29 weeks and 5 days - 28 March

These are the comfiest belly undies in the world! I bought a pair just to test them out, half joking/half curious, but the support around the stomach is just lovely. I will be going out to buy more of these sexy pants. This is the treat Nug got before he headed back to Japan this morning!

My belly is growing at a faster rate these days. It has really grown alot in the last 2 weeks. I can now feel him kicking my ribs and it's quite uncomfortable at times. I can't believe I only have 10 weeks to go!

I went and had a very thorough ultrasound on Wednesday, at a specialist ultrasound place. It's routine to do it at 20-22 weeks gestation but they don't really offer it in Japan so we decided we'd go and have a good look at our little one. It was quite exciting. They checked the baby all over... his nose, mouth, feet, kidneys, stomach... you name it. We saw the 4 chambers of his heart, the blood flow, the aorta. It was magical! (And of course we were very proud and relieved when they said his heart was 'textbook' perfect!) After they did all the routine checks, which took about 45 minutes (he was being a bit difficult though I appreciate it must be squashy in there), they took some amazing 4D pictures of him. These took ages to get because he wouldn't move his hands and feet away from his face, but eventually the second sonographer was able to get a few good ones. It is a bit crazy seeing him look so real, with his chubby cheeks and button nose. I can't stop looking at the photos. Love at first sight!

The past 4 weeks have gone so quickly, and now Nug is on his way back to Japan. I just hope the next 10 weeks go just as quick and our little family can be together again. It's going to be a tough couple of months and we'll miss each other so so much, but we have this amazing little surprise to think about now that will make it all worthwhile.

27 weeks & 2 days - 12 March

Here is my latest belly shot! Even though it has grown a fair bit since the last time I took pictures, it seems that strangers STILL don't even realise I'm pregnant. I'm basically at the start of my third trimester! You can see my belly button is stretching (though I don't think it will pop out?) and I'm starting to get that dark line down the centre of my belly.

I had my first appointment with my obstetrician, Dr Ross Turner, on Monday and all went very well! He's a lovely man, very cheeky and witty, and I know we'll be comfortable with him. I finally got the whole pregnancy talk, about diet and exercise, the pros and cons of vaginal vs ceasarean births, and pain relief, which was all very interesting. He had a look at the baby and I asked him to confirm the gender - he said it looked like scrotum to him! He also said the baby is very low, with his head right down, and was concerned that, because of this, my cervix might have been a couple of centimetres dilated. He checked, and fortunately it's not! No early labour for me, thanks!

Boys names are proving to be more difficult than girls names. There are a few that we like equally, and I know it's going to be hard to choose just one. All I know is that it has to be a 'tough' name!

We are loving being back in Australia, though the time is going far too quickly. Mum and Dad had a lovely surprise waiting for us on our arrival. They had turned the room adjoining our bedroom into a beautiful nursery. The draws are filled with adorable clothes, hats and bibs (boys and girls!), and the shelves are stacked with toys and blankets. (Maybe I should leave him here when we go back to Tokyo!) This little boy is so spoilt already! Here are some pictures of our little one's Brisbane nursery at Mum and Dad's house.

Looking in from our bedroom.

Brightly coloured animal musical mobile..

..to match brightly coloured farm animal sheets.

Stuffed animals, blankets and toys.

Cute ladybug lamp!

Cow nappy stacker!