39 weeks

How far along? 39 weeks 3 days (4 days until due date!)

Maternity clothes? Still fitting into a select FEW stretchy regular clothes.

Stretch marks? Besides my 1 little friend, I'm doing good. I would appreciate it if this baby came about before she gets any bigger!

Sleep: I've managed to sleep in a couple of times this week. Progress!

 Best moment this week: Spending some time with family and enjoying the last few days of just hubby and me!

Miss Anything? COMFORT!

Movement: Still moving around like a champ in there! It's nice to know she is healthy and active, but usually just before bed she wriggles SO MUCH that it is really uncomfortable.

Food cravings: I've loved my drumstick ice-creams this week!

Anything making you queasy or sick: If I eat a big meal. I think my stomach is too squashed to fit in too much.

Have you started to show yet: Hard to miss!

Gender: ITS A GIRL!!!!!

Labour Signs: I've been having a LOT of braxton hicks (i think) in the last couple of days. I visit the doctor today, so hopefully there will be some more dialating going on.

Belly Button in or out? in

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and so excited for her arrival.

Looking forward to: Seeing little Llambok's face!

Whats in your (hospital) bag

All of the pregnancy books advise you to start packing your hospital bag at least a month before your due date, but I've finally got around to it with just less then 2 weeks left.

I thought I would share with you what made it into my bag.

• sweatpants/ hoodie and tank tops I'm not a robe kind of person so I figured sweat pants and tank tops are my most comfortable option. The tank tops seem easy enough to be able to breast feed in.
• underwear I've packed at least 5 pairs (for obvious reasons)
• nursing bra
• socks I don't own slippers (I know, I'm weird) So I figured I would make do with socks.
• flip flops (also instead of slippers)
• boxers and socks for hubby
• pillow I've heard that sometimes the hospital pillows can be flat, this will probably also come in handy while I'm having contractions in the car on the way to the hospital
• toiletries: toothbrush & paste; hair brush; travel size shampoo, conditioner & soap; spare contacts, eye drops, lip balm, cream, makeup.
• outfits for baby We picked out the zebra outfit for her "going home outfit" but I've also packed a lighter bodysuit in case the weather is really warm that day.
• cap, socks, mittens
• receiving blankets
• baby book (for foot and hand prints and just in case I have time to jot down a few things)
• camera & charger
• cell phone, charger, phone card for international calls and a list of phone numbers

38 weeks

How far along? 38 weeks 4 days (I've gotta start posting these earlier)

Maternity clothes? Still fitting into a select FEW stretchy regular clothes.

Stretch marks? EEK! I still have that 1 random small one of my belly, which by week 2 I'm getting used to.

Sleep: The thousands of trips to the bathroom don't help and I'm finding it hard to sleep in after going to bed pretty late most nights.

 Best moment this week: Starting my maternity leave. It is so nice to just be able to relax!

Miss Anything? Being comfortable. There is just no position that can keep me comfortable for very long. I've almost forgotten what a non-pregnant body feels.

Movement: All the time! Its awesome to think of this little person moving around in there, but I'd rather her move around out here since it would be a lot less painful!

Food cravings: None.

Anything making you queasy or sick: I feel queasy at random times, especially after I eat. But nothing too bad.

Have you started to show yet: I feel like this little girl had a BIG growth spurt in the past couple of days. My belly is a lot bigger!

Gender: ITS A GIRL!!!!!

Labour Signs: None, although my doctor did tell me yesterday that I am 1cm dilated. It's a start, right?

Belly Button in or out? Guess its going to stay in all the way. Which makes me think I could possibly have the Grand Canyon of belly buttons.

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Very happy :)

Looking forward to: ANY signs of labour! PLEASE????????

Open for buisness!

I am very excited to announce that my little Etsy shope "The African Llama" is up and running!

I've worked hard on creating some fun and unique onesies and hair accessories.

The onsies are pretty cute (if I do say so myself) and make perfect baby shower gifts or just a funky update to a regular pastel overloaded closet.

