What To Expect When You're Expecting

Name: Claire Lethaby

Age: 32

Week Number: 26

Due Date: 20th November

Baby Size: 20-something centimetres in length

Morning Sickness: None

Movement: Lots! Particularly at night and in the morning when still in bed

Symptoms: Sore legs, sore feet. Nearly has an outie! (belly button)

Diet: Remembering to eat little and often as there isn't much room for food in there

Weight gain: 8kgs

Cravings: Chocolate milkshakes and milk drinks

Exercise: None - just getting through the day is enough!

Sleep: Pretty disturbed with toilet time

Milestones: Having scans in 3D and getting a photo was awesome!

Can't live without: Stretchy waisted maternity jeans - everyone should have some!

What you miss: Ham sandwiches

What you're looking forward to: Ham sandwiches! Oh, and meeting baby, and finding out his/her sex.

Best Pregnancy Advice: Listen to your body - rest when you need to. Don't worry about what the books say they can be scary!

Any Mood Swings: NO!!! WHY!!!! Shut up!!!!! Emotional sometimes before 15 weeks

Work: The more sleep the night before the better

During your 26th week of pregnancy, your baby-to-be opens her eyes for the first time. She'll open and shut her eyes as she gets used to her new ability. Your little one is still on the small side. Her body may look fully formed on the outside, but inside there's fine-tuning taking place, including her lungs and her brain. Your unborn baby still has some growing to do!

Happy Henny Kitty!

On Friday night Claire, Averil, and I flew up to Auckland for the weekend for Kathryn's Hens Party on Saturday night. Kathryn very kindly picked us up from the airport and let us borrow her new car - a birthday present from Moos - to get up to Warkworth for the night. Bless her.

Warkworth never changes much, which is fine by me. It's always so nice to go back to familiar surroundings. And to get Mum hugs.

The plan was to head back to Auckland after lunch on the Saturday and spend a few hours with Kathryn before her Henny started at 5pm. So, making good use of my time, I went and visited the Letchers (Kristine, Derek, and William) for the morning. William will be 1 on 14th August so we had a little pre-birthday morning tea. He is just delicious and SO content and cuddly. I love him. I always think that first birthday parties are more for the parents to say 'Phew! We made it through the first year!' They are having a family lunch for him this Sunday. It was a lovely morning just sitting, chatting, and drinking cups of tea.

So on our drive down to Auckland we had to pick up a box of stuff that Kathryn's bridesmaids had prepared for her to wear for the night. She looked BRILLIANT! They did a really good job of organising the whole thing. Mum, A Mary, Heather, and Lynne Rosandich (Krystle, one of the bridesmaid's, Mum) arrived about an hour after us so we all had a glass of wine and got Kathryn dressed for her night out.


We met the others at the wharf in the Auckland Viaduct at 5pm and off we went on a chartered boat for 4 hours of games, dancing, eating, drinking and FUN. It was a really great night out on the water. Everyone had a great time and again, the bridesmaids (Nicky and Krystle) had done such a great job of organising. The boat even had a juke box - I LOVE juke boxes!

After arriving back at the wharf Mum & co headed back to Warkworth while we carried on at a bar in Auckland viaduct. We all got given a sheet of stickers that we had to hand out during the night with things like 'Worst Dancer', 'Best Pecs', 'Biggest Nerd', 'Nicest Eyes'. Silly but still funny. Claire, Averil, and I left around midnight to head back to Kathryn's where we were staying. And Kathryn got in about an hour after us... I think.... I was fast asleep!

On Sunday we lazed around all day while Moos (Alan) cooked us breakfast and lunch and made us a gazillion cups of tea. He's a keeper! We did manage to watch the NZ womens hockey team win a game against America at the Olympics which was quite exciting.

Then it was off to the airport and back to Christchurch.

And a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a very special lady in Warkworth who is turning 21 today again again again again again....... Happy birthday Mum! I hope your day was as lovely as you are. xx