Almost there....

This post may be short and sweet, I'm not sure, I feel very rusty in terms of blogging these days so I'll see what spews forth from my slightly overloaded preggy brain.
I'm 38 weeks tomorrow- honestly, the 3rd trimester has absolutely flown by. I know there's still 2 weeks until the 'official' due date but I feel like I'm there already-or maybe I just feel like baby girl is ready to come out.
We had our last scan at 37 weeks, according to her measurements she was about 7lb 12 already...although the scanner said this is mostly due to her thigh measurement-which seriously,is off the charts-it didn't even register on the 'normal baby' measurement chart. So I really am having a baby giraffe!
Pepe was also practising her breathing while she was being scanned....G and I have been wondering for weeks what this strange up&down movement was that she's been doing, I knew it wasn't hiccups or anything, so that's that mystery solved-she's trying out her breathing skills!
She also said the placenta is showing signs of having done it's job-in other words a bit of wear and tear, so with that in mind I'm thinking at the next OB appointment on Thursday they may decide to set a date for induction-I actually can't wait to find out- whether they do induce or decide to leave it and monitor me instead ,I don't mind-I just want to know!
I can't imagine having gone through this whole pregnancy without all of the scans, OB appointments, and reassurances from other IVF buddies...as much as I would love to have one of those pregnancies where you sail through blissfully unaware of anything but baby's movements in your belly-I think that after everything we go through to get here, constant reassurance is just part and parcel of it.
In saying that though, I think these have been the best weeks, in fact, apart from the shaky start, I have in all honesty LOVED being pregnant, I love feeling her move around, the kicks in the ribs, my big belly, the daydreaming about what she looks like and the moment that we get to meet her. I wonder if I would have been so appreciative of it all had we not gone through what we did?
So we are almost ready, almost prepared, this week will be a busy one doing washing,cleaning the house,and making meals in preparation for our first week home with pepe. At the end of this week we're heading to my parents house to spend Christmas and New Year and basically wait out baby's arrival, then a few days at their house with baby, and then we head home as a wee family :)

So I'll finish with a 37 week bump photo...and who knows, the next photo may be of our baby girl!

I also want to wish everyone a joyous Christmas....and to everyone who is still struggling on their journeys -I hope that 2012 is the year that your dreams are realised...xxx

31 weeks-eek!

I'm a little bit shocked to look back and see that I seem to have only done one post a month for the past couple of months...it doesn't really feel that way though. I think I have an internal dialogue going constantly anyway so I FEEL like I'm blogging more...but anyway I've tried to keep up with commenting on some of the regular blogs I follow, I guess I just don't always have a lot to blog about myself!
Sooo...November update:

I'm 31 weeks pregnant now- and just starting to feel a teeny bit panicked at how time seems to be flying by.

I think partly this is because G has been finishing up with his degree so almost every waking moment for him has been working and studying (his last exam is TODAY-woohoo!) and I don't mind that in the least- he's been so attentive whenever possible and will always grab the chance to talk to baby or feel her move around, but it's just nearing the end of what has been a crazy busy last 3 years-and we are both absolutely exhausted now. And although we almost have everything we need for baby- at the moment it's all sitting in her room in piles and boxes on the floor!

So G's mission in the next couple of weeks (with no more study to do hurray!) is to re-assemble shelves for baby's room, which are still in pieces from our move here, and also put together the change-table, and then we can both potter and organize.
Because we're renting this house, there will be no major renovations or painting jobs happening- in fact baby's room will be a bit of a mish-mash-mostly old furniture and borrowed things, but it will be HERS and I just can't wait to actually bring her home, and that's all that matters.

G and I had our first antenatal class the other night, there's actually a really nice bunch there so we enjoyed it, and I think we'll have a nice group to keep in touch with once all our babies have arrived-and our baby is due first out of everyone.
I'm also preeeetty sure that the couple opposite us maybe went through IVF too....they didn't make it obvious but the husband was asking lots of questions about induction, and in NZ there seems to be this 'thing' about not letting IVF babies go past the due date-meaning they will induce you on, or around your due date.
There has been talk of doing this for us too. So my IVF-tennae perked up when I heard that. Of course I could be completely wrong but don't you reckon we develop a sixth sense about other IFers?
And G also discovered that one of the girls there was from the city he grew up in, they went to Intermediate school together and she's a bridesmaid at his best friend's wedding December! They are living not far from us and seem really nice, so we will keep in touch with them too.

And the most exciting thing that has happened for me this week was being able to meet up with the lovely Haidee from MaybeBaby-Or maybe the Loony bin, and her lovely wee boy Cohen who is just so cute! Hopefully next time we meet up we'll have our husbands in tow too- and I'll also have a little playmate for Cohen with me!

And on a finishing note- here is my pepe's first ever Halloween costume- I had a friend's party to go to so my sister painted my belly for me :)

Textbook case.

I think after having a not-so textbook road to conceiving, and a not-so textbook first trimester...I'm discovering that I have recently been following the path of a textbook pregnancy.
I know this because the pregnancy textbook tells me so.

I have to admit the last trimester I stopped devouring my pregnancy books so much and just went with it for a while, but now I'm fascinated again to see how big baby is supposed to be and what she's doing, and I'm finding along the way that all of these niggles and weird ailments that I've had are actually pregnancy related. And I seem to open to a page and the very thing that I have been telling G about is right there in black&white in front of me.

For instance- me to G..."I think I'm getting that Carpal Tunnel Syndrome thingy-my wrist is killing me everytime I try and wring out the dishcloth" I then open a pregnancy book that very night, to read about what baby is up to in week 28, and find that in fact temporary Carpal Tunnel is actually related to pregnancy?!Something to do with your wrists swelling up I believe.

Me to G- "I think we need to change washing powders-my legs are itching like f#@k at the moment in bed and I'm sure it's the sheets!"
Again-a few days later I read another update in the book for week 29 and find that "Restless leg Syndrome" which I have also been having, can include uncontrollable twitching, itching and the feeling of crawling on your legs. So that explains that then (and also drew me a little sympathy from G who was most unsympathetic at the time when I was wriggling and twitching around in bed like a freakin centipede)

It's almost spooky how well timed these little things are compared to the book-and it's not Psychosomatic I swear because I'm reading about these things AFTER I experience them. I've also discovered that the migraines I've experienced, the weird skin rash on my wrist, and the feelings of MS returning are all normal preggy things too-who knew?

It may sound like I'm falling apart right now but in all honesty I'm feeling great- these are all small niggles that apparently most people experience and the good stuff by far outweighs all of them.

Baby girl is moving around heaps- not so many little kicks now but huge movements, big rolls and punching like movements. G and I watch my whole belly move in amazement- I think feeling her move is the best thing ever. Although it can feel really bizarre when she moves down low.

Just over 29 weeks now and we're getting super excited-11 weeks seems so soon and yet so far away at the same time. My mum has been knitting up a storm-the cutest little outfits you have ever seen, and she's also just finished her last chemo session yay!
She's so thrilled that that part is over, and now just has 6 weeks of radiotherapy beginning soon, and then it's all over just in time to meet her first grandbaby. Her hair is growing back now too- she used to have blonde curly hair but apparently it can grow back quite differently, so at the moment it's still very short but grey-and we're waiting to see if the curls come back! She actually looks amazing though, the short grey hair suits her I think!

So the last thing to update is the bump- I'm pretty sure this is my first ever bump shot on here?!
This was actually taken at just over 26 weeks I think,so belly is a little bigger now..

Not the best photo but all of the others have my head in them and I can't work out how to crop them!

cookies and other ramblings.

Well I'm now well and truly settled in our new place-I've MADE myself go out and explore the town a little bit, and I have more plans up my sleeve to start integrating myself into this new place a little more.

Number one starts today- we have loads of lovely neighbours around us, one couple are in a house just across from us, the wife looks only a couple of years older than me, and they have a 2 year old girl and a baby boy about 3 month old. We actually met them briefly when we moved in and she seemed lovely, but since then I've been a little people-shy....so I have decided today I would do something about it, and I'm going to take over some cookies that I baked last night.

I only made about 100 cookies-seriously. I decided I would bake some for G seeing as I'm going away this weekend and I got a little too excited on my mission and ended up doing 3 batches worth, chocolate chunk and ginger, and chocolate and cherry. I guess I just thought I may as save on electricity using the oven, and as a bonus only have to clean up my baking mess once-instead of 3 times.
 I'm not known for my tidy cooking, G thinks it's very funny (and perhaps a little frustrating but he doesn't complain too much-not if he wants to be chief sampler and bowl scraper anyway...) He calls me 'The mess-maker', and as hard as I try to keep things tidy while I'm baking, I just can't do it. I tell myself it's a sign of a creative cook, but actually I think it's just sheer clumsiness and terrible flour-pouring skills- It's simply impossible for me to pour a cup of flour without ending up with half of it on the bench, and more than a few spoonfuls in my hair.
But despite the carnage in the kitchen afterwards, I generally manage to produce some pretty nice eats if I do say so myself!

