Photos- Lukas' Birthday

The album can be viewed here.

He's here!!!

My little Ziggy just couldn't wait any longer - on Monday morning, 24 October, at 10:29am, Lukas Joubert Brown was born via c-section. He weighed a very healthy 3.5kg (about 7.7 pounds) and is perfectly healthy in every way. He's supposedly 3 weeks early but he's in no way "premature", and I have my doubts about the accuracy of his predicted due date.

I'll post his birth story some time soon, and the gorgeous photos Steve has been taking, but for now here's a cellphone-camera photo.

We're getting on quite well; we're learning about each other every day and although it's a big change and a challenge in many ways, I have a great support network at home and I'm enjoying it a lot. Steve is very supportive, handy and excited to get to know his son, and my parents are here from the Cape. I am not quite sure how I'd have managed the last few days without both the emotional support they provide and the practical help of basically running the household for us. While they are taking care of the food, dishes, laundry and a million little odd maintanance jobs we haven't gotten round to, I can focus on Lukas and resting. I'm sure that's the reason I'm able to enjoy him as much as I do. He's just so very beautiful and amazing.

5 Things I Can't Wait To Do After Pregnancy

I am not wishing my pregnancy over (although it sometimes seems to my impatient, short attention spanned mind that 9 months is unnecessarily long). I'm not complaining about not being able to do these things. But they are fun little things; silly, everyday things; that I look forward to being able to do again.

1. Wear my engagement ring
   And my wedding ring (which is currently on a chain around my neck). Or, for that matter, any ring that isn't one of those adjustable flea-market specials.


2. Sleep on my back
   When you're visibly pregnant and you lie on your back, the weight of the uterus presses against the vena cava, a major blood vessel running back up to your heart from your legs. This can cut off circulation to the baby and/or lead to dizziness and fainting. Not recommended.
   I'm a fidgety sleeper and although I'm quite used to lying on either side now, I miss having more options.


3. Eat a peanut butter and apricot jam sandwich
   If you and/or the baby's father have allergies, hayfever, asthma or eczema in the family, there are some schools of thought that suggest you avoid nuts (especially peanuts) while pregnant to try and avoid giving the baby a nut allergy. Although there is no evidence proving a direct link, both Steve and I have so many of the mentioned risk factors in our family, I wanted to play it safe. I really miss peanut butter - which is probably largely psychological (the "taboo" factor) because I didn't really eat that much of it before I was pregnant


4. Wear my adorable Singapore shoes
   I have the most wonderful shoes bought in Singapore. They are hand stitched lamb's leather, with quirky patterns depicting different scenes, and no two match (no, not even the left and right of a pair). They are the most beautiful shoes I have ever seen, never mind owned, and they're so me. But, like every pair of shoes I own bar two, they don't fit at the moment.


5. Recognize my own nose in the mirror
   Some women's noses get bigger when they're pregnant. It's got something to do with all that progesterone in your body; it softens your ligaments and cartilage so your pelvis has more room for a baby to move through. Most people say I'm imagining it but I know my nose is considerably bigger, and one other person has admitted to seeing it (thank you to them for confirming I'm not crazy!). I'm not that fussed, but it's kind of weird. I miss how my face used to look, just because it's my face and I'm so used to it.

You might be surprised by the lack of alcohol on the list, but I'm not that big a drinker anyway and I haven't missed it that much.