5 months on...

Whoops....did I miss a couple of months? Yes i did!! Life in the last couple of months seems to have sped by and I just never got around to posting my monthly updates and for that I deeply apologise!

But if I was being honest there hasn't been a tremendous amount of updates regarding the surrogacy or "post" surrogacy I should say, I can however inform you of the tremendous amount of smiles that Bennett is sharing with everyone though, and the giggles! Wow he is just one big ball of cuteness when those baby giggles start!!

Bennett 3 months old and full of smiles

He is getting so chubby now too, those rolls are so gorgeous to look at, now if only we saw ourselves in that way too the world would be such a happier confident place!! ;) 

And boy oh boy does he love his mama! He is a complete mama's boy and hates Sara to be out of range from his sight, the air sirens will start warming up....waaaaaaa (little moaning sound) until BAM! It goes from warming up to full on state of emergency air sirens WAAAAAAAA in 3 seconds flat until Sara picks him up, immediate silence and smiles replace the sirens! I love how simple and effective baby language is lol! 

Loving his mama!

So there hasn't been too much progress in the legal side of things, we are still waiting for the adoption papers to be finalised by a judge. A few weeks ago me and Terry did however have our meet up with the social worker to get our statements and feelings on the whole thing....it's basically just a report done so the judge can see how this all came about and if there is any hindrances to complete the adoption, it's following the NZ 1955 adoption act which is severely outdated and a lot of the stuff doesn't even fit in with surrogacy....it's like trying to force a piece of jigsaw in on the puzzle that doesn't fit but you have to make it fit cause there is no other way to compete the picture. Here's hoping all the talk of the act being revised for surrogacy cases does indeed happen so future couples have an act that actually suits the situation.....

I did have to laugh as the questions I was asked (and Terry too of course) were questions I've been asked 100 times before and the answers are pretty obvious! For example "do you have any regrets about Bennett being raised by Sara & Lance?"..... If I did he wouldn't be there with Sara full stop.

There was one question that really irked me though, one that the "legal people" love to ask, "will you tell the kids all about this, let your son know he has a little brother?".... The simple answer to that is he doesn't have a little brother, he does however have a little cousin and yes he will be told how his COUSIN was conceived and why it happened the way it did. 

You have all these legal representatives that do it all this way to put the child's best interests at heart, but how is planting a seed of confusion into their heads helping them out? We are trying to teach them how this baby was made and why and what his "title" is to them and then these people come along and mention something completely different and just don't really get it...My children are not Bennett's siblings and I am not Bennett's mother, there is more than just genetics that make a mother to a child. Sara is mum, Lance is Dad, Holly is sister, my son Hunter is cousin, my husband Terry is uncle full stop, that's how simple it really is to us, I only wish others saw it that way too...

So darling Bennett is 5 months old, nearly half of his first year has already passed! How on earth did it speed by that fast!? Well I have enjoyed it all, watching this little miracle grow with each passing month and seeing his little personality emerge more and more. I am a very blessed Aunty and so very proud for creating this life that has brought so much sunshine to everyone's lives :) 

Bennett 5 months old, loving his jolly jumper!

Bennett is such a chubby little snuggle monster just like my boy Hunter was as a baby, and it's always lovely when I babysit Bennett and he just hangs out with me on my front in the mei-tai (baby carrier) while I potter around doing my housework, Aunty bonding time is always awesome! And you definitely should cherish these early months because its not long until they weigh much more and it feels like you are carting around a baby hippo on your hip or they are squirming to get away from you to go play! 

Hanging out with Aunty (me!)

There is still a lot of conversation directed towards me about this whole surrogacy, people still find it fascinating and a lot of people like to bring up how I always used to say when I was pregnant that I was not going to be a big wreck "giving him up" etc and they love to ask "now that he is actually here, has it been different to what you expected? Did you need counselling after all?" And it's usually always finished off with "cause I could never give up a baby myself!!" (that's the most famous line I hear)

I usually have a good chuckle to myself every time I hear these questions..... and sorry to disappoint you everyone but there is no personal soap opera going on in my life from all of this, I'm not lying on a sofa spilling my emotions to a psychologist while he scribbles down how unstable I am lol.....this may sound shocking to some but I felt absolutely nothing handing that little bundle of joy over to Sara and Lance, ok, that might be an exaggeration, I did feel something! I felt happiness! 

I've said it many times before, if you are going to be a surrogate you need to be in the right frame of mind, you need to be hard wired that there is absolutely no maternal bond between you and the bump growing in front of you, you are solely a force of nature doing a natural thing (growing a baby) for another woman that cannot do it herself, it really IS that simple and there is no need to erupt it into a big drama that will do no good for anyone. So when I say I felt absolutely nothing when I handed him over and I haven't had any sadness or regret or 'wondering' since his birth it doesn't mean I'm a cold hearted person that has no feelings, that would be majorly wrong to label me as such because I love Bennett dearly like I love all my other nieces and nephews and I will always have a "special" bond with him!
It does take a special kind of someone to be a surrogate, many people have told me that and I do believe it myself...yeah I'm kinda tooting my own horn but when you've accomplished the biggest thing EVER (that's giving the gift of life to someone) in my books that gives you a free hall pass to be as proud as you want to be. Power to all the surrogates out there!!

A Quote for all the surrogates that become a surrogate from a similar situation to mine & Sara's.

1 + 1 = 2 months on!

Two days ago baby Bennett turned two months old! I cannot believe it's been two months since a makeshift vagina was cut into my stomach to get him out! He is now full of smiles and giggles and much to his mummy's sanity levels sometimes; he's full of alertness! This baby just dosn't want to sleep at all during the day... looks like he's inherited my insomnia, curiosity, and a dash of slight nosiness needing to know what is going on around him! That's ok though, means we get more cuddles!

Smiles!

He is getting so chub chubs now too, no more scrawny little legs; he's now got rolls!! rolls upon rolls of cuteness!

And more smiles!

I'm also suspecting that one of his first milestones won't be too far off - rolling! he's pushing himself more and more onto his side, he'll be on the move before we know it, watch out mama you might have another early crawler and walker on your hands!!

In regards to all the boring legal stuff, we are still waiting for our court date for the judge to finalise the adoption, that could take months though so not holding my breathe for that to happen any time soon but in our eyes Bennett has always been Sara and Lance's baby anyway, I was just a womb on loan for this beautiful boy to thrive in!

Tomorrow Bennett gets to do something very special! He will be celebrating his big sister's 4th birthday!
I cannot believe little Miss Holly is going to be four, I still remember the day Holly was born and walking into the hospital room with a very edgey mum and dad afraid to make the slightest movement incase Holly woke up and started to cry lol! They have come a long way since then, that's for certain!

