30 April 2006

Laydee of Leisure

A relief to be free of work for a while - Friday was officially my last day at work until May 2007 (unofficially, was in at work a bit this weekend finishing things off). Am glad to be finishing as I get so tired - walking is harder and slower than usual, and the walk or drive into work has been more exhausting than usual lately. Even had to resort to lying down under desk (for want of a better spot) the other day, as felt all hot and dizzy.

Can now do all those things I want/need to do... take stock of baby clothes stash, prepare spare room for baby, go to the Dr every week (required from week 36/9th month onwards), put some energy into getting a new computer (this one's so slow it's almost not worth having broadband, let alone use it to communicate with far-flung family and friends), organise self somewhat while maintaining some casual scattiness, float in pools, investigate swim-centres where I could be a trainee teacher later in the year (I passed my exam!! yay!!), possibly learn how to make this blog page look a bit less like a template, read, cook interesting new food, go shopping on week days when no one else does, investigate childcare (and possibly apply in case we need it next year, although I have mixed feelings about it), meet people for lunches in town, make birthday cards for nephews etc etc Really, how does anyone have time for full-time work?

Despite having lots of plans for the coming weeks, feeling like a bit of an orphan with my entire family overseas! Over Easter, my parents were in Japan with my brother, and I had a moment of feeling like he must feel every other Easter and Christmas, or indeed any other day he misses having family around. Can't just pick up the phone and chat to my folks like I usually do whenever I feel like it. Presently, parents are roaming around the Brittish Isles, with a tour around Turkey imminent. Mum's coming back early a few days after bub is due, and Dad a few weeks later after hunting down some long-lost cousins, and I can't wait. In the meantime, I'm finding it's a good time to be bonding with my in-laws...

25 April 2006

Calling for theories on an evolutionary principle...

OK - getting a bit more intellectual now.

I have a question to throw out there. If you believe in intelligent design or creationism, go away - this won't interest you.

Being pregnant brings about lots of bodily changes. For example: breasts get larger; nipples start to change shape a bit and practice making milk (ie start to leak colustrum - the pre-milk that is produced before the baby's sucking action "turns on" the actual production of breast milk). The biological reason for these things are obvious.

Another interesting change is that if your nipples are pale or skin coloured, they are likely to get some darker pigment in them and become more defined visibly. It is thought that this helps baby to find nipples in poor light! How cool! As Seagreen put it, it's like flowers evolving bright colours or dots leading to the nectar and pollen, to attract birds and pollinating insects.

One thing that's got me a bit curious though - what is the purpose of women having hair on their nipples? I haven't got any more or less than I always had since being pregnant. But I do wonder what they are doing there? This is one of those mildly awkward questions that I never ask other women, but often wonder. Kind of like discussing bikini waxing. I know men have nipple hairs, and that chest hair growth for them usually starts around the nipple (I used to swim in a squad as a teenager and therefore saw many boys go through puberty...). But women have generally evolved to have less hair. Do you think that:

a) nipple hair on women is a vestigial trait that will probably eventually disappear from the female gene pool along with chin and upper lip hair?
b) it has some biological function, such as providing friction for baby when feeding?
c) you have a freaky mind - just let it go? or
d) other?

Curious to hear what you think.

Oh to have the keys to time...

...I'd make this week fast-forward to Friday, next week slow down a bit so I can get everything done, then the next few weeks speed up again until the labour process starts.

Management has spectacularly mismanaged the last few weeks of my work - I'm in a position where I'm going to be applying for my own job as I go on maternity leave (ie 9 months preggers), and preparing to hand over work to unknown persons of unknown experience during my year away on top of my heavy workload, and working on the assumption I get my job. This is the last time I take a job on contract, I think... unless a future manager has a proven track record of doing things by the book and to the correct timeframe. On the up side, my employer has the best paid maternity leave set up in the country. Perhaps I can endure this stress for a few more days given that?

Meanwhile everything else is on hold until next week... Furniture to buy, assemble, and rearrange.... doctors appointments... hospital checkups and breastfeeding workshops... last minute baby purchases... cooking... taking it easy... looking into parenting literature at the library... meeting friends for leisurely lunches... checking out child-care centres (there's a can of worms to open)... letters I haven't had time to write... dreaming about snuggly little babies wrapped in bunny rugs...

