My Baby is Growing!

Wow, last night I charged our batteries, stood on the scale and weighed my baby.
At one week old she had lost .5kg and weighed in at 3kg. Now 5 weeks later she weighs in at a hefty 4.9kg! wow!
Then I brought out the trusty measuring tape and measured her from crown to foot - she's grown from 50cm at birth to 67cm! I am in shock, She is the longest baby ever! Her nickname is Padda (frog) and Monkey Girl, very apt...

So far she has been an amazing baby. She is so friendly and engaging and makes my days fly by. She only cries when she is hungry (if I don't notice her niggling beforehand)and sleeps almost through the night! Last night was the best yet she slept from 9pm right through til 4:30am! I was so stoked!

Sav's GodMother, Cristine Dyer is her third fave person on earth... its the sweetest thing, whenever Cris holds Sav, Sav puts her hands under her chin and her elbows out on either side - all cute - and falls asleep on Cris's chest. Oh yes, on occasion she does "ask" Cris for milk... in the most slobbery, sucky way imaginable - it leaves us in hysterics! My child, the chancer.

Francis has been amazing, I really have to say that he has made all of this "do-able" by helping me in every way. He works so very hard, he leaves for work at 7:15 every morning and often gets home after 6pm exhausted, but, he never ever says no if I ask him to help me with Sav. He will change a pooh nappy at 4am if I ask him to, he carries her when we shop, changes her clothes, snuggles with her, soothes her when she cries, tucks her into bed, loves her and has become a loving and able Father to her. Every so often he will set up a bottle or two in the fridge and gives me "the night off" so that I can sleep through, he still gets up and goes to work with little sleep behind him, so that I can feel refreshed. What a star. Big love to you Franco.

Savanna's Birth Story WITH PICTURES NOW!

Me in early labour



Me a few hours later, I still supposedly had 8hrs to go but delivered an hour later!


We had just been handed our daughter...I was in instant Mommy mode...



This is Savanna when she was 6hours old



One week old Sav having her first tub-bath... usually baths with her Mum. She loved it, gurgling and being all coy ...



This is Sav in Papparazzi mode... "no, no, get my good side..."



Sav at 2 months... cuuute!



16/Jan/2008
My waters broke at 11:15 during the day, while I was on Gmail Chat. I had just told my friend Kim Swan that I was READY when…yup. The baby heard me!

I happened to have a gynae appointment at 12:15, my husband raced home on his motorbike and we left for the hospital, where it was decided that I was in labour and that my waters HAD broken!

My Husband and I went back home, packed our bags, went to the shops and bought some snacks.

We got to my room at about 1.45 by 2.00pm in the afternoon I had my first contraction, they weren't sore and I chatted and sent phone messages. My Doula, Annie Skea stayed with me a while and then popped home to change. I sat around and even had a snooze while waiting for the contractions to get stronger. They started getting strong and painful by about 6pm and I SMS’d Annie who came back to the Hospital. By 8pm we moved down to the Active birthing Unit where I danced and sang until I was 5 cm dilated, by then I was getting a bit sore (I had to bend down over the side of the Jacuzzi when I had a contraction) when the contractions got very strong I sat down on a exercise ball and rested my head on the side of the bed. They checked to see if I was 5cm yet and found that I was 6cm! I got into the Jacuzzi then and stayed there from 10pm till about 1:00am when I decided that I needed to push!

17/Jan/2008
An hour later my daughter Savanna Rae was born, she would have been out quicker but She couldn’t get past the opening (her head was too big and mommy was not stretchy enough!) she came out with her eyes open and talking! (well, gurgling and looking around)

I had no pain relief, and it was an amazing experience!! I felt the presence of God the entire time, my Doula told me that in the height of contractions when I should have been screaming and swearing, I was calmly praying and saying "Thank you Jesus, Thank you for my baby" pretty cool!! I would do it again. The only complaint is these blinking episiotomy stitches!!















