Lucky for some.

On Friday the 13th, we set off on our weekend getaway to Abu Dhabi - the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. We dropped Gypsy Dog off at his best pal's, Groucho's, for his weekend of fun before starting our 90-minute drive to Abu Dhabi.

It's basically one straight road to the capital city from Dubai, and much of the scenery along this stretch is of 'the green belt' - basically cultivated greenery in what would otherwise be desert. As we approached the city, there were more villas, mosques and rows of small shops distantly resembling some of the smaller townships in Malaysia.

...the view from our room at the Hilton Abu Dhabi...

We arrived at the Hilton on the corniche which had gorgeous views of the Emirates Palace Hotel and the Marina Mall across the sea. I have to admit that the exterior of the hotel did look a bit dated and like something out of the 70's, but it couldn't be more different once we got inside and to our guest room.

Despite being the capital city, I found the pace of life a little slower and more relaxed compared to Dubai. The traffic didn't seem as bad and the city also seemed more developed, less crowded and generally well organised. We took it easy at the hotel once we arrived, before having a leisurely buffet lunch at the hotel's Thai restaurant then took a short drive across the causeway to the Marina Mall.

...at the beach...

We didn't spend too much time at the mall, but just enough to check out Gap [as the one in Dubai is not open just yet!], and my all-time favourite one-stop home furnishing store, IKEA. We then retreated back to the hotel in time for an evening swim and to watch the sunset on the beach.

...at the pool...

The rest of our stay was filled with relaxing by the beach and the pool, reading, and eating - including one of the best Italian meals we've had outside of Italy! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect long weekend getaway.

Quack, quack!

According to my last monthly check-up at the obstetrician's a couple of weeks ago, I've put on a grand total of 3kg! This may not seem like much, but you definitely can't miss the baby bump now and I feel ginormous at 40kg. Funnily enough, I still weigh 3kg less than I did when I left NZ a year and a half ago which goes to show how overweight I was!

I've also seemed to have developed some of the lovely symptoms that go with the third trimester as we approach the home-run, such as painful ankles when I get up, leg cramps, and very sore and aching ribs on my right side. I have to say I still wouldn't trade any of these symptoms for the awful nausea of the first trimester.

Oh, and did I mention I am also starting to waddle?

2215.

Every night at around 9.45pm BabyG stirs in anticipation for what feels like his big dance performance at 10.15pm. This has been going on since I first started feeling his movements at week 19. He moves quite a lot during the day as well, and the obstetricians we've seen have made comments such as 'a very active baby' and 'baby never stops moving'! I can certainly vouch for that. It really feels like he's dancing, and rearranging my organs while he's at it.

We're just amazed that he seems to have already developed his own little routine and punctuality. It looks like we're really going to have our hands full in a few months time!

BabyG Movements.

About a week ago, I rolled over in bed and I felt BabyG do a tumble roll too! Ever since, I've been feeling little rolls, nudges and kicks. Even Gypsy Boy has felt a couple of little movements with his hand on my belly.

I have to admit it freaked me out a little bit the first time I felt BabyG move, most probably because it was an actual roll and not just a small kick, but I'm getting quite used to the movements now. So far, I've noticed BabyG reacts to external sounds like beeping horns, music playing, or my singing! Probably trying to tell me something...

Looks like we've got a very active little gypsy on the way!

Wacky dreams.

I've been having vivid and very eventful dreams lately, another one of those weird things that is said to go with pregnancy.

Last night, I dreamt I was playing poker on a gaming machine, except I wasn't in a casino. I was in my aunt's study, in her house in Kuala Lumpur. Also, it turned out I wasn't gambling with my own money but with one of my brother's! By the end of the night, it seemed like I'd only had huge wins so, excitedly I went downstairs to share the news with my brother. I got to the dining room of my aunt's place which seemed to have turned into some kind of gambling den where everyone was playing cards around the table. I found my brother and happily shared the news with him showing him all the money I'd won, then asked him how much cash there was to start with. He said $60, and I started to count the money in my hand. "But there's only $60 here" I said to him in disbelief. The rest of the family turned their attention to us and started to point the blame on one or two cousins saying they may have taken the money...

I woke up from this dream feeling very much like playing online poker. Funnily enough, I've never played online poker before! Anyway, there's none of that here as any form of gambling, including online gambling sites are banned in the UAE.

17 weeks.

Almost halfway there! I've been advised that by this time, I should be 'glowing' and 'blossoming', but I'm neither and I've also accepted that I'm just not one of those women that do. In fact, I've lost weight. I'm now 36.5kg, and my normal ideal weight is 37-38kg [when I'm not preggers that is!]. Light, I know but I am as everyone puts it, tiny.

So, those of you who've been asking me for photos, you'll just have to wait a little while longer. I've been meaning to take photos of the 'bump' but I more or less look the same as I did before, maybe just a little thinner with a bit of a fat looking tummy. Charming, huh.

Coming soon: BabyG.

Gypsy Boy and I are expecting a new arrival later this year - yep, our very own Baby Gypsy [BabyG]. This is what's been making me feel so sick the last couple of months, and I'm glad to say that the nausea is finally beginning to subside! Woohoo!