104 Weeks, and Contractions!

Well, it seems today is the day - I am having contractions, and right now Jeffrey and I are just at home passing time, waiting until I feel desperate enough to get to the hospital.  I found out the other day that the only doctor who does epidurals here is away for the month, (barbaric, I know!), so that isn't going to be an option for me, again. (and God forbid they bring in another doctor!)  Why rush up there?  The hospital is only about 3 minutes away, so as for now, we are waiting it out.  I have some reflexology combs to squeeze in my hands, and they seem to be taking the edge off.  Anyway, I thought I might update the blog, because it could be a while before I get back on.

Yesterday we told Carmen it was her birthday (even though it is tomorrow), so she woke up with the house decorated with balloons and streamers, then after breakfast her Lolo and Dida (grandparents) came over for presents.  At 10am we had a little party for her, with her two little friends, their siblings and parents.  I think the kids had a blast.  This week I went to the second hand stores here and bought all kinds of hats, shirts, scarves, necklaces and bags, and made a dress-up box for Carmen.  She loves it, and has been into it all week, and it was a big hit at the party.  It was a nice time, despite the fact that I was having a few contractions!

Right now Carmen is at school, so if this baby comes in the next few hours, it will really be very good timing!

Wish me luck!

Here is a video of Carmen on her new coaster car:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd7CQadlF0Y&feature=c4-overview&list=UU21-zydO1IYNApoXHx_P8LQ

A video of Carmen in her dress-up gear:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZReH7FU4i0&feature=youtu.be

 Birthday girl

 Going for a walk, the little fashionista

FaceTiming with her Oma and Opa, and unwrapping their presents

103 Weeks

Carmen had a good week - she cried a lot when I left her at school on Monday morning, but on Tuesday morning she just turned to me and said, "Bye Mum" and that was it!  They have been putting a pull-up nappy (diaper) on her there, because she is too gun-shy to use their toilets.  Since she has been wearing the nappy there, she is so much happier.  They say she is like a different girl, laughing and giggling and confident, and even napping (well, at least on Monday!).  I feel bad thinking that all of this time she was uncomfortable and stressed about wetting her pants, but at least they figured out what was wrong.  So, Carmen is fully day potty trained everywhere except for day care.  But whatever makes her happy there.  She also spent Wednesday  through Thursday afternoon at her grandparents' place, giving me much needed rest.  On Saturday she went to her friend Hunter's 2nd birthday party, which she was very excited about.  It was her first party, and I think she had a great time.  This morning we went to her grandparents' house for morning tea.  It has been raining horribly, so we haven't been able to get outside much.  And it's supposed to rain for most of this week too :(  We didn't take many photos this week-end - I just don't have much energy left, and I am horribly uncomfortable!  Not long to go now...

These are some photos from last week-end that somehow got left on the camera:

 At Hunter's party

After the party - a little tired!

Note the pickle in her hand - she is still addicted.

102 Weeks

Carmen is sick again!  Damn daycare!  A friend told me that it took 2 -3 months of daycare before her daughter stopped getting sick.  I guess it is going to be the same for Carmen.  She has a cold again.  But on the bright side, she had a really good day there on Tuesday, and even lay down and napped for 45 minutes! They told me they were all very excited and even took a photo :)  

We had a fairly quiet week, with a few visits to some parks, some painting and playdoh sessions, and an overnight stay at Carmen's grand parents' place.  Now that it is coming down to the wire baby-wise, my parents have been kind enough to take Carmen off our hands for a while, to give me some rest.  I am exhausted, my feet are like balloons, and I have a very ungraceful waddle to my gait.  Pregnancy can be so undignified!

Cute video of Carmen dancing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMrs9MkeTqg&feature=youtu.be

Playdoh time

Carmen's home-made head band

 Playing with balloons - her new favourite activity

 She prefers to wear her helmet backwards in the house

101 Weeks

We have had a happy week, no illnesses, and lots of fun.  Carmen cried a fair bit when I dropped her off at school on Monday, but Tuesday was much better.  She still did not sleep on Tuesday - she did sit on her bed for nap time, but when they asked her to lie down she said no.  She was very tired, and apparently whenever they weren't looking, she would lie down and put her head on her pillow, and then whenever they looked over at her she would sit bolt upright.  They told me she is very cunning :)  On her school days I pick her up early so that she gets dinner early and is in bed by 6pm, because she is so exhausted from lack of sleep.  This makes school nights good for me too!

Carmen is being a little naughty these days, particularly with me (perhaps only with me).  I will ask her a question and she'll just look at me and smile.  She won't sit still for meal times, and whines and complains A LOT!  We have started counting to 3 and doing time outs with her, putting her into her bedroom for 2 minutes with the door shut.  It is working a charm.  The funny thing is, when I go in to get her after her time out, she is always standing in the same spot with a little grin on her face.  But the bad behaviour is over, so I don't think it matters that she actually enjoys her time out!

This week I took Carmen to visit with her little friend Hunter and his twin baby siblings.  She held one of them on her lap, but I don't think she gets the connection yet that she is going to have one of her own soon.  Carmen also had a surprise visit from one of the neighbourhood kids, because apparently Carmen has the best play room in town.  And then on Saturday we went to the Scarecrow Festival in Milton with her grandparents (whom she has officially named Lolo and Dida), and then on Sunday while I worked, Carmen and Jeffrey had a daddy daughter day and went to the beach.  So all in all, a busy and happy week :)

Carmen enjoying her mummy's "green smoothie"

Surprise visit from Feine

100 Weeks & 23 Months

This week-end we hit 100 weeks and 23 months - this means only one month to go until my due date.  Scary!

Carmen came down with a cold and missed school on Tuesday.  She is at the tail end of it now, so it hasn't been the best week, more-so because she passed the cold on to me, and my mother!  I was sick all week, and still am not in the best of shape now.  I guess this is my punishment for sending her to day care!  She went again this morning, and was so horribly upset when I left, it was awful.  I cried all the way into town.  I called them about 40 minutes later, and she was still upset.  But when I picked her up this afternoon she was happily playing.  She still hasn't slept there, but at least today she sat in her bed and read a book - this is progress.  They said they thought she would fall asleep sitting up and then just keel over, but it didn't happen.  She is very stubborn!  Her speech has become very good, and she surprised us this week by counting to 12 without any encouragement from us.  She has also become obsessed with pickles.  She just absolutely loves them, to the point where it is the first thing she says every morning, or whenever she is fussing and we ask her what she wants, the answer is always, "Pickle".  I don't think they're the healthiest snack, but I guess it could be worse!

This week-end we went to a photography exhibition at Cupitt's Winery, and we took some amazing photos. We had such beautiful ones of Carmen against this totally scenic background and crazy sunset.  Lovely close-ups and beautiful landscapes.  And then when I went to download them onto my computer, there was an error on the camera card and all of the photos were erased.  So, we don't have great photos for this week-end, just two photos from this morning right when we were leaving for school (which is why Carmen looks distressed - she kept saying, "No school.  Home." and breaking my heart.

Here is a video of Carmen counting to 12 (for all who didn't see it on Facebook):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_2XpqquJlY

99 Weeks

We have had a good week.  Carmen did fairly well at school, but didn't nap, so I picked her up early and napped her here at home.  Today when I took her, she didn't even cry when I left - such an improvement!!  But then she still didn't nap there.  She decided that she wanted to colour in instead, so for the sake of peace and letting the other kids sleep, they let her.  This meant that this evening I had to deal with a toddler who for the first time had missed her nap.  She was fine until shower time, then she turned into a total monster.  She threw the worst tantrum I have ever seen!  She didn't want to take her jacket off, then she didn't want to get in the shower, then she clawed at the door the whole time she was in there, then she didn't want to get out of the shower, all the while she was kicking and screaming and slashing and wailing.  I gave up and left her in the bathroom, and her dad found her sobbing on the floor.  Needless to say, she went to bed early :)  She has also caught a cold again.

Anyway, Carmen's Uncle Sting came down for a visit, but we forgot to take any photos.  The weather has been lovely, so Carmen has been to different parks, and out for walks too.  I am really hoping this mild weather is a foreshadowing of how our winter is going to be!

Slippers on the wrong feet!  Blame Dad for that one.

Pimp Daddy Carmen

Her new friend

Playing Humpty Dumpty

98 Weeks

Carmen went to school on Monday for three hours, and they said she had a good day (despite the fact that she was screaming and slashing like a wild animal when I left).  Then she went back on Tuesday for three hours, and they said she had a fantastic day.  So, it gets better and better.  However, they did say she is very set in her ways and they could foresee a lot of trouble getting her to nap there.  So, that is the big hurdle for tomorrow, to get her to sleep at her school.  But I am so glad she enjoys herself after her initial meltdown when I leave!  It makes the time that she's away much easier knowing that she isn't upset.

We have had a good week, with all illnesses finally over.  The weather has been crisp but beautiful, so we took Carmen on a picnic at the park at Burrill Lake.  She loves that park - she can feed the ducks there.  However, she did consume a lot more of the bread that we brought than the ducks did.  Her speech is improving every week, and she said her longest sentence today: "Carmie's pants keep fall down".  They keep falling down because she lost weight with her gastro, and she is definitely a skinny minnie.  Also, she is pretty much potty trained, during the day at least, with only a few accidents all week.  I never knew it would be so easy!

Making a sculpture (wearing her dad's helmet)

 Feeding the ducks