Ode to Family

Our baby boy only has one surviving grandparent, my father. This is the reality of getting knocked-up so late in life. However, as I learned a few weekends ago, our babe is blessed with a huge extended family.

A few months ago, my father said in passing that he was getting married. It wasn’t entirely unanticipated, but these things always take awhile to sink in.

“Do you want to come to BC for the wedding?” he asked.

“Oh, sure, all 300 lbs of me,” I replied. “Why not have it here in Montreal? I can arrange EVERYTHING.”

Oops, the words had left my lips without engaging my brain. Really, I did think it would be easy: A few dogs on the BBQ, some patio lanterns and voila a wedding….for a TEENAGER!

Thanks to the incredible help from my sibs, kids, husband and friends, a beautiful ceremony with exotic catering was held in our backyard. Due to my “condition," I unbelievably took on the role of dictator - a task I’m not at all familiar with. Family scuttled and scurried under my watchful eye and all worked out wonderfully. (I am sure that I could have closed my eyes and it would have been equally fantastic.)

Throughout the whole weekend, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews and sons and daughters always stopped to make sure the babe and I were OK. There was much tummy rubbing and anticipation of our big day.

Our babe may only have just one grandfather, but he recently acquired and new grandmother. With her, his three sisters, one brother, nine cousins and many aunts and uncles, I need never worry that he’ll be alone.

Class of 2009

Allow me to tangent away from the growing babe inside me, to my daughter, my first- born, who today is graduating from high school.

The last 12 years have gone by in a flash. I remember fondly the pigtails and missing teeth, and less so, the stress over take-home projects that seemed to have no point.

Throughout the years I heard recitations of competitive speeches, Shakespeare soliloquies and French poems. I saw reincarnations of famous explorers and dignitaries and even had Cleopatra for breakfast! Our traveling music transitioned from Barney, to the Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys has ended up with rappers who go by initials only??

I may not remember well all the specifics, but I will not forget, that my daughter met each challenge with a smile, humour and the utmost of poise. She is a solid friend, excellent student and exceptional sister.

Today, I am a proud mother and I will cheer like no other when my daughter walks across the stage to receive her diploma.

Today, my beautiful blue-eyed girl has earned her wings - I know she will soar.

Congratulations Acacia and all others who are graduating this year!

Salt no, yoga yes

I saw the slight grimace as my Doc read out my recent blood pressure. “144/90…Hmm, this may be a concern,” she said.

These are words no one likes to hear from their Doc.

Did she not know that to get to her office, I had to drive through Montreal traffic for ONE hour, fight for parking and then wait for two elevators? No duh, my heart was racing and my blood pressure was high.

She wasn’t sympathetic to my excuses. “You’ll have to monitor this frequently,” she said seriously. “If your blood pressure spikes again, I want you to come in IMMEDIATELY.”

Ok, this got my attention. What’s the big deal…??

Well, it turns out that high blood pressure in pregnancy is an indicator of preeclampsia (www.babycenter.ca/pregnancy/complications/pre-eclampsia), a disorder that occurs during pregnancy and affects both mom and babe. This condition can range from mild to severe and causes a reduction in the flow of blood to the placenta. Obviously this can have huge consequences for the baby. Guess who is at most risk for developing this condition? Yup, moms who are over 35.

What does this mean for me? I am hopeful I can manage this new situation on three levels - diet, exercise and stress.

Diet In addition to giving up some of my very favourite food-groups, such as Cosmos, sushi and salami, I will now give up caffeinated coffee, and Doritos. (Once this little man comes out I will have the most amazing party!)

Stress Deadlines? What deadline? I will try my utmost to keep work in focus, not take on any new projects, and not fuss too much about deadlines. (There go all my clients.)

Exercise I’m not running for obvious reasons, so I have discovered pre-natal yoga. So far it’s not too challenging, I can still stand on one leg. It does work, as the other day I fell asleep and woke up with the class staring at me.

I am hopeful “Christine’s plan” of remaining calm and relaxed will help lower my blood pressure, the other options aren’t too appealing.

I’ll keep you posted.

Until next time, Om.

Speed: Whoa when did it get so blurry?

Has it really been more than three weeks since I posted last? It seems that the world is moving in fast-forward, while I gaze at my protruding belly button in amazement. Those around me also seem to be in permanent rave-mode.

I am usually a fast-mover, groaning while stuck behind a throng of tourists, impatient while waiting for someone to find the exact change, and loving the feel of loping with my pup. Lately, however, I’ve noticed that I’m being left behind.

It was first noticeable, walking with my teens, who told me to “stop dawdling.” (Teens in a hurry??) Next, came the three-flight sprint up stairs with a work colleague. While taking two stairs at a time, she babbled nonstop and didn’t notice I was slumped at the first landing. (I now understand the purpose of elevators.) Finally, there was a gallop with a neighbour, who normally strolls. She left me on a park bench panting.

Did I miss the memo to drink six red-bulls each morning?

Be kind to your big-bellied friends remember to SAUNTER while they waddle.

Next time it's first class, baby

I have just returned from a cross-Canada trip, which should have been fantastic right? That's what I originally thought. Visions of lounging in bed until noon, drinking non-alcoholic beverages until the late hour of 9 p.m. and eating sugar free bonbons, popped into my head when I made the arrangements. To my dismay it turns out traveling when pregnant is not all it's "knocked up" to be. As I'm into lists, I have compiled a handy one, as reminder for the next time.

