Excitement …

Not since I was a little girl on Easer morning – when I saw this huge basket packed with gifts – have I been this excited!! Everything is coming together now for the arrival of the little one :o) the baby furniture has arrived, I have started getting the first ‘gift’ boxes from chemists and baby stores and my midwife’s smile just gets broader and broader. Mart and I have also attended our first ‘samen bevallen’ (delivering together) class = with 3 other parents to be we learnt what is happening in the mom’s body and what happens in labour and delivery as well as getting our first breathing exercises. It’s very weird that we are already starting to prepare for labour!!! Lord above – labour.. but with just over 8 weeks to go before due date I suppose its necessary! I do think it’s a good way to help the Dads understand what the process involves and what part they play. We have 3 more to go and apparently there is a birth video at some stage – I’ll tell you all about that and the Mart’s reaction to it hahaha

Back to the fun things now .. on Sunday we went by a colleagues house and she gave us bags full of clothes, bibs, blankies, sheets, nappies (for drying baby apparently) and duvet covers for baby …. Unbelievable and kind!
I can’t wait till I’m on maternity leave to wash all the little clothes and iron them and put them into the cute new cupboard – Dad-to-be has also been bitten by the excitement bug and is buying stuff for his son – I don’t know who I will find more adorable hihihi.
I’m trying to find a good programme to show the photos we have taken thus far – I’ll continue experimenting and send to you all ASAP.In the meanwhile see some photos of the belly and of Mart and I .. baby room pics to follow soonest!!


Hands on belly
this is one of my fave photos

I think it is rather symbolic - both of us holding our child - a bit romantic but hey who can blame me :)

Third Trimester….

Last week we passed the magical line – I entered the fabled Third Trimester of pregnancy. I received emails from the sites I’m registered to Congratulating me on this and at Monday’s visit to my midwife she smiled broadly and looked so proud of me ..
I read up some about this particular time in pregnancy and this is the moment where we can all breathe a collective sigh of relieve as our little baby is now Viable! Viable you ask? .. Basically this means that with each passing day our baby boy has a better chance of surviving outside the womb … the lungs are capable of breathing independently and the baby’s weight is enough to sustain life! Of course our planning is that he stays where he is till 31st January! But it is a good feeling knowing that should anything happen now our little one will be okay outside my body!
Oh BTW the third trimester starts after 28 wks :-) if you are interested in reading more about what will be happening to my body and Baby in the next 11 weeks click this link:
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/duringpregnancy/fetaldevelopment3.htm

This week is extra exciting as the furniture for the baby room arrives tomorrow YAY – I am so excited! We ordered everything more than 2 months ago – that’s Holland for you - and Mart sold some of his artwork to pay for it (we are alraedy starting to sacrifice hahaha for our child) and now finally it is arriving … we’ll take some photos this weekend to share it with all of you.

Ode to Autumn ....

Those who know me well know that I am definitely a spring/summer person - I love the first rays of warm sunshine in the spring - the smell of fertile earth and the promise of all this new burgeoning life. I especially love the sound of the birdsong in the morning as the little mites return from their winter sojourns ... Please do note however. That I am NOT crazy about the birds themselves (carriers of disease and general vermin) but their song is rather sweet :) I also anticipate that moment upon waking when you are still partially in dreamland but become aware of sunlight and warmth and then you get that delicious jolt as you realise it's SUMMER and the day is glorious and you have nothing planned but fun ... Hmmm I do LOVE summer! Well this year I experienced a feeling similar to that but the strange thing is ... its autumn ...? Granted it took me by surprise and it has required a few days to realise that the feelings I was experiencing was actually bordering on happiness .. It must be because the autumn in Holland this year is simply stated ... Beautiful. Full sunny days and mild, mild temperatures... No need for coats yet and stocking are safely in the drawer (unheard of for end October/Beg Nov). I read in the Spits (free newspaper on the bus) that this is the mildest autumn on record since 1901!? Now I ask you - how weird is that .. The summer was awful and we are experiencing temperatures of 20 degrees in November! Could there be justice in this world after all, a righting of events?
The romantic in me thinks that because I am carrying new life the seasons are mild for my comfort :o) ..... Do I have any takers on that theory? No matter - I am going to enjoy this fully - I walked to the busstop this morning and felt about 6 years old , I kicked the fallen leaves and laughed at the little gusts of wind that sent them spiraling all around my ankles! I think I will be saddened when the leaves have all fallen and the trees look grey, lonely and bare ....