Our Little Fraselnut!

We've survived the first 24 hours at home with baby Fraser Brian, and thought we'd post some head shots for your viewing pleasure. :)

He's a gem... an eating, sleeping, pooping gem!

More on labour, delivery, and life with little Fraser later, but for now the moment you've all been waiting for. The much anticipated WINNER of the baby prediction contest is... KAREN E!! She guessed a baby boy on September 28 at 1:25am, and our little Fraselnut* arrived on the 28th at 3:49am. She also guessed his length correctly (21 inches)! We'll be in touch, Karen... you have tunage and many lattes coming your way!

Also, Kevan W was the only one to guess the weight exactly (7lbs 9oz). I'd say that's worthy of a little prize... wouldn't you (Kev)?

Thank you all for your kind comments, congratulations and words of encouragement... we feel so loved!

*Props to Janessa G for suggesting "Fraselnut" as a nickname for our boy. We've been using it so naturally already, and I'd like to think that eventually I would have come up with the brilliant idea myself!

I'M HERE!!! And I'm a...

BOY!

Hi, my name is Fraser Brian and I was born this morning at 3:49am. I surprised everyone by only weighing 7lbs 9oz. I am 21" long, I have lots of hair, I like to have my picture taken, and all the nurses have already raved about how strong I am.

I was super comfortable in my Mommy's womb, but I've recently been getting the distinct impression that she wanted me out of there.

This is the first thing I saw upon my entrance into this big bad world...

And then this....

(What does "coochy coochy coo" mean anyways? It seems to be all my parents can say.)

It's been a wild ride, and either my Mom or I will fill you in on all the exciting events of my big birth day soon. For now, I must seek out something hazelnutty and chocolatey... for some reason I have a strong hankering!

week 41 - a ginormously huge pumpkin

Okay seriously though... this is borderline ridiculous. This pumpkin weighs 917lbs, and there's absolutely no way that can be topped. The local 'Giant Pumpkin Festival' just happened to be yesterday, so we were able to slip in and very conspicuously snap a few photos with the huge-onormous pumpkin while Dan and Carlynne held up our white backdrop sheet. I wish I had a picture to show you how absurd the whole scene was (we made quite the public spectacle!), but in our haste to get the job done and leave with as much dignity as possible in tact, we snapped the shot and jetted.

While he doesn't quite hit the 917lb mark, Hazelnut is still big. Basically, he's a fully developed tot just chillin in my uterus. I'm actually querying whether he's now a fully developed toddler.

I really only have one item for my listy-loo, and I believe it's my most profound thought yet...

1. GET OUTTA THERE!!!!

The end.

week 40 day 5 - Dear Hazelnut...

Dear Hazelnut,

You are such a special child and I have LOVED carrying you in my tummy. I'm still feeling fantastic, I love witnessing all your little movements, and I'd normally be more than happy to carry you in there for as long as you'd like. HOWEVER. Uncle Daniel, Auntie Carlynne, and puppy cousin Watson are scheduled to fly back to Ottawa on Sunday, and I'd REALLY like for you to meet them before they go (they're pretty awesome). They'd also really love to meet you. The completion of your zebra room and stair running didn't entice your arrival, but perhaps their pleading eyes will...

Also, I'm a wee bit concerned that you might just rip right through my stomach soon as I don't think it's physically possible for my skin to stretch any more.

Please don't make us go to the 'Giant Pumpkin Festival' tomorrow in search of an appropriate week 41 vegetable (although secretly I sort of want to).

We love you and can't wait to meet you!
Love,
Mommy, Daddy, and puppy brother Kumeu

week 40 day 4

• 2 cm dilated
• 80% effaced
• head dropped

Just doing some stair runs... no biggie.

week 40 day 3 - THE BABY ROOM!!

Still no baby.... but there sure is a baby ROOM!! Mom, Carlynne and I put the finishing touches on it today, and it's ready to share!

You likey the zebra wall? One day I spontaneously decided that I wanted a zebra print wall. My Mom and I promptly painted the wall ivory, I selected a design, and a very talented friend of ours executed beautifully... THANKS RHONDA! Let's have a look-see close-up shall we?

Isn't it bee-ootiful? And how about that Zebra BUTT (I love cute little animal butts)?...

