Happy Anniversary

Neil and I both wrote cards to each other for our wedding anniversary yesterday and forgot to give them to each other! But, as he said, we were having too much fun in the park during his visit. Neil brought Bluey and I played seated fetch with him. He is getting very good at putting the ball exactly in my hand so I don't have to reach down for it. Apparently Bluey recognised the hospital right away and got really excited. It is weird how smart he is!

Another anniversary - we have made it to 33 weeks… trying to hang on 10 sleeps until Jan 1 for the new parenting payment and 35 weeks! For non-Aussie’s the parenting payment is a new initiative from the federal government to pay new caregivers minimum wage for 18 weeks to help with the cost of a newborn and encourage people to stay home. And to make it to 35 weeks would give our baby a much higher chance of surviving due to an increase in lung maturation. I really think we will make it all the way; time well tell how good my intuition is! Not sure where stubbornest ends and intuition begins...

My belly is getting bigger not only from the accumulating fluid but because baby is also growing. I think he is putting on about 200g a week at this stage and weighs about 2kgs.

Since touring the NICU I have been worrying more not less about how he is going to go when he is born. Unlike simply preemie babies, both of his lungs are being squished by his bowel and stomach and we won’t know until he comes out if he will be able to be ventilated or not. I have started to try and visualise being calm the moments after the delivery while he is being intubated and ventilated for the first time but I keep imagining a complete mental breakdown instead.

However, since worry is very unhelpful and generally makes me feel worse, I have been distracting myself by reading a very good book, The Book Thief. It has been a good reminder that some people definitely have had it worse than us – the Book Thief is about a German girl during WWII narrated by 'Death'. It is very quirky and beautfully written.

The doctor came in this morning and asked if we should try another reduction so I could go home for Christmas and I said no. (I don't think this was a serious question but an attempt to gauge my mental health and reaction to the prospect of spending Xmas in the hospital).

I am not getting any regular tightenings so I don’t want to risk it. The fluid level is still not as high as when I was admitted so I would really like to see if I can last until next Monday. So it looks like Neil and I will celebrate Christmas in the hospital! Apparently the staff put on a special breakfast in the craft room (I hope there are scrambled eggs) and Neil and I are planning a picnic in the park across the street. It is supposed to be 34 degrees – the hottest Christmas since the 1980’s.