A bit of a scare (with Vinny)...

We had friends stay over this weekend. Yesterday we spend the day doing touristy things and I felt fit and not too tired. However, when we arrived home, Vinny had made his way into our living room where our friends had their luggages. Vinny got into their luggages and ate a box of 150gr of chocolate! (he preferred the white chocolate, just like me and the milk chocolate. He did not care so much for the dark chocolates!). Chocolate has a component that can be very toxic to dogs and cause sudden death (by heart arrhythmia). We were very stressed and did not know what to do. He seemed fine, but we did not know how long ago he had eaten them (normally if the dog is fine after 3 hrs he will make it). Since it was 8pm we did not know if we would take him to the vets or just wait. Anyways, he is fine and his normal self again but it made me think about our child. There are certain situations that require fast thinking and can be life threatening...

E-mail by grandma Anita

I cannot ever remember my kids being that active at any given time!!!!
Wow!!! This has got to be a trip for you and Jason!!! What a wonderful ride to be on.
I do hope baby does sleep during the night so you can get some sleep as well!!!
It's such a pleasure to open this blog and find out another entry. Thank you soooo much for sharing this with us!!!
Have a great but quiet (sleepy time) weekend!!!
Are you planning on working right up to delivery?

Love anita

And yes, I am planning to work up to delivery. If everything goes as planned my last day at work will be the 14th of September (7 days before my due date). I just don't see why I would sit at home, just getting more stressed about the delivery. This is, of course, if my pregnancy continues to progress smoothly as it has been so far!

Baby movement on record

This week I was at a all day meeting/training so I had to opportunity to register the baby's movements (time and duration). So from the moment I woke up until I went to bed I registered the following (rough numbers):

• 7am - 10 min
• 8:30am - 15min
• 10:30am - 45min (!!!)
• 12:30 - 15min
• 2:15 - 20 min
• 4:45 -35min
• 6:30 - 10min
• 8:30 - 10min
• 10:00 - 15min
• 23:30 - 30min

As you can see - VERY ACTIVE BABY! I read somewhere that they baby spends 90% of their time sleeping in the womb.. well I guess we are dealing with a little rebel here!!!
As you can see, I did not go to bed until midnight (I had some acid reflux and had forgotten some Tums). At 2am the fire alarm of the hotel went off. We had to wait outside for an hour while the firefighters checked the building. Bottom line, I did not sleep well and today I can feel it. I am physically tired, my back hurts and I am feeling nauseated. I need an early and good night of sleep. (hopefully this was the last business trip until the baby)

I got the Ipod!

When we decided not to tell anyone the gender of our baby, I needed and extra motivation to keep the secret. So, we decided that Jason would give me a new ipod if I kept the secret! Jason went to the US for business and brought back a cute new ipod for me. We still have 2 months to go, but I am going to keep it a surprise for everyone.
He also brought back some other items I had ordered online. Including a diaper bag, baby bjorn (to carry the baby), some cd's for the baby, some cloths, a diaper storage unit and some toys. Everything was perfect!!!
Today our changing table arrived and I couldn't wait for Jason to get home and I put it together myself! The nursery is really taking shape!!!

A bit shocked

It has been raining heavily here in London for the past two days, so I am just sitting at home (saturday) waiting for it to ease and take Vinny outside. Well I started watching some videos on youtube.com. And one thing led to another.... I started watching cute videos of new born babies which progressed to watching a couple of videos of the actual birth! Well, I knew it was not a pretty sight.. but seriously.. can I do this? I guess it is a little late to ask myself that question, but seeing actual birth and the pain some of these woman go through.... I have to say it made me emotional and it is amazing to see the baby, mother and father afterwards (yes, I almost cried).
I am not sure if I should 'prepare' Jason and suggest he watches the videos too?!

30 week check up

Yesterday I started the day not feeling 100%. I was sick and had a severe nose bleed. I went home at lunch. Coincidentally, that afternoon I had an appointment with the GP for my 30 week check up. I described to her that I have had some off days, regular nose bleeds and also mentioned that the baby was kicking a lot! After she checked my urine and blood pressure she said that the reason I was feeling like that was due to my body being under stress! So, instead of coming home from work and taking Vinny for a long walk, cooking diner, cleaning, doing laundry, etc etc, and only resting at around 9ish, she said I needed to come home from work, put my legs up and rest. (and eating a few bonbons wouldn't harm me....)
She palpated my belly to feel the baby's position and he/she kicked back against her hand! She laughed!!! The baby's heart beat was also fine and my overall health was good. I just need to take it easier and 'listen' to my body.
When I told Jason this, he said he was not surprised and he was glad the Dr. said it to me, so I would more likely listen to her then him!!

Clean baby!

We received another nice gift from Grandpa Bernie and grandma Andie. They have given us a complete bath set with all the necessary tools. From birth onwards. THANK YOU, we'll be thinking of you when we clean the little one!!!!
Yesterday when I went to pick the bath set up at mothercare, I also went to a pharmacy to stock up on some more diapers! Other moms have recommended to stock up on those early on since you go through so many and the first couple of weeks you're so busy with the baby that you will have little time to get some more.
I finally bought the pram:It's a Silver Cross 3D Pistachio. The whole package (including bag, parasol, footmuffs, etc) will arrive on monday! I was talking to my mom the other day... and just like her, I can just picture our little one in there and strolling around with him/her in the London parks...

Moeke Ramsel (Grand grandma Josephine)

Today I spoke with my grandmother from Belgium. She is 87 and is starting to become forgetful. My aunt has told her that I am pregnant, but today she clearly had forgotten as I spoke to her. So I reminded her that I was pregnant. And she said - 'oh, really, you are pregnant?' I confirmed, to which she jokingly replied - 'and how did you do that?' (she may be losing her memory.. but she sure kept her sense of humor!) to which I replied - 'well, lot's has changed since you were young... but making babies is pretty much the same as before'. We both laughed!
Below is a picture of us taken 2 yrs ago

Joys of the third trimester...

I have had a very smooth pregnancy. Not too much morning sickness in the beginning, enough energy to run until 20 weeks and to swim twice a week and take Vinny for long walk after that, enough energy to travel to several countries while pregnant, still being able to fit in 2 pair of jeans and 1 pair of pants (non maternity), etc etc, but recently I have been experiencing the "joys" of the third trimester:
- Having to go to the bathroom at least every 30 mins to an hour during the day and at least 4 times during the night
- In between the bathroom visits I need to be careful when I sneeze or laugh too much.. yes, you can get the picture of what happens...
- Heart burn. (my coworker swears that means we'll be having a 'hairy' baby...)
Overall I can't complain and will be happy if it stays like this until birth!

70 days to go...

Pictures

These are very late.. but below are some pictures from our vacation in Portugal. I was almost 5 months pregnant then.
1) Jason and I in Porto, after some Port wine tasting
2) Jason in Vale D'Oro (where the porto grape vines are)
3) Me in Porto

Calcium

I read some where that the third trimester is when the baby deposits a lot of calcium in their bones. So I have started drinking more milk and eating calcium rich food. I normally have enough of milk and fruit, but I decide to increase it even more by adding cottage cheese and dark leaved vegetables. I also normally eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, but I have been, since we decide to try to get pregnant, taking antenatal vitamins. the baby is also developing it's brain these coming weeks, so I should increase my omega-3 fatty acids by eating more fish and including flax seeds to my diet. I make this funky breakfast 'bake' which we call 'grumpy flapjacks'. I never follow a recipe, I just add whole wheat flour, wheat, bran, flax seeds, other seeds, raisins, dried apricots, muesli, milk, etc.. (no sugar or fats) and it turns out a bit different every time I make it. But it is great to increase my fiber intake and it is healthy!
I am still on track with my weight gain and have gained a total of 8kg (17.5lbs) however I have heard that the last months are when the weight gain increases... we'll see... so far I have been trying to 'be good' but I enjoy my treats. Like the carrot cake and Dulce de leite ice cream Jason brought home the other day or my peanut M&M's...

