Merry Christmas

Hi There - hope you all had a lovely xmas and enjoyed some time out with your families and loved ones. I havent had time to update lately as my little Lila is becoming very good at sleeping and I hardly ever have time to sit at the computer (its in her room!)
Christmas was lovely this year. We went to Tuncurry for a couple of days to see my Mums side of the family. They are really lovely people and were so happy to see us and meet Lila.

It was also really nice to get some fresh air and take Lila for her first dip at the beach. We went to the breakwall at Tuncurry, which where I first learnt to swim, so we had to take her there!

She didnt seem to mind the water, but we only put her in for a couple of minutes - it was actually quite cool. How cute are her swimmers!!

Lila has been mostly good and pretty much everything is back to a semblance of normal. She is by no means perfect, but she is just beautiful and we love her to pieces! I think she is teething at the moment and is being a little bit difficult and whingey, but on the whole she is tops!

I am fine - have been enjoying the good life too much and can feel the weight creeping back on. But I am getting out there and catching up with friends and feeling myself again - which is just awesome.

Hope you all have a great new years eve and happy new year!!

take care

vx

feeling good

OK, Ok - I know I am slack - its just that the computer is in the baby's room and I dont get a lot of time in here at the moment!

You will all be pleased to know that I am doing much much better. Granted, it is assisted by medication, but I am coping so much better that I dont care. The anxiety has gone and I dont feel as depressed and desperate. Plus, I have such a beautiful baby that its hard to be stressed out all the time. Lila is growing every day and will be four months old next week. Its hard to keep up really. The sleep is getting better - she has a big sleep in the morning and 2 smaller sleeps during the rest of the day, and then sleeps all night. We are having problems getting her to sleep in the evening, but once she is down, we dont hear from her until 6-7am.

She is being very vocal at the moment. Squeals away with delight to herself. The best way I can describe it is that she sounds like a cat on heat, but its very cute!

What else is going on - well, we went to see U2 last Friday night. It was just fantastic and I am so pleased that I went. We have had our tickets for almost a year and I remember when I got them I was concerned that I would be too pregnant to go!! I get to go to a lot of shows and this would have to be up there with some of the best I have seen in my life. I was so happy!! I would have been even more happy if I had been at the Kylie show, where Bono joined her on stage to sing Kids, but hey, I cant have everything!

We also had our first full night without Lila the other weekend. She went to stay with her Grandmother over night and we went to a party for a couple of friends birthdays. It was so much fun to be out and have a sleep in but the house felt so quiet without her - we really missed her! Lila seemed to have a great time with her grandmother and her grandmother LOVED having her! Hooray!!

Oh and I am now back to my pre-pregnancy weight. In fact, I think I am a little smaller than I was back then, but I have no 'official' data as yet, so I will let you know how that is going. I do feel smaller and everyone keeps telling me that I look like I have lost weight - but I have had a baby after all!!

On a sad note, I just wanted to say how sorry I was to hear about Belinda Emmett. It still makes me sad to think that someone so young and beautiful could be taken by cancer. I feel so bad for Rove. My husband and I got married a couple of weeks after them and I cant imagine what he must be going through. Makes me want to tell everyone I know that I love them! Go and do the same you lot....

all the best
vxx

3 months old

This is my beautiful Lila who turned 3 months old yesterday! I think she is divine! Thats all...

Lila

Hey there - I dont have a great deal to report, but I wanted to post a pic of my beautiful daughter. This was taken a couple of weeks ago and she only just fits into this out fit now, but I havent popped any up since she was born and I thought I should share.
Will try and take some more this weekend and post them. She is 3 months old tomorrow and I really didnt think I would make it this far!
Oh and I went to a mums and bubs cinema session this morning. Very fun - good to be out there!
hope you have a good weekend
vx

sunny days

Hey everyone - thanks to you all for your kind words and best wishes after my last post. Its been a hard couple of weeks, but I think we are getting there now and I am feeling much better. Having said that, things are not perfect and I am still having trouble getting Lila to sleep during the day. We just spent a week at Tresillian and they thought she was the perfect baby. Had no trouble getting her to sleep ever and we have even got her sleeping almost through the night, we at least until about 6.00am, which is pretty good I think. I think the week there was a good break and now she is 12 weeks old, we should really start to see some big differences in her.

