Tick, tick, tick and tick.....

One box remained un-ticked for a long time.  No more :-)

Thank you Tiff for my daily reminder of a dream come true.

When a picture paints a thousand words.......

I have looked at this picture so many times in the past week.

It so clearly encompasses everything I was feeling right at that moment;

'did I do OK?'
'you got your boy!'
'is he healthy?'
'I love you'

It appears like a look of terror - but it was as far from that as it's  possible to be.  I have never felt joy that even rivals that moment.  It is so true that you really have no concept of love until you become a mother...or father.

Thank you Samuel for bringing us unmeasured joy and showing us the meaning of unconditional love

39 weeks.........and counting.....

I now know the 'antsy' feeling pregnant women speak of (apologies for the preposition at the end of the sentence :-/)

Can't really go skydiving or bungee jumping, fidgety sitting down for too long, can't just spend all day eating (well technically I could but that wouldn't turn out well) and yet I have no idea how long the limbo will last.  It's like waiting for a birthday but no-one will tell you when the birthday is.......wait....that's exactly what we're doing!

So I'm focusing on the arrival of Sarah in less than 3 days.  Mike swears I'm as excited about her coming as I am about the arrival of the baby!  It's true - I am really looking forward to having her to myself for the first time in years and years.  We both keep having to remind ourselves why she is coming though, and rein in our extravagant retail/adventure plans!

As most siblings we have had our fair share of ups and downs - but have been brought closer through this experience than ever before (a fact of which Mikey keeps reminding me during our daily transatlantic phone-calls!)  It was on one such call yesterday when this point was proven beyond all doubt when Mikey came upstairs just at the point I was saying to Sarah..'I'm want to pick your brains about prams as Mikey is bloody useless in and really has no interest'.  I wish I'd had a video recorder to capture the look on his face and the babbling apologies which came spurting from my mouth (not to mention the hysterical laughter coming at me from down the phoneline).  Of course, what I meant to say is, 'I'm asking you because Mikey has far more important things on his mind right now and doesn't need to be bothered with trivialities such as baby transportation systems'.  Hmmm - if only the mouth and the brain would communicate a little more cooperatively sometimes.

Anyhow - it just goes to show that it doesn't matter how old you are or how far apart, siblings always have the capacity to get into trouble together - in fact I think it's their duty given the unique closeness of the relationship! 

Who knows whether we will be blessed with a sibling for our wee sprout - I hope for his/her sake that we are - but if not, we will do the best we can to find the best sibling substitutes we can!.

'Of course it won't make all your teeth drop out - just eat it'

Pink or Blue....?

So - which will it be?  There seems to be some discrepancy between the old wives' tales of the US and the UK.  One says that carrying the bump up front like a beach ball means boy - one says it means girl!

Apparently I am carrying my bump up front and the majority consensus is boy.  I'm going to go with girl just to be different but in less than a couple of weeks the suspense will be over and we will know which of the cute items in the picture will be winging its way back to England to join my niece Olivia's collection of dolly clothes!

Half a centimetre and head down - wooo hoooo!

It's official!  I am one whole half centimeter dilated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Hey - at this stage I'll take it!!!

Head is down (which I already knew - due to the foot in my ribs!) which is also good.

I'm ready - bring it on Baby!

Pictures

Thanks to my lovely Tiffyloucious  and her amazing photography skills - we now have some wonderful pictures to adorn our 'baby space' wall.

Not to get too touchy feely - but this pregnancy is really nothing short of a miracle and as part of my attempt to enjoy every second I wanted to record my changing shape with some pictures which were a little more special that just the weekly snapshots Mikey takes.

I seriously have to pinch myself every day to remember that this is actually happening to us and so I was a little afraid that once the baby bump has gone - I might just think it was all a dream (well - except for the squirming bundle of sproutness who will have taken over our lives by then - of course!)

I knew there was ABSOLUTELY no way I would get Mikey anywhere near a photography studio - but luckily for me there was a perfect solution!  Enter Tiff!  A whizz with a digital SLR AND familiar with my husband's quirks and foibles to boot!

It was seriously the quickest photoshoot in the history of photoshoots - and the models (well 'model' really) was not always cooperative - but Tiff - you did a fantastic job.  It's nothing short of a wonder that you got any good shots at all!  But you did - and our 4 favourites are now on the wall in the baby space waiting for us to show the wee sprout when he/she is old enough to understand.  At the very least it will be proof of the fact that he/she lived in Mama's tummy for around 9 months - and that Daddy is a die-hard Aston Villa supporter!

