22 Weeks, 4 Days

Friday 27 September 2013

Everything has been ticking along beautifully since my last post. Lil Dash gets more and more active every day. She is quite a wriggly little monkey! She especially loves to move around a lot when I am relaxing in bed or on the couch, actually these days as soon as I am stationary for more than about 5 minutes she starts wriggling. I wonder if she'll be as active once she's born! 

We've spent a fair amount of time over the last couple of weeks looking at day care centres. It seems kind of strange to be looking into day care when she isn't even born yet, but where we live the waiting lists are anywhere from 12-18 months so we have to get our names down early! 

Most of the ones we saw were great, with two major stand outs for us. There was one however that was just awful! The place was dirty and smelt and the staff seemed uninterested, in fact one of the staff appeared to be stoned (I really hope he wasn't). There was no structure or order and the kids were running rampant. We were looking in one of the rooms and the lady taking us on our tour had to leave us at least twice to chase kids back inside the centre as the staff supervising them hadn't noticed they were chasing birds outside. It was just terrible.

Next week I have to call some more places and get our names down on more waiting lists. Given the demand for day care I've been told we should be on at least 8 waiting lists, we are currently on 4 (including the awful place, which we wouldn't accept a spot at anyway).

The plan is I'll have 11 months off work with Lil Dash. Bio Mum will have the first month off with us and then the last month off when I return to work. That will give our little girl almost a year at home before she goes to child care. Plus it gives both of us some one on one time at home with Lil Dash.

Monday was Bio Mum's birthday so on Saturday we headed off for a picnic with some friends and Bio Mum's lovely sister, brother in law and nephews. It was such a beautiful day! The weather was perfect, the company was perfect and the food was great too! I did manage to get a little sunburnt, but not too badly as I kept moving so I was in the shade. Being in the sun for too long made me feel a tad sick. I don't cope with sun and heat as well as I did pre-pregnancy! It's a little scary that I'll be at my biggest right in the middle of summer!

Sunday Bio Mum and I  spent most of the day working on the nursery. We have started sanding the furniture so we can paint it, still a bit of work to go there! After that will be the sanding, cleaning and painting of the walls and trims. Then it will be the blinds going up and finally the furniture, decorations and stocking the room for our new arrival. 

Here are some shots of the nursery I took this morning, clearly it is a work in progress!

The above photo shows our baby's bassinet, which was used by Bio Mum as a baby and many family babies since then. I can't wait to put our little girl down to sleep in it! We are planning on adding wheels to the legs to make it more mobile around the house! 

I have to admit I wasn't such a big help to Bio Mum on Sunday, after a few hours I managed to fall asleep on the couch. I hope to be a bigger help to her this weekend coming. We have a long weekend (3 days off! Heaven!) and hope to get most of the nursery done.

Monday Bio Mum and I had the day off work in celebration of her birthday and spent a relaxing morning together at home (with me heading out for McDonalds for breakfast) and then I was out for the afternoon for my friend's mother's funeral. It was a very sad, but moving service and I was glad that I got to be there in support of my friend. She is living my worst nightmare. It certainly made me think about my own Mum a lot.

Monday night we had a quiet one and got a very special surprise from our little girl. While we were lying in bed I happened to notice a little movement in my tummy. We both watched intensely and then got to SEE Lil Dash kicking/moving! It was absolutely amazing. I so love our little girl.

Here is the 21 week bump photo (because I was slack and didn't post last week!)

 And here is our 22 week bump photo (not the best photo)

I am definitely noticing a difference in my belly as it gets bigger. I tried leaning forward to put on my shoes at work yesterday and had to lean sideways as the bump got in the way! Oh man I still have approximately 17 weeks to go! How much bigger am I going to get?!

Had a lovely date night with Bio Mum last night. We headed out to Nightfest at Floriade (big flower festival for people who aren't locals) which was just lovely. I got to play with my new camera and managed to get a few shots that weren't too bad. I'm very slowly getting the hang of it.

Just went out on my lunch break to have a look at some maternity jeans. Now I might be showing my nanna nature here, but who in their right mind wants to wear maternity skinny jeans! I mean really, are they serious?! I couldn't find one pair of jeans that were even remotely flattering or comfortable! It was really disappointing. I might duck out for a little shopping this weekend and see if I can find some jeans that are actually comfy and flattering.

We're off to see Dr B again next week so I'll be sure to post again then.

Ciao for now!

20 Weeks, 4 Days.

Friday 13 September 2013

It's been a big week. Sunday night we had some friends over to celebrate my birthday and Bio Mum and our friend Steph made me home-made sushi! I have been craving sushi like crazy since my morning sickness subsided so it was just what I wanted. It was so yummy! Best birthday dinner ever!

