Baby Billington's newest photo shoot

Here is today’s ultrasound picture. The technician said it was our “alien” picture. The head is on the left and the face is turned to face you, so you can see the two eye slots and where the nose is. Below those are the ribs on one side.

Today the technician was just checking the heart and facial features. They could see the 4 ventricles of the heart pumping perfectly, the cavities in the brain and all sorts of things. When she was trying to get a picture of the baby’s lips and nose the baby kept moving it’s hand in front of it’s face, I think we have a tease in the family. Wonder where he/she gets that! LOL! It was neat to see his/her arms and legs moving!

Our summersaulting Baby B.

I've thought a few different times in the last weeks that I've felt the baby move, kind of like a large bubble moving around inside, but Sunday night I was absolutly sure! It was really neat acutually. I had helped lead worship and when I sat down I was hot and tired. I got comfy in the pew (if that is even remotly possible) and settled in to listen to Chad preach. I don't know if it was because the baby heard his/her Daddy preaching or what, but I could feel the "bubble" rolling and rolling around in my belly and it went on for a long time. I kept staring down at my belly, and putting my hand on it wondering if I could feel the baby moving from the outside yet, but nope, just on the inside, but did he/she ever turn and roll! it was really neat and it will only get more neat I think as the baby gets bigger and moves more often! It is hard not to get more excited now that I'm getting bigger, seeing ultrasound pics, hearing heartbeats and feeling movement. What an interesting, strange experience! Maybe the baby will do some flips for us tomorrow at our ultrasound! I hope we get some more neat pictures!

Compression Socks

So last Tuesday I had a follow up appointment after our intial ultrasound with our Doctor. We got to listen to the baby's heartbeat again and he measured my uterus, interesting fact, the amount of centimeters you measure should be very close to the amount of weeks you are pregnant! Anyway, we had all the other check ups including my blood pressure which still remains nice and low etc. We also discussed my "swelling".

Ever since Angela & Adam's wedding my feet have been swollen, to the point where most of my shoes don't fit. I don't want to stretch all of my good shoes out so I've been wearing mostly flipflops--very lovely! Anyway noone has said anything to me at work, I honestly think I can probably get away with a lot now that I'm pregnant. Anyway, the good ol' doc. tells me that I one thing I should invest in for the summer is compression socks, which he assures me are very fasionable and can be found at Shoppers Drug Mart. These socks are used to help against varicose veins, swelling etc, by pushing the blood back up into your legs. So especially where I'm on my feet a lot at school and stuff we decided it would be a wise investment. Now, I'm not so sure about my doc and fashion but I've got to say these socks aren't quite "MY" style! oh well. Now I'm an old grannie with compression socks that rise up to my knees!

Angela's Wedding

Angela is now a married woman! Although tired and sore in many places I am also so happy. Angela and Adam were married yesturday and what a beautiful wedding it was! There is so much I could say, but I am still so tired and not even really sure where to start. Angela was definitly the most beautiful bride, just radiating smiles. I know people always say this, but there was something so special and glowing about her. Adam too, was so happy, smiling and adoring Angela. He seemed stunned at her beauty and even overwhellemed at what they were committing to each other, but as the Pastor even said of both of them in the cermony several times they were both "so ready".

Saturday morning went relitivly well. None of us slept as late as we could have, all of us a little anxious to get the day started I guess. We were staying with Nanny & Grampy in town and Nanny had made us all a huge breakfast of juices, coffee, tea, milk, breakfast casserolle, some sort of maple toast casserolle thing...we were not walking away from there hungry!

Chad (the photographer and my husband) headed off to meet up with Adam for some early morning photo's and Angela, April & I headed off to get our hair done for a couple of hours. I always love this, having someone else do my hair! Angela's looked so sweet and I think we were generally all pleased. I took so long of course, as the hair dresser said "you have so much hair!" it amused her to find out I had had none for so many of my first years.

