Any minute now, my contractions could begin or my water break It's a rather surreal situation to be in but one that women are in all the time, every day all over the world and have been since the beginning of time. Paul's referring to my practise contractions as 'Stefan packing and getting ready', which I think is a very humorous way of looking at it. I just hope he doesn't have too much stuff to pack or needs to do lots of hoovering!
To those of you who don't know already, we've decided to name him Stefan after Paul's late paternal granddad. The name is pretty common here in Switzerland and well-known in both Romania and Denmark. He won't have a middle-name. We've had to sign up with a paediatrician already, and even though he isn't born yet, he already has an appointment booked for his four weeks' examination. (Should he arrive sooner than his due date, which is 15 July, I need to reschedule the appointment.)
Are we ready? Materially, yes (though I"m sure we've forgotten to buy some essentials, but Paul should have some time on his hands between visits to the hospital to purchase what we didn't know we needed...), but mentally? I don't think it's possible to prepare for this event on an intellectual level - to some degree, yes, but not as much as when it comes to buying a cot, a changing table, pram, clothes etc. I can't picture the feeling of unconditional love that 'they say' will rush through us, once Stefan has been born, nor imagine what it will be like to have to function on no / not much sleep for the foreseeable future. But everybody I know who've been through this adventure seems to have kept their sanity, so I expect the same will happen to us.
I'm now on maternity leave and try to get as much rest as possible. I'm fully aware of the fact that it's not possible to 'bank sleep', but these weeks of waiting I want to make sure I'm as relaxed and rested as I can be. Physically, I'm still in pretty good shape, no major aches or pains apart from what can be expected when one's natural equilibrium is being challenged. Paul calls me 'Balena' which is Romanian for 'whale'. I'm sure he means it in a loving way.
Last Saturday we picked up the bed and changing table, we'd ordered a month ago. We've gone a little bit Stokke mad as, after having done a lot of research in the jungle that is baby equipment websites and magazines, we came to the conclusion that their products offered what we were looking for regarding functionality, quality and design. Paul spent some happy hours (well, it didn't actually take him that long) putting the bed and changing table together (should he ever want to change career, he really ought to set up a business which offers putting together flat-pack furniture...), and I spent some happy minutes snapping a few pictures of him in action:
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| The two separate bits can later be used as chairs, apparently. Check out the sexy gym-ball in the background - this is my chair of choice at the moment. I still haven't fallen off but think it's just a matter of time... |
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| Paul makes this look so easy. He didn't even need my help. (Because I'm well-known for my abilities when it comes to following instructions that include screws.) |
Here's the finished bed in the bedroom adorned with Danish Kaj (frog) & Andrea (parrot), the French giraffe Sophia and English Whoozit; on loan from the sofa in the living room, the cushion Owen the Owl:
Below, the changing table:
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| The two bags on the floor are my packed hospital bags! If I get very flustered, I might take the Ikea lamp with me by mistake, I've just realised. Perhaps I should move it??? |
The clothes and sleeping bag below are part of the lovely presents, my colleagues gave me for my baby shower a couple of weeks ago:
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Before I finish this post, I'd like to thank whomever is in charge of the weather here in Switzerland. I couldn't have wished for a better May and June weather-wise (apart from those three days of 30+ degrees recently). Please continue the good work of keeping the temperatures below 25 degrees...
Lots of love,
Karen x