I am feeling better and although I am still getting frustrated when Lila wont go to sleep, especially in the evening, I am feeling much better about everything. I even think I might start going back to WW. Not sure how I am going to manage it, but I think its time! Will either go to Newtown or Dullwich Hill - will have to see what suits us better. I think that I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight - which is surprising considering all the crap I have been eating. I guess I am not snacking constantly- I hardly find time to eat at all somedays. The mothers group meetings with pizza and wine probably arent helping much!

Not much else is going on. Will write again soon, but its good to back in the land of the living!

vxx

I'm back ( I think...)

Hey everyone
Well - I think I am back. To say that the last 10 weeks have been hard is an understatement beyond belief. I never thought that having a baby would be so demanding, trying, difficult and stressful. My life has not been a Johnson and Johnson's commercial, but thankfully, finally, things are starting to settle down and I am starting to feel like my old self again.
Lila is 10 weeks old today. It feels like we have had her for the past 12 months at least. The first 6 weeks are a blur now, but I can tell you a few things.

1. Breast feeding is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Lila couldn't latch on properly. I had constantly aching boobs. I ended up with mastitis twice and after the second time I decided it was just too much stress. I wasnt happy, Lila wasnt happy and I thought it was best to stop. We went to the bottle and was giving her 3 feeds of formula and 3 feeds of breats milk up until last week. Now she is just on formula. She is much more settled and I feel more in control. Its nice to know that it made a difference. Everything started to turn around when I started bottle feeding and although I was adament that I would breast feed for at least 9 months, I think its turned out OK...
2. I am shocked that I had no idea what a big effect having a baby would have on my husband (lets call him A) and our relationship. From the minute we brought Lila home the tension started and I got concerned. I just thought that A couldnt handle the crying, so I nursed Lila to sleep thinking that it would ease the tension a little. It just made him mad that I would 'spoil' her and he didnt feel involved. He started coming home later and later and some nights he would go out and come back at 2am. I felt like a single mother. I could tell that he wasnt enjoying her, but sometimes I felt like he hated her. It was awful to feel so alone and without support. We had such a wonderful, loving relationship and it felt like it was dissapearing. I ended up going to stay at a friends place for a couple of days a) to get some help and b) to give him a break. I realised when I was away that he was a lot of the problem, but he didnt see it that way, and didnt want anything to do with the baby. It turns out he was really depressed and just not coping with any of it - the lack of sleep, the crying, the complete upheaval of our life. I think he is better now, he is starting to really bond with Lila. He actually said 'I love you' to her this morning - a big breakthrough!

3. I had post natal depression. I may still have it now but I am feeling so much better that I am fairly positive that I will be OK. I was in tears daily and really just not coping or enjoying anything about having Lila. It was just horrific. After sobbing on the phone to the community nurse and quite a few friends, I took myself to the GP who sent me to a psychiatrist. Funny thing though - when I finally went to see her I felt silly and wasnt really sure why I was there. The only thing that we talked about that made sense was the fact that I dont have my mum and the effect that would be having on me as a new mum. It sent me reeling for a couple of days, but then I calmed down a little. My best friend LM bought me a book called 'Motherless Mothers' by Hope Edelman. Its a tough read, but it really is starting to make sense of all the feelings I have had since Lila was born. I guess I really didnt factor any of this into how I would cope as a parent which is pretty silly! Now I feel like the haze has lifted and I can actually write this without welling up!

Lila has really settled down and is more content with her own company. I can leave her in her bed and she laughs and giggles at herself. Very cute - but not so cute at 3am! She is also sleeping better and will sometimes sleep 8 hours at a stretch which is just fabulous. She still doesnt really like sleeping in the day, but we go for lots of walks and she normally falls asleep in the pram (but not always!) We are booked into Tressilian next week for a whole week stay. I am so excited about it - I think it will just pull everything together. Sort out her sleeping and feeding and just make me feel more confident about the job I am doing. I really wonder how teenage mothers cope - I guess they just dont have any expectations on themselves. I am a 35 year old, university educated, well travelled, together woman and it really threw me that I couldnt cope. Now I am finally enjoying my baby and feel like this is what I am meant to be doing.

