Not So Speedy: Baby Watch Day 4

Baby's coming.
Contractions started around 4pm.
Went to hospital to see what was going on.
Told the baby should be born by tomorrow.
Contractions are currently 8 minutes apart.
Will be heading to the hospital again soon.
Stay tuned.

Not So Speedy: Baby Watch Day 3

As we enter Day 3 of Baby Watch, we are left wondering if Speedy will in fact ever join us in the real world.

As it turns out, we have now booked a date to meet him.

On the Twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me ... a bouncing baby boy!

Yes, we are booked in for an elective Caesarean section on 5 January 2011.

We went to see Dr Baber today for our weekly check up, and while everything is still coming along nicely - my blood pressure is holding steady at 120/80, and the baby's heartbeat is at a very healthy 142bpm, the worrying factor is that he is still in my belly. After careful examination, Dr Baber presented us with one option - an elective C-section.

There are many reasons behind this option, the first being that Speedy is currently sitting in a posterior position, which would make a natural birth very difficult. Dr Baber reluctantly mentioned trying to induce labour for us - we say reluctantly, because he clearly stated that he thought the baby would get stuck if we were to try the natural birth option. In that case, then no, please let's not induce the birth.

The second factor is that theoretically, Speedy is going to be a big baby, who is likely to weigh in at around 3.8kg. Yes, you read that correctly. 3.8kg. That's 8lbs 6oz in the old scale. That would make him the biggest baby on the Chan side of the family! And it's all Jonathan's fault!!!

To be honest, I'm a little bit disappointed that Speedy won't be delivered naturally. I had been looking forward to facing the pain and pushing through the pain barrier, and seeing how strong I really am, etc. More the case though is the fact that I'm scared of going under the knife, even though Dr Baber has done hundreds and thousands of C-sections before and I'm in good hands.

But, at the end of the day, we are at least going with our birth plan - being that we wanted to give birth to our baby in the safest possible way at North Shore Private with Dr Baber. And if the safest possible way is via a C-section, then so be it.

The family is all aware of the situation. We called my parents and told them about the impending surgery, and sent text messages to my sisters informing them of the same. We jumped on Skype and told Jonathan's folks, who told me that an 8lb 6oz baby is not that big of a deal - Jonathan's brother Dave was 9lb 12oz, and his daughter Tammi was 9lb 13oz when she was born earlier this year. That's around 4.4kg. And to top it off, Jonathan's paternal grandfather was a whopping 13lbs - nearly 6kg!!! Why didn't anyone tell me these stats before I got pregnant with a Hill baby???

So we keep watching and waiting now, to see if there are any movements, because if I do go into labour, then we will be looking at an emergency C-section. Unless, of course, the baby moves into a better position for a natural birth between now and next Wednesday. Who knows what's going to happen. All we want is a healthy baby, so Speedy, you do what you need to, and we'll see you very soon.

Not So Speedy: Baby Watch Day 2

Baby Watch Day 2, and still no sign the baby has packed his bags.

Jonathan went back to work today, so I was left to my own devices. I'd arranged with our friend Dan to come by for a visit - Dan was in Sydney (from Brisbane) for the Christmas break to visit his family and he was due to leave tonight, and as we had not seen him during this visit, I thought he might like to drop by and see the new place and have a quick catch up.

Whilst waiting for Dan to arrive, I popped in to see our next door neighbour Rita to leave her with our cheque for the Strata Levies (Rita is the treasurer for our Strata Plan). Rita wanted to have a chat, so I sat down and we caught up on the past few days. Rita has been very busy - she'd spent Christmas with her niece, and then they took a trip to the Kangaroo Valley to see friends where they stayed for a couple of days, before heading back for more gatherings and feasting. Rita said that by the time she arrived home last night, she was about ready to have a holiday from her holiday!

Although it was only meant to be a quick catch up, by the time I left Rita's, I'd been in there for 15 minutes. As I walked out the front door, I saw Mari (our other next door neighbour) and I wandered over to have a chat. Mari wanted to know how I was feeling, and mentioned that I was now 2 days overdue to have the baby. Just as I was thanking her for her concerns, Dan popped out of our front door and shouted "Jeepers, Gee, who in the heck leaves their front door unlocked and wide opened and wanders away?" Dan had arrived while I was at Rita's and he freaked out that while our front door was unlocked, no one seemed to be home. Dan later mentioned that he thought about calling Penny for Jonathan's number because he thought something bad had happened to me, as he failed to find me after wandering through our house looking for me!

It's always good to see Dan, and we had a super quick catch up as he was heading off to meet friends for lunch in Manly.

Left to my own devices again after Dan left, I had some lunch and settled in for some afternoon television. I have to tell you - I got so bored, I developed a headache!

At around 2.30pm, Jonathan called and told me he was going to spend the rest of the day working from home, and that if it all went well, he would spend the rest of the week working from home. He arrived at around 3pm, and it was nice to have some company.

Earlier in the day, I had already decided to cook a curry for dinner - a really yummy Massaman Beef Curry with a side of Madras Lentils and plenty of rice. Needless to say, dinner turned out perfectly!

We're going to be seeing Dr Baber tomorrow, so we hope to find out more about Speedy's impending arrival then. Stay tuned!

Not So Speedy: Baby Watch Day 1

Today marks the first day of Baby Watch, as we patiently await the safe and happy arrival of our son.

I'm not all together surprised that the baby did not arrive on time. After all, I am known for my "fashionably late entrances" at all parties, functions and events, and although always on time (or early) to parties, functions and events, Jonathan was 10 days overdue when he was born. So we now play the waiting game and see when Speedy will make his appearance.

As we had made plans for our friends Abby and Rich and their darling little girl Ayla to come over for lunch, it would have been very inconvenient for me to be going into labour. So instead, Speedy let us have a wonderful afternoon of catching up with our lovely guests, whose stay in Sydney was quickly coming to an end. Abby and Rich flew over from NZ to visit Rich's family over the Christmas break, and to introduce Ayla to Rich's side of the family. But as with everything, all good things must come to an end - they were due to leave on Thursday, so we were very lucky they were able to squeeze in an afternoon at our house.

There was plenty to eat, and loads of chatting and laughs, but the afternoon flew by all too quickly. Ayla was so gorgeous - we got plenty of cuddles before they left for the afternoon.

So that brings us to the end of Baby Watch Day 1. No further developments just yet. The twinges I'd been feeling in the week leading up to today have all but disappeared, which could mean anything. It matters not when Speedy arrives, but it would be nice to have a 2011 baby. So Speedy, join us when you're ready - Daddy and Mummy are both ready!

Speedy @ 40 Weeks

To our darling Speedy,

Today is your due date. Today is also Daddy's birthday. And we had so hoped to meet you today.

We know things can't be rushed - you just take your time, our darling boy. When you're ready, we'll be eagerly waiting to meet you.

Daddy really wanted to share his birthday with you. But as a lot of people have said, it might be nice for you to have your very own special day, so you can be a belated birthday present for Daddy.

Mummy is quite ready to meet you now. She is starting to feel extra tired from carrying you in her belly - not that she minds; it's just that you're getting bigger and bigger and bigger, and walking is getting quite hard for Mummy. In fact, doing lots of other things is getting quite hard for Mummy - she's been busy getting Daddy to do lots of things for her, and fortunately, you have a wonderful Daddy who doesn't mind doing lots of things for Mummy.

Daddy thinks you're going to be meeting us very very very soon, because today, Mummy wanted lots of things either washed and / or put away. Daddy told Mummy that she was nesting, and spent most of today teasing her, asking her if she wanted branches and twigs every time she asked him to move a box or put away clothes. Mummy isn't sure if she's nesting, or just wanting the house to be more neat and tidy, because we're expecting Aunty Abby, Uncle Rich and Ayla for lunch tomorrow.

So, our darling boy, we're ready to meet you any day now. When you're ready, just let Mummy know! We really can't wait to hold you in our arms and give you proper cuddles and kisses!

All our love,
Daddy & Mummy
xxx

Jonathan's 36th Birthday

Happy birthday to the best husband and father in the whole wide world!

As Jonathan's birthday was also Speedy's due date, it was decided long ago that we wouldn't be doing anything too taxing on the day. Mina had been with us since early on Christmas Day and was due to go home before dinner tonight, so Mina and I decided to bake a delicious chocolate cake for Jonathan.

As for Jonathan's present, I'd already bought him a "combined" Father's Day and birthday present earlier this year (which was presented to him on Father's Day. This left Mina with a dilemma of what to do for a present for Daddy.

We did have to go out earlier in the day to buy a few things from the shops, so off to Top Ryde City we went. It was Mina's first visit to this shopping centre, so she stayed close to us and didn't wander too far away. Mina was quite insistent on buying a gift for Jonathan, but everything she picked up was cheap and / or inappropriate. It took some time, but we did manage to convince Mina that she should make something for Jonathan to hang in his cubicle at work. In the end, Mina was happy with that solution.

Most of the afternoon was spent with Mina running back and forth between Jonathan and I as we completed various tasks set down by Mina for Jonathan's birthday party. The cake was baked, but needed frosting, which Mina insisted on spreading on the cake, with supervision from Jonathan. Mina also wanted to create a "tapestry" for Jonathan, picking various items from her arts and crafts stash to be sewn on to a piece of white felt by me. In the meantime, Mina was also making a birthday card for Jonathan, so she was a rather busy little bee for most of the afternoon.

