Love your daddy.

Cos he gives mummy nice massages.

Massage = relaxed mummy
Relaxed mummy = happy mummy
Happy mummy = the best thing for baby and for daddy

This is the one of many many reasons why you baby will love your daddy.

I popped into Ryan's work after I finished work today and he kindly filled his 20 minute break by giving me a back massage. Luxury! The first I've had while pregnant and it was fab. I walked home from there feeling a little looser a little lighter and a little happier.

Perhaps tonight I will have a nice relaxing bath too! Or maybe I'll leave that till Wednesday so as to spread out the luxury indulgences. On a recent trip to a place called Matlock we bought a bunch of bath bombs to use as time goes on and the comfort of a nice warm bath is simply fabulous.

Psalm 139

For you created my inmost
being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am
fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from
you when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in
the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me
were written in your book before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your
thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

A Spot of Shopping

Well we figured this weekend that while we had the time we would buy a few more of the essential items required for when the little one - who is accumulating a LOT of stuff - arrives.

Ry has picked up some extra weekend work which means he and possibly I will be away for 3 out of four weekends in May and seeing as we just don't know when our baby will decide it's time to move on from my womb it pays to be prepared huh. So we can now safely bring bubs home and have nappies to cover his/her cute little bott.

So here's the car seat we opted for. Concord Ultimax - sounds impressive eh? And well it is. Safety features are good and bubs will be snug as a bug in this seat. Instead of a dinky car seat, which may be slightly more practical in that you can remove them from the car and, in some cases, attach them onto a pram , we opted for one with a long term vision. This one is suitable for newborns to 4yrs. It also has another insert for a snugger fit for a baby (not shown in picture). The covers come off and are washable. The seat has different angles for rear facing and front facing with a flatter angle for when you've got a baby strapped in. We had the demonstration at the store of how to fit it and so hopefully when the time comes we can manage that again ourselves.

Next for another essential item. Nappies. It wasn't a hard decision at all to go with washable nappies. With growing concern for the environment in which we live and what the future is looking like for our children I figure that we really need to do all we can to not add to the destruction.

The NZ Green party has some pretty interesting facts:

It takes one full cup of CRUDE OIL (!) to make the plastic for each "disposable" nappy. SCARY!!

1.3 million trees a year are felled for NZ babies in disposable nappies. Disposable nappies use 3.5 times more energy, 8 times more non-renewable raw materials, 90 times more renewable materials than reusable nappies. We already need to plant a few (hundred!) trees for the carbon emissions we have contributed to flying to and fro between UK and NZ.

It takes as much energy to produce one disposable nappy as it does to wash a cloth nappy 200 times. Must remember this on the days when I really can't be bothered doing the washing.

Disposable nappies take up to 500 years to decompose in landfill sites and can harbour up to 100 different types of virus, including live polio virus from vaccines. Hmm not good.

I'm not sure if I've even mentioned the fact that we're booked to go on a bit of a holiday end of August when our bubs is 2mths old. We've had mixed comments from people about this. Some think we're crazy others say "Go for it!" we just listen to the latter. Anyway we're really excited about this trip. We're heading to Croatia and Italy and will be joined by our mothers which is going to make it all the more special.

I think it's going to be great to do some travelling so soon and to introduce our child to the joy of travel at such a young age. Also to show that it can be done and probably that to do it so soon is the best option. We met a couple on a recent trip to Sardinia and they had a 4mth old who had been to 20 different destinations since birth! Inspiration!

So anyway to ease travel and in the hope that our child will sleep well when we travel we decided to buy this travel cot. It's like those kiddie tents that fold up tight and spring out. Comes with a good mattress and mosquito net. Best thing is it weighs less than 1kg and so won't take up too much of our luggage allowance. I can't believe they even call those solid cots 'travel cots' they don't seem very portable to me. We' will put bubs in it a few times before we go so she/ he gets used to the feel and smell of it so that it's familiar enough that bubs will want to sleep in it when we're away. That's the plan anyway...

And there you have it. Hopefully the last of the big spending on this little being. It's been fun and there's plenty more fun to be had.

XO Mez

30 Weeks Pregnant only 10 to go!... perhaps

Well baby... here we find ourselves at the 30 week mark. Well done us huh! We've been having such a blessed journey. I've enjoyed most of it so far and I take it, by all your grooving around in there, that you're pretty happy too. Or perhaps you've actually had enough and are trying to break out! Not just yet babe you've got a little more growing to do. We don't wanna be stuck in hospital for too long when you arrive. Despite my working in one I don't wanna hang out there more than I need to and neither will you.

I feel like you've been doing some growing over the last week or so. I have no idea which way up or down you are lying but you feel a little heavier and strangely (close your eyes if you don't want too much detail) I seem to be able to pee more! Not more often but greater amounts. Very grateful for the not so frequent trips to the loo. So if you've done that for me thanks!

Tiredness is still my not so friendly friend at the moment. Can't get enough sleep. I think that you're trying to tell me just to rest a little. Sometimes getting home from work and feel like there's things that need doing for the day and then to get dinner ready. In reality a lot of these things aren't essential and I need to at least slot in time to get horizontal and chill.

I managed to do just that the other afternoon and as I lay quietly you baby decided to show me your latest gym routine! Far out! Never seen my belly move so much! You were rolling all over the place. I couldn't help but smile. You are a little wonder in there, a miracle of creation, you are a child of God, here for a reason and a purpose. So far it seems that your sole purpose is to make me and Ryan smile and stare. To make us ponder our lives and the choices we're making now, that will affect your future.

This parent stuff isn't easy and you're not even here yet! The last week has left us discussing a variety of things and trying to work out a bit of a plan for the future. Any ideas? Where to live? Where to work? This side of the world or the other? We're at that place again of reassessing our lives and with what purpose we are living them.

So photos of my 30 week pregnant belly
Fundus height is 26cm which is about right for this stage.

ANTENATAL CLASSES

You won't believe what a mission it has been to find a class to join before our child is born!

NOTE TO ALL EXPECTANT MOTHERS: Do NOT leave it too late to book yourselves in!

We'd just totally overlooked it with March being such a busy month and so when last week I realised that it really needed to be done I found out that there were hardly any slots available. The free sessions run by the NHS were full. The ones run by the National Childbirth Trust were all full with the next one we could go to not till mid June which is a little late when our baby could really turn up any day by that stage.

So I've search around and have found a few run by independent midwives and I'm going to book us in today to one. It's just a tad expensive but I've got to the point where I don't really care. At the end of the day I want to be informed as much as I can and I would like the opportunity to meet others also expecting and perhaps form some friendships and a bit more of a support network than we currently have.

This www.meandmybaby.org.uk is the website of the classes we will be taking as of the 1st May. Every Tuesday night from 6pm-8pm.

So we'll look forward to those. And I'll be at peace that by June we'll be all clued up on the whole process in case bubs decides to make an early appearance.

YAY!

29 Weeks

Another week rolls on by.

We went to see the new midwife on Tuesday but ended up getting a stand-in as the midwife was at a meeting. We didn't mind too much. The change of midwife came about due to our recent house move. We've had to change GPs and so changing midwife seemed the best option especially for follow-up. To be honest we were quite happy for the change. Our last midwife wasn't exactly energising. I felt she never paid much attention to Ryan in the process and I guess had got so used to being a midwife and involved in the new life process that she had become a bit numbed to the beauty and excitement of it all.

Ryan: Actually that is probably generous. She was crap. Crap interpersonal skills. Crap at making eye contact. Crap at asking any useful questions at all, like "how are you feeling?" Crap at giving us any semblance at all that she actually gave a shit... which clearly she didn't.

That comes across as really harsh but I guess she just wasn't the right person for us. We have no guarantee that our new midwife will be what we need but I hope she is. Certainly the stand-in we had on Tuesday was totally refreshing and I was grateful for the warm way in which she interacted with BOTH of us.

It was a fairly simple and straight forward appointment really. Measurements all appear to be normal. I had some blood taken to check my blood type and for any antibodies. Also to check my Hb to make sure that I'm not anaemic - which I don't think I am.

Next appointment is in three weeks time and then we will get to meet the new midwife. As it is, in the UK, the midwife you have antenatally does not deliver your baby also. She does see you post natal though. During labour we will just be dealing with the midwives at the hospital. Speaking if which this is the labour suite where our bubs will be born. It doesn't look that impressive actually, but I've seen some of it and it's not too bad. At the end of the day as long as it's clean we probably won't notice much else about it when it comes to being admitted.

So how am I feeling...

Well the belly is growing and I am starting to notice the restrictions just that much more.

"It's only when the rigidity of advanced pregnancy sets in that you appreciate fully how useful it was to be able to bend at the waist"

- Audrey Hull -

Isn't that the TRUTH! I'm now realising how uncomfortable and at time difficult simply putting ones socks on can be! So far I have only had to enlist the help of my beloved once.

Sleep: Not the best at the moment. But we'll get there. After work on Friday I had a few things I could have gone and done but then I decided that really what my body was asking for was just to rest. So I got comfy on the couch and closed my eyes for a little and then watched a bit of telly. I didn't prepare any dinner either which perhaps i should of because then Ryan got home at 8pm and had to make some. I just need to make sure I find that balance between resting and not becoming blobby or lazy. I don't expect Ry to wait on me hand and foot. I'm not sick. Far from it in fact! I'm more full of life than I've ever been!

Exercise: Last weekend we went and bought a soccer ball, Frisbee and some swimming togs to accommodate a pregnant belly. So on Wednesday I decided to christen them and went and checked out the local pool. It was great! I loved swimming. It's been quite a while since I've been for a swim actually. I braved the ocean while we were in Atlanta and realised then how much i had missed it. Being pregnant it really is the best option for exercise. It almost made me forget I had a big belly! I did some lane swimming and then made up my own little aqua aerobics exercises. So I'll be back.

I still need to get onto more pelvic floor exercises to strengthen things up in preparation for the big marathon too.

Work: I've now switched to Mon-Fri 7am-3pm until I go on maternity leave on the 13th June. By that stage we will be 37 weeks so the hours are a lot more pregnancy friendly. My manager has been fab at looking after me in this regard. These hours also make it easier to get to Midwife appointments and also to antenatal classes which we will be starting soon!

Food: Getting a little more hungry these last few weeks and am doing my best just to much on more fruit but chocolate and sweet stuff is still so appealing. Ryan had his Easter egg on the bench for a whole week and I tell you it took everything in me to stop myself from finding it a better home!

That's about it really.

I'm going to start doing proper measurements now. So rather that belly circumference I'll record the more significant Fundus height. Starting from next week. At 29 weeks preggers I'm this big.

Ciao

196 days/ 28 weeks/ 7 Months!

Woohoo!

We've made it through another month. The baby belly grows, the belly moves, the belly keeps me awake at night, the belly tickles, kicks, rolls. this baby in my belly is someone special. I still love this baby despite the kicks in the middle of the night when I really would quite like some sleep. After all this is how it works. We're the parents, bubs is the child. By nature of that relationship we need to learn to give more. To give, and give and give some more even if all we receive is a kick in the ribs.

What I'm feeling tonight is tiredness and it kinda scares me that this is nothing compared to the tiredness we're in for come July. Then we will be able to understand what that word really means. But I have this sense that... some days at least... it's a tiredness that you gotta love. Just as when this baby starts rolling around when I'm tucking myself in for the night and starts tickling me under the ribs. I giggle a little as more than the discomfort I relish in how utterly fantastic it is and more to the point what an amazing blessing it is to bare this child. To carry this child.

WARNING THE FOLLOWING PHOTO MIGHT BE DISTURBING TO SOME VIEWERS!

But really it's quite beautiful...

So the weight gain over the last month now sees me weighing in at 72 kg.

Mount Mini MeznMo measure a whopping 101cm

We got right into the swing of this baby business when we got back from our holiday. It was time to do a bit of shopping so we got to and we bought our precious bubs his/her cot and also a handy change table. They were a DIY job so 'someone' needed to put them together. That someone wasn't going to be me because it has been proved time and time again (apparently..) that I'm no good at following instructions and getting it right so that left.... hmmm... RYAN.


