Everything seems to be about the baby but I guess that is understandable that we don't have any other news to tell at the moment. I have another photo of my swelling belly which is getting quite heavy and protruding. I am a bit bigger now - it has taken me two weeks to get this photo up here!

 

I am now approaching my last week at work and looking forward to the more relaxed timeframe in the mornings. I swell up in the fingers, face and toes at that time of day and it's nice to take things more leisurely. Nath's new job is going well though it means trying to get going a bit earlier as he is aiming for an 8.30 start whereas we had been arriving a bit later before.

We pretty much have everything ready for the babies arrival - which I am hoping will be early... it is so suspensful. When will she arrive? The nursery is fitted out though could probably do with some more decorating and toys but that is what Mum, Birth and X'mas are for. I'm trying not to go too crazy buying things before I actually know what I need or what I am doing (perhaps what Emma likes?).

 

Finally Nathan has the right fittings for the roof racks that we can put the boats on the car. Should I go for a paddle today? It looks like lovely weather and apart from a few potential balance issues I should be able to go for an easy cruise up the river. Nath might have to do laps around me to not get bored as I am guessing I will be a bit slower than normal - let alone lugging an extra 12kg around I have reduced lung capacity and energy these days. We haven't been paddling since Easter ish pretty much so it has been a while I am sure we will also be out of practice. I have no doubts that my skirt will not fit so I will be exposed to the elements - I'll get Nath to take a photo.

Nathan has started a new job this week and so far he is enjoying it. He said today that his skill sets seem to match the kind of work that they are doing and the generally are a motivated and busy bunch of people. This is a good start and over the next couple of weeks I guess he will learn more about the nature of the job and how he can contribute. It's located in South Melbourne near the markets so I'm looking forward to stopping by after work on Friday before picking him up and buying some tasty food. The office is also pretty handy to some cheapish parking and public transport so we will look into those options in the next couple of weeks.

I have about 4 weeks of work before I'll be on maternity leave. I'm looking forward to it and starting a new focus in life. I'll probably have off until mid May and then go back part time at least for a while.

Lately we haven't been doing too much on weekends which has been nice. Nath has been doing some digging in the garden for me and moving some massive stone blocks from the back to the front to make a small path. This will frame the vegie garden out the front. I'm looking forward to putting in some tomatoes and the like this spring. I planted some herbs out the back this last weekend which will be great for cooking. I've been missing them since we've moved.

My baby bump is now well progressed and contributing to a slight waddle, especially when I am tired! This is a shot from a couple of weeks ago so I am bigger now, baby is estimated to be about 2kg. Still got a while to go until 29th Aug due date. I'm looking forward to it and feel pretty prepared, we've been to antenatal class and breastfeeding class. I picked up some second hand grow suits from ebay (very cute) and all we need to buy still is a car seat. I haven't taken a photo of the nursery to show you cause it isn't finished and a bit messy but at least the rowing machine has been moved out into a corner of our bedroom. Maybe Nath will even use it now that it is folded out!

 

We had a great weekend up in Canberra recently visiting Matt and Christine and their new baby Isabelle. She is beautiful, tiny, floppy and pretty well behaved. It was easy to compare the wiggling baby in my belly with her little form and imagine what our own baby might look like curled up in the womb. Nathan had a good cuddle...

 

Thanks to Alex for a great dinner on Saturday night and entertaining us when she was feeling a bit poorly. Good luck with the wedding plans.

We have been shopping for baby furniture at Ikea (thanks Alison and Anthony for recommending we take a look there). We had lots of packages to unpack at the end of the trip...

 

Nathan has now assembled everything but we need to reorganise the spare room to fit it all in. This weekend we may tackle that job and then I will show you a picture of the room with the new blue cot, yellow chest of drawers and bookcase. While we were shopping we picked up a few cool additions that wil brighten up the room and provided needed storage for something or other. It doesn't really matter as they are too cool to worry about being practical...

 

 

Here they are finally.. sorry or the delay. Work has been busy and I had a brief trip to Tasmania for an interview panel (I was doing the interviewing). The DVD ultrasound of our baby was fantastic and it is truely amazing what they can see with the technology. It is very reassuring to know that our baby girl (yes a girl) is healthy and of average size in every respect that was measured - quite a few measurements were taken. Here are some photos of the best shots.

