Possum update

I think an Australian of the year award is in order - for my humanitarian work (towards possums - not humans).

On Friday I finally got brave and... wait for it... you will be amazed by my bravery... I quickly opened the front door, ran to the side of the balcony and put a broom over the side so that the little one could climb up it and escape (what it was escaping to I have no idea - city traffic perhaps?).

Of course as soon as it escaped (it took it about 15 minutes to figure out what to do) I was hit with the realisation that rats could sneak through small holes - maybe possums could too. So I boarded up my front door just in case. Yes I boarded up my door to escape from a 10 cm possum.

So guys, start the nominations coming for Australian of the year!

BTW, I have my first birthing class tonight - looking forward to eating out with my husband (we haven't really been out to dinner alone since I fell pregnant) and then meeting other pregnant women in the same stages as me.

32 weeks 2 days

Terrified

Am currently sitting at my kitchen table (ahh work from home!) too terrified to go outside because of an animal lurking out the front of my ground floor apartment.

Ok, maybe I exaggerate, but I seriously can't tear myself away from the window and am too scared to go outside. There is a little baby possum which seems to have decided my ground floor balcony is its new home.

That's right... a possum!!

I live in the city - what is a possum doing lurking around my house?!

Those of you from overseas may not quite understand my terror, a possum, though admittedly quite cute, is just really like a big rat. Seriously, an Australian native RAT!

A rat that it is illegal to kill/hurt/relocate even when it is in your house!!!

The cute/scary little thing keeps climbing up my window frame, presumably in an attempt to get out of the balcony as the other sides are brick... I don't know what I can do about it, I know it is scratching the crap out of the frames but I am not allowed to (read: too scared to) do anything about it.

Oh man, the things that happen when you stay at home to work (this so would not have happened in my high rise building I work in!).

Skinny - minnie

My belly has become skinny again... well sort of. For ages the baby was lying horizontally and it was causing a few problems sleeping (it really didn't like me sleeping on either side). But recently it has turned so it is vertical, ahhh. My belly looks much more out front and less wide!

I can't tell if the baby is head up or head down though... will have to wait until next Thursday's midwife appointment so that she can tell me!

Shower and christening - ROAR!

My baby shower on Saturday was lovely. My Mum and sisters had gone to such trouble, decorating the house in blue and pink ribbons and balloons, and Mum had made a table centre piece from baby nappies (diapers) and pink and blue nappy pins and dummies (pacifiers). My sisters had organised games and prizes, all baby themed of course.

It was just the girls there but then my husband came back after a couple of hours and we opened the presents together. We got lots of lovely presents from friends and family, and I spent yesterday evening playing with all the toys and folding and re-folding the new clothes!

Yesterday we went to a musical with my Mum, Grandma and MIL. Thinking back there was a funny moment when my husband called me over to the conversation because he overheard my MIL telling my Mum and Grandma to book my Grandma’s church and hall for MY baby’s Christening because she wasn’t able to book her church for Christenings!!

I had to do my best not to go into full Lioness, territorial, mode and ROAR that it was our family now and we will be choosing the church – and the RELIGION, no less (my husband and I are different religions – both Christian, but he is Catholic and I am Church of England)! I had to bite my tongue because I know that she was only doing because she cares, but I really do draw the line at someone other than us choosing our baby’s religion. It is really funny to start feeling all these territorial feelings about our new little 3 person family!

BTW, am getting really, really fat now! Just saw some pictures of myself at the baby shower and I almost don’t recognise myself! I feel ‘normal’ until I see photos and then I get a shock! LOL, oh well, only 9 more weeks of growing and then I hope to start shirking back to my former self!

31 weeks!

Lioness and her cub

I was reading recently about how a woman suddenly somehow reverts to her animal instinct to protect her young and her ‘new family’ when she has her first child. The woman is supposed to get very territorial over her new family, however, at the same time, the ‘old’ lionesses also get protective over the extended family and it can end up in an all in lioness battle!

I think I know the feeling.

I have never really had a problem with MIL or my Mum overtaking and pushing opinions, even during the wedding planning everyone was very careful not to step on anyone else’s toes. I even lived with MIL for a few years while hubby and I saved for our place. Suddenly, throw a baby cub into the equation and everyone gets all competitive and possessive!

Between MIL, Mum and my Grandma seemingly competing in a ‘who can buy more presents for the baby’ and ‘who can guess the gender of the baby’ (and buy the most clothes in PINK and BLUE for the baby – as if somehow the gender of the baby will change depending on how many outfits await it!) and the endless stories of how they brought up their children (hint, hint, this is the best way to do it isn’t it?!) I am starting to get very protective of my new little 3 person family.

I, along with hubby, would like to be the one to decide how my baby is raised and would like everyone else to back off!

That sounds so nasty doesn’t it?

I am trying my best not to show anyone how stressed they are making me (just moaning about it to my husband in the car on the way home!) because I know that ultimately they have all of our best interests at heart, and I really do appreciate all the gifts (maybe hold the pink and blue until the baby is here though!). I just keep dreading how they will behave when the baby is here.

I have nightmares about them tearing the baby limb from limb in a bid to be the first to hold it; and am already anticipating getting stressed when they all pile over for visits all weekend when I just want to make sure that the 3 of us get ‘family time’.

I think I should stop thinking about it – probably just the pregnancy hormones stressing me out!

