Since becoming preggo, we have answered lots of questions from friends, family members, random acquaintances, etc. Here our some of our pregnancy FAQs and the answers. If you have a question, ask away - I promise to answer honestly!!

1. Was it planned? Yeaaah...people actually asked this obnoxious question. Why this is important information to anyone, I'm not sure. The answer is yes, "it" was planned. We have been talking about having a baby this year for more than a year previous...probably since shortly after we got married. We knew we wanted a bit of time to just enjoy being married, but for some reason, 30 felt like a good age to take the big plunge.

In the interest of full disclosure, I went off the pill in early January, and got pregnant in February. We found out on March 8. So yes, this baby was very much planned, not that it matters either way - we'd love them regardless.

2. What did you do when you found out? Jumped up and down and screeched mostly. A little crying. Lots of hugging. We were psyched and despite the "planning" were totally surprised at the positive test result. We figured it would take longer for nature to take its course. Of course Peter takes all the credit. Sorry dude...I think I might have had something to do with it too.

3. Are you going to find out the sex? Nope. In Nova Scotia, doctors won't tell the sex of the baby - you have to go to a 3D ultrasound. We decided to save our pennies and get surprised.

4. Do you think you're having a boy or a girl? It depends on the day. At the beginning I would have bet the farm it was a boy. Lately, I feel like it's a girl. On certain days the baby is extra obnoxious with the kicks, and I refer to it as "he"...as in "he's being a little bugger today!" It's fun to wonder and anticipate the surprise and we have no preferences either way.

5. Do you have names picked out? Finally we have names we're leaning towards...they're top secret though!

6. Are you worried about your vagina? Yes.

7. Are you getting nervous? At our first prenatal class I flipped ahead in the book to the page where they've drawn circles to represent how big you dilate. I blanched, gagged and slammed the book shut. I had to put my head down on the table. Nervous is an understatement.

Here's the aforementioned textbook with the circles page. See that bottom circle? The one that's like as big as my fully formed adult head? That's 10 centimetres. That's how big "stuff" needs to get. Percolate on that visual.



8. Do you plan to breastfeed? Yes...again, understanding that "plans" and reality don't always line up. We'll give it a go, knowing that there are other options if it doesn't work out. I know not everyone is able to breastfeed so we'll see.

9. Do you crave any weird foods? Not at all. I have been eating pretty normally, not really changing too much from what I ate before other than cutting out the forbidden foods. I've been eating more fruit for snacks, and just trying to be really conscious about eating a balanced diet and not too much of anything.

10. How are you feeling? This is the #1 most frequently asked question, but I don't mind hearing it! I have been feeling great the whole pregnancy so far, with no complaints at all. I was a little tired in the beginning but it was a good excuse to get to bed early. The second trimester has been bomb. I have lots of energy and don't even feel pregnant, just really healthy - until I see my reflection in the mirror and then it's like WHOA momma. You is huge.

11. Are you having a natural birth? Let me put it to you this way. Pushing a six-to-nine pound being out of your vajayjay is as unnatural as you can get, according to this bear. I admire women who opt to go the natural route, but I'm not one of them. I don't want to be a hero. I'm a big wimp. And I want drugs. I want epidurals and laughing gases and magic mushrooms. I want to be completely out of my tree when that baby makes its appearance. I want to be stroking the furry walls and seeing Jesus.

Any other questions?

It's hard to believe July is already winding down - where has the summer gone?! Here in Nova Scotia it started off with a month-plus of craptastic weather (35 out of 40 consecutive days were rainy, if anybody needs their memories jogged). Luckily things have improved somewhat and we've been getting more sunshine than rain lately. Mother Nature is always a little slow on the uptake around these parts.

Soo, summer is scooting along, but there's still a couple of months of heat left, fingers crossed. Here are some things I have been really enjoying this summer:

1. Bath and Body Works' Coconut Passionfruit fragrance



At the beginning of summer, I was looking for a nice, coconutty shower gel and lotion and this is the one I picked. I love this stuff! It smells summery and clean and not too-too coconut. They aren't going to mistake it for Hawaiian Tropic at the office and assume you're taking off early to hit the beach, let's put it that way. I don't have the spray but I did pick up the shower gel and lotion.

2. Brown cork wedges from Payless



I don't know why I resisted wedges for so long. There's something about some wedge styles that makes the wearer look clunky and uncoordinated and I definitely do not need any help in that department! That being said, I finally picked up a pair of wedges this spring and I'm happy I did. They're a comfortable alternative to heels but they still give you some height. Plus, you're much less likely to get trapped in the cracks on the boardwalk and you don't create divets walking across the lawn.

3. Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches



I looooooooove these. They're actually a decent size, and they taste good, so they're satisfying. Some ice cream sandwiches have 400+ calories!! These are perfect for a hot day dessert. They also offer instant portion control, unlike the tub of Birthday Party ice cream that's slowly but surely dwindling in the freezer right now.

4. Fresh strawberries



I have strawberries every single day in some form. Strawberries on a bagel. Strawberries mixed in yogurt. Strawberries in salads. Strawberry smoothies. GIVE ME MOAR.

5. The Help



I started this book on Monday after finding it at Costco for just $10.99 (it was $18.50 at Chapters...cheapskates take note!) Also, the Costco version doesn't have the ghastly movie cover. Super good read.

6. iTunes Radio



Lately I have been listening to Absolute Radio while I work. It's from the UK so it's fun to listen to them griping about rush hour traffic tie-ups in London when I'm just having my lunch. I have it on right now. I also enjoy the classical stations, which I listen to only because I read somewhere that classical music makes babies smarter.

7. Joe Fresh



Since moving out to BFE my shopping trips are fewer and farther between. Thank goodness for Joe Fresh, which is available at our local supermarket. Sadly, more than 50% of my clothing purchases this year have come from Joe. I don't even care that I've taken to buying outfits at the same place I get eggs and toilet paper. This summer they've had lots of nautical-looking stripes and empire-waist sundresses, both of which work for me. The empire waist is a godsend for almost-six-months-pregnant ladies who refuse to buy maternity clothes, btw. (PS - I have that striped dress. $19!!)

8. Grapefruit Perrier



My friend Victoria served a yummy drink made of grapefruit Perrier and cranberry juice recently and it's gotten me hooked on the stuff. Since alcohol is off the table, flavoured fizzy water is a nice substitute for boozy drinks, has zero calories and is very refreshing on hot days. I have been drinking it mixed with juice, straight up, and with berries thrown in.

9. Big Brother



Love this show...I love this season too. Even the tools like Brenchel.

Those are a few of the things that are keeping me happy this summer, in addition to the obvious ones like sunshine, beach days, barbecues and afternoons on the deck. Feel free to share some of your favourite things this summer. How are you staying cool/sane/happy?

It's been one year since we packed up our old apartment and picked up the keys to our new house. While we've lived in lots of other places, we still refer to this as "our first home".

A lot has happened in the past year:

[+] we painted four rooms and very quickly learned that it does not, in fact, take 45 minutes to paint a room (yes, that's what we were told, and we believed it. ignorance is bliss)

[+] we put in a fireplace. It's electric. It still counts! You can hang Christmas stockings on it!

[+] we survived two ant infestations...and won

[+] we mastered the schedule of compost pickup and garbage pickup and learned the importance of bungie cords

[+] we installed a remote garage door opener. LIFE CHANGING!!

[+] we made a new flower bed, planted a couple trees, some shrubs and lots of flowers

[+] we discovered that curtains are actually the hardest things to buy

[+] we invested in a barbecue and have grilled just about everything you can imagine

[+] we set up a firepit and seating, perfect for making s'mores and spider dogs

[+] we swore we'll never own a side-by-side fridge/freezer again

[+] we had our first batch of trick-or-treaters

[+] we set off our security alarm accidentally. This happened a lot. Next time the cops come to check it out, we'll get a bill...oops

[+] we put up outdoor Christmas lights for the first time

[+] we built a snowman in the yard and made snow angels

[+] we got a puppy

[+] and now we're having a baby

It's been a busy year, to say the least. We have lots more planned for our house this year: staining the front and back steps, setting up the nursery, replacing some lighting, renovating a bathroom, and making some other changes. We also have big changes planned too, things that are going to be more costly and take a lot of time, but we'll get there.

It's definitely a work in progress, but it feels like home, and it's my favourite place to be.

Next project is turning this bedroom (which currently houses yoga mats, a TV stand, a piano, free weights, a mishmash of potted plants and some random furniture we didn't know where else to put) into a baby's room. As you can see, we've got a bit of a start. We have a crib, a rubber giraffe, a Pooh Bear, some books, diapers, a sling and a car seat = PROGRESS!






We've even got some paint swatches (I'm leaning towards Baby Bee Yellow).



