Love like no other

Right now I'm reading a book called "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant. It is a story told from the perspective of Dinah, a daughter of Jacob (from the Bible). When her son is born, she reflects on her thoughts and feelings. Here are a couple of paragraphs from the book that I think are so perfectly written. If you are a mother, I'm sure you will share these sentiments!

"Just as there is no warning for childbirth, there is no preparation for the sight of a first child. I studied his face, fingers, the folds in his boneless little legs, the whorls of his ears, the tiny nipples on his chest. I held my breath as he sighed, laughed when he yawned, wondered at his grasp on my thumb. I could not get my fill of looking.
There should be a song for women to sing at this moment, or a prayer to recite. But perhaps there is none because there are no words strong enough to name that moment. Like every mother since the first mother, I was overcome and bereft, exalted and ravaged. I had crossed over from girlhood. I beheld myself as an infant in my mother’s arms, and caught a glimpse of my own death. I wept without knowing whether I rejoiced or mourned. My mothers and their mothers were with me as I held my baby."

Smiles and a giggle!

Here's a very cute video of Teddy from this morning. I was able to capture some smiles and even a little laugh/giggle/coo! It's so cute!

Fun at the beach!

Today Teddy took his first trip to Port Stanley for dinner at Mackie's, a walk on the beach, and frozen yogurt at Broderick's, and a walk across the bridge. Of course he was content just to sleep through dinner and dessert...and much of the walking too! I think he liked the sand in his toes!

Precious!

Isn't he so adorable? I can't wait to frame this picture and hang it up in our home!
Jen took these pics - she does a fabulous job!!
Thanks, Aunt Jenny!

Spa Day!

Relaxing in the lounge after the pedicure


Diaper change in the back of Mom's Jeep


Today my mom treated me to a pedicure at Fayez in Lambeth (loveliness!) - it was our first trip out of St. Thomas and Theodore's first time at the spa!

When we arrived, the girl at the front desk asked, "Will the baby be joining you?" CLEARLY!!!
Then she said, "Will he be crying?" I said no...and he immediately started crying! He was just hungry, though, and was fine after eating. He slept through the whole pedicure.

When we left, we had a small crisis trying to secure the car seat in my mom's car :S We had never tried going anywhere without the carseat base, so I wasn't sure exactly how to do it. It had worked pretty easily on the way to the spa, but when we were leaving, it just wasn't working. Then Teddy started crying and I became a little frustrated - I just hate having him cry like that! So, I decided to feed him and Mom continued trying to figure out the seat. We got him back in there and secured it all (that only took about 45 mins!)...
I smudged up a toenail in the process :S

All in all, it was a nice afternoon - very relaxing and a chance to be pampered! Grandma is good in a crisis ;)

Isn't he sweet?

Introducing...Theodore Bennett

Theodore Bennett Hambleton was born at 9:45pm on May 31st - 8lbs 8oz, 21" long.

Here are some cute pics! As we take more, they will post along the right side of our blog with a link to flickr.com so you can keep checking back for great pictures!

Isn't he just perfect?

Some pictures Jen took last weekend...

So embarassing...

Since I am home sick today (ugh), I have some time to update my blog!

Yesterday I broke a chair. That doesn't seem so bad until I tell you how it happened...
I went into my principal's office to talk with her about my upcoming maternity leave and other job-related things when she offered a chair for me to sit down in. I sat down and it broke! There were chipped pieces of wood on the floor and I kind of fell half-way to the ground :S
It was so embarassing...I could feel my face turning red!

I'm not sure how it happened because I am still very mobile and although I look pretty round, I am sure there are people at my work who weigh more than me who are not pregnant.

I guess this story will be an interesting addition to a baby book. I will have to get Brian to take a picture of me ... Caption: The day Mommy broke a chair

Best things about month 8

Some of my favourite things about this month of pregnancy:

* There is no mistaking it now...people know (even when I'm wearing a winter coat) that I am expecting. According to some, I am "trying to smuggle something under there," "have a beachball up my shirt," or I look like I have a basketball attached to me.

* The hiccups! Sometimes they actually feel sort of annoying because they don't stop, but I still find it amusing. It's a regular pulsing type of feeling and usually I can feel them at least once a day. The baby is practicing breathing but sometimes swallows amniotic fluid (I read that in a book so I know it's true!).

* The movement! It's so fun to see and feel the baby moving all around. Now that the baby is bigger, I feel more than just a movement in one area. Instead, if the bum pushes out on one side, I can also feel something at the opposite end. Or if one part of him kind of ripples across in one area, he sometimes moves at the other side too because he's stretching out I guess. I just love those rolling movemnts - they are so fun!

