Wonderment and lotteries

The closer we get to "babytime", the more I wonder how we are ever going to cope. Yesterday Sue went to the work baby care centre. They want around £1100 / month to look after newborn babies. So, that's not an option.

Apart from that, we've got to figure out all manner of other costings for baby. How we are going to travel to Oz or Canada, when there's three of us to pay for; how all our stuff is going to fit in a pokey flat with even more stuff to buy for baby.

I know people the world over, and in worse economic circumstances than us have babies every day and every year. I just want it to be as perfect or at least as good as it can be.

The mind boggles. I guess that's why I've been buying lottery tickets like an impoverished idiot lately. If I can't get promotions and better pay to get us out of the problem zone, maybe the money of hard-working people can sort me out.

Oh what am I doing?

Clothing score

Went shopping today for various bits and pieces and came across quite the score.

Sue's been talking to her mates in Australia and there's a shop called Pumpkin Patch that does kids clothes and a range of maternity clothes. So, we went shopping to Croydon, ostensibly so Sue could check out the Pumpkin Patch outlet at the Whitgift Centre, one of three shops in the UK (most of them are in Australia and New Zealand).

They had their "Big Patch Sale" on which meant Sue managed to get about £80 worth of clothing for around £30.

Of course, I just can't help thinking that maternity clothes shouldn't be bought, they should be rented. You need them, at most, for around six months and sometimes even less. Still, with sales on, it makes the financial sting a little easier to handle.

The second hospital appointment

We're almost becoming dab hands at this hospital thing now.

Had our first mid-wife appointment this morning. It was basically all paperwork. We were asked a load of questions about family history and personal history, then Sue gave a load of fluids for tests.

Thankfully our next meetings with mid-wives should be in Wallington, so we don't have to traipse all the way to St. Helier again.

With every meeting and every blood sample, the idea of becoming a parent is becoming more and more a reality.

Now we're going to have to address all the practical problems - like space in the flat, money issues, etc. THAT is something I'm not looking forward to.

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Now playing: Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas
via FoxyTunes

Everybody Knows

It's like the Leonard Cohen song now.

We went to my cousin Louise's baby shower, as she just had a baby on Friday and everybody there now knows there's another bubby on the way.

Didn't want to steal the thunder from little baby Harley (named after the motorcycle apparently, not the Batman character as you'd imagine), but everyone there came up to Sue and I to congratulate us on our impending arrival.

Baby Scan

Well, it's official. There's actually something there!

Just got back from the hospital and Sue's 12 week scan.

We have head, feet, hands, etc. and the possibility of Down's Syndrome is about 1 in 1400 which we are told is quite good. We will know more at the 20 week scan in... 8 weeks times.

It was all quite emotional, seeing this moving creature inside Sue's belly.

Sue called her mum on the bus ride home, and we got a "photo" of baby we can send to people.

Our baby is going to be born at St. Helier Hospital, the same place John Major entered the world... thank goodness it's not Gordon Brown's birthplace, we'd be moving!

Freebies!

We went to Tina's birthday party in Ealing today (even though her birthday was in April, August USUALLY means better weather) and Sue's friend Shelley - who's going travelling - gave us a load of baby stuff.

I assume this type of thing happens all the time. You have a baby and the 0-6 months stuff becomes obsolete quite quickly, so you hand it on. I can imagine an entire secondary market of "gifts" working this way.

Unlike the property ladder, this one seems quite easy to get onto the bottom rung of.

Shout out to Shelley and Steve for the gifts, mucho appreciated!

Beer Festival

Went to the 30th Great British Beer Festival today and they had the best t-shirt combo. There was an adult t-shirt that said "pint" and a baby t-shirt that said "half pint". If any of the stalls took cards, I think I would have been tempted.

When we left the festival, we (Paul, Paul and I) met up with Sue, Michelle, Ruby and Shelley who were hanging out in Green Park sunning themselves and changing and feeding Stella, Shelley's baby.

The cat came out of the bag when Shelley congratulated me and Paul asked me if I had something to tell him.

So, he's the first friend to know (of mine, anyway).

it's real now

Well, we've told the family that we're going to be a family.

Sue called all her clan last week, and I told mum and dad and Dan the other day.

I just told Anna this evening, and she wanted to let the rest of the family know... although they already did. Too funny.

So now we can tell those friends and well wishers closest to us. Hurrah.