Xmas in Australia

We thought you might enjoy some photos (and two videos) of our Xmas morning barbecue with Paul's mum, step-dad, brother and nieces at one of the parks near our house. Later in the day, we drove down to Paul's dad's house to enjoy a couple of relaxing days playing at the beach.

No More Work for Me!!!!

After months of ticking down the days, I'm finally done with working and get to look forward to having a whole year off to get to know Itty Bitty. The maternity leave agreement at my work is unbelievable. I get a full 48 weeks off at half-pay (and still accumulate sick and holiday time off during this time). That means that I won't have to go back to work again until January 2010. I think I could get used to a life of leisure.

And just to rub it in I should also probably mention that the Australian government picks up the tab for our hospital/doctor bills and even pays us $5000 for our baby-making efforts. What a generous country this is!

The Good News and the Even Better News . . .

Paul was offered a new job just before Xmas. He'll be working as the Workshop Technician for the Automotive Electric Workshop at TAFE (a government-run technical college). It's the first step for Paul to get off the tools and working toward being an automotive lecturer. Congratulations sweetie!!!

And now for the even better news . . . The very next day he was laid-off from his other job and gets to collect severance and hang out with me, (and work on the house) until he starts his new job in mid-January. I couldn't have asked for a better Xmas present!

Itty and me at 30 weeks

Itty Bitty Back on the Big Screen

So it's not the best video in the world and the ultrasound is a bit unclear, but I've finally managed to upload the video of our 28 week appointment and ultrasound which you can check out here.

Baby Dreams

So I've been having more and more dreams about babies lately. Two nights ago I dreamt that I was roller skating through the hospital when a nurse ran after me to let me know that I'd had my baby (must have been while roller skating cuz that's how easy it's going to be) and handed me this adorable little girl baby with a massive head, big brown eyes and swirl of hair sticking up from the top of her head like a cartoon baby. I noticed straight away that Lola Louise (that's what I named her) had exactly nine fingers and nine toes (five on the left side and four on the right) and I was elated because I thought that was just too cool. Last night, I dreamt about Lola Louise again, but this time she had a full set of adult-sized teeth. That wasn't so cute.

So if anyone is into analyzing dreams, please fill me in on the craziness that is going on deep within my brain.

How to Take Care of a Baby

My friend Lisa posted these helpful parenting tips on her blog, and because this information is so valuable and important, I felt obliged to share it here too.

 

 

  

 

Happy Birthday Nacho!!!

Nacho is two today!! I can't believe that we've had him for nearly two years already. Paul and I were talking the other day about how nervous and scared we were to have a little puppy to take care of and we were reminiscing about the first night when he cried all night long and Paul and I took turns sitting on the floor holding him. And now he's just so easy to take care of and so much fun to have around. Hopefully taking care of Itty Bitty won't be too much harder!! But I guess we can't lock Itty Bitty in the laundry room when we want to go out.

Wee wee wee all the way home

As I was going to the loo for the fifth time today, my coworker Amanda started to laugh and said, "Did you know that pregnant women in England are allowed to pee whenever, wherever, even including in a policeman's cap?

I'm not sure if it's true or not, but I like the idea of weeing in a copper's cap.

Happy Birthday to Itty's Gramma-To-Be

Itty's Gramma is going to have two new babies to cuddle soon and she's busy knitting like a lunatic in preparation. Much to her dismay, neither Paul and I or my brother and sis-in-law are finding out the sex of our babies-to-be so she has to knit pumpkin hats and strawberry hats just to be prepared for either scenario. I tried to explain that Itty would be happy to wear a pumpkin or a strawberry no matter what sex he/she turned out to be, but Gramma's not having any of that craziness.

The Shape of a Mother

My friend Jenn sent me a link to this great web site that I thought I'd share. It's called The Shape of a Mother and has photos of lots of women's bodies post-baby and their stories/thoughts about their bodies. The idea behind the website is that by sharing the real truth about women's bodies after childbirth, women would realize that they aren't alone and learn to love themselves a bit more. I like it a lot. Plus there a whole bunch of links to other cool woman-loving websites. So check it out at http://theshapeofamother.com/

Itty's Heartbeat

We went for our second visit to the midwives over the weekend. I really like the midwives that we've met so far, and I'm so glad that we decided to go with shared care. They just seem to take more time with us and listen to our questions and fears than our doctor (who is beginning to get on my nerves a bit with his smart answers--I really don't need a wise guy right now). And I'm very very happy that the midwives are so patient since they'll be the ones who help me through the birth and deliver our Itty Bitty when the time comes (and we'll only see the doc and his jokes if we really need him).

Anyhow, the reason I'm posting is because I wanted to let you know that we finally got to hear Itty's heartbeat. What a strong ticker our little one has. Everytime the doctor has checked the heartbeat it has been through the Doppler on his ultrasound machine which counts the sound waves but doesn't amplify them like the one the hospital has. It took a while for the midwife to find the heartbeat because as always, Itty was moving around lots, but once she narrowed in on his/her heart, there it was, strong as anything. It's just so cool to imagine our little one in there growing stronger every day with a perfect little heart beating away and doing its job.

While the midwife was searching for Itty's heartbeat, she asked us if we knew if we were having a boy or a girl. When we replied that we wanted it to be a surprise, she told us that her hunch is that Itty's a boy. And since we've been hearing all of our Australian workmates' and friends' thoughts on whether we're having a boy or a girl, we thought we'd give you a chance to voice your opinion. You can either leave a comment or vote in our little poll thingie on the right side of the page.

. . . speaking of voting, GO OBAMA!!!!! YEAHHH!!!!

(And mom, since I know you think this matters, the heartbeat was 140.)

Being Pregnant

So I've definitely started to do the freaking out/nesting thing and tend to break down in tears at least once a week because I think we'll never get everything done in time for baby.

But that's not the only weird thing going on with me. Being pregnant is a weird and wondrous thing and I thought I'd take a minute to reflect on all the funny/strange/cool stuff that I've experienced so far. (Warning: this could be a bit too much information for some of you)

• A superhuman sense of smell makes perfect sense from an evolutionary perspective in order to warn mamas about potential dangers that could harm them and their unborn babies, but I am sick to death of being blown away by burps and farts on public transportation and smelly feet in yoga class.
• The books say that a woman's nipples enlarge and darken to help babies to find their ways to their mom's milk bars. Well, Itty Bitty is bound to be a big eater cuz he/she has no chance of missing my now massive chocolate cookie bull's eyes.
• Everythings wetter. I am sweatier, snottier, and altogether juicier than ever before. I'm not sure what biological purpose this could possibly serve except to make me absolutely undesirable to potential suitors.
• Another one that baffles me from an evolutionary perspective is the copious amounts of lethal gas vapors escaping my backside. I don't think anything that makes one's partner gag and clear the room is a good thing for any future procreation.
• Up until a few weeks ago, I didn't have any real hankerings. But in the last couple of weeks the cravings have started to kick in. So far, french fries and gravy, apples, and anything sweet (except chocolate which gives me heartburn) are on the yummy list, but fish and broccolli not so good (must be the smell!). So far nothing too weird, but I'll keep you posted.
• But nothing makes me happier than to feel Itty Bitty wiggling and kicking and moving around. He/she is really active and I still can't get enough of the way it feels. Sometimes I get little dancing kicks and sometimes solid thumps that you can see from the outside. Sometimes Itty rolls gently around and it feels like a wave going through my stomach, and at other times he/she slam dances against my pancreas. And I love it all!

Happy Birthday Cuz!!!

Itty's cousin, Evan turned two today and Itty, Paul, and I sure wish we could have been there to eat cupcakes and share some giggles together. We had a video call, but it's just not the same as being there and being able to tickle and cuddle my little nephew. WE MISS YOU HEAPS, EVAN!

Itty's Trip to Melbourne

Itty, Paul and I just returned from a fabulous week in Melbourne where we visited the famous and gorgeous Great Ocean Road (and saw echidnas, koalas, and carnivorous snails), oohed and aahed at the stunning beaches and coastline of Victoria, bicycled around the peaceful parks and botanic gardens of Melbourne, and window shopped and nibbled our way through the laneways and alleyways that Melbourne is famous for (while admiring all the cool grafitti and architecture that Melbourne is also famous for along the way). We also ate a lot of ice creams. Itty is really liking ice cream at the moment.

My mom has been urging us to post some more belly shots. Hopefully Itty's photos around the sites of Melbourne will make her happy!

Healthy Baby

After a bit of a stressful day waiting for our 3 o'clock appointment, I can happily report that the doc saw no reason for concern for either the placenta thingie or the 97th percentile whopper growing inside me.

But the doc, didn't start out our visit with such a comforting approach. When I mentioned that I was a bit concerned/alarmed/really freaked out about the size of bub, he had a little guffaw/giggle/snort and exclaimed "Oh, is that you? I was reading that report this morning . . . (opening up the envelope from the radiologist and skimming my report) . . . "Yep, that was you. What a whopper!" Okay I don't think he really said the bit about the whopper, but it was definitely implied.

Happily, he readjusted his approach and assured me that a big baby was a healthy baby and that I had no need to fear that something was wrong. He said the only possibility of any concern is if I'm developing a bit of gestational diabetes which we'll test for next visit and at worst means I'll have a big baby that might be a bit more jaundiced than a "normal" baby for a few days.

Phew . . . but what about the delivery? After persuading me in earnest that the size of the baby has very little to do with increased pain or difficulty in birth nor increased likelihood of the need for a caesarian, Doc casually shifted the conversation to my allergies to the local anesthetics used in epidurals and caesarians and suggested the need for me to get tested to see what could be used. Hmm . . . maybe not so convincing after all, but at least Itty Bitty is healthy!

Next up, Doc took a look at my placenta in the films and then had another sneakie peak with his office ultrasound (I'm beginning to feel like Katie Holmes with all of these ultrasounds) and was quite confident that there shouldn't be a problem. We'll have another looksie in about eight weeks, but for now it's nice not to worry about it.

So there you go . . . all that worrying all week and everything is fine. I really need to try to chill out about all this. I'm sure the stress isn't the best thing for Itty Bitty. Now . . . if only the laundry and bathroom renos get finished in time . . .

. . . but finally came out of his/her shell

Itty wasn't so sure about this photo business . . .

Not so little . . .

So we got the radiologist's report and happily everything is normal except the placenta thingie which we already knew about. But there was one little surprise. We were looking over the measurements and thought they seemed a bit big for how far along we are and then we got to the end of the report and were downright gobsmacked to read that Itty's size (while healthily in proportion) is at the 97th percentile for his dates. Gulp. 97th percentile is a great thing to see when it comes to SAT test results and stuff but maybe not in reference to the size of a still growing being that has to make its way out of a rather petite doorway some day. Maybe a caesarian doesn't sound so bad afterall.

We go see the doc on Monday so perhaps he'll help put me at ease a bit. Hey, maybe my dates are wrong (although I am pretty certain . . .). We'll let you know how it goes.

If nothing else, knowing that Itty is a bit of an Amazonian makes me feel a tad better. This lady at work was giving me a bit of a complex about the size of my stomach staring at it at shrugging and making comments like "Y'know it's quite healthy to continue exercising while pregnant." Big dummy, I am exercising. It's just that I'm giving birth to a sumo wrestler!

Itty's big photo shoot

Today we went in for the big 19 week anatomy scan where they checked out every little organ and bone in Itty's wee body. I can't believe how thorough they are; it was a very goopy hour and a half. The good news is that everything appeared to be normal. The not so good news is that Itty was obviously not loving the experience (I think modelling may not be in the cards).

Itty was really active, dancing and boxing and stretching out his/her legs and rolling around which was cute. But mostly he/she seemed to be a little camera shy and kept rolling away from the probe thingie and covering her/his face with her/his little hands and doing whatever he/she could to foil the radiology tech's plans of getting good measurements and nice pictures. With patience we finally got to see Itty's brain and kidneys and heart and bladder and all the little bones in her/his legs and arms and back. And even though we were trying really hard not to notice, Paul and I think that we might have glimpsed a little dangly bit between Itty's legs. But we’re not experts; maybe we're wrong . . .

The only slightly concerning bit of news is that my placenta is hanging out pretty low at the moment and covering part of my cervix. After doing some research, I've read that this occurs in about 5% of women at this stage, and in the vast majority of cases the placenta shifts up as the uterus grows in the third trimester. It's not so great if it doesn't though so I'm keeping my fingers crossed (could mean premature birth, hemorhaging, or a caesarean--none of which sounds like much fun).

Anyhow, we pick up the photos after work tomorrow and we’ll post them to the web pronto. Hopefully there’ll be a couple of good ones.

Girls' names are hard!

Paul and I have settled on a fabulous boy's name, but we're having the darndest time with girls' names. I know that we have several months left, but still we need help. Please send us your suggestions and hopefully we'll be inspired.

Biking around the river has never been so hard . . .

So maybe 27 kilometers is a bit much for me and Itty Bitty these days. Not only did I get really really tired toward the end of the ride, but Itty and I just couldn't get comfortable. I had to keep stopping to adjust my underwear, my waistband and to just give my aching ass a break. (I think hours each day spent on my butt might already be causing some inflammation--oh no!)

It's strange how things have changed so much in the three weeks or so since we did a similar ride and my biggest complaint was not having the energy to ride as fast as I'd like.

Thanks Sue and Rich!

This week we got the first of our baby gear, thanks to Paul's sister Sue and her hubby Rich (and to Vinnie and Dommie who are now big boys and don't need baby stuff). Now Paul and I get to start practicing how to use it all. I've already failed miserably at folding/unfolding the stroller (pram) and playpen (portacot). Paul fared better, but we both have a long way to go.

Some of you have already heard me rant about the vipers who call themselves baby store salespeople. I hate them! We made a decision right from the get-go that we are going to do our best to buy all of our baby gear secondhand since we don't use it for long and there's enough plastic stuff in landfills. Fingers crossed we'll make it through baby preparations without caving into the crazies who insist we need one of every silly little thing you could think of to throw at a baby (well not literally, of course).

The littlest foot

Today I felt the littlest foot give me a tiny but undisputable kick. It's never been so much fun to be kicked in my life. All day, I keep daydreaming about Itty's tiny foot. How little bitty is it? What do the five teensy weensy little toes look like?

Being pregnant is really no good for being productive or solving the world's problems. I'm too busy pondering things like little feet.

Week Sweet 16

What an exciting week! I've finally found some clothes that fit my expanding body and that I actually like and feel good in. Fingers crossed that they'll make it all the way to the end with me.

I've also been feeling Itty Bitty move around a little more without having to poke at him/her. I'm sure Itty's grateful to not be jabbed any more (I just couldn't help myself--I love feeling the flutters). Sometimes I wonder what s/he is thinking/feeling in there . . . especially after I empty my bladder when it's been extra full. Does s/he stretch out and say "aah!"? Or is s/he wondering what's happening with his/her cuddle buddy?

And Paul even felt Itty for the first time this week which I think he thought was pretty awesome. It just makes it all so much more real. Even Nacho got into the baby love action the other day. He and I were cuddling on the couch when out of the blue he nudged my sweatshirt up with his nose and gave me a big lick on my tummy. It was so cute!

Itty's First Starring Role

We love ultrasound days. I wish we had a little window into my belly so we could take a peak in at Itty whenever we want.

My Big Tummy

Thought you might get a kick out of taking a peak at my big tummy! Yes, I am only 3 1/2 months and no, I'm not having twins although many people at work are skeptical. One lady even noticed how cute it is that I have a muffin top for a pregnant belly . . . not a nice thing to say! So maybe pigging out in the states for a month before getting pregnant wasn't the best idea! I've given up any notions of being a cute little pregnant lady and decided to embrace my hippo-ness. I'm finding being pregnant to be pretty bewildering and hilarious. I can't believe all the changes going on in my body. I'm like my own amazing science experiment. It ain't always pretty, but it's almost always pretty funny. The nausea seems to have come to an end, and I'm starting to feel a lot more energetic which is so very good. The fact that the signs of springtime are starting to peek out all over the place here helps quite a bit too!

Baby on the Way!

So guess what? We're bloggers now. What better way to share the exciting news that we have a little one on the way! At the moment he or she is still really little, just two inches, but we went in for our first ultrasound today and got the great news that our Itty Bitty (as we've come to call him/her) is doing really well. Itty was kicking and waving his/her little arms around, and even turned to look at us. It was such an amazing relief to know that this little one is gonna make it! Itty's eleven weeks old and due on February 28th and we can't wait!