What a difference a day makes

Gestation: 40 weeks and 6 days
Days since EDD: 6

Weight gain: 14.5kg

Number of chocolates eaten today: None. Haven't had any for the past two days. Or cake. Or ice cream. Quite pleased with myself. If I start to feel a bit down I might grab an ice cream but so far I'm feeling rather pleased with my will power. Consistency, you see.

Just thought I'd pop in and say my impatience with waiting for this baby seemed to disappear yesterday. It coincided with some more obvious signs of early labour: increased tingling in the groin and pelvic region, period-type cramps that were on and off all day rather than just in the morning, and last night - excitement - I could actually feel my contractions. They were very mild and subtle and went from being regular to irregular. The advice I read said to ignore them so I did. And for once I didn't think "oh I'm going to have a baby tonight". I fully expected to wake up this morning and find nothing happening. Which is exactly what did happen and that's quite alright. Weird.

I had a bad night's sleep. It was hot and humid, even with the air-con on and I ended up on the sofa for a couple of hours because it was cooler in here. I really must try and get some more sleep today.

One thing is bugging me and that is the fact that I am still being offered unsolicited advice about how to get this baby out, and it's nothing I haven't heard before, or indeed tried... except for acupuncture which I'm considering but think I'll just leave it to be honest. I don't feel the need to spend money on that when I could just get my doctor to break my waters. I am quite confident that there won't be any further intervention if he does that. I'm struggling to take the advice and funny comments good-naturedly. I mean, they really are quite unnecessary.

One thing I must do is stop watching the news regarding the bush fires down south as I'm sure it's not conducive for a nice relaxing pre-labour mood. It's so upsetting and maddening to think that someone is doing that on purpose. I just don't even want to think about it but it's all that's on telly at the moment. We'll certainly remember the week this baby was born... or the week before, depending on when it decides to grace us with its presence.

Well, I've attempted to have a sleep, lounged on the bed for about an hour and think I slept for all of about 10 minutes. That seems to be the way whenever I have naps during the day. It was worth a try though and I might try again later. Right now, I'm off to hang out the washing and have some lunch before wandering around the shops, and possibly heading to the beach for a quick walk and a swim. Then maybe some fruit shop shopping. I might buy the baby a toy, maybe one that squeaks and I'll squeak it at my belly in an attempt to entice baby out. And I will not have an ice cream today, no I won't!

Still pregnant

Gestation: 40 weeks and 5 days
Days since EDD: 5

Weight gain: 14kg

Number of chocolates eaten today: None. But then I have just had breakfast. But I didn't have any yesterday. The nearest I got was peanut butter and jam on bread. I have told Ajie that it will get no more cakes until it has been born. Of course, no sooner had I said this on Sunday than friends turned up and Toby and Jim went out to buy a cake. So of course I had a slice. But now I'm trying very hard not to cave again. First rule of parenting: be consistent.

So, still no sign of baby although it does feel like it's about to fall out and yesterday morning it felt like it was trying to break free. I almost cried from the discomfort, especially as it was 5am and I hadn't got to bed until midnight and all I wanted to do was sleep. Had to use a million pillows to make myself comfortable on my back to stop it bothering me so much.

So currently the baby is way down low, pushing farts out every time I relax my pelvic floor (thankfully usually only when I'm on the loo), making me wee a lot, giving me a sore tweenie and groin area, making my inner thighs ache when I walk, making it difficult to walk for that matter (often I feel like I have to carry my belly), making my stools loose and frequent due to pressure on my bowel. Oh it's a joy. I have crampy pains and my belly keeps tightening and I have lots of twinges down low... but nothing much different to what I've had for a week or two now. 

Every night I go to bed convinced, based on the way I've been feeling during the day, that I will wake up to contractions. And every morning I wake up feeling crampy and achey but no contractions. I have a few analogies. One is it's a bit like a kid who has been told that tomorrow is Christmas Day but when he wakes up he finds it isn't and is then told it's actually the next day and so on. Another is that it's like preparing for a marathon that keeps getting cancelled. It's important that you keep getting enough rest, that you train but not too hard and that you continue to eat the right foods... but you don't know how long you have to do this for. You worry that all your hard training is going to waste but you can't go out and run 20k or whatever (I've never trained for a marathon so it's a very loose analogy) because you might have to run the actual marathon tomorrow and you don't want to overdo it. And another analogy is it's like a flight that's been cancelled. You have to hang around waiting for it to be rescheduled, you can't plan too much in case you're not around to do it, and as Jim added you can't scuba-dive because you might have to fly the next day or later that day. So you just kill time, waiting.

