Sleeping like a Baby?!

My Mum laughs at this currently generation of Mums who are such avid readers of baby books. I'd often hear her say, 'You can't learn how to raise a baby from books. You just learn as you go!". I used to shrug off such comments and not think much about it because back then, I ignored anything to do with babies. Until that is, I decided to have one o.O Suddenly, I began to immerse myself in books about pregnancy and how to get through what seemed like the scariest part - the labour. Meanwhile, I got lots of well-meaning comments from my work-mates along the lines of, "Enjoy your sleep while you still can" - *chuckle chuckle*. Again, I shrugged those comments off too because I had bigger things to worry about, such as OMG Labour!

Ethan is now 9 weeks and while I've begun to adjust to night wakings, I'm still struck by doubts about his sleep. While Ethan is an excellent night sleeper, he's not great with naps. He's a bit like an energiser bunny. He needs to use up every. last. bar of energy playing, learning & exploring before he finally crashes. I don't mind his enthusiasm except for the fact that Ethan often forgets that he's a baby. And like all babies, not enough sleep = grumpiness. So the more Ethan fights sleep, the more unhappy he gets and the more unhappy I get. What to do, what to do...

So I did what my Mum said NOT to do (Yes, yes, typical daughter behaviour). I began to read some books about helping babies sleep. However in my sleep-deprived state, a bit of common sense went out the window. The first baby book I picked up was "The Baby Whisperer" by Tracy Hogg. What I didn't realise was that she was a huge fan of "Controlled Crying" (where you leave your baby to cry in the cot with intermittent check-ups) and although I had reservations, I was so tired that I thought it would actually work for us. It wasn't until Ethan was crying for about 5 mins that I woke to my senses and gathered him in my arms. What on earth was I doing?! No amount of sleep was worth leaving my young baby to cry, just because I wanted more convenience in my lifestyle.

Since that eye-opener, I'm a bit more cautious about what "advice" I take on. I've read a few more books on baby sleep (after sussing them out to make sure the authors weren't fans of controlled crying) but it's still difficult because they often contradict each other. I honestly think all these books should come with a huge warning that says: Beware Sleep Deprived Parents - Please take my advice with a Grain of Salt as it might not suit your family! Okay, okay, I admit that's blatantly obvious and it's my fault for being all too trusting. Just goes to show that the human brain really needs sleep!

So what am I doing about Ethan's sleep debacle? Well I realise that I can't really complain. For starters, once Ethan's woken up and had his night feed, he goes straight back to bed without a fuss. I'm pretty much guaranteed 8 hours of sleep, broken up into two blocks and on the nice days, this even stretches out to 10 hours of sleep. It takes me no more than an hour to get Ethan back to bed at night, which isn't that bad.

Ethan isn't impressed by my attempts at getting him to "nap".

And what about Ethan's lack of day naps? Well I've since discovered that Ethan sleeps like a log if I crash next to him. While part of my mind grumbles about all the house work I should be doing, the rest of me is mostly relieved to recharge my batteries. And the best thing about it? I get to watch Ethan sleeping. There is nothing like seeing the myriad of expressions dance on his face (seriously, when Babies fall asleep, they practice ALL their expressions. It's like watching a one-man movie. Now I'm all smiles, then sad-face, confused, angry, frowning, happy-again, dream-sucking-on-an-imaginary-boobie, etc, etc etc). It really is quite entertaining. As for the other 2-3 naps, I resign myself to rocking Ethan to sleep and letting him snooze in my arms for about 10mins, before putting him into his cot. Usually he'll wake up after 10mins. Babies are built with super-sensors that alert them to a change in their environment - mostly their Mums trying to sneak away to do non-baby-things. If I'm lucky, he'll sleep for 20mins. Here's me hoping that in time, he'll sleep longer.

Ah, the best bed in the world! Mum's Lap.

That's my plan at the moment. It's not perfect and yes, it involves a lot of baby falling asleep in my arms and lack of personal time, especially when I'm home alone. But in the back of my mind, I know that Ethan will be crawling and walking soon. Then before I know it, he'll be 13 and the last place he'll want to be is in my arms 'cause that's uncool. So yes, I'm happy to rock my baby to sleep. He might not be "self-soothing" (who makes up these weird-arse baby terms anyhow?!) but at least I get to soak up every little detail of this amazing human being as he grows from day to day.

Wish us luck!

Yours truly,
Demi, Craig & Ethan.

Ethan @ 9 Weeks

Hi Everyone!

It's official - time speeds up exponentially when you become a parent. Either that or the broken sleep screws with your mind! Ethan is 9 weeks tomorrow. It seems like a lifetime ago that he was cooking in my tummy. Now he's a regular explorer of the world. And how does an infant do this, you ask? Well that's easy. When he gets bored, he cries and Mummy dutifully picks him up. Then to get Mummy to move to a different part of the house, he just cries again and off she goes, doing her best to settle his fussing!

Turns out Ethan is a great fan of the assortment of paintings, artwork & Tibetan thangkas (paintings of Buddhas) strewn about our house. He can happily gaze away, absorbing the intricate details while I try not to break a sweat, holding him up as he does so! Life on baby-time is hectic. There are always surprises - for example, the Poo-Explosions that somehow manage to leak out from both leg-holes & the back of the nappy. Fun times... For once, I escaped the avalanch of poo. It just resulted in a lot of laundry & a rather contented baby.