We received a lovely surprise phone call from Mum and Dad in New Zealand, who called us on Skype to wish Jonathan a happy birthday. It was so lovely to chat with them!

Before long, it was time to light the candles and share some cake with the birthday boy. Jonathan was very chuffed with the handmade card and the tapestry, and we enjoyed the very scrumptious cake decorated with M&Ms.

The only person missing from the day was Speedy, who decided that he didn't really want to share a birthday with Daddy after all. Never mind. We know Speedy will arrive when he's good and ready.

Happy birthday, my darling man. I hope you had a wonderful wonderful day!

Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas from the Hills!
Wishing you all a very special day with your loved ones.
Hope Santa is good to you!

Speedy @ 38 Weeks

To our darling Speedy,

We are now eagerly awaiting your arrival in 11 days, give or take a few days.

We know you'll make your entrance when you're ready, but so you're aware, Daddy is especially keen to share his birthday with you, which means we'd love to finally meet you on 27 December. But there's no rush; no pressure. Take your time, and arrive when you are ready.

We've had a busy few weeks since we last wrote to you. Daddy and Mummy are now well and truly settled in our new house. Your sister Mina has had a couple of sleepovers, and she loves her room. Our living room is looking very festive with our first family Christmas Tree, lovingly decorated by Daddy and Mina. We have started a new family tradition this year, where every year, we get to buy one new special ornament to put on the tree. Daddy, Mummy and Mina have all got our special ornaments, and Mina picked one for you this year - a gold stocking. We're sure you'll love it!

Daddy and Mummy are going to finish putting your room together this weekend. We need to put together your change table, which will become a bookshelf in years to come, and we also need to put together your cot, which your cousins Thomas and Lucas slept in when they were babies. In the meantime, we got a lovely bassinet for you to sleep in our room, for the first few months of your life anyway, which is already up and ready for you. There is still so much stuff in your room that needs to be tidied up and put away, but Daddy and Mummy will make sure that's all fixed up very soon.

You are still very much an active little man, wriggling and moving with vigour, much to our delight. You were moving around a lot on Tuesday night, and Mummy wants to apologise for upsetting you with a cracked tooth that required yet another root canal treatment. Dr Marcel was very good and made sure the drugs he gave Mummy were safe for you, and Mummy really hopes she will not upset you like that ever again.

You are such a lucky little man, who is getting so many gifts from people who adore you! Grandma has been busy knitting, and we received a gorgeous blanket from her and Grandpa in the mail over the weekend. In the same package, Great Gran Pat sent a set of Buzzy Bee clothes, which is so so so cute. Aunty Penny came to visit Daddy and Mummy last night and brought a gorgeous little onesie for you.

And there are so many others too - from Aunty Grace and Uncle Vinay: an activity gym with hanging toys, from Aunty Geors and Uncle Tim: a whole bunch of clothes and assorted goodies to help Daddy and Mummy look after you, from Aunty Joy: some delectable gold shoes, from Aunty Emily: some farm animals decals for your bedroom walls (well, she was a farm girl after all!), from Aunty Emma: some gorgeous outfits, from Uncle David and Aunty Kirsty: more clothes and your very own set of baubles for the Christmas tree, from Aunty Belinda and Uncle Pete: your entire winter wardrobe handknitted by Aunty Be, from Aunty Fifi: a Bonds baby outfit, from Aunty Megan: a cuter than cute bib, from Aunty Cathie: more cute clothes, and from all the uncles and aunties from Mummy's work: a very generous gift voucher to buy something nice from any shop in any Westfield Shopping Centre. You are such a lucky lucky lucky little man!

The doctor has been very happy with your progress, and it certainly looks like you will definitely exceed the last day that Mummy has to work. What a good little man you are! Keep being well, little man. Daddy and Mummy and Mina are all very excited and very much looking forward to meeting you soon!

All our love,
Daddy & Mummy
xxx

Gloria's 38th Birthday

I had a birthday yesterday. And it was a lovely lovely lovely day.

The day started off early for both of us, with Jonathan working the "morning support shift" that commenced at 7am (but with an early finish of 3pm). After dropping him off at the train station just after 6am, I went home and had a shower, and decided that I'd catch the earlier bus to work to see if traffic was better earlier in the day. It was. I am now convinced that I will be catching the 7.15am bus every day that I have left before my maternity leave.

The bus pulled into my destination a lot earlier than expected - I'd arrived into the city by 8.05am, so I decided to treat myself to a yummy bacon and scrambled eggs roll. The shop decided to surprise me with a free can of iced coffee with my purchase - which was really yum!

I got into my office at 8.15am with plenty of time to savour my bacon and egg roll. Just as I was about to finish my breakfast, Jesse, one of the lovely ladies at work, stopped by my desk and gave me 2 gorgeous outfits for Speedy! Both outfits had long sleeves, and oh so gorgeous, and they should fit Speedy by the time winter rolls around. Perfect!

Message after message came through on the phone and on Facebook, wishing me a happy day. Dad and Mum called me, and the sisters both texted and called me with birthday wishes. I felt very loved and very blessed all day long!

The crew at work surprised me with a gorgeous cheesecake, which I enjoyed greatly. It was lovely to have all of them sing Happy Birthday to me!

The day then got busy, and before I knew it, it was lunch time, so I stopped for a quick bite while trying to decide what to do for dinner. Jonathan was still asking what I wanted to do, and in the end, I had to ask him to make a decision as I was simply too busy to think.

So busy was I that I didn't leave the office until 6pm, before hopping on any bus that took me to Top Ryde Shopping Centre. Once there, I called Jonathan and he drove the short distance to pick me up. It was then that he suggested we explore the restaurant options in Eastwood, and I agreed.

It had been a while since I'd eaten in Eastwood, so after we parked the car, we wandered around to see what took our fancy. First stop was the Szechwan restaurant, which didn't appeal to me - according to Mum, I need to stay away from spicy foods in these last days as spicy foods can induce early labour. Next stop was a Chinese BBQ shop, much like Chatswood BBQ Kitchen which we use to frequent on a Thursday night - this also didn't appeal to me, and Jonathan said that we should look for a "proper restaurant experience".

On our way to the next restaurant, we stopped by Breadtop, an awesome Asian bakery chain that sold the most delectable Chiffon Cup Cakes. So Jonathan and I stopped in to grab the cupcakes for dessert, plus we picked up a few bits for snacks as well.

By this point, I'd decided that I had a hankering for Peking Duck and Sang Choi Bow, so we wandered to the final restaurant that we wanted to check out, the Eastwood Garden Peking Restaurant. As soon as we rounded the corner, we saw a huge poster in the restaurant's window advertising their Peking Duck 2 Course Meal, so we took a peak inside. The restaurant was amazingly full for a Tuesday night, but we thought we'd try our luck, and were glad that we walked in when we did, as we got a table straight away, and those who entered in the few minutes behind us had to wait for a table.

Jonathan made the observation that the patronage was mainly Chinese, with very few white folk present in the dining room. We were quite pleased with that, and ordered the 2 Course Peking Duck without much further ado. About 10 minutes later, the waiter carried a shiny glistening roast duck towards our table, but took a turn away from us to show another table what they would be feasting on. Jonathan and I joked that we would be shown the same duck - the sample duck - and what we will end up receiving won't be as shiny or pretty as the sample duck. Sure enough, a few minutes later, we were shown our duck, which looked suspiciously similar to the first duck!

Not that we cared. The duck was then taken away to be sliced, and returned to us nicely laid out on a plate, along with a stack of pancakes and the accompaniments. All in all, there was enough meat and pancakes and accompaniments to make 12 portions - yes, greedy guts here had 6 pancakes!!!

We took our time to savour the yummy parcels. The duck skin was crispy, and not too fat, which suited both of us just fine. We were nearly full by the time we started on our 6th pancake, but we were far from done - we still had another 2 Sang Choi Bows each to follow!

Thankfully, the kitchen took a few minutes to prepare these, so by the time they arrived, we were just ready to tuck in. The filling was tasty and the lettuce was crisp, and it was a lovely way to finish dinner. We so could have done with some wet wipes or wet napkins though - the Sang Choi Bows were a bit messy!

We both enjoyed our dinner, and I was pretty sure Speedy did too, as he settled into a deep slumber as we walked back to the car. On our way down to the car, we stopped by the Chinese BBQ shop to pick up a takeaway menu. We saw that they too had Peking Duck - a 3 course version, for slightly less than Eastwood Garden Peking Restaurant. We decided we will have to return to try it out, but with more people in tow - we didn't think we could brave another half dozen pancakes each again!

We got home around 9pm, and Jonathan had one last surprise for me. He presented me with the most beautiful box of purple oriental orchids! For a man who thinks buying cut flowers is a waste of money, I was beyond surprised that he would buy me such a gorgeous but expensive gift! I love my darling man!

I am such a lucky girl, to have such so many wonderful people in my life. I'm feeling so loved and blessed and thankful. Thanks to everyone who made my day so special!

