yes...

Yes... I am still here. Little man is apparently quite happy where he is! Has moved down quite a bit, plenty to indicate that things are speeding up in terms of getting closer so he'll of course come when he's ready. There will be a post on my blog, on the various forums, an email and/or phone call/sms/word of mouth so you'll know one way or another when things happen.

Finally got the last bits in from IKEA... Mum and Brooke have done the back room and Mum being Mum of course has re-organised and sorted and tidied in quite a few other areas as well - all those things I've been 'meaning to do' but just haven't... Michael and Dad have done some more in the laundry... it's getting closer to finished every day. Then there's been baking and kids going to the park, and the kids have had a ball just having Nan and Pop here - doing puzzles, knitting, chatting, being sillies, going places with Nan and Pop... just all the stuff they don't usually get the chance to do - even things like chopping carrots, making salad, watering the garden - all those things take on a slightly different feel when you're doing them with someone you don't usually get to to them with.

Pop and Jake and I did the grocery shopping this morning. I've almost sewn up the last of the nappies and am ticking off (slowly) bits and pieces from the various lists about... (can't believe school goes back next week!) It's been good to have Mum and Dad here, and both at the same time as well... you do get to missing people when they are so far away you know... I do hope Pop gets to hold his new grandchild before he flies back home, as he's going back before Mum is.

Well thassal from me - have a positive week!

Time to update the garden posts

Thanks to Joh in this thread, who's given me a nudge to update my garden pics and info.

We have parsely, oregano, full-size tomato, three colour silverbeet, variety of lettuces, chilli, curly capsi, spring onions, chives, cucumber, corn, red and green bell capsicum, pumpkin, watermelon, rockmelon, zucchini, 2 plum trees, one Angel Peach, one apricot, locut, tahitian lime, cherry toms and medium cherry toms (heaps), strawberry, mulberry, lilli pilli, mint, tansy, lemongrass, thyme and probably a few others I can't think of!

None of this is enough to feed us all year round... yet. We are getting atm enough cherry toms to have as many as we want every second night with dinner - so maybe 2/3 cups over 2 days depending and still plenty to come. I prefer the med cherry toms to the large full size tomato. Lettuce I need to put more in so am contemplating pots. As I've said in previous posts, we prefer to not space things out, to plant randomly and to let feral plants pop up (vege ones) - this combination protects them from birds flying over, gives shade to younger/more vulnerable plants, confuses the bugs (mostly) and distributes use of good stuff in the soil more evenly.

The strawbale bed is going very well - I prefer this as a 'wall' for a garden more than anythinge else as it seems to hold the water better, keeps things cooler/warmer etc. We need to extend a few places of the garden and I'd like to do it with strawbales. Eventually the plan is to plant out the (now 'lawn dessert' ie dead lawn and leaves) front with fruit trees and veges but to do so in a way that it doesn't look like a 'vege' garden - so simply using edible plants to create the garden. I'm looking for curves in the garden as well, which is what we had out there before and I much preferred. All this of course has to come somewhat after the new retaining wall, fence, and neighbouring dividing fence... so it's a little way off yet... but it WILL come. Plus the water tanks LOL and insulation and... slowly but surely as they say!
Have a great night everyone!

Laundry update... only a few bits to go

Progress pics so far are below and here's a link to what we started with, and here's a link to the progress pics we took along the way.
Still, at least the nappies and baby's clothes can go up - yay and the washing machine is back inside again. nice work to the tradies (Michael) and offsiders (Brooke, Jake and Zeke) with guest appearance by the grouter (me). LOL It was done on a very budget budget - tiles on sale, the hanging thing we already had from freecycle. The sorter we've had for over ten years now. The trough we also got a good deal on.