Ethan Out & About with Mum

My favourite times are undoubtedly the weekends, not just because Craig is home to help me with Ethan, but mostly because we can hang out as a family. I enjoy watching Craig and Ethan hang together. There are plenty of laughs as Ethan pulls a funny face or cracks his trademark smile.  I know that as Ethan gets older, things are only going to get more fun and no doubt, there will be new challenges to face as well! But yes, it is all worth it.

Weeks 5 to 8 are tough for Bubs, Mums & Dads!

Ethan chills out on the porch

Hi Everyone,

How are you all going? I hope this blog finds you and your families all well and healthy. So today is 6 weeks since Ethan's birth! And just as I think I'm getting the hang of this whole 'parenting' thing, a new surprise reveals itself. I've since discovered that weeks 5 to 8 can be pretty tough weeks for babies. It seems that during this time, there are huge growth spurts, both physically (read, bigger head, longer body, chubbier toes, fingers & thighs!) and neurologically (what you can't see, the changes in the brain). And how does Ethan respond to these growth spurts? Well mostly, he's cranky. I think he finds his changing rhythms as unsettling as I do and it's up to me and Craig to help us all survive these changes!

For all you non-parents out there, let me introduce you to the term 'Cluster Feeding'. You know what this is? It's when a breast-feeding baby constantly wants to eat as they prepare for a growth spurt. And if you're a breast feeding Mum, it means you don't get much done as you're pretty much parked in the one spot, either feeding or burping the baby. At first, I was getting really frustrated by all this but then I realised that it was actually a great opportunity to catch up on lots of reading and TV viewing. I've discovered the trick with parenting is to make the most of the situation and milk these golden opportunities for all they're worth. I keep reminding myself that in a year's time, I probably won't have much opportunity to sit down cause I'll be chasing a wild & exploring toddler!

What's even more exciting today is that I've officially reached 6 weeks post c-section, which means (hopefully!) I'll be able to drive again. Hooray! This means I won't be stuck in the house quite as much and I can visit a wider range of places. Mind you, even without the car, this hasn't stopped us exploring. For example, Ethan and I were both so house-bored yesterday that I put him into the pram and we took a 1.5 hour stroll, even picking up an Oz Lotto ticket for the $70 million draw. Obviously, we didn't win or the title of this post might be something more like OMG, OMG OMG! But since Ethan did nap for the full stroll, that's reward enough for me. See, it really is the little things in life!

Anyhow, time to go. Ethan has woken up from his nap and is somewhat bored with the scenery. Even at 6 weeks, this little boy loves variety in his routine! So until next time...

Lots of love,
Demi, Craig & Ethan.

Ethan @ 5 Weeks

Hello World! What an amazing few weeks it's been. I'm getting used to being a 'stay-at-home-Mum'. Heck, I'm getting used to being a Mum! My headspace has improved considerably. I think I just needed time and the TLC from my loved ones to help me to digest the craziness of giving birth and the madness that is parenthood!

Do you like Ethan's outfit? My Mum and his Aunties & Uncles thought it quite fitting as Ethan is a breastfed. Speaking of which, Ethan is doing very well. He's beginning to take greater interest in the world around him and I'm getting to know his personality with each new day. It turns out Ethan is a very vocal baby. And boy, I mean V.O.C.A.L! He isn't afraid to let me know when he needs me (we're talking loud demanding wails here) and as soon as he's picked up, takes keen interest in what's going on. It's not so much that he's clingy, more that Ethan doesn't like being left in the rocker, away from whatever we're up to.

Also his appetite for food is somewhat scary! The desperate and frantic "search-and-destroy" seeking of my boobs is still unnerving. I'm just relieved that teething isn't for at least another 3 months. At night, Craig and I are often woken by a lovely symphony of grunts, groans, whines & squeaks. At times, I'm not sure whether we're sleeping in the same room with a baby, chicken, dolphin or ogre. It certainly makes for interesting midnight entertaintment.

I'm still being woken up at least 2-3 times a night but oddly enough, my body has learnt to function on broken blocks of 3 hourly / 2 hourly blocks of sleep. Yes all you would-be parents out there - this is what awaits you! Despite the craziness of it all, there are still plenty of golden moments slipped in amidst the dirty nappies, baggy eyes & buckets of laundry. We're always having a laugh at Ethan's pitiful whines for attention or the strange faces he makes when milk refluxes. His interesting array of noises have a way of interjecting our subject of conversation, usually to humourous effect :D

And boy has he grown! I swear in the last week, his head somehow expanded in size and he's nearly filling out his bath. When we first put him in 5 weeks ago, he looked so lost in that tub of water. Now it won't be long before he takes up the whole length! Luckily for us, we've got plenty of clothes for the next stage. Double '00' - here we come! (For those of you not in the know, the '00' refers to baby clothing size. The fewer 0s there are, the bigger the size of baby clothes.)

Is it all worth it? Hell yes.

Lots of love,
Demi, Craig & Ethan.

On-Call Mum & Dad

My New On-Call Job

When I worked as a radiographer, I used to be on-call for Greenslopes Hospital. In the middle of the night, I would be jarred awake by my ringing mobile. Then I would sleepily drag my arse out of bed, into my car and off to work. These days, I'm jarred awake by a completely different sound - that of my crying 3 week old baby. But unlike being on-call for work, it won't end after 3 or 4 days. As of now, I'm On-Call indefinitely!

