He's here!!!

Well that was a bit sudden!

so much for the christmas shopping we were doing last weekend- that got interrupted by a small surprise that arrived on monday afternoon. welcome to the world, young man!

let me be the first to introduce our first child: Kingston Indiana Godzilla Nelson.

born monday 22 - 12 - 08 at 17:15 (at 36wks - 4 weeks early!)
7lb 14oz (3572gms)
head: 34cm
length: 50cm
(look at that cute grin!)

Poor little man's lungs were not fully grown because he's so early, so he's been in the special care nursury (SCN) since birth (hence the tubes and wires in the pics), but he's big and strong for such a young age, so he's been very very lucky to be doing so well. Improving every day, although not out of the woods yet. we're hoping to bring him home soon, but only when he's ready.

My first Mohawk!

I'll update more once he's home and safe. Just need some time to focus and get better.
We love you little guy!

xxxCherry + Daddy

playmat!

So other than the 2hr nanna nap on the couch, i did this today:

about 1m x 1m, just assorted stash fabrics in black and white, with a soft jersey centre panel. i backed the whole thing in thick suede backed sherpa that my mum gave me so it's nice and soft to lay on. i kept with the b+w theme, since newborns learn to see contrasts for the first 6 months, and i thought this way it looks less 'quilt' like. stuffed some heart shapes and attached at each corner for some dimensionality and colour.
nothing fancy, but it does the job nicely and looks better than those gawd awful plastic things in shops.
yesterday i also made 7 size M nappies (Just in case). deleted the gussets though, since by the time the kid grows into the M's they should be less squirty in the poop department (i hope!)
No, we don't know if the little monkey is going to be a girl or boy, and yes, i know most of the nappies are more 'girly', but that's because i made them and i just happen to be a big girly pants. i can't help it, those are just the fabrics i gravitate towards. to be fair though, DH did come with me to spotlight and help pick out fabrics. i do love the retro printed planes and trucks and things, so if we do have a boy, i'm going to go a bit crazy and buy some fabric online and whip some up. it's all well and good to promote gender neutrality at a young age, and not to inflict stereotypes, but the reality is that babies brains are different right from the word go. boys and girls ARE different in so many ways, and even though both genders have the same potential for achievement, they will do so in different ways and in different fields, even without environmental bias from parents/siblings etc. as a generalisation, most boys seem to be enchanted by machinery and vehicles, and girls prefer people and faces. hmmm, be interesting to see how our kid turns out. (other than effed up by us, ha ahaa )

oh, and thanks to everyone who left comments on my nappies, it's nice to hear others like them as well! yay! i'm musing over whether to sell some next year (after the kid's here). i want to be a wahm, and i think it will be a good source of pocket money while i try to get my clothing line up and running (a much slower process). But i wnat to wait until i have the kid and can test them out, and make sure they 'work' iykwim? i'd feel wierd selling something that hadn't been tested first. and i'll have to adapt my pattern, so it's not a copy of the itti one, becasue that would just not be fair to the lady who set up itti (aside from ahem, illegal)

well 33 days to go.....

xCherry

13 pounder?!? aaaaaaaargh!

ok, so i had my 35wk appt with Ob yesterday morning, and he says my bub is going to be big. not only that, he then goes on to joke that it's going to be 11, 12 or 13lb!!!! the jerk.
realistically, the kid is more likely to be 8-9lb (i hope)
so apart from the minor freak out about birthing the fatty, i am now worried that all the nappies i have made wont fit!
so i've just cut out 7 size M nappies just in case, and they're being made now (well, not right now obviously, but later today). after quizzing the ladies at Nappychino, i'm thinking the smalls should be ok for the first 3months, but if i make some M's then at least i have them ready to go just in case. esp since i now have about 20 size S in my stash, which should be plenty for now.
Of course those same ladies then went on to scare the bejeebus outta me by making sure i knew "it's not the weight it's the head size", and of course those of you that know my DH know his head is HUGE. so yay, yay for my girls bits in 34 days. (insert sarcasm here)

these are the new size S i made last week:

and here's some shots of the 'nursery' so far:
amby hammock, on a curved wooden miyo stand, single bed just as a day bed/place to feed/change. (it's a 15+yo base with a $20 foam mattress, so not really sleep-on-able)
oh how i loath those rental house curtains. they remind me of a b+b circa 1983. bleaugh! will have to get some op-shop curtains asap.
op-shop chest of drawers (i think $40?), but we love it. covered in all the toys we've been given.
petunia pickle bottom 'scout' nappy bag (DH's)-love this!
nappy and cleaning stash (so far). i want to fill that top shelf with nappies, bwah aha ha ahaa aha.
the clothes that need hanging (rest are folded in drawers)-no idea if it's a boy or girl yet, so we've stashed things for both. (yes, hung in colour order, i am that anal)
boxes above are for future clothes- 1 box for size 1+, 1 box for size 2+.
petunia pickle bottom 'cake' nappy bag of mine-yum!
not much left on the list of 'to do's', thankfully. though with such a short time left i'd be worried if there was! i know some people can be organised in the last minute, but this just aint me. i'm a planner. create the plan, break down the plan into steps, execute the plan. that's me!

last few things we don't 'need' per se, but i want to make now while i have a little free time (if not much energy-i'm enjoying doing the making):
* playmat + a few small infant toys attached-letter blocks, taggy blankets etc...
* pram mobile/toy dangler
* cot mobile/toy dangler
* this 'happy stacker' toy-just delish.
* these cute baby shoes
* this little tortellini pillow for on the playmat
* a few more bibs.

sorry i've been lax in the posting, just getting too tired to do much these days. my ob asked how i've been, and i said "fat and tired", and his reply? "yes, well that's to be expected". le sigh. just have to be patient now. kid will come when it's ready, i don't want to rush it, but we're very excited about meeting them.

xCherry

effin outta there!

last day of work-woooooooo!
ok, yeah, i still have to have the actual baby and raise it which is more work than ever, but at least that's also fun and exciting.
QA aint fun and exciting.


ever



but next year i can start my own line and hopefully grow the small business into something successful, which i'm very excited about.

and this was my leaving gift from work, which i LOVE, and we;ve been wanting, but haven't been able afford, so i'm very happy!



ps: her name is dotty.

mini piratey sleepsack

cos you never know when you'll need one.
this one's for bringing baby home from hospital.

close up:

i also washed all of the baby clothes today. starting to feel more real now, that's for sure. the little socks are just too cute!

look ma, no cankles!

yay, i still have normal feets!

no fat cankles for me, thankfully.
i'd like to thank my parents and grandparents for their generous donation of good genes.

And as promised, heres some poorly lit, grainy photos of me at 33wks.

this is after working a full day, too, so slightly bloaty, but not getting anywhere near the fatty second chin bloaty bologna meats appearance that so many women get. (the poor other pregnant girl at my work already has 2 chins, and i suspect she'll end up with 3 before the end, and she's 2months behind me. poor girl should have chosen her parents better)
i just hope i'm this lucky with the second one too!

2 days left of work! and the last day never really counts anyway, so wooo!

49 days and counting...

my freaking phone just ate my photos. and now i'm wearing tracky daks and i can't be bothered putting nice clothes on again. and NO i will never ever post a photo of me in track pants on the interwebs, so don't even think it. i'll have to take some tomorrow

You are now 33 weeks pregnant, which is the beginning of week 34.

Your baby weighs about 2.1kg (2,100 grams or 4 lbs 10 oz) and measures about 45 cm in length (17.75 inches).

Your baby is now fully formed physically and has a firm grasp reflex. They can also determine the difference between sweet and sour tastes. Premature babies born as early as 33 weeks have been observed to suck harder on a teat dipped in glucose. However, even unborn babies can detect subtle changes in the flavour of the amniotic fluid they float in. It is believed this fluid acts as a 'flavour bridge' to their mother's breast milk. Breast milk changes flavour depending on what the mother eats (such as sugar, garlic or curry) and so does the amniotic fluid. Observations of unborn babies have demonstrated that they swallow more frequently when surrounded by sweet tastes and swallow less fluid if it tastes bitter or sour.

Physical signs: Frequent urination. As your growing baby increases in weight, your uterus starts to put more pressure on your bladder, making you pass urine more frequently. This may worsen or improve once your baby's head engages or be made worse if your pelvic floor muscle is weakened (pelvic floor exercises are explained below).

Peeing every hour on the hour pretty much.

But I’m deliberately drinking a lot of water anyway, so this is probably contributing. Amniotic fluid level peak at around this time, so maybe that’s why I’m so thirsty! Drinking about 2-4L a day (mostly water-I know, I normally hate the stuff!-weird) no bladder weakness for me, I have pelvic floor muscles of STEEL.

Carpal tunnel. Some women experience feelings of numbness, 'pins and needles' or stiff painful hands - a condition known Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This is caused by fluid accumulating in the wrists, placing pressure on the median nerve, which moves the muscles in the wrist and hand. Carpal tunnel also makes it difficult to grasp objects. Nup.

Emotional reactions As your pregnancy advances, anxieties and fears may occupy your mind. Nup.

You may look at women with babies and think "How am I physically going to get from being pregnant to being a mother?" Nup.

Or you may wonder how you will deal with labour pain or with parenting a child (or another child, if this is not your first). Nup.

Perhaps you have a mother or sister who has experienced difficult births and find it hard to imagine yours could be different. Nup.

Or you could be concerned about feeling out of control once you go to hospital. Nup. As far as they’re concerned, they can do what I TELL THEM to do, not the other way around.

It is important to recognise and share your concerns. Suppressing your true feelings could mean unresolved issues materialising at an inconvenient time (like when you are trying to push your baby out!) If you find talking with family and friends and/or your caregiver is not enough, perhaps seek professional counselling to help you work with your concerns. Wah wah wah. i don't do this shite.

Other considerations

Your baby's position. Most babies assume a head down position by this time (if not already there). Just came back from ob’s appt, and kid is head down, yay! A few babies remain in a breech position. Women having twins often find that one baby is head down, while their sibling is breech. Your caregiver feels for your baby's head during your pregnancy visits and should now be able to detect which side of your belly their back is laying on (right or left). Back seems to move from left to right a bit, but mostly on the left, back against my belly, with the feet kicking up under my right ribs. A LOT. Your baby can still move frequently from one side of your belly to the other. At this stage, it does not really matter if your baby's back is anterior (towards your front) or posterior (towards your back).

You may start to notice that your baby's movements are changing to be more stretches and squirms, as they grow larger and there is comparatively less room to move. No. still kicking the shit out of my ribs and punching me on the inside of my girls bits. Fun.

If you feel concerned about how often your baby is moving, it is important to tell your caregiver. They may suggest using a kick chart. The little monkey moves all the time, with big big moves at 9.30pm every night.

Birth preparations Large babies. Being told your unborn baby looks big can immediately undermine your confidence to give birth. Such suggestions often come from caregivers, friends or relatives making judgements about the size of your belly. In some cases this could lead to considerations about being induced early (so that the baby won't be as large), or having a caesarean operation. Most women produce babies that their bodies are able to give birth to. The predicted weight of unborn babies can be frequently overestimated. Haven’t had this from any professional, but every I meet says “you look so big” or “are you sure it’s not twins???” which is ridiculous, because I’ve had 2 scans showing 1 baby. It’s in the 82% for size, so I’m expecting an 8 to 8.5lb baby (plus you normally have babies of similar size to your own birth weight, not your male partner’s)

I figure people are so used to seeing pregnant women get fat, that they’re not quite aure about me since I only look like I’ve put on 5kg of fat, and the rest is all baby bump. (I weighed myself at 20wks and had put on 14kgs, but I haven’t weighed since) but all the ‘weight’ is baby + amniotic fluid + boobs + 40% more blood +uterus+placenta etc…. so I don’t really care about the actual kgs I put on, as long I still look/feel fit, then I’m happy. Plus I’ll need some fat stores for breast feeding anyways.

Down to 3 days left of work-feck yeah! then i can rest, slep, and sew like a mad woman!!! i still have about 10-15 nappies to make, plus a playmat or two, some bibs, some toys for the pram, and a few more bits and pieces.

Plus i want to make a nightie for me for hospital as well. I've tried shopping for one, but they're all hidiously gag-inducingly twee. apparently pregnant (or fat) women only want to wear pastels and big ugly arse sacks with twee cutsey characters on them. i mean huh? wtf? where are the pretty and cute and dare i say it a little sexeh ones? (not all out raunch/porn, i'm not after crotchless panties and faux leather with fur trim or anything) i managed to find ONE nightie in kmart that was black with small white spots, but i'd like a second as well, since birth is such an, ahem, fluid filled time. i want a back up in case i need to wash one. so i'll either buy a dress and just wear it as a nightie, or make one.

le sigh.

photos next time, i promise...

xCherry