29 Weeks: A Bit Swollen, Something Stolen, But Lots To Be Thankful For!

29 Weeks has come and gone and man, what a week it was! We had a lot of ups and downs, but we survived it and going strong as ever! One of the exciting 'up' things that happened for us this week was the purchase of a new table and chair set for our kitchen! When we moved into our house, we went to Sears Outlet and got an amazing deal on a kitchen table set ($15 per chair!), and well, we were quite happy with it...until we got cats and had guests coming over. Very quickly, our chairs began to show wear and tear as they were cushioned in white fabric (not so stain friendly), and the seats themselves began to fall off the chairs, causing people to fall onto the floor. We became embarrassed about the state of our chairs and were reluctant to have guests over for fear of their disgust or of them suing us due to fractured tail bones. Another reason I wanted new chairs was because as I was growing larger,  I was becoming more and more afraid of falling and not being able to get back up...and I don't have a life alert bracelet. :) We had looked many times in the past, but each time we found a set, it was out of stock and we'd have to wait a couple months. Well, Chris and I can be impulse shoppers and we don't like having to wait. Once we decide something, we want it then and there is no stopping us! Luckily, we found a super nice table set that was in stock (though they were two chairs short, so we got them to sell us the floor model ones). All in all, I am so happy with our table and chairs! We are going to stain my old highchair to match the colour of the wood so Muppet will fit right in! Now we have a cozy little eating nook and we have already entertained both sets of parents on two separate occasions! It looks like we can go back to hosting get-togethers now!

One of the down moments sadly came because of our new table and chair set. When we got the set home, Chris had no one to help him bring it in, so I stubbornly insisted that I assist him. It seems that carrying the chairs was fine, but bringing in the huge box that contained the table...well, that was just plain silly of me. I must have pulled something because later the next day I had a lot of pain in my lower abdomen. At first I thought they were just cramps, but as the evening wore on, the pain became worse and worse and I started to get really nervous. I laid down to do my 'kick counting' (10 kicks/hour or call your doctor) to ensure Muppet was still active, and though the baby took a little longer than usual, I was able to get my 10 kicks in 10 minutes. I got up and sat down to dinner with my parents, but even sitting seemed to hurt. When they left, Chris insisted I lay down on the couch for awhile to rest. That seemed to work for a little, until I had to get up off the couch. The pain was almost unbearable! I had to get Chris to help me up, and the best way was for me to roll onto the floor and then up onto my feet. All night long as I tossed and turned, the pain persisted, and I almost considered going to the hospital, but come morning, the pain had subsided into a dull, sore muscle ache, so I knew I was going to be fine. I really need to listen to my body and realize that I am not Superwoman. My body's function is primarily to care for this little person inside of me, and so all my super human strength is currently being used up for that. Moving furniture and lifting heavy things must be put on hold for now...or I can learn to ask for help.

Another 'up' moment was the day of the Multiple Births Canada sale, where a whole bunch of gently used items like clothing and toys were for sale. I went with my mother and we found tons of things! I spent about $75 and came home with a huge garbage bag full of newborn gender neutral clothing, socks, blankets, stuffies and more. Mom came home with a bag just as full, filled with bibs, hats, socks, and clothing too. It was a long night, and the place was packed with scrambling mothers and confused looking fathers, and I was quite sore and tired by the end of our shopping experience. I did meet the creator of my Bellysling though, and that was very neat! She was super sweet and so excited to hear that I loved my maternity belt. Truly, I don't know what I would do without it!

The next 'down' was that someone decided to break into our vehicle on Thanksgiving night and steal our gadgets from inside. Chris admits that he may have forgotten to lock the car (which he never forgets to do) because his arms were full with Sawyer, his laptop bag and he was a little tired because of all the turkey. Sawyer was not the best guard dog either that night, but that's probably because he was in a little turkey coma of his own. When people steal, it just makes me very sad, because you truly feel violated as your personal space is invaded, and also because things that you work really hard for, or receive as a special gift just becomes a dollar sign to a thief. The real worth of the item isn't important to them. I was particularly sad, as one of the items they stole was my iPod (Chris gave it to me as a gift) which I had loaded up with music for Muppet. I truly hope the thief enjoys listening to Raffi, Anne Murray and Sesame Street.

