My Inny is turning into an Outy

Wow, so much has happened since my last post! My tummy exploded at the end of the 5th month, so it’s impossible to blend in with the crowd anymore. I’m not keen on being stared at, so going out is something I try to avoid. To add to the embarrassment, I also developed an unfortunate condition that makes it very painful for me to walk. A small percentage of pregnant women get this – it’s when the pelvic bones separate just a bit too much. So I now move at about the speed of Lachlan’s 96-year-old Gran (and that's on a good day). My doctor tells me that it will go back to normal after the birth. That’s exactly what I crave now, more than chocolate – normalcy.

Baby McDonald is due on March 14th, but I’m hoping it will come early. In fact, the sinister part of me would love for it to be born on February 29th…birthday parties every 4 years!! I can live with that! Joking aside, we’re getting the room ready with lots of help from friends and family who have donated and/or sold us baby items. It has made a big difference to my mood; having a crib, a stroller, toys and clothes. It’s very hard not to smile when I look at them. So does anyone else want to have a guess at the gender? How about the birth weight? I can post the winning guess after the little one arrives.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving celebration at our “new” house in Altona with a few friends from my nursing class coming over to experience the magic. My turkey came out perfectly, despite having a 50+-year-old oven. And we all had a great time, which was the most important. I always miss the States around this time of year, with Packer games, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, we made sure that Chelsea had the best one yet. Besides the presents she got from us, Santa came and brought her plenty more. She also received heaps of presents from family, here and in the States. We went to a fabulous party on Christmas Eve, hosted by my friend Mannie and her sister. Then we had some family members over for Christmas lunch. A few days later, we had a birthday party for Chelsea who turned 6 on New Year’s Eve. Finally, to finish off the year, we took the train to the city on her birthday to see the fireworks show over the Docklands. I’m getting tired just reminiscing!

Changing topics, are you all fired up about the Presidential Primaries? It’s very exciting, almost like the playoffs! And it’s really great to see the increase in voter participation. We get the Jim Lehrer News Hour here in Australia, and I watch it religiously. I believe it is one of the few (possibly the only) factual and unbiased news programs remaining in America. I highly recommend it if you would like to know what is really going on in the country and the world. Oh, and how about them Packers??? It is really turning into a great 2008!