Pram experts

Yesterday we went to central London to watch the start of the Tour de France. Which was complete madness but very interesting. Afterwards we made our way to Mamas&papas. A very nice baby/maternity store. Our goal was to understand a bit more about prams. Well, we now do! There are SOOOO many options. different shapes, colors, baby facing forward or facing you, one button fold, with a car seat or without a car seat, removable liner or non removable liner, three wheelers or four wheelers, with shopping basket or without shopping basket and the options go on and on... But after 3 hours of experimenting and having demonstrations done, we have narrowed it down to 3 options!
Later on we met with some friends. They are 12 weeks pregnant. It was nice exchange some experiences and actually giving some advice!

Presents...

We have started receiving presents that are on our registry. It is so much fun to receive gifts and start getting everything ready for the baby!
We received a:
- High chair - which we'll probably not until the baby is 6 months. - THANK YOU Grandma Anita and Grandpa Steve
- Bottle sterilizer - some people say this is not really necessary, since boiling the bottles and teats is much easier. I plan to breasfeed until 5 -6 months, however we are planning to have Jason give a bottle at night. This is supposed to help dad and baby bond and also allows me longer periods of interrupted sleep ;) - THANK YOU Grandma Anita and Grandpa Steve
- Mobile Gym - this is for the baby to lay down on (belly or on it's back) and play with tangeling toys and plays music, to keep the baby busy. I heard it is great to entertain the baby. - THANK YOU Kelly
We still need several crucial items before the baby arrives (some can come afterwards), but I feel organized and on track.
This weekend we hope to narrow down our options on the pram. (we have been narrowing it down by looking up online and in magazines) We will be receiving the pram from my parents (THANK YOU Oma Fanny and Opa Herman!). There are so many options (3 wheelers, 4 wheelers, travel systems, etc). We need a sturdy pram (since we will be mainly using public transport) but we also need one that can be used from birth (facing us) and that can be converted into a 'toddler' pram (facing forwards)
This weekend we are also going to buy a dryer (my birthday present from my parents - again, THANK YOU MOM & DAD). Here in the UK dryers are not very common and people just use racks to hang their cloths next to the radiator.... Which is what we have done for the last 1 1/2yrs, however a dryer will be very useful for when the baby arrives and our laundry load will increase significantly.

Rod Stewart

Yesterday we went to the Rod Stewart concert. I am a big fan! (yes, he is very old and used to open for the Rolling Stones in the 60's, but still...) Jason got the tickets, back in November, for my birthday!
We had great pitch (=field) seats. However, the pitch was the only location in the stadium that was uncovered and it rained the whole time we were there!!! But even with the rain, we had a blast (Jason's 4 pints of Guinness may explain the constant smile on his face and by seeing Rod from so close made me have a smile on mine!) Our baby was pretty quiet throughout the concert. It's the second concert we have 'taken' him/her. The first one was the Dave Matthews concert in Berlin.

Kicking 2

It seems our little one has increased the frequency and strength of kicking since we entered the third and last trimester.
He/she has been kicking over 10 times in a row and in multiple locations (like he/she is stretching) at the same time. At one point I briefly thought that there were two in there!!!
On friday we were watching a movie and Jason had is hand resting on my belly and suddenly our baby started kicking against his hand. We both were surprised at the precision. Jason poked back and that was followed with three consecutive kicks against his hand! Normally his/her kicks last for 2 minutes, on friday it lasted for 10 minutes. I can't get enough of feeling our little one playing in there!
It worries me a bit that he/she becomes more active at night, when I am getting ready to sleep. I hope that when he/she is born it will not be on the same schedule and keeping us awake all night and sleeping during the day!
I've been having a bit of heart burn lately. I read it is very common in the last trimester due to the sphincter between my stomach and esophagus being relaxed (due to the hormones). It is mainly after I eat fried stuff (like french fries) I guess I will have to restrain myself a bit more on those foods.

Kicking

Our baby has been kicking a lot!! It is so fun to 'push' back and then feel him/her kick again. It is also clear where the hands and feets are! (weaker 'kicks' when it is the hands)
My belly is definitely big and showing. This week I had more people 'guessing' the baby's gender based on 'carying the belly upfront' (one said that is a sign of a girl and in a matter of hours someone said carrying the belly upfront was a sign of a boy). I was also talking to some people regarding the heart beat. Last time I went to the midwife the heart beat was 135bpm. Someone told me that anything above 140bpm is sign of a boy and anything below is a girl... doesn't sound to scientific! Well, I guess everyone just has to wait until September.

Pictures

Several people have asked some updated pictures.. here you go!
1)My birthday dessert!!! Yummie carrot cake!
2) Jason and I
3) Another picture on my birthday... showing off my belly!
4) We had breakfast in Central park on our last day in NY

We are back!

We had a fabulous time in New York. It was a fast trip but we truely enjoyed it! This is the 10th country our baby has been in since he/she was conceived!!! This was also my last trip abroad.
We did a lot of shopping (eventhough we could have bought an additional 10 kg based on our baggage allowance).
Since the dollar is weak, some of the baby items we wanted were the same price in the US as in the UK, but in US$ - which means 50% discount. Some of the items we bought:
- crib mobile - besides having the cute fish tangling above the baby, it also project lights on the cealing and has music and some other nice functions to keep the baby entertained.
- nursing pillow - this is to put around my waiste to help me support the baby while breastfeeding (so my arm doesn't get tired). This was a true bargain.
- First aid kit - with thermometer, nasal aspirator (no idea what this is for or how to use it), medicine dropper, etc
- Swaddle blanket - these are special blankets that are designed to 'swaddle' the baby when sleeping and breastfeeding. This is supposed to be soothing to the baby (since it feels like being in the womb) we bought two different sizes
- Sleeping bag - this is to keep the baby warm, we bought two different sizes
- toys - several

- pacifiers - I heard you can never get enough of these and that some babies can be picky, so we have several shapes and format to try out

- towels - more towels and washing mitts

Besides baby stuff, we also got several cloths for Jason (I restrained myself to one pair of pants and two pair of shoes).

For my birthday Jason took me to a very nice restaurant, very good food and we topped it with carrot cake and a vintage glass of port (Jason truely enjoys these now that we have been to the port region in Portugal and he understands the different types of Port). I enjoyed a nice glass of Argintinian Mablec (wine!) - I will post some pictures later!
I was able to enter the US without any problems with my greencard (eventhough we brought all kind of paperwork to back up any issues they may have questioned)!

Disease?!!?

It's funny how some people treat pregnancy like a disease... like you are sick! I clearly understand there are several restrictions when you are pregnant (certain cheese, raw fish, no strenous activities, etc) but it's not that I am disabled!!!!!
This week I participated in a high performing team workshop. (bottom line it helps a team become more united and as a result perform better) and it was just funny (aka annoying) how certain team members kept telling me to sit (and how to sit), relax, not to drink or eat sometings, etc. I do understand they have the best intentions, but most of the times, I do know my limits (I will sit down if my feet hurt or when I am tired!) and also have decided the 'no no' foods (if you have to believe and follow what everyone recommends you not to eat or drink I would be on water & bread -"which should be prepared without eggs and without a certain type of yeast!"
Anyways, in two days we are going to NYC for 2 days! I am excited to spend my 31st birthday there! Last year we went (with my parents) to Africa for my 30th! I was just remembering what an amazing trip that was!!! But who would have imagined that 12 months later we will be going to NYC to buy baby stuff!

