Happy Due Date (40 weeks!)

Yep, it's 3:45am, and I'm up (again) in the middle of the night. I have been experiencing this insomnia for a number of months now. My eyes just pop open around 2am or so, like clockwork, and I can't seem to get back to sleep for about 2 hours. Sarah said eating a banana might help, so here goes. A friend up here said maybe the baby will get used to me being up at this time, and subsequently sleep during this period (as I guess babies tend to sleep while their parents are awake?). Anyway, I check Facebook, do a little online shopping, and write in my blog. I would read, but Rachel is fascinated with my book light and keeps taking it. I guess I could set myself up in the living room, but I find my arms and hands get numb holding the book (extra fluid causing temporary carpal tunnel) and it's not as warm as reading in bed. Although here I sit in the cold kitchen, typing at my tiny alcove desk (my new office, now that the spare room has become the baby's room).

It has been a good pregnancy (aside from the increasing number of complaints, most of them physical), but no sign of the little bean yet. I finished my job(s) about 2 weeks ago, so the first week was a little boring, since I didn't know what to do with myself. This second week has gone by really fast. I've been doing some xmas shopping, getting appts in, and visiting and resting a lot. The bassinett is ready, clothes are washed, hospital bag is packed and plans are set for dropping Rachel at a friends when we need to go to the hospital. Now we wait. Rachel was 11 days overdue, but I'd really like to avoid that again if possible. I definitely have been a lot more active this pregnancy, and people say I look "great", as though they are surprised that someone who is 9 months pregnant should look this way. I'll try to take a 40-week picture and upload it.

After having been through a pregnancy in the heat of summer, it's interesting to have a "winter" baby. And yes, we are definitely experiencing winter, with snow and -20 degrees for a few weeks already. I have found that a simple winter coat is all I need, although I still get cold. The main problem has been boots. I can't fit into my beloved Mukluks, which are steadfastedly slip-proof, and my Sorels are like snowmobile boots - big and bulky, and also hard to manouver into. I have been wearing a pair of running shoes that have no grip, but that I can slip into without having to bend over to tie the laces. Terrible I know. Who wants to slip at 9 months? I found a pair of rubber grips that slip onto shoes, so I have started to wear those. They are no good once you are inside a store, but for now, they will do.

Yesterday I met some moms for coffee who are also on mat leave. I had that same sense of being new to town, like I did when Rachel was born. Of course, by now I know lots of people in town, so of course, we had run into each other before: one had a daughter who was in the same Montessori daycare as Rachel last year, and the other was a volunteer with Moms, Boobs and Babies. It's just weird trying to get into the "mat leave" group. Not sure I really need or want to, although I say that now. I remember how desperate I was to meet other moms when Rachel was little. There seem to be some activities I can get myself involved in that I didn't know about, so having some connections is a good thing. For example, there is the cross country ski club, where a group of moms trade babysitting for 1/2 hour of skiing. There is a field house where you can borrow a stroller and use the indoor track to push the baby around. And there are a few other activities such as baby yoga or Salsa Babies dance class.

I do miss work, so it will be interesting to adapt to being a full-time mom again. I think I will appreciate mat leave a bit more this time. It is hard to imagine a new family member joining our little threesome. We have been just us for so long. Rachel is being patient, but I think she is feeling anxious, and has been swinging from wanting total independence from us to acting out in a babyish way. Poor thing, I think she will need a little extra TLC from us once the baby arrives. It's an interesting age, 5 1/2, to have a new baby in the family. Old enough to understand, but young enough that she might feel some jealousy.

Okay, maybe I can get myself back to sleep now. Stay tuned!

Vacation Day (and 37 weeks!)

I'm enjoying a day off today. I was scheduled for a three-day course called Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course, but it got cancelled, and that is just fine with me. I  would have been sitting at the hospital for today, Saturday and Sunday, and not even getting paid for it.

I'm 37 weeks this week, which some argue is term. From what I recall, I think it's 38-42 weeks. So I have another 1-5 weeks to go. My last week of work is next week, and I've been pretty busy, although not picking up as many extra shifts as I did in August and September. I find I need the weekends to rest. Otherwise pregnancy going well. I am starting to puff up again, as I did with Rachel in the last month, so my ankles are cankles, and I need help getting my feet in boots. Because we had a huge snowstorm all day yesterday and last night, and the snow is here to stay. It's kind of nice and cosy, and it was a good day to stay home and read library books.

