Motherhood, Here I Am! (It has arrived:))

Come "Like" me on Facebook!!

2011-08-10T17:51:00.001-04:00

I'm so excited to be up-and-running on Facebook with my photography page!! I'd really appreciate you checking it out, leaving some feedback, and "Liking" my page!!!

Thanks so much!!

Picnik message from scovert@dal.ca

2011-03-01T20:27:00.001-05:00

Picnik message from scovert@dal.ca
Originally uploaded by samantha.covert

Mr. Luke having fun goofing around last Sunday:)

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Mr. Luke so excited Grandma is here to visit from Victoria!!

2011-01-07T22:03:00.001-05:00

Mr. Luke so excited Grandma is here to visit from Victoria!!
Originally uploaded by samantha.covert

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Our Family

2010-09-12T15:47:00.001-04:00

Luke's Family
Originally uploaded by Kerianne Brown

Kerianne so generously did a "family session" for us recently, and she has a slideshow of the session posted on her blog....we just love the images and video so much:))

9 1/2 months old!!

2010-08-02T10:53:00.001-04:00

9 1/2 months old!!
Originally uploaded by samantha.covert

Here's the little guy (actually big 23 pound guy!) yesterday chilling in the house-it was rotten weather, so we just stayed inside and played:)

classic

2010-07-28T16:54:00.001-04:00

classic
Originally uploaded by Kerianne Brown

Here's Mr. Luke from today's session with Kerianne!! He was so cooperative for his photos...what a good boy considering hwo much he's teething!! Love you so much, Luke xoxo

9 months old!

2010-07-26T15:02:00.001-04:00

9 months old!
Originally uploaded by samantha.covert

Here's the little guy just before he turned 9 months old....he's a wopping 22.5 pounds, very tall (wearing size 18-24 month clothes!) and just after turning 9 months old he cut four teeth on top, plus one more on the bottom!! He was a trooper for it, though...he was still happy baby on his recent trip to Victoria:)

Luke inspecting the daisies

2010-07-15T12:57:00.001-04:00

Luke inspecting the daisies
Originally uploaded by samantha.covert

Here's Luke having fun just before we left for our trip to Victoria in a daisy field by our house...he even tried to eat one;)

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Daddy-Baby Fun

2010-06-17T17:02:00.001-04:00

Daddy-Son fun
Originally uploaded by samantha.covert

Luke and Doug having a blast at the park a few days ago! I love my boys:))

Springtime!

2010-06-03T09:38:00.001-04:00

Springtime!
Originally uploaded by Kerianne Brown

Here's the little guy at almost 8 months old!! So nice to be outdoors:)

cheeky boy

2010-05-23T14:44:00.002-04:00

cheeky boy
Originally uploaded by samantha.covert

This gorgeous sweater and hat set was knitted for Mr. Luke by his great great aunt!! The only drawback of warmer weather is not being able to wear cozy clothes like these:))

lambie friend

2010-04-30T11:18:00.001-04:00

lambie friend
Originally uploaded by Kerianne Brown

I just love this pic Kerianne took last Sunday....when he's focused on something, he looks so deep in thought....this image captures that expression perfectly! I feel so lucky to have amazing images such as this one....I'll be able to look back at it and remember that adorable expression! xoxo to Kerianne:)

charmer

2010-04-28T06:46:00.001-04:00

charmer
Originally uploaded by Kerianne Brown

had to share this image with you from Sunday....i know i'm biased, but isn't he the cutest thing? love you, baby boy!!

Luke is sitting!

2010-04-26T16:19:00.001-04:00

Luke is sitting!
Originally uploaded by Kerianne Brown

Here is my little guy sitting up like a champ!! He loves to sit and play-he much prefers it to tummy time now!

This was taken yesterday during our visit with Kerianne and Courtney-so exciting that their little one is due so soon!! Luke can't wait for his new playmate to arrive:)

Luke enjoying a morning bath today:)

2010-04-16T14:29:00.001-04:00

Luke enjoying a morning bath today:)
Originally uploaded by samantha.covert

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Sitting on his own!

2010-04-15T11:46:00.002-04:00

Luke is officially sitting up on his own...he started on Easter Sunday, and is now a pro! He loves playing from his new vantage point!! He looks like such a little boy (and less of a baby) when he sits up!

We just returned from visiting our good friends Erin and Colin (and their 2 boys!) in Toronto and both Luke and I are recovering from colds, but I'll post pics from our trip soon!

xo S

Happy Easter from Luke!!

2010-04-05T10:20:00.001-04:00

Happy Easter from Luke!!
Originally uploaded by samantha.covert

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Luke's teeth:)

2010-04-01T09:05:00.001-04:00

Luke's teeth:)
Originally uploaded by samantha.covert

Here's a pic from a couple days ago of Luke's first teeth....it's tough to get a good pic, but this one shows them coming in nicely!! I can't believe he has them already....

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Blowing bubbles;)

2010-03-21T16:25:00.001-04:00

Blowing bubbles;)
Originally uploaded by samantha.covert

On Friday, I decided to try some of Luke's Spring clothes on....much to my surprise, the 18 month Carter's jumpers fit NOW!! So much for outfitting him all summer with those....oh well, more shopping!

I thought this pic was cute of him blowing bubbles-one of his current favorite things to do, besides chomping on his fingers non-stop!!

On a different note (well, maybe not...the chomping is likely because of what I'm about to share!), his two bottom teeth are starting to come in!! There are two tiny buds-I tried to get a pic, but he wasn't loving that photo shoot...have to wait to show you:)

:)Sam

Happy Boy

2010-03-16T10:32:00.001-04:00

Happy Boy
Originally uploaded by samantha.covert

Luke laughing at Daddy on Sunday:)

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Luke LOVES his monket puppet!!

2010-03-16T10:19:00.001-04:00

Luke LOVES his monket puppet!!
Originally uploaded by samantha.covert

We had a blast yesterday with his monjkey friend!!

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Luke post-walk today:)

2010-03-15T22:14:00.001-04:00

Luke post-walk today:)
Originally uploaded by samantha.covert

We went for a long walk today with Luke's friend Jack. It was a beautiful sunny day-he needed a knitted hat + one for sun shade:)

Help!

2010-03-09T19:48:00.001-05:00

For some reason, every time I go to upload pictures, write in italics, it's doing a Html code instead of what I want...anyone have any clue how to fix that? I'm really not tech-savvy AT ALL.....thanks for your help:))

Baby Signing 101

2010-03-03T17:24:00.004-05:00

Luke and I attended an "into to baby signing" class today. It was just a 45 minute group session offered at the local Apladia indoor gym, so I figured we'd give it a go. Learning the different signs was fairly strait-forward, however remembering what they all mean, and then putting them together in a sentence/song would take a lot of practice! The instructor said that if you start signing to babies early (3-4 months) they may start signing back to you by 8 months.

I do think it would be helpful to try and teach Luke the "essential" signs like "milk", "more", "I'm full", "diaper", etc, so I'll give it a go! I think he liked the singing part of the class (plus smiling and cooing at the other babies) the most...not sure if a full 8 week course is in our future, but ya never know:)

Next on my "to do" list of things I want to try with the little guy is swimming!! My back is just starting to feel almost back to normal, and I see the Osteopath tomorrow who will hopefully give me the green light to start some mild exercising (aka swimming with baby!).

:)Sam

A visit from Grandma!

2010-03-02T11:58:00.006-05:00

Hello!!

We were so lucky to have Doug's mom visit with us from Victoria, B.C. for 10 days at the end of February. She loves Luke so much, and is always so much help! Doug and I even got to do a night out at a nice local Inn, which was amazing:) We were sad to see her go, but hopefully we'll be able to make it out to B.C. late Spring.

Here are a few pics of Grandma with Luke, plus some others we took of Luke at 4 1/2 months old:)

Hope you are having a great week!

:)Sam

Great Giveaway!

2010-02-23T14:22:00.005-05:00

Check out this great giveaway from Little Star Greetings! They make adorable birth announcements and birthday cards! Not that I want Luke's first year to fly by, but I can't wait to design his first birthday invites through Little Star Greetings!! Check them out @ Littlestargreetings.com, and enter the fabulous giveaway over at mommybrainjen.blogspot.com! Good luck:)

Sam

4 months old!

2010-02-13T11:24:00.003-05:00

Hello!

Sorry the posts have been minimal lately...I pulled my back out 12 days ago, and have been pretty much confined to the coach, icing ever since. It's slowly getting better, but I still can't bend very far, can't pick Luke up, and can only hold him for short periods of time before the pain kills me...hopefully I'll be back to almost 100% capacity soon. Poor Doug has had his hands full working, looking after Luke AND me:(

Luke has also had a nasty cold for the past week, so that has just added to the stress level...poor little guy is so stuffed up, and is constantly coughing. It's so hard to see him that uncomfortable! He had several nights of no sleeping, but the past 2 nights have been better, so hopefully he's on the mend. He had his 4 month appt and shots on last Thursday, and he's still a big boy! 17 pounds, 17.5 inch head circumference, and 26.5 inches long puts him in the >97% percentile for everything except weight when adjusted for length...he's a lean, long boy!!

Being out of commission has been really hard, so I'm hoping this week I'll be back on my feet! Luke misses his playdates:) I haven't been taking many pics, but I'll get back to it this week. Here's a cute one, though from our playdate with Kerianne a few weeks back-I'm so glad he's really liking tummy time:)

:)Sam

2010-01-22T14:48:00.005-05:00

Happy Friday! Luke and I are very excited to have Daddy back after his week in Cape Breton! We definitely kept busy, which really helped. We had a playdate at Kerianne's Wednesday morning, and she managed to snap a few pics for us, which we absolutely love!! Here is the pic I sent to Doug as his "Wednesday Luke fix" pic...he got spoiled that day for sure:))

2010-01-19T13:55:00.004-05:00

Luke and I are all alone this week-Doug is working in Cape Breton until Thursday. It's so hard for Doug to not be here with us-I know he misses us terribly (and we miss him!). I am sending him a jpeg every day so he can "see" him:)) Thankfully, I have lots planned this week in terms of playdates and other outings, and my mom is spending the nights with us as well, which is great help and company.
Luke is such a little ham now-all smiles and giggles, which is so much fun!! We tried him in his jumperoo for the first time about a week ago, and he loves it! No real bouncing yet, but he loves the music and lights. I just picked up a jolly jumper, but he's a little wobbly yet for it. He is getting really good sitting in his bumbo chair, though-I can't get over how strong his neck is getting. He's been sleeping well lately (knock on wood). He's still going down late (b/w 11 to 11:30) but he's not getting up until 7 or later (today was 9 am!)

Here are some pics of the past week-we had a nice dinner at our friends' place Saturday night, and Luke got to play with his friend Ben (who's 6 months). Ben LOVED Luke....the second pic is of him giving Luke a scalp massage:))

First time in Jumperoo:)

3 months old

2010-01-11T11:02:00.003-05:00

Luke turned 3 months old yesterday! He's really developing quite a little personality, and is so active now! He kickes all the time, and likes to roll over on his side whenever we lie him down on his back, and loves to roll right over from front to back.

