lil' momma

she was playing with her baby and my purse and talking to herself in the mirror in her room. she kept wanting her baby wrapped up nicely so she could walk around with her. 

some may consider this news...

the doctor said i was 1-2 cm dialated and he was able to 'strip the membranes' and thinks that from what he did, i could very well go into labour on my own "soon."

i am scheduled for induction on Saturday morning at 7.30am. He also said that the only induction they need to do is to break my waters so it won't be induction by drugs (which i'm quite happy about).

he also said he would try to get me in today to have my waters broken, but that things are too full over there and it would be a pretty slim chance. Its nearly 5pm so i'm figuring my slim chance is now over and it won't be today unless i go into good old fashioned "natural" labour.

there's still a chance that i can get into maternity before Saturday if a spot opens up for me. its all very vague and not that hopeful...but i have had some doozies of contractions today so we'll see.

c'mon baby, c'mon baby, c'mon baby! :D

(i think i'm just too healthy this pregnancy or something, i can do jumping jacks and run around and clean for hours...this baby just doesn't want to leave my safe haven of a body).

so my inlaws fly out on Monday at 6.30am, if i'm induced Saturday i may or may not be home by Sunday. AND another not so good thing is that the Doctor's birthday is on Saturday and he can only deliver up to 4pm because he has to be at his party at 5pm...so, baby, you should come today :D

41 weeks today!

c'mon baby! 

New Friends

Diedre met a lifesized (to her) Raggedy Ann doll (pictured) and Raggedy Andy doll (not pictured) that my mom won at her work. Diedre really enjoyed pointing out the nose and eyes on the dolls while Grandma and Grandpa Gagne babysat her on Saturday and Sunday. 

doctor's appointment at 41 weeks

i'll be one week overdue tomorrow. i have a doctor's appointment at 10am and i would not be surprised if he sends me over to the hospital for a non-stress test since i will be one week overdue. at least i hope we can just go right over, rather than having to come back another day.

and then there's still hoping that i will go into labour tonight (just in time for ben's birthday tomorrow :D).

Grammy and Grampa Salmon arrived today so i should be ready to go now. c'mon baby! let's meet you!

nesting in overdrive

well, we've got the time for it, so we are continuing to do our home improvements for us and baby's arrival. when its all done, i will hopefully post some pictures of our new improved room.

Grandma and Grandpa took Diedre home yesterday afternoon for a sleepover with Miles at their house. we have gotten so much accomplished but we miss our girl. we both got good rest and lots of sleep although i got up more last night than i have in awhile.

we also watched a matinee, Stranger Than Fiction, which we both enjoyed. it was really nice to have a date and get so much done around here.

our little songbird

VIDEO of Diedre composing songs on the spot

sorry for my singing...but here are the lyrics i was trying to sing, without really knowing them...i was pretty close!

also, i was VERY tired since Diedre got up at 5am (as well as 1.30am) with a bad cough and needing mommy cuddles.

Lady and the Tramp Soundtrack Lyrics
George Givot - Bella Notte Lyrics

Oh this is the night, it's a beautiful night
And we call it bella notte
Look at the skies, they have stars in their eyes
On this lovely bella notte.
Side by side with your loved one,
You'll find enchantment here.
The night will weave its magic spell,
When the one you love is near!
Oh this is the night, and the heavens are right!
On this lovely bella notte!

pajama time fun

hoisting up my baby girl

could not get her to pose for a decent mom/daughter picture...oh well 

Estimated Due Date

40 weeks today

i've still been feeling pretty good lately. the dr. says i'm ready to go "anytime." i did have some harder contractions through the night for 30 to 40 minutes at a time, at about 10 minutes or more between; then a couple hours break, then similar patterns again. i definitely need to sit in different positions at times to relieve my discomfort but all in all, i'm doing fine.

at 10pm last night i was so tired and was worried that i might be going into labour. i'm not feeling particularly rested today, but i'm glad it didn't happen last night.

plans for today are to go to MOPS (yes, even though i wrote off going there, i am going to go and just keep diedre in the main room with me. she does fine with all the ladies and just plays quietly or wanders around and shares my snacks--many of the kids in her age group stay in the room with their mom's because of similar issues). MOPS ends at naptime, so we can return home for a nice nap and see how the rest of the day goes.

derek's coworkers are all having the day off today, but derek will still do estimates since he might be taking days off anytime soon (well, hopefully this baby comes at some point ha ha).

diedre and i have been spending lots of time with my mom lately as we went there Sunday night to sleep (as a family) and spent all day Monday, then returned Tuesday morning after the dr.'s appointment and stayed all day. its a good thing Grandma and Grandpa live so close to the hospital, it adds peace of mind to know we can stay there if we need to.

silly toddler

chillin' with daddy on the couch

what a great smile!

