Party time...

The past few weeks have been busy ones. There's been a lot going on as I try to finish up things at work, but also my sister, brother and I pulled off quite a coup: a surprise 60th birthday party for my mother.

Now, my mum is someone that nothing gets past. She doesn't miss a trick. So organising a huge party for her without her knowing was always going to be tricky. And made especially tricky by a couple of factors: we'd planned to hold it in my brother's shearing shed ... which is great except for the fact that it would be mid-winter (brrrrrr!); the shed was full of stuff; my brother only has a small oven so how on earth were we going to feed the hordes?

So began a rather massively logistical exercise. First, my brother spent his weekends moving things out of his shed. Next, my sister and I basically kept Telstra in business as we figured out the big things (should we cook or get it catered?) and the little things (what colour napkins?).

In May my mum came to stay with me, so while she was having a shower one evening I rang my dad and he grabbed her address book. I scribbled down the names and addresses of all her friends - some of them old, old friends she rarely sees - and some of the local people she's good friends with too.

Then Fiona made up an invitation, complete with map (so no-one accidentally turned up at my parents' place) and we sent it out to 47 people.

Amazingly - well, not really amazing because my mum is a lovely person and lots of people know this - 34 came. That's a very high acceptance rate!

Fiona and I had agreed that any number over about 25 would be too hard to cook for ourselves in my brother's little kitchen, so we looked for a caterer. Except the one I remembered in my parents' small town had gone out of business. One of Mum's fiends suggested a lady who might be able to help us.

I called her and, yes, she was free - yes, she could cook whatever we liked. This was a huge relief, because the thought of cooking up a three-course meal for 34 people in my brother's kitchen (at 8 months pregnant) was quite simply ... daunting.

So then my sister and I bought 12m of bright yellow fabric for the tablecloths, I picked up some $2-a-metre spotted fabric in Marrickville that Fiona zipped up into beautiful, festive bunting (she's very, very handy with a sewing machine - unlike me). I sought out the perfect spotted napkins to go on the tables (not easy - eventually fluked it at an online party store).

I'd seen a table setting where old jars were wrapped in tissue paper and then had a tealight placed inside, so we set about collecting as many old jars as possible (in the end we amassed 30-35). The tissue paper was bought, the fishbowl-shaped vases found at a $2 shop, the cases of wine and bubbly ordered, the plates, bowls, wineglasses etc hired from Dubbo ... sheesh!

We sorted the menu with the caterer - all hearty winter fare. Then, at her suggestion, we tried to find someone with a bain marie. Eventually we arranged to borrow - free of cost - a bain marie from one of the local cafes.

On the day, we set all the tables, seating everyone so they knew at least someone next to them. We pinned up fairy lights. We worked out how we could get Mum there without her knowing too much. It actually all went relatively smoothly. Except for the bain marie, which turned out to be quite a bain...

We hadn't realised quite how much power it was drawing and while it was warmish it wasn't exactly heating the food (outside it was below zero, that didn't help). So it was 9.15 before our main courses were warm enough - just - to eat. Bummer.

Anyway, the main thing was that my mum got the surprise of her life - and she DID! She knew we were up to something but had no idea just what. When the lights went on in that darkened shed and we all yelled 'surprise' she was pretty shell shocked. It took her a couple of minutes to scan the room and when she saw friends she'd not seen for YEARS she got a bit teary...

I think she was pretty delighted about the whole thing - I just hope she's not going to expect that kind of effort every birthday from now on...!!

Six weeks to go

Since Melody posted a bump pic over on her blog, I reckoned I probably ought to too. So this is how I am faring at almost 34 weeks.

I feel ENORMOUS. Everything is getting pretty hard now. I truly take my hat off to the women of the Third World who have to work out in, say, the rice paddies or whatever, probably with a heap of kids at home and a baby in a sling on their back. My lot is nowhere near as strenuous as that. I just have to stand up on a crowded Sydney peak-hour train (do you think anyone has offered me a seat? Nope) then sit in front of a computer, make calls etc. Even this hurts! Last week I got a stitch (at least I hope that's what it was) from walking (waddling?) from my desk to the office kitchen to make a cuppa.

I have decided to finish up work this week. So far my blood pressure is holding steady. The medication has gone up, but only slightly. For me, this is a pretty huge and exciting thing. As was the news from my obstetrician last week that my low-lying placenta is "outside the 2cm cut-off" - which means if I go into labour any time from now, there is a possibility I may be able to try to give birth naturally (this is on the proviso that my BP behaves). YAAAAAAAAAAY. Fingers SO crossed. I will do anything to avoid another caesarean.

If, however, the baby needs to be born early for any reason I have already been told caesarean is the only card on the table. We shall just see...

So, here I am all hot and heavy! It's brilliant to feel so toasty and warm with all the extra heat of the baby. Shaun keeps complaining it's cold in the house and I'm like, "nah, it's not". Makes me pity my poor sister who spent all summer in the third trimester. Ick. Don't think I'd fancy that one bit.

