Week Twenty Five: Saturday 28th June 2008

While I always look forward to next obstetrician appointment, this morning’s one was particularly important as I had just one question for the Professor – “Am I massive??” Sounds particularly indulgent I know, however I have had my fair share of comments to that effect, so I really needed an answer. Much to my relief the professor confirmed that I am by no means massive – ok, so perhaps people haven’t actually used the word “massive” but the word “big” has floated around a lot more than I would like at this point in time. Nevertheless, the Professor assured me I was completely average… Hooray! So I have decided I am now brave enough to have my three week belly photo taken.


We took a look at Elwood on the Prof’s screen, although it was difficult to see much. The heartbeat was nice and strong and baby was wriggling around lots – how unusual! As it turns out, Elwood’s head is positioned down near my left hip and his / her little legs are the culprits in the attack against my right ribs. The nurse had the first look at the baby’s sex today (she is quite nosy, but lovely) and although Elwood was making it as difficult as possible for her to see anything, she claimed she could take an educated guess. Now, I am probably reading too much into it, but later on in the scan she called the baby a “he” and yes, that could mean nothing at all, but still it caught my attention and had me wondering…

Today’s is Mum’s birthday – Happy Birthday Mum! Ash and I had wanted to take her for lunch, but as it turns out she is quite the popular grandma-to-be, too busy with other plans, to make time for her own children! I guess we will have to book her in advance next time. Anyway Mum, hope you had a lovely day (despite having to work) and you are enjoying the countdown to your trip home to the UK.

Sunday update: Judy, Mum and I got together this morning to organise the Baby Shower. It is taking a lot of restraint for me not to jump in and do everything myself, however I am not sure I could even if I wanted to – Judy is doing her best to remain in control. During our planning session, little Lucas was forced to entertain himself; he looked so gorgeous I just had to take a photo.

And speaking of gorgeous, take a look at the Parmenter family out for Dylan’s first Eels game!

Our little man is certainly a lucky charm, with the Eels getting up in a close one, by two points.

Week Twenty Four: Sunday 22nd June 2008

Elwood has now hit the six month mark, and according to the websites, weighs more than 600 grams. Other key facts for this milestone include: though he / she still has little body fat and his / her skin is thin and fragile, he / she is now well-proportioned (i.e. the head is no longer hugely massive). Elwood’s brain is growing rapidly, and from crown to heel he / she could measure 22 centimetres. On a personal level, Elwood seems to have found a comfortable niche directly under my right rib – I know I wrote about this last week, but I am starting to feel guilty – I think from all the pushing I keep doing under my rib, he / she is going to come out with a big dent somewhere on it’s body!

An exciting moment for Mum today, she felt the baby kick for the first time. I think the novelty has worn off for Ash, but Mum was definitely excited. Ash has also been given (to the horror of many family and friends) the responsibility for choosing the girl’s name. From those of you who don’t know, I have had the boy’s name chosen since I was practically in high school, but the girl’s name has always proven a little more difficult. I love the name Charlotte, however Ash refuses to name the baby after a character in Sex and the City (despite she is the best dressed of the lot). So, I have said he get’s final say on the girl’s name, and being Ash he has gone into full-on research mode to make his decision. He has decided the name should be of an Irish heritage, and found a terrific website that not only pronounces each name, but provides you with it’s meaning – all in an Irish accent. (click here to see for yourself: www.babynamesofireland.com) This is a pic of Ash taking his research all too seriously.

With the baby’s arrival quickly speeding up, Ash and I are more determined than ever to start on the nursery. Well, we say that now, we will probably be in exactly the same position in another four weeks time. Here are some of the BEFORE shots – (the nursery is currently the study), and the plan is to paint the walls a soft yellow, with a Winnie the Pooh border, specially purchased from the UK. Our furniture is chocolate coloured and at the moment includes a cot, change-table and the infamous rocking chair. We still need to work out where we will store all of Elwood’s clothing and toys, and judging from Dylan’s collection, we may need another room altogether.

