Week 35 - Closer

My body:
* The thing about having to get up to the loo four or five times a night is that eventually you're awake. Which means that you spend the rest of the night tossing around trying to go back to sleep - not to mention that no position is comfortable enough when you're 8 months pregnant. I am fully aware that it is a wishful thinking that this would be over and I can sleep throughout the night when baby is born. Oh dear..
* Heartburn is slightly better (depending on what I eat that day but I am coping better than before) and although I still am short of breath from time to time when I eat, I actually can eat more now (maybe that explains the growth spurt on the scale *grin*) and still looove eating the ice cream and the cakes and all those sweet things....

My baby:
now weighs about 2.4 kilograms (but I have a feeling he's bigger than that!) and measures approximately 45 centimetres from head to toe. His elbow, foot or head protrudes from my stomach when he stretches and squirms about. Soon, as the wall of uterus and abdomen stretch thinner and let in more light, baby will begin to develop daily activity cycles. He is now sporting fingernails and has a fully developed pair of kidneys. His liver can also process some waste products.

I've started organising music in my ipod for the labour (since I accidentally deleted ALL the songs in it the other week) but the million dollar question is: what kind of music that I would prefer during labour? Would it be classical music so I can relax, or would it be some ambient music for the serenity - or maybe some hard rock songs to channel my pain?

Met up with Sharon in the city last Wednesday and the next day my body was all sore, the sciatic pain came back from walking all day. So much for staying active until the delivery! Since being active can actually trigger the labour faster (they said), I have been getting a mixed and contradicting advise from people (some said don't be too active, others said get on my feet). I haven't decided if I prefer to have labour earlier or more later yet but at the moment with my activity rate, chances are that I will have late labour (too lazy!! too heavy!! too hot!! Mm.. basically too many excuses).

Had the second prenatal crash course at the hospital in the weekend. Would you believe it, we got LOST on the way there. We had been there a few times but I still had to look at the street directory and navigate the way for Mr Husband. We got there 20 minutes late. I hope it won't happen again next time (as next time would be when I am in labour).
Less gross things this time in the class, learned about breastfeeding and bonding and baby's pattern etc etc. Definitely more enjoyable than last time.

Had barbeque at our place on saturday night with Sharon and Warren, Ade and Khrisna and Adia the little one. Ade brought a lot of baby stuff to lend me - excellent! and we had a good chat about labour and all the life changing things about having baby.
She said it would definitely change your relationship with your husband...

Looking back and even looking at it now, I am grateful that we have such a solid relationship. We don't try to change each other, we talk, we share and we laugh with each other (well.. sometimes at each other as well..)
The other day I was pondering about life and death (I hate thinking of losing the loved one and realise so much things could have be done for them and so much things need to be said but it would be too late) - he said if we have a good relationship, there won't be any need to regret or wish that you have said those things or done those things. Words of wisdom....

Week 34 - Long way around

My body:
* Sweet tooth, with me feeling like having milkshake or cheesecakes all the times - or maybe it's actually my body craving for calcium?
* My tummy is sooo heavy that I wish I could put it down for a few minutes! Scott's father asked if I had to carry my bump when I walk around - which indeed i do, put my both hands under my bump.I already hate being on my feet and walk about. I love sitting in my lounge, reading books and just doing nothing - lounge is once again my sanctuary (I have a slight preference to lay down on the old lounge which isn't very comfortable but accommodate my need to sit up straight)


My baby:
he's moving a lot and I can see my tummy changing shape from minute to minute. Sometimes he gets into a position that is uncomfortable and I can't get it to move. He is still piling up fat as he prepares himself to get out into this world!

"Let's try your fastest pace."
"Excuse me?" Sharon and I was walking down Brighton shops when she said that.
"Rrrr.. you're walking very slow", she said. I thought for a while and decided that this was - as matter of fact - the most comfortable pace that I can do at the moment. Her eyes rolled in disbelief.
"Really?"
"Really" - and I thought about what my 6-feet-tall husband thinks when he walks with me if even Sharon thinks I walk very slow.


Now from last week's antenatal class that I forgot to mention - the hospital that we are going to have the labour follows active labour approach. Which means that you need to keep active during contractions to allow the pressure of gravity to play a part in the opening of the cervix. Also in upright positions such as standing, kneeling, squatting, or on hands and knees, the women's body leans forward and the pelvic bones are free to open to their maximum (apparently squatting can increase the pelvic diameter by up to 30%).
Another thing is that when a woman lies on her back, the weight of the heavy baby on the blood vessels can slow down the flow of blood to and from the uterus and this reduces the oxygen available to the baby and can lead the baby becoming distressed. The uterus may not work as efficiently as possible and this may cause more pain.

Rrr.. We just have to wait and see if I can kneel down and pointing my ***** to the doctor/midwives in the labour.

Enough with the gross stuff. Hopefully we'll get the cot this week. Had some problems with the payment last week but it has been sorted out now. I have promised myself that I wouldn't do any impulsive buying for the nursery, but all the things out there are just too cute to ignore. I haven't really stuck with this promise and already bought some useless things (and still owing some essential stuff)

Long weekend this weekend - Australia day. We had a day trip to Geelong (Great Ocean Road) to get more mileage on the car but traffic was horrendous with people going up to the waterfront. There's a big Australia day celebration in Geelong which caused the traffic and roads blocked and we moved like snail parade. Not good when you're almost 8 months pregnant and got sore back even by sitting in the car for less than ten minutes.

Had dinner at Sharon's on the Saturday - Warren cooked beautifully as usual. We ended up talking about labour and birth and all the things that I really really wish can be avoided in the conversations (but the ones that I keep bringing up due to the freaking out nature of mine) and Sharon said, "if the baby's so small how come your tummy is so big?" grrrrrrh.....

Still no maternity hospital bag ready yet *grin*. Will organise it this week - that's a promise.

Week 33 - Last few weeks as a couple

My body:
* I think I am experiencing variety of aches and pains in my lower ribs and pelvis, pretty much all over the tummy. They are very mild, cramp-like, but I can imagine this is common as baby is growing bigger. Another 7 weeks to go (although my feeling says that he's going to come out early), another 7 weeks to grow!

Baby:
He measures around 40cm long and weighs just over 2.3 kg. Quite adept at inhaling amniotic fluid, which is a practice breathing to get ready for his birth. He continues to put down layers of fat that will keep him warm after birth.

Nursery in the making...
yesterday we had nothing. Today we had a cot (although still not being delivered), baby bath, baby rocker, some clothes, baby monitor, nappy wrapper and bottle sterilizer. I am quite happy with our progress yet still unable to decorate the nursery due to the cot arrival yet. I am thinking to decorate his room with the untraditional colour but hate to say that I might end up doing blue since it's the only thing that most of the shop provide for baby boys. What's happening here? What's with the stereotype - blue for boys and pink for girls?

Had a doctor's appointment which was uneventful - happy to say it.

Had a dentist's appointment which was as uneventful - also happy to say it. My gum stop bleeding ages ago, just after I made the appointment with the dentist so he didn't do anything today, except telling me to come back after baby is born.

As hubby said, my life is on hold until baby is born. Can't do anything until he's born - i's getting a bit boring to stay home though, especially with Scott busy with work. He was in Sydney for 3 days this week (where he climbed the Harbour Bridge with work - so unfair, I am the one who always wanted to do it and he got to do it for free!) and on Friday he spent all day and dinner and everything with his customers at the Australian Tennis Open.