Holly with her 4th birthday kindy cake

And how am I doing? quite well actually! I can now fit into my pre pregnancy jeans, yayness! I'm just plodding along like I always do, life has settled back into it's normal routine and at times, in fact, a lot of the time I actually forget I was the one that was pregnant with Bennett! I'm just so used to seeing him with my sister that my brain just automatically thinks Sara was the one that did all of that....but my stretch marks and new c-section scar quickly remind me lol!
I have also been blessed with two more nephews since Bennett's arrival! Baby Arlo who arrived on April 30th and Baby Orson who arrived on May 27th! .... my niece/nephew clan keeps growing! It's going to be a very expensive Christmas this year but also a Christmas filled with much more giggles, smiles and excitement running around the house, I can't wait!

We were also very pleased to have the very talented kiwi blogger Summer Cockerell blog about our story too, written so beautifully! you can view it here:
Summer Cockerell's Blog

Well that's about all for this month! xo

One month on.....

So it's been one month since Bennett was born! The time really has flown by. It's been an absolute blessing to have this little boy in our family and watching him grow ever so slightly each time I see him, his little newborn legs are starting to get chubby and there is a slight hint of a smile appearing on his face from time to time. So who wants to see some cute newborn photo's...I'm guessing all of you so here you are...

Bennett 1 week old

This newborn photo was taken by Zandy J Photography, such an amazing talented woman! You can find her website here: Zandy J Photography and her facebook page here: Zandy J Photography - Facebook

Bennett 2 weeks old

Bennett 3 weeks old, with his mama

Bennett 1 month old!

Bennett has been world famous in New Zealand, he has been a little TV star right from the second he was born...well actually before that; his first camera appearance was when I was 19 weeks along and we were finding out that he was a boy...some of you are probably wondering TV star!? what on earth is she talking about??? ...Well what I kept hush hush from my blog entries was we had 20/20 NZ following us around on this amazing journey right from the beginning of my pregnancy and shortly after Bennett's birth our story aired on national TV. It was a blast working with 20/20 over these months and for those who missed our story or for my oversea's followers who would like to view it you can do so by clicking on this link: 20/20 video

Over the last month there has been quite a lot going on behind the scenes, we have had endless contact with our lawyers getting all the adoption papers sorted out and in fact yesterday we (as in myself and my hubby Terry) signed Bennett over to his proper mama and daddy! why Terry aswell? well basically the adoption laws in New Zealand have not been updated since 1955, therefore because Terry is my husband it makes him the legal father even though he is not blood related to this child. It was a nice feeling putting my name on the dotted line because I know how much it means to Sara and Lance to have all of this "official" and to have a birth certificate with both their names listed as Bennett's parents... now all we need is a court date to come through once our paperwork has been filed and the adoption will be all official once the judge gives it the all clear! Like my lawyer said - "now it's just a waiting game"!
How's home life in the Smith household? Well it's all fine and dandy, Holly is so in love with her baby brother, she is a very doting big sister and showers him with hugs and kisses. Mama and Daddy have adjusted really well to having another newborn in the house and have been having a lot of fun with explosive poo's with a dash of bags under the eyes from the night time wake up's but they are loving every moment of it and it's nice seeing some peace settle over their household since Bella's death. But I want to remind everyone that Bennett is not an "erasing tool" to wipe away the pain of losing Bella, he is his own unique person and is simply another child to Sara and Lance not a replacement of Bella. They will always have three children even though only two are with them (in the physical sense).

Holly having cuddles with her baby brother

And how are things with me? Many people have been wondering how I have been dealing with all of it emotionally and wondering if seeing Bennett before my own eyes instead of just feeling him in my tummy makes it all the more harder; honestly, that has not made it any harder and not once have I felt any difficulty handing him over to my sister and watching her raise and care for Bennett. Bennett was always Sara's and only ever my nephew. In fact I'm so at ease with feeling just a nephew/Aunty  bond with him that sometimes I actually forget that I was the one that gave birth to him and for a split second think Sara was the one that did all of that. It may sound strange or confusing to a lot of people but it's just as simple as what I have been explaining over the last 9 months - I am Aunty, Bennett is nephew, full stop.

Even though it's been an entire month since Bennett was born it has not lessened the love and support I have been getting from my friends and family; even strangers! I have always said it means a lot, and honestly it does :) So again thank you for all the love and support and of course thank you for following this amazing journey, the pregnancy talk may be over and done with but the blog entries (once monthly now) following Bennett's first year have just begun!

xoxo

SQUIRT IS HERE!!!!!

We are so pleased to announce that Squirt has arrived! He did make an early appearance just like I predicted! He arrived on April 2nd, 9:40pm weighing 7lb 9oz, 50cm in length....and for all those people who don't follow me on facebook, I'm sure you would like to know what his name is; this little man is called Bennett and here he is all brand new:

Bennett aka Squirt!

So of course this blog is all about his entrance into this world so what's needed!?.....ahhhh that would be a good birth story cause I'm sure you all are wanting to know every nitty gritty detail about what happened on that night! So here it goes!

38 weeks 4 days

10:30am

Me and Hunter wake up from a late sleep in, we have a few cuddles and giggles in bed and like usual I'm needing a toilet trip, so I waddle over to the en-suite and notice I'm feeling a bit gooey down there so I grab some toilet paper and wipe and I notice some of my mucus plug is coming out in bits and pieces. Hunter being the typical toddler is standing in front of me while I'm on the toilet and I say to him "this is going to be an interesting day!". I've also noticed I'm feeling a bit crampy (like light period pain) so I'm getting a bit suspicious that things have started but I say to Squirt that I have a very busy day so he's not allowed to come today.

12:30pm

Sara arrives at my house as we have my pre-op appointment at Greenlane hospital for the elective c-section which is supposed to be happening on Friday (3 more days). We load my boy Hunter into the car and then head out to pick Holly up early from kindy and then drop them both off at Lance's mum's place (Sara's mum-in-law), we then head out to the hospital for the appointment.

2pm

We both need to go toilet so we rush into the toilets before the appointment and once I'm in the stall I notice my bloody show has happened with more of my mucus plug coming out and once I go to the toilet I notice the cramping is starting to get stronger....we walk out into the corridor and I say to Sara "omg Sara! my bloody show just happened", her head whips around at the speed of light and says "whaaaaaaat! oh my gosh oh my gosh do you think we should ring Dereck!? (our obstetrician)" to which I reply "pfffft no no labour could still be days away and by that time I'll be having the c-section..."

2:45pm

Our appointment is over and done with and I've been given all the forms and times for arrival and surgery times etc for Friday, I text hubby and tell him about my bloody show and the cramping and he texts back saying that I'll probably have a baby tonight, he's having a good laugh about it.
We then head over to the cafe since the appointment went faster than what we thought and we get some lunch and coffee's. We are tossing up whether to call Dereck or not and we make the decision to head back to my place before picking the kids up and just let him know what's going on as there is no harm in filling him in.