Ikea/Mothercare

We recently signed up for a cheap car rental. We can get a car for a couple of hours for a great price. So, this saturday we adventured in the streets of England. Since the streets were not build for traffic (tiny streets, too many cars), it becomes a nightmare to get anywhere on time. It took us 1 hrs to drive 10 miles. Nontheless, we went to Mothercare first and checked out some cribs, mattresses, changing table and also prams. Unfortunately they did not have the crib and changing table we wanted (and the plan was to use to car to bring them home today) but we now know which once we want and we will come back some other time. It was great to get a good explanation and 'test drive' on the prams. There are SOOOO many of them.
Afterwards we went to Ikea, since we had to return the car by 3pm and it was already 1:30pm, we went straight to the sofa/bed and crib section. We actually found a crib we liked there and got it! Since we were in a hurry we got exactly what we needed: sofa/bed, crib and changing mattress, which is great, because we normally wonder around at Ikea and end up buying several items that we don't need!
In a couple of weeks we'll go back to Mothercare to get the mattress and the changing table.
This weekend I also want to wash and organize all the baby items we already have and review our list to see what else we need.

Midwife and GP

Yesterday I went to another midwife appointment (the fourth different midwife). I had a mini GTT done. This is to check my glucose levels. I had to fast for 2 hrs (which is significant for me, since I am constantly hungry and need to eat small meals) and then drink a glucose drink 1 hour before. The results should be available next week.
The midwife was portuguese and she was very nice, she checked my blood pressure (which was normal/low) and checked the baby's heart beat (135bpm), which is also normal. I had my first shot of Anti-D, which is necessary since I am AB negative and Jason is A positive, and there is a 50% chance the baby is positive. If this baby is positive, than my body can make antibodies against the rhesus positive factor and may harm this baby, but more severly our second child.
Afterwards I went to the GP, Dr. Begg, she was very nice and straight to the point. She gave me another medicince to try to clear my skin (I have given up, but if this it the only complication of my pregnany, I will be pleased). She also gave me a health certificate for me to fly next week. Since I will be 27 weeks, airlines start requesting the 'safe to fly' certificates.

Finally....

Some people at work, which I see daily and sit on the same floor as I, finally noticed my bump! Now that it is summer, it is a bit harder to 'hide' the belly underneath layers of cloths! But, it's still funny that some people only notice it now, when I am 6 1/2 months along! Everyone mentions that I am tiny and haven't grown at all (to the sides, I guess) which I suppose is good! I am still on schedule with my 1 kg/month weight gain, but I have noticed that since Brazil I have been eating more, my metabolism must be speading up! I read that this is the period when the baby starts putting on their 'baby fat' (right under the skin) and getting ready to survive outside the womb. (which also requires more calories)
In 'The pregnancy bible', the book I have been reading, it says that the baby's eyelids begin to open and that the baby can react to light. He/she is now almost 1 kg (1 1/2lbs) and 34cm (13 1/2 inches). Tomorrow I will be 26 weeks along (2 more weeks before I finish the second trimester).
The other day I received an email from one of the pregnancy websites I have signed up for saying - 100 days to go!!!!!!!

Stockholm pictures

Some pictures from Stockholm:
1) Jason still smilling before running 26miles! (look at the crowd behind him, there 15000 runners)
2) Jason (fourth) entering the stadium for a final lap after 26miles!!!
3) Me on the water front

First marathon... wait for the next one - in 3 1/2 months!!! OUR BABY!

Hello!
We are back from Stockholm. It was another amazing trip and the 9th country our baby has been too since being in my belly!!!! He/she is indeed a world traveller already!Stockholm was beautiful and Jason ran his first marathon! Me and the baby are so proud of him. He ran 26.3 miles (42.3km) in 4hrs (which was his goal) It was 29C (86F) - extremly hot and terrible runnig conditions!!
While Jason was running I went shopping and had to stop several times to drink water and eat ice cream. At the end of the day (after I went to meet Jason at the finish line) I was exhausted!! My feet were hurting and swollen and felt similar to Jason's exhaustion after the marathon! While shopping I was able to by some 'gender' specific cloths for our little one. Until now we have gotten green and yellow's! (not telling you if I bought a bunch of pink or blue cloths!) We also found some cute frogs to decorate the nursery!
The baby has been kicking a lot. Jason has been able to feel him/her again! It is fun to poke back and feel him/her kick again!

Kicking

The baby has been kicking much more! Several times thourghout the day and night!
Today I woke up not feeling that well. It was a mixture of nausea and tiredness! Tonight I am feeling better. It may just be all the changes my body is going through + travelling + jetlag, etc, I also need to admit that I miss my family and friends in Brazil!!!! :-(
We are packing again (I haven't even unpakced the luggage with all the baby stuff!!), we are off to Stockholm for 4 days. Jason is going to run a marathon! I am so proud of him. his goal was to run a marathon before turning 30 and he will!
Hopefully next weekend we will have time to go to Ikea and get the crib and changing table sorted! I am excited to start working on the nursery and get everything ready for our little one!

Shower 2

The second shower was organized by my mom. It was held on thursday, May 31st. We made some cute invitations. (which included the picture of the latest ultrasound).
We invited my mom's neighbors and ladies form the international woman club (which my mom is part of and who work with poor children in the brazilian slums). A total of 15 people came and all brought beautiful gifts! My mom made 4 different cakes, mini pizzas, waffles (her trademark) and all kind of other snacks. As a little memory of the shower we gave a little bag with chocolates and a little frog magnet attached! It was a great afternoon, exchange ideas and experiences with 'older' moms and grandmothers!
One of the ladies has a daughter who has a 1 year old baby, the mother speaks portuguese, the dad speaks english and at daycare they speak spanish.(they live in Spain) She said that her grandchild is coping really well with the three languages and encouraged me to do the same! (with english, portuguese and flemish) I personally think it would confuse our child and I would like to start with english and portuguese and introduce flemish later on (around 3 -4 years) But my mom, of course, would like to start earlier then that. I just don't know how useful it is to teach our child flemish and I would not want to confuse him/her to the point that they will be affraid of talking because they don't know which language to speak.

Shower I

The first shower we had was on saturday, May 26th. Liesbet, my sister, organized it with the help of my mom. (she made her yummie waffles!!!) My dad was the churrasqueiro ('griller') and made a delicious churrassco for us. (including chicken hearts and ribs!)
10 of my good friends came (mainly friends from high school and a friend from vet school). We had a blast!
I received so many nice and useful gifts, including baby toys, baby cloths, pram blankets and a nipple protector!!!!

Vanessa is also pregnant, she is due 2 weeks after I am (here is a picture of the two of us!) She has been very stressed about all the pregnancy restrictions and fears. All of my other friends commented in how relaxed I am about my pregnancy. I just think there is no reason to stress. I have done the tests and taken the necessary precautions, if (touch wood it will not) something will go wrong, there isn't anything I can do about it at this point. We will have to just wait, see and deal with it then!
Me and Vanessa are the first once of this group of friends in having a baby! The majority of them are married or in a serious relationship and we joked in how things have changed: a couple of years ago we would get together and talk about our latest parties, dates, etc and now we are exchange tips about the best lotion to avoid stretch marks!

Hello from Brazil

My last couple of days in Brazil :-(
I´ve had a great time here. I did some relaxing, hanging out with family and friends and lot´s of shopping! (luckily I brought a spare luggage!) I also received so many gifts and today there is another shower being held here at my parents house. This time it is with my mom´s friends!
It has been very difficult to keep the gender a secret. But I believe I have done a good job in misguiding them. Sometimes I say: our baby boy and then I say my daughter! Also, at the stores, I pick up some cute pink cloths, some nice blue boy cloths but only end up buying the ´neutral´ once! But I believe that the majority of my family and friends understand and respect our decision in keeping it a secret!

Guest Blogger Checking In

Hello everyone! So Annelies has often made the request that I write something on this blog; well, here you go! She is down in Brasil right now hanging out with her friends and family. And I guess she doesn't have any access to update the blog from there! Annelies had a baby shower with 12 of her close Brasilian friends this past weekend; apparently it was a great time, but I'll let her fill you in on the details later!

She is doing very well, and from the reports that I hear over the phone, the baby is kicking quite a bit! Even Fanny has been able to feel the baby kicking as well! That means she might some day be a dancer; or he might some day be a soccer player...........

