In January you existed. We, your parents, were very excited to have you with us. The pregnancy went well, you gave me very few problems, you just made me tired and super hungry. We don’t know what happened, but by the end of March you were gone. Today was your estimated due date. We haven’t forgotten you.
Cloth nappies, these days, seem to come in an array of types. Gone are they days when cloth simply meant using terry squares. Modern cloth nappies, or MCNs, is a whole new world. The MCNs are shaped and used in a similar way to disposables, so they are (supposedly) easier to use than having to fold terry squares. I only know one person who uses cloth, all my other friends with babies seem to use disposable. Yes, they are easy, but I don’t really want to create a huge landfill load, and cloth should be cheaper too which is always a bonus.
I’m keen to try making some, but people say that they don’t all fit all babies perfectly, and it’s better to have your subject before making or buying too many of one type. I’ve scoured the internet looking at all the nappy types, and while doing this I came across a really really cute nappy with a seahorse pattern on it. Now, being a seahorse/weedy seadragon fan, I had to write to the company and ask when they would have more in stock, as the website indicated that they were sold out. I got a reply saying that the patterned nappies are all limited edition and once sold out there wouldn’t be any more. But there was one of the seahorse nappies available, and I was given instructions on how to order it. So I did, and I bought another nappy as well, just to make it more worthwhile paying for postage. It ended up being quite an expensive exercise, but really, the cuteness factor outweighs all that.
I’ve also scoured the internet for free nappy patterns, and detailed instructions on how to make them. They don’t look too difficult (says me, who hasn’t touched a sewing machine in more than 8 years), though I’ve heard that to make pockets with waterproof outters, then you need to get good quality materials that you can’t get from Spotlight or Lincraft. But I figure I’ll start with cheap materials and fitted nappies, and see how I go. I’m really excited about picking up my sewing machine in 2 weeks from mum and giving all this a go. The next job is to get to Spotlight and see if they have any suitable materials.
Old sink, Cockatoo Island
The plans for our long weekend changed when our car was taken away on the back of a tow truck. It had been serviced and had a clutch replaced, and we only picked it up on Friday evening, so it was very disappointing to see it on the back of a tow truck on Saturday morning. Luckily it doesn’t appear to have been a difficult thing to fix, something wasn’t put back together correctly, but it did affect our weekend plans.
So, instead of going to Mt. Tomah on Sunday as planned, we had to stay around Sydney. We took the ferry to Cockatoo Island with Aurelie and Nico, and had a picnic lunch before taking a 2 hour tour of the island. It was a fascinating place, with a convict and ship building/repair history. I was rather amused by all the talk of ghosts from our tour guide. She said she was a ghost hunter and that there had been some sightings on the island, but I just can’t believe that sort of thing. Call me an unbeliever if you will. 🙂
After the tour we took the ferry back to Darling Harbour where there was a Brazilian festival over the weekend. I think it was with great delight that the boys watched the dancers with feathers in their hair and very skimpy bikini-like sparkly outfits on! They were good, though, and I love the music. We also watched some dancers from other south American countries and listened to a Columbian group singing and playing their instruments for a while.
We ended up that evening at Aurelie and Nico’s flat for dinner. We’d been invited several times but between us we had just never found a good time. So it was great to have the evening with them. Unfortunately it had been a hot and sunny day, Andrew’s sunglasses were in the car when it was tows, and neither of us remembered a hat for the day. So Andrew wasn’t really feeling so well and we left early.
Monday I spent a lot of the day in my ‘garden’, which consists of some large tubs filled with potting mix on our balcony. I have a worm farm and it was time to clean it out as it was a bit full, so by the time I’d done that and put half the worm castings in each of the tubs, last year’s potting mix looked like a lovely nutritious mix. I planted one tub with only dwarf bean seeds. The other tub got basil, radish and sping onion seeds. I also plan to replenish my dwindling herb supplies from seeds, so we put some seed raising mixture into old egg containers and planted seeds in them. I planted some thyme, oregano and sage seeds, while Andrew planted chilli seeds. Hopefully they will grow and we get around to planting them out this time (last time we grew some of these chilli seeds we never planted them in pots and they died). I just hope that all the new seedlings will survive 3 days without attention in a couple of weeks when we are down in Melbourne.
My belly is definately growing now, though I really just feel a bit fatter than usual. Andrew often talks to the baby, giving it information on life needs such as how to do handbrake turns and explains how things work. He also often tells it to kick me, particularly if he wants it’s input in a vote….”if you want mummy to buy daddy a remote control helicopter, kick your mummy”. Baby movements are also much easier to feel…they are definately getting stronger!
I feel like we’re really organised as far as baby gear goes. I thought we’d be buying all the bits and pieces much later in the pregnancy, but we have a cot and pram on layby (so we don’t have to store it just yet) purchased during a sale, a change table that we bought on Ebay that we have to pick up next weekend, a friend is giving us a bassinet and some small baby clothes, another friend is loaning us their baby bath…so I think we have most things covered already. Now it’s just a matter of converting the study to a baby’s room, which is proving more difficult than we thought it would.
Info from Birth.com.au
You are now 22 weeks pregnant and at the beginning of week 23. Your baby is around 26 cm long from head to toe and weighs about 550 grams. Your baby’s nervous system is now completely ‘connected’. The vital link between their brain and spinal cord (the brain stem) has matured and many nerve cells make vigorous connections. Now your baby is capable of recognising warmth, light, sound and pain. While primitive brain waves have been detected in unborn babies as early as 7 weeks, it is not until 22 weeks that sustained patterns can be definitely recorded. Some women will now notice that their baby jumps with a loud sound.
Unborn babies at this stage typically like to lie in a transverse position (or crossways inside your belly), with their feet and bottom on one side, and their head on the other side. Your baby’s placenta is now processing about 1 litre of blood per hour and by 40 weeks this increases to about 12 litres per hour.
Physical changes, swelling. About 65% of healthy pregnant women develop fluid retention or swelling (called oedema), even though their blood pressure is normal. This may be noticed any time after 20 weeks of pregnancy and can happen in the legs, feet and hands. Normal pregnancy swelling is generally more noticeable at the end of the day, although it may be worse on hot days, after a plane trip or if you are on your feet for long periods of time. NOTE: If you notice sudden swelling, you should have your blood pressure checked by your caregiver or local doctor to make sure it is NOT related to high blood pressure.
Emotional reactions. Most women are feeling quite comfortable with their pregnancy by this stage, both physically and emotionally. Thoughts may now turn towards giving birth to your baby and making preparations for this and after the birth. Partners may also feel the pregnancy is becoming more tangible as they watch the woman’s belly grow and hopefully soon will be able to feel their baby move as well!
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