While most women at my stage of pregnancy are ambling into their maternity leave I am about to start work!  Ha.  It's true.  Aren't I doing things back to front?   Well before you freak out let me just say... it is only 1, maybe 2 shifts a week, from 10:30am -3:30pm and it is in a Baby Store!

How on earth did this come about, you ask?

Well....

A few months ago my mother and I popped into her local baby store and who happened to be working there?  But a friend who I worked with YEARS ago at a clothing and shoe store in the city.  I had only recently caught up with another friend from that store who had told me Dave (that's his name) and his partner were expecting a baby, a few weeks before me.

So, when I walked into Babies Galore, I wasn't completely shocked to see him there amongst the craddles and prams, rather than stationed in a funky store peddling t's and sneakers.

I said - 'hey, do you remember me?'

He said - 'yeah'.

And we embarked upon a share-your-baby-story conversation.

Mum and I left that afternoon to a promise that if we came back to buy our cot, he would look after us.

And so, last week, Mum and I went back for our cot deal.  We got a great deal! Cot, mattress, baby quilt, change table liner etc - for discounted prices.  And then, halfway through the expedition he said -

'Where are you working?'

I said - 'No where.'

He said - 'Come and work for me!'

I thought he was joking.  But see, he is the Area Manager for all 3 Brisbane stores and they are currently after casual staff.  He said that having a pregnant women on staff is great because she can relate to the customers etc.

So, I left there with my brain ticking over.

Should I do it?

After all, we haven't got long to go....

And we are in the middle of a move....

But his promise of a simple 10:30am to 3:30pm shift, with the added advantage of a store discount made me think - WHY NOT?

Another unexpected blessing.  Who would have thought?

My first day is tomorrow.

God really is faithful...

I am looking forward to:

1. Working with a friend.

2. Working in a baby environment (it just happens to be my chosen topic of conversation these days).

3. Checking out all the baby products (I already know I want a Moses Basket).

4. Making some money.

I have spent all of yesterday and today resting up... so I don't run out of energy tomorrow on the shop floor.  I will let you know how it goes.

when pregnant....not only do your breasts grow, your waist thicken, you weight rise, and your hair become thicker but....

pregnancy brings with it cellulite!

I didn't know.  Naive?  Perhaps.  Shocked?  Yes.

The first few dimples that appeared were kinda comical - 'ha, I really am getting chubby'.  But then, they kept appearing and appearing and appearing!  The front of my thighs are the worst.  Yesterday I was at the BIG 'OLE WHITE HOUSE showing Caleb all the shower gifts we got and I found myself feeling self concious of my dimply thighs.  I got a piece of discarded wrapping paper and placed it across the front of my legs as I sat on the floor holding up gifts.  Awwww....  I am dimply.

I am guessing this will go away after the baby is born, eventually...right?  Right?

Lately when I get the urge to have a sweet drink or a piece of chocolate I think - 'but the cellulite...'

I never cared before and now suddenly..... well... I got chunky thighs.

I guess it's no big deal and I keep reasoning that all those luscious fatty deposits will come in handy when I am the Milk Maker.  I read somewhere that you need X amount of kilos to burn off for milk production.  That's my story anyway, and I am sticking to it.

Well I just got home from my baby shower.  It was a long, enjoyable and tiring day.  I spent all of yesterday baking with my sister and cousin...as the theme was a High Tea everything had to be tiny and believe it or not, that was quite hard work, so fiddly.  But everything looked and tasted beautiful today!

I have posted some pics in the album both of the food and of some of the shenanigans.

I can't believe how much stuff we got!  It is all still in the car because Caleb is out at the AFL and there is NO WAY I have the energy to lug it all up the stairs into our apartment alone.  Besides, I suppose we should just take it all to the new house, that will save on at least one moving trip for us.

So the day went well.  My mother-in-law didn't turn up, thanks.  And my younger sister (17) didn't turn up either, thanks.  I realised about 15 minutes into the event that Dayna was missing and whe I asked my sister-in-law I got some cryptic answer.  Ok.... Then when I mentioned it to my older sister I got another cryptic answer about me being pregnant and it being my party and me being spared the details of the where the heck she was and why the heck she wasn't there.  My mother never said a word... so I had a few moments were I was worried and my mind was racing imagining all the possible scenarios that would cause her to be unable to turn up at my party.  Thanks guys, the leaving me in the dark thing really helped.. NOT.

Anyway... one thing I realised while I was sitting there catching up with friends and family is that life IS filled with hard things.  One friend was nearly crying while she spoke about family problems and my sister-in-law was telling me how her grandma may be dying.  Life.  You just gotta keep going.

Don't get me wrong... it was a good day.  I mean, you have to take the good with the bad, otherwise you have trouble making it through...  There was laughter and great food, babies to pass around and games to play.

One of my Aunty's won 2 of the games!  Not fair!

We played the toilet paper game where people had to guess how many pieces of toilet paper will wrap perfectly around my belly.  Of course, I would have to be 8 and a half pieces!!! Trust my unusual little body to make things complicated.  Nobody had 8 and half pieces... only 9 or 8 and so we had to enter into a quickly made up tie-breaker.

Now I am at home, exhausted and a little sad it is all over.  But so thankful for my family and all the effort they put it.

Check out the album for the pics.... gotta make sure all that hard work baking gets appreciated to the fullest!

Well it has happened enough times for me to take note...

I keep having nightmares!

I think I have had about 5 or 6 now, perhaps.

The latest one was this morning.  When I am in the grips of a nightmare I seem to whimper out loud and this morning my whimpering and grimmacing must have woken Caleb because I slowly woke to find Caleb holding my hand and telling me everything was ok.  That was extremely comforting but the nightmare was perverse and disturbing!  EW!

They are never cold-blooded-fear nightmares but they are definitely uncomfortable and quite frankly I would prefer it if they stopped!

I have also come to the conclusion that I have been over doing it a bit physically.  I have been keen to make myself walk to the shops for groceries and walk home laden with a few bags because it is good exercise, right?  But this week, there has been a lot of phyical activity and come late last night.... I was suffering.

These softened bones are just not handling the impact well.

Even walking round shopping centers is getting hard.  Like at Ikea on the weekend, that was agony.  I had to keep stopping and squatting down, trying to appear as though I was transfixed by some low-down piece of furniture, rather than just trying to stop the burning in my lower back.

I have started waking to the odd cramp, often in my right calf.  And after Tuesday night's walking session with a girlfriend the right side of my groin felt pulled! ARGH!  Old granny.

I still want to keep active though as I know it will best prepare me for the tiring task of labour...but perhaps I need to pace myself and be a little gentler. 

Went round to the BIG 'OLE WHITE HOUSE last night.  Caleb started putting together some new furniture and my goal was to vacuum, take down the old curtains and put up the new ones.  Well I managed to vacuum the baby's room only before my body started protesting.  So then I switched to the curtains.  I got a fair bit done, but had to sit on the ground alot and even had to do some stretches to alleviate pain.

sigh*

Now I understand why one parenting magazine I read suggested getting all your baby shopping out of the way early.  They said in the last tri-mester you would not be up for all the walking around shops, and now I am tending to agree. Eeek.