Taken

Jesse and I watched this on Neflix last night. We've wanted to watch it since we saw the trailer for it a long time ago, but finally got to it yesterday. In my opinion, it was a really good movie and i was on the edge of my seat for most of it. It reminds me of what a scary world we live in and one can never be too careful. One thing is for sure: my girls are NEVER going anywhere alone, especially overseas, when they are under the age of 30!!!! 

Here is a trailer. Watch it if you haven't yet. It's a gooder, I think. 

Crappy night, donation, and potential help

Yesterday, i had a day off. After my mom got off work, i took her to her hair appointment in Calgary and Gemma and I went to the nearby mall to hang out while mom was getting her perm. We had a really nice mom and daughter time, Gemma and I, and had a nice lunch in the food court. I've discovered the best fried rice EVER at a food court stand and even though it's only been a day, I can't wait to go back and have some more. What is wrong with me... 

For supper, we had a nice steak dinner at home. That was around 5:30, as per our usual suppertime. Around 8 or 9, i started not feeling too great, but I thought it was cuz i overstuffed myself. When i tried to go to sleep at around 9:30, i just could not get comfortable. Then, i spent the next 5 hours in the bathroom, vomiting. I seriously have never puked so much in my life. The weird part is, even though it had been 5 hours or more when i started throwing up, everything came up just as it went in. Nothing was digested. It was so gross. 

Even after I finished throwing up, i had the worst pain all over my belly. it would come and go, come and go. I knew i couldn't be in any kind of labor though because my stomach didn't tense up at all whenever i'd have these "contractions". Finally, exhaustion won over the pain and i passed out on the rocking chair. 

When i had my appointment this morning, i told the doctor about last night and she said "it sounds like gastro" (meaning stomach flu, i think). Apparently it's going around??? i'm not so convinced and i think it's just a one-time thing, but we'll see if i'm still feeling like this over the next week. 

I asked about the cord blood donation and she said they were happy to comply as long as it wasn't on a weekend, in which case there is no transport available. It's a lengthy criteria to be able to donate, so I'm glad that i am able to (if this baby is born between Monday and Thursday, lol). I hope this little donation can help someone or help with any kind of research. I think if you are reading this and you're a pregnant woman and meet the criteria, you should think about donating. When i spoke to Dr. Mazloum about it today, she said the only thing is they will have to clamp the cord right away (no waiting until the cord stops pulsating) to draw the blood. It was kinda weird to hear this because according to Dr. Mazloum, they've been delaying cord clamping for years - but when i asked this question to Dr. Bagdan during my last pregnancy, she said they do it at the mother's request (not routinely), but is really not necessary (Dr. Mazloum also agreed it wasn't necessary though). For more info, go here.

When i brought up my anger problems, she said it sounds like i may be going through some kind of depression. I'm not depressed though in any way and am happy and very content with my life, happy to hang out with friends, love my family, and still enjoy what i always loved to do. I just seem to snap at the littlest things in a big, big way with regrettable words and actions that i can't control at the moment. i only see red and want to do major physical damage either to my surroundings or to myself. And it's not like i carry this anger with me all the time - i'm truly happy. She gave me the name of a psychiatric nurse in the area who deal with women who have depression/anxiety/anger issues during pregnancy. I will give her a call soon. 

So that is that. It's seriously blizzarding outside right now. Yesterday it was like 14 degrees as i was driving home from the mall. Where is spring????

Third Trimester

Tomorrow marks the beginning of my 28th week of pregnancy, meaning I'm starting my third trimester! Holy smokes, i can't believe it. 

• I've gained about 15 lb.
• I'm starting to get over the weird cravings and fruit is starting to taste good again - or is that the fruit is actually better-tasting now that spring is here and summer is on its way???
• Still haven't decided on a name, but i think we have a middle name for her. It may sound corny, but I really want the middle names of our girls to rhyme - it's a korean thing - and I think we have one. 
• I definitely need to avoid heavy lifting now - i find it's taking a toll on me and it feels like i'm pulling something in my belly if i try to overdo anything. 
• I bought a pack of soothers. I think that's the only thing i've bought for this baby so far... oh and diapers when they're on sale. hopefully this baby doesn't react to Pampers or else I'll be busy trying to sell all these diapers...
• My pelvis hurts and my back hurts. Nothing new there. 

Tomorrow, i have my appointment in High River and i plan to talk to the docs about two issues: donating umbilical cord blood and my anger issues. I'll keep you posted.

Easter

I'm kind of an Easter-idiot. I mean in a secular way. I know that this is when Jesus rose from the dead and growing up, we went to Good Friday services. Coming from a small Ukrainian town, Easter also meant decorating pysanky, Ukrainian Easter eggs - authentic with beeswax, dye, and baked in the oven. 