What's left to do? The benchtop that will go from trough, over washing machine and to the wall. The tiles on the wall (splashback), the step to go on. Also the pipes for the washing machine will no longer be visible as the are getting run through the bottom of the trough (where the door is). We did have to change things a little - was initially planning to have the trough offset and an L shape benchtop from under the window, to the trough and right round above the washing machine and to the wall but things needed to be changed. We also may raise the 'hanging space' by about 10cm. For the top shelf I've got clear tubs from IKEA - that's for all the blankets/sheets/sleeping bags etc. Also need to tidy up the window a little...
We're thinking a stainless colour benchtop, or black. WDYT?

Pardon the curvy edges to the pics - I was photostitching 3-4 pics together as otherwise you only get a snippet. Contemplating whether to put doors on the shelving... or maybe hang a plain curtain (no frilly bits). Need quite continuous access to it for a while being for nappies and baby items, so maybe will leave any doors off until after that. Just looks neater with doors I think... WDYT?

Still have the storage there, those drawers are Zeke's and the Baby's, the hanging space is for the school shirts, 'good' shirts and Michael's work pants and shirts. Directly behind me in that photo is Brooke and Jake's drawers, plus updated storage on top for cricket/footy/swimming/winter jackets etc. So we still have the same storage as in the before pics, just neater and much nicer space to be in - and minus the peach paint, blue and white wall tiles and blue floor tiles!

Minor TA and Bub-date

Well this afternoon on the way home from the Birth Centre, I got rear ended by a taxi. I stopped, he didn't and bang right up the back end of me. End result: main thing is Bub is ok (rang the BC and they said yep just come back in and we'll check Bub just in case) and I am as well. I wasn't at fault, he admitted to that and his passenger said the same thing - she saw my brake lights but he just kept going... and pretty much minimal damage to our vehicle - his not so lucky. I sat for a bit until the shakies calmed in my hands before I drove again.

Bub is going well. Ultrasound and checkup today so he had a thorough checking out. Heartbeat, placenta, cord, fluid levels, my BP etc all good. His weight gain isn't as rapid as it was before (doing the GD diet must be helping) - was est 7lb 14oz at 35 weeks, now est 8lb 90z (3.8kg) at 38+3/38+5 depending who's dates you take with a margin I think she said of 200g either way. That was the u/s tech.

The midwife (I had my BC appt after the u/s) also said she can't see a problem with me birthing him given my previous births, and she said she thinks he's just 'well padded' - she's not sure why induction was mentioned at all. She doesn't expect me to need my next appt. He's also 1/5th into the pelvis. I know he's moved down as we have 'bladder parties' and I can feel him inside my hips more - walking late at night is interesting. I know with every day we're getting closer but of late I feel we're getting closer quicker, if that makes any sense!

I've had about 10 contractions since I got home from IGA, about 5mins or so apart - see what tonight holds. So that's the update :)
eta I'm doing the GD diet not becauseI have it, but because even if I did the 3hr fasting GD test, and it was positive, that's all that would happen - go on the GD diet. So I am going on it by default thereby avoiding the test. This can only be a positive thing for Bub and I really and while I do miss my fruit, I did lose 5kg the first 2 weeks I was on it, have maintained that weight to this checkup, and Bub's belly has started to 'even out' a bit in terms of chub so it may be making a difference.

avagoodone all!

Pics at 38 weeks

38 weeks...
A couple of pics. One is the usual belly pic, the other is sitting on the lounge not long after a (very mild) contraction. He sometimes gets his head right down in the pelvis, then it pops back up again. Contractions and BH have been on and off for the last 4-5 odd weeks. I can usually fit one hand between boobs and belly, but sometimes can fit two. Belly is so stretched there's almost no pigment left, but the belly button still hasn't popped out - it's an endless one and the bottom only sees sunlight when I'm pregnant apparently. And no not the most glamorous pics but ah you get that.

Laundry well the grout and all that is dry, two out of three shelves are in and the trough began to go in today.