So I wake up in the morning and realise a baby isn't imminent. If I'm lucky I have plans for the day. Either way I have to work on not being too disappointed and just chilling and enjoying the day, whilst trying not to feel like it's been wasted. By the end of the day I'm analysing symptoms again, congratulating myself for getting through another day and telling myself it could be tomorrow.

Then I wake up with no obvious signs and the whole thing starts again. It's exhausting.

And would you believe, the time is flying by. I'm getting nearer and nearer to having the choice of induction taken away from me and being told I have to do it. Whatever happens, this time next week I will either have a baby, or be having a baby. Scary thought....

To top it all off I'm covered in mozzie bites... grrrrr.... as if I don't have enough to deal with.

Nine months

Gestation: 40 weeks and 2 days
Days since EDD: 2

Weight gain: 14kg, although it did seem more like 13kg when I weighed myself earlier. I do hope I'm not going to spend the next 9 months being pregnant but backwards.

Number of chocolates eaten today: I think perhaps I might have managed another 3 or 4 of those chocolate chip cookies but I resisted the temptation to buy a Cadbury's Creme Egg.

So, I am now 9 months pregnant, 2 days overdue, full term, or simply "term" as they call it at Dr Stokes' surgery. It's very similar to being 8 1/2 months pregnant except most of my knickers don't fit, my hormones are making me intermittently grumpy, my belly has to be carried (by hand) from one side of the bed to the other when I roll over at night (and to the bathroom for those interminable loo visits), my clothes no longer sit snuggly under my bump without falling down, I'm very slow, I sink when I swim and I have non-stop phone calls, text messages, online chat, facebook chat etc. etc. asking how I'm doing, is there any news, are there any signs etc. etc.

Just so you know... if you are immediate family we will call as soon as we are sure labour is underway. If I have your mobile number you will receive a text message as soon as we have remotely recovered from the birth. This will probably be 1 - 6 hours following the birth, depending upon the time of day. If I have your email address or you're a Facebook contact you will either hear through the grapevine from one of the many we have SMSed, or you will get an email from Toby in the days following the birth, or you will hear from me as soon as I get home. You do not need to contact me to ask me if there is any news.... it probably means there isn't.

See, it's lovely to know that people care but the waiting game isn't much fun at the best of times without having to explain to people that yes, I am still waiting actually. Call me for a chat by all means but only if you have something to say, other than smart comments. And please remember if I am grumpy when you call I am dealing with hormones and heat here. I have started unplugging the phone during naps because I had so many rest periods interrupted by phone calls. And I sleep at strange times... just whenever I can really. When most people are getting up for the day, I'm sometimes heading back to bed post-breakfast.

After my last appointment with Dr Stokes I was very relaxed and excited, so sure was I that a baby was imminent. Then when my due date arrived with no signs of labour I got stressed. Now I'm kind of "whatever". I am bouncing on my fitball (yes, currently, although I'm not entirely sure what it's supposed to do), taking fast 5 minute walks (not currently) and that's a strange sensation with a 3-4kg baby bouncing around in your pelvis, massaging acupressure points with clary sage, and watching and reading anything that has nothing to do with babies.

I had a home day on Thursday, which was my due date. I'm trying to do this at least once a week so I don't wear myself out but I just couldn't do it and in the end I asked Toby to take me out for dinner. I had my second pinot noir of my pregnancy (my first one was for my birthday) and pretended not to be pregnant for a while. I think I might have a beer with dinner tonight, whilst watching Season 2 of Heroes (yes, we're a bit behind).

The night before my due date I had what I think was my first experience of Braxton Hicks. I was sitting on the floor leaning forward to my computer on the coffee table when I was suddenly aware that my belly was in the way. When I touched it, it was hard. I got Toby to touch it too just to be sure I wasn't imagining it (because at this point I was convinced I was going to start labouring that night). He said it felt hard too. A short while later we felt it again and it was back to normal. Well, as normal as it can be at the moment. I've no idea how often this is happening because I can't feel it unless I touch my belly. I felt another one just before. I can only hope this is an indication of a short or pain-free labour. Well, one can dream.

