28 weeks milestone

I didn't get to update last week, I've been a bit under the weather and really really overwhelmed with lecturing and lab supervision. By the time it was thursday I had nearly lost my voice altogether, nagging cold, a bit of cough, the works.

Thankfully the pregnancy seems to progress just fine, I have gained half a kilo since last week (after  a few weeks of no weight gain at all) and I'm at +9Kg which I'm very happy with. Plenty of movements throughout the day (and probably night too, but I can't tell) and I think my belly had a bit of growth since the last pic, so I'm posting the progress here.

I have 4 more weeks of very heavy teaching, I really hope I didn't take on more than I can handle...I actually took friday off (meaning I worked from home) to take it a bit easier. Friday is the only day I don't teach and I have no labs. Anyway, I know by the end of next week I'll be half way through and it will feel great!

Oliver is doing very well, chatting more and more, somehow he realised he can now push the bed from the wall and get down...this afternoon Mike was out and I was handling nap time....I totally lost my cool I have to admit, couldn't manage to properly block those damn wheels, after an hour of up and down etc and me physically blocking the door (it's a sliding door, can't do much to keep it close) finally Mike came back and fixed the bed. Thing is we are heading off to a birthday party in half an hour and he will have slept about 45 minutes, half than his usual time. Not good.

No sign of the bedroom arriving, it should have been 3 weeks since placing the order and that happened before Christmas. No update on where we are at either. Very frustrating. Similar thing with the kitchen slight modification we'd like to do, it's dragging on forever. I have the feeling it'll be like when Oliver was born and the attic project, everything done about a day before the arrival...

Anyway, better get ready to go to the party (it's a 2 year old!).

The Attic Project: Finally!!

I know I know it took forever...Almost 11 months after moving out of the house and get the project going, I can finally post pics! Enjoy!

Before (Sept. 2010)

During (October-December 2010) We moved out into a temporary accommodation

We tiled the bathroom! I think it was more or less the Christmas weekend...

We move back in just before I got admitted to hospital on the 27th of December 2010! I actually didn't even get to sleep in the house. So there's a bit of a break before we can add the finishing touches...

And finally...here it is in all its glory!

First night on his own

It went down without a hitch! Oliver slept soundly through the night and briefly woke up around 6.30 am because he got stuck sideways in the cot! Once repositioned and soothed up he slept for another hour and half! The major difference from our room is that we added a black-out blind to his window so it's darker for longer and definitely helps him not waking up!

In other news I stepped on the dreaded scale this morning. I have to say I tried on and squeezed back into my skinny jeans the other night, much to my surprise, and started thinking the scale was a lying bitch as according to it I still had 7-8kg to go the last time. So this morning up I went on the evil thing and still it says I'm 62kg. That is 10kg less than I was at the end of the pregnancy and still 5kg to go. There's no way I'd fit back into those if I was 5kg heavier than the pre-drugs IF madness. I think I wasn't even 10 weeks along and I couldn't wear them any more. So that's it, either the thing is lying or the weight has redistributed itself in other places. Which has to be my upper body. But 5kg?? Mystery. They may be still most on my belly (the jeans are a low-waist model) but I'm working on it. You know, I'm going back to Italy in 4 weeks time and me, Oliver, mum and sister are going to the sea-side. Arrrhhhggghh I'll have to buy a bikini or something (it must be 10 years I've not gone to the sea side for holidays) and I'm dreading it! I imagine myself wearing a wrap or a T-shirt all the time...sad I know. Four weeks to tone up. Not sure I can do it. Also, I've always had horrible capillaries and visible veins in my legs which got worse with the pregnancy. So as part of the body-renovation I've started getting them "erased". Problem is, I do that in Italy and you can't sunbathe afterwards, so I can't get any more done till sea time. I won't be a pleasant sight on the beach I'm afraid. Let's hope Oliver will be the centre of attention then!

And thanks so much for the messages about Patches. No major progress I'm afraid, maybe the eye is better but he's breathing is still very congested. Ultimate Vet Hero will come to see him tomorrow.

Loving ICLW week! I've actually got to read blogs I've never read before which is just fantastic! Stick around folks, Attic updates and pics of the nursery are coming soon!

Blog restyle, ICLW system, Attic and mojo

Do you like my new blog look? I do! I think it looks fresh and here Spring is in the air!! Though today is a bit wet, but hey it's Ireland and we had incredible weather for so long! Come to think of it...it may have been our summer...Anyway, I realised I missed my second blogversary (April 9th) so I decided to give it a facelift and to add a thingy on the sidebar which hopefully will remind me next year.

I'm really working hard this time at ICLW. I feel I have not participated for so long I owe to the community to do my best to comment on every blog in the list. So I have a system. I started from the top and the only blogs I have not commented on are those that at the time of me reading them had not posted since the ICLW week started. You have to have a screening method or with 179 blogs on the list you'll never manage. Anyway, with two and half days to go I'm at number 90. And this is on top of my normal commenting which has also taken a turn for the better as I want to make sure I return the love and support to all of you knowing I've not been the best since Oliver arrival. And I don't want to be one of those bloggers that disappears once their miracle arrives.

And no floor went down in the attic. More preparation took place though and more defects have been discovered. So new email to the architect who will recall the builder who will come and fix it...