We had our first prenatal class in the hospital on Saturday - the first of our two weekend classes. There were about 8 to 10 couples in the class (all mixed couples no same sex ones) and we went through the process of labour, drugs options, what to expect etc etc. Needless to say I was ready to go home before two hours had passed. At least we didn't watch any labour video, that would be the last thing I want to see a few weeks before I have to deliver baby myself!

We are enjoying our last few weeks as a couple. We go out see movies, eat junkfood and sleep in. Can't believe we're running out of time.

Week 32 - One contraction at a time (third trimester panic)

My body:
* Heartburn recovery - well, it is not fully recovered but the other night I was in constant pain all night with the burning sensation on my throat, only too realised that it might have been from the chili I had eaten earlier. From that night forward I HAVE not touch chili and poor hubby has to cope with my bland cooking - the less taste the better it is for my tummy.
* Is it just me or is it getting crowded here? Oh of course, there is a little junior growing in my tummy! Apart from frequent trips to the loo in the middle of the night ( I must have gone two hundred times last night , or so it felt like), the stuffiness (after big meal or some activities even like walking) keeps lingering. This has slowed me down a lot, since whenever I am out and about I always wish I was home half an hour later.

My baby:
Baby sleeps a lot of the time. He will gain weight more quickly now and will probably double in weight between now and his birth, fattening up for survival outside the womb. His skin is getting plumper and looking healthier.

Never, never did I imagine in my life that I'd enjoy a bowl of cereal with milk (I have always hated milk) - in the middle of the night!
The hunger attack is striking back. I've officially passed the 10kg mark (oh - my - god - !) and still have around 8 more weeks to gain. The book said I will gain about half a kilo a week now but roughly half of that goes straight into baby (mm.. what about the other half?)

I've read the whole chapter on 'labour and birth' in the book. The only thing it did was making me cringe. Honestly, as a rookie I was expecting the book to tell me what to do in the labour, for example how to 'push'. Apparently this should come naturally, but how do you push exactly? Birgit told me nothing can prepare anyone from the labour pain, so I have decided that my approach on this whole birthing business will be: donotpanicdonotpanicdonotpanic (I just have to repeat this mantra over and over again from now on). It's better than the book's approach: one contraction at a time. Rrrr.. that supposed to be reassuring?
The chapter on breastfeeding and what to do as soon as baby arrives is as clear (not!) as the labour part, but for this one I will learn from their labour's approach and adopt it for my own situation: just worry one breast at a time.

Week 31 - The New Year

My body:
*Borrowing a friend's term, my pregnancy seems to be just 'uneventful' (at least so far, fingers crossed it stays the same until the end of it). My body is fully in sync with the changes that I am not very aware of them anymore. The only complaint I can report is the heartburn and indigestion that are driving me mad. (My sciatica pain even seems to ease down a little).
* I feel the Braxton Hicks (fake contractions) more often now, especially after a long walk or if I have been on feet for a longer period of time. It feels weird and sometimes painful.
* Although I know I am not very very pregnant yet ( I still have 10 more weeks to grow and people said that I will feel MORE pregnant in my 9th months), I feel that I am truly deeply very pregnant. Being in one position for five minutes makes me uncomfortable and short of breath. Eating a few spoonfuls makes my tummy feels very stiff. I started to walk like I wearing diaper, big toes about a foot away, back bent as such that tummy moves forward as if I need more statement about the pregnancy. My new nickname from my beloved husband is now (simple enough): "fatty".

My bubba:
He has grown another couple of centimetres and is around 39cm long and is a hefty 2kg. His lungs are maturing and continuing to develop so that he will be able to breathe unassisted when born.
He is rapidly laying down layers of fat in preparation for birth and his skin is filling out and becoming smooth and plump. His eyes blink while he is awake, and react to harsh lights. He has developed tiny eyelashes and eyebrows that frame his face.
Doctor told us that he has already turn into the anterior position around now - head down with his spine facing outwards in the direction of my navel.


Happy new Year!!

Our last New Year's eve as a couple. As my beloved said, "There is a big mental change. Before the new year, we were going to have a baby next year. Suddenly it is going to be this year."
Yup, it's closer and closer for sure. To be precise, another 2 months and a bit and we will be new parents.

The closer it gets, the more I realised that this pregnancy is leading to only one thing to end it: pain. Probably accompanied with a lot of screaming, for hours. Or a major surgery. And then the pain afterward.
I am terrified.

But worse than that is the worry about something might be wrong with the baby. I am back into neurotic mother to be I was in the first trimester. I freak out over what I have eaten (rrr... was the egg fully cooked? rrr.. I really don't think the oyster I just ate was cooked thoroughly... rrr... was I not supposed to eat that?) - all because the scary fact that mother's immune system is somewhat suppressed in the last trimester, or about the fetal movement (why is it if I am laying on my left side, baby seems to move every limbs of his body that I can feel it all over at the same time?). Although Doctor reassured me baby is going fine, I will not be able to relax until he is born.

I am officially moving on from pregnancy books to baby books (although I still have to finish the pregnancy books and will eventually have to read the dreadful chapter about the labour and birth).

I will be in my 8th month next week (yikes!) and have started thinking about starting the nursery. So far baby already has oversized clothes that can't be worn until he is at least 3 months old, 4 pairs of shoes (won't be needed until he can walk), 2 Disneys books (Winnie the Pooh and The Jungle Book), some fluffy toys, but SANS the essentials such as clothes that he can actually wear the minute he is born, cot, mattress etc etc. This must be the panic attack described by Birgit when he was 7 months pregnant and the nursery wasn't ready. Learning from her experience, I will not let this unpreparedness get in my nerves.

PS. Warren cooked us 5 course meals of seafood including lobster for the New Year's eve. We took time enjoying them and were still eating when the clock stroke at midnight!

Week 30 - Pregnancy bites

My body:
* This afternoon Scott looked at my tummy and said, "Oh my God. You're so big... " Duuuh.
* Dreams... I think I started to worry about the labour that the other day I dreamed that I had the most beautiful baby and the labour only took five minutes. Hah, you wish!
* I am slowing down inevitably. Walk a few metres and I am out of breath, run the vacuum cleaner for a few minutes and I am exhausted.
*Bending over is SOOO difficult now. Until recently, I have never realised so many things need to be done by bending over, including clipping your toenails, tie up shoes, and even putting on pants!

My little peanut:
Weighs around 1.1 kg and measures about 38 centrimetres from head to toe. Testicles descend from near the kidneys through the groin en route to the scrotum. His head is getting bigger, and brain growth is very rapid at this time. Nearly all babies react to sound by 30 weeks.

I finally had a big emotional breakdown. All these emotions creeping down on me felt like suddenly exploded. The night before we went to Orange (for Christmas), it just downed to me that all these changes in our life will happen in two months! Bursting into tears I told Scott that I was worried because things are not (never) going to be the same again, there won't be time for only him and me anymore. All the things that I haven't done.. all the things I still want to do... My selfish part of me is dreading all those things, but of course I know all these changes will make our life better.
Me: (sobbing) "I feel unattractive, I feel ugly and insecure. I feel that you love me less"
Scott: "Oh don't be silly. You only think you feel like that, it the pregnancy emotion talking"
Me: "I don't know if I am ready to be a mother. Our life will never be the same.."
Scott: "Yes, of course. It will be even better!"

Travelling to Orange was proven to be a very hard work. Being 7 months pregnant and spent 9 hours in the car are not very good combination. A few toilet runs and a very sore back later, we arrived in Orange. The kids could not get out of the house fast enough to see my protruding belly...

