Baby shower happenings...

The gang - except Mum, who was taking the photo

You know you're close to D-Day when the time comes for you to have your baby shower (if you're electing to go down that road). I hadn't originally wanted a baby shower - I didn't really see the point in them and I wasn't too keen on guilting my friends into buying me yet more gifts after many of the same people had already attended a bridal shower and wedding in the years preceding this event. But K was quite adamant that I have one and by the time I had finished my holiday in Tassie (i.e. staying with her), she had convinced me. So I asked my sister-in-law, T,  if she would be willing to organise the event, and thankfully she said yes. Thus, the weekend before last saw me attend my baby shower!

It was a lovely afternoon. T consulted with me about where to hold the event and I was determined the afternoon was going to be about us girls getting together for some laughs and good food and not about silly games and over-the-top gift-giving. We held the shower at 16th on Park, which has a delicious tapas menu and an equally delicious dessert menu! I decided that as it was my shower, I was allowed to have some tapas AND some dessert, and thankfully I wasn't the only one who made that decision ;-)

T took care of everything and abided by my wishes to not have any silly games. Instead she asked everyone to write advice or helpful sayings about motherhood on decorative paper and she was going to make a book for me with all the words of wisdom included.

I was very touched and just a little bit guilty that everyone wanted to give gifts. As a result we now have a lovely collection of gorgeous baby clothes and toys (and some nursing pyjamas for me from Mum!). T and my brother also put together a great hospital survival kit for me and B that comes complete with Junior Mints, Reeces Pieces and a giant Tootsie Roll. If you don't know what those things are then clearly you're not a member of our family! ;-)

Hippos were clearly a theme (gee, I wonder why?) and I was delighted to receive a number of hippo-related clothes or toys. I do wonder if this baby is going to like hippos as much as I do - another 'nature versus nurture' debate, I'm sure ;-) In any event, she will most certainly be surrounded by them in her early years so she'll either love them or hate them! Thankfully there wasn't much pink in attendance - you all no doubt know how I feel about that colour!! I think the best clothing item of the day was from M who found a purple tutu complete with black leggings underneath. I'm not particulary tutu-ish generally but M was able to see that I would appreciate the paradox of the leggings with the fru-fru look - I actually really love it.

Purple tutus with black leggings - not typically something I thought I would like!

We took some photos on the day - they clearly show that I'm pregnant! I was about 35 and 1/2 weeks pregnant in these shots and feeling every week of it! Jane took a great shot of me side on so that I can have a record of my belly - I don't really have many shots of me fully pregnant so it will make a good retaliatory photo for my daughter one day when she accuses me, out of spite, of adopting her!

A very pregnant me - not particularly flattering, but at least it's proof I was actually pregnant!

So with the shower now done, there is nothing left to do but wait for the impending arrival. I can't wait to dress this little creature in all the lovely clothes I received... including the purple tutu ;-)

Mother and daughter (times 2, when you think about it!)

Overwhelmed with everyone's generosity...

Unwrapping a hippo... of course!

Seeing is believing...

I think I have passed some sort of turning point in this pregnancy. Not a physical one as such but more of a mental one. I believe I might actually be having to come to terms with the fact that I'm about to become... a mother! Aaahh, no, scratch that... actually I'm not quite ready to go that far. However, I have finally started to set up The Nursery, which is a pretty big step really. Up until now, The Nursery has actually just been "the spare room that the baby will be sleeping in". But on Monday, for some reason, I referred to that room as The Nursery and now it seems to be getting a little easier to roll off the tongue.

It's not that I haven't had stuff to go in The Nursery - I've had plenty of things ready to be taken out of their packaging and put to good use. But until now, everything we've bought has just ended up being dumped in 'the spare room' and the room hasn't really resembled anything nursery-ish. But that changed yesterday. During the week B finished painting the walls in The Nursery (I'm about to start the wardrobe doors as soon as I finish this post...). At that point, I had no more excuses and realised it was making me MORE anxious to NOT have it set up than it was to think about setting it up. Thus, aforementioned turning point reached.