Project New Home: 2 Weeks Later...

We have moved!

After 2 full weeks of living in our new home, we have to say we love it!

The big move on Friday 19 November went better than expected. Admittedly, Jonathan and I were still finishing the packing at around 1.30am the day of the move. By the time we finally fell into bed, we could manage about 3 hours of shut eye before the alarm sounded to start the day. We were so careful with the packing and the labelling during our early stages of packing, but by Thursday night / early Friday morning, we were just keen to chuck everything into boxes and get them over to the new house!

The company we hired was fantastic - we were so pleased with the way Darren and his boys from Hills Professional Removals & Storage handled the move, with utmost professionalism, courtesy and friendliness, and took great care of all of our belongings, and even took out the garbage for us! We filled a medium sized truck, and half of the big truck, and it took 4 guys nearly 6 hours to move our stuff from the apartment to the new house, including dismantling and reassembling a few pieces of furniture along the way. We were so pleased with them that we ended up giving them the only 6 pack of beer we had on hand!

Within an hour of Darren and his boys leaving, our brand new fridge and washing machine / dryer combo was delivered. This delivery has been quite painful, after suffering 2 setbacks with the scheduled deliveries. In the end, it was worth the wait, and we were the proud new owners of a sparkling new fridge and a wizz bang washing machine / dryer.

Surrounded by boxes, and with most of our Ikea furniture in place (after Jonathan spent Tuesday with men who specialised in putting together Ikea furniture), we took ourselves to lunch before we tackled the mammoth task of unpacking. It proved to be a good move!

The first room that received attention was the kitchen. We managed to unpack most of the kitchen stuff on the Friday, with the rest completed on the Saturday morning. Bit by bit, we unpacked a lot more other boxes, putting everything away in spaces that we now have, and standing back and admiring our work. There were still quite a few boxes by the time Grace and her kids arrived for morning tea on Saturday morning, and less boxes by the time Mina arrived on Sunday morning, but we were pleased with our progress.

By Monday evening, we only had books to unpack and load into our brand new bookshelves. We really wanted to finish all the unpacking before Mina came for the weekend, as it was a sleepover weekend, so Jonathan put in the hard yards and emptied the remaining boxes, hoping that Darren would swing by and pick up the boxes as soon as they were ready. Unfortunately, 2 weeks later, our garage is still the proud storage facility for Darren's boxes. Hopefully, we will be rid of them by Wednesday or Thursday next week.

Today, looking around the house, we still have a few boxes, which we'll get around to emptying soon. The boxes contain our brand new dining chairs, and cables, and a lot of other bits and bobs. Jonathan has sorted through the books and he's happily arranged his books on one bookshelf. I need to get around to sorting through my books and working out which ones to keep and which ones are to be donated to charity. I also need to sort through my cooking magazines, which I'm sure I'll get around to doing one day soon.

We are loving our new house, and are now well and truly settled in. The last room to configure is the baby's room, and we still have a little bit of time to do that, so we'll get around to that next week. We have now bought a bassinet for Speedy to sleep in our room, so at least that has been put together and is ready to go. Everything else can wait.

We've had our first visitor in the house - my cousin Joy has spent the last few days with us, and we hope she's enjoyed staying in our new home as much as we have enjoyed her company!

We have plenty of photos - see for yourself. We can't wait to show our new home off to everyone - once Speedy's here and we've settled in, please feel free to drop by!

Speedy @ 34 Weeks

To our darling Speedy,

6 weeks to go!!! Goodness gracious! How time has flown!

You’ve certainly gotten a lot bigger in the last few weeks. Mummy feels like she’s running out of room, and her back can get quite sore if she’s standing up for too long, so Daddy has been busy telling her to sit down and take it easy. In fact, everyone else has been doing the same thing, and Mummy is starting to (finally) listen to everyone and is in fact taking it easy.

Everyone keeps telling Mummy that you’re a compact little baby, which is good. But you do wriggle a lot, and Daddy giggles more and more now because not only can he feel you wriggling and kicking, we can also see you moving around! You are an active little man, and we couldn’t be more pleased to know you have really earned your nickname, Master Speedy Wrigglesworth!

Daddy and Mummy have been busy packing up the apartment and getting ready to move into the big house. Daddy has been doing most of the work, with Mummy directing and supervising. Daddy is a good man, and is taking it all in good humour. We certainly hope you have Daddy’s calm temperament, and not Mummy’s fiery one!

Daddy and Mummy went to our last baby class last night, to learn all about taking care of you. The last 3 weeks have been all about what to expect with a new baby, how to feed a new baby, how to change a nappy, how to settle a new baby, and how to hold and wrap and carry a new baby. The classes were a lot of fun, and we now have new skills to take good care of you.

We’re almost ready to meet you, but not really just yet. Mummy has to work up to the week before you’re due to join us, so Daddy and Mummy would be very grateful if you could please be patient, and wait until after Christmas to join our family. Trust us when we say it’s a lot nicer inside Mummy’s belly than outside at that time of the year!

So stay well, little man. Please remember that we need you to stay in Mummy’s belly for a little while yet, but in the meantime, please keep up your exercises so we know you’re all right!

All our love,
Daddy & Mummy
xxx

Project New Home: It's Ours!!!

We apologise for the lack of updates, but we have been very very busy!

So without further ado, in case you weren't aware, Jonathan and I are now the proud new owners of our gorgeous new house!

Settlement took place last Friday (12 November) and we have been frantically busy getting everything ready for our big move on Friday this week (19 November)!

We were only given a week’s notice that settlement could be brought forward to 12 November. It appeared that the vendors were able to wrangle an earlier settlement on their newly purchased property, so everything else needed to be finalised straight away. Thankfully, our solicitor, our finance people and our bank were all ready and willing and everything was set.

As soon as we knew we could move, we set ourselves a moving date. Friday 19 November was decided to be the best, as this wasn’t a sleepover weekend, and I was already on an approved day off work. We immediately arranged for a quote from the removalists, who dropped by to see how much stuff we had. The quote was twice what I remembered it to be when I last moved 10 years ago. I guess it was to be expected to be a bit higher now!

Our packing cartons arrived late on Monday night, and we started packing a little bit at a time as we didn’t really have a lot of space to house all the boxes any way. Jonathan was scheduled to start early and finish early last week, so he was able to pack all the books and cull some stuff in the garage while I was at work. The idea of paying for someone to pack everything for us was a great one, but at an extra $700, we thought we’d do the work ourselves!

Jonathan and I went to the house last Thursday evening to conduct our final inspection, and to do some more measurements of the rooms before making a final decision on all the new pieces of furniture we were going to buy to fit out the house. We were so surprised to see how clean and tidy and orderly the vendors had left the place - everything was scrubbed clean and wiped down. It was such a lovely blessing.

Last Thursday night was also shopping night to some extent. Jonathan and I went and bought a new washing machine / dryer combo, and a new and much bigger fridge for the new house. Shiny new toys!!!

I hung by the phone from 2pm to await a phone call from our solicitor to notify us of settlement. The phone call finally came through at 2.30pm, and I immediately called Jonathan to let him know. We were both squeeing like little kids down the phone to each other!

On Saturday, Jonathan, Mina and I went to collect the keys from the real estate agent. It really was a momentous occasion to be handed the keys to our first home together. Once we had the keys, we raced to have a look at the now completely empty house and took some final measurements of what will be Mina’s room / Study / Guest Room, before heading to brave Ikea on a Saturday morning to buy all the furniture.

Ikea was amazingly quiet for a Saturday morning - no lines for anything! Mina was able to go straight into Småland and play for an hour while Jonathan and I dashed around the store and looked for various items, and we even managed to load 2 big flat trolleys and a shopping trolley full of stuff before Mina’s hour of play time was up! All in all, we ended up with 27 boxes to be delivered, with the whole exercise costing a small fortune.

As we were leaving our details for delivery, the locksmith called and told us he was at the house, waiting for us to return so he could change our locks. As he was early, we asked him to return at a later time, which he very kindly agreed. We had no time to spare, so off we raced back to the house to wait for the locksmith to return, and also for the plumber and the electrician to drop by.

We needed the plumber to look at our leaking shower base, and the electrician to look at putting network cables through the whole house (and to hang Mina’s new chandelier lamp in her room). Everyone turned up on time, and were very quick getting their quotes done, so we were able to get away from the house at a reasonable time.

Next task was to drop into Macquarie Centre to get 4 full sets of keys cut and to look for a few things, like a new TV for our bedroom. This was always a “like to have”, not a “must have”, and with our darling friend Tristan working in his store on Saturday, we thought we’d pay him a visit and see if he was able to give us a good deal on a TV. And he did!

It was nearly 4.30pm by the time we got home, and as Mina had been so patient and wonderful throughout the day, and with Saturday being the stinking hot day that it was, we went down to the pool for our last swim as residents of the building. We played and splashed around for about 45 minutes, before heading back upstairs to shower and cook dinner.

Sunday morning was devoted to Mina’s swimming lesson, before a bit more shopping at Macquarie Centre, followed by an afternoon of waiting games at the new house for the Ikea furniture to be delivered. There was not much time left after the furniture delivery to do much else but to take Mina home, before heading over to my parents’ place for dinner and to take delivery of Speedy’s cot from Georgianna and Tim. Needless to say, not a lot of packing got done over the weekend!

