my-speck

i'm pregnant and it's going to be a rollercoaster

A Specky Christmas December 25, 2008

Filed under: eating,family,pregnancy — rakster @ 6:49 pm
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Dear Speck,

Well, you certainly made yourself known today. Felt like vomiting for a few hours this morning and again a little queasy this afternoon (though that could be closely related to the amount of dark chocolate covered macadamias I gorged myself on).

All in all it’s been a very busy Christmas, and we are still off for another dinner in half an hour. Fun though – have seen everybody in one day – which is a feat in itself. It’s been pretty warm, so a swim in the pool was necessary, which made me feel a little better.

Sorry about all the sugar: promise to eat better next week!

Love mum

 

Brisvegas Adventures – Christmas is coming! December 24, 2008

Filed under: eating,pregnancy — rakster @ 8:53 am
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Hi Speck,

How you doing? I feel that you’re doing pretty well. Since we got to Brisbane I’ve been eating a diet consisting predominately of chocolate and snacks (including fruit), so sorry but I’m sure you’ll have to go through a sugar withdrawal in a week or so, but that’s just what happens at Christmas time! Get used to it.

We made it here and have been very busy running around trying to get Christmas things done and see some friends and family etc. Your Grandma & two Aunts saw ‘the bump’ for the first time yesterday. Its really not all that big yet, but the fact that I can’t suck my stomach in at all is kinda funny. They all had a feel – down below my belly button the pubis area is very solid and hard, where it used to be soft and springy. Everyone is very excited.

Yesterday we went to your Grandma’s to get ready for Christmas and while your dad cooked Hommus, Babaganoush and Titziki, I cooked Anzac Biscuits and Jam Drops. Had a strong memory of my Grandma over the past few days, and she used to bake great date cakes and always had baked biscuits in the cupboard, so I thought I’d cook some for Christmas. It was fun and they all worked out well – I made Rasberry Jam drops with the Rasberry Jam that I bought at the Bellingen markets that appears to just be pure Rasberries. Yum.

This morning I’m off to go for a bike ride and take Luke & Freya to the pool – Luke has been keen to hang out since we got back. He starts school this year (which I find hard to believe – time flies). You’ll meet them. We told them about you the other day too and they were a bit perplexed (where is the baby, your tummy is small); but then seemed very interested when we explained that you were only about 7cm long at the moment but would grow a lot bigger before you came out to say hello. Luke in particular was very interested in your Ultrasound pictures – and liked the fact that I call you an alien – I think he now has some idea that some kind of alien will emerge from my stomach some time next year.

Must run – we have to get going early before the sun gets too hot. Enjoy the swim too!

love mum

 

woohoo! Holidays December 12, 2008

Filed under: development stages,eating,pregnancy — rakster @ 5:00 pm
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Hi Speccie,

guess what! we’re on holidays! Its official, work has finished for the year! Just those nasty exams tomorrow to knock over, then we’re free!

By the way, was that you giving me a sharp kick in the kidneys at around 12:45? It was such a sharp, unusual pain that went away really quickly, that I suspect you were trying to stretch the boundaries of your home. Please keep it down in there if it was you – it was very painful. Otherwise, sorry to accuse you of things which aren’t down to you – I guess you have no real way of refuting it. I guess you’re stuck with that until you’re able to talk. In fact, I can blame you for everything from now until then really.

I look foward to it. I can see the conversations now:
Your dad: “Where did all the lollies go?!! What’s mine is yours and I want some lollies!”.
Me: “Oh my goodness, you little monster. Speck, I can’t believe you got into the lollies again!”.
Your dad: “I thought Speck was still on milk”.
Me: “Well, I guess he/she has moved on quickly. Fast developer, just like his/her dad :)”.

Awesome. It sounds like it might just work out. There have to be some compensations for carrying you around for nine months!

Hope you’re as excited as I am.  Look forward to lots of swims and lazing on the beach.   I might read out-loud to you if you’re lucky.

Love you

mum

 

Farts: I am feeling a bit bloated after beer battered fish & mash (couldn’t face chips) even though I pulled off most of the batter December 5, 2008

Filed under: eating,exhaustion,pregnancy,vegetarian — rakster @ 8:07 pm
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Good evening!

I was planning on studying tonight but after an early dinner at the pub with your Canadian Grandparents and dad I am tired (sound like a recurring theme?), so have bought my ‘puty to bed (you dad has finally stopped calling it ‘your baby’ now that you are around) and have decided to write to you instead. I have had a mashy day – feel like I didn’t accomplish anything at all at work, though I did go, and do remember doing some stuff. I also was supposed to get more blood tests (pincushion that I am) but forgot the forms so didn’t manage to get that done either – will have to go up to the collection place tomorrow morning instead. It was kinda hot, and basically I just felt distracted all day.  A bit like a few weeks ago when I could only concentrate for five minutes at a time.

Anyway. Your dad has a weekend of sightseeing, shopping for the upcoming driving coastal trip to Queensland, and general hanging out with Candian G&G planned; and I have a weekend of study ahead of me. You dad came and had a chat to you tonight, so you should know what is up.   I suspect you felt/heard the 8 rasberries he used to attempt to get through to you.   He promised you that as I was just going to stay at home and study, the most excitement you could look forward to tomorrow was hearing and experiencing the movement within me – ie. another day of awesome loud and large farting. I was a little offended at first, on my and your behalf, but on reflection his synopsis has some merit.

The pregnancy books all talk about constipation as being a side-effect of being pregnant, but I guess I just thought it wouldn’t really affect me.  Being pescetarian, and only really eating fish maybe once every two or three weeks, I generally have a large load of vegetables and all sorts of beans etc in my diet and have never had any problems with movement through my bowel.  Perhaps a little bit TMI for you, but essentially if anything, I am usually more on the flowing and free side of the poo equation.  But, you come along, and all that has changed.  I’m not suffering from the dreaded constipation, but by golly, there is none of the flowing and free going on anymore.  And talk about irregular.  I have read that my whole digestive system will have slowed down because of you – but seriously – i think if it were going any slower we could build bridges with what surely must be the vast quantity of partially digested food which must be in holding pattern down there in my intestines.  And farting.  My entire stomach almost looks like I am pregnant already because of all the gas in there – particular just up under my ribcage – I can push on it and it feels hard and swollen – like a big drum, or an inflated balloon.  And I just can’t stop but fart big, loud and long farts all day long.  I have to repeatedly leave meetings at work to slip to the bathroom and let them out.  I’ve given up at home and just let it all go, much to the disgust of your Canadian Grandma & the mirth of your father.  I am still insisting that they don’t smell at all, just that they are loud and frequent.  In fact, not only am I insistent on this, its a fact.  I can’t smell them, and I as the pregnoid in the house definitely have a heightened sense of smell, so I would know.  So there.  They don’t smell.

Perhaps another take on the whole farting affair is that it is a way for me to stimulate you to do some exercise down there: perhaps you have to wiggle around a bit to avoid the gaseous emissions coursing through the intestines nearby your little abode.  Or I guess I could just blame it all on you and say that it is my body having to feed you and dispose of all your waste that is making such a mess down there.  Whatever the case, your dad is right, the most excitement you can look forward tomorrow is a bunch of gas and noise.  Live it up baby!

Love you & thinking about you.

mum

 

…grow grow grow…. December 2, 2008

Filed under: development stages,eating,pregnancy — rakster @ 3:23 pm
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Hey Speck!

well.  Long time no chat.  I can’t feel you moving around and I think it is still going to be a while before we can commune by touch through my belly.  So chatting with you this way is all I have for a bit longer.  Apparently your dad is going to be able to hear your heartbeat through my belly with his ear at some point too.  Again, I suspect its quite a while off, but that hasn’t stopped him trying.  He hasn’t rasberried you in a few days – but don’t feel neglected, he is just busy cooking for me while I study, and getting excited about your other grandparents arriving to visit from Canada.

Its a bit hot today, it feels like summer is finally here.  Yesterday was warm but it still cooled down last night.  It was a funny night – the people up the road have a yearly Christmas  decorations / turn on the lights drink/party on the street outside their house and we went along to say hello.  All in all about 50 people and then assorted children, with a slow start but then building to taking over the street and standing around chatting and gossiping.  We’ve lived in the same two streets for almost two years, so we know a few of them.  I was still surprised at how many little kids were around – I only see the ones who live across from us, but there were heaps of the little munchkins running around everywhere.  At 8:30 there was a 10 second countdown from the crowd on the street – where all the kids stood at the front & held hands & looked & then screamed with delight as the Christmas lights of the house with the party were ceremoniously turned on.  All in all I think I’m still a bit incredulous that we’ll have to look after you and you’ll be one of those independent, loud, screaming little bundles of energy.  Welcome, but still slightly unreal.

Otherwise your dad and I are well, still making sure we eat well – you’ll have to let him know that you really enjoyed the oven-baked falafels so he cooks them more frequently!  Hope you are busy growing your arms and legs and other bits.

love you
mum

p.s. you better be growing a lot because I am increasing in size at a rapid rate.  I think its actually disproportionately rapid.  I’m hoping I look as fat as I do mainly because I am constantly totally filled with gas, but unfortunately I suspect that is not the case.

 

212 days to go. and today I feel like counting. November 25, 2008

Filed under: eating,family,pregnancy — rakster @ 1:02 pm
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Hi Speck,

Hope you’re well?  I’ve been attempting to eat more healthily after Saturday’s chocolate binge – well, actually your dad is trying to encourage me, which is good.  So I have just had an absolutely delicious lunch of home-made falafels and avocado salsa on lebanese bread with yoghurt.  Yum.

Bad news on the home front – your great grandfather passed away over the weekend.  That’s a bit sad – ’cause you’ll never get to meet him.  Though I’m sure that your dad will tell you some stories if you ask him.  He is a bit sad at the moment and gave you a big long hug this morning.

Otherwise all is, I hope, well with you.  I am feeling slightly less tired, but that could be because I’ve just been going to bed at 9pm wherever possible and sleeping-in as late as I can too.  Overall had a rather restful weekend, so I think that helps too.   Your dad and I got some more books about stuff related to pregancy and what not on the weekend, and some kind of video too – hopefully you dad can watch this on repeat until he feels more comfortable with blood & gore.  He’s not good with that kind of thing at all.   your arrival is starting to feel a little bit less unreal as the days go by.

Love you
mum

 

chocolate and to wax or not to wax? November 23, 2008

Filed under: birthing,eating,pregnancy — rakster @ 1:45 pm
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Hi Speck,

howsit going down there?  Your dad wants to know if you want to be baptised.  Since we’re not religious, and neither one of us are, to our knowledge, baptised, we’ve decided against it for you.  If you want to later in life, feel free.  Seems a bit premature.  Anyway, I think he was just more interested in throwing water at your head: the next question was “Can I squirt it with a watergun?”.  To which of course the answer is an unqualified yes, however I think he should note that children seem to like waterguns and as you get older you may return the favour.   But not in any religious sense.

The other strange conversation we’ve had today is about the state of my pubic hair when its time to go to hospital.  I have to admit, it was me that made a joke about hair removal when reading the hospital book ’cause it mentioned that you can get a hairdresser who comes to your room – but he then wanted to know if I am going to wax my fanny for when you come out.  Again, I was slightly mystified as to the reason he would ask such a thing – or even think about it – but apparently he is concerned that I might care what the various people who no doubt will see it will think.  Surprising, cause I’m not one to worry about that kind of thing at all! Sorry if I’ve embarrassed you, I guess you mum’s fanny is something no child (nor adult for that matter) really wants to think about for any length of time at all.  It does make you wonder though – do other women worry about the state of their fanny when they go into hospital: to hairy bush or to not?  Or indeed right the way through their pregnancy, all the scans, the OB visits??  Goodness, you could run a sideline business that was affiliated with clinics that specialised in ‘down there hair care’.

Too much.

Other weird hospital things:

  • why 7-10 pairs of underpants? Is this number arbitrary or does it suggest 2-3 changes a day for 2-3 days?  They don’t specify a style – is it nanna-knicker only or can you go with the kath&kim -style g-banger look?
  • camera, games, … jigsaws?    Jigsaws?  Do they mean jigsaw puzzles?  Cause to me a jigsaw is a SAW that you use to cut wood.  Surely they don’t want your dad to perform surgery on me if it all goes pear-shaped?  Urg!.   And if they do mean jigsaw puzzles, who really wants to play jigsaw puzzles after they’ve just had a baby?

Hope you’re well.  And enjoying my chocolate binge from yesterday.  I gave up on healthy eating for the afternoon.  A friend had a hangover and wanted a burger for lunch, but as we strolled along Darling Street looking for a burger joint, Adriano Zumbo’s new chocolate cafe just leapt out at us & we had to go in.  I had a chocolate milkshake for lunch, followed up with a few handmade chocolates that we shared.  Truly to-die for was the violet & *berry (there goes the short-term memory again, it wasn’t blueberry, maybe blackberry??).  Anyway, good.  I am going back another day.  I will miss Adriano when I move back to Brisvegas.  The cakes are to drool over – if you haven’t eaten / been there you MUST look: amazing cakes

and two reviews of the chocolate shop.

Have to run, we are going to buy a new baby book – your dad is almost as obsessed as me, which is fun.

bye!

love you.

get bigger.

mum

 

cheese – your grandma is a thoughtful caring person but also a numpty November 19, 2008

Filed under: eating,family,pregnancy — rakster @ 10:49 am
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Hi Speck,

temptation lies in the refridgerator, but I am going to abstain for your sake alone.  Yes, you know what it is, my favourite food on the planet: Cheese.  And lots of it.  And you have your Grandma to blame!

We arrived home late last night from frisbee (where I nearly fell asleep on the side of the field after our first game so your dad finally believed me when I told him how tired I was and took me home before the second one – sorry team) to a big polystyrene refridgerated box that had been delivered by courier during the day.  Labelled: “Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder”.  Mmm.. I thought, your Grandma is in Melbourne for work, and she knows I like food, so…  Started to open it and the aroma was unmistakeable – cheese!

Oh, I thought, I hope she remembered I can’t eat soft cheese cause of the risk of listeria…  And opened it to find six massive hunks of imported amazingly-delicious-looking cheese – mostly soft!  aAAAAAAAGGH.  At this point I laughed, and your dad started to swipe at the hunks of cheese telling me that I wasn’t allowed them so they were all for him. Anyway, they all looked amazing and I thought about breaking the doctors orders.. but then thought again.   There were two great hard cheeses though, so I ate a bit of them both, which made me happy.

After the laughter had subsided, I then thought about crying cause I really like my soft cheese, and I don’t know how I am going to last 9 months without eating any.   Reading the tasting notes for the cheeses didn’t help either – I particularly wanted to try the spanish blue one wrapped in sycamore leaves.  I mistakenly read the description out loud so your Dad of course dived right on in and tasted it to make sure it was good.  And it looked great.   He said it was fantastic.

At that point I started to laugh again, and decided that I had to share the fact that my own mother had bought me a total pregnancy contraband (but if anyone’s mother would, it would be mine of course), at great expense, I’m sure.  So I phoned your Aunt in Japan and told her that a big box of cheese had just arrived from Melbourne.  She laughed her ass off while exclaiming, “But you can’t eat cheese!  Everyone knows that pregnant people can’t eat cheese! Trust our mum to buy you something that you can’t eat.  No-one else’s mum would ever do something like that – hilarious!”…

cheese and tasting notes

So, I’ve slept on it and am now thoroughly reconciled to the fact that I can’t eat the soft cheese.  I’ve checked the cheese in the fridge this morning and noticed that your dad has added his NAME to the packaging of the cheeses I can’t have!  He can be quite possessive about his food.  I note however that the day after you are born I will again be able to eat soft cheese, and that the “quesos valdeon” in particular sounds superb (if that isn’t a large enough hint I don’t know what else will work).

I also note that your grandma is definitely a numpty.  I seem to recall that she is in fact the author of a book on food safety and hygiene which was recently published.  Suggesting that she should perhaps be aware of listeria & pregnancy but perhaps forgot to engage her brain and relied soley on her sense of smell and taste.  But I guess, put me in a smelly cheese room when I wasn’t pregnant, surrounded by a bunch of amazing cheeses of all sizes and textures, and all my faculties would desert me too.

Unfortunately, you and I are only able to experience the joy of soft cheese vicariously for the next 9 months.  Your dad is happy to oblige.

love mum

 

food.. you are 8 weeks old! November 15, 2008

Filed under: eating,pregnancy,vegetarian — rakster @ 10:41 am
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Hiya Speck,

so, you’ve still been eating pretty well I think. Still no meat though – you’re going to have to wait until you’re out & on solids to be able to have some of that. We went to the markets this morning in the rain and wandered around buying yummy stuff.

This week its going to be:

mango

  • mangoes – which I am totally craving
  • apples
  • poached pears with yoghurt
  • more hommus
  • couscous with chickpeas and veges (some really nice zucchinis)
  • fresh ripe vine tomatoes, which look good!
  • fresh corn

and other yummy things.

I have fried egg and avocado on fresh soy and linseed sour dough for breakfast now. yum.

Week 8

So, Kaz says that you have webbed hands developing this week. Good for you. Your dad says please keep them and you can have superpowers like Aqua Man.

I guess Aquaman does look pretty cool, though not sure with the genes we will be passing on that you have much chance of turning out like that. Your dad can only hope.

The other stuff happening is that I’m still pretty grumpy and getting slightly hysterical when I get too tired at night – sorry dad, i was a complete and utter crazy loon bitch woman last night – but the good news for him is that he is no longer repulsive like a slug and I want cuddles again.  Sometimes.  And ice cream cravings are pretty strong.

So, keep on growing – you’re apparently now 1 million (yes, unbelievable) times bigger than you were on the moment you started, and you’ve got lots to go!

Love & kisses

mum

 

Eating for two October 27, 2008

Filed under: eating,pregnancy — rakster @ 1:52 pm
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By the way I should have mentioned that I went to the dietician on Friday, armed with the food diary your dad encouraged me to keep. Generally the news is good – the only suggestions she had were to continue to eat a lot of hommus, to start taking fish oil tablets and to eat at least two serves of protein often. So lunch today is tofu laksa! Enjoy.