May Update

As I've been trying to post all of the fun things we did while in Vietnam in April, I haven't had much of a chance to update what's been going on with us in Melbourne. So here it is...

We are now just seven short weeks away from the due date of baby Nobes. It is all very exciting/a bit scary. I have three weeks left of work left, and I am really looking forward to finishing up. Not because I don't enjoy my job... on the contrary, I love my classes this year and will miss teaching for sure. But having a good night's sleep seems to be a thing of the past (I know, I know, its about to get much worse) and I would rather not have to get up at 6am anymore. Also, getting dressed in work clothes is just a massive pain. I really can't wait until I don't need to wear anything except leggings or yoga pants all day. One of my friends at work is also pregnant, and she is a PE teacher, and I am SO jealous that she gets to wear sports clothes everyday!

Definitely pregnant!

I am also looking forward to not hearing "Look how BIG you are" all the time. I know people do not mean this as an insult, and I don't take it that way, but frankly I am well aware that I am pregnant and my belly is getting bigger by the day (or by the hour it sometimes seems!) I also understand that it is just a natural thing to say, as well, its true, but I much prefer the people who tell me I look lovely! 

We did a few weeks of prenatal classes at the hospital to prepare for labour. I thought it would freak me out about giving birth, which I've been trying to not think about very much. However, its made me much more relaxed about the whole thing. I thought I would for sure be screaming for drugs at some point during labour, but the midwives who led our session have made me feel much more like I'd love to have a natural birth, or at least try for that. I still think that it's best not to over plan, as you never know what will happen, but the vast majority of births are normal and don't require any intervention. I have tried to stay somewhat active throughout the pregnancy, with regular yoga, pilates, walking and swimming each week, so hopefully that will pay off and help me to have an easier labour. Next week I am starting a course of acupuncture that will apparently prepare my body for birth as well. Anyway, I don't want sound all fluffy and naive, thinking that it will be easy, but I am trying to frame it in my mind as something that could be a positive experience, rather than dwell on all the horror stories people insist on telling you when you're pregnant.

The other thing I have been doing more regularly is meditating. I downloaded the Headspace App over Christmas and had a sort of New Years Resolution to try and meditate daily. I used it sporadically until about a month ago, and I've got a lot better at making sure I fit it into my day. I think what spurred it on was reading this article that said that research has shown that people who meditate have higher pain thresholds than those that don't. It has also really helped me on days when I've been really tired. Sitting and meditating for 10-15 minutes can make you feel really refreshed, even when you've been feeling like absolute crap before that! It really is amazing. 

The other big news is that we are moving in about a week. I know that seems like terrible timing, but I wanted to move before the baby was born and our lease was only up in May. We are both pretty tired of apartment living and have found a cute two bedroom house in Abbotsford. So we are still pretty close to the city, but living on the end of a quiet street that leads to the Yarra River. Along the river there is a great path for cycling and walking, which actually used to be part of my cycle route to school. We will be very close to Abbotsford Convent, which has markets every weekend, along with various other events, and also the Collingwood Children's Farm. A perfect location to take long walks with the baby while I'm on maternity leave!

Dight Falls, Yarra River - very close to our new home!

A bit hastily, I decided that I hated our sofa and put it up on Gumtree for sale about two weeks ago. I thought it would take a while to sell, however there was a lot more interest than I anticipated and it was gone within three days. So, we are sofa-less at the moment, which pretty much sucks! After a few days of sitting on camping chairs (not cool unless you are actually camping) I bought an Ikea Poang chair (off Gumtree) that I thought would make a good chair for the baby's room. So now I have a comfy seat to watch TV on, however Andy is still out of luck as there is no point in getting a new sofa before we move. I did not really think that one through... Some advice: don't sell your sofa if you have nothing else comfortable to sit on in your apartment, especially when pregnant!

Well this is a bit embarrassing!

Andy's weekends have been pretty packed this month as he is coaching two soccer teams. One is my school team, year 9-10 girls, and the other is a boys under-14 team from out west in Sunshine. He trains Friday nights, coaches my girls on Saturday mornings, and his boys on Sunday morning. I think that his love of soccer coaching is starting to wear thin! Luckily my school soccer season is a short one, and we only have three games left. 

I have a new found love for Melbourne in the autumn at the moment. I used to wonder if we made the right choice moving to this city, as the weather is pretty cold compared to other Australian cities. However it is absolutely beautiful here this time of year. All the leaves are changing colours, and generally we have had bright sunny days. The mornings are getting pretty cold, but the days are still warm - especially if you compare it to autumn in England or Canada! And I am pretty thankful that I am not pregnant in the summer or somewhere that is really humid. Also, I have decided that I like autumn/winter fashion much more than summer fashion.

And that is about it at the moment. This week is all about packing, packing, packing, along with an attempt to have a clear out of my clothes and other useless items before we move.