Finally my mojo is no where to be found. I feel as attractive as a plastic bag... not sure when this started, maybe a few weeks ago, my period is attempting to normalise but not quite there yet. I bleed for a few days, then it stops and then it's back for a couple of days only a day later. I wonder if the hormones are doing the same and upsetting my normal self so much. So it's not fun for Mike. But what can I do? It's not the baby at all, it's just my body that's upsetting my sexuality. Can't seem to shift the weight, my boobs could do with a boob job and overall I'm just flabby. Maybe it's because I've always felt very comfortable with how I looked that now that I'm not, I can't possibly see how Mike may still find me attractive. Still all worth it when I compare it with what I gained in my life, but it would be nice to get a bit of horniness back...

15 weeks and crazy week

Oliver is 15 weeks today! I was thinking lately when I was counting pregnancy weeks. It definitely didn't seem this fast! He is doing very well, we are quite good at sticking to a sleeping routine: he has a nap in the morning (generally in the pram when we are out for our walk) then I'll put him in his crib around 1.30-2pm and he can sleep between 30 mins and 2 hours. Sometimes he has another snooze around 7pm then wakes up for the last feed (between 8 and 9pm) and then back to bed for the night afterwards. In the past week we never had to do the 11pm feed, we lowered the proportion of the low lactose formula and increased the hungry babies one and he's much more satisfied. Hopefully we'll be able to delay solids of any kind for another couple of weeks as recommended. I'm really happy about this. We have also changed the teats in the bottle with a those with a bit faster flow and he seems much happier.

So my last post was on Monday and all was well.

Tuesday started very well. I got awarded grant for a project and let me tell you, these days it ain't easy. Then we got a text that MIL was rushed to hospital as she was unresponsive. I have not updated much on her situation, but after the first amputation back in November they had to operate again in February above the knee as the wound wasn't healing properly. Since then, she was moved to a rehab place (one and half hour drive from Dublin) to start physio. We went visiting her on Sunday and I didn't think she was well. She seemed very frail and weak. But happy to see us and Oliver of course, we went out for coffee and it was a nice afternoon. So the text shocked us no end. The news seemed to be that she had a stroke, probably a very mild one, and when she came round she had no speech issues and only the left arm felt a bit limp and sore. Anyway, she was sent back to the rehab place like nothing happened. I can't say enough how bad small hospitals can be...

On top of this, we had a family of four for dinner. I had prepared pizza since the day before, it was a great evening, but I was wrecked afterwards. We got our video camera and already started filming Oliver (clip will be posted in the near future!).

Wednesday The car seat arrived and Mike fitted it in his car. We went to college together and I had something like 3 meetings (while officially on maternity leave of course). Came home and headed straight to a residents' meeting. Back home around 9.30pm. Quick dinner and straight to bed.

Thursday morning was fine, Oliver and I went for a nice walk in the park and got back home at lunch time. At 2 pm the builders arrived to do work on the attic floor. Oliver didn't sleep at all and by the time they left he was in a mess. Crying, unsettled, tired but couldn't sleep...the works. At 7pm some relatives came to visit. They staid till over 9 pm. Let me just say it didn't help matters. Plus, my period showed up unexpected (24 days since the last time).

Friday I woke up after dreaming I was dead. Seriously. Can you imagine anything more depressing? But it turned out to be quite a good day. Oliver was back to is placid self, I got a lot done, The Ultimate Vet Hero came over for lunch (Patches has an ulcer in his eye, just to add to his load) and told me she'll be moving back to Cali in November. So so sad, I'll miss her a lot, I didn't think she was going to go so soon. But it means we'll definitely go visiting her in Summer 2012. On the other hand, I doubt we'll find another Vet Hero for Patches, let's hope I've learnt enough to keep him alive and well! Then our high-chair arrived wohoo!

And now it's Saturday. Let's recharge the batteries and hoping for a calmer week!

Oliver, Attic and Shopping spree!

Oliver was 14 weeks on Saturday and is more and more interactive! The other morning he was looking at his right hand with great interest...moving it closer to his face, then farther away, then moving the little fingers! It was really cute! No interest in the left one though and it didn't really happened again. Still...it's progress! Tummy time is going a little better, lifting the head is no longer a struggle (not really enjoying though) and toys are much more interesting. The wooden mobile on his crib is just the best thing ever and doesn't seem to be getting tired of it at all. Sleeping has never really been an issue with him and it's getting even better. We feed him around 8pm and then we put him to bed (awake) around 9. He puts himself to sleep! We feed him again around 11.30 and then sleeps till morning. Two nights ago, we skipped the last feed as he was sleeping really soundly and he didn't wake up in the middle of the night! But...as babies do, last night we had to feed him again at 11.30. Thing is hungrier than ever and during the day I often have to add anther 30 mL to the 210 he's taking! So we are getting ready to give him something more...I know guidelines recommend no solids before 17 weeks (and the paed said to start then) but I'm of the opinion that a little spoon baby rice is not going to do him any harm. He's already on the "hungry baby" variety of formula (since he was around 8 weeks I think) and we mix that with a low lactose prep but we are reducing this significantly as it's not half as filling.

Anyway, I'll hold off certainly till the end of the week and effectively I'm planning not to give him any other type of solids before 17 weeks. Somewhat of a compromise.