And so my pregnancy continues, my baby is cooking and I am waiting, desperately trying to keep the house reasonably tidy. I can't believe that soon I will no longer be pregnant. I can't remember what it's like to not be pregnant and I will miss it. Although I'm looking forward to swimming freestyle again, sleeping on my back, lounging on the beach on my back, reclining on the sofa, running (not really but I ran back into the house to get something today and realised that it was very uncomfortable), eating oysters and soft blue cheese and god knows what else! Not so much looking forward to having to cut back on the cakes and chocolate though, which I realise I will have to do, and not having an excuse not to clear out the litter tray. There are some advantages of pregnancy and the longer I'm pregnant the longer I get to reap the benefits. Hurrah!!!

That said, hopefully my next post will be my birth story. Check out the Baby Clewett album for one last photo shoot with Lucie, my best bump!

Almost full term

Gestation: 39 weeks and 5 days
Days to EDD: 2

Weight gain: 14kg

Number of chocolates eaten today: Four home-baked chocolate chip cookies (yikes!).

Current ailments:

• Lots and lots of pressure down low, which can be a bit uncomfortable at times, and results in frequent trips to the loo.
• Lower back pain, which has been fairly constant when I've been vertical over the last few days. I have addressed this by spending as much time lounging on my new sofa as possible.
• Tiredness, at times almost like the first trimester again, and which seems to be worse in the morning.
• Slight nausea on and off over the last few days, which could be caused by the tiredness.
• A pulling twinge in my groin, which is probably my ligament stretching in preparation for pulling the pubic bones apart (sounds much worse than it is). Strangely though, this only happens on the right hand side.
• A few niggles around my belly but nothing like this Braxton Hicks thing I keep hearing about.
• Very few of my clothes fitting.

Well, we're definitely on the home stretch now. I saw Dr Stokes this afternoon for what we hope is the last time until the birth. I have another appointment next Thursday during which he'll strap me up to a CTG and monitor the baby's heartbeat. But the general consensus seems to be we won't get to that point.

Dr Stokes asked if I'd like him to perform an internal examination to see how ready my cervix is so I said, why not! He said he'd try not to hurt me but it might be a bit uncomfortable especially as there seemed to be a bit of pressure on my bowel. Well, compared to the movements and pressure I've been getting from the baby I could barely feel the doctor. The baby's head was so low he could feel it. He said my cervix was nice and soft and about 1cm dilated so it really could happen any time now.

He then gave me the option of booking into hospital to have my waters broken. When I asked what the procedure would be, that is, would I end up needing a syntocinon (artificial oxytocin which is the labour hormone) injection if labour wasn't established in a certain time period his answer was that nothing is certain but he's extremely confident that it wouldn't come to that. He said that I'm ready for labour but might just need a little push in the right direction. He also said he would choose that option because it's more known than just waiting. I think some of that might be coming from the fact that he isn't currently on call so if the baby comes at night or over the weekend he won't be delivering it. He has also said to me a couple of times that he wouldn't like a baby growing in his belly for various reasons so I think he is probably of a mindset where he likes to be in control and to know what's happening. Personally, I gave up control of my body and my life 9 months ago so he couldn't really give me a good enough reason to do it. Although I would like Dr Stokes to deliver the baby, I would rather labour at home than in hospital and if I'm only 1cm dilated I'm not sure how long it would take to get to 10cm. As I haven't even reached the due date I'm going to defer the decision for now. I will have a rethink on Monday. Until then I will let nature and fate run their course.

As well as being physically ready I'm mentally ready too. The pram arrived yesterday and I spent a bit of time getting to know it. On Friday Karen brought around the cradle swing that they had for their girls that has been doing the rounds of family and friends for the past few years. It has certainly been well used and it's the midwives' secret recipe in hospital when parents need sleep and ask them to take their crying babies to the nursery. I have put that up and washed the fabric insert. I have also washed a couple of sheepskins for the baby to lie on on the floor. Today a friend dropped around a baby bath and stand and that needs to be cleaned up a bit but I'll leave that for another day otherwise I'll have nothing to do if the baby doesn't come soon. Clare sent me a manual breast pump so another job is to read the instructions on that and give it a good clean as I imagine it has been sitting in the box for quite a while.