Tiff also snapped this corker of Ferg whilst we were waiting for Mikey - it's now on the wall too!
Thank you Tiffy - love you!

Buddha Belly!

I have one - and thanks to Amber and her wonderful hand-me-downs - I have a shirt to match :-)

It's taken 37 weeks for me to fully understand what they mean by the 'discomforts of pregnancy'.  By my reckoning that means I've done pretty well!

Only now have I discovered the joys of driving with my seat tipped back at a 45 degree angle, having your husband cut your toenails, waving goodbye to your nether regions, misjudging small spaces, having your dog constantly stopping and looking back with a resigned look as if to say 'really...can you not walk any faster?'  And never again will I raise my eyes and complain when Mum wants to 'just pop for a wee' for the 10th time during a 2 hour shopping trip.

There really is no end to the learning experience that is pregnancy - and that's even before the wee sprout makes an appearance!

Dopplers and Stress Tests and Scans....Oh My...!

Non-stress test........are you kidding me?!  Never has a diagnostic tool been so misnamed!  Yes, yes, I know (since my husband had to explain it to me) the 'non-stress' part applies to the baby and not the mother - but holy moly - it's enough to test the strongest resolve not to allow that blood pressure to spike!

So - the reason behind all the tests:  apparently Mikey and I grow small babies.  We knew that at the 20 week scan when baby was on the smallish side.  We had it confirmed by an extra ultrasound last week - prompted by a belly measurement which showed I was measuring a little behind on the weekly count.  As a result we are now 'under surveillance' which basically means 2 to 3 visits to the hospital each week for fetal monitoring, ultrasounds and consults with the doctor. I have 2 more weeks until I get to 'full term' and then it's green light to induce if necessary. 

I have to say I am a little perplexed by the whole situation as this pregnancy has been textbook so far.  None of the usual reasons for our situation (the technical term being Inter Uterine Growth Retardation....nice huh?!) apply to me: high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, weirdness with the placenta, poor nutrition etc etc and my OB assures me that age has nothing to do with it (not much I can do about that anyhow!) so I am simply sticking to my theory that this is a storm in a teacup and the baby is going to be small. 

So for now at least I shall be wearing out my tyres between here and the Birthing Center every couple of days, getting lots of good reading time whilst not stressing over the stress test and trying to bake this wee sprout pie for a few more weeks.

On the upside - all the drama seems to have focused Mikey and I in on what's really important and we have made some progress in the name department - woo hoo!  We now have a boy's and a girl's name waiting in the wings......just in case something better doesn't come along of course!!  Our dear sweet Caitlyn (our 2.5 year old adopted niece) has named baby FifferFefferFaff - and for all I care - FifferFefferFaff Hoyt is good enough just as long as he or she comes out safely and in good health.

Baby space update....

I'm seriously considering 'Harry'  or 'Potter' as a name if it's a boy - given that his/her room is not much more than a cupboard under the stairs!

Small is good though, isn't it?  Less to keep clean, less space to fill with stuff, and less space to pace around in the middle of the night with a grizzly baby.

I think I'm done now - except for photos.  Actually that's a pretty big 'except for'.  I've realized they will probably be the most important piece of the puzzle, given our families and many of our friends live so far away.  I want to make sure that our wee sprout knows everyone's faces and names inside out, even if our face to face visits aren't as frequent as we would like.  It's one of the aspects which weighs heavily on my mind when I think about family and context and heritage.    Every new addition to the planet is unique and our baby will be no exception - not least for the fact that his/her heritage will span 2 continents.  It will take some very deliberate intent to bring that history and family connection to life but it will be worth the effort in buckets if it means he or she will get to know the wonderful people who have shaped both my and Mike's lives up to this point.  Best start collecting airmiles now I suppose!

Thankfully we also have a wonderful 'family' here in Washington now - and I have a funny feeling they are going to feel the true impact of that definition here in a few short weeks :-)  You know who you are - and we love you!

Russian Roulette...

Well - that may be a touch dramatic, but sometimes being forced to make so many important decisions on not much information, makes it feel that way.

So, 33 weeks and as I alluded to previously, our OB is gently reminding us at each appointment that it is time to choose a Pediatrician.