Halloween was fun, Rachel was a witch (pics to follow), and Shane took her out for over an hour, even with a windchill of -15. I planned to give out candy by myself, but three of my friends from school came by to hang out, so I opened a bottle of wine (for them of course), and we had a great visit while kids stopped by the house. Next year I want Rachel to go out with a friend or two, because I think she'll have more fun.

We have made no headway getting ready for the new baby. Our back room is still a storage room, and we ordered a bassinet that won't arrive for another few weeks. Today might be a good day to get a bit organized, even to pack a hospital bag or something. I think we have just been working so hard these last few months, that thinking about anything extra at the end of the day is too exhausting. Plus this time around we have an active 5-year-old who needs a little extra attention these days. I think she is starting to feel the excitement of the end of the pregnancy, and has been acting out a little more. Or maybe she is just five years old. Every single thing is a struggle. Getting dressed, bedtime, waking up, getting picked up. Life is even busier for her because we also take her to skating and swimming, which she loves.

Other than work, that is about it for us. The year has flown by, I can't believe it's November already. Here are some belly shots...although I don't usually like taking them, I thought it would be good to have a few on file.

Darn! These are tiny. Double click them to make them bigger. I don't feel like re-exporting them. 

Little Miss Forgetful (and 30 weeks)

Above are Rachel's pics from dance class. I write more about them below...but having some technical difficulties. See how tall she is? And those are Vandewater shoulders if I ever saw any...She's the one at the back on the far left...they all kinda look the same to me.

Rachel and I have spent the summer reading through the Mr. Men and Little Miss books. We had a fairly good collection, but once we reached the end of our stash, we began buying up the ones we didn't have. Each Friday I would bring home two books, and hide them for Rachel to find. It was our little summer routine, and in the meantime, our collection has grown.

As you can see, I'm at 30 weeks now, and I find the "baby brain" or "pregnancy brain" has started to kick in. Silly things like walking into a room and forgetting why I went there, or going to the store for three things, and forgetting two of them. Also, one day I was in the passenger seat clicking the lock button and getting angry at Shane because the windows weren't rolling down. Wrong button. Weird stuff like that. Rachel has noticed, anyway, and when I asked her the same question (not having remembered the answer to it the first time, she called me "Miss Forgetful". Yep, that about describes it.



Of course, in trying to find a picture of Little Miss Forgetful, I realize she doesn't exist! It's little miss scatterbrain. There is a Mr. Forgetful, incidentally.

Rachel thinks I should dress up as this Little Miss for Halloween:


It's because of the belly of course, not because I happen to be, um, greedy.


Rachel started kindergarten two weeks ago, and absolutely loves it. She loves taking the bus, her teachers, the school activities, and she seems to be making lots of friends. It is such a nice change from her last year, when we had to drag her to Montessori daycare every day. I didn't realize how much of a stress it was on me until I see how little I worry about her while I am at work, knowing that she is happy all day.

We also signed her up for the after school program, which I was worried would be a very long day for her. Instead, it also seems to be going well. The kids get a snack, then go outside to play in the playground until we pick her up, usually only about half an hour to an hour after school ends. A lot of her friends from Montessori or who are a year older are in the program, so she gets to play with a different group of kids.

We had a bit of trouble with the bus during her first week of school. The first day, she was all excited to walk to the bus stop by herself, so Shane and I watched from the deck while she walked over. We saw the bus pull up and all the kids get on except Rachel. She was struggling with her backpack, then just as she approached the bus, the driver closed the doors. I guess he didn't see her at first. Then he opened the doors again, and she climbed on. At the end of the day, Shane and I decided to meet her at the school to make sure she would know what to do for the after-school program, and it was good that we did, because as we arrived at the end of the day, Rachel was lined up with the other kids to take the bus back home! If we hadn't arrived, we would have missed her and she would have ended up at our house. We sorted that out, and met the after-school coordinators.

