week 36 - hockey pad

Week 36, and this is me being super patriotic and Canadian by using hockey equipment. Our tiny fetus child is between 18 and 19 inches long- about the length of a hockey pad. I paid like 70 bucks for those suckers, and I'm really not even positive I'm wearing them on the right part of my body (haha). Let me remind you that I was very clear about the return policy before purchasing. I grew up down the street from one of the managers, and had like a 25-minute conversation with him before throwing my money at his store. I think I'm good. But, if I miss the 60-day return deadline, you can trust that I will be kicking my own butt up and down the street.

1. WEEK 36??!!!!? Let's do the math shall we? One month = 4 weeks (approximately). 36 divided by 4 = 9.  NINE MONTHS PREGNANT. And less than a month to go until we get to meet this tiny fetus child and FIND OUT THE GENDER! For the record, we'd be 100% thrilled with a male OR a female... just not a combination thereof. Let's review the benefits of each shall we?

Boy:
- He'll be super close to Fraser in age, so they'll be buds (hopefully).
- We've got the stuff (easy peasy lemon squeezey).
- Lowell's genetic eye disease (Retinitis Pigmentosa) would theoretically be wiped out as it's apparently carried through Lowell's X-Chromosome, so if we have a boy it will NOT be passed on (this, friends, is a HUGE GIGANTIC pro to having another son).
-Let's be honest. I love Fraser to bits and would be just tickled with another Fraselnut.

Girl:
- I've always wanted a girl (how much fun to dress her and do her hair!!!).
- Carlynne is having a girl (and seriously... how cool would it be if twin girls had baby girls 7 weeks apart?!).
- I may have been purchasing girlie items since grade 8 because they were just too dang cute to pass up.
- We have a solid name ready to go.

2. Over the past couple of weeks, we've done a couple little maternity shoots. Yes, it's THAT time of the pregnancy, folks. When I was pregnant with Fraser, I explained why I share so darn many maternity shots... allow me to remind you. I have always loooooved pregnant bellies and I LOVE when women post belly pictures. My total over-share of belly pictures is my way of giving back to the baby belly community. Also, we had so many pictures of me pregnant with Fraser that it would be plumb unfair if I didn't have a bunch from this pregnancy as well.

We had a wee shoot with Decoro which you will see soon, and we also did our own super quick informal shoot in Lethbridge's river valley in -15 degrees Celsius. Yes, we're committed. These are some by Lowell and our tripod...

I've really thrown back the Starbucks this pregnancy (and also the kiwi fruit chocolate bars, chocolate haystack cookies, and cranberry ice mmmm)...

We're totally awesome parents. Perhaps the overly distracting background diverts attention from Fraser's misery? No? Oops...

Hey y'all- I'm tooootally pregnant! Oh wait... old news...

Oh ya. This is what zero muscle tone looks like (I'm flexing as hard as I possibly can and there is no definition to speak of)...

Oh pardon me, I almost forgot to give credit to Fraser. He was obviously vital in the operation department of the camera/tripod situation..

I can hardly wait to show you some of Decoro's shots. Even though Fraser was being the least cooperative ever, there are still some wicked gems with him!

3. People often ask how I'm feeling (which is very nice by the way, and I thank you)... and I don't really know what to say. Overall I feel O.K, but it changes frequently- daily in fact. I have a lot of those dang third trimester symptoms (reflux, trouble sleeping, round ligament pain, hip/back discomfort, vein silliness, pelvic stuff, hugeness etc), but the degree to which they effect me changes constantly. I feel that overall- compared to how I remember my Fraser pregnancy- I'm in LESS physical pain, but experiencing more mental and physical fatigue. Make sense?

4. This past week was Lowell's last INSANELY busy week for, well, hopefully forEVER. Just before he started his full time position as a Psychologist in November, he began private contract work (also as a psychologist). Add to that all the church and community committees he's a part of, and Fraser and I barely saw him. He loved his private work- and he eventually hopes to continue to an extent- but for now he has completed his contract and that makes for one hip hop happy wife (and Fraser!)! I'm the type of wife that likes her hubby to be around 24/7, so the past several months would have been challenging enough without the presence of a child and fetus, but add wee Frasel and this pregnancy, and it was also pretty exhausting. Lowell has been exhausted too, so it's so nice that we can now have a few more quiet Daddy/Mommy/Fraser evenings at home before a whole different type of exhaustion takes over our lives (HELLO LIFE WITH A NEWBORN!).

5. This is your LAST WEEK to enter Baby Prediction Contest 2.0! $50 (for wherever the heck you want) up for grabs, so better hurry and predict away before the April 1st deadline!