Adventures of the Family G

Monday, April 28, 2008

Interesting Phenomenon

I was warned by friends that I would most likely have bizarre experiences with strangers when pregnant. I have only experienced such interactions in the last two weeks. I think that this is partially due to the fact that 1. I look like I have swallowed a beach ball and 2. Even complete strangers pity me for looking so stinkin' uncomfortable. The following are a couple of interactions that I have experienced in the last 5 days:

While in the mall food court, casually minding my own business and scarfing down my sandwich a homeless man felt it was necessary to inform me that ' You have a bun in the oven!' Hmm... I had not noticed.

While waiting in line at Walmart trying to buy products to beautify my puffy face, the lady behind me grabs my belly and says 'Congratulations! Did you go to the big baby shower in Sidney?' I had to take a long hard look at her face to try and figure out if I knew her from somewhere because she had approached me as if I were a close friend... but nope, nada, never seen the woman in my life. On top of that, she was probably in her mid-40's with a rather poochy belly and I could not decipher whether she was a little pregnant or just chubby and bloated. Was she waiting for me to congratulate her back? I decided to play it safe- smile, nod and say nothing.

Lastly, while in church on Sunday, another random woman turns around in the pew in front of me and squeals "Oh! look at you! You are just bursting with love!" Bursting with love? If by love you mean the giant, squirming child balled up in what feels like a 10lb placenta attached to my abdomen, then yes I am full of 'love.'

So I am pretty much not able to leave my home without constant stares and bizarre interactions. At least once this kid is out the focus will be on her and strangers will not feel compelled to comment on my sad state. So I will carry on for a little while longer and 'burst with love' comforted by the thought that this period will come to and end very soon. I hope....

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Happenings

Wow, what a fabulous time I am having on maternity leave. A typical day might include sleeping in until 9am, watching a little TLC, meeting friends for lunch and then getting a massage. Ben and I have also been renting lots of DVD's for our nights at home. We are currently half way through the 3rd season of The Shield. Not exactly romantic, but lots of great action and plot twists. I am savoring my time right now, since I know that our lives will never be quite so 'selfish' ever again!

This past week I took a quick trip over to Vancouver with Bev, Lisa and Tricia for a 'girls trip.' We were on the hunt for the perfect fabric for Lisa's grad dress but we still had time to check into an amazing downtown hotel and indulge in dining on Robson street. Ben is currently traveling for work in Calgary. He reported on the phone this evening that it is -15 degrees C with wind and snow. Ahhh, the joys of living in Canada. While in snowy Calgary, Ben is going to a couple of the Children's Choir concerts to help out with their merchandising and then he is meeting with a Canadian fashion designer who is eager to work with his organization. He is turning into quite the glamorous jet-setter. I am personally dreading the day when he takes off and leaves me for a work trip to Africa! I am already feeling jealous about it and the trip is not even planned yet.

I am happy to report that Baby G is in the correct position, meaning that I will not be going in for a scheduled C-section. It would have been nice to choose Lily's birthday, but I can deal with not being operated on while still awake. I officially feel like a ticking time bomb. At 37 weeks pregnant I could technically go into labour anytime between now and 5 weeks from now (if I am way overdue). Last Friday night I woke up a few times in the night experiencing what I assume are 'practice' contractions. But they were still painful enough to wake me up 3 times. Baby just needs to stay in her little home a while longer so that she will be fat and healthy!
I apologize if you are getting bored by my shots of the giant belly, but I feel that I should document them for posterity and use them to scare promiscuous teenagers into celibacy.

The Big Baby in the Belly at 37 weeks.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

April Showers Bring May Flowers

We are officially back after a month long hiatus from blogging. Since I seem to be person updating the Adventures of Ben and Sarah (I meaning Sarah), I am going to start writing in the first person. I just officially went on my year long vacation... ahem... I mean maternity leave from work, so I will have more time to indulge in things such as upkeeping our blog.

