new paint!

And today, some other man came and painted our new door! I know... our life is just so exciting!

what the door

A man in a singlet (that's a tank-top to you Americans) came to our apartment on Australia Day and requested to measure our door. He said that he was going to put in new doors in our apartment complex on Friday. We let him in, he measured our door, and then he left. Later that night, we got to thinking that the building owners always send out letters and make telephone calls if any maintenance is going to be done. We quickly grew suspicious of the man in the singlet but our door has no knob and a large gap on the bottom big enough for critters to crawl through, so check out our new door...

We now have a door nob and 2 locks (but no more chain and peephole)! We are really moving up in the world! 

Dear Australia

Well, it has been quite a while since we've done one of these so here are a few that have been building up in our brains...

Dear Australia, why do you give us wonderful free-to-air digital tv and then the week before LOST starts something happens and now we don't get any signal? Why, why do you do it?

Dear Australia, why do you have so many spiders that build webs at head height across sidewalks? It is the worst to be walking in the hot and get webbed across your face.

Dear Australia, why do you have Australia Day in the middle of the week? Great, I get Tuesday off, but if I have to work Monday and Wednesday; what is the point?

Dear Australia, replacing Jay Leno with Full House reruns... we couldn't be happier, except that now our tv reception has disappeared and we can't watch it.

Dear Australia, why can public transportation run relatively on time but public health not? A two hour wait for a 10 minute appointment is pretty outrageous, especially when you find yourself walking into the hospital for a 9:30 appointment just ahead of your doctor who takes appointments starting at 8:30. Color us unimpressed.

Dear Australia, so far the summer heat has been better than we expected. If we had A/C at home like we did in Bozeman, it would be no worse and maybe even a bit milder (except on those really humid days). Of course, we don't have A/C so it's hot in our apartment all day, every day.

32 weeks!

Week 32 is the first week of the eighth month of my pregnancy... Only five weeks left until Parker is fully developed and ready for his debut. I had an unexpected check-up today to investigate a new rash that had formed on my hands and feet, turns out I have eczema but Parker's not affected by it so its okay. He has positioned himself head down in preparation for birth. We are feeling very anxious for another ultrasound (next week) to assess his growth rate. I would love to have a water birth, but there is talk about a cesarean if he is getting too big too fast. All in all, life is good and we are getting really excited to meet our little dude.

Happy Australia Day!

A brief history of Australia Day:
"From the earliest white settlement at the end of the 18th century, Australians have striven to celebrate a national day, and in so doing, define what it means to be Australian. January 26 has traditionally marked the landing of Captain Arthur Phillip at Port Jackson in present-day Sydney, thereby claiming Australia for the British Empire. Early settlers, perhaps naturally, marked the anniversary. Australia Day has evolved from a small commemorative New South Wales holiday into a major national celebration. Though it has often been criticised, it remains the most inclusive celebration of a national day in Australia, expressing the national diversity which has become such an important part of the Australian national character. Australia Day today celebrates diversity and tolerance in Australian society. Whereas once it celebrated the staunchly British nature of Australian society (or was disparaged for this approach), it now embraces multicultural Australia, including all ethnic backgrounds, racial differences and political viewpoints." (http://www.australiaday.com.au/studentresources/history.aspx) 

   

A bit more about Australia: 

"Australia is a natural wonderland of beautiful beaches, crystal blue waters, amazing ancient rock formations and pristine rainforests. Occupying an entire continent of some 7.6 million square kilometres, Australia is the sixth largest country in the world. Our ocean territory is the world’s third largest, spanning three oceans and covering around 12 million square kilometres. For tens of thousands of years, the lives and sense of cultural identity of Indigenous Australians were inextricably linked to the land, its forms, flora and fauna. Today, the identity of all Australians is linked to a relationship with the natural environment. Nearly seven million square kilometres or 91 per cent of Australia is covered by vegetation. Our country is one of the most urbanised and coast-dwelling populations in the world. More than 80 per cent of Australians live within 100 kilometres of the coast. Australia has 16 world heritage listed properties with its historic townships, bustling cities, vivid landscapes and exotic flora and fauna all adding to its unique appeal. Actually, much of our exotic flora and fauna cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The culture and customs consists of a rich tapestry of nationalities including traditions, legends, myths and folklore. The Indigenous 'Dream Time' forms the base of tens of thousands of years of spiritual aboriginal art and culture. In Australia over 200 different languages and dialects are spoken, including 45 Indigenous languages. The most commonly spoken languages (other than English) are Italian, Greek, Cantonese, Arabic, Vietnamese and Mandarin. Australia is a stable, democratic society with a skilled workforce and a strong, competitive economy. With a population of 20 million, Australia is the only nation to govern an entire continent and is the sixth largest country in the world in land area. Australia's multicultural society includes its Indigenous peoples and migrants from some 200 countries." (http://www.australiaday.com.au/studentresources/about.aspx)

A few more rooms that we are loving!

I love how bright, fun, and colorful these rooms are! Why not use bold colors for a child's room? My favorite out of these three is the green room. I love the combination of a bright green and a turquoise... I never would have placed those two colors together but I love them!

Paddy's Market

We spent the day at Paddy's Market! This market has been around since 1834 and was named Paddy's Market because it served the 30,000 male and 9,000 female convicts deported from Ireland. The modern Paddy's Market is hot, stinky, and full of vendors selling anything from "fresh" foods, clothing, and souvenirs to massages, wigs, and hair extensions. It can be overwhelming because there are often at least two stalls with identical merchandise (at different prices) scattered about. And they don't like to haggle, in fact one vendor tried to rip us off by giving us the wrong change. Tyler realized that they gave us $8 less than we were owed, and the lady magically knew she owed us $8 when we walked back to confront her. We have learned that it is best to go in with a game plan, otherwise you end up walking in circles!

We are loving Geography!

Tyler and I have always loved anything geographical, especially globes and maps! We just cannot get enough of them! The only class we ever took together was a geography class at MSU. I got annoyed with him because he never took notes or read the books... but he would still get 100% on all the tests. We want our future home to reflect our love of geography... most of these pictures were found at our bff Melanie's blog.

We really want a pull-down classroom map of Australia for above Parker's crib... We have a classroom map of Africa that my mom gave us (best birthday present ever!), but since Parker is Australian it only seems logical that he should have an Australian map. Maybe we should get Tyler a map of Canada too...

31 weeks!

I have been feeling so happy the last few weeks! I think that I am finally getting the hang of living in Sydney. I am even finding that living in a 200sf apartment is not all that bad. Having to walk everywhere no longer seems like a burden because I have to walk after I eat anyway. Not to mention that with my eating restrictions, I am glad that I am not around American food... it would be way more difficult to limit my sugars, carbs and fats if I was surrounded by tasty American goodies! All in all, I feel wonderful!

We had our weekly doctor appointment yesterday... they were very pleased with my blood sugar numbers and impressed with the measures I have gone to in order to keep those numbers low. Parker is still moving a ton during the day. When you poke at my belly, he will even give a good high five back! He gets the hiccups at least once a day, which always gives me the giggles. Best of all, he is a good night sleeper... so now the only things keeping me up at night are my crazy dreams, my frequent visits to the toilet, and my frequent night dislocations.

hospital tour

At our last "Having a Baby" class we were able to take a tour of the maternity ward! The private birthing suits are super nice, very spacious (much larger than our entire apartment), and include anything anyone might need whilst giving birth. We learned that only around 10% of their births happen in the bed. They prefer the use of gravity by either squatting, standing, lunging or using a birthing stool. The room included large mats, bean bags, support bars, etc. to make things as comfortable as possible. Each room also includes as very large bathroom with a walk in shower, bath tub, and water birth station.

When you ring the hospital for a room, you are assigned a midwife who will look after you and facilitate the birth. Doctors are only called in if a C-section needs to take place. When pushing starts a second midwife is called in to assist your assigned midwife. Have I ever mentioned that they do not have nurses here? After baby is born he gets to snuggle mom right away... they clean him up and check him out while mom is holding and bonding with her new little bub. A first feed is also suggested. If baby needs oxygen or a heat lamp they have everything right there in the room, so baby never leaves mom's sight. Mother and baby stay in the birthing suite for up to 4 hours before making the choice to go home or stay a day or two in the recovery rooms. If you choose to go home, a midwife will come to your home and check on you a few times over the next week.

After lots of consideration Tyler and I have decided that a water birth is the best option for me!

1. Because of my rare benign hyper joint mobility syndrome options such as squatting, standing, lunging, etc. are not an option. We tried them in class, and I dislocated faster than stink on a pig.
2. I am aiming for a natural birth and hot water is supposed to be the best "non-medicinal" pain reliever
3. I love being in water... my weekly swim is one of the best parts of my week!
4. I have it available to me... so why not seize the day and go for it!
5. In the past whenever anyone mentioned a water birth I would be totally grossed out... I love nothing more than proving myself wrong by stretching my comfort zone!
6. Even if I dislocate during labor... the water would equalize the pressure making it less of an issue

I am not guaranteed a water birth because not all of the midwives are certified... but when the time comes we will call ahead and put in a request for it!

we love these rooms!

I know it is blue and brown, so sue me.

we are loving Dwell Studio!

It is modern, colorful and fresh... what more could we ask for!

loving this for our new niece!

Mel already sent us this cute outfit with matching pants!

Happy Birthday Aubrey!!!

Aubrey is the best because:

• She is an amazing mother
• She has been a sister to me since I was 8 years old
• The first time she met Tyler she pulled me aside and told me to keep him around
• When she sings, it gives me chills every time
• She is an amazing listener and really takes in what everyone has to say despite her own opinions
• She is not afraid to admit when she is wrong
• She is passionate about everything in her life
• She was Miss Montana when I was in 5th grade... making me the coolest kid around!
• She is fun to hang out with... we always have a good laugh
• She overcomes difficult obstacles with grace 

how cute is he?!

I was approached to participate in a study that is attempting to develop new methods for identifying heart problems in unborn babies using ultrasounds. They need a broad sample, including mothers with no complications and those with all types of complicating conditions (like gestational diabetes). I was thrilled to receive the opportunity to see Parker a few extra times, but had no idea it would be this cool! 

The researcher that I am working with is amazing. Her intention was to get a good picture and sound recording from his heart at the same time. Unfortunately for her Parker is quite the mover, so she was not able to get anything useful for her research. Instead of being put-out, she laughed and assured me that he will be strong and healthy.

Then for the next 45 minutes, she oohed and awed with me over how adorable our little dude is. We counted his fingers and toes, made sure he is indeed a he, and watched as he vigorously scratched and swatted at his feet. We were unable to see his face for a long time because a bundle of cord was obscuring our view. Then all of a sudden Parker grabbed the bundle and moved it away. In the series below you can see his arm reaching across his body to move the cord. I immediately fell in love with his beautiful face... I cannot get over how adorable he is! He is in the 75th percentile for weight and is looking healthy. He is perfect!