First Visit to the Clinic

It has been a quiet few weeks except for some house renovations. We did not get to see Peanut again, all the nausea and stretchy feelings have passed and I am feeling really good. So except for a bit of discomfort sleeping and my belly ballooning I do not even feel very pregnant. 

We have talked about our options for the birth and after getting really good feedback from the owner of our Baby Clinic we have decided to have the baby at our neighboring town, which is 15km away. So now more worrying about driving over the mountain while I am in labour! Phew!

As we will have the baby in a government hospital I needed to go to our local clinic in order to open a file. This is very helpful to the staff when you go in for the birth as they can then see your history and be prepared for any complications. The reason why we are opting for the government hospital is because we do not have maternity benefits on our medical aid. After years of trying we did not deem it necessary anymore and we tried to save money where we could in order to be able to pay for the adoption. Anyway, too late now and we are making the best out of the situation. Luckily the hospitals in the "platteland" is very clean and sufficient and the staff friendly and well trained.

So, Wednesday bright and early of to the clinic I went. I actually dreaded going, but I must confess that I am pleasantly surprised. With my first doctor's appointment and the 2 sonars I was not really poked and prodded at. After reading what to expect I thought that I will be tested for everything and what else - but was not. It was just the 15 minute consultations which we paid a lot for and nothing extra. I felt a little let down but thought it is probably normal.

I was at the clinic for 2 hours. I got called into the first room and measured, weighed (ouch), blood sugar, iron and blood pressure tested. In the second room I met with a counselor who tested for diseases and infections and explained the dangers of HIV and the benefits of breastfeeding.
Then only did I get to see the nurse. She had to ask me a lot of questions and note the answers in my file. We had a nice discussion and a Q&A session. She then examined me and also took a blood sample to check for anti-bodies because of my RH factor.

Everything looked great and I now feel secure in the fact that somebody actually took the time to check me over and make sure that all is fine. And it cost me absolutely nothing. What a pleasure, getting something back for our hard-earned tax money!

Next week Friday we will hopefully find out whether we are having a blue or pink Peanut and we are all very excited and holding our breaths!

Nursery - curtains arrived!

My mom is in charge of creating the nursery linen and today I received her first package which contained the curtains. I could barely wait to get home and open it as I had no clue as to what she chose. I was not disappointed. My mom knows me well. She chose a natural coloured "gold-khaki" which fits in beautifully with the walls and the new tiles. She decorated this with 2 big colourful pictures of animation animals. Perfect for our little Peanut!

The room is very cozy and dark when the curtains are drawn and unfortunately does not create a great photograph, but this should give you an idea. The close-up of the picture is a truer reflection of the colour.

Nursery - tiling done and dusted

On Monday the contractor pitched up bright and early to start tiling. We were under the impression that he was coming to inspect and give us a quote first, but he was ready for action. So in a frenzy we cleared the two rooms that needed tiling. I will not even try to describe how the rest of the house looks at this stage - hoarders' dream!

But, 3 days later and the tiling is done. Here is a pic of Peanut's room:

Tomorrow we will wash the walls and the floors and move the furniture back in. My mother made curtains, bedding and a laundry bag, which is being posted. The curtains should arrive soon and I will give an update once they are hanged. Very exciting to see how the little nest is unfolding.

Growing Fast!

On Friday we went for our second scan. The main reason for this was so that the doctor could look at the baby's features in order to establish if there could be a possibility of Down's Syndrome. Because I am already 35 years old our baby do have a higher risk of this.
We were however not much concerned about this, as we have decided that it will not matter and that we would raise this child anyways as it is the greatest of gifts that we could have ever received. We were just happy to have a peek at the Peanut again!

And were we in for a surprise! Three weeks ago we had a look at a little blobby that took some imagination to be called a baby. What we now saw was a perfectly formed little human being. Peanut has grown twice in size in the last three weeks. We could see the features, the nose like a little button - this made us all very happy, as with Down Syndrome babies you would normally not see a prominent nose. The little arms were waving about and the legs, my gosh, we surely have a swimmer on our hands, the legs kicked and kicked. We had a look at the brain, the two perfect brain lobes that formed. The spine and neck looks good and healthy. The heart is beating nicely and overall the baby seems healthy and happy and beautiful! Here is a peek for you too:

And a comparison to show how much our little Peanut has grown on the last 3 weeks.