I didn't grow up receiving Easter baskets or doing Easter egg hunts or taking pictures with the Easter bunny. I only found out about these "traditions" recently - maybe a couple of years ago? maybe less... so I didn't expect to do anything for Gemma or give her any gifts and she definitely isn't getting any chocolate... 

Jesse grew up doing Easter egg hunts, i guess, but he's never the one to take charge of organizing some kind of an event or day for Gemma, so it was just "understood" that nothing "special" was going on this weekend. 

We did end up going to Edmonton, however, and spent Easter with my cousins. My little cousins are 9 and 7 and so their parents I guess do an egg hunt for them each year. They did their hunt before the church service at 11 and were nice enough to include Gemma in the fun. and Gemma "found" EIGHT eggs! It was sooooo cute to see her light up when she would find an egg and then put it in her little basket. She just seemed to know what she was supposed to do and she seemed so proud of herself whenever she "found" an egg. 

So perhaps i ought to adopt this into a tradition of our own?? Of course, without forgetting God...

Puberty.... at 7?

I feel like I have a million things i want to blog about, yet i can't seem to find the time in my day like i used to for writing. I don't know why but my days lately feel so overwhelmingly full and i feel like if i have time to be on here, i have other things that need to be done more urgently. 

Right now, i should be working. So whatever time i spend on this post, i will have to make up for later and will probably be kicking myself - why didn't i just get my work done? but anyways... 

Gemma is 16 months and this baby isn't coming for another 3. I subscribe to Today's Parent magazine and this issue had an article that just rang a bell with me. It was about puberty and how girls are getting their periods younger than ever, like 7-8 years old, grade 2-3. No one knows exactly the cause of this early puberty, but environment definitely plays a factor. Like a girl adopted from an undeveloped nation will get her period years before her peers in her home country. Obesity seems to be linked as well (fat = estrogen)..

As a soon to be mother of two girls, this is a scary thing to think about. We give Gemma organic milk and we buy most of our chicken from a free-range meat store. We buy free-range pork and try to buy natural beef when we can. I know if i was really dedicated, i'd buy everything organic, but unless we only want to eat chicken five times a year, i don't think we can realistically afford it. But then again, the "experts" aren't even sure that it's from the meat we eat - it could be from the plastic the children play with. So do we have to become a vegan home in rural Africa with only wooden, unpainted toys to give my daughters a longer childhood?

Poor Jesse may have to deal with a house of raging hormones sooner than he thinks...

Weekend Update

We had a lovely weekend. Jesse got a whole bunch of work done on the basement and now has a day's worth of framing left to go! I am so proud of the work he has done and the speed at which it's been getting done. May is a busy month for us, but hopefully by the month's end we will have the plumbing all done! 

While Jesse worked on the basement, Gemma and I took my mom to her usual massage appointment. It gets really boring waiting around for nearly 2 hours, so we took off to Market Mall. I took Gemma to the big play area in the mall and she had such a blast. They only allow kids to play in 30-minute slots and so when our half hour was over, she was so upset she had to leave. I love seeing her in new environments and how she reacts to other people and children. 

On Sunday, we had our good friends over for dinner - a much needed catch-up time and it was so nice to have company again! Annika, their daughter, is 6 weeks younger than Gemma and this was the first time they've seen each other since Gemma's birthday. It was so fun to see the girls interact and play with one another, Annika trying to brush Gemma's teeth with a toy hairbrush, Gemma chasing Annika around with her water cup, and Gemma teaching Annika to spin around like a crazy person, laughing her head off. At one point the girls were just spinning around and laughing and falling - I remember thinking at that moment that they seem so much older than 16 and 15 months to be playing like that - it was like they were preschoolers... and Annika is just the smartest little cookie - like a sponge, absorbing everything right away and so quick to learn (Crystal, that will be $20 for my public compliments on your daughter)... long after they left we were talking about how bright Annika is. We sure need to hang out more often. 

Other than the return of Christmas (weather-wise, anyway), we had a wonderful weekend. I can't believe April is nearly over and then it's on to May!!

26th week, rash, birthday

I went for my 26 week appointment today. Four weeks ago when i went and also today, i saw Dr. Smilie - not the most smiley man (in fact, i think his lips sit as a natural frown). It was the first time i met him in this clinic and somehow i avoided him my entire pregnancy with Gemma. When i saw him last month, all he did was talk to me about Japan and whether i had relatives there (even though i clearly told him i was not Japanese) and didn't ask me any questions about my pregnancy or well-being. Today, though, the visit was better. Although i think he is the worst doctor for trying to find heartbeats with the doppler. For a guy who does this A LOT, it takes him like for----ever to find the heartbeat. 

anyways, all is well and appointments are now every 2 weeks (already??) and i have my requisition for my gestational diabetes test (gross) that i have to do within the next week or so. 