(hehehe, did you think the guest blogger would spill the beans about the sex that easily? ;)

Annelies has at last finished putting together our "Wish List" baby registry for Mothercare.com, a British website that is focused on, well, mothercare and all-things-baby. If you're interested in taking a look, please go to www.mothercare.com, click on "gift list" on the top right, and then in the "search for a gift list" box, type in "Annelies Hall". Please let us know if you're having any trouble with that!

A funny thing about baby registries is the multitude of customs around the world. For example, in the US, it's taboo to actually tell someone that you have a baby registry; this is strange, because people want to know where you're registered! (I suppose people are supposed to hear about it through the grapevine...but then how does the grapevine get to know where is the registry?) Then in Brasil, many people don't even have the concept of a baby registry; so you can potentially get lots and lots of the same green onesies or Dr Brown's baby bottle starter kits. (Perhaps you give a gift receipt along with the gift...) And I'm not entirely sure about the British custom for registries, but they do have an interesting approach to baby showers: in the US & Brasil, your best friend/mother/sister plans your baby shower for you; but in Britain, YOU are supposed to plan your own baby shower and invite people.

Anyhow, all cultural variations aside, we hope that we're not too forward in suggesting that you go to www.mothercare.com to check out our registry. We figure that open and honest communication is the most effective way of telling the news :)

Well, I don't think my drive-by blogging was nearly as heartfelt or interesting as Annelies' normal posts, but it was nice to drop by and say hello. I'm getting very excited to have a little Jasonzinho or Annezinha in this world very soon! Talk to you all soon!

-Jason

Going to Brazil...

In 7 hours I will be on a plane to Brazil. I am very excited to stay with my family and see all my friends. I am sad Jason is not coming along, but he has a lot of work and I have more vacation time then he does.
I haven't decided which is the best seat on the plane: I need to go to the bathroom more often than normal, so I should sit on a aisle seat, however I can't sleep if I don't have a support for my head (like the window) so I would like a window seat!!!! Big dilema....
The baby has been kicking more... Today I was in a meeting from 8:30 until 1:30 and around 10 she/he started kicking more, I realized I was starving (since I normally have a snack by then) and it seemed the baby was telling me to eat something!
This friday I will complete 5 months and 3 weeks!!! The bump is definitely there but when I tell people how far along I am, they don't believe me. Today one coworker, who is a mom, said -
"almost 6 months?!?!?!! Really!??!! I was at least twice your size by 6 months!!!"
I almost said, maybe you shouldn't have eaten all those biscuits and fried chicken!!!!
Yesterday I went swimming again (3rd time in a week). It felt great!! I was able to swim 30 laps in 45 minutes! I hope to keep it up after I return from Brazil!

We SHOPPED!!! (until we almost dropped)

Yesterday we went to Oxford Street in central London (THE Champs Elysee in London) and we went to so many stores!!! Jason was exhausted at the end of carrying all the bags and waiting for us... he will be happy that next weekend he and Vinny can just sit around and not have to go shopping while I am in Brazil.
We spend several hours at Mothercare which is like Babies'R'us in the UK. My mom gave us several good hints about items that are 'essential', 'nice to have', 'could have if you have extra money' or 'totally unnecessary'. She has helped my older sister with her two children and has had a lot of hands on experience when she had the four of us. We also bought some gifts for some of my pregnant friends and of course for our little one!!!! We found a cute frog out fit, as well as some practical 'oncies' (they bottom up nicely and you don't have to put it over their heads)
My mom kept trying to catch me to see which baby colors I prefered, but I think I was able to mislead her since I think ALL baby stuff is cute!!!!

We felt the baby

In the last week I have been able to feel the baby kick, but every time I lay my hand against the place I felt him/her, I can't feel it against my hand. However, this weekend, after Jason ran 20 miles and we were watching an episode of Lost (yes, we have gotten addicted to the show), I felt the baby kick. I placed my hand against the place and felt him/her kick really strong against my hand. I was so excited and told Jason to put his hand there and after a couple of seconds he felt it too!!!!!
My mom arrived yesterday from Belgium and is staying with us until monday. She brought us some gifts for the baby. They are adorable: a little one-piece (in green) and another set with some some frogs on it!!! She also found some cute little frog toys (one dressed as a girls and the other as a boy!)
Today we are going to a big baby store to look at some items. I have started a list of all the items we need, we will have to buy some of them here (like the pram and crib) and other items we may may get in Brazil or the US. (it's is a lot cheaper there)

Could have been embarrasing

Another First today!
A complete stranger, in the elevator, asked how many months along I was (after looking at my belly several times). For a split second I thougth about two scenarios, which would have been funny/embarrasing:

- Look very surpised at her and say - 'what? pregnant? I am not pregnant? are you saying I am fat?'
- Make a farting noise, look very relieved and say - 'excuse me! But what were you saying?'

Instead, of course, I opened a big smile and said ' 5 1/2 months'!

Yesterday I went to the gym and went swimming, it felt great paddling in the pool for 30 minutes. I would like to start swimming twice a week and three days a week go for walks with Vinny.(hopefully the weater gets better - it has been raining since we got back from Portugal!)
I am still on track with the recommended monthly weight gain (1kg/month), however going to Brazil will mess this all up! (my dad makes some mean chicken hearts and churrasco, my mom is a great cook and Teresa also makes some devine dishes!!!)

I told Jason yesterday that a friends baby ( she is 7 months pregnant) reacts (by kicking) to her husband's voice, which she doesn't do with other people. So last night he started chatting more with my belly! Very cute!

Celebration....

Today, May 15th we will be going out to celebrate. There are 2 reasons:
- Jason and I met exactly 5 years ago at the Dave Matthews show and we have been pretty much together since. Jason made a nice list of some things we have been 'through':

• 20+ countries traveled
• 5 homes
• 5 dogs (1 Vinny and 4 guests)
• 1 half-marathon together
• Several road trips in several countries
• Thousands of bejinhos (but still not enough J)
• A few caipirinhas
• And 1 nail in the wall (or was it 2??!) - this is our 'little joke'

- Our baby is doing well and we found out the gender

Scan pictures

This is our baby at 5 months!!!! His/her little head is to the right (you can see the little nose, ears, mouth, skull, etc). Starting at the left and running towards the right, you can see the umbilical cord running over his/her tummy and chest. The umbilical cord starts at the left (it is not a little 'weewee'). Above were the umbilical cord start, to the left, you can see part of his/her knee! Also, in the middle, right above the umbilical cord, you can see his/her little hand (like it's holding the umbilical cord!). To find out the sex, the ultrasonographer had to approach the baby from 'behind' , between the legs to find out! The baby was in the right position, actually perfect to give birth, but that will, hopefully, only happen in 4 months!!!
This is a cute image, a little hard to see, but as Jason says, these pictures do not justify the amazing views you get at the actualy ultrasound. To the left on this pictures you can see two 'microphones' looking things (pointing to the right). These are his/her little feet together!!!!

Gift Registry

The baby is definintely moving more. I still can't feel it against my hand but I feel pointy moves in certain spots of my belly!
I started working on our baby registry at a UK baby store (all done online). It's not 100% ready and I would like to go to the store to make sure we look at the items and have all the baby things we want on there. (Jason just went for a 20 mile run and I am not sure he will want to do anything else today after that!) But hopefully by next week I can forward you the link.
The fact that we are not revealing the baby's gender has caused some dissapointment within our families, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. First because it is something me and Jason are sharing and it is nice to share a secret between the two of us. Secondly, and this I have seen happen to other friends, once you tell everybody the sex, you either get all kind of pink/girl items or blue/boy (toys, cloths, pacifiers, etc). And for practical reasons, we will now hopefully get 'neutral' colors!
the most important thing is that he baby is healthy and growing well and you will have a nice surprise when he/she is born.
Yesterday we bought our first pack of daipers (or nappies, as they call it here). I got an offer from Huggies that buying a pack of their product you get a free daiper bag. Jason was very surprised with all the options of daipers, he also had no clue that you can easily go thourgh 15 daipers a day and several sets of cloths (he'll be surprised the day he sees the poop make it's way up to the neck and, of course, the smell when you switch to solids!!!! He is in for a fun ride! As he though picking up Vinny's poop was disgusting!)

