For weeks I had been looking forward to this trip: a week on the road with Marly and her little Sammy-Rose. Just a girls-only trip before the little baby boy arrives! Sammy is so cheerful and sweet: it is truly a joy to be out and about with her. Plus: I can get used to the children's vacation rhythm: getting up early in the morning, everything goes nice and ’tranquilo‘, a little afternoon nap around noon to then, so to speak, start a second day and go to bed early in the evening. A schedule that Marly and I can both agree on, because on day one we were already yawning continuously; the sign that we are completely relaxed and all the fatigue is coming out. Let's see if I can poke my husband once a week for a curfew of 9:00 PM.

Now that the weeks can be counted on two hands, the nesting instinct is starting to kick in a bit! Although I still have over two months to go, I occasionally panic because the baby gear is far from ready... But little by little our house is filling up with muslin cloths, a crib, baby clothes, and bottles. There’s a whole stack of pregnancy books waiting for me, but strangely enough, I haven't felt the need to read them at all. Until last week, when my dear friend brought the help book “Gunpowder with Sprinkles” and I was immediately triggered: no romantic stories, but real experiences (which are often not exactly rosy) and packed with handy tips. By now, I have been postponing the chapter “Giving Birth” for days: just one more week to delay it while I still can...

You’ll always see: as soon as you intend to take it a bit easier, all sorts of exciting things come your way. ‘Just’ going back and forth to Ibiza for a photoshoot, next week a cool presentation job that I can’t say no to AND I’ve also become a regular columnist for Viva Mama this month! I love to take the readers along in my search for motherhood and the accompanying struggles, and it’s really nice to hear that these are very recognizable for many mommies-to-be. But a month in advance, there really is a thick line through the agenda and it becomes a challenge not to plan my days full. Luckily, my husband is there to help me with that.

‘Just one more girls-only trip before the little baby boy arrives!’

’Getting up in the morning and realizing that you can’t get up as easily anymore, Jon can’t leave the house until he has tied my shoes, and by the end of the day, my lower back starts to ache quite a bit... Yes, dear people: the ‘deterioration’ has begun! Now I really can’t complain and I still bike around Amsterdam all day with ease, but what has now become a real no-go is footwear with a heel: even if the height is just a few centimeters, my feet start to talk back to me after half a day and beg for a little rest. So my sneaker collection is getting a bit of an upgrade for the last months with these lovely Nubikk sneakers. Another nice bonus: they don’t need to be tied, so my husband can leave the house in the morning without announcement!

Jon and I keep counting down the days until our next ultrasound. So special to see that little guy so clearly on screen already! At my midwifery practice Femme, they have the most extensive and newest equipment available, allowing us to put the 3D ultrasound on every time. And I really find it unbelievable how well you can see the little face already! Also incredibly nice that I get ultrasounds at Femme until the end and that everything is measured and checked at each visit to see if everything is going well. Quite pleasant for a control freak like me. We are already counting down the days to our next ‘meeting’ in mid-May!