Photos taken at 38wks 5 days

Oooops excuse the baggy look with the jeans... I had pushed them down a bit to get the belly effect.


















Gees I do look small compared to other woman in the forum that I belong to who are due at the same time as I am but the MW says its because of my body shape etc...
















I feel so much bigger than I actually look... so frustrating at times.

Morning all....

Wooohooo 8 days left till the EDD.... but going by MWs estimate I only have 5 days max to go... but on saying that I do realise that I could stay this way for another 3 weeks!!! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Not only for my sake but the sake of Steph's sanity as well! LOL

Took some belly shots last night but haven't gotten around to downloading them as yet - might do that this afternoon and then will post them for all to see! I must admit my extra fat that I have been carrying around for years certainly doesn't help me look 9mths pregnant thats for sure!

Another restless night last night - I find I am sleeping best from about 5am till 8/9am most days by then I wake up starving! LOL

So whats on the agenda for today?? Not a lot really - have just done the vacuming (that I was going to do yesterday) and am now resting as I got quite sore doing that (thank god we only have a small single storey house). Heading to Upper Hutt shortly to post the parcels that I was supposed to post yesterday.... Gees I was quite slack in the end yesterday! LOL Then going to visit Steph's sister in law for a catch up and gossip after lunch. So thats about it for today - nothing exciting really.l

Oh yesterday when I went to visit my friend - oh I was so clucky with little Jade who is now 11 weeks old! She got up not long after I arrived (though she was supposed to be sleeping but wouldn't) and I got to hold her the whole time I was there (about an hr and half)! Got her to sleep and we just sat there talking while Jade slept on my shoulder and then about 30 mins later she was awake again - alert and quite happy indeed! I then got to feed her the bottle before having to leave... Oh she is so beautiful and so cuddly! Oh well it will be my turn soon! :)

Right time to get moving to get my butt to Upper Hutt - also have to go to the bank to bank all the old silver coins we have got here. I have been meaning to do it for the last 2 weeks - oh well it will serve me right then if I have to queue for ages at the bank!

Catch ya all later

Morning all

Had another restless night but I think that was mainly due to the weather conditions as everytime I seemed to dose off, either the wind, rain, hail, thunder, lightening would start up... or sometime a combination of them all! I did try something new and that was I put the new nightlight we bought yesterday for the babys room on in the hallway which made our room lighter and that seemed to relax me a lot more and no panic attacks... I used to be scared of the dark as a young child and now seem to wonder if this is coming back. Sounds silly I know and I am a bit embarassed thinking that I could be "scared" of the dark at my age! It could be a pregnancy related situation but also something to do with the house and the darkness of the curtains we have in our room... but as we moved into the house when I was 11 weeks pregnant I haven't had the change yet to unlink those two things... Okay now I am starting to confuse myself! LOL

Was up at 7.30am this morning as I hadn't felt bubs move for quite some time... but still no obvious movement from her after showering and eating breakfast which is unusual so went on to trying the hot drink then relax for 20 mins before having a cold drink and then relax etc... but all it took was the hot milo (and I don't normally drink hot drinks) and a bit of relaxing and I got some movement - nothing major but hey there isn't a lot of room in there for her to move around now but am just pleased that I go some movement... Keep telling her that she can come out now whenever she is ready but I have a feeling I have one stubborn wee girl in there at times! LOL

Not doing a lot today... might do the vacumming shortly as the bird seed in here (the lounge) is really starting to piss me off! LOL Still haven't got the huge nesting instinict as yet - so perhaps bubs could be a wee way away but then some people don't get the nesting urge at all! Am hoping to visit a friend of mine who had a wee girl in August and I haven't caught up with her for a wee while so best I make the most of the opportunity to catch up :) Oh have to post a parcel of soft toys away that I sold on TM - I was so hoping that it would go to someone local so they could pick them up but now the lady that has bought them lives in Gore!

Oh change of plans re progress reports when I go into labour etc... I am going to give my blogger details to Kate and she will update on here as we txt her with updates :) *Mental note - must email Kate my details in case I go into labour today* LOL

Catch ya all later...

Hi ya

Well another day almost over and another day closer to bubs EDD... well when I saw the MW on Wednesday she was estimating within the next 10 days - so 4 days later we are down to within the next 6 days if she is right! Wow thats not far away at all! LOL

I did have a better nights sleep last night but that was in the spare bed in babys room! It still took me sometime to get to sleep but don't think the fireworks were helping me there... but once I was asleep (about midnight), I woke at 2.30am for a toilet stop and then back to sleep till 7.15am!! Up for another toilet stop and then back to sleep till 9.15am when I was woken by a very hungry tum!

After a bit of mucking around, we decided to head to Porirua so I could show Steph a couple of awesome toys I had seen at K-Mart on Thursday (that I thought would be good for us to get our wee girl for Christmas) and to check out the lighting range at Bunnings.... well what a wasted trip it ended up being. Everything we bought today we could have gotten in the Hutt Valley!!! K-Mart had sold out of the toys that I wanted to show him (they were on clearance deal prices but hey thats beside the point LOL), then I thought I would show him the earrings I had seen in Michael Hill that I thought would be good for his Sister for a Christmas Present - they had sold out of those as well! Ended up getting two Christmas Presents from Farmers for my two nieces from the UK (who will be over here), got a few bits and pieces from the Warehouse and then a night light from Bunnings! So like I said everything we bought - we could have easily bought over here but hey the drive was nice even if the weather wasn't!

Got home about 2.30pm with a headache and was shattered, so had a snooze for an hour or so before getting up and now just blobbing out before organising dinner. We are having pork chops, potatoes and veggies tonight.

Right, gonna get moving - will catch ya all tomorrow sometime. Oh my plan of attack for letting you all know if something is happening is to let both Lynda and Kate know any progress reports and they will post updates on their blogs but all going well I will do a quick post on here prior to going to the hospital so you know to check their blogs but if at any stage I go all quiet for over a day - do check out their blogs :)

Bye xx

Hi ya

Well another day almost over and another day closer to bubs EDD... well when I saw the MW on Wednesday she was estimating within the next 10 days - so 4 days later we are down to within the next 6 days if she is right! Wow thats not far away at all! LOL

I did have a better nights sleep last night but that was in the spare bed in babys room! It still took me sometime to get to sleep but don't think the fireworks were helping me there... but once I was asleep (about midnight), I woke at 2.30am for a toilet stop and then back to sleep till 7.15am!! Up for another toilet stop and then back to sleep till 9.15am when I was woken by a very hungry tum!