I'll say it again - God Bless the NHS; have the baby, take the baby home, head up to see the midwife/GP.  Get the baby checked and whilst you're there, get him to treat your warts/hemerrhoids/cough/rash or whatever other ailments you might have.

Not quite how it works here; you have warts, you go to a dermatologist, hemerroids, you go to a..........err.......actually I have no idea....err hemerroids doctor?  Well you get the general gist.

You have a baby, you take it to a Pediatrician.  Sounds simple?  Read on....

So first of all, your Pediatrician kind of has to be appointed before you have the baby.  That way he/she can be the one to visit you in hospital the minute the baby is born to do all the baseline checks.  This works on the assumption that the sooner he/she gets to know your baby, the easier it will be to treat him/her in the future, given that he saw him/her during the first hours of life, quirks, idiosyncrasies and all.

So - then how does one chose said Pediatrician?  Based on reviews?  Proximity to where you live?  Does he look nice?  All valid criteria - but all totally irrelevant if the one you chose is not covered by your insurance company.  Ahhh - yes - now I remember - we have a private healthcare system! 

So - let's say - you've remembered this detail and things are going really well.  You've chosen the Baby doctor who falls under your insurance company's list of preferred providers, he looks like he'd be kind to your child, his practice is just down the street, he has great reviews, he's taking new patients......yeah - we're in the home stretch.  But wait.......I'm sorry, where did you say you were delivering the baby?  Oh...right...I'm sorry.....Dr Perfect does not have 'privileges' at that establishment.  You would have to get the on call Pediatrician at the hospital to see your baby and then come in when you are released from the hospital for your first appointment with Dr Perfect.  Arghhhhhhhhh.

I know it will sound to all my lovely Yankee friends that I am making this sound far more complicated than it really is - and maybe it's my depleted brain matter - but really - could they make it any more difficult?!

So - my job for next week is to go and 'interview' a couple of Pediatricians who, most importantly, are approved by our insurance company , who tick all the criteria boxes and who might be the right person to look after the baby I haven't even given birth to yet!  All hail the 'Chosen One'.....whoever you might be.

31 weeks.....

I feel as if I have popped out this week.  I can no longer tie my shoelaces without difficulty, I sound like a beached whale every time I have to turn over in bed and I am fighting the sprout for stomach space.

Apart from that , everything seems fine. No gestational diabetes - woop woop - I was dreading that given my sweet tooth.  No iron deficiency - may have something to do with the amount of spinach/artichoke dip I've been eating lately, and good blood pressure (unless we start talking about names).

Thank you to all who have voted in the poll.  Looks like we are expecting a boy who will arrive early!  Both fine by me!

Childbirth 101

So Mikey and I have completed our Childbirth Education Classes - hooray :-)

Here's what I learned....


* There is no such thing as 'Preparation for Birth' - no one can prepare you for riding that roller coaster
* Holding a fistful of ice for 1 minute bears no resemblance to having a contraction
* Every time Mike tries to say something soothing, comforting or encouraging, I have an uncontrollable urge to laugh (what does that tell you?!)


As part of our homework, we now have to prepare a birth plan (which has to be a little more detailed than 'play it by ear' Mike), find a pediatrician (more about that later), buy a car seat and pack an overnight(s) bag.
I wanted to make a playlist for my iPod too, and foolishly asked my dear sweet techie husband to take care of that for me.  Here is the list so far:


Hurts so good - John Mellencamp
I'll do anything for love but I wont do that - Meatloaf
Relax - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
The first cut is the deepest - Sheryl Crow
Everybody Hurts - REM
Under pressure - Queen
Do you really want to hurt me - Culture Club
What hurts the most - Rascal Flatts


I think I'll be making my own Playlist.  Feel free to offer any suggestions!

29 weeks......

....which means I am officially in the Third Trimester......which means I am 2/3 of the way there.......which means we have to start thinking about weighty issues such as birth plans and car seats and DIY projects to finish before the baby arrives etc etc etc.  Yikes! 

Actually - there are huge benefits to being pregnant so late in life, one of which being that over the last 20 years or so I have watched and listened and read and researched so much , whilst observing my family and friends travel this wonderful journey themselves, that I now have not only a wealth of knowledge on which to draw - I have also formed some opinions of my own!

It has nevertheless been an interesting challenge adjusting and adapting those ideas/opinions to fit in with the American pregnancy and birthing culture.  It won't come as a surprise to learn that there are choices galore when it comes to bearing and birthing your child.  It's just like ordering food; do you want your dressing on your salad or on the side?  eggs sunnyside up or overeasy?  and how would you like your child delivered?  naturally (oooh - sharp intake of breath), epidural, C-section?  and when would you like it?

I must admit - it is one of the aspects of living here that I find most challenging.  The choices are supposed to be liberating but most of the time I simply find them perplexing.  Of course, I was raised in a country where choices are pretty much a luxury - especially when it comes to healthcare.  God Bless the NHS!  You get what you get and you don't make a fuss!

Today I watched a documentary called 'Pregnant in America'.  Amongst other things it claims that the rate of C-Sections in the States has risen to over 30% nationwide, with some areas (Miami for example) as high as 75%).  Wow.  That means that over a third of women giving birth find themselves in an 'emergency' situation requiring the immediate extraction of their baby.........can this really be true?  I didn't clarify how many of those cases were elective Caesarians - which I have absolutely no issue with - each mother knows what her threshold/preference is - but if these cases of major surgery are more to do with convenience to the medical staff - I find it more than a little disturbing.

Over 90% of births in this country take place in a hospital (which is probably similar to the rate in the UK) but the difference here is that almost all those births are attended by an OB/GYN.  Midwives are still viewed with some skepticism, and unless the birth is a home-birth, they are rarely allowed to take the lead in a hospital situation.  Unless it has changed since I left, midwives are revered in the UK - seen as much better birth companions than a doctor.  In fact I remember my Mum telling me that for both my sister and myself (both born at home), the doctor literally turned up as we were being born to perform an almost perfunctory check.

I have found myself in a tricky position over this.  Whilst my preference would be for a home-birth, or at least a birthing centre with midwife, I also have to acknowledge that my situation is a little unique.  I have found what I think is a great compromise; a birthing centre attached to a hospital.  I have heard nothing but excellent reports about the staff at the centre - they seem to go the extra mile to try to ensure that the birth experience is as close to the parents' wishes as possible. Now all I have to do is work out what those wishes are!

Still, over the next few weeks, as well as my breathing, I shall be practising my self-advocacy skills - in the hope that our child's entry into the world is as close to what I hope for as possible.  And if that fails - I shall deploy my secret weapons; my wonderful sister, who has made standing up for oneself an artform, and my fabulous husband, who can find a logical reason or justification for anything.  Both will be with me in my hour of need and I know that both will be a tower of strength (although Mike does have a side bet with Sarah as to which one of them will be the first to be slapped and banished from the room ;-)

Hopefully I can remember enough about the whole experience to write about it afterwards... in a few short weeks!

Inhibitions and belly burn....

I've heard this from many sources - but pregnancy and childbirth pretty much annihilates any inhibitions one might have had prior to conceiving.  I think this is a deliberate ploy on the part of Mother Nature to prepare you for parenthood.

I discovered that, this weekend during a trip to the Snake river to spend the day with Mike's cousin and family.

Having paid a little more attention recently to pictures/photos of pregnant ladies in books/magazines etc, I had resolutely decided that, even though I am experiencing my pregnancy during the height of the scorching Seattle summer (that's irony for anyone who didn't catch it!), there would be no bearing of flesh in public.
Although there is something rather special about a pregnant body, let's face it, there are some rather 'not so special' parts too - and I had decided that no-one needs to be exposed to that.

That was until I crossed the equator (aka Snoqualmie Pass) this weekend and found myself shedding clothing like a demented reptile in the 90 degree Eastern Washington heat. 

Sadly there are no pictures of the group, plus beached whale relaxing on the river on a floatilla of floaties but only this one of the post reveal cover up due to impending and severe sunburn.  Yes - there is a reason the experts tell pregnant women to be careful in the sun as those pesky hormones play havoc with the sensitivity of your skin.

See what I mean......

I ditched one more inhibition - and gained a useful skill to boot - whilst at the river - another one directly related to pregnancy.  Having been born with an iron-clad bladder, it has been a shock to me to have to listen to the call of nature yelling in my ear so loudly and frequently over the past 7 months (I especially find this tiresome during the night, as Mike will tell you).  I have had to become accustomed to viewing journeys, venues, events in a whole new light - namely by the quality and more importantly quantity of their toilet facilities.  It can make or break an experience let me tell you!
Well - the Snake River has no such mod cons - except the river itself of course.  And with that thought I think you can probably figure out which skill I acquired and which inhibition I lost after making sure I stayed hydrated throughout the day!

