We had our 34 week check up at the Birth Centre yesterday.  Everything went fine, measured bang on etc etc.  She said bub is still head down lying on the right hand side.  He he... this baby has literally been in that position for approx 6 weeks or more.  My comfy little dude.. very content to just lay about and stretch now and then.  We had some good talks about the baby's progress down the birth canal.

My mother-in-law has been trying to convince me from day one that she had BIG HEADED babies and I should BEWARE.  But my midwife said the size of the head doesn't matter because it moulds to the shape of the mother's birth canal, as it is not fused and able to squash.  That's why you see pics of newborns that have football shaped heads!  So aha!  Caught out on that one.  Baby will be the right size for me... no worries.

We talked about when I should wrap up work, and decided weeks 37 to 38 would be fine.  I bought a 'belly bra' from work, it is made from microfibre and sits round your belly and supports your lower back.  It has REALLY helped with the back pain I was feeling.  HEAPS!!  And I got a 15% discount for it, yipie!  One of the pros of working in the store.

Yesterday I had a MAJOR cleaning session here at the house.  I was on my hands and knees scrubbing and by the time we got to the Birth Centre I having alot of pain in my tum.  I said to Caleb perhaps these were Braxton Hicks and that I would ask Anne, our midwife.

When I got up on the examination table she touched my tum and exclaimed,

'oooh, having a bit of tightening!'

I asked if they were BH, and she said yes!  So there you go, all this time I have been wondering now I know.  She said the cleaning would very well have bought them on and told me to take things easy from now on.  She also said to expect them to continue for a coupla days, and sure enough today... ouch, pain.  Still hurting.  I have been trying to just breathe through them and not focus on them, good practice for the real thing I figure.

So now I am REALLY, REALLY, REALLY going to stop all the physical stuff that I would normally do.  Really.

I don't know if it is because I am under too much pressure with this move or if it is just pregnancy hormones, or if it is both, but I am an utter cow at the moment.  I just can't stop getting frustrated at Caleb.

For instance:

Tonight, we have to hang the curtains in the bedroom, I know this is going to be a monumental task because Caleb takes a long time to do everything, except type... he types very, very fast, but everything else is done slowly....especially home improvements.

The last 4 nights I have been sleeping in a bedroom with no curtains, trying to dodge the neighbours when I enter my room in a towel after a shower, and generally, changing in the hallway.  I want and need curtains in the bedroom.

This has taken days.  I am getting more annoyed with every passing day... and tonight, this hanging curtain business has taken almost 2 hours, and we are still not done.  And now, Caleb has lost ANOTHER screw or washer or something that he took off the wall and now needs to put back on the wall, and is busy searching for it.  This wouldn't be so bad if he hadn't already lost about 2 other pieces that he searched for and eventually found, this taking at least 15 minutes to an half and hour both times.  I am a cow.

Instead of appreciating his hard work I feel like I am stuck in some kind of movie where I go round and round in circles, waiting and hoping for it to be OVER!  For the past 4 or 5 weeks we have NON- STOP moved, packed, unpacked, cleaned, shifted, planned, mounted, loaded into cars, loaded into trucks, tied down with ropes, covered with plastic, covered with blankets, sealed with tape, etc etc etc.

Last night we had to go over to the unit and empty the garage!!! And then sweep it.  It took 2 cars full and then we had to bring it all back here and unpack it.  There are still boxes to unpack round here.. the sleepout looks like a bomb hit it.  And here I am sitting on the floor in my bedroom, with an electric drill by my side, a half strung curtain hanging unfinished from the wall and a metal ladder errected to my left.. all while my husband wanders around and around wondering where that little missing piece of the puzzle has on gone.

I am a cow.

Instead of saying thanks for the hard work I say, 'my gosh, hurry up, why does it take so long, do you want me to do it?'

I know I need to stop.  I now I need to be patient.  But again and again these things keep popping up and I feel like banging my head against the wall.

Even as I finish typing this he is still out of the room hunting for the ellusive missing piece. 

Moo...

Strangers have started doing things for me...I must finally look heavily pregnant.  When I was at the Supermarket today, the check out lady wouldn't let me load my own trolley, bless her, she insisted she wheel it behind the counter and load the bags in it for me.  Then the pest control man opened the door for me, even though he was the one with his arms full, and then offered to go back and grab the heavy door stop that I had pointed out to him.  The girl from the $2 shop carried my roll of laminate flooring out to the car for me yesterday.

This would probably be kind of annoying if it wasn't for the fact that I really do need people's help!  When someone offers to do something strenuous for me I think - 'thanku!' - 'cause the truth be told, I am struggling on my own.

I didn't realise pregnancy made you feel so much weaker.  Lately I have to stop and plan how many grocery bags I will carry and how many trips I will take back and forth from the boot of the car to the kitchen, I need to decide what combination to carry the bags in.  Heavy, light...?  

Pre-pregnancy I would have hauled all the bags inside in one trip, struggling but perservering.

There have been a couple of occassions lately, usually after a big moving session or a shift at work, where I literally can not move myself into another position.  It takes me a good 15 seconds or so to gain the momentum required to just roll over or pull myself up.

I can't imagine how this is going to feel in a couple of weeks when the baby has stocked on a few more pounds of chub!

Arghhhh! ...and sigh*

My goodness.  Moving.  Seems this entry may be filled with tiny little sentences... I am stuffed.

This morning started when Caleb got out of bed at 6:30am - I followed shortly after, round 7:25am... and then it was on... and it didn't stop until 6:20pm.

Moving, moving, moving.

I have had a few meltdowns.  It is just SOOOOOOOOO frustrating to not be able to do nearly ANYTHING.  I can't really lift, push, pull, drag, vacuum, bend, twist, carry, etc etc.  I do what I can but keep ending up in pain and feel as though there are MOUNTAINS of disorganisation all around me, yet there is nothing I can do about them because... I can't lift, push, pull, drag, vacuum, bend, twist, carry etc etc.

This has been very, very trying.

And as I anticpated, I am now sitting in the new house surrounded by chaos.

Can you tell I am a bit of a neat freak?  And I am usually active, active, active.  So this is really, really hard.

:(

Tomorrow we have to clean the unit... I am scared. 

Once the unit was emptied today I lay down on the floor and my back was SOOO sore.  After 10 minutes or so I got one of those pains you see actors get in the movies where they go-

"Oh, my back!" 

And then get frozen into whatever position they were currently in before their back went  -PING!

Well.. I had that, lying on the floor.

Stuck.

This sucks.

Is anyone else having the same kinda pain?  Am I doing something wrong?

I know I shouldn't do too much physical activity and trust me, I am not doing anywhere NEAR as much as I would but.. I dunno.. I feel like a real invalid.

In other, more positive news (you know how they always finish a TV news broadcast with pictures of cute animals or smiling children?  Well, here is my attempt to do that) my sister in-law just called and invited Caleb and I to a 'feast' at her place tomorrow for lunch.  That will be a welcome break because:

1. I was starting to get pretty down with the NEVER ENDING MOVING MOVING NEVER
ENDING MOVING NEVER ENDING  - ok, sorry...

and...

2. I am sick of take-aways, after all what else can you eat when your fridge is busy being switched off and carted around the country side?

So that will put a lovely twist in the middle what has otherwise been the weekend from HELL!!!~!

If you are pregnant and thinking of moving - DON"T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ever.