We don't have a baby scale so I don't have a really accurate weight, but he's definitely gotten a lot bigger than last check! He's about 26 inches long now, and wearing size 3 diapers comfortably. He is really starting to focus on objects for longer periods of time, and likes to bat at his friends on the activity mat, plus stare at the incredibly handsome baby in the mirror:) He brakes out a huge smile for whoever gives him a happy face, and is starting to laugh and giggle...it is the CUTEST sound I've ever heard!!

In terms of eating and sleeping, he's a bit all over the place right now b/c of jet lag and getting over his first cold, but in general he sleeps 6-7 hours strait at night, followed by a feed (usually 4-6 oz per feed of formula plus what he gets from nursing), and then he'll go back down for a nap for about 1 hour. After that, it depends on the day, but he's usually up and active for all but 3 naps (that range from 30 min to 2 hours). When we first got back from Victoria he wound't go down at night until 2:30 am (they are 4 hours behind us), but we now have him going down around 11:00 pm, so hopefully we can get him to consistently go down before 10:00 pm soon. He has "slept throught the night" for 9 hours a few times (apparently sleeping for 6 hours is called "sleeping through the night" when babies are under 1 year, but that doesn't sound like a good night's sleep to me!), but in general we are lucky to get 7 hours....we are thankful he gives us that long, but can't wait for when he'll go down all night:)

Here are a few pics we took yesterday...looking so grown up!!

:)Sam

Quick Holiday Recap

2010-01-07T11:58:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year!

We're back from our Christmas vacation from Victoria, and I can't believe it's January! The holidays flew by so quickly, but we had a blast. Luke got spoiled rotten for his first Christmas, and he was such a good boy for the plane rides to and from B.C. He slept the entire leg of the flight b/w Toronto and Victoria (over 5 hours!) going, and coming home didn't sleep a lot as he was feeling under the weather, but was still an angel. I, unfortunately caught whatever he had, so I'm feeling miserable, but hopefully I'll be all better soon:)

It was so nice to see Doug's family and have them meet the little man, and also to spend time with my sister and her family-now all the cousins have met Luke!

Luke will be 3 months old on Jan 10th, and I am astounded at how much he's changed just in the past few weeks! He is holding up he head so well now (he can even sit in his Bumbo for a few minutes with a steady neck!) and has rolled over from front to back every day since his first roll over at 11 weeks! It's so neat to see him learn and develop. I can't wait to break open the exersaucer and jumperoo....I may need to wait a month or so for those though:)

I'll do his official stats on Jan 10th-he's definitely a big boy!

:)Sam

First shots/2 month well-baby check

2009-12-10T17:40:00.002-05:00

Luke had his first set of shots today-he was really good for them, thank goodness. My good friend Erin A came with me to the appt for moral support, which was great:) He is a really big boy now-weighing in at 14 lbs 15oz, 25 inches long, with a head circumference of 161/4 inches! That puts him in the >97% percentile for length and head size, and the 75-90% for weight adj to height (>97% for just weight).

He's wearing all 3-6 month clothes except some 6-9 month sleepers, and he's almost out of size 2 diapers!! I'm soooo sad about the last stat, b/c that means we have to change to different diapers (Pampers swaddlers only go to a size 2)....so sad:((( There doesn't seem to be a clear winner with moms regarding the best size 3...I guess it'll be trial and error (hopefully not too many errors:).

I am definitely on the mend, feeling stronger by the day-I have started some light strengthening workouts which feel great, although my back has been sore-it's tough when your abs are non-existent! Slowly but surely I'll get strong again:)

2 months old!

2009-12-09T08:46:00.005-05:00

Wow, time has flown by!! I am astonished that Luke is 2 months old tomorrow. He is doing amazingly well-making lots of "cooing and cawing" noises, starting to grab at his feat, loves to suck on his hands, and is making lots of smiles!! He loves the "kissy, kissy" game, and when mom and dad make silly faces at him...seeing him smile is one of the best parts of my day!!

He is sleeping quite well-he actually had 2 nights in a row of 7-hour stretches, which was AMAZING!! We couldn't believe how good we felt getting that much sleep at one time!! I'd say that overall, the sleep deprivation has been the hardest thing to cope with, but if he starts to make those longer stretches the norm, we'll be very happy parents!!

We had our first holiday get-together on Monday night at my parent's house, and Luke was great. He got quite over-stimulated, but was still an angel:) Here are a few pics:

Luke's 1 month birthday!!

2009-11-10T09:04:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it's been a whole month since baby Luke was born!! Time has flown by!! He is doing amazingly well-I, on the other had, am on the mend, but have had some ongoing infections since having him. I am starting to feel better now, so I'll be sure to update the blog more often!!

I am so excited to see that Luke's newborn session blog pics are up on Kerianne's website (keriannebrown.com)-I just love each and every one of them!! They are truly special to Doug and I.

At his Dr's appt last week, he was just about 10 pounds, and his head and length are in the 95th percentile!! He is one long boy!! He is really starting to be more interactive with us now, which is so exciting...he is really liking his awake time, and is starting to show his personality!

Here are a couple of pics I took of him hanging out on the Boppy yesterday...what a useful invention the Boppy pillow is!!

:)Sam

motherhood....

2009-10-30T10:40:00.001-04:00

motherhood....
Originally uploaded by Kerianne Brown

Things have been very hectic since little Luke and I arrived home from the hospital-I promise to write a full blog post soon!! I just had to share this amazing image Kerianne captured at Luke's newborn photoshoot....seeing him makes all the late nights SO worth it!!! Love you little man!!

Luke Thomas has arrived!!!

