Love, bubs and life on our little farm

I am 37 weeks pregnant today. In honour of being full term, I thought I would be brave and post a bare belly pic. I was measuring 39 weeks fundal height at 36 weeks and this pic is as big as I was with Elka at 40 weeks so I am hoping there isn't much more growing to be done! I am little concerned at my poor old tummy will deflate this time, the skin feels very stretched and worn out. I think there will be a lot of pilates and rising trot without stirrups to get my tummy back to some semblance of its former glory!

But its been magical carrying my second baby and what we have planned as my last pregnancy. She is so active and strong and constantly amazes me with how much movement and stretching she can do. I have ticked all my baby lists off and am now feeling prepared for her arrival. I wish I had a beautiful completed nursery to settle her into but the house extensions have not played the game and instead I hope to give her a gorgeous room for her 6 month half birthday ;) its all planned - pink and eggshell white striped half walls, with black and white paisley/flower accents and white furniture. We bought her coming-home outfit last night and besides completing the 100% blockout curtains (our house is very light!) which Mum will do for me next week, we are ready to welcome her to her half nursery/half spare room and to our bedroom which will accomodate the change table and basinette for the first few months.

Its turned cold all of a sudden really proving to me that my Winter bub will be here so soon. My due date is the 4th of June but I have a feeling about some time around the 27th-29th of May - its a full moon and Elka was born under a waning full moon. I loved that silent 3am moonlit drive into the hospital knowing our life was changing for ever, so the moon feels special to me. But of course I could still be impatiently waiting at 41 weeks too - babies love to make you guess!

I am very slow to walk now, I get a lot of pelvic pain and backache and tire quickly. But that said I am still coping with feeding the farm animals, doing groceries, shopping, carrying Elka etc so I am far from a resting invalid. I just take time to sit down a bit during the day, something I normally forget to do! I wish sleep was better but lying down puts all baby's weight on my organs and hips, making me ache and struggle to breath. Aaah I am dying for a comfy sleep on my flat tummy sometime in the future!

I am on my second day of maternity leave - it has not sunk in that I will not be officially back at work for another 8 or 9 months! Probably not sinking in as I am already planning on heading in to work next week to check on my newly trained staff and to follow up some work emails hehe

I am keeping Elka in 3 days of daycare for the next two weeks and I am looking forward to having those days to myself - I have beauty treatments, massages and lots of nesting jobs around the house planned.

Probably should rest too as I have low blood pressure again and get very dizzy very easily. I turn a lovely shade of gray which isnt very fetching!

But all in all, a very exciting time and I look forward to blogging about some big changes in the next few weeks - we should start earthworks on our house extension and plan to welcome our second child. Big stuff!