If anyone has any baby-room-makin' tips, links, resources, etc. please send them along. We currently have no theme in mind, other than "cute" and "gender neutral".

Thank you to Yahoo! Mail for sponsoring this post about staying connected. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.




Earlier this month, I wrote a post for Yahoo! Mail about why I like email better than the phone, primarily because emails are almost always used to deliver good news, not bad. To prove my point, here are some of my favourite emails I've received:

[+] Job offers. There's nothing like getting that email with an attachment called "Your_Name_Here_Offer_Letter.pdf". Always a *squee!* moment.
[+] Unexpected, random I-love-you sapfests from hubster.
[+] The daily dish from my mom. She writes me almost every day and I always look forward to getting the news from home.
[+] Photos of my friends trying on wedding dresses.
[+] Photos of friends' new babies.
[+] Photos of friends' new houses.
(If I can't be there to see them in person, the next best thing is an email photo tour).
[+] Links to hilarious articles on The Onion, videos on YouTube,, photos on Go Fug Yourself or comics on Pictures for Sad Children.
[+] Coupons - Michael's, Gap, Banana Republic, Coach...I subscribe to them all. I love them all.
[+] My weekly baby updates from The Bump letting me know what El Fetus is up to each week.
[+] Anything with the subject line of "Lunch?"

What are some of your favourite emails to receive?

We're 23 and a half weeks along so far, which means officially more than halfway to baby land - less than four months to go. This both excites and frightens the hell out of me. I can't wait to meet our little miss or mister, but there's still so much to do before he or she arrives in early November. We have done nothing to the nursery yet, other than purchasing a crib that the baby won't even sleep in until it's a few months old (priorities what?!) We finally picked out a stroller and car seat this weekend, but strollers are definitely right up there with life's great mysteries. (WHY OH WHY ARE THERE SO MANY STROLLERS?) Right now, other than the aforementioned items, we own four pairs of socks, one pair of booties, one 3-6 month sleeper, one Sophie the Giraffe, one Pooh Bear, and six books for the baby - so while it'll be mostly naked and wild, it'll at least be well-read and have warm feet.

I have been feeling good. Surprisingly good. Like, maybe better than before getting knocked up. I've been careful about getting lots of sleep, exercising every day and eating healthfully and I think it's paying off. These past few weeks I've had lots of energy and have just been feeling healthy. The weight gain is surprising to me. I'm up about 10 pounds total, but the only things that seem to be getting bigger are the bump and (people who know me IRL please stop reading now) zee boobinks. They may not look like much in this picture but oh, I can tell the difference. And it doesn't make sense - I'm not really eating extra, and I'm working out just as much, if not more with daily walks on top of gym visits - where is this coming from?! This kid is en route to weigh 25 pounds at birth.

Nesting is also a thing and right now I have a list of about 25 things I want to change about our house NOWNOWNOW - from replacing light fixtures to pretty much a whole new kitchen. I know it's unrealistic and not going to happen. We've picked out a few projects for over the summer, staining the doorstep, getting new outside lighting, obviously doing the baby's room over and maybe a couple other smallish things.

Feeling the baby kick puts the biggest smiles on my face these days. Over the past couple of weeks, they have gotten really active. The kicks are too little to hurt - it just kind of feels like being flicked from inside but it's the coolest, weirdest feeling and I love it. We've seen the baby move a bunch too, little pokes, which just does not get old. It's my absolute favourite thing. Before this, I always thought having a tiny human growing inside would be horrible, like some sort of alien parasite that takes over your body from within, but it's actually nice to have a little friend that goes everywhere with me. I talk to the baby when we're stuck in traffic, I sing to it in the car, I scratch it when it pokes me. I say "good morning" every day when we wake up and "good night" before we go to sleep.

We just got back from a week at the beach, and after not seeing myself in a full-length mirror for several days I was shocked at my reflection on coming home. My belly is popping for sure. I still haven't been fondled by any strangers at the grocery store but I feel like it's starting to look less like a beer belly and more like a bebe.

To sum up: it's weird and scary and overwhelming and probably the most amazing thing I have ever gotten to experience.

So I dropped 20 bucks on that thing last night. Apparently, this is not JUST a giraffe. From what I've been told this small rubber animal is the key to sanity and happiness for the first few months of a baby's life. For some reason, all babies go apeshit for this toy and it entertains them, soothes them, keeps them calm, and one of my friends described it as being "like crack to babies." I expect it to shoot glitter magic fairy dust out its ass when you squeeze it and to emit some kind of happy-baby-tranquilizer gas as it's slobbered on.

