the totally awesome gift from Auntie Sheri and Uncle Chad when we were in Edmonton. The gift consisted of booties, a little jumper, and a stuffed giraffe (super cute).

Auntie Alesha and Uncle Matt gave the baby a bambi outfit (not the scandalous bambi outfit!!), receiving blankets, little gloves/mittens, and a book of baby names. Krista and I decided that our baby will pick out it's own name from said book.

Thanks everyone!!!!!

we'll need how many diapers?

so, I was at Costco today with my dad and my brother. Just for the heck of it, my brother and I decided to go to the baby diapers aisle and see the myriad of choices available for baby bottoms. After much giggling between my brother and I, we decided to focus on the task at hand.

Okay...which ones will we need first? Newborns, 0 - 7 months, up to 30 lbs...what to do!!! We couldn't really figure it out, so we decided to ask someone who'd know, our dad. He promptly replied, "You guys wore cloth diapers...I don't know"

I didn't even know how many diapers a baby is going to go through per day. This is Costco, so they've got boxes of 228 diapers. That's a lot isn't it? Shouldn't it last us a year? At least till the kid can write? Apparently, my father thinks that all our baby is going to do is pee and poop in between sleeping and eating. So he estimates 10 - 12 diapers a day! A DAY! How can a helpless little thing consume so much?

If my math is correct, and I know it's better than Krista's, we'll need to go to Costco once a month for diapers because a whole box will only last us 22.8 days (we'll shoot for 10 changes a day).

That's a lot of poop and/or pee.....

weirdness abounds

Yes, weirdness does abound, and not just because I'm a weird person or because I physically feel extraordinarily weird. It's not even because my dreams have become increasingly vivid and strange (i.e. why wouldn't Vergil get on the bus with me? I had a bus ticket for him and everything.).

The weirdness comes in thinking about how dramatically my and Vergil's life is going to change. I am going to be off of work for a whole year. I have never not worked for that long since Grade 9 or 10. That's... oh lordy, that's 12 years ago. I know I'll still be 'working' but let's not split hairs here because that's not my point. For the first time in many years, I will not be going to a job or to school. Weird.

Sometimes if I think too hard, I wonder why I would want to inflict this kind of change on me and Vergil. I like our life. I like being able to go for a walk on a whim or go out for supper or hang out with friends without having to think too hard about it. Why would I want to change that?

But then I also think, I'm just about ready for a change. I have been doing this particular job at Prov for a year already. One more year and I'll be so anxious for something different I won't know what to do with myself. I remember telling my dad once that I did not anticipate being in a job for more than two years at a time. So far, that's held true. Prov is the one organization that's been able to keep me for more than two years, but I'll tell you this much - if I hadn't switched jobs last year, I might not have stayed.

So yeah. Weird. It's all just new and different and I don't know at all what to expect. It's one thing to be a kid, quite another to have one. I hope my and Vergil's parents don't mind if we completely plagarize their parenting styles!

I've figured it out!

I've figured out why I don't like telling people that I'm pregnant. It's like telling them that Vergil and I had sex and that, quite frankly, is none of their business!

another picture

I still don't like pictures of me. :( Oh well, what am I gonna do? I suppose I could not post these pictures, but... yeah. I promised I would, so I will. I don't know if I look much different from the last picture, but I still think it'll be cool to see all the pics side by side in the end to watch the transformation.

Hmm, update... I had four good days last week. Yesterday broke my streak and I had a hard time keeping anything down. I finally managed to eat something around 8:30 pm.

Smells are starting to become much more...noticable? I guess that's the right term. Not that they bother me more necessarily, I am just more aware of my sense of smell these days. Strangely, I find the kitchen the hardest place in my apartment to be in. Well, maybe that's not strange. There's a lot of smells in the kitchen. The garbage, the fridge, the dishwasher... Yeah, it's not good. This morning before my first prenatal visit I decided to be really ambitious. I cleaned the dishes and took out the trash. I should've stopped with the dishes. The trash did me in. Fortunately, I hadn't had breakfast yet, so I was still able to eat that after the fact.