After a bit of mucking around, we decided to head to Porirua so I could show Steph a couple of awesome toys I had seen at K-Mart on Thursday (that I thought would be good for us to get our wee girl for Christmas) and to check out the lighting range at Bunnings.... well what a wasted trip it ended up being. Everything we bought today we could have gotten in the Hutt Valley!!! K-Mart had sold out of the toys that I wanted to show him (they were on clearance deal prices but hey thats beside the point LOL), then I thought I would show him the earrings I had seen in Michael Hill that I thought would be good for his Sister for a Christmas Present - they had sold out of those as well! Ended up getting two Christmas Presents from Farmers for my two nieces from the UK (who will be over here), got a few bits and pieces from the Warehouse and then a night light from Bunnings! So like I said everything we bought - we could have easily bought over here but hey the drive was nice even if the weather wasn't!

Got home about 2.30pm with a headache and was shattered, so had a snooze for an hour or so before getting up and now just blobbing out before organising dinner. We are having pork chops, potatoes and veggies tonight.

Right, gonna get moving - will catch ya all tomorrow sometime. Oh my plan of attack for letting you all know if something is happening is to let both Lynda and Kate know any progress reports and they will post updates on their blogs but all going well I will do a quick post on here prior to going to the hospital so you know to check their blogs but if at any stage I go all quiet for over a day - do check out their blogs :)

Bye xx

Well am still here in one piece... thanks for the comment Anne :) Gotta keep me on my toes :) Have had a busy day so far and this is the first chance I have had to sit down and update.

After seeing Carla's photos of wee, beautiful Olivia - I am having trouble comprehending that I too have a baby just like that inside of me!!! I guess I still think of bubs as an ailen so to speak as all I see is my stomach moving when she moves... Still freaking me out a bit that I have a fully grown baby inside of me and that sometime within the next 3 weeks, she will be out and Steph and I will be parents!!!!

Had a real rough night last night with not a lot of sleep - well not until about 4am anyway... I have packed my rescue remedy but best I get it out again and have it by my bed for these rough nights. I find that I sleep best from about 5am onwards... weird I know but believe it or not I think my "panic attacks" are something to do with the dark! Which is why I relax and calm down as it starts getting lighter... And unfortunately, there was no big sleep in for me
today as I had a friend (who is 28 wks pregnant) coming to visit for a catch up and to see the nursery at 10.30am so it was a real struggle to get up about 9.15am! Got a txt from Karen (my friend) just before 10 to say she was running late and would be here about 11am which gave me a bit more time to relax and to do a bit of tidying up of bills etc that were laying around.

Karen arrived and we had a good ole natter and catch up... mostly all about babies of course as her baby is their first as well so it was a matter of the blind leading the blind with some of the questions she asked me! LOL

Once Karen had left just after 1.30pm, we had a quick lunch of tomato sandwiches before heading out to do the groceries. Once again it was a real struggle walking... correction waddling around the supermarket! But its all done for another week thank goodness! So now we are home, groceries are unpacked and I am just blobbing out resisting the urge to lay down and sleep... as I am hoping just to have an early night and fingers crossed sleep well tonight!

Oh, we went out for tea last night to Hogs Breath Cafe in Lower Hutt - it was nice being just the two of us and doing some talking about believe it or not.... baby stuff!!!! LOL We both thought that quality of the food has gone downhill since our last visit there at the beginning of the year (for my birthday we think it was) and the service wasn't the best either so don't think we will be rushing back there in a big hurry. Though talking about dinners, on Wendesday night we are going to Mr India in Lower Hutt (right across the road from the hospital so very handy for us LOL) for Steph's rifle club end of season dinner though I will play it by ear and see how I am feeling as to whether I go or not. And well if I am in hospital, Steph can just pop across the road, have dinner and then come back! LOL Then on the 18th Nov, we have my friend Lynaire's eldest daughters 21st dinner at Hot Rocks in Lower Hutt so thats another night out for us to enjoy with friends and hopefully (god I hope so) we will have a wee girl to take with us :)

Anyway, enough rambling from me - oh on a totally different matter - I think I have killed our rose bush so bought some rose food from the Supermarket today and have fed it and watered it well so fingers crossed I haven't left it too late.

Nothing planned for tomorrow though we may head to Bunnings in Naenae to check a couple of things out and I would like to show Steph a couple of things that I saw at K-Mart on Thursday, but not sure if I will be up to doing that trip again so will see how I am feeling.

Right, I am going to get moving now as too long in this position (legs up on swiss ball with laptop on my knees) and I start getting quite uncomfortable!

Bye for now xx

Good morning all

Firstly a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Carla, Darryl and Kaylee on the arrival of Olivia Jade who arrived at 4.22am this morning weighing in 7lb 6oz! Can't believe that I slept through Kate's txt after spending all night religiously checking it for messages! Can't wait for the photos and birth story! And Olivia was born at 38wks 2 days - exactly the same as Kaylee was - how amazing is that!!!!

As for me - well I am still hanging in there - still in one piece and no sign of things happening for me as yet... just plodding on. Still getting the occasional cramps/pains but they so far they haven't turned into anything exciting as yet.

Yesterday was a good day :) I did go and see Barbara and have what will probably be my last official weigh in prior to having the baby. My weight was slightly more than what I had expected but hey I am not worried at all. My gain in the last 7 weeks was 5.2 kilos taking my total pregnancy gain to 17.9 kilos (as at 38wks 1 day). But like I said I am not worried - my main concern is giving birth as naturally as I am able to - to a healthy baby girl (hopefully a girl LOL). I know I was initally aiming to keep the gain to between 12-15 kilos but like I said hey I am not worried at all...

After seeing Barbara, I drove into town and went to work and caught up with my colleagues there before having lunch with a dear friend of mine. This friend was part of my support "crew" for the birth but after having a heart to heart with her and understanding her reasons, she is no longer going to be there for the birth but will be there just as soon as she gets the word that our wee girl has arrived! I was initally a bit upset but now I understand her reasons and accept them. I will still have Steph, Mum and my other dear friend Lynaire there with me.

After leaving work, I headed to Porirua to pick up the baby bathing rack that I got from TM for $1 - it wasn't in the best of conditions but hey for $1 what does one expect and its nothing a bit of nappisan or bleach won't fix! :) But by now I was busting for a toilet stop so popped into North City Shopping Centre to fix that issue... and of course while I was there I just had to waddle through K-Mart and Farmers but surprisingly enough I didn't buy a thing! I was tempted to go to the Michael Hill sale to get some Christmas pressies for the in-laws but there was a mile long queue to get in as they were only letting 10 people at a time into the shop! And there was no way I was going to stand in a queue.... so might head to Queensgate today and check out the shop there instead :)

Came home, lay down on the couch to read and within mins I was sleeping (and snoring according to Steph) and ended up sleeping off and on for 2 hrs! Which of course didn't help matters when it came to sleeping last night. Though I stayed up "late" till 10.30pm but it still took me over an hour to fall asleep! And then I kept waking to check my phone to see if Kate's txt had come through... LOL And like I said earlier - I then ended up sleeping through it when it did come through!

Anyway, nothing major planned for today at all. Might head to Upper Hutt for a waddle around the warehouse and as I have been told a couple of times - waddling around (i.e. being on my feet) can encourage labour so that all helps BUT I can't have the baby this weekend as it is Ediths weekend off and I so don't want her back up to attend the birth so perhaps on that note I should have a quiet restful day and weekend and then really get moving on Monday! LOL But back to today - not a lot planned so will just see how I am feeling and do things as I feel like doing them.

Speaking of which, I guess I should get moving and have a shower etc since I have been sitting here in my dressing gown for the last 90mins or so!

Catch ya all later.

Morning all :)

Yeap shock horror - its just gone 8am and I am up and updating already.... but never fear no news to report - just a nice sun shiny day and between the sun, neighbours revving a motorbike and other neighbours having a sander/grinder going I didn't like my chances of sleeping in. And oh add to that one rumbling tum - I decided to get up about just before 7am :)

One load of washing on the line already and another in the machine - god I hope I still enjoy washing as much after the bubs is born! Though on saying that I have always enjoyed washing so hopefully that does continue for a long time yet...

Had the MW visit yesterday afternoon though she was running almost an hour late after being held up with a call from a new mum whose baby at 6 days old decided that he didn't want to be breastfed any more after 5 perfect days feeding... so Edith had been at this mums place for about 3hrs helping her out getting everything settled again! But anyway back to me and my visit - all is well. Bubs head is now sitting in the brim of my pelvic region so she is definitely heading in the right direction :) Though perhaps 45 odd mins of sitting on my swiss ball before Edith arrived assisted that... Am sitting on the ball as much as I can these days as I know it helps the baby big time in getting into the right position and it is also very good to use in the first stage of labour :) Bubs has switched from lying LOA to DOA - not 100% sure of what the appreviations mean but basically instead of lying on the left hand side she is lying directly down the front of my tum in line with my belly button - you can feel her spine if I am in the right position :) Her HB was great though as always it was a struggle finding it as she really does hate Edith's doppler! LOL My BP is great returning to what it was at the beginning of the pregnancy which is exactly what it is supposed to do :) Though apparently I have quiet BP - took Edith awhile to get the reading of that as well... Oh after checking me out - Edith is prediciting that I will deliver within the next 10/12 days so will see how accurate she is as we wait...

Today, I am meeting a friend for lunch in town, then heading home via Porirua to collect a baby bath rack (one of those towelling ones that you can lay baby on whilst bathing it) which I got from TM for only $1! I am thinking that I will leave here a bit earlier than needed and stop at Barbara's for what will probably be my last "official" weigh in before bubs arrival. I am not worried about the numbers are going to say as the main thing is delivering a healthy wee girl! But thought I would go, weigh in and have a catch up with Barbara... then I may do a weigh in after bubs is born and then I have decided for a couple of reasons, that I will tackle this weight loss journey by myself (and with you guys supporting me). One reason being the $$$ - even though she is a lot cheaper than WW - its still $10 week that we can't afford... and the second reason being the petrol it takes to get there now that we live further away! So add the petrol costs to the $10 - it soon adds up! So once bubs is here, I will sit down, assess everything and just do this day by day and see how things go. I mean I know what I should and shouldn't be eating and that exercise does play a role in weight loss (and there will be no gym for me either) so between my knowledge and the support of you all I am sure I can get rid of some more of this excess weight :)

Right, its almost 8.30am now - its taken me a while to get this written and I hope it makes some sort of sense to you all... best I get moving, hang out the 2nd load of washing and then have a shower etc.

Oh before I go, I have a confession to make - yesterday was Steph and mine 3rd Wedding Anniversary and believe it or not we BOTH forgot about it until I was heading to bed about 9.30pm last night!!!! Neither of us could believe that we had BOTH forgotten it! We had both been talking about it a couple of days earlier and then the day just slipped by.... So we have decided no presents or anything due to our budget restrictions - but on saying that we are going to probably head out to dinner either Friday or Saturday night - just the two of us even though money is tight - not going anywhere flash or pricey - just somewhere with the two of us enjoying the company and making the most of the "us" time before bubs arrives!

Catch ya all later

38 weeks down.... and OMG only 2 to go!!!

Hi ya

Just thought I had better do an update since there are so many popping in daily to see if there is any news... Still haven't come up with a "plan of attack" as to who I will get to post details once bubs is here - would like to think that Steph could do it once he was home but I am not 100% sure if he would remember etc...

I have had my lovely massage and pedicure this morning and ahhhhhhhhhhhh it was bliss!!!!! Could definitely have those reguarly if I won lotto! The pedicure was amazing as I had never had a pedicure before and it was fantastic! And I now have lovely pink toe nails! :) Hey at least if I go into labour now - I will have refreshed, relaxed and pretty feet!!! LMAO The massage was great as well though sitting in a chair just isn't the same as lying on your tum but it was still very relaxing!

Just had cheese toasties for lunch - nice but I burnt my finger when getting the 2nd one out of the machine so despite the stinging I have some aloe vera gel on it :)

Nothing much planned for this afternoon - at least the rain and wind have disappeared and the sun is shining so have got a full load of washing out on the line :) Edith the midwife is coming today (not yesterday) so am looking forward to seeing her and the progress our wee girl has made over the last fortnight... and am now on weekly visits!!! Might try to get Steph to take some belly shots over the next few days as well :) Am still waiting for the nesting to kick in but no sign of of it as yet as I sit here thinking that the dusting needs doing, the fridge, pantry and oven all need cleaning... oh well thats what Steph is for isn't it??? LOL

Right I think I will go lay on the couch and watch a couple of programmes I have got Steph to video for me recently before he goes over them with his programmes. Catch ya all later :)

Hi ya

Well another day with sweet FA happening :) Had a bit of a rough night with SIX toilet stops - and three of them within 2hrs!!! Took me those 2 hours to get to sleep... Got up sometime about 8.15am or so... and just blobbed around for a wee while before txting my friend Jo whose wee girl Maddie is now7 wks old... so arranged to go around there for a cuppa and a catch up to save her taking Maddie out in this awful weather!

Stopped at the bakery on the way aiming to get us a savoury muffin each but they didn't have any so just got a BIG piece of chocolate fudge which we cut in 1/2 and shared :) Can't believe how much Maddie has grown in the last 2 weeks though! Its amazing how fast they grow and how their features become distinguished! :)

Home, 2 min noodles for lunch with a bread roll - nothing exciting... baked a banana loaf, popped up to the Warehouse and got myself 3 mens singlets ($11 for the three) in nice large sizes for giving birth in as at this stage I am wanting some decency whilst in the bath/pool etc but will see what happens at the time :)

Home again, tasted my banana loaf - scrumptious :) And now just blobbing out and surfing the net again until Steph comes home...

Nothing exciting for tea tonight - perhaps devilled sasuages since we took sausages out of the freezer...

Quiet night here tonight... back massage (whilst sitting on special chair and leaning on massage table) tomorrow along with a pedicure (treat from a very special friend) tomorrow so am really looking forward to that :) Also have the MW coming at 4.30pm (so Steph could be home as well) so will be interesting to see what she has to say after the happenings of the last week.

Catch ya all tomorrow sometime :)

Hi all

Right before I forget, I keep meaning to ask those of you who have switched to Beta Blogger how you are finding it and whether you recommend changing to it from Blogger itself??? Have been thinking about it but unsure whether to make the switch or not....

Not too much to report on today - but a big thanks to you all who have commented or emailed me about the nursery photos. We are quite pleased with the way it has turned out and as much as I get annoyed with the "big girls bed" in there I realise I will probably be using it a bit in the early days especially whilst I am still off work and Steph is working.

Had lunch with our friends Lynaire, Kev and Kimberly today - was great to catch up with you guys! But we had some univited guests that wouldn't go away either - bloody mossies!!! Obviously with the dampness from the rain and the warm temps they were coming out in masses! And we had the door open as it is quite warm and we kept getting bitten which was annoying! Though it has always puzzled me on how they can bite you on the top of your legs when you are wearing trousers! LOL I made a salmon quiche dish that mum frequently makes - have got enough to have for tea (with salad) tonight and then Steph can take some to work tomorrow for lunch :)

But not a lot done since they have left, oh have cleaned Charlies cage out... and just blobbed out! Thought about going to visit a friend of ours in Wainui but realised she was away for the long weekend so there went that idea!

Anyway, as I don't have much more to say - I will leave it there and will catch ya all later :)

Nursery Photos...

This one is a overview of the change table, cot, basinett and wardrobe. You can also see the stick-ups that we got for the wall which I think looks brilliant (close up of the stickers to come...)












This is a view of the wardrobe open... with all the products we have been given on the top shelf! Don't think we will be needing to buy anything for quite some time :)
















Her big girls bed for when she is ready.... I do wish we had somewhere else we could store this so give us more room in here for now... but unfortunately we don't :) The clown and doll on the bed used to be my nieces (who are now in London). The doll was made by their other grandmother :)














The bookcase with some of the soft toys on it.... this by the way still needs a good paintjob - just have to choose the colour. Her make do toy box is in the front of the shelves :)

















This is her set of drawers and the panel heater we got put in. These panel heaters are extremely economical to use so we are looking forward to trying it in the winter.
The doll on top of the dresser used to be my late friend Jude's which her parents gave me to me a couple of weeks ago.










A close up of the heater which I just adore :)












A close up of my favourite stick on picture :)



















Right so there you have it - these have taken me ages to get right (and fingers crossed that it works ok - looks ok preview mode). I was trying to be smart and upload them all at once but then I just couldn't get the comments to match the right picture.

Have had a very quiet day today! In fact didn't get up till 9.45am and have just blobbed all day - decided to see what the other Hutt gals were up to so sent a txt out to Rachel, Jo and Helena and we all met up at the Fig Tree cafe for a good ole yak and quite a few laughs (thanks Jo!)!!! :)

Home again and all is quiet and Steph is watching motor racing... boring *yawn yawn* Have got our friends Lynaire and Kev coming for lunch tomorrow so better get my thinking cap on to see what we will give them! LOL

Having the occasional period pain/cramp still but nothing major though... Helena has told me I have to have a plan of attack in place for when I go into labour and for when our wee one arrives so that it can be updated on here... so will have a think about that one and see what we come up with :)

Oh Kate - we have got it down to about 3 names so will probably wait till she arrives and then make the decision :)
Right catch ya later

Hi ya

Still hanging in here... nothing major has happened today. Just been plodding on... and like Edith says - it could be a couple of days, 10 days OR I could even still go over but her instinct over the phone was that this wee girl will come early but I am seeing her on Wednesday afternoon so will wait and see what the story is then once she checks everything out.

Paulene - in regards to your comment yesterday - sorry if you got confused... bascially from what i have learnt from the net and friends and family - is that your mucus plug can start coming away either immediately prior to labour or up to 2/3 weeks prior to labour starting. I have a friend whose sister lost her plug approx 15 days before due date and then went two weeks over before having her baby! So just a matter of hanging in there really...

I did end up vacuming last night but only cause the damn bird is malting and I was getting so pissed off with feathers everywhere and Steph was busy doing tea so I took the opportunity to do the vacuming then... but I was a good girl and when I got home from lunch with my girlfriend, I had a wee nana nap for about an hour.