This week has been a hard one. My Mum & siblings left on Sunday and naturally, I miss them dearly. For the last fortnight, they've been a huge help to me. My Mum & Siobhan tamed my much-neglected wilderness-of-a-garden while Sharlene, Erin & Aidan were invaluable babysitters. My Mum pretty much organised all my meals and fed me delicious Asian-goodness to help boost my energy. She also reorganised my pantry, brought us heaps of goodies to better organise both house and Ethan's nursery. I'm just filled with so much gratitude. I hope that one day, I can return the favour and look after my family, the way they look after me.

This Tuesday, Craig returned to work and suddenly, the house felt horribly empty. Ironically, the spaciousness of my house contrasts against the confinement of not being able to drive, because of my post c-section. It'll be another 3 weeks before I can drive again. The adjustment has not been easy. Yes, there have been tears. My full-time career, independent wanderings in my car, trips to Langri Tangpa Buddhist Centre and my Buddhist Studies have all come to an abrupt halt. Compounding all this is sleep-deprevation.

For the last three days, I've been searching the Web & Books for answers to improving Ethan's sleep. Like On-Call radiography, I never know when he'll need me, but I'm determined to do all I can to ensure he gets as much sleep and nourishment as possible. Slowly, I'm settling into this new role. I'm a 24/7 Mum now, for the rest of my life. My days and nights revolve around Ethan's needs but with each new day, I'm settling into the job and learning to find small pockets of joy, sprinkled amidst the mundaneness of Mummyhood. There's a lot more poo, pee & vomit than I bargained for. But at least it's by my son and not patients at work, hehe.


I remind myself that these moments are fleeting and brief. It's become my new goal to try and take some more photos while Ethan's still so little. Already, I see his belly filling out and before long, he'll become all chubby and big. Yep, his newborn days are nearly behind us. So I better capture these moments and mindfully enjoy them, while I still can.

Some of my favourite moments so far: Our midday baby massage. An afternoon dance to some of my favourite songs. Reading a bedtime story to him while he feeds. His reflex smile as he tries to fall asleep. And this might be kinda gross... but there's something oddly hypnotic about his cherry lips, locked onto my boob... (Again, sorry if I grossed anyone out. You have my permission to vomit - but not on me.)

It makes it all worthwhile especially for the hard times, like when he groans and cries for me in the dead of the night. Even as I reluctantly give up my sleep and drag myself out of bed, I somehow find the energy to attend to my baby.

Yours truly,
Demi.

Our Birth Story

Tues 18th 2:50am: I feel a 'pop' and suspect that my waters have broken. Luckily, I make it to the loo and sure enough, it has. I'm only 38 weeks and 5 days but this is full term so all okay. The most peculiar thing is all the fine hair I can see in my waters. It really hits home that a little human being is about to arrive into the world!

Tues 18th 5:30am: Craig and I head into Mater Mothers Hospital to see where we're at. I'm not getting any contractions at this point so my Midwife organises some bloodtests to make sure all is well and there's no sign of infection. We check Baby's heartrate - all is good. While we wait, I start to get back pain and they seem to be coming on quite regularly. Is this labour or isn't it? We're told not to focus so much on timing the back pain but instead, just let my body do its thing. I get some water injections into my back to help manage the pain and this definitely helps. I'm also cranking up the Tens machine. At this point in time, we'll probably have to come back to the hospital tomorrow morning to see how labour is progressing.

Tues 18th 12:30pm: By now, the back pain is extremely uncomfortable. I've tried the ball, to sleep, to have a bath, but I just can't get comfortable. I try to walk mindfully but my pain threshold is getting thinner and thinner. I'm also panicking because if this is just the back pain, what on earth am I going to do when I do actually go into labour? I don't think I can last until tomorrow morning and desperate, I call my Midwife. Craig and I decide to go down the road of inducing my labour to get this show on the road.

Tues 18th 5:00pm: We're back at Mater Mother's and I'm being prepared for induction. Just before I get the drugs, we do a check just to confirm how dilated I am. To everyone's surprise, I'm 8cm dilated. Turns out that back pain was labour all along! I'm ectastic (here I thought I was just over-reacting to that back pain) and can't wait to meet my baby. I can tell Craig is relieved as well and so together, we get ready to do some major grunt work. Alexis (my Midwife) is even thinking we'll have our baby by 9pm.

Tues 18th 9:00pm: No sign of baby! I've been labouring really well in the bath tub, on the ball and in the shower but the contractions don't seem to be quite going anywhere. We check baby's position but Bub is making it hard for the midwives to work out what's going on. We put a fetal monitor on baby's head because his heartrate is too hard to differentiate against mine. Craig and I soldier on. By the way, throughout this whole process, Craig has been faithfully checking my temperature, holding my hand, reminding me to breathe and to relax. He is my rock.

