Even my husband is on board, possibly starting a new job, getting taxes done a month early and now we are also taking the next steps in purchasing a new home!  Today we are signing a contract to hold a property here in Whistler, a decision that has taken a while to come to reality.  Finally we have both concluded that Whistler is indeed where we want to raise our new family.  For 6 years we have been struggling with this decision, and our little unborn miracle is making all of this come together!

I find it all a little amazing really.  As our baby moves and gets stronger everyday, our lives have also gotten more rooted and clear from mental debris.  Pregnancy really is an incredible stage of life, taking us in directions that have taken us years to follow.  I can only imagine what comes next with becoming a mother.  These are truly exciting times…

It was an unbelievable experience for all of us, especially the last glorious day!  February 28th might just be one of Canada’s most important dates in history as we won our precious gold medal in hockey, a hockey story that couldn’t possibly have been written any better, a story so perfect it almost felt far-fetched!   A gold that entitled Canada as the only country to win 14 gold medals in any Winter Olympic Games! A gold that we were destined to achieve.  The 28th of February was a magical day for all Canadians but what happened next in Whistler was nothing short of incredible.

My husband and I ran into Whistler Village to catch the Blue Rodeo show which was being held by Whistler Live right in Village square.  Although neither of us are huge Blue Rodeo fans they represent our country and we new we could not miss this moment.  When we arrived the square was absolutely packed for as far as you could see.  Flags were being flown everywhere, worn everywhere and hung everywhere.  People were standing on the rooftops shouting and singing, laughing and crying.  Blue Rodeo was playing their ever classic Canadian anthems and their audience echoed their lyrics like background singers.  It was the most Canadian moment I have ever experienced and I was immediately brought to tears.  We could feel the entire country’s energy in this moment and all of us there knew that this moment could never be repeated.  What we were witnessing and experiencing was one of a kind.

It was a day I will never forget.  Whenever I feel discouraged and disappointed in humanity and society I will certainly go back to February 28th, the day that reminded us all of how millions of us can easily come together to celebrate lovingly “with glowing hearts”.

Needless to say, I haven’t been writing lately, I’ve been distracted by one of the most amazing events I have ever been able to participate in.  The Olympic experience did not disappoint.  It was a huge success and did exactly what it was set out to do…bring the World together in the true spirit of humanity, proving to us all that despite all the darkness in our World, the human spirit can never be broken.

I have to say I burst into tears when my very supportive husband surprised me with a touching pregnancy gift, Body Shop bathing salts and Shea butter body cream.  Perfect for relaxing and pampering my soul…and I had nothing to surprise him with!  I hated it!  I love surprising people especially my husband.

So I had to come up with something romantic for brunch with whatever I had in the fridge, which isn’t much these busy days!  But luckily I had family over for dinner the other night and had a few extra things on hand which definitely helped in my brunch planning.

When I think of romantic dishes I immediately think of creme brulee!  I don’t know why, something about custard, spoons and ramekins.  “What can I do that is similar to a creme brulee experience??”  I have to say I’m really proud of what I came up with….

Ouefs pot de Creme

Ingredients:

• 4 Free Range Eggs
• 1 Cup diced grape tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic (roasted) diced
• 3 Sun Dried Tomatoes diced
• 6-8 Black olives pitted and diced
• Garlic Powder
• Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Handful of arugula (or baby spinach or other leafy green)
• Shredded cheddar
• Parmesan Cheese

Creme

• 1/3 cup sour cream
• tsp of milk
• tsp of Dijon mustard

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Warm a sauce pan with table spoon of veg oil.  Toss peeled garlic cloves into oil and cook until roasted and browned and then dice.  In a small bowl combine roasted garlic, tomatoes, olives, seasonings and olive oil.  In a separate bowl combine the creme ingredients.

Assemble:

Divide tomato mixture evenly into 4 ramekins.  Place a few pieces of arugula over the tomato mixture.  Then add one egg over both layers.  Top each egg with a spoon full of creme mixture and top with shredded cheese and then sprinkle with parmesan.

Place four ramekins into a small baking dish.  Fill baking dish half way with boiling water and place dish in the oven.  Bake for at least 10 minutes.  Baking time will vary depending on your oven and the type of ramekin you are using.  Keep an eye on the dish and wait for egg whites to thicken.  Yolk should still be a bit runny.

**  As this is my first time trying this recipe I do not have the exact time for baking this recipe.  Because of the creme it is difficult to tell when the eggs are properly cooked.  I think a good sign is when the eggs begin to puff up a little bit.  So give yourself ample time for baking.

I also forgot to take a picture!   Too bad because they were really pretty and they tasted amazing!  Be sure to serve with toasted bread for dipping!  I loved this and I know you will too!!

Every time I make a trip to the city to my new favourite baby store I go numb!  I just walk around aimlessly looking at things and my intentions fly out the window.  Suddenly I am paralyzed by the amount of baby stuff there is!  “What the hell is it that I need?”  Every time I go in with a plan and walk out luckily with nothing.  I will not fall into this materialistic baby trap!  “But I do need to get these things done?”

My solution has been online…and it works wonders!  Now I can browse through my favourite retail stores, which is more than half the fun of shopping anyway, and take a look at some things that I may need and then go home and research it.  If you decide on a few items than let the fun begin!!  Start shopping online.

Start by checking out sites like ebay.com and kijiji.com.  You never know what kind of luck you will have there.  Sometimes the prices with shipping do not compete but if you catch an auction at the right time you may just luck out like I did a couple of days ago…

I won a new Summer Day and Night digital video colour baby monitor for $116.00 CAN including shipping on Ebay!  The cheapest price I’ve been able to find for the same model is $190.00 not including taxes!  Great deal.

If those sites do not work than start googling baby stores in other provinces and see what they have to offer.  If you are Canadian, purchasing items in another province means NO PST!  Awesome deal.  But to make it even better, try to find multiple items that you need from the same store because often stores will waive the shipping fees when you spend over 100$.  So free shipping and no PST means BIG savings!

I bought my stroller online from Alberta, my cloth diapers by Bum Genius from Ontario, my video monitor from the USA and my diaper bags and diaper sprayer from Ontario!  All way within my budget and it all comes to my door!

There’s nothing like finding a good deal online, I promise you!

So I decided to make a double sided wipe, one side with a cheerful pattern and the back side in a solid, checkered or striped.  Since these will be used very often and washed frequently they need to be durable so double sided was definitely the way to go.  I chose two different materials to make two different wipes with and chose a fabric for the backing that would match both materials.

I figured that a 7 in by 7in wipe would be an ideal size, so what I did was cut out a cardboard template from a cereal box that was 7 by 7 and used that as a guide for my wipes.  I made sure to cut the fabric about 1/2 an inch wider than what I needed so that I had room to sew the wipe and cut the edges off so that I didn’t lose width in my wipe.

As I did not have access to a serger, I used a sewing machine instead.  I chose to use a wider patterned stitch that was durable and pretty.  All you have to do is start a 1/2 inch in from the edge and sew in a square pattern.  I chose to round out my corners and I did this by my eye, I did not measure it all out properly because really…it’s just a baby wipe!

Once I had sewn all around the edges I simply cut off the outside material as close as I could to the stitch without cutting the stitch of course.  Since I am not using a serger the edges of the material will frey a bit which is why cutting off the edges as cleanly as you can is helpful.

The end result was perfect.  They are adorable and will do the trick nicely!  For a closer look into making your own cloth baby wipes feel free to watch my video!

The idea of a sewing project truly excited me, I haven’t done anything like it before but I do enjoy looking through fabric and saving money so this has to be a great assignment for me.  So a couple of weeks ago I made a trip into Vancouver and sourced out some great flannel there, decided on my fabric patterns and then headed to the cutting table for some advice on how much fabric I would need for my project as I had no clue.

I figured that I wanted to make around 50 baby wipes that would be double sided in fabric and roughly 7in x 7in.  I bought two different patterns of fabric and another fabric that matched both to be used as the second side, so I would have a two sided wipe, one with a patter and the other a solid colour.  The assistant told me I would need 5 meters in each pattern and 10 in the solid in order to make the amount I wanted.

So I watched as they measured out my fabric and I was absolutely sure that there was waaaaayyyy too much material, but as I am not the expert here I said nothing.  That was my first mistake!  Once it is cut the material is a final sale!  The second mistake was that I should have asked what the price was before they started measuring.  The assistant filled out an order sheet for me first which would have been my warning sign as the bill was $154.00!!!  And that was with a 30% discount!

Ooops.

So much for my inexpensive project.  The other day I started cutting out my squares and stopped at 60 wipes and I still have enough fabric to triple this project!  So instead my project has gotten larger, now I plan to make some fitted sheets, receiving blankets, bibs and whatever else I need.