So yesterday we went out and bought a few more of the things that were on my list that I felt were going to help me come to terms with this Nursery concept and then B went out fishing while I officially started... nesting... setting things up. Here is the semi-finished product.

 

 

This chest of drawers was purchased second hand and was originally a varnished pine. But I sanded it back and painted it white to be more suited to the room. I then set about trying to find some funky new drawer handles but had no luck so I decided to make them myself. What do you think?

Those of you who know me probably know two main things about me (a) I am infatuated with hippos and (b) I can't stand the colour pink and prefer purple. You can therefore imagine my confusion and distress when B pointed out a very soft and adorable cuddle blanket in the shops yesterday that was pink with a purple hippo on it. In the few seconds of confusion that temporarily overtook my decision-making capabilities, B seized the moment and officially picked up the blanket and added it to our shopping pile.

In this picture, you can see Lilly, Fat Boy, Hilda and the new blanket, set up on the cot waiting for a new friend to play with.

I have also recently discovered the joys of Lamaze toys - which seem to be a sort of educational baby toy that wriggles or rattles or crinkles. They're in bright colours and usually have about 3 or 4 features that are designed to keep baby occupied.

We also have the Rolls Royce of strollers that we purchased  on ebay - our Baby Jogger City Elite. One of the things that we wanted was a sheepskin to go in the stroller which we bought yesterday. It's not really big enough to use as a sheepskin for baby to have on the floor etc., but it's perfect for the stroller as it comes with pre-cut slots for the harness straps etc. So now our stroller looks far more welcoming and ready to receive its new passenger.

The final thing we have purchased isn't actually located in The Nursery - at the moment it's in our spare room, and by that I mean the actual spare room, not the-room-that-will-one-day-become-the-nursery-but-for-now-it's-less-threatening-to-call-it-the-spare-room.

 What I'm referring to is the bassinet - also purchased off ebay. Eventually this will live in our bedroom but for the time being, it lives in the room that Mum uses when she and Dad come to stay. So there you are Mum - you can fall asleep with a visual reminder that you're about to become a Granma ;-)









And one last picture to show you. This blog post is called "Seeing is believing" and I've called it that because I think that seeing the semi-finished nursery has helped me really start to believe what is about to happen to B and me (I know, the constant kicks and pokes I get from within also help, but I'm talking emotionally more than physically). In any event, this afternoon I decided to wash all the lovely baby clothes that friends had donated or that I had purchased over the past few weeks. Talk about seeing is believing...

Good fluids and bad fluids...

There's no doubting the fact any longer... I am officially pregnant. I know, I know - I've actually been officially pregnant for some time. But to me, the hallmark of a 'pregnant woman' is fluid build up, and boy have I got that box ticked. In spades.

For example, until this point in life, I've always been rather pleased with my feet - they were the one part of my body that I couldn't really find any fault with. They were thin, on the small size, and with the right sized toe-to-foot ratio (if there is such a thing!).

Now I have hobbit feet.

Ok, so my feet aren't quite as hairy as a hobbit's, but there is clearly nothing human about these feet. They are fat, bloated and look unbalanced - the toes look way too small for the lumpy and blown up feet attached to them.

Bloated, swollen feet :-(

I should be thankful they don't yet hurt, although I'm told that may happen. But they do tingle and feel mildly uncomfortable - kind of like when you recover from an attack of pins and needles. And I only have one pair of shoes that fit me comfortably... and I can't walk around in thongs all the time!

My fingers are also swollen, although not to the same extent as my feet. I can no longer wear my wedding or engagement rings, which depresses me as I had hoped I wouldn't get to that stage. But when the skin underneath my rings started to flake away due to the stress of having the rings rub up against it... well, even I'm not THAT stubborn.

So, I'm having to face the harsh truth and come to terms with the fact that I'm a swollen and bloated pregnant woman. The next person who tells me pregnancy is a beautiful, moving experience to be savoured can come to my house and give me foot massages until their skin is rubbed raw - why should I be the only one to suffer?