With 3 days to go before we move, Jonathan has taken a couple of days off work to supervise the works that need to be completed at the new house. Today, the locksmith came to complete the job (which he wasn’t able to complete on Saturday as he didn’t have the correct door knob. The Ikea flat pack furniture specialists has been at the house for most of today to put together all the Ikea furniture.

A specialist who knows how to fix the problem in our shower dropped by to inspect and quote, and is now engaged to do the works tomorrow. The new washing machine / dryer comb and the fridge were to have been delivered today, but they will now arrive tomorrow. Much like the electrician, who was to have been at the house today, but due to the awful stormy weather yesterday afternoon, was unable to complete that job, and has now pushed us out to tomorrow. Poor Jonathan has to be at the house by 7am tomorrow to let everyone in!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (apartment), we are still in the process of packing, with the small kitchen appliances, pots and pans, “junk” drawer, baking stuff and most of our plasticware all but packed away, which filled 3 large boxes!!! Tonight, we’ll do the dishes and cups and breakables, and whatever else we can manage to put away in boxes.

We’re nearly there. Once we have moved into the new house, we will most certainly take plenty of photos and post them to show what we’ve done with the place!

Speedy's ETA = 63 Days! 9 Weeks To Go!

With a blink of the eye, we are now 9 weeks away from meeting our little man!

Back in April, when we first found out we were pregnant, the end of December due date seemed so far away. We were busy planning for a wedding, which we had to move forward to accommodate my expanding waistline, so we were ultra busy shifting the whole event from the original October date to August. We also started looking much more seriously for a new home to accommodate our expanding family. And of course, I had to get use to the idea that I was to be a mother by the end of the year.

All this was a lot to take in at the time. And slowly but surely, we became accustomed to the idea of being new parents, and adjusted to the growing excitement surrounding the newest member of our family. The wedding came and went, we bought a new house, we're in the market for a new car, and we're due to meet Speedy in a matter of weeks.

Today marks the start of the final countdown to my maternity leave, after all necessary approvals were granted by the powers that be to allow me to take my maternity leave. Only 7 more weeks of work left before I head off to be a full time mother until August next year. So much to do and so little time to get it all done. And I have a feeling that my boss and my team are starting to quietly panic as the realisation that I'm only around for another 7 weeks is slowly sinking in.

So it was fitting to have a great start this morning, on my way into work, when I boarded a packed bus with no seats available. A young lady got up from her seat and offered it to me. This was the first time anyone has offered their seat to me during my pregnancy, and although I felt a little sheepish taking the seat, I was also very grateful.

We are almost ready. Last night, we bought a whole bunch of stuff from Baby Zone Direct. Speedy's first set of wheels were amongst the order, as is his car seat, his brand new rocker, and the awesome nappy disposal system. Buying the stuff through this website has saved us a little bit of money, which is always good. Just need to wait for the delivery is all.

Tonight, we will be attending the 3rd of 6 baby classes that are being run by the good people at North Shore Private Hospital. The first 2 classes were quite confronting, so I'm hoping that tonight's class will be less confronting, or hopefully, I've become more immune to the course material - according to Jonathan, I became quite pale during Class #1, and I wasn't doing that much better last week. The midwife who's running the class, Libby, did mention that tonight will be the last of the birthing lessons, which should mean that by next week, we will be looking at the parenting side of things - less blood and gore and more "what to do with a baby".

63 days to go! And looking very very very much forward to meeting our little man!

Speedy & The Home Stretch

To our darling Speedy,

Daddy and I are on the final countdown to meet you, and we can't be more excited!

Today, you're 29 weeks and 2 days old, and we are now in a period called the "third trimester". You're now nearly 1.5kg, and just over 40cm tall. I'm suppose to be counting how many times you kick per hour to make sure you're OK, but judging by the dance parties you've been having in my belly, Daddy and I both think you're just fine.

Yes, my darling, you have been having major dance parties in my belly every night. Or are you just getting in plenty of kicking practice for when you're playing fullback for the Wallabies or the All Blacks?

I'm finding that as you get bigger, I get breathless more easily. And you're really poking out of my belly now. No one can mistake you for a big lunch any more! Speaking of food, I'm eating noodles almost every day, and now I'm craving spicy flavours too. I wonder if you will grow to love noodles and spices just as much as me!

I finally had to buy maternity clothes tonight, because you're poking out of my belly too much for me to fit into my regular skirts and pants. Daddy said it was about time!

We hope you're nice and comfortable in my belly. We need you to stay nice and comfortable until Christmas time. Please remember to keep kicking me so we know you're all OK in there!

All my love,
Mummy
xxx

Full House Again!

And they're home!

Jonathan and Mina had a great time in New Zealand, spending a lovely week Malcolm and Robin and doing lots of things. I had a lovely week too, which went by all too quickly in the end, just as Jonathan had predicted!

Apart from spending precious time with Malcolm and Robin, Jonathan and Mina also spent time with Dave and Jolie and their gorgeous girls Alyssa and Tammi, and took a day trip to Rotorua to visit Rachel and Neil and Stephanie and Jordan.

Most days were spent doing not very much - it was a relaxing holiday for Jonathan. The point of the holiday was to spend time with our New Zealand family, and Mina did exactly that - did activities with Grandpa and Grandma, played with Alyssa and Tammi, and when they went to Rotorua, Mina and Stephanie got reaquainted and enjoyed some lovely playing time together.

Mina never really adjusted to Auckland time (2 hours ahead of Sydney time), so there were a few issues going to bed every night. But conversely, she "slept in" every morning until around 8.30am, which meant Jonathan was able to have a lie in as well.

They brought home lots of presents for me and Speedy. Speedy got the cutest outfit, which we'll be sure to dress him in for his trip home from the hospital. Jonathan also bought a gorgeous baby lambswool rug for Speedy to use. For our new house, Jonathan bought these beautiful Kauri wood coasters.

With her own money, Mina bought a whole bunch of stuff. A Pūkeko soft toy, which she named Keko, is now a proud addition to the company of soft toys. Mina also bought a gorgeous Pūkeko purse and a Pūkeko photo holder, an activities book, a beautiful ceramic fridge magnet (for me!), a new house number with Paua shell for our new house.

Jonathan brought back the first piece of art he ever bought as a 17 year old. It's a lovely limited edition painting of a wood pigeon, which will have a pride of place in our new home.

Jonathan told me that the A380 was just the same as any other plane when you're seated in cattle class. The food was nice enough and the in-flight entertainment was good, but the kids packs were awesome! Mina really lucked out with the fantastic kids packs - there were plenty of goodies, like a hand puppet, and soft toys with dress up kits, and story books. I was very impressed with the goodies that Emirates gave Mina!

I had a lovely week by myself. I didn't get to do as many things as I thought I'd do, nor eat as many things as I thought I would eat, but I did enjoy sleeping in the middle of the bed for 5 days, and have the TV on in the bedroom to help me fall asleep every night, without being teased!

It was certainly lovely to fall asleep next to Jonathan last night, and to walk up with Jonathan this morning. We'd both missed each other so much - it's good to have them home.

Speedy @ 28 Weeks

As Jonathan was overseas, Speedy and I went to see Dr Baber on our own today.

Dr Baber was on time this visit, largely due to the patient in front of me taking a trip to the bathroom with her 2 kids. Lucky for me, I was in and out in 15 minutes, which meant I only paid $1 for parking!

Dr Baber was as pleasant as always, showing me into the room and giving me the results from the blood tests taken a week earlier. My haemoglobin levels were spot on, my blood sugars just fine, and my blood pressure consistent and perfect. Overall, the doctor was very happy with my health.

Then it was time to check Speedy's development. The ultrasound showed Speedy was growing well, and his heartbeat is perfect. I saw his little face - what a cute baby boy! I saw his legs, which were crossed over. I saw his right foot and counted 5 toes. Dr Baber took 3 pictures for me to bring home to Jonathan.

The ultrasound also showed that Speedy was in breech right now, but Dr Baber was not too worried, as we still had plenty of time for the baby to turn before birth.

A couple of nights ago, I had a vivid nightmare from which I awoke hyperventilating. I dreamt that I was in labour, and Dr Baber said that I needed an emergency caesarean section to get the baby out safely. Jonathan and I both agreed, and Dr Baber started cutting into my belly. I could feel the knife slicing through my belly like butter, but no pain. Then Dr Baber reached down inside my belly with his hand, and pulled out the baby by his head. The baby was huge - and Dr Baber proudly announced that we have a 10kg baby!

I told Dr Baber about my nightmare, and he laughed and said I was in no danger of giving birth to massive baby. Phew!

With that, the appointment was over. We certainly hope Daddy will love the pictures we got for him!

Home Alone!

I'm home alone for a week, after taking Jonathan and Mina to the airport for their big trip to Auckland, NZ to visit Jonathan's family.

Being quite hormonal right now, I had a bit of a cry last night. Jonathan and I haven't spent more than 4 nights apart from each other since we met, so I was quite emotional about not having him around for 6 days.