19 April 2006

real belly shot



Me, sans head, at 7 1/2 months (34 weeks). I seem to be of the "nothing much changes except belly pops out" body type. Perhaps leg and butt muscles have grown a bit to accommodate extra weight I am carrying. Still waiting for that once in a lifetime surge in bust size... which to date has only been minimal. When I asked if there were any negative implications re ability to feed given lack of bust growth to date, Midwife assured me that things can still increase in the last few weeks, and that is even more likely once bub is born and starts feeding.

14 April 2006

Width < girth?

I have discovered something all on my own about pregnancy. That's right - this is something I haven't read nor been advised by anyone... Proud moment - here goes:

There comes a point in pregnancy where it is no longer advantageous to turn sideways to squeeze through gaps. If I can't lift my bags up and charge on through frontways, I best find another way to get around. I now am wider front to back than I am left to right.

----------

Speaking of bellies - hopefully next post will contain a real belly shot, not something poached from Roger Hargreaves.

I think I am entering that uncomfortable stage of my pregnancy. My legs get all "antsy" (is that a word?) every night at around 8:30-9pm. It's like they have a mind of their own - I'm content to sit quietly, but my legs get all grumpy and restless and want either to be taken for a walk or put to bed. I can't seem to get close enough to things - I've had to bring my phone closer to me on my desk, increase the font size on my computer screen so I can see it from an extra 20 cm back, and reaching for the stapler is a bit more effort than it should be.

I can't get comfortable. Actually, best place to be is in the bath or pool. Can only eat small amounts at at time - hard concept for my "eyes are bigger than my stomach" mind.... in fact my stomach is probably getting so squashed that my eyes collectively probably are bigger than my stomach. My brow breaks out in light sweats quite often, and on Wednesday at work I had to lie down for a bit under my desk due to a dizzy spell....

Roughly 6-7 weeks to go!!

08 April 2006

Breakfast aficionado

I'm a bit of a fan of eating breakfast out - a good hearty breakfast prepared for you that would take ages to make and clean up after at home. Coupled with a really decent coffee and/or juice. We have found a few reliable breakfast spots in our suburb or close to the pools we swim at, and regularly treat ourselves to breakfast after a swim or lengthy walk.
This morning we decided to try somewhere new. Bit of a mistake. Waitress pandered to her regular customers (who arrived after us and had their meal before we could even manage to get her to take our order). Then when our meal arrived, it fell short of its promise, seemed reheated instead of fresh (gross), and was drowned in so much maple syrup that even Elvis would have tried to pour some off into his empty coffee cup.
Oh well, you never find new gems if you don't venture off known territory from time to time...

06 April 2006

Latest belly shot....











Ha ha ha! Actually, this is Little Miss Greedy! Disappointingly, there is no Little Miss Pregnant.

Another interesting point is that Mr Greedy (left) is also apparently 7 months pregnant or more!! Go figure!

Hero dream!

Last night I dreamed: I was at some night time swimming party in a lake by someone’s house. My parents were there, along with random people from my subconscious (but no one in my life today). We were all jumping off a diving board into a lake, and when it was my turn, I jumped and did a trick where I caught the board with my hands and sprung back up again. I looked at my parents, and they were giving me a look as if I was being a show off and they weren’t really that impressed. So I let go and fell into the water and started swimming back to shore.

Then I heard someone in distress. Cool as a cucumber, I remembered my recent swim instructor training, materialised a flotation device, and swam towards the person who had called out. There turned out to be 2 of them, one was Karina who went to school with me but I never really liked, and I single-handedly swam them back to shore and made sure they were safe. They said thanks, and I said “no problem – I just recently did some training in this area and knew exactly what to do”.


This is the first time I’ve ever had a dream where I was a hero!! Cool! I’m not taking it literally, but am curious about what it means… Think it has something to do with learning a new skill, and handling a difficult situation in the right way, and must be something to do with what happened yesterday (could either be doing some ironing for the first time in years last night, or the way I handled something at work yesterday).