The storm! And our beautiful baby boy blessing Oliver Jude Bertrand.

Our tenants decided to move out of our place at the end of Feb, but we had already booked alternative accommodation in Wilderness and so (in true Bertland style - because simple is boring)...we decided to use the opportunity to do a few renovations while we were there in the 2 weeks before baby was due. Sometimes its easier to commit and then just deal with things as they come. 

Shower before and during...

Bathroom before and after.

My clever husband did the sinks!

New toilet, sink, tiles and paint.

Ensuite before and during.

After...

New sliding gate.

Funky front steps

Baby's due date came and still no baby, but lots to get done at the house so we carried on! We also managed to fit in some fun with the kids.

We had lots of coffee dates and beach time with Granny and uncle Dan too. They were such a huge help with the kids. It helped that we were staying 100m from Wilderness beach. When I searched for accommodation it gave me an 80% discount for the monthly booking, which turned out to be a mistake but the owner honoured the quote and we were very thankful to have found such an amazing place to have the baby. It was a real blessing! Beach with the kids is always a winner. We also found a Wednesday special at 'Mozambik' restaurant in Wilderness- R99 for 9 prawns with a side. Their coconut rice is to die for!

Lily's birthday was on the 14th so we had a little beach picnic party with some friends. 

Last thing we managed to squeeze in was tiling the outside stoep...

And raising the wall for privacy!

Watching the skip being loaded...

Granny and uncle Dan took the kids for a walk. Killing time in the hopes that the baby would come!

       

On March the 20th I was 41 weeks and 1 day pregnant...extremely frustrated and grumpy and ready to have the baby already. My midwife suggested taking some time on my own and going for a swim in the ocean, so I set off for a walk and swim on my own. The sea was cold and the waves were rough and relentless- they reminded me of my previous labours and I felt completely helpless at the thought of what I would have to endure.

I walked home and decided to take a dose of castor oil as recommended by my midwife. I cooked up some scrambled eggs and added the oil (a much nicer way to take it!). Tim and Lou headed up to our house to finish a few things and my mom and brother took Lily and Joel to the beach for a swim. Lily asked me if I was coming too but I told her I was going to stay home to try and get the baby to come out. She looked puzzled and asked 'while we are at the beach?' so I laughed and reminded her that it takes a long time. So off they went.

It must've been hardly 30 minutes after they had left when I started to feel that something was starting. My braxton hicks were becoming more regular but still not painful. I let my midwife and Tim know. My next contraction was a little more painful and I realised that there was no going back. I walked outside and surrendered to the Lord, I begged Him to let it be quicker than the others because I didn't feel I had the strength to endure a long labour. It was around 12:30pm I went back inside and asked Tim to get me some panado's and come home to press on my back which counters the pain nicely. He said he was on his way, my midwife was also on her way. I carried on bouncing on my ball through the moderate contractions, I must've had another 3 or 4 by then in the 40 mins since it started. I started to feel hot so I had a cold shower and then at 1:15pm I heard my mom coming back with the kids. Lils ran in while I was having a contraction so I told her it had started. She ran out to tell my mom, and Dan took Joel and Lils to the kitchen to get some lunch. I asked my mom for panado and she left to find me some. I felt hot again so jumped into the shower again. My mom came back in to check on me and I told her I needed to push, she grabbed some towels and before we knew it he was out! We had another perfect little baby boy!

My mom walked me to the bed and I held my baby close. I called my midwife and she heard the crying on the phone. She was there within 5 minutes to check that all was ok.

Oliver Jude Bertrand born at 1:30pm, weighing 4,15kg, 57cm long.

1.Louie 2. Lily 3. Joel 4. Oliver

What an incredible experience. I cant actually believe how easy that was compared to the others! Joel took it all so well. I was so worried about how he would handle it all but the short labour made it so much easier. It was love at first sight for all of them. Oliver Jude, you are extremely loved!

Cuddles with Uncle Dan <3

First bath and he loved it!

 

We had a week long baby moon, and then we had to deal with real life again. The work Tim was doing in Malawi had been drawing to a close and so his boss asked if he would consider other options instead of returning to Mzuzu. They had mentioned this during my last weeks of pregnancy but I didn't have the capacity to make any decisions. And so the uncertainty set in. I wasn't prepared to stay in George and have him gone all week, that was too hard on us last time. I can go anywhere but I need to have my family together. We started to plan for a 'temporary' move to Swaziland (Eswatini) for 3-6 months...