Evie Joy - Personal Post.

When I was 36 weeks pregnant I took an image of myself which would be the last 1/2 decent image of my pregnancy with Evie. Pregnancy was pretty hard going for me, hyperemesis that had me taking Ondansetron right up until the birth (I was literally having to have it an hour before I gave birth to her), severe SPD that made walking and moving quite difficult and finally Gestational Diabetes which was a pain but actually once diagnosed and I started on the low GI diet I felt heaps better. I think my body was just like, 'Okay, this is going to be your sixth baby and I'm DONE.' From baby #4 it just got progressively harder.

We had actually decided that 5 babies would be it for us. Evie just sneaked in under the radar so the whole pregnancy we knew that she was it. The last one. So I sort of set about to really remember the pregnancy, we had the 3D scan which I had never done but always wanted to do, which was exciting. My friend was appalled that I had never had a baby shower and set about organising one with my mum and aunty for me (and then she turned up with her own newborn just days after the birth - good times). I went to Wild Spirit and had my maternity photos taken at 30 weeks because I was worried that with the SPD I wouldn't be able to move or travel well any later in the game and I really wanted photos of this pregnancy. And that was probably wise because after that moving got really really hard. The support belt helped hold my pelvis together but hurt my hips, I think in my family albums for the months of March, April and early May I only have a handful of photos. I just couldn't move to take them. Still, at 35 weeks when I went into premature labour and it seemed like Evie was going to arrive early (I had medication to stop it, steroid injections and was put on bedrest) I decided that I would get up at 36 weeks, do my hair and make up and waddle downstairs to the backyard one afternoon and do a last lot of selfies of heavily pregnant me.

As it turned out they needn't have worried because at 39 weeks Evie still had to be induced despite earlier fears she would make an early entrance. But still, this was the last good photo I got of my last pregnancy.

I remember thinking I would like to take a second shot after she was born with her. I would wear the dress again and this time she could wear the headband (which was Tea Princess, by the way - I hadn't yet discovered Petite Bling!). In my mind at the time she would be a little tiny baby, perhaps newborn when we did this second shoot. But that didn't quite work out. Still, 10 months on Evie and I took another photo and I think it might be my favourite one of her and myself.

I'm putting all the images of her first year into a photobook to display at her first birthday party at the moment and I can barely believe a year has almost gone by since I took that image at 36 weeks. She is a little sunshine beam. I'm so blessed to have her.