Today, we were up reasonably early to get to the supermarket and do the groceries before my sister arrived. Have had a nice afternoon with my sister, her partner and his 3 girls here - boy the girls are quite full on (13, 12,10 yrs). They were going to stay for tea and we were all going to have fish and chips, but my sisters partner had an upset stomach and decided that he would rather head home so we ended up having a quiet tea of homemade nachoes :)

Not a lot planned for the rest of the weekend so will just play it by ear and see what comes our way. Not a lot to do in the nursery now so might take some photos tomorrow and post them on here... so on that note I will say "goodnight" and will catch ya all tomorrow or Monday :)

Hi ya

Had a rough night last night and was awake from 2am to about 5am! Ended up getting up at 3.15am till about 4.30am - came online but funnily enough no one else was online and there was very little action indeed! LOL

After getting home from Antenatal (about 10.30pm) which by the way I was the only person to take home made baking along for the supper (everything else was from the supermarket)... I had a toilet stop and lost some more of my plug and after that came some quite bad period like cramps and lower back pain! So rather than disturb Edith (MW) then, I have paged her this morning (as I had no more problems during the night expcept for the sleeping issue) so am just waiting to hear back from her at the moment. There is probably sweet bugger all she will do and say, but like most of the advice I have received in the last 36hrs or so - its best to let her know just in case things do start happening quickly! Must also ask her which is her weekend off over the next few weeks so I can do my best NOT to have our baby on that weekend!

Its a lovely day weatherwise today, though a wee bit windy so am sitting here with the french doors open and the sun streaming in :) Might be meeting a friend I used to work with for lunch today but am waiting to hear from her as to whether or not we are still catching up or not. But apart from that - I don't think I have a lot on. MIGHT do the vacuming today since my sister and her partner and his 3 girls are coming for lunch tomorrow but will see how I am feeling. I promise I won't do it if I am not up to it! :) Sooo Rachel, I hope I have your approval for todays plan... LOL I think I may even end up having a nana nap due to my lack of sleep and the fact that I have been invited to a Tupperware Party tonight though am unsure if I will go as I won't know anyone else there apart from the hostess...

Oh, I got the capsule fitted etc in the car yesterday afternoon, so it looks quite cool now with the carseat in the back - just gotta have the baby now! LOL

Right, time to get moving, might go read my book for a while...

Right thought I had better do an update in case people start worrying and also I have been "instructed" by Rachel that I have to do an update every day (even if its a very brief one) so she (and no doubt others) don't start worrying! :)

Had a bit of "excitement" yesterday after losing some of my plug whilst on the toilet and as I had also been having niggling period like pains for a few hours prior to that.... it was like OMG could this starting already??? Did an SOS email to a couple of friends and thanks ladies for your replies - they were very much appreciated indeed! But decided not to call my MW and just play it by ear and see how things went.... had a great nights sleep with only 2 toilet stops and even struggled to get out of bed at 9.15am!!!

I have gone from having what I thought was going to be a quiet day today to having a reasonably full on day! I have changed my hairdressers appt from Saturday to this afternoon (1pm) and then Steph txt me to remind me about going to Plunket to pick up the capsule we are renting (think he is getting a bit worried after yesterday's episode) so will have to do that before the hairdressers as Plunket is only open for car seat rentals from 12-2pm today... and then he sent me another txt to remind me that we need to take supper for our last antenatal class tonight which I had semi forgotten about so will do a batch of mini muffins shortly or perhaps I will do them when I get home from the hairdressers and just relax this morning since I have to be leaving here in about an hour as I am not sure how long I need to allow at Plunket - have to choose the one I want, do the paperwork and then they show you how to fit it in the car.... so will allow a good 45mins for that and hopefully they aren't too busy...

Oh one good thing from yesterday's "scare" - I finished packing my bags!!! LOL I must have looked quite a sight yesterday afternoon as I was madly waddling around the house packing the labour bag (with Stephs stuff in that as well), my bag and then the babys bag too!!! But at least they are more or less done now! :)

Right, gonna get a move on and post this before Rachel txts me to see where my update is! LOL

Catch ya all tomorrow I guess...

37 down.... 3 to go....

OMG it is getting scary now - 37 weeks today with only 3 to go... well until the EDD anyway. So anytime now is considered a "term" baby so thats real scary in my eyes!

Still haven't finished packing our bags yet... got some snacks sorted, got my basics in the bag (nighties, pads, breast pads and knickers) - but still need a bit more in there so might work on that this afternoon if I can. Still got to organise the labour bag with CD's, rescue remedy, the snacks, water bottles, etc... and then can't forget to pack Steph's togs as well as a change of clothes for him :) We have decided to labour for as long as possible in the bath and all going well we will get the suite with the birthing pool as well... so at this stage my plan of attack for pain is water and gas and thats it.... but for those that know me well they just laugh and tell me there is no way I will get through the birth without at least an epidural! But I AM THINKING POSITIVELY and thats all I can do for now - so will wait and see what happens at the time.

It is a beautiful Wellington day today with the sun shining and not much wind at all! By 9.30am this morning I had 5 loads of washing on the line (not much room left on it) - 3 loads of baby things! Got say again I just love a line full of washing on a sunny day! One of our neighbours never seem to use their line - just the dryer continously (can hear it from our carport).

So today, I am heading out very shortly (as soon as I finished this) to head to the library to return some books and get some more out... then to Petone to meet up with Rachel for lunch before going to the Baby Factory... then home for a relaxing couple of hours before Steph gets home. Oh bugger just realised that I have to do some baking this afternoon as well for Steph's rifle club wind up supper tonight - well I am sort of cheating today as Steph really wanted chocolate fudge brownies to take tonight so we bought a packet of the Edmonds Ready Mixture which we just add eggs and milk too... so fingers crossed it turns out ok.

Oh before I go - here is the latest belly shot taken last night - 36 weeks 6 days :)


Right gotta get moving - catch ya all later :)

Hi all

Well have had my first day at home and although it was nice I did get bored! LOL I know some people find it hard to believe that I could get bored but I did... its probably cause I haven't got the nesting instinct as yet so I just mucked around surfing the net, reading, cleaning the birds cage and just general blobbing out. Though on saying that, some people have also said that blobbing out is good as it means you are not over doing things.... so I think I will just take it day by day and see what I end up doing.

