Firsts: Anemia

This is not going to be a super interesting post. Mainly an update on what's been going on with us. We've been busy busy busy. Two weekends ago, my Mum and Dad were in town and I had two baby showers (posts and photos coming soon). I was thoroughly spoilt and felt so loved!

Right after Mum and Dad left, almost our whole family got a stomach bug (I think we'd been spreading the germs all weekend without knowing it!), which was MISERABLE. Thankfully, it was over within 48 hours for all of us. However, at my 34 week check up on Friday, I had lost 5 pounds and was still not feeling myself at all. After a really busy weekend of work and a friend's baby shower, I hibernated on Sunday with my feet up all day!

By Monday, I was still struggling with fatigue despite the rest of the day before and a good night's sleep, so took myself off to the doctor's office to be checked out. It turns out I have anemia and have been put on iron supplements. Also, that day, they couldn't get the baby to move enough for their liking so I had an ultrasound. He looks great, weighs 5 lbs 10 oz. and is getting short of space in there! However, since he still wouldn't cooperate by moving at all for the ultrasound tech, I was hooked up to the fetal monitor and given gallons of fruit juice to drink. After I gave him a little pep talk about being on his best behavior for the doctors, he got his act together and gave a satisfactory number of kicks. Finally! Of course, that night he moved so much that I didn't get much sleep! Naughty boy.

All that to say, we are fine and apart from the anemia, everything is going well still. So here's to iron supplements and all the joys that accompany those little pills!! Ah, well.

Firsts: Preggy Fitness Class

It is with much shame that I will admit, I am not much of an fitness person. In fact, that's a nice way to put it. The reality is, I am completely unmotivated when it comes to exercising and have never done it consistently except for one year in college and in fits and starts since. Shameful, I know.

And you would have thought that being pregnant, I would have made this a priority, but alas, all my good intentions have fallen to the wayside as morning sickness and fatigue set in. Excuses, excuses, I tell myself.

So for Christmas, I asked for a pregnancy fitness class and Andre was only too happy to oblige! I knew this was the only way I was going to actually get out there and do something, having accountability every week (and having pre-paid for the classes!).



So last night was my first Pregnancy Water Aerobics Class with Oh Baby Fitness and I loved it! There are five of us in the class, in all different stages of pregnancy and we had a lot of fun. While the pool water was a little chilly we all enjoyed our quick dip in the hot tub afterwards! I think I can handle this type of fitness :-)

Firsts: Laundry

Ok, so we're definitely first time parents. We got all excited about doing our little boy's first load of laundry last night! We've been given some beautiful clothes for him already, and since I'm beginning to feel the first stirrings of the nesting instinct, I wanted to get them ready and put away in his lovely new dresser (photos to come when the room is ready). I had to document the laundry process (Andre thought I'd officially lost my mind!), so here are the thrilling results :)





And I must say, it is thrilling to see all those little clothes, tiny socks, burp cloths & blankets lined up in the drawer, awaiting his arrival!

A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

We've spent the last week in Peoria, IL with my Mum and Dad, enjoying a very relaxing Christmas break. The whole family has been here, although Vanessa and Sean came the week before Christmas and had to leave the day after. Steve and Rachel and Andre and I are leaving tomorrow evening to fly back to Atlanta.

We've had a lovely time all together, mostly spent tucked away inside as there's been lots of snow and we are all enjoying the rest. On Christmas Eve we went to church together; the early service so Michaela could go to bed at a decent hour. It was a really special service, celebrating Jesus' birth and all the children were in for it. Miss M behaved very well (I think the snacks helped!), although at one point she was playing on the floor and suddenly disappeared under the pew in front of us, with only her little black shoes sticking out. The man sitting in front of us suddenly gave a quiet yelp and lifted his legs right up in the air in surprise, as Michaela crawled out from under his pew! In an attempt to maintain a semblance of quiet, poor Sean crept on his hands and knees around the end of the pew, apologized to the surprised man, and grabbed Miss M, who thought it all great fun. Then of course Mum, Ness and I almost disgraced us all completely by getting the giggles. You know the kind you can't stop no matter how hard you try. I think the only thing that saved us was a particularly poignant rendering of "O Holy Night"!

It started to snow on Christmas Day which was just perfect. Here are some photos:


Dad clearing the driveway in front of their house




All ready to open presents on Christmas morning


Miss M with her Christmas present from her Mummy and Daddy: her first baby doll!


The big prep for Christmas dinner


Enjoying our party hats after pulling our Christmas crackers




Christmas Pudding all alight (we pour brandy on top and light it...yes I know, bizarre English traditions)





The baby bumps! (Nessa at 32 weeks and me at 30 weeks)


My sweet Husbie


Christmas Baby Bump

It was a really special day with lots of family traditions and great fun having a little girl around, who LOVED all her presents. She ran around the whole day showing her "Nana" and "Bapa" (she hasn't quite got "Grampa" down) her baby doll and running her baby jogging stroller into the furniture. Too cute!

The rest of the week has been quiet and relaxing and we're spending New Year's Eve the same way.

We are thanking the Lord for all our blessings this past year, particularly finding out about our coming bundle of joy. I think that's certainly the highlight of 2009! I suspect that the best of 2010 will be his arrival!

We hope you all had a blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

Addendum...

Well, although the photos in the previous post show a lively and entertaining Christmas party, the following one lets you know what I was really doing by the end of the evening! My friend Laura caught me. Hee hee!



Andre is already up in Illinois with my parents, helping them with a few projects around the house, as he has some extra time on his hands. He has the computer with him so I haven't been on much except during my lunch break at work. But I'm having a busy week and am getting ready for Christmas and packing to join them next week.

It has been and continues to be a pretty busy week. Wednesday night was my last Bible Study/Discipleship night of the year. Yesterday I spent time with my friend Ruth, as the pregnant model for her skills assessment mid-wifery exam...CONGRATS for being done, Ruth!! It was really fun having an extra exam in my pregnancy routine and everything seems fine still :). Tonight we have a little cookie decorating party at my house with some girls from church, so I HAVE to have the house clean...a good excuse to get myself going with dusting etc!

Then tomorrow I am overseeing a wedding that is taking place at our church. On Sunday I get to see my dear friend Liesl for a quick visit...hooray! We're meeting up in Dahlonega as she is staying in North GA so it's a good meeting spot for us. Monday is the big leadership party for our church which I'm helping with in the evening and then Tuesday I am leaving to fly up to Illinois! Can't wait!

Church Christmas Party

On Friday was our Young Adult Christmas Party at church, which was such fun! I am on the Young Adult Committee again this year with all these good folks:



A couple in our church offered to host the party in their home, which is beautiful and spacious and ideal for big social events. We had fun putting it all together, good food, lots of fun people and many tacky sweaters (there were prizes for the tackiest Christmas outfit). My friend Bobbi Jo set up a spot by the tree for people to have their photos taken, props and all! So Andre and I had our Christmas photo taken...it was Baby Y's first "framed" photo!!! Ha ha!



For my far away friends, here's the Bump...getting bigger as you can see!



Oops, the photos came out kind of small, sorry about that!

Apology and the hiccups...

Thanks for all the comments and sympathy, friends! I apologize for yesterday's rant. You really don't have to feel sorry for me, it was just a particularly bad hose day :) I really have nothing to complain about, as this part of my pregnancy has been so great and, apart from the hose, pretty comfortable.

On other fronts, our little man did something new last night...he got the hiccups! How cute is that? We were both so surprised and it was so sweet cause it happened when we were lying in bed, so Andre got to experience it too.

Amazing what they do in there, isn't it?