23 weeks

Here I am at almost 24 weeks(ETA) and according to the ultra sound I am 24 weeks. It's funny how we always want to be that bit further on than we are, to be a little closer to meeting this new little person that is now wiggling and squirming within. To be quite honest, I love labor and really look forward to being close to giving birth. I know I still have a long way to go and I am not feeling impatient but I look forward to being about 36weeks and thinking "any time now".
I love reading other peoples pregnancy blogs and following them thru to delivery. David laughs at me as he often returns home from work to find me reading some pregnancy article or someone's blog. It just happens that Caleb is having a sleep at this time and its my chance to put my feet up to help the varicous veins I have in my left leg (any excuse). It would be easy to keep doing stuff around the house but for the sake of my body and bubs I elect to have feet up time.

As I write my three girls have their rubber gloves on and are scrubbing the bathroom. They have started their own "not for profit" cleaning business. I have suggested that they practice at home before offering their services to others:) They have also weeded the garden and made us breakfast in bed this morning. We had my good friend Sonya's 3 girls for the night so it was a hive of industry but they were all very well behaved and not too much to handle at this stage in pregnancy.

David and I had our few days away last week and enjoyed going for coffee(decafe) when we wanted and going to see movies and eating out wherever we felt like, without having to arrange baby sitters. It was great to just spend time chatting and enjoying each others company. I also enjoyed returning to my children and being under one roof again as a family.

We have Samara turning 5 on Friday and a big party on the Saturday. We give the kids a party on their 5th and 10th birthday. Other birthdays we just do something quietly as a family or with a special friend. As the family grows, so does the amount of birthdays, they come about so quickly.
We have arranged for a bouncy castle and have a pinata (I don't know if thats how you spell it). I still need to organize the food. I am partially ready but need to do the last preparations. Tomorrow may be baking day. I'll see how I go. I also have Mothers group in the morning at church and we are supposed to be cleaning toys as kids slobber and sharing toys soon becomes a great breeding ground for all sorts of nasty little bugs. I'll see after the morning if I bake or go and buy stuff at the store. I'm not going to over do it as I often can do.

This is becoming a rather long blog so I will finish up for now.
I have just taken a belly shot and posted it on flickr.com

22 weeks

Today has been a day of getting things in order. My folks are coming to stay as David and I will be having a couple of nights at the Carlton hotel and Mum and Dad are going to look after the kids. I have been cleaning the things that you can live with yourself but with the thought of someone else seeing the mess, it motivated me to get stuck in. Things like the fridge and pantry were a couple of things. The odd science experiment that is growing in a half eaten tin of spagetti and somehow got hidden behind everything is the type of thing you dont wont anyone else to see. It feels so good now it is done.
I am finding it slightly more tiring as I am getting heavier but still not too bad. I'll write again when I return form our time away.

21 weeks

Yesterday I wrote a lengthy blog that I did not save as I went and promptly lost the lot. David had warned me of this and kept saying copy it and paste it somewhere until you post it, but did I listen. Sometimes others know best, especially husbands who happen to work on computers for a living.

What I wrote about yesterday was that the day was so sunny and nice that I rang my Mum and we went for a trip to the zoo. My Dad retired from being principal and Kingsway school and is currently looking for new employment. This meant that he could also come and they also brought my Grandma who is 87 years old. She did so well as you have to walk for miles and I was well and truly ready to sit down at the end of the day.
The zoo is such a great place to meander through. Even if the animals were not there it would be a nice walk. I used to want to let all the animals out as a kid but they have upgraded and the animals are in as natural environment as possible and heaps more room now.
The children loved it, Caleb walked for most of the way on his little 20 month old legs. We probably walked for 2 hours if not more.

After the zoo I had quick feet up time before David and I went to view a house. We don't really need to move but every time we drove past the place we kept thinking we should go and take a peek. It was large with 6 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and lots of potential. It needs TLC and for the price they are asking I would not be prepared to move. God would need to give us a real thumbs up if he wanted us to move.

Bubs is doing well. I saw my mid wife last week and the specialist had viewed my ultrasound and says that the placenta is not too low. I was not worried about it but its nice to know it is not a factor against having a home birth.
I discussed the possibility of hiring a birthing pool for at home. I like the idea of the buoyancy and I usually love being in the bath or shower during labour. I have not fully thought thru about actually having the baby in the pool but I might be so comfortable (if that's possible in labour)that I don't want to get out. I have not discussed this with David yet and he will probably read about it on my blog before I talk about it with him.
I took another belly shot that is posted at flickr. I just thought it would be fun to keep track of the progress this time.