Oh, the Conundrums.

Went out yesterday with Mamala and my brother, out baby furniture shopping. The first place we stopped in at was Babies Galore and I immediately spotted an entire row of bassinets. This pleased me more than you could imagine since on Thursday night, Mamala and I spent hours on the phone going through various baby websites in the hopes of finding somewhere to buy a non-expensive (read: less than $300) bassinet and we were coming up woefully short.

At any rate, all of their bassinets were on sale, from $170 down to $150 so naturally I bought one. A lovely white one that I can dress up with varying colours of lace, AND make up my own bed sheets because I'll be bloody buggered paying $35 or more! The baby industry must do VERY well over here in Australia; there certainly isn't any worthwhile competition out there to bring prices down.

But it's going to be wonderful making up these things instead of buying them. I've already decided she's going to sleep on satin sheets in the summer and a wool rug in her bassinet for the winter. Of course, that's only provided she doesn't grow so fast she ends up in her single bed before winter.

From there we headed down into Nerang to Pram City because I wanted to have a look at some strollers and prams, and since Babies Galore is outrageously expensive, there was no way in hell I was going to pay their prices. (Anything above $400 for a PRAM is way too exorbitant in my opinion) I did find a lovely pram that converts into a stroller for $270, made by Steelcraft which the saleslady practically talked me out of buying it because I'd really have much better luck and overall karmic happiness if I bought the $500 or even the $600 pram. Of course I bought neither, but did end up leaving the store empty handed.

Basically now I'm just in a conundrum and am faced with these perplexing questions: How often am I really going to use this thing? The baby won't be able to keep her neck up on her own until 3+ months along, so wouldn't it just be better to wait until that point and buy a cheaper stroller? How am I supposed to go grocery shopping and push both a trolley AND a pram at the same time? And when we start taking her out places, to parks and zoos and such, I will have a stroller by that time and won't really need the luxury of a pram, will I? You see how vexed I am.

It seems that's the only part of this whole "new mommy" thing I'm having trouble with. I've already decided she's not getting her HepB shot at birth, nor for the first year of life. She's not getting the menigicoccal or the pneumenococcal shots either since I'm not unconvinced that those types of "innoculations" don't cause something else anyway.

I know what bottles I'm using, even though I'll be breastfeeding until she's teething. I know what breast pump and sterilization unit I'll be buying. I know that I'm not going to be buying a baby monitor - the house echoes enough without adding to it; I will hear when she's crying or fussing. I know what to use for cradle cap, nappy rash and thrush.

So why is the prospect of getting a pram vs a stroller absolutely kicking my ass?

I Passed

Called up my Dr. this morning and am happy to report I've passed my glucose test for gestational diabetes. Woot! This means I don't have it, and now won't have to do the 3hour test! Huzzah!!

A Little Bit of This... A Little Bit of That

So I went in for my glucose test today. I ended up eating 2 pieces of toast with jam and had a cuppa tea before I went in, because it really wouldn't have done me very well to show up on an empty stomache and be expected to keep down 50g of ULTRA SWEET sugary drink.

Up until this point, I'd always been led to believe that I was going to be drinking raw glucose. Yes I know - YUCK. But that's what I'd always believed. Today, however, that myth was just that: a myth. It wasn't pure glucose (thank god!) but instead a highly, excessively sugary slightly carbonated soda drink. I'd been told sometimes it tastes like orange soda, sometimes coke... I had the great misfortune of getting lemonade flavoured gunk. 50g worth. Bigger than the mini-cans of soda, but smaller than the 375ml cans. I was rather intimidated by it - I probably should have saved the bottle, taken a photo and uploaded it for you to see. Blech.

Anyway. My Doctor had told me I would have 10 mins to drink it in, and then would have to sit in the pathology office for an hour before they took 3 vials of my blood. I was cool with that. Turns out, he was wrong. I had to drink that shit in FIVE minutes (and they timed me.. "You need to up the pace on that.") and about half an hour later, Mamala and I were informed we could go for a walk. When we expressed our confusion about that, the lady looked at us as though we were quite insane and informed us that if I was having the FULL test which takes THREE hours, then yes I'd have to sit there, but not for the small test I was having today.

So we walked across the street, I bought a skirt and a dress, and then wandered across to Vinnies and I bought a few more baby things. I never thought I'd be buying used and secondhand baby clothes, but when some of the things I find are BRAND NEW, there's just no way I can leave them behind. And for 50c, $1, $2... Why would I?

Anyway, so we went back to the pathology building afterward, I got my blood drawn and they made sure I wasn't dizzy or close to vomiting (apparently the soda type drink can make you do that...in which case they can't administer the test and you have to do it again), sucked out my blood and sent me merrily on my way.

