Second Trimester

15 weeks

15 weeks! i can't believe we've been making these pictures for 8 weeks already.. that's insane! i definitely notice a difference in belly size sinze the 8 week photo. we loved out midwife appointment as usual this week. and i think sylvia was thrilled to hear that we had definitely decided on a home birth.. provided everything goes as planned, anyway. i want to make sure to still keep an open mind just in case. i don't want to be disappointed or let down if we do end up needing to go to the hospital. but only positive thoughts here!!

this week we also had our first "interview" with a family doctor. he was soooo old! seriously. his doctor certificate thing was dated 1966. garrick thinks he's gonna die soon haha. and i think he was a little kooky. luckily, we have another interview with a different doctor next wednesday.. and sylvia says he's a younger guy. hopefully he's our match!

words from garrick...
i've been thinking a lot about having baby around.. and when baby is a year old.. laughing, giggling, walking.. i look forward to everything. i'm super duper excited that we're having a homebirth, cuz ultimately that's the best thing for mama and baby. and i'm also very pleased that amanda's able to stay home for not only the first year, but multiple years. it's very important for the development of the child to have a parent raising it. i'm happy that i can provide that for our family.

as previously mentioned, garrick was in edmonton for work meetings monday and tuesday night. his company has grown sooo much in the last few years, and he's excited to be part of all the action and changes. he says "watch out, competitors".

WOO there are 6 votes on the poll (i still only know who made 1 vote!)! we're now 3 for 3, boy to girl. hopefully  some of you decide to send pictures for the guessing game :)

the guessing game

hello everyone!

it's time for my fun "project" for everyone to participate in. i'd like for everyone to take a picture of themselves wearing (or if you don't own a shirt in whichever colour, just wear a neutral-coloured shirt and hold something in the particular colour) either blue (for boy, of course) or pink (for girl), whichever you think the baby is, and email it to me (amandakopiak@gmail.com). and with your permission, i'll post the pictures onto here and tally up the total! i thought it would be fun for baby in the future to see what everyone thought he/she was going to be.

of course garrick thinks it's going to be a boy, and as for me... i still don't have any true feelings either way, but i've had two dreams where it was a girl and zero where it was a boy... plus i just needed to wear pink to contradict the blue haha.

we have an ultrasound MAY 3RD so the pictures should be in before then! we look forward to seeing everyone's guesses

sick day...

normally i'd be sitting at my desk, happily counting down the minutes until lunch time (1 pm). today, i'm on the couch.

i was battling a bit of a headcold since friday evening. it started with a scratchy, dry throat that felt as if i had just inhaled a bunch of smoke or something. this was a weird beginning to a cold for me! typically colds start with a swollen-feeling throat, - sore throat, - super stuffed-up nose, - runny nose, - cough. that's how it always goes for me. so this time, scratchy throat led to wanting to cough ALL the time, which really doesn't do anything. yesterday i had a headache all day and my stomach wasn't feeling quite right, but i forced myself to eat and drink lots of water. then there was this morning... i woke up with zero appetite (weird, since i've been having 3 mini-breakfasts every day since being pregnant) and the same scratchy, head-achey symptoms as yesterday, plus a bit of a runny nose. i drank a glass of juice for some vitamin c, and took a vitamin d right away. after my shower, i was feeling worse.. but this isn't unusual.. there have been frequent mornings where the hot water pounding down on me made me feel a bit icky. i had another cup of juice.. then shortly after, was in the bathroom vomitting. and this certainly wasn't morning sickness related! i took another vitamin d and a ginger capsule with some water and continued getting ready for work.

i was told i looked as pale as a character from twilight.. haha. there were a few things that i wanted to get finished, so i worked away.. then made another lovely trip to the bathroom! i worked for an hour and a half, then decided to go home. normally, i probably would have stayed, but now i'm taking care of two of us! and i know that a pregnant woman's immune system is already low and it can sometimes take extra long to get over a sickness, so i think the best thing to do was come home, rest, and drink lots and lots of fluids. it already feels better to be curled up on the couch rather than working. i am, however, very thankful that i have a job where i can sit most of the time! that's the only thing that made work a bit more bearable. had i been at petland having to stand, i wouldn't have made it that long.

garrick's worried about me as well as the baby. he's super paranoid that this is very bad for baby, but i reassured him that as long as i don't run a high fever and i stay hydrated, everything will be fine. he feels terrible for having to leave for edmonton tonight, and leaving me without any "care". soooo cute. i love and appreciate all his concern and everything he does to take good care of me. i'm more concerned about him getting sick while he's gone! so he's packed up with his own stash of vitamin d and some ginger capsules (just in case). i blame the two sick girls at the prenatal yoga class.. what are you thinking, going to a class while sick, which a bunch of women with compromised immune systems?! ohh well. i like to think every illness strengthens me and my immune system... and now, in turn, the baby's immune system!

