baby shower!

ok, so this is long overdue. we've been quite busy the past few weeks, but I apologize for the lack of updates this past month. On august 17th my friends threw a beautiful baby shower for us!! vanessa hosted it at her house and had lots of balloons, streamers, little duck and bottle shaped table decorations & confetti... and an amazing table of food, punch, beautiful cupcakes!! it was awesome! it was so nice to have everyone come out, and Colt is a well loved little guy already. everyone spoiled us so much, it was overwhelming! thank you thank you thank you!!

click to check out all the baby shower photos...

meet Colt...

well, we decided to check out the 3d ultrasound place, and by chance happened to get in right then and there! (even though on the phone with the booking agents they said they were full until next friday). It was pretty amazing watching him on a big screen tv. at first he had his feet covering his face, once we got him to move those his little hands were covering his face! after some repositioning and moving my belly around we finally got to see his chubby cheeked face! he was blinking and opening his eyes, yawning, and we even caught a smile!! it was definitely worth it! can't wait to meet him even more now. :)













also the nursery is coming along nicely! all the major work like painting, wallpapering, and the laminate flooring are done... :)

:)

Colt & my belly at 31 weeks. He weighs 3lbs 8oz so far and is measuring right on! (that's the umbilical cord in front of his face). Couldn't be happier to hear he is healthy.

random

so so excited to see the baby tonight at the ultrasound! we went on our hospital tour last night and saw lots of super tiny newborns. lol, i want mine now!

we got to see the delivery and recovery rooms and the maternity ward and everything. the delivery rooms are very nice and comfortable, pretty cozy looking. i'm not so sure i'm interesting in labouring in water anymore. the 'tub' is a very odd looking contraption that seems like a confinement chair or something, but it is in a really small room that had it not been painted with an underwater mural on all four walls, i could have easily felt like it was the janitors closet. apparently though there is 1 room that has a labouring tub actually in the room you would deliver in, and you can request it but if it's taken it's taken. so we'll see.

haha as i'm writing this, Colt has the hiccups. it's an interesting feeling.
also, this morning when I woke up I had a very strong feeling of not being pregnant, it was pretty weird. even after I physically got out of bed I still felt light. lol, I ran to the scale to make sure I didn't magically lose weight overnight. By the time I got to the scale, I felt every lb of pregnancy again. lol.

tick tock

So we are busy working away at getting the nursery together. 3 of the walls have been painted and one wall is half wallpapered. ugh, wallpaper hanging is miserable! it will all come together nicely though. after today we still have to paint all the trim and doors a nice bright white and then we can begin laying down the laminate flooring. (the room had a dusty pink looking carpet before). then I can finally start setting up the crib and adding all the little decorative touches I've been wanting to do for so long!

Sometimes I look at that little ticker over there to the right of this page and think, oh man, I still have to wait another 60 days or so, and then some days I think AHH I only have 60 days left!! Still seems like there is so much to do and learn before he comes. (as if anyone is ever really ready I'm sure). so tonight is our Hospital Tour. I think it's about an hour or so and we will see the birthing rooms and all the options of labouring available to us, the recovery rooms, etc. I'm looking forward to it, hopefully to ease some anxieties about giving birth.

we had another prenatal appointment last week and from now on they will be every two weeks, and then soon enough every week. so, there should be more to write about these next few weeks. seems like we have a million appointments! on wednesday we go for an ultrasound! at our last prenatal check up my uterine measurement was slightly on the small side, so the nurse asked if i would like an ultrasound just to ease my mind that everything is ok. also, since moving from edmonton they do not have their own ultrasound images to refer to here in hamilton so it is partly for their own records as well. I can't wait to see him on the monitor again... hopefully we will be allowed to take home some more photos. maybe they can even do a 3d scan? that would be pretty awesome. i think that when we get closer to the date we will pay to have a 3d ultrasound done. it's amazing how clear they are!
(check out fetal expressions)

in the meantime we've just been reading up on birth and babycare! we've made a decision to raise Colt as a 'green' baby. we are working on educating ourselves on products that are safe to not only the baby but the environment and animals as well. (see dimpleskins naturals). we were surprised to learn that many leading companies such as johnson & johnson test their products on animals! (see PETA). i've also been reading more and more about cloth diapering since that is the route we are taking. i stumbled upon a site the other day with a long list of 'recipes' of wipe solutions to try out for using your own cloth diaper wipes instead of disposable wipes. most people seem fairly negative towards cloth diapering but the more i read the more it makes sense and rob and i both feel very committed towards making it work. i think diapers are going to suck either way, lol. also for extended time away from home there is a 'new earth friendly hybrid' diaper available called g.diapers. i think we may order a 'starter kit' from them just to have on hand when it isn't feasible to use cloth. (like say when we go to the cottage and the nearest laundromat is 30mins away and all of our cloth diapers are soiled!)

so, we should have more to post in the next couple days with the ultrasound and all. also, more belly pics to come soon, i'm getting big! 30lbs gained so far.. ahh.

aww.. my little eggplant

i found this neat little reference guide to the baby's size, all done in fruits and veggies to show how the little guy has been progressing.

	Week 4*: Poppyseed Your little zygote is settling into your uterus... > More on what baby's up to
	Week 5: Appleseed Average size: .13 in** Major organs and systems are forming... > More on what baby's up to
	Week 6: Sweet Pea Average size: .25 in Blood is starting to circulate... > More on what baby's up to
	Week 7: Blueberry Average size: .51 in Baby's brain is growing fast... > More on what baby's up to
	Week 8: Raspberry Average size: .63 in, .04 oz Little arms and legs are moving like crazy... > More on what baby's up to
	Week 9: Green Olive Average size: .9 in, .07 oz A Doppler device might pick up a heartbeat... > More on what baby's up to
	Week 10: Prune Average size: 1.2 in, .14 oz Arm joints are working, and soon legs will too... > More on what baby's up to
	Week 11: Lime Average size: 1.6 in, .25 oz Fingers and toes are no longer webbed... > More on what baby's up to
	Week 12: Plum Average size: 2.1 in, .49 oz Almost all vital systems are fully formed... > More on what baby's up to
	Week 13: Peach Average size: 2.9 in, .81 oz Teeth and vocal cords are appearing... > More on what baby's up to
	Week 14: Lemon Average size: 3.4 in, 1.5 oz Liver, kidney and spleen are continuing to develop... > More on what baby's up to
	Week 15: Naval Orange Average size: 4.0 in, 2.5 oz Legs are finally longer than arms... > More on what baby's up to
	Week 16: Avocado Average size: 4.6 in, 3.5 oz Eyebrows, lashes and hair are filling in... > More on what baby's up to
	Week 17: Onion Average size: 5.1 in, 5.9 oz Skeleton is hardening, and fat is accumulating... > More on what baby's up to
	Week 18: Sweet Potato Average size: 5.6 in, 6.7 oz Baby's moving like crazy -- feel anything yet? > More on what baby's up to
	Week 19: Mango Average size: 6.0 in, 8.5 oz Vernix caseosa is coating baby's skin... > More on what baby's up to
	Week 20: Cantaloupe Average size: 6.5 in, 10.6 oz Boy or girl, genitals are fully formed... > More on what baby's up to
	Week 21: Banana Average size: 10.5 in***, 12.7 oz Taste buds are starting to work... > More on what baby's up to
	Weeks 21-24 (Month 5): Papaya Average size: 10.5-11.8 in, 12.7-20.8 oz Nipples are sprouting, and face is fully formed! > More on what baby's up to
	Weeks 25-28 (Month 6): Eggplant Average size: 13.6-14.8 in, 1.5-2.2 lb Immune system is preparing for the outside world... > More on what baby's up to
	Weeks 29-32 (Month 7): Squash Average size: 15.2-16.7 in, 2.5-3.8 lb Sleeping and waking cycles are establishing... > More on what baby's up to
	Weeks 33-36 (Month 8): Honeydew Average size: 17.2-18.7 in, 4.2-5.8 lb Growth is slowing, and baby may soon descend... > More on what baby's up to
	Weeks 37-Delivery (Month 9): Watermelon Average size: 18.9-20.9 in, 6.2-9.2 lb Full term! Baby's finally ready for the outside world... > More on what baby's up to

aww. when we found out he was just a little apple seed & sweet pea size, now we have a darling eggplant!

some other interesting links and such:

thenestbaby.com - tools, q&a, resources of all sorts

all about cloth diapering - really great modern tutorial

boon! - modern baby products that I LOVE

coochicoos.com - designs for modern parenting, very neat articles and product features and alot about 'green' parenting

i've been spending way too much time online looking at anything and everything baby! definitely getting antsy to start the nursery...

and here are some updated belly pics. i swear i feel so much bigger than i look in these photos. i am up to 23lbs gained. also, i think that he is a little octopus, he squirms so much it feels like 8 arms in there!

CKEC....

well, its been awhile since we've made an entry, but we are now all moved in back in hamilton! I've been steadily gaining weight, already having put on 20lbs. Our little baby has been kicking, punching, dancing, somersaulting and wiggling up a storm!! He keeps me awake at night sometimes with all his movements. at this point he weighs just over one pound himself and measuring at around one foot in length. we had our first ontario doctors appointment and my uterus measured in at 9.5 inches in length. well above my belly button now! the baby's heartbeat was fun to listen to this time because he wouldn't stop kicking around long enough for a good count. it was neat to hear his kicks and see them at the same time. his heart rate was 160bpm. rob thinks at this point he probably has a mustache! the new center we are going to is called The Maternity Center, across from st.josephs hospital, where we will deliver. so far it seems to be a nicer place than our other one in edmonton. we will be making calls this month and looking into some prenatal classes or partner yoga workshops. also, i have been feeling very tired lately and am doing another blood test to ensure that i do not have iron deficiency anemia.
as far as the baby being born is concerned we have decided on a few things. we were hoping to find out more information about a waterbirth option but have been told that at st.josephs they do labouring in water but not the birth. we have also decided that we will be using cloth diapers! check out some of the links i have posted to learn more about using them. :) we have also picked nursery decor! i can't wait to start putting the room together. we will be using a bright and fresh green and some leopard print wallpaper all accented with bright colours like orange and turquoise. and... the most important thing that we have decided, is the little baby's name!!
his name is Colt Kenneth Earl Carruthers!
on my side of the family it is tradition to name all the children with names beginning with the letter C. we also wanted a unique name! kenneth is my grandfathers name while earl is rob's grandfathers name that has been given to both rob and his father as well. we think it has a nice ring to it.
will post some more belly pictures soon!