Months turn into weeks.

Not that long ago, about 4 months ago in fact, pregnancy to me was something that lasted 9 months, not 40 weeks.

Until then you could have come up to me and told me you were 67 weeks pregnant, and unless you were a guy, I would have responded with a subdued 'wow' in a failed attempt to sound impressed, completely oblivious to the fact you're going to give birth to an elephant one of these days. A pregnancy in weeks was just completely meaningless to me, even though the maths involved to work it out required the mental gymnastics equivalent of playing lawnbowls.

But not anymore! Now I know why people always talk about pregnancy in how many weeks into it they are. It's doctors.

You see, there is just so much going in those 9 months, that rounding up or down at any stage during the pregnancy could have very dire consequences. From the very moment of conception the foetus starts developing at a consistent pace that only pulsars can match. Take our first 'dating scan' for instance. Afterwards, they can tell you you are 6 weeks and 3 days into the pregnancy. And then there's the 'nuchal translucency' scan, which has to be carried out between week 11.5 and 13.5. You can't ask someone to make an appointment between month 2 7/8th and 3 3/8th!

It won't be long before medical science is that advanced we all start talking in terms of how many days you are pregnant.

One thing that was new to me and Vivian as well, was when they start counting those weeks. We thought the moment of conception. Wrong. You start counting on the first day of the last period. That means that if you're in week 6 of the pregnancy, the foetus is about 4 weeks old. By which time it will already have a heart beat, even though the scan reveals nothing recognisable (nothing human anyway, it actually looks a lot like the eye of a storm on Jupiter).

So it's 14 weeks today, I don't even know how many months that is.

I'll leave you with this very interesting clip.

David.

Babies everywhere...

This week has been flying by, and weather has been glorious so smiles all round.

As I’ve just announced my pregnancy on Facebook – because if it’s not on Facebook it isn’t true – the messages of love have been pouring in from far and wide. We thank you all for your lovely messages, and even though we aren’t the best in keeping touch, your kind words are very welcomed and appreciated.

And it seems the economic downturn is having an impact on baby making. There is 1 new born in our building, another neighbour expecting, and 5 pregnancies have recently been announced in my office. Dave has keenly observed this as a ‘pregnancy cluster’. One of these expectant mothers is actually due 4 days before me and we’re both at the same hospital! I think now is a great time to cash in on that baby shop idea!

Update on baby shopping: have ordered more maternity clothing, this time from websites. Not sure about the quality but definitely cheaper than designer maternity store Fragile at Westfield Bondi Junction (you know that one with the freakily realistic baby mannequins?). Also found very good pram online – a Steelcraft Strider - sounds awfully impressive doesn’t it. It has everything we want, reasonably priced and folds up very nicely.

I leave you with an interesting bit of news which came up yesterday about a baby monkey abandoned by its parents (watch the video). Look at that face! How can you resist that punum?! If I was in charge, baby hippos and monkeys would be legalised as pets or adoptive children.

Love, Viv

P.S. Dave promises to do the next post.

Welcome to our new blog!

Hi everyone! Welcome to the very first post of our new blog. We decided to start it to keep you all up to date with the progress of our little one (working title: Baby David) and our lives in general. I'm 13 weeks pregnant today and everything is going great! No morning sickness (no sickness at all), no weird cravings, just a little tired.

Last week we had our first proper ultrasound (we had the first one at 6 1/2 weeks when the baby looked more like a dot) and it was measuring 6.4cm from crown to rump (translation: head to butt). Baby was VERY active and kept moving so much that the ultrasound technician had problems taking good measurements! It was unreal to see our baby on the screen, looking like a human baby for the first time.

On Saturday my family came over to help me do the first round of baby shopping. Who knew that so many people are happy to pay $1500 for a pram?! So far the only thing we're definitely going to buy is a little bouncey chair so the baby can sit, watch tv and bounce on it whenever he/she wants! Grandma Lucy couldn't help but buy our very first sets of baby clothes. We decided that white and pale yellow could suit both sexes and the little elephant design was just too cute! I also bought my very first pair of maternity jeans - yes, it involves an elastic waist band! But the lady at the shop assured me that I'd be able to wear them after pregnancy.

Thanks for all the messages and calls so far! I look forward to sharing our baby adventures with you all!

13 weeks, 27 to go....

Love,

Viv