I look forward to doing buisness with you all.

A cup of tea and a chat

Hi bloggy friends,

One of the greatest traditions that some of us South Africans have inherited from our British ancestors is sitting down to have a nice cup of tea (with milk and sugar!) It gives us a time to relax and perhaps catch up with family or friends, so why don't you grab yourself a cuppa and lets have a chat?

First of all, I don't think I've thanked you all for being so kind over the last couple of weeks when I have been dealing with the loss of my dad. Your comments and emails of support and love have really cheered me up and I'm just amazed about how awesome the blogging community really is. So, thank you!

Something that I have been wanting to talk about for a while is this little blog of mine.

When I first started blogging (about a year ago) I was essentially looking for a creative outlet and somewhere that I could "scrapbook" my life and be able to look back and relive the memories. What I got out of blogging was a lot more and I have had so much fun interacting with so many people around the world and forming some wonderful online friendships.

Although the title of my blog is "A South African in New York", I sometimes feel guilty when I don't post a lot about living in one of the greatest places in the world and I really should start taking advantage of the "Big Apple" more and go out and experience it as much as I can.

My feet have been really itchy to spend some time in Manhattan lately, but to be honest I don't think my pregnant legs could handle all the walking that is involved and (these days) the worst thought in my mind would be to have my water break in the middle of a stroll through Central Park and have to give birth in the back of a taxi-cab (yes, my life plays out as a movie most fo the time). So I hope to bring you more Manhattan adventures post-baby, especially seeing as this Summer is going to be a beautiful one and we can start making memories as a real family!

For now you are just going to deal with a million posts about pregnancy since not much else is going on these days.

Also, I will be giving this blog of mine a little facelift. I am finishing up the design this weekend so hopefully by Monday it is going to look a little different around here.

I am also happy to announce that I will be opening my Etsy Shop "The African Llama" on Monday as well which I am beyond excited about.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend and don't hold back on those chocolate eggs!

Working

I have exactly 3 days left of work until  my maternity leave starts and although I'm very excited to be able to put my (swollen) feet up for a bit and do some "nesting" before baby comes, it's a little scary to think of my lack of paychecks for the next few months with bills piling up and a ridiculous New York rent to pay. 

For a while now I have been toying with the idea of opening up my own Etsy store and have finally buckled down and come up with some ideas to fill my virtual shelves. 

A few of you had noticed the "Africa onesie" that was hanging up in my nursery and emailed me asking where I had got it. The answer is I made it, but you can get your hands on one once my shop opens along with some other very cute designs. 

I still have some work to do, but I am hoping to get things up and running very soon, so...

WATCH THIS SPACE!

37 weeks

How far along? 37 weeks 4 days. FULL TERM baby!!!!

Maternity clothes? My materinty jeans are even starting to get uncomfortable! Sweat pants and tanks with sweaters are my uniform right about now!

Stretch marks? DONT PANIC! This is what I had to tell myself last week when I found my first stretch mark. Yes, I made it to 37 weeks and then all of a sudden one random stretch mark decides to join the party? UGH!

Sleep: Painful! My pelvis really hurts and then switching over from side to side is a huge mission!

 Best moment this week: The pack&play/bassinet arrived this week and I set it up next to our bed. We are officially ready for this baby! (except that I still have to pack my hospital bag)

Miss Anything? A pain free body!

Movement: All the time, and sometimes its very uncomfortable.

Food cravings: Chocolate and cereal

Anything making you queasy or sick: I've been feeling queasy off and on all week.

Have you started to show yet: Yes.

Gender: ITS A GIRL!!!!!

Labour Signs: Everytime I feel a little pain I find myself hoping for more and for it to turn into a contraction. At this point I really can't wait to meet my little girl.

Belly Button in or out? In, but it has a weird volcano look to it whenever I engage my tummy muscles.  WEIRD!

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy that this pregnancy is almost over!

Looking forward to: I have 3 days left of work until I start maternity leave (yes, leave it to me to work past my full term date!)