Until November then...

I am sure going to miss blogging - I won’t be able to blog until 1 November from today.
It’s like a daily fix – you sit you write you feel good. I will be doing allot of writing when I am at home though, and saving some of it on to disk to put in my blogs later.

Life has been so good to us, for the past 8 months I have been a nervous wreck, but I could have never done it without the support from my friends and family. What I will miss most about the pregnancy is the kicking and the movement in my tummy. On the other hand I look forward to having my bladder and back all to myself again as well as sleeping on my tummy and picking up my daughter and comforting her when she is sad.

Last year on my birthday my sister and I joked about this year’s birthday – maybe I would be pregnant or have a baby we laughed – well there was more truth in those words than we realized.

This morning hubby and I lied in bed talking for a long time until Claudia came and squeezed herself between us. The Cat was at my feet purring away. I had it all right there – a loving husband, a beautiful daughter and a comfy cat that was keeping my feet warm. Corne’ was kicking away when he heard his sisters voice.

Can life get any better than this?

The Neighbour

Of all the people in the street we grew up in – we stayed the longest. We moved in in 1983 and my parents moved to another house in the same town in 1997 or 8. Eventually all the neighbours had nicknames given by my mother. It was at the time when M-net started and whatever she would associate the people with she would add a –net at the end.

The lady across the road was loer-net, she peeped allot and we had a joke about her curtain having a permanent wrinkle. Whenever a car stopped in front of our yard or anybody else’s you could be sure that the curtain would move. Boy she was up to date on everything that happened in the neighborhood. It was also her daughter who fell pregnant on the first date after calling my sister and I “loose” for having so many friends over after turning 16 and she was only allowed to date when she turned 18. Today she is married to one of my old boyfriends…mmmm lets not go there that’s a whole new blog.

The woman in the house next to her was koekkie-net. She baked biscuits and sent her children selling it all around the neighborhood. I can remember the cake fumes that came from her house - I can still smell it.

The woman next to us on the right had 3 children and a fourth was on the way. She was st**k net – yes it was funny in those days. (I hear she has five now and is living in Vierfontein).

I remember many neighbors from my childhood. The ones that was barely scraping by and other ones that had a good life. They were never too tired to lift a hand or shout a quick hallo. There was a time when we all knew our neighbors and they would welcome you with a cup of coffee any day.

I’m not sure what the old lady’s name is that lives next to me. The other day I was at work, it started to rain and all I could think of was my washing on the line. She took it off the line and put it neatly behind my back door.

I gave her a thank you note with some chocolates.

We still have good neighbors.

Where did the simple life go?

I don’t know when life became so complicated. I used to eat sleep and go to work – and now I have to think of all the things that I need to do in one day. Having children probably adds to the confusion. I can’t remember when last I slept in – we are up between five and six every morning starting the daily chores. But then again I wouldn’t trade waking up now for the world – a loving 4 year old who inherited her morning-person-ness from her dad and a Cat who couldn’t be happier if you give him a bowl of food.

Actually – I can’t remember how life was without them. Maybe it was so borring that I did not make any effort to remember. I don’t remember what we used to do with ourselves except for the occasional movie and shopping spree. We almost had 2 full years to ourselves before our daughter arrived. I can remember we went on holiday and that must have been the most exciting thing apart from the Wedding and honeymoon.

Last night when the power went off and we were all 3 curled up on the couch with kitty on my lap I realized that we have 2 children – and the 3rd is on the way

This week

So many things are happening this week. We went to look at a bigger car on the weekend and decided to just do it – safety wise. And we had my sisters little one over and putting 2 car seats into our car was a mission.

It’s hubby’s birthday on Wednesday – I went and bought him a Springbok Jersey for next weekend when he goes to Bloemfontein to watch the Springboks take on the All Blacks. He was so excited about the trip but at the same time he did not want to leave me being so far pregnant and all. But I phoned my sister to come over in case we have to rush to hospital and besides my bags were already packed in week 27.

It’s his birthday and he deserves a break. With all the worry about baby (men don’t show it as much as we do but I know he did worry) and running around to get everything in order I figured it would be ok. At least my sister is there for me then. And there are 10 other numbers that I can call if baby do decide to make his grand entrance.

The cat’s stitches are coming out on Wednesday – poor thing. Cats are clean animals and he is so frustrated with the funnel that prevents him to lick his fur. Last night we had people over and he found a place on everyone’s lap – if you sat down you sure had to be ready for kitty to jump and find a warm space. We laughed when he just wanted to sit with hubby – maybe he knew who paid the Vet’s bill last week. Well for whatever reason the Cat got a liking to him.