2009-10-20T17:41:00.003-04:00

Doug and I are beyond thrilled to finally be home with our adorable baby boy!! Luke Thomas was born on Oct 10, 2009 weighing 8lbs 13 oz. More details and pics to come soon...right now baby is needing nursing!!

:)Sam

40 weeks+4 update

2009-10-06T15:18:00.003-04:00

So, I saw the Dr. today-baby is still doing great in there (maybe too good...). He did another sweep (#4 now!) and said that I was about 75% effaced (compared to about 50% last check) and a little more dilated than Friday, but I'm still not having any kind of regular contractions, so we are continuing to do the waiting game. He thinks baby will likely come in the next couple of days, so here's to hoping!! If baby boy doesn't come by Fri, I see the Dr. again to assess things.

I know he'll be worth all the discomfort and the extra wait (and weight...4 more pounds in the past 5 days! in the end....I just hope the end is SOON:-)

Let's hope this is my last PRE-baby post!!!

:)Sam

Maternity photo wrap-up/Due date update

2009-10-04T11:02:00.002-04:00

Friday was baby boy's due date, and he's still playing hard to get...no signs of him yet, but hopefully soon!! If he hasn't come by Thurs, we see the Dr. again, but fingers crossed he makes his appearance sooner than that:)

I had another membrane sweep on Friday, but it obviously didn't do the trick, so we'll just see what the next few days brings. I feel lots of pressure now, so I'm hoping that means he's "getting into position". So, it's just more R&R for me (which I'm sure I'll appreciate once he's here:)

Kerianne did an amazing blog post of our maternity photo adventure over the past several months....I feel so fortunate to have these images to remember my pregnancy with:) If you get chance, check it out at keriannebrown.com

I'll keep ya posted on any baby developments!

:)Sam

39 week Dr. appt update

2009-09-30T13:40:00.006-04:00

I had my Dr. appt today, and baby and I are continuing to do well. My Dr. did a sweep of my membranes (which was uncomfortable, but not too painful) and said things were looking good....hopefully it will kick start labour, and baby will be here just in time for his due date! I go back on Friday if baby hasn't arrived by then, so it's just a wait and see for now.

Things are pretty much all set now for his arrival-we can't wait to meet him!!

:)Sam

ps-here's a sneak peek Kerianne sent me from the final "bump session" she did for us a week ago-we convinced Doug that there should be some pics with the baby Daddy included, and I'm so glad he agreed!! She took some artistic shots in her studio as well, and I can't wait to see them:) I feel so lucky to have these beautiful images to document this special time in our lives...I cannot thank Kerianne enough for all her efforts in chronicling our pregnancy journey. Kerianne, you are an amazingly gifted photographer, and an incredibly dear friend. xoxo

38 week Dr. appt update

2009-09-24T09:10:00.008-04:00

I had my 38 week Dr. appt earlier this week, and everything went well. Baby is continuing to grow, and my BP was great. I am swelling like crazy, though...I hear that might be a good sign that the end is near!! I'm about 50% effaced but still closed, so no imminent labor, but he said to just keep doing what I 'm doing (essentially staying off my feet) and see how things look next week. Thanks to everyone who shared with me their experience with getting a membrane sweep done...since I'm still closed it wasn't really an option, but next week may be different.

Baby's room is coming together-the rocking chair arrived and is so comfortable!! I love it:) The dresser is still not here, but hopefully soon. No solid progress yet on the crib bedding, but we've found some potential sets.

We are getting so very excited to meet the little guy....it seems so unbelievable that he'll be with us soon!! By the looks of the pic above of our kitties, we're not the only ones eagerly anticipating his arrival...they snuck into his room and decided the explore his moses basket after I just cleaned the linens...bad kitties:)

Here's my 38 week pic-I had to get Doug to re-take it without showing my very swollen ankes:)

I'll be sure to update things as they happen!!

:)Sam

37 Weeks!

2009-09-16T21:23:00.004-04:00

Happy Wednesday!!

So, I had my weekly Dr. appt today, and everything w/ baby was good-I've been gaining weight at a pretty "good" pace the last 2 visits, though....over 2 pounds this past week! Hopefully it's mostly going to the baby, although the extra servings of frozen yogurt and 2 pizza nights make me feel slightly guilty (but not enough to not eat them:)

The Dr. said that given my physical state of discomfort, he figures that an earlier, rather than a later appearance of baby boy would be good, so he's going to do what he calls his "super-duper sweep" of my membranes next week! Now, I know it's A) Very uncomfortable; and B) Not a reliable way to induce labour BUT I'm willing to give it a go. He was pretty confident he could get labour started, so I guess we'll see! If anyone feels up to sharing their experiences with the sweep, I'd love to hear them!!

Otherwise, it's been a low-key week (given that I can't really do much) but I'm just happy baby is thriving, and I'm not in agony every second of the day:)

I am, however pretty upset about getting "scammed" by a bad Etsy seller though....I purchased custom crib bedding back in July, and never received it. Late July she emailed me to say that she was waiting for one of the fabrics to arrive and that she'd get it all finished up and sent by mid-Aug, but no such luck. I've emailed her a bunch of times since early Aug, with no reply, and she has a bunch of recent bad feedback reviews from other buyers w/ similiar stories....it sucks! What I didn't know was that the Paypal "buyer protection" only covers you for up to 45 days from the time of purchase, so if you wait longer than that to file a claim, you're out of luck in terms of a refund! It's my first negative experience with Paypal....although I'm fairly new to Etsy, I've been ordering off of Ebay for about 7 years. So, I guess I won't be ordering any more custom items on Etsy that say "5-6 weeks to ship" b/c with shipping time, you can't be sure they should get here within that 45 day window. Anyway, I'm pretty upset that I'm out the $ AND now have no bedding...the reason I ordered it custom was b/c I couldn't find any commercially-made sets that go with the room. My advice-always check detailed seller feedback, and be wary of ordering stuff custom that will take several weeks to make. Oh well-back to the drawing board!!

