40 Weeks + 5 Days

We’re still hanging in there. It’s been a very social time too! Everyone seems to want to catch up right now, it’s like my belly is a beacon to all immediate family

This morning Pebble’s Grandma, Aunty Julie  and cousin Sophie came to visit for a morning coffee and tasty treats. Tonight Nana Carol, Grandad David, Aunty Skye, Uncle Luke and cousin Amber are coming for dinner. Tomorrow we’re going for a play in the park with Grandad John, Nana Annette, Uncle Ryan, Aunty Carly, and cousins Ethan and Coby, and maybe some more with Aunty Skye and family !

I’m feeling great, and it’s good to keep busy and have my mind occupied. I’m a little sloooooooow when it comes to walking (waddling), but I may as well be up and about, hopefully forcing this little one to think about finding it’s way out soon.

I’ve even managed to prepare a pretty tasty looking meal for tonight. In the fridge ready to cook are some chicken breasts smothered in basil pesto, sprinkled with parmesan and wrapped in prosciutto.

Chilling out is some white chocolate and blueberry mousse. I tried these two super easy recipes from my new Donna Hay book and recent birthday gift ‘The Instant Cook’. They each only had a few ingredients, took about 15 minutes to do, and accommodate a pregnant lady’s requirements (no uncooked egg whites!).

I really wish I was grunting in pain right now, but I guess chocolate mousse will be a good substitute. I hope y’all are having a lovely evening.

Thank goodness

I feel like I have the biggest baby bump ever, so it’s nice to see someone else with a lovely large lump. This is Jenna Elfman, most famously from Dharma and Greg. And she still has almost two months to go!

40 Weeks

Well, here we are. It is officially time for Pebble to come out and meet the world. It’s a crazy day to come out though, so I really don’t mind if it stays in just one more! It’s crazy hot again, which is one thing, but we are also facing a Catastrophic fire danger, and local schools have closed their Vacation Care programs in case we need to evacuate!

We live on the edge of the hills, certainly not in as bad a position as people who are right in the thick of the hills, but close enough to any action areas that it’s a bit of a worry.

I will admit that we don’t have an action plan, but I guess it’s a good thing that my bags are packed and ready to roll!

Meanwhile. I’m HUGE! Hope I don’t have to run anywhere in a hurry….

My, how you’ve grown! From my first bump watch pic at 14 weeks, to the 40 week present day….

 

I do wish I’d tried to look a little more glamorous for that first pic. Ha!

Could this be the last pregnancy update?

39 weeks today, and feeling pretty good, all things considered! Some things I’m noticing right now are:

• my hair is back to the same awesomeness of early pregnancy – no hair falling out, and hardly needs a wash (once every three days!). My nails are also growing like crazy – but unfortunately so are my eyebrows!
• my fingers are all crampy, especially when I’m trying open jars or bottles. It feels like I can’t get a good grip, and when I do get a good grip it kind of hurts.
• I’m having braxton hicks quite a few times a day, nothing major, just all over tummy tightness.
• Pebble has hiccups at least once a day, sometimes I can feel them very strongly, and Mr RG can feel them too. Other times I feel them really deep inside, but not outside.
• I have a pimple! This is not ordinarily news in my world, I am prone to pimples, but when I saw one on my chest this morning I realised that I haven’t seen one anywhere on my body for MONTHS.
• my sinus-y, teary eye has FINALLY cleared up! It’s been months since it started weeping randomly, and I was constantly dabbing with a tissue. It got infected a couple of months ago, then cleared up with antibiotics but continued to weep without pain. Then last week started hurting again really badly. I put a warm flannel on it for about ten minutes and ever since then it’s all gone!
• I am increasingly uncomfortable, and very wriggly. I also have itchy skin! All over I keep getting little itches. I either have fleas or yet another quirk of pregnancy.
• The lovely reflux continues, especially a couple of hours after being asleep/laying down. I wake up with burny sickness in my throat. A couple of quickeeze and an extra pillow is enough to get my by.
• Pebble is still moving around in there, I think a little less than the last few weeks, but there are still big movements which feel like stretches. They are often felt as a hard pointy thing on my right side. I guess a bottom or an elbow? It’s back is supposed to be on my right side, and feet pushing out to the left, so I don’t think it’s a foot.

It won’t be long now!