Thank you LORD for an awesome birth, and for being so near to me throughout.

Photo Shoot at 36w4d Pregnant (3.5weeks to go!)

These photo's were taken in our lounge in front of our curtains, I had some fun with them in ImageZone and Voila! a photo shoot!

Photo 1: I wanted an arty shot - something severe and stunning.



Photo 2: I loved this effect, it reminds me of molten silver.


Photo 3: This is my hottest shot, I like the colour and vibrancy.


Photo 4: This shot of me is taken from a larger picture, where I was in the background. I zoomed in, cropped it, adding an effect that made it look like an older painting. I am really pleased with the result.


Photo 5: This is my "Warhol" shot. I like ;)

The Problem with Automated Response…

My Husband Franc, in a fit of fervent, prosperous, holiday fever, sent off a response to an inviting SMS declaring…

“BMW’s HAVE TO BE WON…TODAY!”

So, being the gorgeous blue eyed sweetie pie that he is… he sent off that first, inevitable, innocent, R10 per SMS…um,…SMS. This is what followed.

After sending off the word “YEBO” (meaning ‘yes’ in zulu) to the number provided (and spending R10 in a split second) he sat back and smiled thinking of how he would drive that BMW… before he knew it he received this…

"Vodacom celebrates 100 cars! Win 1 of 100 BMW’s in 100 days!1 BMW every day! SMS your NAME to 555101and win 30 extra entries in tonight’s draw! (R10 per SMS)"

…and so, like any hot blooded BMW inspired cell phone user… he SMS’d his name, FRANCIS to the number provided and, once again, spent R10 in a split second.
Once again, he sat back and smiled thinking of how well spent the R20 was, when, suddenly, he heard what was the start of an interesting journey into the world of

SERVICE PROVIDER AUTOMATED RESPONSE SYSTEMS (ARS)

He had sent off his first SMS at 7:05
He had received the second SMS at 7:06
He replied at 7:06
At 7:06 he received this message…

"TIP 1: Every SMS you send to 555101 is worth 10 extra entries in the DAILY draw. IMPORTANT: All the SMS you receive are free. Reply now! (R10 per SMS)"

…at 7:07 he received another SMS…

"TIP 2: You are not alone! You’ll find surprises, bonus’s, even EXTRA CARS!! Let’s start! There’s a surprise for you TODAY! SMS YEBO to 555101 (R10 per SMS)"

… in disbelief (hello! he received like 100 SMS in ONE MINUTE) then after a brief respite, at 7:15 he received this message…

"With 1 SMS a day you can transfer all your entries to the daily BMW draw Francis! Play now for more bonuses! SMS YEBO to 555101 (R10 per SMS)"

…he called me and read the SMS to me as yet another one came through, also at 7:15…

"Hey Francis! We have a question for YOU! SMS YEBO to 55510. Once you have answered it you will get 70 extra entries!! (R10 per SMS)"

…after a few minutes of amazement, at 7:25 he received yet another SMS…

"IF you would rather QUIT and not receive any tips or free info SMS STOP to 555101, don’t worry we’ll still enter you into today’s draw! (R10 per SMS)"

We then had a respite and almost forgot the experience until the next morning, when Vodacom stepped up the game 12:14 17th December…

"Hi Francis! P. Mokebi won yesterdays BMW draw…"
Now pay attention because this is where automated response systems fail us.
"…but today’s BMW may be won by a WOMAN. If you would like to enter today’s draw - SMS YEBO to 555101 (R10) GO FOR IT!"

