unexpected visitors

I got a bit of a surprise this morning when I went into the laundry to let Rufus out, the back door was left open last night and it was evident that we had had a birdy visitor, there was mulberry bird poo on the walls and blinds & floor in the kitchen - no bird. Poor thing must have got the biggest shock wandering in to find Rufus sleeping under the table, funny that we didn't hear any of this commotion but the laundry & kitchen are closed off from the rest of the house at night. Thank goodness otherwise it could have been much worse. You just have to laugh at these things and it wasn't really a drama to clean it up. So lesson learned - keep the back door shut at night

Ending Work

Paid work that is.. I officially finished up work on Tuesday. How do I feel? relaxed, relieved, re- inspired, a little apprehensive about money - is there going to be enough, etc. It feels good, but it will take awhile for it to sink in that I'm not going back & in about 6 weeks I will have this little one In my arms so dependant on us both, that will open our hearts and change our lives. My last day was really no different to any other day, nothing special. God how I loathed that place, the fluro box I call it - no respect & no job satisfaction. I did not expect it & I didn't get it either after 12 months service not even a good luck card! jeez pretty stingy all I got was yeah let us know how it all goes, see ya.. Just confirms everything I already felt about the place & although I am grateful to have had a job and been able to pay the bills I really feel so free having left, like I can get my soul back, a consciousness and creative mind, just be me again.

34 weeks

Nursery in progress

So much fun! Took a trip to bunnings this morning and bought a canvas, some staples & some sandpaper to start on the chest of drawers in bubs room. I stretched the Big Numbers Japanese fabric that I bought from Etsy over the canvas. The last pic is of the Wee gallery flashcards that I framed.

Only one more shift to go

Next Tuesday will be my last ever shift at IGA... that is a great feeling! This week has gone much quicker than I anticipated it would. It is not just the long hours standing on my feet but the lack of job satisfaction or any form of appreciation tends to get to your emotional well being after awhile. It is a brain numbing job. I feel like I am getting my soul back leaving that place, sounds dramatic but it is true. I am planning on making the most of this precious time to get organised and spend plenty of quality time just paul & I, before we become three.

Reading, walking, blogging, cooking, Christmas preparations,
washing,going out for dinner, catching a movie,
drinking tea in the sunshine, Doctors appointments,
Midwives clinic, Painting, Decorating, Cleaning,
Catching up with friends,Quality time just the two of Us,
Hypnobirthing, Cut & Colour, Crafting etc.......

Mail from Tokyo

I love this Fabric!! All the way from Japan. I am going to stretch the Big numbers fabric over a canvas and hang it on the wall in bubs room as a feature. The robots I will either fame or save to make into bibs if we have a boy or give some to a friend for her little man.

Bub is 4/5ths head down

Well I am on fortnightly visits with my GP now, I'm at the business end of this pregnancy now. It's going so fast. My Blood Pressure was up slightly at this visit and Bubs is definitely head down 4/5ths, not engaged as yet but not sitting high either - must be all that standing on my feet I do all day. 3 more shifts left of work to go and today I got the longest one of them out of the way, My ribs felt a bit sore today and pelvis ached a little bit but that's all normal, I have a head down there and little feet well an truly up under my ribs. Today was the first time Paul really felt bub kick, I put his hand on my belly and pressed in a little and he got two really strong kicks think he was a little surprised at how strong they were :)
Cara came for a visit tonight, the second visit of 3 before my birth, She really is lovely and I feel more comfortable with her each time we get together. I'm not anxious about birth at this stage, I feel fairly relaxed about it all just taking each day as it comes. Plenty of reading material to get through in my time before bub decides to arrive. Want to paint the small chest of drawers in Bubs room and plenty of long walks with rufus planned. I have managed to keep fairly fit during pregnancy, which I attribute to the flight of stairs at work which I need to walk up each time I need to pee which is very frequently these days. The last week I have walked to and from Glenbrook station to get to work, I'm a little short of breath going up the hills but otherwise Its very enjoyable - this is such a beautiful suburb to live in, so peaceful & calming. Keeping very active is really very important to my being able to have an active birth and how I will cope.

33 weeks

Pregnancy insomnia

I find myself spending to much of my down time surfing the web, looking, trying to source out a good deal and find inspiration as well as shopping for baby. It's not a good habit and I need to create some distance between me and the PC. I really don't like the night owl hours I've been keeping of late, I like daylight it makes me feel good and I get so much more done when I get up early. I am really very close to finishing up work now which is really exciting only one more week to go as I have decided to finish up Tuesday week, It's so draining being in that place & I'm really starting to feel it standing on my feet. I have missed 2 weeks of belly shots and have to get Paul to take one for me tomorrow as I will be 33 weeks! yep I still have the belly button but its not far away from becoming flat. Aside from how I feel when I am at work, I feel pretty good probably the best I have felt in years really, I'm enjoying being pregnant and I feel very comfortable in my own skin. I think the nesting urge has definitely set in, getting things organised before bub arrives has become my no.1 priority and I can not rest until it is done. Cleaning - not so much, but I am sure to be in a mad frenzy in the last few weeks I can guarantee it. I am almost there really just a few more essentials to buy like the change mat, tops for breastfeeding, something for me to wear during labour & a few baby basics. I won a timber change table on ebay for $103 so we will head over to Castle Hill to pick that on Sunday very pleased with that buy as I factored it in as an essential item (save my back) and was looking at $200 minimum for a timber one, we will just need to buy the mat that goes on the top.