CZ's list of how to max your traveling pleasure (or just get to your destination without tears)

1. Taking a taxi
When booking the taxi, make sure to inquire about the driver. e.g. does he really have his license? Sometimes, taxi drivers seem confused. The sidewalk is NOT for cars and red DOES means stop - ideally, a full stop by actually applying pressure to the breaks
Also it's good to ask the taxi company about seat belts - e.g. does it accommodate a person bigger than the average Italian model?

2. Don't bother with the suitcase
Packing is always difficult. When you are pregnant and in denial concerning your massive girther, this is especially difficult. Wearing your husband's sweats is simply not the solution, nor is borrowing your father's jackets. These are men's clothes and no matter how they've been accessorized - they will always be. I suggest not packing at all and once you arrive, whine to your family about lacking a wardrobe. If you're lucky, they will buy you a new one. (It worked for me.)
In addition, suitcases are HEAVY... no-one cares that you are pregnant, except the aforementioned family. The ticket agent just looked bored when I tried to lift my luggage on the platform. "Oh," she said. "That is almost over the limit.".. at that stage, I had reached mine.

3. Phone the airline
Are airlines are hiring only second-year engineering students to design their crafts? How else can you explain the discrepancy between number of seats and seat capacity? (i.e. there is simply NOT enough room for all those people) Phone the airline and book your flight on a really, really old plane - maybe even a Hercules. I've heard they have a lot of space.

4. Don't ask for cranberry juice
I know the Doc said cranberry juice is good for you and babe, but they don't have it. The attendant will look at you like you're a celeb-wannabe and never come back. I know they have it the section behind the curtain, but don't even try to question why.

5. Don't ever stand in the aisle
First off, the belly doesn't fit and if you do manage to squeeze into the aisle, you certainly won't be able to turn around. Most importantly however, this will encourage the passengers to play the newest game, "Push the Pregnant Person". It's ugly and beyond description.

My advice?
Find a sugar daddy and fly in his personal jet. For me, it's too late, but there may be hope for you dear reader.

I guess it's true, I really am knocked up

Despite the tests and confirmations, there comes an "ah-ha" moment - a time when one actually believes they are pregnant. After nearly five months, I have finally attained this state of awareness. What was the pivotal moment? Well, there were a few, which I share below:

• A total stranger, rather than asking what diet I'm on, asked to touch my belly
• I managed to down TWO plates of spaghetti, while the rest of the family was still putting Parmesan on theirs
• Consequently, I gained TWO pounds overnight
• Despite excellent hygienic practises, the dark mark on my belly wouldn't be removed. This is of course, is the linea nigra, a dark line on the skin that runs down the abdomen starting from the belly button. The experts say this is caused by the increased amounts of hormones circulating around, which in turn, leads to an increase in the the production of the skin-pigmentation protein, melanin. Although this is very exciting, these hormones are also the ones giving me the latest term of endearment, "the crazy pregnant lady".

With that I leave you...

Things NOT to ask a pregnant woman

Although well intentioned, I had many questions about our imminent arrival. Some questions were heart-felt, others were mind-blowing. Here's my list of questions NOT to ask a pregnant woman, for those of you who would like to keep her a friend and stay alive.

Questions NOT to ask:

• Was this a planned pregnancy? (Are you kidding? After 10 years of being together, do you think this just miraculously happened?)
  
• What will happen to all your partying? (Umm, did I mention I am OVER 40? - partying for me is a pair of PJs, a movie and a glass of wine)
• Aren't you worried about lack of sleep? (Ha! Waiting up for teens to roll home and leading a stressful life, doesn't allow for much sleep. At least now I will have something to occupy my mind.)
• Are you worried about getting fat? (I will not be gaining weight because of too many twinkies...well maybe a pound or two)
• Aren't you going to miss working (yah, sure...)
  
• Aren't you going to miss the wine and cosmos? (well this MAY be a valid question)
• Have you lost your mind? (Ok, ok, this may be valid too)

My advice: If you can't be enthusiastic, maybe consider asking a generic question, like

1. How's the dog?
2. When do you think the weather will warm up?
3. Do you think the Canadiens will ever win a game?
   

Recap

It all began when "he" said yes. Not to marriage, but to trying to conceive a child. This may not seem to be so momentous, but considering we were both over 40 and have a house full of teenagers, it was a BIG DEAL. Some have said, it was a brain malfunction.

After a few false starts, and much pessimism from friends and family, biology won. The test was positive and I was happily on my way to becoming a new/old mom.

Although I have yet to experience any pregnancy-associated illness, the path has been less than easy:

• The fear of losing our little miracle has been overwhelming
• Associating each ache and pain as a signal of miscarriage has been a crazy-making pastime
• Dealing with the barrage of information supplied by the Internet may eventually qualify me as an MD
• New medical technology has offered too many options

He's a boy
The amnio, was the first grueling procedure I have endured. Despite the expertise of our obstetrician, it was uncomfortabe and the wait for results was too intense. The upside is that we now know our wee one is a boy and perfectly healthy. Once again, biology is working in our favour.

I believe our son will be an excellent soccer player. At 16 weeks, I already experienced his kicks. At 18 weeks, these keep me up at night. Unfortunately, his energy drains mine, and I am currently consigned to bed rest. I am hopeful this is temporary, as I do have those teens to feed, water and nag.

Until next time..