As the 2nd trimester approached we decided to shoot photos every week or so Here’s my growth from weeks 14 to 17. I think I looked bigger at 14 weeks 2 days than 15 weeks 6 days….must have been one of those extra fat days!!!!

It wasn’t until 2 hours after my appointment that our midwife called……I had been diagnosed with a placenta previa. I of course had no idea what this meant, had never heard that term before or even gotten to that section in the What to Expect When Your Expecting Handbook. She did her best to explain the situation to me in the few minutes she had before going to her next appointment and said if I had further questions to contact her the next day.

So what is a placenta previa….”In placenta previa, the placenta implants so that it partially or completely covers the opening of the cervix. This can physically block your baby’s passage into the birth canal if it persists into the second or third trimester.” Read this for more information...Placenta Previa.

So what did all of this mean to me….Initially the shock of hearing that my pregnancy was well “Not Normal!” was devastating. Was there something I had done or could be doing differently to get things back on track, was this a sign I would be a bad mother….all those hormones were in overdrive as I spent the night reading mostly negative stories about others with the same condition. With the threat of possible bed rest or a hemorrhage I was an emotional wreck.

In addition, a previa is considered outside a normal pregnancy and that meant that my lovely midwives would be referring me to a local obstetrician for a consult. As expected, the experience was nowhere near as reassuring or pleasant as my midwife appointments. The doctor handed me a variety of paperwork listing vitamins I should be taking, a prescription for what I thought were pills (more on that in a minute), a requisition for another ultrasound, a copy of my results from the previous ultrasound and a stern warning that I shouldn’t be flying to Mexico in a months time for our vacation. He expressed his opinion that my ultrasound results were in fact conflicting and that I had a partial and not marginal previa. He talked and moved fast through the appointment but didn’t managed to settle my worries before sending me on my way.

So what was the final outcome of all this……We cancelled our trip to the Mayan Riviera at the start of March after discussing the situation with friends in the medical world. Since the previa would have been considered a pre-existing condition I was no longer covered by our travel medical insurance and we had to question whether we were ok with me receiving a blood transfusion in Mexico should I have a bleed. It was decided that the trip wasn’t worth the risk to poop tart or me. Mexico would have to wait.

As for the prescription I was given….it was in fact not pills but celestone steroid shots. Not only had that not been clarified at my appointment nor had who was to administer the stuff.

In the end all got sorted and I am happy to report so far so good. I have had no symptoms commonly associated with placenta previa. I have been careful to not do any heavy lifting and cut back on the type of activity I was doing…speed walking instead of running and pre-natal yoga.  The shots, while unpleasant (since I really hate needles) were done just a week ago and should poop tart decide to make an early appearance we have more confidence that baby won’t struggle with undeveloped lungs etc.

I’ve also gotten my head around the likelihood of a c-section. It is what it is and however baby enters the world we will be thrilled to meet them.

That’s right we took the leap after much humming and hawing and decided to give parenthood a whirl.

The test came back positive in Mid-October much to our surprise and for the next while we kept the news to ourselves. Keeping that secret was tricky but in late November we finally broke the news to our family and friends who were absolutely thrilled to find out a baby was on the way.

I have no complaints about the first three months. I was able to avoid the dreaded bouts of morning sickness and besides being incredibly tired everything progressed along nicely particularly the expansion of my waist line.

We made the decision in those first few weeks to register with a midwife. Many of our friends had gone the same route in the past and were very happy with the time and attention given during the pregnancy and the aftercare provided.  It was certainly the right choice for both of us…our midwives are great.

At 12 weeks we would get our first glance of the poop tart (thanks B.S.VW for the baby name!!!!) At only 6cm in size….it was very cool to be able to see how much baby had developed in such a short time.

By the end of the first 3 months my energy levels returned…just in time for the Christmas Holidays!!!

On September 19th I took Fremont to Bingemans Waterpark in Kitchener for the KW Humane Society Surf Dogs event. Its a fundraiser for the organization and gives the dogs a chance to tear around the waterpark before it shuts down for the season. It was pretty funny seeing so many dogs in the wave pool riding the tides. Fremont had a great time and even met up with a couple of his buddies for a romp in the water.

Art was waiting when we arrived on Sunday morning at the marina. We loaded all our crap and there was a lot of it into Lulu and headed out. We spent the day together taking a tour of the island, reviewing what we needed to do while we were there and when we left and touring the inlet with me in the drivers seat.  Some of us dared to take a dip in the lake after dinner…it was a warm 68 degrees…. before Art & Nic would head home leaving us on the island for the remainder of the week.

The weather was mixed throughout our stay….insanely high winds, a spectacular lightning storm, rain, clouds and some sun but we made the most of our time….reading books when it was raining, fishing, swimming, eating and napping of course.