This morning, we got up at 4.45am to get dressed and ready for the airport. We woke Mina around 5am, and once she woke up, she was excited about the trip. We got her dressed, put the last minute things into the luggage, and we were ready to head to the airport.

At 5.30am, there was barely any traffic on the road. We arrived at the airport around 6am, and headed straight to the check in counter. Within a few minutes, Jonathan and Mina were checked in and we were ready to find some breakfast.

We thought Mina would like a treat of bacon and eggs, but she requested a fruit salad with yoghurt and museli, so we ordered the breakfast and sat down to demolish a mountain of fruit and yoghurt and museli.

All too quickly, it was time for Jonathan and Mina to clear Customs. I gave them both a big hug and kisses and wished them a happy holiday, and they disappeared through the gates.

The trip home was just as quick as the one to the airport, and once home, I laid down to catch up on my sleep. By the time I woke, Jonathan and Mina were nearly in Auckland. As a matter of fact, about half an hour after I woke from my nap, I received a message from Mum to say that Jonathan and Mina had arrived safely.

So I'm now home alone for a week. I miss Jonathan terribly already, and I wonder if I'll be a bit teary in bed tonight. But at the same time, it's a long weekend, and I have the apartment all to myself tomorrow, so I really should take advantage of the fact that I am home alone and enjoy the time and the space!

Have a great time, Jonathan and Mina. Safe travels and come back to me soon!

Project New Home: Contracts Exchanged!!!

We have lift off!!!

The last 2 weeks have been so hectic. Since we inspected the villa with Dad and Mum, then having our offer accepted, then experiencing the small glitches regarding the settlement date, only to find out why the vendors were fixed on the December settlement date, we went and saw our solicitor yesterday to sign the contract and to hand over my life savings.

It was a huge moment for the both of us. We were buying our first home together, one that we will be raising our family in, one that we'll be living in for quite some time. We have gone into this whole thing with our eyes wide open, receiving so much help from Dad and Mum, our friend Andrew the finance guru, and the very lovely real estate agent who has been tremendous in getting bits of information to us.

We'd received various inspection reports a couple of days ago - building, pest, and strata all completed by a reputable company, and there were no gaping issues that we needed to worry about. The reports yielded a small number of things that need to be fixed before we move in, but nothing major, so we were happy to continue with our tentative steps forward.

Today, at 2pm, contracts were exchanged.

With any luck, the property will be ours in 6 weeks. There is an outside chance that we won't be able to collect the keys until December, but here's hoping that we will be able to move in around mid-November.

In the meantime, we promised photos, and here they are! These are the photos used in the advertising material, and we will have some of our own photos when we've moved in.

We're both feeling very grown up right now!!! Bring on settlement!

Things That Make Me Go Awwwwwww!

The simple things in life are often the best.

And yes, while I do sound like a 21-year-old TV commercial for Kellogg's Corn Flakes, the sentiment is very real.

Here are a few things from this past weekend that made me all soft and gooey:

- Feeling Speedy wriggle around inside my belly.
- Hearing Jonathan giggle when he feels Speedy wriggle around inside my belly.
- Hearing Mina's infectious laughter.
- Getting cuddles in bed from Jonathan and Mina on sleepover weekends.
- Hearing Mina call me "Mummy" practically all weekend, simply because she wanted to call me Mummy.
- Making dinner with Mina.
- Seeing the joy and delight on Mina's face after a big swim and play in the swimming pool with Daddy.
- Getting a handmade piece of art from Mina.
- Watching Mina spend hours working on another piece of art for Daddy.
- Catching up with old friends (and making new ones), whether it be at a lovely high tea or at a laid back BBQ.

I'm such a soft touch these days!

Project New Home: Homes Viewed = 18

Jonathan and I decided earlier in the week that considering the small glitches and tentative steps we've made with the dream home in Denistone, we would continue attending open house inspections until we have exchanged contracts on the Denistone villa.

With that in mind, we found 2 properties to inspect, both in Marsfield. The first one was in the same complex that I lived in for 6 years prior to moving to St Leonards! My unit was at the front of the complex, and this townhouse was at the back of the complex, so it was a lovely trip down memory lane to visit the old stomping grounds.

The villa was quite lovely, with spacious bedrooms and a lovely courtyard about the back. The kitchen was smallish, but not tiny. The living / dining space was quite small, with a sunroom between the living space and the courtyard. The layout was a bit odd - the sunroom felt disconnected with the townhouse, which meant that the sunroom felt like it was to be used for "formal" occasions only.

The master bedroom was a very good size, and the other rooms were quite big too. Only the master bedroom and one other bedroom had built ins though.

The courtyard shared a fence with the Stamford Hotel North Ryde, with some of their rooms overlooking into the courtyard. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing!

There was a single lock up garage that had access through the sunroom. And to top of it all off, there was a full bathroom, and an extra toilet in the laundry at the back of the townhouse. The clothes line was also on the back wall of the townhouse, in the shadiest part of the property.

The property was listed with a price range, and we expected the property to be able to fetch the higher end of the price range, which was out of our range in any case. We thanked the agent and headed to the next property.

The next property was very close to Epping Boys High School, and we arrived a tad early, so we walked along the footpath for a bit and Mina picked some yellow flowers from the lawn. At the appointed time, we headed down a fairly steep driveway to the townhouse.

I had seen this property advertised for over a week without any addresses, and only received an email from the real estate agent after 3 separate emails. That was the first sign of trouble.

As we headed down to the property, we walked past the little sandwich board out the front of the complex, noting that "this property has been sold". Jonathan and I debated whether we should still head down to look at the property, and upon seeing other people heading down, we too took a chance and joined the others.

After giving our contact details to the agent, we asked him what the sign out the front of the property meant, and he said "well, the property is actually under contract, but if those purchases pull out, then we will have a list of people to contact to see if someone else might be interested". Um, WTF??? If the property was under contract, then in my opinion, it is a really bad business practice to continue showing the property. While it's not illegal, we found it very unprofessional and very unsettling.

Oh, if you want to know who the listing agent is, click here. The guy showing the property appears to be the son of the proprietor. The property in question is here - if you're looking for a property in Marsfield, skip this one as it has been sold. And if you choose to contact the agent, he's only after your contact details to expand his database. Jerk.

There were so many nice things about this property, but we won't bother listing them. The whole experience left a really bad taste in our mouths. If we had been seriously looking, it would have been a huge waste of time for us.

As we were leaving, another couple was also putting their shoes back on, and they expressed their disgust at having wasted their time inspecting a property that was already sold. We totally agreed.

Hopefully, these are the last properties we will inspect for now. We hope to have some good news by mid to late next week regarding the Denistone villa. Cross everything for us!

Speedy's ETA = 100 Days!

To our darling Speedy,

If all goes according to plan, we get to meet you in 100 days!!!

We can't believe how quickly time has flown. You are well and truly passed the half way mark - 25 and a half weeks now, and kicking strongly and growing well.

Daddy loves putting his head on Mummy's belly to hear you move around. He giggles every time he feels you move. Mummy giggles every time Daddy giggles. Your big sister Mina has yet to have the pleasure of feeling you move, but we're sure you'll give her a surprise one day soon.

People can definitely see that you are in Mummy's belly now. Which is good, because for the longest time, everyone said you were tiny tiny tiny and no one believed you were there!

Daddy and Mummy felt your feet last night. It was a little strange - they felt like a big lump. So maybe the lump wasn't your feet. Maybe that lump was your bottom!

We found out something about you this week. You don't much like to share Mummy's belly space with food! As you get bigger, Mummy can't eat as much food as she use to. It's very important that we remember that, otherwise, Mummy will be very uncomfortable after any big meal!

So for the next 3 months, stay safe and keep growing perfectly, like you have been doing so far. We can't wait to meet you!

All our love,
Daddy & Mummy
xxx

Speedy @ 25 Weeks

It's been a while since we've given you an update on our baby. How time flies when one is happy and healthy and growing at a perfect pace!

Ok, so first things first. Speedy is a "he". The Hill name lives on!

We know for sure that Speedy is a boy from our 19 week scan. At the time, we were still in two minds about finding out the gender of the baby, but in the end, neither Jonathan nor I wanted to wait. And after we made up our minds to find out, the lovely lady who did the ultrasound said "Look, the baby has one of 'those'." One. Of "those". And that's how we found out we were having a son!

It's been 10 weeks since our last update, and in that time, Speedy has definitely gotten a lot bigger. The bump is definitely a lot more pronounced now, although I am still getting the inquisitive looks from strangers that read "I wonder if she's pregnant or if she's just big boned, or perhaps she might have just had a large lunch." These looks occur most often when I'm on public transport, and usually from people who are undecided as to whether to give up their seat to me. You see, there are some women out there who have a rounded figure, because that's the way she is, and who may be offended if a person gave up their seat for her simply because she "looked pregnant". Sadly, that's how our society is these days - welcome to the minefield of political correctness.

In any case, if I did feel inclined to sit down, I usually help the inquisitive looker with a rub over my belly, the way only a pregnant woman would rub her growing bump. And I'm usually rewarded with a smile and a seat. Bless!

