First checkup

It was back to Paolo Memorial Hospital yesterday for Carla's first checkup. Basically they took her blood to check for jaundice. She returned a reading of 9.5 which is apparently very low so nothing to worry about in that regard. For the record Carla is now 3.190 kg.

On the home front we haven't been getting a lot of sleep at night due to feeding every two hours or so. During the day is a different story, Carla nods off for between 5 and 7 hours at a time.
I'm off to Cambodia again tomorrow, so hopefully I'll get a good sleep on the bus.

Stay tuned for more photos of Carla

I will be posting more photos over the next few days.

In the meantime scroll to the bottom to see the latest photos.

Carla Ann

Her nickname is Pik Thai.

Born: Friday 24th October 2008 at 16:09 in Bangkok.
Weight: 2.978 kg
Height: 51 cm

38 weeks

I'm up early this morning, full of anticipation of what might happen today. Before I begin, I better explain the title of this post. 38 weeks refers to our Doctor's estimation of the number of weeks that have passed since conception. On the internet you can estimate the arrival date of your baby by using a 'pregnancy calculator' which calculates the number of weeks since the first day of the mothers last menstrual cycle, so in Wannida's case she is already past 40 weeks.
Right, here we go... After a week of waiting around and not much else we finally had an awful nights sleep. No sooner had Wannida layed down, the kicking would start which usually results in a trip to the toilet. I stopped counting after seven flushes only because I fell asleep. After what felt like 30 minutes I awoke to realise Wannida was sitting up and not very happy. "Time to go?" I inquired... (nope, ok back to sleep).
As I write this Wannida is finally asleep and our wait continues. In about three hours we hopefully make our last trip to Paolo for a checkup. As usual I'll be posting an update shortly.

In the doldrums

You've got to be joking! We're over the wait and not even a tuk tuk ride made any difference. The little one is as stubborn as a leach in your leg... It's looking like we'll have to cut him or her out soon.
Wannida has been excellent. She's still eating and waiting for a few pains that might signal an end to the final leg in this journey. I can't say the same, I have no intention of waiting for Christmas!
Hopefully I'll have some good news soon, say a prayer please!

37 weeks

The calm before the storm...

Well... what can I tell you this week. Wannida gained 0.6 kilograms, the bub has an estimated weight of 3 and the bub's head is correctly positioned to perform an entry. At this stage the only thing stopping the birth is Oil's cervix which has decided not to be a team player.
Oil was asked if she wanted to go under the knife, but she said no (I wasn't consulted).
So... we expect this journey will end before next Friday and a new one will begin. If not Wannida goes under and I'll probably pass out before I can get a photo!
On another note, I was asked by Mike Armstrong " Are you nervous?"
I have just two answers;
1. No, why should I be?
2. Maybe I'll know soon, however, right now I'm a rock... I'm a Henderson!

A dog's life

This photo was taken outside the apartment where we live. This sign went up a month ago and the spelling made me laugh as the business card I was given by the manager is spelt Kunnathee Apartment Company. Not really that surprising when you realise that many English letters are pronounced differently in Thai eg. 'P' sounds like 'B' and as shown a 'K' sounds like 'G'.

On a sad note, it is a little depressing to bear witness to a dog's life in Bangkok. I have become quite attached to one dog the residents call Tiger. He lies around out front all day everyday. Apparently he was dumped on the doorstep of the temple next door which occurs a lot when dog owners can't afford to take care of their animals. They know the monks will feed them.
In Tiger's case a monk's life was not his 'cup of tea', so he came down the road one day and has never left.
He earns his keep patrolling the motorbikes at night and often tries to bite the leg off anyone he doesn't know that might happen to wander by after dark.
The other night however, three dogs from the temple decided to pay a visit. Tiger stood his ground for twenty minutes before a few Thai men decided enough was enough and managed to break it up. The next morning Tiger was a sorry site and in need of a vet. When I set eyes on him I was concerned. Only one problem, nobody owns Tiger and nobody is prepared to pay a vet to help him. How much could it cost I thought before Oil piped up and told me the local vet closed down a year ago.
It's tough being a 'ma' (dog).

36 weeks

Not long now. Wannida only gained 0.4 kilograms over the past fortnight despite my best efforts to fatten her up. The Doctor and Oil now seem to have become quite friendly, talking at length about god only knows what. After 10 minutes of feeling like a mushroom (wish I could speak Thai fluently) we went for another ultrasound.

If you look closer you can see the babies face in the red picture.
We have just been told that the latest ultrasound has revealed that the placenta is no longer functioning properly which means we have to go back in a week for further tests and possibly an inducement. Until then it's business as usual and a few trips to the local Wat (temple).

My local chicken shop

Chicken anyone? Although not usually seen by tourists, this is how chooks are sold in the market. I thought it warranted a photo.

I still prefer to shop at the supermarket where I'm able to buy just the cuts that are worth eating and come wrapped with a used by date. Call me old fashioned...

Baby names

Thanks for the input readers, I expected some feedback, 'mai pen rai' (nevermind). Dave managed a moment of clarity and suggested 'Michael'. Not bad, but a little biblical for a baby born in this day and age... no offence mean't Mikey. On the other hand, Bev (my mother) was straight to the point. She said "just wait and see" before deciding. Maybe mum has a point!
Stay tuned...

40

Another milestone has passed (it's not everyday you turn 40), so I better tell it like it was.


After a disturbed sleep due to Wannida's bladder (heard the toilet flush at least seven times), I awoke to thunder, lightening and rain. We didn't venture out until late afternoon and then only to get a bite to eat.
I managed to find and eat a pepper steak which didn't touch the sides on the way down, however, I'm not complaining... at least it was imported NZ beef.
After dinner Oil and I went shopping for a few essentials, cotton nappies and bedding. So, basically just another day that pales into insignificance compared to what is coming!
More photos coming soon, so take care and thank you to everyone that wished me well, you made my day!

Black flagged

I've just arrived back in Bangkok after my latest visa run to Cambodia. Originally the trip was planned for the 30th Sept, however, it was black flagged due to more Thai 'red tape'. Apparently I'm unable to do more than three visa runs in a six month period (which I already know). My last recorded visa run was on the 2nd April 2008, so Thai immigration deemed I could not leave the country until the 2nd Oct (I don't agree as visa's in Thailand are issued for 30 days, so I've been here longer than 180 days). Great, two days overstay and more money in their coffers. Gee whiz they make it hard for farangs (otherwise known as foreigners or aliens) to spend money in Thailand.
No use arguing I suppose, I'm back now and don't have to go again until the 31st Oct. Thats one day I don't want anything untoward to occur in Wannida's stomach (if she hasn't already given birth). Wannida is confident I have nothing to worry about, however, I'll say a little prayer anyway.
35 weeks and counting tomorrow...