It did feel strange being at home and not being sick or having a thumping headache or anything like that... I half expected my boss to call me with all these questions but I would say he is "toughing" it out and trying not to disturb me but I can just imagine it now - he will be stressed to the max as today is when the paryoll is run so there will be reports galore to check etc...

This morning, I got up about 9.15am (an hour later than yesterday) and have had my shower, dressed and had some toast along with a nice glass of strawberry quik! :) Not much else planned really - might do some more tidying in the nursery at some stage - I would estimate perhaps another hour or so worth of tidying up and then it should be ready for our wee one to make her grand arrival! :) So once it is totally ready I will then take some photos of it. So apart from that - not a lot more needs doing oh apart from some baby washing but weather is not the best today so that will have to wait till tomorrow when it is supposed to be a beautiful day. Might wander to the video store (about 100 meters away) and get a DVD or two out if I feel like it later on.

Right thats it from me - nothing exciting to report - just thought I had better do an update - time for me to go dry my hair etc.... catch ya all later

Hi all

It's a great feeling being Sunday evening and even better knowing that I don't have to go to work tomorrow... And Emily - 24 days till bubs EDD so thats our next countdown! Might drop Jodie an email to see how she did the poll on her blog about readers guessing the sex (okay thats an obvious one here) and date, time of arrival etc...

Haven't done a lot today really - done quite a bit in the nursery today - finding room for everything and putting things away. I love opening up the wardrobe and smelling all the baby products that are on the shelf in there! :) Have sorted out her "coming home" outfit (with a back up in case the first one gets messed up) and have started packing her bag. Need to finish packing my bag too at some stage so that is one mission for me this week.

So the nursery is almost ready for photos to be taken but not quite yet.... perhaps later in the week or early next week. Might try for a belly shot sometime this week too :)

Am getting quite brassed off with this wind that we are having at the moment - especially at night time! Can't belive how gusty it gets and how many things go rattle in the night! LOL I am semi dreading heading to bed tonight as the last two Sunday nights have been horrenduous nights for me so have cleared the spare bed in the nursery just in case I have another bad night. I've sussed out that whether I have a bath or not to wind down doesn't make any difference so not sure what the issue is but will see how I go tonight. Might try to stay up a bit later since I don't have to get up so early in the morning but then I don't want to get overtired either... Its a no win situation but will see how things go...

Anyway, time for me to get moving as my back is getting sore and bubs is giving me lots of kicks to change position! Catch ya all later

Hi ya

Thought I had better come on and do quick post to say all going well here... still plodding on day by day... but the best thing is that I have now finished work!! YIPPPEEE!!! Friday was hectic as I was doing my bosses job since he was on leave so despite going in early (was at work just after 7am) it was 5pm before I got away! So it was a long day especially when one was so busy - I was shattered by the time I got home!
I got spoilt on Thursday with a very scrumptious morning tea and a lovely card with an envelope of money (had been discussed with me prior to the presentation) for us to spend on either the baby or myself! And then on Friday, a very dear friend of mine from work gave me a card with money in it to ensure I spoil/treat myself!!! So am going to book in a pregnancy massage, a facial and a pedicure and enjoy every minute of it!!!

Today, I have been up and down emotion wise but thats cause I am tired... despite actually have a reasonable nights sleep last night. Went out just after 11am and didn't get home again till after 3.30pm so am pretty shattered. On the way home I was thinking that I would go have a lay down and perhaps have a nana nap but found one of our neighbours (behind us) had their car stereo booming with the most awful bass thumping from it! So gave up on the nana nap and ended up doing the vacuming instead but could still hear the thumping over the cleaner! But it seems to have stopped about 15 mins ago so we both have our fingers crossed it has stopped now! I didn't really want to go over and ask him to turn it down earlier but if he starts it up again I will waddle on over and ask him nicely... Steph wouldn't do it earlier cause he was in a grump with a headache and couldn't guarantee that he would ask nicely and I didn't really want any trouble...


So anyway, today we went down to Lower Hutt as the Baby Factory had 12.5% off for Parent Centre members and we used the money I got from work to get some sheets, blankets etc for both the basinett and cot and also a couple of other bits and pieces. And then we went over to Baby City and got a sunshade for the pram as they stocked one especially for a Berteni 4 wheeler. Kebab for lunch and then popped into Steph's brothers place for a chat before doing the groceries! Starting to stock up on energy snacks etc to take to the hospital so we just have to have control now and not eat them before hand so will put them in the hospital bag pretty soon I think... LOL

Right, thats me... not a lot happening here tonight - another quiet night - am getting tired of quiet nights in but on the other hand I often don't have the energy to go out but then get bored just staying home... so theres no winning with me at the moment!

Not a lot planned for tomorrow either... but right now I think I might go do some tidying up in the nursery :)

36 weeks down....

Hi all

Only 2 more working days to go.... YEEEHAAA!!!! I did contemplate going into work today since I had Monday off sick but then thought no I need my rest and they need to learn to manage without my continuous assistance so have stayed at home enjoying the sunshine! :)

But the best thing I have done today is:
Yeap thats right - we decided sometime ago to give cloth naps a go but I didn't announce so to speak on here due to the "debate" that came up last time the topic was mentioned. It looks a lot on the line but it is an entire "birth to potty" package deal - we may purchase another set of the small size ones to ensure we do have enough (at a discounted price since we have purchased a package deal) of that size. There is nothing I like better than seeing nappies on a line and flapping around in the wind! You do have to excuse the quality of the photo though as I took it from the lounge window as I didn't want the neighbours thinking I was mad taking photos of our laundry! LOL

Had the Midwife come around this morning and all is still just great! :) Bubs HB is high 140's (once Edith was able to locate it that is - for some reason our wee girl is never cooperative when it comes to staying still for that). My BP was 120/76 so still great there! No protein when I did the pee on a stick either so that is great also! :) Bubs is in an awesome position so fingers crossed she stays there until the time is right! Edith and I did have a laugh as it seems that bubs is going to have a big bum and tum (like her mum) but from measurements she will be long like her dad! LOL I did ask Edith about my sleeping as I am so much more comfortable on my right side rather than the left which is what is "recommended" at this stage in pregnancy (to aid bubs in getting in to the optimium position for birth)... Yay I have nothing to worry about - I can sleep on my right side if it means me sleeping... and as long as I keep up my swiss ball exercises and sitting upright when I can then I am fine! Phew...