 

 

She is now moving about a lot and kicking me in the belly if there are loud noises or just whenever she wants to. I have noticed that she is sometimes more active when I am hungry! Nath, Ali, Mum and Jil have been lucky enough to also feel the little presence moving about but it will only get easier as there becomes less and less room in the uterus. 24 weeks and I am starting to get quite big and feel a bit awkward. It is a growth spurt time so I am often having three breakfasts!

Farewell to the Mini and welcome to the bump

So far we haven't bought a lot of things for baby, but we have purchased a pram which helped us realise that we really need to move up from a medium size car to a large car when chosing our new car. Hence it is farewell to the mini and welcome to the new subaru outback. It will give us plenty of room either side of the pram and particularly for trips to tassie or camping in the future. I was quite sad to say goodbye to our mini which has such personality and move on to something more practical. I think it was mostly the closing of an era in our lives and accepting the changes to come. These kinds of transitions are always bittersweet.

 

Thanks to Mum for all the cute clothes that she has been making and blankets etc. We have quite a collection now, though still a few bits and pieces to buy before we are ready. Mums additions are extra special as they are unique and made with love and very appreciated. Our current plans include putting up blockout blinds in the babies bedroom, investigating cooling solutions for summer upstairs, putting in a clothes line, pulling out a lot of the plants in the garden and buying some baby furniture. That will keep us busy over the next few weeks.

Congratulations to Matt and Christine Gaul on their new baby Isabelle - both mum and bub are happy and healthy.

The baby and I are progressing well. Nathan can now feel the baby moving around when the baby is in the mood. It is quite a strange feeling for me but exciting that now I can have a daily monitor of the baby. I'm hoping he/she doesn't keep me up to late at night cause he/she is most active when I am resting or stationary for a while. My thoughts go to Christine and Matt who are in their last month - hope everything is going well and preparations are in hand for the big day!

We're having our 20 week ultrasound tomorrow so I will let you know how it goes and put up another photo!

We have been busy visiting this month and it has been great to catch up with everyone. We've just got back from Tasmania and Bec and Kev's Wedding. It was a great event and thankfully the clouds parted for the garden ceremony. I know they will be very happy together and it was nic to meet all of Kev's family and welcome them into the fold.

 

We were in Tassie for a week and spent a few days camping with Nathan's brother and sisters and Dad. It was so much fun getting to know our nieces and nephew again - they tend to forget us as we don't visit very often. Having grandparents around for such occasions and the relaxed pace of Tasmaina was definitely an attraction and something we will need to think about for the future.

Sam threw me a surprise Baby Shower that I appreciate very much, thanks also the Mum and Helen for hosting and assisting with the games. Thanks to all who gave presents for the baby - we know have the start of a collection of things we will need and it really feels like we've been given permission to start focusing on getting ready!

Also this month we visited Alison, Anthony and Tor for a swim in their pool and dinner and went to a fantastic Moroccan themed house warming for Dave (from work) and Michelle. It was a great excuse for dressing up.

I know it has been a long long time since I have posted here. I couldn't think of anything particular to write about even though we have been busy, Matt & Christine came to visit after X'mas, Nathan's Birthday and a weekend in Daylesford with Lynne and Roger came and went with no message to you. That is because I was waiting until I could tell you of our big news - we are pregnant! Yes we will be having a lovely baby in late August this year. We are now 12 weeks in, and the first trimester is pretty much over so I'm hoping the tiredness and slight nausea that I have been experiencing will fade away and I will have some more energy.

We had an ultrasound this week - it truely is amazing that you can see so much on the screen. The photo below doesn't capture the strange feeling of seeing a separate being that you know is contained within you waving their hands and floating around inside you. Nathan came along as well and the ability to see our baby was quite solidifying on us both. It is really happening and there is an actual little person growing and moving about even though I can't feel the babe yet.

 

Well I will keep you updated on our progress, but try not to bore you with all the details and not tell you about anything else. It is such a weird experience having quite different things happening to your body that is not an illness to be cured but a novel process that my body knows far more about than I do.

On the cards is a new car, our mini is going to be too small for all the baby junk that you need - I am sure we will find out more about that stuff in the next few months. Nath is preparing a shortlist. We're also looking for a new house and selling our house in Canberra. So plenty to keep us busy. It would be nice to move before the baby arrives but it all depends on the timing of things.