Me, still lots to do. It was 41.8 degrees with hot easterlies the other day and my ankles were not happy! This pregnancy is the first time I've had grumpy ankles. Add to that a sore throat and head, and being just tired well... anyhoo. Today was cooler and I got more done - planning to tick a few things off the list tomorrow all being how it ought to be. Mum and Dad will be here soon enough, and I'd like to be ready. It's the domino thing - once the laundry is done then the stuff from doing the laundry can go away so the Hajdeby can go up (IKEA bookshelves) for the back room, then shelves above the kid's drawers can go up and that will take care of the back room full stop. It will also mean with the back room stuff and laundry itself done, that the spare room can be reclaimed as all the laundry and some of the back room stuff is in there at the moment. Then I only have my desk and sewing table to go and the house will be partway there, or at least, things will have their spot anyway. Brooke, Jake and Zeke managed to get over their initial squabbles, to bake two lovely looking chocolate cakes with icing and choc sprinkles today. I haven't had any but apparently it's lovely! Thassal from here.

Gosh that's Grout!

Okay so that's a dumb title but meh... LOL I did some grouting today :) Only about 1/4 or 1/5 laundry but still. Pleased with it and if I can get some more done then the shelves can go up in the laundry tonight. The grout isn't toxic to smell, it's good 'hands and knees' work (gets Baby in the right position) and will bring the laundry to completion quicker. I hope. I wore gloves as well and it's water cleanup so... and the bonus is, grouting is a good way to keep your mind off intermittent contractions.
I had to laugh coz you know when you have your hands dirty the phone rings? I thought mm I'll just have mixed up a new batch of grout and my waters will break or something... or they'll darn well break all over the grout I just put DOWN! haha. Anyway, pic of my grouting efforts - hard to see eh - click to make it bigger.
Also a pic of our summer sink - generally speaking this is all we need to water the garden in the back yard... not bad really. Also, when you do it this way, you use less water at the sink because you're the one that's carting it out the back, not the plumbing carting it off somewhere else. This bowl catches the water from washing hands, rinsing dishes, rinsing veges or a glass or two. Admittedly we don't always do it but in the height of summer when it's been scorching for yonks and you just think all you have to do is 'turn on a tap'... well it gets you right on to conserving it...

While I'm here, our cherry tom haul grows every day - we pick them a day or so early and let them ripen in the cupboard in a dish. Haven't had a bug problem yet. The marks on the toms are just from a rough wash outside - we rinsed them before we used them esp since we'd just put a heap more manure into the garden. When I made dinner last night we used all our own toms and still had some to spare. Also, these are the feral spuds that Brooke pulled up the other day [yet to add pic] - we didn't want them in that spot but let them go for a while to see how they'd do and considering they were pulled up early they did orright I think. Also, the other night we did a simple dinner - corn on the cob 66c each with a little butter, plus salad (lettuce and toms home grown, bulk purchase carrot, bulk purch cucumber, home grown spring onions, bought Aus company baby beets) with some grated cheese, and boiled egg... (soon to be receiving eggs from a chooky friend in exchange for vege etc)... fairly healthy meal, and quite economical too.

Also finished bottling up vanilla essence form the beans we got via coop a while ago - 2 bottles of vodka later - for the essence NOT for me! thanks to M for organising the bottle coop *thumbs up*. Our big bottle we did in November last year is a lovely dark colour and smells beee-u-tiful! Thassal from me - avagoodone!

here we are - 37 weeks!

well thanks everyone for the best wishes we made 37 weeks after continuous oh/off BH and ctx and loo runs for the last few weeks. Last night was a run of ctx for about an hour plus 5 loo trips in 10mins but I decided I was too tired lol since almost everyone else had had day sleeps except me this week! So I went and sat in my spot and snoozed between ctx and they settled down. See what the week holds Thanks again everyone

on the laundry front: first lot of tiles are down, cut tiles still to go then grout. Then waiting for it all to dry (second coat of paint already on, waterproofing the floor Michael did before he tiled).. and THEN we can put everything back and it will just be a matter of getting the benchtops and he will be finished in there. Way to go Michael!