Here's my 37 week pic-I was so excited to get out of the house for a few hours to have dinner with a few of my girlfriends a few nights ago...our last night out all together before my friend Gina gets married, and I give birth! It's such an exciting time:)

I'll keep ya posted on any crib bedding finds:)

Sam

36 weeks...the countdown is on!!

2009-09-09T14:13:00.005-04:00

Happy Wednesday!!

Yay! I have less than a month until my due date, which makes me very happy!! Recently, I've heard of quite a few moms having their babies a couple of weeks early....that would be excellent (as long as he's ready to come out!!). I'll try not to get my hopes up, but my body is just so ready to not be pregnant, lol!!!

I had my first weekly doc appt today-baby is doing great! I'm happy I'm now on weekly appts...the end is getting near! I can't wait to meet baby boy:) The car seat is installed, and his room is as ready as it can be given the fact that we're still waiting on his dresser, rocking chair, and crib bedding....I'm getting a little nervous about the bedding-I ordered it over 2 months ago, and haven't been able to get ahold of the lady who's making it for me.....fingers crossed!

Doug's away for work in Cape Breton this week, but at least he's just 4-5 hours away...he almost had to go to Calgary this week!! That's a little TOO far away with me almost at 37 weeks...I had some of my girlfriends on standby to be my impromptu labour partners just in case he couldn't get out of the trip (thanks girls!! xo).

I've been loving the beautiful Fall weather...even though I can't get outside and enjoy it, the sunny days have been amazing! Hopefully it carries through until Oct, and baby boy and I can go for some nice walks:)

Here's my 36 week pic-I feel HUGE in it....hopefully I'm nearing my max size....

:)Sam

35 Week Update

2009-09-02T18:34:00.003-04:00

Wow! 35 Weeks-I can't believe I could be just a few weeks away from meeting my precious baby boy...I can't wait! According to my pregnancy.ca & babycenter.ca weekly e-updates, he should be about 5 1/4 lbs, and about 18 inches long.

I recently packed our hospital bags, and I found it really hard to pick which adorable onsies and sleepers to include as I have no idea what will fit him. I ended up packing quite a variety of sizes....one of them is bound to work, right?

My lower back pain has gotten much better from being off, however the issues in my hip have continued...I see physio tomorrow, so maybe they'll be able to help some. I'm not liking being on "modified bedrest", but I do understand it is what's best for me and baby right now....on the plus side, I've gotten lots of reading done, including a very informative and entertaining book entitled "The Working Gal's Guide to Babyville: Your Must-Have Manual for Life with Baby" by Paige Hoby. It has lots of practical tips for every stage of baby's development from birth to 12 months, and has some great strategies for juggling life with a baby and a career-It's worth a read:)

Here's my 35 week bump-I don't have a scrap of makeup on and I literally was lying down in bed right up until it was taken, so sorry about the messy hair;0)

:)Sam

34 week update

2009-08-27T10:04:00.002-04:00

I'm a little late writing this as I'm just about 35 weeks along, but my back issues have gotten worse-I am officially off work now. I saw the Dr. on Tuesday, and after taking one look at me (and my blood pressure, which was up for the first time in my whole pregnancy) he said I needed to stop work.

So, now it's all about resting my back and hip to prepare for L&D! I'm glad the majority of the preparations are complete, so it's really just a few things that need to be purchased/assembled (which Doug can do:)

Baby is doing great, though-growing on schedule and kicking up a storm:) I'm hoping after a few more days off my pain will get better-right now even going up/down the stairs, turning over in bed, etc really hurts....at this rate I really hope baby makes his appearance a week or 2 early!!

:)Sam

A productive Saturday

2009-08-22T19:42:00.004-04:00

Happy Saturday!!

Doug and I attended our first of 2 prenatal sessions today-this one was on labour and delivery, and the next one is on infant care and breastfeeding. I can't say that much was new news to me-I have read a lot of books that talk about L&D extensively, but it was nice to hear things again. I think it was good for Doug, though, as he hasn't read as much as I have on the whole process. As an added bonus, he now knows exactly where in the hospital to take me when I'm in active labour, which is important!!

After the class, I had a very indulgent craving....we stopped at Suzie's Shortbreads for a yummy cupcake! Erin O, you now have me officially addicted!!!

We purchased our car seat, pack and play, plus a few other essentials as well today, so that's done. Now comes the fun part of getting the car seat bases installed!!

The pic below was from a fun mini-session Kerianne did for me on Thursday evening at sunset. She was trying out a new technique, and I, of course, was more than willing to be her test subjct!! Thanks so much K!! xox0

34 Week Belly Pic:

:)Sam

33 week update

2009-08-19T09:53:00.005-04:00

I'm back to work this week after a great week off-we really did get lots done in terms of "project baby room", so I'm excited about that:) Here's a pic of baby's "work in progress" closet...it makes me happy to look at all his adorable outfits! Our friends and family have been so generous...he'll be one stylin' boy for sure:)

I've been feeling quite good-being off has definitely helped my back. Everything was great with baby at my Dr.'s appt last Wednesday-he's right on in terms of size, and my blood pressure and wt gain was good.

We got the crib all set up, and are now just waiting on crib bedding, the dresser, and the rocker to arrive. Also trying to decide what to get for the walls....there is a lot of wall space, so I think we'll wait until the rest of the funiture is in the room before deciding on wall decor. I definitely want to get a decal of some kind-they have really cute ones on Etsy, so I may order one after he's born with his name on it...we'll see:)

This weekend I hope to pick up the rest of the "essential" baby items, and to get my hospital bags packed (better to be too early than too late, right?) We also have our first of 2 prenatal classes on Saturday am, so hopefully we'll learn some useful info at that.

That's all for now...if anyone has any "must haves" for baby (besides the really obvious ones), I'd love to hear them!!!

:)Sam

ps-here's 2 33 week bump pics:)

"Staycation" update

2009-08-13T21:22:00.018-04:00

I've been off on our little "staycation" now since last Friday, and it has been great! We've gotten lots accomplished in terms of baby house prep-Doug's done an amazing job clearing out the basement to make room for his office (currently in the baby's room) and the outside flower beds and plants are looking so much better after his TLC! With my back being the way it's been, gardening has been out of the question for me for quite awhile-they are thriving nicely now:)

My family & friends shower held this past Tuesday was amazing!!! How truly thankful we are to have such amazing family and friends-baby boy received the most beautiful gifts (plus I received some amazing "mama" gifts as well!). The weather cleared for the evening, so we were able to spend the entire time outside, which was so nice.

Darlene and Erin A. did such a great job with the food and games, and my mom was a great hostess, as always:). For dessert, we not only had yummy DQ ice cream cake, but my good friend Erin O. (who is visiting from Toronto) brought the most amazing, TDF cupcakes I've ever tasted...if you live in Halifax, you gotta try them!!! They're from a little bakery on Dresden Row called Suzie's Shortbreads (suziesshortbreads.com). They. Are. Deadly.

I didn't think to take many photos at the shower, and when I did grab my camera my battery was dead, but here's a few:)

The "2 Erins" :)

My mom and Darlene:

My friends Lara, Gina, (and Steph in the background):

The ladies getting into the "make a diaper out of TP and model it" game;0)

It was an absolute blast!!!

Doug and I have lots still planned for the remainder of our time off, and we get to finish off the break with a shower for baby on Sunday with my Lawtons friends!! I'm so excited for that:)

I'll keep ya posted on our progress with "project baby room" over the next few days!

:)Sam

32 Week Update

2009-08-09T15:33:00.006-04:00

I'm officially on vacation for a week, which I'm so excited about! I'm hoping this break will help me accomplish a number of goals:

1. Rest my back! It need it:) Also, just to rest in general....I find I'm very tired now, and this will be the last chance Doug and I get to ourselves before baby, so to go out to some movies and dinners will be nice

2. Get organized for baby! Doug's going to get baby's room all cleared out, and we need to decide on a few more baby furniture items, like a glider/rocker, bookshelf, etc.

3. Get the rest of the house organized...our basement is a total disaster area, and we just have so much stuff we need to trash/give away...this nesting stuff has me really anxious to get rid of the clutter;)

4. Maybe do a daytrip somewhere close by....we'll see how it goes.

5. Baby boy has 2 showers this week as well, which I'm so excited about! On Tuesday is a family & friends shower, and on Sunday is a work friends shower....both should be so much fun:)

Baby's doing well-I have a dr. appt Wed, and a specialized physio appt Thurs...hopefully she'll be able to give me a few different stretches to help ease my back pain.

Here's some 32 week bump pics-my dear friend Erin A. lent me the most adorable tank tops-the one I'm wearing says "baby" and another one says "got baby!"...so cute:)

I'll be sure to post pics and fun details about Baby boy's parties in my next post:)

Sam

31 weeks!

2009-08-04T04:59:00.003-04:00

I feel like I'm definitely in the home stretch of my pregnancy now...It's so hard to believe I've been pregnant since the beginning of January!! The summer has been flying by, even though the heat and humidity have not been kind....thank goodness we have great AC!!

Baby is now about 3.5 pounds and measures over 16 inches!! He is still moving around LOTS....if he's getting cramped, you wouldn't know it-he's still flipping around and kicking like crazy despite his tight living quarters!

My back is still giving me grief...I'm taking it one day at a time this week, as I'm off for a little "staycation/babymoon" with Doug next week:) We're going to try and get baby boy's room all cleaned out and organized (Doug to to the lifting, me to do the delegating;) for when the nursery furniture arrives, and take time to relax...it will be our last time off together before baby!

Sneak peek at "moody" 30 week photo session

2009-08-02T21:15:00.002-04:00

form
Originally uploaded by Kerianne Brown

Here's a pic from my session with Kerianne..I had such a fabulous time!!! Can't wait to see the rest...:)

30 weeks!!

2009-07-27T21:57:00.008-04:00

Happy Monday!!

I can't believe I'm already 30 weeks along...time has simply flown by. I had my last monthly check-up today (I start bi-weekly appts now) and baby is doing great! My bloodwork and trutal (sugar challenge) test were normal, and baby is growing according to schedule. He was a little kicker today, though; it took the nurse awhile to find his "resting heart rate" as he was so active. It was in the mid 160's for most of the time, but when he did settle down, it was mid 140's, which is good.

For me physically, my back and hips have been really bothering me.....the cartoon above is perfect, because perhaps without my back issues I could paint my toes, but no way it's happening for me in my current state!! I did find relief yesterday by going for a "swim" at my parent's place...I say "swim" b/c I can't really kick with my legs due to sciatic pain, but I can float along on my stomach and just use my arms to move around...it's amazing how buoyant you are with all that amniotic fluid in there! It's like having one of the pool noodles around your belly all the time;)

My Dr. says b/c of my back issues I definitely need to stop doing the long 13 hour shifts, and see how it goes with work....I really want to keep working as long as I can, but I don't want to be in agony!

I had a great time with Kerianne on Friday doing some moody/artistic preggo pics...it was a crazy stormy day, so the lighting was great for it! I can't wait to see them:) That's it for now...I'll be sure to post some pics once they are ready.

Have a super week!!
:)Sam

29 week update

2009-07-23T03:42:00.009-04:00

It is currently the middle of the night....I find that at this point in my pregnancy I am exhausted later on in the day after being on my feet for awhile, but then I wake up a crazy amount of times throughout the night (usually b/c I need to pee, I've overheated, or need to change positions b/c of a numb hip). Sometimes when I wake up (like right now!) I can't get back to sleep...hence the 4 am post;-)

Overall, baby and I are doing well...I have been having a lot more back and SI joint pain which is tough considering I stand at work, but hopefully I'll be able to manage it. Last weekend I worked the long 13 hour shift on Saturday, which was crappy....I don't think my 6.5 month pregnant body is built for that!! I have my monthly doc appt Monday, so I'll see what he says...I'm trying to figure out how long I should reasonably stay working; I would like to work as long as possible, but I also don' t want to be in crazy pain, so we'll see.

Doug and I picked up our Phil & Ted's last Sunday!! Very exciting:) It seems pretty easy to open/close, and packs in the Jeep well. I can't wait for the nursery furniture to arrive, so I can really get going on that-hopefully it will arrive sooner than expected (which isn't until mid-Aug).

My sister Tiff and her daughter Maia are here in Halifax visiting from Victoria which has been amazing-I don't get to see them much since they live so far away. Maia is 3 1/2...what a fun age!! I can't believe how much she has changed since I last saw her at Christmas. My other sister Ange also came for a very quick visit in between horse shows, so last Monday we all got to spend the day together-thank goodness we finally got a nice summer day!! Here are a few pics:

So I'm going to attempt to go back to sleep now...wish me luck!!

:)Sam

It's Our Anniversary!/28 week update:)

2009-07-12T14:43:00.011-04:00

Today is Doug and my 1 year wedding annivesary!! I can't believe how fast the year has gone by! We just got back into town after attending our friends Jill & Mike's wedding yesterday in Cape Breton, and we're just going to take it easy. No nice glass of bubbly for me, unfortunately...but I am thawing the top tier of our wedding cake to have tonight as dessert!! Yummy!!

My cold has gotten better, but I'm still not 100%...hopefully soon. I figured I'd just skip my 27 week update, and just get right to my 28th, which is today! So hard to believe I'm in my 3rd trimester already!!Baby is now over 2 pounds, and is almost 15 inches long! Been feeling good pregnancy-wise...my back gets quite sore by the end of the day, and I could fall asleep pretty much about any time of the day if given the chance, but overall I think most symptoms I'm having are normal. Baby is still kicking up a storm...he loved the band at Jill and Mike's wedding...it was the most active he's been!! I got up and danced a few songs which was fun, but my poor feet were getting a little swollen so I had to take it easy:)

In terms of nursery developments, we've picked the crib and dresser for baby's room, ordered the crib bedding, and we've decided on the Phil & Ted's stroller. It feels good to have those decisions made....now on to everything else!! Here are some recent bellly pics-this is at 27 weeks:

This was on the Sydney waterfront yesterday morning before the wedding (28 weeks)

And here are some pics from the wedding yesterday (Jill looked stunning!!!)

Have a great week!!
:)Sam

Feeling under the weather....and a bit overwhelmed by all the baby gear!

2009-07-05T14:45:00.006-04:00

Hello!

So I've been feeling pretty crappy the last few days with a bad cold....it's the first I've had pregnant (which I should be happy about!) But it really does suck to not be able to take my normal concoction of cold remedies...I think I may have gotten a grand total of 2 hours of sleep last night...not fun. So, instead of sleeping, I decided to delve into the book "Baby Bargains". It seems really good in that it independently reviews products in all categories, but at the same time, I find it all a little overwhelming....there is so much to think about!!

Also, so much changes in baby gear land all the time....tough to make the big decisions like crib, stroller,etc. when each place I look (online customer reviews, this book, other books, other moms) recommend something different. Oh well, I guess it's just part of the process...and don't get me wrong-shopping for baby gear is fun!!! Speaking of fun, I'm currently working with a fabulous Etsy seller to make baby boy's crib bedding....here's a picture of the curtains and walls in his room:

They were already done when we moved into our house, as the previous owner won the home in a hospital lotto....it's great for us that the designer already made this bedroom a cute little boys' room! Now, it's all about coordinating things to these colors. I'm looking forward to seeing how his crib bedding turns out:) We tried to do a little crib and stroller scouting yesterday....of course we loved the gorgeous Pali cribs at The Royal Diperer, but we also found a really nice, quality "Gluckstein" brand crib at The Bay that we liked, that is much more affordable. In terms of strollers, I think I've settled on getting a Phil and Ted's, and getting the optional adapter so an infant carseat can attach to it for the first 4 months or so....I don't think getting a whole system first, and then getting a separate jogging stoller makes sense for us. I also love the optional second seat that the Phil and Teds offers...it can convert to a boucy seat now, and later on go in the stroller for a second child...brilliant!

That was pretty much our shopping experience....slowly, things will come together. If anyone has any suggestions for baby gear, or any ideas for baby boy's nursery, I'm all ears!!Hopefully I'll be feeling better for my 27 week update!!

Sam:)

26 week update

2009-07-01T15:38:00.008-04:00

Hello! Happy Canada Day!!

