Monty Bump - 30 weeks +

This is 30 weeks and 3 days (top) and 4 days (bottom)

The Monty bump just gets bigger and bigger. You only have to turn away for, say, three minutes and the darned thing's expanded some more.

That said, I would like to scoff the rumours spreading that I was in fact inseminated with hippo sperm by accident.

And despite the girth, I do love my Monty bump. In fact, I think I'm going to miss it a bit when Monty leaves his pouch.

Ooh, and I had acupuncture today for the first time ever. Apparently it's good for assisting with a trouble free labour...

Anyway, I discovered that I have imbalanced Yin in my kidneys and that's why I'm always overheating! Go figure. Apparently my whole body is overheating to keep my chilly kidneys warm. If only I had listened to mi mother and worn a vest...

I just hope she wasn't right about cold walls causing piles and about a wind change making funny faces stick, too ...

Monty is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Once Dan had finished painting the sea and the sand, it was time to populate the room with colourful sea life...

so out came the striped fishies,

and onto the wall they swam,

with a little help from a ridiculously giddy Dianne...



Then it was time to help the 'Big Lippa' fish swim into place...

swoosh

swoosh

swoosh

then Ollie the Octopus squiggled into Dan's hands

and before you knew it he was on the wall with his very own treasure chest and sea weed!

He even made friends with a wigglie wormie...





then Derick the Dolphin splashed onto the scene

along with another Mr Wormie

in their very own sea weedy paradise

glug

glug

glug

... and can you see the neat little green sea shell hiding in the sea weed?








... then Octavia Octopus came to live on the dresser, to be Monty's night light with her

multi-coloured

ever-changing

dance of lights...

... and after all that, we were done in and needed a rest, so Dan crashed out in the

patented
breast-feeding
layzee boy
rocking and
reclining chair

that officially belongs to mummy...

- just to get a feel of the place, you understand...

Daddy starts the nursery

The final theme is Under The Sea.

Dan's painting the sea and the sand. Once they're complete and the paint is dry we can start on the critters.

We bought a cool lit of decals that includes sea horses, plenty of fishies, a huge dolphin, a whale and a funky octapiddle - there's even a treasure chest - it's a really cool kit. Can't wait to get the decals up on the wall!

The the crowning glory is two fishie mobiles (flying fish, if you will) and a ridiculously huge soft toy sting ray, fondly called Stevie, after Mr Irwin (see below) that will all hang from the ceiling in a magnificent festoon. Hopefully they don't scare Monty and give him nightmares otherwise we'll be swapping rooms.



Here's Dan in action, or at least pretending to be in action - note there's no paint on that brush cos I made him do a post-painting pose just for the camera.



Thought it was only fair to have some photographic record that it was Dan that did all of the hard work and not me - in fact I didn't even supervise, as I was downstairs in the office working!

Will post more pics as the room comes along...

Bump Update - 28 weeks

So, here's Monty and the Monty carrier at 28 weeks, looking incredibly happy and excited to be past yet another milestone. Now, even if Monty comes early, he stands a very good chance of being just fine - yay!

Monty's now dancing around a lot, and wriggling like a wee wormy at night time. And when Dan lays his head on my tummy and read Monty a bed time story, Monty kicks him in the cheek - it's very funny!








Here's Monty Uncovered, the Director's Cut! Look at that magnificent bump!

Lumps and bumps

Just a bump update...

This is Monty and me enjoying breakie on the deck under the trees, with the sun shining and the birds singing.

Lovely.




And here's a lovely pic of my non-existent ankles, now more like hippo cankles.

Isn't pregnancy flattering!

Monty goes adventuring

Not happy with his jaunt in a helicopter at 4 months' gestation, Monty took another chance for adventure yesterday when we went up the tallest building in the southern hemisphere, the Sky Tower.

He particularly enjoyed seeing Rangitito Island - at least I assume that's what all the kicking was about!

... or it could have been a by product of mummy getting tingly legs in the lift with the glass floor .... jeepers!

And the verdict is...

We've finally made a decision on Basil's name, and he is going to be called Monty Alexander Khan.

Monty came from a fabulous (if slightly insane) kitten we once had, with the cutest black nose ever. We soon realised that we'd used all the best names on our cats, so it was almost inevitable that the baby got a cat name. George, Billy and Joey were all in the running there for a while, although Joey wasn't in the running for long, as you can imagine if you remember Blue Peter... but when Dan suggested Monty, as a joke, it slowly grew on us until bingo, we'd fallen in love.