Since the last update, Speedy has also learned how to kick and wriggle. With vigour! Until he's born, Speedy will also be known as Master Speedy Wrigglesworth and Master Kickitty Kick. I can't describe to you how awesome it is to feel Speedy kicking away. It is a feeling like no other.

The first time I truly felt Speedy kick was on the day of our 19 week scan. It might have only been a small kick, but it was forceful enough to freak me out. I actually jumped when I felt that kick. For days afterwards, the kicking and the wriggling continued freaked me out. Even now, weeks and weeks later, I still can't get use to the kicking and the wriggling - it's such an alien feeling - a little boy growing inside me that is making all that movement, and usually, I'm sitting down or lying down, doing nothing to encourage him to move.

Speedy must have known I was talking about him, for as I type this, he's kicking and wriggling around, making himself known!

I'm so happy to be able to share Speedy's movements with Jonathan. It's been 6 years since he last felt a baby move, and boy, does she move like lightening these days! At night, when Speedy likes to move a bit more, we'd lie down in bed together, with Jonathan's chest pressed up against my belly, and every time Speedy kicks, Jonathan giggles. Mina has yet to experience the movements, so hopefully, Speedy will put on a show for her soon.

Our wonderful doctor, Dr Baber is really pleased with the progress. My blood pressure is good, and I feel well, and Speedy's growth rate is "perfect" (how much do we love hearing that word?) and everything is tracking along just fine. After initially losing about 7-8kg, I am now starting to slowly gain some of that weight back. In the past 6 weeks or so, I've put back on just under 1kg, which is almost Speedy's current weight. We were told not to worry too much about the weight loss; in any case, Jonathan and I have our own explanation - since getting pregnant, I haven't been out drinking and yahooing and then eating snack foods at 2am after a big night out. Go figure!

We have more recent photos of Speedy, which I'll upload to an album shortly.

Stay safe and well, little man. Keep doing us proud. And keep kicking Mummy to let her know you're all OK!

Project New Home: Tentative Steps Forward

After a restless night of weighing up the pros and cons of continuing our investigations and negotiations with the villa, we decided to contact our solicitor with instructions to hold off on all inspections for the time being.

The completion date was still a huge factor to not continue with the negotiations. And our solicitor understood our predicament, and put on hold all inspections until further notice. He also said that as far as he was concerned, he had done as much as he can to get the vendors and their solicitor to change the settlement date, and that if we still wanted to push the issue, we should enlist the real estate agent to help us.

So we called the agent and asked him to have a word in the vendors' ears. Our agent was keenly aware that we were totally sold on the property, and was more than happy to help. Alas, he was not privied to a number of things - in fact, he didn't notice the specified settlement date until I pointed it out to him. We explained to him what we knew, and he promised to get back to us once he had spoken with the vendors.

A little while ago, the agent called back with the last piece to the puzzle.

Here's what we knew so far:

- The vendors had bought a property and the settlement date on that contract was December 1.
- The vendors wanted to have somewhere to live until their new property was settled, hence they instructed their solicitor to draft a contract for the sale of the villa we want to buy with a settlement date of December 1.
- The vendors were unwilling to budge from that date, but had mentioned that they would do everything they can to bring forward the settlement date.

Here's what the agent found out:

- The vendors had purchased a deceased estate which was waiting on probate being granted. Probate usually took around 6 weeks from lodgement to issue.
- The vendors' solicitor had kept the vendors informed of the progress of probate, and it was only a matter of days before probate was expected to be granted. The wait would be no more than a fortnight.

We told the agent that we would definitely seriously consider all the information now that we knew everything, and that if we were to go ahead with the purchase, the exchange of contracts would not take place until after all the inspections were completed. In which case, the earliest we could hope to exchange contracts would be mid next week. The agent agreed that we needed to have a complete set of reports, and told us that the vendors were expecting us to obtain various inspections prior to exchange.

The agent noted that if probate was granted in the next fortnight, there would be nothing stopping us or the vendors from pushing the settlement date forward to mid November - earlier if possible. The vendors were keen to get their money from the sale of the villa, which was a good sign.

Jonathan and I talked about this villa again, to see whether it was worthwhile continuing with negotiations. Since we still have to do the inspections, chances are it will be another week before we have the full picture and be ready to exchange. And if probate was due to be granted in a fortnight, well, we'd be a week closer to that milestone. We still really really really loved this place, so we agreed to give our solicitor the go ahead to continue with the inspections.

In the meantime, we continue to attend open house inspections on weekends, until such time as the exchange has taken place.

For now, please send all good vibes and think good thoughts for the Probate Office and the vendors, for the expedient processing of probate!

Project New Home: A Small Glitch

Another day, another update.

Our solicitor received the contract earlier today, and after reading through all the conditions, raised a few items of concern with us. We made an appointment to see him after work today, so he could go through the list of concerns with us. The main one remains the settlement date - this was now becoming a much more contentious issue than it has been.

We arrived a few minutes late to our solicitor's office, but he too was running late, so it all worked out for everyone. We went through the conditions that he had concerns with, and talked about the reports that we need to obtain prior to exchange. The one thing that kept coming back was the settlement date. It turned out that the vendors have purchased another property, and the settlement date on that property is December 1, the same date as the one stipulated on our contract.

The more we talked, the more it became a problem. Fact remains that I am pregnant and due to be giving birth at the end of the year, and the last thing I want to be doing 3 weeks before Speedy's expected arrival date is to move house.

Nevertheless, we instructed our solicitor to keep negotiating with the vendors' solicitor for an earlier settlement date, and to keep pushing the issue for us. In the meantime, we gave instructions for him to commence the strata search, the building inspection and the pest inspection.

We had arranged to have dinner with Dad and Mum tonight to give them an update on the proceedings. So after dinner, we gave Dad and Mum a thorough report, and they too are very worried about the December 1 settlement date. Dad mentioned a few points, namely that both sisters went into labour earlier than expected with the first baby, and there is every likelihood that Speedy will come early too. Mum was of the opinion that if we are not moved in to our new home well before Speedy arrives, then the soonest we would be able to move would be February.

Mum also pointed out that movers are pretty booked up during December and January (or on holidays), and in her experience, to move during those months, one would had to have booked the movers by now. Dad then pointed out that December / January / February were notoriously quiet months for the property market, so even if we were to settle and move into a new home before December, we would have trouble selling St Leonards any time before March.

As I said, the more we talked about the settlement date, the more contentious this issue has become.

Jonathan and I are now convinced that we need to push our solicitor to push the vendors to commit to an earlier settlement date. The settlement date has now become a deal breaker, even though it wasn't only 2 days ago. And if the vendors pull the plug because they feel our demand is too great, then so be it. First thing tomorrow, we'll be calling our solicitor with new instructions, and to hold off on all inspections until we can reach an agreement on the new date.

We are a little sad that it has come to this for now. But we are hopeful that the vendors will understand our situation and be willing to help. Stay tuned for further updates!

Project New Home: Almost A Reality

Since our offer was accepted yesterday afternoon, Jonathan and I have been dancing around excitedly about the prospect of being in our new home by Christmas time.

We kept pinching ourselves that we have found our dream home, and are now waiting anxiously for our solicitor to do his thing prior to exchange.

The solicitor we engaged is a long term associate of Dad's, and someone I have had dealings with in my past working as a paralegal. The solicitor fondly remembers our past dealings, and continues to tell Dad to this day (some 15 years later) that he thought I was one of the most efficient and thorough paraglegals he had had the pleasure of doing business with.

Our lovely agent called late yesterday afternoon to ask for Jonathan and my full names, as well as our solicitor's details, which I promptly emailed over. The contract front page was amended and was faxed straight to our solicitor, who called me to confirm he had received the front page. We talked about a few things, namely the settlement date of the contract. Oddly enough, a date has been specified on the contract for settlement, and not the usual 6 weeks from the date of exchange as is with most conveyancing contracts.

The specified date is 1 December, which makes it 3 or so weeks before Speedy is due to join us. The timing was just a bit too tight for us, so we had asked the agent to speak with the owners about shifting the date earlier, if possible, to mid November.

Our solicitor asked us if the settlement date was a deal breaker, and in all honesty, it's not, but it would be lovely to be in our new home and all settled in before Speedy joins us, and definitely before Christmas. Moving house is stressful at the best of times, and I would hate to go into labour early. In fact, Speedy is not allowed to make his grand entrance any earlier than 18 December - if he does, I will lose my paid maternity leave, which would suck for all involved.

So we asked our solicitor to go back and talk to the vendors' solicitors about moving the settlement date, and he warned us that even if the vendors are willing to move the date, to say, 15 November, they still don't have to settle on that date - there are provisions for the vendors to settle within 14 days after the specified settlement date.

We've just heard from the solicitor, and he said that the vendors were unwilling to commit to an earlier settlement date. The instructions that came back were that they will try their best to settle in mid-November, but the settlement date will still remain 1 December as stipulated on the front page of the contract. Our solicitor asked us if we would like to negotiate the 1 December date to be "time of the essence", which means settlement must take place on that date, and we agreed that would be the best course of action for now.

Now we wait and see what happens next. The contract was being sent to the solicitor, so he'll be in touch when he's gone through the contract with a fine tooth comb. Stay tuned!

Project New Home: Another 2nd Inspection!

