this weekend's baby shower

Katie and my mom held an awesome baby shower this weekend. I am so humbled by the number of people who came. Some from far away and stayed in hotels just to be there!

The food was amazing, pretty much a dream spread.

The games were tons of fun too especially since everyone got into them. Our most super-competitive ladies in the house won the prizes which were hand-painted bird houses.

I love my little belly in this shot. I think the baby is ready for some cake!

Gifts galore! Baby gifts are so fun to open as everyone ooohs and ahhhs over how cute, sweet and small everything is.
There were piles and piles to go through. And when we thought it was over even more arrived! And so many creative gifts! Leslie hand painted 5 frames in "Hey Diddle Diddle" theme. I'll post photos of those once we have them hung in the nursery.

Check out these sweet finger puppets Jess made. Nuno, Erin & Baby!

And she made these bibs!

My mom gave us the cool swing I was talking about weeks ago. I couldn't help myself but go home and assemble it right away.

Katie knitted the robot toy for the baby. So he's a stand-in until the baby arrives to claim him as his own.

Katie's blog entry about the shower is awesome so click here.

60th wedding anniversary

This past weekend was my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. How amazing to be able to celebrate a landmark like this. I'm so happy for them.


We had a great night together. One highlight was the cake. My aunt ordered a cake exactly like their wedding cake. My family could hardly finish the top tier. Luckily my grandpa is known for his sweet tooth, so they may be feasting on cake for weeks.

pregnancy scare

I've been having a really rough week this week. Monday was an obstetrician appointment which is the usual blood pressure, baby heart rate check and belly measurement. For those who don't know much about the belly measurement, they basically check the size of your tummy in centimeters which corresponds with the number of weeks pregnant you are. I'm 33 weeks and when the OB measured my tummy it read 27! His immediate reaction was, "Your baby is not growing. It may not be getting enough nutrition." He then asked, "Have you felt him move lately?" My response was "OF COURSE!" He then explained that this situation is called 'small for dates' and he had to send me for an immediate ultrasound. This set me in a real panic and I begged that they get me in as soon as they could. I went home and cried, of course. I did what I know I shouldn't and read on the internet about this. Of the many number of things I dwelled on - the fact that the OB said my baby wasn't getting enough nutrition meant my placenta and/or uterus was giving out and they would have to induce super early. It also meant that there could be something wrong with the baby. I had everyone at work telling me he's probably a small baby since I'm a short girl. So I was hoping that was what the result would be.

Man, I had to try and sleep on all this, which is already difficult enough without this sort of stress! While trying to get some much needed sleep the little guy kept kicking me and letting me know he's still there and I kept hoping he will still be with us after all this. Two nights like this until I could hear the results Wednesday. It was rough.

So finally today we had the results from the ultrasound. The OB said, "Looks like your baby is hiding". "What's that mean?" "Your baby sits very low in your pelvis." Basically this belly measurement doesn't apply to my type of pregnancy (and, when/if you see me I'm not with a huge belly - but certainly look pregnant). I figure it's because I've been trying to stay fit and doing yoga (especially squats) which opened my hips right up. He then said the baby is four and a half pounds! This is exactly as he should be. The results of the ultrasound show the baby is already right in the correct birth position. He's engaged! This little ordeal went from the worst prognosis to the best news ever!

All along I've felt like this was the perfect pregnancy. Monday really burst my bubble, but now I'm right back to thinking this little guy rules! I'm so happy I'm back feeling this way just in time for the baby showers!!

leafs hockey stick

My grandmother recently sold the home she lived in for 40 years in Leaside Toronto. It was a big production because a home that raised 4 children accumulates so many memories that require sorting. It took a year before the home went on the market for my grandmother to sort through everything. It seemed like perfect timing because along with my dad's toys from when he was a child (which have been passed on to us for our baby), she came across a little piece of Canadian hockey history.

This hockey stick was personally autographed by the entire Maple Leafs team the year they last won the Stanley Cup. It's in poor condition though. It think my dad and my uncle played with it a bit too much because the signatures seem to have worn off in areas where little hands would have held the stick. But one signature comes through crisp and clear...

The legendary Tim Horton!

More on the cool toys and hand-me-downs soon...

banana walnut chocolate chunk cookies

I had a lot of fun baking last night. I've had this somewhat juvenile craving (surprise!) for the combination of chocolate & banana together. I blame this squarely on our visit to the DorStop.

So I made Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies. They are perfect to share since we are busy visiting friends and family all weekend. These cookies are puffy and tender without being heavy or cake-y. They have a nice chew and every bite has a very different flavour combination. Another plus is that I consider them a variation of Banana Walnut Bread with rolled oats so they scream, "Eat me for breakfast too!" :)

Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies
(Adapted from Martha Stewart - Cookies)

ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons (3/4 cup or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
8 ounces coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, salt and baking soda.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugars until smooth and creamy. Beat in egg. Add vanilla and banana, beating until combined. Stir in flour mixture, then fold in oats, chocolate and walnuts.

Drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets using a tablespoon cookie scoop. Place into the oven and bake until the cookies are golden and set, about 10 to 13 minutes. Remove from the oven and place pan on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 36 about cookies

poor, poor puppy

Bear in mind as I begin this tirade that I've been extra sensitive about animals in pregnancy, so I may come across as super judgemental and mean - but I don't care.

We have these neighbours across the street who are probably my age. They aren't the typical sort of neighbours we have living around us (super nice retirees). They seem like OK guys though it's hard to tell how many people actually live in this house with the rotating line-up of 21 year old girls. Along with the mysterious number of residents, there are two very large dogs living there. A couple years ago one dog got loose and we found him sniffing around our property. He managed to run away further down the road to have half the house residents chasing him. I'm not sure how it happened, but very soon after the two dogs were trained to just hang out casually leash-free and no longer run away. This always made me very uncomfortable since we live on a somewhat busy street. Well, I'm sure you can tell where I'm going with this. At 9pm two nights ago we heard a giant crash and a horrible scream. One of the dogs had been hit! This is very upsetting to me for so many reasons. I feel very badly for the person who hit the dog since it dashed out of nowhere. I also feel badly for the dog itself, to have such stupid owners. And, of course, it's very hard to see your pet suffer so I feel bad for my neighbours.
When the person who hit the dog asked about damages to his car one of the girls started swearing up a storm and freaking out on him. Hmm... how his this his fault for not seeing a dog dash out in front of him in pitch black?
Well, I'm not sure if this poor dog is still alive and I'm not in any rush to walk across the street and ask. I care, I really do, but I'm not sure I can speak to these people with any level of comfort. Now I don't know which I dislike more, those pet owners who neglect their poor animals leaving them locked away for days or those pet owners with no common sense endangering the lives of their pet and others.

30 week meme

So since we're at a pregnancy landmark this week, I thought I'd give a rundown on how things are going with this pregnancy meme.

Man, why are my clothes so wrinkled? I look like such a raggamuffin. Trust me, I don't roll out of bed and decide to take my pregnancy photos. I'd do a re-shoot but... oh, who cares...

How far along? 30 weeks.
Total weight gain: 6 lbs total at my last week OB weigh in. I know, it's unheard of - surprised me too.
Maternity clothes? Not yet since the baby is still so high up. Jeans still fit but I like to wear roomy shirts. Actually, this is a nice time in fashion to be pregnant because so many items work in pregnancy - LEGGINGS - A Pregnancy Godsent!
Sleep: Not that great. I have a fortress of pillows around me just to feel an ounce of comfort. I wake up 3-4 times per night just to pee and everytime I do the baby thinks it's party time and gets active.
Best moment this week: Seeing all the things Katie and my Mom are doing to prep for the baby shower.
Movement: He's having loads of fun. He's even responding to Hot Tot's barking and Nuno touching my belly.
Gender: Boy.
Labor Signs: None.
Belly Button in or out? In.
What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach and having full lung capacity.
What I am looking forward to: The moment after delivery.
Weekly Wisdom: Taking the Activia Challenge really works wonders.
Milestones: The nursery is painted and the wall mural is underway!