My latest craving is apple juice! Just can't get enough of it!!! And also cheese and crackers.... yum yum! :)

I have my farewell morning tea tomorrow (as my boss is away on Friday) so that should be interesting. Hopefully I can find a computer to use tomorrow to ensure I can get some work and then on Friday I will be able to use my bosses one.

Anyway, enough rambling from me - will catch ya all later :)

Hi ya

Have spent the day at home today as I had another rough night last night and only got about 2hrs sleep once again... for some strange reason it tends to happen on a Sunday night - not sure why as I am not worked up about work or anything like that. And the last few times it had happened I had had a nice bubble bath before going to bed... so last night I thought I wouldn't have one and yet still I was awake most of the night! GRRRRRRR Though at least I didn't have any major breakdowns this time - just kept myself calm which I think made things a bit easier... Anyway, when it was time to get up, I got up and showered very relucantly and then Steph told me I looked as bad as I was feeling and I also had a very sore back and a headache - so decided "what the hell" and crawled back to bed.

Surprisingly I managed to go back to sleep and actually slept through till about 10.45am but woke with the headache still lingering... so have spent most of the day either in bed or laying on the couch. Decided to get dressed about 2pm so I am not tempted to crawl back to bed despite still feeling a bit tired.

So as I have had today off, I MIGHT consider working Wednesday (is supposed to be a days Annual Leave) but will see how things go tomorrow at work. It is still very frustrating at not having a computer to use during the day due to the temp now using my one. So I spend the day logging off and on various computers around the building which is very frustrating indeed! So like I said I will see how tomorrow goes before deciding if I will work on Wednesday or not.

Oh, here is the photo of the gifts that we got at the baby shower - our wee girl sure was spoilt big time and since the photo was taken we have been given another 4 lots of gifts!!!


Once everything has found a place in her room, I will then take photos of the nursery and post them as well. She better be a she otherwise he will be very femininely dressed for the first few months! LOL

Anyway, will disappear now.... and will catch ya all later on.

Hi all

Janene, everything is just fine... just had a busy few days. Antenatal on Thursday, too tired on Friday night, and then a busy weekend... :) Thanks for the concern though - nice to know I was missed here though... LOL

So bascially, yes I am still plodding on day by day... but have been quite busy with work on Thursday and Friday and was shattered by Friday evening.

Then, have had a busy and fairly social weekend - but thought I better make some time to do a quick post so everyone knows I am doing ok :)

Got the car seat today (Safe'n'Sound Royale) off layby so now we just need to get the bolt fitted into both cars so we can switch it from one to another if needs be. Though although we have got a car seat that goes from birth to 4yrs - we are also hiring a capsule seat from Plunket as there will be times in those first few mths when using a capsule will be handy. But any trips to Mums or my sisters or further afield we will use the Royale as the capsules are not good for long periods.

Also had a visit from Lynda and Stu this morning for a quick flying visit whilst they are in Wgtn for the weekend to see her friend who has cancer.

Also, visited my friend Jo who had her wee girl Maddie 4 weeks ago. Got some amazing cuddles with Maddie who ended up falling asleep on me! I could have sat there for the rest of the day just holding her! :)

Right time to make a quick call to Mum to catch up with my brother who is up from Christchurch... hope you all have a good week!

35 weeks!!!

Hi all

Yeap , the time sure is flying by quickly.... am 35 weeks today! So yeap only 5 weeks to go and still so much to organise and to mentally prepare myself for! But am sure I will get everything done in time... though on saying that I had a "lightbulb moment" yesterday and am real sure that this baby is going to come early - not too early but perhaps just a few days but I guess we just have to wait and see!!!

Had a nice day off work today despite a very early start with towing the car to the garage and taking Steph to work but I was able to come home and go back to bed for some more sleep for a couple of hours! Had a yucky drive (weatherwise) to Mum's before heading to Coastlands to meet up with Judes parents for a wonderful lunch - it was great to catch up with them and our wee bubs has been even more spoilt with more clothes and toys! I have even been given a doll that used to be Judes many years ago which makes it even so much more special! Dropped Mum back home and then hit the road as I had a Dr's appt at 3.30pm. Dr is really happy with my pregnancy progress and my weight etc... I have been diagonised with Silent Reflux so have been given a prescription to fill in the morning (as I ran out of time this afternoon). Dr also thinks that I could have mild asthma so have been given a script for that as well. Both scripts are perfectly safe to take in pregnancy (well in late pregnancy anyway) so will see how I go but if they help me out and help me sleep etc then I am all for it!

But anyway, on the way between Mums and the Dr's, the garage rung me to say that the car had been fixed which was amazing as they said it could easily take about 2 days before it would be ready due to their workload but once they knew what the problem was and were able to get a part they did the job straight away. It turned out that it was something to do with the distributor ignition (or something like that) - its all fixed now and we are $400 down... but at least the car is fixed (and very promptly) and we can return to "normal" LOL Will definitely be using that garage again - great, friendly service and so efficent! I need to get the car fully serviced but will hold off for a wee while whilst we recover from the $400 we just spent!

Although I was told I could start late tomorrow, I think I will go in at the normal time (providing I get a decent sleep tonight) and finish early instead. Will also be having a meeting with the boss tomorrow to discuss either finishing work earlier or perhaps cutting my hours a wee bit. I think I would prefer to finish earlier altogether but to help things at work the 2nd option might be better.

Anyway, thats enough rambling from me! Antenatal tomorrow so will catch ya all on Friday or over the weekend.

Hi all

Am home from the hospital tour so thought would pop online and say hello to everyone. The tour went well but I must say that the delivery rooms weren't what I expected - definitely smaller than most of us thought they would be and the baths were also smaller than what we had imagined. But am sure we will all survive our labours and before we know it we will all be holding our wee babes in our arms. I am due first in the group with another one due just 2 days after me... then they are widely spread out over the rest of Nov and Dec.

Work today was the day from hell and I have to say it was the worst payroll close off that I have ever experienced in the 12 years I have been working on various payrolls and in different companies! At one stage, I came close to loosing it with the temps and had to retreat to the ladies for a wee cry before regaining my composure and getting back to work knowing how much we had to do! Finally got away about 4.30pm and once I was down in Featherston St, I "cheated" and jumped in a cab and was able to make the 4.45 train which I wouldn't have made had I kept on walking or should that be waddling!

