I don't think you ready

Two weeks until d-day. Well, one of them anyway. One week until another of the estimates. And three weeks until Dodge's date (he thinks he gets to decide on these matters).

Breach @ 36 weeks

Roscoe had not adopted the correct position so my midwife suggested acupuncture. I had one session and baby was still feet down. Then Mum came to visit and we went to the local Jazz Festival with Matt and his mum and during the "jam session" Roscoe did some serious movements ("Chain of Fools" kicked him off) and next thing I knew, I could feel the hiccups in the right place... yes: down there.

We started ante natal classes last week and they have been a bit of a revelation to Matt "zero-preparatory-reading-because-I-know-everything-about-everything" Hodges. It's a fairly big class with all the mums due a good month later than me and the average age a good seven years younger than us. There's a Sikh couple, a young Maori couple, a British couple, a bogan couple (complete with ugg boots and mullet), and the rest are white rural types (not sure how this differs from bogan). It's a group of first-time parents and a nice opportunity to talk about the emotional, physiological and medical sides of giving birth.

It strikes me that people who have kids often behave as if they've just joined a cult or fervently adopted a new religion. There are the knowing (some might say smug) looks and statements from those on the "other side". There's the dogged determination that their way is the right way. There's the glazed look in their eyes as they describe their experiences (generally as the way). Everyone has an opinion and everyone wants to share it.

That said, there's also something quite nice about how pregnant women are treated in my experience. People are genuinely excited for you. They are genuinely interested in your experience of being pregnant.

It was my birthday yesterday - it didn't feel like a usual birthday with my focus very much on the big birth day that is looming. It's been raining non-stop here but the clouds parted and the sun came out. It seemed like every surfer in Gizzy had pulled a sicky and hit the beach. Perfect, clean waves were rolling in at Wainui and Makorori and I settled down with "Clash Of Kings" while Matt joined the line-up.

Birthday beach bump @ 38 weeks