3:30pm

Cramps are actually turning into contractions that are ranging from 2 - 6 minutes apart, we arrive back at my place and before calling Dereck I go to the toilet.....holy shitballs there is a huge brown mucus plug in my undies, I instantly nickname him 'Mr Slug'. I shout out to Sara "ummmmm oh my gosh there is a huge slug in my undies!", I show her and her eyes bulge out of their sockets, I then ring Dereck and I tell him all about my bloody show, the giant slug and the contractions, and he immediately says "women's assessment unit it is for you, I'll meet you there". I say to Sara "lets go get the kids sorted and pick up your hospital stuff cause you're probably having a baby tonight!"

6pm

We arrive at Auckland Hospital, the husbands are also just arriving and I'm hooked up to the CTG machine which is showing some obvious contractions.
7pm

Dereck arrives, takes one look at the CTG readings and says "yup you're in labour, you're having a baby tonight, say at around 8pm"....Sara goes into instant panic mode and I'm barking orders at her to ring Dianne and Murray (Lance's parents) and ring the husbands, because they had popped out to get some dinner. Everyone is on hyper speed mode but we soon get told we have been bumped down a place in theatre as an emergency c-section comes in (funnily enough we later learn that it was a friend of ours having her twins!! small world aye!), we are relieved as it actually gives us some time to let it sink in that we are about to have a baby!
My contractions are getting stronger and I'm silently cringing which each one and before I know it the surgical team is coming up to get us!! eeeek this is getting super real now!!!!!

8pm'ish

I'm wheeled down the corridors and I have a tribe of people rushing behind me keeping up with the bed, we reach the surgical area doors and then it's just me and Sara who then go beyond those doors, everyone else is to wait.....
Sara is then taken away to get dressed in her sexy scrubs and the final paperwork is signed for my surgery and I have a final talk with the anaesthetist and we are then taken through to theatre and I'm then prepped for surgery, my spinal block goes in and before long my bottom half is going numb, they help me lie down on the table, other bits and pieces are done and regardless of being through this before and the "ice test" they do to test if the block has worked I start getting nervous that I'm going to feel the knife slice me open as I can still feel fingertips pressing down on my stomach, the anaesthetist assures me it's ok, I will feel "pressure" but won't feel the pain and he says they do not test with knives to which I have a giggle over. To make me feel better and to reassure me Dereck then asks if I felt the pincher's on my belly and I say "oh! no I didn't feel a thing!" so I then give him the all clear to go ahead, next thing I hear is Dereck saying oh so calmly "cut" and it's all underway....
Sara is sitting next to me, she's recording on a little camcorder and we're just chatting away while Dereck is working his magic, eventually all of these hands are all over me and my stomach and rib area is getting yanked and pulled and pushed and I'm thinking blimin heck my tummy is morphing into a giant vagina and it's getting manhandled like crazy!!! Then suddenly someone says "the baby is coming now!", Sara stands up to watch her son coming into the world and all of a sudden I feel a huge pressure being released and this baby is pulled free and all I hear is "waaaaaaaa waaaaaaaaaaaaa waaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!" He's absolutely protesting about all of this but it's music to our ears and Sara is overcome with emotion and bursts into tears, she looks at me and says "I'm crying!" with tears rolling down her face and I start laughing saying "really! I hadn't noticed", we have a giggle over that and they then bring Squirt around the screen so I can see him and here is this perfect purple gooey baby crying away....besides my own son being born this was the most beautiful sight I have seen.
Sara gets to go over to the little baby table where his stats are being done, his apgar score is 9 at 1 minute, (excellent!) and Sara also gets to cut the remainder of the cord. She then brings him back over to where I am and sits next to me having skin to skin while I get stitched up.
I keep looking at Sara and all I see is love and pure happiness on her face and it's the most rewarding feeling ever. I have given my sister the most precious gift on this earth!
10:30'ish pm

Sara leaves the theatre to go into the recovery room with Squirt and I'm only a few minutes behind her, I'm wheeled out and I look over and see Sara and Lance. Lance is craddling Squirt in his arms having his first cuddle and he's looking down on his son and he is just fully absorbed into him, he is so in love! I'm wheeled in next to them and I just lay there looking at Sara and Lance and feel so honoured I get to witness this very intimate moment in their lives, Lance keeps looking at Sara and you can see he is falling in love with Sara all over again, it just melts my heart and reminds me of the first moments me and Terry had while meeting our son for the first time, I must've fallen in love with my husband 50 times over again that day!
The birth of your babies is the most magical day you will ever experience, there is nothing that can prepare you for it and it will give you a lifetime of memories!

Holly meeting her baby brother for the first time.

It's hard to believe that this journey is now at it's end, it's been such an adventure, such a unique experience. I would like to take a few minutes to thank everyone who offered so much love and support through this journey, a huge thank you to my best friend Sarah who shared every moment of this journey, who literally knew within minutes of that first pregnancy test and who kept her phone on her in those late hours of Bennett's arrival just to know everything was ok and who text and rung me all throughout the days I was in hospital, she makes sure to boss me around making sure I am resting and recovering and provides me with so many laughs. 

A huge thank you to my sis-in-law Sandy, I don't need to go into detail as to why I am thanking you, you know already ;)
Thank you to Lance's family who in turn became my family throughout this journey, we will always share such a special connection and I have never known such a beautiful, caring, loving family.
Of course thank you to my family, family should always be a clan who you can always turn to and put trust into and my family always offered this.
The biggest thank you needs to go to my husband, without you this beautiful baby boy would not be here, it was your "permission" that made this all happen. You are a selfless supportive man who is one in a million, there are not many men on this earth that would allow their wives to have a baby with another man and have a smile on his face all the way through the 9 months, you cooked and cleaned, vacuumed and scrubbed, you took care of our son and still worked 6 days a week. You are a legend, my one and only and I will always be grateful for all you sacrificed.

My bond with my sister was already tremendous before all of this happened but now there are no words to describe the relationship we share with each other. We will forever have each other's backs in life. Nothing is impossible. Where there is great love, there are always miracles.

Eviction notice posted!

"Only two more weeks to go and I get to meet my baby brother aye Aunty!" says Holly.
Yup that's right, well now it's less than two weeks....only 11 more days, at the most!

The majority of women who are heavily pregnant and near their due date come to a point when they just want baby out! Yesterday I hit 37 weeks 2 days along and that was my eviction notice day! I am so physically exhausted and by the time 11am hits I'm ready for bed again,  even though sleeping is impossible and not to mention painful on my pelvic and fufu bones! It literally feels like there is a bowling bowl trying to squeeze itself out every time I walk...well who am I kidding!? there is a bowling bowl trying to squeeze itself out every time I walk! I spent the majority of yesterday snapping grumpily, drifting off to sleep and being tearful and hormonal. Sleep deprivation is always a huge piece of straw that breaks the camels back and I am just really looking forward to being able to sleep a good night's sleep and being able to put on my undies without it being a 10 minute effort that strains the brain like a rubix cube, when you get to this stage it really is a huge physical struggle to do anything from the waist down. You feel like a T-Rex!