S e x

A good point was brought up by Nina on a blog I read ('Ben and Stella'), se*x...

I do wonder sometimes how many pregnant women are getting any, how many are wanting any and how many are just generally thinking about it at all. It may seem strange to care about other people private lives in that way, but I just want to know how normal Mr G and I really are.

I don't believe my drive has changed at all since getting pregnant. Ok, the first trimester was a major downturn, but since then I think I would like it as often as usual.

However, whilst it does sometimes upset me ('Am I such a turn off these days?') the thought of his little darling baby experiencing every moment of our se*x does manage to turn my husband off to such a degree that I don't know the last time we were intimate.

The thing that does worry me is when is the next time we will have time and energy for it after the baby is here anyway?!

Am I doomed to be forever officially 'not getting any'?!

29 weeks 4 days

Invitation

Come one and all to the disease playground hosted by yours truly.

Ah, work college with the throat infection of course you are welcome. No don't bother staying home from work just because you are sick, by all means, cough and splutter around here as much as you like.

Oh, and Master runny nose I see you have brought your friend stuffy head. You must have heard that throat infection was passing by and thought you would join us.

Why sir, what a surprise, I have heard many dangerous rumours about you. Mister fever please let me introduce you to some other guests, sit over here by my 2 paracetamol friends.

And who do we have here? Well really, at long last, I was beginning to think you would not join me. You have surely visited every other pregnant woman I know except for me. Come right this way Mr heartburn you have been expected for some time.

Now that you are all gathered here, let me just say it has been a delightful week at home on sick leave. But if you don't mind, kindly f$%k off and leave me and my precious baby alone.

Whose body is this anyway?

I am falling apart...

My ankles are swollen by the time I get home in the evening (something only sitting for an hour with my legs elevated seems to solve), but worse are these odd red patches that have recently made an appearance of each of my ankles. It is so bizarre, in the evening they are bright red patches of squiggly lines about 5cm round which are not itchy but are prickly and warm to touch. They then get less red by the morning and slowly flare up during the day.

I can't for the life of me think of anything I have been doing differently (other than gaining pregnancy weight and swelling as a result!). Does anyone know what they are???!!! My friend Google doesn't seem to help me on this one.

Other signs that my body is falling apart:

• I also noticed red spots on my stretch marks (embarrassingly stretch marks are on thighs rather than belly as one would assume) which I have read are common during pregnancy.
• I wake at night in a hot sweat at about 3 a.m. and have to dry the sweat from between my new found crevices between layers of flesh (mostly between and under my HUGE boobs!). It is a new experience to me as Melbourne is really mild weather all year round and I have never had a problem like this even in Summer, I have taken advice from people living in more tropical environments and apply talc which does help somewhat.
• My wrists have become fat. No one agrees with me, but I can notice the difference. I hate it.

However, there have been some benefits to my body caused by pregnancy changes:

• I love my cleavage. Not so fond of my boobs when bra is off (veins and huge nipples), but they look great in clothes!
• I have gone from using countless expensive face care products to... sorbolene! During my first trimester when I felt like crap it was all I could do to wash my face with soap and then use sorbolene whenever it felt 'squeaky'. My skin has become used to it and now looks great and blemish free with little care needed!

On the whole, I think my body is worse off than pre-pregnancy, however, I am sure the little life inside me is better off for all the changes to little old me.

Another friend for Pudding

On Saturday night I had dinner with my 5 best friends. The girl whose wedding I was going to in March the day I found out I was pregnant announced that she is pregnant too. She is only 5 weeks, so I know it is really early, but I am so excited for her and so excited for my baby that it will have a little friend to grow up with!

Double figures

Well I passed the 100 day milestone over the weekend (I know it is not really a 'milestone', but somehow in my head it means something). Depending on what you read I am either in my third trimester or a couple of weeks off it. I am noticing the pregnancy a lot more now. It really impacts my daily life, well.. daily.

I have a little trouble walking fast, I used to get so frustrated by 'slow' walkers, not I waddle behind with the 'oldies'! I am also rather uncomfortable sitting for too long or lying down for too long, but tire easily walking or standing, so I am constantly changing what I am doing to best find comfort.

I don't know if 26 weeks is too early to start nesting, but I had last Friday off work and about 3p.m. I realised that I was on my hands and knees scrubbing my skirting boards. I had also done 2 loads of washing, hand washing, scrubbed the kitchen and made the house generally sparkle. It might be nesting, or maybe I just realised that house chores needed to be done and we had a busy weekend on so Friday was my only chance to do it.

I am also overly emotional. After cleaning on Friday I sat down to read and had to stop because I kept bursting into tears. Admittedly it was a very sad part in the book, but I was sobbing, not just having a quiet tear in my eye. Also I get very emotional (translate to: cry) whenever I read baby or pregnancy books. Just the thought of how tough or beautiful having a baby in the house will be makes me cry.

Also I went to church yesterday with my husband's family and nearly cried about 5 times during mass (and it isn't even my religion!!).

I had my 26 week check up on the weekend and it all went well except, despite drinking my lovely green sugar drink, I didn't get my diabetes test because the midwifes couldn't find any veins and pathology was closed on the weekend. So I have to drink heaps of water and go back tomorrow. It was kind of good because late Friday night I decided I was sick of being 'good' and considering the baby before I put anything near my mouth and asked my husband to make a double chocolate pudding. It was lovely but may well have upset the blood test.

26 weeks