A Take Back "What-a-long-way!"

For all its purpose, it's been a heck of an adventure and here's a quick peek into the counting down days to welcoming our precious bundle of joy...

Week 37 Update

It's pretty much the last haul towards the impending finishing line but I seem to recall reading somewhere in the haystack that if we humans are meant to be moving on fours instead of being upright, we would most likely to be incubating our young for - take this - ANOTHER further three months...

Which is still quite all right by me as I seem to - either fueled by complete "first timer's" blissful ignorance or a devil-may-care attitude - not be frazzled by the cartloads of stories from other mothers and a few none-mothers along the queue that:

(1) My life is going to "change forever";

(2) Things will never be the same again;

(3) Your breasts aren't your own anymore;

(4) You will be lucky to see the light of the day within a week of delivery;

(5) To pump or not to pump (there we go again, the breast talk); and

(6) so on and so forth... *yawn*

Seriously, I have to date:

(1) Spilled more tea over my new sweater than I cared to remember;

(2) Looked at passing windows of ice creams with the obsession of a possessed;

(3) Growled at lame jokes by electricians "are you over it yet?";

(4) Sprayed myself with soda water by accident (don't ask);

(5) Walked right into a spider's web; and

(6) so on and so forth... *yay!*

There are many - in fact, so much more - plus points in a pregnancy:

(1) Caring friends and families who, despite their diverse range of opinions and tastes, shower you with phone calls, emails, books, the odd beanie hat (can't believe how hard it was to track one down!) and pamphlets on cloth nappies, breastfeeding information for dads;

(2) Seeing how your hubby gets more protective over you and the bub "honey, I need to wipe the four doors of sledged dust" to cooking you his own brand of chicken curry - did anyone say nesting instinct?;

(3) Celebrating other friends' births;

(4) Hearing out other mothers who earned the right to taking a toddler to playgroups and their stories... real ones about the beauty of embracing a fantastic path of your continuing journey;

(5) Getting ready to soak in all the craziness grace of motherhood; and

(6) Secretly... I am looking forward to that odd, unexpected moment, probably at 3:30 in the morning when I rolled off my warm bed, eye-bags notwithstanding, to change my baby's nappy and the next feed...

Only to see that tiny little thing recognising me and giving me a toothless grin with those wildly swinging limbs.

Who cares if it's not time to play? Who cares if baby is going to cry due to exhaustion later? Who cares if we're not settling into a routine?

What matters is that I know, somehow miraculously, by a long line-honed realisation that nothing will come close to that sort of moment. I'm sure I will get my baby back to sleep and the little thing will not stay mad at me for too long, I am sure I can bond - bottle or breast - and I am sure that we're spending what used to be our dirty weekends away on today's nappies, I know I have to perfect the art of smelling out nappy by-products, I know I won't have all the answers.

But looking at my bump now, heck, I wonder how in my wildest dreams, did I get this lucky? 

ps: Those kicks rock!

What Is Your Dirty Little Secret This Year?

I'll tell you mine.

I'm having a secret affair. Wait for it, it's actually six times an affair and I've committed monetary transaction for three already. Hubby doesn't know about it and the only disguise I could put up to cover the sweet after-glow is a daft smile about nothing and according it to the blissful looks of mums-to-be, the "usual". I had tried many times to resist but it was an absolutely futile attempt that in the end, I decided to taste the forbidden fruit to get over my angst.

It was luxuriously delicious and everything that I had imagined. Being wrapped in the warm embrace of a desirous temptation, each time with triple the passion, the fulfillment of a lust that only a long hunger can attest, is something that I reckon not only a single woman or an expectant mother could deny her inner self. I remembered that windy afternoon when I walked back home carrying my secret, melting in the lone knowledge that every person on the street will not have an idea of my latest adventure, how the gray skies were coloured the maroon of a private chamber that housed the most exotic and evocative of sense-pleasing smells, tastes, and textures.

Of course I knew and still know that it's something that is prohibited. Technically I'm doing something on the sly, away from the prying eyes of the authorities and my ever caring, watchful hawk of a hubby, that I should be focusing on getting ready to progress into the next important phase of womanhood and be all that responsible strap of a dutiful mother when her child beckons to come forth to accept the pains of labour in order to welcome life.

Okay, one last admission - I tricked my hubby into going upstairs last night after he's cooked me his fantastic chicken herbal dinner to get a shower because I hid behind the excuse that  I couldn't take the smell of "chook in his hair" - in reality, I succumbed again to meeting my temptation while I heard the shower running upstairs.

And I knew that I will need all the concentration, the centering of will and self-power. Hence I knew that it would amount to no tantamount sin that I succumb to my temptation and self-pleasure of a true serve of luscious, silky scoop of Neapolitan ice cream, made with the freshest cream, served chilled, eaten in front of the heater with my fleecy boots on and sigh the sigh of contentment.

