Baby time

Oh my. 9 months of preparing for a baby will come to a close today.

Just found out I was pregnant - around 5 weeks

16.5 weeks

29 weeks

38.5 weeks

39.5 weeks

 It's pretty odd. I can't really remember not having a big baby tummy. But I will be happy to have it shrink again so I can fit into my clothes again (hopefully!). But I also know that that is a while away. 

I'm pretty unsure about how everything is going to go tonight. This weekend has been filled with a lot of thoughts and a lot of 2nd guessing myself (I think I spoke about that in my last post). Yesterday I wrote a list of things to do and I have slowly been working through that. I went to Medicare to claim back cash monies from all my dr appointments and it was pretty awesome how much we got back so yay for that. Jenny's lesson on nappies was very helpful but I'm sure many more questions will come when Bubble is here (thanks Jens for all your advice!). I worked on the last bits to sort Bubble's room and am feeling that it is all pretty much ready. Yay! Here is a photo tour of Bubble's room.

I love the bookself. The bottom left box is filled with books, the top left box has cds in it.

The rocking chair is ready with the blanket that Robyn from school knitted to warm my legs while feeding. We are going to move the mobile to over the change table - a job for James Bubble and I come home. James put the monitor onto the bassinet so we can see Bubble sleeping (that's the plan :-p)

Change table is ready. Most creams are bought, cloth nappies and wipes are on the 1st shelf, disposals, change mats and cloth nappy covers on bottom shelf. I hope it works.

A growth chart which James will put up before Bubble and I get home. It is pretty cute. Thanks for the Kikki K voucher Malcolm and Julie!

The night light works! It is so cute. I can't wait to feed beside it (but I'm sure the novelty will wear off very quickly!)

 So there you go. Inside the cupboard is all organised too.

James and I have finally decided on baby names (better late than never). We have had a girls name for ages, but a boys name has continued to stump us. I hope the names are ok. Or if we just have a girl because we have loved our girl's name for ages.

 

Last night I slept ok but would have liked a sleep in. I guess my brain started thinking about tonight and the fact that it was my last night sleeping in my bed without having to get up and feed Bubble. I started to think about what else I need to take tonight and how things will be in hospital. I guess that's why sleeping in just didn't happen. But today I'm planning on finishing off a few things at home and taking it easy. Come 6pm I will call delivery and then head in when told. The next time I blog, I will have a beautiful baby.

Last weekend just the 2 of us

This weekend has been a very emotional one - just because of hormones and feeling overwhelmed by all that is going to happen very soon. It is hard, my brain just isn't settling. I know that I will be fine as a mum and that everything will be a learning curve and we will do things our way, but there are a lot of doubts that are going through my mind too. I feel that 2 days just isn't long enough to feel ready. I know that I will probably never feel fully prepared but I just feel that there is lots more to do. Each time I walk into Bubble's room I seem to see something else that needs to be washed or bought. Thank goodness Jens is going to come around to do a lesson on how to use the nappies because yesterday was so confusing trying to work them all out.

Anyway, all will be good. On Friday night I went to my last Swans game for the season. I am sad too about that. I really enjoy going to the afl. I enjoy hanging out with Dad, Jens and James. I enjoy watching the game live - being able to see the whole ground, rather than the different camera angles. I enjoy the atmosphere at the game too. But it is for a good reason that I won't be going. I just hope that whoever takes my ticket helps the swans win :-p

So 2 more days until I get induced. Crazy! I have just written a list for my hospital bag. I should get going and start to pack it too. Mind settle down please.

A Date Has Been Set

Today is 39 weeks, only 1 more week to go until due date, and until Bubble should be here!

Today James and I went to visit the dr. Again I had high blood pressure, but normal for me. He again commented on how I am consistent. It was nice for James to meet Tanya before labour, even though it was short.

We sat down after checking Bubble and Dr just said 'so shall we set a date?' James and I were a bit caught off guard I think. Even though we knew we were going to be talking about it, it was quite daunting to have it become reality... So I am booked in for Tuesday night. I need to call up at around 6 o'clock to find out when I should head into the hospital. Then James and I will head in later that night all set to go, bags packed and everything (something which I need to actually do - pack my bag). When in there they should insert jelly to try and loosen the uterus. That will probably not start any contractions, and if that is the case, then the next morning they will insert more and hopefully the contractions will start (unless they start naturally before then which Booker would be happy with). So if all goes to plan, Bubble should be born on 27th June.

