Yummy (mummy)

My doctor gave me one thing to do for this pregnancy: Watch my weight. 

I've been an extremely good girl and haven't really indulged in sweets or junk food anymore than usual. In fact, I've probably been better about it over the course of the pregnancy. But October was a mess with birthdays and socialising and in this last month I fluctuated between being crazy hungry all day and then having no appetite the next day. 

Obviously, I was not impressed to discover I was slightly over the weight I'm supposed to be at for the 25 week mark. Trevor found my distress and disappointment most confusing seeing as he's well aware of how conscious I am of not "eating for two". Plus he thinks I'm drop dead gorgeous with the baby belly so my weight is of little concern to him. 

In the end, what matters is that I'm in great health, the baby's happy and healthy (well, judging by her flurry of activity, she must be having a party in here) and there's no point in stressing over every single kilogram. I eat healthily, exercise and enjoying the pregnancy is more important than panicking about my weight. 

All that being said, we hit the 25 week mark yesterday. Trevor and I were in the Waterfront for a corporate event and he decided that we deserved to spoil ourselves a little. So, throwing caution to the wind, Wren-Lee and I enjoyed a delicious caramel biscuit and vanilla caramel brownie flavoured treat from our favourite ice-cream brand...(I salivate when reading this last sentence) 

Haagen-Dazs = food heaven *drool*

Project Baby Room: The Inspiration

(I wrote the title and now I can't stop the Chicago song "You're the inspiration" from playing in my head. Oy!)

With the festive season fast approaching, Trevor and I were keen to get a move on with Wren-Lee's room. Just like with our wedding and our house, Trevor and I have a pattern when we work together:
1. Vastly different ideas and design
2. We argue about the vastly different ideas and design
3. We attempt to compromise and mesh the ideas together
4. The mash-up doesn't work and we come up with a whole new idea.
5. We don't like the new idea and promptly throw it out leaving us back at beginning again
6. We come up with a totally different idea which we both like and then speed forward

Fortunately, this time around we didn't spend as much time on steps 2 and 3 as we usually do and managed to come up with the final scheme over two weeks. Trevor's designed a graphic that will be on the wall behind the cot based on this pic.

He's done fewer letters and gone for a totally different font which is better suited to a girl's room. The couple who did the room in the photo are both graphic designers and they painted every letter by hand. We'll be doing the same. Trevor says it's a labour of love. I told him I'm the one who has to go through labour, pfft.

Now, for the colour scheme, we've settled on a soft blue and pink combo. Neither of us likes pink girl's rooms and we wanted the room to be restful, beautiful and feminine. The bedroom gets the most amazing afternoon sunlight all year round and it helps to keep the cold aspect of the blue under control. These are the pics we chose the colours from.

Over the next 8-12 weeks, I'll be documenting the room make-over (lots of photos!). The plan of action for Phase 1 (painting) is to prep the walls over the next 3 days, do all the masking tape on Friday and start with the wall colour by Sunday. Trevor's in charge of figuring out how to project the lettering onto the wall so we can trace them out and my teeny tiny steady hands will be doing a lot of the fine work. The entire painting procedure will probably take two weeks to complete but it'll be worth the work when it's done.

I'm incredibly proud and grateful for the amount of effort Trevor's putting into this room. Usually it's the mom who takes the creative lead on the baby's room but I'm fortunate to have a baby daddy who enjoys being able to go back to his graphic design education and use it for something special. So, while he may not do dishes, he might be highly "allergic" to cleaning the house and he's slowly learning to enjoy grocery shopping, Trevor's love and talent will be made visible every time we look into Wren-Lee's bedroom.

Grow, grow, grow the bump...

A lot of people have been asking for baby bump photos. Some people even asked in Texas...

My parents are travelling in the USA at the moment and met up with an old friend, YL Cheung, at a conference in Houston this past Thursday. YL wanted to know what I looked like now so, my mom messaged me and asked that I take photos and send them to her. 

I had just gotten out of Pilates class and was spending the evening with friends. My friend Tanya played photographer and we got two good shots which were quickly sent to the parents. She asked me nicely to post the photos seeing as they are now the most recent pics of me and were taken at exactly 22 weeks. 

Like I said earlier, I just got out of Pilates class when these were taken so make-up and hair were au naturel plus we snapped these on my Blackberry. Even I won't deny that when it comes to photos, iPhones are far superior. But, on with the show, here's me and my belly...

Look at me in 4D!

