It's March and We're Ready for a Break

Winter is going to be delightfully broken up by March break this year. We've decided to play it safe and head to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. Hopefully there will be no run-ins with feral beach kittens, no ice to slip on and no malaria.

We leave tomorrow morning out of Boston and come back in a week. I'm so excited. I hope I can sleep tonight because we're going to have to get an early start!

I've put up this week's belly shot, taken at 26 weeks and 5 days. I'm also posting some pictures of this winter wonderland we're living in these days!


This past Monday we got 48 centimetres of snow in about 12 hours. One centimetre shy of a Fredericton record for one day of snow!
Mark has probably spent 20 hours shoveling in the past week alone. He now speaks of getting a snow blower for next winter.


Last night we had a first experience: the baby kicked Mark in the back. She's getting stronger and feistier each day.

Ok, time to pack and head for the desert!

Photo Update

We started a jigsaw puzzle of Times Square. The next morning I went to take my first sip of (decaf) coffee and spilled the entire mug all over the puzzle.
Mark's reaction. We have continued to work on the puzzle. The pieces aren't as sticky as you would think they'd be.
We spent last weekend at the cottage. It was perfect weather for skiing and snowshoeing and sitting by the wood stove.
Our car, Pepin, is named after our cab driver in Cuba. We spent a day together at the beach and were driven around in his Lada. He showed us his light-up ball cap that he cherished. It said "Jesus is my boss." We were thrilled with the repairs to our car. You'd never know it was in an accident. Our Pepin, will ride again! Weekly belly shot: 25 weeks and 6 days.

100 Days To Go!

Well the countdown really gets going here... tomorrow I leave triple digits behind. Bring it on! I'm not officially into my third trimester until March 5th, but it sure is exciting to be down to the final 100 days. Strangely enough, today is also the 100th day of the school year.
I went for my monthly check up yesterday. Everything looks good. I've gained 14 lbs overall and my blood pressure was a low 110/60. The baby's heartrate was 160 bpm. They say that girls have a higher heartrate and so far this holds true for this little one.
Last night we met with the nursing student we've been matched up with, Anna Maria. She did a ton of research on different topics that we'd expressed interest in. She let us know that we probably can't film the birth, although she's unsure why. Hmmm... It's not the kind of video you'd watch often, but I think it would be nice to have! We also learned about all of the tests and needles newborns get - the little things are poked and prodded from the get go!
Sadly, we did not take our weekly belly shot last night. Mark went back to school to get the camera and I was already asleep. We do have several pictures to upload and will be sure to get all caught up tonight.
There's talk of an impending storm. We'll see what Mother Nature has in store for us overnight. I've got my fingers crossed for a long weekend.

slippery when wet

Breaking News : DRAMA BABY STRIKES AGAIN, Throwing Loving Mother to the ground!!!!!!
Drama baby, daughter of loving parents Mark and Erin, has last laugh (and kick) after she toppled her mother's body (and home to her uterus-playground) to the ice this morning on her mother Erin's way to work.

Many hours after the acrobatics took place, we understand that the proud but frazzled parent's relax in their home after getting the "all's well" from the Labour and Delivery Department of the Dr. Everett Chalmer's Hospital in Fredericton.

We ask you (our readers), "When will the little one srtike again?" On that note, we wish you all a safe and peaceful night.

Weekly Update - 24 weeks 5 days

The Results Are In!

Good news, dear reader! Yesterday we both got our blood test results for fifth disease. There has been an outbreak this winter in Fredericton. Mark's school has had three cases, one of which was in his class. We knew from before that I am not immune to the disease, but this test showed that I have no evidence of recent or current infection. Yahoo! Even better news is that we found out that Mark has immunity to fifth disease. What a relief! We no longer have to worry about him contracting it at school and bringing it home.

Weekly Update - 23 weeks 5 days

Plenty To Smile About

Well, we just got back from what should be our last visit to the fetal specialist. The bottom line is that everything is looks perfect! No sign of any co-arctation (for those of you who don't know, we lost a daughter, Malorie, last May due to a cystic hygroma and co-arctation of the aorta). So aside from a sigh of relief, I want to let out a huge "yeee haw!"

Our little lady now weighs in at 1 pound 7 ounces - up from 12 ounces just 4 weeks ago. Her cheeks are now visibly chubby. She's big for her age, which suits us just fine... until delivery day that is. Ha ha.
She got hiccups during the ultrasound, which we could see on the screen, but I couldn't feel. Since our last viewing of her on Friday she has totally shifted positions. Her head had always been down low in my pelvic region but today she was flipped right around. I was a breech baby and I'm hoping that she doesn't follow in my footsteps.
We've had 7 ultrasounds in the first five months and now we have to go four months without seeing her at all! At least this growing little breakdancer is making her presence known through kicks and jabs.The doctor checked to see if the bloodwork was in for Fifth disease, but results are still pending. She was telling us that she's getting several requests for blood tests for it. This year it is having quite a resurgence!
For those of you who were asking, my due date is May 30, 2009.
I'm going to leave you with a close-up of the picture we got today of her laughing. We certainly have lots to be happy about today.

Baby Bray = Drama-Magnet?!

Do you notice anything unusual about the picture on the left? Not a week seems to be able to go by without some form of unusual excitement. Last Monday (January 26) we spent the better part of the evening at the after-hours clinic. Earlier in the day we learned that a student in Mark's class had Fifth Disease. Usually a benign childhood illness characterized by a rash that looks like slapped cheeks, Fifth disease can cause complications in a small number of pregnant women. We're wanting to take all precautions with this lil' one, so Mark and I got blood work done to see whether we'd been infected. I had just found out earlier in the day that I am not immune to Fifth disease. I've got my fingers crossed that Mark is, making the entire outbreak at his school a moot point. Until then, all we can do is wait the two weeks for the blood work to be completed.
Still, the drama continues! Thursday evening just before 6pm I was heading downtown to pick up my good friend Janelle, and our classmate Louis. We were going to go to our weekly pottery class. As I was going along Forest Hill Rd. a driver in a minivan pulled out in front of me to make a left hand turn. I breaked and he accelerated, but alas contact was made. First accident I've ever been involved in as a driver in my life! Funny how "first time ever" things like this decide to happen during this small 9 month gestational window.
I was fine after the impact, but a little spooked by the response of 2 fire trucks, an ambulance and three police cars. Felix brought Mark to the scene and he drove us to the hospital where we felt it best that I get checked out. We arrived at emerg just before 7:30pm and were seen by the doctor at 4am. What a wait! I slept a bit, but Mark was awake the entire time, mostly finalizing report card comments which were due to go home the next day. We got to see our little girl on the emerg ultrasound screen, moving around with a strong heartbeat. The doc recomended that we come back at 7:30am for a formal ultrasound - just to make sure that there's no bleeding under the placenta from the impact. We returned home shortly before 5am and Mark went in to school to prepare a lesson plan for the day. Fortunately I'd already planned to be out because they were re-tiling the science lab floor at my school. The adhesive they were using was apparently quite toxic and my principal had already asked me to plan to stay home.
After a brief sleep we returned to the hospital. Fortunately it didn't take very long for the ultrasound and subsequent report. A clean bill of health for baby and placenta. What a treat it was to see her again. Our sixth time, actually. She had her knees bent up by her mouth and appeared to be licking or sucking (?) them. We could see her opening and closing her mouth. Her little arms were extended in front of her face and above her head and her fingers were playing with each other. It's so amazing to have a little window into what is going on in there. The picture I've posted is a profile view of her. She's getting bigger, which I could have told you just based on the kickboxing sessions I'm privy to.
We came home reasssured and exhausted! We slept until 2:30pm and were kind of zombies for the rest of the day. Never having had to deal with insurance claims before, we're experiencing a crash lesson in the insurance industry. Our Subaru Wagon, Pepin, is off to be fixed and we have our fingers crossed that the cost is going to be less than the total value of the car. We'll keep you posted! Until then, stay safe and be extra careful when you're driving in winter weather. We've learned this week that your day can change in a heartbeat.
I'm going to leave you with a couple of parting pictures. We wound up with another snow day on Thursday. That brings my count for the year to 6 days off and Mark's to 5. Mark took this picture of our backyard. Believe it or not, he is standing on a pile of snow behind our retaining wall. This pile is so high that Mark is actually LEVEL with our deck, which we walk out to from the second story of the house. It's crazy! And more snow just seems to keep on coming.
Finally, here we have a picture of Mark from earlier this afternoon. He's reviewing report card comments in our living room with our little furry drop-in friend, Tiger. This cat is quite the piece of work, but has managed to endear him/herself to us. Be warned: the cat will expect treats from you and will play ping-pong with your leg as you walk by unless you become a treat dispenser.
Now go and have an awesome (but safe) day!