I also need some ideas from my beloved readers in relation to another little project I want to get started… I thought it might be a fun idea to organise a time capsule of sorts for Elwood. The idea is to collect things which are important / relevant to the current year or even generation, and then give the package to Elwood on his / her 21st birthday. A nice way of seeing how things have changed since the year he / she was born. So for example, I thought I could get a CD with the top singles of the year, a copy of the newspaper on the day of his / her birth, a DVD of a high rating tv show, definitely something Eels related etc. Are there any other ideas out there?? If you do have an idea, please send through via the comments section, or drop me an email on: kelly_parmenter@arnotts.com

That’s about it for now, until next time….

Week Twenty Three: Sunday 15th June 2008

This blog is going up very late – it’s been such a busy week, I just haven’t had the time to put together an update.

The exciting news during week twenty three was that Kristen had her baby! On Thursday 12th of June, Alice Grace entered the world at exactly 2:22pm. She is absolutely gorgeous and her Mum and Dad are besotted. Just as an aside, I do think all these hormones floating around my body are having a somewhat of an intuitive affect, as I woke on Thursday morning and the first thing I thought was that Kristen would have the baby that day. I even told one of my girlfriends at work about my feeling – before we got the message from Kristen’s husband Ben. Of course Ash refuses to believe me, he is convinced any talk like that is rubbish – well what would he know anyway?? Speaking of Ben, he was one of the most smitten Dads I have ever seen. You couldn’t wipe the smile off his face, he was just so proud of Kristen and his new baby. Kristen did remarkably well after needing to have a caesarean in the end due to the baby going into distress. I am looking forward to my first cuddle soon.

This weekend I was involved in some voluntary work for Camp Quality through work. My Sunday morning (and Ash’s for that matter) started at the dawn breaking time of 5:30am, so we could lend some marshalling support to a fun run in Mosman. Well, I leant my support, Ash spent the entire miserable, rainy and freezing morning, munching on raison toast and enjoying a number of flat whites while reading the paper in a cafe. I meanwhile stood on the side of the road directing the runners and cheering them along. Ash he is no doubt under the impression that his, was a very important contribution to the day. Here’s a snap of me and the girls who also helped out on the day – I look absolutely massive (but to be fair to myself, I did have on four layers).

We don’t have another obstetrician appointment for another couple of weeks; however I am convinced I know how the baby is lying. I think there Elwood’s back is laying directly under my right rib, with his/her legs sitting in the middle of my belly and the arms a little further down. Over the last week I have felt ever so uncomfortable with the baby sitting up really high and making it difficult to breathe. However the great thing is there has been lots and lots of kicking and squirming around, I definitely have an active one on my hands.

Well best end here as I have been told I tend to make these entries a little long…

Ok, one last thing, Ash and I went over to Kym and Tim’s house for lunch on the weekend with Gae and John. Dylan was so fantastic to play with (his new trick is to imitate coughing noises!), he is really starting to show off his little personality and is so damn clever it’s not funny. Ash was being the pushy uncle, trying to encourage him to crawl as much as possible, and he is nearly there – as the photo shows. Although he is a bit of an over-achiever, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he walks first – I can just imagine him walking into the kitchen one day while Kym is cooking away.

Week Twenty Two: Sunday 8th June 2008

Now that I have reached the halfway mark (or just over), I thought it was important to dedicate at least one blog to “enjoying the journey” that is pregnancy. That is, there are a lot of great things about the 40 weeks of growing a baby that should be celebrated. So, this week, I have compiled my list of the 10 things I will remember wistfully once Elwood has entered the world.

1) Having a secret – although we wished the time away, it was a pretty exciting feeling for Ash and I, having a secret that we couldn’t tell anyone else about. The feeling is even better though when you get to finally share the news with everyone and be on the receiving end of endless congratulations.

2) Naps - when the doctor confirms you are pregnant, I believe the diagnosis should come with an automatic prescription for a 30 minute nap, taken daily. At no other point in your life will napping feel so good, if only I could squeeze them in during work!

3) That rosy glow – probably more of a myth than anything, but at no other time in your life are you rewarded with such compliments. I’m not sure if I have really seen the “glow” in another person, but I do think all that happiness and anticipation has to show itself somehow, and that usually translates into people telling you how beautiful you are.

