Minimalist footwear | Ramblings of a Babymama

Little Monkey!,

FOOTBALL & CHRISTMAS

Yesterday, we put up our Christmas decorations while watching the Grey Cup and I was happy “my team” won for the 2nd year in a row. I will always be a true Montreal Alouette fan at heart, even though we live on the complete opposite coast now! Football is about the only sport I get really passionate about when I see a game (that and when your dad plays squash)!

Below are a few pictures of our Holiday decorations. Our tree is a bit bare, but that’s just because I’m waiting for the end of season sale to buy decorations to make it fuller 😉

Our little Tree

Santa greeting us at the front door!

The fireplace is missing your stocking... Still looking for a nice one for you!

Yesterday, in a failed effort to bring on labor (and bring you out too!), your dad and I decided to go do some shopping by foot. I was wearing my Sockwa for the 1st time outside. I had decided to wear the black ones (you can see them by clicking on the link). I was wearing some thin Smartwool socks with them just because it was a bit cold outside and the streets were wet and I was afraid my feet were going to get cold as it was my 1st attempt at wearing them outside. Overall, they were pretty comfortable and you can really feel the ground and the different types of surface when walking with them (even when wearing socks). We were out for about 1h30, walking mainly in stores and on sidewalks and streets. I managed to keep my feet warm and dry so that was good too! I could tell my feet were getting tired towards the end of our trip and I was glad to be back home. At home, I am usually always barefoot or only wearing socks walking around on the laminate ir carpet. I know I’ll have to do the switch progressively when it comes to minimalist footwear, but I quite enjoyed the experience today. Mind you, I might not have had the best stepping form with my waddling and all, but I’ll correct that once you come out!

FOLLOW-UP

It is now 12:50pm and we just got back from your follow-up appointment. I am still only 50% effaced and 1cm dilated. Your head is down, but remains unengaged. I was awarded another stripping of the membranes (which wasn’t anymore fun the 2nd time around 😦 ) and told it might be another 7 days before you show up. Mentally, I am not doing so well, but physically, we are both top shape! 🙂 I will go for my NST later this afternoon and if everything is fine, will have another one scheduled either Thursday or Friday. Following that 2nd NST, if I haven’t delivered yet, I will be put on the induction waiting list for either next Monday or Tuesday, with another NST on Monday in the event I don’t get induced then. I am very thankful for this blog as I get to update everyone without having to talk to anyone as, right now, I am not really in a chatty mood. I understand that everyone is excited about meeting you and well-meaning in their enquiry, but the constant asking about your imminent arrival does nothing to help your dad and I deal with our stress and anxiety. To think I stressed so much about everything that could go wrong before I reached 35 weeks of gestational age! If I would’ve known you were planning on cooking for so long, I would’ve relaxed a lot sooner!

Since this post is already pretty long, I will update with another one once I get back from my NST appointment.

Love,

Mom & Dad Xxo

Hello Bédaine,
First things first, I will no longer be calling you “little Bédaine” because, let’s face it, you are not little! Second, I’ve been calling you Monkey a lot over the past few months so it’s slowly becoming a new nickname of yours as well as Bédaine. You’ll probably see me switch between the two from now on.

I woke up with your dad this morning and told him I had dreamt I was giving birth to you at the hospital and we discovered you were a boy. Your dad replied that he had dreamt I had given birth to you in our living room (he helped me deliver) and you were also a boy in his dream. And for the past week or so, I’ve been having a strong feeling you are a boy. I try not to focus my mind on you being a boy just in case you are a girl, but it’s hard sometimes!

I just got off the phone with your Mamie (my mom) and it felt good to talk to her. I’ve found myself missing her a lot this week and I miss the times when I could just pop in my car and go over for a quick visit. It was nice to get to chat with her (although we do talk a few times a week, it had a calming effect on me today). Just a small proof that no matter how old you are, sometimes, you just need to talk to your mom!

I have been doing a lot of running around this week and today, I plan on taking it easy as I am tired. Oh yeah, I am now officially on maternity leave as of last Wednesday! So you can pretty much make an appearance anytime now! 😉 I’ve been experiencing a lot more Braxton-Hicks and cramping that goes from my lower abdomen to my upper thigh and some bloody spotting, all early signs of labour, so I guess we’re on par for that too!

In other news, I chopped off my hair yesterday. I had been debating it for about a month now and was trying to grow it out, but decided to chop it off. Your dad needs some time to get used to it, but I like it eiher way. I guess I’ll have to grow it again to please your dad! In the meantime, here’s what it looks like:

My new do and rosy cheeks, thanks to a pregnancy hot flash!

My new do and you W36D3! Don’t mind the tired look!

Your dad is getting pretty excited at the idea of meeting you and he’s being very vocal about it. He’s constantly poking and probing my belly to either feel you move or get you to move. Sometimes to an excessive point, but I try to let him interact with you as much as I can stand it as I think it’s pretty amazing he’s so excited about you! It’s his way of showing you how much he loves you and I think it’s simply adorable!

On another front, I have been catching up on my running reading. I can’t wait to hit the trails again, this time around, with you in your stroller. It’s funny what pregnancy does to you. Mentally, I really want to get out there and start running, but physically, I barely get out the door before I feel a wave of exhaustion hit me like a ton of brick! I guess I’ll just have to take it easy in the meantime and start very progressively once I do start running. I am still waiting for my minimalist running shoes to get here. I had ordered a pair of Vibram, but they were just killing my pinky toe on my right foot and had to return them.

Source

Instead, I ordered 2 pairs of Sockwa Amphibians shoes. I am still waiting for my order to get here and if you’re interested in getting a pair, you can just contact me and maybe I’ll share a coupon code with you (if you’re nice to me, that is!) Here are the 2 colors I ordered.

Source

You can expect a full review once I try them on for a bit and maybe I’ll order some of their Dojo model for wearing in the house, depending on how I like the Amphibians. In the meantime, I am psyching myself up to getting back into running once you decide to show up.

Your dad and I feel ready for your arrival, so feel free to come anytime!
Love,

Mom & Dad Xxo