Canada and the U.S

There is so much here that gets taken for granted, that .. I think when all this is said and done, we'll be able to take a step back and laugh at some of the things.

This if course is a new process for me, I've never gone through any of this. However, for Shari, it is something she's gone through, just in a different country. She asks me a lot about how we should do things as far as booking an appointment and such, and most of the time my response is: "I don't know, go to a clinic, get a referal?' 'Go to the hospital, they tell you what to do?' Etc etc. To which she states is rediculous, as why would you go to the hospital to get a referal for something that is so obvious.

Yet in almost every case, that's been how it works. I've concluded, that our health care system in Canada, is dumby proof - but completely non-cost effective, as we are finding out first hand. Everything requires two appointments pretty much. Which is fine, if you don't have to pay for those appointments. Not very fun when you do. But leads me to dwell on how much our health care system could save, if they'd just allow people to call specialists directly to make appointments for obvious things, rather than requiring a referral for everything.

Maybe after this is all said and done, and I've finished writing my book on the immigration process, I'll send my book to parliament and they can save a few million a year, just by taking out the middle man in the health care system.

The mystery of the OB/GYN

So tomorrow I'll be heading to Georgia, I just found out there will be no internet. This fact annoys me as the internet is my lifeline lol. Also, if I don't check my email daily it gets very full and I'll probably have 200-300 emails by the time I return! After Georgia I return to Canada, will arrive in Syracuse, NY on Tues the 6th. In baby news, the baby is now the size of a fig (1 and a half inches long) according to the weekly email and moving around freely. My nausea has subsided somewhat, but I have had a cold this last week and so whenever I cough, I gag! Not fun when you have a cold. But on with the story...

Got my first doctor appointment on the 13th. That was a fiasco trying to make an appointment... See, I say to my parents that Canada is pretty much just like the US in every way... and for the most part I still agree. However, there are these subtle differences, particularly because of the health care system there, that make it different. When you "break" these specific "protocols" people get pretty annoyed and ends up leaving the offender with a feeling of "what the hell do I do now??"

Anyway, so my story goes... In the US when you are pregnant, you look up the number of your nearest OB/GYN and you call the office and set up an appointment. That same doctor is with you through the whole pregnancy and beyond. So, a few weeks before my return up there, I looked up some ob/gyns and picked one and called them up. Well, the french woman, who I could hardly understand on the other end was more than simply impolite on the phone when she informed me that I have to call the hospital to make an appointment. When I tried to question her with my misunderstandings, she abruptly interupts me with the phone number and hangs up. So, being in my highly emotional state I begun to cry. Having a baby is one thing, but having a baby in a foreign country where you don't know the "rules" and having people be very rude about said rules and not understanding the rules can wear on a person's emotions. That's not to mention the whole money stress, which is yet another story... Anyway, so I'm left holding the phone, pondering why she'd want me to call the hospital. See, in the US the hospital is used for surgery, labor, emergencys, etc, you don't just call them to bug them or set up appointments or find doctors. So, I give it a few minutes, wipe my eyes and call up this number she gave me, of course I get another french greeting and I ask her for this place I *think* the woman, with the thick accent, said. Well, she's never heard of it, so after explaining the situation to her, she transfers me to what she believes is the office I'm looking for and I'm greeted with a "Hi, we are out of the office..." so I hang up.

I think at this point, Dan takes pity on me, because during this whole thing I'm on instant messenger with him explaining it, and he asks one of his workmates who supplies him with a doctor name and phone number that she used for her recent baby. So, I call this new number. The receptionist, fortunatly, doesn't have an accent and I explain the whole situation to her and that I'd like to see the doctor there. She wants to know who is referring me. Referring me? Why would I need a reference to see a doctor? I say no one, she asks "Who told you to call us." Heck if I know, it's someone Dan works with, "uh... Jean... but I dont know her last name." So, she says I need to go to my general practioner and get a referral to them, all I hear is more costs in my head now, I mean now I have to see a doctor to see a doctor?? I pay out of pocket for all these visits. Ok... so I say well I don't have a family doctor. "Please hold" I wait... She comes back, ok I'll put you in to see doctor . Great, now I have an appointment, I thank her. She says "oh one more thing, don't call this number, it's our *private* line." Argh, more rule breaking... I ask for the number to call, appologize and hang up.

Well, at least I have a doctor appointment now.

10 weeks

So, the weekly pregnancy email informed me that I am 10 weeks along today and explained to me why I have to get up two or three times a night to pee! According to them, the baby is now the size of a kumquat, which left me wondering, "what is the size of a kumquat?" and "should I blog first or go pee?" :) So, for those that are wondering the same thing I am (hopefully it's the first question) I have posted a picture of a kumquat. It's pretty small! The email also said really cool things like: nails and hair are forming, limbs can now bend, and from crown to rump the baby is about 1 1/4 inch long. The widget is starting to look more baby and less alien every week as well!

