Fun at the Park

Here is a slide show of David having fun at the park with Daddy. It was so cold that we had to go home after a while because David's little hands where frozen, but Mommy warmed them up with his first hot chocolate of the season.

Raclette

On Saturday we enjoyed our first raclette dinner of the season. We introduced our friends Tony and Christina to this traditional Swiss meal. It was our first time trying gruyere cheese and we quite enjoyed it. Natalie and David entertained each other for the most part so we were able to enjoy a nice adult sit down.

Sunday marked the beginning of my 22nd week of pregnancy. Sweet Pea weighs about 1lb and measures about 11 inches tall. I am really starting to notice a difference in how I am carrying this pregnancy... more to the sides and not as much out front. Between that, the added sickness in 1st trimester and the extra heart burn it is hard for me not to think that we are having a girl. BUT from talking to many mom's I know that a different pregnancy doesn't always indicate a different gender. Both Jonathan and myself would love another son as well as a daughter and we are committed to keeping it a surprise from everyone including ourselves. 5 more weeks until I start that final trimester. 4 weeks until Christmas!

Smells like Snow

Here are a few new pictures of David taken last week at the park. He loves going to the playground where he is actually aloud to climb, instead of at home where we are constantly asking him to "get down." We didn't actually get to stay as long as we would have liked because it started to sprinkle but I had a nice walk to and from the park. Took David there again yesterday only I had to make a few stops and by the time we got to the playground he was sleeping. We've got a busy weekend but if the sun comes out again next week we will go again. I'd like to walk 1-2 times a week to go along with my aquafit on Thursdays which is continuing to go well. I am thinking of signing up for another set of classes which will take me until March 18th.

Last week we also did 5 days of potty training "boot camp" but ended up deciding to take it easy for a while. We still put him in training pants sometimes and he even asks to sit on the potty but it seems he is not quite ready so we have eased up a bit... for our sake and for his. I do hope to train him before Sweet Pea arrives but that will depend on how ready he is and how much energy I have in my last few months of this pregnancy.

21 Weeks Pregnant

Today we are 21 weeks pregnant... more then 1/2 way done... especially since I tend to deliver before my due date. Sweet Pea is making herself known on the inside and out. She is moving much more, I can definitely feel her everyday. And my belly is growing too as you can see from these 21 week pictures Jonathan took this morning.

Today we also got a visit from Aunty Theresa who is visiting from Victoria so Mommy got to go out for a nice lunch and also had some company while trying to potty train David.

Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary!

Today Grandpa and Gramma are celebrating 50 years of marriage. We celebrated with them on Sunday. Happy Golden Anniversary!

Pictures of Sweet Pea

As for an ultrasound update baby is looking "happy and healthy"... those were the exact words of the doctor who spoke to us yesterday afternoon. Sweet Pea's heart looks great and they could see all four chambers. There was one concern as they found a "marker" on Sweet Pea's brain called "choroid plexus cyst" which is just a collection of fluid in the part of the brain which makes the fluid that cushions the brain and spinal cord. The "cyst" is a small build-up of fluid as it moves through the connecting tubes. As the baby grows so the tubes get bigger, and the fluid moves on. CPCs are almost always gone by 24 weeks and do no harm to the baby's brain (found this information from a google search). The concern was that CPCs are sometimes an indicator of a chromosome abnormality (less then 1% of the time). My reason for not updating yesterday was that I needed to see my doctor to find out the results from the other tests which combined with the finding of a "marker" make up a calculated "RISK." I got in to see my doctor this afternoon and he is not concerned at all. When a baby has a chromosome abnormality there is usually several signs and Sweet Pea is perfectly formed except for this little build up of fluid. We will be having another ultrasound around 28 weeks to make sure growth is normal and everything else continues to look good... mostly it will be another reassurance for us that everything is fine.

We specifically asked not to be told Sweet Pea's gender though we did keep our eyes open during the scan. Sweet Pea was hiding her parts well so her gender remains a mystery. Her heart rate today was 144bpm... which continues to be consistent with David and Noah. It was nice to get to watch her moving around... and I look forward to seeing her again in the new year.

19 week Ultrasound

Yesterday was the beginning of our 19th week of pregnancy and this afternoon we get to go for an ultrasound. Right now Sweet Pea weighs about 1/2 lb and measures approximately 6 inches from head to bum. In two more weeks she'll weigh almost 1 lb and measure 2 inches longer so she's got a lot of growing to do. We are very excitted to get to see her again... it has been 7 weeks since we saw her for the first time but today we are looking forward to taking home our first pictures. Unless something comes up this will be our last sneak peak before baby arrives, although with David and Noah I did have ultrasounds at 35 weeks so it could be that another one comes up. Sunday marks the 1/2 way point in a 40 week pregnancy but hopefully Sweet Pea will come just a little bit early like her brothers did. Yes I am saying "she" and "her" and NO we don't know the sex of the baby and we are not planning to find out until "she" arrives. I will continue this post with an ultrasound update when we get home from the hospital but our appointment isn't until 4:30 this afternoon.