All the way from America !

Chris' folks got to meet Zara on day 8! They were on their way home from visiting Sue and family in America and taking a trip on the Queen Mary. Graham had been convinced that they would return home to meet their newest grandchild, and so she obliged and granted him his wish. It is amazing how modern technology is so wonderful ~ Graham and Heather boarded the Queen Mary only 2 days before Zara was born. I was in a panic about how we were going to get in touch with them to let them know they now had another granddaughter. I knew they both had email address on the ship, but was concerned as to how often they would be checking them....Mike A kindly sent off an email to them announcing Zara's birth and as luck would have it, they received pretty soon after it had been sent. On Monday, they called us via satellite phone with great excitement! Even though they were exhausted from the travel when they arrived in Jozi, Zara had a good bonding session and is looking forward to many more visits!!

Visit to Osteopath

During our home visits Sharon picked up that Zara had a very droopy shoulder. She suggested we take her to be checked by the Osteopath. Chris and I have been seeing Dr Emma Roberts and as luck would have it we both had appointments the week after Zara was born. We made the necessary arrangement and Emma was due to see Zara on day 5 but called to let us know she was not well and would rather not see Zara. The other unfortunate thing was that she was leaving that weekend for a 3 week holiday..... Sharon then suggested we take Zara to see Dr Pleass. Conveniently he is just 5 mins away from home. So, all of 8 days old, off she went.....

Dr Pleass did the initial assessment and picked up that her shoulder was indeed droopy, her neck on the same side stiff and her diaphragm "split". They would also need to realign her spine. With each step, he took the time to show both Chris and me how he makes his diagnosis. We had also been concerned by the length and strength of her hiccups. I know we sound paranoid but he assured us that these were as a result of how her body had been twisted during her birth and that within 3 weeks he expected them gone. Dr Pleass advised us that we would need to bring her in twice a week for the next 3 weeks and then they would re-assess her progress. After his assessment, Derek came in to do the treatment. It was amazing to watch this "big, burly, biker type dude" work so gently on our tiny baby. During the subsequent treatments we have seen a marked improvement in her in general and the hiccups have definitely lessened. After only the third treatment, Derek told us that he feels she has responded so well that we only only need to take her at the end of the month again.

WHAT A CLEVER GIRL!

First Bath

Zara is 7 days old! Where has the time gone?

Today was the last home visit with Sharon and time for her first bath. Again, Sharon's way is different to what we are used to. She ran a deep warm bath. By warm I mean the kind of temperature that we adults like to bath in and by deep I mean the same. This was going to be like an olympic swimming pool for our little girl.

With the bath run, the fun began. First things first and that's to take all her clothes off and leave her nappy on. While lying on the changing mat, wrapped in a towel to keep her warm, Sharon gently washed Zara's face. Next she held her over the bath (still wrapped in the towel) and wet and soaped her hair. Then it was time for the real fun..... towel and nappy off and all soaped up, Zara had her first bath! She loved being in the water! She floated around as if in pure heaven. The only minor squawk was when she was transferred from Sharon to Chris, but within a second or two all was calm and quiet again. As you can see, even her ears are in the water. Often, we are told not to get babies ears in the water.... however the theory behind this way of bathing is that it reminds them of when they were in utero and they find it very soothing and calming.

We have seen how much Zara enjoyed her first bath and will now continue to bath her this way!

2 peas in a pod

I think the photo pretty much says it all!!!

Before Graham and Heather left for America, Graham emailed me a photo of Chris as a baby.
Clearly I was just the incubator........

Home Visits

One of the best things about having Sharon in our lives is the 7 day postnatal home visits. This is all part of the package when you book her as your midwife. Everyday she arrives to check on how Zara and I are settling into our new lives. Our temperature is monitored which is usually within a points difference, helps with establishing breastfeeding, particularly as the milk comes in. Checks how many wet nappies we having in a 24 hour cycle, signs of jaundice, responses etc. With me she monitors how my uterus is contracting, whether I am having problems with the feeding. How well I am eating and resting. Sharon is very strict about resting properly in the first week. She caught me down stairs twice and I got wrapped over the knuckles for not letting Chris help me.

Sharon also weighed Zara again on day 7. Her birth weight was 3.280kg and on day 7 she weighed 3.2kg. What a star! Majority of babies loose 10% of their birth weight by the time they are discharged from hospital. I decided not to weigh her in the hospital and we are happy to see that Zara has lost very little weight and is clearly enjoying her mommy's milk!

One of the things Sharon likes, is to analyse postnatal dreams during her home visits. I have been totally useless at remembering my dreams though. So we have put it down to the fact that I have had all my issues and life is now dandy with Zara here safe and sound.

Grandpa Christmas & Grannyannie

Zara was lucky enough to meet my folks on Day 4! All along my Mum wanted to get organised and book flights so they could come meet their new grandchild ASAP. Not knowing for sure when she would arrive, I assured my folks that we would be able to get them on a flight to Jozi pretty smartly, and we did just that. They arrived on Thursday morning but sadly had to go back on Sunday afternoon as my Dad had to be back at work. While Grandpa helped with the cooking, some general house admin and even a nappy change, Grannyannie was set to work on my laptop. I dictated while she typed out the hundreds of text messages we received welcoming Zara to the world. These are to be put in her memory box for her to read one day!

We had a lovely weekend together and look forward to sharing plenty more happy times together!

4 Generations & an Uncle

Zara was six days old when she got to meet her great-granny Nana. She is great-grandchild number 7! It would be really fantastic if we could find a way to have all the great grandchildren together at the same time with Nana!

What a privilege for us to have my gran so close by to us and have her spend a lovely day with all of us. Chris (my uncle) and Dion very kindly agreed to fetch Nana from Pretoria. We had a delicious Saturday roast chicken and the rugby fans even got to watch the game before it was time to take Nana home again. This was the game that England beat Australia in the 2007 Rugby World Cup quarter finals against all odds.

Sunshine D

Another of Dad's "duties" has been to ensure that Zara gets her daily dose of vitamin D. This is supposed to be done twice a day but with the mizzy weather we have been having its been hard to find enough light/sun in a warm enough environment to undress her. The sunshine or light rays help fight the bilirubin which causes jaundice. Sharon has told us that it needn't be direct sun but needs to be where the light rays come through a window and her treatment is over when her skin tone has changed from normal to red to pink again. By day 4 the bilirubin should be out her system and therefore the risk of jaundice over. This is not say that her sunshine time should stop. Seeing how Zara loves her time in the sun and especially the massage she gets with baby calendula massage oil while in the sun I am sure I will carry on when Chris goes back to work.

Sleeping with my Dad

"I AM THE BOSS" ~ First night home and ain't that the truth!

Having battled to get her settled into her new environment and with Zara showing no interest in being in her crib, we finally gave in and let her sleep with us. With Dad and daughter finally zonked out, I took the opportunity to watch them bonding in club duvet. I sat and watched them for quite a while ......

Coming Home

Tuesday and just shy of 48 hours old and Mom and Zara are good to go home!

First to be cleared was Mom when Dr Mseleku came by and checked that everything was in order. She was a little concerned about my haemoglobin levels and ordered a blood test. This was mainly due to the fact that I had apparently been a "bleeder" and she had battled to stop the bleeding after surgery. With that all being fine, I was good to go! Next up, Neli, the paediatrician came to check Zara. Once again her reflexes were checked, another look to see if there were any signs of jaundice setting in and plenty of questions about her bowel movements and feeding and then she too was good to go. It was then just a matter of changing the dressing on my cut, Chris checking us out and getting the car seat installed and then off we were home to where we were supposed to be all along. I think the hospital staff were pleased to see the back of me as they had kept coming in to see if we were alright. Very concerned by the fact we had never called them, one nurse even asked me what I was doing in hospital.....

Once we got home, we had look at the cake I baked while in labour. Chris was too sceptical to eat it. I think he thought I may have added salt instead of sugar or something silly. I mean, how can you bake an edible cake while dealing with contractions?

Anyway, the birth cake didn't go to waste.... it was eventually eaten when my folks came to visit and Chris had to admit it wasn't half bad!!!

Day 2 ~ a love like no other!

These photos were taken on Monday, the day after Zara was born.

Chris had to drag himself away from us during the day to run a few errands, get things back together at home (as I was chomping at the bit to get home asap) and possibly check in at work if time allowed. With Zara arriving 3 weeks earlier than expected and Edwin having been on leave the previous week, you can imagine the chaos that lay ahead.

While Chris was away, I couldn't take my eyes off Zara, I just wanted her close to me and to absorb every second with her. Look at how big her nappy was for her!

When Chris eventually managed to get back, he took her and sat with her for the entire evening. We had a few visitors and they commented on how besotted Dad was with his little girl! Adrian even said " I think Chris looked at us once the entire time we were there, he couldn't take his eyes off Zara!"

We always knew that a parents love for their child is indescribable, and now we really do understand that its a love like no other!!!

The Firsts of Zara's Life

As soon as I was all stitched up and in recovery it was time to get Zara drinking. Sharon had taught us in antenatal classes that it is important to get your baby to the breast within the first hour. A little overwhelmed by all the events of the day, and I think a little shocked too, Sharon patiently re-explained what to do and then helped me latch her. Zara took to the breast like a champion and had a good 20 min drink.

It was while we were still in recovery that we also took the time to phone all the family with our exciting news. Thinking back on it now, we were on such a high yet so exhausted after the long labour that its actually quite a blur.

Later that night it was time for another first..... this time it was Dad's turn to change the first nappy. What a champion, again Zara co-operate nicely and soon enough she was clean as whistle and ready for yet another drink. Although it looks like the middle of the day, I can assure you it was the middle of the night and we had to get Dad out of bed for the momentous occasion.

Hello World

Who would have thought….. Three weeks earlier than expected, a mere four days after seeing the doctor and Sharon, I would be writing to tell you about the birth of our baby.

It all started out as an ordinary Saturday. Chris and I had planned to get some “house admin” out the way. As usual, Chris was up earlier than me; he set Senzo (gardener) to work and left to fetch the trailer he had hired for the day. I eventually dragged myself out of bed; still feeling exhausted and got going on my filing. We had asked Senzo to work an extra day to help us clear out the junk in the garage, so imagine my surprise when Chris got home with gym equipment he had collected from Mike and Laura……

As the day progressed, my back got more and more sore but I was adamant to finish my filing.

At about 3pm it was time for Senzo to go and we had offered him a lot of stuff from the garage. Chris said he would take him to a garage near Alexander and then Senzo would have to find a way to get the goods home. I decided to go with for the drive and along the way mentioned to Chris that the baby had been rather quiet and even joked that this may be the calm before the storm.

When we got back home, I insisted on getting the pram assembled. I wanted the car seat ready just in case! Once this was done, I lay down on the sofa and had a good sleep. By 8pm, I was really feeling uncomfortable and so went up to bath. After about an hour and half the “cramps “ were not subsiding so I called Chris. He assured me that this was merely Braxton-hicks and my body practicing and preparing for labour. I started timing them and soon realized they were 5mins apart. Chris went to sleep while I called Andrea (doula) she advised me to call Sharon as I was still only 37 weeks pregnant. After a q&a Sharon said she was coming to check us out. When she arrived we realized that this was in fact labour and we were going to have our baby. Knowing that our decision to have a home birth would be met with some opposition, we had decided not to tell people. We had started preparing for our home birth, but had also thought that we still had three weeks….. so we were far from ready!

Chris and Andrea were rallying around setting the stage while Sharon monitored me. We were only due to collect the birthing pool the following week so when we called Carol the pool lady, she offered to bring the pool to us and arrived at about 1.30am. During the setting up, I was baking a chocolate cake, and washing the vests and leggings that I had gotten on Friday.

At about 4am, the contractions had become irregular so Sharon & Andrea decided they would go home. Chris and I were fine with this as we knew that any time we needed them they would come back. After they left, the contractions resumed and the intensity mounted. We called Sharon back at about 7.30am as the contractions were now 2mins apart. When she arrived and checked us out we had progressed nicely and now knew we were definitely having our baby.