As for me, I've been pretty "normal" for the most part, still no morning sickness, the "smell" thing hasn't eased up and 90% of my favorite meals have been replaced by crackers, cheese, yogurt and fruit. Eating is a hard time of the day for me, it's pretty depressing. Every day I try something I like to see if I can "stomach" it only to find myself dumping or giving it away and heading back to the bland foods. Still haven't had morning sickness, but with Tyler I wasn't sick until trimester 2 and then I was really really really sick and needed medicine and everything. I am hoping that doesn't happen again!

Well, that is pretty much it, I head to Georgia for the family reunion in a week and back home a week after that and I cannot wait!

Still skirting that morning sickness... somehow...

I feel like I have some super powered dog nose. The smells around me are insanely intense and often send me into a very seasick like feeling. Each room in my parents house smells different and the smells are changing so rapidly it's driving my poor sniffer crazy (and more importantly my stomach). The kitchen smells like fried grease or burnt toast or sauces or meats whatever happens to be on the menu. Smells that are enjoyable to me at most times, say the smell of Febreze or a candle, now smell so perfumey and overpowering it makes my eyes water. Heck even the smell of food grosses me out, like baked cheese (and I *love* cheese) or melting butter. Ugh. Oh and the combination of smells is killing me! I innocently sprayed Febreze around my room then brought in some food and it about knocked me over! Every room stinks, bedrooms smell like sleep, the living room smells like candles, perfumes, whatever. The big blast of semi warm, smelly air you get in the face when you open the microwave. The bathroom smells like flowery poo! At random intervals I keep hiding my nose in my shirt, except the other day made the mistake of putting some perfume on and hid my nose right in a flowery burst of "sunshine" lol!!

Right now, the only room I enjoy being in... as weird as it is... is the shop in the backyard. It has that old dusty "stuff" smell, like storage rooms and attics get. It's very plesant and unchanging and I have actually been just sitting in there relaxing when the smells get too overpowering. I hope this doesn't last long because anymore of this is seriously going to send me running to worship the porcelain god. :)

The size of a kidney bean?

So I get these little weekly emails about my pregnancy during the week. This week they said the baby is about the size of a kidney bean. Are you kidding me? I actually looked in my mom's cupboard for a kidney bean to compare, but I didn't see any so I compared it to an elbow noodle! If it's that tiny, why are my pants not fitting?? :)

Actually, I'm looking forward to "showing" this time around, when I was pregnant with my son, I was extremely sick and I lost so much weight that I never showed and since I had him at 8 months he never grew that final 9th month when you gain tons of weight. When I returned to work people were shocked that I was even pregnant! So, I kind of missed the annoying strangers coming up and asking how far I was and trying to touch my belly, like you hear so many preggo women complain about. I also only ever owned one pair of maternity pants and a blue maternity shirt. I will never forget rushing out at 8 months to the store to buy them. I didn't need them, I still fit in all my clothing easily heck some of it was big on me! But, since I was pregnant I just had to own *something* maternity! I bought my one outfit, wore it one time and was in the hospital having Tyler.

This time, here I am 8 weeks and I haven't gained a single pound except in my belly and the baby is the size of a kidney bean! So I put my pants on today and they were so uncomfortable and not squeezing... but putting an uncomfortable pressure on my belly so I actually went to the mall and bought a pair of maternity pants! I guess by the end of this pregnancy, I'll have more than a single maternity outfit :)

Hard being apart.

When Shari had said that she'd be gone for over a month. I'd originally thought it would not be such a big deal. I mean, we've been apart for long periods of time before, it seemed like something that would be easily managed. However, it's turning out to be a lot more difficult than I would have originally anticipated. Especially with the baby and all, just those little things seem to be missed that much more.

It's definitely hard being apart for sure. And I know we both feel it. But at the same time, it makes you more appreciative I guess. Time can't move fast enough! I can't wait to have her here again.

7 weeks today!

Just 7 weeks along, the little email I get about my pregnancy week to week tells me I'll probably be having morning sickness. I sure hope not. I was soooooo sick during my pregnancy with Tyler for months on end, so sick I had to take medicine for it and I lost 30 some pounds! So, hopefully I won't go through that again, it's horrible.

I installed a little baby widget on the right side of the blog. You can click on the day below the little picture of the baby to change it to weeks to come or how far. I think that its a neat widget. It's weird to see what the baby looks like inside of me at this point, kind of like a bean or something. The email said it's about the size of a blueberry now!

So, I see Dan wrote a blog about it "sinking in" that is true. Now that the dust has settled somewhat it is sinking in. I think it's sinking in a different way for me than for him though. You see, this is going to be my second baby and his first. He's still at that naive, blissful state where you think raising a baby is... well like on TV. The baby is always smiling and laughing and staring up at you with big blue eyes, patiently awaiting it's feeding time. What he doesn't know are the long nights of waking up every two hours all through the night for months to a screaming baby demanding to eat with a diaper full of liquid poo that pees all over you as soon as you lower the diaper. Getting spit up on every time it eats, pretty much having no nice clothes any longer. LOL Sure there are those happy times, but they are much fewer than Hollywood would have you believe. Ahh... what it would be like to be in that blissful, unknowing state he's in!! :)