Today I bumped into someone I haven't seen in six months.

She didn't notice I was pregnant.

Ehem. 

Yep, just looking ridiculously fat.

Another checkup at the hospital today.  All continues to go well.  BOB has "engaged", meaning she's shifted into the head-down position, ready for birth.  (Which explains why my ribs have been periodically pulled out of alignment, she's digging her toes in and streeeetching).  BOB's measurements are continuing to be on target, heart-beat and movement are also both good.

Received the results of my glucose test from earlier this month - all normal.

My blood pressure was a bit high though, the Dr has scheduled another appointment for Tuesday next week so he can check it again.

I'm not worried though - I think it was high because I was working up the courage to ask him when my cesarean was going to be scheduled.  He should have taken it at the end of the appointment, it would have been much lower :-)

As for the cesarean... we'll schedule it around my 35-36week checkup (not the cesarean itself, but when it will take place).  Woohoo!  It's getting so close now :-)

... the problem with this time of year is that:

a) the sun is up at 4am
b) the birds are up at 4.01am
c) the sky is still light at 11pm.

It means that no one gets a good nights sleep.  BOB included.  She was very restless last night...

29 degrees in the sun today. 

Yes, 29 degrees.

And yes, SUN. 

A gorgeous day.

Although I can see how this might wear thin very quickly to those of us who are already overheating due to our internal baking muffins. 

Not that I'm complaining.  (Yet, at least).  Its been such a long long long winter that I'm willing to absorb some heat for awhile.  And besides, if it gets too much I'll just drive around the block for the next 11 weeks with the air conditioning screaming in the car.

I think I need to up my calcium intake, I'm not drinking nearly enough milk on a daily basis.  And maybe I should take a stronger iron supplement too, since I don't eat any red meats and my diet in general is not that great.  There's only 11 weeks left (notice how the tone has changed to "only" rather than "still") and BOB has a lot of fat-building, bone-strengthening, and brain development to squeeze into that time.  She's going to be busy.

And me too - I have a lot to do over the next few weeks before B Day (birth day).

Ahhmmm..... panic to set in in 3... 2... 1..............

At the park yesterday I was told that my husband is "very well trained" as he ran around after the kids, watching them on the playground equipment, protecting them from the Dutch kids (who are notorious bullies).

I had to say, "Erhm.. no.  He's actually quite restrained today, normally he's the one running around and climbing the equipment and swinging through the air on the flying fox... the girls have to chase after him, trying to keep up".

The reality is I'm about to become a mother of four.

We went to the park on a play date with a friend of the Professor's today.  It was a nice day - even managed to be enough sun that I got a teeny, tiny, little bit sun burnt.  I know!!

But at one point the little girl's mother said to me, "So... um... can I ask you... do you have a tummy ache?".

I had to laugh as I knew exactly where she was coming from.  As someone once explained it to me, you never ask / assume / insinuate a woman is pregnant unless you actually see the kid crowning between her legs.

She was so embarrassed - even sent me an email later tonight apologising for asking such a lame question but that it was just she didn't know how to approach it as she'd terribly embarrassed herself once before by congratulating her boss and his wife.

But as I explained to her, she wouldn't have been the first - about 12-18months ago when I locked my keys in the car at Espresso's school, one of the teachers said to me, "Never mind, we all do forgetful things when we're pregnant".

Awkward.

I've decided to stop reading "My Mother Wears Combat Boots" (a parenting book by Jessica Mills). 

I think this is why I've been feeling a little stressed and anxious and depressed lately - she's so smug and superior and inflexible in her parenting beliefs.  Not everyone is a midwife-exclusive, co-sleeping, cloth-diaper-wearing, tofu-eating Boob-Nazi who plans on breast feeding their child until it turns 18.  Choosing not to follow some or all of these practices (plus the million others she preaches about) does not make for a bad parent. 

Think I'll stick to Kaz Cooke.

I have an "outie"!!!

And much to my horror, the Professor and Espresso find it absolutely hilarious

:-0

In the words of Kaz Cooke:

"Last night in the bath things got really freaky when my rounded tummy momentarily went up into a tentlike shape with a point.  At any moment I thought Sigourney Weaver might appear in a singlet".

And she's so right, your belly does move around in weird dimensions when you're pregnant!  I love watching my stomach move and extend and stretch out :-)

The other day LED and I were laying on the sofa after lunch when my stomach started jumping - BOB had the hiccups.  It was so funny to watch LED's face as he rested his hand over the bumping.  I guess its hard to imagine what it must possibly feel like on the INSIDE if this is what's going on on the outside :-)

Mind you, its not always amusing - the other night I got up at 2am to use the bathroom and on the way back to bed I bypassed the kitchen and threw a mouthful of cold water down on top of BOB.  She paid me back by beating the crap out of my insides for the next half an hour.