Then on Wednesday, which was my actual birthday, Bio Mum got me the most amazing Nikon D3200 camera. It is incredible, but it's going to take me a while to learn how to use it properly. Miss Moo has been a reluctant model as I tried out different features of the camera. I mentioned to Bio Mum ages ago, not long after we got pregnant, that I wanted to get a really nice camera so I could take photos of our baby. It was sweet that she remembered. I can't wait to take lots and lots of photos of Lil Dash. I love my camera!

I got a nasty sore throat for my birthday, not exactly what I wanted but what can you do. I also got some lovely flowers from my workmates which made the sore throat a little easier to bear, see the picture below

All in all it was a lovely birthday!

Yesterday we went to have our 20 week scan, and aside from me almost fainting on the table, it went really well.

It's at this point I am pleased to announce that our Lil Dash is in fact a little girl!! I can't even describe how amazing it is to known that our Lil Dash is a little girl. She is growing beautifully and exactly as she should. we got to see her little hands and feet, ten fingers and ten toes all accounted for! 

I think knowing she is a little girl makes her all the more real, not that she was a figment of my imagination before. She is just becoming more of a little person to me now. She is our daughter and we get to meet her soon. I can't describe how much I already love this little girl, this little piece of me and Bio Mum. 

Here is a scan picture of our little girl:

She has been quite wiggly the last week or so, which is nice. She seems to like to make her presence known!

Here is the 20 week bump photo

I'm off to visit my mother and sister tonight for the weekend, which will be good. I'm not feeling so crash hot (viral sore throat thing) so it will be a fairly low key weekend. Just so long as I get to spend some time with Mum then that's the important thing.

So that's all for now. I'll post more soon!

19 Weeks, 2 Days

Wednesday 4 September 2013

Firstly thank you to all who have read this blog, thank you also for your kind words and support. It really does mean a lot.

Now onto the update!

Mum is doing well at the moment and we were lucky enough to get her into a really great care facility that will be able to provide her with appropriate care that will suit her needs. It was a difficult move for her (and my sister) as it was a bit confronting to walk into a dementia specific ward and see the other residents, many of who are more advanced than Mum is. After a day of upset and distress, Mum has settled in. I'm sure the next few weeks will bring more upset and distress as she gets used to the new environment.

I do feel guilty that the move was so hard on her, but now I know that she is going to be safe and well looked after. I can live with that guilt, but I couldn't live with it had we left her where she was and something terrible had happened to her because the care she was receiving was not adequate to her needs. I will sleep easier knowing she will be safe.

I'll be flying down on 13 September to spent the weekend with Mum and my sister, so I am looking forward to that. My poor sister has to have surgery on 11 September (my birthday!) so it will also be good timing as I can help her out for a couple of days. I am planning to fly down each month until I am no longer able to travel.

It's hard to not to dwell on the fact that Mum has cancer. I try not to think about all the worst case scenarios that might happen and I am trying to stay positive and focus on Lil Dash and how excited Mum is going to be to meet her little grandchild, but it is difficult not to imagine how absolutely devastating it would be if Mum never got to meet our baby.

Let's aim for some positive thoughts and I know seeing her next week will make me feel better.

In other news yesterday Lil Dash was quite the little wriggler! It was the first time I was absolutely certain I was feeling Dash move around in there. I thought I felt something last week, but was unsure. Then yesterday morning I was sitting quietly at work and it was unmistakable as Dash moved around on and off for about 45 minutes. Then last night Bio Mum and I were sitting on the couch and I felt Dash moving around. Bio Mum put her hand on my belly and after pressing in a bit (on my poor bladder) she was able to feel Dash move too!

It is really early for us to be feeling movement, but our little one is already a bit of an overachiever so I am not all that surprised! It was really wonderful to be able to share that moment with Bio Mum. 

Today we had out appointment with our OB Dr B which went really well. Everything is progressing just as it should, in fact Dash is several days a head of schedule (meaning Dash is a bit bigger, which is why we were able to feel the movement so soon).

Dr B tried to get a good look at the sex of our little one, but Dash was not so cooperative. We are all booked in for our 20 week scan next week so fingers crossed Dash behaves then and we get to find out!

Here is the 19 Week bump photo taken on 2 September 2013, please excuse the fact that you can see the bottom of my bra hanging out...I am a class act.

On Monday I went and bought my first few pairs of maternity pants after sitting at work all morning rather uncomfortable due to the tightness of my work pants. I was able to get 3 pairs of pants at Big W for $20 each, so I was happy with that! While the pants are not the most stylish, man are they comfortable! I might keep wearing them once baby is born.

This weekend we start on the nursery, which I am super excited about. I am feeling the urge to nest! I'll be sure to take some photos of our progress and post those as we go. 

