An announcement - and an introduction.

Internet, I'd like to introduce you to someone: Humpy 2. (If you're curious as to the nickname, you can check out the story behind Teddy's nickname in utero.)

This photo was taken almost 5 weeks ago, at 12 weeks. We waited to say anything to most people (other than family and close friends) until after that point, since I had a miscarriage at 12 weeks back in 2007. All seems to be going well this time around, and we've another ultrasound scheduled for the 29th. This one - the morphological one - is my favourite. Yes, we will hopefully find out the sex, but seeing the heart chambers working and all the organs is just so very cool!

But oh! internets! How I have wanted to share this with you. The first trimester exhaustion - coupled with my starting a brand new job and having a toddler - was deadly. But it was nothing to the brutal, brutal nausea and vomitting. In order to function, I had to go on Dicl*ctan. It helped, but I had to make sure that I ate something every couple of hours, and the snack had to contain protein or else! But with fears of listeriosis (another outbreak in Canada - that's one during each pregnancy for me), my 'quick and easy' protein options are limited. After one particularly bad day, I ended up crying and declaring to Dave "I am SO SICK OF CHEESE STRINGS!"

Since the start of the 2nd trimester - happily followed by warmer, sunnier weather - things have been looking up. I have much more energy and I am no longer taking any sort of meds. I do still need to eat frequently, but I can handle that! I love my midwife, and am very happy to be able to use their service again.

Most importantly - we are THRILLED! It's going to be a bit crazy, with a 19 month old and a newborn, but others have done it before - we'll suck it up! Due date is August 27th.

I will be sure to let you know if Teddy is expecting a little brother or a little sister -- as long as Humpy 2 cooperates next Monday!

40 Bags - an Lenten update

There are only two weeks left of Lent, and while I had been making headway in some areas (meatless days, prayer), I was struggling with the 40 bag challenge. I started out strong:

Saturday, Feb. 20th
1. Food for foodbank (dropped at church)
2-4. Bag Sarah clothes - to Hub (note - this is a 2nd hand store where my Mom volunteers, and where the proceeds are used to support the needy in their community)
5. Bag of Real Simple Magazines - to Hub
6-7. Bag of clothes back to Isha (more on this in another post)

Then - due to illness...and more illness...we stalled out at 7. Until yesterday, that is. My wonderful parents came down for the day with the express purpose of watching Teddy while we tackled a whole bunch of purging projects in the basement.

Our basement is large, and we have an enormous crawlspace. We'd been taking advantage of this, piling things down there (neatly, but without any rhyme or reason). Also housed downstairs are the 8 bookshelves of books we inherited from my Aunt Flo. We'd gone through them last year, pulling all the duplicates and triplicates (I am not kidding - we had overlapping tastes) and all the books we'd never read (I don't need 35 vegetarian and/or low fat cookbooks). We had a whole bunch of old VHS tapes (that had stuff like Felicity taped from TV during the original series run) and some old movies. We also had a TONNE of cardboard boxes we'd been saving - ones for things like the TV, the jumperoo, etc. Out it all went.

The majority of it went out in boxes (that were then refilled) or on its own, so I am approximating in terms of shopping bags:

• 4 boxes of books to our local Ottawa Public Library branch (where the librarian was so pleased at the condition of the books) = 8 bags
• 2 more boxes of books for the library (these are the last things to go -- the librarian ran out of storage room, and we'll bring them this week) = 4 bags
• 2 boxes of less pristine books to the Hub = 4 bags
• 1 HUGE box of VHS movies to the Hub = 2 bags
• 2 boxes of books, tapes to my parents = 4 bags
• 4 bags of Dave/Teddy/Sarah clothes for the Hub = 4 bags
• 3 large piles of collapsed cardboard for recycling = 4 bags
• 1 overstuff garbage bag of old VHS tapes, drop sheets, and cassette tapes (sadly, cannot recycle these) = 3 bags
• 2 old scanners, 1 VCR with remote and 1 DVD with remote** to the Salvation Army (they do electronic recycling if they can't sell them, but all still work) = 2 bags
• 1 bag of non-perishable food for the food bank (dropped at church today

That's a total of 32 bags (+4 of books we'll soon bring to the library) for a total of 36 yesterday! And almost all are going charity or being recycled!

That brings our Lenten total to 43. I have surpassed the goal, but we've a few more things to do over the next two weeks. We have a whole bunch of empty bottles to return for the deposits, and I should shred some old paper documentation...that should buy us another 10 bags or so (I wish I were exaggerating!). Plus, I will be bringing more food to church to donate to the food bank (since I kept forgetting Sunday after Sunday!).

Speaking of things I will do over the next several weeks - I will be posting here. There are some announcements and stories coming, and I have waited long enough to post. Stay tuned!