Christmas in Orange, as usual involved a lot of food and desserts. Unfortunately all the food left me worried big times. I had a few sips of Scott's champagne thinking it should be okay but then changed my mind about it and worried all night. One night I had an english trifle at Janelle's and after I finished my share, David asked if the port 'was enough and can be tasted in the trifle'. Oops.
We ate a lot of cold meat as well. I tried to stick with the turkey which I knew Scott's mum made herself but when we finished the turkey, I could choose between eating the pork and the ham or being vegetarian (I ended up eating everything else but the ham since Scott said mum cooked everything except the ham). I feel so out of control.

We found out that Janelle, who initially didn't want to know the sex of the baby, accidentally found out from Holly, her daughter. So when I told it to Karen's daughters (Karen didn't want to know either), Karen said, "Oh no, they will accidentally tell me.. " and made me promise not to tell Ben the youngest so he couldn't tell her. Which I did alright, until I managed to let the secret out myself! I said "he kicked a lot during the night", then realising what I have done, I looked at her in horror - and it hit the spot. Ding doooong... (at least she found out on Christmas day!)

We left for home on the 29th December with lots and lots present, and got home with extra sore back!

Week 29 - Baby octopus

My body:
* Heartburn is driving me crazy! I am taking it every day now, trying to stick with one tablet a day but I have a feeling this dose will go up soon. Feel like an addict.
* Fatigue and short of breath.
* Am bigger.....
* And toilet is my best friend now.

My baby:
* Baby is very very active and kicking everywhere at the same time. I am convinced that I am carrying a baby octopus in my bump!
*Baby is also kicking a lot when I put classical music (a lady I rang about classical music for babies told me that I should put one particular song at least twice a day so he will recognise the sound and hopefully calm him down after he is born). Sounds like he's protesting - maybe he's a rock and roll baby?

Nothing much happening this week. Went to visit Dr Campbell for my monthly visit. Went well and fast, as always. He said baby is growing steadily (steadily? Steadily 'bigger'?), all in the right place (ie. head is down now - and I thought he wouldn't move until later on the stage).
He said about the trip to Orange - "is not the problem" (what does he mean?) "although it is going to be very uncomfortable" (fyi. sitting in the car for 10 minutes has already made me uncomfortable now) "as long as the membrane doesn't rupture - you have 2% chance. If it breaks then you have to stay in Orange"

Had dinner on Friday night with Sharon's family who were here for one of the twins' graduation - at which they insisted that I have to eat more and more because I am eating for two now, whereas just the opposite, I couldn't even put much in my mouth to feel tummy extremely full and about to explode. (When people said they were so full that their tummies can explode, they obviously never felt FULL and PREGNANT).

Week 28 Stretching.. streching...

My body:
* still growing big..... I think tummy is a bit disproportional now! Can't even cut my toenails anymore without big effort!
* Increasing appetite and sweet tooth - I have been getting up in the night to have midnight snack. I wish I didn't get hungry all the time now, especially with Christmas coming! What a bad timing! Who knows how much roast beef/pork/ham that I will consume during the Christmas period next week, not to mention the ice cream and the Christmas pudding etc etc.
* Bladder must be the size of a pea pod now baby is taking over most of the space - have to go almost every half hour!
* My sciatica (pain in the leg) is very bad nowadays. Sometimes I couldn't hold my weight on my right leg and it can be very sore, especially if I have been walking a lot during the day. Will see how it goes this week - I might have to go to a physiotherapist to see if they can fix it!

Little junior:
He is getting bigger and getting stronger. Weighs approximately 2.4 pounds and from this point forward, his weight gain will be due to increasing amounts of body fat. His movement are very defined now and sometimes giving me uncomfortable feeling (especially when you're trying to get to sleep). Sometimes after he kicks I would rub my tummy or press the spot gently and I could feel a part of his body underneath, before he moved it. A few minutes later he would kick and I would do the same again - it's like playing hide and seek!

Scott was away in New Zealand until Friday. One night I stayed awake researching on the net for babies names - we have one potential one that has been approved by some people - it's not a final yet, we are trying to get used to the name and see how we feel for a while we still have time to change our mind!

Went to see a few daycares as well this week - at one of the daycares I have got a little boy who was very friendly and gave me a cuddle. Gave me a warm feeling - imagine how it would feel with my own little boy?
There is still a part of me that is not sure if I am ready for motherhood but big, huge part of me can't imagine not having this little child in my life already even though he's not even born yet. They say you'd never know your ability to love until you have children and they are right. You just want the best for your child and that even start when he's still in your womb.

Move your blooming arse!!!
On Friday night we went to dinner at the Moonee Valley racecourse with Scott's colleagues.
It's the first time that I visited a race so it was rather exciting. Scott and I and Georgina actually picked trifecta winners on the first race even, but when we actually put money on our bet it didn't work out that well, as predicted.
We put the bet on the last race with all of our money (which summed up to $12 all together - what a poor couple!). It is all derived from good analysis, you see... I put it on number 2 (for my birth date and the horse name is actually Lady Lyn) and Scott bet on number 12 (for his birth date and the horse name is Diditformum and it was Scott's mum's birthday that day), lots of good factors for them, don't you think? Of course we just over analysed, although mine came third and with the 4 dollars that we put on that horse we will get something out (we haven't get the money from the TAB yet but Scott reckons we will get about 5 dollars out of it :P). One of the guys from the table won $1000 on that race. We put 20 dollars each on the punters club though (where they choose the horse for us) and at the end of the day we went home with $115 each. Not bad, especially since work actually paid for that 20 dollars!

Pilates and Yoga
After months of not doing any streching, I did pilates and yoga both in the same week! Went to Sharon's pilates place in Richmond and although it was good (could feel that I stretched the muscles that I haven't been using for ages) it's bloody expensive and I can't really afford it. They said I couldn't claim it to my private insurance because I haven't done the initial examination yet. Not really wanting to do initial examination there because it's just to far and I might not be going regularly.

Meanwhile, yoga is very interesting. It turned out that there is a yoga place just within walking distance from here that has prenatal class, so I could've done it ages ago (very ashamed of myself). Under normal circumstances I would hate the class. We lied down for the beginning and end relaxation with the Indian music in the background(that mis- tracked a few times on the cd player) and a very soft spoken instructor - I got restless at the beginning but at the end I sort of fell asleep (it was boring). I was surprised that I enjoyed the real yoga postures though. As much as I'd like to pretend that the pregnancy didn't slow me down, my body can't pretend that I wasn't pregnant and I think this is the only exercise that my body can handle at the moment.

Christmas shopping was unbearable as well. I had to sit down every half hour and it just tired me down. Glad it was over and done with, but I am not very looking forward to driving 7 hours to Orange next week.

