Life on Lee Avenue: Pregnancy Album

Pregnancy Album : Month 8

Hello Pregnancy Album, Month 8!

I'm so glad that I kept a record of my pregnancy. Rowan-girl will be 4 months old in a week and a half. My how time flies! Reading all of my notes takes me right back to this anxious and exciting time. It also reminds me how huge I was! Check out month 8 below:

Belly Shots |

Monthly Highlights |

Taught a photography class at The Workshop
Visit my OB every week, continuing to measure on the small side of normal
Celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving
Buying a rocking chair for the nursery
Visiting friends and catching up before you're born
Thinking how much I am going to miss being pregnant with you and feeling thankful for how good I feel
Finishing the spare bedroom and nursery
Putting together the stroller and hanging pictures in the living room
Wrapping up at work

Quote: "Sending You All My Love"

Layout| "You"

Journaling: You have the hiccups every morning. You have your feet on the right side of mama's tummy and kick me often. You are very active especially between the hours of 8 to 10 AM; 1 to 3 PM and 9 to 11 PM. You are head down facing mama's tummy. You are so very loved. October 2011

Everyday Bits |

Magazine Article on Post Baby Running

Journaling: Can't believe that Baby H is almost here! Planning for post pregnancy life and looking forward to lacing up my running shoes. Thinking maybe, just maybe, I will a 10 km or 21 km in May 2012.

Doing: Alot of puttering around the house; trying to do 1 thing on my to do list every night after work; A baby pool at Mama's work; guessing your birthdate; weight and whether you are a girl or a boy;

Happening: Steve Jobs passes asway from pancreatic cancer; Celebrating our 5th Wedding anniversary; Celebrating Mama's 31st birthday with Auntie Megan; Celebrating the 3rd anniversary of bring Charlie home from the breeders

Eating: a lot of fried eggs made by Daddy

Paper: Ultrasound Reports and Growth Charts; Appointment Cards

Pictures: Washing clothes; Frozen Meals; Pictures in Living Room; Restaurant we went to on our anniversary; Baby Pool at Work

Thanks for looking! Happy Tuesday :)

Posted on 03/06/2012 at 07:00 AM in Pregnancy Album | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pregnancy Album : Month 7

Hello Pregnancy Album Month 7!

I have a whole new appreciation for scrapbooking. Although these pages contain random thoughts and feelings, I love that it captured a period of time in my life that seems to have gone by way too fast. I wonder how much I will love this album in say 10 years. Hopefully love grows.

Belly Shots|

Summary |

Quote: My pregnancy experience. My journey to you.

Monthly Highlights

Officially entered my 3rd trimester!
OB appointments have increased from once a month to every two weeks!
Baby H is moving more forcefully and now sitting on my bladder
I am misjudging how big I actually am and keep running into things
Organizing the house: including the kitchen and the office
Hanging out with Beth doing prenatal yoga at Woodbine and Danforth
Attending the Baby Sprinkle
Having a BPP ultrasound - You are in the 45th percentile and on track to be 7 pounds

Layouts |

Shower gifts: list of gifts from attendees

Your Labels:

Journaling: Here are just few of the tags from the gifts Mama and Daddy got from the baby sprinkle. You will be well dressed and obviously are well loved.

Everyday Bits |

Paper

Tags from maternity clothes

Journaling Cards

Doing - Baby bump pictures with Trina Koster in Guelph, ON on the labour day weekend
Eating - Nutella straight from the jar :)
Happening - Remember the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks
Remembering & Celebrating - The anniversary of Mama and Daddy's first date in Guelph at the Bookshelf on Friday September 13, 2002
Doing - Relaxing with friends at Kate's cottage north of Kingston
Feeling - A bit anxious, hoping that we get everything done before you arrive!
Thinking - The days, weeks, and months are flying by! I love being pregnant with you and that I am so lucky to feel so good!
Doing - Putting together the crib in the nursery. Figuring out the bassinett bedding. Putter the shower gifts in the nursery.

Thanks for looking! Happy Wednesday!

Posted on 02/15/2012 at 10:14 AM in Pregnancy Album | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pregnancy Album : Month 6

Hello Again!