But I called this post good AND bad fluids, so I guess I should talk about something a little more positive as well. Today B and I (and Mum and Dad) were able to see the work of all the good fluids that are currently circulating around my swollen, bloated pregnant body. That is, we had another scan :-) (the scan machine relies on fluid in the womb/gestational sac to give you a clear picture; the less fluid, the harder it is to get a good photo).

Oh boy - have things changed over the past 10 weeks! Our last scan, at 19 weeks, showed a much different picture to this one. This time, Sprout has grown and now weighs an estimated 3 pounds and 6 ounces. They couldn't give me a length, but she's on par with other sprouts her age according to the measurements. Her face is much more well-formed and even though the umbilical cord was in the way of a clear facial shot, you can certainly see her features...

These photos still look a little alien-like because of the way the ultrasound creates the image, but you can definitely see a little baby face there. Eyes closed (how freaky would it be if they were open!! - that can happen apparently). We saw little tiny feet pressing up against the outside of the womb and the sonographer felt her kick out to show her displeasure at having her slumber interrupted. It was way cool :-)

Even better was the fact that we received the news that my placenta was no longer low-lying. So this means I don't have to fear weeks of bed rest and an involuntary c-section under somewhat scary circumstances (i.e. the threat of placenta previa). At 19 weeks it was less than 1cm away from the opening of my cervix apparently but now it's well and truly high and not likely to cause any problems *sigh of relief*

So now we can get on with preparing for Sprout's arrival. The cot has arrived, the change table has been purchased and should be delivered in the next few days, and we're slowly amassing more hippopotamus toys ;-) There's still a LOT left to do, but Mum has come down to help me plough through the long list and hopefully the next post I put up will have me rejoicing the fact that the nursery is starting to take shape.

For now, I shall continue to mourn my lost feet and find creative ways to encourage my husband to massage them... ;-)

Time to think nursery furniture...

There's no more ignoring the fact that it's time to start thinking about the nursery. I've put it off long enough and now I think I have the ego strength to cope with the stress of this undertaking! But boy oh boy, is there a lot to think about!

First up - the cot. Thankfully a colleague from work is giving me her old cot. Her children are well and truly grown now, so I know it won't be in pristine condition, but she's happy for me to do with it whatever I like, so I'm thinking a quick sand and a slosh of white paint and it will be as good as new. Apparently it's an American cot, purchased while they were living over there, which means it is larger than the standard cots here in Australia. I've seen an old photo of it and it seems quite nice - will post photos when it's set up. We collect the cot with mattress and one set of sheets this weekend so that's one thing to cross off the list.

Next up is a bassinet. We plan to have bub sleep in our room in a bassinet at night but in her cot during the day (until she outgrows the bassinet, then it's full-time cot). I'm quite taken with this style of bassinet... I think it's really pretty - soft and delicate. And I like the skirt going all the way to the ground. I'm counting on Mum to make me some sheets (for both cot and bassinet) and a skirt if I need one... hint, hint! I'm also keeping my eye on ebay to see if anything I like comes up, but in fact there are a few sales around at the moment and I found something at Target that actually isn't that expensive, so we might just end up buying the bassinet new.

So, that's the sleeping arrangements taken care of (forgetting the endless supply of sheets, the lambswool sheepskin, musical mobiles, nightlights, and blankets/swaddle cloths...). Next up comes transport, specifically car seats/capsules. After seeking advice from people who are far more knowledgeable than I when it comes to things like this, we've pretty much decided to start off with a rented capsule from Queensland Ambulance, something like the picture I've included here.

Now doesn't that just look like it would be incredibly comfortable? (although I suspect the rental ones won't be quite as good looking as this one). Rental is a good option because it's only about $70 for 6 months and you can then move from the capsule into a car seat at 6 months that will probaby last the baby for the next 5-6 years. The other advantage of capsules is that you don't have to wake the baby up to take her in and out of the car, which sounds like a good thing to me! You can get additional bases for the capsules so that I can easily swap the capsule from my car to Brandon's - my understanding is that the capsule disconnects from of a base unit that stays behind in the car. Nice and easy (yeah, famous last words, eh?)

Apparently one also needs to consider where you're going to change baby's nappies - quite an important consideration really when you consider the potential impact of NOT considering nappy changes! LOL I'm quite keen on white furniture to keep the lines clean and neutral, so I'm thinking a white 3-tier change table is the way to go. I have learnt (over the past 48 hours) that Boori furniture is very good, albeit very expensive. Another thing to add to my ebay watch list ;-)

When you have as much distance between your nursery and your main living area as we do (over 20 metres) a baby monitor is also a good idea (do I sound like I know what I'm talking about?) We are particularly fond of the Angelcare Sound and Motion monitor because it senses sound and movement (breathing). Our friends have this monitor and swear it's great.

We also need a white chest of drawers for all of the clothes that our little girl will no doubt end up with, as well as a porta-cot for later when we start to take her out and want to have somewhere for her to sleep in the evening (when she's too big for the capsule). And no doubt there will be countless other things we'll need to think about - clothes, diapers, pacifiers, blankets, a high chair, a swing or bouncer, bottles... the list is endless!

Thankfully I have had my phobias about walking down the baby aisle in the supermarket part-way cured as a result of a recent visit with my best friend, K. As a parent herself, I knew if there was anyone who could help cure me of my anxieties, it was her. So off I flew to sunny Tasmania (literally) and within a week I was armed with all the information I could possibly need about nappy rash, nursing pads and breast pumps (that's a whole separate blog entry!)

For now, I'm content with looking online and slowly arming myself with more information. But I can't wait much longer - I only have 11 weeks until I'm due (crikey!) and that's assuming I go full term. I really want to get things set up sooner rather than later so that I'm not panicking closer to the day. So I guess I'm going to have to actually buy something in the next few days... once I make the first purchase, I'm sure the rest will follow without too much pain... and let's not even get on to the topic of nursery decor - I've only just finished renovating the kitchen and I'm already tired thinking I might end up wanting to paint a whole other room!

Welcome to 2011 - the year of Sprout

I'm officially declaring myself a slack blogger. It has been quite some time since I last blogged, but I guess given that this blog is about pregnancy, and as I'm not really experiencing anything dramatic on a day-to-day basis, I guess I can be forgiven for not posting more frequently.

It's good that I'm not experiencing anything dramatic - I never really knew there were so many horrible things out there that can happen to unborn babies. I thought all the bad stuff happened after birth! Thankfully all is going well with me, but I can't help but think now and then about the unlucky few...

We've had a big Christmas - completely renovating our kitchen and family room. And as someone said to me recently, "... and you're busy making a family to put in that family room!" As I'll be home for a good part of this year, I really wanted a kitchen/family room that I didn't mind spending lots of time in, and now I have it :-) There are still a few little things that need fixing up here and there, but on the whole things are finished. The house has also been spring cleaned (summer cleaned?) and things are looking and smelling lovely in Casa Hippo. I even cleaned the carpets!

Next up on the plans is the nursery. My mother is going to help with that one - sewing curtains and bedding etc. B and I have yet to pick the colours but I'm leaning towards white walls with lilac and buttercup yellow 'trim' and accessories. I'm not typically a fan of yellow, but I don't mind it as a baby accessory. February is the month for preparing the nursery!

B and I ventured into our first baby store over the Christmas break. It was a little intimidating but we did manage to test drive a few strollers. I can't brag that we completed the test drive without crashing in to anything unfortunately, but it was an eye-opener to see (a) how much room those things take up on an average path! and (b) how expensive they are! But I think we managed to identify the one we want - B likes the 'Elite' model whereas I prefer the 'City Mini' model. City Mini is a little smaller and the rear wheels don't spread out quite as far, so I think it will be easier to navigate in shops etc. B's cousin uses this City Mini stroller and says it's fantastic.

So we've got the stroller sorted (sort of) - next up is... everything else! We've been offered a cot from a work colleague, which crosses that off the list, but there is still so much more baby 'stuff' out there! I'm sure much of it is really unnecessary, but how does one who is slightly naive to it all actually decide what is needed and what isn't? Well, in my case, you hop on a plane to Tasmania to spend a week with your bestest friend (and, importantly, the parent of a toddler) and let them educate you as to what to expect and what you'll need to bother with! I'm very much looking forward to catching up with friends and family while I'm down there - only 5 more sleeps now. And hopefully I'll come back full of baby wisdom and far more clear-headed on what I really need to bother buying!

I had my first midwife appointment in the week between Christmas and New Year. We had a very interesting talk about c-section versus natural delivery, and I have to say I'm now leaning towards natural delivery (whereas once I was in favour of a planned c-section). Obviously time will tell - I have a low-lying placenta which will require a follow-up scan in a few weeks, so it's possible the decision will be taken away from me. But natural delivery is probably going to be my preference - but don't bother offering me a mirror, OK?

Getting kicked from the inside out is another new experience I'm having to live with. It's not particularly unpleasant, just odd. I find it comforting - I start to panic if I get to a certain point in the day and realise I haven't really felt any kicks (refer to above discussion about dramatic things and unborn babies!). At first B wasn't able to feel anything as the kicks (or punches?) were too light. But now he can rest his hand on my belly and when a particularly large kick comes along, he can certainly feel it! I'm also very much looking pregnant now (I'm 25 weeks). The good thing about my expanding waistline is that I actually LOOK pregnant, rather than just overweight. I'm remarkably more at ease with my body now as a pregnant woman compared to before I was pregnant - how fascinating. It's like I needed an excuse to be proud of my fat!

Speaking of fat, I have finally started to weigh more than before I got pregnant. Not much - only about 3-4kg - but enough now that I can no longer say "I haven't put any weight on". For the first 20-odd weeks I must have been losing weight because the scales didn't report any weight gain, even though I was slowly expanding. Now I'm starting to gain weight, but I'm also going to try to minimise that so that I don't end up too huge. So it's more walking and more vegetables for me! I'm also slowly starting to feel more 'fluidy' which isn't pleasant. My feet are a little swollen and I'm unable to wear one of my favourite pairs of slip-on shoes as a result. My rings are quite tight also and only come off with a healthy lather of soap (except at certain points when the air is cooler - summer mugginess makes it worse). Hopefully, if I pick up my exercise, I can also limit the amount of fluid I have to carry around as that really is not pleasant. If you have any hints for getting rid of fluid build up, please feel free to pass them along!

For now, I'm plodding along week by week and gradually starting to look and feel more pregnant. The next challenge will be starting to actually 'nest' and creating the little space that our Miss Sprout will inhabit once she has come out into the world... I'm looking forward to meeting her after all the kicks and pokes she has given me!

It's a girl!!

We had our 19 week scan today. It was a big one because it was the scan where they told us the gender of our little growing bub. And as you can imagine, based on the title of this post, we're having a girl! Brandon and I had thought that was the case (not sure why) and everyone else had said it would be a girl too, so we weren't all that surprised. And while I was secretly hoping for a boy, I am certain that a girl will be loved and welcomed just as much as a boy.

Miss H didn't want to sit still very long so the photos didn't come out all that well. But it was very comforting to see her little heart beat. I'm not feeling any kicks or anything yet so I just have to trust mother nature and assume that everything is going the way it is supposed to. Today's scan was a good opportunity to put my mind at ease :-)

The sonographer warned us that I may need another scan at 32 weeks because apparently I have a low-lying placenta (only 1cm away from cervix). That can obviously change a lot as my uterus grows over the coming weeks, but she said if for any reason it is still in the same position closer to my due date, the obstetrician won't allow a natural delivery and will say I have to have a c-section. I'm not at all upset by that - so long as bub is healthy, I'm happy!!

Taking bets...

In two weeks time I'm having my morphology scan to determine that the foetus is healthy and all is progressing normally. Part of this scan can also be to tell you the gender of the baby, providing he/she is cooperating and sitting in the right position.

So I'm taking bets as to what 'vibes' people are having about gender... K's son says it's a boy; my work colleague NL says it's a boy; but then today someone who apparently has 'never been wrong' with her vibes about the sex of babies has said it will be a girl. According to the Chinese lunar calendar, it will be a girl.

What do you think it will be??