We arrived back at Nanny's around 11:30 to finish getting ready and Nanny (of course) had a pile of lunch sandwiches, cookies etc. for us to eat. Mom, Dad & Kaitlyn, Trevor and Chad had also returned so it was a full house! We ate up and then all started getting ready. Unfortuntly for me the new bra I bought with 4 different ways of using the straps was not working for this dress at all, in any of the strap positions! So Trevor (great brother-in law that he is) actually drove off to walmart to get me transparent straps just a half hour before it was time to go (did you know that was even possible! I certainly didn't) Besides that, things were running close to on time and April was highly amuzed that we had both bought the same black shoes without knowing it to match our dresses, and similar eye make up. Angela gave us both the cutest "bow" necklaces and earings, for standing up with her as she "tied the knot".

We arrived at the church about 10 minutes late (which really isn't bad at all, you have to keep the groom waiting a little while). But Kaitlyn was not in proper sorts (and likely way way over tired). She was quite cranky and wanted to walk down the aisle with Mom (Grammie to her), but then changed her mind. It didn't look like she would walk down with me (she just wanted Grampy) until the last minute when she grabbed my hand and started yanking. The pastor was trying to hold me off until the music started and I should have just taken Kaitlyn and started but I waited. The grand organ started and scared Kaityn to death and she started howling and only wanted Grampy, so much for that, she was not coming with me. I went down to the beautiful organ music and Kaitlyn's howls, then April followed and there was no way Kaitlyn was coming with her either, then Mom started back up the aisle a bit and Kaitlyn saw her, and howling she ran down the aisle for Grammie. Not ideal perhaps, but she got down there and Dad walked the beautiful Angela down to Adam. It was a beautiful cermoney (especially after Kaitlyn calmed down and began playing around the altar).

Then we took off for pictures. I'm excited to see them. Chad was doing their pictures and I think he did a fabulous job. When he gets home from church today he's going to unload the memory cards and we'll see what we have, but he definitly got some good stuff. It was such a treat to just watch Angela & Adam together, especially after everyone else left and Chad was just taking pictures of them. Really it is such an intimate moment (one of the most intimate that anyone else gets to see) and Chad just got to nearly pretend he wasn't there in some cases and just take lovely pictures. It also gave us a bit of time with them alone which was special.

Then to the reception for lovely food and some laughs at Fishermans Paradise. I had never eaten there before but it was great! I had the Steak dinner, wow it was nice and the soup and salad beforehand was amazing. There was Cheesecake for dessert with coffee but Nanny had made Angela's cake and it was far better. What a load of beautiful work Nanny did! Adam passed around the most unique Hershey's chocolate bars, that said HereTheyAre and their names on the front. Then on the back the ingrediants list was all percentages of love, laughter etc. Even the barcode on the back was their wedding date--- too cute! April & I did a combo speach thing with funny Angela stories and welcoming Adam to the family which was fun! April, I think should take up a job as Mediator or Contract Negotiator, you should have seen her trying to get everyone but herself up there telling stories about Angela! Soon enough we decorated the car with lilacs and toole and they were heading off for a few last pictures with Chad out with the sunset and river-- totally gorgeous! And the last Carson girl is married off, and very happy!

Tired, but happy Chad and I headed off to Nanny's where I got into my pj's for the drive home. I realized that there is a different tired when you're pregnant and lugging a nearly 5 month baby in belly around with you all day at a wedding, up early, down late. As I crawled out of the car into Nanny's to get into my pj's my body nearly spoke out loud to me with a "we're done", more of a statement less of a question! LOL! It was neat because although Chad was taking pictures for Angela & Adam he was showing me love by doing so. I was so proud of him, and so filled with love! Of course he is also amazing at what he does, he has a real talent for it, and I love to see him doing something he loves, even if he was exhausted and then had to head off to church early this morning.

A beautiful end to a beautiful day.... me snoring in and out of sleep on the drive home.

Guess Who? :) and ultrasound stories

I decided it would make the most sense to give myself some much needed rest the morning of the ultrasound. I had to have 4, 8oz glasses of water in by 9 o'clock, but I thought that shouldn't been to difficult as I drink a lot of water (of course I wasn't taking into consideration just how hard holding all that water for 2 hours was going to be). So at around 8:30 I got up and started drinking. I did really well actually. I figured after I got the water and some breakfast in I would take a nice, soothing, long bath to focus my attention on something other than the fact that I needed to pee.

