Almost there

Handling 2 blogs is actually a lot more complicated than I expected!
How am I going to do with bb Lenting blog coming up?

So yes, morning sickness is long time gone and we are now only 1 week away from the 'due date'! All went well. I would even say better than for the first pregnancy. The biggest improvement from the first time is NO water retention, or very very little. I guess to be in a climate where the hottest temperature does not go over 25C must help. I was so looking forward Maternity Leave in July. Dreams of lunches at the parks, walks with Liv under the sun at the Zoo, swimming, beach...and guess what? Summer in Holland is 17C with rain all day. Fab! At least, I do not feel guilty sitting in front of the computer.

The last few months with Liv has been even greater than usual. She has grown so much and her personality is coming out more and more everyday. It is a great adventure to discover her character. She is of course stubborn, like her parents, but she is definitely listening more to what we are saying and trying her best to follow. She is also very caring. She always has been very cuddly, however, since she knows a baby is coming, she is taking care of her 'babies' a lot, coming to me and giving rubs to my belly and simply talking to her sister. She knows where her feet, hands & head are and she is laughing her head off when her sister has the hiccups.

Liv is now saying her sister is coming tomorrow! Should I believe? She knew before I did that I was pregnant. She said it was a sister from the beginning and would have none of it when we brought up the idea it could be a boy...my bag is ready, I am ready, is bb ready then?

Bye bye morning sickness

Time is flying by faster and faster. Headaches are gone! Morning sickness is only a vague memory and I am not even tired anymore during the day. What a relief. Dreaming like mad though.
17 weeks already and growing. Clothes are starting to feel tighter so shopping time is soon.
Liv's interest in babies is growing too. If we are in a cafe and a baby comes she is asking to go to say hello.

Last weekend we went to visit her friend Hannah (and my friend Stephanie). She had a 2nd baby girl 4 months ago. Liv was very sweet and gentle, 'making coffee' for the baby.
She is a bit worried about the word 'big' sister. She likes the word 'petite' (small) and has associated it with cute. Therefore I am now telling her she is going to be a sister and I think she likes that.

So now that things are a bit smoother it is time to start being organized. It is new to me to work and being pregnant. Last time, being a dive instructor I stopped straight away (real luxury). Now I need to think Maternity Leave, Creche, Going back to Work with 2 kids...interesting. And all that in a country I do not speak the language. Thankfully my husband does and he is of great help, but really I need to make learning the language my priority. Dutch isn't the easiest language to learn, I tell you.

We have also finally decided to do some home improvement an get rid of this ugly carpet and replace it with wood. Cant wait!

I am also looking forward to go to Maastricht at the end of March. I have a 4 days weekend starting with my 20 week scan. All of us will be going. I am wondering how Liv is going to take it to see the baby. And then we are off to Onno's hometown.

Splitting headache

Stuffy nose & splitting headache since Friday (we are Sunday night). From all my reading on the subject it would sound like rhinitis but honestly I have not read anywhere it could be that bad.
I resorted to the old fashion technique I used while diving and simply snorted salt water. At least it did clear my sinuses a bit but I must say the headache went one notch up as well.
To caught puts my head in a vise.
So I have spend the weekend in bed while Onno was taking care of Liv. They have both been fantastic. Onno has handled all the shopping & cooking bits. Liv has been giving me kisses and playing "nurse Liv".
Both went to Artis. It has been a long time they had not done something together. It was father / daughter weekend :-)
I can just hope one more day of rest will do the trick and help me get rid of this headache.

12 1/2 weeks - Nuchal

It kept me awake for a few days. For some reason 2 weeks ago when I was at the hospital for the blood test the mid-wife talked and talked about trisomy to the point of me asking her why she was putting so much emphasize on it. They have to I guess and it did put pressure on me.
Husband came along. Baby was sleeping or simply not cooperating at all during the scan. Thank God the results were immediate and they are good! What a relief. I can now breathe and look forward.

It is always so emotional to see your baby in the first weeks as you can see it full, not in parts as it happens in the 20 weeks scan. I always feel like I am gonna cry.

Liv is so aware of the baby as well. I am surprised since there is nothing to see at all yet. Today she asked for two babies :-) She is great.

We have now passed the "critical" period and we can slowly start thinking of names. Well, we still have a boy's name from Liv pregnancy :-) and I found a new one this morning. But they will stay secret until the birth, like last time.

9 weeks

While in Asia it did not seems so difficult to stick to all these new eating habits; however being back in Europe and especially going thru the end of the year festivities it was at times hard to to be able to have a little sip of champagne with everyone or to look at all these lovely oysters and not have one. In Asia these temptations did not exist so much.
I ended up eating and drinking like Liv, which was kind of fun :-)
Liv has been a doll all the way thru the holidays. She has finally stopped crying for nothing and everything. Her progress in French are amazing and I cant believe how many words she knows already.
She is asking for a little brother and refers to the baby has her baby. Well, everything is hers at the moment!

2nd visit at the hospital was this morning. Baby is now 2.73 cm. it is a wonder how much it has grown in 3 weeks.
All is fine for now. Heartbeat is good and we will do the Nuchal Fold Scan on the 25th.

First hospital visit

Onno & I brought Liv to the creche this morning. She is being quite difficult at the moment and always makes a scene when I leave. Then direction the hospital to meet the midwife.
I must say it was a lot better than my first visit with Liv in Indonesia. Cleaner, more organized, nurses actually responding to your questions.
I feel a lot more reassured this time. I guess it also helps to have been thru it all before, doesn't it?
First ultra sound has showed us a tiny little prawn of 0.6cm with already a visible heartbeat! So cool. My husband was so excited we could not stop himself to tell his family...unbelievable...so much for waiting until 12 weeks.
I must say it is really hard not to tell. So far I only told my sister and I know she is struggling to keep her tongue until we come for Christmas. We decided to tell the parents as I have no plausible excuse for not drinking wine or Champagne.

Feeling pregnant or not?

Isn't weird how some days I feel like any other day and start to wonder if I have not imagined that little pink line on the pregnancy test and then how on days like today I feel very pregnant even thought it is only 5 weeks? I fell like more like 5 months pregnant.