The next day, Rachel wouldn't take the bus. She wouldn't clearly tell us why not, but it came out that the bus doors closing in front of her scared her. I learned that a young girl who babysits and lives near us also takes the bus, so we had her watch Rachel for an hour, and tell Rachel about how fun the bus was. The next day, Rachel went to the stop, met the girl, and climbed on the bus with no problem. Now she loves heading over the bus stop every morning before 8am. How nice not to have to drag her out of bed...she is so eager to go, that I have to make sure she eats breakfast.

Work is going well for me. Very busy, and with my afore-mentioned forgetfulness, I am finding it a bit of a struggle to stay focused on work. I just feel like I have a million little things I should be doing. My contract at the Dept was extended until I go on mat leave, and I am doing a smaller number of hours at the hospital, but still getting called regularly. I have found that I am involved in quite a large project at the Dept, and taking time off to take shifts is not only disruptive to the work I am trying to do, but also exhausting. Part of me wishes I hadn't accepted BOTH jobs, but on the other hand the experience is almost worth more than the pay. Almost.

The pregnancy has been going well too. The baby, our little guy, kicks tons, and keeps me up most nights. I've gained about 25 lbs, not too bad. My ankles are cankles by the end of the day, and my hands feel a bit puffy, but so far not too bad. My hair is wild, curly, and super-thick, and I hate it. I am getting it cut next week, and I definitely need some colour too. Sleeping hasn't been fun, as I can't seem to get comfortable, and I have wicked heartburn this time around. It is hard to think that I still have another two months to go, and be getting bigger all the time. I have been starting to think about when I will stop working...I know lots of moms-to-be who work until the day before, but I don't know if I can push myself to do that. Certainly I will try, but I have to remember that this pregnancy is six years later, and I am that much older. On the other hand, I didn't work the last 12 weeks with the last pregnancy, and I was bored. I may as well be earning some money and experience while we wait for the new arrival.

I've been really lax with organizing baby things as well. We haven't set up the crib, I have no bassinett, no swing, no change table. I was hoping to borrow or buy second-hand, but I haven't had a chance to start emailing. The baby room is not yet a baby room, as we have nowhere to put anything. I think we will really start noticing the size of the house once the baby arrives. If I can at least get a bassinett, then the baby will likely stay with us for a few months, and we can sort out the spare room in time. Forget painting and decorating...I'll have to spruce up the grey walls with some pictures or something.

We have been doing some fall cleaning of the house, which is so satisfying. Today we had the carpets professionally cleaned (although that red-coloured pop I let Rachel have ONE time, that spilled all over the middle of the living room floor...didn't come out. Guess the coffee table will have to cover that one). I also spent a good portion of the morning (while the carpets were drying) washing windows and screens. Even though our road is paved now, there is still a lot of construction, and I was amazed at how much better I can see through the windows now that they have all the buildup of dust removed. It's like I rubbed my eyes or something. But it was tiring, and I feel a bit sore now. I find my stamina is not quite as good, and by the end of the day I am heaving myself around. Another reason why it is nice to have my office job.

The weather has been fantastic, for September. We've just finished a warm sunny week, which by this time of year, is usually around 10 degrees C and rainy. I think it was 18 C today.

I have some pics of Rachel from her dance class, but I'm having some trouble adding them to the blog...we'll try again. Considering I paid $35 for them, I am pretty disappointed. The colour is off (even on the scan you can tell) and take a look at the group photo. The kids are all shifting around. But I guess that's five-year-olds for you. (okay, they posted at the top). And now I can't even cut and paste this paragraph to go up there, and I can't get the photos down here. Ugh.

Shane is ending an era of his life by leaving Northwestel and joining a large engineering and construction firm that has offices worldwide. He is looking forward to the change, but has been with telecommunications for over 10 years, so this is a big step.

Busy Life (and 26 weeks!)

I thought I'd tell you a bit about what it's like to be me these days. I am balancing two jobs, both of which I love, and let me tell you, it's been a long time since I have enjoyed working. It is very gratifying to slog through four more years of school and end up with a good job that lets me apply all the new knowledge I have gained in class. That being said, I am struggling to make time for both of them. Luckily they both knew I was applying for the other position, and both my supervisors have been very generous with flexible times for me to work. It helps that they are friends with each other outside of work, too.