Besides the material is sooooo cute!

So this week I had to get back to the baby game, being in my 25th week I was due for another medical test for Gestational Diabetes.  What is Gestational Diabetes?  Gestational Diabetes is also referred to as GDM and is a form of diabetes that only pregnant women can develop.  If  a pregnant women develops GDM and has never had diabetes in the past than she diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes.

Diabetes is a concerning disorder where the body struggles to either make enough insulin or use insulin properly resulting in an excess of sugar in our bloodstream giving us high blood sugar.  When the body digests carbohydrates it transforms the food into glucose which is required by the body for energy.  This sugar enters the blood stream and awaits the hormone insulin which is created by the pancreas.  Insulin’s job is to take sugar out of the blood stream and into the cells of our body.  When the body does not create enough insulin or in someway does not work properly we end up with a diabetic condition.

Those at most risk for developing GDM are:

• A member of a high risk population such as, Aboriginal, Hispanic, African descent, South Asian and Asian
• Over the age of 35
• Obese weight
• Past history with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Use of corticosteroids
• Acanthosis Nigricans (a skin darkening disorder)
• or had a previous diagnosis of GDM

Although in most cases pregnant women who do develop GDM have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Development, GDM can have negative affects on the pregnancy as well:

• The baby’s body is larger than normal—called macrosomia. A large baby may need to be delivered by a surgical procedure called cesarean section, instead of naturally through the vagina.
• The baby’s blood sugar is too low—called hypoglycemia. Starting to breastfeed right away can help get more glucose to the baby. The baby may also need to get glucose through a tube into his or her blood.
• The baby’s skin turns yellowish and the whites of the eyes may change color—called jaundice. This condition is easily treated and is not serious if treated.
• The baby may have trouble breathing and need oxygen or other help—called Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
• The baby may have low mineral levels in the blood. This problem can causes muscle twitching or cramping, but can be treated by giving the baby extra minerals

http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/Gestational_Diabetes.cfm

So obviously it is important to screen for this condition.  It is recommended that all pregnant women be screened for Gestational Diabetes between weeks 24 and 28 of you pregnancy.

I just had my test done yesterday and it is a little time consuming actually.  It is important that you eat in the morning and about two hours after eating is the perfect time to have your GDM test administered.  You are required to stay in the laboratory the entire time you are participating in case of any difficulties.  The test takes just over an hour.

First you are simply required to drink a bottle of what tastes and looks exactly like orange pop.  You must drink the entire bottle in under 5 minutes and then you wait for an hour so be sure to bring those pregnancy and labour books that you have been putting off!

After an hour passes, the lab technicians perform a blood test.  The results will be sent to your Doctor.  If you fail you will be asked to re-take the test on a fasting stomach.

If you are diagnosed with GDM your Doctor will help get you onto a plan to control the condition which usually includes checking your blood sugar levels daily, a healthy low carbohydrate diet, exercise plan and possibly the addition of insulin as an aid to regulate sugar levels.

It is important to remember that most pregnancies with GDM result in healthy babies and healthy mothers immediately after birth.  This condition seems to disappear after the baby is born.  That being said, this condition can also be a very important warning sign to new mothers as mothers who had GDM and the children of those mothers are at a higher lifetime risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes.  This can be an important catalyst for a healthy lifestyle change for you and your child as these conditions are certainly preventable.

I meet again with Dr. Anderson on the second of February where we will discuss my results.  Fingers Crossed….XXXX

Types of Cloth Diapers

Prefolds – If you are looking for the most inexpensive way to cloth diaper your baby, this is the way to go.  Basically this is what our parents used!  Prefolds work by using various folding techniques to properly fold the diaper so that it is thicker in the necessary places for your baby.  Then the diaper is either secured with pins or a very snug diaper cover. Prefolds do require diaper covers to protect them from leakage.

They might be cheap but they require a lot of folding, pining and securing.  Not the most convenient option for me anyways.

Fitted Diapers – This type of cloth diaper is one step up from the old classic prefold.  Fitted cloth diapers are fitted accordingly to your baby’s size eliminating the folding process.  These diapers use elastic around the legs and waist for maximum leakage protection.  Since fitted diapers are essentially prefolds that have been appropriately cut and fitted for baby, they do not have a waterproof outer layer so they all require diaper covers.