For the past month we have been plugging away at work and looking forward to meeting Lily Joy. Ben is busy purchasing goods and outfitting the new Watoto store here in Victoria. The Watoto store is a great place to check out if you have an urge to purchase fair trade chocolate or perhaps a lovely new African mask or drum for your home. I was sad to say farewell to everyone at my company last week. I have had an amazing 2.5 years there but I am ready for a new life challenge.

Last weekend my mom (Lily's future Nona) came up to Victoria to attend my Victoria baby shower and exercise her artistic expertise in the nursery. Ben and I basically ditched her to go out with friends one night and we came back to a newly created 'Enchanted Forest.' You can check out the pictures below. There are still a few finishing touches that need to be made to the room, but overall if baby came right now we would be reasonably prepared.

My thoughtful sister-in-law Renee, hosted a Canadian baby shower for me this past weekend. We played games, stuffed our faces with pink cupcakes and I opened a load of gifts. Our child already has 8 pairs of shoes all of which she will need to wear before she is even able to walk. Thank you so much to everyone who came! We have been truly overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support that our friends and family have shown us since learning we were going to be parents.

That pretty much sums up the last month for us. I am currently 35 weeks pregnant (but measuring about a week ahead) so who knows when this baby is going to make her debut! We are not 100% sure if Lily is in the correct birth position yet, so that could change some of our plans. I will find out next week for sure.

Lily's stylish wardrobe. This kid is going to be wearing a lot of pink.

My 35 week front view. I look like there is a lopsided watermelon in there. Lily tends to only hang out on the left side of my stomach.

35 week side view.

The new crib set from Nona and Grandpa (we think? Dad you need to choose your name)

The enchanted forest artwork along with Lily's special new rocking chair from Grandma and FarFar. You have to see it in person to appreciated how truly 'enchanting' the room really is.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Preparing

The last month has been a busy time in our lives.

First off, Ben decided to close Brandsen Jewelry and was offered a fantastic position as retail director for Watoto Canada. For a while Ben was running two stores and working 6 days a week. Brandsen was a fantastic little store and a great learning experience for both of us. The location just did not offer the kind of growth we needed, so we decided to sublease our space and try something new for a while. Ben has all of the same connections in the jewelry industry so we can still hook up friends and family with great deals. Ben is currently busy remodeling and restructuring a store for Watoto. Watoto is an international organization that places Ugandan aids and war orphans into loving, permanent homes in a children's village. It is a very worthwhile cause and we are excited for the opportunity for Ben to serve with this organization.

Next up, we traveled down to the San Francisco Bay Area to celebrate the forthcoming birth of Lily Joy. Tiffany and Lizzy gave us a fanastic baby shower/dinner party at Sarah's parents' place. Lily received a pile of pink clothes, baby essentials, toys that make noise and a fancy new diaper bag. She already has a wardrobe that rivals the size of her mother's.We loved the opportunity to bask around in the warm California sun and hang out with friends and family. We even got to spend a quick afternoon with the Booth family down in their new hometown of Gilroy. We checked out their posh new townhouse and strolled around the Gilroy outlets. Our favorite store was definitely the Jelly Belly outlet. We managed to purchase 6 pounds of jelly beans and even sampled some of the 'bamboozle beans' which include lovely flavors such as vomit, ear wax, diaper wipes and much more. It was a tasty afternoon.

We are now back in Victoria and going full force into nesting mode. Lily's room is far from done. The pictures below show the before pics of the room, hopefully in the next couple of weeks we will be able to proudly post the after pictures of her 'Enchanted Forest' nursey. Only 2 more months until our baby makes her debut into the world. She is squirming and kicking ribs furiously these days- letting us know that she will be ready to burst out soon!

Lily's baby shower loot strewn about in our spare bedroom. We are in serious need of organization.

Before shot of nursery- very unsure about this color. We were hoping for a neutral browny/ beige color with a hint of pink and somehow this paint ended up looking purple once on the walls. I hate how paint always looks different once it is on the wall!