We ended up heading up to the Pines Shopping Center in Elanora (QLD) and into PillowTalk where I picked up 6 bamboo place mats for my brand new dining table. It looks so awesome now; I totally LOVE buying stuff for my house.

And on Friday I go shopping for my baby! I'm terribly excited about that as I haven't done any yet really, and I figure since I only have 12 weeks to go before she's here, I really ought to get a move on and at least buy her a bed. Or a chest of drawers that can double as a bed.

Oh and PS: Looks like D has the week off. OI!

It's Getting the Best of Me

I think it knows it too. I am, of course, referring to my pregnancy and all that I'm now enduring. I say enduring because while I love being pregnant, I don't love the forgetfulness so much. Or the swelling, and there's lots of that. Or the clumsiness - dear god the clumsiness!!

We're 27 weeks gestational this week, and I'm heading down to Mamala's today to stay overnight so we can head to the pathology unit tomorrow and do my glucose test. I didn't get it done the last time I thought I would because it turned out to be a little too early. So, tomorrow it is. I'm not dreading it AS much as I was, since learning that it's a sugary drink and not pure glucose (like I was lead to believe). So knowing that, I now know I can probably keep it down and not throw it up so I shouldn't be there for too much longer than an hour and a half. Evidently we drink the sugar and then wait an hour before a blood test is done. Hooray. I'm not allowed to walk around at all either because apparently that messes with the sugar digestion (or something) and can throw off the test. I don't want the test to be anything less than accurate.

And of course I believe I don't have gestational diabetes (but then to my own credit I thought for 5 months I was having a boy and it turns out I'm not) but you never do know, do you? Even though it would make sense to only get tested if you were showing symptoms of it... Anyway, so yes the test is finally tomorrow and I don't know when I'll end up getting the results back on that.

Also tomorrow the pest control people come in! FINALLY! I'm going insane with all the moths in the house. I honestly don't have a freaking clue where they're coming from, only that they seem to migrate into the pantry (somehow, the door is always shut) and stay there. We don't have any open bags of flour either, or rice so they're not nesting (do moths even nest?) in there. And any foodstuffs that are open, are sealed up nicely so they still can't get into it. I'm running out of thoughts about how these filthy creatures keep getting in my pantry.

Today our new lounge suite arrives! Huzzah!! Our nice long 3 seater and matching 2 single seaters. Too exciting.

In other exciting news, D applied for residency through his work last week and that the process takes about 2 weeks? I was wrong, sadly. It takes LESS than 2 weeks. In fact, it only took ONE week. While I am over the moon completely that he's gotten residency (we're just now waiting for the Visas to arrive) for 4 years, I'm a little annoyed that it came so soon because we were really hoping he'd have a week off from work. Believe me, he needs it. I keep telling him he should blog about his workplace, but so far he hasn't had the inclination. Anyway so my point here is they told him to go to work today, assuming that the Visa would be there. If it isn't, they'll send him home. I'm half hoping they'll send him home today; his contract expired last Friday and since he's only allowed to work at one establishment for 3 months ONLY (on his travelling work visa) then it's now illegal for him to keep working at the same place today, unless his permenant residency visa arrives. Fingers crossed that it comes this week, but not today so he can come home.

Wow I feel like there's so much to write about, even though I only have a few things left to say before I sign off and go have a shower and prepare to head out today.

My little parasite has been moving around ALOT the last few days. She actually got right under my left hip bone the other day and started tickling me somehow - my eyes bulged out wide and freaky-like as I realized what she was doing, and during a quick conversation with Garth (who was sitting beside me at the time) telling him what she was doing, I poked her rapidly a couple of times and she moved. Thank christ, is all I can say. It's bad enough to have some asshat tickle you mercilessly on the OUTSIDE and won't stop; it's something completely different to get tickled from the INSIDE and not know HOW to stop it. Or if you even can. I hope she doesn't try that again any time soon.

I can't believe we're going to be at 30 weeks gestational in just 3 weeks. Time has flown by SO quickly, it's really rather unbelievable. I was saying to Mamala the other day how much I'm loving being pregnant, but that I'm going to miss it big time too. Right now my little parasite is exclusively mine. If I don't want to be touched, nobody will touch me and therefore nobody can touch her. If I want to be selfish and not let anyone feel her kicking, I can be. But in just 12 short weeks once she's here, I will have no more of that kind of control. I don't want to keep it, of course, because I want everyone to share in her love and presence, but it was just interesting to note that while she exclusively mine right now, she won't be for much longer.

I guess that will be my first lesson in letting go.

