Week Thirty Eight: Saturday 27th September 2008

All of Ash’s dreams have come true, I am sitting here writing this while the Foxtel man installs our access in both the living room and bedroom. Now initially, this was an idea to help with the sleepless nights, trying to appease crying baby, (and crying mum), but I am beginning to think it signals the transition of Ash from dutiful husband (well that might be stretching things) to couch potato. He has awoken each day this week to give me the countdown of how many sleeps there were until the Foxtel man arrived, and has chosen today to inform the baby it is now ok for him / her to enter the world, now that we have Foxtel.


With my new status housewife, I invested plenty of time in the last two weeks of work, booking myself into appointments for the last week to help with easing into the days of relaxing and counting down to baby. So how has my exciting week panned out?

The baby capsule and car seat have been fitted into both cars – CHECK…


My tootsies are looking lovely… That is, when I bend over enough to see them – CHECK…


The baby clothes have been washed and ironed (easiest ironing job ever) – CHECK…


Lunch booked in with thoughtful friends – particularly Laura, who visited and spoiled me rotten with little William in tow (check out Laura’s lovely hamper of goodies for Mum and Dad) – CHECK…


House has been cleaned from top to bottom twice in one week – SAD… (and yes I spared you the photos).

So that leaves me with not a lot to do next week – and I have had to promise not to do any Arnott’s related work (which in a moment of weakness on Wednesday afternoon, I couldn’t help myself with). Could it be possible I will find myself glued to the tv? Chances are no, vegging out in front of the tele just isn’t the same when everyone else is at work.

Mum is convinced I have “dropped” and the arrival of Elwood is imminent this week… What do you think?


While that would make Ash a VERY happy man – he has grown increasingly impatient over the last couple of weeks, I’m not so sure he / she is going anywhere soon. I feel quite top heavy and am yet to “nest” or have any Braxton Hicks. I might make the best of my time this week with lot’s of walking and lot’s of curries!

Week Thirty Seven: Sunday 21st September 2008

IT’S OVER… I still can’t quite believe it; I have now said my farewell to work (for the time being at least). My last week was quite the hectic one, with lot’s to do, and not enough time to get it all done (but then what else is new?) I had hoped to spend the last few days relaxing and getting around to everyone to say goodbye, but of course, I should know myself better than that, and instead, I was putting in as many hours as possible trying to finish everything off.

I walked in on Friday morning, having to pinch myself that this would be the last time for a while, and was greeted with lovely gifts from my team, which had me teary from the get go, and it didn’t end there. All through the day, people dropped by my desk with cards and gifts and flowers to say their goodbye. It was such a lovely day and I felt so lucky, and so loved. I know a few of you are probably wondering why I am so attached to my job, but I think it’s clear I work with some really amazing people, and have some great relationships I look forward to holding onto.

Here are some shots of the many gifts and flowers I received..

I thought the Oroton Baby Bag deserved a photo of its own (for those of you who don’t know, I have more than a serious addiction to handbags, and Oroton is my brand of choice).


Work aside for a moment, Ash and I toddled off (no idea where that word came from) to another obstetrician’s appointment. I was saying a quiet prayer on the way that Elwood hasn’t engaged himself / herself in preparation for an early arrival. So, either I have a very well behaved baby, or someone up there is watching over me, as Elwood is not yet “locked in” (the exact words of the Prof – apparently the correct medical terminology is overrated). So now the waiting game begins, and little Elwood will enter the world when he / she is ready, and hopefully, Mum has had some down time.

Although I am massive – bigger than a house as it says on the countdown calendar, I wouldn’t say I am “over” being pregnant. The weekend was a little tougher than most, with the weather being so warm, however with the ceiling fans we have now installed upstairs, I was able to have a nice nap. It is a beautiful feeling to have the baby with you all the time, I love rubbing my tummy, particularly when Elwood is having a shift around. At this point, I don’t feel exhausted which usually gives some women the “over it” feeling… I think having exercised through out the pregnancy has definitely helped. Swimming has been so refreshing, although my swimming costume is leaving very little to the imagination these days… Luckily we share the pool with a limited few at 6am in the morning!


So from tomorrow onwards, I am a “lady of leisure.” Bets are being taken left, right and centre as to how long it will take until I am climbing the walls. One thing is for sure, as least next week’s blog entry will be on time for a change!

Week Thirty Six: Sunday 14th September 2008

Here I sit on Sunday night, preparing for my last week of work. It just doesn't seem real... I can't quite get my head around the fact this is the last time for a while I will be getting ready for the week of work ahead. And this is the strange bit... Part of me feels as though I am really going to miss it all. To be completely honest, I do love what I do, and I love the time I spend at work (even those bits that give me something groan about when I get home).

The great thing is however, I have spoken to many women who have recently returned to work from maternity leave, and each have said what a fantastic experience it was, to spend time at home with their baby, watching them grow and change almost everyday. Anyway, I’m sure I will be too tired to even think about what I might be missing at work!

As promised, here are the before and after photos from the transformation of the spare room into the nursery (music specially selected by Ash).