I'm heading home this Friday and then being driven up to Auckland with my parents for the weekend. Mum and I are going to a pregnancy/baby/children's event. Tons of different stalls and products and specials on things, so should be a fun (and possibly expensive) day! And we're staying with my 91 year old Grandad, who I love to bits and haven't seen for a couple of months so I'm looking forward to that too.
It's my second weekend away in fact, last weekend I went back home for a friend's 30th and stayed 2 nights with mum&dad. I missed G but let me tell you-there's nothing like being at home sometimes. It's so cosy and in a way I feel like a little girl again sometimes. My dad even brought me breakfast in bed on the morning I left!

Otherwise apart from growing a baby I haven't been doing too much else lately-although I've had some sewing work from friends and family and also have a job to make chair covers next week so that will keep me busy. And in between I've been making bags and cushion covers, trying to build up a collection to do a craft market at the end of the year, I have 4 covers and 2 bags so far-not much but they're fairly labour intensive with gathers, linings, zip closures etc so I figure it's a good start.

And 26 weeks pregnant now- pepe is doing well and still moving around constantly- I love it, although some of the kicks *ahem* 'down low' can feel a little strange sometimes! I see an OB in 2 weeks time and then another scan at 32 week- and after that I'm imagining time is going to start moving verrry quickly.
We're slowly building up a collection of baby gear,some new things, but a lot of it's second-hand and in good condition, and mum has been a top bargain hunter at charity shops-bringing home some gorgeous little outfits for between $1-$4 each! And much more shopping to come at the baby show this weekend I think :)

Well I know this has been a weird rambling sort of post that goes nowhere, but that's where I'm at at the moment. Hopefully will have a bump shot to come soon too!

I Love this House.

We are all moved in. I love this house.

It's owned by a family with 3 young boys who have moved overseas to work for a couple of years. It's old but warm, and lived in and loved. There's a robot chalkboard sticker on the sliding lounge door, and a playhouse at the foot of one of 2 huge trees in the frontyard. The backyard slopes off into semi-native bush and scrub, and leads down to a stream which I can hear from the deck. And the birds-so many birds-I could listen to them all day!
The house sits in 2 different worlds actually, out the front it sits among 4 other houses on a shared driveway-the best of both worlds.Friendly neighbours and then complete privacy out the back.

So what have I even been doing the last week? I've been out for a few walks but still haven't ventured out in the car yet-I'm not sure why-I'm nervous about trying to navigate my way around in the car-I'm one of those people that always chooses the familiar and easy route to get around so I had my own ways of getting to places in my hometown. So really I've spent a lot of time perfecting my Desperate Housewife persona- there's been a lot of baking and cleaning and 'fluffing' happening

I have managed to finally get inspired and get my craft on in these last 2 days though.
 I have boxes and boxes of fabric and I decided I need to turn it into nice things-so have been pattern-making and sewing and actually enjoying it.
It can get tedious when you're doing it for other people, but in my own time and being able to do exactly what I want has been a breath of fresh air. I have big plans for a market stall once I have a bit of a collection going, I have no dressmaking clients over here yet so I'm anxious to be contributing to the household income somehow!

Pepelina has been moving around a lot more- I've been a little crampy the last 2 days, so that coupled with not feeling as many movements had me feeling a little nervous but I was pleased to wake up at 3am last night and feel her have a party inside me for a good 2 hours-she has some good rhythm happening in there!I swear she's choreographing her own dance routine.

I often wonder whether I would be having a different pregnancy experience if I hadn't experienced IF - I think I would perhaps be a little more relaxed, but at the same time I'm thankful that I can really appreciate everything that's happening to me.
All the symptoms and possible complaints that come with being pregnant have a sweeter meaning to me, the heartburn makes me think of our little girl starting to grow and squash all of my insides up. the 3am dance-a-thon just makes me smile and look forward to the next kick...I don't know that I would have had quite the same appreciation for it all if we hadn't gone through what we did, and I honestly don't think I would change any of it now.

It's also made me re-evaluate the 'plans' for the ideal family that you have in your head, the number of kids and the age gaps that you want.
All of those things you think about growing up, now seem rather trivial.
Even when we started our IVF cycle I was still thinking quite far ahead, hoping we would get lots of frosties in the hopes of being able to have 2-3 kids, fretting a little about how we would pay for a second cycle if we needed to for a sibling. All of those plans have just flown out the window-and I don't mind. Whatever happens happens.
We just feel extremely lucky to be having a baby-and if it's our only one, well then we'll treasure every moment of parenthood that we're lucky enough to experience.