Of course Monty Whiskerworth, the aforementioned cat, got his name in turn from Monty Winkworth, the name on a headstone in a graveyard that Dan, Sprouty et al used to walk through on their daily pigeons (walks) back in Berkshire! As I seem to recall, one of the team's projects was names after this Mr Monty Winkworth, too. So the name Monty has quite some history to it, what with that and the cat...

And so, after all the tooing and froing on names, Monty won the day ... exxxxxxxcellent

Alexander is courtesy of our pal Shernett, who hates the name Monty with a passion and who wants us to call the baby Alexander. In her beautiful Jamaican accent she shouted out in a fit of pique "No Monty - Alexander!" at which point Dan and I both said "Monty Alexander, that's perfect!" We were really chuffed. Shernett wasn't. Not only had she lost out on making us change the name from Monty, she'd cemented it for us by finding the perfect middle name. Hahaha - we are still very amused. Shernett is still very not amused.

So there you go, Monty Alexander it is, and Auntie Shernett is just going to have to learn to love it :)

And no, it's not going to be short for Montgomery, it's just Monty - Monty Alexander - Monty Khan - just Monty.

Big Belly

So, it seems there is a boy living in my tummy and making it gigantic and round! Not that Dan seems to mind, and I certainly don't.

This was at Kakamatua Beach, where Dan and I went to walk to get some exercise and get out of the office for an hour or two. It was lovely - we saw a hermit crab, trillions of mussels - including one over 12 inches long, and a bright blue jellyfish. Can't beat a good afternoon at the beach treasure hunting, eh?

Basil's Scan Video

At last, star of stage and screen, here's Basil's scan video - or at least 37 seconds of it (we figured you'd pass on the whole hour)...

It starts with a top down view of his head and arms/hands flailing, and at 15 seconds you can see a leg on the left do a nice kick. At 22 seconds it changes to a side view of all of him laying on his back, with his wee legs and arms waving around, and ends with a rather handsome profile showing a little button nose up in the air.

So here he is - Basilicus Khanicus:



He's dashed handsome, don't you think :)

Bump - 5 months

Current analysis of the bump is as follows:

64% Basil
26% curry (Dan's, Kus & Sean's, and Mantra's - all well worth the bump)
7% cheesymite scrolls from Bakers' Delight - cheese AND marmite - brilliant
2% home made muesli - yum
1% toast with real butter on (latest craving)

Sorry the scan video hasn't made it online - Dan hasn't had time and I don't know how. Not that you missed much - Basil wriggled so much that it was hard to tell what was what most of the time!

PS which of you were anal enough to check the percentages added up to 100? Come on, admit it...

Geek baby

I've found my idea of the perfect maternity top, from ThinkGeek (one of our favourite shops). I mean, what geek baby or geek mummy wouldn't want to be draped in that? If only it played the Intel tune, I'd be in heaven.

And if anyone was wanting to get us something for Christmas or for baby, then look no further than this list of goodies:

input/output baby t shirt (be sure to check the back of this one), or Daddy's favourite! - Newbie t shirt - Say no more!
And for the ultimate joy, there's this beauty.

Osh Kosh B'Gosh

Cripes, I think mummy and daddy have gone mad! They went out at the weekend and bought me a whole rack of clothes to fit me right up until I am 9 months old! Daddy liked the bamboo tops best cos they'll keep me cool in summer and warm in winter, but mummy just wanted things that were stripey. They even got me my first pair of shoes, not to mention a hat with ears (that's four hats now, and counting). Plus Auntie Rach bought me some very cute socks with animals on them, and the parcel of goodies from Auntie Pam and Nanna Mable should be here soon, too! I think there is a slight possibility I'm going to be spoiled...

Right, back to wriggling and sleeping now - busy day ahead.

Love Basil

Blue or Pink?

It's A Boy!!!!

He's a proper little wriggle bottom and the lady doing the scan had her work cut out to get a quick pic before he ruined it by shifting his bum this way or that - it was most amusing! All his bits were normal (no hare lip, feet okay, kidneys good, brain - check, limb count 4, etc), and his heart was "beautiful".

Dan will upload clips from the scan video later tonight .

Now to start thinking of boys' names again...

There's something hairy lurking in my tumbly!

I'm 18 weeks preggers now and apparently Basil will now be over 6 inches from crown to rump and will be growing hair! What an utterly bizarre thought, that something hairy is lurking inside me. Maybe it is a hamster after all ... Or a yeti ...!

We're already thinking about room themes, and as Basil is already overdosing on giraffes (not that that's a problem), we've decided to branch out and decorate his/her room on a Noah's Ark theme, so s/he can have lots of different animals. We've even spotted a nice heffelump cot set to get us started. And I've tiger and lion fluffy toys that are actually curtain tie backs! That's a good start, eh?

A very exciting upcoming event is the scan we have booked for the 30th. That's when we should find out whether Basil is in fact a Basil or a Basilina. We still haven't come up with a name for a boy, but we're very happy with Isabelle for a girl (although not decided on the spelling yet). If it IS a boy, we're going to have to get our thinking caps on. Sorry to worry some of you, but Rupert is still winning the day, with Monty now a close 2nd favourite. All suggestions welcome, though of course we will probably ignore you ;)

Basil's presence in my tum has done some odd things to me. Obviously, I already look the side of a house, albeit only a terraced at this stage. I don't mind that so much, as I get to wear pretty maternity tops and trousers that let out at the sides (which are very handy on those days that I overindulge in curry). but aside from that, I've also got itchy, dry eyes and can't wear my contacts any more! No-one ever warned me about that - I had to go and get a scandalously expensive hair cut to cheer myself up, and Dan had one too in sympathy. Also, everyone said the all night loo trips would stop about now - well you all lied. I've been up and down so much that I can now navigate the tree house in my sleep, shallow wooden stairs and all, and be back in bed in two minutes without having even really woken up.

But it's all worth it - and now we're waiting for the first kick, which by all accounts will feel more like butterflies or a tickle. I can't wait - we're both so giddy about that bit. It's all quite exciting really :)

Only 168 days to go

Yes, we're 16 weeks pregnant today - almost half way through! And ... drum roll please ... we went to the midwife today and heard Basil's heartbeat!!! It was the loudest, fastest whoosh whoosh whoosh I've ever heard in my life, and by FAR the best :) Dan's face was a picture. Plus the midwife said she could feel Basil is now reaching up as far as my tummy button! That's means s/he's now about the size of a hamster. How cool is that?

What to name your child

It's not always an easy thing, finding the right name. When we said we liked Rupert, most people almost fainted. One person even suggested that by choosing such a 'daft' name, we'd blighted the ovum (luckily I know her well and she knows me well enough to know I'd take the joke). So with our nice sedate choices at the moment, we seem to be doing okay.

It changes back and forth a bit, as we debate new ideas, but it seems that Isabelle and James are certainly the front runners at the moment. In fact, we like Izzy so much that there's little chance of us choosing something else for a girl - the only decision now is how to spell it: Isabel, Isobel, Isabelle, Isobelle, or Isabella? James is not quite so set - although my plan to slowly wear Dan down into letting us have Ruben are going nowhere - I have not a hope in hell.

But at least wee Basil can rest assured that s/he won't end up with something too outlandish like these poor devils:

From the New Zealand Herald: New Zealand children have been given names such as Number 16 Bus Shelter, Violence, and Benson and Hedges(twins). But other names, including Fish and Chips, Yeah Detroit, Stallion, Twisty Poi, Keenan Got Lucy, and Sex Fruit, have been blocked by registration officials. The revelations came during written findings by Family Court Judge Murfitt, who ordered a girl be put in court guardianship so her name - Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii - could be changed.

Suddenly Rupert just doesn't seem so bad, eh?

He cudda been a contender

And here's one for the Daventry Khans - evidence of a contender for the title 'Best Feet in the Family'.

Dan doesn't know whether to be bereft that his title is under attack or proud as punch that Basil has such magnificent tootsies.

In either case, it certainly looks like Basil's got his feet from his dad cos there's no sign there of the old hereditary pes planus that plagues the Blackbourns, eh Pam?

* Pes Planus: flat feet

Can you tell what it is yet? (c) Rolfie

No, not a kangaroo, and certainly not a joey - it's Basil! Nooo, really? Who'd have thunk it?

I can't decide whether he's supporting the Black Panthers, considering a future as a neo Nazi, or practicing his moshing. I'm edging towards the moshing.

New improved scan pics

Oh yes, who's a clever mummy?

With the aid of a camera and Paint, I've managed to re-photograph and label the scan pics to give you at least a fighting chance of seeing what's meant to be on there. Well, that's the plan.

Of course, I could have just pointed the arrows at any random white blobs and made up what they are ... but I haven't. Honest Injun.

This one is Basil's head and shoulders - I've added a bit of an outline to help define what's what.

Time for my close up, Mr DeMille

Basil was a star of stage and screen yesterday when he made a glamorous appearance on TV via the mode of a scan. He wiggled his feet, waved his hands and even shook his tushy at us, indicating that he's a show off like his mummy. His feet looked very good - possibly the best feet in the family, and he had a very handsome profile. Mind you, face on he still looked like something that should jump out of John Hurt's shirt, but hey, he's getting there.

The scan pics we have are fairly clear, but they didn't re-scan into the computer very well, so all you get is some more blurry grey blobs that you have to pretend look enchanting. Such is the life of an aunty or uncle (whether real or honourary) so you may as well just learn to live with it. Start the oohing now...

The pic above is the 'face-on' one - yep, the alien one. The two bright white lines are his nose bones, the dark on either side of the lines are his eye sockets, and the big dark patch just above is his very clever wee brain. And that bigger grey blob/line coming down from the face, well that's his arm - can't you tell he's waving? (Okay, so it's not his arm, I made that bit up...)

Passing a big milestone

Well, we've done it - we've made it into the magical second trimester and all is well. Miriam Stoppard assures me that this means we're now far more likely to proceed in a nice boring fashion -and we all like the sound of that.

There's another scan on Thursday this week, and another visit to the midwife, Glenda the Witch (a good witch, I hasten to add), plus blood tests. Hopefully it'll all be plain sailing.

It's quite exciting!

Globetrotting Foetus*

Basil is already a globetrotter, with trips to NZ's South Island, to Taiwan, a quick flit through Thailand, and now a couple of weeks in the UK under his belt. He is very tired from all that flying and the late nights visiting, but is enjoying being asked about so much. I do hope it doesn't go to his head and make him big-headed - not if I'm to have a natural birth!!!!

Daddy is making sure that I don't eat naughty things and that I get my naps - he is a fully fledged member of the Baby Gestapo! Mind you, he has humoured my "craving" for mushy peas (which, let's face it is no craving, just a long term obsession) by getting extra portions of the green mush with just about every meal we've had - yum yum! Maybe Basil will come out green...

* Still sticking with the proper spelling of foetus - none of this Americanised spelling for my baby ;)

Fuzzy Logic Scan Pic

Here he is - Basil, in the flesh. Well, in my flesh, strictly speaking!

Now there's no point straining your eyes to see if it's a boy or a girl, because the scan image was so fuzzy that Dan and I are still debating just exactly where the foetus even is! It's definitely in that big dark patch somewhere, though.

If you look at the bottom of the dark patch, there's like a letter C in white... got it? Just above a black star shaped patch? Well that faded blotch above the C, sort of sitting on it, in fact, is what we think is Basil.

And dashed good looking he is too, for a fuzzy blob. Looks just like his dad...

Basil goes cyberspace

Since emailing folk about the scan, and setting this site up, we've had heaps of lovely congratulations messages through email and Facebook, and it made me wonder how long it'll be before Basil has his very own email address! And I bet his bump makes an appearance or two on Skype as the months go by. It's good to know we're starting baby's electronics/gadgets/computers obsessions early, eh?

7 weeks and 4 days - the first scan

Today I had a scan, and our wee baby had a perfect little heartbeat and was just the right size.

Of course that's nothing unusual for many people, but we've only ever had scans where the specialist says "I'm sorry to tell you ..." so it's no wonder that I was very apprehensive.

But not this time :) Oh no, the specialist said "perfect" and "just where we'd want him to be" and "lovely little heartbeat" and other wonderful things. And the nurse said "textbook hCG levels" and "all looking very promising"!!! No-one's ever said those thing s to us before.

We're cock-a-hoop!

It's well worth a bit of morning sickness for that kind of joy, I can tell you.