week 36 - and almost cooked

we are on the last stretch! which is good because i can't see how the tummy can stretch any much more.
the experienced folks that we have been speaking with recently are all recommending getting an epi from the start of labour. have always said that i was not "hero" material and would take pain meds if i needed to. but was actually thinking of testing my limits before screaming for the epi. now i am more convinced of taking the epi earlier ... firstly there is no guarantee that the anaesthetist will be immediately available to administer the drugs when i need it and it may be too late afterwards. secondly, it is likely that we will be in for a long labour given this is the first baby. finally (and i think this makes sense) i would rather conserve energy for the pushing later rather than to be all worn out from the crazy pain before that.
as a friend said, this kind of hero gets no medal. another friend who is a doc said i could fulfil my hero aspirations for the second kid. so now i am almost convinced that i will be asking for that needle in my back from early on ... :p

week 35 - pretty pink stuff

d dropped by today to pass us the clothes that she bought for baby during her work trip to montreal. they were from old navy and were super girly ... she also had the foresight to buy clothes for various ages and not just for newborns. smart!
the cot was delivered today ... more impetus to really clean out baby's room soon. can't wait to dress up baby's cot with the aussino bedding. :D
trying to keep my mind on all these exciting things instead of my increasingly "swell" feet which are now feeling sore with all the bloating as well. :( the water retention is affecting my fingers as well such that it actually feels like a relief to take off my wedding ring. sigh.

week 35 - steady steady

according to the ultrasound today, baby's about 2.4kg. great size and not too big, says the doc who also said that at this rate, baby will be around 3.3kg if she's born at 40 weeks. no giant baby for me, which is good. baby can do the growing she needs to do OUTSIDE of my tummy and save me the stretchmarks. :) doc was also quite funny when the hubby asked about whether it was necessary to go for pre-natal classes ... he said tongue-in-cheek that even the top scorers at these classes sometimes didn't know how to push when delivering, so he never pushed his patients to attend the classes. heh. we also managed to do all the paperwork for the hospital stay already. YAY, one admin issue settled.
increasingly don't have much mood to work any more ... it's like hanging around waiting for the inevitable to happen but not really knowing when baby will decide to come. but yet at the same time, there's work to be done. weekends are super welcome nowadays.

week 34 - too chill?

sometimes i wonder if i am a little too laid back about this whole being pregnant and motherhood thing. i think i know enough and have read up enough to get me through the next few weeks and i somehow feel strangely calm about the likelihood of giving birth naturally. of course, i don't intend to be a hero if i can't take the pain because i am a wimp, but i don't feel too scared about the process ... whatever the process turns out to be. it is one of those things that you just have to go with the flow i guess. let go and let God.
not really sure about what to expect after baby is born either ... how will all these plans to breastfeed totally turn out, will baby sleep through the night after some babywise training, will i regret not getting a confinement nanny and the decision to instead rely on the mum and mil for the help i may need? even with all these uncertainties, i still feel quite zen ... maybe my focus now is just on making sure baby is born safe and getting through the work day with a moving watermelon belly.

week 34 - really feeling pregnant

perhaps it's a combination of work niggles and actually feeling quite pregnant that is making me wish end july will come soon.
have developed a painful patch of stretched skin on the top left side of my belly that's making me wake up in the middle of the night without fail when i sleep on my left, feeling a sharp pain. the weird thing is that there is no visible redness on my skin ... now that baby is making my tummy bigger, i am getting very diligent with slathering on the moisturiser and l'occitane body oil that my mum got me. supple stretchy skin will keep the stretch marks away!! 6 more weeks to find out if the oil does its work. also, with a watermelon belly, bending down / bending over (even to pick up a dropped pen or put on my shoes) is now quite a challenge. thankfully the guys at work have been helping me when i clumsily drop stuff on the floor.
baby is really moving around much more frequently now ... at work i always have to pat baby to calm her down during meetings .... it's nice to have company though. :)
we are slowly but surely getting through the baby shopping list! going to get a hand me down carseat which will save us quite a bit, and steriliser/bottles are all bought. now the remaining big ticket items would be the baby carrier and possibly a stroller, but we haven't decided if we need the latter yet.
also waiting to put up the framed posters in baby's room .... bought the carrie chau posters way back in 2008 in HK, so am really pleased to finally put them to use.

week 33 - raising a bookworm

stocked up on books for baby at the penguin books sale this evening. can't believe that the ladybird peter and Jane series are still being published! even the illustrations are the same. also got a whole stack of spot (the dog) books ... i remember how i used to be fascinated by the peek-a-boo flaps on each page.
hopefully baby grows up to be a bookworm that loves books and reading.

week 33 - my "swell" feet

i have quite bony albeit large feet, so i am not liking this fat feet phase!! at the end of everyday, my feet look like overstuffed sausages in my shoes. :(

week 32 - shopping for baby (never-ending)

we got baby's cot bedding at 40% off thanks to aussino's member birthday discount, bamboo muslin swaddle cloths, mittens, a bath tub, bath towels and face towels .... have not returned home with so much in tow since we were buying stuff for our new home!
parents also returned from
europe with baby clothes bought from all over europe! baby's clothes drawers are slowly filling up.
we are still mulling over which car seat to buy though ...