Saturday, November 28, 2009

It's Term

Here I am at 37 weeks! 37 weeks and 2 days to be exact which is when Abi was born so since 1.33pm today I am more pregnant than I have ever been. We are trekking into the unknown here folks. Who knows how far we'll get?





I am luxuriating in not having to cook dinner or even think about what we're going to have tonight. My lovely Mum and Dad came up to visit today for the first time since Mum got home from China bearing four different yummy dinners plus chocolate chip biccies and zucchini and cheese muffins. I was thinking they were for after the baby was born and after gloating over my deliciously filled freezer, said to Mum that I hoped I'd be able to resist eating them before the birth when I didn't want to cook which is always these days. Mum looked shocked and said, "Oh no, they're for now! I'm going to make lots of other meals for after the baby." Love love love my mum

And love her lasagne, which is what we're hoe-ing into tonight.

I can't believe we are so close to the end. I am getting really excited about meeting this little one, every time I do my relaxation/visualisation I start getting these happy excited butterflies in my stomach. I was worried that this was counterproductive, but I saw my Calmbirth instructor yesterday at an ABA thing and she said no it was wonderful that I was so excited. She said that's very different hormonally from fear or anxiety, so I was reassured. Come on my butterfly baby! I just cannot wait to see your beautiful little face and smell your soft, soft skin.

Abi is extremely interested in all things New Baby. Last weekend we went to one of the (three) lovely toy shops up here in the hills and she chose a pair of yellow ducky pom-pom socks and a wrist rattle as her big sister present for the baby. She knows the new baby has a present for her (a soft toy dog in a toy carrier with a vet medical set) but I think she's a bit confused; we also let her choose a little toy wand for herself and she seems to think that's the present for her. She insisted on packing it into the baby's hospital bag so it's sitting in there with all the tiny clothes.

I loved packing that bag. I have an oatmeal striped little short-sleeved onsie with a matching hat and a choice of two hand-knitted cardies for the trip home from hospital. Big-sister-present socks will also be worn. My own bags are getting there too; on Tuesday Mum is coming shopping with me to buy some new toiletries etc, and I still need to finalise the labour bag. So stuff is getting crossed off my list.

I just want us all here and safe and tucked up together in the birth centre room. DH said the other night that it will be so so sweet to see Abi giving her presents and cuddling her new brother/sister. He watches her at music with the baby brother of a friend who she just loves. She is so gentle and kind with him, it is beautiful to watch.

My lovely friend Mama Cass asked if we'd taken any cheesy/cute photos of Abi kissing the bump and I realised we hadn't, so to remedy that ...

No actual kiss ones, we couldn't get the kiss to last for long enough for the camera to catch up. Ah well, still pretty adorable I think.

Must go and help bathe my child.

Oooh! All laboury type vibes going to gorgeous Averil! Can't wait for news...

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Let's head down to Georgia, la la la

Yes our baby has turned! At least, he/she had at the last check up 2 weeks ago, I have another one tomorrow and was going to leave updating until then to make sure but I can't sleep this morning and have a rare, toddler-free hour or so. Let's all hope there have been no flipping shenanigans between then and now. I don't think so, due to where the movements are, but still a bit paranoid.

Nearly 36 weeks now so really at the tail end. In fact, tomorrow will mark the exact stage in this pregnancy that my waters broke in my last one. On Valentines Day. Ahh Abi, spoiling Mummy and Daddy's time alone right from the beginning...

I wonder how I'll go if I go right to 40+ weeks with this one. I've always felt I avoided those super-uncomfortable, last stages of pregnancy last time. I never really felt that huge, never couldn't shave my legs or cut my toenails, never got any stretchmarks, never needed help getting off the couch etc etc. This pregnancy though has definitely been more uncomfortable with the pelvic instability and I feel more pressure and discomfort when walking. I've pretty much given up my big walks, although if I didn't have to push a pram with a 2.9 year old I could probably still manage them.

Speaking of pelvic instability I went for craniosacral therapy and it was miraculous. It really made a huge difference to how uncomfortable I was feeling as well as making me feel really positive generally and as though I was getting everything into tip top shape for a nice, easy birth. I'm hoping that, along with the Calmbirth course and practice I've done/am doing that I will be able to birth this baby with no intervention. The main thing is that I avoid another induction.

I'm on maternity leave now which is glorious, glorious and have a looong to-do list that I am slowly ticking off. I am having trouble about Christmas though, as I love Christmas; doing all the planning and thinking about how the day will go. Thing is, I don't know whether I'll still be pregnant, have a teeny newborn, or, best fun of all, be actually in labour. Right now the plan is that everyone will come up to our place for lunch on Christmas Eve, but I don't have to actually do anything. I might make something if I'm still pregnant though. I saw this yummy desert called Eton Mess which looks easy, summery and delicious so I think that'll be the go.

We are mostly organised here presents-wise. Abi's presents are all bought and I might start wrapping them tonight. Still need to get some family ones, but several are done, including my hard-to-buy-for, world-travelling brother. DH and I don't do big Christmas presents as our anniversary is very soon after and we do special themed anniversary ones instead.

I think I'm still in a bit of denial that soon I will be the mother of TWO children. Abi is very excited in theory and full of love for "our new baby", with lots of pats, kisses and professions of eternal love. She has many plans about what she will do with the baby including sharing baths, sharing her favourite ice cream (which she has had ONCE, boy did it make an impression), carrying him/her in the hugabub and other charming unrealities. However, she objects strongly whenever she sees me with my hands on my belly and moves them away firmly saying, "Mummy no touch our new baby." Not sure that's such a good sign.

She is still going through a very sensitive and emotional stage, although it is less intense than it was a couple of weeks ago. She even had her very first toddler melt-down a week or so ago, DH was flabbergasted and I was surprised myself. It was over nothing really, she wanted a drink of water but also wanted to push it away - I ended up just sitting on the floor with her and cuddling for about half-an-hour. Hasn't happened again thankfully.

BUT, and I can't believe I haven't mentioned this before now, she has finally, FINALLY, started reliably sleeping through the night. I think I had just stopped hoping for this to ever happen as it actually took a few nights in a row before I really took it in. She had a little while where she'd wake up and need me to lay her back down again, but now she mostly just sleeps straight through with the odd restless moment. I, on the other hand, still wake up two or three times a night for no reason, sigh.

I know she'll probably go through periods of wakefulness again, but at least I now know she can do it. And all our co-sleeping, gentle parenting nonsense hasn't created a child who can't put herself back to sleep, so take that Tizzie Hall. She still needs me to help her fall asleep initially, but we don't feed to sleep, just cuddle and I tell her one story and sing her one song. The stories change at her request but are mostly at the moment revolving around going to buy ice cream together. It's funny, she never requests actual ice-cream when we are out. She probably hasn't worked out you can just go and get it whenever you want, that there's not just one magical place which only comes to the top of the tree every six months or so.

We were going to go to the pool today as forecast is 36 degrees, yuk yuk yuk, but it is looking very windy and unpleasant. We'll see how we go.

I promised a belly shot and am determined to take one today. In the meantime...