so here i am, stretched out on the couch, tucked under the snow leopard-print fuzzy blanket, with pirate curled up on top of my feet, and motor on my chest. the kitties always take such good care of me :)

Second Trimester

14 weeks

better late than never!! here's the 14 week photo. and if you compare to last week, there's definitely a difference. yesterday i worked up the courage to attend a prenatal yoga class. it was really good! there were only 3 other girls at the class.. all between 20 and 26 weeks, so in comparison to them, i don't look pregnant at all! it was a lot easier than regular yoga. a pregnant woman's body produces a natural muscle relaxant, which makes it a lot easier to over-do exercise, so prenatal yoga is meant to accomodate for that, as well as the growing belly. it focussed a lot on stretching and opening the hip muscles and joints, and helps a mom really connect with her body and baby. that particular studio only has two more prenatal classes.. but i'll miss next week because of our midwife appointment. i did order the prenatal version of the yoga dvd i already have, so i can do it at home for a lot cheaper! i'll do it right after work while garrick is out doing his daily jog.

random fact: between the two of us, we've been drinking 8L of milk a WEEK! i think that's an insane amount of milk.

garrick's contribution: amanda's birthday is coming up and i've got a nice surprise (amanda in the background "ooohhhh, what?!?!?). (and other than that, nothing. i put him on the spot, oops!)

currently....

me sitting funny on the couch blogging away

loving: my changing body! i think it's important for a pregnant woman to embrace the changes, and that is definitely what i'm doing. i can't wait for the summer and for going to the beach every day after work (yes, i plan to wear a bikini still!) and show off my belly. it's an amazing thing to actually grow another human being inside of you! one that is half you, and half the person you love. wow.

thinking about: this weekend and the beautiful weather we're supposed to have. and also about my parents' visit.. it's going to be so much fun and so nice to have them here!

anticipating: our next midwife appointment next week. i would love to hear the baby's heartbeat again! and i'm NOT looking forward to another blood test this weekend. something got screwed up with my medical card number and the only thing that wasn't collected the last time was my blood type.. which i'm actually quite curious to know what it is!

listening to: no music over here.. just the clicking of the tv as garrick searches for the perfect movie to watch on netflix, as soon as i'm done with my post.

eating: well... i'm not actually eating anymore.. but i JUST finished eating two hotdogs for dinner! and garrick bought some delicious treats from sweet caroline's for dessert.

wishing: that i had a bigger baby bump, not just an over-stuffed tummy. and that garrick didn't have to go away for two nights next week.

i see a few people have voted! but i can't tell who voted what... so leave a comment! and say hi anyway! part of the reason i wanted to start this blog was to stay connected with friends and family, so let me know your thoughts and what's going on!

<3

delay on weekly photo

hello!

i attended a prenatal yoga class tonight, so the weekly picture will be delayed until tomorrow! until then.. some of my favourite "pregnant" photos off pinterest.

bronzed belly

so comfy looking

such a cute outfit

i'll be back tomorrow with my own picture!! in the mean time, i've put a poll on the right side... BOY or GIRL?! and i plan on doing a cool little project starting right away.. but i'll talk about that later.

see you all tomorrow! <3

Second Trimester

13 weeks

here it is! the first post of the second trimester.
a friend of ours has a great second-hand baby shop here, and she also carries some gently used maternity clothes! she kept some things aside for me, and last friday i spent $90 on some great finds: an awesome pair of full panel maternity jeans, green khaki capris, capri dress pants, a black t-shirt, two good shirts for work, a tank top, and a dress.. pretty awesome deal! AND now she's got some great condition cloth diapers for us! i'm super excited about that because cloth diapers run $18-20 a piece brand new usually.. and we're very adamant on cloth diapering. kathryn has also been doing some great shopping for me! she's found a pair of dress pants, a couple long shirt/dress things, tank tops, scoop neck tops, and the lovable maternity leggings!!! she'll be sending the stuff with my parents when they come for a visit... IN THREE WEEKS!!!! eeeee!!!!

this past week we also watched an excellent documentary called "the business of being born". it gives quite the eye-opening perspective on hospital births and the "business/money" side of pregnancy and birth.  it solidified even more that we want to have a home birth. i also really want to start prenatal yoga. if i start going to a class, i'd get to meet other soon-to-be moms.. but i'm shy haha

garrick is sad that nhl season is winding down and that tampa bay won't be making play offs. and this is what he has to say this week: "mom's worried about not gaining weight, but it's very clear that she's getting a belly, so the scale just must be broken. you [baby] are growing and forming into the wonderful blessing that you are."