The next 'up' moment for us was going out to see 'Hey Rosetta!' in concert. I was a little concerned about the volume of the music and how that would affect Little Muppet's ears, especially after the opening act (who I am pretty sure is an elementary school teacher by day, crazy "music" performer by night). He was a little nuts. He was standing on tables singing, making shadow puppets on the screen behind him, handing out tamborines to the crowd, playing with a huge parachute and caressing the hockey players on the tv screen behind me. Needless to say, I wanted to go home and so did Muppet as my stomach was hurting and becoming really tense due to the loud thumping and screeching of the music. Luckily, 'Hey Rosetta!' quickly took to the stage, and though I was tired, I went up to join Chris watch the band as I know how much he loves them. They always seem to put on a good show. They are one of the few bands that Chris loves that I actually enjoy, and I'm glad we could share our mutual interest with Muppet. I'm pretty sure Muppet liked the experience as it danced around for a bit, then just kicked once and awhile to the beat of the music while Chris rocked me back and forth and I rubbed my belly. It was very cozy. :)

Enjoy "Red Heart" by Hey Rosetta! Muppet did! :)

Another 'up' was Thanksgiving here in Canada! We lucked out and had two Thanksgiving dinners, lovingly cooked by Muppet's Grandmothers and they were both delicious! At Chris' parent's house, we had dinner with his sister, her hubby, Lil' Edie and the hubby's parents who came all the way from Norway to meet Edie. Sadly, Chris' brother and fiancé were unable to come as they currently live far away in California. We missed them a lot this year. The "kids" played some games on the Wii, but Edie seemed to be having a bit of a rough night. Maybe it was all the excitement of meeting her Norwegian Grandparents.

Another person missing this Thanksgiving was my sister. She is currently going to school near Ottawa and wasn't able to come home either. We also missed her greatly, but we are so proud of how well she is doing in school. We are both very glad that everyone will be coming home for Christmas though, as they will all be here just in time to meet Muppet!

For Thanksgiving at my family's house, we went to the pumpkin patch to find ourselves the perfect pumpkins, then we went to visit my dad who was hard at work at his shop. He took a little break and we all had fun playing in the leaves, climbing trees (not me!), and just enjoying the fall sunshine. It was a beautiful day that really made you realize how much you truly have to be thankful for. I am just so thankful to have such loving families (near and far) that really care for us and support us. I know Muppet is especially thankful for stuffing and turkey... with some dill pickles and cranberries on the side...Yum!

As of week 29, Muppet is the size of a butternut squash! (Perfect for Thanksgiving!) Muppet is about 15 inches long and it's head is growing to make room for it's brain that is quickly developing more and more. Right now Muppet is absorbing lots of calcium, so I'm supposed to eat more dairy and cheese...ya right, as if I need another reason to eat cheese. ;)

Here is a quick clip on Muppet moving around in my tummy at 29 weeks. I like to watch it with the Jaws theme song playing in my head, as the movement reminds me of a shark swimming just below the surface of the water. Enjoy! :)

I currently am raking up on the spider vein count and my legs are getting super sore when I stand on them for long periods of time. Almost over night, I developed some around my ankle and now some are becoming varicose veins. After an 8 hour shift at work, my legs feel super bruised and I get very swollen. I guess I am one of those lucky pregnant women, eh? :)

One thing that is new to me is how swollen my feet and ankles have gotten! Over Thanksgiving they started looking like they were the ones eating all the food, not my tummy. Even with my feet propped up all day, the swelling remains. I can't fit into my shoes, heck, I can't even fit in my sandals! When I walk around, the skin feels like it's flopping...it's so gross. I really look like I should be riding around in Florida on my scooter with a turkey leg in my hand. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, so I'm going to ask about it, as it really is uncomfortable and gross. Also, I think this is the last time I can paint my toe nails...It took me forever to do it, and multiple positions. Chris, tag! You're it! ;)

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and even if you couldn't be with loved ones, at least be comforted with the knowledge that you were in their hearts and were never forgotten! <3

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