Where did the week go? (Almost 29 weeks!)

Somehow I completely missed a post last week and yet I fully intended to drop in and give an update. I even took bump shots. Every time I take these I think I look smaller in the photos than I do in real life. These ones were taken a week ago so maybe I am bigger this time.

Bump at 27 weeks and 6 days

Not quite as obvious from the front.

Even my nieces are starting to notice my bump now. Last night they both (separately from one another) pointed to my bump and asked "Is that where your baby is?" and I replied, "Yes it's getting big, isn't it?" They agreed and I explained that it was going to get a lot bigger because it isn't coming out for another three months and it's spending that whole time just getting fat.

I think Zoe is quite excited about being a "big cousin". She was only two when Kielana was born so it will be lovely for her to be aware of, and remember, the baby. I hope they get to spend a lot of time together. I never had cousins when I was a kid but I always wished I did. I think it'll be really good for the baby to hang out with older children. I think it helps to socialise and educate them. And it might also help to prepare the bub for when it has to go to childcare.

I phoned up and left my name with one childcare place when I was off sick the other day. It was recommended to me by a lady who works at the University and it's really close to home. Probably not quite walking distance but not far at all. The lady I spoke to took my name and told me to call back in a year and find out where I was on the list. I will spend some time calling others when I go on maternity leave. It seems a bit early but friends have advised the earlier the better and since then the biggest childcare company in Australia, ABC Learning Centres, has found itself in serious financial strife. The company currently owes over $1.6 billion AUD to staff and creditors after over-committing itself to the purchase of smaller companies (or something). The government has already provided $22 million to keep the centres open until Christmas but this hasn't stopped parents freaking out and moving their children to other centres where they can. And who can blame them? Who wants to start the new year having to take unpaid leave because you can't find anyone to look after your children?

This morning I heard on the news that another childcare company, based in New South Wales, has collapsed. This is directly linked to the ABC collapse as the latter failed to complete a $8.5 million deal to purchase centres from the former. Being based in Queensland this shouldn't really affect us but it's not good news and it could make for tough competition in looking for childcare places. Thankfully I have a year to think about it and hopefully ABC will sort itself out in that time and ease the market a bit again.

I had a day off work on Monday, which was bliss and, after another busy weekend, much needed. Saturday wasn't too bad. I had the usual yoga class and this time Lucie was in the same session as me so we drove up together and called into a friend of Lucie's colleague on the way back to pick up some cheap second-hand baby stuff. Lucie got a Tigger jolly jumper (very cute) and I got a Mamas and Papas Lottie Ladybird playgym (complete with toothmarks on the rattle, which Mam thinks I should replace but we'll see) and a Valco BabyMinder bouncer. I also got a little hammock for the bath and a soft insert for the car restraint (which we don't have yet). After lunch I did a spot of shopping and bought some disposable nappies (Huggies) on special as well as a change table mat.

On Sunday we had a lazy morning consisting of coffee and croissants in the garden (yum!) before heading down to Brisbane with Betty and Lincoln for my first ever experience of yum cha (dim sum), which was great. It was an extremely hot and humid day but I almost don't notice the heat these days, I just notice that I feel a bit rubbish. We then headed to West End to meet some friends in a park for a leaving barbecue. As a storm was expected we found it a bit strange that they hadn't arranged a wet weather option. We bumped into one other couple there but the hosts and a range of other friends were nowhere to be seen. The dark clouds drew in and we continued to wait, unable to leave before Mark arrived as he was bringing our change table up from the Gold Coast. Eventually people started to arrive, and then so did the rain. We huddled under a pergola and Mark, Mindi and Guy arrived with the change table in their car. Within moments the rain, which had eased up, started again, this time with a vengeance and the most intense storm I have ever been in surrounded us. Gusts of almost 50kph blew the rain horizontally into our shelter so we got soaked. We all huddled together, wrapped in towels and blankets. The huge trees nearby looked like they might lob a branch in our direction at any time. Lightening hit all around us with thunder following almost immediately in some cases. We even saw a building on the other side of the river be struck and sparks flew off it.

I'm not sure how long this went on for but eventually it eased and we were able to get the change table out of Mark's car and onto the roof of Betty's and head home, albeit on a very wet and rainy road. To get out of the city we had to drive through a couple of black-out areas where power had been lost. It was a bit freaky driving through a city with no people, no pubs or restaurants open, no lights on inside buildings, no street lamps, no traffic lights - given that there were still cars on the road that was probably the freakiest bit. Watching the news the following day I learned that these were the worst storms in almost 15 years and that only a few km away from where we were tornadoes were ripping roofs off buildings, the wind blew down huge trees as though they were twigs and the roads were turned to rivers. I can't help but think we were REALLY lucky.

So, we now have a change table. In fact there is quite a pile of stuff in the nursery and other than a nappy bucket, baby bath and maybe a nursing cushion (My Brest Friend has been recommended) I think we have most things we need initially. Pumpkin Patch had 25% off everything on Monday so I bought the baby a t-shirt and a sunhat. I wasn't going to buy any clothes as I thought we might get some as gifts but this was too cute not to get and with the discount wasn't bad. Plus, I've saved so much money on other things I thought "why not?". I also got some t-shirts and bodysuits reduced in Target.

Toby's mum was on the phone the other day saying that she was frustrated because she'd seen lots of lovely things but couldn't buy any of them because she didn't know whether to buy for a girl or a boy. It's interesting, isn't it, that we now live in a world where people get frustrated not knowing the sex of a baby before its birth? At least we know the baby is healthy and the right size. What must people have done 50 years ago before you couldn't find out any of this stuff? Anyway,she must have seen some really nice things to get frustrated because Pumpkin Patch had some gorgeous unisex stuff. I think maybe we have different ideas of what is unisex though. For example, I saw some lovely blue clothes that I think would look great on a girl or a boy... it's just the right shade of blue to be not too boyish. If in doubt I've gone for more boyish colours as I think I'd rather dress a girl in boys clothes than vice versa, but I have seen some gorgeous girly things (mostly pink) that I would love to buy but daren't in case it's a boy. Mind, there'd always be someone I could give it to. Anyway, it just means all the more fun for us after the baby is born and we know what it is.

Toby has another theory. He thinks that his mum thinks that we actually do know the sex of the baby but that we're not telling. Well, to everyone reading: WE DO NOT KNOW THE SEX OF THE BABY!!! We think it could be a boy but there's every chance we're wrong. I think our doctor knows but he's not telling because we told him we didn't want to know. He might have forgotten by now. I'm not sure whether they make a note of it if you have said you don't want to know. Lucie found out what she's having on Friday (but I'm not telling because she wants to tell everyone herself) and that was very exciting. I told Larraine and she got a bit excited so I can tell that at least 50% of the clothes she's seen but couldn't buy might now end up going to the Bradley babe.

I have my test for gestational diabetes tomorrow. Have to drink a sugar drink, which sounds disgusting. I'm starting to find it difficult to sit all day at work. My back aches regularly. I'm also trying to walk a lot to get the baby in a good position. It feels like it's always in breech but I'm starting to wonder if I'm feeling it properly. I know I sit a lot for work but I try not to otherwise. If I'm at home I tend to sit or kneel on the floor in a yoga pose. AJ (now called Ajie 'cause it's cuter to say if a little difficult to read) is very active very regularly now. Yesterday at work it was kicking into god knows what and making me very uncomfortable. No more little flutters. My belly feels like it's been taken over by an army of partying mini aliens.