T - 6 Weeks and Counting…

How far along are you?

T – 6 weeks

How big is the baby?

Somewhere between large and scary. Looks like Lisa ate a football.

How I’m feeling:

Pretty good. Looking forward to a few weeks off work!

Healthy eating?

Not very much. Definitely eating Lisa’s share of all the sushi, cured meats and stinky cheeses.

Food cravings:

For some reason most of the time I really feel like sushi, cured meats and stinky cheeses...

Food aversions:

I’m quite averse to eating overcooked meat and non-runny eggs, but I’m handling it.

Exercise:

Lisa is providing a great excuse to cut my gym time.

Total weight gain/loss:

Quite proud of the fact I weigh less than Lisa now, and I don’t have to put much effort into maintaining that either. Doubt that remains the case for very long though...

Sleep:

The ‘pillow fortress’ next to me has restricted my share of the bed to a thin strip about 2 feet/60 cm wide but in between bouts of fear that I’m going to topple off the side I’m not doing too badly. The real impediment to sleep at this stage is the World Cup…

Lisa's side

 

My side

Maternity clothes?

My favourites are the jeans with a stretchy bit of fabric that you can pull right over the bump. Very amusing.

Stretch marks?

If there are any they’re probably hidden by those jeans.

Best moment(s) this week:

Despite the limited space mentioned above, I was so busy this week I think the best moments were going to sleep! Even on nights where we didn’t have anything going on, the football was on until 11 pm every night. Even with the Aussies going out with 3 losses – as if we expected any less – at least we will take the goal of the tournament away with us! On Tuesday night I got a chance to eat at Heston Blumenthal’s “Dinner” with a few friends, and on Friday Lisa and I had dinner with our old neighbours from Belsize Park. On Sunday night I built about 10 bits of Ikea furniture for the little one’s room, which is starting to really take shape now, though not quite finished yet.

A work in progress

Movement:

We have come to call these movements 'baby quakes', but its getting so vigorous now that I'm unsure if it's a seismic event or the chest-burster from Alien.

Belly button in or out?

Well mine is firmly in, but Lisa’s is far more ambiguous. It really depends whether she’s breathing in or out at this stage.

Symptoms:

Lisa’s fingernails are growing like crazy and I can’t help feeling mine are doing the same in sympathy! I however choose to cut mine...

Lisa's nails 

Gender: 

She’s a girl!

Labor signs:

I’m not the most patient person in the world – and after waiting 8 months for something I’m tempted just to say ‘bring it on’! But think we will all be better off if the labour signs wait just a few more weeks...

What I miss:

Getting Lisa to go to the pub for dinner is becoming an increasingly hard sell. I thought the prospect of watching the World Cup might buy me a bit of time, but it’s back to the drawing board.

What I'm looking forward to:

Meeting our little baby girl!

Weekly wisdom:

Ikea furniture doesn’t deal well with electric screwdrivers. Also, don’t trust those people who tell you Ikea furniture is easy to build – its very easy to get blisters from the Allen key, and those pages of instructions are very sharp. A last word of advice, if your pregnant wife wants a Nutella crepe, just let her have one. Also, don’t complain too much about blisters and paper cuts – you won’t get much sympathy.

Milestones:

We just had the longest day of the year, which up here means sunrise is 4:30 am and sunset 9:30 pm. I love these long days and reckon it’s the perfect time to bring someone into the world!

Lisa's take:

In public Lisa is perfectly composed and dresses well, but as soon as she comes home the t-shirt is pulled up and the belly is straight out! Also, whenever you walk past her it’s quite hard to avoid getting bumped by the bump.