Wed 19th Midnight: I'm beginning to despair because I'm just so physically and mentally exhausted. It's nearly 24 hours since my waters broke and the back pain is still going strong, even with the Tens machine on. But with no sign of contractions coming closer together and baby still in a less-than-ideal position, I'm running dry on mental strength. I feel like crying but I'm so tired, I don't even have the strength to do that. I avoid making eye-contact with Craig because I'm terrified that I'll just roll into a ball and cave in. I've even had some drugs to bring the contractions closer together but it doesn't seem to be progressing. Finally, I ask for an epidural. I decide that I would much rather have some relief from the back pain and gather my strength, so I can push this baby out once and for all.

Wed 19th 1:20am: I have the epidural and blessed relief! I wish I'd been able to put up with the pain but the ease that the epidural has given me opens up a window where I can just sit and regather my strength. By this stage, I've also had 3 cannulas (1 came out during labour, my vein collapsed on the 2nd cannula, and the 3rd is in position) so I'm a bit of a pin cushion. Must be karmic-payback for all the cannulas I've given my patients! The great thing with the epidural is that it hasn't completely numb my body. I can still feel sensations in my legs and on the left side of my stomach so I'm hoping that come the 2nd stage of labour, I'll be able to feel baby when I push and still have something close to a true vaginal birth experience. We're going to wait for an hour and then it's time to meet my baby!

Wed 19th 2:20am: It's time to start pushing and to everyone's relief, baby has moved into the Occiput - Anterior position which means baby is head down, facing my back. This is the best position for birthing baby so I get down to business. But sadly, even after an hour of pushing, baby isn't quite progressing down the birth canal. The obstrectic registrar thinks we need to consider an emergency c-section but I ask that we try a little longer and in a different position. Alexis and Cathy (my student midwife) are fabulous and support me here. Unfortunately, baby's head is somewhat rotated which is making the whole process difficult. We endeavour on (Craig is always at my side) but still no baby! Finally, the Obstetrecian comes to see if there's a possibility of using forceps to help Bub come into the world but given Baby's poor descent into my vaginal canal, she doesn't think that's wise and advises the emergency c-section. Craig and I decide to have the c-section. With due credit to the Mater staff, they don't waste any time and I'm whisked straight into theatre.

Craig keeps vigil by my side.

Wed 19th 4:30am: The drama isn't quite over! The anathetist isn't 100% happy with my epidural because it hasn't completely numb both sides of my body. I can still experience a lot of sensation on my left side and he's already given me 1.5 times the normal dose. As the poor man is trying to talk to me, I keep passing out because I'm just buggered. Craig has to wake me up and help me keep focused. I finally get my concentration together and in the end, the anathetist gives me a Spinal. This works beautifully and the c-section goes ahead. The rest is a bit of a blur but then the amazing moment arrives!

Baby Ethan is born!

Wed 19th 5:06am: It's a boy! Baby Ethan is born into the world at 8lbs 8oz and while he is a big boy, he is still a relatively normal sized baby. I hear his first cry and get a quick glimpse of him, before Craig goes to cut Ethan's umbilical cord. They bring Ethan over to me and our baby boy is very alert, wide-eyed and curious, even if a little stunned. Craig and I are both besotted. After a long 26 hours of labour, we finally have our baby boy.

Craig does the honours and cuts the cord.

Poor Little Man! Doesn't like the cold.

Ethan meets Mum for the first time.

Our first family protrait together.

 

Wed 19th Midday:  After some precious moments spent together, Craig and Ethan are taken up to the ward while I spend four hours in recovery from all the wonderful cocktail of drugs I've been given. I spend most of this time adrift in the land of sandman, waking up only once to ask if the theatre nurse could check in on Craig and the baby. I'm told that both my boys are fast asleep, recovering from the ordeal. We're finally reunited together around midday and despite the dark circles, the bloodshot eyes and tired faces, I get to hold Baby Ethan proper as an alert mother.

Our Baby Dragon, aka Ethan James Thear.

And that's how Ethan James Thear was born! It was a bit of drama but so far, he's a very inquisitive and pleasant baby who enjoys spending time with the family around him. It's been an amazing 9 months and definitely worth the investment! Welcome to the world, Baby Ethan. It's a privilege to be your parents.

xoxo Demi & Craigus.

36 Weeks: The first day of Spring

Yesterday Brisbane welcomed a beautiful Spring Day filled with a clear blue sky that was radiant with sunshine. It was a gorgeous background for an afternoon Baby Shower, surrounded by great friends and one of my sisters, Sharlene. It was really relaxing to chill out that afternoon with a great spread of food (huge thank you to everyone who brought goodies) and everyone really enjoyed the iced-teas.

 

One of the highlights were definitely our Meg's games. We played a series of fun games such as guessing the 'baby names' of various animals, guessing the diameter of my abundant tummy and even completed some fun relays with dummies & balloons. By far, my favourite game was when Meg gave us 10 mini diapers, filled with various types of chocolates which we had to guess the name of! Kate, Antoinette & Sophie really excelled on this one but we all had a brilliant time. Meg really outdid herself with the creative games.

The Mini Diapers filled with edible 'Brown Disasters'.

Baby Dragon is one very lucky baby, with so many generous Aunties & Uncles who certainly showered us with a variety of practical and beautiful gifts. The baby nursery is all stocked and ready to go. The only thing missing is the baby!

True to my heart, Sharlene brought Dragon a Totoro!

