Frogs and snails and puppy dogs' tails...

... that's what little boys are made of!

Yep - if you haven't heard already - it's a BOY!

Our 19-wk scan was on Tuesday morning and as usual I got the obligatory nervous stomach and drank too much water so I was bursting for the toilet by the time we got to the hospital! This appointment was much much longer than the 12-wk scan as they have to take heaps and heaps of measurements - if you fancy a peek at all 80 - yes - 80 photos please click on this slideshow link:-

19-wk slideshow

We were dying to find out the gender - well I certainly was - but they don't do this til right towards the end of the scan so with every movement of the ultrasound machine I was trying to peek between bub's legs to see if I could spot any tell-tale signs!

The first thing measured was the heartbeat which was a strong 145bpm and we got to hear it too - so surreal! Then on to the head, the diaphragm, the legs, arms, hands, feet, bladder, kidneys - and so on and so forth. All looked well and Baby Read was highly amusing with his twists & turns, punches & kicks - it's a wonder I can't feel anything yet he's so energetic!!

I'm pleased to report he definitely has 10 fingers & toes... here's a pic of his little fists - you can count the knuckles!

Another revelation during the scan was that despite being at 18wks 6 days according to my dates and all that stuff, Master Read's head is already measuring at 19wks 5 days... ummm, a bit scary!! I hope it all balances out before the due date otherwise I think I'll be needing more than just gas & air!!! Here's the picture which shows the head measurements - check the figures at the bottom right-hand corner...

I won't embarrass Master Read by sharing the photo of his bits & bobs on this post but if you look at the slideshow I'm sure you'll be able to work it out - ha ha - tip: look for the pics labelled 'gender'! This came right at the end and I have to say I was a bit shocked... not disappointed - just shocked! I think because I'm such a girly girl and up until now I've been looking at pink stuff left right & centre it just never really truly  occurred to me that it would be a boy!

I'm excited though & I think Adam is too - he even took the CD with all the pics to work with him (although he didn't actually get time to show anyone...!) - and I have already been thinking about themes for the nursery (jungle animals, surf theme, sea theme...) and names and scouring Next, Monsoon & M&S for cute boy outfits - plenty of them out there - and I think it will be a very special adventure over the next few months preparing for our little boy to enter the world!

And as a few people have said... it might be a girl next time! I think we'll just wait & see how we go with Master Read first!!

I think my next post might delve into the realms of nursery decor - which will be pretty limited for us if we are living in a rental property by then - but I'm sure we will be able to put together something beautiful with the help of removable wall stickers, curtains, lamps, furniture & bed linen!

Bye for now... I'm going back to my book of baby names... Adam has already said no to about 20 of my suggestions!!!

p.s. We also got a DVD of the 19-wk scan which I'll be sure to bore you all with at some point...!

17 weeks and the minefield that is prams, strollers & travel systems!

I spoke too soon last week... I think Little R must have some amazing ability to read this blog... but I've been feeling ROUGH all week - oh no! I can't really describe what the problem is - just feeling a bit nauseous again and have tummy ache - above & around the bump - and can't sleep comfortably - but I think it might be because Little R is having a growth spurt - supposed to double in size over the next couple of weeks - and it's taking it's toll on me a little bit. No major issue though - just a good excuse to have a whinge now & then (poor old Adam).

My bump is certainly having a growth spurt - someone in the toilets at work asked me how far along I was then when I answered promptly came back with "are you sure there's just one in there?!" Charming!! Definitely just one... we've seen it with our own eyes!

Anyway, this week I have been thinking about prams/strollers/travel systems and doing lots of internet research and talking to other Mums or Mums-to-be that I know. There are soooo many to choose from it's impossible. My first instinct was to look for something 'pretty' - bad idea - pretty either has a price-tag to match or terrible reviews then I moved on to looking at brand names I 'know of' and that I know are 'trendy' - bad idea again... MEGA bucks!

Here are some that I looked at originally:

- Mamas & Papas Pliko Pramette in 'Mimi' - soooo pretty (stuffed if we have a boy) but terrible reviews & has to be imported from the UK

- Quinny Buzz 4 - very modern but MEGA bucks out here (i.e. $1,400) - still like this but think I need to be realistic & accept that it's too pricey. Also there's not much room for shopping under it?!!

- iCandy Apple - saw this at the Baby Expo last week & both really loved it but again is towards the top end of the price-scale!

Then... I got to talking to a couple of my good friends at work - one who's due in a few weeks and one who's a few weeks behind me and they both mentioned the Steelcraft Strider Plus. I believe Steelcraft is the Aussie version of Britax which I think is a brand I would trust.

We were at a loose end today whilst the open house was going on (don't even ask how the house-sale is going.... VERY slow would be my answer) so after lunch (McDonald's - don't shoot me) and walking the dog we popped into our local 'Baby Bunting' store and had a look at their range of prams and they had the Strider and it's only $515 (reduced from $799) - total bargain!!! I also wheeled it 'round the shop - I felt quite the part - and it's really good - light - easy to manoeuvre - really cosy for bub and HEAPS of shopping bag space!!! So I think it may be 'The One' - Adam liked it too. And... you can buy an additional seat to make it suitable for two down the line which we're very keen to do - practical and attractive too.

Anyway, enough of my rambling - can you tell I'm excited?! Here are some pics. Obviously we won't be looking to buy it til much closer to the time but at least it's something to tick off my list of things to research..!

Steelcraft StriderPlus Pram/Stroller

What do you think? A suitable carriage for Baby Read?!

Just over a week until we find out whether we're having a little Prince or a little Princess... then it will be on to the name game!

Is there such a thing as feeling TOO well during the 2nd trimester?!

According to Dr B the answer is a resounding "no" and I should thank my lucky stars & not subscribe to all the hype around the many signs and symptoms that others at the same stage seem to have and take delight in sharing with the world.

On the other hand, it is a little worrying feeling so well - is there really a baby in there at all?! Is it ok?! Is it growing fast enough?! These are all the questions I have been asking myself.

The constant nausea has disappeared (apart from one little incident that was only prompted by my vitamin turning my stomach), I don't need to wee all the time - I can sleep through the night without having to get up - and I'd even go as far as saying I feel slightly less tired.

So this is the joyful 2nd trimester where I'm supposed to be glowing (possibly?), have an appetite like a horse (nope) and the rollercoaster of pregnancy hormones have settled (definitely not - Adam will attest to that!!). I have to say I've found the past couple of weeks a bit - well - underwhelming but I know that I should be very, very grateful for this and make the most of these healthy, complaint-free, quiet times whilst I can!

So what has been happening? My bump finally appears to have popped a little, we've been to see Dr B again and we wandered around the baby expo this morning.

With regards to the bump, this has prompted a little excitement in me in the form of online shopping!! I went a bit nuts & ordered 6 maternity dresses from ASOS the other day - free international delivery don't you know?! Their maternity section is excellent for any expectant Mums-to-be out there... here's a link:-

ASOS Maternity Range

Only one of the dresses has arrived so far but I wore it to a charity lunch on Friday and felt quite the Yummy-Mummy-to-be! I don't have a picture of me in it but use your imaginations with the following:-

I also treated myself to a pair of maternity tights on Friday because my usual tights either hang around my crotch & make me walk like John Wayne if I wear them 'under the bump' or leave an angry red line down the middle of me if I attempt to pull them 'over the bump'! Expensive at $19.99 a pair but hopefully worth it...

I was also excited to see Dr B again on Friday - especially as Adam was coming with me - but this excitement did wear off a little when he was 50 minutes late for our appointment!!! There's only so much coo-ing at babies in the waiting room you can do before you start to get a bit cheesed-off.

Once we got to see Dr B all went well though - he gave me a referral for our 19-week scan which is to check for 'fetal anomalies'. This scan checks how the baby is developing and looks for any abnormalities in the baby’s structural development and growth, such as spina bifida or heart anomalies, and checks the position of the placenta.

We should also be able to find out the sex if the baby is in a good position - fingers crossed!!!

He also did a little scan on his own machine there and then. The baby has now moved up away my bladder (hence less weeing) and towards my belly button (hence the bump) and he/she looked well with a strong heartbeat and a fair few movements. This was a relief! I should apparently start to feel some of these movements between 16 and 22 weeks which start off like little butterflies fluttering around and then gradually get stronger - I can't wait!!

We'll see Dr B again in 3 weeks' time - around the same time as my scan. They should be exciting appointments indeed!

Finally, we went to a baby expo at Olympic Park this morning - got lots of goodie bags and managed not to buy anything apart from a baby names book for $5 - bargain! It was good - we got to look at some nursery furniture & prams & spoke to the Family Assistance people about the Government's Paid Parental Leave Scheme ($570 per week pre-tax for 18 weeks) - we'll need to apply for that around August ish. We're a bit reluctant to buy anything else at the moment - don't want to jinx anything as Adam said - and we're also keen to wait until we know the sex so that we can buy something other than cream or white!

I did, however, have a nose around one of the many bargain baby websites and spotted the attached set which I would love love LOVE if we were having a girl!!!

Happy 15 weeks Little R!

Not much to report at this end - but thought I'd post seeing as Little R is 15 weeks old (well, kinda) today.

And... I thought I'd finally provide you with a photo of my 'bump' which finally appears to have popped - at last!!!

Excuse me looking a bit tired and frumpy - it was taken after a long day at work:-

Definitely looking more like a baby-bump than a food-baby today although interestingly enough I've only put on about 1lb or 500g in the last couple of weeks - I just don't seem to have a big appetite - but I'm sure that will come with time!

On the symptoms front - feeling pretty good - not so tired, less sick and all in all no major complaints. These weeks between 12 and 19 seem to be a bit of a non-event - which I know I should be thankful for and I am indeed - but I have to say I CAN'T WAIT until my next scan when Little R's gender will hopefully be revealed and we can start thinking a bit more about names and all that stuff.

We will tell you all the gender - I'm rubbish at keeping secrets - but we think we'll keep our name ideas under wraps for now - there has to be some element of surprise!!!

Next post will prob be after my appt next Friday unless something exciting happens in between now & then.

Positivity breeds positivity?

This week has been a tough week. Not nearly as tough for me as it has been for two of our close friends (and forgive me for not going into details here but it's far too sensitive) but definitely one of my lowest during this pregnancy so far.

I must say it's hard summoning up the motivation to write this post but Baby Read continues to grow and I therefore feel I owe him/her and my readers an update.

Last weekend we had a much-needed 6-day break from work - which is a bit manic for both of us at the moment and extremely tiring - but it wasn't so much resting as it was preparing for our impending house move (fingers crossed!). Most of you have heard already but we have decided to sell up & move back to the Northern Beaches for a number of reasons so last weekend was spent tidying, cleaning & feverishly repairing all the damage Rocky the pesky puppy has done to the back of the house.

Thursday saw the house being put on the market and Saturday was the first 'open house' but in-between I managed to squeeze in an appointment with Dr Boyce.

Unfortunately Adam was unable to accompany me this time due to work commitments but that's ok because I was only with Dr B for 15 mins tops and it's Adam's busiest time at the end of the month. The purpose of the appointment was for Dr B to look over my nuchal translucency scan result - which he was very pleased with - have a brief chat with regards to how I'm doing, check my blood pressure (128/70) and have a quick look at Baby Read.

I told Dr B about my latest symptoms - nosebleeds (nothing to worry about - something to do with the blood vessels in the nose expanding and extra blood pressure then making it easier for those vessels to rupture) - and a bladder infection (also nothing to worry about - have antibiotics) - and then we took a look at Baby Read who was in an amusing position - almost sitting perfectly upright in my uterus. Dr B referred me for a mid-flow urine test just to check out what type of bacteria is causing the bladder infection - may have to change antibiotics - and then sent me on my way with instructions to come back in 3 weeks. At that stage I will be just over 15 weeks pregnant & closer to finding out the sex which I am very excited about.

I have a strange feeling that I'm having a girl - don't know why - just a 'gut' feeling - but I may be wrong. Either way, we'll be happy as long as Baby Read is healthy & this is something that's really hit home this week.

As my lovely Sister-in-Law, Kelly, said to me "you must stay healthy & positive when you're pregnant" - and I'm certainly trying to do that but I think it all got a bit too much for me yesterday with the week's events, the stress of work, the stress of selling the house & the pregnancy hormones & I had the BIGGEST meltdown with tears & everything - poor Adam didn't know what to do!! I have to say I felt much better after a bit of a cry though!!

Anyway, enough of me feeling sorry for myself... I really do need to give myself a slap... and on to the week ahead - another busy week at work, Baby Read will be 14 weeks and maybe - just maybe - we'll get our first offer on the house.

Speaking of which, if you fancy a nose - here it is in all its glory:-

http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-stanhope+gardens-107364185

Sad to be leaving behind our beautiful home but glad to be moving back to the Northern Beaches where we'll be near our dear friends, the commute to work will be better & our visitors (you know you're all welcome!) won't be stranded in the middle of nowhere!

p.s. wasn't the Royal Wedding beautiful - I'm sure Diana would have been so proud...

Missing Mum *** EDITED VERSION ***

There isn't a day that goes by when I don't think about my dearest Mum but the milestones and 'major life events' have to be the hardest. GSCEs, A Levels, flunking Uni (!!), my first proper job in London, moving to Australia, getting engaged & then married have all been bittersweet without Mum being here to share in them but I have to say that my newest journey - pregnancy - is definitely proving the most challenging.

Don't get me wrong - I have limitless love, amazing support, kindness and generosity from Adam, my fabulous extended family & wonderful friends - but there are times when I would give anything for Mum to still be here so I could ask her the odd question or hear first-hand how she found pregnancy, childbirth & motherhood.

Luckily for me, Mum was a writer... just like I am now (although I must say I'm not nearly as good as she was) - and she wrote the most beautiful diary when she was pregnant with me and during my first years. My fantastic Dad very kindly dug this out for me the other day and posted it out for me to read - which I have - with great interest, a few tears and a lot of laughs. It seems silly but by just looking at Mum's beautiful hand-writing and reading the words in my head it's almost as if I can hear her voice which is a lovely, comforting feeling.

At lot of things Mum wrote about in her diary I knew already - the 'fertility dance' with the Morris Men shortly before she found out she was pregnant with me, the incident where Mark accidently tipped me out of my cot (thanks Bro!) and tumbling down the stairs during one of my inquisitive adventures - that could explain a lot - ha ha - but there were also other little bits and pieces which I didn't know and which I found absolutely fascinating. 

My previous post included a few excerpts from Mum's diary but I've realised that perhaps it wasn't the best thing to share such intimate, private thoughts & words that don't belong to me with such a wide audience so I've edited this post to remove them. I will, however, leave you with my own words above as  I really wanted to share my sentiments with you all.


I'll leave you with a photo of me & my beloved Mum - I hope she's looking down on us...

Telling work...

Once the scan was out of the way & the results were good the next thing on my agenda was to tell work...

I had already told 4 close friends at work who I knew I could trust - just in case they had to cover for me -  being late, the frequent trips to the ladies etc - but I was itching to tell my boss and get it out in the open once & for all - then I'd be able to stop trying to squeeze into my now-too-tight work trousers and having to wear layers to conceal my little bump (which I actually think is more flab than bump to be fair).

Just my luck, however, that my boss was in an all-day meeting on the Wednesday after the scan and wasn't due out til 5pm - unbelievable!

Usually this wouldn't be so much of a problem - I would just wait til the next day - but the next day I was on annual leave and then it was the 5-day Easter weekend (we get an extra day cos ANZAC Day falls on Easter Monday so we get the Tuesday too!)  - so I was really keen to tell her as I was planning to go 'official' to family/friends and the facebook community over the weekend and I didn't want her to hear 2nd hand from someone who may be 'friends' with us both on facebook...

I also wanted to tell my team before the Easter break but unfortunately at lot of them leave earlier than 5pm so in the end I had to hold a 'secret squirrel' meeting with them and swear them to keep their mouths shut. Ever the drama queen I waited til I had their attention of the team and announced quite solemnly - "I have some news... I'm leaving". You should have seen their faces:-

Don't worry - I didn't leave them in suspense for too long - I soon added "to have a baby!" which was met with a round of applause and a room of smiling faces. They were all very happy & I assured them that I was sure my boss would try and find someone as fabulous as me to cover whilst I'm on mat leave!!!

The rest of the afternoon dragged and I sent an e-mail to my boss reminding her that I had to see her before she left for the day - even if only for 2 minutes.

She eventually came out of the meeting and came over to my desk where I was talking to one of my team members about a difficult file. I said to her again that I had to see her and she was like "oh no, you're not going to resign are you?!" - too funny! I said no but that I did have some other news and could we go to a room to talk - out loud she said "are you pregnant?!" and my instant blush gave the game away immediately! Eventually we walked into the printer room and I confirmed her suspicion - she was really excited and kissed me and hugged me and asked how I had been feeling. I said I was a bit nervous about telling her as she's only just recently had to replace another Team Manager - but she said not to worry and that she was really pleased for us!

She then proceeded to tell anyone & everyone still left in the office - I think she was more excited than me!!

It was such a relief to get it out in the open - I also sent an e-mail to the rest of the management team I work with - most of them are early starters - and when I go back next Wednesday I will be wearing my preggy trousers with the comfy elastic waistbands & loose-fitting dresses with pride!!!

Image courtesy of pamsclipart.com