I am the last left to birth out of our little January/February group in yoga. Sasha cheated and jumped ahead of me. She was due this Saturday but had a little girl yesterday afternoon. I think Saturday will be my last yoga session, if I make it. I don't fancy driving up on my own on Tuesdays any more and can't see me making it through to next Saturday. Dr Stokes and his staff don't even think I'll make my appointment next Thursday.

I have made my labour bracelet and I'm now wearing it in anticipation. I told Sherry my story of trekking in Nepal today and finding the internal strength to go on and she said that sounds exactly like the transition phase of labour so I'll definitely draw on that wisdom. Let's face it, if I can trek 13km a day for 21 days carrying 12kg or whatever it was, suffering sore ankles, hips, shoulders, feet etc. I think I can handle labour. Sure, you don't get much of a break once you've started but at least it'll only last a day or two at the most. I'll take my picture of birth as a journey up a mountain to look at and remind me of what is at the top of the mountain... a lovely little baby.

Anyway, if my mother's experiences are anything to go by I won't have time to think about all of this. We had a chat about mine and my sister's births the other night. Mam had no pre-labour signs, which makes me feel better about the lack of Braxton Hicks. With me her contractions progressed to two minutes apart very quickly. We didn't have a phone or a car so when Dad said he'd pop out to the phone box to call an ambulance (via the all-night garage to get some smokes) Mam said "finish your hot chocolate first". Well, the contractions intensified in the ambulance and the paramedics (did they have paramedics then or just ambulance drivers?) freaked out and switched on the siren. All in all labour was about 4 hours. With Clare it was even shorter and they nearly didn't make it to hospital in time. My mother in law had similar experiences with painless labours lasting only a couple of hours. Jeff nearly missed Toby's birth because he was parking the car. So, if genetics play a part in any of this we should be alright.

I still have a bit of work to do on the baby's quilt square and the pantry could still do with a good clean and a sort but really, I'm pretty much ready for this baby to come and I'm feeling quite organised. I just need to do a check of the hospital bag and make sure that everything that can go in at this stage is in there. And keep the house tidy so it's nice to come back to.

I have uploaded more photos to the Baby Clewett album. Click on the slideshow to the right to get to them.

The countdown begins (38 weeks)

Gestation: 38 weeks and 5 days
Days to EDD: 8

Weight gain: 14kg

Number of chocolates eaten today: One chocolate brownie.

I have just had my penultimate visit to the obstetrician, assuming of course that I don't go vastly over my due date and have to see him to discuss induction in two weeks. The good news is that all the hard work I have put into getting Ajie to turn anterior over the last week (spending time sitting upright, on my hands and knees, sleeping on my left hand side slightly on my tummy, walking, swimming breaststroke and avoiding the rocking chair to name but a few activities) has paid off. Ajie is now lying in the optimum position for birth, known as left occiput anterior, that is, bub is facing my spine with its spine to my left-hand side, its hands down the bottom and its big foot over on my right-hand side (as usual). According to Dr Stokes its head is way down low in my pelvis, which I'm hoping means fully engaged. It certainly feels that way. Since last night I have felt a lot of pressure down low in my pelvis, on my bladder and bowel. It feels quite strange and, at times, rather uncomfortable, so I'm hoping I don't have to put up with it for too long.

Which means, of course, that I should probably ramp up my preparations and get all my little jobs done.

The baby is being quite interactive lately. We seem to be able to play little games with it which is very cute. When we talk to it, or prod it, or pat my tummy, it responds by pushing its foot out. I rub its foot and it moves it around. Toby was having great fun playing with it the other night. I can't wait to see the big foot for real.

We have our list of names ready and just need to see what flavour Ajie comes out as and what it looks like. Oh, and of course hope that we agree on it.

Other than that there is little to report right now. The ladies in my internet forum have started having babies and a friend from yoga had twins last week, a boy and a girl. It's all very exciting and seems to be babies, babies, babies. I'm hoping that our pram will arrive soon and apparently the sofa will get here on Friday. And not a moment too soon. I'm so restless in the evenings and finding a comfortable position is difficult. My lower back is very tight but not sore, my mid-back, however, is aching by late afternoon. I have been spending some time most days at either the pool or the beach doing breaststroke and just floating around to relieve the pressure somewhat. And right now I'm popping out for a walk, although I'm a little nervous about leaving the air-con. It's been so hot and humid here lately. At least we're not having a 40C heatwave like some places down south. Ug! I would not be able to cope with that.