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

As the Eels have disappointed this year, we took the opportunity to try a new sport one for size - basketball, watching the inaugural game of the Sydney Spirit. Truth be told, our actual motivation for supporting the team, was Kym's return to the world of cheerleading, and all things considered, she was a lot more talented than the majority of the team. Here are some pics of Kym rocking the stadium, and Dylan doing his best to show an interest in a team other than the Eels. (Turns out we are not the best good luck charm for sporting teams, with the Spirit losing in a similar fashion to the Eels - just not good enough on the day).

For those of you interested, I am now the size of a house, and not sure there is a camera in the world with a wide enough lens to fit the whole of me in. I keep convincing myself that this is as big as I get, and yet somehow I wake up the next day almost bursting at the seams. Elwood is still happy to squirm around in there, and got quite excited with all the commotion of the game today. I’m hoping he / she is planning on sticking to our agreement, not coming into the world before I have finished work. Keep your fingers crossed for me…

Week Thirty Five: Sunday 7th September 2008

Happy Father’s Day! (And Happy Birthday Johno!)

While Ash is yet to make it to Dad status, we spent the day celebrating those who have made it, and who do so in style – unlike my husband. (Yes that’s him dressed in my swimming cap, Elwood’s Eels scarf and his PJ’s)

We had a yum cha lunch with Ash’s parents and Tim, Kym and Dylan, being an extra special celebration for Tim (his first Father’s Day) and John who has a birthday this coming Wednesday.

Dylan has recently started taking his first steps, so Ash and I took almost every opportunity to get him on his feet to show off his new talent.

After yum cha, we had to check out the Max Brenner café for chocolate dipped strawberries and dark chocolate frappes (because the big slice of birthday cake after lunch just wasn’t enough).

And then it was off to an Italian dinner with my parents and Jai – just when we thought we couldn’t eat anymore!

Both Dads have been absolutely amazing in helping with the arrival of our newest little family member, with many hours (and dollars) invested in the nursery (and the rest of the house for that matter). So thank you Dads – we love you lots!

Elwood is definitely starting to stack on the weight – check out the size of this belly!

The good news the obstetrician confirmed is he/she is not yet “engaged” so (I think) there is little chance of him/her making an early arrival i.e. before I finish up work. We’ve stopped asking the Prof any questions – after the “How should I know incident”, but I think I heard a murmur that I was 4/5 engaged which is just about as close as it gets. Lots of movement happening even with the space limitations imposed, but still no cravings – what’s the point anyway… I don’t think I will ever top Kym’s love of heads of lettuce in the final stages of her pregnancy – overheard to have said at the time “I just love the taste of green.”

Now I know I said I would do a nursery slide show this week, but I think this entry is long enough, so will save it for the next one. Check out my newest addition – the play list on the left hand side of the blog. Ash and I have selected some of our favourites for you to listen to (can’t say much for Ash’s taste).

Week Thirty Four: Sunday 31st August 2008

This week marked the final parenting class of the series, and I must say although we may have made it through the sessions, I can’t say I feel any more prepared for the birth or for bringing a baby home – do they really expect you to go home without a manual of some kind? The final class was a little on the dull side, with the highlight for me being the large chocolate sundae consumed on the way to the hospital. It was delicious and now I am completely hooked!

This week I started planning the hospital bags packing, that’s right, two of them – one for the labour, the other for the hospital stay. My kit for the labour includes:

 Fit ball
 Stress balls
 Heatpack
 iPod and speakers (yet to select my play list – any suggestions?)
 Massage oil
 Tennis ball (a good massage tool)
 5 pound coin (ok, this one might sound strange, however according to my Nan, it is good luck to place a 5 pound coin in the baby’s hand as soon as it is born)

Most of the above are designed to help me manage the pain as naturally as possible – and after all the money I have spent, I don’t think I will have a choice about an epidural anyway. I can just hear Ash now, “We can’t afford an epidural thanks to buying your $40 stress balls!”

At my obstetrician appointment last week, he did his usual very precise measurement of the baby, by laying his hands across my stomach, and declaring, “Well you are measuring bigger than 33 weeks – it’s going to be a tall baby”. To which I responded, “Really, how big?” He looked at me for a split second and then said “How should I know? This big (spreading his hands out wide).” Am I asking too much for a little science here? I probably shouldn’t complain too loudly though, the lack of science does have it’s benefits - I am yet to weigh in for any appointment, so I can proudly tell people I have no idea how much weight I have gained.

We are also finalising the girl’s name at the moment, and continue researching on the net. I found a bizarre site that gives you the opportunity to “test drive” your baby’s name:

http://www.babynamegenie.com/baby-name-test-drive.php


Or there is this one that can tell you how many people in America have the same name as your baby:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 8 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

I think Ash has settled on his choice, and judging by the votes on our gender counter, he is likely to have his way this time around – Harrison may just have to wait a couple of years…

With the nursery completed over the weekend, next week’s blog will include a slideshow of the makeover from beginning to end.

Until then, only three weeks remaining of work – yippee!