Babies first picture

It has been a while since my last post and we have had the usual ups and downs.  The highlight of last week was visiting the Obstetrician at Bangkok Pattaya hospital and having our very first ultrasound of our little peanut.  We had to have the NT (neural translucency) scan to test for Down Syndrome which involved a ultrasound and a blood test.  I was more interested in seeing our little baby on the screen and country arms and legs and seeing the little heart beat going 143 beats per minute and then it would wiggle about and kick its legs.  It was so reassuring to both Marcus and myself that yes there was definitely a little baby in there and so far so good it is growing well and all seems to be in place for a nice normal pregnancy.  They do do things differently over here, the doctor performing the ultrasound was very business like, there was no "oohs and ahhhh's or light conversational banter from him, he just went through the motions quickly and then left so the nurse could finish up and wipe the gel off my belly.  Then it was back to the Obsteticrians office for another chat and an overview of the scan and surprisingly she told me that we were further along than I first thought, 10weeks 5 days, which means that on this Saturday I will have reached my milestone of 12 weeks and can start looking forward to all the kicks and joys of being pregnant rather than always wondering and stressing if we would make it and feeling sick for most mornings and completely turned off food.  I am hoping to get my appetite back.  I am really looking forward to feeling the first kicks, they say that after you have had a baby that you are more sensitive to what is happening and feel the kicks earlier than a first time mum. 

After the follow up with the Doc I had my blood taken by a lovely and pregnant Thai nurse who was very curious about natural child birth and said she had concerns about whether or not her small frame would be able to handle a vaginal delivery.  I reassured her that yes labour hurts but the pain stops as soon as the baby is out and the recovery is so much more quicker than after having a cesarean.  It is one of the obstacles about living in Thailand I am determined to overcome, I am insisting on a natural birth, I have done it twice before there is no reason why I cant do it again, the only way I am getting cut open or a needle shoved in my spine is if the baby or my life is in immediate danger.  The doctors here prefer C sections and don't encourage natural births like many hospitals do back in Australia.
So after our successful day at the hospital our spirits were high as Marcus left for work and I treated myself to MacDonald's for lunch.  I received a phone call yesterday from my doctor and immediately I thought the worst as in Australia the doctor only phones you personally to deliver bad news, but all was OK, she phoned to say that all my test came back negative, I don't have AIDS, or Hepatitis or anything else scary like that.  My NT blood test for Downs came back as good with a 1:5200 chance, good odds I say.  The only thing she wants me to do is take more Iron supplements as I am slightly low.  So, so far so good.

This week I have been busy preparing for our trip back to Australia to visit family.  My mum was sick a few months back and my cousin past away as well so I thought it well and truly time to get me and the kids back home for a much overdue visit.  We are flying out early Saturday morning to Melbourne and crashing at my in-laws place for 3 nights then off again on another place to Townsville to stay with my parents for 9 days then back down to Melbourne again to stay with my BFF and her kids for 3 nights before taking the long long flight back to Bangkok.  And all of this I am doing with just me and the 2 kids.  Marcus has to work and since I am not big and fat with baby belly yet this is the best time to go.  So in between paying bills and grocery shopping for enough food that Marcus wont starve and arguing with a stubborn disgusting toad in my swimming pool I have been trying to pack.  I hate packing, I always pack too much of the wrong things and forget all of the necessary things.  Tomorrow is the kids final day of school semester and unfortunately it is a half day so I only have the morning to finalise everything before the 2 wrecking balls come home and un pack everything I spent hours packing. 
I am hoping this flight will be slightly less stressful than others as Lillie is now old enough for her own seat and can walk alot more on her own now and they both seem to listen a little bit better but I am not getting my hopes up, it could all unravel into a puddle of tears and tantrums before we even step foot on the plane.  Thankfully we are flying Thai airways and they are lovely with kids and it beats the hell out of flying in those tiny shitty Jetstar planes.  As much as it was a pain in the arse to go through the companies travel agent I am now grateful for them not scrimping on price and finding us nice airlines with direct routes straight into Melbourne.
I am actually looking forward to having the kids on my own, the energy levels when it is just us 3 are much lower than when Marcus is around bouncing off walls and never sitting still.  He is like a third child sometimes, which is a quality I love about him, I would rather a energetic husband than a couch potato who never plays with his children.
I am sure that after these 2 weeks in Australia trying to have a holiday I will have plenty to post about on my blog and I am sure alot of it may be whinging about badly behaved children.  But that all comes part and parcel with being a parent I suppose and as much as I complain I would never change my life for a second.