Two Monkeys: Nicholas & Joshua Read

Nicholas has hit his 3 week growth spurt. How do I know? 5-7 hour feedings a few times this week was our biggest clue. I never knew about the constant feeding schedule. I thought that he'd be eating for 20 min., we'd change him, burp him and then we'd be free for 2 hours before the next feeding. Reality hasn't quite been that way. Growth wise, he's grown both in length and weight. His head seems bigger and he's developing fat underneath his chin and in his legs. Soon, they'll be big like drumsticks. We're anxious to get his weight checked out soon to see how much he really has grown. He's also been exhibiting what I call the 'angry baby syndrome'. This is where he'll be breastfeeding and an ejection of milk will come out causing him to moan and groan like an angry baby because the milk flow is too quick. I couldn't quite figure it out at first, but when I realized what it was, I was relieved to know that this is normal. It's q

As the clock hit 11:56 am today, Cam and I sung happy birthday to Nicholas as he is now 3 weeks old. It feels long and short at the same time. Since the day he was born, he's been a feeding machine. The only real cries that come from Nicholas is for food, which he's been happily gulping down every few hours. We celebrated his first Christmas with family and friends yesterday. I had bought him a Santa outfit that I thought wouldn't fit him a few weeks ago, but since he's stretched his legs out a bit and filled out with some layers of fat, his suit fit him just fine. Grandma and Grandpa Read paid a visit in the early afternoon and then we went over to my mom's. I love it when family is around because I have an instant flock of babysitters. The only thing they can't do is feed him unfortunately. The sleeping and feeding routine at night hasn't been too bad.  The worst of it was the first few days. We now tend to stay up until midnight-2 am and then try to g

It's been an amazing two-week journey with the arrival of Nicholas on Dec. 5th. Every time I go to update the blog, I am called to a feeding that can sometimes last hours. Nicholas is finally in his bassinet now, giving me a few moments to give an update. First off, I'll start with the birth story! Our little Nicholas finally arrived on Saturday, Dec. 5th at 11:56 am. He was supposed to be induced on Dec. 6, which also happens to be Saint Nicholas Day, but we were able to avoid the inducement as he decided to bravely enter the world early Sat. morning. I had a hunch that he was going to come on Sat. as I had some physical signs on Friday, including the loss of my mucous plug. Cam and I enjoyed our last night out by dining at New Mee Fung where I slurped back a mango shake with tapioca balls and devoured my wrap dish. We rented a comedy for the evening - Run Fatboy Run (very funny) and then proceeded to go to bed. Before I went to bed, I called the hospital to inquire what

We've now made it to the weekend and Nicholas is still very comfortable in the belly. He's definitely dropped even more this week and is getting a bit restless - even at night when he usually doesn't move at all. Cam and I are hoping that labor will start naturally tomorrow.  I have a yoga class in the morning and then we're going to walk a lot to hopefully get things going. Cam finished his last day of work today before he goes back in Jan.  We went out for a nice dinner tonight -  mind as well enjoy these carefree baby free moments while we can. I'm also getting very used to sleeping 9 hours a night. It's weird waking up knowing that next week, I may only be getting sleep in increments of 2-4 hours at a time. Thank god I can fall asleep anywhere.

We're now into December and baby Nicholas is now measuring around 8 pounds, has a full head of hair, and long legs. We went to our post date ultrasound yesterday to see what he was up to and everything is still looking great. I think he's itching to get out as his movements in the belly have been more forceful and you can see my whole belly shift as he gets comfortable. He's even begun to do some kicking in the middle of the night - perhaps he's telling me that he's ready for a midnight snack! After seeing Dr. Farrell yesterday, he recommended that if Nicholas does not arrive before the 6th, we'll be induced this Sunday due to my higher than normal blood pressure. I think I'm still in denial that I will have a baby in my arms by next week, but it really doesn't seem real. I've lived with him in the belly for 9 months, but to have a real baby in my arms - now that's completely foreign. We're completely ready for his arrival at least - his be

Cam and I celebrated to the fullest last night at his company Xmas party at the Marriott Hotel. It was a blast getting dressed up - I have to say that getting panty hose on with a full belly made me giggle as I struggled to bend over to pull them on.  Cam also had to help me put my shoes on as I couldn't quite bend all the way over. We made the best of the night and enjoyed it with everyone there. I made tons of friends as they were all wondering when I was due. When I told everyone that it was the next day, they were in shock. I devoured the turkey dinner and savored all the dishes that were brought to our table. We sat with Pasquale and Tina and got all caught up. Once the dancing started, I figured, why not hit the dance floor to get the baby further down. My feet were absolutely sore by the end of the evening, but it was well worth the pain! Dinner with Tina. Belly at 40 weeks. Still no labor signs yet today, but we manag