I hope all is well in blog land and I will be posting more regularly now that things have settled down...

vxx

struggle

This is hard work. I really didnt expect it to be this hard and I am struggling a little.
Lila is beatutiful, but she is very unsettled and I am having trouble breastfeeding. I may not be online for a while.
I am sure that it will get better and I know in a couple of weeks I will wonder what I was talking about. For the moment, its tough and I need to concentrate on getting this right and keeping myself together.
If anyone has any settling tips or words of wisdom, can you please pass them on.
Hope all is well out there. I will be back with better news when I can.
vxx

LILA MARIA

Well I'm back and here are the first pictures of my brand new beautiful daughter Lila Maria. Thanks to Phillipa for announcing the news, but for those that didnt hear, she was born on Friday 21st June at 8.06pm, weighing in at 3.716kg and 50cm long. Its taken me this long to get my act together and post, but I am sure you all understand. I have been quite busy...

It all started ( well not really) on Thursday (20/07). I went to see my Obstetrician only to have him tell me it would be a while and to come back and see him after Tuesday. I was well over it by then and didnt really want to wait, but I figured I would probably be in hospital from Tuesday, which meant I would be there for my birthday on Wedensday. My darling hubby suggested we go out for a nice dinner as an early birthday celebration and last hurrah before the baby arrived, so he booked a table at Cafe Sydney which is one of our favourite places. I got all dressed up in my sexiest pregnancy outfit - the tight black dress with my boots and my cream coat and picked him up after work.

We had a lovely meal and some wine (just one glass for me) and he said he wanted to give me my birthday present. He gave me a lovely oi oi nappy bag and I was quite content with the lovely meal and the thoughtful gift. Then he tells me that he bought me another gift because it was a special birthday and I deserved it, tells me to close my eyes and pulls out a ring box - with a stunning white gold ring with 10 diamonds! I was totally shocked and super impressed that he had such perfect taste and could be so thoughtful. I then found out he had been planning it for 3 months and I had NO IDEA!! What a man! I am so lucky...

Anyway, we got home, I 'thanked him' for my diamonds and went to sleep, only to wake at 1.00am with strange pain. It wasnt awful, just a little uncomfortable, but I couldnt sleep, so I sat up and watched some bad TV. At about 6.00am, I woke my hubby and said to him 'I think we are having a baby today' and he looked at me confused. I got him to time my contractions for a while and then we called the hospital. By then they were about 7 mins apart and still uncomfortable, but not awful. I spoke to the midwife and she told me to come straight in - we started laughing. It didnt seem real... I leisurely had a shower and packed some stuff and we got to the hospital at about 9.00am. By then I was 6cm dialated and a bit uncomfortable, but it wasnt awful. The midwife was determined to get me to make a decision about pain relief then and there. I was always going to see how I went, but decided to get the gas ready. We put some music on (bjork, radiohead, jeff buckley) and just hung out - working through the contractions and talking and laughing in between - it was actually quite fun. Unfortunately, the action had stopped and I wasnt progressing.

By about midday, they suggested they try breaking my waters. I was not loving that idea and told them I had to think about it. I think it was about 2.00pm when they did and thats when it all got a bit yucky. They broke my waters (which was awful), the pain got worse and worse and I decided that I couldnt cope and didnt want to play anymore. I needed the epidural.

I have a fear of needles. I know most people do, but they make me cry. As soon as the anaesthetist came into the room I lost it and was a wreck for about an hour while he did his thing. But as soon as the drugs kicked in, I was calm and almost serene. By this time it was about 4.00pm and I was fully dialated by about 6.00pm, but my obstetrician was busy delivering another baby - so I had to wait... I was so exhausted from no sleep and the exhausting day that I fell asleep waiting for him. Just incase you dont know, you can feel the pressure of the contractions, but not the pain, so it was OK. At about 7.30 he arrived and I he got me to push. She was a bit twisted around, so it took longer than expected but it wasnt too bad. Hard work though. I have no idea how women cope with no drugs - if anyone out there has managed it - big respect!!

When she was finally delivered, they held her up for me and I still had no idea if she was a boy or a girl. I was POSITIVE I was having a boy, so the shock of a girl took a while to sink in. She was born at 8.06pm. I got to hold her straight away and it was completely surreal. I couldnt believe I had done it and my baby was here. We named her Lila Maria. Lila is a name that I really liked and Maria is after my mum who passed away 21 years ago the day before she was born. Some kind of full circle I think...

