Nice package from Grandma and grandpa Hall

Yesterday we received a box full of 'goodies' for the baby from grandma Anita and grandpa Steve! With all the cute frog stuff they send, the 'frog shelf' is now full! Anita also knitted a nice blanket (It is pink and blue and very nice!) THANK YOU!!!!

Busy!

My second day of maternity leave is running to it's end! I have kept myself very busy!
Day 1 - Yesterday I met up with Melissa and we did a bunch of touristy things. Melissa felt the baby kick and kept talking to my belly the whole day! She is so cute! In the evening I took care of Jason (who has a cold)

Day 2 - I woke up at 3 am and could not sleep (my back was hurting, probably due to all the walking I did yesterday) I went downstairs (did not want to wake up Jason) and read a book. Jason came looking for me at 6 (I was asleep on the couch over my book and with Vinny on my feet). I had another GP appointment today. It went well. The baby's heart beat and position was good, my urine and blood pressure was also within the norms! She said there isn't much else to do then wait! I took Vinny to the park and had lunch in the sun (the weather has been beautiful). In the afternoon I did some gardening in the front yard (it still looks like a jungle, but a bit more in control and now I can at least pass the pram through the gate and front door!) I caught up with some emails and worked on the 'announcement' list! I finished the day with cleaning up a bit, organizing the baby's room and cooking a nice meal for dinner! (Beef Bourguigonne!)

Hopefully I will keep myself entertained (busy) like this until the baby arrives!

E-mail from grandma Anita:

Had Chinese for dinner last night and fortune cookie insert said
"GOOD NEWS OF LONG-AWAITED EVENT WILL ARRIVE SOON."
We're ready and I know you guys are ready... a bag packed, phone number for taxi- cuz I'm sure you are not going to take the bus or train!!! The room is ready and soooo pretty, the cupboards are cleaned, the crib is ready.
Soooooooooo, What 'ja waiting for, eh????
Have you had that talk yet with Vinny?

We are indeed ready as well! We have 'talked' to Vinny and he is ready for his sister/brother to arrive! We are just waiting for the little one to decide to come and enjoy the outside world with us!

Yet another friend in town...

One of my best friends from Brazil is in town for 4 days. Yesterday we met up with Melissa, her mother and sister for dinner. It was so nice to see her and hopefully I get to spend some more time with her tomorrow! She brought a cute pair of Brazilian colored baby Havaianas (popular sandals from Brazil)! Melissa has been very curious to know the gender of our baby. Since may, when I had my shower in Brazil, she has tried to trick me in telling her! And yesterday Jason got a fair bit of pressure as well! However, she is certain it is a girl and talks to 'Sofia Josephine' in my belly!
Her sister, Melina, is in her last year of medical school. When I told her about the amount of woman in Britain that opt for the 'natural' birth she was very surprised! (specially because I told her that the woman want the natural birth and it is not due to a lack of epidurals of 'drugs' available to them!) She worked for several months in a brazilian birthing unit in a poor neighborhood where there were no anesthesiologists (i.e. no epidurals or other forms of pain killers) and she highly recommended for me not to go down the route of 'natural' birth and go for the epidural... well, yet again, she did not need to convince me!!!!
My mother arrived in Belgium today. She is planning to stay there for a week before coming to stay with us! (I have convinced her that our baby will be late so there is not reason for her to come earlier... also, because they finished building a house in Belgium and she needs to furnish it!)
I am feeling great. I have been sleeping well and being able to walk and 'function normally' without getting tired. My belly has definitely dropped a bit. Last night I had some Braxton Hicks contractions (fake or practice contractions) last night and I thought - 'this is it'.. but then I fell asleep and the next thing I know, I woke up in the morning and no baby yet!

Last day of work!

Today was my last day of work. It feels great but also a bit bizarre. It is going to be strange not going to work on monday. Several people came to my desk to wish me luck and make me feel good also. They were all very surprised in how great I looked in being only 1 week from my due date (as if they were expecting I should be falling apart of something...)
My coworkers got me a beautiful card, several cute outfits for the baby, a cute lion teddy bear and a gift certificate to Mothercare!
I will miss my coworkers! We have a great time and I enjoy our work environment! Well, at least I will be back in 6 months!