Hot Dogs and Nostalgic nuggets

Those of you who know me well, know that everything has a reason, connection or purpose in my life - however tenuous, random or illogical!

So when I came outside yesterday to find Fergus in this position....
hot, bothered, lethargic and oddly reluctant to take a walk my synapses began to make allsorts of bizarre connections; he's depressed, he's bored, etc etc.
Consequently, I made a mental note to myself that if the weather today was more amenable, we would head out for a 'real' walk, and somewhere different.

Even though it was still very humid this morning, I kept my promise and Ferg and I headed out for a walk around Greenlake.
Walking is a little challenging for me at the moment because just in the last week someone who shall remain nameless but is about the size of an aubergine right now, has decided to stage a sit-in on my sciatic nerve.  Thankfully Sir Fergus is a sniffing/peeing machine so his frequent stops give me time to stretch!

I always feel a sense of familiarity when I walk Greenlake. It was my second home a few years back and for a year I pretty much walked, ran or biked it every day.  Today I got to thinking about that, the first time I walked the Lake and how much my life has changed since then.

It was August 9th, 2004 - the day I arrived in Seattle to start my Fulbright Exchange.  I had been dropped off at Heidi's apartment (now mine for the year) by a colleague from school, and after unpacking my suitcase, needed some fresh air.  I wandered down the hill, through the bunny field and honestly thought I had hit the jackpot.  I'm not really sure what I expected of Seattle - but probably had a vision in my mind of the typical American urban landscape, with blocks and malls and drive-thrus - so was absolutely floored when I came across a watery oasis right on my doorstep.  I remember I didn't make it all the way round on that first day - I wasn't quite sure how far it was and was worried I wouldn't be able to find my way back to the apartment!

As fate would have it - it's probably fortunate that I didn't spend any longer there as I meant I was able to navigate successfully back home with enough time to fire up my computer and attempt to connect to the Internet.  Yet again - fate was in the hands of my less than prolific IT skills and I was forced to call upon the services of the local tech-whizz.

I have to point out that, contrary to popular belief - I did not cross the pond in search of a mate.  Far from it.  In fact if anyone has seen the movie The Holiday - let's just say I share more than just a name with Kate Winslet and her character.  No, I applied to Fulbright because I was getting a little restless in my job - although I loved it and didn't want to leave permanently, I was getting a little too complacent in my comfortable single life in Warwick and felt the need to challenge myself and step out of my comfort zone for a short period.  Admittedly - Fulbright made it pretty easy - by brokering a 'life swap' for a give period of time - but I think fate had yet another hand in my particular situation as it matched me up with probably the perfect partner in Heidi. And of course with Heidi, came her wonderful family, extended family and friends.

So back to August 9th, 2004.  I had unpacked, walked part of the Lake, called IT 911 - someone called Mike Hoyt - and poured myself a Bud Light (yes but that's another story).
When I opened the door around 30 minutes later - all I really remember was the smile.  Of course, he fixed my Internet connection too and politely drank a Bud Light (in hindsight I was lucky he didn't make for the hills right there and then - given my apparent bad taste in beer).
Never in a million years did I think that almost exactly 7 years later, I would be walking round the Lake again, this time with a four-legged friend, and now married to the techno-whizz, and  expecting his baby in a few short months!
I wonder what the next 7 years will bring?!

Baby Brain.....

Your Honour, I present for your consideration, the following 2 pieces of evidence....

June 22nd, 4 pm

Mike "Hey Kate, I have a question for you...since when did the postman start leaving the post on the compost bin?"
(In my defence - it was a hot day and the strawberries were looking pathetic so I had to water them before I forgot)

June 22nd, 8pm

(On returning from a late trip to the shops, with a VERY hungry husband - one of  2 states it's best to avoid allowing him to reach....the other one is tired in case you were interested)
Kate "Fire up the BBQ I'll get the chops out of the fridge"
Kate goes to fridge and finds no chops - only spare ribs which need to be boiled for 40 mins before even looking at a BBQ
(Again - in my defence - they LOOKED like chops when I got them out of the freezer that morning)

Only another 89ish days to go.......

Places and Spaces....

Those of you who know our house here, know it is not exactly huge.  What we lack in living space though, we make up for in shovels in the garden.  I swear our garden is about three times the size of the house - well that's how big is feels when it comes to weeding anyway.