It is a....

We had our 5 month scan this morning. All the measurements (head, abdomen, heart, spine, brain, femur, kidneys, etc) were within the average for a 5 month old baby!!!! It was so great to see the little blimping heart we saw at 6 weeks now be a heart, with the 4 chambers very visible and pumping away!!! We saw the baby yawn and open and close it's mouth several times, moving the legs and arms!!! How cute!!!!!! (I still think it looks very tight in my belly!).
And... at the end... we found out it is.....a...... sorry folks, we decided to keep that one a secret! Since I am unable to keep the girl's name we had chosen a secret (we have not decided on a boy's name yet) we thought we'de at least have some surprise for everyone when the baby is born.. so it will be the gender! This should not discourage anyone to give us gifts :D It will actually be great to get neutral colored items, which we may then re-use for the next one.
We are very excited and happy to know our little one is well and growing normally!!!! we have 4 monhts to go!

Finally...

For the first time someone offered me a seat in a busy bus. (at least I think he did it becuase I looked pregnant and not just a fat tourist!) We were in Lisbon, and after spending 2 days exploring the city, we took a bus to the airport to get our rental car. The bus was packed and an older men saw me and gave up his seat for me to sit!!! Me and the older ladies on the front seats of the bus, which is reserved to the elderly, pregnant, woman with children and disabled!
We had a great trip in Portugal!!! This is the baby's 6th country he/she has been to!!! And we figurd that by the time he/she is born, it will be 9 countries total!!!
My belly is definitely showing now and a lot of my normal cloths don't fit, so it's time for the maternity cloths!!
Jason has been so sweet, now that my belly shows, he talks to it and strokes it!!! I believe it now feels more real to him as well, since the belly is growing!
I have different/weird moves/feelings in my belly, which is assume are the babies kicks!! But every time I put my hand against a specific spot in my belly, I can't really feel anything!
Two more days to go before the scan!!!

Lovely e-mail from my mom!

Allerliefste babietje van Annekeen Jason,,,,en ook babietje van oma Fanny en
opa Herman en grandma Anita and grandpa Steven,

Amaai...wat heb jij al een lange belangrijke titel....maar wat belangrijker is je gaat de liefste en de beste de knapste ..slimste... en de zorgzaamste mama hebben..die je nu al heel graag ziet...dat weet ik...je mama is soms een beetje bang of het allemaal wel zal lukken..maar dat is normaal..dat heb ik ook meegemaakt dat gevoel ... maar ik als de mama van je mama WEET ik dat je mama een super goeie lieve mama gaat zijn...de allerbeste voor jou op de ganse wereld ...je mama is zo bezorgd omdat ze zich goed voelt .hihi...gek he....nog geen al te grote buik heeft en ze bang is dat je niet genoeg plaats hebt ...ik weet dat jij het daarbinnen heel goed stelt...je mama doet ook zo haar best voor jou....ik als mama van je mama ben zo fier hoe goed dat je mama het stelt...hoe flink ze alles doet en dat alles zo goed verloopt..ik zou je mama wel wat dichter willen bij mij hebben dat ik jullie meer kon zien..maar ik ben blij dat ik binnenkort je kan zien..wel langs de buik..maar omas kunnen dat...door de buik kijken en zien hoe lief je bent ....en natuurlijk ga ik dan tegen jou vertellen...met je papa heb je ook geluk gehad...je hebt ook de liefste papa gekozen op de hele wereld...ik ben fier dat je al zo goed kan kiezen!!!!!!!!!.
Je kent al heel wat plaatskes op de wereld...je mama en papa nemen je overal mee naartoe...wat heb jij geluk he...nu ben je in Portugal...en binnen enkele weekjes voor de tweede keer naar Brazilie al! Daar zal ik van genieten als je mama met jou hier is...we zien er naar uit om jullie tweetjes te verwennen...
Je mama zegt dat ik moet engels praten tegen jou maar dat ga ik met jou eens beter afspreken...!
Allerliefste babietje...stel je mama maar gerust dat alles perfect inorde is en zeg dat ze maar geniet van de goeie zwangerschap...want een keer dat je geboren bent dan begint het FEEST!!!!!!!!!!en bij dat grote feest wil ik bij zijn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Liefs en vele buikzoentjes die met de nodige trillingen op jouw lief neusje terecht komen..op je lekkere wangetjes..je voorhoofdje..je mollige handjes....
tot heel vlug
Oma Fanny

Frogs

We have decided this weekend for a theme for the nursery. We are going with frogs. We both like green, it's a neutral color and we have some nice colorful frog pictures for the walls (for those who remember the artwork in the purple bathroom in our Redondo Beach house.... those are the ones). I am excited to start planning the nursery! (this is until I see the price of all the little bits an pieces...)
The plan is to make a list of all the items we need for the baby/nursery so we can then start buying things on our trips (Brazil, US, Stockholm, etc) Since it is much more expensive here in the UK!
Tomorrow we are off to Portugal. It will be nice to relax!
Friday I will be 5 months!!! Time has just flown by!

Weekend

We had a very nice weekend! We went shopping and Jason was great. He would stand in line for the fitting room when i was picking out cloths and when I was trying on the cloths he would stand in line to pay, so we could get out fast and go to the next one!!! I bought some nice maternity cloths, including a Bella band (which is a simple cotton band that is supposed to support the belly when it get's bigger! It will probably come in handy!)
Jason also ran 18 miles this weekend.. my mom said that is was great training for when he needs to run after the kids (hopefully not for 18 miles!!) and me and Vinny went for a 2 hr walk!
So far my cravings have been easy on Jason. I have cravings something, however I control it and can have it several days later. Last week I really wanted some peanut M&M's but did not make/ask Jason go and get them, however on sunday we were in the store and I bought a big bag and pretty much ate everything at once!!! (Jason is still hoping I have another pizza craving like I did in the early weeks of my pregnancy!)

Dreams... (or would it be nightmares...)

Last night I dreamt we had twins.. tinny little babies.. and they had a wound in their abdomen. It as scary, because I couln't make the wounds heal!!! (we were watching LOST the night before, and for those who know the show, there are some 'bloody' bits on it). Several weeks ago I had dreamt I had a small baby boy, and I had to register him (yes it was clearly a boy in my dream) and the man behind the counter just threw him in a bucket of water and he was completely wet when I got him back! I did not have a towel and the baby kept telling (yes, the baby could talk) that it was very cold!!! (interestingly enough, our washer was not working at the time here at the new house and we had no large towels to dry ourselves for several days...). I guess I just am worried about my mother capabilities!!! And I am sure everyone goes through that... it's just scary to have dreams like that. I woke up at 7 and could not sleep anymore! (it's saturday!)
We are off to go shopping in Kingston (upon Thames, as Jason likes to call it, however it is just next to the Thames and is just called Kingston! He has spend to much time in England!) and stroll around the river and have abite to eat. The weather is great and it's supposed to be record high temperatures this weekend!

Rubber Bands?!

This morning, for the first time, I could not close my pants. A friend of mine suggested using a rubber band: you put it thourgh the the loop and and around the button, and that should give me some extra comfort... looking forward to that. I will have to buy rubber bands that go with my outfit ;) Or I can persuade jason to go shopping with me this weekend!
Two weeks from tomorrow we have our scan! I can't wait!!!
Jason send out an e-mail to the 'Hall' side of the family and we have received several very sweet e-mails back from our aunts and cousins! Thank you!