This week has been pretty good thus far...I had my monthly baby appt on Monday, and everything was good. My blood pressure is quite low (88/66!) but they say it's fine as long as I'm feeling well. Baby is moving SO MUCH now...last night I thought he was practicing some crazy dance routine or something...woke me up almost every hour!! I love the movement, though-it's very reassuring that he doing well:)

Kerianne and I did make it out to the lupin field to do some pics on that eary misty morning....here is one she sent me (I'll post some more once they're ready:)

I'm excited to start planning baby boy's nursery....his room is painted red, yellow and white, so I need to match everything else to those colors. I'm thinking of going fairly neutral for crib bedding, wall art, etc-the walls are so bright, that I don't want it to look to busy...the curtains are also red, yellow, and white, plus have some black in them as well, so I am thinking of doing mostly back and white as accent colors...we'll see:) I think we've decided on the crib (a white Pali convertable from The Royal Diperer) and stroller (made by Phil & Teds)...if anyone has any feeddback on strollers, I'm all ears! It's hard to find one that's versatile in terms of being lightweight, able to travel on different terrain, and also able accomodate infant through toddler (the Phil and Ted's can accomodate a few brands of car seats, which is a plus).

I'd also love input on what are your favorite/must-have baby products!! There are so many gadgets and gizmos out there....any ideas are welcomed!!

:)Sam

25 week update....the news is "blue" :)

2009-06-26T10:08:00.012-04:00

Hello!!
Here's my bump at 25 weeks:

I am a little late writing this (I'm actually now just about 26 weeks!) but it's been a busy week, and I'm not sure if it's all the prego hormones or what, but I haven't been sleeping well AT ALL, which I hope changes soon! If anyone has some tips for me, that'd be great.

On a way more exciting note, last Saturday was our big 3D/4D Ultrasound day! The pic to the right is Doug and I arriving at the clinic. They were having uncooperative babies that day; the ultrasound technician said they were all shy and sleepy, so she wan't able to get good profile pics of many of them, and some had to come back another day to try again. Our fingers were crossed that baby Samuelson would be more cooperative! They tell you to eat something sugary before your appt to help get baby moving, so I took that (perhaps) to an extreme and ate a huge Starbucks chocolate chip cookie, plus had some jube jubes while waiting at the clinic....let's just say baby was NOT sleepy!!! Baby turned out to be very cooperative in between the massive kicks and turns...we actually ended up getting over 140 pictures, and they normally only get about 50!!

Doug and my Dad came with me to UC Baby, and via live feed over email, Doug's family in Victoria, plus my sisters in Victoria and Montreal were able to see the whole ultrasound! It is so neat what technology can do:) My mom was judging a horse show so couldn't be there, but we had an encore video presentation of baby for her the next night-pics below:)

My dad and I (we also had a fabulous father's dinner that night:)

My mom and I after seeing baby's video

So, without further adue, here's baby!

Here's a pic with the video right afterwards:

We thoroughly enjoyed the UC Baby experience....and I highly recommend getting the add-on video as well-it shows the whole 30 min ultrasound to your choice of music (we chose some soft lullaby tunes) plus does a heartbeat segment so you can listen to the "woosh, woosh" whenever you like:) Another big part of the ultrasound is gender determination (if you want to know). We were very excited to learn that baby is a BOY!!! We had no preference for boy versus girl...we just hoped for a healthy baby. Now that we know, it's time to start projects such as planning the nursery and building the layette...so fun!!!

I'm excited to write my 26 week update...Kerianne was able to do a mini photo shoot of my "6 month belly" in a beautiful lupin field...can't wait to see the images!!!

Happy Friday everyone!!

:)Sam

24 week update!

2009-06-16T20:06:00.007-04:00

Hello!

I'm going to try and do a weekly update for now on, plus do some extra posts as the mood strikes...I know this time is going to go by so quickly, so I'll do my best to stay on top of things:)

I'm now 24 weeks, and that puts baby at just over a pound and almost a foot in length! The pic to the right is from pregnancy.org...they, along with babycenter.ca, offer a free service that sends you weekly pregnancy updates of fetal development, how you may be feeling, etc. right to your inbox...it's pretty neat.

They say that between 21-28 weeks is a period of rapid growth..I'd say that my belly has gotten considerably larger in the past couple of weeks. I also have times when I'm extremely tired...not sure if that's a baby growth spurt or not...or, perhaps it's all the trips to the little girl's room at night (Already! What am I going to do come 3rd trimester??). All in all though, I'm feeling pretty good-some back pain, but it's been manageable these past few weeks, mostly due to the physical therapy I've been getting (thanks KF!! You are a lifesaver).

This Saturday is our big UC Baby 3-D ultrasound...I'm so excited!! We find out baby's gender, plus get 3D pics and a video to keep...very exciting:) That's all for now!! Here's a belly shot from last Saturday night, before we went on a fun date night with our friends Erin and Michael (who are themselves expecting a little one very soon!!!)

My first ever Blogger post!!!

2009-06-12T09:51:00.001-04:00

Hello!!!

I'm so excited I figured out how to get up and running with blogger....I have been blogging about my pregnancy experiences thus far on The Bump (thebump.com), but found it to be pretty limited in terms of layout, not being able to post pics, etc. This site enables so much more creativity!

I am currently 23 weeks pregnant with my first child (I can't believe how fast the time has gone!). My husband and I have been together for almost 8 years, and will be celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary on July 12th. I figure I need to document all the changes as they occur or else the "mommy brain fog" will wipe them from my memory!!!

I'll be sharing my thoughts and ideas about anything and everything to do with pregnancy and baby, and welcome your advice and words of wisdom! This is uncharted territory for me, so any help from experienced moms would be much appreciated!!

Here are some of my favorite pics from my "halfway there" maternity photo shoot with my dear friend, Kerianne Brown (Keriannebrown.com). She is an amazingly talented photgrapher, and I feel so lucky to have her document my ever-changing shape!!