Good news is it's Monday and that means this eviction notice I've slapped on my belly is quite welcome to take affect at any time as my obstetrician is back from whatever tropical island he was sipping pina colada's on, I am more than happy to begin my hospital stay now! Let's bring on the newborn cuddles!

37 weeks along!

One thing I always find rather amusing and if I'm honest - annoying; is how hyped up people get in the last couple of weeks before baby is due to make an appearance....If I post one little status on facebook that has the words 'hospital' or 'baby' in it people go into a frenzy like a poorly made zombie movie....they are trying to read between the lines where there is actually no reading to be found and my phone starts going nuts with people wondering if I'm in labour or at the hospital huffing on gas and getting poked with pethidine shots.....the answer is always the same - NO I AM NOT.

I'm pretty sure I have made it clear in the past that if I did go into labour spontaneously I will not be documenting my every move on facebook, you will see no status updates, photo's, comments...nothing, until Squirt has made it into this world and Sara and Lance are ready to let everyone know and have announced it first themselves, after all this is their baby and their news to announce, no-one else's and that no-one else also includes myself. And while we are on the subject of facebook and the wonderful world of phone communication, I also will not give you the time of day my c-section is booked in for, you all know the date is April 5th but the time is secret so in the nicest possible way... stop asking :-P I'm honestly not trying to go out of my way to be a grumpy grump grump biatch, it's just that I feel I deserve a bit of privacy before all the announcements are made and the mayhem begins with newborn excitement, this of course doesn't apply to immediate family or my utmost bestie bestie but don't panic people! It's not like we would not tell you for a week or so then suddenly say "oh by the way...last week we had a baby..." lol.

Anyways......there is actually not much more to post about this week, it is literally a sit and wait time and a countdown of the the 11 days! Bring it on!!

 

Some niggly niggles!

It's been a very interesting few days, I'm beginning to think this nephew of mine will be excelling in drama classes and will be the next big thing on Broadway!
I had my massage late on Friday afternoon and ..................................






Oh Sorry! I drifted off just thinking of the heavenly relaxing bliss of it all! As a result I have spent the last couple of days pain free in my back, I've been having terrible sciatic nerve pain which had me in tears all last week, not to mention my fufu feels like it's been hit with a sledge hammer! I forgot how it all felt in the last few weeks with a bowling ball resting on your nether region, so the massage was a welcome delight! Thanks so much to Dianne and Natasha (Squirts Nana and Aunty) for getting the massage for me!!
Now the next day was not so relaxing, I woke up at 7am feeling braxton hicks which just got stronger and closer together, by noon it had gotten to a point where these were not just some niggles, these were feeling like the real thing with a few deep breaths needed on my part so the obstetrician was called, much to my despair my beloved Dereck was not on call that weekend and he has gone away until next Monday but I still struck it lucky and got the other obstetrician who was not Mr. Desert Man with the oh so dried up sense of humour. So if these contractions did not settle or got worse within a couple of hours it was going to be another hospital trip for me, I was ordered on bedrest and shortly after putting my feet up and having hubby come home to take care of hurricane Hunter they eased off.
Think that was the end of it? ....nope they were back again last night, barely a couple of minutes apart with me waddling even more awkwardly like I had a bowling ball sitting on my cervix trying to see some daylight so just when I was about to phone the obstetrician again they stopped. Hmmmm what is this cheeky baby upto? I'm highly doubting I am going to make it to 39 weeks. I'm not too fussed if he does come a little earlier but he cannot come this week as I want my obstetrician doing all the work and not a fill in.....here's hoping you don't see a birth announcement in next weeks blog!

36 weeks along!

The last few days has seen an even bigger awareness in my boy Hunter, all he wants to do is try and detach this baby hanging off the front of me, he covers Squirt like a starfish and looks up at me with a big cheesy grin, you can see the little twinkle in his eye suggesting "you're all mine mummy!!!! no-one else is to get your attention!!" ....He's reminding me a lot of Smeagol guarding his precious. It's cute of course but gosh does it create a lot more work for me trying to meet all of his attention hungry pursuits!

Sara is getting a lot more anxious and impatient, she's not too sure how she will wait less than 3 more weeks but she may be having her eyes hanging out of their sockets with sleep deprivation sooner than later with the rate of all these little tricks Squirt is playing!!
The big day is fast approaching! only 18 more days to go!

18 more days!

25 days to go.....

So what number are we up to on the glorious baby countdown? well that number will be 25! yup only 25 days to go!!!! It's very exciting and surreal at the same time to think there will be a brand new baby born into the family in just over 3 weeks time.
A lot of people are asking if I am looking forward to "having my body back"...well yes I am because I really want to sleep on my tummy again and it would be rather lovely being able to get out of bed without the need of a heavy duty crane to pull me out! But the other part of me will really miss being pregnant and I have a long wait until we will be ready to have another baby, not for sanity reasons (well actually that's a lie lol) but more for safety & health reasons. I still get many remarks from people saying once Squirt is born we can get straight back onto completing our family....jez! give me a break and give my body a break, there's only so much human growing I can do at any given time and at the end of the day I have to be sensible and give my scar site time to heal, I'm birthing sun roof babies not exhaust pipe babies afterall!

Big sister Holly is starting to get very excited about the arrival of her baby brother, she really senses it's coming up soon and loves to talk about all the things she will do with her brother.
I saw her yesterday and she ran straight up to my belly waving hello to Squirt, she also got very excited when she saw a "fairy" floating in the wind and I asked her if she made a wish, to which she replied "I wish that Squirt will come out and then he will grow!"
I will miss her first reaction to seeing her baby brother since I will most likely still be in surgery getting stitched up and I'm kinda disappointed in that but there will be a camera there to capture these moments and that's just as good as the real thing in these situations!

So I got my pre-admission appointment confirmed for April 2nd and highlighted on the form it says "this is the appointment before the birth of your baby"....gosh it makes it all so real that this really is happening in a matter of 3+ weeks time! I also have another OB appointment this Wednesday and we are doing the birth plan, well yeah it will be pretty straight forward being that it's an elective c-section but it will also be fun being able to plan skin to skin for Sara etc, I can't wait to see how a "different" birth scenario all unfolds on the day with the new mummy being a completely different woman to the one that just had the baby lol!
My OB will be away the week before Squirt is due to be born *insert major freak out here!*. I have been having some stern words to Squirt saying he must not surprise me and come that week!! I would be gutted to have his fill in "Mr Desert Man", argh can't crack a smile out of that dry personality!

I will make sure to flaunt in my next blog update about the pregnancy massage I am getting on Friday, what bliss!!!! I'll be bang on 36 weeks and yes I am in desperate need of some pampering!! aaahhhhhh I can just imagine all the aches and pains melting away...ok I'll stop rubbing it in....until Monday.
That Friday also has another exciting element added into it, Sara will be getting her head shaved for Shave for a cure. No more hair! Her goal was to raise $750 but she ended up racking in a whopping $1,415!
Only $85 needed to hit the $1500 mark, If you would like to make a donation before Friday please click on this link:
Sara's shave for a cure page.

