The day before..

In twelve hours time I'll be having an IV put into my arm. Shortly after I will be silently panicking as the anesthetist prepares to give me a spinal. I hate spinals.

In twleve hours time, I will be super excited and super nervous....simultaneously.

In twelve and a half hours time I'll be waiting to hear you cry.

In thirteen hours time, you'll be in my arms and nothing else will matter.

I would have a hundred spinals for you.

I can't wait to meet you in the morning.

I love you so much already.

Kids and Laundry

A few months ago, we decided to give our kids some more jobs to do....just general things to help more around the house. Part of the reason was my determination to squish the ingratitude out of them :) and the other was because frankly, the bigger my belly got, the more help I needed. So, in addition to being responsible for their own rooms and general mess making around the house, I also organised for them to take over the washing. I haven't hung out, brought in or folded washing now for a long time. It's awesome!! Job is enjoying it too :)  When Job and I sorted the washing, we'd always wait until we were tripping over the huge pile in the loungeroom, or until the day no one could find any clothes to wear because they were all in the clean washing pile. Now with the kids doing it all regularly, its done 3-4 times a week - so no huge piles anymore.

The first time Benny sorted the washing, he picked up a huge pair of grey undies and said "Who's are these??! They're HUGE!"

Well, they were mine. I said "Excuse me, do you mind??" Hahaha, he thought they were hilarious and wore them around the house for the next half an hour. Not only were they big, but they were full of holes too - and no I'm not showing you a photo of them ;) 

So it became Bennys ritual when it was his turn to sort the clothes and he found my funny undies, to put them on and we'd all laugh at them. I finally told him the other day to throw them in the bin. (Just to explain - I have a few pairs of baggy knickers in the house that I bought over the years to wear post-caesar.) 

               Now that my funny underwear has gone, he finds other things to wear instead. Silly Ben.

Sisi knew something funny was going down when I got the camera out and put on my underwear too (as did JJ but he wont admit it) I have some hilarious ones of Benny and JJ together that JJ has forbidden me to share.

I'll be saving them for their 21st birthdays ;)

A piano duet with my little girl

My kids are all still enjoying the piano and they're doing quite a good job at putting up with their teacher ;)
I believe one of the tricks to keeping them interested is allowing them to play music they enjoy. Sometimes they'll ask to learn a song off one of their favourite shows - or something they have seen on tv or youtube. Luckily the music I haven't been able to track down, hasn't been too difficult to figure out for them (so far!)

One of the songs Lani has loved learning is a modern cello/piano duet called 'wind.' I orginally downloaded it to learn it myself to play with a cellist friend. Lani heard me play it once and loved it. She decided it would be her next song. I explained that we'd have to play it together as it is a bit tricky for her two little hands :) She loves to play together anyway, so she was very happy with that idea.

I think she has done a really good job keeping the melody line flowing throughout while I play the left hand - especially as this particular piece is in 5/4 - A difficult time signature to keep. Lani has been blessed with an innate sense of rhythm which means she can handle the clashing rhythms between my hand and hers - it also makes my job of teaching her much easier.

                                               I love her face at the end. She is so cute.

A bun in the oven!

I am still trying to figure out whether I have a big bun...

...or a big oven.

                                Here I am.. (brace yourself if you haven't seen me recently)

That photo was taken three weeks ago, so add on a couple more centimetres and you'll get where I am now. I am laughing to myself as I look at this shot as it captures exactly how I am feeling today.

Since this is my first and probably last "I am pregnant!" blog, I'll go back to the beginning.....

hmmmm, wonder if I can remember the beginning (naughty me for not blogging this ealier)

I remember going grocery shopping with Job. We were walking up and down the isles when suddenly I needed to go to the toilet. The sensation left, returned and then left again. I thought it was a bit strange but just ignored it. Then we got to my favourite isle (where the chocolate is of course) and hubby said "Which chocolates are you going to get today?" I said "Actually I don't feel like any."
That's when we both stopped and looked at eachother, knowing that something was up. Job just said flat out "You must be pregnant! It's the only time you dont go crazy over chocolate." We bought a pregnany test and went home. I was pretty sure I must be pregnant, Job was right, I never turn down chocolate. With this quiet assurance and my excitement growing, I decided we should test when the kids got home from school so they could be a part of it too.

Here they are waiting for me to come out of the toilet - going a bit nutty with anticipation by the looks of it.

                                                           Job captured the result on video...
         
                                       

It a faint second line, but it's there :)

I also took a video of Benny and Lani  who were so excited..

It was so much fun, sharing the moment with the kids.

The kids have been great. JJ and Lani especially have been extra helpful around the house. JJ has been learning how to cook meals with me now so that when the time comes, he can prepare some dinners. Lani is happy to clean and pick up whatever I can't get to on the floor. Benny is usually pretty good too ;) - when he feels like it. They have all enjoyed feeling the baby grow and move. Job and I took them along to the ultrasound where we found out we'll be having another boy. I thought it was beautiful on that day how they didn't care in the slightest about the sex, they're were just so stoked to be having a little baby to look after. I'm hoping the novelty of helping me to change those dirty nappies wont wear off after the first week!

So once we knew we were pregnant, we told our families and I told my close friends. I didn't make it to the twelve week mark before everyone else found out. I popped right out at week 9 and had to start wearing baggy tops and lavalavas.  By the time I was 11 weeks, I was in maternity clothes:

Morning sickness continued on into week twenty...something and I had a few small hiccups along the way with stomach pain, reflux and lack vitamins. Speaking of hiccups, I've never had a baby hiccup so much in utero! He hiccups 2-3 times a day, each episode lasting a good 5 minutes. They are so easy to feel and see now, my tummy moves with each one. I think he may be a little piggy.

Its also really nice that I am able to be pregnant along with Kym and Mariah (my workout companions) This is us a couple of months ago I think, on a camping trip. As you can see they were not popping out as much as me.....yet! They are definitely starting to catch up now though.

Two of my best friends, Kristy and Kelly are also pregnant, as is my sister and law, Lois. I wish we could be closer together....that would be nice.

So here I am now (well, three weeks ago) I am currently 35.5 weeks pregnant and am measuring 40 weeks :) My dates are correct and bub is only a centimetre or so bigger, so the doctor has concluded that the rest of my tummy is amniotic fluid. Whatever it is, it's heavy!

                  Maybe it not all baby either ;)  Some of that fluid could be classic chocolate milk??

So... along with a few more bigger hiccups these last few weeks, we are well on the way to meeting baby number five. Job has been a life saver, rubbing my back when it gets too much :) My caesarean is booked for the 28th of this month. It will push me a couple of days over 39 weeks and is a later delivery than my other caesars have been.... so fingers crossed I'll make it until then without bub wanting to pop out any earlier.

My family are pretty much used to my big belly now but sometimes they look at me and exclaim "mum" or "honey"  "You're huge!" Especially when I park myself on the couch like a beached whale and let my tummy hang out in all its glory! It's funny to look at photos as Sisi is just the right height to get a belly nudge. My tummy seems to be constantly pushing her around :)

She is just as excited as the big kids are to meet her little brother. She plays with my bare belly every day, giving it lots and lots of kisses. (The black and white is to spare you from having to look at all my stretch marks!) 

       Lani also loves to talk to him each day. I wonder if he will recognise her voice once he's born.

 As I am typing this, he is hiccuping again :) I can't wait to meet him in three and a half weeks!