Things are cruising – 31 weeks 1 day

29+6  – baby shower day!

We are motoring along pretty well here this week. I remain obsessed with how big I am getting (errrr look 35 weeks in my opinion) but other than that, not doing too badly.

I had a really awesome baby shower on the Sunday before Easter weekend. I shared it with another mum from my mother’s group as this is what we do traditionally and it was SO nice. It was actually really fun to share the day with someone else having the same experience as me. The venue we went to was rural so it was all green and peaceful and pretty. The foods was DIVINE. I had fish that I can still taste when I close my eyes and think of it. Amazing.

The organisation of the shower had been a small drama as I had another friend, separate to this group, who had really wanted to throw me a shower. I had told her I would likely end up doing something with A from mother’s group but she didn’t seem to want to really give in to that notion. She thought I deserved to have something on my own after everything we have been through but I honestly didn’t care. I really enjoyed sharing my day.

Anyway, this chick (we’ll call her friend 1) was coordinating with the other mums too but it all kinda fell apart in the end – or didn’t go well – as friend 1 didn’t get what she wanted. I was kind of disappointed with her behaviour and some of the messages she was sending to the other mum to be honest. Some of them were blatantly untrue in an attempt to manipulate the outcome and that made me sad. She ended it with an “Oh well I hope I can make Em’s 40th” like everyone would plan another event over the top of her that she couldn’t attend. Seriously! And the whole time I’m saying “But hey I’m ok with this outcome” and that didn’t seem to matter. Silly old me thought it was about me because, you know, my baby bump and all. but it was really about her and that she wanted to execute the plan she had in her mind.

To be fair, friend 1 has had a tough 12 months and I think she was hanging on to the shower as bright light across a dim year but man, I cannot be responsible for that. I tried to coordinate another date for her and the few girls who couldn’t make the original shower but then it all got too hard and I have let it just drift away. If people want to catch up with me independently then they can but they don’t have to attend a shower.

ANYWAY the outcome was GREAT. I had such a nice day and felt very spoilt. All is good with the baby shower world.

Baby stuff

I thought I better shove in a few sub headings. This post feels like it might be all over the place.

I had my follow up OB appointment last week where we looked again at the baby and she was doing great. Looks super chubby cheeked now and is measuring a whopping 2kg. She had put on only 170g this time though which was a freaking relief. I hadn’t gained at all. (Woooo mama!) I had an internal ultrasound to check out the cervix and it was long and closed – at least 3.5cm which google tells me is good at this stage. No likelihood of spontaneous labour just yet. It turns out my hospital won’t let me deliver there if I am under 34 weeks (they don’t have the special care facilities for a baby that premmie) so I am relieved things look like they are going to be steady and strong in that camp. They told me to just take it a bit easier to reduce the pains I’ve been getting so we’ve done that and things are good.

Easter

Eric went away on his “I can’t believe I’m going to have a second kid and now I really have no life of my own left” boys weekend at Easter. I WAS NOT happy about it, let me tell you because times like Easter and Christmas are family time for me but Eric grew up as an only child and they just didn’t do family the way we do so he doesn’t get it. I informed him this is the last family holiday time he will be scooting off somewhere, from here on in we are there as a family to wake up with the Santa presents and the Easter Bunny visits yada yada. I took videos of Monkey doing his Easter Egg hunt and he totally got what I was talking about once he watched them.

Eric’s mum, who was not away at all for Easter, didn’t even try to catch up with us and see Monkey or give him eggs or anything so I think it is pretty clear this just isn’t a family time for her and that is what she has taught Eric. Makes me a bit sad for Eric really.

Of course while I was solo parenting away all Easter weekend I had Monkey break out in a

My little fisherman

massive rash and I had an ingrown hair grow from a small dot to the size of a flipping fat almond. These things always happen right when you don’t feel there is the time or energy for them. So off to the Dr we had to go in the middle of the holiday weekend. Argh. Luckily all was fine in that neither of us were going to die tragic deaths from our diseases, nor would we kill others, so we ended up going fishing for the first time on the Saturday afternoon with our neighbours and it was SO. MUCH. FUN.

These people know how to fish. All the kids caught fish – Monkey got 3! I sat back and watched the fun but it really was a super enjoyable afternoon.

Dad Update

Thanks to everyone for the lovely comments on my dad post. He is now back in Australia and responding well to treatment and will probably have surgery on his spine this Friday. I chatted to him yesterday and it seemed to me he was angling to stay with me in his recovery phase. Yeah, that is not going to happen. I just dodged the whole thing for now and it stresses me a bit that I might have to actually say no down the track but I really don’t have the time to stress about it now. Now is all about baby prep and i have to keep myself sane to get to that.

Anxiety

I still have a bit of anxiety around but things are definitely improved. Now it seems to have settled on wondering whether or not a natural birth with a 3rd degree tear yada yada would actually be more traumatic than another c-section under a general. I’ve started to make a “birth board” to help with this. In the centre is this quote and I stare at it every day. I just have to believe in this and in myself. I am worried baby isn’t in the most ideal position so when I have my next OB appointment I might quiz him a bit on that. I have my next doula appt this Friday so I will talk some more with her about this too. I’m sure she will have some great ideas to calm my fears and nerves.

I am also thinking of going to an Osteo to get some work done on my pelvis so it is in the best position possible for the birth. This might also help bub settle into the the best birthing position too. Anything to make it all go the way it is meant to go.

Everything else

There really isn’t that much else except to say we had the most amazing day here today; 1 month into Autumn and it felt like summer.I even got a bit sunburnt at the creek! Check it out.

 

I also took you guys a bunch of bump shots this morning because I love you all and I know you like to see them.

 

Sayonara you sexy things! Til next time. x