we love you, baby! and we're soooo excited for our next appointment in two weeks, and to get to hear your heartbeat again <3

what's been going on lately?

well i'll tell you.

source

i've been feeling super guilty about everything people throw away lately. we've been trying to do our part by recycling really well, and it's definitely made a huge impact on the amount of garbage we have!! but now i want to go one step further. 30-40% of garbage is made up of compostable material.. that's crazy! think of all that space being taken up in the landfills.. what if everyone did their part recycling and composting? that's our project for this weekend.. to start a compost. i'm really excited about it! you just can't put meat or dairy into the compost.. but lots of other things are fair game! leftovers of fruits and veggies, nail clippings, paper/kleenex, hair, egg shells, bread (but not white.. which we don't eat anyway), tea bags, dryer lint, coffee grounds, nut shells, pencil shavings, dead houseplants, dried up dead leaves from outside, grass clippings... soooo many things that we un-necessarily throw away! and what's compost good for? the garden!

i've also been planting stuff. i started a little tray of: sweet peas, basil, tarragon, chives, dill, and oregano! and my avocado pit has been planted into dirt.. it seems to be doing well. maybe i'll turn my brown thumb green after all!

on the weekend, we made our announcement to the facebook world.. that was pretty fun!

garrick has been working super hard on his diet and exercise regime. he's losing some weight and it's definitely showing! i'm very proud of him. he's been doing a ton of wii fit and sit-ups every day.. and some days he's even able to work out at the little gym at the office. i think in the last month he's lost 5 lbs. he wants to lose more by the time he gets his awesome chest piece in august so he can show it off :)

my favourites off pinterest:

tips for growing citrus indoors



source

and there will be a new photo and update tomorrow! :)

First Trimester

12 weeks

(please excuse my kind of funny hair.. it just got cut and isn't styled the usual way that i like it)

twelve weeks! baby is much safer now *phew*. we think i'm definitely beginning to show a little bit.. but a shirt still covers it up pretty good. today was a good morning! i had a cold glass of water and a few strawberries as soon as i woke up, then another glass of water and a banana after i got out of the shower. that did a great job tiding me over until my bagel and cream cheese an hour later. perhaps my very mild morning sickness will actually be gone soon! only three more weeks until we can hear the heartbeat again! i'm so excited. and we also scheduled our 20 week ultrasound for may 3. as long as baby cooperates, we'll find out what we're having!

garrick's been getting a lot of work done on his lancer this week. he finally installed his lowering kit, got something that takes in more air into the engine and makes the car go faster, new wheels, new tires... and also needed new struts and a filter cleaning. hopefully it's all done by this weekend, then he can take us on a little drive! he's pretty excited about it all.

i'm beginning to prepare for the impending BIG belly. i've ordered a few things off ebay so far: a pair of full panel jean shorts, a maternity t-shirt dress, and some maternity skinny jeans. kathryn is also doing some shopping for me at work and should have some things to send with my parents when they come for a visit. and i've got my belly bands!! good for when my regular clothes aren't quite cutting it. i'm pretty much refusing to pay for expensive maternity clothes. 2nd hand and cheap, all the way!!

what else is new here...
only 4 weeks til my parents come visiting!!!

First Trimester

11 Weeks

we're a day late with this week's picture because of our appointment yesterday.

here is garrick's account of hearing the baby's heartbeat:
i was standing behind sylvia - the midwife- looking at stuff, as she was messing around on amanda's  tummy, and i heard what i thought was a heartbeat, so i immediately jumped beside sylvia to see for myself what was going on. after she confirmed that it was the heartbeat we heard, we tried for another few minutes, only to hear it beat about another four more times because baby was swimming around being a water piggles, just like me! it gave me a feeling of relief to know that baby was in fact in there, growing away, being a healthy little fetus. mommy is patiently waiting for you to get bigger cuz she really, really wants to have her baby tummy. and every day she looks at it in the mirror, then asks me if it's bigger than the day before. i of course say it is, even if it hasn't grown. but it mostly certainly has from week 9 to week 11. just like any pregnant woman, mommy has cravings: the biggest being pickles. then baked potato (she had some 3 days in a row). i've been calling her pickle-face lately. all day driving, i think of you.

after our exciting appointment, we went for 35 cent wings at original joe's! they were soooo good. and by the time we got home, it was early bed time! this week has been a busy one for garrick... as i previously mentioned, garrick was in the kootenays monday and tuesday, and today he made the long drive to william's lake and back. he woke up at 5 in the morning, so we tried to go to bed early last night.

tomorrow is grocery shopping day (yay, more food!! today i wanted potato salad... it's on the list), but other than that, we don't really have any weekend plans. garrick works half a day saturday though.

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