I have uploaded new photos to the Baby Clewett album but for some reason do not seem able to add that album as a slideshow on this blog. So here's the link: Baby Clewett and bump photos

37 weeks and on maternity leave!!

Gestation: 37 weeks and 5 days

Days to EDD: 16

Weight gain: 14kg

Number of chocolates eaten today: None. It's breakfast time. But yesterday! Well, I had a small chocolate fudge square, a slice of baked orange cheesecake and a couple of bits of chocolate. No wonder I've put on another kilo!

Well, as usual, I have been intending to write this post for quite some time now but got slack. I started maternity leave last week and ended up busier than I was at work. My last week at work was quite exhausting, handing over, training the new guy and sorting through 5 years of paperwork - most of which was earmarked for secure disposal. 

I spent the first day of my maternity leave running around. Firstly I got up early and had a great swim at the local pool. After breakfast and a bit of pottering around I went off to my obstetrician's appointment via the library to pick up some books on quilting. After my appointment I did a bit of shopping. Then home again for lunch before a visit to my physio about my ribs. A couple of them were slightly out so after a bit of adjustment they moved back into alignment but she suggested I might benefit from a massage to ease the muscles slightly.

The next day I had my first Tuesday yoga class. I'm going twice a week now and, apart from the drive which irritates my ribs, I'm feeling good for it. In fact, after starting this post this morning I headed there a bit early and did a bit of a photo shoot for an hour with my teacher for a book she's writing. It'll be cool to have such nice photos of me doing yoga with my big 37 week belly. In the afternoon (last week that is) I had my last pre-baby hair cut and then did a bit more shopping, including looking at cots. 

On Wednesday morning I went to my first ever mum's group with a colleague's wife and friends she met doing a series of workshops run by Queensland Health. It consisted of a few women with babies around about the same age hanging out in the park, eating cake and talking about babies. It was nice to meet them. I'm sure they can't talk about babies every week. It was probably just because I was getting to know them. 

After lunch I went over to Kaz's to talk about the quilt we're making for the baby. I bought a cot on the way and then went through some of her neutral baby clothes. There weren't many. I picked up a few more quilt making supplies from Spotlight on my way home. 

On Thursday a massage therapist came around and performed bowen therapy for my ribs. She seemed to think that would help more than a massage. They still hurt. I'm having another session with her this week so we'll see what that does but I'm beginning to suspect that the only thing that's going to help is having this baby. Whenever it pushes out with its big foot my ribs ache. Dr Stokes said the baby is slightly posterior so perhaps getting it to turn around will help. Hopefully it'll turn before or during labour anyway as a posterior labour can be slow and painful. Most of them do turn but I did hear that 1 in 20 births are posterior which seems a lot to me. Not as many as 1 in 3 being caesars though, I suppose. I mentioned it to Sherry in yoga this morning and interestingly, at the end of the class it seemed that Ajie had turned slightly. I could feel a hard round bit at the top which I think was its bum, and I couldn't feel the foot. I think I have felt the foot push out a bit since then but right now I'm finding it difficult to tell what position its in. I intend to spend 10 minutes every day in various hands and knees postures to encourage Ajie to twist around.

Anyway, by last Thursday, after all my activity at the start of the week I was knackered and given strict instructions from the therapist to take it easy. So I baked chocolate fudge squares in the afternoon and that was about it. Friday was similar. Still tired I met the new cleaner and told her what to do. She seems to talk too much so I think I shall have to go out next time she comes and see if she can get a bit more done. I also baked cheese scones for my party on Saturday.

I went to yoga on Saturday morning and then had my baby shower in the afternoon. It was so much fun. There were only a few of us, Karen (sister-in-law), Larraine (mother-in-law), Sasha (due 2 days after me and does yoga with me), Bec (who I met Sasha through and who has a 6 month old), Sherry (yoga teacher) and Lucie (pregnant pink bridesmaid). We each sewed a square for the quilt. Here we all are proudly displaying our creations:

We pigged out on afternoon tea, the kind we used to have whilst watching The Muppets as kids. We had sandwiches with tuna, egg and cress, and salmon and cucumber, crumpets, cheese scones, chocolate fudge squares, cranberry and macadamia (or was it white chocolate? Sasha made them and they were yum) shortbread, scones with jam and cream (thanks Kaz), and Lucie's scrummy blueberry muffins. And copious amounts of tea of course.