I've thoroughly enjoyed the last 3 weeks off and highly recommend taking time to yourself before the baby arrives. It's been fantastic meeting up with old friends, relaxing, sleeping in, dusting, rearranging my closet space, shopping and just taking it easy. Physically, my hands feel like I've got arthritis when I wake up and my feet swell up by the end of the day. The belly hasn't grown too much and I think he still has some space to move around in. It's also been great meeting up with other moms - all the tips you get are fantastic, especially when their little ones are at a different baby stage. Tania and I spent some time at Bayshore yesterday shopping with Mackenna. At 8 months, Mac is almost on the brink of walking soon and is super active.  We did manage to get her to sleep for an hour in her stroller, which provided some good shopping time for us. I've also begun to take notice of all the mommy friendly bathrooms in various locations so that when dia

This video is hilarious! I thought I'd listen to some of my favorite songs tonight and walk around, do some squats with music in the background and came across Norah Jones on Sesame Street with Elmo singing "Don't Know Y" - I didn't realize that Sesame Street was this funny and so mainstream! Norah Jones on Sesame Street Singing "Don't Know Y"

It's now down to 5 days left till the 29th and I'm still feeling great - still no significant changes over the past few days. I had my last appointment with Dr. Farrell yesterday and by the judge of things physically, he'll most likely be December baby at this point. My energy levels are quite high and I can't seem to stop these nesting activities.  I even made my third cake since being off the past few weeks - I haven't made cakes for years, so Cam's been lucky to be treated to all these sweets. Since last week, Nicholas grew again and his heart rate is still normal. His movements are still regular and I would even say even more so over the past few days. I'm hoping to get out for some walking this week before any snow starts - maybe he knows that winter is fast approaching and he wants to enjoy the warmth some more.  I will continue to keep my posts updated as the end draws near.

I'm now down to 6 days before our official due date and life still seems quite normal.  My sleep in time now is about 9 am. The other morning ended up being 10 am, which felt extremely nice. Cam will give me a goodbye kiss before he heads to work and most days I'm completely in a catatonic state and dead asleep. Over the past few weeks, I've been able to meet up with my mom for breakfast at Zellers where they serve a $3.99 breakfast for seniors and a plain egg, toast and ham dish. It's been nice to spend more time with her as the time draws near. She thinks that I should just shake Nicholas out so that he arrives early - not sure how I'm going to do that, but the Chinese have funny ways of saying things. I also delivered my last Toastmaster's speech tonight for a long while. I compared the childhoods that Nicholas and I will have - on the topic of discipline - he will likely not have to endure any whippings with the 'guy mo so' - translated into Engl

We're almost at the finish mark and Nicholas is still relaxing inside. I think he's quite comfy in my belly, enjoying the warmth and good food that I feed him everyday. Cam made some amazing pancakes this morning and we just finished some delicious beef stew for dinner.  Belly at 39 weeks This weekend was definitely all about nesting - after having two weeks off from work, I finally got cracking on getting the apartment cleaned and his clothes organized. We initially moved all the stuff in the 3rd bedroom to the hallway to make way for the nursery and it's been there ever since. My goal this week is to completely clear it out so that we're completely done. We did manage to get another Ikea bookshelf setup to add more space and I vacuumed like mad. The baby will come home to a clean house. Cam finally setup the BOB - named the Beast of Burden - with the car seat attachment. We tested out the swivel wheels in the apartment. His clothes are now also fully or

 Lunch at New Mee Fung - yum yum Brunch in Westboro with the gals - Laura, Thu, Tan and Mary Last Friday lunch with friends: Brendan, Roberta (taking pic), Scott, Sue, Dave, Kir & Stephanie Cowboy Cam with Liam Cam with his favorite look - the red velvet cowboy hat!   My sister Dorris feeling Nicholas kicking.

 

Here are some friends that Nicholas will get to hang out with very soon! Little Liam Massimo and Roman Happy go-lucky Roman

The fabulous November weather has made my time off spectacular. I've been able to enjoy lots of time spent catching up with friends over lunch and coffee. I've tried to be a good wife and have dinner ready for Cam when he gets home from work and even baked a cake last week from scratch! First one from scratch in years! It's been great to sleep in and not feel rushed to get anywhere for a specific time. Some notable changes over the past few weeks include swelling of my feet and hands. I never thought my feet would grow, but they certainly have - enough so that I love wearing my Nike sandals now. Thank goodness the November weather has been fall like and my toes can withstand the cold air. I'm dying to wear my pair of Carlos Santana gold shoes to Cam's Christmas party next week - they've always been a size too big, so I may just be able to squeeze into them. Why not enjoy a good party before Nicholas arrives! My left hand in particular feel as though I've

I am officially done work! YEAH! I finished on Friday and it's slowly sinking in that I now have to learn a whole new job of being a mother.  The last few weeks of work was extremely busy, but I also took the time to savor the time with my team.  I've been blessed to have worked with the most amazing team that has been supportive, fun, dynamic and definitely made coming in each day fantastic. We definitely laughed a lot and I will miss all that. Cam is also looking forward to taking a full month off for parenting duties, even if it means feedings throughout the night. I am now hoping that Nicholas stays in the belly for at least 3 more weeks, so that I can get some of the last minute things completed like visiting friends, preparing for labor, writing my birth plan - all things that I saved for the last few weeks to accomplish. The growth in my belly has been phenomenal this past week. He must be packing on the pounds because my belly feels huge. Just hitting my 37th week t