It is quite exciting but quite daunting. I have known that Bubble would come soon, but it is something that seemed so distant. Today has made it feel a lot more real. To know that this time next week, I might be holding my baby in my arms for the first time is crazy! Again all the questions and doubts are starting to fill my mind. How will I be as a mum, is everything ready here at home, is all going to go to plan, what else do I need to do, how will I go with less sleep, etc. So many questions going through my poor head. But I am planning on just going with the flow, knowing that I have so much support around me which is wonderful!

This week I have been preparing a bit more for when Bubble comes. I have done a few more loads of washing (nappies today!) while taking advantage of the sun. I have also cooked a few meals. If you know me, you know that cooking is something that I often get stressed about or overwhelmed about. In my ideal mind I love the concept of cooking and I wish that I was good at it, but in reality, James is the creative cook who can whip together meals easily and off the top of his head. I have been going through all my Good Food mags as well as my cookbooks and have been writing out recipes which James and I would like. My plan is to each week cook something from that list. This week I have cooked: Chicken Korma (frozen 4 meals worth of it for when Bubble comes), Prawn and Chorizo pasta, Roast Pumpkin, spinach and feta soup (so yummy! Had it for lunch today and then froze the leftovers for some meals). On Saturday I'm going to make a rhubarb and custard sort of souffle (Jamie Olive recipe - for desert - James is excited). I'm planning on making a lasagne too at some point this next week, so that should give us a good start on easy meals and then we'll make some others as the weeks go by. It is fun cooking at the moment, but I'm not too sure how time will go once Bubble is here.

Also today James went and got our baby capsule installed in the car which is pretty exciting too. It seems pretty straight forward and quite easy to put in and out of the car. It looks cool having a seat there. But again, quite crazy!

So yeah. 7 more days and I should be a mum. 7 more days and my blood pressure should return to normal. 7 more days and I should be holding my little baby. 7 more days and we will be a family of 3.

Quick Appointment

Today's dr appointment was a lot faster than my recent visits, only 15mins. My bp was measured and was down on past weeks which Booker was very pleased with. It is still high, but not as high. He wants to play it safe and so I will be back again on Friday to get it checked again. He felt Bubble and it is still facing the right way. He put the heart monitor on it to listen to the heartbeat and at the end Bubble kicked it off which we laughed at. Clearly it didn't like be disturbed today. He also commented that he might induce me now so that my stretch marks don't get worse - not funny! I was doing so well until a couple of weeks ago too and now there are heaps.

He was very happy with everything today but did mention that next week we will have a chat about labour. Basically once Bubble reaches full term there is no harm in helping it come along. He is worried about me though as I'm on medication and how my bp has moved up and down. He doesn't think anything will go wrong, but the longer Bubble stays in, the greater risk there is with by blood pressure and the effects of that being high. So next week we will talk about inducing options and what the best option would be. Basically I am happy to trust his advice - he isn't normally keen on inducing so for him to consider it, it must be important. It does mean there is a big chance that in just over 2 weeks James and I will meet Bubble. I have heard that it isn't as good for my body to get induced, as it isn't happening naturally, so if Bubble could help it start naturally in the next couple of weeks, that would be great, but we will see what happens. 

Hope that makes sense. Otherwise, all is good :-) I'm starting to get used to this resting thing.

Birthday and 'Rest'

This long weekend was my birthday too. It was a busy weekend, but a fun one nonetheless. Fortunately Bubble was kind enough to let me keep my birthday to myself which was very generous. It did make me very tired though and come Sunday night I was shattered and needed to basically head to bed at 9:30.

In my last post I said that I did my first washing of Bubble's clothes. I'm a dag and so took a photo of it.

First round of washing

Sunday morning started with singing at church. I then had the joy of picking Oscar up from JK (Sunday School) and hearing all about his craft - a big fish with Jonah inside. He was so excited which was nice. James and I then took Oscar for an adventure to Bobbin Head. First stop was the playground.

