I blame it on my lack of sleep, for which Cameron is to blame as he kept me up from 1:45am to 4:45am last night. (The little tyrant decided that 7 hours was enough sleep and it was time to wake up and play.)

Luckily the rice had already cooked or I would’ve been extra peeved off as it was dinner time and I had mouths to feed!

Cooked my rice cooker

Can you please stop playing your advertisements so much louder than the shows they’re interrupting?

I normally don’t mind ads, but there are those that are so loud they make my baby sitr and me change channels straight away. Or I mute them. And I’m not the only one either.

If your ads weren’t so annoyingly loud, you wouldn’t lose your audience and the ads would be much more effective.

Thanks for listening – or should that be “THANKS FOR LISTENING!!”.

I have a terrible cold at the moment so it’s been even harder to accept that soon I will be awake every three hours to feed a screaming baby as well as look after an active toddler (as well as running a household and keeping myself sanitary!).

As for the pregnancy, I’m over it! I want this baby out as soon as possible, but hopefully after this cold’s subsided. My joints ache, my stretch marks have stretch marks, I can’t breathe properly even more so because of congestion, I have indigestion, and am literally sick and tired!

In saying all that, I’m so excited to meet the boy (we have yet to decide on a name) and love him as we love Abby. I know it’s going to be very hard for a little while, but we will have two little darlings who will grow up as best friends and practically look after themselves. Hooray for optimism! (And the labour will be quick and easy no doubt, lol.)

38 weeks and two to go

We’ve decided that we’ll let things progress naturally and if nothing happens by 39 and a half weeks then it’ll most likely be an elective caesarian.

Since the beginning of this pregnancy, I can’t help but make comparisons with when I was pregnant with Abby. So far, it’s been exactly the same in terms of how I’m feeling (only minor nausea in the first trimester, a great second trimester, and a tiring uncomfortable third). Fortunately I’ve not had carpel tunnel like last time, and no swollen hands or feet (though this will probably eventually happen).

However this time around I’ve had a lot more aches and pains in my pelvic joints, and am experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions which I didn’t have with Abby. The baby boy seems to be a lot more active too. Currently he’s having fun pushing downwards and making me think he’s going to drop out!

33 weeks - boy belly on the left, Abby's on the right

Now at 36 weeks on the left, and with Abby on the right

As for the belly, it’s certainly a different shape. Abby was more rugby ball shaped, and this one is more soccer ball. Apparently that’s usual due to the relaxed muscles the second time around. I’m still getting the “it’s a boy belly” comments from people purely based on the shape. (Mum was convinced Abby was going to be a boy based on how I was carrying, even though the scan already showed it was a girl.)

My belly feels bigger and much more stretched but that may be because the belly’s all pointing out front and not spread out like before. I’ve got quite a few more stretch marks around my belly button than last last time too. I think this boy is gonna be a big one. According to my mum, I should avoid taking evening showers/baths or else the baby will be too big – lol! Another of her old wives’ tales that I have to put up with, *sigh*.

Then you get home, and the baby runs off during a nappy change, pees on the floor (while watching herself curiously), then comes back and sits her wet butt on the change mat. Sheesh!

Gosh darnit, not again

The movie was set in a hotel restaurant, and involved a man being told he’d have to launch an attack on India (or something to do with India) – he chose to shoot himself…

Waiters bustled around confused about the situation. I found myself part of the restaurant crowd and it was ‘real’. Investigators came and started asking questions. I said “I saw how it happened, but havent’ seen the body for myself”.  The body was now in another room and I didn’t want to see it.

All of  sudden I was back at home with my husband and Abby. Abby was fast asleep. The hubby said that the same men who asked for the attack on India were after him. Before anything else, Abby had woken up and walked into the kitchen to where we were talking. We thought “WTF? Did she crawl up and through the ceiling?” – that was a totally reasonable explanation in that dream! We found that apparently she managed to get out of a gap in her bunk bed barriers and out of her room. (By the way, Abby still sleeps in her cot in real life.)

