It’s a jungle out there…or at least a zoo?

Yesterday I got to go on a field trip for work. My manager wants to have the department picnic at the zoo first week in December and asked me to go check it out for her.

Can I just say well done to Johannesburg Zoo for your awesomely helpful staff. No less than 5 (the only 5 I spoke to) went above and beyond trying to help and accommodate me in whatever I asked them – this kind of attitude doesn’t come by itself, so I assume you’ve put some effort into training them this way. I am extremely impressed. It’s rare these days to see this anywhere, so really, well done!

I’m very glad I decided to take my umbrella with. About 200m waddle into it the heavens opened up like in the days of Noah and even though I was somewhat drenched I missed out on most of it, especially the hale stones bit which i was very grateful for! When the thunder and lightning started shortly after that I reconsidered walking around with a lightning rod (umbrella) and made my way over to the reptile house quick as I could.

The Zoo itself looks pretty good too. There were three school tours there yesterday and I think the odd candy wrapper could easily be attributed to that. (Btw, have you seen what happens to three school tours when it starts raining and haling and there’s nowhere to go? Chaos I tell you, mad screaming, scattering, running chaos! I felt very sorry for the two teachers trying to heard the youngens to the buses by themselves).

I didn’t stay very long either – I only wanted to see if it would work for a picnic, and it will as long as it doesn’t rain. There really is nowhere to go if it rains except the reptile house.

On my way out I spotted this funny scene. These goats don’t have a roof to hide under when it rains, and one decided that he couldn’t see why the food has to stay dry on its own. Those are not his feet sticking out of the bottom, there’s another bokkie behind the feed he’s sitting in! Clever goat.

 

Even though I got more or less soaked, it was a fun way to spend a Monday. Beats filing hands down.

Urgh…

I am in pain. It’s making me a little bit nuts to be honest. The silver lining is that at least it’s better than yesterday. Last night I had back and stomach pains that made it difficult to walk or get up by myself, and today at least the back pain is gone and the stomach pain is at roughly half the level it was last night.

Unpleasant.

Let’s hope it’s not serious, and whatever it is settles down so I can sleep properly tonight.

Hope your week’s off to a better start than mine?

Week 32 : She’s a Jicama!

According to Babycentre my squishy is about the size of a Jicama this week (another root/fruit that we don’t get here!) and should be more or less 16.7 inches long (42.4cm). I am SURE my baby will be a lot cuter than a Jicama.

They say that she’ll be picking up about a third of her birth weight in the next 7 weeks at the rate of about half a pound a week (226,7g). Well there you go…it’s time for the big swell to commence? Brace yourselves, we don’t know how big this is going to get.

They also say that this week she has fingernails and toenails and either hair or a respectable form of peach fuzz. If this baby is anything like her mother she’ll be born with a full head of proper hair, no fuzz to speak of – but we’ll see what happens.

According to the weekly email update I get, some of the symptoms I should or could be experiencing this week include shortness of breath (check), heartburn (CHECK) and back pain (nope – and thank you for that!). I will say that I am constantly uncomfortable though and that I get funny cramps in my legs and potbelly – which I assume is either squishy squishing my nerves or some sort of braxton hicks? It’s not exactly fun, but I suppose it’s part of the process? Also I am sleeping more than I have ever slept in my life! It’s really hard work growing another human!

If I had to use one word to summarise how I feel now I’d have to go with clumsy. I can’t explain why but it’s actually easier for me to get out of the bath than out of bed. I dropped my house keys (through the security gate) one morning this week as I was leaving home for work – and I wanted to weep! Getting them back so i could unlock the door entailed putting everything I had with me down and crawling on my hands and knees to reach them and then pulling myself up again afterwards. Sounds easier and more elegant than it actually was!

Other than that I feel just peachy.

I’m spending a lot of time navel gazing…and not the depressed kind either, actual navel gazing. It’s fascinating to see her rolling around and stretching under my skin.

I’ll be honest: some days I am sooo excited to meet her and some days I am quite frankly terrified. But mostly I am excited. Good thing too – since there are now 8 weeks or less of this pregnancy left to get used to the idea of being someone’s mom.

Quotes of the week

 

Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present and future. We make discoveries about ourselves. – Gail Lumet Buckley

No passion so effectively robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear. – Edmund Burke

The smallest good deed is better than the grandest good intention. – Dugest

A little rough around the edges

I’m not feeling on top of the world today. It’s a meh day for me…thank goodness it’s Thursday!

I’m uncomfortable and I have some new aches and pains – nothing too severe, just enough to interfere with my sleep and make me a little bit grumpy today. Not to worry, I’m sure I’ll snap out of it by the time I get to work.

Anyhoo, tomorrow is Friday and I’ve decided to reward myself for making it through the week. I’ve been craving real unhealthy deep fried swimming in salt and vinegar slap cafe’ chips all week long – and if I still crave it by tomorrow I’m having it. I’ll probably have the mother of all heartburns after, but I don’t care. I want it!

I’ve had a few other peculiar food ideas – seems perfectly fine to me, but when I see how my family pull their faces at it I think maybe not so run of the mill after all. Tell me honestly, what do you think of this: a fresh buttered roll with Nutella chocolate spread and slices banana on it? Sounds yummy right? I don’t know why they’re on about – it was delicious.