VIDEO: Diedre discusses tails

nov 13 woulda been great

its mom & richard's anniversary today
derek and i were both born on 13s
diedre was born on the 26th, thats two 13s

oh well...i went in for an assessment last night after having contractions 5 minutes apart for an hour (but not the take-my-breath-away type just yet). the nurse still wanted to check me out since its my second baby and all.

i was not even one centimetre dialated! i was sooo disappointed. the only good things about it are more days with our darling Diedre :) and that i got to see what i missed in the packing of my hospital bag and at least we know how long it will take us to pack up and leave for langley when it really happens.

its so hard not to be a big baby about the whole thing and whine and complain...i've been in alot of pain. i was up most of the night two nights ago with contraction pain, constant but not severe, but at times very painful, and then all day yesterday. i was walking lots and moving around trying to keep labour going. today i took a different approach, relaxing and seeing how many contractions i had. i still had many, but nothing consistent or progressive.

it is great to have more time with diedre. she is quite sick with a chest infection (she's been on treatment for a day now) so it would be better for her to be healthy before baby2 arrives. we were also able to pick up a "from baby" gift and my mom got a good start on the "i'm a big sister" shirt for her (we just have to iron on the design).

diedre has really developed a love of dancing, with or without music, so thats been fun, to cheer her on and watch her dance around. she's so cute :D

we have a dr.'s appointment tomorrow morning so if i'm at least a cm, he might try stripping membranes...we'll see what he says i guess.

its so weird, it really felt like i could feel myself dialating with the pain i was in...i guess i don't know my body like i hoped i would!

ciao

more time for preparations

just wanted to say that i had 2 days of 2 hours of contractions in the evenings and one evening of one hour contractions that were really very painful (more intense than Braxton Hicks but not the "real" take-your-breath-away contractions.) yesterday i had maybe 4 contractions. things have really slowed down, so i guess we have a bit more time to wait yet. more time for housecleaning and general reorganization! yay!

yesterday afternoon and evening were great. i'm glad i was around to enjoy it. i had a "new mom to be" gift from my friend Karley, she cut and highlighted my hair. i love how it turned out and i feel very perked up from it!

then we went over to the Hetzlers' for a much awaited roast beef dinner (we've been trying to get together on a Thursday night for several weeks but Derek either had worship team practice or work or renos to do). it was sooo yummy!

then we had a family photo shoot with Ben which we are excited to see the results of. Ben has become such an avid photographer and we are so happy he was willing to do some family shots with the big belly. if we're still at home tonight, he's going to come over here for another photo session.

i totally felt like a princess last night, a tired princess, but pampered :) ahhhh how nice!

more outdoor cleanup

looking at a dog walk by



cuddles with daddy


helping to rake up sawdust

VIDEO of diedre helping her silly parents

VIDEO of diedre having fun with the animals

39 weeks pregnant

i had a doctor's appointment yesterday. he said everythings ready to go and it could happen anytime. baby is in a great position and my cervix is very soft apparently but still closed. i had about 2 hours of contractions in the evening last night, but nothing too consistent. same with tonight.

i feel really good and have been in hyper-nesting mode. lots of energy and getting lots of things done around here. we got the front yard all tidied up, i just need to sell our washer and dryer to get them out of the side of the house and there are some items other people are supposed to pick up soon that will help further tidying.

diedre has really changed this week. she seems more interactive in group settings. she is constantly impressing us with her new words and we are having so much fun with her!

diedre's first night in a big girl bed

nov 6 06
getting ready for bed in her new room. we moved diedre into our old room so the baby will have her old room (its the smallest room). we decided to try her out in the new bed tonight.

getting pajamas on with daddy

not too sure about actually sleeping in this daybed...she has played on it, read books on it, and pretended to sleep on it...but tonight, she cried alot and was very upset to be in that bed in that room. it took 15 minutes for her to calm down. we were both with her for 10 minutes or so, then i left for a few minutes and she continued to be upset with derek, so i went back in and said "we should probably just give her a hug and say goodnight and go." so we did, and within 2-3 minutes she was quiet. she did fall out of bed at one point and i went and put her back in. she did not wake up from it. she slept until 7.15am (which is very late for her, she's usually up by 5.50am).

nov 7 06
i told diedre to go to her room, and she went straight to the new room :)
we tried again to put her to bed, several hours earlier (it was 10pm the first night, 8 pm the second night). she went right to bed without crying and slept all night until close to 6.30am. yay! she did not fall off all night. but she seems to think she is really high off the ground now with our bed, her bed and the couch (she will back off the furniture like normal, but then ask for help to get down when her feet are an inch off the floor).

nov 8 06
i put her down for her first nap in the new room/bed and she cried all the way to the room but went to sleep after a minute. we'll see how long she naps for. she naps on a single mattress on the floor at grandma's and always sleeps for 2-3 hours!!! 

daddy's little helper

diedre carrying little pieces of wood for daddy to help clean up the reno mess

putting the wood in the pile

helping daddy shovel sawdust for the big clean up

fun running on the ramp

after church diedre was getting chased by some girls



 

our suite reno is complete!!!

we had an amazing crew of helpers throughout the project. thank you so much to Grandpa Gagne, andrew, shawn & joanna, steve (5.30am record holder!!!), waldy, erwin, dave & sharon, paul, nancy and to michelle and stuart who provided us with yummy pizza last night! it has been such a crazy three weeks in the life of derek, and also Grandpa as he put in many days on the project. my poor man was working days and staying up working on the suite until 2 to 4 am with last night being the latest at 5am!!!