* Prenatal class...We are attending a class called "Naturally Born" that is led by two women in town. It's so nice to meet with other couples who are due around the same time and to educate ourselves about labour and birth. It's great to connect with others and talk baby talk every Tuesday evening!

* Setting things up...it's fun to see clothes hanging in the closet and furniture around the house. We bought a dresser/change table last weekend and Brian put it together. I washed a bunch of clothes and folded them all up. It's exciting to see things coming together!

New Pictures -- of the belly, of course!

Yesterday Brian and I went to get some pictures taken at Superstore and here they are! I am 33 weeks pregnant in case you are wondering...only 7 weeks to go! So exciting!

The big secret...

IT'S A BOY!

I wasn't going to post that here, but then Jon pointed out that I already slipped up on facebook. In one of the pics I posted, the comment reads, "Baby boy Hambleton!"
haha...
I blame it on hormones...

So exciting...I love thinking of him as a little person instead of this non-gendered being. It's great! And it's fun to plan a nursery now and to buy and receive outfits that are really cute little-boy outfits! tee hee

Heat wave...

I just got home from the most uncomfortable day at work yet. I don't want to complain about the weather because I absolutely love it! What I do want to complain about is the sauna that I am forced to work in. (Remember that I am now in my 8th month of pregnancy - I'm hot and tired and hormonal - haha).

About a month ago I put in a request to have the heating in my classroom fixed because it never shuts off...one whole wall is a big furnace thing that pours out heat. My custodian is great and has tried fixing it and is waiting for his request to go through so that someone will come and fix it. However, it is not fixed yet. Dilemma.

Because my room is the size of a broom closet (seriously it was the nurse's office in previous years) there is one small window that can be opened. On a cold winter's day with the window wide open, I can get the temperature down to 70 degrees in my room.
Today, the consistent temp was 78 degrees. All day the heat kept coming out of the furnace. It was disgusting. My face was flushed, I was sweating, kids were complaining, and I felt like I could barely move.

This is the first day that my feet swelled up. I noticed because my shoes started feeling very tight and when I slipped them off there were indents all over them :(

I requested a fan early in the day, but the one my custodian brought up was from approximately 1863 and didn't work...I am still waiting for another one.

The moral of this story? Become an administrator or an administrative assistant - they have central air in the office ;)

3D Baby!

On Tuesday we had a 3D ultrasound done in Oakville which was very exciting! We know the sex now...we will tell you but I'm not going to post it here because there are a couple of people who I want to tell in person first!

We think our little one is quite cute already, so with 10 weeks left in the womb, we know s/he will be beyond perfect! ;)

The first picture I posted really looks like Brian, I think. I am not usually one to say that a baby looks like one person or the other (especially since it's not finished developing), but when I first saw that picture, I immediately saw Brian. It's crazy!

The other one is just cute -- look at that expression!

Whew...

Wow - it's been quite a long time since I've done any blogging. I've discovered facebook, so now I tend to post pictures, etc. there.
Anyways, we had a great time in Florida during March Break and life has been pretty busy since we returned! I am very proud of my bump, so here are some belly shots - hehe. It's quite liberating, actually!
The top shot is at the house and below is at Fort Myers Beach.
The guys in the background were pretty funny...I caught one of them taking a picture of me with his cell phone. Then later the one lying on his stomach confessed that they had been talking about me for a while and wanted to tell me that I look beautiful. It was very sweet!


Here's a pic of Brian at Captiva Beach - the water there was beautiful!

Here we are back at the house -- just the three of us ;)

Liss is sick...

Here I am sitting at home, sick again…

Overall, my pregnancy has been great so far and I really enjoy it. I like my bump – it reminds me of this special blessing that Brian and I have together. And I just love feeling the baby move inside of me and being able to share that with Brian and with our other family members and close friends. It’s very exciting.

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve been able to see my stomach moving, which is really quite interesting! And especially in the past week, it’s been so active. I can feel more than just a kick with my hand on the outside…it’s almost creepy and sometimes startles me because I’ll feel something sliding along. It’s pretty hard to explain, actually. It’s weird when it gets so close to the front of me that I can actually feel it – like an arm or an elbow or something and it sits there touching my hand – WOW!

