4 out of 6

We had Mother's Group this morning. We 'hung out' at Greensborough Shopping centre. They have a children's play area next to the food court- it's FREE not like those play centre's that cost nearly $10 per child!! So we will return there for next weeks Mother's Group. We are finding it hard to find a playgroup that suits us all so we are trying to come up with venues every week as our homes are getting too small for our busy toddlers!!

It's now safe to say that 4 out of 6 Mothers in our Mothers group are pregnant!! The first mum is due any day now; the next mum is due in June and then I am due in October and the last one - for this year is due in November. So we are all sharing ideas and suggestions on whether to toilet train; take our toddlers out of their cots and teach them the to sleep in a normal bed so we don't have to buy another cot or use a bassinet for the first 3 months for the newborn; considering a double pram or adding toddler seats or boards to their existing ones; purchasing a 2nd car seat and the list goes on!! 3 families including ourselves are renovating or extending their exisiting homes to accomodate the 2nd baby - and we all considered moving but it was going to be too costly for our single income families!!

2nd Trimester

I can feel the baby moving about now - only if I am lying down and quiet! Aparently baby is the size of an advocado. It's about 11.6cm from crown to rump and weighs about 100gms. Baby aparently has also discovered it's umbillical cord and likes to play with it!! In the next 3 weeks Baby should also have a growth spurt which will make my belly suddenly 'pop' out!! Got to start making some adjustments to my wardrobe soon...

I had my 2nd Antenatal appointment today at the Birthing Centre at Mercy Hospital. I took Morri with me. He is always a little scared when the midwifes take my blood pressure and even when I go to lie down on the table to have my uterus measured. He gives me this look of fear as if they were going to hurt me!!

All is good. I have no complaints, aches, pains or nausea! This is the nice part of the pregnancy where I am still not showing, I have energy to go to the gym and do 'other things', my boobs are big and perky again (yeah!), and I can still wear most of my normal clothes!!

13 weeks

I had gastro a few of days ago. I was sick for entire 24 hours. YUK!!

I had gastro when I was about 34 weeks pregnant with Morri. I remember I was still at work and I was throwing up in the ladies toilets all morning. I ended up going to the doctors after lunch and then I just made it to the chemist to get myself some rehydration salts when I threw up again in the car!! Luckily I took a big tupperware container from work with me!! I just hoped no one saw me in the parking lot phewking up my guts that day. Throwing up in the car is hard enough but with a 34 week old pregnant stomach - it was damn hard to bend over!!

Mike has returned from his adventure in Central Australia! And his welcome home present from me was gastro!! Poor thing was so fit and healthy while he was away, and when he returned home I had to give him gastro!! Sorry honey!! Men are much worse at being sick than women!! - Lots of moaning, groaning and cursing!!

12 weeks

This photo was taken at the end of 12 weeks. A slight belly!! (I had to take the photo myself - so it is me - that's as far as my arm would reach, so I couldn't get my head in the shot!)

11 weeks

I am feeling less tired during the day now and the nausea has almost gone - although it comes on in the late afternoon and stays until bedtime. THANK YOU GOD!! I thought it was never going to end...

Mike has been away this week - he's on 'Centre Trip' for work - every year the Year 10 students at his school take a road trip for 3 weeks up to the Northern Territory. Mike won't be back for another couple of weeks. Our plan was for Morri & I to stay with my parents for a bit for some R & R and to also be close while my mum as goes into hospital. But that plan soon ended as Morri has been missing his Daddy like crazy and has been very unsettled at night and really insecure during the day. Which is very unlike him. So we've had to go back home and we just come and play and hangout with my parents during the day. Morri was refusing to sleep in his cot - crying in histerics and even vomiting in result of the stress. He has been sleeping with me in my bed for security - he's afraid I will leave him too. What's worse was that being pregnant I have to take frequent trips to the toilet in the middle of the night. When I wake up to go, Morri wakes up crying thinking I was leaving him so I would have to take him to the toilet with me half asleep - tricky!!...
Mike usually puts Morri to bed at night and he likes to play and cuddle on the couch with his Daddy before he goes to sleep - so Morri is definately missing it. And you know babies, they need their routine and if it is altered in someway - it becomes a nightmare. How do you explain to a 1 year old that his Daddy is away in the middle of Australia and will be back in a couple of weeks? I just tell him that his Daddy is on the BUS! which he is - travelling all around Central Australia. Morri understands that we can talk to Daddy on the phone, so often during the day he asks to use the phone to call Daddy. I have also stuck big A4 size photos of Mike on Morri's bedroom wall - which he loves to look at point. He even gives the photos of his Daddy a kiss goodnight - how sweet.
So this week has been challenging, but last night was the first time he slept in his own room without me having to get up to comfort him in the middle of the night! Yeah! - only I couldn't sleep becuase I think I had too much chinese tea in the evening :( So things are getting better.

10 weeks

I went for my antenatal appointment today at the Family Birthing Centre at Mercy Hospital - it felt like I was there just yesterday!! The Midwife who saw me was very impressed that we mangaged to fall pregnant at the exactly the same time we did with Morri!! I told her we didn't plan for it that way!!
I was very happy with the care I was given throughout my pregnancy, during and after labour the first time round I thought I'd stick to it again this time round. Plus I liked the double bed birthing suites - Mike could stay the night too!! I

9 weeks

...this little one is just sucking all my energy...

8 Weeks

Today has been the first day that I haven't woken up feeling sick!! Yeah!! And for most of the day - I wasn't so nauseas! Still don't have much of an appetite - although I was craving McDonald's hamburgers - but only for a second and talked myself out of wanting it!!

7 Weeks.

By the end of this week, the bubs should be looking like this. How amazing!
...I am still feeling sick & tired...
I have discovered something...if I am horizontal (that is lying down) the nausea goes away!!

Things that make me go.............

Here is a list of the things I can't handle the smell of at the moment; as they all make me gag, choke or feel like I need to throw- up:
- Cooking garlic, onions, or leeks
- Cleaning Morri's pooey nappys
- Feeding Morri his meals
- Fried foods
- Our toilet (that's why I had to get air freshner to mask the smell)
- Mike's studio, especially when he is painting.
- Mike's body odour after he comes back from his run.
- Rubbish bins

Here is a list that helps ease the nausea and stuff that I crave at the moment:
- mineral water, or ginger beer
- sour green apples
- cruskits
- ginger, in tea & in food (I've been cooking stuff with lots of ginger)
- lemons
- sour lollipops
- gerkins
- salt & vinegar chips
- cheese
- toasted cheese & spaghetti sandwiches
- eggs
- crusty white bread with butter

A day free

This morning I went to see my GP for my blood test results. Everything is normal and to my surprise my iron levels are fine. I am not as tired now - thank God!! Although the nausea is still quite bad.

Morri is spending the day with my parents to give me time to do the grocery shopping and rest! I usually take Morri grocery shopping with me as he enjoys sitting in the trolleys! However, I can't take my time deciding which brand of cereal to try next as Morri gets very vocal when we spend too long at the supermarket!! And most of the time I forget a few items - don't you hate that!! So today I strolled down the isles and picked up some museli, checked the ingredients on the box, then put it back on the self and decided to get the new Uncle Toby's crunch oats instead and spent 20 minutes deciding what type of air freshner to get for the bathroom/toilet!! (I have smell issues with the bathroom/toilet at the moment!) And I didn't forget a single thing on my shopping list!! Yeah!!

I came back from shopping and went to put the stuff in the fridge and realised that my fridge was in desperate need of a clean and a clean out!! I thought about it and thought maybe I should have a nap instead but then I thought I should make use of this time where I don't have a toddler hanging on my ankles and pulling things out of cupboards and touching things he's not supposed to. So I pulled everything out of the fridge cleaned it and found some scary things in there!! YUK!! and hour or so later I had a clean and organised fridge. I thought to myself well this doesn't need to be done again until the second baby is at least a year old!! he, he, he!!