So that's really about it from me this week, I know, nothing too thrilling to read about but that's all that's really happened in the last week.
So until next week keep well!

Squirt decided to check out hospital early...

What an eventful week it's been! I had another obstetrician appointment on Wednesday and the one baby that I haven't planned on delivering out of my fufu decides to spin around and lie nice and perfectly anterior, head down, all perfect and ready to go like a rocket ship on standby...but it did pose a bit of a hurdle for measurements as anterior facing babies can sometimes have "clouded" measurements due to the spine view etc shadowing other bits and pieces so the figures on the graph then showed Squirt actually hadn't grown at all in the last two weeks, It was concerning so I was sent off for an urgent growth scan to see what was going on, It was all booked in for 4pm Thursday afternoon and we were gearing up to see Squirt again but I didn't quite make it that far.....
2:30pm ticked onto the clock and after changing Hunter's nappy I felt what I thought was a typical infamous pregnant weak bladder moment so I waddled off to the toilet and once I peered down my eyes sprung open in surprise to see blood all over my pretty blue undies so the phone was instantly grabbed and my obstetrician was rung. I was ordered straight to the hospital where he would meet me so it was a mad dash to pack Hunter's bag and mine (because I knew I wouldn't be leaving hospital that night), the husbands were rung and off to the hospital we all headed.
I had to do all the urine & blood samples etc, was stuck on the ECG machine to monitor Squirts heartbeat and movements, also to record any contractions I was having, had an internal to check dilation hadn't started as I also lost my mucus plug during the bleed, and also had an ultrasound to check that my placenta wasn't tearing away; all checked out fine and it was quite a mystery as to why I had the bleed. In fact the worst part in all of it was actually getting an IV line stuck in, Dereck (my obstetrician) needed to stick a larger than usual needle in and at first it was a sharp prick and then as it scraped up into my arm I started swearing the F-bomb, one time so loud Sara quickly diverted her eyes away from me lol
I was then given a steroid injection which would mature Squirt's lungs incase he did decide to come along...more pain there! But a necessary to ensure Squirt's health would be in the best tip top shape it could be if he came along!

I was then told I had to stay in for two nights minimum, no surprises there, and was then transferred over to the maternity ward where luckily I had the double room all to myself as another couple was just leaving.
I was served some mystery meat with rice and settled down for the night....argh that hospital bed was like a concrete slab with two matching pillows so I was constantly tossing and turning or getting up to pee!
6am hit and I was woken up with some contractions that were quite regular and strong at times so I was stuck on the ECG machine, had another visit from Dereck and sent off for a more clear ultrasound and also to check growth since I didn't quite get that far the day before lol
Again, everything checked out fine and Squirt's growth actually wasn't an issue afterall, still a nice big chubba bubba and estimated to be about 5lb 7oz's at 34 weeks, sitting in the 74th percentile.
The contractions finally stopped around noon, the bleeding had stopped and I just had one more night to stay. The one thing I missed sorely was my boy and he also didn't cope well at home without me so it was the highlight of my day when he came in with Daddy for a visit and ran straight up to me for cuddles, it just warmed my heart...best medicine ever. And in hubby's hand was a delicious glorious cup of real cafe coffee...ahhhh another warmth to my heart! lol

A couple of my favourite things in life, my boy and real coffee!

Word spread quickly & I had lots of staff come in asking if I was "the surrogate" and they just loved asking all sorts of curious questions as I was a first for a lot of them, I was treated like a rock star and was then moved so I could have a view for my last night....yes I was milking it for everything it was worth and all I needed was a crown and an ermine cape to complete the picture!

View from my room, some of Auckland city and the Sky Tower.

Another quiet night with the double room to myself, another steroid injection (the last one) and a slightly better sleep on the concrete slab...the sun wakes up for the day, so do I and it's more ECG monitoring, another visit from Dereck and the all clear is given for me to go home yay!!!!

All hooked up to the ECG machine.

So Squirt seemed very eager to check out the place he would be taking in his first sights but he can wait a bit longer! Only 32 more days to wait, that's not asking too much....I hope!

39 days to go!

Only a couple more days until March hits, it will be my very last full month of being pregnant!
At times, especially since the last 1/4 hit it feels like the time is dragging but that's probably because I'm having to drag myself around with this big chubba bubba resting on my bladder all day long and it's definitely feeling like an extreme effort, especially in this heat...ok I know I keep mentioning how much I'm suffering in this heat but it's true, I'm beginning to think that prison's who have repeat escapee convicts should ditch the handcuff's and 4x6 cells and just strap a pregnancy suit on them and stick them under a couple of heat lamps and they'll soon see that they won't be running anywhere, they'll be beaching themselves on the floor begging for their baby to be taken off them and swearing good behaviour for all eternity!

33 weeks along.

One thing I've noticed over the past week is how much more clingy my boy is becoming towards me, he was already a mama's boy to begin with so the extra effort I'm sticking in is sucking my fuel tanks dry...but no-one said motherhood was easy, it's all about self sacrifice and even though I'm heavily pregnant it's still no excuse to be selfish and put my own wants and needs before his, and this won't be lasting forever....less than 6 weeks to go and my body will be all mine again! I will miss being pregnant but I also look forward to handing the reins over with Squirt's upbringing and once I'm fully healed from my c-section I'll be running around searching out polka dotted elephants to kiss in my backyard with Hunter!

Miss Holly is especially looking forward to meeting her baby brother and loves telling everyone all the things she will be doing to help mummy out, she is particularly determined to fold the washing (which I know neat freak mummy will end up refolding anyway lol) and is fascinated with mummy's efforts to bring milk in for breast feeding, I ended up in a very in depth and factual conversation with her last week (all the facts coming from her of course). I was told about the differences between cow's milk and mummy's milk among other things and it was very entertaining listening to a 3 year old's perspective on it all, they really are a lot more observant than what we think, they take in everything!

Miss Holly giving her baby brother a tummy cuddle

So speaking of milk, Sara has now begun pumping, last week in fact, and was doing it 3 hourly even through the night, this week she has been ordered to increase it to every 2 hours, she pumps (using a hospital grade electronic pump) to hopefully bring in her milk supply after all the drugs she's been on to create it and so far it's working, it's tiring time consuming work and at times she get's discouraged but I just keep reminding her that it won't be forever, even though it feels like it will be at 4am while you watch your husband snore away blissfully while you have a mini milking machine tugging on your boobs! It's great practice for a newborn and all this pumping will give her a head start with adjusting to the sleep deprivation, you always have to look on the bright side and this is definitely a bonus to all the effort and time put into it. So if you find yourself talking to Sara make sure you offer her lots of encouragement to keep up the hard work, she needs lots of cheerleaders in her corner at the moment!

So the countdown is on...39 days to go, or less, depending if this little dude decides to make an early appearance! That's not very long at all, soon these belly shots will be replaced with newborn photo's!

