First Ultrasound

Super hot today! Jon and I met downtown at an imaging lab this afternoon for the first ultrasound. I think we were both a little nervous -- not that there was any reason to be -- but just because.

A little trepidation before the technician (who was, unfortunately, kind of surly) swiveled the monitor our way so that we could see. And there the baby was. Blue-y grey, radiating a slight glow, not really in focus, looking kind of small with an oversized head and a curling little sack of a body. While the technician was looking away, I took note of the "transnuchal" measurement, thinking I'd look it up on the Internet when I got home. This is one of the measurements used to predict the baby's risk for Down's Syndrome. Of course, I couldn't find anything that made any sense to me, so I'll have to wait until the next doctor's appointment. Besides, it's silly of me to be even going there, I know. We'll love the baby unconditionally.

There was blood drawn at another lab afterwards and yummy antipasto at Terroni's, my fave.

Hot diggity -- a new house!

Well, the last week or so has been a bit of a blur. Viv and Gord were in town and stayed with us. Viv is trying to decide between U of T and UBC for her PhD program. I say go with UBC. Why uproot your entire life when you can choose to stay in Vancouver?

Anyway, the big news is that we've bought a house in the South Forest Hill neighbourhood. I saw it on the web, fell in love with the photos of the second floor windows, went to see it a few nights later, really fell in love with it, decided to put in an offer, and was accepted not too long after that.

Jon has dug up some City archive clippings and maps that suggest the house was built in 1915. It's a three-storey affair (the third storey being a dormered floor with two massive bedrooms). In addition, there's a full basement. A library and lawn-bowling club are directly across the street and a park kitty-corner. The supermarket is just beyond the park and the well-regarded Hillcrest school just a block south on a lovely residential street. Getting to work will take about twenty minutes less, and the subway is minutes away.

Great location, yes, but what's really great is the house itself. Leaded glass windows. Yes! Spacious rooms that have potential for separate zones (what I've always craved -- a window seat, a reading nook, a spot for the piano). Yes! Many-paned windows. Yes! So lovely. Such a surprise. Such luck.

Pregnant Lady in Tears

And, no, it wasn't me. It was one of my classmates at prenatal yoga. Alison, our instructor, likes to lead off with a half-hour discussion on a pregnancy-related topic. This week, she talked about perineal massage. A what now? A perineal massage. That's when you or your partner, with the aid of olive oil or some other lubricant, start massaging down there (about six weeks before the due date). It's meant to lessen the risk of tearing during delivery, or having to get an episiotomy. You work your thumb around the area in a "U." I know it sounds a little unpleasant, but the woman next to me really didn't take it too well. She was in tears. She explained that she's a bit squeamish. Oh dear. I hope she toughens up a bit before she's due.

Speaking of the women one meets in these prenatal classes, they seem a bit under-informed. Even the women who are 6, 7, 8 months along, seem like they have a lot of catching up to do. One woman who looked like she was nearly at the end hadn't heard of birth plans. Maybe it's having Liz set an example for me or it's my close reading of Misconceptions by Naomi Wolf, but I feel well-versed on pregnancy matters. I'm especially grateful to Naomi Wolf (as militant as she is) for articulating all the injustices a pregnant woman and a woman with a small child face all the time -- injustices that are often never put right or difficult to address unless addressed early on. For example, the division of labour in the household. Even the most modern, sensitive fellows will let household and childrearing responsibilities fall along "traditional" gender lines. Another example, if you're not vigilant, you just might come out of your delivery feeling like you've been "processed" by the hospital and its staff. You need to make sure your partner really knows how to advocate for you and your baby. Anyway, for those of you out there who are wondering: an essential read for pregnancy -- Misconceptions.

Clothes & Strategy

Clothes. I rarely admit the following to anyone outside my inner, inner circle because it seems vain, but I love clothes. Clothes -- current fashion, everyday dressing, the history of costume, the whole darn ball of string -- fascinate me. Never mind that I never seem to come close to achieving real sartorial savvy in my work-a-day life. I've got the most brilliant outfits swimming around in my head, sort of existing (for now) as Platonic ideals.

Anyway, my awareness of clothes has become even more heightened since becoming pregnant. I've put on maybe one or two pounds and I would venture to say that to all but the most suspicious of eyes, any change in my figure is imperceptible. However, as I am a bit on the paranoid side, I'm on a wardrobe-editing rampage, rejecting outfits if I think they might hint even the slightest bit that I'm pregnant. So, even though the current trends of big volume and empire-waists might seem a God-send for someone seeking to hide a pregnancy, I see it the other way. It looks like you're trying to hide something. Plus, I've never been an empire-waist kind-of-gal, so that, in itself, might be a giveaway to anyone who was actually paying attention. Then, on the other hand, anything too slim makes me nervous because I wonder if I'm putting that pound or two I've gained on high-alert display. The middle-ground, of course, is what I've been sticking to, but I've been feeling quite dissatisfied with the aesthetics. I'm getting sick of untucked shirts over wide-leg trousers.
It saddens me that I can't wear some of the cute things I acquired recently. The A.P.C. shirt dress for example as well as the Isabel Marant wrap dress with the all-over Queen Victoria pattern (it's got a higher waist -- not quite empire -- but higher). The Tsumori Chisato dusty-pink top is out too because it's a trapeze silhouette (volume).

It'll be interesting how I deal with dressing an every increasing baby bump. I hope it's a graceful sight to behold.