Well I guess I am just a big pregnant woman now....

week 27 - 3 more months to go

My body:
* Apparently, as I mark the days of my third trimester off the calendar, my body will continue to change and grow. I WILL gain weight more rapidly than in my first or second trimester, and my breats WILL increase in size and weight - up to FOUR times larger and heavier. One word: EEEEKS....
* It's happening.. third trimester is the most uncomfortable stage because baby is growing rapidly, which means you are bigger as ever, get fatigue easily, and short of breath all the time because the uterus is now up near the rib cage (apparently this also is influenced by how you're carrying your baby - whether it is low and small, or high or big - which in turn is depending on your build, how much weight you gain and of what diet you gain it for. I am petite (or used to be) but definitely not carrying the baby low and small! Anyway, my tummy is as hard as rock most of the time, and the heat (Melbourne has been around 37 degrees the past 2 days) is making me very uncomfortable.
* Bleeding gum - Mine is not too bad actually since it is only on one spot and only bleeds when I floss - but I noticed it is getting slightly worse. The gums, like the mucous membranes of the nose become swollen, inflamed and tend to bleed easily because of pregnancy hormones. Book suggested to take a lot of vitamin C and calcium, and also check with the dentist since if left untreated, gum disease increases a woman's risk of having a premature or low-birthweight baby (note to self: find a dentist)
* What causes heartburn during pregnancy? During pregnancy, hormone and physical changes may cause stomach acid to flow up into the esophagus. The hormone progesterone, produced by the placenta, relaxes the valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach. This allows gastric acids to seep back up the pipe, causing that unpleasant burning sensation. Progesterone also slows down the wavelike contractions of the stomach, making digestion sluggish. In later pregnancy, your growing baby crowds your abdominal cavity, slowing elimination and pushing up the stomach acids to cause heartburn (Which is why Mylanta & Rennie are my new friends now).


My Peanut:
His facial features are almost fully developed and synchronizing enough that he may make faces that are visible on an ultrasound (would it be like Scott? or would it be like me? Apparently Caucasian gene is stronger than Chinese but who knows - Mum is Javanese so there might still be a possibility...)
His skin is becoming ticker and fleshier and increasingly wrinkled, thanks to the amniotic fluid.
The brain is active this week as well. The characteristic grooves on the brain's surface start to appear and more brain tissue develops.
He's been having a lot of hiccups - also moving and kicking alot.

My third trimester. It said that I have to be extra careful now with what I eat because my immune system is now somewhat suppressed. Oh my GOD! I had a bratwurst dog in the market yesterday and I am completely paranoid about it now....

Lani arrived from Auckland on Tuesday morning and stayed with us until friday. I thought having Lani would be like having mum around - forcing me to have the exercises that I need. Two reasons why this time it didn't work: firstly, Scott was away so we got the car and almost drove everywhere. Secondly, we spent most of our time sitting down and eating and having a chat so not much walking involved. And to make it worse, I also felt like I am on holiday so I ate alot of unhealthy snacks and ice creams and all the things that I didn't need.

It's good having a company while Scott is away. We caught up a few times with Rui and Lani's other friend in Melbourne - spent time on the beach, looking around the city but most of the time, relaxing and taking our time.

As much as I enjoyed though - I felt too pregnant sometimes. It is getting hard to keep up since I don't have the same energy, also going out at night without alcohol is not as fun - few times I fell into the comfort zone of staying home, putting my legs up and have the air conditioning on, rather than being out and about at the pub. Am I getting old or just boring?

I just realised that I am not very happy with this doctor since he's just ignoring my questions or, to put it in more subtle way, doesn't really acknowledge my worries. My visits have been very short and everytime I asked something he just cut to the chase and did not even try to reassure me. I know he's been there and done that (old doctor he is!) and that he must have come across hundreds of new mummies to be like me, but that should make him more understanding that a lot of first timers are more nervous than others. It's a bit too late to change doctor now so hopefully he's really good in delivering babies.

Week 26 - Baby whisperer

My body:

* Weight is going up steady no matter how I control my diet. It is still within reasonable range but every Friday morning (my weighing day), I still hold my breath when I step on that damn scale!
*Am bloated most of the time. Oh deaaar... It's one those situation where eating or not eating doesn't make any difference so you might as well eat.....

My baby:
is almost 1 kg, and hears noises, responds to light and is generally more aware of its surrounding. In the same way that you can see a flashlight if you hold it against your palm, the baby can see the light coming through my belly. His hearing is fully developed and as he reacts to sounds, its pulse increased.

Aaargh.... 26 weeks! Where did time go? Next week I will be going in my third trimester... In a short order, i will be a (giant) walking canvas of diapers, breast milk and poo... probably longing for the calm of being a Lady of Leisure I am now. I can't yet fathom the life with the baby but people said I should definitely enjoy the boredom of not doing anything at the moment, I sure won't have any leisure time when junior is born. There is a worry that the carefree side of me will rebel - I still have my chick lit book next to my pregnancy book on my bedside table. And although I have been piling books about choosing the right nursery and all the baby stuff, I still haven't actually read any and still choose Paulo Coelho over them.

I have put the dvd of baby whisperer (not sure what it's called though) by this Australian woman, Priscilla Dunstan, on my Christmas list. She was in Oprah the other day and on Australian TV yesterday and claimed that she had unlocked the secret language of babies. A lot of parents swore that understanding the sounds that babies make have made their life so much easier and more relaxed - especially for new parents.

After studying more than 1000 babies between 0-3 months old, she said she had identified 5 words that babies say (coming from their bodies' needs and are manifested in their cries), regardless their culture or races.
Here they are:
"Neh" means "I am hungry"
"Eh" means "I need to burp"
"Owh" means "I am sleepy"
"Heh" means "I am experiencing discomfort"
"Eairh" means "I have lower gas"

Scott went "Neh" "Neh" all night when I went "Eh" "Eh" in reply (due to the bloating).

I have made an appointment to check the daycare centre facilities in the area for next week. As suspected the waiting list is about a year at the moment (eeeks...) and I was suggested to put my name down as soon as possible. Not to mention these centres are not really cheaper one from the other. I'd still like to get junior to socialise in early age though - good for his development and my sanity!

Dreams and Emotions
No moody feelings for me, thank God. I hardly feel hormonal or emotional during these months. What I found funny though, is, that even though I dont' feel like crying or yelling during the days, there were nights that I have had dreams where I had very emotional fights with people in which I was very very upset and angry and usually ended up screaming at those people. Had those dreams with mum in it, even my ex boyfriends, but thankfully never with Scott (otherwise I would be very concerned! As a matter a fact, in those dreams where I had emotional upsetting episodes with my exes, I woke up and felt very blessed that I am with Scott and not with them now :D). Certainly the way my body channeling the frustration and emotions in other ways since I never really channel them in the real life.

Week 25 - Yummy mummy

On the left: Scott and I getting ready for the Chairs for Charity dinner at Flemington Racecourse. Was very proud and slightly surprised that I still have good balance for dancing on those high heels and the big belly!


My body:
Over all I am feeling alright. No complaints except those old ones (but I have made peace with them). I have been told by a few people though, that my belly is puffing like self raising flour. You just left the dough to stand for a few minutes, look away and PUFF it raised like magic.

Some people commented that it looked like I am having a big baby. I did feel humongous last week. And a little uncomfortable with the sturdiness and the fact that it is getting hard to bend over. I know it is a bit early but my envy to big bellies that those soon-to-be mummies have, have disappeared. I just want it to be over. At the same time I think my belly has reached it best shape - from now on it's going downhill (bigger and eventually will look like it is going to explode!)

Honestly, it is such a mixed bag - sometimes I look at my belly and wish I could stay pregnant forever. Other times, it feels like a science project (or as I said before, baking dough) gone wrong and expanding out of control and I wonder how I'll survive another three more months.

My baby:
weighs about 1.5 pounds and measures 8.8 inches from crown to rump (or about 13.5 inches from head to heel). He is becoming stronger as its stem cells continue to develop into bone tissue, and its bones become solid through a process called ossification. Slightly worried about him because he seems to be less active than last week though. Hope everything is fine.