He frowned and asked me, why are they telling that a WOMAN might win?
I shrugged. Then on the 17:23 18th December…

"Important reminder Francis! Don’t forget to transfer all of your 60 entries for tonights BMW draw. SMS YEBO… blah blah…"
(Just wanna mention that it has now gone from 30 entries to 60 entries magically)

Then, we realised what had happened when, on the 19th December at 17:01 we received this last SMS… hahaha…

"Come on Francis! Girls never quit and Quitters never win! Claim the BMW! Transfer your 60 entries now! (R10 per SMS)"

Someone, Somewhere, decided that it would be a great idea to not only have customers names attached to propaganda SMS chains, but that it would be fun to assign GENDER based on NAME. Someone at Vodacom has not yet realised that FRAN – CIS is a male name, and FRAN – CES is a girls name.

Come on Francis my man! You GO GIRL!!!

Oh yes, LEAVE US ALONE VODA-BLOODY-COM!!!!

The Snow Patrol Experience...

I had the pleasure today, of babysitting the gorgeous and famous Snow Patrol Swan. No it's not a swan, it's mommy and daddy are 'the Swans' Kim and Paul...Swan... ok. Got it.

Well, this little noonoo is at present chilling out in Aunty Sandy's old hamster cage, while it's parents decide if they like their baba with or without feathers...the jury is still out on that one but i'm sure Kim will keep us posted on her blog! http://www.kim-happy-day.blogspot.com/ until then, he is one cool dude with a funky cage and his own mirror and what-not... Kim and I took out the hamster wheel... it's lying in my dusty garage...

He has spent the day, Sitting, Sh*tting, Sleeping, Flying up and crash landing, Crawling all over his mirror, Eating and Staring at his room mate...

THE ROOM MATE
Kim dropped the little tyke off this morning and I put Hannibal our Finch next to him (in his own cage of course!)
Now Mr Hannibal has his own story - he has had two wives,...yes TWO WIVES since we got him a year ago.
After the Second Mrs Hannibal J Finch died of the SAME problem we realised that there was a suspicious link between Mrs Hannibal J Finch 1 and Mrs Hannibal J Finch 2... ie. MURDER.
Of the extreme feather plucking kind... (I hear him now "But I like's them brazillian waxed mr Judge!!")

THE CUTENESS
Well, from being really reserved and quiet, little SP has become steadily more vocal... I think the fact that Hannibal has been enticing him closer, with promises of a life of luxury in his penthouse nest has helped... what a wierd finch.

I managed to sneak up (can 8 month pregnant ladies sneak?) and catch a bad shot of them as they realised that i was there.... anyway, they have spent the day chattering back and forth and hopping around on the ground floor...
This is the shot.
Hannibal J Finch - Left, Snow Patrol Swan who is a Budgie - Right.

Our Garden Again...

This is our darling porch.

The paved area on the right sits on top of a retainer wall that my husband built. It is very pretty - log rolls, and added an extra metre onto our existing porch.
We are going to finish the fence along the top soon and enclose our porch for when little Savanna Rae makes her appearance.
I must say, love this addition to our little porchie, it makes it feel like a small italian villa - I love the soft greens of the ground cover coming through the paving stones. yummo! When we sit in our lounge we can only see to the end of this section and then we look straight into the branches of our stunning Ficus Tree.



This is our bank.

The top left is the retainer wall and the start of our porch.
The middle shows our bottom entertainment area (waiting to be paved) and our Ficus tree.
Our very bohemian lounge is level with the middle of it's branches.
This pic was taken at the beginning of spring - our garden is very brightly coloured now and the tree is in full sprig - nice!


This is our bird bath and the top of our stairs.

The small round bush on the left is at the top of our stairs going down to our bottom entertainment area - there is a matching bush on the other side of the steps.
The small bird feeder has a funny story...our black maltese Oscar, doesn't like his paws geting wet... so when we've had a heavy dew fall or rain - he runs as fast as he can and jumps up into the water bowl... I think he hopes that it is not full... funny dog.

This is the flower bed near our bedroom window.

It is now full of flowering plants. Pansies, Dianthus and Selenium to name a few. It was the last garden patch that I planted before my tummy got too big! I love my garden and all the beautiful things in it!