After a night of great anticipation, Jonathan and I took Dad and Mum, and Mina, to see the gorgeous villa in Denistone.

Prior to leaving for the inspection, Dad and Mum had asked about the villa's proximity to schools and public transport. Mum had pulled out her very old street directory and looked up the area, and we found that besides the Catholic primary school a block away, there was also a public primary school on the other side of the main road, about 3 blocks away, which was still within walking distance. I had told Dad and Mum that we had checked out the high school situation, and that the villa was within the catchment area for the schools we want the kids to attend. Denistone station was a little bit far away, but the walking distance was not entirely out of the question.

Having already spent 30 minutes at the inspection yesterday, we were ultra keen to show the property to Dad and Mum, whose opinion and expertise we value. For the duration of the tour of the villa, I was expecting Dad and Mum to pick apart the property and list all the flaws. Yet, strangely, for much of the tour, there was silence.

Meanwhile, Jonathan and Mina busied themselves with their measuring tapes and measured up the rooms. As we weren't given a floor plan, nor the dimensions of the rooms, we felt it was important to get some measurements to see how big a space we were dealing with.

From room to room we roamed. Dad and Mum both noticed that the stove was electric (they have always preferred gas), and the hot water system was on the small side. They both noted that the ceilings were nice and high, and that the master bedroom has the only built in wardrobe. In the back garden, they noticed the overflow pipe for the hot water system seemed to be jutting out a fair way from the house, and asked if it could be sawed back.

Dad and Mum also noticed the spacious laundry space, and the lovely lovely lovely walk in pantry. They seemed to like the security shutters on the front windows of the villa. They made a comment about the single car space, and the single toilet in the 3-bedroom villa, but liked the fact that the toilet was separated from the bathroom.

We spent another 30 minutes at the villa with the agent, talking about various things before finally heading off for lunch. Mina seemed to like the villa a lot, although we can't be sure whether her comment of "this is the only one I've liked so please buy this one" was reflective of her true feelings, or simply that she'd had enough of house hunting with us and really wanted us to buy a place so weekends could return to doing stuff she wanted to do.

The agent told us to put in our best offer by midday tomorrow, as he had received 3 other offers already and was keen to end the inspection process for the vendors by then. We took the buyers' price declaration form and promised to email him our best offer before midday tomorrow. With that, we left to head back to Chatswood for yum cha and a debrief.

Over lunch, Dad and Mum listed their main concern - that the train station was a bit far away, and getting to and from the bus stop, even though it was close by, was still subjected to the elements. Mum's concern was for Jonathan's trip to work, and that was when we realised we hadn't told her that Jonathan had moved offices and was now working in the city! Dad said that while the bus is a good mode of transport, the trips to and from work may be long ones for us as we would inevitably be stuck in traffic during peak hour.

But otherwise, generally, Dad and Mum were both quite complimentary about the villa. Even though it didn't have the "magic" combination of 3-2-2 (bedroom, bathroom, garage), there was plenty of storage space, with room for more outdoor storage in the form of a future garden shed behind the garage. The villa was at the back of a complex on the high side of the street - at the highest possible peak of the street, and it was on a quiet street with very little traffic. From the front of the villa, there is a lovely view of Homebush and Parramatta, which would be a good vantage point for any fireworks displays from the Sydney Olympic Park.

When it came time to talk money, Jonathan and I needed a little bit of guidance as to how much we should offer. The agent had already informed us of 3 other offers, and told us that if we were to make an offer, indicatively, it needed to be higher than the listed price and the amount should not end in a rounded figure. Jonathan and I wanted Dad's opinion on how much to offer, and the amount he had in mind was the same as the one we wanted to pay.

We thanked Dad and Mum for all their help, and spent most of the afternoon discussing the property and our offer, until we were both 100% comfortable with making the offer in the amount that we had in mind. We also came up with a totally random sum, with the last 4 digits being 1234. We hope this will get us over the line, because we really do like this place, a lot.

As soon as I get into work tomorrow, I will be emailing the form through to the agent. After that, there won't be anything else to do but wait. Stay tuned!

Updated on September 13 @ 9.35am

Email sent. Waiting game begins.

Updated on September 13 @ 12.05pm

Agent just called. Our offer is the highest! Pipped the 2nd offer by that much. Agent is now going to take the offer to the vendors and see if it is accepted. Stay tuned!!!

Updated on September 13 @ 4.03pm

Agent just called again. Our offer has been accepted!!! Now comes the scary part - the part that involves solicitors and money!

We are almost there. We can almost almost almost say we are the proud owners of a gorgeous new home!!!

Project New Home: Homes Viewed = 16

With no real hits from either Domain or RealEstate.com.au early on Friday, we thought we would have a weekend's break from house hunting. Luckily, late yesterday afternoon, I checked both websites again, and up came 2 properties for inspection.

The first was in Marsfield, which was on the same street as one of the first properties we ever inspected. In fact, this property and the one we inspected previously were separated by only 1 large complex.

The townhouse was at the very back of complex, and it was on the end of a row of townhouses which meant it shared only 1 common wall with a neighbouring townhouse. On the other side of the townhouse was a small grassy reserve which was common property.

The townhouse had 2 levels, and the downstairs level had a generous sized living / dining room and a decent sized kitchen, which had a nice nook for a laundry attached. The room flowed out to a small but tidy courtyard with a lovely little garden patch. There was also a toilet just inside the entrance to service downstairs.

Upstairs, there were 3 good sized bedrooms, with a nice sized bathroom as well. The master bedroom was the only one with a built in wardrobe. And it had a rusty old air conditioning unit that has seen better days. The walls all looked like they had a new lick of paint, and the carpet felt quite new. The bathroom didn't look that bad either.

Neither Jonathan and I thought very much of this property on paper, but we were impressed with the size and condition of the townhouse once we had inspected it. The agent was very keen to see people interested in the property, and told us that if we were super keen, we should make an offer, and the owner is in such a hurry to sell that we could even offer up to $20K lower than the asking price!

Jonathan and I worked out that we would probably need to spend around $30K to $50K to pretty up the place - get rid of the air conditioning unit, reglaze all the windows, repaint the whole place after all the hooks have been removed from the walls, maybe a new kitchen, and tidy up the laundry. Even then, the townhouse would have been bought at a good price.

We drove to the second property, in Denistone. Although we were a bit early, there was already another family there waiting for the same agent. The thing that struck us first was that the villa was in a small complex, that looked like it could have been a retirement village once upon a time ago. The villas look like they were lifted straight from the set of Blast From The Past!

Once inside, we were transported straight to the modern day. The interior had at one point been gutted and totally renovated by the current owners, with gorgeous floor boards, state of the art kitchen, and a professional paint job. The whole place screamed "class" and "elegance", and everything was well maintained and gorgeous.

There are 3 bedrooms in this villa, all quite spacious. Built in wardrobe in master bedroom only, but you'd expect that from a villa that was over 40 years old. The owners must have put that in in the last decade or so - it looked quite new. The bathroom and the toilet were separated, which was great.

The living space and the dining space were quite adequate, and the open plan kitchen was GORGEOUS! State of the art appliances, huge walk in pantry, loads of bench space - basically, my perfect kitchen!

The backyard was lovely too. The yard wrapped around the back of the villa, with one side paved for entertaining and the rest turfed with low maintenance grass. Just the right amount of grass for the littlies and not so much that Jonathan wouldn't mind having to mow every now and again.

High fences meant that intruding neighbours would find it hard to peep over the fence to spy on the backyard, one side of which shared a fence with the car park of the local Latter Day Saints' church.

We loved it. We really loved it. We loved it so much we spent 20 minutes looking at the property in fine detail, and then spent 10 minutes talking to the agent about the property. We loved it so much that we asked him to send us the contract straight away, and told him that we would be keen to inspect the property again with my parents tomorrow if we are able to tee up a time that would suit them.

After bidding the agent farewell, Jonathan and I drove around the block for a bit to find out what amenities are close by. We found the local Catholic primary school, the bus stops, and a park / reserve area not far from the villa. We paid a trip to Top Ryde Shopping Centre as well, which really wasn't that far away from the villa.

We spent most of the afternoon talking about both properties, neither of which we held much hope for at the beginning of the day. Yet here we were, impressed with both and debating which one we liked better! In the end, the villa at Denistone won the day - because it was a "move in straight away with nothing to fix", as opposed to "there are a few things we must fix before we move in" at Marsfield.

Once home, we looked at the My School website to see if Denistone was within the catchment area for the high schools we wanted to send the kids to. And Denistone was definitely in the catchment area. With this information, we rang my parents and arranged a time for them to come with us for another inspection. The last piece of the puzzle fell into place with the agent also available at the time we wanted.

Super super super excited now! We are so close!!! Stay tuned!

Project New Home: 2nd Inspection Time!

So, after our chat with Dad and Mum yesterday and last night, a second inspection has now been arranged for my folks to check out the third property - the villa from Saturday's inspections.

Dad and Mum went to have a look at the property on their own yesterday, and we had dinner with them last night to receive the verdict.

Dad rightly gave us all the "flaws" first - we needed them to pick apart the property for us, so we didn't mind that they had a small list of "flaws" to tell us.