I feel like a yummy mummy this week. There were days when I felt FAT but most of the time I feel good and sexy. Had a look around for photography sessions for pregnancy portrait, but they all are rip off. Ripping off the joy of people's life I think, their job descriptions are! (ask Sharon if you don't believe me, she's getting married next year so she's gone through the motions of finding a photographer and I am sure they mark their price up even worse for weddings!)

This week, finally, it was appeal to me to start looking at baby's stuff, such as nursery and little tiny clothings. I even started to look around for baby day care. It is ludicrous, that people need to book ahead even before the baby is even born (for people that actually want to get back to work after a year off they actually need to book even before they find out they are pregnant!). I do have the luxury of not having to go back to work, and have also realised that my former self has collapsed under the nesting impulse, when I find myself ironing Scott's working shirts. I have also done a lot of washing and cooking and vacuuming (twice within 2 weeks - that's definitely my maternal instinct kicks in)
Anyway, this whole world of parental responsibilities lurking out there - and it is making me a bit nervous. All these thoughts of what might go wrong - what if our son doesn't get a daycare centre on time, what if he ends up in a lame nursery school, where the carers don't care about them and just looking at them while having cigarettes? And what if our son ends up hanging out with the wrong crowd and smoking pots after school - errrrrr.. that might be too far into the future but you get the point!

Am a bit disappointed of myself though. I still haven't started my pregnancy pilates/yoga/exercise that I was planning to do straight away after we move to Melbourne. I had fallen into my comfort zone last week and as a result I felt even more tired and more wasted. There isn't any pilates/yoga places close here that convenient by feet and we're getting tired of waiting for my car to arrive. It's really a lame excuse, I know.. but I just can't be bothered to go if I have to walk or wait for bus half an hour each way.

Finally - U2 concert happened last Sunday. It was fantastic, especially because I hadn't been to any concerts for ages. I am glad I made effort to buy those tickets after I sold the ones for Auckland. Oh and baby didn't seem to mind - he didn't kick as much as I thought he would be but I wonder if that is because he covered his ears and maybe preferred the classical music?)

Week 24 - Finding Forester

My body:
* Undies are getting too small, not sure if my bum is getting bigger or all my undies have shrunk in the dryer or combination of both.
* Braxton hicks? Well, as always, am not very sure if I did experience the hicks. Braxton Hicks are intermittent contractions of the uterus that some women experience during their pregnancy. They were first described by Dr. John Braxton Hicks in 1872, an English gynecologist, and are often referred to as practice labor because they are thought to help prepare your body for the real deal. Apparently most women notice Braxton hicks contractions in their second half of their pregnancy and in their third trimester in particular. Most of them last between 30 to 60 seconds, often feel like a tightening of the front of your abdomen or pelvis. * Numbness - the blood circulation in the body of course is affected by the pregnancy, and as result I feel numbness on my fingers or feets from time to time. Mostly when I lay down in bed and not moving for a while.
* Just like an old pregnant woman, I started to need Scott's help to move around after getting comfortable or settled for a while in bed or in the lounge. Sometimes he needed to push my back or I need to roll to my side before able to actually standing up or changing my position!


My baby:
Weighs about 1.2 pounds and about 12 inches from head to heel - that is around 30 cm! He's growing for sure!) His lungs have started secreting surfactant, the substance that keeps the moist, interior surface of the lungs from sticking together, and he is practicing breathing. His eyes are also watching for lights and his ears are listenign to the heartbeat and the stomach growl.

While we were on the topics of his hearings, the other day I put an easy listening classical CD on - you know what they say, it is supposed to calm the baby down and stimulate his brain while he is still inside the womb. A few minutes after the music was on, he started to kick. I haven't got any clue whether or not that means he liked the music or hated it (Maybe he prefers top 40 music?)

Also this morning, I was woken up by the sound of a truck blowing his horn. A split second later I felt his movement as if this had startled him as well. He didn't really have a good reflex though, he kicked a bit too long after the horn blew but at least we know he was reacting to sounds!

Pregnancy is a funny thing. It is funny enough having someone (a real person!) growing inside your tummy - and you can't control it. It grows without you have any saying about it. Sharon said last night - it wouldn't sink down in her until she sees me holding the baby in my arm. I almost feel like that too. Sometimes it is real, sometimes it is not.

On Thursday we had a maternity hospital tour at Masada. The lady showed the facilities around. That time it felt real, that I am having a baby - looking at the birthing room made me shiver. When the lady said some women have been in those rooms for a long birth, it dawned to me all the pains and the things that can happen in the labour. Eeeeeeks.....

The other day I was also freaked out by the thought that I AM going to be a mother. And this is it, no turning back! I thought, what if I didn't enjoy being a mother? What if I hated not being free as I was before, or if I wasn't a good mother? So many things that started to sink in as the pregnancy grows. So many worries. And joys at the same time.
I have to say, despite all that, I have been enjoying my pregnancy.

We picked up the new Subaru Forester on friday. How exciting! I got to drive it after dinner at Sharon's on Saturday (pregnant women = designated drivers!) and it was as smooth as. Scott's been like a little boy with his new toy - he went to see the car in the garage before he went to sleep and checking the car out on the way to the shop around the corner (walking!).

Week 23 - Suburbia housewife

My body:
• Oh waist, where are tho? It’s gone! Mum said I looked much bigger than I was when she first arrived. I think I did finally grow pregnant within the past 4 or 5 weeks. Every week I feel big but the next week when I look at my last week’s picture I can see that I was definitely smaller then. Funny how a week can make a difference (on the scale as well!)
• I have been getting more and more tired easily. Only need to walk for half an hour or so to feel my back aching and the need to sit down. The thing is I walked a lot this week with mum here and we didn't have any car. It's good because we definitely need the exercise but bad because I got very very tired at the end of the day (at least mum cooked dinner every night hehe)

My baby:
weighs a little less than one pound, and is about 8 inches from crown to rump (or about 11.5 inches head to heel). He is continuing to develop facial features, has eyes that open and close, ears that can hear, and a thumb well worth sucking.

Scott’s away the whole week! Glad I have mummy as a company until next Sunday.

Things haven’t been as smoothly as we hoped since we moved here. Nothing had been easy, for example my car still hasn’t arrived – we’ve been waiting for the permit to arrive since 3 weeks ago and it only just arrived a few days ago, we still haven’t got any internet connection (I received an automated phone call yesterday saying: “This is an automated call from Exetel. Your ADSL application has been rejected. For more details or reasons why it is rejected, please visit our website bla bla bla…”, trouble with the health insurance correspondence, the list goes on and on and on.

The suburbian public transportation in Melbourne is crap – crappier than Jakarta since you can actually get a bus literally every 3 minutes in Jakarta (and you can halt it anywhere!). Mum and I are of course forced to take the public transportation to move about during her staying here. I got very cranky with the unreliable system and everything. This afternoon the bus was running late for half an hour, my back hurt and two young lads sitting on the bench didn’t even moved for that half hour, even after I said to mum in a loud voice and in English “I can’t take it anymore. I am pregnant and I need to sit down”. I had to sit down on the pavement!

After three days of walking from dusk til down (hiperbolic!) I started to get worried because baby seemed to be quiet. Would he be distressed because I forced it? Don't know - what I know is that he started to be a Haka warrior again when Scott came home after his trip. Maybe he just missed his father!