The downside to the pregnancy is that my immune system doesn’t seem to work very well. In the fall, I was very sick twice…once I had a really bad cold and 2 weeks later I lost my voice completely for 3 days. I was not well for over a month. And now I have been sick again since last Thursday. Yesterday it was so bad that I just stayed in bed all day. So I took today off work to try and get better. I’m still completely congested, coughing and feeling super tired…it is not fun! Being sick is one thing...then add that there is a human being growing and developing inside of me...I've just felt like I have no energy. It takes everything just to have a shower or make something to eat. I don't know how I will make it through a day of work tomorrow...I need my nap! haha

It will all be worth it in a few months though!

A Day at Work

Five things I heard today at work...

1. "When I was one I ate a bun going over the sea. I climbed aboard a pirate's ship and the pirate said to me, 'Going over going under, stand at attention like a soldier with a one, two, three.'" and other lyrics to children's songs.

2. "Isn't it spelled f-u-c-k?" (courtesy of a grade 2 boy)

3. "How's the baby doing?"

4. "Did you eat the whole lunch?" (or something like that, but coming from a JK that I don't know, I couldn't completely make out all the words...I'm assuming she meant that I looked like I'd had a lot to eat today!)

5. "My dad got out of jail yesterday - last night!" (from a grade 1 girl)

A Night on the Town

According to Jon, I actually have legitimate reason to post pics and information about the bump growing on the front of me. Thus, here are some fun pics from Saturday night! We went out for dinner at Garlic's (Sidenote: We we had a very annoying server who wasn't nice to me. When I asked him what kind of juices he had, he answered, "What kind are you looking for?" What kind of answer is that? ugh)...then we headed to Althouse for a production of "Seussical the Musical" starring my friend, Jess - fabulous. It was a fun night out. We went to William's afterwards, where I ordered some french toast for the baby...hehe. When you live in St. Thomas and are heading to London for the evening, you might as well take in a couple of places in one night...afterall, there are NO quaint coffee shops in good 'ol hicktown St. T!

My belly...what else?

I'm sitting on the couch (just finished watching Grey's Anatomy - so good!) and I'm talking to Tiff on MSN...
I can feel the baby moving like crazy, so I am now watching my stomach have earth quakes - it's the best! Wow...I never seem to catch it at a time when I can lift my shirt up and actually watch my tummy, so it's pretty exciting. I can see my whole stomach moving! It's so weird.
I just love it...I love being pregnant - so wonderful :D

Earlier today I tried on some shorts (that still fit...but they are jogging-pant-type-stretchy shorts) and I had on a tank top (that no longer fits even like a tankini top should - haha)...
It looked so funny that I came downstairs just to show Brian...it made me laugh! I wish I was brave enough to post a picture of it just so everyone could laugh.

Brian has been home sick all day today, so he went to bed almost an hour ago...
And that's why I'm amusing myself by blogging and watching my belly.

It's been a while...

I haven't updated this in quite a while because I've felt like I have nothing good to post right now. When you're a teacher, you can't really tell work stories on your blog...too risky! So considering that's what I've been busy with lately, no blogs!

The only other thing I can think of to blog about is, of course, the baby...and I'm wondering if you are all tired of reading about my belly. Too bad...you can stop reading if you want.

A little while ago, I heard about the opportunity of traveling to Cambridge for a 3D ultrasound, but when I realized it costs $200, I said, "Forget it!" I'm of the mindset that I don't want to be doing things that I don't need to do during pregnancy (like extra ultrasounds, taking meds, etc.)...

Brian, on the other hand, was very excited about the opportunity to see our little one in action in 3D/4D. He kept telling me that it seems like a pretty cool thing and we should do it...afterall, how many times in a life will you do this, right?

So...I looked up some information and found www.3dbaby.ca, the website of a company in Oakville. You should really check it out -- the pictures and videos are so real-looking!
Long story short...we are going for an ultrasound! If you can actually believe it, they have $99 Tuesday specials! (That is pretty amusing to me...)

Anyways, I'm excited to see the baby and I think it will help Brian bond with the baby. After all, it is not protruding from his abdomen or kicking around inside him all day (and night) long!
Plus, they will tell us the sex! I am most excited about this because I am a plan-ahead kind of person and I'd like to narrow down the 1 billion names out there to 1/2 a billion.

I will definitely post some pics of our wee one when we have the ultrasound in March!
Until then...I will try to blog more frequently and maybe think of some new topics!

Moose Winooski's

Happy birthday to Brian! haha
We went to dinner at Moose Winooski's in Waterloo on Sunday night (we traveled there to see Liz's recital). It was pretty funny to see Brian with antlers while the whole staff sang to him!

Winter Wonderland

Here are some beautiful pictures of the scene at Lake Margaret last week after the freezing rain storm. It was such a nice drive to Aylmer that day...the sky was bright blue and everything was covered in icicles. Lovely!