The reality of H1N1 really hit me this week - up until this week, I thought nothig of it, besides washing my hands more vigorously. In truth, I really never thought that hard about it until I found out that a few people I knew personally were affected by the virus. While they are all recovering, it was quite a scary moment to think how it can actually hit people you know. Cam did some research and I waited a day before I did some more reading of my own. Part of the paranoia was because I spent the day at the office by myself with my own thoughts, so that likely contibuted to some of my anxiety. In the end, Cam and I decided to get the shot for Nicholas' sake. We heard at a party the night before that another pregnant woman was able to get the shot by going to the clinic half an hour before it closed. I tried on Friday to get a number for the Centennial location, but they gave out their last numbers 2 hours before the clinic opened. I was likely 30 minutes too late. They also were

Halloween was especially fun this year with a party to go to!! I've been so excited for Kirsten & Tony's party for weeks. I ended up having a busy week, so had many ideas in my mind about what I was going to dress up as, but Friday came and I rummaged through my closet and found a dress I had purchased one size too big a few years ago and tried it on, just for the heck of it! Surprisingly, it fit right over the belly! I even tried my famous gold dress on to see, since it's fit me for over 16 years, but the belly was too big for it. After doing a quick google search for 'pregnant women costumes', I saw that they were selling devil outfits online and thought - BINGO! So, here are some pics of my devil outfit with my husband, pimp-cowboy with red hat partner in crime. Cam loooved his outfit and the cane. He even handed out candy at the end of our driveway dressed up like a 'cowboy' for the kids. I wouldn't dare introduce them to the word 'pimp&#

This week, it's gotten a bit more round and a bit heavier. He's doing a lot more stretches in the tummy and sometimes turns his head forward so that his feet are kicking me on the outside. Amazing how they still remain so active in such a tiny space.

When I look back at pics from when my belly was 9 weeks until now, I am stil in disbelief at how quickly it grows - there's actually a human being in my stomach! Incredible how the transition goes from a flat stomach to a big round belly. Here are some pics from the last few weeks - it's definitely getting bigger and heavier as I do notice that I have some pelvic soreness and if I walk for too log, my feet hurt.

Baby Nicholas and I were treated to a fantastic shower hosted by Jean yesterday afternoon filled with well wishes, delicious food, and great friends and family. It was wonderful to see everyone all in one spot and there were so many nice gifts that will set us up. Nicholas' wardrobe is definitely twice or even triple the size of Cam's! I think they'll be fighting for closet space. Here are some pics to highlight the event - thank you everyone who made it out as it was a fantastic time that I'll remember forever. I have lots of pictures that my papparazi mom captured - a lot of them are crooked because she was looking through the wrong hold for the viewfinder on the camera.

Cam and I were showered with so much fun tonight at a shower that Kirsten & Sue threw for us at Kirsten's new house. It was such a memorable night - surrounded by friends who came to wish us well, made us laugh and were so generous with so many gifts for baby Nicholas! I'm shocked that I didn't leave there going into labor from laughing as Dave kept me giggling the whole night. Cam showed off his bbq skills and cooked some yummy burgers on the grill. Kir did an awesome job with decorating her new place - loove the house!! Mark was fantastic as the baby whisperer, taking good care of little Liam so that Mary could enjoy some catch up time with friends. Cupcakes from Laura and Sue were amaaazing!!! Roberta - those cookies were delicious. Pam and Jason brought their little Livia - but I'm told that we can't formally set Nicholas up with her until she's 25 as there is a formal process that she'll have to go through.  The Laura's came out - miss you gals

Our friends Dave McDuff and Mark Morton shared their time with us last Saturday and took some maternity shots at our place and at a park nearby that turned out amazing. They were so patient - making sure that the lighting was right and smoothly gave us great suggestions for poses that were just 'us'. It was a wonderful experience and we now have captured some moments that will be remembered forever. When Nicholas is old enough to ask what life was like before he was born, we can show him some proof of moments captured in the belly before he entered our lives. Here are some of the pics from the photo shoot. Thanks again Dave and Mark for a wonderful gift of your time and talent! You can see more pics on my Facebook Profile - the ones Mark took are posted there. The ones below are from Dave's shots - the rest can be seen here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcduffs/4001657686/in/set-72157622437617881/

Here are some pics of the baby's room so far. Slowly, but surely, we're getting things ready. Basically, we've dumped everything that we had in the room into the hallway for now - hahhaa. Grandpa Read graciously setup the drawer chest for Nicholas last week, so I've been able to pack away his little clothes. The crib has been moved into place and bedding has been all set.

Here's the growing belly at 32 weeks - I had my appointment with Dr. Farrell this week and he thinks that I should be expecting Nicholas to come out at about 7 1/2 to 8 pounds - eeeks! How is he really going to get out?? I definitely have had a growth spurt the last 4 weeks. His heart rate is perfect and the measurements are normal.