Did it snow?

hey... what happened in the laundry? Did it snow..? no... the first coat of paint is on! Far out - we know that when the paint goes on it makes a massive difference but it still is awesome to see each time the 'transformation' [yes aware that it's a laundry LOL]... so here's the updated pics... won't be long now! way to go Michael *grin*

The 'before paint' pics



The 'after paint' pics

36 weeks and 1 day

Just updating the pics. Plenty of aches back and front. Can feel him moving down and a few light contractions but who knows, this could go on for weeks, right... anyway just thought I'd update them. Silly me hasn't been using the Tinderbox Belly rub while it's been warm, as it's an oil and boy I can see the difference! Note to self: use the Tinderbox oil even if it is warm haha - Avagoodone all!

Laundry update

Just a quick one. Nearly all the wall patching, plastering and cementing has been done. Just a few little bits to go then the sanding. Hoping to start on the walls/floor in the next day or two - I don't say 'we' because Michael has done pretty much the majority of it, and even then Brooke has done more in there than me! So here's an updated pic which compared to the original pics is looking like progress and of course, this other photo is what you MUST do to test any new 'thing' that comes into the house. It's not even in place in the laundry yet LOL - although I should know because this is exactly what happened when we renod the kitchen... little people 'trying out' all the cupboards!

So EXCITED!

I am so excited I don't know where to start! Well... mmm ok first things first. Midwife was concerned (belly size looking 'term' plus fundal height) that I was measuring several weeks ahead for dates at the 34 week checkup. I was measuring 2 weeks ahead at the 34 week check - having previously measured 'perfectly' every step of the way... someone has been growing LOTS! Anyway, she wanted to know if it was Bub's size or if there was excess fluid etc so an ultrasound was decided on to check. I wasn't worried about his size so much (still gotta come out the same way huh!) just so long as everything else is okay in there. So I went to the ultrasound yesterday and got to see our 'Little Man' on the screen...

keeping in mind there is a margin for error on the weight estimate, the ulstrasound dated me, by his size, to be 40+2 LOL and I was 35+6. Estimated weight 7lb 13oz at 35weeks + 6 days... Also there is 'regulation' amount of fluid in there so the belly is all Baby lol. My guys never have little heads so here's hoping his belly and head don't match!
EDIT to update: Bub's head is just above the 50th percentile, his legs are slightly above the 50th percentile, his belly is on the 97th percentile LOL so he won't be skinny!

Not a massive Baby by some standards, but for me, previous term births were Brooke 7lb 12oz @ 40 weeks, Jake 7lb 1oz at 40 weeks and Zeke 7lb 14oz at 39 weeks... and this little Dude is already there and still has a few weeks left to go! I should add, that's in theory. I reckon he might be bulking up early coz he knows he's not going to be in there still at 40 weeks LOL. Dr H was pretty cool as was the u/s tech. Apparently Bub has a fat little belly and chubby hands, and his share of hair on his head. Dr H reckons only 1% of babies have a belly fatter than ours haha. He said usually the chubby ones like to stay in longer coz they're comfy and the scrawny ones come early - you know, as a generalisation. Oh and 'he' is definately a 'he' - can't miss that!

Anyyyyway then the u/s tech put the scan on 3D... my goodness I've never seen that before - I've never had a 3D scan before and it was amazing... I was watching my Little Guy on the screen - all of him... and THEN he opened his eyes - Oh... my... goodness... he was opening his eyes! And I have to share this pic that the u/s tech printed out for me - sucking his fingers - so CUTE! LOL can you tell I was so amazed and found it so darn awesome! I don't mind how big he is, I just wanna see him and cuddle him! He only needs to hang on until Fri/Weekend coming and then he can come any time after that. Been achey this morning. Very exciting!

Here he is! Needless to say I came out grinning like a nutter LOL - Any time after next weekend Little Man, any time - you just come out and meet us all! Kisses from Mummy xo