Week 22 – Home sweet home

My body:
• To sum it all: a little tired, a little hungry and a little uncomfortable. I truly get tired very easily, and my back sore very much when I stand or walk too long. As for a little uncomfortable, I freaked out the other day when I can’t really recognize or feel my body anymore. It’s not the same, not the look, not the sense. I feel like I am living in someone else’s body – a borrowed one. Or maybe mine was borrowed? Hope it will be returned to me after bubba is born.

My baby:
Weighs about 11 ounces, measures about 7.6 inches from head to rump (or just under 11 inches head to heel), and is growing eyelashes and eyebrows.

Everyone but mum left on Monday. Mum is staying another 2 weeks here and another week in Sydney with her friend so I employed her to help me with unpacking at the new house.
Yup, we moved in on Tuesday! A comfortable town house with central heating and air conditioning (what more can a pregnant lady who is due in the middle of summer ask?), dishwasher, and own room for bubsie.

I couldn’t get out of the house for 2 days because I just could not leave the house unfinished. On the third day, I gave in and dumped the remaining stuff in baby’s room (still have plenty of time to unpack them before baby arrives – although I am sure this will fly very quickly and I will get panic shortly!)

Scott and I were busy spending money on the house – went crazy! So much we spent already but I keep my mind on perspective: might as well spend now since we won’t be able to spend once baby arrives.

Week 21 Family affair

My body:
• Finally figured out the pain on my right side of my back, running right down my hip and leg. It is called sciatica, since it affects the sciatic nerve, causing lower back, buttock, and leg pain. It is another of the occupational hazards of expectant mothers.
• Linea nigra (dark line along my tummy) is growing darker – also find freckles around my breasts :D and pigmentation on my skin on certain parts of body.

My baby:
Baby is doing a lot of Haka nowadays now that I have recognised his movements. He gets restless in the evening when I try to get some sleeps, but he's been doing a lot of kicking and punching and kicking and punching! I made Scott put his hand on my bump for nights but he didn’t feel anything. One night we decided to see if we can notice it. And sure enough, a few seconds later something poking out of my tummy for a split second! How exciting!


Weekend with the family
I flew to Sydney on Saturday morning to meet up with mum & dad, my sister and her whole family who are visiting Australia.

It was fun - and at the same time, very tiring to look after 6 people (plus my brother who lives there). Took three times as long to get everyone out of the door or to the door of our destination. As I complaint to my sister about her two young children and how hard it was to organise them, she rolled her eyes at me and said, "you'll see".
Just two days had been enough to make me nervous and realised how hard it would be - I could disagree on some things that she'd done, but of course I might end up doing the same or even worse. I mean, there is not exact science on how to raise kids and from what I can see, it's not exactly a playground where you'd have fun all the time either!

Rianti also filled me in how how to raise dogs - it's her baby at the moment, so we had a funny conversations where we talked about different topics (me on raising kids, and her on dogs) but we carried on as if we were talking about the same thing.You can almost apply what she said about dogs to kids. Dogs are even better in some forms - to start with, they never poo or pee in their own territories, unlike children and their nappies.

I fell in love with my little nephew Joey though. He talks alot now, and smiles all the time (except when he cries and screams like a king), he ran around chasing after pigeons, got very excited in the zoo with all the bears, kangaroos and chimps, and really really liked his public transportation (just a promise of taking him on a bus or train calmed him down!)
Scott said don’t worry I’ll get my own soon.

They were here in Melbourne for 4 nights after their trip to Gold coast. Was so busy taking them around – mainly city (shopping!), little sight seeing to St Kilda, Crown casino, Southbank, Phillips Island (little penguins), and more shopping!


We have started thinking about names – but if you think it’d be easier now we know that it’s a boy (yup, it’s a boy!) you are soo wrong!! Boy’s names are not as easy as girl’s names, most of them are boring or too common, and we never agree on anything.
It reminds me of an episode in Friends where Ross and Rachel could veto other’s suggestion five times and they veto-ed everything that the other suggested that Phoebe said, “Is it just me or Veto started sound like a good name?”
It has actually been going on like a ping pong ball lately when we talked about baby names. He could pop out a name in the middle of the night or when we were watching TV, and I would say “no” and vice versa. Sharon has also been trying to contribute on some suggestions, some are good, but some are hilarious – Ashley is a good name, but not Ashley Bradley or Lee Bradley.
Mum also blurts out some hilarious names since I told her I want an Indonesian name for his middle name – “Baskoro”, “Bambang” (after our president!) and all other old men’s names. I said might as well name him Gatotkaca or Gajahmada if that’s the case!

Week 20 - Let the game begun

My body:
* We are half way done! Wow! Although from now on tummy will only get bigger and even bigger every day. At these stage (second and third trimester), all the important organs have been developed and baby is mainly growing in size. Which explains a lot why I grew so fast within these past 4 weeks. I started to look pregnant - which I love - except when I feel like I haven't got anything to wear (anymore).
* Heartburn, indigestion, flatulence and bloating come and go as they are pleased. I got hiccups easily after big meal. The growing baby is causing my internal organs to press against my lungs but I have not felt out or short of breath yet.
* Can't get too far from the loo. I need to go approximately every half hour - baby must be pushing my bladder. No matter how much I drink I still have to keep going.
* Backaches - my main complaint nowadays. Apparently the backache is caused by the usually stable joints of the pelvis begin to loosen up to allow easier pasage for the baby at delivery. This, along with the the oversized abdomen, throws the body off balance and to compensate, we tend to bring our shoulders back and arch our neck. It deeply curves lower back, strains back muscles and causes pain.


My baby:
is now about 5.6 to 6.4 inches crown to rump (about 10 inches head to heel) and weighs approximately 9 ounces. He/she is now practicing breathing and swallowing on a regular basis.
His skin is becoming more complex at the end of pregnancy week 20, forming different layers. The epidermis, or surface of his skin now has four layers that contain ridges for fingertips. The layers that form in his palms and feet will provide him with his own unique fingerprint later in life.

About a boy - or a girl?
Tuesday morning we went to get our second ultrasound. This is normally done around the twentieth week and are used to determine the size and position of the fetus, checking anatomy and thorougly examination on the baby. They can uncover any structural abnormalities of bones and organs that are visible by this time.

The most beautiful amazing creature is living in my tummy. It kept moving its hands and feet, but stubbornly not moving its position to make it easier for the sonographer to see the internal organs. All the time its back was against my tummy so the spines was on the way. (Stubborness took after its mummy, possibly).Took awhile to check every organs, but my little one is fine and healthy.

The sonograph asked if we wanted to find out the sex of the baby and we said, "Yes definitely" and the second she said that, I knew what we are going to have.

It is the most amazing experience - even though it was a fifty fifty chance, but when we found out, it's undescribable feeling rushing through my heart (and brain). It was like playing Russian roulette, you know it'd be either red or black but you still wouldn't know which one you'd place the bet on.
It is not a secret but some people prefers not to know our baby's sex - Janelle refused to know while some other (won't name names) probably think the sonographer might as well was wrong, because their guess was wrong.

Now we know the sex of baby, it just became more real. So many things that needed to be think about from now on, the name of the baby to start with. We started throwing names to each other, just to cringe to the other's ideas. Long way to go before we really have to name the baby but I don't think this will be an easy objective to achieve between Scott and I.

Friday 20th October, 2pm.
The second wow of the week: I think bubsie just kicked me!!! Very soft movement in my tummy, it felt more like he had a tiny hiccups in my tummy or maybe a very soft pinch more than anything.
Am sure there will be more coming from now on!