Apologies for the long break between blog updates. It's been a bit frantic in our household and we were waiting for today's big milestone.

So, we've hit the 22 week mark! And that meant another visit to Dr Linnie Muller for a detailed scan and, the best bit, some 4D scan action.

Wren-Lee is growing beautifully!!! She's right on target with all her growth checkpoints, weighs an impressive 560 grams (I think it's impressive but it's quite normal for her gestational time frame) and she's definitely got my feet. Her daddy doesn't realise it yet, but having my feet means she'll also fit beautifully into designer shoes *sly chuckle* Dr Muller says everything is on track, all her organs are functioning properly, blood flow is great through the umbilical cord and her heart and her brain is forming nicely.

Thankfully, she was quiet today. Wren-Lee's been hyperactive for the last week and I was worried she wouldn't be still long enough for a good photo. But, after 6 straight days of having what felt like a rave in my uterus, she was pretty sleepy this morning. And so we got two great 4D pics. Enjoy and look out for some more posts over the weekend!

She has her little hands up in front of her mouth in this pic

The money shot! 

Interesting name, interesting story...

Wren-Lee

A name most people have never heard of let alone consider bestowing upon their child. 

People are still a little confused or taken aback when we tell them it's the baby's name and that reaction is usually followed by, "Where'd you get that name from?" 

Trevor and I were a bit hesitant to choose names before confirming the baby's gender. He suggested numerous names but part of the problem was that we thought we were having a boy, and yet, not a single name resonated with me. We tried for weeks to find a name and we were obviously caught off-guard when were told at 13 weeks that there was a 70% chance the baby was a girl. The plan for a boy's name was put aside and we decided to start looking at girl's names. 

We spent hours on the internet searching every website imaginable and none of the names felt right. Eventually, Trevor got the brilliant idea of looking through our book collection for a name. It seemed fitting that we'd give our baby a name with a literary reference and researching literary characters was far more enjoyable than long lists of names online. 

At the same time, I'd heard of a new TV series that was getting a lot of positive attention in the USA. The series was based on a book and I started researching the book in hopes of getting some new literature for the summer. The book was called Game of Thrones and it is the first book in series called "A Song of Ice and Fire". Trevor loves epic fantasy sagas and has collected quite a few series in recent years which he usually reads during summer holiday time. He was obviously keen to acquire a new one and asked me to look into the story. 

I discovered that Renly is the name of one of the main characters in the series and something about the name struck a chord with me. I suggested the name to Trevor but we both agreed it was better suited to a female rather than a male. We didn't discuss it again until two days later. By that time, I had decided to put the name Wren up for consideration as well. Trevor still liked the sound of the name but not the spelling. He quickly devised a new spelling and so we got Wren-Lee. 

Wren: A small, inconspicuous bird except for their loud and often complex songs

Lee: A place name meaning "wood, clearing", "meadow" or "sheltered from the storm" in Old English

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how we named our little girl! 

Two fairy-wrens, a male on the left and female on the right

What a week!

We skipped our update last week so please prepare yourself for a loooooooong post.

I can sum up the last seven days like this: Birthday. Braai. Bizarre. Bummed. Baby.

Birthday - I turned 28 on Tuesday. We kept it low-key this year and just the immediate family came over for some cake and conversation. My family got me a gorgeous dress and a spa treatment voucher but my friends also gave me very thoughtful gifts. Marika replaced the wallet she gave me as a 21st gift with a new one. Quite sad to see the old one go because I'd been using it every day for the last 7 years. Natalie got me a Mexican bola which is a long necklace with a chime in the pendant that soothes the baby in utero. How cool is that?! The highlight of this year's birthday was my Irish surprise. Our friends, Darren and Carlyn, live in Dublin and did a little scheming with Trevor. On Tuesday morning, I was greeted by Carlyn's brother, Dale, who was armed with a massive bunch of flowers and a gorgeous chocolate cake - my gift from the Pedro family. It's one thing to be spoilt like that by a family member or even a spouse but it's quite special when you realise how blessed you are to have people in your life who would orchestrate a birthday surprise from a different continent. So, once again, a massive thank you to Doc, Carlyn and the adorable Gabriella for making the 28th birthday one to remember!

Flowers, cake and a happy face :-) 

Braai - We had a little braai on Friday night and the last guests left at 2:30am!!! There was boisterous conversation, plenty of raucous laughter from me and a sing-along to an ancient Tevin Campbell CD. It was just a little crazy but loads of fun! 

Bizarre - On Saturday afternoon, I had a small pregnancy breakdown moment. One second I was preparing to go to a product launch and the next instant I was sobbing. I stood in our bathroom bawling my eyes out and the sobbing got worse the more I realised that I didn't know why I was crying. I wasn't angry or sad or anything. I just cried for no reason. Trevor was in the shower at the time so, he had the fun task of simultaneously washing his hair and telling me how I was like an emotional champagne bottle with too many bubbles which resulted in the tears. I cried for a few minutes, stopped and proceeded to do my hair and make-up. I felt much better afterward and Trevor got another 4000 brownie points added to his score sheet for handling my emotional overflow so well.

Bummed - The Springboks lost their quarter-final match in the Rugby World Cup and Blackberry bombed out yesterday so no BBM or WhatsApp, which rendered my phone nearly useless. Enough said. 

Baby - Yesterday we had a check-up with Dr White. Baby is growing beautifully, everything is normal and it's still extremely active. Dr White says our little Nano's bones are wonderfully strong and dense and we got some good photos. Sadly, Dr White will be leaving her practice early next year. Trevor and I were disappointed to hear she won't be delivering our baby but she's leaving us in the capable hands of Dr van Waart who has over 20 years experience. We'll still see Dr White until January and our last 3 check-ups before Nano's arrival will be with Dr van Waart so we'll get to know her before delivery day.

The big news is that Nano is a girl! We were told at 13 weeks it was highly likely to be a girl but we decided to keep mum until we got confirmation. So, we have a daughter on the way and her name will be Wren-Lee (pronounced "ren-ly"). Yes, it's an unusual name and we've considered that the spelling, pronunciation and possibility of being teased about it may cause problems down the line but that risk exists with any name. As parents we hope to raise her to be confident and thus comfortable with having a unique moniker. Because her name is quicker to say than it is to type out on the blog, I'll refer to her as Wren for now :-)

It's quite remarkable that Wren can hear, the grey matter of her brain is busy forming, the soft tissues of her body has already been formed and all her organs are functioning except her lungs. She's a teensy weensy human who weighs approximately 200g - the weight of a slab of chocolate as Dr White very cleverly pointed out. I'm quite excited for our 22 week scan which is in real time 4D and we'll be able to see her face clearly for the first time as well as watch her move. As Wren grows, I'm appreciating being able to feel her move and she's showing signs of responding to external stimuli like my voice and music. Soon enough, she'll give us proper kicks and she'll also respond to Trevor's voice which he encourages by speaking to her as often as he can.

We're truly thankful that Wren-Lee's doing so well and it only amplifies the gratitude in our hearts for all our blessings. On this very happy note, we leave you with some photos :-)

Side view

High five! Clearly visible open hand in the middle of the pic

Little feet...

Sweet 16

*Fanfare!* We have reached 16 weeks of pregnancy!! Whoop Whoop!
This week we look forward to Nano being able to hear and, the big milestone, proper little kicks or flutters.
Well, we got a bit of a preview this past weekend...

Last Sunday, my parents had a potjie gathering while my brother was also hosting a farewell braai for his roommate. It was a good day but what made it even better was that Nano decided to show off.

Most days, Nano stays pretty hidden. As its getting bigger, I've started to feel how its movements affect the amniotic sac. On Sunday, Nano was on the right side of my belly and pushed itself forward enough to allow my friends and parents to feel the little mass underneath my skin. Everyone was quite excited that they could feel the little nunu.

I also decided to treat myself with, not one, but two slices of cake for dessert. Since being pregnant, my relationship with sweet treats has waned a little and I don't usually have that much sugar in one go. Well, my few minutes of enjoying that cake turned into hours of discomfort. Nano obviously can't handle that much sugar and its hyperactivity meant pinched nerves and a very uncomfortable abdomen for me.

Since then, Nano's been quiet. I don't mind because this has been a hectic week for both Trevor and I. Today is only the halfway mark of 10 consecutively busy days, we're both tired already but we're pushing on. Between Pilates classes, orchestra and choir practice, meetings, driving up and down across the city and a big Thanksgiving weekend at church, we reckon Nano is waiting till Mommy and Daddy aren't so preoccupied to get our attention again. (Daddy Trevor is still attempting to play with Nano by talking to it and shaking Mommy's belly *face palm*)

Spring has sprung in Cape Town so, I'm going to grab a banana and enjoy some sunshine now and I'll leave you with a little fruit to show you how big Nano is this week.