Sunday will be awesome as we are having some lovely people over for dinner to celebrate my birthday, but most importantly Bio Mum is making me home-made sushi!! Oh man have I been craving sushi! I am so excited to eat some it is almost insane.

Have a wonderful rest of the week and I'll post more soon!

18 Weeks, 3 Days

Thursday 29 August 2013

Two posts in two days, I wouldn't expect that to happen too often! Baby brain has been great at making me forget to update this blog and I'm sure it will continue to do so as this pregnancy progresses.

First of all I wanted to post an updated bump photo that Bio Mum took this morning. Here is the bump at 18 weeks and 3 days,

It may not look like a pregnant belly, but it does feel like one!

In possibly exciting news I think, although I am not 100% sure, that I may have felt Lil Dash move yesterday...twice! First was almost like a tiny little flutter, that could have been a little muscle twitch, about 3 or 4 cms down from my belly button. The second was after work when Bio Mum and I were having a lie down before heading out for dinner. I rolled onto my side and while lying still I swear I felt a little flutter again. 

Now I might have just been imagining it, or it could have been many other things, but I am hoping it was our Lil Dash. I really can't wait until I can feel Dash move and be certain it was our baby. I also can't wait until Bio Mum can feel the movement too. I am so excited to share this with her.

In my post yesterday I forgot to tell you all about the beautiful print we bought to go in Lil Dash's room. I have to credit a truly amazing artist Marja-Leena Montone (website is marjaleena.com) for this creation. Here is 'Bed Time'

We just loved the colours in the print and think it will be a great basis for the rest of the nursery. The walls will be white and the colour will be in the accessories. We even ordered some samples of curtains/blinds we like that will go with the print!

I can't wait to get into that nursery! It is going to be so special to create this space for Lil Dash with Bio Mum. Maybe the nesting is starting?

Off to see Dr B next week so will definitely post again then if not sooner!

18 Weeks, 2 Days

Well it has been quite a while since my last post, that is very neglectful of me. So much has happened in the last few weeks and I will do my best to update this with all the goings on and such.

Currently we are at 18 weeks and doing well. Lil Dash is still growing away in there and I even have a small bump now (although it really does just look like I'm getting fat, still not very pregnant looking). Here is the bump from 19 August (so 17 weeks)

I'll aim to get some more recent photos once there is actually something to see!

So a few weeks ago we got some bad news about my mother. This is one of the reasons for my lack of blogging, that and exhaustion. On 5 August my sister called me to tell me that Mum has been diagnosed with cancer. It is quite advanced, inoperable cancer in her lungs, bones and breasts. Unsurprisingly this news was quite a shock. I remember how I felt when I found out she has Alzheimer's Disease, this was even more devastating. 

I felt (and still feel) angry. It's like the Alzheimer's robbed us of who our mother was and now cancer is robbing us of time with her. It seems so unfair that Mum should be lumped with so much. 

The decision has been made to not treat the cancer and to not tell Mum about it. At the moment she is completely asymptomatic and in no pain, thankfully. We feel that the distress that this information will cause Mum is not worth the possible benefits of telling her. 

I have to admit that one of the first thoughts that slammed into my head on hearing the news was what if Mum isn't alive when Lil Dash is born? What if my mother never gets to meet her first grandchild? That is about the most heartbreaking thing imaginable. It is making me cry just to think about it. 

Onto something else. On 7 August 2013 we had an appointment with our OB, Dr B, which was quite frustrating through no fault of Dr B's. We went in to see Dr B and he started talking to us about the results of our 12 week screening. Bio Mum instantly picked up on the fact that there was an error, and that despite being told countless times, the doctor at the imaging place had calculated our potential risks based on my age, not Bio Mum's. As Lil Dash and I share no genetic material at all, using my age (which is 8 years younger than Bio Mum's) is not only incorrect, but a waste of time.

Dr B immediately got on the phone to the imaging place to get a revised report. Dr B was almost as angry as we were! We were told they would recalculate and then send though a revised report within 10 minutes, 35 minutes late we finally got the report back. Thankfully all the numbers were still within a good range, but they had certainly changed when compared with the numbers from the calculations made using my age. It was a stressful wait for those revised results, let me tell you!

During our appointment, Dr B did a quick ultrasound and Lil Dash was looking very happy in there. Dr B tried to see Bub's gender, but Lil Dash has other ideas. Hopefully at our next appointment on 4 September we'll get to find out! I can't wait. I still think Lil Dash is a girl, but either way I'm going to be happy. I just want to meet our little one. 

Almost half way now and time is flying. Before we know it Lil Dash is going to be entering the world and changing our lives forever. 