Rory was really keen to fish on this trip so we took any opportunity to get out on the lake we could.  Our first adventure was to the Pickerel Pots as A was told this was a good fishing hole. As you can see above we didn’t catch much in the way of fish but we did see a bear (he’s the tiny black speck in the middle photo above).

Swimming time was limited due to the cooler water temps but I did manage to get Rory in once….it wouldn’t have been right if we didn’t go in.

On the Wednesday weather conditions were gloomy. The wind had been howling all night and didn’t stop for the duration of the day but as you can see the fishing was fantastic. Rory scored a couple big bass and a pike which actually broke the tip off his rod (Should have bought an Ugly Stick!!!).  We also made time to venture out in the kayak  and even managed to get Fremont in too. He absolutely loved it.

By late Wednesday the winds had slowed and the lake was still as we watched the sun set.

On Thursday conditions on the lake were still too choppy for a paddle in the canoe so we opted for a trip into town to check out Pointe Au Baril. We enjoyed a little look around C.C. Kennedy’s Home Hardware (they still let you shop on account there!) and lunched on a big box of fries from the Chip Wagon.  Before heading back to the island we stopped in at the Moose Lake Lodge Trading Post (a knick-knack haven) where I contemplated buying the lovely bear hat above.

We would be fortunate enough to see another lovely sunset Thursday evening…the sky looked like it was on fire and the cottage smelled of delicious chocolate chip cookies.

Friday’s weather was lovely. Fremont and I spent the morning trying our fishing luck at various points around the island while looking for great photo opportunities.

The change in weather also meant we could  finally celebrate Fremont’s 3rd Birthday. So before heading out on our canoe adventure we had a mini party on the dock. He loved his carrot cake & cookies which he totally deserved. Turning 3 meant he finally got up the nerve to jump from the dock into the lake. We were such proud parents!!!

Our canoe trip took us out to Painted Rocks which was a must see on the list of things to do. We were the only ones out there that day and enjoyed a lovely lunch in the sunshine.

Friday afternoon proved to be another great fishing day. I finally caught a decent sized bass as did Rory…..EGB lures all the way.

The lake was calm enough on Friday evening for us to venture out to open water to watch the sun set. Fremont wasn’t sold on riding the waves in the boat but I loved every minute of it. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky that night so we took the opportunity to lie on the dock and look for more shooting stars (I saw my first ever the night before!).

Saturday was another beautiful day so we headed out in the canoe back to the Pickerel Pots for more fishing and maybe a bear sighting.  The fishing proved unsuccessful, as did the bear sighting but we enjoyed a lovely paddle down the river to the Naiscoot River South Channel.

Our last evening was a quiet and calm one. The lake was like glass and we were feeling incredibly relaxed.

On Sunday morning, I enjoyed one last dip in the lake which had dropped to a chilly 65 degrees before we packed up our things. The week had been a tough one for Fremont as you can see. He was beyond exhausted but I know he is secretly hoping I might sign him up for a week of summer camp with Art & Nic next year. Leaving the cottage was tough knowing Monday meant back to work but we were both so grateful for our fabulous week on the island.

The 2nd Annual Chocolate Race was held on Sunday August 29th in beautiful Port Dalhousie, Ontario.  So why the chocolate race (watch this cute video)? Because they serve chocolaty goodness (fudge) along the route of the 5k, 10k and 1/2 marathon courses. Every racer also receives tickets with their medal that can be redeemed for all things chocolaty to assist with your post race recovery….ice cream, truffles, fudge, chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate dipped rice krispie squares. Honestly, who wouldn’t run for chocolate?

I confirmed with the husband and my parents that attending this race would fit in our schedule for the weekend and signed myself up for the 5k. It was a really beautiful day (sunny & warm) and Lakeside Park with its large trees, beach, pier and outdoor pavillion makes a wonderful location for spectators and runners alike to watch the start and finish of the races.

I was really pleased with my results…a personal best for me with a time of 28:17 (chip time) which had me finish 35th out of 154 runners and 6th out of 48 in my age group.

It was a really great event, so well-organized,  great treats, cute medals and a slogan no one can argue with…..

“Because….Life’s short, running is hard and chocolate tastes good!”

A highlight for my dad was his new toy which we spent most of his birthday morning assembling. As you can see from the photo below it really was time to retire the ol’ Canadiana with with the lady bug rotisserie. I think that bbq is almost as old as me!!!

Running this race was a minor departure from my original plan which was to run 3x weekly and register for a few 5k races. I’ll blame it on peer pressure and my desire to know just how far I can push myself!!!

As you can see from the photo below I finished (1:02:11.2) looking more like a drowned rat than a well-trained runner but I finished and that is all that matters. My running pals all did fantastically well too and I was grateful for the cheering squad that greeted me at the finish.