Today I am showing you month six of my pregnancy album. Looking back, this was my favourite month of pregnancy. I had a ton of energy and I could still move around with ease. My skin started to glow and my hair became thick. The anxiety of becoming a parent had yet to seep into my consciousness. I spent many hours dreaming of Rowan and whether she was a girl or a boy. Below are my layouts:

Belly Pictures |

Summary |

Quote: There is nothing quite like the anticipation of new life

Monthly Highlights:

Planning a "baby sprinkle" with Auntie Megan and registering for gifts online
Attending prenatal yoga weekly
Researching cloth, hybrid and disposable diapers
Attend multiple appointments at Mount Sinai Hospital
Celelbrating Daddy's, Grandpa's and Uncle Ryan's birthday at Mohawk Races
Moving furniture around the house with the help of Beth and Chris
Attending prenatal class and learning about labour & breastfeeding and the hospital room

Layouts |

Boy or Girl

Journaling: During a visit to Toronto over the August long weekend, Auntie Megan did the "necklace test" to see if you were a girl or a boy. The necklace didn't know whether to spin around in the circle or to sway side to side. Although we don't know if you are a girl or a boy, it is fun to think about you will become. August 2011.

Quote:

Journaling: My friends Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful, and optimistic. And we'll change the world. - Jack Layton, August 20, 2011-

Baby Sprinkle Invite

Journaling: This month, Auntie Megan began organizing a baby shower for you. Mama was so excited! I decided to make these invitations in PSE8. I aslo had fun registering for gifts online.

Everyday Bits |

Paper:

Prenatal Class Papers

Street car reciept

Baby on the Hip business card

G diapers card

Journal Cards:

Doing - attneding many appointments at Mount Sinai - doctor's think Mama may have gestational diabetes, so mama does alot of blood work.
Happening - Opposition leader, Jack Layton, NDP, does from cancer
Feeling - Great! realzing how much I love being pregnant and feeling you move inside of me
Reading - "The baby whisperer"

Thanks for looking! Happy Tuesday And Happy Valentine's Day!

Posted on 02/14/2012 at 05:00 AM in Pregnancy Album | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pregnancy Album : Month 5

I can't believe that this time last year, Aaron and I were hoping to find out that we were be pregnant. I'm so glad I took the time to plan out an album solely dedicated to my pregnancy. Although it has only been three months since I was pregnant, I miss the experience. Good thing I can look back through this album. Below is Month 5:

Belly Pictures |

Summary |

Quote: Love Always Wins

Monthly Highlights:

Catching up with all Mama's highschool friends at Andy and Andrea's wedding
Strangers are coming up to Mama and asking when she is due with you
trying to get over a summer cold with no medications during the hottest days of the year (42 C)
Eating lots of ice cream from the Marble Slab Creamry
Researching baby gear and buying a crib from our neighbours
Participating in Ali Edwards Week In the Life and going on the Paperclipping Roundtable

Layout |

Mover and Shaker

Journaling: This month Mama felt you move every single day. You are kicking with full force. Not only can Mama feel you, her and Daddy can see you move from side to side in Mama's belly. We love to sit in bed and watch you go. We love to know that you are growing. We love that every moment means we are closer to meeting you. July 2011.

Everyday Bits |

Paper:

Ultrasound report & appointment card

Photos:

Aaron and I at a summer wedding

Charlie swimming at the beach

Uppababy Stroller

Me, sleeping, recovering from a cold

Thanks for looking! Happy Monday!

Posted on 02/13/2012 at 08:04 AM in Pregnancy Album | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pregnancy Album : Month 4

In addition to organizing our wee home for Baby H this weekend, I plan on finishing up my Week In the Life album. I realized as I was also thinking about completing my July entry into my Pregnancy Album, I haven't shown you June. So here it is:

Belly Pictures |

Summary |

Quote: To be pregnant is to be vitality alive, thoroughly woman and undoubtedly inhibited

Monthly Highlights:

Going on a "babymoon" with Aaron to Australia for 2 and half weeks
Climbing "Jim Jim Falls" while 5 months pregnant
Swimming with Minke whales in the Great Barrier Reef
Driving on the left side of the road in Australia
Seeing Baby H for a second time at an ultrasound
Guessing who Baby H looks like from the ultrasound picture
Mom and Dad selling their home
Generally feeling good but jet lagged

Layouts |

You should Know - Daddy Edition

Aaron's Journaling:

1. He likes to lie in bed and listen to thunder storms. 2. He is always reading. 3. He doesn't mind giving Charlie a bath. 4. In 2005, after graduating from law school and writing the bar exam, he spent eight weeks travelling alone through Russia, Mongolia, China and Japan. 5. His favourite drink, for his entire life, has been chocolate milk. 6. His motto is, "I'm trying to relax." 7. He has many episodes of The Simpsons completely memorized. 8. He went to camp for two weeks every summer when he was a kid. 9. He loves cinnamon hearts, and his grandmother used to buy him a big bag of them every February. 10. He would like to have his very own donkey someday. Maybe two, so they could keep each other company. 11. He considers himself very lucky and blessed to have such a wonderful wife. 12. He got his first job at age 14, packing groceries at Zehrs in Orangeville. 13. For a long time, his goal was to become a professor of English literature. 14. The album he's listened to more than any other is The Bends, by Radiohead. 15. He would rather write a letter than talk on the phone. 16. He thinks that one of the best things a person can do is try to imagine another person's point of view. 17. He usually sleeps very deeply and has long, complicated dreams. 18. He's never been very good at sports, but he has fun and he tries hard. 19. He feels much calmer and more confident at 35 than he did at 25 or 15. 20. He is waiting for you, with much love in his heart. June 2011.

We Meet Again

Journaling:

Our second ultrasound was on Wednesday June 27, 2011, after our marathon journey home from Australia. You opened and closed your month many times and were a lot bigger. The technician said Mama to come back from another scan because you were not cooperating.

Everyday Bits |

Paper

Ultrasound Report (Photo 1)
Map of Port Douglas and Urulu Park Tickets (Photo 2)

Photos:

Aaron and I in Sydney, hiking the Olgas in Yulara, in front of Kakadu National Park Sign
Aaron underwater in Port Douglas
Me in front of Ayers Rock

Happy Weekend!

Posted on 08/12/2011 at 06:25 AM in Pregnancy Album | Permalink | Comments (2)

Pregnancy Album : Month 3

Welcome back to the reveal of my Pregnancy Album, thus far. Today I am showing you Month 3. Enjoy!

Belly Pictures |

Summary |

Quote: 9 months: the anticipation. the dreaming. the planning.

Monthly Highlights:

talking & planning openly about Baby H's birth with Aaron, work colleagues and friends
feeling incredibly good & working incredibly hard
shopping for maternity clothes for the first time and being happy with may choices, LOVING, maternity pants :)
having people touch my belly for the first time
looking pregnant but not "too" pregnant - hee!

Layout |

Journaling: You Should Know (Mama Edition)

1. Considers herself a morning person just like Grandpa. 2. She did not enjoy reading books as a child, but loves to read them as an adult. She thanks Daddy for helping her to appreciate them. 3. Her favourite season has always been fall. 4. As a teenager, she worked as a tour guide at the Point Clark Lighthouse. She believes this job allowed her to develop people skills. 5. She drinks her coffee with milk and sugar. 6. Every August for the past five years, she and her high school friends go on a canoe trip through Algonquin Park. 7. She could watch Food Network television all day, any day. 8. Dreams of the time she and daddy lived in Ireland and hopes to spend part of her retirement in Galway. 9. Growing up she enjoyed cooking in the kitchen with Grandma during the Christmas break. 10. Loves watching the Olympics, major tennis and curling matches on tv. 11. She can’t get enough of Daddy’s laugh. 12. When she gets stressed, she likes to go for a run or do the dishes. 13. She is adopted. 14. When she was young, her favourite thing to do in the summer was to go on vacation to Great Auntie Linda’s house. 15. Has been to England, France, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Spain, St. Lucia, Argentina, Chile, India, Australia and the United States. 16. Doesn’t know what she would do without Google or her iPhone. 17. Always knew she would live in a city but loves visiting Grandma and Grandpa in the country. 18. She loves traditions, including the one where her and daddy go to the horse races to celebrate his birthday. 19. Would love to run a creative side business in the future. 20. Didn’t realize how much she would love her bump while being pregnant with you!

Everyday Bits |

Page 1: Cover of Fit Pregnancy magazine + card from friends congratulating us on our pregnancy

Page 2 + 3 (Not shown)

Journaling Cards

Feeling: more like myself - i have lots of energy and i like food again
Feeling: like my "abs" are pulling away from body - ouch
Craving: sour keys and other penny from my childhood
Listening: to the great advice of Steph P on all things baby related
Happening (Daddy): going back to Bogota for more meeting
Happening (World Events): Osama Bin Laden is killed by a US led operation
Reading: "Opting In: Having a child without yourself" by Ami Richards

Paper

Baby H's first piece of mail from Auntie Megan
Cut out of Thyme Maternity Bag from my first maternity shopping experience
Leftover Columbian money that Aaron brought home from his trip

Thanks for looking!

