Double digits (25w;6d)

"I'm 9 inches long, and my lung sacks began functioning this week!"

Wow... double digits, only 99 days to go until the baby is here (well, hopefully!). I can't believe how quickly it has all gone.

It's quite sad - I'm really loving being pregnant, and I don't want it to end. I just wish it would all slow down so that I could enjoy it a little more. Goodness knows how quickly time will pass when the baby is actually here!

Proud to say my first war wounds appeared this week (stretch marks). Have some smaller ones (extension of old stretch marks it seems) that have come up on my tummy. Nothing I can do about them (I'm a believer in that if they're gonna happen, they're gonna happen and considering I know my skin and body well enough to know that I get stretchmarks... I'm not going to stress myself about it... plus, they're badges of honour!). It's a good reminder as to the fact that my baby is growing well, and is happy and healthy inside my belly! I'm just the incubator!

I really didn't sleep well last night. I woke up in the middle of the night and fell back asleep only about 30 mins prior to the time I normally wake up for work. I just couldn't sleep, and had no idea why. The baby was moving around a little, but I wasn't bothered by it so I don't think it was that. Then when I tried to get up, I had the worst headache so I went back to bed to try and sleep it off. Good thing I did as I feel much better now.

The baby last night though did the strangest thing. It was almost like the baby was shivering - I dont' know how else to describe it. Just like a shudder sensation that seemed to last for about 5 seconds or so. Very very strange sensation!

Baby dreaming (24w;1d)

"The bones and ligaments in my spine are forming!"

I had a dream last night about the baby. I dreamt that I went into labour (it didn't seem to be an early labour given what happened to my friend though, considering) at Frances Perry House (where I'm booked).

The whole ward was quiet and there was barely anyone there - at first, my reaction was "Oh no, I probably won't get to go to the Sofitel!" haha

Next thing I remember, I'd had the baby - it had this giant mass of black hair and had two dimples on either cheek when it screwed its face up. I remember it not crying when it was born, and then the nurse put a plastic bag over its head to make it breath (??... my mind must be so strange). Then she gave it back to us and dressed it in this blue velour tracksuit. We weren't told the sex but I knew because they put it in blue, it was a boy. Of course, DH didn't believe me and 'wanted' to check and kept calling the baby 'Jodie' because he thought it was a girl. I got so mad at him telling him they wouldn't put a newborn in blue and not tell us the sex, if it was a girl - but he wouldn't listen. So funny now...!

After that, we took the baby home - and so many times I would leave it somewhere and forget where I had put it, or just forget about it in general!

Gee, looks like I'll make a terrific mother!!

Reality check (24 weeks)

I received some horrible news last night.

One of the girls in my 'due date' group on a forum I belong to had her baby last night... stillborn. I couldn't believe what I was reading. I had to re-read it several times to make sure I was understanding it correctly.

She had gone into early labour which they couldn't stop, but by the time the baby was born it had not survived. I cried for ages with DH, she was only 24 weeks along (same as me) and had to go through this horrible process. I can only imagine how she is feeling right now.

I found this out after coming home from our 24 week appointment which was fine, but it does take the shine out of the day when you get news like that. No one should have to go through it.

Got Milk? (23w;6d)

I'm officially leaking like a cow...!

I was getting ready to go to bed last night, and brushed my arm against my tshirt, and felt a cold spot. At first I thought I was brushing up against my skin (I have a big hole in my tshirt where I felt it) and looked down and saw a massive wet patch right under my boob! I'd had a couple of leaks in the past on and off, but nothing as bad as this - it was quite funny.

It seemed to stop at that point, so I went to bed. However, woke up in the middle of the night to feel a wet patch on my other boob!

I'm wearing a couple of sample breast pads today to catch the drips just in case it happens, but nothing yet. I think it might be a night/morning thing, rather than a day thing (at least for now).

The baby has been very active of late, but I feel it might currently be in breach position (feet down) as all of the kicks seem to be down very low, and not really able to be felt from the outside. We have another OB appointment today, and I am very tempted to ask for a quick scan to see the baby - and to see if I'm right about the position. Don't know if she'll do it, but I suppose I can ask!!

OMG! (23w)

"I'm viable outside the womb!"

I just got my weekly update (as I do Wednesday every week) from a baby site I subscibe to, to give me an update as to what is currently happening with my baby.

Today it read: Your baby has grown to be about 28 cm long from head to toe (or 11.2 inches) and approximately 600 grams in weight (1 lb 5 oz).

28 cms!! That's almost as big as a standard ruler... how on earth does it fit in there??

It also says that the baby may start to experience hiccups, and I may feel regular 'jumps' from the baby, instead of sporadic kicking. Very strange!

Tomorrow will mark exactly 12 weeks before I finish work to go on maternity leave too - I can't believe how quickly this is all going - I want it to slow down!!

... and a happy new year! (22w;6d)

"My bones are hardening more and more!"

I honestly cannot begin to describe the absolute joy that overcomes me when I feel the baby moving around inside of me. I have sat here for ages trying to figure out a way of putting what I feel into words, but absolutely nothing I think of can do it justice.

Every time I feel the baby move, I have to stop and savour the moment. This pregnancy is going all too fast, and before I know it, the baby will be here, and we'll start a whole new chapter in our lives. I therefore want to try and remember every part of this pregnancy stage that I can - and I must say that these movements have to be the most wonderful feeling in the entire world.

The entire range of human emotions run through your body - you laugh, you cry, you worry, you smile, you jump - I wish I could capture it all in a bottle!

I'm back to being quite tired and rundown again, so I'm trying to take it as easy as I can. I've been back at work since the 2nd of January, although last week was quiet so it allowed me to (most of the time) easy my way back into things again. Thankfully, the stress that was the lead up to Christmas last year has passed for the iterim, and I can catch up with things that I had fallen behind on. I'm now only 3 months away until I finish work and start maternity leave which blows my mind.

We didn't do anything special for NYE, even though this will be our last one before the baby arrives. Last year, as one of our dogs ran away due to the fireworks we thought it might be best to stay home and make sure they didn't make another great escape this year. All went well though, and it was nice to be able to fall into bed just after midnight and not having to worry about travelling from anywhere!

We've also started our new budget for 2007 where we will be living off the bare minimum that we possibly can in order that we save enough for me to be able to stay home for the full 12 months worth of maternity leave. That is the goal at least anyhow. This first period before the baby is born, and while I am still bringing in full pay means that we can get used to it and do a trial run before it becomes absolutely necessary to do so. I hope it all works out for the best.

We've now started to think about how to get the nursery done as well. I'd like to repaint the walls a stone/brown colour (still neutral) as we have bought white furniture so it would look quite nice, and quite cheap to do. I'm starting to organise how everything will come together. We still need to finalise wardrobes (no doubt, Ikea will come in very handy!) and then we will start putting things together over the next month or two. I'd like to try and have it all done by the time I'm 30 weeks (oh my... that's only 7 weeks away!)