Oscar and I

Oscar and James

Oscar's photo of Uncle Noob

 We then went for a walk on the boardwalk to try and find some crabs. We saw a couple, but not too many.

 It was fun hanging out with Oscar for the day. We then went for a drive to Berowra markets to meet up with Jens and Howie and to have some gozleme. Unfortunately the rain came with us and boy oh boy did it rain. James and I hung around to help out by entertaining Oscar and then we took him back to their place. I was introduced to Angry Birds in real life while James went back to help the Howie's pack up.

Then James and I headed to church to sing and play for the night service. So a busy day but a fun day. Here is one of my favourite photos from the day.

 And here is a photo of me at 27 weeks.

 Yesterday James and I went to visit our friends Luke and Elise who had a baby girl less than a week ago - Hannah. She was so little and so cute! I hope that Bubble will be little, and have a little head! It was nice to see them and have some cuddles with the beautiful girl.

 That was then followed by lunch at Mum and Dad's for my birthday. Thanks for the yummy chinese meal mum! A very special treat.

Then today I went to Castle Towers for a bit of a pampering. I'm not big on going and getting my nails done, however, last year for Christmas I got a few vouchers from kids at school and James to go and I thought it would be a nice way to spoilt myself once I'd finished work. So I went to Beauty at the Towers and got a 'Yummy Mummy' package. This included a foot and hand massage, plus a manicure of both hands and feet and an eyebrow wax. It was nice to get pampered for a bit, but it was also a bit weird as I didn't know what to do while sitting there. The girls were nice and they did a pretty good job. I still have enough to go back again and get the same package so I will see if I do that before having Bubble or if I do it later when I need a break from everything. So here are my nails all prettied.

 Tonight I'm looking forward to going to the movies with James. Again at Christmas I got a gift voucher for the movies and we haven't really wanted to go and see anything. I saw an advertisement for 'What to Expect When You're Expecting' which looks like it will be funny. Hopefully it will be funny. It will either be very relevant and humerous or just a silly movie. Either way I'm looking forward to going and hanging out with James. We also have some money left over so we're going to have fun using the voucher to get food from the lolly bar. Tomorrow I'm back to the dr again. Hopefully my bp will still be good.

Dr again

Today I went back to the dr to get my blood pressure checked again. Both Rhonda and he said that it is high but it is constant so they are happy and I just need to go back again on Wednesday. They were asking how my energy levels are going as they medication they have given me does make you tired - which I am definitely feeling. I hope the meds get into the chemist because they said that the alternative medication will make you even more tired... I don't really want to feel like that. But will wait and see.

I then just spoke with Rhonda about what will happen with labour and any questions, but I didn't really have many so it was all good. Now just taking it easy this afternoon.

Dr visit

Yesterday I was 37 weeks and had another check up at the dr. My bp was better - still high but it has gone down so he is happy with that. I do need to go back again on Friday to get it checked again, just to be on the safe side. I think it's going to be seeing them 2 times each week until Bubble comes, but that's ok. The 2nd visit doesn't cost anything, it's just with Rhonda so it's just something else to do in my day. Booker said that Bubble is growing well. He and Tanya found it hard to find where Bubble's limbs were - they must have been tucked away. I told them that it doesn't perform when you ask it to. Other than that, it was a pretty quick visit. I spoke with Rhonda a bit about breastfeeding classes (which I will book to go to one next week just to hear the information before actually having Bubble) and she gave me a little check list of things to do over the next couple of months once bub is out - things like seeing the gp, contact details for mothers groups centres, visiting them again, etc which is helpful to have.

Today I did Bubble's 1st load of washing. It is very cute to see all the little outfits on the line, drying in the sun (Yay for a sunny day!). So I am looking forward to putting away all those clothes so they are ready. Then to wash the nappies, sleeping bags, quilts, etc. So many things to still do!

I am finding that I am missing school a bit at the moment. Just missing chatting with my buddies, knowing what is going on, etc. I'm also finding it hard to not have structure in my day. I'm feeling a lot more tired without it (although my dr said the tiredness might be the medication too) and finding it hard to get motivated to do things which I need to do, or more so to complete things which need to be done, as I'm good at starting them but then get over it. Hopefully I will adjust as I need to and get all the things done that need to be done :-)

Movement and Hospital

First things first, here is the video of Bubble's big movement.