Now upon further contemplation I can see the lack of wisdom in taking a bath and sloshing around in warm water when ones' bladder is full, but at the time it seemed like a great idea. Anyway, needless to say I could hardly stand myself while taking the bath and decided that although it was a definite battle of the will and I would be victorious, I should nonetheless cut the bath short. This description hardly expresses the emense discomfort and selfcontrol I was trying to excercise at the time, as I spoke harshly to myself, prayed to God for help, it was quite the moment!

So I stood up to shower and when I did, I peed. It is mortifying, but I'm sure (NOW) that I'm not the only Mom who has peed, but at the time I was so upset with myself, giving myself a tongue lashing about being a terrible parent with no self control, and if I couldn't even do this right, and we got a terrible ultrasound picture because of my lack of self control, how would I ever be a good parent. As is often the case with me it was quite dramatic.

So i got out of the shower and for penance made myself drink all of the water again, hoping it would have time to fill up my bladder in the next hour before we had our appointment. Upon further reflection, again, I could have figure out that my bladder would probably still be full of water and this step was not so necessary, but in the heat of personal disgust, it made sense to drink it all again.

We arrived at the hospital just on time to sit in admitting, my bladder quickly filling, only to find out we should have gone right to radiology. Arriving in Radiology they have that pull tab process of getting signed in. We pulled tab even though there was noone in line and Chad was muttering, ok it was too loud to be considered muttering, about not needing to stand in line. I was trying to hush him down when another patient came through and took the next number and they called his. Chad then proceeded to flip out saying loudly "wait! we were next, wait!" Iw as mortified, as I believe the next patient was as he quickly said "oh, ok, you go ahead." Ah my overexcitable husband. he wasn't angry, just excited.

Then we had to wait, and wait we did, for 45 minutes. My bladder at this point hurt so much, I put my hands down my pants to pull my pants away from pressuring my stomach (cute picture eh?-right) anyway, I had decided that this was the ultimate test of parenthood and if I couldn't do this, I couldn't really be a good mother at all, so I was determined. Meanwhile Chad is trying to get me to have my picture taken infront of the ultrasound sign, or discuss some article, or what I would like for lunch, I could do nothing but concentrate on not peeing myself and the agony I felt. So instead, Chad makes friends with all the people in the waiting room, finding out when they are due, what their stories are etc.

Finally! they called my name, I went in and laid down on the bed and it is true that it really isn't so painful when you're lying down. Anyway it only took the technician a minute before he informed me I was way too full (I explained what I had done and he shook his head telling me I would have likely still been full enough had I not drunk the second load of water) and he told me to go pee it off. I thought, with fear and trembling, he was going to tell me something crazy like I've heard them tell others about just peeing a bit off, I knew there was no way I could do that.
When I returned, feeling much relieved, actually like a new person in may ways, he proceeded to do his work for 20+ minutes until he called Chad in. Then he showed us the baby's hand and arm, foot and spine and head, also we saw his/her heartbeat beating nice and strong around 160 beats. It was pretty cool, although it felt way too short, I would have liked to have seen more. he then printed us off these two pictures and booked us for another ultrasound June 20th, because he didn't get as good a picture as he wanted of the heart. Pretty neat eh!

Baby Billington 17 weeks, 6 days: June 5th, 2007

Look! A dream come true! I have my own lilacs!

so tired

It's been an interesting week and I'm tired. Tuesday and Thursday night the choir was out at the studio recording. What an interesting process. I realize that some people really are not open to constructive criticism... I wonder how they make out in their jobs, relationships etc... I'm the strong opposite in this situation, I firgure if someone isn't telling me how to better do whatever I'm working at they are doing something wrong! that doesn't negate of course, the importance of delivery...but I'd really rather know if I'm doing something wrong then find out later in a worse way. So recording was interesting, and a very very long time to stand on your feet!

We saw yet another finale of the Marriage Course Wednesday night. It has been such a privilge to make this happen and offer it to people. It is a good course, the trick with everything is getting out of the rut and busy with putting it into action!

Tomorrow Chad & I go to a breakfast, usually a monthly mens breakfast in Upper Kingsclear but this time it is for wives as well. Chad is speaking at it. Should be a neat experience. Then friends of ours have a house warming in the afternoon.

There is more but...
I'm sleepy...I think I need a nap.