For those who have been wondering, my grandma is on the mend. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. They thought her infection would move into her kidneys causing irreversible damage but that has not been the case. She is still in hospital but getting stronger every day. Unfortunately, because she has a superbug (which I was previously unaware of,) I am unable to visit her anymore. It is unsafe for the baby :( who is, by the way, starting to kick and wiggle and hiccup every daylight hour.

Apparently a babies movements are more of a sign of their personality than their gender. That means this little one is more like his/her mama. ;)

“This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She’s sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby’s brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don’t bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.”

From the Baby Center

It just keeps growing… 

but there’s still a dip.

I’m hoping one day soon it will be nice and round and people will stop telling me (believe it, or not) I just kind of look fat. I could live without that.

You burst into tears at the voting station because a) you went to the wrong voting station, and b) you haven’t noticed your voting card has your maiden name on it and you have no corresponding ID.

Oh happy day.

To commemorate the occasion, my incredibly thoughtful husband brought me:

a wildly enormous bouquet of tangerine tulips from the Flower Factory: a perfect gift for this little Dutch girl.

We enjoyed a lazy brunch in Port Moody,

followed by a walk along the oceanfront at Belcarra Park, where I reminisced about my rowing days in the Howe Sound. 

I can hardly wait to welcome our little one to this wonderful world.

For reasons only my husband (and perhaps a few ex-roomies) will understand, I must have this onesie.

Photo: Then Comes Marriage Photography

I’ve been awfully sentimental lately. It’s a natural part of the pregnancy process, I am told. As a woman who can count her annual tears on one hand, I’ve been welcoming this new emotive self.

Here’s what got me choked up today: our wedding photo montage. Yesterday it was my father’s handwriting on a discarded envelope.

A bump has emerged.

One of the best things about being a mama so far has been the thoughtful gifts I’ve recieved from family and friends. At Christmas my mom gave me a little stamp that showed the size of our baby’s foot at ten weeks. Annie and Paul gave us a gorgeous Pierre Belvedere journal to put down our thoughts. And Avital sent me Mama Goddess tea in this lovely wrapped package! Even though I’m so far away I feel in a small way that I’m nesting.