I've finally finished work so I'm now pottering around the house, tidying a few loose ends for when Baby Dragon, my family and visitors arrive. Baby Dragon isn't moving as much (the poor thing is probably running out of room) but it still gives me the comforting kick in the stomach to remind me it's still there, hehe. My Mum will also be arriving today (so exciting to see her!) so I'm sure we'll have everything sorted for when Baby arrives. It's certainly not long now!

Oh and while we were enjoying our Baby Shower, Craig and the fellas had a 'baby celebration' of their own and went off to Put-Put and ten pin bowling :D From what I hear, they had a great time which just goes to show that baby showers aren't just for clucky women.

I just want to finish off with a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who brought food and gave us gifts. Your offers for baby-sitting are all vastly appreciated and Craig and I feel so blessed to have each and every one of you as friends. Baby Dragon is very fortunate to be surrounded by such amazing people and above all else, it's your precious company that we enjoy most. Your kindness and smiles are what we will always treasure.

Forever grateful,

Demi, Craig & Baby Dragon.

33 Weeks and 5 Days

 

I know, I know - my belly is massive! Baby Dragon sure is getting squishy in there and I struggle to walk 350m without getting breathless! Guess it's to be expected when Baby is about the size of a rockmelon. I'm counting down the days to work. I have 12 days left. Working at a hospital is getting more and more exhausting especially given the physical nature of my job. So many of my patients are quite elderly and not very mobile and they need more assistance than my poor body can offer right now.

In my mind, I forget that I'm heavily pregnant. For example, I have a whole list of jobs that I want to do in the garden and it's not until I actually get out there and try to accomplish said jobs that my body quickly reminds me that I'm being utterly out-of-touch with my physical limitations. Craig has been wonderful though. He goes along with my madness and quickly does all the jobs that I can't because I either can't bend low enough or reach high enough! My nesting is just about done. All the basics for Baby Dragon have been organised - ie cot (Thanks to Mum for buying this!), pram (now unpacked and in the boot of the car) and I've booked a baby capsule through the Queensland Ambulance Service. Speaking of the cot, check out this piccy below. Until Baby Dragon arrives, it's currently being occupied by other residents. ^^ PS - that cute little cushion to the right of Elmo is a painted pillow by my good friend Hayley! I love its expression. I reckon Baby Dragon will pull lots of faces to match.

Sleep is becoming more difficult, not just becuase of my growing tummy but also because I'm unfortunately snoring. While the snoring doesn't wake me, poor Craig isn't as fortunate. He says he's tried to wake me up a couple of times but to little avail... see, it's not just the Mums-to-be that have a difficult time of it. Oh well. Hopefully we'll be well trained and used to the lack of sleep when Baby Dragon arrives.

That's it for now. Cheers from Demi, Craigus & Baby Dragon.

30 Weeks Now: That's 3/4 of the way there!

Hi Everyone,

With only approximately 10 weeks left in my pregnancy, Craig and I have been busy every weekend getting the house ready for the Baby and the inevitable visitors. After 3 years of procrastination, we finally brought a dining table. As cosy as it is to have dinner at the couch, it's not going to cut the mustard once kids enter the picture. Need I say more about the joys of putting together furniture? There was the occasional expletive, deep breath & lots of sore hands! But despite the hard work, we now have a lovely dinner table & baby drawer to show for our efforts.


And once we got the baby drawer together, that's when the fun really started. This weekend, I buddied up with my good pal Meg and we went Baby shopping! Needless to say, we collected various miniature clothing in ready for Baby Dragon's arrival. Even Craig had to grin at the size of the outfits as I showed him the spoils of our adventures. Here's a glimpse of some of my favourites ^^

Check out those little socks!

Dragon will be all set for Halloween, hehe!

I initially told Meg that I wasn't going to bother with decorating Dragon's room but to be honest, I think the reality that Dragon will soon be joining us comes home with every kick, squirm and visible jumps of my belly. So while I'm trying not to get carried away with decorations & toys, I did put up this little mural on the wall for Dragon. I hope He or She likes it though no doubt, it'll probably be at least a year before they even know what it means! I feel more like a Mum with each new day and I look forward to welcoming Dragon into our arms and also those of our family and friends. I'm going to be patient though. Dragon still needs a bit more time to grow!

Until next time, take good care of yourselves. Craig and I will continue collecting the last bits & pieces and tidying a few loose ends around the house.

xoxo Demi & Craigus.

Eloha 3rd Trimester - 28 Weeks

I can't believe I'm already 28 weeks and into my 3rd Trimester! That means there's a scary 12 - 14 weeks before Baby Dragon arrives in the outside world. My nesting instincts have well and truly kicked in, heightened by the knowledge that I've only 8 weeks of work left! To be honest, I'm really looking forward to the change in the rhythm. When I finished high school, I went straight into uni and after that, straight into 8 years of full-time work. While I know that being at home with Baby Dragon is going to be anything but a holiday, I think it'll be fun to do something different.


Baby Dragon is already learning to play. Saturday mornings have become my newfound joy as Craig and I spend them in bed, feeling my belly. Baby Dragon is getting used to the pressure of hands and it's easier to feel Head, Butt and occassionally a leg or a hand. Dragon is still small enough to do lots of turns & rotations which is the weirdest feeling ever! The funny thing is, Baby Dragon is getting possessive of its space and every now and then attempts to kick my hand off my own tummy. I have to remind it that I've been in this body long before it was and that it's currently renting this space, hehe.