'Conversation' of the weekend

We wento a friend's house this weekend for a barbecue. While there I was talking to a girl about my green card situation and another girl (which I don't consider the smartest cookie) was listening. At 0ne point I said:
"The problem is that I need to travel to the US before the end of July, otherwise I will be too pregnant to go on a plane"
Not-so-smart-cookie says:
"Are you pregnant?"
I say:
"Yes"
She says:
"Really, I didn't know... you can't really tell... how many months?"
Kind of knowing where this conversation was going....I said:
"4 1/2 months"
She says:
"REALLY!!! I have friend that is 4 months and you can definitely tell she is pregnant, anyone could tell.. but you... not at all!"
well, great, as if I wasn't feeling bad already that there is not enough space for the baby in my belly......

4 1/2 months

Today I completed 4 1/2 months! This is the time when my mom started to feel some kicks! Not yet for me. Sometimes I actually don't think I am pregnant! Small belly, no cravings, not abnormally (!) emotional, no tiredness and definitely no kind of kicking in my belly! I will probably only ease when we have our scan on the 10th of May!
Jason brought back some maternity cloths I had ordered on-line in the US. I ordered a couple of size S and some M. I am definitely a size S in the US (here in Europe I am a size M) It's funny how the sizes differ. It's probably to make americans feel better about themselves.
I am currently a bit bitter with the US. I had to send in my greencard (the one that was valid for 10 years) because they put a wrong date of birth. Well I send it back in February. Now, I realized that it can take up to 6 months (august) before I get it back, and I need to go to the US at least once a year to keep my greencard valid! Well, last time we went to the US was October, but the problem is that I can only travel until mid august..... so, if they don't send my greencard on time, I may not be able to go to the US this year and loose my greencard, and start from zero. And for those who know them pain (sending in several forms, costs, medical exams, waiting period, etc) of getting a greencard -I am not looking forward to it! It's just frustrating, because it was their mistake! At least our child will get an american passport and not have to deal with greencards!

Spring in London

It has been beautiful here in London. Almost spring - the sun starts showing it's face, trees and plants are blooming, people are in parks picnicking, playing games, having fun, the restaurants start putting tables outside and opening their windows, so people can enjoy the weather and it get's dark after 8pm! This is really a great moment to be here in London!
Today I got home from work at 6 and took Vinny for a jog/walk. He loves it! (I do too and I hope the baby as well!)
My belly is starting to show (specially wearing summer cloths) and I notice people looking at my belly. However, they must either think:
'gosh, cut back on the pint and biscuits lady'
or
'how cute, she must be pregnant'
It is still not to obvious!
I am still not 100% recovered from my cold (yes mom, I will drink more tea with honey tonight!) and I had a terrible headache (yes Jason, I did drink a lot of water today!) But after being in the park for 1 hr, I feel much better, I just needed some fresh air.
3 weeks and 2 days before our next scan. I can't wait. I have trying to feel my belly to see if I can feel any movements, but nothing so far. My mom said it happened to her around 4 1/2 months (one more week to go then!)

First baby blues...

Today, for the first time, I felt the baby hormones affect my mood!
I worked at a veterinary conference (we won the prize of the best stand) for 5 long days. Since I was responsible, I worked long hours and I am also fighting a cold!
When I was taking the train back home I thought about how nice it would be to get home, being with Jason, going for a drink (it has been very warm and everyone was out and about enjoying the weather!), taking Vinny for a walk, etc. But, unfortunately, Jason is on a business trip in Los Angeles and Vinny stayed with a friend while I was at the conference. When I arrived home, the house was quiet. Then I talked to my parents, Liesbet and Ward and chatted with my best friend Melissa (in Brazil) and I felt SOOOOOO home sick to Brazil.
So when I spoke to Jason the tears just came down....
It sounds sad, but it's just my hormones, being tired and just missing Jason caused me to go over 'the edge'. However, now I've had some diner, a cup of tea with honey (I promised my mom!) and feel ready to go to bed and rest...

Grandpa Steve's e-mail

We got back from Marroco late last night and in my inbox I found this nice e-mail from Steve.
Dearest Annelies,
I believe it is time for my two cents worth. I have always said my greatest experience is to view the world through the eyes of my children. You have taken me to new heights with Your experiences that you have listed in this baby diary. What a wonderful, wonderful thing to do.
You and Jason are heading down a new path that will change your lives and your marriage forever. You were each on a single separate path that you traveled on your journey, and then you met each other and joined in matrimony. Now your lives are taking on new meaning, as the marriage of two becomes a family of three (Oops four, sorry Vinny). You are changing physically, emotionally, spiritually for the better.
My father always told me that he would have his revenge on me some day. That day was the day I told him he had a grandson named Jason. He later told me that there was true love in those words, for the word "revenge" had many meanings. He knew what wonders I would have with our new son and later a wonderful daughter for he and his wife had the same wonders we did (do).
I told Jason when the two of you were married that I would not bother him about when you two would have children. I told him he had to satisfy his Mother and Mother-in-law first. Now that the news is out and the event is well on the way. I can REJOICE.
With ALL my love
Grandpa Stephen

Bigger belly! (week 15)

Pictures of my growing belly! (3 week sequence)

My belly at 15 weeks
















My belly at 14 weeks

My belly at 13 weeks

Letter from my sister, Liesbet

Well the baby will have to learn multiple languages, since one grandma writes in English, the other grandma in Dutch and Liesbet in Portuguese!!! We have always wanted to teach our children Portuguese, but, even though Jason has improved a lot, he still needs to come up to speed to be able to teach our child. He does have some time before the baby is boren and starts speaking! Here is Aunt Liesbet's sweet e-mail:

Eu finalmente encarei novamente teu blog!! Como estou emocionada!! Estás lindas e tenho plena certeza que vi lábios e um rostinho angêlical! Nossa anne, não tenho palavras para descrever minha alegria com toda essa fulia. Um novo membro na nossa família!!Ele ou ela será concerteza amparado por todos nós com muito amor, isso nunca o faltará.

Eu consigo sonhar acordada com as primeiras fotos de ti com o baby, da primeira vez que ele ou ela irá mamar no teu seio, das mãozinhas e dos pézinhos se espreguiçando continuamente, das roupinhas em miniatura, do primeiro passeio ao museu (sim senhora, terá que ser um baby culto! ^^)... vocês serão ótimos pais! Tenho pouca certeza da vida mais muita certeza que serão pais exelentes.

Family in town

This weekend my aunt Hilde and my cousin Els (whom live in Belgium) came to London to visit us! I had not seen Hilde and Els for several years and it was very nice to see them. They did not know we were pregnant, and while having lunch we were telling them all the trips we have done and have planned for this year. Els (whom has a beautiful blond-and-blue-eyed baby boy that is 2 1/2yr old) said - "you might as well, since you don't have any children." Jason and I looked at each other and said to them - "well, that will change in 5 1/2 months!"
We had a great time and we hope to see them again when the baby arrives!

Grandpa Bernie's e-mail

Dear Annelies and Jason,

We enjoy reading each entry to the "Baby Diaries Blog" ever since Anita told us about it. We are thrilled to go through this pregnancy with you and hope that you continue writing and keeping us informed. We want to know all about this Great Grand Son or Great Grand Daughter that you bring into this world. We are waiting to hear if it will be a boy or a girl. We pray that you will have a happy and healthy baby and that your delivery will be an easy one.

A sweet note from grandma Anita

Grandma Anita is recovering from foot surgery and the recovery has not been going as planned. We wish we could be closer to help. Here is her note:

Dear Annelies and Jason:The computer is up and running again! I have been lost not being able to write to you. I've tried calling a few times and have not been able to catch you at home. I'm still at home, not back to work yet and possibly not for awhile.I love the blog notes!!! I am overwhelmed with how much you already know about the baby and have seen her and made her move with the jumping for the ultrasound!!! It's just amazing!!! It's so nice of you both to share this part of your life with this new little babe. Now, I'm not being partial to a little girl but I always have heard that girls are more fun to make!!!I'm so glad you are starting to feel better, no more morning sickness, and more energy... Enjoy the sleeping now... there's a reason why it takes both a man and a woman to raise a child... and don't forget Grandparents.. we will always be there for you, no matter where in the world you're at.Thank you for sharing this joyous event with us.
Love Anita

Belly is finally starting to grow!