When I first started noticing Sophie the Giraffe clutched in infants' paws in strollers everywhere, all I thought was, "didn't I see a kid with that thing the other day?" Then I heard from one of my mommy acquaintances that Sophie is the bomb for babies. All natural rubber, soft body, perfect for teething, yada yada. Also, it's been around for 50 years this year so it must have some pretty solid star qualities.

So when we found out we had a bun in the oven, I grabbed a Sophie when I was browsing in Toys R Us one day, in an effort to be a good mom and choose only the best for my baby. I turned the package over...

TWENTY SIX DOLLARS?!?!

FOR A RUBBER TOY???

I threw it back in the bin and immediately began composing a mental list of things I could buy for $26.

1. A manicure on one hand.
2. A bottle of good wine.
3. Two bottles of meh wine.
4. A movie date for two on cheap night (let's be honest, the only night of the week I offer to pay for a movie date.)
5. Paying off my library fines.
6. Season four of Friday Night Lights on DVD.
7. A week's worth of lattes.

Our dog has a whole bunch of rubber toys that squeak too and not one of them was over $10. And he teethed successfully and is mostly well-adjusted and normal. I figured throwing a Kong into the baby's crib for them to chew on would not be the worst idea ever.

Then, last night, we were at Chapters and lo and behold, the Sophie gift sets had a bright orange "50% Off" sticker on them. Not being one to resist the lure of the sale sticker, I investigated further. The thing was $40 (FORTY!!!!!!!!!!) but it includes a Sophie towel and fancy gift box as well as the fabled giraffe itself. So for the low, low price of 20 bones, our baby will not only have the crack-giraffe but also a box to put it in and a towel to poop on. #winning

We got it home, opened the box and Peter and I took turns chewing on the giraffe's ears and legs to see what all the fuss was about. We didn't get high but she is pretty cute, and we figured anything that will maintain some semblance of peace and quiet in our home in a few months is well worth the cost of a bucket of KFC.

HOLA! We just came back yesterday afternoon from a week away at the cottage. It was everything a vacation should be - relaxing, lots of sunshine, good friends and QT with the family and lots of delicious food. The daily routine was kind of like this: wake up whenever, go for a run, eat breakfast, read a bit, walk the dog, eat lunch, spend the afternoon at the beach, BBQ something, walk on the beach, go to someone's cottage and hang out (or stay in and play board games on the few rainy evenings). A girl can get used to that routine.

Here's our cottage:


My reading materials. Note the shift from a Sex and the City book to American Psycho.


Sooo many barbecues.


There were country music dance parties with the dog.


There was our first Jiffy Pop experience since we were probably three years old.


There were a few marathon Monopoly games...


...and the construction of a giant puzzle which we actually managed to finish:


There were also many evening walks and beautiful sunsets to enjoy.






Now it's back to the grind! Hope you all had a great week!

Thank you to Yahoo! Mail for sponsoring this post about staying connected. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

image via

When I was in middle school, I loved having penpals. We'd write back and forth every couple of weeks to talk about school, our families, our pets, vacations, whatever was going on in our lives. I would run out to the mailbox every day in the summer hoping to find an envelope from a faraway friend, often decorated with stickers or doodles. It's not unlike the way I sign into my email accounts every morning today.

I love getting mail, either email or the regular variety. Here's the thing: People don't share bad news by email. They will always call you or tell you in person. People don't break up by email (well, not usually...and if they do they probably weren't worth the energy of worrying about.) You don't get fired over email. You don't find out someone is sick or hurt in an email. This is probably why I hate the phone and prefer to email as much as possible.

Even if it's a stupid forward or chain email, it's typically not going to contain bad news. What you may get is pictures of a new baby, a link to a video of a friend's new home, an itinerary for an upcoming trip, a job offer letter, or just a "what's going on?" message from someone you haven't talked to in a while. Email is just a nice little vehicle for happiness.

If you do get a bad nugget in your email, one click and it's deleted forever. On the other hand, you get to store all your happy messages in one location and go back and read them as much as you like. You can't do that with a phone conversation. And for some reason it just feels easier to say nice things in writing than in person. You can't get trapped in an hour-long email conversation. In fact, the only advantage phone has over email, in my opinion, is you can hang up on telemarketers. Hitting "block recipient" doesn't have the same satisfying smack.

It's easy to see why I prefer email over the phone any day.