we are soooo thankful its "done" although we have a list of things we will be getting around to in the next while, but they are thankfully not immediate "must-do's."

these pictures are from February when we installed laminate flooring in the living room. the bathroom is very 70s/80s. the hallway had a very low drop ceiling.

here are some of the guys hard at work installing a brandnew bathroom with laundry included (our new tenants brought their own laundry machines so we don't have a picture of the space "in use" at this point).
the guys tore down the wall between the laundry room and bathroom to make a larger more practical space. we bought all new fixtures (toilet was only $64 & the pedestal sink was only $35 at Home Depot--although the sink was quite the pain to mount as it did not have holes to secure it to the wall).
the wiring and plumbing was crazy bad in the two rooms and Grandpa and derek set about updating and making it safe and legal.

here are the before and after shots of the kitchen: new tile flooring with cedar trim along the walls.

here are the upgrades to the hallway and another shot of the laminated living room.
the hallway was given new tile flooring also with cedar trim and a raised drywall ceiling with new light fixtures and paint. steve worked all evening and night taping and mudding drywall so it would be ready to sand and paint for yesterday.

here is the storage area under the stairs getting fitted with insulation and drywall. sparky is spending his nights on the landing/entry way down the stairs. it was extremely loud to hear him or derek in his work boots walking up and down the stairs, this solution has drastically cut the noise down.

diedre and i are so happy to have derek back in our lives again :D

more pictures

following are some larger pictures of the renovation that i'm sure our parents will be happy to see :)


hallway


kitchen area


kitchen sink


peering up into the kitchen


toilet and bath shower unit


pedastal sink


laundry area

treat please

diedre, the hippo, dressed up with david, the construction worker

here was our trick or treating group.
diedre would say "treat please" and seemed to enjoy her time out. it was too much walking for me and i was in rough shape that night.

cozy

she likes to wear this tea cozy sometimes...

37 weeks pregnant

there it is folks! my biiiig belly! the doctor's not giving any hints about if this one is coming early. he says baby's in a great position and hopefully won't shift around posterior. i'm measuing 35cm which means the baby is very low down and in position--yay!

if anyone is interested, here is what i looked like at 37 weeks pregnant with diedre

i'm getting really excited about going into labour, even though i'm totally scared of the pain, i'm just really really hoping baby will be anterior and it will be a "breeze" like dr. says. ha ha. i plan to try to go without drugs again (although, i'm kind of open to the gas, as its something to do if the pain is really bad--although it was not a pain reliever per se with diedre. dr. said often women find it did not work for first pregnancies but subsequent pregnancies, it did).

unfortunately i got my results back for Strep B and its positive, which means, i will have to be on an IV during my labor. i HATE IVs (they hurt my bony hands). dr. said if i come in there at 6 or 7 cms dialated that we will have to skip the whole IV and he'll be there to catch the baby (apparently they need at least 4 hours of labour to administer two doses of antibiotics through the IV, if i'm that far dialated, there won't be time for two doses which means it would be ineffective anyway).

other than that, i'm feeling very huge and having a hard time walking around or rather sitting and then standing again...my doctor advised me to "not worry" about exercising but to eat well and drink lots of water (uh...doesn't he know its halloween time = lots of candy??). i need to remember that these are the weeks where i gained 4 to 7lbs PER WEEk when i was preg with diedre, so i need to weigh my cravings carefully and not give in to them every day...several times a day...maybe i should keep track on my other blog so that i have a bit of embarassing accountability...hmmm...

i think i gave diedre her "last bath" today. it hurts way too much to crouch down and try to reach over our large tub. so hopefully derek can take over the baths (most likely showers until after the 31st, because he's too busy in the suite to give her a real bath).

i'm totally nesting, but i can't do much since i can't move furniture and thats my main desire right now...mom & joanna are scheduled to come over saturday to help move some stuff around for me. hopefully it works with 4 little ones running around. i guess we could close the kids up in diedre's room with heather while i commandeer the room swap (what do you think about that heather?)

i keep thinking i should pack my hospital bag and diedre's overnight bag but then i think there's so much else to do, that i do almost nothing...if i only had a maid or something for a week, i could get so much done. things that i REALLY want done that would not be a priority to derek but would make me feel much more organized. i wonder what life would be like if i had been more organized all this time...hmmm...oh well, no sense wondering now.

next week my mom has a surgery that could either turn out minor (in and out in a day) or fairly intrusive (several days in hospital) so that is another thing on our minds and hearts. we will be in town that day for a doctor's appointment so we will probably hang around to visit her later on.

then the next day our new renters officially move in. goodness, things sure are happening these days!

i better get to bed. i drank more coffee than i should have today so i think thats probably why i'm still up...but man, am i in a good mood!

g'nite

progress

cutest little helper!

progress is being made on the suite

the "new" bathroom

kitchen has new tiles