The Attic saga is still not over. Mike met with the builder and architect and came to a satisfactory agreement over the items we weren't happy with. So he's coming back to try and fix whatever he has to fix and we obviously cannot put down the wooden floor till then. Let's hope we'll have it sorted by the end of the summer...you see, my mom and sister have kindly offered to come up in September (two weeks each) so that we can delay putting Oliver in the creche till October. So if we have the house finished everyone will have more space and independence.

And shopping. Oh my God it's so so fun shopping for baby stuff. As you may remember, I didn't buy anything while I was pregnant for the fear of jinxing the miracle (totally stupid but I can't turn back the clock) so we have lots of little things to get. I bought today a high-chair! And a weaning book with recipes till toddler age! Plus two boxes of organic baby rice, spoons and a bowl with a suction device at the bottom. And Mike ordered a car seat as Oliver is growing out already of the bassinet we were kindly given for his car. Tomorrow we are also getting our hands on the camcorder Mike ordered from the States and I can't wait to make a video diary of Oliver's progress!

Twitter and Modern Family

Oh boy...isn't Twitter addictive?? Very much so! Funnily enough I have the impression than when celebs tweet (ok....ok... you got me...I only really mean ONE celeb ah!) it's as if they actually talk to me! Somehow it makes them more like "normal" people. I had a very nice conversation with The Ultimate Vet Hero who's now become a very good friend, she is from Cali and definitely much more into showbiz than me and she said how strange it is to imagine that actors are in fact real people, with friends and things to do. Granted their friends are likely to be other celebrities, but sure they must have also non-celeb friends from their pre-celeb life right?

Anyway, I decided to use Twitter also for Ectopic Pregancy Ireland. It has been a great success, all the Irish radio stations I have contacted have retweeted my message and this has generated a nice cascade of retweets! Hopefully we'll be able to reach out even further!

I'm still not very skilled with Twitter, just know the basics, but for now that's all I need!

Thank you for all your suggestions on what to watch while waiting for new episodes of HIMYM. To get another Neil Patrick Harris fix I had a look at Doogie Howser MD. It was never aired in Italy so it was new to me. Well. I watched the first episode (in fact the first few mins) and no no no no, he's way too young there!! Cute maybe, but not my style! Never liked younger guys, may never be a cougar LOL! So I skipped to the last episode of the show....mmhh still not transitioned from cute to hot... and still too young!

I'll just have to wait I suppose! On this topic, my friend Valery pointed me in the direction of another blogger who very recently had posted on her blog about "Secret Celebrity Boyfriend" I truly recommend the post as it's hilarious and made me think I want to do a similar one soon!

In the quest for another sit-com, I had watched a good few episodes of The Big Bang Theory, but it's not so much my cup of tea, so I started watching Modern Family and I love it!! Took a while to get used to the hand-held shooting style which generally I don't like, but now I'm on a binge!

Finally a quick update on the attic. We have cleared the area (put away all the boxes into storage space under the roof) and we are ready to put the floor down. If it wasn't for the fact that we noticed the underfloor is extremely uneven in one position...so meeting with the architect and builder this week...

3 months check up and "Other Insanities"!

Oliver is ging to be 3 months tomorrow!! AAwwwwhhhhh!!! So we went for our 12 weeks check (or closer to 13 weeks check!) today. He weighs 6.2 kg and is 61cm long! He's growing very well and everything looks good! His head control is very good, he's alert and smiling to anyone who smiles at him! The torticollis is improved significantly and even the flatness on the head is of no concern at all as it's minimal and will definitely resolve itself. The little belly button is also improving (there was a little hernia which is reducing spontaneously) and the paed was delighted.

I asked a few questions:

He's a very hungry baby. He would feed 210 ml (7 oz) 4 times a day and around another 150 ml in his sleep (we feed him around 11.30 pm and he doesn't really wake up). She said "Wow!". So I've been given the go ahead to start introducing some solids in 6 weeks time (recommended time would be 6 months but there's no way we get that far). Exciting times ahead! She also doesn't think the night grunting is hunger (we never pick him up, I just caress him and give him his soother) but that maybe he's picked up a bit of a habit which hopefully won't last much longer.

We had that one incident where the AngelCare alarm went off for the first warning (15 sec no movement). She said as it was a single event there's nothing to worry about, 15 sec of no movement is at the high end of normal for a baby and unless it happens a few more time she believes it's not a problem. She was great and explained all the types of apnoeas and has excluded Oliver has any of those. He's heart and lungs checked out perfectly which is reassuring.

It is ok to delay the 4 month vaccination for a couple of weeks (we are going to Italy wohoohoo!!).

In the spot where he got the vaccine the last time there is a little lump (which is already much smaller). Again totally normal, and I knew it was normal but my mom insisted I asked! So there you go.

So that's it for my little man! Next check will be at 6 months.

And I'm planning my summer holidays for 2012. California here we come!! So cyber friends out there, if you would like to meet up I'd be only delighted! We are thinking of June, 3 weeks. Details to be ironed out but it's a very real possibility. So...did I not say I wanted to have another go at ICSI in September? Still planning to do so, but to freeze and give Oliver the time he deserves with mommy and daddy all for himself.

And how am I doing on my crush on Neil Patrick Harris? Well...maybe a bit better...no posters on the wall or anything like it LOL! But still looking forward to the next episode of HIMYM (of course I've already watched all the interviews I found, bloopers, the Glee episode in which he acted and all his tweets....ok, still at the deep end...). Meanwhile I'm watching The Big Bang Theory but not enjoying it as much.

This weekend is going to be dedicated to the attic. Yeah I know...still not finished... But really, this weekend has to be the one!

Quick update!

Just a quick note for the record, today Oliver weighed 3.76 kg! Perfectly on track gaining just over 200g a week! And last night slept through the night! We are definitely making progress here! But no progress on the smile front boohooo....

Anyway, today was my second day out on the road with the little man and it went great. Like most children he loves been in a car and sleeps most of the time. And where did we go? But to return the breast pump naturalment! But it so happens that the place also sells the cutest funkiest things for babies and mommies alike...and I couldn't resist. I bought BIB CLIPS to give to my friends who had babies or about to have babies, for all of them is their second child so I wasn't sure about getting more baby clothes. This is something they definitely don't have and I think it's really cute! Of course I got one for Oliver too!

Then they were also selling this bean bag for children suitable from new born....I had to get one...and it was expensive but I haven't really bought anything for Oliver other than bottles, soothers and other consumables....so I felt it was ok to go a bit mad on this one!

It goes really well with our lime armchairs LOL!

And finally, as the nursery is still completely bare a part from the changing table, a chair and my bedside locker (on one side we didn't have the time to have it embellished with child things with the renovation and all, on the other I wasn't sure what to get!) I got a wall-paper border to put on the walls! It's something!

This also reminds me that I never posted pics of the Attic project...but stay with me, Mike just finished the grouting in the bathroom at the weekend! And we still have a good bit to go...as Mike said, the other little project came a bit early...so this one has taken the back seat!

35 weeks and tiling

Oh girls, have you ever heard of an almost 8 month pregnant woman tiling a bathroom? Me neither... but lets start from the beginning.

Mike came home on wednesday morning from Mexico, it went very well but he was quite tired and jet-lagged. With the attic nearing completion, Mike had one job to do. Tiling the bathroom. It was a project, he never did such a thing before and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Now, the builders are out of the house as of this morning, the painter is in till wednesday to decorate and that's it. The plumber was called on friday to see would he be able to come today to fix the sanitary-ware if Mike could guarantee the bathroom was ready by 8 am this morning. The plumber could not be 100% sure but said unless there is an emergency call he will be in. So as of wednesday afternoon of last week Mike was on the project. And I was too. I have to say this is a much bigger job than we though and part of the problem is that Mike is a total perfectionist who needs to plan for ages before actually get going. After deciding where to start on thursday we had the first few tiles up. Note that while tiler generally tile around pipes projecting from the wall, Mike drilled holes into the tiles so that each tile would fit like a glove around the pipe. Do you have any idea of the amount of measuring, cutting and cursing that this take? By the time it was friday I started to help with the project. We had to have it all tiled by saturday evening to be able to grout. Despite working till 2am on saturday we had not finished. Up early on Sunday, and worked until we dropped. I gave up at around 1am saying "feck the bathroom, we have three in the house already, this one can certainly wait until January", Mike decided to stay and try and get the floor grouted. He finished at 4am this morning. We had not been given enough grout. We still don't know even if the plumber is coming today! What we know for sure is that a tiling job this perfect has never been seen on Hearth and we are aching and tired from head to toes... Pictures of the whole development will be posted as soon as we move back in and I have broadband again!

And I'm 35 weeks pregnant let's not forget the important bit. Picking up a pencil from the floor to mark a tile for a cut is no easy task let me tell you. I'm absolutely exhausted. The heavy job didn't seem to bother Elvis the least though, he kept moving and poking and rolling and stretching! Braxton Hicks were as always (I thought all this extra work could have induced early labour but obviously not!) no more and no less. The kicks are now right up the rib-cage and can be quite uncomfortable to be honest. I thought how to describe the feeling of the rolls and I think I found the perfect example...it's like those chairs that massage your back! Except it's in your belly! What do you think?

The scale tells me I've now piled up a total of 16kg. And I feel them all. I'm heavy and can't put my boots on without being out of breath. Not complaining, just stating!

As for other symptoms the sleeping is often interrupted by pee-breaks and generally a stuffed nose as soon as I put my head on the pillow! The lungs feel squashed and so does the stomach, Ithink I'm being a bit nauseous at times too. Still no stretch marks on the belly and have a look below...it's certainly stretching! Week 34 is missing from the series boohoo but you can see the progress.

Finally I want to apologise for my lack of commenting, you are all in my thoughts I'm hoping to get back to my usual self in about a week time!

Still alive and 33 weeks!

We had really severe weather so college only reopened today! In the temporary apartment I have no broadband and updating from the phone is not great, hence the silence!

First of all, thank you for your kind comments on MIL, after a shaky couple of days she is doing brilliantly, she's in great form and the physiotherapist is so impressed with her progress (she's can transfer herself from the bed to the wheelchair unassisted) that they are talking of sending her to a rehab structure within a week! This people is once again a sign of what a fantastic woman she is. FIL is the one that seems to cope worse and hopefully he'll come to term with it soon.

On the other relatives I have no updates, it seems that in one case all is clear thankfully while in the other we still don't know.

And I just noticed that little Elvis is as big as a honeydew!! This is the second last fruit!! Amazing.

So some update on the pregnancy. I am definitely more tired. Similar to how I felt in the first trimester with the added weight though. And talking about weight...the scale said I'm up another kg so I've hit +15 eek!! Ah well, not too bothered really, I will work to lose the weight afterwards! I'm having cramps in my calves and don't sleep that well at all. I do get up at least twice a night for a pee and a sip of water, I have stuffed nose and occasional headaches....but I'll take anything that comes my way!

Another thing is that Mike pointed out at the weekend that I have a "line" developing below my bellybutton! It's the linea nigra!! It's barely visible and nothing like what some ladies get, but still I like it! According to this website which reports all the old wives' tales this would mean that Elvis is an Elvissina! Same as the heart rate and the fact that I'm craving for sweet things....mmhhh not long now until we know...

Movements are very regular, sometime really ticklish when Elvis rolls his foot to my side!

Mike is going to Mexico on friday boohooo between a bit of anxiety about his trip and the fact that he'll be missing the scan and the next OB visit I'm not doing too well on that front, but I'm sure it'll be ok.

Next on the agenda is the big scan on friday (placenta check and measurements etc).

...and mom is coming this evening!! So that I won't be alone when Mike is away! So that's very nice.

Finally the attic is progressing at the speed of light, they are starting plastering today! Woohoo! This means all the major jobs are finished and I absolutely love the place!

32 weeks and lots of snow

Yesterday I turned the page on the book that brought me officially into the 8th month of pregnancy! Woohoo! Everything is great thankfully, the only thing I have to mention is that I'm getting cramps in my calves at night (it seems to be the right one mostly) and I started having very vivid dreams/borderline nightmares!! Last night I dreamt something like "28 days later" the movie...not sure what prompted it but sure when I woke up (heart pounding and Elvis kicking!) I had to pee and was afraid to go to the loo!! Yes yes silly I know, but in daylight all is good!

My weight is pretty much stable this week, sure with the scale I'm using we have to allow for a plus or minus a Kg, but I considered it still +14 as of yesterday.

I thought Elvis has somewhat a pattern in his movements but not quite. He used to be active around the time the alarm went off but this is not happening anymore (well in the last few days anyway) so I think he's active beforehand and after breakfast. I still panic a bit if I think he should be moving and he doesn't, but then he starts and there's no doubt he's happy! So I calm down again, until the next time...

Tomorrow I have the OB visit, I look forward to it, hopefully it'll all be well.

On Saturday we woke up to a white landscape, it snowed!! I love snow but like last year people panic a good bit and don't really enjoy it. It's very cold, like, unusually cold for this time of the year, it should last until friday which is also the LAST DAY of term!!!! Oh my God I'm soo counting, mainly so that we can come into work without the fear of not finding a car space LOL! Patches and The Dude are fascinated by the snow and spend ages looking outside the windows.

The attic is almost ready for the cosmetic work, windows are in, plasterboard too and I can't wait to see what it will look like at the end of the week! Like my friend Saige suggested, I may make a little slide show once it's done!

Oh and Hannah was asking if I was wearing maternity jeans in the photos and yes, definitely maternity!

That's it for now, I'll update again tomorrow.

31 weeks, ante-natal course and pictures update

Woohooo we are at 31 weeks!! All is good, sure I'm getting up a bit more often at night and I have this restless legs syndrome which is quite annoying but bring it all on, I'm so so happy to have got this far! Little Elvis is moving regularly, very reassuring and I started feeling him/her a lot at night also. Again I'm certainly not complaining!

Weight is the same as the last week, it wasn't a full kg then but it certainly is this week, so holding at +14kg. For your delight here are my latest pictures, I think I'm growing a bit!

I want to tell you also about my full day ante-natal course. It was great. The midwife who led it was really engaging and I loved her, pity she is not working in the hospital I'll be going to. There were 13 couples and she got us to introduce ourselves stating the due day, one thing we love about pregnancy and one thing we don't like. I was about the third person to talk, I just could not think one single negative thing (maybe I could have said how I worry so much) so I just said I loved it all. The couple next to us said something like "We are just delighted to be finally pregnant" and that sounded quite familiar...can you smell infertility in people? it turned out they had been trying for 7 years with several failed IVFs and finally went to Madrid (where the wife was from) and got their miracle. They didn't share this with the group, but Mike and the other husband met in the loo and got talking. It was great to chat with them, they are maybe a week behind us. Anyway, the highlight of the introduction round was this lady (who arrived very dressed up, heels, skirt, make-up etc) who stated that what she found very difficult to cope with during her pregnancy was... fashion...yes, you read correctly...fashion!! Ah bless her, missing her shoes and nice dresses... there are some real people out there. We all secretly wished her to have a boy who wants to wear nothing other than a scruffy track-suit! Note that her only other contribution to the day was when she asked the midwife if she could wear jewellery during labour and delivery and what about gel-nails and varnish... yes yes I know, this is obviously a clueless one, it was a while since I had met one that bad.

We had a paediatrician coming in giving us plenty of info, overall a great day and I feel much more reassured we can do it!

I promise I will post a special post on the attic project, it's flying!! We think this week major things will happen, the electrician was in last week doing all the cabling, this week the plumber should arrange for the sanitary-ware pipes etc. Windows should arrive also! Mike is taking photos once a week so it's great to see the progress given that I'm NOT venturing up in the attic via a builder's ladder!!

30 weeks down, 10 to go!

And 30! Not much to report since last week, my contractions have eased a good bit and now I get them more occasionally (still every day though). I did call the OB to ask just in case, but he confirmed it's nothing to worry about.

I've put on a bit of weight since last week, maybe not a full kg but almost. I think it's pretty normal and I'm just happy I'm not constantly gaining weight! So I'm at +14kg now.

I have noticed I'm getting more tired in the evenings and I do get up a bit more at night to pee, but other than that all is well. Movements are good, as always some days Elvis is more active than others but I have relaxed a bit about it too which is great.

Comments I've been getting from IRL people have started worrying me a bit (as if I needed to worry about something else!!). They keep telling me how small my belly is...and while I know the appearance means very little, I can't help thinking what if Elvis is not growing enough? My OB never takes measurements so I don't know how bit he is, but tomorrow I'll ask just in case.

Thankfully I met a very good friend of mine on Thursday for lunch. She's also pregnant and a couple of weeks behind me. This is her second baby and with her first pregnancy she was really small but had a perfectly healthy baby. She is very fit and even with this second pregnancy she is barely showing. Anyway, I shared my concerns and she was brilliant, she said people were telling her the same thing all along and eventually she also got a bit paranoid that something was wrong. Her OB totally reassured her as it has to do with the strength of your abdominal muscles which may hold the uterus more upright instead than projecting forward. Once the baby moves well and there is plenty of fluid around him all is just as it should be.

Our attic is progressing well! Now the house looks like it's been bombed to be honest, there was no way we could have lived there when the works were ongoing. I think this week they should be able to finish reinforcing the roof and floor (steel beams are in) and then they can start building again. Stairs and windows have been ordered so things are on schedule!

Vaccinated and Relocated!

Hi had my flu vaccine shot today. Let's hope I won't react badly to it!!

We have moved out of the duplex and into our new superfab-magazine-style penthouse. It's a one-bed top floor apt and a part for being small it's really cute. The first night was a nightmare, Patches and the Dude were very unsettled and I don't think I slept much at all. Teaching and meetings all day long on monday and yoga at 8.10 pm....I don't know how I got to the end of the day. We have only one problem in the new place which is parking. In that part of the estate, there are loads of apartments and very little parking. If the weather was good it wouldn't be a big deal parking one car in our own spot at the duplex and walk back...but it's Ireland! And it's November!! Not such a a thing as good weather unfortunately. Anyway, I crashed on the bed and had a great night sleep so I'm a new woman today! No more spotting so that's good and Elvis seems to like the new bed also with frequent signs of appreciation. Go Elvis!

We had a final meeting with the builder yesterday, all is on schedule and we signed contracts so we will be moving back into the house before Christmas. Fingers crossed!! Can't wait to see how it all goes!!

Milestone three: 28 weeks. A trip to L&D and moving out!

These past few days have been full of excitement. Our stroller system and Stokke Sleepi combo arrived on Thursday and we love it!! We only assembled the stroller as it's neater to keep the cot in the box with all the works that will be going on. Here's what it looks like (and don't look at the mess around the place, we are packing!! The Dude is also very interested....)

Then, I woke up on Saturday feeling very dizzy. Never happened during the pregnancy but I did suffer of this occasionally in the past. Not sure what it is, sounds like vertigo of course, but it solves itself in a couple of days max. Anyway, we are packing and moving things around the house as our Attic project will start tomorrow and we are moving out today. I couldn't do much at all but Mike is just brilliant. In the afternoon after coming back from shopping I went to the bathroom and found my knickers were stained. Damn. Not much of course, and light in colour. But still. And I had been dizzy all day. So I remember the ultrasound tech said it could happen, to stay calm and get checked out. This is the conversation between me and Mike that took place.

Me: "Mike, I'm spotting a bit"

Mike: "Oh...I think it's ok"

Me: "... I want to go to the Maternity Hospital just in case"

Mike: "Do you want to give them a call?"

Me: "No! I WANT to go there"

Mike: "Ok so"

Jeez.

And off we went. I could feel Elvis moving, so I knew he was ok, I was thinking mostly it could be my mucous plug and kept repeating to myself we are 28 weeks already, it's going to be ok even if Elvis will arrive early. I had no contractions, but then you know the way your mind play games so I started feeling tightening in my back but nothing major.

When we checked in, I told the receptionist I was 28 weeks, with low placenta and mild spotting. She made a quick phone call and said to us "Ok, better not go to casualties, we go directly to the Delivery ward" both Mike and I nearly passed out!! She quickly explained that it was just a precaution and that they had all the equipment up there to check me out properly.

All was well, Elvis HB was checked by a midwife (140bpm), my blood pressure was a bit low (100/60) but there was no reason of real concern. The doctor came along (incidentally the same doctor that admitted me with the ectopic last year..) and gave me a scan which showed that the majority of the placenta is now high and I only have a little "tale" which is still low. No sign of detachment, plenty of fluid and Evis moving around. He didn't do an internal and said minor spotting can be perfectly normal but to go back if I had bleeding of course. While I was getting dressed we heard from the room next to us a baby crying and lots of cheers and the words "We are having a boy!!" Oh my God, I really think Elvis is a boy now!! Interestingly we heard no screaming beforehand, only a baby heartbeat being monitored. If that's the way it's going to be it doesn't sound too bad at all!

Right so, back home we went.

And today is really 28 weeks! No weight gain and nothing much to report. Sleeping is still on and off and I'm getting a bit more tired. Eating well and drinking plenty of fluids. Thanks to all of you for the reassurance on the movements, I'm definitely more relaxed now (and considering this is going to be an even week my positivity should spike!). I have a dense week ahead, teaching, talking at a conference on thursday, meetings of all sorts...it should go by quite quickly (I hope!). Checking out for now, we are taking pics of the attic as is now and we'll do so as the works go on, can't wait to have it finished!!

OB visit!

All looks good. We had a quick look at Elvis who is still head down and so much bigger! Our OB doesn't take measurements but just checks that everything is in order. The only thing is that my placenta is still low. It's never been previa but it sits very near the cervix. The doctor said there's plenty of time and I will have a more accurate scan at 34 weeks to make sure it's distant enough from the cervix to allow for a safe natural birth. If not, we'll schedule a C-section. No big deal for me really, we'll do what we have to do! Oh, my uterus is as big at it should be, so in fact I'm not sure where my stomach is any more...maybe behind it?

He also answered all my questions very extensively. First of all he's of the opinion that kick counting may cause a bit of stress and the pattern may change quite a bit even daily. He says a baby can sleep between 1 and 1 and half hour where he doesn't move at all and it's perfectly normal to have times of the day when you don't feel anything for a while. So if you pick that hour to do the kick count you may panic for no reason. He also said you can never have to many movements, if a baby is in distress it will move less to preserve energy, not more. From my description of the movements he said Elvis is very active! Go Elvis! I'd say he's practising songs!

In any case, he said that if I have a day where I have been very busy and realise I didn't feel Elvis moving much, to sit down and do the counting. If I'm not satisfied with the counting to go straight to the hospital (i.e. do not wait for the next day!) and they'll check me out. It's good enough for me!

Next the glucose test: as I have no family history of diabetes, my blood pressure and weight are perfectly normal and the pregnancy is progressing very well, he thinks the urine test is enough to keep me monitored (and I do it at every visit). Perfect so!

Finally the flu vaccine: he would recommend it. Mainly he said that if I do get the flu I have 4 times higher risk to get complications (baby will be fine) and the worst that can happen is pneumonia. So I'm thinking about it. Mom just reminded me that the only time I had a flu vaccine when I was a child I had quite a reaction to it so she is a bit uneasy about it. We'll ask our family friend OB for an opinion and see (and thanks for your kind opinion on this matter too!)

Next appointment on the 16th of November! And from then on it'll be every 2 weeks!!

In other news, we have cleared the office in the house and Mike has done major relocation of all the stuff that was stored in the attic...works are less than a week away!!

Another week: 27, pics and other updates

Another week has gone by...according to some tickers/books/calendars etc I appear to have entered the third trimester. According to other tickers/books/calendars that won't be until next week. Mmh. Confusing a bit. Given that yesterday was the 23rd and my due day is the 23rd of January I think I'm only 3 months away from the true miracle hence welcome third trimester!

First news is on my weight update. Sadly I have to admit to another Kg piling up on me. Officially +13 kg this morning. I'm not worried at this stage mind you, just stating the fact. I'm regularly doing kick/movements counting (as in several times a day!!) as you know I'm a bit obsessed with a few things and depending on whether Elvis is active or not, it may take from 2 minutes (very active!) to 20 minutes (I think when he's almost asleep) but I think it's ok as the 2 minutes pattern happens at least once a day and the most common time-scale is 5-10 minutes. I definitely want to find out more about baby activity though as I certainly can't say Elvis moves all day long, and what's not clear to me is if in any given hour of the day I should feel him at least 10 times. Seems strange if that's true. Any thoughts?

Everything else about the pregnancy is well, I eat and sleep ok (getting up once or twice), feeling quite thirsty too. No swelling at the moment and my "even week" went by in a positive frame of mind. We'll see about this next one!

I have my OB appointment on Tuesday morning and here are a few questions for the doctor.

1) Movements, patterns, sleep/wake times of the baby. When exactly should one get concerned?

2) Flu vaccine, should I do it? I would rather not, but I'll listen to what he says.

3) Glucose test. I hear several people in blog-land have generally done it already, but again I'm not sure if in Ireland you have to do it if you have some signs or risk factors (which I don't think I have)

In other news. We have ordered the cot that I mentioned in the previous post and pram system!! I thought it would have taken a few weeks but apparently we will get things delivered at the end of the week aaahaggghhhh!! Breathe innnn and out....A fab cycber friend from a local board gave me loads of tips on the pram system and above all the car seat, so given that the system we chose is able to accommodate several type of car seats we decided to get it and decide later on the car seat. I'll post pics of it when we get it as I can't find a proper link to the pram system. Meanwhile, here's my last set of belly shots (I'll change outfit for the next ones as the white top isn't making much of the contrast with the wall behind)!