Yes indeed! Eventhough it is still not visible to other people I can definitely feel my pants and skirts tighter, but not enough to change to manternity cloths. Jason is going to the US in two weeks and I will order some maternity cloths from there since it is cheaper and they seem to be nicer!
As I mentioned before, I feel much more energy so yesterday evening we went to a spanish restaraurant for dinner. I even had 1/2 glass of wine with my meal!
Several of my friends that are pregnant are now finding out the gender, and they are all boys!!!! Kelly, in the US, is having a boy (no name yet). Ana, in Australia, is having a boy and is going to call him Sebastian and Laetitia, in France, is having a boy and is going to call him Valetin! Both me and Vanessa don't know yet! This is my 15th week and if we had a scan and had the babies cooperation, we would likely find out the gender! However, we will have to wait until the 10th of May. We still have not decided on a boy's name, it seems we will have to start thinking more about it!
Next week we are going to Marrakech for Easter! I am glad I have my energy back and will be ale to enjoy and explore Marocco!

Sweet second trimester!!!

Last week I officially started my second trimester and, to my surprise, it is true what they say. I feel much better! Overall I have had a great pregnancy, just a bit nausea, I was a bit more tired then usual, I was not sleeping that well during the night and my skin was braking out. (seriously, this is so much better then some stories I have heard where woman spend so much time throwing up, feeling pain, etc) But I suddenly have no more nausea (this ceased 3 weeks ago), I have more energy, I have been sleeping without problems (I just wake up 2 -3 times to go to the bathroom) and my skin is getting better.
The spring has arrived and London is so much more pleasant (specially with daylight savings). Yesterday evening I arrived home around 5, took Vinny to the park and jogged/walked for 1 1/2hrs, I felt great!!!! I jogged for 5 min (very slowly) and walked for 1, for 1 hr and then walked the rest. Vinny loved it and I really felt good!
I am starting to see more of a belly, but it is still not visible to 'the outside world'.
Everyone in the family has been very quiet, I have not heard from any of the grandmas for a while.

First Midwife appointment

We went to see the midwife for the first time on saturday. Besides taking more blood for tests (they did all the necessary testing when I went to the emergency room 2 months ago) and another urinalysis, the midwife asked a whole list of questions regarding our health and our family's history. Overall, everything seemed well and we are on track. The midwife gave me a calendar of when I need to see her or the GP and what tests to be done.
We had several questions and the one she laughed more about were my doubts about having enought space in my 'belly' for the baby! I really don't care that I don't look pregnant (I hardly have a bump) I am just concerned everything is crammed in there and the baby doesn't have enough space!!! She said not to worry and that very soon the bump will 'pop out'.
I had my first dream about the baby (that I have been able to remember, the last couple of months I have been so tired I hardly remember any dreams). I dreamt it was a boy. I need to admit that in the dream I was a bit dissapointed about not being a girl, which is bizarre, because I will be happy with either a boy or a girl!
I can feel the second trimester has started. I have been feeling more energetic again. It is now 10:20pm and I am not too tired. The last couple of months at 8:30 I was falling a sleep on top of my diner!

Rainy and cold spring

It has been cold here in the UK, eventhough spring officially started 2 days ago! Hopefully the fall will have a warm start (as the spring is starting out cold) so when the baby arrives it will be nice and mild. But, you never know with global warming. It is sometimes scary to think how the world is progressing and how our children and grandchildren may have a totally different world then we live in. I assume it has already changed a lot from what our grandparents experienced, but it is going in the bad direction.
Another change I have noticed is the behaviour of children. Maybe it is because I take more public transport and I share the train with 15year old teenagers going to school. They are completely rude, loud, annoying and bad behaved. I wonder if that is just a trend in the UK or worldwide, the lack of respect for everyone and everything.
Re-reading this paragraph makes me think if I am slowely becoming a 'mom'! Or just getting old..... whatever it is, I will do my best to raise polite and kind children, that will respect their grandparents, environment and others people.
Tomorrow we have our first appointment with the midwife. I am excited and curious to see what the next steps are. She is supposed to give me a full agenda of who I need to see and when. We will be going to the hospital where I will likely give birth, Chelsea and Westminster hospital.
Today I am 14weeks pregnant. The baby is now 4 inches and weighs 3 oz. The heart is pumping 25 quarts of blood a day!!!

My mom's e-mail

It's in flemish, and one day I will translate it to our baby.
WAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wat een emotioneel moment...mijn kleindochter/zoon te zien! Ik zou zo al zeggen ohhh Anneke...´t lijkt op jou!!!!!!!!! Uw buikje ziet er echt snoezig uit....Ik kan niet wachten om je te zien.. Hier is alles goed. Ik heb een blij gevoel te denken aan de baby die op komst is..je kan je niet voorstellen wat een geluksgevoel het gaat geven als je dat babietje in je armen gaat nemen...onbeschrijfbaar...en dat grote geluksgevoel dat geeft je zoveel energie dat je al de rest erbij neemt(zoals beetje minder nachtrust...hmmm...) je hebt geen idee met wat je allemaal
blij bent.simpele dingen...zoals als er eindelijk een flinke kaka komt na een dagje constipatie...je bent zelfs blij met hoe lief de baby kan wenen...(longoefening.)...en zoveel andere te ontdekken kunsten van je babietje...

Advice from mulitcultural mom's

I was on a business trip in Switzerland for the last couple of days, and I told some of my co-workers I was expecting. I received so many different advice, stories and recommendations! It is so interesting in seeing how each country has different 'believes' in what you should or shouldn't eat, do as sports or what are your rights as a mom.
In Italy, for example, it is okay to drink a glass of wine a week (it is even recommended by the Dr's to avoid 'withdrawl' symptoms) but you should avoid spinach! (I always thought it is a great source of iron to avoid anemia!)
In Holand you can only dream of getting an epidural... because the anesthesiologist should not be 'bothered' by babies being boren, since there are 'more' important things to do (like what? flirting with nurses?).
In France, maternity leave is fully paid 6 weeks BEFORE the baby is boren and 10 weeks after!!! (seriously, don't they already get enough holidays?)
And of course, I heard all kinds of 'horror' stories about births, misscarriages and difficult babies. I wil do my best to never scare moms-to-be with any of my 'bad' stories (let's hope I don't have that many to tell!) I find it a bit insenstive!
I bought a magazine called baby&pregnancy to read on the plain. It was very interesting... talking about all the rights, options of birth, reviews on prams, things that are nice to have but not crucial and other things you can't live without!

Testing my patience

This weekend I had nice preview of maybe a tenth of the patience I will need for the baby. We took care of Leela, a pug whom is Vinny's girlfriend. She is extremly shy and I had to corner her the first couple of times to put her on the leash, but by the end of the first evening with us, she was allowing me to pet her... major breakthourgh (for Jason it took almost 48hrs for her to let him get close to her).
As you know, Vinny is a very obedient and sweet dog. She is 1 year and not potty trained, does not listen, and does not eat easily! (sounds like a new born, doens't it??) So by the end of today (three full days with us) we finally managed to have her pee outside the house!
Interesting experience....

Scan pictures

These are the scans from last thursday (one days before the 'official' 13 weeks).
This first one you can see a shot from 'far'. To the left is the head, if you look closely you can see the lips, nose, eyes, ear and brain. In the middle you can see the little belly! (so darn cute!!!!) and you can only see a little part of the leg. The littls black spot above the belly is part of the amniotic fluid. When I saw this image on the screen I thought the baby was way to crammed in my belly but they guaranteed (and showed) that there is a lot of amniotic fluid around the baby.



This second picture is a closer look of the baby. You can see the head to the right (this was right after the baby woke up and was moving her/his arms. You can see the little hand right in front of her/his face (she waved it a couple of times) You can also see the ears, lips, belly and to the left is a leg and a knee! (seriously, how adorable.. it really looks like a baby!!!!) I already love this baby so much!!!!