A few tid bits here and there...

Only a couple more days until I'm 33 weeks along, 6....did I just say that right!? yes only 6 more weeks until we meet Squirt, there will soon be another baby in the Smith household and in the Dibley household we'll be sweet dreaming away while my sister and brother-in-law grow saddlebags under their eyes hehehe ...speaking of such things; I finally got to check out Squirts nursery yesterday with my own eyes, I must say it looks really awesome, very colourful and my favourite part is the super awesome name plaque on the wall, the name is.....oh wait sorry I can't tell you that part! oh well, only 6 more weeks to wait!

So we've had a few very interesting and entertaining few days, on Saturday we had Sara's mama shower, was a twist on the traditional baby shower but seeing as Sara was fully set up for Squirt and didn't want any more clutter in the house we decided on a mama shower instead which was a girls night only and in lieu of baby gifts people contributed money towards a baby/toddler photo shoot.
I would post photo's of this night but it's not really appropriate to do so as we had a lingerie party with some x-rated themed games, that sure brought out the giggles from all the girls and the next morning I woke up with such a raw throat from laughing so much! There were a few people we would've loved to have shared the night with but a few had weddings to attend and family commitments or they decided to spend the night on facebook instead, but hey you win some, you lose some and it was still a really good night!

I have been utterly spoilt lately! I received a pregnancy massage voucher from Dianne and Natasha (Squirts Nana and Aunty) and a shopping voucher from a family friend who said to treat myself after Squirt is born, I was not expecting any of this and it just really makes me feel loved and cared for so a huge thank you for these wonderful presents! I am so immensely excited about getting my pregnancy massage - pure bliss!!!!
I have also been spoilt in my home life too, there are no words that can really describe how appreciative I am towards my hubby, he has been working some long hours and weekends these past few weeks and still comes home and helps out with all the housework and cooking, he's getting better at hanging out washing without stretching the clothes and is a master towel folder, he even manages to work the oven with an acceptable outcome, he showers Hunter and puts Hunter to bed. Even when I try to get these things done myself he'll grab the vacuum cleaner out of my hand or texts me throughout the day saying "make sure you are resting! I'll do such and such when I get home". I still sneak all my household chores though because I just feel bad that he does so much while I'm being a hormonal monster! Even my 18 month old Hunter senses mama is not so flexible or as fast as she once was and is actually lying down without squirming to get his nappy changed...yes it's the simple things like this that makes my day a lot less stressful!

90% of this pregnancy has obviously centred around myself and Sara tends to get a bit overshadowed like a Dad is during the 9 months but I think it's time she had a bit of spot light put upon her. On March 8th she is shaving her hair off for "Shave for a cure". She is dedicating the shave to her baby Bella as it's made her aware that life is too short and is aiming to raise $750 for the Leukaemia and Blood Cancer sufferers. So far she has reached just over half way to her goal but we need more supporters to reach that target so if you would like to donate then please click on this link:
Sara's shave for a cure event!

A short blog entry this week but that's all that's happened over the past week! So keep well and will check in in another week, get clicking on that link to donate!! It's a huge thing for a woman to shave her hair off, I know I certainly don't have the guts to do it!

Big love with a big baby!

31 weeks 3 days! tick tock tick tock, the time is ticking closer! It's all getting very exciting and all the preparations are being made for the arrival of this little dude!
The nursery is all set up and my attention to detail perfectionist sister has done a brilliant job with all of that! She has opted for a Dr. Seuss theme for Squirts nursery, isn't that just a spot on theme for a baby who has had a slightly different quirky way of just getting into this world!?

Dr. Seuss nursery. His name is still denied to your eyes! lol

The clothes and nappies are washed, the hospital bags are in the process of being packed, the talk of the big day is becoming more frequent, eeeekkk it's all getting so very real now!
Not long now....well it sometimes seems ages to me as I'm sitting on the couch with sausage toes and stripped down to my undies suffering in this intense dry hot kiwi summer (yes, I pray no-one comes to the door while I'm in that state!) but the reality is April is just around the corner, we're already nearly half way through February, wasn't it just Christmas yesterday!? ....yeah that's how fast these days seem to be zooming by!

So I had another obstetrician appointment this morning...hmmm lets just say my "lady bits" have officially gone on strike, have shut up shop, packed it's bags and gone into hiding!! why? because I'm carrying a big Smith baby! I'm crossing my legs extra tight and determined to make it to my c-section date....baby Squirt is measuring just under 3 weeks ahead, and has been estimated at about 4.7lbs at the moment, that puts him in the 95th percentile, slow down Squirt because you've still got 8 weeks of growing to do!!!
I'm definitely feeling the difference between my two successful pregnancies, Hunter was not this difficult to lug around and my poor little petite body is feeling the effects, there's always something on me aching away and at least a few moans a day for my husband to endure...it would probably seem odd to all that I then say I will miss being pregnant though once Squirt comes out lol, it's just such a special limited time in a woman's life and once it's over it's over, I only have one more pregnancy to look forward to before my baby making days are over *sigh* 

me at 31 weeks pregnant!

I've noticed I've done a lot of talking over these past few months only about myself and about the expecting mum and dad but I haven't really taken any time out to talk about all the other people that have been so amazing through this whole journey. It's near impossible to get through such an adventure without the help and guidance of others and I have been overly blessed with having so much support from existing friends and family and I've also met so many new friends over the past few months that have been so accepting and who I've also been lucky enough to also share in their journey's to motherhood or expanding motherhood!
There are two people in particular that I really couldn't have done without, those two people have been there when no-one else knew my pee had made two lines appear on that test and were the first I told; my best friend and kindred spirit Sarah, she may live hours away down south in Christchurch but she is only a text or phone call away when I have needed her, gosh has she listened to an immense amount of hormonal ranting and still keeps coming back for more! She is one of those rare people you meet in life that joins in on your crazy jokes and laughter instead of running a mile thinking you're some weirdo with a slight crazy facial twitch lol
My other rock has been my sister-in-law Sandy, she will always put aside time to listen to any problems I have had even though she juggles three gorgeous kids, whom I love to pieces, work and study! Talk about supermum and supersister! She always expresses how proud she is of me and we all should admit it's nice to have a head boosting moment like that from time to time! When you receive unconditional love like that it's the most special feeling!

There is no way I could possibly mention everyone who has meant so much to me through this journey, the fact of the matter is if you have been there for me at any given point it has not gone unnoticed! The love and support is what powers this baby train! And of course there is a handful of people that I, well...expected more from considering the connection I have to them...... that also hasn't gone unnoticed (lol) and will be stored away in my little memory files!

But all in all this blog entry is about showing my love and how much I appreciate the time, effort and support that has been given to me so a huge thank you to those who deserve it, pat yourself on the back and feel the lurv!! xoxo

3/4 down, 1/4 to go!