Sleep is certainly getting more difficulty. As I'm getting bigger, moving about is becoming more cumbersome but despite all the discomfort and occasional grunts, I know it's all worth it. I had a brief scare the other night when I woke up suddenly and for some reason, thought to myself that the baby hadn't moved much. Maternal instincts kicked in fast and before I knew it, I was walking around, drinking something cold and uneasily waiting. Thankfully, it was a false alarm and Baby Dragon did eventually give me a reassuring kick. It was probably wondering what all the fuss was about. But that really hit home that this was only the beginning of a long line of worries. I'm realising that my heart has expanded significantly to include this little being and while I can remember my independent life before baby, I have no desire to return to it. I'm looking forward to our family life together - Craig, Baby and Me.

I'll remind myself of this when the sleepless nights seem endless, when the tantrums seem intolerable or when things just go upside-down! But honestly, it's already been a priviledge to look after Baby Dragon and while I know I won't be a "perfect Mum" (whatever that is!), I will certainly do my best.

And yes, I know... my belly is massive for 28 weeks! But it's most certainly all out front. Apparently from behind, I don't look pregnant at all. Me thinks Baby Dragon will soon run out of room to grow. I have my gestational diabetes test next week so hopefully, it's a negative.

Well until next time, keep well. We will continue to keep looking after ourselves and get as much rest while we still can.

xoxo Demi

My bump @ 23 weeks

Can you believe that I'm 23 weeks pregnant? Well it's hard to think otherwise with this photo! I'm really enjoying the "Babymoon" and for those who are wondering what the heck that is, that's pregnancy lingo for the 2nd trimester. It's supposedly the trimester that's the most pleasant and from my own personal experience, it's certainly nicer than the 1st trimester. I finally caved in and brought some proper maternity shirts. Craig politely pointed out that some of my usual tops just weren't cutting the mustard. Good ole Target came to the rescue but I'm also doing some online shopping. I've never shopped online for clothes before so I'm desperately crossing fingers & toes, hoping I got the right sizes!

Craig can feel the baby kick now which really makes me smile. I love that I can share the baby's movements with someone else and when Sharlene, my sister, visited on the weekend, she got to feel a few good kicks too. Lots of people have asked me whether the baby's a boy or a girl but I've got no answer, as Craig and I have decided to wait and find out. However, I'm beginning to suspect a boy and so does Craig, cause the baby is a bit bigger than it should be for its gestational age. Hopefully it's that and not gestational diabetes as this can also cause large babies. I'll be having a blood test of gestational diabetes when I'm 28 weeks so we'll wait and see.

Otherwise, I've been eating well and while I've not had any unusual cravings, I am enjoying my sweet tooth every now and then. I had coconut jelly at Yum Cha today which I haven't had in yonkers! It was delicious. Oh and egg tarts too! Gotta love all those asian desserts.

That's about it for now. I hope you're all well & happy and for those of you in Australia, not getting too wet with the spell of rain!

Yours truly,
Demi & Craigus.

20 Weeks and 5 days

Today I had my 20 week morphology scan to check up on Baby Dragon. I'm pleased to say that all is going well and Baby is coming along quite nicely. Apparently, Baby Dragon is a good size and while I'm pleased that baby is developing well, I also can't help but think of what's on the horizon - birthing this healthy sized Bub! Anyhow, let's not deal on that. Here are some pics from the scans which you might like. To start us off, here are some glimpses of the baby's face and head. The detail on these ultrasounds are truly something :D

 Circumference of Baby's head.

Baby is currently the size and length of a ripe banana, with its head up near my abdomen and its feet towards my pelvis. As you can see, its heartbeat is about 140bpm and sits nicely in the normal range of 120 - 180bpm.

But this next picture is my absolute favourite. Check out those tiny feet! Since about 18 weeks, I've been feeling definite kicks & bumps which are more defined than the "butterfly feelings" I previously gotten. Baby tends to be especially active at night time, around 8:00pm till I sleep. It's crazy how this little being is developing so nicely and completely in my body, without much influence from me except for maybe the food that I'm supplying!

 

 We could see all of baby's extremeties and organs quite nicely, especially its spine (see below).

Baby's upper arm.

I'm mostly symptom free with the exception of some manageable upper back aches, occasional right rib pain & sciatica. However, compared to some other Mum's-to-be, I have it relatively easy so I won't complain. I'm just happy that Baby Dragon is well. Craig and I are still looking at Baby names. We haven't quite found a boy's name that we've both gone "Ah hah!" but we might have one if it's a girl. We're continuing to build up a short list of names that we're mulling over. Won't be long now before we go shopping for baby supplies. Just have a few last minute fix-ups around the house before September swings around.

So until then, lots of love from Brisvegas.
Love Demi & Craig.

18 weeks & no hiding that bump now!

So I've made it into the 2nd trimester and there is no hiding my bump now! Every day, it's getting bigger and bigger. In fact, its gotten so pronounced that I had to start using my work maternity shirts because I was literally popping out of my usual shirts. I didn't really want to induce a cardiac arrest in one of my fragile geriatric patients, hehe.