I did finally have a nap.
Thank you to my Mummy & Daddy for giving me a day free!

6 Weeks

This past week I have been feeling extremely nausas for pretty much the entire day. I have also been feeling unbearably tired. I would wake up in the morning and feel as though I had not had any sleep and I would nap throughout the day - when I could, poor Morri had to put up with an untidy house and no outings! Thank God for Hi-5!! This second pregnancy is already a lot tougher than when I was pregnant with Morri - I don't remember being this tired or sick. I went to see the doctor on Friday morning - I had already booked in to see my regular GP today, but I couldn't wait as I just felt so strangely tired and I was a bit concerned. I couldn't see my regular GP so I rang some clinics around my area to see if someone could see me. I had several blood samples taken, I think about 7!! The doctor did the usual tests, blood pressure, checked my heart, breathing and abdomen. All were normal, as I was complaining of heart palpatations and breathlessness. I go back to see the GP tomorrow for the blood test results. I suspect low iron levels are the culprit. I took Morri with me and he was so good. He was fascinated with the blood pressure monitor and showed great concern when I had to lie on the Drs. table so he could palpate my abdomen. He wanted to lie next to me. Sweet boy!! I had to take a urine sample of course and the receptionist offered to hold Morri while I went to the toilets. I could hear Morri calling for me from inside the toilets. He didn't cry but jumped into my arms when I came back!!

We finally told our family. We figured that I couldn't hide the fact that I am so sick for too long. They were all shocked but very happy - just like us!!

5 weeks old.

This is what our 5 week old pecking II looks like at the moment!!

Oops, we did it again!!

I felt unusally tired after work a couple of weeks ago, I just collapsed in bed and had a nap...
then during that week I felt so ill every day...
I can't be pregnant again?!!... I had a hunch I was...
A week went by, and no period... oh no...
yep, it's happened again!

I kept it a secret from Michael for a couple of weeks. I was so worried that he would be upset...we didn't plan for another baby - yet. A million things went going through my mind for days and I couldn't sleep at night. Where is this baby going to sleep? Our third room is Michael's studio. We will have to move. So I checked Real Estate.com.au and discovered that there was no chance in the world that we could afford to up grade unless we bought a house and land package deal out in those estates on the outer skirts of Melbourne - which was definately a NO for us!! (No offence to anyone who lives there or is planning to). We'd have to stay. We would have to kick Michael out of his studio, he would have to find a space to rent so he can continue being an artist and we would have to renovate again!! Oh GOD!!! Where would we find the money to do this?

I made curry - which Mike loves and I finally caught up the courage to tell Mike over dinner on Sunday night (after we had been to his brother's birthday party). I took a deep breath and said 'Mike, I am scared to tell you but... a long pause... we are having another baby...' He looked at me and said WOW!! He had the biggest smile on his face and I burst out into tears!! He asked me why I was crying. I said I don't know. He asked me if I was happy? I said of course I am but we didn't plan for this and I am scared. Mike said it will all work out. He told me that having another baby makes him so happy!! We did want another child but we had planned for a longer gap between Morri and the 2nd one - 3 or 4 years difference? But hey, life is full of surprises and Peckling II was definately a surprise!!

I told him my fears of having to accomodate our second child and how we were going to cope. He agreed that he would have to kick himself out of his studio and renovate again!! He told me that this baby couldn't have come at a better time. I said 'huh'? I told him that baby #2 will be expected around the same time as what Morri was - October!! At least my wardrobe is already organised - as my Maternity clothes are winter gear and baby #2 won't have too much worries about it's atire - Morri's newborn clothes will be suitably fitted seeing as baby # 2 is expected the same time as Morri.

We both hugged and cried together - with Mike saying we are going to have another baby!!... Morri will have a hard time coping with having his birthday so close to his younger sibling - but we will tackle that one when it comes around!!