The days are rolling by so ridiculously quickly at the moment, I seriously can't keep up. One minute I was back in Australia lapping up the big wide streets, hanging out at Balmoral and chatting to the family about Jean-Pierre Chang Holmewood (our French/Chinese/Australian nick-name for our baby), and the next, I'm sitting here at my dining table in Honkers with the sun streaming in and a cool breeze blowing, 2 weeks since my last blog post (gulp), 3 weeks since I got back from Sydney, having already welcomed and farewelled my first of many visitors. I mean, where the hell does the time go? LOTS has been going on since I got back from Aus..... Here's the lowdown, in a list. 'Cause I love me a list.....- JP Chang is happy and healthy in the belly and already 2kg, with a slightly big head. Which basically means we're looking at a front row forward of a baby. Oh yeah, I'm excited about pushing that out. I got a scan on Tuesday (you get one every time you visit the doctor here) and I was lying with my hand behind my head watching the ultrasound, and wouldn't you know it, little JP Chang was doing the same!! Hand behind head, chilling out, just like his mama. Too cute ;)
- We started our ante-natal classes the other day and I looooved it. We've chosen to bypass the medical-based (let me sell you an epidural for $400,000 million) hospital classes and try Calmbirth classes instead. The concept was initiated by an Australian midwife a few years back and the philosophy is based on dispelling feelings of fear and tension which actually inhibit the labour process, and empowering parents-to-be with the knowledge and tools they need to get through the birth naturally, i.e. no drugs. Now I'm not being narrow-minded thinking I will definitely be able to get through it sans chemical (especially considering there is a 90% epidural rate and 55% caesarean rate here in Honkers) but I've done my research, spoken to lots of people and am really keen to try to experience labour as it was intended. The philosophy of breathing through it, keeping as calm and relaxed and focused as possible really resonates with me. It sits so well alongside all the yoga I've done over the years and has already got me excited about giving it a go! Who knows how it will end up but it feels good to be thinking about it this way.....
- We are now officially broke. Well not really, but that's how it feels. The weekend we got back from Sydney, we went to our local baby store and bought up big. And I mean biiiiiiigggg. Cot, pram, car seat, change table, baby bath, baby bjorn.....you name it, we bought it, all in one hit. After two and a half hours there, we then somehow managed to drag our drained and lifeless bodies to Ikea. Seriously, of all places to go on a Sunday, after hours of baby shopping, what were we thinking? Anyway, we got everything we needed and satisfyingly ticked the majority of things off our list. Love me a list..... Then last weekend, everything was delivered!!! So we're now fully stocked and ready to roll should Jean-Pierre Chang decide he wants to come into this world a little early. Granted, most things are still in boxes, but at least it's all here people. At least it's all here.- It's been spring cleaning central around here. Our third bedroom (which was our dressing room come study come junk room) has been cleared out, the second bedroom has been totally de-junked and our bedroom reconfigured to fit everything that was in the third bedroom. Gosh, I'm exhausted just thinking about it. All of a sudden though, everything feels like it is in its rightful place. And I find myself more often that not, just hanging in the doorway of the nursery, staring, thinking, imagining. It'll be my little baby's room in no time at all..... .
And after all that, the scary thing is? I'm starting to feel ready. So ready. I am SO excited about meeting our little baby and am desperate for those first hugs, that first eye contact, that feeling of finally having him in my arms.
And only 8 weeks to go ;)