I've been asked by lots of friends & work mates when I'm due, what sex the baby is and how I'm feeling. Well my last ultrasound brought my due date forward to the 23rd of September but I'm taking this with a grain of salt. I'm pretty sure babies don't pay much attention to due dates and come out when they're well and truly ready. As for the baby's sex, Craig and I have decided to leave this as a surprise. Besides, I figure there needs to be some rewards for all the work I'm going to have to do during labour!

As for how I'm feeling, I'm doing much better now that I've gone past the first trimester. While my morning sickness was far from severe, it is nice to have my energy levels back. I have had to try to eat more food but meal times are getting harder and harder as the growing Dragon pushes my organs higher.

Today, I think I even felt my first kick! I was following a meditation led by Venerable Robina at Langri Tangpa Centre when I felt this unexpected "thump". I'm looking forward to feeling more movements and sharing them with Craig. In a few weeks, I'll have more ultrasound pics to share with you but for now, I'm going to leave you with a pic of my bump. I know my Mum, brothers & sisters are all stoked by my new bump. xoxo Demi & Craig.

Dragon @ 12 weeks

Yesterday, I had my 12 week scan. Craig came along and it was really wonderful for both of us to see Dragon for the first time. After all, 6 weeks ago, Dragon was no more than just a small ball with a beating heart. Now though, Dragon has a head, limbs & a body! In this picture, Baby Dragon is upside down. Now the point of this scan is to measure the risk of birth defects such as Down's syndrome. But in this position, Dragon made the Sonographer's job extra hard! She was jiggling my tummy with the ultrasound probe, getting me to roll around, even got me up and walking but all to no avail. The baby just got more stubborn and refused to change position!

Dragon Upside Down :D

One of Dragon's Leg & Butt

In the end, we ended up going for a walk and she asked me to have a cold & sweet drink. Apparently, this encourages babies to shift positions and indeed, it worked a treat. So after much encouragement, Dragon moved and we were able to do the measurements and see better photos of the Baby. Don't be mislead by the size on these pictures. At the moment, baby is actually no bigger than a plum or a kiwi fruit.

Baby's Face in Profile

3Ds of Baby from the front. That's its hand in front of its face.

I think it's playing Peek a Boo.

At this stage, we are at low risk of any birth defects - so a big sigh of relief. Actually, I was just thrilled to see baby kicking & moving and also to see its strong beating heart. I don't have any morning sickness at the moment and it's all quite strange, because I don't feel any symptoms or baby movements. Never the less, here were these live ultrasound pictures, showing me this moving baby inside my uterus. All a bit mind boggling really! So while I've been celebrating by sending photos to our immediate family & blogging, Craig's way of celebrating was testing his first batch of home-brewed beer. Me thinks there will be plenty more beers opened come late September.

So for now, cheerio. Until next time - Bottoms up!

Yours truly,
Demi & Craig.

9 weeks & counting

9 weeks & 5 days into the pregnancy and what a ride it is! After battling morning sickness for about 3 weeks, I've had a bit of a reprieve. What's really helped is taking a week off work to a) rest and b) do a bit of personal studying. I've really enjoyed being able to wake up in the morning without having to rush anywhere! I start the day with a morning meditation, have a healthy breakky and then spend the morning studying. It's what my body & mind desperately needs right now!

I've discovered that salty potato chips & lemon cordial work a treat for keeping my quesy stomach settled. However, the salt & sugar combined with my newfound hormones mean that my skin is a little worse for wear. I feel like I'm going through my teens all over again! Every morning, there's a new zit in the mirror to greet me! Oh well... the joy of it all.

I swear that my taste-buds seem to be flashing back to my childhood. For example, last week, I had a craving for cocoa-pops & Bundaberg Sarsparilla. Thankfully it doesn't take long for my adult sensibilities to kick in and reign in my childish whims! I still treat myself to a small treat now and then, but all in all, lots of fruits, vegies & protein.

My family are so excited about welcoming Baby Dragon into the world. There are already bets between my sisters Erin & Siobhan as to whether it's a boy or a girl. Apparently, the loser will be dishing out 15min massages. I have a strange feeling that someone is going to be doing a lot of massages!! I keep getting quizzed about when my baby bump will appear and I've promised to take photos for the family. Frankly, I'm more concerned with getting new bras for my growing bustline then clothes for a baby bump right now.

Craig and I have also been busy organising for Fixes around the house. We've procrastinated for over a year about fixing our fence so finally, we're biting the bullet and getting it taken care of. Funny how a baby makes you suddenly proactive about securing your home. Must be the instinctive need to protect & nurture kicking in.

So all in all, so far so good. As I'm fast discovering, the hard part of being pregnant isn't just going to be labour. It seems there are already trials & tribulations, preparing both Craig and me for the months & years ahead. Wish us luck!

xoxo Demi & Craig.

Afternoon Tea at the Umbrella Tree

 

This Afternoon, Craig heard a lot of squabbling coming from our backyard and upon investigation, he discovered that once again, the rainbow lorikeets had returned and this time, they were feasting on the dark red fruits of one of our umbrella trees. Now Meg had told us that the lorikeets were fond of these fruits but this was the first time we'd actually seen the lorikeets feasting. Craig managed to take some snaps of one of the lorikeets. There were three others but this one was a bit greedy and seemed intent on chasing its mates off. Needless to say, its looking rather pleased with itself!