13 Weeks 6 Days!!

Sunday 28 July 2013

Tomorrow we hit 14 weeks and wow what an amazing, tumultuous, stressful, exciting, nauseating time it has been! The last 3 and a bit months have been a roller coaster of morning sickness, keeping this big news secret and worry about Bub. It has been intense to say the least.

The last couple of weeks  have been pretty special for Bio Mum and I. On Saturday 13 July 2013, we went to have our 12 week scan (at 11 weeks, 5 days) and bloods taken for the screening. It was certainly a day full of excitement and nerves (oh and a very full bladder for me). The ultrasound tech was lovely, which was a big plus. I wouldn't want someone we weren't comfortable with in the room with us during such an intimate and special moment.

Let me tell you that our Little Dash is one cheeky little monkey! Lil Dash was wriggling around and not moving into position for the tech. At one point Lil Dash had both hands in front of his/her little face which I think was either 'jazz hands' or the little one saying 'please stop taking pictures of me'. Either way is was heartbreakingly cute. Here's a scan picture of 'jazz hands' or 'spirit fingers'

Bub even rolled over at one point so their back was facing the ultrasound wand. Lil Dash is very like both Mummies, neither of which like having their photo taken at all! Here is a scan picture of cheeky little Dash's protest as having their photo taken

And here is a pic of Lil Dash's face. A face we are already besotted with

So the scan was amazing. We got to spend quite a long time watching our little one moving around in there, we also got to see and hear their little heart beating away like crazy. The tech was great and very reassuring that everything looked normal and as it should.

After the scan I was blissfully allowed to go empty my bladder (it was getting kind of desperate there for a while) and then after some questions off we went to get some of my blood taken. With that done it was time to wait for the result of the screening. We were told we could expect results within 4 or 5 days...9 very stressful days later we finally got the results. Thankfully all is very well with Lil Dash. The odds of Lil Dash having any chromosomal issues are very slim, slim enough to even ease Bio Mum's mind!

As for me, it may sound ridiculous but I just had this feeling all along that Lil Dash was fine. I just knew that our baby was great and that there was nothing to worry about. I have no idea how I knew, I just knew.

We also told Bio Mum's parent's, which was great. They were thrilled and it was so nice to have it out in the open. It's been so hard keeping it a secret!! This is the biggest event in our lives and it has been such a challenge to keep it to ourselves! Well mostly to ourselves, we did tell a few people along the way!

The reactions we have received have been wonderful. People have been so excited for us and now that its out in the open it feels so very real, not that it didn't before, but now its different. Its not just us anymore, this is something our friends and family are sharing with us now and that makes it even more precious!

I want to send out thanks to the wonderful people who are supporting us and sharing our journey. We are so grateful to you all and are so blessed to have you, just like Lil Dash will be lucky to have you too.

Week 11, Day 2

Wednesday 10 July 2013

Bio Mum gave me a cold and then left me to go interstate for work for four days! That's kind of mean right? Joking, well about the mean part because she absolutely made me sick and then left me on my lonesome. It's only been a day and I miss her like crazy. I am kind of needy at the moment, damn hormones! Poor Moo is having to deal with my need for company until Bio Mum returns on Friday.

The cold hasn't been too bad, the sore throat has been the killer especially seeing as I can't take anything other than panadol. I'm also exhausted at the moment and all I really want to do is lie in bed or on the couch and watch DVDs and nap. Sadly work gets in the way of that. Damn work!

On the morning sickness front I am feeling a bit better (thank god!). I am still not back to normal, but I am eating and generally not feeling like throwing up all day. I still find I need to eat very regularly to keep the sickness at bay, but its better than it was. It tends to get worse in the evenings, maybe because I'm tired. Dr B halved my dosage of Zofran and so far that has been ok. Today is a bit of a test. I took my half a wafer this morning and usually I take the other half 12 hours later, but today I am meeting a friend for dinner right after work so won't be able to take the wafer until later after I get home. We'll see how that goes.

Looking forward to dinner tonight with my friend Erina. It will be nice to catch up, I have been a little reclusive due to feeling like shit run over twice for the last 2 months. 

We have our 12 week scan on Saturday, which is both nerve-racking and exciting. Following the scan I'll get my bloods done and then soon we'll know our risk of any issues with Little Dash. I have a feeling that everything is ok, but I'll feel a lot better once we get the results. I am looking forward to seeing Little Dash again and hearing the heart beat for the first time...I might cry. 

I can't believe we hit 12 weeks on Monday, it is surreal to be here. I remember when I was 5 weeks and the morning sickness was really starting to kick me in the arse it seemed like we would never get out of the first trimester and now we're almost there! Little Dash is becoming so real to me, I can't wait to see out Bub again this weekend!

I'll be sure to update with how the scan went and any ultrasound pics we get!