I was about 6 weeks into my first job (as Nursing Consultant) when I started work at my new job (RN at the hospital). I was quite nervous, because while one job is office-y (and I have lots of experience at that), the other is quite different. Plus I'm sure everyone has heard about my less-than-pleasant experiences as a student in the hospital so I was understandably gun-shy about walking back into an environment like that. However, I had three great shifts, oriented by nurses who were supportive, encouraging, and complimentary. I got some great feedback that was forwarded to me by my supervisor, so I feel like I have made a first good impression.

However great my jobs are going, I have to keep reminding myself that I am expecting a baby in a few short months, and I have to watch my energy, as well as my safety. I have a lot of patients who are on "isolation", which means I have to gown, glove, and mask-up before I go into their rooms. And someone is always mopping a floor somewhere, so as I waddle around off-balance, I have to remind myself that it's easy to slip.

At the office, I have a much easier time of it. I sit myself in a comfy chair in front of a computer, and spend 7.5 hours using my brain. "I'm being paid to think," says one of my co-workers. Or, what she said was, "I'm being paid to work from my neck up." (She's a nurse, too). Strangely, I often feel more stiff after a day in the chair than when I run around for 12 hours at the hospital. And I eat. Today I was crunching on caramel-covered popcorn surrepticiously from a little bowl at my desk, trying not to let the Dietician who sits in the next office hear me. How ironic is that. I hope she never looks in my filing cabinet drawer, which is not filled, as you might think, with files, but with snacks. Some good, but most are "hiding" snacks like chocolate-covered almonds, chips, or peanuts.

Actually, right now I pretty much eat all day. I bring two sandwiches (one a peanut butter and honey, the other a liverwurst and cucumber sandwich lately), a banana, a sliced cucumber (yes, a whole one. Each day), several other kinds of fruit, like peaches, cherries, blueberries. And juice. And lots of water and herbal tea. (which means lots of bathroom breaks too).

So, you must be saying, how much weight have you gained with all this food? Well, yes, it's true the doctor only wanted me to gain 25lbs with this pregnancy, and I think I am just about there now, with another three months to go. So I guess I should be cutting back on the chocolate almonds. I suspect, however, that they are keeping me from falling asleep in the afternoon.

Because, ah, coffee. I have drastically cut down my intake for the little babe, but I do miss it. Every day. Now I drink half-caf, add lots of milk, and limit it to two cups in the morning. I was reading that in the second and third trimesters, the mother's body does not metabolize caffeine as quickly as it used to, so it takes longer to get eliminated from the body. Now would be a good time for me to switch to decaf, or better yet, get off coffee altogether.

I'm sure you are wondering what I do with my "brain" job, sitting in front of the computer all day. (Not that nursing in the hospital isn't a brain job too, it really is, making decisions all day, ensuring your patient is safe, that the medications are correct. It's actually physically and mentally draining).

So both jobs have challenges. I hope to work to make at least the 600 hours needed for mat leave federal benefits (I am at 302 now), and then we'll see how long I can work comfortably. Of course, as time goes on, the desk job starts to sound ideal. There's just so much THINKING in it, and my brain gets tired, or I feel a little scattered, which makes it more exhausting than working in a hospital.

Okay, this post was a little meandering. I think I just wanted to get some of my thoughts out. And what better way than to post them publicly?

Oh, I just finished a great book, "The Checklist Manifesto" by Atul Gawande. It's written very much in the same way as Malcolm Gladwell. Mark would like it, I bet.

Have a great weekend!

Happy August! (and 23 weeks)

Summer is just flying by. Although it's been two weeks since my last post, I don't have much to report. Just happen to have a little time at the end of a three-day weekend.

What Rachel is up to:

Had her pre-kindergarten screening at Public Health. She was very excited to go, even to get the shot, but at the last minute started to get nervous and wanted to sit on my lap. The nurse wanted this anyway, since I had to hold Rachel's elbow steady. Rachel said, "Ow, that HURTS!" and started to cry but recovered quickly when she got to choose her bandaid. I returned her to day camp and she told everyone she met that she had her needle. It's hard to believe how many vaccinations we went through when she was little, and this was the first one since she was 18-months old. I guess we'll be going through all that again soon.