I have tomorrow off and then the boss has said I can come in late (about 10ish) on Thursday but I think I would rather start on time and leave early as it can be a real pain in the butt getting a park at the station later in the mornings... and the other issue would be if we are still down to one car but will deal with that once we know what is wrong with my car. Steph was able to purchase a new coil today but it doesn't seem to be that as the car is still not very well at all! So have booked it into a local garage tomorrow for them to check out and they will then ring us to let us know what is wrong with it but as they are so busy at the moment it could actually be Thursday or Friday before they are able to actually fix it! So no sleep in for tomorrow as I will need to be up at 6 to firstly get Steph to tow my car to the garage and then to take him to work... then it will be home and back to bed for a couple of hours before I head to Paraparaumu to meet Jude's (for those that don't know - Jude was a very dear friend of mine who passed away in January this year) parents for lunch. My mum will be there too so it will be nice to catch up with them and to see Mum again :)

Admittingly it is better that we have this car problem before I finish work rather than being on one income! But we are still hoping that it won't cost too much...

Had a better nights sleep last night but when I did wake for my toilet stops I was very light headed and almost collapsed in the hallway at one stage... I was also having funny feelings in my tum - so rung the MW this morning but basically she just told me to take it easy and if things got any worse to call her back. But as I already have got a Drs appt tomorrow afternoon for other reasons, the MW asked me to report back to her after I had seen the Dr.

I have been thinking that I may end up finishing earlier than initally anticipated and the boss has finally accepted that too as much as it distresses him but he has realised that my health and the health of bubs is more important at this stage... and I do have quite a bit of sick leave left so I can use that :)

But anyway, I feel like I have said nothing tonight but just been rambling about nothing... one of those entries where I have just blabbered on and on...........

Catch ya all later

Hi ya

Just another "quickie" from me... had the night from hell last night. Would be lucky if I got 2hrs sleep max! And the rest of the time I was WIDE AWAKE and having breakdowns every couple of hours (bawling, sobbing, crying... however you want to put it) being so frustrated at myself for not being able to sleep! I had gone to bed shattered after a full on weekend and a nice relaxing bubble bath but for some reason as soon as my head hit the pillow my eyes were wide open!!!!!!

Anyway, survived the day at work but am sure that was because I spent most of the day on another floor using a spare computer so being away from the temps and their endless questions made everyones day more bearable as I know that had I had to put up with questions etc I probably would have lost it and snapped at someone real early on! It was bad enough that I spent the last hour up on the floor with them and got stressed to the max in that hour alone!

Had taken the car in today in case I needed to come home early - started ok but it died on me (and my friend Marianne) about 100 metres from work going down the steep hill leading to Boulcott Street. Got some guys to do a jump start for me but no such luck - they said it was probably the starter motor! So rung the AA, waited an hour for them to arrive - wow talk about a gourgeous guy and well worth waiting the hour for! LOL But he managed to jump it ok and said that the other guys must have flooded the engine! So anyway, approx 90 mins after initally leaving work we were on our way at long last!!!

Got as far as Belmont Domain when all of a sudden I lost all power and was unable to accerlate so was able to drift over to the left hand lane and pull over... rung Steph and updated him and then it was back on the phone to the AA again! Another hour to wait - and I tell you by this time this pregnant chick really needed to go loo! LOL Not long after we had stopped there and we were trying to open the bonnet so we could raise it so people would know we had broken down, my brother in law stopped and tried helping us but no luck there... he did however tow us a bit further up the road to the bus stop so we were further off the shoulder of the motor way! And he also left us some chippies as he had just been doing the groceries! So yes an hour later, AA were back there with us and this guy was pretty adamant that the coil has "died" so called a tow truck for us and so about 30 mins later we were home! So our trip home took us 4hrs!!!!! Tow truck only cost me $20 so that wasn't too bad... and Steph is going to go to Repco or Super Cheap Autos tomorrow to get a new coil and will hopefully be able to fit it tomorrow afternoon!

But talk about that being the last thing I needed after such a crappy night on such a crappy day weather wise!!! But the main thing is that I am home (as is Marianne at long last), had a nice simple dinner cooked and ready for me, and now I am about to head to bed for hopefully a good sleep...

Got the hospital tour tomorrow all going well (unless the delivery ward is full) so will try to update after that otherwise I will catch ya all on Wednesday... ok so much for a quick post but now I am off to bed.... catch ya all later

Hi all

Just a Sunday night quickie... have had a full on but wonderful weekend!

Saturday, up reasonably early to do a load of washing, and then the groceries before Rachel arrived to pick me up for the bloggers lunch at The Short Straw Cafe in Whitemans Valley - awesome cafe out in the middle of nowhere but everyone seemed to find it ok as no one got lost! So great venue, awesome food and most importantly the most amazing wonderful company! There was myself, Rachel (and her two boys), Jo (and Rhian), Helena, Janene (and Jorja), Anne, Mandy (her darling Hubby and her two boys) and Sue - so like I say it was the most wonderful company and a great couple of hours out! Pity it was raining as that meant the kids couldn't go outside and enjoy the amazing playground so next time we go there it WILL be sunny and the kids WILL be ble to play outside! LOL

Got home, to do some baking (for today) and just a general blob out really. Had some yummy homemade hamburgers for tea :) Not that I needed them of course after such a great lunch but hey baby was hungry! LOL

Had a real crap sleep and a restless night so was up at 8.30am and mucked around for a while before cooking some sausage rolls for the baby shower and then cleaned out Charlies cage. Lunch, tidy up and then off to my friend Mariannes place who was kindly hosting the shower for me! It was wonderful to see so many of my friends and family all there and wow talk about being totally and utterly spoilt!!! I am still gobsmacked by how spoilt I (or should I say the baby) was today! Glad I had the stationwagon as I sure needed it to get everything home! I laid everything out on our bed when I got home and took a photograph so once I've downloaded it I will post it :)

Had a light tea of tuna pasta bake with a green salad, dishes and then had a 40 min bubble bath - ahhhhhh bliss and so, so, so needed!!! So now its time for bed and to prepare myself for two days of hell at work before having Wednesday off! Oh we have the hospital tour (through our antenatal classes) on Tuesday night so we are looking forward to that.

Have a good week everyone and I will catch ya later