 It is around 14 secs so if you want to skip to that then you can.


After having a quiet morning waiting for James to wake up I then decided to start organising and putting away Bubble's presents. After going through around 4 presents I noticed that my vision in the bottom left corner of my eye wasn't there. After having a migraine before I was quite sure it would be another so I took 2 panadol, however, it doesn't help when my Dr has said 'if you get blurred vision or headaches then call us because it could be related to my blood pressure'. I went to bed but when closing my eyes had some pretty zigzag bright lines on the left side. After messaging with Jens I decided to get the confidence to call up labour ward (on the weekends this is the place to call, during the week I just call my dr's office). James was out at coffee so I didn't want to call him and interrupt his conversations. I was teary because I didn't want to get a migraine, I didn't want to go into hospital, I didn't want something to be wrong, but I was brave and called up. They said it would be good to go in, just to be safe. I called Jens and mentioned that I was to go in and James was out for coffee so maybe could she drive me, but then we both thought I should call James and let him know and give him the choice. James of course chose to come and get me straight away. We drove to the hospital and walked up to delivery. James then went to park the car on the road (he knows me so well - we were joking that my high bp would be because of the expensive parking rates). 

They put the heart monitor on my tummy to see that Bubble was ok and I had to push a button each time Bubble moved. It was interesting to see the heart rate increase each time there was a movement. Bubble was fine. The midwife then took my blood pressure and said that it was up a bit. She called my dr to fill him in and he said that he wanted me to get blood tests. The lady who took the bloods was lovely. Then we waited, and waited and waited. 2 hours later a midwife came in with some lunch which I was very appreciative of - I was very hungry! We had turned off the light and just had the tv on. My headache had started but was not as bad and my vision was mostly better, still a bit hard to read messages on my phone/facebook. After 30 more mins she came in and said that the bloods were fine, Booker thinks that it was a migraine and I just needed to rest up. So that was good news overall. And that is what I've been doing. I wish that I could put away and organise more presents, but I am being good. My head is still a bit sensitive at times but my vision is back to normal. Hopefully tomorrow I shall be all better and my head will be fine without the migraine hangover kicking in.


Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. Hopefully the next 4 weeks will be uneventful.

Last week, BP and Generosity

I wanted to write a post on Wednesday, however, in everything that happened on Wednesday I left my computer at school so todays post will probably be a bit long. Sorry!

This week was my last week of school. On Monday I got to have a planning day with Mel, the teacher who is replacing me. It was a good time to go through all the kids (although I'm surprised that I didn't scare her off!) and their behaviours and abilities, to go through school routines, to explain how I do different lessons and different information. I felt bad because it was information overload but I think it was good for her to be able to ask questions and explore answers. She seemed appreciative of the time though, although she wasn't feeling the best. I hope she doesn't get sick as she starts teaching as that will make it even harder. On Tuesday we were in the class together and it was Grandparents' Day. What a busy morning! Mel took the morning session and I took the one before lunch. After lunch was release so it was a pretty nice day. I showed her how I do Maths Rotations which she was a bit overwhelmed by but it was hard having a shorter amount of time due to G'Parents Day activities. The Grandparents were lovely and the kids enjoyed having them in the classroom and doing a dance for them. Wednesday I showed Mel how I do writing - a recount of G'Parents Day and then Maths Rotations again and then she did the unit work after lunch which was good to see. Thursday morning I took with writing information reports and then Literacy Groups and then the rest of the day was Mels. That was hard to step back and let her go with the flow. Then after fruit break the parents came into the classroom to say bye to me and hi to Mel. It was a bit awkward as it was so unstructured (organised by my boss and another teacher, not us) but it was nice to see around half of the parents and say thank you for their help this first half of the year. Then yesterday was my last day. Mel took the day until after lunch when I did an art lesson, and it went really well. Paint on all tables (I NEVER do that!) and being creative as the kids did dot painting, but they were really sensible as they did it. A great way to finish 7 years of teaching at RHAC. 