She speaks very well, and we have noticed that she speaks LIKE us. The other day, she was talking about something, and said, "For example, ..." I've never heard a five-year-old start a sentence with "for example,"

She asks for the meanings of lots of words now. Like "sensitive" and "unfortunately" and "attitude". Sometimes it's hard to define words that we use every day.

So Shane was on a four-day trip to to site inspections on NorthwesTel towers. He had to drive all the way to Fort Nelson, BC, and stop along the way to take pictures of, well, towers. Here are some exciting shots:

Some of the roads he had to travel on to get to the towers got a little rugged.

He also had to take the ferry across the river. This ferry is beside the new bridge that is currently under construction. Once done, the bridge will prevent Yellowknife from being "isolated". Right now, when the ferry is "out" in early spring and early winter because of ice flow, we are isolated. Wheeled vehicles can't travel with no ferry, and the river is not yet frozen to create the "ice road". It usually means shelves are a bit more bare, and if you see things like diapers and detergent, you tend to stock up. The ferry can be out for up to five weeks. It also means we are paid "isolation pay", an added couple of bucks an hour for the privilege of living in a remote community. 

However, once the bridge is finished, we will no longer be isolated and will likely lose our Northern Living Allowance and any accompanying tax benefits. Durn. But it will be nice to know we can leave whenever we want. I think I've got all this right. Correct me if I'm wrong.

ALmost done.

John Theodore just arrived back home from Dubai and brought Rachel her own camel. John and Georgette are moving back to Halifax after three years. I thought Johnny would like to see a camel's life in Yellowknife. Yes, I know I'm just being silly. Who takes the time to do stuff like this?

 Rachel and I spent one of our weekend nights doing "crafts". We pulled out her easel and I was on one side with the chalkboard, while she drew on the other side. Before we erased everything, we took a few photos to remember our outstanding talent.

Mine is a drawing of our house, and Dad, Me (with belly) and Rachel watching the Northern Lights. Beside us is Brian's house with him outside with his dogs. Rachel still talks about our neighbours, who have recently moved away. We will miss them, and Maggie and Dallas too!

You may have heard that the Royal Couple was in Yellowknife for a couple of days. It was an awesome opportunity to see them, because there were only a few thousand people waiting for them, rather than tens of thousands, like in Calgary. I worked that day, but went down on my lunch hour to see what I could see. This was about as close as I got, but you can see them if you look closely.

 Here is an enlargement. They are beside the guy's arm. Some of my friends got there early and were right up at the front. They got to shake hands and talk to the couple, and have some awesome photos. It was kind of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I kind of wish I'd made an effort and brought Rachel down too. They were apparently really easy to talk to, and many people I know had an up-close interaction with them. I kept thinking: That's Diana's son! I followed her life quite closely when I was younger. I even remember her wedding in 1980.

close-up

Our new playground has been a blessing and curse. Rachel loves it and runs over there every chance she gets. I don't mind her going when there are kids there, but when she's alone, I usually go and sit with her. They put up a monkey bar set that is too tall for most five-year-olds, so guess who ends up lifting her up to it every time. At least I draw the line at lifting other kids. Also, once she was out there and ran into one of the metal poles. I was in the house, and heard her bloodcurdling scream, so I ran out. Of course there were other moms there tending to her, but I felt guilty for not being out there. And one of the moms ended up being my new boss, also a nurse, so I was even a little more embarrassed.

Also, I find sometimes I don't feel that social, but as soon as I'm out there, I end up chatting with everyone. I guess that's Yellowknife, but sometimes I long for anonymity, just so I can finish a chapter of the book I have brought along. Ah, well. Summer is over soon enough, and the playground will once again be deserted until spring. We've already started to have some of the rainy, colder weather that August brings.

Pregnancy going well, just getting some tests done next week, including the  glucose tolerance test and some bloodwork because I'm Rh-negative. More appts to come, it's so nice to get paid to go to all these appts.