Much like the lorikeets, we've had a pretty lazy Saturday. Actually, its the first day of the week that I've been able to put my feet up and just unwind. It's 7 weeks into the pregnancy and I can barely get through a full working day without feeling exhausted. I have to squeeze in catnaps whenever possible! Also little Dragon has unfortunately brought other friends - the morning sickness kind. While I've not actually barfed yet, I constantly feel like I'm standing on a boat on rough seas.

It's amazing the variety of advice and stories you hear about pregnancy. I had someone sympathetise with my plight, only to tell me that they themselves had morning sickness for 8 months. I even had a sales rep tell me that his wife had morning sickness so bad, it only stopped 2 hours prior to her giving birth and also that she'd been vomitting so much that the acidity rotted her teeth...

Comforting stuff, eh? Anyhow, little Dragon is now the size of the blueberry. I brought an prenatal yoga manual as I'm determined to try to be as fit as my body will allow me (respecting the morning sickness & fatigue of course) so I can keep us both healthy. Have you got any morning sickness stories to share? Let us know.

xoxo Demi

We're expecting!

Dear Family & Friends,

Craig and I are going to be parents! I'm six weeks pregnant and at the end of September, we will hopefully be welcoming a new member into our family. As this will be our first child, needless to say, we've hit the ground running. Our first discovery is that the news has brought nothing but smiles to the faces of our family & friends.

Before visiting my family for Chinese New Year, I was debating what was the best way to break the news. I considered buying a shirt and rocking up with it on. Did you know there are infinite t-shirts with lots of crazy maternity slogans on them? Take for example the following shirt:

 

There are millions more like this but to be honest,  my heart is actually set on one of Hayley's shirts. As soon as my bump shows, I'll be proud to sport Hayley's artwork on my bump!

Anyway, back to the story... so I was trying to figure out a creative way to tell my Mum & siblings that I was expecting. Then I came across this gorgeous Beanie Kid.

 

A few years ago, my Mum started collecting these teddy bears that were dressed up as various animals. She collected them to represent each immediate member of our family and the respective chinese animal zodiac signs that we were born into. As soon as I set eye on "Sizzle, the Chinese Dragon", I knew this was how I'd break the news to my Mum! I was planning to tell my family at breakfast to see who would figure out the puzzle first. However my plans had to change since my family (being typically busy and rarely idle during Chinese New Year) were leaving the house at 4am to do Chinese Lion Dancing at the airport. Therefore, I figured I might as well tell my Mum that night.

My good friend Mel had kindly picked up Craig & myself from our very late flight in from Brisbane. So I let Mel in on the news. We got home and gave Mum lots of hugs, as she rapidly updated us on what was happening during the Chinese Street Festival. That's when I pulled out the Beanie Kid and told her that this year, Craig and I wanted to add a "Dragon" to her collection.

Now my Mum has spent the last two weeks staying up late every night, frantically sewing decorations for Chinese New Year. Naturally, she was a bit sleep deprived and it didn't immediately click. She kinda wasn't overly excited by the Dragon teddy as she'd thought that I'd brought it just because 2012 was the year of the Dragon. The next thing you know, Mum's gone and pulled out the entire collection of beanies and started rattling off which person in the family the Beanie represented and proudly showing it off to Craig & Mel.

"Yes, I've got this collection of teddies... see I'm the Tiger, and Dad's the Goat... and the Monkey is Sharlene, and the Rabbit is Mickey... and oh the rat is Demi and the Horse is Aidan....-" (at this point, Craig, Mel and I are exchanging glances, rolling our eyes, waiting for the penny to drop, as my Mum continues...) "Oh and Erin is the Pig and Siobhan's the Ox!"

She's looking very truimphant as she manages to list everyone in the family, while looking at the Dragon rather indifferently, if a little vexed by its unaccountability. Finally, I said to Mum, "Yes but Mum, whose the Dragon?" I raise my eyebrow, waiting as she still looks confused but then, the cogs begin to turn and she glances at my stomach, glances at the Dragon  -  then erupts into ecstatic screaming. (Meanwhile, Erin has heard this from her room and despite wondering what on earth is going on, decides with typical 16 year old teen logic, that it can't be all that important and rolls over and goes back to sleep!).

My Mum is beaming at the news. She even did a spontaneous jig (I swear I heard a brief playing of fiddles & bagpipes) before following up with an congratulatory & very enthusiastic hand shake for Craig. At this point, Mel and I were mostly pissing ourselves laughing! It's definitely a great story to tell our lil Dragon when he/she enters the world.

Anyway, despite a week of fighting nausea and disgusting fatigue (turns out that Dragon gets first dibs on all the nutritional needs while I just get left overs!) I was rewarded on Friday with my first glimpse of Dragon. My ultrasound shows that all is going well and Dragon is doing fine, with a strong heartbeat of 115 beats per minute. Craig was very relieved to hear that all was going well. I didn't realise it, but he was just as eager to hear that everything was okay. (Duh!) I took a video for him of the flickering heart beat just so he could see that our Dragon bean was settling in with no problems.

On that note, I'll leave the update at that. Although I will add that I've discovered fresh air & water are my new best friends. It's the difference between "I'm okay... I'm okay" rather than *projectile vomit*!

So until next time, it's love & kisses from Craig, Demi and our little Dragon!