First appointment with the Obstetrician this afternoon. Went very fast (and cost a lot too!). He is not particularly nice or nasty, just very efficient and straight to the point. At least we know he's good, he delivered one of the GP's children (who referred us to him), so we really couldn't get better reference.

week 19 - Pregnant belly

My body:
* my pregnant belly is really showing. I grow rapidly - faster than a baby hamster. Scott went to Sydney for 3 days and when he came back he reckoned I was bigger than last time he saw me.
* Exercise - or just walk for half hour everyday really makes a difference to my posture. If I didn't do it, my back starts to ache and feels very uncomfortable.
* Strectching of the ligaments and little twitches in my tummy carrying on - suspicious that some of the movements were probably baby's but too insensitive to recognise :P.

My baby:
weighs approximately 7 ounces and is about 5.2 to 6 inches from crown to rump. The exterior layers of skin tissue are developing to form her one-of-a-kind fingerprints. The amniotic fluid that surrounds her allows for the free movement of the arms and legs and is also sometimes swallowed to practice digestion.
Her hearing is developing, and she'll be getting used to the sound of your voice. She will also feel your touch when you massage your abdomen. Little peanut now sleeps and wakes at regular intervals and has started to exercise her lungs and practice her breathing techniques.Tiny teeth are also forming in her gums.

She will begin to recognise my voice and may respond to loud noises or music by making jerky movements possibly showing that whatever she is hearing is too loud and frightening.

Sharon took me to see the wedding band viewing. They were playing in the little studio, and the music was blasting from the big speakers around us. I told Sharon my poor bubsie might be frightened and Sharon said it might be triggering her to kick for the first time. Couldn't feel anything :D - maybe she'll grow up to be a rockstar.

The hospital that we have chosen is called Masada - it is not our first priority but the other one was booked out for March delivery. Eeeks...Australia is really short of hospitals and maternity wards and as a consequence if you gave birth in a public hospital they might put you in a room with 5 other mothers (and their babies!). We drove through the hospital in the weekend and it look like a small nice private hospital, so quite happy with it.

So hot today I was like a dog with my tongue hanging from my mouth. Is it just because I am pregnant that it made me more exhausted, I don't really know. Good timing, Linda. By the time summer is here, I will be big and fat, and roasting!!!!
*It will still be a good reason to be roasting though!*

We are still living off the suitcase, except most of my outfits has been outgrown. Hopefully we get our airfreight boxes in a few days (although I doubt that there will be anything that still fits me!).
We spent the weekend looking for houses to rent again, and also looking for a car. We stll haven't had any luck yet - hopefully next weekend.
Mum & Dad and my sister's family are coming over the week after next and stay here for 4 days so the apartment is going to be (more than) a full house!

Week 18 – Sleepless in Melbourne

My body:
• The waist keeps expanding but I guess there is no going back from now. As Warren puts it: “Guess what, it is only going to get bigger!” I am looking forward to the day when I will look well and truly pregnant as opposed to a person who has problem with her belly I am now.
• I started to feel tired easily. Very easily. Fortunately my daily schedule is no longer busy anymore – am getting used to easy and relaxing life in Melbourne.
• I must be a freak – I have been having weird and bizarre dreams almost everynight. Once I was a spy, the other time I happened to be at a murder scene, and yesterday I was eating snake meat (and hated it) – I have been looking forward about what I would dream about every night though. Fortunately I haven’t dreamt about eating my baby (which some people did, apparently)

My baby:
is twice as big as he was last month, but he still weighs only about 225 grams. Although things may seem calm on the surface, he is kicking, flexing, reaching, rolling, and even sucking his thumb now. His hearing is now functioning and he will be listening to my heartbeat (How amazing!)


New life again!
It just dawned to me when we arrived at the airport that we are not just here for holiday, we are here to stay!
We are staying in the city for a while until we find a permanent place to stay. It’s a gorgeous 2 bedroom apartment, very spacious and very nice and it’s right in the middle of the city. We rented this two bedroom apartment because my sister said she was going to come with mum and dad but up until now – two weeks before the scheduled trip, nothing had been finalized. Typical. (The apartment is so beautiful that I almost wanted all six of them to come just to show off! The only thing we hated is the agent but it’s a long story.)

Sharon kept me busy with the wedding planning. I went with her to choose her wedding dress, finding the right invitation, etc etc. So exciting that I want to get married again (with my hubby of course!)

On Friday we went to see a GP who was recommended by Sharon and Warren. He patiently explained about the maternity system in Australia and referred us to the ultrasound place for our anatomy scan. Ade had warned me about waiting list in public health service but even with the private one, we had to wait until early November to get appointment! After a few phone calls, I managed to get ourselves a spot for the week after next. Doctor also said we need to decide which hospital we want to go to – and we have to do it quick since it’s already week 19 and people usually went to the obgyn the first time when they were between 8-9 weeks. The problem is of course, we don’t know yet where we want to live let alone choosing the hospital. Also, this hospital will need to be covered by our private insurance and we haven’t made up our mind on which insurance to join. I couldn’t really do research at home because the bloody real estate agent who was supposed to organized our internet connection here (should have been done last week) doesn’t have enough work ethic even to return our calls, and Scott has been so busy at work to do it. It is quite frustrating.

Week 17 - Haera ra Aoteroa!

My body:
•There is thin line across my tummy from up to top now! They call it linea nigrea, though who knows why it’s there. The only thing they explained about it is, again, this is because of the changes of hormones in my body.
•I had severe headaches at the beginning of the week for a few days. This might relate to something that I eat but also the temperature had been hot so there was a chance that I was dehydrated.


My baby:
is approximately 4.8 inches long and weighs about 3.5 ounces, and he or she should weigh more than the placenta from this point on. Since your baby's hearing has become more finely tuned, he or she may respond to loud noises and supposedly I can feel movement at the sound of large trucks passing or a slamming door (of course I haven't - maybe it's just me that is insensitive). Epidermal (skin) and fatty tissue are developing all over the baby's body to protect it after it is born and a substance called vernix is beginning to form on the skin tissue to protect it from the long exposure to amniotic fluid.


This is it. Our last week in New Zealand. It finally sank it that we are moving OUT of this country, might never come back (but hopefully we will!) and all the goodbyes to friends and places that we have become familiar with.

Monday:
My last day of working! For another 2 years!!! WOOO HOOOOOOO. Scott said if that wouldn't make me happy then he wouldn't know how to make me happy - I said I am worried about having to justify buying another pair of shoes for my self for another 2 years.
(Might try to see if I can get a contracting job in Melbourne before baby pops out but doubt it as I will start be showing.)
Had a terrible headache in the evening. It might be because of the chocolate brownie that I ate in the afternoon.
Went to pick up the car at the mechanic – it cost a fortune! I was pretty upset because with that amount of money, we really should have sold the car and get a newer one in Melbourne. But at this stage we couldn’t do anything but go ahead with the plan and ship the car with the rest of the furniture (which initially shouldn’t cost us anything since the company is paying for the shipment and the tax)

Tuesday:
I was into the (spring) cleaning and de cluttering all morning – done a big job sorting out books and little tidbits that we want to throw away. The problem was that we didn’t really know where to throw away 3 boxes of old text books (not that we feel right to throw away books as well). I rang secondhand bookshops but none of them do textbooks so Scott decided to throw them away at the waste paper bin at his work.