So I was naughty and skipped a week in my blog entries *smacks hand*. A lot has been going on in the last couple of weeks and by the time i've arrived back home I have pretty much got on top of the running of the household, husband and toddler and gone to bed; being in your third trimester is like time warping back to the first trimester with the fatigue but the fuel tanks get guzzled up much faster since you've got a lot more baby to carry around!

I have had some very interesting adventures over the past couple of weeks, one of which put me on bed rest for two days but it was accompanied by fits of hysterical laughter so it had it's perks.
What put me on bed rest you may wonder? Well it involved a three year old niece of mine in the midst of a full blown tantrum....let's start at the beginning of that story...
Ok so we were at the beach (we as in myself, my sister, and our two kiddies Hunter and Holly) and I was left with the kiddies while Sara popped across the road back home to change into her togs, all was going fine until little Miss Diva decided to make her own rules about playing too close to the road, she got told off as Hunter was wanting to follow her and the third warning which resulted in me being stern in my voice tipped her over the edge...BAM! the sand bucket went flying out of her hand across the beach and she took off down the street like a rat up a drainpipe! .....now here I was, seven months pregnant needing to split myself in two and needing to make a split second decision, do I yell after her to come back and hope she stops and listens and stay with my 17 month old son so he dosn't go near the road? Or do I put faith in the other mums sitting next to him on the beach hoping they would have sense enough to stop him if he did decide to explore while I went after a tantruming toddler who had already put herself in danger?
Well Hunter was stuck on the beach, he was too short to get over the ledge to the footpath, a quick point to him and an understanding from the other mums to watch him I shot off after the screaming toddler to catch her before she hurt herself....what a sight and show I must've put on for the entire beach because I was also aware during my pursuit at how silent the beach goer's were while they stared on, heck even the goddamn waves had paused midroll to take a good nosey!
Now being 7 months pregnant and sprinting after a toddler is no easy feat but I was lucky enough to have one thing in my favour - Holly was still holding the blow up donut around her waist so it slowed her down considerably, within seconds I had hooked that donut under my arm and she came to a skidding halt, the crying and screams continued while I walked her back to Hunter (who was still standing in the same spot with a bemused look on his face) and I was forced to sit there while Holly sat on the grass verge and screamed her little lungs out and clawed at the grass in rage. a stern telling off and a few deep breaths finally calmed me down and it felt like an eternity before Sara came back and was filled in on the details of the nightmare I had just lived through, lets just say we ended up leaving the beach about 2 minutes later (making Sara's tog change pointless lol) and we set off back home....we entered the car park and Sara then asks "oh no, where's the house key!? It fell out of my pocket! we can't get back into the house!!!"
ummmm....you're kidding right!! surely this day cannot get any worse....
Well the key could not be found, we had no cell phones to call anyone to come rescue us so I knew there was no other choice, "Sara" I said, "You have to break into the house, there is no other way"
So we picked a window relatively close to ground level and the rubbish bin was strategically placed under the window to hoist Sara in, she got the window open and started to pounce in "crack!!!!" goes the bin lid and Sara's feet sunk into the bin, by this time she was swearing every foul word you can think of and I was nearly pissing myself laughing....
Plan B, get the other bin....this time the bin lid held and she hoisted herself inside, only to get herself wedged awkwardly in the window with her leg hanging out and half her body leaning inside, worst.burglar.ever!
Eventually we were back inside, it was one of those days where some hard liquor would have gone down nicely but I had to settle for a strong coffee instead....and continue to laugh about Sara's breaking in attempts.
So the toddler incident resulted in my pubic bone flaring up and walking become unbearable, I had the worst stinging stabbing pain radiating up through my upper half and my OB said I was to be on bed rest for 48 hours to help it settle down....damn I thought I was getting away with a pregnancy where I would skip any bed rest but that bed rest goblin soon came wandering into my life *sigh*.
It's not all bad though as I did manage to capture this photo while Sara babysat Hunter so I could rest...

me 30 weeks along.

So yes, I'm now 30 weeks 1 day along, only 8 weeks 6 days to go!! I'm hoping there will be no more impromptu marathon training and I get to spend my last few weeks of pregnancy in relative calmness...here's hoping!

30 weeks along with Hunter wanting a hug aswell lol

It's not all smiles and fairies frolicking amongst the flowers!

Well here I am finally in my third trimester, 28 weeks 3 days along; just over 10 weeks until we meet Squirt! That dosn't sound very far off and it's not but for some reason I've now flipped the switch from "this pregnancy is zooming by" to "argh the days are dragging slowly by"....that's probably because I feel like I have to drag myself everywhere and I just feel so lazy and heavy now, it dosn't help that my iron levels have come back low too so dozing off on the couch at 7pm (nana-alert!) is becoming a norm! After that it's all over rover and I'm acting like an over-tired, cranky, fidgety, tantrum fuelled toddler that's in desperate need of some time out!

It's about this time when the hard effort of growing an entire human being really begins to feel like an effort! A lot of people think that because this surrogacy journey is a beautiful, selfless and an amazingly generous thing to do for someone it makes me full of happy hormones and a smile that sits on my face 24/7 but trust me people, behind closed doors there is alot of frustration sometimes (just like any other pregnant household) and yes there has been plenty of petty arguments over really stupid stuff. At the end of the day it is an emotionally charged situation and when you have four people expecting one baby between them sometimes head's do butt! Yes 95% of the time it is happy happy joy joy and things run along smoothly but for anyone that ever intends to enter this experience for themselves, they have got to be realistic that it does test all sorts of relationships, in a way it's a good thing but it does get tiring from time to time!
I am feeling an ever increasing need to morph into an octopus sometimes; just to keep everyone happy and content with appointment times, schedules, home-life (juggling a toddler and husband), trying to keep Squirts real mum and dad (Sara and Lance) as involved as possible and then I feel like I also need an extra arm for myself, I forget to focus on myself and yes sometimes I have very selfish moments when I expect everyone to focus on me and I think nothing else should matter but the needs of the pregnant lady (I'm just being honest! lol) but the reality is the world does not revolve around me and  I will just do my relaxing once Squirt is born because that's when I can try and focus more on just myself... after 39 weeks of growing a human for someone else I do deserve some "me time", after all I won't be the one waking up every 2-3 hours from that newborn cry that seems to feel like a jack hammer on the brain at 3am while you shove match sticks between your lids trying to fight off sleep deprivation hehehehe so getting that relaxation should hopefully be easier to accomplish....and then my toddler walks into the room LOL....

Yes it feels like all I've done is moan and groan with this blog post about how exhausted I am but we're all entitled to have a little venting session from time to time and this is mine....just a really public venting session (lol) but that's what I signed up for when I said I would share every aspect of this journey!

On a more happier note Squirt has managed to creep his Uncle Terry out which was a funny thing to witness! You can actually feel the outline of Squirts little feet up around my ribs when he brushes them past and pushes them out and Terry felt the perfect little heel push into the palm of his hand, he jumped back and said he would never ever want to feel a human inside of him and I swear I saw him shudder with creepiness lol

Anyways I'll leave you all with my latest belly pic and will catch up with you all next week, no hormonal moaning I promise!

