Formal, Baby Shower, and One Tiny Dose of Reality

Fruit to Fetus Comparison: The size of a rockmelon or a honeydew J

Cravings:  None. Really, I am just eating normally at the moment (it’s so hot, I don’t feel like eating at all!)

Aversions: Heat and bras. If there was a way to go bra-less without being a hippy and/or knocking people out, I would welcome it with open arms.

 

Husbands’ excitement metre:  Excitement surrounded the baby shower (well, for him it was a ‘beer shower’)

Mini-Muffin Kick-Counter:  Many! They keep getting stronger, but there are less large movements like rolling over now that she’s taking up more space! She’s upside down on a diagonal at the moment, so all the kicking (and there’s a lot of it!) is onto my bottom right ribs!

So, ready for the weekly dose of TMI?

My tummy is now so big that when I slouch, my boobs and tummy touch each other. And, to be honest, the boobs have only gone up about a cup size. I can just see myself doing the preggy waddle. The rest of me is generally the same size, just the tummy has expanded (IMMENSELY!) which is hopefully a good thing! And, sadly, stretch marks have made their way onto the scene. Well, small price to pay.

As I’m far away from my obstetrician, Dad and Mum bought me a blood-pressure monitor. I still don’t really know what the numbers mean, but if they go above 130ish I should call my doctor apparently. Dad said it should be around 110/70ish.

Thought I was dying yesterday when it said 99/50, but turns out I had the damn thing on wrong. Epic fail.

It was 40 degrees Celsius here on the weekend. FORTY!! With an average of around 34 this week, it’s going to be a scorcher. Our aircon is struggling to keep up, and I have to admit, I’m certainly feeling it. Not to mention I sweat like twelve litres a day and hardly have to go to the loo anymore (despite drinking around four litres – no joke – during the day) Gross or what. I simply cannot drink more water!!

Formal Week!

So this week was FORMAL WEEK for my twelves! They all looked gorgeous, of course, dressed up in their finery and finishing the night by Gangnam Styling. Very grown up and making me feel old! I will miss them, but it’s great to see them go their own path and grow up a bit! Some of them might find that the workplace is very different to school on how lazy you can be and get away with it. J

So I got dressed up in my expandable formal dress and (god forbid) some heels. Not massive ones. Just about three inches. No sweat, right?

REGRET!!!!!
Why did I wear the heels? TELL ME WHY!! Because I’m an idiot who constantly has to pretend that she can do everything she used to be able to do before baby started to get huge.

Stupid statements I have made over the past few weeks:

1. I can still fit around the storeroom cup board in the art room. No problems.
2. I can still sit on the carpet with the kids. Getting back up will be easy!
3. I can wear high heels and a formal dress and curl my hair and I will feel like a princess!
4. Sure, I love watching everyone drink while I’m sober. It’s awesome.
5. This disgustingly oily and capsicum topped pizza won’t come back to haunt me.
6. Pfft, stairs? What stairs? I’m awesome at stairs! Give me more stairs!

So how did these turn out, you ask?

1. I got stuck in one of the compactors and had to lever myself out with my back against one wall and knees against the other, resulting in paint and various other art room supplies getting all over my clothes.
2. Sat down with a slightly larger ‘thump’ than usual (I forgot how far away the ground was) and three (THREE!!) year tens had to help me back up again. Mortified.
3. End of night = me feeling like a ball of sweaty, blistered molasses-covered gummi bear.
4. Despite the grossness of drunk people, it can actually be kind of awesome. Hilarious things happen when drunk, and often, when you are drunk yourself, it is forgotten the next day. As the pregnant Designated Driver, I remember ALLLLLLL! *evil laugh and bribery to commence*
5. It haunted me. Oh, for the love of god, it haunted me.
6. This is the break down of Rhonie climbing stairs:

Part 1: Overconfidence: Takes five stairs quite quickly.
Part 2: Still overestimating ability despite climbing heartrate and sore legs: Takes next three stairs at a slower pace.
Part 3: Drastic reality check: Burning legs, breathing like a walrus, makes it to the top of flight of 20 stairs in just under four minutes.

So, yes, I am constantly telling myself to slow down, as is everyone else, but stubborn little me has to keep pushing up the hill like the little train that could. Well, eight days left of school and I will be forced into relaxing.

BABY SHOWER!!

Second part of the week (well, day after formal) BABY SHOWER DAY!

Made special by three lovely ladies – Maddi Simons, Stacy Condell and Lynesha Stainer – who organised, cooked and crafted their way into a beautiful baby shower (despite the 40 degree heat and the copious amount of flies that decided to join us for the day!).

One of Stacy's Delicious Dishes!

The Gorgeous Kath doing some Scrapbooking at the station Lynesha set up.

The enormous and delicious chocolate cake ordered by Maddi!

Cake Cutting Time!

A small portion of the AMAZING, generous gifts from the lovely ladies!

 

Some of the Onesies made by my talented friends! (Lynesha, Yanah, Emily, Ebony & Ella's feet!, Ruth's beautiful rainbow!)

 

 Stunning Quilt made by Kath :)

It was simply gorgeous! Lots of rushing around to get ready (we ran a little late with our decorating and games and photos but generally got back on track!). The day was made up by around sixteen lovely ladies, several party games, lots of onesie decorating, due-date guessing and name-suggesting,  and NAPPY RACES.

It was wonderful J Muffin and I were so spoiled by the lovely people who came, and the beautiful gifts we were given! She will by far be the best dressed baby with the most gorgeous room everrrrr! Thank you to all the lovely ladies (and families) who gave us generous gifts J

Basically, the afternoon was simply lovely! We feel so blessed to have you in our lives!