Bags are packed

, Christmas has been and gone. It was a lovely family packed day with the traditional breakfast at Dad’s (scallops this year, yum!). We followed this with the full Christmas lunch at my mum’s, then full Christmas dinner at Mr RGs mum’s! All in all it was a love fest of family, especially all the little kiddies. There are six grandchildren all up across all the families, and they really bring the magic to Christmas day.  Next year there will be 8 grand children to celebrate Christmas with, once my sister and I have brought the two newbies into the world!

Around Christmas we have also had celebrations with friends and lots of birthdays. It was my Dad’s birthday yesterday, which led to more family love fests, this time with reggae at the local. Here are three generations of the men in my family.

Today, at 38 weeks (really??!!!) I finally properly packed a hospital bag ready to go with all the bits and bobs that I may need. And probably a few things I won’t!

I’m still blessed with a pretty happy pregnancy. Some changes recently include:

• reflux in the middle of the night
• bloated/puffy extremities
• mild nausea and dizziness if I don’t take it easy
• uncomfortable ……. generally!
• some overall skin discolouration on my arms and chest – kind of pale spots everywhere. Nothing too major, but I notice it.
• still only one small stretch mark under my belly. The lower part is quite veiny, I’m not sure if it is permanent, or if the veins will go away after birth. The appendectomy scar you can see in this pic is getting stretched to the max!

I was reminded by a recent GP visit that my original due date was 31 December, based on LMP. It was only that the scans measured Pebble as a little further along that the date was changed to 11 January. So really, we could be looking at a delivery any day now! I’m really hoping for as late in January as possible, if only to avoid the seven other family and friends birthdays that are between now and the 11th! I’d also like a little more time to rest as much as I can before Pebble arrives. Between finishing up at school, getting the Christmas shopping done, enjoying lots of Christmas and birthday celebrations and getting house renos and Pebble’s room set up, it has been a hectic two weeks since I stopped work!
I almost forgot (this post is now mammoth, but there’s lots to catch up on!) – here is Pebble’s room. It’s still in progress, we’d like to paint it a neutral cream colour. All the bedrooms in the house are blue from when we purchased it. We also need to put up new curtains, get a floor rug and do a few other minor things, but otherwise, it’s baby ready! As you can probably tell, I’m really not into cartoon character decos or wall stickers. I like to keep it simple.
It’s never going to look this neat again, I’m sure….

    

We finally got our Strider bassinet attachment yesterday too, which had been on order since the first week of November!

Now we just have to wait for Pebble to let us know when he or she is ready to meet us. I can’t wait!

35 weeks

Wow, I’m big. Am I really going to get bigger?
I have been really lucky to have such a carefree pregnancy. I know, I know, last time we had a chat I was all “pain, pain, pain”, but really aside from a little difficulty sitting, standing, and sleeping, all is well. All things considered!
No heartburn. No stretchmarks*. No leg cramps. No nausea.
So there are two days left of work to go, hence my absence from this lovely little world of blogging. School has been craaaaazy as I get ready to leave my classroom and get all the kids ready to move on to the next year.
My desk is overflowing with little gifts from the kids, and yesterday the parents bandied together to say farewell and to give me a lovely and generous gift (hello shopping voucher!!).
We had Carols night on Tuesday night, which was very sweet. One of my favourite moments was the kid who was the ‘star’ (as in the nativity star), bouncing from her perch at the top of the amphitheatre as she bopped to the music. Such confidence and spirit, it’s just amazing to see how much she has grown over the last two years (I’ve had her two years running).
The final countdown (did everyone else just get a  little Bon Jovi in their head just now?)  is really on now, and I’m thinking a lot about life on the other side. I’m really looking forward to cuddles and baby smell, and getting to know this individual who has been growing inside me for eight months (how freaky is that?!).
For now though, I’ve got 23 other individuals to go and party with today, as we celebrate the end of the school year!
*yet

33 Weeks

Well, it’s 32 weeks and five days, but who’s counting? And who knows what’s accurate!? An old school acquaintance recently updated their facebook status to say that she was now measuring a couple of weeks ahead and her due date had been changed – three weeks earlier than expected! Oh lordy, please don’t let my growing Pebble (boulder?) get any ideas in that direction.