Our little leopard tree is growing beautifully and its hard to believe that it was just a little seed in Francs hand once!

Will add some more pics another time :)

Interesting Info...

This is how big my baby girl Savanna is, it is hard to believe! No wonder i'm exhausted!!

Birth plans and being informed
http://babyzone.com/loadpage/article.asp?contentid=1825

Your rights during labour
http://babyzone.com/loadpage/article.asp?contentid=1662

Secrets to a more comfortable labour
http://babyzone.com/loadpage/article.asp?contentid=1917

What to pack in your hospital bag
http://babyzone.com/loadpage/article.asp?contentid=731

For a personalized Pregnancy Calendar
http://healthresources.caremark.com/Pregnancy.do

Birthing Traditions
http://www.babyzone.com/loadpage/topicarticles.asp?topicid=125804

An incredible video - a animation of how the baby grows and is delivered (not gruesome!)
http://www.babyzone.com/videos/default.asp?playlistGUID=f4557fbf-d3bc-490d-a489-81157dc80725&forcePlayClip=mms%253A//broadent.wmod.llnwd.net/a351/o2/Babyzone/144_Epidural_.wmv

The Law of Murphy Regarding Baba's...

The minute you've fully dressed your baby, she will poop.
There are other Murphy's Laws of Parenting. Perhaps you too have found your life governed by the following:
Upon removal of the baby's bib, even after baby has burped, the baby will inevitably spit up.
Hand-me-down outfits stay perfectly clean. New ones are spit up on.
Corollary #1: The more the outfit cost, the more the baby will spit up on it.
Corollary #2: If mother is wearing a ratty old T-shirt, not a drop of drool will come out of baby's mouth. If mother puts on a new cashmere sweater, whammo!
If baby has been an absolute angel all day while alone with mother, baby will fuss and cry the minute a play date begins.
The baby will sleep when mother needs her to be awake (like during a music class or when someone has dropped by to see the precious one) and stay awake when mother needs baby to be asleep (for instance, at 10pm when mother wants to go to bed).
Baby shall always achieve a new milestone, such as rolling over onto her tummy, the minute mother leaves the room. Someone else will witness it, in order that mother may be told how great it was and what a shame it was that she missed it.
TAKEN FROM :
http://parenting.ivillage.com/mom/0,,7lfjdswm,00.html
by Jennifer Saltiel

The Thing with Pregnant Ladies…

You see, I am nearing 33 weeks pregnancy… for those of you who are a part of the “what blinkin’ month ARE you in??” let me explain…

We are not – as is commonly taught in all schools – pregnant for 9 months.
We are actually pregnant for 10 x 4week months – we give birth at the start of the 10th x4week month.
SO technically we are pregnant for 10 FULL 4 week months.
Now, by month I do not mean a CALENDAR month – I mean a 4 week month.(enough repetition here?)

So, we are preggers for 10 x 4 weeks ok…

Now, with regards to CALENDAR months – we are preggers for 9 FULL calendar months. In my case I was ‘lekker ge-pomped’ and conceived on the 8th of May, so let’s count it together now…
8th May…
1. 8th June
2. 8th July
3. 8th August
4. 8th September
5. 8th October
6. 8th November
7. 8th December
8. 8th January
Due Date : January 27th
So technically, yes, I am due inside of the 8th calendar month but I am a mere 3 days short of February which would be…let me hear it? NINE MONTHS. Or as we in the pregnancy state call it “40 weeks pregnant”

Confused? Me too.

The Lounge Wall Phenomenon…

We had a dining room and a lounge.
We had a gaping hole between them.
We got a huge piece of board.
We stuck it in the hole.
We nailed it in.
We polyfiller’d it.
We coated the house in polyfiller dust.
We primed it.
We undercoated it.
We painted it.

We have a lounge now.
We have a third bedroom now.
Case closed.
See photo’s for details. (will put them in later  )