Having a big garden does not help us in the slightest when it came to thinking about  finding a space to plant  our wee sprout (although.......wait a minute......sprouts....garden...hmmmmm)

With the house's funky floor-plan, we have a spare bedroom on the main floor and two in the basement.  Mike and I have become underground dwellers - reluctantly at first, but now very willingly, given our ever unpredictable climate.
The bedroom we do not sleep in is Mike's man cave.  He works from home but I hesitate to call it an office as it is SO much more than that.  It really is like the Tardis in many ways; open the door and you enter a world within worlds.  It's not a big room by any means but he manages to find room for an office, a gym (complete with full size static bike), a storage room (golf clubs, fishing rods, camping gear etc) AND a desk where he can do whatever he does with his arsenal of boys' toys (those of you who know him will know what I mean - those of you who don't - don't worry it's nothing illegal or smutty)

So, having decided that the Tardis would not be an appropriate place for a small person (not for a few years anyway) we were left with the hallway/corridor between it, our bedroom and the laundry room. Although I wouldn't say we are super fussy, I did actually want the 'space' to end up looking more like a room than just a 'space,' and given the fact my spatial awareness leave much to be desired, planning it out was a challenge to say the least.  Needless to say, it is a work in progress and I thought it would be fun to post some pictures along the way so you can see how it develops!  It's already in its third incarnation: in its first, the corridor had dark burgundy walls which, however you look at it do not create the illusion of space.  In its second, the wonderful crib, given to us by some dear friends, was positioned outside our bedroom door, in the perfect position for me to hit square on every night whilst sleepwalking to the loo a million times (nope - not bitter at all).  Hence the third and at this stage (but who knows) final incarnation.

Like I said - still a work in progress but this is how it looks so far........

What's in a name..?

Quite a bit apparently!

How any child gets named is beyond me.  Mikey and I have been discussing this issue for at least 3 months now and are still no further forward.

Granted we aren't exactly making things easy for ourselves (and maybe over-thinking it a tad!) but it is seriously no mean task.

Firstly we have to work doubly hard as we are not finding out the sex - that's at least 2 options for boy and girl -plus middle names
Then we have to find something which sounds the same when pronounced with either an English or American accent (harder than you think)
I have a thing about funky spelling so it has to have only one possible spelling option
Of course, it has to be a name which doesnt conjure up some memory of an awful teaching experience (that also narrows the field quite significantly!)
Finally - we have to agree - oh my!.

So having perused websites, baby name books, dictionaries, gardening catalogues and pregnancy books I turned in desperation to the one place I knew would be able to help - the Baby Name Genie (cue magical ta da type music)

For the uninitiated, the BNG is a lovely chap who grants you three wishes - that is to say - he provides you with 3 perfect name options for your baby - and all you have to do is tell him which sex and your surname.  Piece of cake!

Here are the names he granted me in wishes today.  Now I have high hopes for our child of course - so I have added some potential career choices we shall offer him/her should we decide to take the Genie's advice:

Ivan Anthony Hoyt - Gladiator
Jason Axel Hoyt - Heavy Metal Guitarist
Bo Hunter Hoyt - I think this one speaks for itself - kind of limits his weapon choice

Tess Celeste Hoyt - Porn Star
Daphne Shelby Hoyt - Daytime Soap Actress
Jessica Cindy Hoyt - Pageant Queen

Back to the drawing board I guess.  Feel free to make any suggestions in the comments box!

Whatever next.....?!

It occurred to me that although Mike and I have shared our good news with many of you - it may have come as a shock to some!

It's been a long road for sure - and we needed some help - but to abbreviate the story somewhat - all the stars
seem to have aligned for us and in late January we found out that we are expecting in September - 20th as far as we know - not that the date really means anything from what I've been told!!

We really haven't allowed ourselves to get excited up until now- but as time goes on - we are slowly daring to think this might actually happen!  I think the size of my belly might be helping that process - that and the persistent kicks coming from inside it!

Here's pictorial proof of the ever-increasing belly!

A fresh start....

New leaf, new Blog. Nothing like a baby on the way to chivvy one into action.

 I am hoping that this will enable me to keep everyone I don't see often enough updated with the progress of my growing belly (and other parts) and give you a taste of our life here to boot.

I'm going to kick this first post off with the latest photo of our wee sprout.

Thank you for reading!