More friends in town

This week we had two good friends in town. Tom, whom I met in LA, 6 years ago when I had just moved there and Steven, a friend I have known since I was 13 and lived in Belgium. Tom was on his way to Italy for a well deserved holiday and to celebrate his 46th birthday. I took the day off and hanged out with him. He was very sweet and even said he had never seen such a petite pregnant woman! (he lived in LA, so he surely has....). Tom gave us a beautiful blanket for our little one! In the evening the 4 of us went to dinner. We had Indian.. (yes, curries!!!) I had the second spiciest dish on the menu... so far, I can confirm that, so far, the spicy curry myth (that it will help start labor) is truly a myth! (as is the pineapple myth!) It was great to hang out with our friends and have one of our last 'pre-baby' meals with them!

How am I actually feeling? What am I feeling?

When people see me, they know I don't have much longer time before my due date and they always ask me:
"how are you feeling?" (with a painful face, expecting I am feeling that way).
I reply:
"I am feeling great" (they look very surprised...)
Then they ask:
"what are you feeling? Are you nervous?" (another painful face tweak)
I respond:
"I am excited, I can't wait to meet our little one..." (they -another surprised face!)

Well, I am indeed super excited and I am really looking forward to being a mother and to building a family with Jason! I know it will not be easy, but I am sure it is so worth it! I have always wanted to be a mom -since I was little and saw my younger brother and sister as babies. Jason and I waited a couple of years and actually hinted to some people we might not ever be parents... I think we were just a bit afraid of a big change in our lives! (which it will be) But I am 100% sure that we are ready for this and that it will be great!
I think at the moment, my biggest fear is the health of our baby! (they don't do that many test here in the UK) I want him/her to be born healthy and thrive in life! I have no doubt we will do everything we can to make his/her life wonderful as I have no doubt we will do our best in being parents! And I know there will be moments that we make mistakes (we are humans) but I know that we will be a happy family!
Well, this is my last week of work. I am curious to see how easily I will 'switch off'. After the baby arrives, I know I'll have my hands full.. but until I go into labor....

Late summer cleaning!

This weekend we did some relaxing and even slept in until 8:30 on sunday! We also cleaned the entire house... a good late summer cleaning. It feels good to get everything ready for the baby. It's not that we lived in a 'pig hole', but we cleaned the cupboards, organized the conservatory (where we store our books, camping gears and other items) as well as waxing some of the wooden furniture... Some may call it the 'nesting' period (right before the baby arrives...), however I just wanted to do it this weekend, since next weekend we have some friends in town and the weekend after that our baby might be taking the majority of our time!
We also went to a friend's house warming party on Saturday evening. There was a guy, who's girlfriend is 7 months pregnant, and he seemed a bit petrified... Jason was great in giving him advice and I also told him about how I think about pregnancy, birth and children (=there is only that much that is under our control... for the rest we just have to wait and see! Of course, you want to be as prepared and informed as possible, but there are certain things we just can't control and we should not stress about it!)
Today, Sunday, we went to the park. Jason enjoyed roller blading and I strolled around with Vinny. It will not be long before I can take our baby around in his/her pram. And in no time Jason will be teaching him/her to bike, roller blade, etc... I can take advantage of that and also learn with them!
Jason satisfied another craving this weekend. He made some 'Texas style nachos' (that is what we had for dinner!) It's a double layered nacho dish with chips, salsa, ground beef, cheese and finished up with guacamole. I love that fact he worked at a Mexican restaurant when he was younger... he knows how to make good Mexican dishes!
I am feeling great (my tooth is still not 100% but the antibiotics are helping) and the baby has been kicking like usual!

Pain

Well, I am in pain! And no, nothing to do with my pregnancy... but my teeth! I went to the dentist on tuesday and he saw a cavity on one of my molars. He said that due to my 'condition' he could not do a certain filling, but he recommended to dig out the cavity and put in a mild filling. When I had the baby I needed to go back to put in a better filling or even a root canal! I agreed to it.. since the thought of having those nasty little 'cavity germs' digging away in my tooth for another couple of weeks just did not seem an option. So the dentist removed almost half of my tooth and put in a filling. It felt fine... until last night! I woke up several times during the night in severe pain! Throughout the day I had more pain and called the dentist back... well he is was not in today and tomorrow he could only see me at 11am, when I have a meeting with 'the board' of my company to present the 2008 brand plan (= very important, unmissable meeting!). As a result I may need to go to the emergency room tomorrow afternoon to get this sorted, since the last thing I need at 8 1/2 months is not being able to sleep due to tooth pain!

Last midwife appointment?

Yesterday I had another midwife appointment. It may be the last one. (fingers crossed) In two weeks I need to go to the GP (week 40) and the week after.. if the baby hasn't decided to enjoy us for the lovely summer here in England, I have an appointment with the midwife on the 1st of October to discuss an 'induction' plan. They only induce you if you're 2 weeks late. In my case that would be the 4th of October. I am really hoping that we don't need to go down that route (once induced, I have read that the chance of 'interventions' such as emergency c-section, forceps, etc is much higher). In a week I'll start eating spicy curry's (the latest on - "how to induce labor!!!" Unfortunately - peanut's M&M's and ice cream won't do it!)
The midwife said that everything was fine. He/she is still head down, my blood and urine levels and my blood pressure are all within the norms. My belly has grown 4cm! (still a bit small, but now that they have checked with the ultrasound that the baby is of good size, I am just one of those people with the my organs all in my chest - the baby is of good size, but my belly is smaller then average!)
Yesterday I had my leaving dinner with my team at work. They had decorated our table with blue and pink balloons... it was really cute! It was nice that Jason finally got to meet several of my coworkers! Besides my boss, who is in her 40's, nobody has children, so it was interesting to see their faces when I was telling them some stories about my pregnancy, labor and first weeks of care of the baby... I don't think anyone will be having children soon after last night!!!!

Counting the days...

18 more days... until my due date.. however, not sure I have a slight feeling the baby will be like his/her daddy regarding punctuality.. and be late! My belly looks a bit lower then before, but I still sigh a lot (lack of pulmonary space) and the nesting instinct has not kicked in yet!
Well, I know that all the 'tools' to help me start labor have been 'used'. Not that I have done that intentionally... but yesterday, when we were at the Singapore street festival (we decided to enjoy one of our last weekends pre-baby), a lady that was selling juices said I should not have the watermelon one, since that may trigger labor! Well, the two fruits that supposedly can help start labor are the once I have been craving.... pineapple and watermelon! Now, I have not heard anything about Peanut M&M's.... but you never know.
Tomorrow I have a midwife appointment and hopefully she can tell me more... Tomorrow I am also going to take advantage of another benefit of being pregnant in the UK - Free dental service! Yes, dental health and medications are free for all pregnant women and 1 year after birth (not that we will have much time for it!)! Of course, there are limitations of the treatments I can receive, but at least I can get a check up and do some cleaning!

3 weeks.... 21 days....

Today it's exactly 3 weeks before out due date!!!! It's just unbelievable how these 9 months have flown by. But from our trip to Brazil until now so much has changed and happened!!
- We moved house
- We traveled to 10 different countries
- We celebrated our fifth year anniversary of knowing each other
- We both are in our thirties now
- We both completed 5 years of employment with our companies
- Vinny is almost 4 years old..
and soon the biggest 'happening' and change our lives forever - we will become parents! I have no doubt that this will make us stronger as a couple and more united then ever... I have no doubt that Jason will be a great dad and will continue being the great husband he has been to me! And I have no doubt we will never be the same (in a very good way!)
I have been feeling great! I have not been too tired (touch wood), I have not felt too big or uncomfortable (touch wood) and I have been able to sleep well (touch wood). People at work find it hard to believe that I am still going to work for another 2 weeks! I really can't see myself sitting at home waiting for labor to start...

baby Connor arrived!

Kelly and Jeff, our dear friends that also lived in LA while we where there (and now live in GA) just had their baby boy, his name is Connor! He is absolutely adorable. Kelly has been my 'long distance pregnancy buddy'. We were going through similar situations and shared our feelings and happenings throughout the pregnancy. I wish we lived closer by and could soon enjoy being mommies together!

Great babymoon!

We had a fantastic time at the Lake District in northern England. I confess I was a bit worried that our little one would decide to 'show up' in the middle of nowhere (some of the towns we were at are pretty secluded...) but he/she decided to stay put and enjoy the scenery from my belly! We went hiking (much less then normally, but we were able to see some nice forests, waterfalls and picturesque villages), we enjoyed some good food and celebrated Jason's 30th birthday.
For Jason birthday I made reservations at a very nice restaurant (they received several culinary awards including a Michelin star) and had a 6 course meal! Delicious! Afterwards we had a bottle of champagne (which we had gotten in Champagne, France a year ago -we bought several good bottle of champagne and some strawberries right on a lake with full moon and a very clear sky!(the champagne we got last year in France - in the Champagne area. We bought a couple of good bottles which we have been saving for special occasions - we opened one last year on my 30th birthday, one for Jason's 30th and another one when our little one is born!)
We had a little 'accident' while there: we were going over a mountain pass, which was very narrow and while passing another car we bumped into some rocks which resulted in a flat tire. Well, Jason did great and changed the tire in no time and no further help from anyone (he didn't even have to read the instructions!) When I told my mom this story (her being the eternal positive thinker and Jason's fan) said - "See how Jason will know how to take good care of you and the baby... when something goes wrong, he solves it without major issues...." I couldn't agree more!!!!!
Below are some pictures:
1) Before we went to our nice 6-course Michelin star dinner
2) This is outside our room, we had a nice view from the lake Windermere
3) After Jason's B-day dinner we had a nice bottle of champagne and strwaberries by the river (I only had one & 1/2 glass)

Baby is just fine!

We had our ultrasound today to check if the baby's growth was within the norms since my belly was 4cm smaller then average for 36weeks. It was a great relief that he/she was doing just fine and actually right within (and above in some measurements) the norms of his/her 'age'. The baby's abdominal circumference (which at the last scan was a bit lower than average) was now above average, the femur length was also above average (reinforcing we might have a soccer/basketball player or a ballerina). The umbilical artery was also pulsing within the norms. On a not so good note (for me) the baby's head is bigger then average (yes, this means - harder to get out! But hopefully lot's a brains and smart....) And to finish up, our little one weighs 2.781g (= 6.131lbs). Well this was very reassuring and it explains why I can feel him/her poke on my sternum and ribs all the time and I sigh all the time due to being short of breath. So instead of growing horizontally he/she is growing vertically in my belly.

36 wk midwife appointment

Today we went to see the midwife to discuss our birth plan and have a general check up. I was very happy that we got a great midwife and she was very informative and really helpful. We (me and Jason) now need to sit down and write our birth plan.
After that she measured my belly and listened to the baby's heart beat. The good news was that the heart beat was great and the baby even kicked around while she was trying to listen to it (it was very visible with the naked eye all the kicks and punched he/she was doing) the bad news is that my belly measured 4 cm under the 'normal' size belly for 36 weeks. The midwife said it is fairly common with more petite woman but just to make sure we are going to have an ultrasound tomorrow. I would have been panicking by now, but, luckily one of the girls from my antenatal classes had the same happen to her and it is pretty common that they send you to get a u/s just to ensure everything is okay! And, at the end of the day, Jason and I are average size people and will produce average size babies (and probably even on the smaller size, since I am short, BUT, FYI I am still considered average for UK and US measurements with my glorious 5' 4'' = 1.65cm. Jason is also considered average with his 5' 10'' = 1.78cm)

Dreams...

On friday we learned all the different stages of labor and when to go to the hospital and in what situations to just wait at home for the labor to progress before going to the hospital. Well, last night I had a dream I was in a very nice big hospital room (which I am very unlikely to get) and that my contractions had stopped and they wanted to send me home. In the room next to me was my older sister giving birth. My mom kept running between both rooms until I got dizzy of her doing that and told her to stay with Karolien and that Jason would call her if my contractions would start again. Jason was there with me the whole time, being very supportive (which was what they 'guys' we told over and over again at our antenatal classes!) and he even brought me a huge red rose arrangement. Well, there is no harm in dreaming...

Antenatal classes

We started the National Childcare Trust antenatal classes on Wednesday evening. We are a group of 12 couples and two teachers and we will have a total of 3 meetings with 'the guys' and 2 meetings 'only girls'. We had an introduction meeting on wednesday evening and a all day meeting on friday. So far it has been great. Besides learning a lot, we also get to know couples that are going through the same as us (makes me feel a bit normal) and they all live in the the same neighborhood (so we can stay in touch) and we are due all around the same time (from the 12st of Sept through the 29th). On friday we learned about the several stages of labor and the many different positions to relief the pain of the contractions. It was great for 'the guys' to see what we go through and that it is not just 'popping out a child' but there are several hormones, feelings and lot's of pain involved! At the end of the day the 'husbands' came up with a list of the things they can help us with before, during and after labor! it was great (specially the part that they should not forget to chill the champagne....). I need to say that Jason knows a lot already and by reading the 'expectant father' book he has started doing so many things for me!
As a result of friday's class we bought a 'gym ball' (big balls used to do all kind of exercises) and it is great to sit on a 'rock and roll' to ease the lower back pain and make the pelvic bones supple for birth... hopefully it helps!
I was slightly surprised that several of the woman at the class did not have the nursery ready yet, nor the hospital bag packed and had not started looking for daycare nor had they visited the labour ward where they are due to deliver. I feel we are ahead of the game.... (however a lot of them have already stopped working or will soon, so they still have around 1 month to focus on these things)
Yesterday (saturday) we bought the final missing piece of the baby's room. The mattress. I also started packing our hospital bag! We are all set to go it the baby decides to come early.
5 more weeks to go!!!

Labour ward tour

Today I went to get my second 'vaccine' of Anti-D (this is because I have a negative blood group and Jason is positive) after that we went to do the Chelsea and Westminster hospital labour ward tour! There were around 15 couples. It is very interesting and, even though it has great facilities, it still made me think of a huge baby factory (if labour goes normally, you can leave in 6 hrs if you want!) Next week wedensday we will be discussing out birth plan with the midwife. So, we'll make decisions such as:
- who we want in the room (it will probably be Jason and my mom),
- what kind of pain killer I want (EPIDURAL, actually, while touring the ward, a mother with a newly born baby passed us and said - get and epidural.. get an epidural.... well, I did not have any doubt in my mind!)
- what kind of room we want - there are several options, but once you choose and epidural I belive there is only one room you will get
- etc etc
At the end of our tour we sat down for any further questions. Jason had one - "what do you do with the placenta?" (He read in a book that in some hospitals it's sold to companies to produce facial creams and that some people take it home and bury it in the garden and plant a tree, etc...) The answer given - "you can do whatever you want with it.. take it home, make pate, bury it...or we can just dispose of it for you!" everyone had a laugh! (maybe Jason is thinking of making some $$ and sell it!)
Picture of my belly at 35weeks and the sofa/bed where the grandma's can stay:

Big(ger) belly!

Yesterday evening I took some other pictures of the nursery and while at it Jason took a picture of my belly! When I downloaded the pictures I realized how big my belly is. Seriously, it does look like I have swollen a water melon without chewing it!!!!
I am still feeling great. No swellings (touch wood), not much problem sleeping (touch wood - just several trip to the the bathroom during the night), not too exhausted (touch wood) and I am not too nervous about the actual birth (yet). This is the reason I want to work until 'the end', since I don't want to sit at home waiting to go into labour and worrying about things....
This weekend I was a bit sad, I know it is horrible thought, but while working on the nursery I was thinking about the possibility if the baby didn't make it during birth or something goes really wrong.... It made me cry.. However, talking to Jason about it (he said it had also crossed his mind) there isn't much we can do about it at this point and we will need to deal with is as it happens (but, touch wood, everything will go smoothly and we will have a wonderful, healthy and happy baby boy/girl in a couple of weeks...). It is so great to know I have such a great husband and father of my child whom will give us support, no matter what happens! It really is a comforting feeling!