The bed, by the way, is what I slept in from the time I graduated from a crib until I got married! The room just happens to be big enough to accommodate it!

Here's a close-up of the cutesie little breastfeeding corner...

Carlynne is responsible for all the lovely artwork (i.e., she drew the animals). It is soooooo handy having an artistically brilliant sister. We requested and she delivered. Here are the zebra and giraffe closer up...

Okay now Hazelnut. Seriously. Your ROOM is ready...are YOU??!?!!!

week 40 day 2 - my husband is a brilliant man.

STILL NO BABY! And do you like how the baby countdown is now counting UP?

I have a confession to make. The reason I was SO adamant about not having this child before September 10th (other than the strong urge to pose with a giant pumpkin) was that Lowell was scheduled to write the EPPP (an exam he’s required to complete in order to become a registered psychologist) on September 9th. We had to travel to Calgary for this exam, and we did not want even a HINT of labour before we returned safely to Lethbridge. We told very few people about this exam as it has a ridiculously high failure rate. Lowell didn't want the added pressure nor did he want to share with tons of people that he failed. However, I think the rest of us had more confidence in him than he did, and rightly so. He found out yesterday that he PASSED!!! HE PASSED THE EPPP ON HIS FIRST TRY!!!!!! I can’t even describe to you how AMAZING this is!! Completing the EPPP is the biggest hurdle towards becoming a registered psychologist, and he has it done and out of the way before Hazelnut’s arrival! WOOOOHOOOOOOO!! This is a HUGE accomplishment, and I am so so so very BEYOND proud!

NOW Hazelnut is MORE than welcome to make his earthly appearance, and we’ve been following the loooooong list of ways to naturally induce childbirth to help him along. Old wives tales or not, allow me to enlighten you on the strategies attempted since Sunday (and thus far)...

1. Drinking raspberry leaf tea
2. Walking


3. Sex
4. Bouncing on an exercise ball
5. Eating spicy (Indian!) food
6. Massaging pressure points

Pineapple's next up... any other tried, tested and true suggestions?!

Thing I will avoid trying at all costs:
1. Castor oil (yech)

And now to end off with a little treatski. I caught the tiniest little clips of Hazelnut kicking around on his due date (he usually never cooperates when I pull out the camera!). The soundtrack is his heartbeat at week 38. Enjoy our little nut!

WEEK 40! IT'S PUMPKIN DAY!

Just to be clear... THIS pumpkin weighs like 35lbs... hopefully very unlike our dear Hazelnut. He's more like 9lbs-ish and just over 20 inches long. His lungs are continuing to develop, and his nails and hair are apparently still growing!

Honestly, I didn’t think I’d make it to week 40 (my due date). I thought I’d go early because a) my Mom did, and b) I’m huge. But... here I am!

Okay, now THIS may be the last listy-loo...

1. The absolute most hilarious little interaction to occur during my entire pregnancy...

Little boy (with hands on my belly): Why is your tummy so fat?
Me: Because there’s a baby in there!
Little boy (moving hands to my sides): Oh… why aren’t the sides fat?
Me: Because some people only carry babies out front!
Little boy (now cupping my breasts) :Why are these so fat? I thought the baby was only in the tummy!

OH MAN! I was a tad caught off guard and thus sweetly responded with something about some women carrying babies everywhere (whilst barely containing my laughter). In hindsight, perhaps I should've taught the little gaffer a bit of a lesson about breast-groping (rather than completely reinforcing it)! Next time...

2. We’ve had a hot and beautiful summer, and Lowell and I FINALLY got to float down the river with Nicholas, Chelsea, and da poochies. We only have pictures of our cramped arrival as we didn’t have a waterproof camera.

The trip started out delightfully calm, beautiful and relaxing (well, at least for Chels and I who had luxury air mattresses and did NOT have doggies climbing atop our flotation devices WITH us), but over a 10-minute time period, the temperature dropped 15 degrees, and the wind picked up immensely causing choppy waters. We aborted mission and walked the 2kms back to our drop-off vehicle. Lowell joked that someday we would share with Hazelnut what we did 2 hours before he was born. Seriously though, we WERE pretty impressed (and a little shocked) that labour was NOT induced!

