Preparing for Babys Arrival - MARCH 2011

Written while I was still pregnant;

My mother-in-law kindly paid for us to get new drapes in Noah and baby's room. The last ones were horribly moldy, torn and broken so it was very exciting to see them pulled down. I had 3 or 4 different companies come to the house with an assortment of materials. In the end I really liked this brown, cream and teal material and it looks great;


We finally got a wall painted in the baby's room. I have wanted a feature wall for ages to add some colour to the room. I'm really into this aqua marine colour at the moment which I figured was a nice colour for Noah and suitable for a boy or girl. I was at the traffic lights one morning when the car infront of me said 'Painter'. I called the guy as soon as I got home and he had the wall painted within the week. Noah was so excited to see the wall a different colour when he came home from kindy the day it was painted.


We finally got the baby's bassinet set up next to my side of the bed. Nothing is simple - we spent weeks and weeks looking all over the house and in the attic for one particular screw piece, only to eventually discover it was attached to the bassinet all along! Every night when I get into bed I look in the bassinet and try to imagine what our little baby will be like. As pregnant as I am, it's still hard to believe we will have a newborn laying in it within in a matter of weeks.



I’ve been awake since 4 this morning and have finally given in to starting my day at 5.30. With only 6 weeks to go until baby is due I'm already waking during the night and not being able to get back to sleep.

Last night I had to use the toilet 5 times between 11pm and 4am!

In these last few weeks of pregnancy I have been feeling pretty anxious about getting the baby's bassinet and swing set up. And like most men/fathers, Tony is asking me what I'm worried about with a whole six weeks to go! I can't help fretting over the possibility of the baby coming early and then not feeling organized for it. Or the possibility that once I'm in hospital for the week Tony won’t know how to find anything or set things up properly without me. I always have a strong urge to be organized and prepared, pregnant or not. I am feeling so anxious that the moment the baby comes I will have vitually no time at all to do anything, other than go from one child to the next.

Noah has frequently asked me in the mornings, “Is the baby coming today.” It is so sweet how excited he is for it to come out, although I don't think he understands how much this baby is going to occupy his mummy! I am sure he’s convinced that when the baby arrives it will be able to instantly play with him.

Now that my tummy is so big my belly button is really poking out. It shows through all my clothes! Ashton loves it - he's happy there's someone else in the family who has a belly button just like his.

I am wondering everyday whether we will complete our family with a 4th son or little girl. It will feel like a miracle if we have a girl, but I will still be happy with another beautiful healthy baby boy. Everyone around us has talked the whole 9 months about hoping we have a girl. It's funny to say, but I feel immense pressure for us to have a girl even though it's totally out of my control. For me, Tony and the boys it has been really fun not knowing the sex and making guesses, but the comments from other people have bothered me at times. I’ve been told our baby can’t be a girl because I haven’t had swollen feet, pimples or morning sickness. People have made comments such as; “You know you're going to have another boy right” and “Are you saving the disappointment for the big day?” I suppose the biggest problem of not knowing, is that people share their own insecurities with you without even knowing it!


This pregnancy has been exactly the same as my last 3. I am even carrying the same. The only difference is that I keep getting leg cramps during the afternoon and evening which I've never had before. They get worse and more frequent as the day goes on. Sometimes the pains are so sharp they bring me to my knees. I usually yelp. The boys always look concerned and stop playing for a minute, but they're getting so use to it now they don't look up from what they're doing anymore. They just call out to each other...oh, leg cramps again! I couldn't even get around the supermarket the other evening without having to stand still, hold my breath and wait a few moments until they subsided.

I will miss being pregnant. I have LOVED being pregnant and I guess I can say that since I’ve been blessed with 4 very easy pregnancies that have not included ANY morning sickness, or any other problems. The only problem I’ve had to deal with is being anaemic. Sometimes I wonder what is worse – being completely low on iron and barely being able to function, or being completely constipated from taking iron tablets! I still consider myself very lucky though to of only had that one issue.

People/strangers are so friendly when you’re pregnant and I will miss the way people smile at you, talk to you and offer to help you. A few weeks ago I was at the supermarket and a lady in line behind me starting putting my milk and groceries on the conveyor belt for me. On another occasion a supermarket worker came up to my car and started putting all the groceries in the back seat for me.

Ashton's teacher has asked the class who thinks Ashton is getting a baby brother and who thinks he's getting a baby sister. Apparently all the boys put their hands up for a brother and all the girls put their hands up for a sister :)

BABY BUMP SHOTS AT 8 1/2 MONTHS PREGNANT;