She is a lovely baby. We are so thrilled to have her. Her sleeping is a little erratic and my boobs are REALLY sore, but she is just adorable. Will write more soon, but I just wanted to get her birth down in writing.

take care

vxx

waiting...

Ok, so I officially have 6 days before this baby is due, but I was positive that it would come early and now that the time is getting so close, I am not so sure the baby realises that I want it to come early! Am feeling fine, but it really doesnt feel like anything is happening. I have had a little bit of back pain, but thats about it. So, I am starting to get a little bored - not working and not having a baby - kind of in limbo land. I know I should just relax and enjoy the quiet time, which is what I will try to do today, but I do feel like I am going a little stir crazy.

My lovely hubby took some wonderful belly shots on the weekend. I cant believe how huge I am at the moment. Its quite frightening. I will try and post some of them this week. He even took some 'nudey' ones - but I am not sure if I am game to put them on here - I will see how I feel on the day!

The strange thing is that my friend LM - whose baby was due 2 weeks after mine, had hers 4 weeks early. Her lovely little boy Harvey is fine, but smaller than estimates of my bub, so I have no idea how they cope scrunched up in that small space, or more importantly, how they get out!!
Its going to be an interesting journey to say the least, but I am ready for it (I hope!!)

The kitchen is in. It looks lovely but its not 'finished'. We need to tile the splashback and add some finishing touches like plants and maybe some kind of blackboard or pin board. It feels very white and stark, but its lovely! We were saving all our wedding presents for the 'new kitchen' so we have all new stuff - saucepans, appliances, cutlery, glasses - its like Christmas over here. Very exciting. Will post some pictures when its done, but that could be months away!

Finally, I wanted to send thoughts to Emily and Jonny. I just heard the heartbreaking news that they lost their precious baby and am devastated for them. We are all thinking of you...

Will update again when I have some news.
vxx

update

My first week of maternity leave is almost over and quite frankly, I dont know how I had time to work. I have been so busy with appointments and housework and cleaning that I am seriously run off my feet. Its been fun, but I am amazed at how little lazing around I have actually been doing!

Just thought I would check in with a bit of an update. I am feeling huge, but fine, and the doctor says there is no indication that the baby will come early, so I still have 2 or so weeks to go. I am sure they will fly by, but it is hard to believe that by the end of the month I will have a child! I have been stressing slightly that we are not 'ready' in terms of having the right 'stuff', but it turns out since the baby shower, we have plenty of stuff and I have nothing to worry about. Once I unwrapped and sorted everything, I realized we have more than enough clothes, nappies, lotions, wraps and the like to last me a good couple of weeks, and I am sure we will get more once bub is born! So we are fine! I am feeling really calm about the birth, so I hope this feeling stays with me and I dont start freaking out. I am quite looking forward to seeing how I deal with the wole experience. Should be an interesting and wonderful time!

The kitchen update - looks like it will be going in this weekend! All the yucky sanding and painting were done last weekend, so its just the actual fixing of the cabinets that needs to be done and it doesnt look like a huge job, so I should have my kitchen by the end of the weekend. I know it will look fabulous and I know how eager my lovely hubby is to finish it, so it will be a joy for the both of us once its done! I will keep you posted.

Thats all for now. Tomorrow my mother-in-law wants to take me shopping and out to lunch. It will either be fabulous or scary. I will let you know. We have never done anything just the two of us before, so it will be interesting. She is so excited about being a grandmother, so it should be fun enough!

I just wanted to send a big hug to Phillipa. She is a very brave and inspiring woman and I just wanted her to know that I was thinking of her!

Hope you all have a great weekend!
vxx

One more day of work

I cant believe that I have got to this time... Tomorrow is my last day of work for about 12 months. Its a weird one. I have worked here for nearly 9 years, but I am not leaving. I'm not going on holidays. I am leaving to have a baby. It feels quite surreal, like its happening to someone else. When I sit at my desk I am the same person, its not until I look down at my ever expanding belly that I realize that I am actually about to give birth to my own child.... Weird.

I have been feeling really well. