Hey Look! Less Than a Week Between Posts!

Hiya,

Later today I'll be attending my baby shower. It's on the early side, but I knew a couple of people that were due to give birth in November and Christmas functions always tend to over run schedules later in the year, so we thought early would be good. It is somewhat of a pity that we didn't check in with baby R's schedule, because he decided he wanted his Birthday last weekend!

I'm still looking forward to high tea (cups of tea, but with food - yum!), and some baby inspired games (I'm told), and just generally catching up with the women in my life. I have amassed a surprising number of them. When it came to suggesting a guest list, I very quickly had to stop at family and the very closest of friends, because I do want to be able to talk to people, and despite what people might think of showers, it wasn't a gift grabbing exercise - I'd be happy not receive a single gift except to see people.

I've never had a baby shower, so it will be curious to report back on what happens!

In the mean time, this blog entry is brought to you by the fact that I should be doing a weeks worth of cleaning.... and obviously writing the blog is easier to do than cleaning!

I actually feel like I have energy today, so I shall start the cleaning soon - nothing like an impending visit from the in-laws to motivate one! BabyCakes is at work, having survived the Slipknot concert - and all it's pyros and stage effects that he got to see last night.

Squidley Didley is kicking up a storm - getting stronger and more co-ordinated now, but I've learned how to tune out the smaller movements so it is easier to cope with - quite cute in fact. Most of the kicks and punches visibly make my belly move, and I can imagine that soon enough (maybe in the next month to six weeks), that we'll get to see pointy feet, hands, elbows or knees stick out when bubs tries to roll around.

I have my next Obstetrician's appointment next week, and after that one they swap from monthly to fortnightly, so that will be a big chunk out of my schedule (and bank balance). I've booked my 32 week scan (about Christmas time), to see if my placenta has moved appropriately to allow for a vaginal birth - I don't know yet if that'd be a good or a bad thing... Despite how battered and bruised a vaginal birth can leave one, I do it is the optimum for mother and child given there is no medical need for a ceasarian section. (Major surgery is not something I could do just for the sake of it...)

We've also booked in for our one day ante-natal class at the hospital too - I wonder how BabyCakes will cope witht he child birth videos - for that matter, I wonder how I'll cope! We're both regularly having baby dreams... last night I dreamed I had octuplets... 4 boys and 4 girls.... and BabyCakes had a dream where a nurse decided to give me a c-section without anesthetic, and even over my screams he heard the baby's first cry, and then we both cried too...


Life is good.




I should do some dishes now though.

An Update.

I was specifically requested to update news of bubs, but before I do, I am delighted for my friends S & A who welcomed to the world this morning a beautiful little boy, 5 weeks early but mum and baby are doing well. On top of that, My brother B turned 30 today, so Happy Birthday again B!


As for me, bubs has been dubbed "Squidley Didley" in the last fortnight or so. It very quickly went from "Is that a movement?" to BabyCakes feeling a kick to "My goodness child, please sit sill for a while!".

I've gotten much better able to cope with the endless bumps and squirms of baby working out how to move limbs and and how much strength she has. To start with it was like a neverending stomach upset, without the feeling ill, just the churning... and the knowledge there is a person inside me. It is as odd as it sounds. Very very cool, but pretty weird too! I think the constancy of the movement also took it's toll by way of some very vivid dreams, and the feelings stirred by the dreams impacting my day. I had a dream where someone completely dismissed me, which made me angry, so I told BabyCakes (in the dream) and he didn't take much notice. I then woke up, and told him about the dream, and guess what? At 5:30am, he wasn't that indignant that someone treated me that way - in my dream! I was grumpy all morning, until I told my boss at the first job of the day how I'd woken up in a bad mood due to a dream - he told me how his wife wouldn't talk to him for two weeks when she was pregnant, because she had had a dream he was having an affair...

This weekend I've discovered Braxton Hicks contractions... equally odd, and unsettling. I've done a bit of reading and it seems that it's all pretty normal for how far along I am. Through this though, Squidley Didley has managed to refine her kicking skills to find all kinds of organs and piece of the anatomy that don't usually get that kind of stimulus.... sharp pains and weird sensations seem to be the norm for these few weeks! Apparently this is all likely to continue to get worse, while bub's strength increases and she can still swim around... in another 6 weeks or so, the space starts to get a bit more confining and I can expect less swimming!

Life has continued it's hectic pace, lots of work, lots of family, and trying to make time to rest a bit in between. Today we loaded up the back of BabyCakes' car with 80 kgs or green waste and went on a tip run. It was satisfying to see how much stuff you can stack into a small space when you try! It is also good to see how much of a dent in the pile of branches we'd been collecting. We really need to give the yard some more attention - we've been ignoring it a bit too much of late. With the onset of the Birthday season in my family, I am very aware of how quickly Christmas will be upon us.


Oh, and for those that I told about my mobile phone dying.... I got a new one, my first ever Nokia.

Time to sit on the couch a while before dinner.

Hope you're having fun folks!

A Challenge....

This was a challenge posted on a friend's blog, that had been challenged to her. The rules are if you want to find out why the names are on the list, you have to commit to the challenge for yourself (if you don't have a blog I'm sure you could facebook or whatever it).

If you want to give it a go, let me know and I'll send the list through privately to you.

It made me think. It is not a bad/mean spirited thing.

I don't usually use identifiable names on my blog, but given it is a simple list until you get the key questions, I figure most people are unidentified anyway.


1. Bob
2. Simon
3. I'm very glad to say, no one :)
4. Debi
5. me
6. Simon
7. Leigh
8. Caroline
9. Lexi
10. Anne
11. Probably me, before BabyCakes
12. I know so many...
13. Natalie
14. Lauren / BabyCakes
15. Anke (but not right now... and I have no idea why!)
16. Sean
17. Lexi
18. Maddy / BabyCakes
19. Anke
20. Leigh
21. Bob
22. Caroline
23. My bosses...
24. I'm very glad to say, no one
25. Anke
26. BabyCakes
27. Lexi
28. James
29. BabyCakes
30. Go on, admit it, you're curious as to why your name is on this list!