I am happy to be leaving 1N with Mel. She is quite firm with the kids, which they need. She is very good at listening to advice and she is willing to learn. I do worry a little bit about my autistic boy, as she hasn't had experience with autism before and I have a soft spot for him, but I know there is a lot of support around her and his mum will communicate with her so she can have an idea of how things are going. His mum wrote a note to me saying that the boy was very emotional at the moment. And yesterday he just kept coming up to me asking different questions - very cute! But she has built a good rapport with most the the students and they are excited to have her, even though they were sad to see me go. I think that Mel will work well with my Year 1 buddies too which is good, but I do hope that they share the workload and that Rach doesn't take it all on and burn out. But I'm sure all will be good come the new term.

Wednesday was my 36th week appointment with my Dr. He tested my blood pressure again and said that it was still high so he was going to put me on meds so that it doesn't spike. He said that the only way my bp will return to normal is to have the baby and he doesn't want that to happen yet (thank goodness!) He is happy with the position of Bubble, head it down so that is good. When he was checking Bubble's heartbeat he took longer than normal which was a little bit concerning. He did say 'I'm just going to listen for a bit longer', and asked if it had been active in the morning. I said yes. He then said that the heartbeat was rapid, but he thinks it was because Bubble was being quite active. So it must have settled down toward the end and its heartbeat must have slowed down. Other than that, he was happy with Bubble. So I just need to take bp meds 3 times a day. The only problem is that there is a problem at the manufacturer and so the 2 chemists I went to were out of stock. One has a bottle that was open but insisted that it was ok so I got that one (so I could start the meds) but I need to remember to ask the dr if there is a different medication as neither place knew when new stock would come in. Not so helpful!

On Wednesday afternoon my school friends threw me a baby shower. It was a very casual event where there was food (of course) and just sitting around and chatting. The overwhelming thing was the amount of gifts which they generously gave to Bubble. 

The gifts once brought home. They filled the back seat of my car!

 It was very overwhelming. Betty-Joy (my stage co-ordinator) said some very kind words to me and I was told to say something in return. It was hard to say bye. I was very teary! Very emotional. As I said to them, they are all my extended family and it is going to be hard to go from seeing them each day to not. I am excited about this next stage in my life and the adventures that will come, however, I am sad to be leaving such a supportive family. I was very teary. Then as people left, more tears came. I just can't believe how generous everyone was. Even the cleaners gave me a present! They were so beautiful!

Some of my favourite presents that we got on Wednesday were:

A giraffe jumpsuit + hat from Jess. So cute!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar jumpsuits from Cyndie

Little Peter Rabbit library from Janice and Peter Rabbit bowl and spoon set from Rach

Hand-painted jumpsuits from Kat. Especially love the Swans one!

 Then on Thursday I got a massive basket package from my parents and kids. It had everything you need in it pretty much. Again, very generous. I wasn't as emotional on Thursday afternoon, which was nice, but still a bit teary. The parents were lovely who came to say bye, most who had helped in the classroom at some point so I was able to say thank you for the help. A couple of the kids also brought in separate presents including blankets, toys, clothes - very sweet. By Friday afternoon this is how spoilt Bubble is and I have no idea where everything is going to be kept!

The basket on the table is the one from the parents. All gifts from RHAC!

The school always gives a build-a-bear to a baby when they are going to be born and this is Bubble's build-a-bear. We will need to think of a name for it.

He's pretty cute!

So Friday was my last day. I think I was all cried out because I got teary at times but overall I wasn't too bad. I was exhausted though at the end of the day and decided to change saying 'bye' to 'see you soon' because Bubble and I will be back to visit. So that made saying 'bye' better. It is quite surreal. Locking up, handing in my laptop and keys. I feel like I'm just on holidays at the moment but I'm sure that won't last :-)

My tummy feels so big! (lots of people still say it is quite small)

It doesn't even fit into the camera when I do a self shot.

 I took a video this morning of Bubble doing a big movement (it was very active as I was typing, then when I want it to perform, of course it doesn't. Sorry Grandparents!). But the big movement it pretty cool. My computer just isn't wanting to upload it properly. Will try again later. Again, sorry for the huge post.