The good bits

I was probably being too harsh in my last post about our overseas adventure. There were good times, it has just taken me a week of recovery (and scrolling through the photos) to remember them.

We did enjoy our island getaway despite Cowboy not being 100% (we didn't know then just how bad he was). Champ loved the beach and the pool, and the resort had great kids entertainment sessions like pizza making. It was totally luxurious and I was only a tad put out by being the one who was running around after Champ most of the time, we didn't get any nights off either because Champ was super clingy overseas. I guess all the changes in one go made him want to cling to me as a piece of 'normal'.

We also enjoyed meeting Cowboy's family. I had met some of the cousins who have ventured to Australia in the last 8 or so years, but unlike his Australian family, Cowboy's Filipino family is huge! The day of my father-in-law's birthday celebration Champ didn't eat a single thing all day because all he wanted to do was run around with his newly found cousins. He was the absolute favorite; it was a mix of being new and different, his inherent cuteness and being the only male who can one day produce more little babies. Champ is the last of the family line (in name anyway).

The surprising bonus about Cowboy getting sick is that I got a free ultrasound! Despite the hospital being officially closed, Cowboy's uncle is a consulting doctor and used to run the whole hospital when he was younger, so Uncle opened up the hospital for us and got Cowboy seen to. He also consulted with an OB who he trained up from scratch many moons ago. I casually said I wish I knew the baby wasok after being so close to Shingles and before I knew it I was on the table with machines set up beside me.

I am very grateful now for the level of technology in Australia. I never knew the almost primitive technology some countries have to put up with. Firstly, I wasn't able to see the ultrasound screen like I can when I have them done here. They also asked Cowboy (being male) to leave the room, which luckily he refused to do (indeed!). They then wanted to wand me before I insisted that at 17 weeks I am sure external would do (I won that case also).

Finally, they announced that I was measuring 14 weeks. I told them that I was 16 but had been measuring 1 week ahead at each ultrasound. The doc assured me that this was fine to measure 14 weeks because the calculations are give or take 2 weeks. Give or take 2 weeks... In Australia it is accurate give or take 2 days!

I was so upset by the news that she agreed to measure the head individually as it is more accurate - 17 weeks. And the torso - 17 weeks. Oh, whoops, the baby was on a funny angle earlier so we were only getting about half the back in the measurement... Ok, lucky I was forceful enough to ask for a second measurement or I would have walked away in a panic as many Filipino women probably would do.

Then the final 'thank-goodness-my-medical-tests-are-in-Australia' moment. I asked the gender. 'He he he, no it is far to early to tell. We can't tell via ultrasound.' At that point I took my blurry ultrasound images and thanked then immensely for their help. I am now very happy to be back in Oz and I have my bigultrasound set up for next Tuesday. Phew!

Here are a few pics of the good times (plus a bit of baby bump):

In transit - exhausted:
What do you mean I can't fly the real plane?
Finally done with the first 3 plane trips - now just a short walk, a boat and a car...
The boat trip - are we there yet?!
Finally - paradise:
At sunset with his grandparents:
Pizza making in paradise:


You can seen my growing baby bump here:
Champ with his great grandmother and his cousins: