Well, its Déjà vu! But, being honest to the core, 2nd time around seemed to be slightly less manic…of course taking into consideration, a lot many instances during the last 36 weeks, when I have actually forgotten that I am expecting, lost into auditing, or running from school pick up/drops, after school maths, drama and craft classes…..to add to the fun, hubby’s endless business trips and our darling pup Julius Caesar’s teething issues!
In a way, the chicken run actually got me the much advised exercise and prevented swollen feet and excess weight gain from useless calories unlike the first time around, where I just was like Cleopatra sitting with my feet up, waited around by several household help and a darn less stressful job to handle and no 5 year old screaming for attention! So, grazing on cereal bars and super foods such as sprouts, almonds and apricots and the occasional Mac D slipped in did the trick…well at least I think so…
The first thing that hit me was would I remember the lessons learnt? Would I make mistakes like first time around? But, one of my best buddies said something brutally honest, that just like you can never forget swimming or cycling in your life, baby making n baby keeping stays afresh in some remote cortex of your brain, waiting to be summoned again for your next number or grandkids :-)
Do I even need to mention, the level of thrill Adya is at currently at waiting for her partner in crime to arrive…She wants to share every toy, clothing, sweeties and what not… I mean, most of Isleworth learnt about my due date even before I could inform the grandparents back in India! I could sense the sheer joy and pride in her tone, as she told her best buddies at school… Found really good reading material by Usborne books to help siblings prep for the big day and set expectations right….
Highly recommended! The most amazing bit was the 4D scan where my lil girl suddenly grew up into a big sister ‘DIDI’ and squealed in joy to see her sibling on screen…Baby was covering the face with tiny fists…and Adya kept saying ‘Baby is playing hide and seek with me, Mommy’……and when baby clenched fists together as if praying, Adya said, ‘Look Daddy, What a good baby!’
They say that every pregnancy is different…I can second that totally… Unlike big sister who was Miss Laziness personified just occasional stretching only the final few weeks, this lil munchkin inside seems to be progeny of Energizer Battery material…hyperactive since the time I can recall really…which is getting quite tiresome now…as I have now become the size of a super beach whale or a mid sized dino and cant get any bigger to accommodate the acrobatics…Sweet toothed like Daddy for sure, coz as soon as the Belgian chocolate cheesecake enters the system, I can almost hear cheering and thumping!!
Special thanks to even the non preggy mums who have so kindly supported me during these stressful months: Whether, it was giving me a chance to catch up on meetings by having Adya over for play dates or helping me out with her never ending birthday party invites over weekends where I could steal forty winks; allowing Joy and me some quality baby mooning dates at the movies or early dining and with enormous number of baby items- bouncers, gyms, baby gros and the list goes on….
This pregnancy has been double the fun, as most of my mommy friends with kids in Adya’s age group became preggy at the same time! It was as if there was something in the waters of London….every time I spoke to a buddy, we had a secret to share…wait a minute …no more a secret coz we both knew what it could be! But that meant, we could freely bitch, moan and groan with the joys of carrying a pebble, till it matured to a melon, then a pumpkin and still growing!!! Loved the shopping sprees, mums days out, spa dates with my other preggy bumpers, reading the crappiest preggy magazines and even watching the annoying baby tv while on a never ending wait for Midwife appointments….
Special thanks to even the non preggy mums who have so kindly supported me during these stressful months: Whether, it was giving me a chance to catch up on meetings by having Adya over for play dates or helping me out with her never ending birthday party invites over weekends where I could steal forty winks; allowing Joy and me some quality baby mooning dates at the movies or early dining and with enormous number of baby items- bouncers, gyms, baby gros and the list goes on….
Attitude certainly makes a difference…I mean, pregnancy is no longer looked upon as a disease…people no longer treat you like a walking sick bag…I truly respect every client I worked with during this pregnancy, who ensured that I didn’t have to do anything strenuous for the bump yet ensured that project deadlines were met with…which actually made me more comfortable and made me perform better in my work… I am totally awed by what a tiny badge stating ‘Baby on Borad’ can do to a cramped Underground compartment….within fraction of a second of me boarding the train, people would give up their seat (Sorry ladies…but there are definitely some chivalrous men still alive travelling by London Tubes!) and smile with courtesy and some even friendly enough to ask about when the baby is due…
So as we approach the year end…baby seems to be teasing us whether 2013 or 2014 model will it be… we are set now… Antenatal and Breastfeeding Classes done…shopping for baby essentials ticked, the hospital bags are packed, Moses basket is set up, laundry done, house disinfected, car seat fitted….tick tock…still waiting… Halloween, Diwali, Xmas have all breezed past…Most of my buddies have popped already….last but not the least…waiting and waiting…hopefully this wait will be worth is as they saying goes…the proof is the pudding!
