Cairns.

Greg and I went up to Cairns for a week (our last holiday before the bub arrives). We didn't do much up there, except a lot of sleeping, reading and relaxing - which was pretty much the plan. We did explore some local towns, went to the Cairns Tropical Zoo (where we got to feed kangaroos :) and spent time lounging by the pool or on the beach. :)

Greg - on the way to Kuranda	Beach on an overcast day.
Relaxing by the pool.	Hotel Pool.
Greg patting a kangaroo.	Tanya feeding a kangaroo.
A glimpse of the bump.	Dinner.

Movement.

I have been feeling movement from the bub for a few weeks now and it has been gradually getting stronger. There's even been times when the movement has been quite hard and sudden and I've jumped with fright! It doesn't hurt at all but feels very weird! And actually it's very comforting to know she's ok in there. :)

Comments galore.

Being pregnant is a funny experience because people suddenly feel like it’s OK to comment on things they wouldn't normally comment on. Every day at work there's at least one person who makes some sort of comment about my appearance - the thing is their comments vary day to day. So far I have been told you're getting fat, you look pregnant now, your face is fat, your face is splotchy, you're barely showing, you can’t tell you're pregnant, you haven’t put on any weight, etc... Sometimes all in the one day. I'm not sure how I can be fat and skinny, showing and not showing all at the same time...

I also keep getting advice - some of it very bizarre. Things like I shouldn’t have a cat or wear sunscreen because they could cause diabetes in my developing baby. Hmm.. I don't think there's been studies done into that one!

Greg's 30th Birthday.

Last weekend we celebrated Greg's 30th birthday at a pub in the Dandenongs (He kindly postponed his 30th birthday celebrations until I was feeling better :). It was a fun night with great food and company. And entertainment provided by Greg and his tambourine. :) (with back up entertainers Tanya on the maracas, Hamish on the tambourine and Darpana on sticks).

Greg and I also stayed the weekend in the Dandenongs for some much needed R&R. :)

Dinner	Performing
Performing	Awww..

19 week scans.

Our daughter

19 week scan.

On Monday I had my 19 week scan. I was excited about this scan because I hadn't seen the bub for 7 weeks. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this scan as much as last time, because it felt like it was more of a technical procedure and also the bub wasn't moving as much this time.

We did get to see two feet, ten toes, two legs, two arms, heart beating, internal organs in place, bones, skull, brain, heart chambers, and even some nose picking. haha.

Greg and I also found out the sex (big hint from the colour of this text). :)

I will post the scan photos soon.

Pregnancy 18th week.

My pregnancy is no longer in such control of my life. Unfortunately I do still feel sick most of the time but it has eased off A LOT! Sometimes I do feel sicker than other times (especially at night time). So I wonder if I will feel sick throughout the entire pregnancy? But as long as it's not as bad as it used to be, then I can cope with it.

I am tired all the time now and need more sleep than I used to. But after being so sick for so long, being tired doesn't seem that bad.

I have a new found appreciation for food now. Foods suddenly taste so much better to me. Even simple foods such as fruit and veges burst with flavour.

A couple of weeks ago I started feeling very tiny, slight movements, which I wasn't sure if it was the baby or not? As of this week I can definitely feel the baby moving. I feel little pokes every now and then. It does feel very weird to be poked from the inside. But it's a great feeling because I know that the bub is there and ok. :)

Ohh.. and I have a bump and am starting to look pregnant now.

You know you've written too many emails when..

You sign off a voicemail message with your name. E.g. "Hi this is Tanya calling about such and such. Tanya" Maybe I can blame it on pregnancy brain?!

To my darling husband.

I couldn't have gotten through those first three months of pregnancy without you. Thank you for bringing me my breakfast in bed (because I couldn't get up before eating anything) and thank you for putting up with my weird food requests (such as "I can only eat Vegemite on toast" and "Today I just want to eat chocolate ice cream"). Plus the millions of other things you did. And for your patience and understanding. :)

My body is no longer my own.

So far the experience of being pregnant has been a tough one for me. I wasn't expecting morning sickness to be so bad and to take over my whole life. The constant intense nausea I felt all day long came as such a shock. I had read about morning sickness and I had heard other people talk about it. But I realised no one had ever expressed how bad it could actually be. However, since being pregnant, I have heard women's stories of constant vomitting, constant extreme nausea, inability to function or cope, etc - sometimes lasting their entire prenancies! Why hadn't I heard these stories before?

For me morning sickness feels like I am on the verge of vomiting 24 hours a day (remember a time when you had food poisoning or gastro or drank too much.. remember how you felt just before you vomitted.. that's how I felt all the time). For the first three months of pregnancy I have felt like I have some really horrible disease! Some days I didn't know if I'd be able to get through it or if it'd ever go away. I tried EVERYTHING that was suggested to me and some things eased my morning sickness by like 1% or something.. but there is nothing that ever made it manageable. I could barely eat anything at all.. and all I could think about is what I would give just to be able to eat a meal. I felt terrible if I ate but I felt terrible if I didn't eat.

Happily, my morning sickness is starting to ease now! :) I still feel sick but not as sick as I was. I can eat more foods now and I do have moments where I almost don't feel sick anymore. So thankfully I assume that means I will not be sick for the whole pregnancy. :)