Basil's Progress

BASIL IS HERE - scroll to bottom for pictures!                                       Click here for Indigo's website

So yes, Kirsty's pregnant again..... Tommy reckons he knew I was pregnant this time before we even did a test as I kept commenting on weird smells. It triggered a memory for him of that old pregnancy favourite "dog nose" which I suffered from when pregnant with Saffron.

So this is the first webpage for Basil - our Chinese takeaway. So called to keep the herbs and spices theme going in our children's names - and who knows, we might keep the pre-birth name this time if Basil turns out to be a boy...

Well, at this stage in the Twinkle pregnancy we had seen the little blob that was to become Saffron, and we knew where Twinkle would be born and what kind of maternity care we'd be receiving. This time around things are slightly more complicated.

1, it's a 350 mile round trip for a scan and checkup, and fortunately I've not had any complications (apart from hideous all day sickness) so not needed an early scan.

2, we're leaving China at the end of August, and as yet (end of July), have no idea where we're moving to.. so Basil could be born absolutely anywhere.....

Much to Tommy's disappointment Basil will be a Manchester United fan having attended it's first game when I was 10 weeks pregnant!

August 14th - 13th week - we finally know where we're moving, and we've had our first scan! Unfortunately no picture cos the man you pay to get the scan picture had gone on his lunch break so we couldn't pay... and therefore couldn't get a picture - HK Government  beurocracy, say no more! Hopefully we'll have a pic to put on here soon. Oh, and we're moving to Abu Dhabi.....

September - Tommy and I went to Lucy and Luke's wedding when I was about 16-17 weeks pregnant. I'd no idea how big I'd be, having heard you grow faster with second pregnancies, but I wasn't very large at all - however, I'd got a voluminous dress just in case - and it made me look HUGE!!!

 Following the wedding we went off on three weeks of backpacking travels - see our Farewell to China travelogue - during this time I was still suffering from morning sickness a considerable amount of time, but all the same, we had a fantastic trip, with no ill effects on Basil, despite some pretty strenuous activity like a 6 hour hike up and down the dragons backbone, and being the main Saffron carrier - Tommy was carrying our luggage so it seemed only fair!

After the trip we stopped a night in Hong Kong where I had my 19 week scan and all seemed fine with a very active little baby in there - I also managed to pick up the photo from my 12 week scan - so here it is - and what an attractive blob it is too!! 

I found out during our trip that my school friend Kathryn and HK friend Junko are pregnant too - both due shortly after me. So, what with my hockey friend Sharon who's due 4 days before me I have quite a few pregnancy buddies this time.

And so we set off on the next stage of our adventure, the move to Abu Dhabi. By now we're settled in a flat and I'm 25 weeks pregnant, definitely showing, though I wasn't when we arrived here and I put some of my increased belly size down to the fact there's lots of yummy UK chocolate, crisps and ice cream available here! I've found a hospital here that I'm happy with and had 3 appointments including one scan - which produced the pics below! (I think the first one's the head.... no idea what the other 2 are of!)

Oh and no, we didn't check to see if Basil is going to be an appropriate name once it's on the outside!

I'm now 26 weeks - here's a couple of pictures of how my tummy is progressing - I feel elephantile already but still fit in the ordinary jeans I bought in the UK in May - though admittedly they were definitely on the large size, and are very hipster so sit below the bump no problems. I spent a couple of weeks jut looking just porky really but I think it definitely looks like a pregnancy belly now!

And the pic on the right was taken by Granny on her trip to AD and is me at the park with Saffron, at 29 weeks pregnant - similar to last time I was pregnant it seems to be all on my front!

If you put "Sheraton Resort, Abu Dhabi" into Google Earth, the hospital I'll be delivering at is right next door - so maybe I'll have a lovely sea view during the birth as I did in HK! If you zoom out, go round the curved road south east, and turn left at the 3rd rod you're on Electra Street where we live, so you can see how convenient we are for the hospital - in case I actually go into labour this time!!! Which is kind of a weird feeling as it feels like it's my first child cos I have no idea what to expect!