3. We were talking with friends about how most people can’t wait to get their babies out of them at this stage of the pregnancy, and Lowell said “We don’t feel that way…we love it!” Yes… WE. I guess that means that he DOESN’T mind giving daily massages, and perhaps this practise will continue? Lowell?

4. CARLYNNE'S HERE!! I hadn’t seen Carlynne since January (when we were about the same size). When I first laid eyes on her this week, my first thought was, “Carlynne lost weight!” I brought it up to Lowell later and said with concern, “Did she lose weight? Did she not look TINY to you?” Lowell agreed that she DID look small, then we realized what was ACTUALLY going on. We were both used to MY new normal (which is NOT so petite). This hang out time has GOT to be good for Carlynne’s self esteem!

It’s been a hoot having Carlynne around. We hang out all day, have quality gal time with mama, and have a daily scheduled nap time (always a must). Also, it’s kind of ASSUMED that we all congregate at Mom & Dad’s for supper every single night for family time. LOVE!

One of the first things Mom, Clyn and I did was get pedicures. (Note the swollen legs. One of the cute Vietnamese pedicure ladies walked by me, placed her hand on my shin and proclaimed, "Oooo! Swollen!" Yes indeedy.)

I had one foot painted pink and one foot painted blue. NOT because I want our child to be confused about his/her sexual orientation, but because we don’t know if we’re having a boy or a girl. Carlynne gave me the idea. Being a medical gal herself, she thought the medical team would get a kick out of it. I’ll report back.

5. I think Watson (Carlynne and Dan's 11-month old golden doodle) may be even more human than Kumeu (if that's even possible). THIS is apparently a familiar sight around BOTH households…

Also, both doggies have bed access...

But Watso’s human tendencies have expanded beyond Kumeu’s. Like… in the car. Following a trip to the dog run, both dogs WERE in the very back, then Watso climbed into the back seat and sat up regally. Carlynne and I stopped to run into a store and when we came back out, Watso was sitting elegantly in the FRONT seat (while Kumeu was obediently in the very back where he has recently been relegated because of the coming child). Next thing we know, Watso will be driving US to run errands.

This is the first time Watson & Kumeu have met, and they get along famously...

6. The stretchmarks on my stomach are now so expansive that it's almost a work of art... almost.

7. My feet have been RIDICULOUSLY swollen. We went to see The Help with the fam (FANTASTIC movie, by the way), and this is what my feet looked like when we got home...

hot.

8. Thank you for all the personal well-wishing messages... and also for the threats that I need to go into labour so you can win Starbucks/iTunes!

9. Lately I haven't been getting many comments about being pregnant with twins because I've confirmed that my due date is indeed very near. However, TWO DAYS AGO, I told a lady that I was due in TWO DAYS, and she continued, "with twins?" Hehe :)

10. When I asked Lowell if he wanted to cut the umbilical cord, his immediate response was “no”. I asked him why not, and he responded, “What if I cut the wrong thing? Like a leg… or a penis.” I assured him that the medical team would likely be very clear about what needed to be cut. I think he WILL do it… that is, if he’s not already passed out in the corner.

11. This whole week has been amusing. When people ask me when I'm due and I respond with "on Sunday", they get a panicky look in their eyes like they're silently pleading with me not to have the baby right there in front of them. Entertaining for me!

12. There has been a lot of cramping going on this past week. I have a hard time telling the difference between menstrual-type, bowelly, and contractiony cramping, but regardless.... something has GOT to be going on down there.

13. I've mentioned my philosophy about not commenting on someone's pregnancy- no matter how obvious- unless they mention it first. HOWEVER, now that I'm on the obviously pregnant side, it seems almost rude when people DON'T acknowledge that I'm pregnant. Hmmmm.... I'm sticking with my philosophy though... it just ain't worth it.

14. Our labour kit is soooo packed and ready to go!

15. Some of you are really brave! You STILL haven’t voted and TODAY’S MY DUE DATE!! Ummm…. I’d get on that… NOW! Click here: http://goo.gl/Fxd0J

16. I'm now measuring about 43 inches around.

(This is Lowell playing with the camera, lighting, and a pregnant lady!)

