Pregnancy: 30 weeks 1 day
Total weight gain: scale ran out of batteries.... check next week
Baby size (head to butt): 27cm (10.62in)
Baby weight: 1.3kgs (2.86lbs)

It's crazy to think that in 7-10 weeks (considered "full term at 37 weeks, but due date is calculated at 40 weeks), we will have a little baby. That is really not that long. I'm kind of freaking out, we haven't picked up the crib, bassinet, or pretty much anything else yet!! We need to get on that ASAP so I can nest in Mushi's room and get it all ready. Yesterday Aaron and I walked up the road to a baby shop (pre-loved, new, and hire) and had a look around. We bought a really cute little Noah's Ark puzzle toy. It even has some hebrew (I think that is what it is, Trish told me, but I can't remember if it was hebrew or greek or whatever other ancient language the Noah's Ark part of the bible is written in) on written on it. The artist musn't have done his research too carefully though as in the background of the magnetic portion of the toy is another smaller fishing type boat. I'm pretty sure the bible says there was only the Ark floating around during the flood, and not random little fishing boats as well, but we'll overlook that... the toy is cute anyway.

A month of so ago, Aaron shared a photo from his RSS feed (um... Internet reader thingy, no idea what it stands for) that showed photos of funny mobile phone towers see them here http://waynesword.palomar.edu/faketree.htm). It seems these days they are trying to make them inconspicuous by fashioning them to look like trees. They still look pretty fake though. When we moved, I was waiting for the bus to work when I spotted a funny looking tree behind the petrol station. After studying it for a few minutes, I determined that said tree was indeed a mobile phone tower. There is no way that plasticy looking tree was real. I kept telling Aaron to look out for it because it was so funny, but he came back saying he couldn't see a cell phone tower tree. Hmmm.... Finally, when we were driving back from Penrith this weekend, I noticed some other trees that looked just like the cell phone tower tree, which did make me feel a little bit silly. Turns out, it's not a cell phone tower tree at all, but a real tree. In my defense, it doesn't look like all the gum trees surrounding it, and it does look very plasticy. Note to brain: after baby is born, please work properly again. At least I was amused for a week.

Oh, FYI, the bowls were in the cupboard of our old place, I did forget to pack them. They are nicely in the cupboards of our new place now.

The other day, I was making a roast dinner (roast chicken, potatoes, sweet potato and corn). The chicken had been in the oven for an hour, so it was time to put in the potatoes. I grabbed the oven mitts off the fridge (they have magnets at the top to hold them on the fridge), and took the pan out of the oven. I took off the oven mitts and put them on the counter. I would need them to put the chicken back in the oven. After putting the potatoes in the pan with the chicken (they taste so darn good when cooked in the chicken juice!), I put the mitts back on and was about a millimetre from touching the pan. To my horror, I realised that I wasn't wearing the oven mitts at all, but instead, I donned the bright pink, melt to your skin if you touch a hot pan, dish gloves that were sitting on the edge of the sink next to the oven mitts. Oh that was close. The absentminded baby brain at work again!

Thursday we had our third antenatal class. We got to go on a tour of the delivery suites. Luckily, the birthing rooms are all single occupant. I don't have to push a human being out of me while listening to someone cursing loudly while also pushing a human being out right next to me. You can adjust the lighting to make it darker in there, play CDs, have some snacks, use the shower or bath. There's even a sofa to sit on. The bed itself goes into wacky positions so you can squat on it, make it look like a giant throne. There is an exercise ball and mats if I want to kneel on the floor over the ball or something. I can pretty much give birth in whatever position I darn well feel like. That's good, I'd rather not lay on my back with my feet in the stirrups (it makes labour more difficult and makes you tear easier). The rooms are also very noise proof so if I scream bloody murder, no one on the outside will hear me. I'm hoping it won't come to that.... If the baby needs oxygen or extra warmth or something, there is a special crib in the room. There is no nursery, the baby stays with you. Unless of course, it needs intensive care, there is a special ward for that. I was quite annoyed about what they said about water births though. I was told during all of my check ups at the hospital that a water birth is fine at RNS as long as I was in one of the rooms with a bath (2 of them do not have baths, the rest do). They never told me that it also depends on which midwives are on duty. You can only have a proper water birth if there is a midwife on duty who is accredited with such things, and not all of them are. I much would have preferred it if they told me that to begin with instead of just saying no problem and writing water birth on my yellow card. It's not so bad though, even if no accredited midwives are on duty, I can still be in the bath right up until it's time for the baby to come out. That's ok I guess, just not as good as actually having Mushi in the water and then pulling him/her out (of the water) myself. This of course also depends on if I can have a natural birth anyway. I still have to have an ultrasound (at 32, 34, or 36 weeks, I can't remember which) to determine if my placenta has moved up. If not, I will have to have a C-section. I'd much rather push a human being out of me then have a c-section any day.

The door to the delivery suite used to be on street level so cars could drive straight up to it and the labouring women could go straight in. They no longer do that though. Over zealous husbands used to accidentally run the car through the doors in their frantic "oh no, my wife is in labour, must get her to hospital" panic. Now the new maternity ward is not on ground level and you need to take an elevator to it. Probably for the best. I hear they had to replace the doors way too many times.

The Jess and I are having an audition to be on Ready Steady Cook on Wednesday, so wish us luck!