But the big big news is on the Attic Project! We are starting on the 1st of November!! So this weekend we are fully clearing out the office and Mike will bring down boxes from the attic so that the builders can work. They will definitely finish by Christmas and they hope even sooner than that. We also bought the wooden floor that Mike will put down himself. The only things we are still missing are the tiles (we saw them but not bought them). I'll take pics of the developments for sure! We will be moving out next weekend too so there is a lot of planning and packing to do!

A bigger eggplant I suppose...26 weeks!

I like the even weeks. Somehow I feel more relaxed in those. A good cyber friend made me notice that this is very unusual so I started thinking how can this be. Well, first of all it seems that all the big milestones in a pregnancy are happening in even numbers....12 weeks, 20 weeks, 24 weeks, 28 weeks, and so on. Then my OB appointments were generally on even weeks, and even if I don't have one this week the next one is only 9 days away.

First big news to report is that I am the same weight this week too! 69kg!! woohoo delighted with myself (it means I'm holding steady at +12kg). In all honesty probably it's going towards 70kg, but the needle was not there yet so it doesn't count until next week.

Elvis has now almost predictable patterns of wake and sleep. I am quite sure is very awake at night even though he doesn't wake me up at all, but yesterday we went to bed very late and it was all go go go in my belly. I feel he's definitely head down as the strongest movements (which I attribute to kicks) are up high. Then he's awake early morning when I stay in bed a few more minutes after the alarm has gone off. Mid morning I get usually another few flips and kicks. then afternoon and before dinner and again before going to bed. I admit I do get nervous if I think it's been a while since he kicked me, and I repeat to myself that he has to sleep too and the doctor said babies sleep for 1 or 2 hours at the time.

We still check the heartbeat with the doppler and now we are picking up on rate variations which is apparently a good thing! Admittedly I freaked out the first time I realised that while listening the rate seemed to be picking up pace and then slow down...we are still talking of rates never lower than 140 and never higher than 160. I've read that it has to do with the nervous system developing further.

Another big step we made is that we started looking at cribs and strollers!! Oh dear, the choice is huge! But we are quite set on the crib which is a modular system which transforms into a bed and you can use it until the baby is about 3 years old and we think at that point we'll move him into a proper size bed. Here are some pics. The brand is Stokke and it's known to be quite expensive but we found a UK based website which has great deals!

The crib system

The bed (it's the crib with extra panels added and bigger mattress)

Initially we were looking into babybay and co-sleeping solutions but we like this one a lot more.

On the stroller the jury is still out. Again we need something light frame-wise as we live on a first floor duplex which means we have stairs to get to the front door. We are thinking to get a travel system which combines a carrycot, a car seat and the stroller for when he's a bit bigger.

Finally a quick update on the Attic project. The architect has received the 3 quotations and we are going to look at them tomorrow! Woohoo!

Milestone two: 24 weeks

We got this far! So happy! I know this is a big big step towards in fact having a baby in January. At 24 weeks there is already a chance of survival should something happen... (but no kidding anyone, that chance is still very small).

If little Elvis has grown according to my book, he should be about 700gr. Still smaller than Patches who's as light as a feather and around 2 kg! I can hardly imagine a baby that small!

I also stepped on the scale again this morning, I hadn't done it in 4 weeks, everyone is telling me they don't believe I had put on so much weight and yet, unless the scale has some sort of specific hate for me I was +11kg at 20 weeks. Today it says I'm 69kg which makes a total +12kg. According to my OB/gyn this should be the total gain at the end of my pregnancy. Boohooo.... But it's only a kg in four weeks...can I celebrate with a huge cake? eheheh

So where is it all piling up? Boobs are number one. Although I still fit somewhat in a D cup, I'm much more likely a comfortable DD. I was a B cup before pregnancy. Some change!

The belly is probably number two. It's rounder and hopefully bigger. I don't have a photo from last week as I was away, so I'm hoping this next series (24-28 weeks) will show some significant change. A bit of fluid retention maybe contributes too, even though after coming back from the Azores I didn't have significant swelling of the ankles anymore which is a great relief. Anyway, that is the weight gain at the moment, even though I don't see it on me that much.

I feel very well, I sleep OK now, getting up a couple of times to go to the bathroom (I'm starting to believe that the fact that you get up less to pee in the second semester is an urban myth!) but not complaining. Back pain is not significant for now and I'm going to yoga tomorrow night so we'll see if I manage, but I'm positive it will help.

Eating normally, no real cravings, still love chocolate but trying to limit the intake!

Energy level is good too, I'm back in the full teaching swing and doing well.

Next thing happening is my OB visit on tuesday. I'm going to get on his scale and see what that says since week 12. Feeling a bit more relaxed also which is just great (finally! Some of you may say...) Elvis is moving regularly and I started feeling him even when I'm standing up!

Just a quick update on the Attic Project: we should be getting 3 quotes by October the 15th! Hoping to start a week later at the latest. I know it seems this is taking ages, I hope once they are actually starting it will be quicker.

And finally, I treated myself to an Iphone 4! Whowhooo totally loving it! This has become the new toy now...