28 weeks along, hello 3rd trimester!

dizzy in space and bored in the desert.

Over a weeks span I have managed to travel to infinity and beyond and back down to earth to cross the sahara desert, okay you're probably thinking what the hell is she talking about!?
Well I'll start off with my travel to space, this involved doing my GTT (glucose tolerance test), I ended up doing it bang on 27 weeks, I was absolutely dreading it, I did not have a good reaction with my first one done with Hunter's pregnancy so was not wanting to do this at all but I knew it had to be done. So it was an early rising for both me and Hunter which in turn made him a very grumpy boy; a great start to the day! and off we headed to the testing lab to get it over and done with, I chugged back the flat tasting lemonade which wasn't too nice as I don't like fizzy drinks and surprisingly they let me leave for the hour needed for the goodness to kick into my blood stream, I was quite surprised they let me leave as they knew of my poor response to the test but it was better to lie on the couch at home than to sit in a waiting room on a squeaky hard chair....I was lucky enough to have Terry stay with me incase I fainted and sure enough within 20 minutes I was floating off into space, the room started spinning stars and I let out a few harsh words about how much I hated the test...to cut a long story short I ended up being sick and dizzy the rest of the day and it was no easy feat also trying to juggle the needs and entertainment of a 16 month old toddler and endure the heat of our kiwi summer on the brink of my third trimester but I mustered up my strength and got on with it....

My next pit stop in my adventures was to the Sahara Desert, this was 3 days later at 27 weeks 3 days along,   I had my latest obstetrician appointment and was meeting one of the other obstetricians in the practice to get acquainted with him should it arise that my ob wouldn't be available during the birth....well lets just say I have more success of squeezing conversation and a smile out of my pet rock that lives in the backyard. I'm sure he's a remarkable doctor when it comes down to the birth side of babies but I couldn't help coming out of the appointment feeling like I had just dragged myself over a desert, his personality was so dry I instantly felt in desperate need of water and a chap stick! I can't wait to see my beloved Dereck again and crack some terrible jokes and not feel the need to act "normal" lol
But the positive points of the appointment is Squirt is doing well, he's measuring just over 28 weeks ahead, so levelling out to a week ahead in growth and is estimated to be about 2lb 14oz's which puts him in the 75th percentile for size, so far he's living up to the big Smith baby tradition! Yes, it is times like these that make me immensely pleased that this baby is coming out of the sun roof and not the exhaust pipe! He's also turned head down which I had a sneaking suspicion he had done a few days ago as I woke up with that "stretched out" feeling all over my belly and every now and then I have a foot getting cosy in my ribs!

I'm really loving this stage of pregnancy even if I am suffering in this incredible heat and humidity, It's so amazing being able to distinguish arms and legs, the brush of feet and hands across your front and that weird feeling when he rears his bum up and my belly becomes obviously lopsided!
You can be promised of a movement frenzy when you finish meals and this is what I usually have to look forward to after every meal, on this particular day Squirt decided to be a bit more kind with the strength of his kicks and punches but it's still cool looking at the movement!

So this afternoon had a bit of excitement added into it, we had a 4D scan and got some super cute facial shots, I'm absolutely convinced he looks like a mini Murray (Squirt's Grandad) and Sara is convinced Squirt looks like a mini Lance, well all in all he looks like a mini Smith! lol

Taking a glimpse into Squirt's world is always so special and here are some special photo's to share with you all....

1st photo - smiles!
2nd photo - eyes open!
3rd photo - Squirt's foot!
4th photo - cutie pie!

Waddling in the surf, sun and sand!

Is it really January 7th already!? okay that holiday only felt like two days long instead of two weeks! But what a blast it was!
So where did I go? well for the majority of the holiday we went down to Waihi Beach, which is a little beach town about two hours drive from Auckland, it's extremely beautiful ....and extremely hot! I ticked onto 26 weeks pregnant down there and I certainly felt it with each waddle I took in the sun, I went through an entire can of sunblock and was thankful I packed my maternity togs (which I changed into awkwardly in a sun shelter while Terry held a towel up in front, and I still managed to moon a few people much to Terry's amusement lol) but the surf was a nice respite from that heat and on one particular morning I spent a good hour splashing around in the water and waves, Squirt seemed to sense where he was and happily bounced around too, it really wouldn't surprise me if he was a natural water baby as his daddy was a rower for many years and spent countless hours in the water.

25 weeks pregnant, at Waihi Beach

We spent the week down there with my sister Sara, her hubby Lance and little Miss Holly and friends of ours Hayley and Nick and their son Jack who is only a week younger than my Hunter.

The holiday gang building a water pit for the kiddies

We shared a lot of laughs and it was great spending time with everyone and the kids loved it all too, I also will admit I had a few uncontrollable hormonal outbursts and a few grumpy moments so I must say thanks to everyone for enduring the pregnantzilla!!

We all became a bit addicted to the Flip n' Bear pancake den. OH.MY.GOODNESS! That was pure delight on a plate, I swear Squirt probably piled on about 5 pounds of pancake fat; me about 5kg of pancake fat and the rest of the holiday gang each grew a food baby out the front of them lol
My mouth is drooling at the thought of those pancakes, they will be sorely missed and yes I shed a little tear leaving that place!

.....So 26 weeks you say, yup that's right 26 weeks 3 days along now; can you believe there is only 12 and a bit more weeks before we meet this little dude! I'm increasingly becoming paranoid that Squirt may decide to make an earlier appearance, I'm looking forward to my pain-free "birth" after a horrific experience with Hunter's 23 hour labour and the drama's that followed it but knowing my luck I'll go into labour at 38 weeks or the day before my planned c-section, I'll have a good laugh about it, at first, then I'll swear about it once the pain kicks in ....maybe I might strike it lucky and have a couple of cramps and bam! baby pops out suddenly on the toilet ....yeah right; but dreams are free. But really Squirt, Aunty will really appreciate it if you didn't come earlier than planned!

It's been rather interesting comparing photo's of my pregnancy with Hunter and Squirt and how big I was week by week, I was quite smaller with Hunter at this stage, in fact I wasn't this size until I was 30+ weeks along with Hunter, so Squirt really will be a bigger baby as predicted or it's just my pre-used uterus being a big more "relaxed" lol

25w pregnant with Hunter and 30w pregnant with Hunter (the size i am now at 26w with Squirt)

In the next couple of days I have my GTT (glucose tolerance test) to get done, argh the most hated part of all things pregnancy related! As I've said in previous blog posts the last one I had while I was pregnant with Hunter didn't go down too well so I'm absolutely dreading the fainting spell I might have and feeling like I'm floating in space for the the rest of the day, wish me luck, I think I'm going to need it....I'm confident I'll tell a rather entertaining update about that next week!