The "Move Over" Law

On my way to work this morning...

I was in the left lane on Veteran's Pkwy (traveling north) and moved into the right b/c people were going kind of slow. When I got into the right lane I noticed that there was a police officer pulled over at the right side (he had someone pulled over too - for speeding I guess). I wondered about getting back into the other lane but it was kind of busy and then I decided it might look weird if I then tried to go back in the first lane...like I was trying to get away or something!

Anyways, they were just leaving and pulled out in front of me...but the officer didn't start going very fast. Eventually he pulled over, I went past, and then he put his lights on and pulled me over! I was freaking out b/c I didn't know what I did wrong...I wasn't speeding.

He came up to the passenger side of the door and asked if I'd heard of the "Move Over" law...and I kind of looked at him blankly and then said, "You mean when you have your lights on?" He proceeded to tell me that most of the cars on the road were in the left lane b/c of this "move over" law so I shouldn't have been in the right-hand lane...it's so that police officers don't get hit by passing vehicles, he explained.

Despite my urge to control my emotions, this is when I could feel the water starting to form in my eyes...

I explained that when I first changed into the right lane I couldn't see him (until I was already in the right lane) but that I was sorry and I should have moved back into the other lane. He told me that many officers are giving fines for this now and it's $500. So...he told me to drive safely and remember to move over so that I "can pretend that I don't want police officers to get hit!"

:S

By this time my eyes were noticeably watering...it was so embarassing. I don't know why I get so scared when I'm pulled over but I suddenly have no control over my emotions. As soon as the lights start flashing behind me, this complete sense of fear washes over me and I feel my stomach begin to turn and my heart begin to beat faster.

I was pulled over once before for speeding on the 401 and the same thing happened. I would like to clarify that I am NOT one of those women who would purposely bring on the tears in order to get out of a ticket. No matter how hard I try, I can't control the watering eyes! (Sidenote: I was let off that time on the 401 - no ticket!)...

So, I am warning all of you about the "Move Over" law...perhaps I am the only one who did not think of this on my way to work in the morning on a busy road when this all happened in a flash of a second...:S ugh

Brian's skills

I discovered last night that Brian has skills in 5-pin bowling! I'm not sure what a 'good' score is, but his score in game 1 was 152 compared to my very pathetic 77 (yikes!). He scored 2 strikes and 3 spares in that game while I scored 14 gutter balls. Opposites attract!
In game 2, he wowed me again with 4 strikes and 2 spares ending up with a score of 170. I improved...only 12 gutters and I gained a strike and a spare with a final score of 120 - phew!

I can't seem to keep my wrist straight when I release the ball...it's been a problem since I was a little girl. I remember my dad trying to show me how to keep it straight and somehow I always ended up feeling like a loser and I would cry. So much for good old-fashioned fun! haha

I guess maybe Brian should join a league...

Speaking of which, there was league bowling last night while we were there. It was like we walked into a different time and place...
If you've never been bowling in hickville...er...St. Thomas, let me give you a little insight...
This is NOT Fleetway, where the majority of bowlers are youth and young families out to have a good time. This is a ghetto bowling alley - not computerized...I mean you have to keep score with a pencil and paper! - there is no Dairy Queen attached, no pool tables.
The alley was filled with 80s types...it was like a time warp. We felt like foreigners.

Despite all that, though, it was a fun time. And you never know, maybe there was a scout there who will contact us so Brian can go pro!

Ultrasound - 19 weeks

We had our first (and only) ultrasound yesterday which was very exciting! It was so awesome to see the baby moving around for the first time. These pictures really don't look so exciting when I compare it to what we saw on the screen yesterday.

Unfortunately, the technician wasn't able to tell us the sex of our baby. We had really been hoping that she'd be able to tell us, but no such luck! As it turns out, the baby's legs were crossed and it even had a hand in the way. The technician said our baby must be shy ;)

We were able to look down at the baby through its skull and see the brain, the pumping heart, the spinal cord, and its ribs. It was so interesting. Then the technician tried a different angle so that we could look at the face and tummy of the baby again and the baby decided to turn around! It turned right away from us and was looking down...so funny to see. But eventually it turned back and we got this picture!

If you are not familiar with ultrasound pics or if you just can't seem to see the extreme beauty of our child, here is some help:

In the middle of the screen, you are looking right at its face -- you can see the 2 dark spots where the eyes are. It's as if it's lying on its side and looking out at you...does that help?

I guess we will be in for a big surprise on the day the baby is born...until then, our baby's favourite colours will be yellow and green - haha!