The weight of this thing (now about 2kg) is seriously impacting on my sleep now. My bed has become such a bittersweet place. On the one hand I stare at it longingly all day, wishing for even a 5-minute nanna nap ... but on the other, the minute I hop in I feel the ache in my hips and I KNOW it's not going to be comfortable. Sigh. Truly one of nature's most rotten tricks to do this to a person who in a matter of weeks is going to be massively sleep deprived.

To top it off, I have hit an insomnia patch too (had this with E too), where I pass out when my head hits the pillow but come 2am or 3am - CHING - wide awake, hungry even. It's awful.

Anyhow, minor whinges aside, I am doing OK. Slowly starting to move out of denial and into that "right, we need to get ready" phase.

Still no ideas on a name yet though. That one's in the too-hard basket, I'm afraid...

Mums - as mags see them

What do you make of these - all pics from recent European fashion mags?







I saw them on a blog last night and my first reaction was to guffaw and roll my eyes. I guess I never have, and never will, take fashion seriously. It's mere frivolity - and in no way important to anyone's life.

But then I thought a bit more: are these images deliberately controversial? (Maybe in an attempt to provoke an outcry like not so long ago when Vogue - I think it was Vogue - showed super-expensive accessories being held by Indian slum children.) If so, yeah ... OK, they tick the 'controversial' box.

When you look at them are you genuinely outraged? What do you make of their inferences about women - and mothers in particular? Personally, my outrage is mostly reserved for the fact that they show a woman smoking. How vile and stupid in this day and age.

Maybe some people will find these pics fresh and artistic. Perhaps it's good to push the envelope...

Anyway, what do you think?

Countdown on...

Here I am at almost 32 weeks and the countdown till D day feels like it is well and truly on. On Tuesday I had a check-up at the hospital. I saw the obstetrician first and mentioned I'd been feeling a bit headachey and nauseous. He booked me in for a day stay. Then I saw the blood pressure specialist who said, "you don't need day stay". So I went to work instead!

It does feel to me like my blood pressure is a bit borderline, but it's hanging in there. Yesterday I went to labour ward on the advice of the midwives there. You see, the movements of the baby had dropped right back and that combined with high-end-of-normal blood pressure meant a quick admission for a check of the baby - all good - and my BP (fine). Was a big relief.

I'm still not sure when to finish up at work. When is a sensible time to stop working? Considering E was born at 36 weeks, I'm reluctant to go past 34 weeks. But then again, this pregnancy hasn't had the same issues as the first one, thankfully, so perhaps it's best to earn a few bucks while I can? I really don't know ... just don't want to push my luck.

We have rearranged the house a bit to cram the cot into E's bedroom, but there are lots of small jobs still to be done. Today I got all the nappies out from storage and I'm giving them a hot wash so they're ready to use. But I need to wash and air out the pram, move into the booster so we can give E's car seat a GOOD clean (filthy!) before we turn it back into a capsule.

We also have a few big (monumental!) tasks too, like deciding on a couple of names we like. Not getting far on that front...!

Sunshine

At last! A sunny day! I even managed to convince Mr 'I Want To Stay At Home' to come over to the park to eat our afternoon fruit salad in the sun. I took this pic with the timer while we were there. It occurred to me the other day that we have virtually no pictures of this 'bump' - I wonder if that means there will be fewer pics of Kidlet #2 as well?!! Hmmmm...

So I have been trying to remember to record the existence of this pregnant belly while it remains so. I love this pic because it is quite candid and lovely but - oh my goodness - I look absolutely enormous ... and for that I hate it.

The camera does lie, right?!!...

Thirty +

Here we are at 30 weeks. It's good to be at this point, and so far all is going so smoothly. I'd forgotten just how heavy and awkward things get in the final trimester. I'd also forgotten just how much housework involves bending! And as much as I nicely ask my other half to please pick up the bath mat it seems this is not something he places too much priority on ... sigh! I have, however, abdicated responsibility for changing the sheets on the beds and he's been cool with doing this.

I guess the thing I've noticed most of late is just how much my hips and ribs ache at night - are ribs supposed to ache in pregnancy? I really can't remember if they did or didn't last time. I guess this makes sense, since everything is being squished upwards and outwards. Rolling over is bed is soon about to require a crane.

Another odd thing I've noticed is an increase in tearfulness - the littlest things will make me upset. And a touch of morning sickness-like nausea appears to have come back. Bleurgh... as if 14 weeks of it wasn't enough! I suppose all this is pretty normal.

I am thankful that all's been well and that I am feeling well. Now, if only it would stop raining here I'd be positively chirpy...!

Twenty nine weeks...

The thirty week mark of my pregnancy is so close now, a few mere days away - and what a relief that is. I remember the blood pressure specialist congratulating me when I made it to 30 weeks with E. As she told me, a baby born at 28 weeks (when I struck problems with him) has an 80% chance of survival. At 30 weeks, it's pretty much 100% (though of course that's not to say the baby will be healthy - just more likely to survive).

Pre-eclampsia is such an unpredictable beast.My blood pressure has been holding steady - for now at least. It's been sitting at the high end of normal, but apparently none of the doctors I see are bothered by that. It's only when it breaks the 140/90 barrier (currently on about 132/85) that they worry.

So on we roll.