This is a close-up of his/her face. You can clearly see the nose, eyes, lips (it looks like the baby is smiling), brain and ears. The little hand is in front of her face, and it looks like she/he is ready to suck it's thumb (which they suposedly already do at this point)

Latest belly pictures

This is when I was 11 weeks












This is when I was 12 weeks

3 month scan

We had our 3 month scan today. Everything was perfect.
We had an appointment in central London at 10:30. The 'ultrasonogrophar' was very nice and informative. First she said I had done a great job on filling my bladder (which is necessary to push the uterus up so the baby can be seen), however it was too full and she asked me to go to empty it!!!
It was great to see the tiny baby. This is our third ultrasound. The first one we saw a gestational sac, the second one we saw a bean shaped baby and this time we were able to see an actual baby. We saw the arms, legs, head, brain, lips, nose, fingers, spinal cord, the heart beating. SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!
The baby was sleeping and it needed to move to take some measurements, so I had jump up and down and after we poked my belly a little more he/she finally woke up and started moving... So adorable!!!!! All the measurements and general aspect of the baby were normal for a 12 weeks and 6 day pregnancy!
She took some measurements to define the risk of down syndrome and some other anomalies. They plot it on a spreadsheet (all computerized), taking in account my age, the fetus age, etc. For down syndrome, the older you are the higher the risk.. with all my figures pulled together our risk was the same as a 15year old, which is great!
My next and last scan is when I am 21 weeks, we scheduled it for May 10th! By then they will do some more measurements for anomalies and, hopefully, see the gender.

3 inches!!!

I think this 'timeline' progresses with the days, but today I am 12weeks and 4 days (192 days to go). The baby is 3 inced and weighs one ounce. All 20 teeth are formed!!!

We are back from Berlin!

We had a wonderful four day break in Berlin. We walked all over the city, did:
- lot's of sight seeing while walking
- went to a museum (Jason had to choose one of so many! I just don't enjoy musea as much as he does!)
- ate typical German food (eisbein and sourkraut = pork joints with cabbage, curryworst = sausage with ketchup and curry, marzipan cake, apfelstrudle with ice cream = yummie!!!, etc)
- enjoyed the great spring weather (16C/55F) and sunny every day
- Jason experimented several German beers (I sipped on a couple, but sticked to my sparkling water - which, ironically, was more expensive then beer!!!!! Got to love Germany for that!)
- Did some shopping - I bought some pregnancy cloths, not that I need them right now, but they were at a good price, and I know I will need them! We also bought the first baby cloths (just 2 little pj's, but now that I passed the critical phase, it was a nice 'celebration')
- Took an afternoon nap every day! (and slept in until 8:30ish every day!)
- SAW DAVE MATTHEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (this was our 6 concert together, we met at the first one!)

I must say that the extra blood that is circulating and that tends, thanks to gravity, to go straight to my legs and feet, is not pleasant! And, unfortunately, I was out of breath easier (the museum Jason picked had so many stairs and I struggled at a few) but overall we must have walked 25 - 30 miles this whole weekend.
My belly is definitely starting to grow and I enjoy feeling it!!! At the Dave Matthews concert I stood in front of Jason and he held my belly several times.. saying "my baby is carrying my baby!"
Today we walked in a very residential neighborhood. There were several mothers with prams walking around. It made me smile, soon I will be one of them!!!
On Thursday we have our 12 week scan. I am very excited about it! I am also seeing my GP in the morning. My skin has not been reacting that well to the hormones and hopefully the GP can prescribe something that is 'pregnancy-safe'.

Time to tell....

Today I told several of my friends I was pregnant! They all are very happy for us. Vanessa, my friend in Brazil is also due at the end of September... such a coincidence! I wish I could be closer to her to share this special moment in our lives!
Yesterday I got a letter from the midwives, saying I have an appointment this saturday (march 10th) at 10am. We are going to Berlin, at 8am this saturday. (to see a Dave Matthews concert, we have seen one show each year since we met at one) So, I called to reschedule.
They look into the calendar and said:
"Whatt about April 27th?"
I said:
"APRIL? I will be 19weeks (almost 5 months) by then and not have had one appointment with a midwife!"
And they say:
" We are completely booked and it is your fault you can't make the appointment this saturday!"
So I said:
"So that is it? I will be 19weeks pregnant, with no medical assistance and just pray and hope everything will be fine until then..."
Then they say:
"oh hold on......" (wait for 1 min) "let me see.. what about march 24th?"
I say:
"PERFECT!"
So good news, we will have our scan on March 15th (next thursday) and then have an appointment with the midwife on the 24th!

I also went to register with our local GP today. I was seen by a nurse. She just did a urinalysis, blood pressure, height, weight and asked bunch of questions. She asked some bizarre questions, like - do you smoke or drink alcohol, and how much - I never smoked (regularly) and I had stopped drinking alcohol since I discovered I was pregnant - she looked surprised!!!
Everything else was fine, I continue being the glorious 1,64cm high and weighing 8 1/2 stones (yes, they do stones.. no idea what that is in kg or lbs) She told me to drink more water, since the urine was concentrated - they clearly want me to go to the bathroom 30 times a day!
Tomorrow I am going to Crufts until friday... I will probably not be able to update the diaries until next wednesday when we return from Berlin.

George in town!

We had a nice and pleasant weekend. Our friend George was in town and we told him ‘the news’. We went out for dinner on Friday with 4 other people: George, his friend Jenna, Tiffany and her boyfriend Ramon. When we got to the bar, George asked what I wanted to drink and I said I just wanted some sparkling water. He looked at me funny and said – ‘Is there something you want to tell me?’ I said that I was just really thirsty. AS the night progressed, nobody really noticed I was not drinking. When dessert came they brought also a glass of champagne for everyone and when I went to toast I said – ‘to George being in town and to having baby Hall in a couple of months’ There was a moment of silence and then everyone congratulated us. George was very surprised and said that earlier in the evening he was just joking. I guess he had expected me and Jason to be the couple that would always go out and get drunk with him…. I guess that will be changing! It was great sharing the news with some more people and we will shortly start doing that since this Friday we’ll hit the three month mark.
Yesterday, Sunday it was a typical British day (rain and cloudy all day). After George left we watched 3 movies throughout the day! It was so nice to just relax. I thought how nice it would have been if I was further along and we could have spent the day seeing the baby kick while watching movies…. We did take Vinny for a walk in the late afternoon and we found some great nice big parks close by, I can already envisioned myself walking the baby there and play on a big picnic blanket while Vinny runs around us! (Weather permitting of course!)
I found out on Friday that my good friend Vanessa is also pregnant. I am not sure her exact due date, but she is half a month behind me!!!!! So many pregnant people around me! It’s great to share our experiences!
We took some more pictures of my belly (we are doing that every week) but we still are not connected to the internet at our new home!

New home 2

Almost a week in our new house! Jason is in Paris on a business trip and I took the opportunity to spoil myself last evening. I had a nice dinner (couscous salad with grilled veggies and passion fruit juice followed by chamomile tea and baklava), took a nice relaxing bath (with candles, bubbles and aromatherapy) and watched a chick flick... very relaxing!
I have been trying to get a hold of the midwives that will be accompanying me through the rest of the pregnancy, but so far no luck. I recently found out that the August and September are the months with the highest birth rate in the UK. Which may explain why they are not returning my calls - they are very busy!
I have registered with our local general practitioner (it's just a 3 min walk from our house) and will be going in for a general check up next week.
This weekend our friend George will be in town (visiting us from the US). Since we are almost 12 weeks (next Friday, 9th of March) we are going to start sharing the news with our friends. Although for him it will probably be no big deal since we have so many pregnant friends and friends with babies and toddlers!
My friend Kim, from LA, just had a baby: Ava Isabella, she is a real cutie! Kim also send me a picture of Ava right after birth…. Argh… I need to get used to that. But I guess babies are not lying on a luxury blanket and sprinkled with baby talk in our belly, nor are they removed from our belly like you would remove a engagement ring from its box.