First and foremost, this property is on a main road. This fact has been niggling Jonathan and I too, and while the villa is gorgeous, it will always be on a main road.

Because it is on a main road, we may have a lot of issues going in and coming out of our driveway. And when we have guests, they will have to park on the side streets and walk a short walk to our front door. If Jonathan and I were to have my family over for lunch or dinner or something, which will involve 3 families coming from 3 different locations in 3 cars, at least 2 of the cars will have to park on the side street. There is only room for 1 other car to park in the complex, which will be reserved for Dad and Mum.

Other small issues that Dad and Mum saw included flimsy windows and the air conditioning being in the main living room only. Being very security conscious, and with the property being on a main road, Dad and Mum were wary of how flimsy the windows were. And with summer approaching, and the Speedy bump increasing in size, Dad and Mum were worried that the single air conditioning unit might not be able to stave away the heat.

After all the concerns were noted, Dad and Mum said if we could deal with everything - and mainly if we could deal with the property being on a very busy main road, then it would be worthwhile to make an offer. They liked the property for a lot of things too, such as the space and the size of the rooms, and that it was quite new and in a good area. With everything in mind, Jonathan and I talked about it some more after dinner, and decided to make an offer today.

We called the agent first thing in the morning and made an offer. The agent told us that we were the 6th party to make an offer, and our initial offer was the lowest of the 6. As we had never made an offer on a property before, we asked the agent to give us an indication of the range we hope to be playing in. The agent was quite cagey - around this point, I started to feel uncomfortable about dealing with him - and told us that we should make a much higher offer if we want to be in the game. Quickly, Jonathan and I decided to substantially increase our offer, which was still in our price range, but was now at the higher end of what we want to pay for this property.

The agent continued to make me feel uncomfortable, by asking if we would be willing to make an offer even higher than our revised offer. I asked if he could tell me why, and he told us that we were now at the higher end of the offers he'd received, but not the best offer by any means. He kept saying things like "You're around the 2nd highest offer", "I won't be taking your offer to the vendor because it's not the highest offer", and asking "Are you sure this is your final and best offer?", which I felt was him being extremely aggressive and pushy. So I became defensive and told him that our revised offer was all we are offering, for now, since we have no way of knowing if he was telling the truth about there being 5 other offers.

The agent at this point back-pedalled a bit and told us that we were definitely the 2nd highest offer. Then he did something which made me think even less of him - he said that he knew we were stretching and implied that he didn't think we would be able to make a higher offer. How patronising! At that point, with Jonathan's total support, I dug my heels in and told him that our revised offer was our best and final offer, and that I would email him that figure to confirm our offer.

Even via email, the agent was still trying to get us to up our offer. Since he was so pushy, and I was now tired of dealing with him, we confirmed it was our best and final offer.

Let's see how this one pans out!

Updated on September 10

Jonathan and I have heard nothing from the agent. The property has been taken off Domain. We can only assume we missed out. Oh well. We weren't totally enamoured with the property. Ultimately, the villa IS on a main road, it will always be on a main road, and the main road will never be anything less than a main road. Truth be told, the main road is just going to get busier in the future.

We've found 2 properties to inspect this coming weekend, so our search continues!

Project New Home: Homes Viewed = 14

Anther Saturday, another round of open house inspections.

After last week's slim pickings, we were able to find 3 homes for us to inspect this week. Of course, our trusty power point counter and bath spotter was with us this weekend, and we had to ask her again to be patient with us while we inspected each of the properties.

During the week, when I found these properties, I had a good feeling about this batch of homes. The feeling was that one of these would be perfect, and on paper, one was in a great location, one had a pretty good floor plan, and one had awesome low strata levies. And they were all well within our price range.

The first of the properties was in Epping - on the side of Epping where I grew up. For many years, I had walked past this complex and always thought it was quite pretty. And being the first weekend this property was open for inspection, I was expecting a large group of people to be viewing it at the same time as us.

I was not to be disappointed. There would easily have been 10 other families crammed into the 3 bedroom apartment for the inpsection when we arrived. The property presented quite well, if somewhat a bit older than some of the others we'd seen. The bedrooms were spacious, all with built-in wardrobes, but the bathroom could do with a bit of an upgrade. The kitchen was a tad small, with a few odd food storage solutions found in the laundry. The lounge/dining area flowed onto a small balcony (which can also be accessed via the master bedroom).

There was a strange bump in the hallway, which I almost tripped over. The single lock up garage was downstairs, about 15m from the side door and the stairs to the front door of the apartment.

The biggest drawcard was the gorgeous gardens. We walked through the beautifully manicured gardens to get to the front door, and I would imagine that would be where the bulk of the strata levies would go to - and rightly so.

Location wise, this was perfect for us. It was a short walk to Epping Station and the bus interchange. There was a row of shops and restaurants between the apartment and the station, and my old Church was but a short stroll up the road. The street, while not a main main road, was still one of the main roads that connects North Epping to the rest of the world. And that was one of the "cons" on our list - the balcony and the living room, and to an extent the master bedroom, faced onto the often busy road. And Jonathan thought the apartment was a bit "twee".

With that property inspected, we went to Macquarie Shopping Centre for our weekly visit. We went and visited our gorgeous friend Tristan in his store, and bought Jonathan a fabulous Father's Day gift (the Nintendo DSi XL, because I'm a good wife and the only Christmas / birthday present he's getting this year is a baby). It was during this time we discovered Mina's fringe was covered in nits.

We headed to the food court for some lunch after buying Jonathan's present. Mina was so hungry she wolfed down her lunch before Jonathan even returned with his food! As we had a bit of time before the next inspection, Jonathan took Mina down to the play area while I went and did a small bit of shopping in Big W.

Just after 2pm, we headed to our second inspection in Macquarie Park. The apartment was at the bottom of the complex that was situated at the bottom of a cul-de-sac. The apartment overlooked part of the Lane Cove National Park, which was very peaceful and tranquil. Unfortunately, that was about the only thing going for the place.

It was an obvious share house for university students, one of which was still in the apartment when viewers arrived for the inspection. When we got there, the real estate agent was nowhere to be seen, so we put our name and number down on the list. The kitchen was the first room as we walked in, and it needed a lot of work. It looked like it was the original kitchen when the complex was first built.

The bedrooms were crammed with stuff belonging to each of the 3 students living in the apartment, which made the rooms very small and not well presented. The split level dining and lounge room was quite spacious, and the balcony looked lovely, but it had a very poor drainage problem, which was evidenced by the large puddles of muddy water along the edge.

We really weren't impressed with this property, so we hightailed it out of there as soon as we had made up our minds that this was not the one.

The last property of the day was back in Epping, on the other side of the railway line, very close to where I use to live back when I first moved out of home into a share house. Jonathan had a few reservations about this property, namely that it was on the main road. We had already viewed a property on this main drag when we first started looking, which was further up the road towards Carlingford, so Jonathan was well aware of how busy the road is.

We arrived far too early, so I introduced Jonathan and Mina to one of the best fruit and vegetable markets in the Epping / Carlingford area - Martelli's. Jonathan was quite impressed with the freshness of everything in the market, and we picked up a few things for us along the way. Before too long, it was time to head to the property inspection.

The villa was located at the back of the property, which was some distance from the main road, making the property quite secluded and quiet at the same time. The villa was in a complex of 4, with a self managed strata plan and levies of $150 per quarter. Brilliant!

There were plenty of families also viewing the property, and we squeezed our way into the front door through the maze of shoes. The agent out front was the same guy who we'd been dealing with from the Eastwood property we viewed 2 weeks ago, and it was pleasing that Jesse remembered us as well as we remembered him.

Once inside, we found ourselves wandering through the really-close-to-perfect potential new home. The living space was huge - there would be enough room to have an area set aside specifically for the kids and their toys. The kitchen was a good size, although the oven was on the small side of things. The "family room" could be turned into a dining area, which would be quite spacious for our dining table.

The 3 bedrooms were all generously sized. All with built-ins, all very spacious. The master bedroom had a walk in wardrobe and an ensuite. There was an internal laundry too, which had its own separate entrance to the villa from the backyard.

The backyard wrapped around the side and back of the house, all enclosed. There was a paved area, as well as a patch of grass, which would be great for pot plants or a veggie / herb patch. There weren't any plants in the yard, so it would be easy to fill it with our own choices, if we were to buy this place and if we were to buy plants. There was also a clothes line in the backyard.

Everything about this place screamed "Take me, I'm yours"! It really was the nicest place we had seen that we can afford, since the townhouse that we fell in love with in North Ryde. The location was not the best - it was after all on the main road, but the rest of the villa ticked every box. We were really truly impressed with this property, and told Jesse in no uncertain terms to send us a contract as soon as possible, as we were very very very keen on this property.

With that, we were done with the inspections for the day. Jonathan and I talked about this property a bit more on our way home, and we were both of the mind set that we need to take my parents along for another inspection and make an offer. That's how serious we are about this place.

Tomorrow, being Father's Day, we had already made plans to see my parents and take them to yum cha. This would be the perfect opportunity to talk to Dad about the villa, and get his opinion and try to lock him in to inspect the house with us next weekend.

We might be nearly there. We hope so. Until such time as we sign the contract though, we will keep looking.