17. This morning Lowell and I invited ourselves to the rents' place for a spontaneous breakfast, and we arrived bearing pumpkin spice lattes for all as it's PUMPKIN DAY. It was just a coincidence that Mom had homemade scones in the oven and a big bowl of fresh fruit cut up and ready for eats. Yum!

18. We're sort of banking on Hazelnut being born this week... mainly because we have no idea how one would top a 35-lb pumpkin!

WEEK 39!! WATERMELON!!!

I'm so PUMPED that I made it to the watermelon stage! WOOHOO!! Hazelnut is probably somewhere in the neighbourhood of 8lbs now (according to our doctor's estimation), and about 20 inches long. His brain is still developing (what a smartie he shall be!), he's flexing his limbs, and his nails might extend past his fingertips!

And now for what may or may not be the last LISTY-LOO..

1. This baking spree of mine has been glorious for the tastebuds but detrimental to the waist lines. Cookies for supper and cherry pie (homemade from our own cherry tree cherries) for dessert. No joke… that was Wednesday’s menu at the T home!

2. We’re fairly intelligent people and we know it’s highly unlikely (read: impossible), but we’re really hoping that Hazelnut get’s Kumeu’s eyes. How can you look at these eyes and NOT melt a little bit inside?!

Also, I’ve been thinking… we love Kumeu SO MUCH. I can’t even IMAGINE how much we’re going to love our child.... our very own flesh and blood!

3. Lowell has been on a broccoli kick lately, and let me tell you. Broccoli burps are horrid. And don’t even get me STARTED on broccoli toots…

4. I love that we’ve had amazing basement dwellers (renters). The problem is that our cool room (i.e., storage room) is in the shared area, and I feel obligated to put pants on whenever I need to fetch supplies. As we all know, I do NOT love pants. *sigh*

5. It’s common knowledge that my least favourite- and in fact most dreaded—domestic activity is cleaning muffin tins. During my recent baking spree I actually started using those little paper muffin cups. Why did I not hop aboard THAT train several years ago??!!

6. Long story short, we went to the hospital for a non-stress test this week. Don’t I look stressed though?

Actually, it was kind of stressful, but all is well with me AND baby, and the nurse even said we have a "very happy baby". Yeay, a happy baby!

Before we went in, Lowell and I were discussing bleeding and placenta tearing with a doctor friend, and Lowell ended up leaning against the wall, colour drained from his face with glazed-over eyes. I’m 85% sure that Lowell will faint at some point during the birth. Good thing Mom and/or Carlynne will be there!

7. Mom and I canned 66lbs of peaches!

I'm soooo lucky that my mama is my canning buddy. I dare say one could not have a better canning buddy than that!

8. Have I mentioned that both of my shins are carpets of red speckles (popped blood vessels)? Add that to the veins and water retention… hawt. Also, things have definitely been loosening up more down there. I'm not sure that the upper, inner thigh/groin area spasms can be attributed to that or some sort of pinched nerve, but the hip discomfort has returned. It's actually a good thing though because this narrow-hipped woman is going to need all the help possible to get a KID through there!

9. 44 lbs up in total. Yeay me. And I measure 42 inches around!

10. Over the last few weeks, Kumeu has turned a corner fetching-wise! He’s always been a great little fetcher INDOORS, but when outside, it would turn into a game and he’d run around with the ball/stick in his mouth just EGGING us on. I think it’s finally clicked that if he brings the ball back to us, we’ll throw it again and again and again, and he’ll get to go for little sprints/swims again and again and again...

He's such a fun puppy child!

11. CARLYNNE AND WATSON (Kumeu's puppy cousin) ARE COMING TOMORROW!!!

12. STATS on the contest that you really should hurry up and enter:
45.5% girl - girls really making their move this past week!
54.5% boy
most common guess is the 20th.

Loving the guesses and the creative questions. Our families have some particularly amusing name suggestions. Marc suggested 'Greiselda', Carlynne guessed "Miralda", and nieces Emily & Katelyn predicted "Flower" and "Mermaid". There have also been some really legit suggestions that weren't on our list but we're seriously considering for baby number 2!
If you haven't voted yet, you are running out of time! Do it now... http://goo.gl/Fxd0J