Pocket Cloth Diapers – The pocket cloth diaper changed the way we all look at the cloth diapering system.  This diaper and diapers like them are very similar to disposable diapers and truly make cloth diapering accessible.  A pocket diaper essentially means that the diaper is designed with a pocket where an additional cloth liner can be inserted into the diaper for extra protection while having a waterproof exterior shell.

All in One Diapers – Most All in One diapers are very similar to pocket diapers only they are generally suited to certain sizes.  Most have pockets for cloth liners and some allow liners to lie in the center of the diaper essentially making the outer layer a diaper cover instead.  This allows for parents to simply change the liner and reuse the outer shell.

The trouble with the All in One’s is that you need to purchase different sizes as your baby grows therefore the initial cost might be higher than expected.  That being said though, your diapers will not wear out as quickly and you will most likely get through two, possibly even three children with them.  So in the long run financially, this diaper might be the wisest choice!

One Size Diapers – These are All in One diapers that will grow with your child!  Definitely the most convenient style of cloth diapering system.  Generally these diapers will fit babies from 7lbs to 35lbs or from newborn to potty training!  The issue with these diapers is that they can be very bulky on newborns and may not offer the best fit in general as can an All in One diapering system.

These diapers offer convenience while being cost effective as well.

So which one works best for you???  I have no idea!  I think the first thing we need to do before purchasing the right type of cloth diaper is to determine our needs and requirements from a diapering system.  Ask yourself,

“How often do I want to do laundry?”

“How many kids do we expect to use cloth diapers with?”

“Will we be using cloth diapers at night time?”

“How much time do I have to fold properly?”

“What is my ideal budget?”

“Will I be the primary ‘diaper changer’ or will my care giver?”

“How much space do I have for storage?”

Through a process of elimination the right cloth diapering system might suddenly appear!  All the best with your decision.

Now which brand to use…….?

This stroller is really well thought out as it has several very useful attachments that you can additionally buy when required.  The car seat adapter allows for the most popular car seats to attach for newborns, and there is also a toddler seat attachment for future use.  As the stroller is capable of handling up to 75 lbs of weight the City Elite is great for a growing family.

I also love the great storage that is available for me on the back side of the stroller.  It has many pockets and zippered pockets available for easy access.  But the best thing about this stroller is the quick fold technology that is available with all Baby Jogger Strollers.  All the effort required to collapse the stroller is in one simple handle located on the seat.  Simply lift the handle and the stroller is folded and ready for the trunk!  It is incredibly easy to use which I love.  The only downside is the weight of the stroller, it happens to be 25 lbs so quite a bit heavier than others but I feel that it is worth it.

We have been keeping an eye out for any deals on this stroller on sites like Ebay and others and finally my searching on www.kijiji.ca led me to an advertisement for a clearance on Baby Jogger 2009 Strollers!  The store having the sale was located in Alberta Canada called www.boutiqueyourbaby.com and the City Elite was available at 28% off!  The best part about this sale was that we saved money on taxes as well because Alberta does not have the same tax that we have here in British Columbia and the shipping was free!  So we jumped on the opportunity and bought our first stroller!

We also purchased the car seat adapter and the matching diaper bag.  The Baby Jogger Diaper Bag is actually designed to attach to the side of the stroller to prevent extra weight on the handle.  It is also a more masculine design so it will be comfortable for my husband to use as well.

We should have it here in a couple of weeks, I can’t wait!

My mother told me that the first time she felt me move she thought it felt like somebody dropping a spoonful of jello inside her abdomen.  I thought that was an interesting description, better than butterflies as I tend to get anxious often so I have experienced butterflies on a regular basis, and I was certainly not feeling butterflies lately.  However I was feeling what I can only describe as a small “pop” or a bubble bursting very low in my abdomen.  Again, it felt similar to gas so I was unable to confirm it was the baby…that is until Monday.

I had last Monday off from work and first thing after breakfast I knew that I wasn’t experiencing anything that I had experienced before and that this “popping” was most definitely M.J.  It was almost like someone had turned on the fetal movement switch!  One day I felt nothing and the next, I felt everything!

I must say that this is the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced.  It is so amazing to feel this little human moving around inside!  I can actually tell now when M.J. is sleeping and waking up.  I’m looking forward to noticing my little baby’s reaction to music and sound now!  That will be my next experiment.

So week 22…the week we both felt M.J. for the first time.