Farewell dinner at Non Solo Pizza in Parnell with Scott’s work. They gave Scott a kiwi with All Black costume photo holder to be put at his desk. The story behind it was that Scott had always lost betting Australia to the All Black during the rugby season and always ended up buying bottles of wine for the other who backed All Black. They said if Scott put that All Black photo holder on his desk in Melbourne people will think that he’s backing All Black and can get all the wine back from them.
As for me, I got a little cute teddy bear with All Black costume for my little peanut so he will know that he has a bit of Kiwi in his blood.


Wednesday:
I still had the biggest headache ever that I rang the midwife. She said chances are everything is ok –have a lot of water and if it still didn’t fix it, see a GP.

The weather has been gorgeous (sunny and not a cloud in the sky). Isn’t that typical, just when we are about to leave, rain finally stopped and was replaced with warm weather - spring has finally sprung!


Thursday:
I was going to get the car washed through the drive-through carwash but it was closed so I had to wash it myself – big mistake. I shouldn’t have been allowed to wash my car! What a waste of money – I spent so much coins to make sure that I did proper job, but once I got home I could see all the patches on the car that I missed cleaning.
Scott said it definitely needed to be cleaned again because it needed to be spotless for the immigration! Grrrrh… Waste of time and my energy.

Friday
Removalist arrived today – lovely hubby happened to forget to tell me about this change of plan! (They were going to come tomorrow). All went well though all they left us were the bed and the set of drawers – packed the rest of the things. They left the table where they put our laptop but then packed the chair!!
This poor pregnant woman had to sit on the floor for the rest of the night not able to do anything else but browsing internet! We couldn’t even watch TV since they packed both of them. Had to go out for dinner at Mission Bay – for the last time, sniff sniff. We chose the Italian restaurant that we had never been, and it was terrible. Food was not very nice and incredibly expensive.

During the day Scott came and picked me up so we can drive my car off at the Depot. The trip took forever since it was on the other side of the city, and the customer service made us fill in the immigration form at the last minute (Scott was getting nervous at that time since he’s been away from work more than 1.5 hours). To make things worse, we also had to return the number plate to the testing station and get de-register, but they couldn’t take off the plates from the car! We decided to go back there tomorrow morning to pick them up.


Saturday
Moving day! We were up by 8am but the removalist didn’t come until before 10am. We both got a bid edgy because we needed to drive all the way to the Depot to pick up the number plates and get registered. Fortunately it all worked out fine and when we got home they had almost finished with the moving. We still had to wait for the cleaners to come in though to clean the house thoroughly, and to say goodbye. Thought the job is over? Well, not really. The real estate agent said that we need to see her to sign on the bond release form this afternoon. All this never-ending little jobs that they only tell you at the last minute!

It was really hard packing clothes for the first 4 weeks in Melbourne when you pregnant, as you don’t know how big you are going to end up in a few weeks.

Anyhow, we went to see Birgit, Stefan and little Daniel before taking off to say our goodbyes (hate goodbyes!).

Checked in at Heritage hotel. This was the hotel that we stayed at the first time we went to Auckland almost 2 years ago. Very posh and expensive house but our room was crap! Maybe all are just signs that we really need to get out of this country! :P


Our last night was spent at Bombay Hill, for Phil’s 40th birthday party. Good weather, good companies, big bon fire, we even had hangi (traditional Maori feast) for dinner making it a nice way to spend the last night. Everyone had promised to come so it’s not like goodbye.

We’ll miss this place – and promised ourselves that we will be back here with the little one!

Week 16 - Bad Week!

My body:
* I hate it! I hate it!! I put on weight faster than a rocket - around 1/2 kg per week. Don't know how it happens but it does. What makes things worse it that I haven't really watch what we're eating as well - one night it's pizza, the other day it's hamburger - it's just the things I craved for, plus I still couldn't be bother to cook. Also because this is our second last week we are busy having farewell dinners and getting free meals - do you think I slow down on that?
* Sore back - every morning when I get up, it felt like I have been sleeping on nails.
* I also have been getting this twicthing feelings down my tummy - It might be the that the uterus is strecthing out preparing for the baby growth but apparently at this age it might be the baby kicking and about!
All and all I feel unattractive the whole week!

My baby:
is about the size of an avocado now but in the next three weeks, he'll go through a tremendous growth spurt — doubling his weight and increasing his length. In the meantime, he'll be playing with his umbilical cord and practising breathing by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid through his lungs.

On Monday, we went to the second visit to the midwife - we told her that we were moving to Melbourne in two weeks so she didn't actually perform the test which initially to be done today and said it could be done later!
Aaargh.. Why why it can never be right with these people?

Enough winging. Can't really be complaining because everything is fine, apparently.

My little peanut is a big baby apparently - according to the midwife. When she touched my tummy, she said "Wow. The Baby is really growing fast!"
Me: "Oh really? Wow that's a relief. I have been thinking it's just my tummy since I have a very healthy appetite now"
Her: "No, you can feel the size of your womb and it's quite big."
Scott (jumped into the conversation): "Well, I guess we're having a big Australian baby - not a tiny Indonesian one"

(PS. Told mum about it and she said hope baby wouldn't be too white/bule or people will start thinking that I am just the Philipino nanny. PPS. Scott argued that western people don't think like that but they might think that I am a philipino bride by mail!!!!!)

Then we heard the baby heartbeats again.
Her: "Are you going to find out the sex?"
Me: "Yes. Definitely."
Her: "There is an old wives tale which predicts the sex of the baby from the signs. And this is quite a fast heartbeat so it might be a BOY"
(Scott grinned very wide at this point)
Scott: "I've got a psychic aunty who said this is going to be a boy"

Scott aunty, Kerry, a self-proclaimed pshychic woman apparently said to one of her colleagues that he was expecting a baby which was due in March and it's going to be a boy. And this man was obviously a bit confused about what she was talking about (not sure if he was expecting any baby) but anyway, this was before Kerry found out about us. When she did, she figured that her premonition was all about us after all.

Although talking about psychic, Rianti and James reckon it's going to be a girl - but can't give any reasons why they think of that (maybe they are two of a kind? :P). I don't think they are particularly psychic and honestly, it's not a hard guess isn't, it's either a her or a him!

Scott is convinced that I shouldn't take any drug during the labour because anything given to me can be passed to the baby through the placenta. Baby gets weary until the drug is worn out, and also the mother doesn't recover as quick because of the drug effect (drowsy and weary). Eeks.. I said I'd think about it. At the moment my ground is we'll try but I am not ruling out drugs - if I need it then I NEED it!

Bad week!

I am not having a good week. Wednesday morning was such a bad morning. Started with having to go back to the house twice to get water for my radiator, and then realising I forgot the laptop (I guess it's good that I remember before I hit the road but it;s still annoying) and then I 'bumped' into other car when I parked the car and this Witch who was there screamed at me "What are you doing? You hit my car.."
bla bla bla. It was such an innocent bump, but it is my fault! I shouldn't be allowed to drive while pregnant - very very careless. This is quite normal though, pregnant women are known to loose their sense of judgmental and also sometimes get brain fog and becoming absentminded.

Also, I've been meaning to get my tooth fixed but I got so lazy and ended up not having able to do it because of the pregnancy. Then the filling just fell off! I went to the dentist but they only gave me temporary filling because they need an xray to give me a crown - which they couldn't do because I am pregnant. This means I will need to fork out my own money for crowing in Melbourne instead of covered by our expatriate insurance here.
Lesson to learn: Never procrastinate.