Afterwards we retired for a rest (after packing away) and chilled downstairs with a glass of wine (not me – Carolyn and Maddi!)

 

After such a huge weekend, it’s taken me a few days to recover! I’m still putting away presents and nappies (in total, I think we received over four hundred nappies from the nappy tower!) and finishing washing up, vacuuming and all the other jobs that didn’t get done on the weekend!

So now it’s time to focus on our house (the slab got poured on Friday!) and work for the final two weeks! Then it’s to the coast for chilling out, maybe some sewing, active birthing classes and, eventually, if we can fit it in, actually having a baby!

Whew! Exhaustion! But it was well worth it! Fabulous Week 34!

Love to everyone involved! YOU ARE ALL AMAZING!!

xxx

Dear Miss Muffin - Week 33

Dear Miss Muffin,

Mummy and Daddy are so excited to see you – just around the corner now!

 This you have grown SO MUCH since we first found out about you! You are now over 2 kilograms in weight and around about 45cms long from head to toe.

We have put together a cot, a bassinet, a bouncer, a change table, and found you lots and lots of clothes (probably too many!) for when you come home on the *outside*.

Yesterday you kicked Daddy in the head.

You wake Mummy up at night with your kicks, but she thinks it’s fabulous. We love every movement – even the ones that tickle or are surprisingly strong!

Nali (Mummy’s Mum) and Nockie (Mummy’s Dad) have bought a stack of NAPPIES for when you come home and, of course, many other exciting things like baby wipes and blankets! Nanny and Pa (Daddy’s Mum and Dad) have printed you some special ‘onesies’ for your first year – designed by Mummy! You will surely be the most stylish and colourful baby on the block!

We are planning your room in our new house, and wondering what colours you will like, what games you will want to play, what books you will read... but that’s all to come.

Time is going so quickly – Mummy is making a special blanket with lots of colours and love just for you when you are born - It's almost half way done!

Keep Kicking Muffin! We Can’t wait to meet you in around 6 to 8 weeks!

Lots of love,

Mummy and Daddy

Photo Shoots & Birth Plans!

Week of Pregnancy: 30/31/32 (I’m slack, I know...)

 Fruit to Fetus Comparison: the weight of a jicama (WTF is a jicama?) OR a rockmelon! Approx 1.8-2kgs and 40-43cms from head to heel!! 

Cravings:  Errr... lollies and ice blocks. Yeah... naughty.

Aversions: Heartburn and (eww) reflux from all forms of carbohydrates.

Husbands’ excitement metre:  Excitement is ascending the excitement metre as kicking increases and the magical day draws nearer.

Mini-Muffin Kick-Counter:  Several thousand billion. She likes to kick my ribs when she feels like she’s not getting enough attention.  Also my bladder. Thanks Miss Muffin.

Welcome to Week 30 – 32 of Mini Muffin’s pre-birth growing! The last three weeks have held several fun and interesting developments! Our nursery is looking less sparse (and actually has furniture), I have been happily snapped by several amazing photographers at the Biloela Camera Club, and visited the Doc for a check up. We’ve also written our birth ‘plan’ (or as I like to say – guidelines) and already had to consider compromising about a few things.

So first of all – OUR NURSERY!! The fails and the wins... 

Wins: The cot and other bits and pieces have arrived and been assembled. Also, I found an adorable pink princess mosquito net on ebay (with daisies all over it) to hang above the cot. So girly. Justin groaned, but also agrees it is adorable. All looks safe and gorgeous, no scratches or bumps, and nothing has completely fallen apart... except...

Fails: Had some serious issues with the change table – and not because I assembled it, either! I put the whole thing together, only to slip the drawer in at the end... and have one of the tracks fall off. Yeah. Annoying. On the upside they will probably replace the pieces for us.

Second we had a doctors appointment just to have a check up etc – my lovely doctor wants me down a week earlier than we had originally planned... I certainly don’t want to go into labour up here, but at the same time, I’m planning on going down two weeks before the due date at 38 weeks. Will have a think about it and see how future appointments go! The blood pressure was a little high, but just have to keep an eye on it. Exciting to hear Miss Muffin’s heartbeat again, but didn’t get to have an ultrasound this time (aww, no baby photos!). Good news is Dr B is happy for us to try water birthing, hypnobirthing and other forms of natural pain relief. As previously stated, I reserve the right to call for an epidural! We’ll see how it goes!

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be asked by the lovely people at the Biloela Camera Club to be a pregnancy model for them! (Why they asked me, I have no idea! I certainly don’t feel ‘model like’ right now!) But my goodness they can do amazing things with a camera! Here are some of my favourites!

  

Nudies! (Not really - I have under garments on!)

They are amazing - Thank you so much to Ian and Toni for these gorgeous shots! :)

Finally, my mum and dad’s place (where we’re staying on the coast for a couple of weeks after baby is born) is slowly filling up with baby things. Mum has purchased 100 nappies, several dummies, baby wipes, and formula for emergencies! The bassinet is set up, the change table is ready and the bouncer has been put together! I think we’re ready well ahead of time in case of any ‘emergencies’!

To finish on a happy note – baby Muffin has started playing with us (or so it feels)! She is currently upside down on a diagonal with her feet kicking into my right rib. We have taken to tickling her foot as she stretches, and she likes to kick at the spot where we poke! Also I have been playing a tapping game with her when she is awake! I tap, she kicks back. She’s pretty adorable, not that I’m biased. 

Anyway – off to do some ‘optimal fetal positioning’ exercises after sitting in the car for several hours! Next time will post a picture of the baby blanket I am crocheting for Missy Muffin.

Lots of love!!