Week 23 Appointment

Dad got to meet the midwife yesterday at the latest appointment, where Bif got to say hello to us (via Doppler heartbeat equipment). Again, everything is progressing well and checks out as "normal." Mom had been worried that the weight gain was too much too fast, but we were assured that different women experience different weight gain patterns during pregnancy. Our next appointment is 4 weeks away. Mom figures she'll be a walking zombie by then, given that mid-night kicks are now strong enough to wake her up periodically throughout the night.

Mom's most brilliant demonstration of Pregnancy Brain thus far occurred today at work. She had to request the "key of shame" (i.e., master key) to get into her office this afternoon after locking herself out and desparately needing to access the lab instruction material within (given that lab session was already 15 mins in). Lots of people on campus have done that before. What apparently *no one* has done though, until now, is subsequently walk out of her office with said materials, only to then close the door behind her with both her set of keys AND the key of shame locked within. Oopps. Thank goodness for Campus Security folks and forgiving students!

Happy Hour

Some news-related things that will affect Bif: (i) Mom has been assigned her workload for 2008/2009. She will be teaching the new 4th-year required field course. This will mean, somehow, spending 2 consecutive wks away from her 1.5 year old. Or perhaps the youngest child ever to use a hand-held compass. (ii) (What's a blog without politics)The Conservatives' Made in Canada Environment Plan was unveiled yesterday in Parliament. If this Hot Air Act truly passes through the House, Bif will be 43 years old by the time Canada expects to reduce its GHG emissions by 50% of 2003 levels. Of course we'll be out of oil by then so it won't be too hard to reach that target.

In other news, Mom has "popped" as you can see in this photo taken today on the back porch. She is feeling quite large for being only 5.5 months along. The stairs on campus (177 stair-steps from the library to Mom's office!) are getting to be quite the lung-capacity test. And the bed is getting smaller and smaller, making it an interrupted-sleep training event for the next few years to come. Mom and Dad regularly tune into the Bif Tummy Show every evening from about 9-10pm. It is far more entertaining than TV.

Brain Drain

What they say is true: Pregnancy Brain (aka Brain of the Placenta) does exist. Some people say it's like experiencing "senior's moments," but it actually goes well beyond that. Some recurrant symptoms:

• people's names are hard to remember (e.g., students, even ones Mom has had in previous semesters and knows quite well)
• organization skills are considerably reduced (e.g., without making a list, pack for a 12-day trip to England 2 hours before you leave the house)
• keeping track of more than one thing at a time, forget it (e.g., accidentally leave one of the two maternity fleece tops you own (i.e., the one in the photo on Qualicum Beach) at a store and don't notice until you're a 45 minute drive away)
• logical thoughts are barred from occurring (e.g., as you're leaving for the US, even though logically-thinking people - knowing that your flight first stops in Toronto - drop you off at the Domestic terminal, you walk all the way to the International terminal only to learn from a machine that you really should be in the Domestic terminal .... and that you grabbed the *expired* passport by mistake).
• spelling is a problem (e.g., on yesterday's class midterm, spell the *correct* multiple-choice answer incorrectly - even after you've proofread the test 4 times - and proceed to get bombarded with students asking if it's a trick question).

Happy GivingThanks!

We're more than half way there now and things are going so well and consistently that we don't have much new to report. Perhaps the only change has been the more frequent and intense movements by Bif. Early on it just felt like an non-patterned internal muscle twitch. Now Mom regularly feels the odd jab in the lower abdomen, against the bladder, and just below the belly-button. Today, Mom and Dad were even able to *see* those belly-button kicks. Pretty funny. Wonder when we'll get to see the hand/elbow/foot imprint.

Fall Visitors

September was a busy but fun month with 4 sets of overnight visitors. First it was Grandma, Opa, and two relatives from Austria. Then it was Mom's PhD supervisor and his wife, followed immediately by Grandpa and Step Granny. Then we were treated to a visit from Mom's MSc buddy Marcy and Max (who is 4.5 weeks older than Bif). On the left is Mom, Bif (quite evident now!), and Grandpa in the front garden, taken Sept 23rd; On right is Mom, Bif, Marcy, and Max on Qualicum Beach at high tide, taken Sept 30th.