In other news, my dear daughter is teething like mad and has the worst diaper rash ever. She is suddenly 6 months old again, constantly drooling with her fists and fingers in her mouth. Poor girl is fighting sleep like nobody's business, but otherwise is actually in really good spirits. She is soooooo chatty, constantly talking, and trying to mimic every word we say. 

Today is my 27th birthday. Gosh, i feel old. Yet, i am so happy and content with my life and feel very thankful for all that God has given me. Oddly enough, i am at a place in my life where i had always hoped i would be, which is married with at least a kid by now. I've always wanted to be done having kids before my 30th birthday and it looks like i will be reaching that goal. And it was a really wonderful day. 

Little Tease

Gemma already has such a sense of humor and it just cracks us up.

If you kneel or sit and ask her for a hug with your arms wide open, she will come running towards you with a big smile on her face and then divert to one side at the last minute, laughing.

If you ask her for a bite of whatever she is eating, she will offer it to you, but then as soon as your mouth gets close, she takes it away and puts it in her own mouth, laughing.

She especially likes to tease Harmony (because she knows she can and she loves getting the reaction). Harmony has a few extra gray hairs now thanks to Gemma's little stunts.

16 months

Sigh... 16 months? I don't know if i'll ever get used to the time going by so fast... 

Gemma is such a delight and a joy in my life, I can't believe i ever contemplated being childless.

She is such a smart cookie. She understands nearly everything i say to her and her vocabulary is growing each day. She is learning the difference between the meanings of "yes" and "no" when she says them and what effect her answer has when I ask her a question. 

She loves music, is often singing to herself, and picks up on actions to songs very quickly. Her favorites right now are "skinamarink" and "itsy bitsy spider".

She loves to have a "tea party" - she just likes to pour you pretend tea and eat pretend cupcakes and drink pretend tea. Come over and she will pour you a cup. 

She can't keep clothes on her ever since she figured out how to unzip and take off her hoodies, take off her pants, take off her shoes and socks, etc. She also loves to put ON clothes, however, and will sometimes sit there next to a pile of her laundry (clean or dirty), putting on a pair of pants over a pair she is already wearing. She does that with socks also. 

After every meal, she demands she wash her hands. I sit her on a stool and she washes her hands all by herself, complete with soap and everything! Then she has to have lotion for her hands, which she sometimes dabs on her face as well. 

She loves to play hide-and-seek, even though she will come to you if you start asking "where's Gemma", so she loses a lot. LOL. 

She loves to be out and about, grocery stores, malls, or just outside. She likes to stand and wave to everyone, saying "hi". 

She is completely self-sufficient when it comes to feeding herself with a spoon (though sometimes she will use her hands if it's not something that goes on a spoon so easily). She loves to drink water and so pees like crazy. She loves fruit of all kinds, but especially blueberries as mentioned, as well as ripe pears, strawberries, etc. She is still a tremendous eater and can eat all day, if i let her. 

If you ask her, "whose daughter are you?", she always answers "dada". i don't know why - no one ever taught her to say that, but that's her answer. How nice, eh? 

My baby is growing so fast. it's amazing to see her personality shine through more and more each day and see just what kind of little person she is becoming...

Enough already!

Okay, the cravings this pregnancy are driving me nuts! Why, hormones, why? And should i not totally be passed that phase by now? Sheesh!!!

and i keep craving weird things that are often not within my reach or it's at odd times in the night or whatever. The etouffee was one, the duck was next (and i am so happy that i was able to satisfy that craving and find an awesome restaurant close by in the process), smoked oysters???, and now... i'm kinda embarrassed to say this one, but.... chicken gizzards! My dad used to fry up gizzards with salt, tons of black pepper, and sesame oil and eat them as an accompaniment while he drank beer. they're actually not bad either. Unfortunately, trying to find gizzards around here is like looking for a needle in a haystack! I think my only chance of finding them are to go to T&T or to a grocery store in Chinatown, both of which are far, far away. 

but seriously, i need to eat some or else i won't be able to stop thinking about them until i give birth. 

I want my hormones back to normal!!!

Boo-ba-ba

Blueberries (or boo-ba-ba as Gemma calls them) are Gemma's favorite things to eat right now. She can easily eat a cup or more in a sitting (though i don't usually give her so much at one time). She asks for them when she sits in her high chair (whether we have some in the fridge or not) and sometimes we have to negotiate to get her to eat somethings that she doesn't like as much (you eat these veggies first, then you can have some blueberries). 

Even though they're not the cheapest right now, I have to try to keep the fridge stocked. The only real complaint i have actually is that they make her poops so... blue... and sticky.... blech! 

Come summertime, we will have to buy them by the boxfulls so Jesse and Gemma can sit and eat them together. Lucky for them i hate blueberries and so they don't have to share with anyone other than each other.