After we'd cleared the quilt-making things away we sat in the nursery and each of the girls gave me a bead, which they blessed with a message. They will go onto a bracelet that I'll wear during labour, the idea being that I can fiddle with it as a distraction and draw strength from the women that contributed. My mam is sending me a bead to put on it too. 

Sasha gave me a wooden bead to represent a natural birth. Bec gave me a beautiful glass bead to give me encouragement when I feel like I can't go on and to know that I can do it. Larraine gave me a pendant Bec gave her, to represent the gift of friendship that motherhood brings. Anna (who was absent) gave me a fairy cake charm to remind me of the Mr Greedy story I've been reading to the baby. I'll think about the fact that I will no longer have a Mr Greedy belly and that soon I'll be able to see the baby's response to the story. Lucie gave me a turquoise bead from a necklace her mother gave her because turquoise is my birthstone and one of my favourite colours and, in Lucie's words, it looks good on me.

Sherry gave me some Tibetan mountain coral from a necklace she bought in Nepal, which she had shortened. I like this because it was in Nepal that I truly discovered what I was capable of physically if I put my mind to it.  A few years beforehand I'd challenged myself by taking part in a 5km fun run - I'm really not a runner - and finishing in 30 minutes. But in Nepal I was trekking between 11 and 15km per day for 21 days with a 15kg backpack. My ankle ached, my shoulder and neck were tight and sore and my hips were swollen and irritated from my backpack. 

One day, trailing far behind my group I sat down on the side of the path in a beautiful forest and cried in despair. The forest was so peaceful and I was so much more comfortable just sitting there that I was tempted to stay. But I knew it would get cold, and that my friends would worry. They'd get to the teahouse and eventually one or two of them would be sent back to find me. They'd have to walk all the way back to me, then all the way back to the teahouse again. I couldn't do that to them. So I drank some water, munched on some trail mix and headed off again. That time out gave me the chance to recoup and persuade myself I could do it. And amazingly I did. I'll never forget that feeling. Not long later I caught up with one of the group - turns out I hadn't been that far behind them after all. I have also drawn a picture where labour is depicted as a path up a mountain. When I touch the mountain coral during labour I'll remember the story, the picture and Sherry's incredible strength and advice that she's given me throughout my pregnancy.

I think I should probably stop typing soon as a) this post is ridiculously long and b) blogger seems to be having trouble auto-saving and I'm becoming paranoid that I might lose the whole thing. I just have a couple more things I want to add.

Firstly, I'm finding it difficult to find time to write posts, despite not working. Being on the computer tends to irritate my ribs, plus I seem to have to spend so much more time resting and napping. I have so much to do with my time: pack my hospital bag, finish building the cot (half built after I had difficulty getting the drop side to actually drop yesterday), finish my square for the quilt, make my labour necklace, send various emails etc. etc. 

Secondly, I have experienced moments of sadness and nostalgia for the romantic carefree life I'm about to leave behind, just me and Toby. I am in no way suggesting any kind of regret, just a tinge of sadness behind the incredible excitement.

Thirdly, the night of my baby shower, just before I fell asleep I had a vision. I saw a face in my head as clear as anything, more like a memory than a dream. It was a young boy about 4 years old with straight blond hair and blue eyes. He looked like me, like I might have looked if I'd been a boy, and a little bit like Toby. I just knew he was our son. It was weird. It was like I was remembering someone I knew, only of course I couldn't know him, I don't know him. I've dreamt the baby was a blond boy before (only this wasn't a dream because I was awake). I couldn't see his face that time but he was about 18 months old, with curly hair, running away from me wearing only a nappy.

I think that's enough from me for now. Time for a nap!

 

Mr Greedy at 36 weeks

Gestation: 36 weeks

Days to EDD: 28

Weight gain: 13kg

Number of chocolates eaten today: None. The sweet cravings are finally dissapating somewhat. Hurrah! (Although I did have jam on toast, and banana and peanut butter on toast.)

I look like Mr Greedy. I really do.