Why hello there :)

It's strange to find myself sitting down and actually writing a post again...I had planned to get back into my blog in  couple of weeks time when I thought I would have some alone time at home to write, you see we are moving to a new town in all of  two days and I should be tearing my hair out amid the packing chaos at the moment...
But I officially overdid it yesterday, hubby is out of the house for once, and I have no motivation to even get dressed yet-so here I am!

So a lot has happened in the last month....G started applying for jobs all over the place even though he is still 2 months away from finishing his degree-and lo and behold he got offered one at a great company in a town about an hour away from where we live now...and the best part is that they want him to finish his degree and are willing to give him the time he needs to do this, as well as start working for them.

The place we are moving to was actually on the bottom of my list of all of the places he had applied for jobs in....but I came around very quickly once we had made a few trips there and settled on a new place to rent. It's actually a beautiful area,(it's even won awards for NZ's most beautiful city!) it's green, surrounded by lakes and forest, as well as having a thriving little city centre -I think we're going to love it.

It's going to be so different for me-but I'm looking on it as a bit of a challenge. I have lived in my coastal hometown forever, my parents are still living in the house that I grew up in, and G and I have always rented around the same area. But there's also something quite exciting about moving and setting up our own family unit in a new place!

So the last 2 weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind of sorting and organizing...and trying to do as much as I can without heavy lifting (as G is frantically trying to get through as many reports and projects as he can before he starts the new job)-and also spending time googling why you're not supposed to heavy lift while your pregnant?...apparently it's because your ligaments and muscles are more relaxed and therefore can get injured easily. No need to tell me twice, I won't be arguing on that one.

And I need to just stop here now and say-my mum is an absolute angel. Even though she's knackered herself-and I'm pretty sure Chemo patients probably aren't supposed to be doing heavy lifting either, she's been helping me pack and load boxes, bringing me snacks and treats, cleaning my oven, vacuuming even though I insisted I'm fine to do it (she claims it's because she loves using my Dyson so much.....I'm not convinced) and has just been an all-round amazing mum.  I feel so guilty when she's tired herself, but she insists on helping and wants to keep busy-and I have to admit we make a good team working away together. I'm going to miss having her only 10 minutes away, and being able to call in for a chat and drink, and I'm hoping they'll come and stay with us on the weekends and I can spoil HER for once!

So that's one exciting life change happening at the moment...and of course the other exciting life change is still growing and thriving nicely, I'm just over 21 weeks pregnant now....and our little Pepe is actually a Pepelina! We had our 20 week scan and were thrilled to find out there's a little girl on board, and she's growing and doing well. I always thought that I wouldn't find out the sex of baby...and would want it to be a surprise. But let me tell you, I'm so glad we did find out, it just felt right for us, and I think after the dramas of the first trimester, I felt I needed to know -to find something out about this feisty little being in there. And I really had no inklings either way in the end-I would have been just as thrilled with a boy, either way, it's lovely just knowing.

I also thought I would never rush out and buy pink clothes if we ever found out- but alas...Pepelina's growing wardrobe now includes a pair of pink ruffle-bum tights, and a pink&white flowery onesie. But she really wanted them, and who am I to deny her?

So that's the catch up post, life is changing and trucking along quite nicely, and I shall be back next week posting from my new location.....:)

Busy is good :)

When the husband's away ...the Ants will play...on the computer that is!
After 3 weeks holiday G has returned to uni...and I finally get a proper chance to catch up on everything-I have missed out on so much in blogger world!

We have had a busy few weeks in general. We have been away 2 weekends in a row- the first was a gathering for G's extended family...the second was a gathering of my extended family, and then there's been a mad catch up during the week to get work finished, and birthday parties, mid-winter Christmas festivals, catch ups with friends, Harry Potter movie nights,oh and did I mention work in between all of that?
It's nice to be busy though-and to feel normal again! The MS is pretty much gone although I have the odd retch-fest in the morning sometimes still. But nothing that a vegemite Vogels toast won't cure.

So I'm now 16 weeks and 2 days...time is suddenly flying by, I guess that's the bonus of keeping busy. And I now feel very...comfortable in my pregnancy.I don't have the anxiety and fear that I had a few weeks back, and it's a relief. I also have a real little preggy belly now! I can't stop checking out my side profile in the mirror to make sure it's still there, I love having a little belly and I have to confess I've turned into a belly rubber-yes one of those annoying pregnant women who constantly rubs their belly. But I've confined myself to do it only at home!

So things have shifted a little in the past couple of weeks, instead of anxiously waiting until the next scan/appointment/heartbeat listen, and being scared of moving for fear of doing something to Pepe.... I feel like I'm now living a normal life again, working, socialising, exercising.....and all with my precious little stowaway on board for the ride.