My prenatal visit went well. I had already had my bloodwork done, so all that was left was an overview of my and Vergil's family medical histories, a quick physical and that was about it. I didn't have really any questions this time around. I was still feeling kinda bleh from my 'episode' earlier, so I don't know how much I 'engaged' in the appointment. Next time I'm there we'll be able to hear the baby's heartbeat. How cool is that? I'm excited for that appointment. So yeah, stay tuned and check back after September 11 for that fun story.

I finally told my boss at work that I was pregnant. He was disappointed because he doesn't want to lose me. I fully plan on going back to work (don't ask me in what capacity yet, I haven't decided), but still, that's a whole year he has to fill. I have an idea of someone I would like to take my position for that time, but I still have to find out how interested he might be. I think my boss was at least relieved that I had thought about someone to replace me. The thing that sucks is that this time of year is always a little stressful in our department. We just hired a new graphic designer, but he doesn't start until August 21. So my boss will have to train him quick so they can keep up with the fall demand on the publications department. Then throw in having to think about me being away... Anyway, it'll all work out in the end, I'm sure.

Um, what else can I say? I don't know. I'm about done for today. I'm going to finish my supper now.

I ripped my butt....

We just got back from baseball and since the team was short players, I was forced to submit to the team's request for Krista to play (don't get mad at me...I don't want her to play at all). Jo, an awesome pitcher on our team, reassured me that Krista can play without hurting the baby.

Forgive me for erring on the safe side, but it is our first child. I just want to make sure that everything goes well with the baby. The only thing I hope our child doesn't get is my temper. Don't get me wrong, I love tempura, but we're talking about my temper.

For example, today at the game...after ripping my butt (that's another story), I let my emotions get the better of me. And as Krista informs me, the team feeds off my energy or lack thereof. There was just this tall, stupid giant on the opposing team and as he was running to second base, I tagged him but he yanked my arm out of the socket...there was blood everywhere, it was kind of gross.

Now who's got a case of the dramatics......

Instead of decking him like I should have, I let the murderous rage rise...not good. Need to get rid of this particular trait before the baby comes. Maybe not get rid of it, but manage it a lot better.

Now for the butt ripping....I don't know how I did it, but I'm convinced there's a huge rip in/on my butt. For those of you who are extra curious, it's the right butt cheek (now I'm lop-sided). My butt hurts and my arm hurts...horrible.

wish i could throw up for my wife

It was my day off today. I was able to sleep in a little bit this morning, but I had to get up when Krista got up.

I wish I could just throw up for her. She hates throwing up and it makes her feel all funny and weird.

This is the second morning in as many days that she's had to throw up before going to work. Somebody should invent a 'puking' stick that allows pregnant women to just poke anyone with this mystical device and make them puke. But alas such a thing does not exist.

Besides, it this device was to fall into the wrong hands...yuck!

sick of being sick

Man, I don't know about this. I had three good days this weekend and today I've puked twice in two hours. I'm very tired of this already. A girl at church who's also pregnant says she got better after about 12 weeks. Goodie. Four more weeks to go.

Of course, then I hear stories of women who are sick through their entire pregnancy. That would be very discouraging.

On a completely unrelated note, I got to speak at Volleyball Camp here at Providence last night. It was a lot of fun to get in front of a bunch of youth again. I'm really gonna miss my youth group in the fall. I know I'll still get my 'fix' with the class I'm teaching, but there's definitely something about the 'hyper-puppy' energy of teenagers that I just love.

Also, thanks to everyone who's posted a comment on this blog. Your encouragement really helps me get over some of my silly mental blocks about being a parent and whatnot. I'm glad everyone thinks Verge and I will make good parents. I know he'll be an awesome dad, but I still question my own ability to be a mom more often than I probably should. I like to joke that I'm already saving for my kid's counselling. With any luck the money can go towards their counselling degree instead of actual therapy. :) Honestly, though, don't take me too seriously. I have a bad case of the 'dramatics' - just ask my husband!

Okay, I shall away to try to do more work and not puke anymore today. Wish me luck.