Time passed and eventually at 1pm it became clear that we needed Dr Mseleku to check us out. The baby was lying posterior – hence the incredible back ache – with the chin lifted and more than likely a hand in the way. Therefore, so to say stuck and unable to progress further down the birth canal. Even though it was not ideal to be going to hospital we knew that now was the time to go so as to avert any unnecessary risks. We got to hospital at about 2pm and after being checked were told that there was no way our baby could be born naturally as he/she was stuck with the head tilted to the side, posterior, chin raised. It was now obvious that an emergency c-section was how we were going to meet our little one safely. While waiting for the theatre, my waters broke naturally and even this did not help “flush” him/her straight. I am glad they broke as this was the only other option that could have made a natural birth still possible. Earlier this had been discussed as an option to consider. Sharon had said she could break my waters artificially but only in hospital and it would then mean I would have to push like a crazy person and she was not sure I had the stamina to carry on. Now knowing that he/she was really stuck and we needed to do a search and rescue to get our baby. At no point did baby ever go into distress and we had the gentlest ceasar possible. We watched as her head, shoulders, body and legs came out. When she was out, she opened her legs to show us who she was! We were so privileged as Dr Mseleku had come in on her day off. Zara Guinevere was born to Cat Stevens playing in the background. Chris and I always played Cat Stevens when driving “home to Ficksburg” and now our daughter was “brought home” to us with the same music.

Final Scan......

Today, 26 September, we had our final check with our gynae ~ Dr Mseleku. We have not seen her since our 20 week check as Sharon has been doing all our antenatal checks. Dr Mseleku asks her patients that are with Sharon to see her between 36/38 weeks just so that she can confirm that all is well and that she as our back-up doctor is confident that both baby and mom are well. Dr Mseleku then gives you her "consent" for Sharon to birth your baby. During the check, we had a scan and it was indeed confirmed that the baby was engaged and that he/she was lying “in the perfect position” Dr Mseleku referred to the position as FLO. She estimated the baby to weigh around 3kg and to be about 3.5kg to 3.8kg at birth. The placenta is still in good condition and blood flow between baby and me is strong. She also checked to see if the umbilical cord was near the neck and with no sign of that we have been given the all clear. When asking her if there was any "letters" to be sent to Sharon, she assured us she was more than happy and we will only need to see her again for our 6 week – post birth visit. We will continue to see Sharon weekly and we just need to hang in there till our little one is ready to meet us and the rest of the world.

So here's the Dad too

The reality has most certainly sunk in that the birth of our baby is just around the corner. Being just over 36 weeks pregnant, it was time for more photos and also this time, which was more than likely to be the last, Chris agreed to join us. Linda once again kindly agreed to come to us and it was certainly a lot of fun.

I must admit that I have had to start slowing down. I am starting to feel tired and having had a busy weekend and am feeling the need to spend some quiet time at home before we meet our little one.

Over the weekend, we went to Adrian and Shannon’s wedding in Bergville. It a beautiful service and despite the heat (37 with typical berg winds) much fun was had by all. We also went to visit Nana for her birthday. Chris had been invited to Cricket with Lloyd and while taking him we realized that he in fact had two tickets. He called Lloyd to ask if the other ticket was a mistake and Lloyd announced that “it’s for your wife chom” so with great surprise and delight I got to go to the 20/20 World Cup Final. While walking to the stadium, I felt the baby drop down in my tummy. Although it’s nice to know your baby has engaged and is getting ready to be born, it makes moving around a little more difficult/uncomfortable.

Belly Masking ~ Just in time!

One of the new trends amongst my “crazy” generation of pregnant women, is to have a belly mask done of our tummies. I decided that I would like to have one made, what I am going to do with it was still to be decided. My philosophy is that if I have it done and do nothing with it, its better than not having it and then regretting the fact that I missed the opportunity and can never have it back again. Theoni, my yoga teacher, amongst all her many services, offers this too and with her baby due around three weeks before our baby, I knew that being 36 weeks was pretty much my cut off for getting the cast done. I also realized it was quite an effort physically for her at 39 weeks and was very grateful when she agreed to do it for me.

How this all works is, she comes to your home ~ it’s a very messy job ~ you cover yourself with Vaseline and then she starts applying strips of fabric & plaster of paris moistened in water to your body. She has to work fast to cover your body accurately and evenly and hopes that baby doesn’t move while she is applying the strips and they are drying. You have to keep still and the entire process takes about a half hour. Funny enough, our baby did move and there is proof in the cast of this. Chris was really skeptical when I told him that I wanted to have a belly mask done but has had to admit that he in fact does like it and it’s a nice memory to show our baby one day.

(Theoni had her little boy, Zachary, 4 days later ~ hence we got the belly mask done just in the nick of time!)

Miracles or Just Africa Time?

It was today ~ 9 months ago that I took myself off to the Dept of Home Affairs to submit my applications for my new ID, Passport, Unabridged Marriage Certificate, and both Chris and my Unabridged Birth Certificates. On the day, I thought I would just sit in the various ques and patiently wait my turn to make each application. After TWO hours and still not having made headway I decided to use the "agent" Chris had used a few months previously to get his passport. He had found the woman very efficient and assured me this was the best option!! So, with my pride in my pocket I agreed and called Daphne and did the necessary through her. These agents all have caravans outside Home Affairs and take quite a wack to "Q 4 U" I patiently waited and eventually in April decided to follow up the progress. To my horror I discovered that NONE of the applications had been made and according to her our marriage was not registered. Further investigation revealed that our marriage had in fact been registered mid January. Many unpleasant words flew between us ~ both pregnant beings and I left feeling robbed! Again, I left it to her to get her act together but have been once again disappointed. Today, miracles of all miracles, I managed to collect my passport and ID with my new name. But in the meantime have learned that she still has not even applied for the unabridged certificates. Threats are all that seem to be working and her last chance is that she has TWO weeks to get the certificates delivered to me at home or face "fraud charges" been laid against her. So, I may now be an Atkinson but still clearly have the "van G" genes deeply rooted in me. Who knows baby A may well be here before I get my certificates and have to start the whole process again to get his/her unabridged birth certificate, passport and ID........

For the times they are a changing.....

In the words of Bob Dylan "for the times they are a changing" as well as in the word of Bread "a picture paints a thousand words......." just about sums it all up

The excitement is definitely mounting as we work through the to do list

Getting Stuck In

As you can see slow progress is being made in Baby Atkinson's room.

I have got as far as sorting clothes into age piles (which will in fact have been futile once washing starts) towels in another pile, nappies and wet wipes together and then toys together.

The furniture is not set out as I intended but as I am unable to move it myself, I have been waiting for my handyman team to finalise a date to do the chores required. As luck would have it, they are due to start tomorrow (but this will be in Miriam's room first. She has patiently been waiting for her wardrobe and bathroom door and kitchen counter since she moved in 3 weeks ago).

While I was sorting the clothes etc, Chris got stuck in in the garage and finished off "sanding & sealing" the cubes that will go above the compactum. We started staining them about 6 weeks ago..... My intention is to have these hung along side the window where the wall is angled backing the lounge fireplace, but will have to see when the furniture is moved if it all fits how I want it to. I then ideally would like the cot across the other corner, with the feeding chair between them. Again we, will have to see how it all fits together. Although there are blinds in the room, we have decided to put curtains up too ~ just to "soften" the room for baby! There is a new bug light fitting to be hung as well as the bug wallpaper border to be stuck on.

So, hopefully by the end of the week our little treasure's room will be ready and waiting for his/ her imminent arrival.

Showered Again

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,
how we wonder who you are,
be you a girl or be you a boy
we know you'll bring us so much joy!!!!

With this in mind and having had an awesome baby shower last weekend we are still constantly reminded of how much this little baby is already loved and SPOILT.

Eleanor very kindly offered to organise our baby shower for us, and what a magnificent job she did!!!! Thanks Ella! We decided to host it at home and have a combined affair as this little one is our baby and we should therefore all celebrate together. With spring in the air and the start of the world cup rugby, the "fever" was set for a fabulous day. The weather was perfect and while the adults all got to have a good ol catch up, the 20+ kids ran a mock through our garden. I suppose that was a good test for what our future holds before us and luckily the our home with stood the test. (bar the surprising blocked drains I had to deal with last week)

As you can see from the pics attached, our little one looks set for the foreseeable future! Thanks to everyone for all the spoiling and for supporting us through the ever changing path of life. We look forward to introducing baby Atkinson to you all soon ~ its hard to believe that its just around the corner now!

Time to Surrender

We have now reached the 32 week mark and I have finally had to surrender to the fact that although my jeans still do up, I can no longer wear them. Too often in life, vanity triumphs over sanity but at this stage, sanity and comfort are of the essence....

The past month seems to have flown by. We are so proud of our super clever little baby. As mentioned in the previous post, he/she has finally decided to put my mind at ease by turning his/her head down. At my check up with Sharon last Thursday, she confirmed that we are still head down but has decided to go back to the RHS of my tummy which has always been the side of preference. This is no cause for concern as long as every now and again we "visit" the LHS which is the ideal position for birth. Quite honestly ~ We really cant expect this poor little one to stay in one place for the remainder of the pregnancy as that would be very uncomfortable for the little one.

As I say this pregnancy has been a constant reminder that I am not in charge here and the sooner I just let things be the better for all concerned.I have had a great time watching how my tummy changes shape while baby moves and plays around. I have also noticed how he/she reacts to Chris' voice. It can be quite uncanny how all of a sudden the whole baby is to the side where he is talking...... every now and again Dad gets an almighty kick from our little one and then asks me if it hurts? Thank goodness it is not painful just a joy to know all is well!

As far as baby's room is concerned ~ we have collected the crib and now wait for the cot and compactum to arrive. I have been assured that I will have them by the end of next week. I am looking forward to getting stuck in there and finishing off the room when I get home from my trip to Durban.

We have also been attending antenatal classes every Thursday night. This week is for "supporters only ~ no pregnant fairies allowed" Hence my trip to visit family. The classes have certainly been very informative and we are constantly amazed at how perfectly our bodies are designed to conceive, grow, protect and eventually birth our babies. Sharon has truly been a godsend in many ways and we are lucky to have her guide and prepare us through this time.

Beautiful Baby

As the Mom to Be, I feel that I am more than qualified to gush about our baby! Yesterday, we had our 3D scan at Linkwood. This is a non diagnostic scan and is merely a bonding session for the parents to see their unborn child. The only difference between the 3D and 4D scans is that the 4th dimension is movement, so once again there are no guarantees that we will get a good view of our little treasure. With Megan being the oldest local cousin, we decided to take her along and she was so excited that she was going to see her baby cousin. I had to explain to her before hand that sometimes people don't see much......

At first it looked like we were not going to get much as once again baby was squished up against our placenta. I have now been told that I have what they call an "anterior lying placenta". Basically this makes it substantially harder to get a clear view of the baby. Apparently an anterior lying placenta is less common and is also supposed to reduced the movement you feel from your baby, however I think that this has not been the case with us..... Medically there is no need to worry about the anterior placenta even though majority are posterior lying.

With that out the way we got down to business. The great news was that my gentle coxing of our baby had paid off and he/she had its head down with the spine curving round to the LHS. Perfect position for birth. I was soon reminded that even though we have such a clever baby, he/she could still turn around again though it is unlikely due to gravity and a more confined space. As for trying to see this little one's face, he/she was being a little shy and stubborn with the hands right over what was not protected by placenta. A bit of gentle persuasion and there we got it. We got a few "winks", a smile or two and then a few instances of tongue pulling as well. I think I can clearly see Chris, esp in the lips, but as we know only time will tell. Another almost certainty is that our baby does not have much hair. I gather this is also more like his/her dad than me. I can clearly see how this baby has fattened up over the past few weeks. Even the little hands have a bit of meat on them and that is definitely from my genes ~ Grannyannie will no doubt have great delight in telling you I was her baby with the most fat rolls at birth.

Nesting in baby steps

It is with baby steps that I continue to nest as we await the now imminent arrival of our baby.

Having lived in our home for 10 months we decided that we need to start finishing what we started...... When building Chris had this idea that we would buy a LCD TV, wall mount it and have all the other appliances on the opposite side. This caused many a heavy debate as to how it could/would work and then trying to convince our electricians that it was in fact possible if they just wired everything correctly. So, shortly after the wedding on bright summery Saturday morning we set out to buy a tumble drier. A couple of hours later we returned home not only having bought a tumble drier but a new washing machine as well as Chris' dream LCD TV. To say we had severe buyers remorse within a day or two is an understatement but kept justifying the extravagance with the fact that we could possibly have a baby soon and then all these luxuries would certainly be on the back burner in definitely. Reality struck home when two weeks later we found out I was indeed pregnant and with all the excitement, shock and shear exhaustion put off having it all properly installed then.

Now we have had to remind ourselves that once the baby is born things will once again be put on hold and so its best to strike while the iron is hot and get what we can done before we are no longer probationary members of the parents club . As we are still waiting for the nursery furniture, first on the list was to get the TV installed...... Thanks to Brian Gibbs we got the team of guys he used to come install the TV, Decoder, link the CCTV cameras to the TV etc. As you can see from the picture Chris' idea has worked splendidly! The bracket that has been used can swing out towards the lounge as well as to the dinning room making viewing downstairs "oh so easy". Our sideboard has been modified to hold the decoder, dvd player as well as the HIFI. We have had to move the sideboard from where it was originally in the dinning area as we are installing another fireplace along that wall as soon as the unit is approved for natural gas. To finish off the lounge, Chris and Graham got stuck in and hung the paintings (this was actually done before the TV but who's obsessing about order). The perfect wall for the awesome paintings by my father. I still get excited every time I open the front door to see how well its turned out!

Oh so swell

Its the end of July & we have now entered the Third trimester! Two thirds of the way through and still in many ways still surprised when I catch a glimpse of my profile in a mirror or reflective window. I almost want to take a second look to see if it really is me.

I have really started to enjoy having our baby bopping about. Many of you have warned me how I will miss having my bump and I am sure you are all right. I am torn between having our baby in my arms where we can kiss and cuddle him/her and yanking up the handbrake to slow the whole process down to keep him/her in my tummy where its so safe.

As I am sure will all notice, this little one has most certainly had a growth spurt. Over the past couple of weeks we have been measuring the circumference of my belly. At 26 weeks, it was a "mere" 90 cm, 27 weeks = 97 cm and by 28 weeks, the start of the third trimester = 103cm.

Although I am still able to wear my jeans, I must admit, they are most certainly not as comfy as they used to be as the button presses into my tum and by the end of the day can be rather sore..... I have therefore had to "give in" and buy some proper maternity trousers with the fold over band. Many of you would have heard me curse these earlier on but I remind you that I had also reserved the right to change my mind at any point about any point......

As far as baby's development goes, he/she is growing nicely. He/she has plenty of hiccups thoughout the day. It is a weird yet divine sensation! Our past few visits to Sharon have shown him/her to be sitting breech. So far this is not a problem but as baby grows we need to encourage him/her to turn around before it gets too cramped to turn.

There are many alternative methods that can be used :

• tea tree oil where the head is ~ they don't like the smell
• dad talking to baby at base of tum ~ follows his voice
• shining a torch through the tum at base ~ follows light
• head stands ~ which confuses gravity

There are also more "drastic" measure that could be explored if necessary:

• accupuncture
• hipnosis
• manual turning

Here's hoping the alternate methods work and we can all relax and enjoy the rest of the journey!

Oh so loved already!

Its quite a funny thing, when you are pregnant you finally realise how much your "off~spring" is loved from the moment everyone in your life finds out you going to be parents. People seem unable to help themselves spoiling babies and once again this was proved to Chris and me with a surprise baby shower when we went down to Durban for little Riley's Christening over the weekend of 27/28/29 July.

All these spoilings can lead one to question : Who is loved more? Us or our unborn child ......?

Mark and Claudia very kindly hosted the surprise get together. The Hilton Grandparents came through for the day and as you all know my parents are now "city slickers" living just a few houses away from Mark & Claudia. The Parnells came through from Umhlali. Our good ol Durban mates, the Hewisons and Hawkins were also there for the grand occassion...... Mark catered awesome lasagne, which he had made the week before whilst home with a major dose of the flu ~ they also had to prepare for the luncheon they were hosting after Riley's Christening. Thank you thank you thank you we really can't thank you enough!!!

As for all the gifts received, Boy oh boy was this little baby spoilt!!!Thank you all so much!!!! He/She will most certainly be smelling good, well dressed and well entertained.

~I must just add... as I sat in the very same arm chair surround by our friends and family I was reminded that less than a year ago I was also surprised at Mark and Claudia's with a "bridal pamper party" shortly before our wedding~