I am still loving being pregnant. Right now I’m enjoying all the little changes:

• Pebble has long and strong movements and body parts poke out the side of my belly. When I (gently) poke Pebble back it pulls itself away, then comes back at me with another kick/punch/butt wriggle. Or at body part appears at the other side of the belly!
• I felt hiccups (I think) for the first time this morning. It just happened to be when Mr RG put his hand on my belly, and we felt small rhythmic movements, about 12 – 15 of them, spaced exactly the same time apart.
• I’m getting slooooow. I was doing some shopping this arvo (maternity bras and teaching resources – such is my life) and I found myself walking sooooo sloooooowly around the shopping centre. Old people were over taking me!
• My hips give me some trouble at night. I use my body pillow to support my belly and leg, but toss and turn a lot. Sometimes there’s just no comfy spot!
• I keep getting a dead hip and thigh, pretty frequently now. I told the obs. about it and she said it’s very common, but that it can cause long term nerve damage if it’s not taken care of. She referred me to a physio.
• We still don’t have any definite name choices, just two long lists of boys and girls names we don’t hate. Eeeek!
• I still don’t have any stretch marks! I know they’ll come, but I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.
• That tiredness from the beginning of the pregnancy has started again – that whole body and mind, completely drained, too tired to eat kind of tiredness.
• My fingers are either getting fatter or I’m retaining fluid. My wedding rings have felt tight, especially on hot days. Some days and nights I’ve had to put them away

I really don’t make it sound that wonderful do I? Surprisingly, it still is. I’ll enjoy this feeling while it lasts, I’m sure it won’t be long before I’m begging to get this baby out. For now I’ve very happy to have it right where it is.

Beach babe

Last night Mr RG and I went to the beach. This may sound like a totally normal thing to do, right? However, we are Mr and Mrs We-Love-Winter-Die-Sun-Die-Ew-There’s-Sand-and-Seaweed-and Jellyfish-Oh-My!
I have to say though, I kinda enjoyed it. It was 39 degrees yesterday, and a 5pm beach visit was timed just perfectly to avoid the sting of the sun, but to enjoy the warm sea breeze while having a splash in the water.
Of course, we are not beach people, so we don’t really know how to DO the beach. First I packed these important items:

• water
• my camera
• my mobile phone
• my purse
• one towel (we only have one towel remotely suitable for the beach)
• sunglasses

We flip-flopped our way across the sand and started to paddle ankle deep in the water, me with my huge  tote full of digital hardware, the towel still in the car. Mr RG reasoned that we won’t need it until we get back to the car anyway.
So off we paddle, until I realise that it’s all actually quite pleasant, and I would like to have a swim (at the beach. I know. Who’d have thought?).  So I ask Mr RG to take a quick photo of my pregnant beach body, for historical purposes, then we go back to the car to return my bag of unnecessary items.

We trundle off again, this time I am carrying nothing but my thongs, and Mr RG has the car key in his shorts pocket. That’s all we need, right?
Paddle, paddle, frolic, frolic. We slowly get deeper and deeper into the calm, clear, cool water. We laugh at each other as the water gets higher and higher and feels cold when it first touches our dry skin. We’re like a couple of giggling kids as we walk gingerly through the water, I on the lookout for man eating sharks and deathly jellyfish, and Mr RG wearing his only vaguely suitable beach attire: tennis shorts and a cotton summer shirt.
We’ve been walking along for about half an our, paddling in chest deep water, when Mr RG freezes and calls out “the keys!!!!”. I freeze and jump all at the same time (something to be seen, I can assure you). I look frantically around for danger. Key shaped danger. “WHAT?” I seek clarification. “The car keys!” Mr RG clarifies.
Oh.
Where do you beach people put your car keys when you go for a swim at the beach? As we were walking a few kilometres across the beach we didn’t want to leave them with a towel on the sand, as it appeared many people must do. What are you supposed to do with them!??
So we shrugged, figured the damage was done, made a vague escape plan should the keys be truly buggered (push button electronic door opening keys that may or may not set off the car alarm if inserted into the lock old style to open the car), and continued splashing in ankle deep water. They keys were now being held safely out of the water in Mr RGs hand.
After a very enjoyable evening we made our way back to the car to cautiously press that tiny little ‘unlock’ button– and HUZZAH! We were safe! The car opened, we drove away into away from the sunset, discussing the finer points of beach survival that we need to teach our children.
So, how do you prepare for the beach?

Tassie

I just got back from three days in Tasmania celebrating the lovely Celery Stick’s wedding. It was a beautiful three days, not least because I avoiding the 39 degree heat wave in Adelaide for a while!
Here’s a pictorial overview.
 
Huzzah!

Third trimester = world of meh

The third trimester continues in all it’s glory. It is still happy times, but I’m just experiencing a whole lot of meh. While for three months I have felt full of energy, and ready to do anything, right now I struggle to get through the day at work, then come home and crash on the couch for a while. It’s not as intense as first trimester tiredness – it’s just….. well….. MEH!

 28 weeks

Stuff that is happening with my bod and my bub - (get ready for more TMI…)

• the little bugger is playing hide and seek a lot. Some days I get my ribs kicked and feel constant movement, other days I feel almost nothing, and sometimes I get punched in the cervix. In case you’re not certain – it is not a fun feeling.
• I think my lips look fuller and fuller all the time. I’m not sure if this is a pregnancy related thing? No collagen for me!
• the milk machines are looking like they’re gearing up for action. I seem to be developing a mild case of what my friend Sarah calls “burger nips”.
• Sleeping is still somewhat tricky, but I have a new body pillow to help me with that. It works pretty well. A friend gave me hers, it’s just like a regular pillow, but three times as long.
• My tum is sneaking out of yet more of my pre-preggas clothes. A fav top that I have been rockin’ a lot lately is just maxing out now. Last week I stocked up on some cheap stretchy singlet tops for summer, and they’re my new staple, along with cargos and stretchy maxi skirts.
• We still have NO furniture aside from a bassinet, and we still need to get a mattress and linen for it.
• Operation Prep House For Baby continues – we have had a couple of quotes for the floors (to get the wood sanded and polished) and with any luck it might actually get done before B-day.

28 weeks

That’s all folks!
p.s. Google Reader update: 481 unread posts. Damn the meh!

It’s oh so quiet…..

Pebble’s Home – 27.5 weeks

I haven’t had a pregnancy update for a while, probably not since 22 weeks. Now I really wish I’d written a little more about the last month, as it has been bliss. I so love being pregnant. In the last month I have felt like a beautiful whale (ha!). I have been blissfully gliding through pregnancy, feeling lots of strong kicks, and even getting to know the pattern of when Pebble is up and about, and when it’s sleeping or resting. I could even see my belly move as Pebble popped and rolled and kicked.  I have had no back pain, no downsides at all. I have been wearing old tops that stretch nicely over my growing bump, and quite comfortable in my clothes. I have been moving around with ease…. note the past tense here people?
The reason I say this all now, unfortunately…… yep, third trimester. Almost like clockwork, I hit the third trimester and I’ve got back pain, I feel like a whale, and not a very beautiful one at that. I seem to be having some bladder issues which may lead to investing in those previously hilarious wee pads for nanas. I am having trouble finding a comfortable sleeping position, and playing with all kids of pillow support without much success. My old tops are no longer covering all that needs to be covered, and my belly has been sneaking out from underneath. Not a good look. One pair of my maternity jeans is hanging in there, but the other (which was never very comfortably to begin with) is just a no go zone. SO uncomfortable. Loose and tight at the same time. I am having weird burning sensations in my throat (I guess that’s heart burn?) and just can’t fit as much food in as before (probably a blessing). I’m also unreasonably cranky (although, reflecting on the list above, perhaps crankiness is to be expected).
The strangest of all, and most disconcerting, is that it’s gone ominously quiet down there. No more pattern of movement. Almost no more movement at all. For the last three days I have only felt small flutters down VERY low. Where I would previously think to myself, oh I haven’t felt Pebble in a while and would promptly be rewarded with a good kick in the belly button, I am now laying awake and night holding my belly and waiting, waiting, waiting…..
Right now, as I type, I can feel small little pops down in my pelvis, almost like the little darling  is hearing mummy’s thoughts and trying to say “I’m still here!”. But last night, at 1.37am, I really struggled not to get up and call the midwives (bless the 24 hour service) and ask them if this is all ok. It all seems better in the light of day, but I will call them today anyway. I can’t hurt to ask, right?
We shall see….

Do ya think I’m sexy?

Pregnancy is a beautiful thing. Maternity underwear, is not. I refuse to spend big bucks on gorgeous Hot Milk or other such brands, as much as I would love to. As I see it, I’m only going to be wearing this underwear for a short period of my life, and I’d rather reward myself with something gorgeous after my job as a cow is done.
So I’m rockin the Bonds Bump wear at the moment. Super comfy. Super practical. Not ugly. But not sexy.
 
Oh yeah, baby.
While I’m at it, I’m also rockin’ the socks  and sandals.

I know, it’s too hot to handle.
p.s. the study is totally finished (click to see before)! Now for the lounge room and bathroom…. and garden…..