It’s my 2nd last week of work – for some reason I thought I had a week left but it is still this week and next week. I think I am going into nesting mode and my house can’t believe what is happening, it hasn’t been that clean in ages.

Since the arrival of our daughter the house has never been the same. But now we don’t find things because everything is so in order. When it was a mess we knew where everything was.

The Replacement

Oh great – that is all that I need now – one more worry while on Maternity leave. An old lady phoning me asking when to go to the toilet and running a campaign to apply for my job or to stay on when I am back. The trouble is – she lost her job a while a go and who wouldn’t be hungry for work especially when your age counts against you.

I have to leave my laptop for her to explore while I am gone trying to fit into motherhood for the 2nd time. Now I have to spend the last 6 working days putting confidential stuff on to the external hard drive… Life is a bitch, I tell you.

The truth is I am not threatened in the least by her, I was planning to look for something else anyway, it’s just that I don’t need fire underneath my ass right now. You know, people looking for trouble and haunting for ghosts so they can put themselves in a better position. When I find something else that I like she can take everything I have in my office with pleasure, including the damn Laptop.

My desk will be empty when I leave here next week Friday – and there will be a to-do list and how-to-do list ready. I would gladly assist a young vibrant girlie who understands that she is just helping out. But older women with issues are another problem.

There is only space for one of us here.

The Letter

Dear Mom,

So much has happened since my last letter. It still feels like you are away on holiday and could return at any moment, I apologize for not letting go. Letting go means forgetting all about you, and I am not ready for that ever. Sometimes reality sinks in, and then I remember that you left us for good and are not returning.

The miscarriage was not that bad, I got pregnant again on my first cycle so God looked after us in that way. Yes we will miss the baby but we are having another miracle and not taking anything for granted this time. I learnt that sometimes some things has to happen in order for you to appreciate other things more. Yes, I am still scared every day, but I have also learnt to trust and to have faith.

Dad is happy with the new wife. I’m glad that someone is looking after him; we both know that he couldn’t do anything on his own even when you were here. I would hate to say anything bad about her. Maybe it’s not her, its just the things about you that I miss. I miss the kitchen that is now forbidden territory. You baked, you visited with your friends and I know that you prayed many mornings in that place. Most days I ask myself why she couldn’t be a bit more like you. Your heart was like a taxi - there was always space for another friend.

The Children are growing up fast. Annelize and I both have girls as you know. Sometimes I see myself in you, and know that she would turn out ok one day because I am like you. I now understand why you did and said most of the things, I just wish I could understand back then but I had to become a mother first before all those things sank in.

I don’t know when I will write again, I can’t promise anything but I will update as soon as I can. My letters, like life, holds no promises.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Yeah I’m guilty – I haven’t blogged for a while. Blame it on the Cat, my Mother-in-Law and me doing the duck walk to get to my computer as the weeks are getting closer to meeting our baby boy.

Allot has happened – but like always there has to be a little drama in my life otherwise even I would loose interest. My boy is weighing over 2kg now the same as his sister when she was born. I can remember how little she was and imagine him doing breast stroke in my tummy that big. He will come out when he is ready – or when we are ready at 38 weeks.

The poor Cat was in a fight and we had to rush him to the Vet on Saturday morning. He’s better now – he’s got a funnel around his neck that he does not approve of, but anything is better than biting his wound open and returning to the Vet. The stitches come out in 10 days – so 10 more days of the glorious cone-shaped funnel. He has time for purring so everything seems to be better – and he let me stroke him since yesterday so it tells me that he understand that we are only trying to help. Hubby has also become attached to the Cat – he lets him sit on his lap and that is a first if you want to call it that.

Mother-in-law got a job but hasn’t given notice yet at her current job so heaven knows when she will move. I have little words when it comes to her. On the other hand I can write a book on our adventures together – but let’s not wake sleeping dogs.

My tummy is a beautiful baseball shape - nothing compared to my butt. When someone told me that you carry more in your butt when you are expecting a boy, there certainly was allot of truth in that. So that adds to the duck-walk I don’t know on which side to sleep anymore – my arms get numb from all the extra weight, my tail bone gets pulled to one side, I am so out of breath and not to mention the more frequent trips to the loo now that baby’s head is down there. But I’m not complaining – it’s all worth it in the end.

I have come to 3 conclusions in the last few days–

You can’t put a price tag on a Cat – it’s simply too precious.
With ones mother-in-law it’s a different story.
And the famous preggie duck-walk – now that is priceless.