Saffron and me - me at 30+ weeks - starting to feel very porky! Maybe just because I've started on the mince pies already!!!

    A few arty farty pics of how pregnant I am - at 34 weeks, with Saffron and Tommy in too!

Basil is a wriggly little alien 24 hours a day now and is stopping me from sleeping very well. Saffron seems to be getting the hang of the fact there's Basil in mummy's tummy and that when we go to hospital appointments she can hear Basil and sometimes when she touches Mummy's tummy she can feel Basil, in fact she's quite affectionate and if she bumps me in the tummy will happily kiss it and say "sorry Basil" - but whether this equates to her understanding that in around 6 weeks a baby will be coming to live with us remains to be seen!

Scan at 36 weeks - Basil is lying sideways and you can see it's eyes and mouth and the fingers of it's right hand which is on it's head, and left hand below it's face. It's lying sideways in my tummy with it's head down getting ready to go apparently.

I'm doing antenatal classes again, just to remind myself what happens in labour as the last one was so long I don't remember much - plus different hospitals have different ways of doing things.  The great thing is they don't do breathing exercises - yippeeee - so I won't fail my antenatal course this time!!

So, I'm nearly 38 weeks now and this is where the bump is - not a very clear photo I know! I look like Mr Greedy! And it's pretty similar to with Saffron, all bump, not so much everywhere else, not much on my face - my hair is the same as with Saffron, so's my skin - and everyone keeps saying it's a boy - but then they said that last time too - so who knows, maybe I carry girls like the old wives tales say boys should be carried - or maybe this time it really IS a boy.....  

And Congratulations to my friend Sharon who was due 4 days before me - her baby girl Keira arrived on 5th February.

21st February - still no sign of Basil - hospital thinks it'll be late, and possibly big cos Saffron was, so I have an assessment next week to see.... I'm pleased we've got past the month of aquarius though as three in the house could have been too much for Tommy to handle! In the meantime, I don't want it to arrive tomorrow (Fri 22nd) as the Cuffe family are  coming to see us and I'm dying for a big catchup! And not overly keen for it to arrive on Saturday as Scotland play Ireland in the 6 nations! Anytime after that is just fine... well maybe with the exception of 29th February, I'm not hugely keen on having a leap year baby!!  Not that I'm being fussy about all this or anything!!!

23nd February - Maxine, Anthony and family came to visit yesterday - and I didn't go into labour which was a relief as they're flying back to England today. So this is me and Max yesterday - hopefully this is about as big as I'm going to get as Basil will be here very soon!! Like I said, all the weight is on the bump so from this angle and wearing black it's difficult to tell I'm hugely pregnant - if you saw me sideways however, I now definitely look like Mr. Greedy!!

25th February - So now we're into the overcooked stage. Yesterday I went to antenatal class as usual on a Sunday - it's a real mixed class, but women only, several Indians, a Jordanian, Lebanese, Moroccan and several other arab nationalities and they're all lovely and speak great English. What makes me laugh is the one woman who comes in head to toe in an abeya is the one that always asks the questions about sex - every session she has more questions and more things to divulge about her sex life - so who said women behind veils weren't liberated!???

27th February - yesterday I had 7 hours of contractions, ranging from 10 minutes apart to 2 minutes apart, then I had a bath and they disappeared. Not good! Not much happening today - just funny twinges, but Saf and I went to playgroup anyway, and I drove over the speed humps far too fast in the hope's it'd trigger something! If nothing's still happening by Saturday I'm going into hospital for a further assessment as the baby may get too big, given that Saffy was a sumo baby and all that!

Basil is now Indigo Larmour - who arrived with us at Al Corniche Hospital in Abu Dhabi, at 8:12am on Sunday, March 2nd - UK Mother's Day, weighing 4.41kg and 54cm long.

Indigo with Mummy and Daddy still in the delivery room                                           first meeting between sisters                     

Taking Indigo home - she's wearing the same going home outfit as Saffron had - which says "welcome to the world"!

And Saffy's t-shirt says "My Mum rocks!"

Click for Indigo's website