Tuesday parcel

All these goodies arrived in the mail today! I'm really enjoying putting together bubs room and getting organised for bubs arrival. The booties I bought in white not blue and they put in a complimentary extra pair so I have a size sml and a med, that was nice. The flash cards look great in the frames I bought - a perfect fit! and put the bath appliqués on tonight they look cute in our bathroom. The mamas and papas mobile plays twinkle twinkle little star maybe something else but I don't want to wind it all the way up just yet.

prints for baby's room

Just been trying to get some idea's for decorating bub's room. I want the room to be calming yet also fun and imaginative for a young mind. I was initially thinking of framing some vintage golden book prints but I came across 'Wee gallery' whilst browsing online and have bought a set of there flashcards which I will frame. High-contrast visual patterns help promote infant brain development.

'Wee gallery animals are designed to interest baby differently at different stages.
At birth, she is fascinated by the details of the
design, and as she grows older she points out the
animal by name'

I really love them and there are 6 different sets to collect as well as gorgeous wall graphics and canvas prints

I purchased them from here but they are also available here

Life after Work

I'm really excited to be finishing up work, I have put in my official notice to leave on November 2nd but am seriously considering making it the week earlier. I might just not work the Thursday and Friday night shift of my last week so that would make the 31st Oct my last day. I can no longer cope with standing on my feet for hours at a time and the continuous manual handling/lifting I'm required to do as they really have not made any exceptions for me at work apart from the ones I had to push to get. I really don't want to just sit around all day when I finish, I like to be busy but I also need to make the most of this time to rest up and prepare for bubs arrival. To be very honest I feel a little guilty about not working when Paul has too but Its not really just about me - it's just not healthy for bub and It's important I look after my body in order to make sure this bub is healthy and happy that's my No.1 priority.
So many things to do and ends to tie up before bub gets here; getting the Nursery ready, my birth plan, washing, my labour bag & hospital bag, Christmas preparations, cooking, freezing & more cooking etc...

Me

Rasberry Leaf Tea

It is believed that Raspberry leaf, if taken regularly through pregnancy and labour can:

	Sooth and prevent bleeding gums which many pregnant women often experience.

	Relax the smooth muscles of the uterus when it is contracting (Burn & Withell, 1941).

	Assist with the birth of the baby and the placenta.

Its is suggested that it is best taken in the third trimester in the lead up to labour up to 4-5 cups per day. I purchased some red seal raspberry leaf tea bags from the health food shop in Glenbrook today and found it to be very drinkable, light and subtle tasting. Bub seemed to get lots more active when I drank it though somersaulting around in there

more Baby shower pics

Baby Shower

Wow.. what a day - beautiful food, gorgeous gifts, I feel totally spoilt!
Angela & Lisa outdid themselves with the food, it looked and tasted amazing. I got so many gifts for the baby everyone was just so generous. The boys went to the pub for a few hours and left us girls to our own devices. It was great to catch up with everybody, eat and drink tea in the sunshine. Really enjoyed myself...

almost asleep on my feet

I have found since I hit the 30 week mark I just tire so easily now, really starting to need a nanna nap in the afternoons. The only way I manage work is to take a little longer coming back from the bathroom so I can sit down for a few minutes and rest up otherwise I would probably pass out, my feet really start to hurt by the end of a shift. I really really am looking forward to finishing up work It can't be good for the baby when my body gets that tired. So glad it's the weekend! I can sleep in a little and start organising our new home putting things in their place and then on Sunday I am having my Baby shower, get to catch up with friends and just enjoy myself. The boys are being relegated to the local pub for a few hours - no complaints from them. My belly is getting big, I feel I follow it when I walk and its hard bend down, baby definitely does have certain times during the day that its awake and very active mostly at night and early mornings although I feel him moving around here and there over course of the day seems to be lying towards my left side at the moment. Really can't tell what is what but my GP seemed to think bub is head down now. I have my second appointment at Nepean on monday morning so it will be interesting so see if that Doc tells me any differently.

Results - I got the all clear

Sigh of relief... I received the message on tuesday that my extended glucose tests have come back all clear & I do not have gestational diabetes. So grateful for that. I think that would have really put my plans for a natural birth out as there would be much higher a chance they would want to induce me at a certain point. So baby is all healthy and I am feeling good only 9 weeks to go now to my guesstimated due date and 4 weeks till I finish up work at 35 weeks! which is 2 weeks earlier than initially planned but I am getting tired easily now and standing on my feet and lifting continuously is getting too hard. I think me and bub will be much better off this way. Now we are finally moved I can enjoy the downhill run to meet this little person. I am not anxious about the birth at all just going to go with the flow trust my body won't let me down. Start working on my birth preferences plan now, I think the main thing for me is having space & being free to choose how I want things to go. For Paul and I to have special bonding time just us and baby in the first few hours after the birth is very important to me. I want to be without the pressure of expectations of family and friends we will introduce our new little bub to everyone when we feel ready too - most likely we will want to do this straight away, but I don't want to tie Us to a time frame. I am less anxious when I feel in control of my situation.