Then the phone rung. It was Vodafone saying they’d help protect us. They started the call with “Sorry we’ve been so slack…” (lol!) and offered us a safe house. I told the husband I didn’t want to stay in the house any longer and we needed to go now. Then we heard car noises out front and someone knocked at the door….

That’s when I woke up to the sound of Abby crying – it was 1am at this stage. *Yawn*.

Did I mention my husband works for Telecom? What’s the dream trying to say? Get rid of Indian call centres, and go work for Vodafone? Sheesh, I dunno.

Hands up everyone! Abby and her cousins.

We spent our Christmas in Palmerston North this year visiting the husband’s family there. It was a busy day, leaving Wellington in the morning, arriving in Palmie two hours later for a Christmas lunch at the mother-in-law’s, then over to the father-in-law’s for dinner. I ate way too much food and suffered indigestion so didn’t get much sleep that night (I should’ve learnt from my last pregnancy) . And then Abby decided to wake up with the sunrise at 5am the next day. That’s what happens when you don’t have curtains!

Fez after too many festivities

We then spent several nights with the sister-in-law, and ate and ate some more. Fez had a great time playing with the other dogs, and his mum Floss.

Abby had fun meeting lots of different animals. She got to touch alpacas, horses, some new cats and dogs, and met a budgie. She even got to sit on a miniature horse but didn’t like that at all!

Meeting some miniature horses

Oh hai

During the week we were away, Abby decided that it was time to walk more on her own. It’s still a bit strange seeing my baby walking whenever she pleases. She still needs to pull herself up on something to get on her feet, but it won’t be long before she’s completely independent with her walking. And it won’t be long before there’s two of them to run after! Good lord, she’s already wearing me out and I’ve even had lots of sleep-ins lately. I better enjoy the two weeks the hubby has left off work before I won’t have the time to!

I can’t believe this is Abby’s second Christmas! At least this year she’s not a newborn so will be able to actually enjoy the presents, food and company like everyone else (unlike her first Christmas where she just slept).

Abby on Neigh-neigh and her mini sock monkey in a stocking

Abby got to open some of her Chrissie presents early, one of them being a paddling pool gifted from a friend. It was so nice last Saturday that I thought she might like a paddle on the deck. And she did – lots.

She lurrrves water, playing and drinking it too (at least it was just plain tap water and not chlorinated public pool water).

Mum and dad got Abby a play oven for Christmas, which she was allowed to open last week also. She’s not quite figured out how to turn the hob dials though, but can press the “timer” button for the oven so it ticks and dings.

The random stuff in my oven are done!

Then she spends the rest of the time putting things in and taking things out of the oven. She also pretends to fry up what I like to think is bacon and eggs for mum’s breakfast.

Breakfast in bed for mum please

She’s such a clever cookie. She’s walking more by herself now. She can climb on, and backwards to get off, the sofa/bed or out the back door (another thing I have to watch out for!)

She’s learnt to say “ball” and “shoe” but they come out as “brr” and “shuhr”. (In the video below, at 1:04 I ask her “What is that?” and she starts to say “ball” but I correct her – I then notice that Fez had dropped his ball at her feet. Way to confuse the poor child.)

She’s starting to repeat what we say so I have to watch my potty mouth around her just in case!

Have a merry Christmas and a great break from the norm everyone!

Boy Baby's profile

I had my 20 week scan today (although I’m actually 19 weeks 3 days). Baby was being difficult to scan because he kept moving. He’s quite an active fellow, more so than I remember Abby being at the same stage. At the 12 week scan he turned a somersault, and at this one he was constantly turning in all directions and moving his limbs – at one stage he even managed a wave.

Baby's spine, kidneys and pelvis

The stats are looking like this bub may be bigger than Abby, which is not something I’m looking forward to when the time comes!

Little feet

I don’t have the picture where it shows the baby has a scrotum and penis (giggle, and ew – there’s a penis inside me all the time!). I was surprised about this because the lady had paused the image on-screen to show us. I expected to find an image on our CD because we had the one showing Abby’s gender. Oh well, we still have a boy!

Now to think of some names. And maybe buy a new house with a white picket fence.