4) Food, food, food – this is the one time in my adult life when I have enjoyed just about every kind of food there is. And people are almost throwing it at me, convinced I need to eat for two. The best part is, if I make it through breastfeeding, the calories consumed alone during that process ensure I am still able to make my way through mounds of dark chocolate.

5) The anticipation – there’s nothing like trying to imagine what Elwood will look like, who she / he will grow up to be, and just how in God’s name it is going to get itself out of that tiny space in October.

6) Feeling special – everyone around me still seems awestruck by the idea there is a baby in my belly – it means they go out of their way to make me feel special, almost like it’s the first time it’s ever been done.

7) The shopping - new clothes for me, new clothes for baby, new furniture, new gadgets, new everything! The shopping is fantastic, unless that it is, you are married to someone like Ash who insists on spoiling the fun by being practical (BORING) most of the time.

8) Tiny hiccups and big kicks - there is simply no substitute for the wonder of feeling the baby move. Ultrasounds are amazing, don’t get me wrong but, it’s that first squirm in your belly that signals a bond between you and baby.

9) Being taken care of – being pregnant means you are led to the front of the line, the door is cheerily opened for you, and Ash can even be cajoled into bringing me a snack and rubbing my back. Isn’t this the way life should always be?

10) Having pregnancy as an excuse - forgetting where I parked? That’s OK — I’m pregnant. Need to walk slowly? That’s OK — I’m pregnant. Being 15 minutes late to work? Well, you get the idea; behaviour that raises eyebrows in “real life” seems universally excused for now.

This weekend we celebrated the impending arrival of Daniela’s little one with her baby shower. The afternoon was terrific and I made the most of it, with three slices of ricotta rice cake. Seems not such a great idea now, that it’s time for another belly shot – see if you can count the chins!

Week Twenty One: Saturday 30th May 2008

I am dedicating this week’s blog to things people never tell you about pregnancy – well things they don’t tell you in the books anyway!

The dreams are extremely weird. It is now official - I have had a massive argument with just about everyone I know (and a few I don’t) - all while dreaming. Each night brings a new adventure in nastiness, culminating in one point with my threat to actually kill someone!! I can’t reveal the name of the person, beut reassured they are completely lovely, and someone who I think very much of. Although I am hoping this phase passes quickly, I have been warned there is worst to come… Next is usually dreaming you are giving birth to animals!

Your body becomes public property. Even now, at twenty one weeks, it’s difficult not to react with a quick brush away when people reach out for a feel of your belly. And I’m not talking about family and friends, I’m talking about random people while waiting for my coffee at Gloria Jeans (decaf of course), or people who I run into in the corridor at work. Still it’s kind of cool that your belly is so far out in front you can rest your cup of tea on there.

You have the same conversation at least three times a day. A day is yet to pass when I haven’t been asked if I know what I am having, and then subsequently, if I am planning on finding out. When Ash and I announced our news to our gym class, we spent the entire session having that same conversation at least ten times as we rotated around boxing partners. Still, the excitement never seems to wear thin, so I am happy to continue with my standard response until the little one arrives.

Advice is extremely easy to come by. It seems as though pregnancy brings out the expert – in everyone else. Advice includes, what to eat, what not eat, what to wear, how much to exercise, what to read, where to shop, you name it, I’ve heard it. Most people have the best of intentions, so I’m not complaining. I could however do without the horror stories – “My wife spent 36 hours in labour with our first one, a ten pound one ounce baby.”

You get a whole new view of your belly button. It is completely strange to watch your belly button turn inside out. It happens very gradually, but remains freaky nevertheless. No doubt this is probably the most insignificant of all the changes your body goes through, however it should receive more focus – after all it is the one thing that changes dramatically during the pregnancy and then returns completely to normal (if only everything did!)

Overall I am feeling great and really enjoying every day. As I grow, more and more people are convinced I am carrying a girl as I am broad across. Well there goes my hope of carrying like Angelina Jolie, instead I am fat and round till the end! Baby Elwood is still kicking goals in there, and we are just waiting for the one that Ash can actually feel. As I sit here tonight I got an almighty kick that you could actually see from the outside – and of course Ash is downstairs watching telly – timing is everything!! Here’s some pics of the baby furniture we have on order…