Posted on 07/21/2011 at 04:00 AM in Pregnancy Album | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pregnancy Album : Month 2

Welcome back to the reveal of my Pregnancy Album. Today I will show you Month Two:

Belly Pictures |

Summary Page |

Quote: A mother's joy begins when new life is stirring inside, when a tiny heartbeat is heard for the very first time, and a playful kick reminds her that she is never alone.

Monthly Highlights:

letting our friends and family know our "baby secret"
having good days and bad days in terms of energy and food
seeing our baby on the ultrasound screen for the first time
hearing the baby's heart beat and confirming my due date with an OB at MSH

Layouts |

(Page inspiration by Laura Kurz)

Journaling: At First Sight

Our first ultrasound was on Thursday April 21, 2011. Mama was so relieved to see you on the screen and when Daddy entered the room, you started to jump.

Journaling: ~ Surprise! ~

We wrote Grandma and Grandpa a card saying that you looked forward to meeting them in the fall; while we wrote you due date on a calendar in Nanny & Papa's kitchen. Everyone was surprised and excited to hear the news that Mama and Daddy had to share. April 2 & 3, 2011

Mama hid a bun in the microwave at work. She then asked Brenda the secretary to tell her coworker Alanna to check "the mircowave oven". The group including Marilyn, Dr. Ehrlich and Andrea, stood puzzled. Marilyn was the first to realize that Mama had a "bun in the oven". April 19, 2011

Mama and Daddy decided after our first ultrasound that they would announce your arrival on Facebook. After walking Charlie on Good Friday, they wrote status updates together; Mama on her phone, Daddy on the computer. THey then pressed send. So many people said "congratulations" to Mama and Daddy. April 22, 2011.

Everyday Bits |

Photos:

The ultrasound room
A magazine in the waiting room
Original ultrasound picture
William and Kate wedding photo
Picture of Charlie lying on the bed

Journal Cards:

Happening (Personal) : looking forward to our ultrasound and doctor's appointment
Happening (World Events) : Prince William and Kate Middleton get "hitched"
Planning : all the different ways to tell our families and friends
Craving: Vegetarian Bi Bim Bap
Remembering: How much we love Charlie and imagining how much we will love you
Thinking: about possible baby names for you
Reading: (and loving) Tina Fey's "Bossy Pants"

Paper Scraps:

Ticket from the outpatient lab
Hospital Business Card
Note I wrote to Aaron about taking Charlie for a walk and feeling faint
A print out of TIna Fey's "Pray for my daughter"

Thanks for looking!

Posted on 07/20/2011 at 04:00 AM in Pregnancy Album | Permalink | Comments (0)

Framework for My Pregnancy Album

Welcome to Pregnancy Album Week! Starting today and over the course over the next five days, I will give you a peak into my ever evolving pregnancy album. Before I jump into anything, I thought I would share my framework for the album.

THE CONCEPT:

Since becoming a mama is a life changing process, I wanted to document the journey of my first pregnancy in a hybrid scrapbook. For me, it is important to capture all changes occurring over these 9 months. Specifically, each month I want to share:

A Monthly Belly Picture
Summary of the month in words
An inspirational quote
Pregnancy related layout(s)
Bits and Pieces of Everyday life, including World Events
My husband’s perspective and role in this journey

SUPPLIES:

3 Ring Album | We R Memory Keepers Black : 8.5 x 11. Simple, sleek and classic. I love these albums. It was a no-brainer to choose.

Page Protectors | In addition to the standard set that you receive with the album, I will also be using: We R Memory Keepers: Two 6 x 4 One 4.75 x 8.5 Inch Photo Sleeves; We R Memory Keepers: Nine 3.5 x 2.625 Inch Photo Sleeves

Journal Cards | I created homemade cards using the ATC outline from Simple Scrapper's March Simple Project. Categories include: thinking, feeling, reading, remembering, happening, craving, eating, doing etc.

Patterned Paper | Since Aaron and I are not finding out the sex of our baby I will be using a green, black, white and kraft colour scheme. They include these papers: