A very small update

There is very little to say!  Since my last post, I have been home, waiting for this small child to arrive, and trying not to go completely mad.  It helps that I am an introvert - although an extroverted introvert most of the time (yes, that’s a thing).  Up until last week, I was swimming most days at Settlement Cove in Redcliffe.

During the week it has been very quiet and gloriously relaxing to paddle around without feeling the weight of my ever expanding middle.

However, last week the weather changed to about 10Degrees colder (so still mid 20s) and it doesn’t really feel like swimming weather any more.  Now, I’m trying to go for a walk twice a day to try to walk Bub out!

Lily is loving all of the walks!

I am now 39 weeks and 3 days and The Child is due on Sunday (Mothering Sunday).  It is definitely becoming a little concerning with the virus around so I am not going anywhere with Concentrated People, like shopping centres, for the foreseeable future.  There doesn’t seem to be much if any research on the effects of this thing on newborns, so better safe than sorry!

We are hoping that The Child decides to grace us with her presence soon - I’m not sure I can get much bigger!  But they won’t book an induction until 40+10

which I believe is 1 April.

We shall see...

Last night was our last (of five ) antenatal classes, and I’m looking forward to having our Thursday evenings back!  This week has been particularly busy with Monday night at C&A’s house, Wednesday at J&E’s, last night antenatal and then tonight a friend of Dave’s and his family are coming for dinner.  Bring on a quiet weekend!

Part of the last class was to visit the birthing suite, and it was very strange being up there.  Seeing the bed and all of the equipment like incubators, stirrups, etc. made me feel like an alien, completely out of place.  I didn’t feel like I belonged there, I looked at all of the other women and their partners and thought ah yes, they’re all having babies, but I didn’t feel like that myself.  I’m a pilot, I’m not one of these!  It was very surreal.

A slightly funny note was during the class when we were all instructed to dress and swaddle dolls, which was very easy (it was demonstrated first) and I was joking around as usual (and finished first) and the midwife asked “so, Kate, what do you do for a job?”  It was quite amusing to reply “I’m a pilot,” and see the stunned faces!  “I was not expecting that!” she said.  I’m not sure if it was the joking around that prompted the question, or the quick and efficient dressing of the doll, but it was amusing!

We have also had lots of practise swaddling the dog (this photo is from August!)

From next Monday, I apparently have to get doctors’ certificates to say I could work, if work wanted me to work (which they don’t), in other words, to ensure that I keep getting paid.  I’m hoping to get paid for another 3 weeks (up to 37 weeks) at least before going on official ‘maternity leave.’  So 3 exceedingly pointless trips to the doctor!  I haven’t worked since Christmas, when I stopped flying, but work didn’t have any office work (‘safe work’) for me to do, so they have just been paying me to sit at home.

I have, however, managed to use my sitting at home usefully!  I am currently working on filling a chest freezer with meals.  It’s not a large freezer - 146L I believe - but we got it secondhand off FB marketplace and it is very satisfying to fill.  So far, I have made enchiladas, lasagne, tuna fish pie and cottage pie.  Not sure what the next recipe will be, but I accept ideas!  These meals are for when Joey comes home from the hospital, although with Dave home the first couple of weeks, I will probably try to save most for when he starts his new job on 14 April.

So many cottage pies!

On the subject of Dave’s new job, that is also news.  Dave was asked to interview at a company last year - probably in May or June, if memory serves me right.  He never even applied for the job - but after interviewing, they said he did really well but they didn’t actually know if they needed him!  In November, he suddenly got a call saying “can you start on Monday” and obviously the answer was no, as he had way too much work (and responsibilities) at the current job.  He replied saying that he did want to work for them, but that with commitments plus the new baby due 22 March, it was likely to be April before he could realistically start.  Everything went deathly quiet.

And then, in late January, they contacted him again, asking him to come in for a meeting, and offered him a start date of 14 April.  This gives him time (hopefully) to wrap everything up at his current place, and finish up around the time that Joey is due.  And even if she is late, he should still be able to have around 2 weeks at home with us.  

It is going to be quite an adjustment for Dave, of course.  Having been an aircraft engineer for 25 years, it is not a small thing to walk away from.  He is now going to be instructing engineering, and that is going to be a challenge for him, as standing in front of a group of people isn’t exactly something with which he is comfortable!  

So it is going to be a big year for all of us... new year, new baby, new job, no flying for me, etc etc.  hopefully we will come through it :)

And for now... I must clean the house a bit in preparation for our visitors tonight! 

The preparations have started!  2 months to go... and I’m beginning to think about what I need to do before Joey arrives.  Slowly, the clothes, blankets, etc. are being washed, and I’ve just started doing meal prep.  We bought a secondhand chest freezer a few weeks ago and the plan is to fill it before the birth so the workload is reduced afterwards.  But since we bought it, life has stayed busy so I have only just started cooking!  It’s just a little bit inconvenient now as staying on my feet for any length of time makes my pelvis ache.

I had another check up on Monday and everything was perfect with Bub, measuring exactly 31weeks at 31 weeks which I assume puts her in the 50th percentile.  Not 100% sure how that works though.  She is super active and loves bouncing off the walls of my uterus - it is now very easy (and frequent!) to feel the hard knobbles of her feet and knees moving in and out.  She is still moving around at this stage as her head isn’t yet locked in my pelvis, but she is lying head down just rolling her body back and forth (ow).

We had our baby shower on Saturday, which a couple of friends organised, which was really lovely.  

I tried not to think about how far away from family we are, but it really would have been nice to spend the day with them as well.  I did post a multitude of photos on FB that people can look at.  This just happens to be the only one I have on my phone, as Dave took the others!

Shortly, we are going swimming, which is really the only activity I can do lots of - walking etc really hurts my pelvis and when I am swimming I feel weightless which makes a change.

And that’s about it for now... oh yes!  Dave got a new job starting mid April, which is very exciting news.  His current company is still struggling and we are very excited about the move - although it is going to be quite the career change and adjustment for him.  At least he has almost 3 months to prepare for it.

adios!