He politely asked me:
"Now Mez did you want me to put these together now or do you wanna wait for another day?"
HA! Too cute!


So in true male fashion he got to with his nails, hammer, screw driver and other boy tools and managed to follow the instructions himself and produce the following!

Check out that beaming smile! One happy boy right there!

So there you have it.

Magic!

Loving this journey.

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK

If I know what love is, it is because of you. - Herman Hesse

Travel with a growing bump

Hey ya'll


Feels like ages since I've made any entries on here but in reality it probably hasn't. Which makes me wonder how fast the next few months will actually pass by. Will they actually disappear in no time or will it just feel that way and in reality be a fair while until we welcome our new addition.



This new addition has got a few names I realised that I hadn't mentioned any. Not talking real names. That one is a secret (although we do have one picked out). These are names that we give our baby or which others have.



Bubs
Real name + 'ster' on the end. EG Mezzster
MiniMo - as in Mini Monastra (not mini Ryan as Ry was known as Mo at uni. Although this child is bound to be like him in one way or another!)
Tike
PomKi/ KiPom (as in combinations of Kiwi + English Pom)
I'm sure there's more but they've slipped my mind.


So anyway we've just got back from a trip to America. We were there for a wedding which was fantastic to be a part of. I wasn't sure how I would find it travelling at 27 weeks pregnant but you know it wasn't that bad.



I did a little research a while back about travel insurance. Travelling in America I wanted to make sure that we would be fully covered should, God forbid, anything happen and I find myself in hospital. I rang a few insurance companies and found that good old Marks & Spensers covers pregnant women up to 30 something weeks. Many I looked at only covered up to 26 weeks. So that all sorted I felt a lot better about travelling that far.



The flights weren't too bad. I was going to take anti-thrombotic stockings to help my circulation while flying but forgot in the end. The 8hr flight from Paris to Atlanta was good cos we had great leg room. Somehow we got upgraded to what seemed like superior class which had just that much more leg room. We hadn't realised at the time that we'd been upgraded and thought Air France was great for having so much space. However on the way home we were in economy and the lack of leg space was immediately noticeable. So not so comfy on the way back which was not so great as we were flying overnight and this was the time to get some sleep.



There was also a little someone who decided that it was time to wake up and do back flips and somersaults and to use mum's abdomen as a punching bag just when she wanted to sleep!! Despite being tired I couldn't help but smile and thank our child for this lesson in selflessness and patience. I am not the centre of the universe and soon there is going to be a little body that is going to want our attention. He/She will not know what time of day it is, or that we're exhausted, or that this is 'quiet time' and that is that. And so I loved our little one through the kicks and punches and tried to get some shut eye.



We had a great time in Atlanta and I managed to keep up with the crowd most of the time. I was most proud of the fact that I didn't need to ask for an extra toilet stops while on the road. I did however use every opportunity to ensure my bladder was empty.



We went on a couple of walks in the woods. On one of the walks I started getting some strong cramps in my pelvic region. I hadn't had these before and so I decided I better stop and have a rest. So I sat and contemplated the beauty of God's creation while Ryan and the other three with me went on just a little further. The cramping went away after my 5 min rest, then returned on the walk back a little but then disappeared. It didn't scare me but was enough to tell me to slow down.



The second feat was this mountain. We all took it pretty slow... well either that or everyone was letting me lead so as not to wear me out. We made it to the chilly top of Stone Mountain and back. Great views and it was fantastic to see the views, get some exercise and breathe in the fresh yet freezing air.





So this is us with Stone Mountain in the background ready to be conquered!

And then minus Ryan (who was taking the pic) with the rest of the crew having made it to the top! Check out that bump! My top only just zips up now.

So that's our last big trip until after bubs is here. I'm glad we did it. Totally achievable at this stage in the pregnancy.

From now on our focus can shift a little more to this little being. Time to prepare for as much as we can for parenthood! AHHH!

More updates tomorrow as we reach 28 weeks.