You didn't think it was anything else did you? My, my... where have your thoughts gone?!

Here's to Week 36 baby! (Going 37 by tomorrow)

My April That Passed...

It's just gone past the most significant month since our arrival in Australia. I had never been this occupied before to the extent that April passed me by in daily doses of to-dos and I'm snuggling contentedly in my own lounge, in our own place, in a neighbourhood to beat, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world... and what did I learn? Read on:

(1) Crazier things had happened and just when you think it's never going to be topped, mind your surprise because it usually will happen anyway, anyhow. We got white goods delivered wrongly, someone "forgot" the refrigerator and the delivery men decided to give you an attitude bigger than Priscilla in the desert and your humour level is as low as a flattened packing box could go;

(2) But then in the same tone, things can always (and usually will too) get turned into your advantage - such as bringing down the thunder with the manager of the store, evoking your civil rights and the amendment to consumer liability (I have no idea what it is but it sure sounds impressive, don't you agree?) with only poor Keith apologising to your heavily pregnant wife for putting through this poor lady the wait in the previous night for a 0630 hour wake-up call to confirm that morning's delivery and bungling it up. Sigh, so a $150-worth of gift card is the least you can do, right Keith? Okay, it helps to have a hubby who muscled in because... you're just worth it baby!

(3) That your life will be a circling blender of lint, lint, and surprise, surprise... more lint! Forget about rolling your sticky tape on your black pants - it's the holy trinity of vacuuming, cleaning, flipping out those sheets, pillows, whatever the washing machine spat out, and repeat the cycle as many times as you can muster in a day, for at least another two weeks. Smiling during the process is optional but protective eye wear is desirable;

(4) Cooking in your own kitchen is so fun! (plus after a long 3-year wait, not counting the courting days, my hubby has finally cooked me his infamous fish curry... and yes, it was worth the wait);

(5) Your first stain on the sofa, your first dent on the pot... they do hurt but you'll move on;

(6) Taking time out to breathe and realign your perspectives are important, especially when you are dealing with incompetent drivers, delivery men and service staff;

(7) The Asian food scene in Sydney still kicks ass;

(8) Patience overrules panic - do not rush into settling everything in one go. Shopping around, even though it means you have to grind your imaginative teeth to brave grumpy Sydney-siders (they probably think you're one of them too) at stores like IKEA for that elusive working desk or baby changing cot is worth the effort. Trust me on this one;

(9) And if things get too crazy, you can always up the bar by subjecting yourself to the exceptionally lacking of warmth welcoming of the Phoenix Court Chinese Yum Cha restaurant and dig into some fabulously nourishing morsels of delight;

(10) It's a building exercise that you'll never ever forget for the rest of your life and as hard as you can fathom it RIGHT NOW, in a decade, you'll look back at life and forward, laughing at adversity because you handled it ALL back then (if I get a Dollar for every time anyone made a comment that I was "very brave" to move country, city (twice in the space of 3 months), go preggers, settling down in a new system of things, getting things bought / delivered / unpacked / cleaned and sorting out recycled items to do our bit for the environment (and well, the Council didn't really leave much choice), hospital visits, all the waits, finding out how things work around here, did I mention about grocery, all the registrations, all the dealing with the authorities of all forms and departments, and catching up with friends, and reminding ourselves the other friends that we had yet to call (sorry! soon, we promise!), clean and cook, get some decent sleep AND well, look well put together when I step out of my front lawn? I would, honestly, get a good stipend to buy myself a treat at the Victorian Tearoom after a good session of spa-ing and enough left for the trip back home in a cab); and

Finally, having your hubby coming home for a surprise lunch when he bought you your favourite chicken avocado toasted wrap, and reminding you that "we need to get more beanie hats for our little one" is absolutely divine.

My takeaway from it all - yes, it's been insanely unpredictable you just got to laugh at it. There were definitely moments of apprehension and ponder, doubt, fear, uncertainty but on the grand scale of things, you absolutely have to pinch yourself and remind yourself what an incredible reality that you are living in.

So, before I yap on about the great mysteries of life, enjoy some of the snapshots that I've captured during our stay in Manly before moving into our own Lower North Shore pad. Yep, this bump ain't a bummer at all! Bub and Mama had been busy sniffing around for the extraordinary in the ordinary, only to at times come out with some unbelievable mouthed "Oh..." moments.

Enjoy folks! 

 Ageing is so not fun sometimes! (And cruel)

I don't know what's more hot and bothered - the seagulls, my camera, or the lady's strategically placed palm?

Not far for us to go now! I love you bubba and your papa and I can't wait to see you :) XOXO