To Say I'm A Domestic Goddess Might Be A Tad Far-Fetched

Though I'm really, really trying. When we moved into the house, I was so excited and so happy because not only do I get my own living space again, but now I can start doing wifey, and more importantly, MOMMY type things. Like cooking. Cooking is essential for every day living.

When I was with my ex, he cooked most of the time simply because he was better at it than me. And he probably still is. I've never known anyone who could cook so good. Of course back then I ate bugger all so I didn't truly appreciate it - not that way I appreciate food now, anyway. But, I digress.

I've always known how to cook. I just prefer not to, because I don't especially like to, and I've never made that a secret. My ex knew it before I moved in with him, and my current knows it as well. But, because things are rapidly changing in our household, I decided to get with the times and start cooking dinners.

You've no idea how excited I was to do this. My first time making an actual meal for my beloved, and I wanted it to turn out right. I didn't want any hassles, any problems; in short, I didn't want anything to go wrong and I EXPECTED everything to go right. I was wrong.

It turns out that having a fan-forced oven dramatically changes the way you cook. In the beginning, I thought this was neat because it's supposed to cut your cooking time down and supposed to cook everything better over all. I will heartily disagree with this. I've never in my LIFE had to deal with such a shit piece of equipment before! I absolutely HATE it. Nothing comes out right. The chicken is always overdone because even though the instructions say to bake at 180 for 35mins, the chicken IS NOT COOKED. So I throw it back for another half an hour, and by the time it's ready, it's dry and tasting thoroughly like cardboard. ALL THE FREAKING TIME.

Steak and porkchops are the same. I go by the instructions and they ALL come out dry and tasteless. And in the beginning I was wondering if it was me, if I just really didn't know how to cook anything. But then my brother, who is a fairly good cook in his own right, started using the oven and even HE found it difficult. So I don't take it so personally anymore; I know the oven isn't discriminating against ME per se, it just hates everybody equally. Meanwhile, I have to figure out a way to cook all my meats so they're COOKED properly, all while maintaining their flavour and juiciness.

I guess I won't hold my breath though.

WordPress

Thanks to the Complimenting Complimenter I now have a wordpress account. Yay! The only bad thing about it, is that in order for me to make my own templates or edit the existing ones, I need to have the application installed somewhere first. Doh. It's not as easy as blogger, what with the editing of templates right in the dashboard. It's a little bit inconvenient, actually, because now this means I am going to have to go get an account someplace so I can ftp in.

Unless, of course, I'm doing it wrong and I don't need an account someplace afterall. Apparently I do need to install it somewhere though, if I want to make any changes and edits. Hmm...

//edit 12:08pm: Okay, so I figured out that yes I need somewhere to upload all these wonderful files. From what I can understand, it's similar to Moveable Type but with some noteable differences. Also from what I understand, I'm going to have to register a domain in order to upload all my files, since my darling D's host isn't supporting PHP on his plan. Now I have to figure out a domain to register.

Sigh.

We Don't Have to Sit on the Floor Anymore!

Because now we have furniture!!! I've uploaded new pictures into FlickR, but you can just go quickly here instead and see them. We so love our new stuff, and now that our place is getting more to be looking like an abode rather than a shell that simply protects us from the rain, we've all decided we really feel rather rich right now. ;)

In other news, D ran his 5km marathon last night... Well, almost! He walked 1.5km but ran the rest of the distance. I'm SO proud of him, it's such an achievement. God knows even not being pregnant there is no way I could do something like that. And the amazing thing, he'd only been preparing for it for a week! But, he was aching last night; thighs, calves, ass, feet... Even his arms and shoulders were stiff. I gave him a nice massage after he got out of the shower, and he started feeling a little bit better. I'm not sure how he's doing today, since he left for work before I had a chance to really wake up and talk to him.

Mamala and Nanna headed up to Bundaberg yesterday morning and arrived in the early afternoon to visit with my Aunt and Uncle (Mamala's brother and sister in law). My Uncle is quite multi-talented: builder, boater and now pilot. His plane (that HE BUILT!!) goes up for it's inaugral flight today around 1pm which is what they wanted to see. I think eventually my Uncle is going to go for his commercial pilot license, but I'm not sure how far in the future that's going to be.

Baby was kicking around ALOT yesterday, so I'm wondering if she's going to do the same today. My belly was jumping all over the place as she moved and poked and punched and kicked. It was so incredible though, I can't even describe it. And as we were laying on the NEW COUCH last night watching House MD, D had his hand on my stomache and every so often would feel her move and ask, "Was that her?" "Her again?" My responses to him was, "She's talking back to you, hon." Of course that brought a HUGE grin to his face. He's going to be such a great daddy, and god knows our child is going to totally be Daddy's Little Princess. Maybe I should register that and set up a blog on it in prep for her 16th birthday.