Do you see the likeness?

The funny thing is I noticed this after a conversation with a friend in which I was explaining that I'd been regularly reading Mr Greedy to the baby and she decided it would be a good thing to put on a square of the quilt we're going to make at my baby shower.

Yes, I've decided to have one. I have only invited a small number of people to my Celebration of Impending Motherhood and I asked them not to bring gifts but instead to help me make a quilt for the baby. Karen and I had great fun in Spotlight last week picking out some bright unisex fabrics. The party is next Saturday and I'm going to provide a selection of goodies for a traditional English afternoon tea, just like we used to have whilst watching The Muppets when we were kids.

Current ailments:

• Apart from looking like Mr Greedy despite the lack of sugar cravings and not putting on any weight, I am suffering from heartburn again. It's on and off but has happened most days this week. Very annoying.
• My ribs still ache. They were really sore last night and I wanted to get the theracane into them only to discover that Toby had leant it to a colleague until tomorrow. I asked him if he could get into it for me and he did try but was suffering from a sore arm and shoulder and couldn't quite give it the effort I needed.
• I'm getting tired again. Not that I ever wasn't really but I find standing and cooking at the end of a day's work a bit of a trial. I will see if it gets any better next week when I'm on leave. Will be nice to have a bit more spare time and be able to factor in some afternoon naps but to be totally honest I can't believe how quickly it has come around.
  

Other news:

• Tomorrow is my last day of work before maternity leave. Having pretty much handed everything over (except for management of our support queue which is a right pain) I am now sitting amongst boxes (one for rubbish, one for recycling, one for home and one for storage here) and piles of crap as I try and sort my stuff out. Obviously I'm procrastinating severely by typing this. Oh, and I've just remembered I need to book a table for lunch at the tavern tomorrow.
• As mentioned I am organising a baby shower for next weekend. I need to go to the library next week and get some books on quilt making because I really don't have a clue. I also need to buy cotton because Kaz and I bought fabric and then realised we had nothing to stitch it together with. Not the right colours anyway.
• No progress has been made with the nursery other than deciding where the furniture is going to go. I'm hoping Toby will put up some shelves and stick some hooks in the ceiling this weekend. The next job will be to choose a carpet. Toby's mum has offered to make curtains so we'll hopefully get around to shopping for some fabric this weekend when she visits Andrei and Karen.
• We've chosen a pram and as far as I'm aware my mam and dad are in the process of buying it for us online. Woohoo!!! After much deliberation and research and getting to the point where we just wanted to make a decision and not think about it anymore we chose a discounted (hurrah for January sales) Steelcraft Strider DLX in Kingfisher (a gorgeous blue-green, much like a Kingfisher really). Lucie opted for the same pram but thankfully in a slightly different colour. We're also getting a bassinet to go with it after discovering a thermometer in our bedroom reading over 30 degrees last week and deciding it would be uncool to cook the baby. For daytime sleeps we can put the bassinet in the room with the air-con on hot days.
• We also have a good idea of which cot we'll get and Toby's mum has offered to get this for us so we're pretty close to getting that organised.
• I still haven't booked my cleaner but I've had the number on my screen for days and just haven't got round to calling. Will do that now I think.
• Izzy (the X-Trail) and I have been getting to know each other and we're getting along quite well. I still miss Mitsi but I like being able to go over the speed bumps at work in 2nd gear, and not bumping my head or my belly when trying to get in and out of the car, or get bags in and out of the back seat. I have hired a baby restraint (capsule) from Queensland Ambulance ($68 for 6 months) and I'm getting that fitted on 23rd January.
• Baby is considered full term in one week. Woh!
• I still need to pack my hospital bag. Definitely a job for next week.
• I have been researching the third stage of labour. It seems strange but apparently the medical staff automatically intervene here regardless of the kind of birth you've had. They give you an injection to expel the placenta. I'm trying to find out if this is really necessary and if it's the more desirable option. I'm also looking into cord blood donation. Ideally I'd like to donate to Alzheimer's Research but it doesn't look that easy. I'm not even sure it's possible to donate the blood to the central bank at our hospital. I kind of figure if I'm not donating it then wouldn't I want the baby to get it rather than it just getting chucked away? It's a bit to consider but if I don't get around to making any decisions I'll just defer to the medical staff and go with their usual method.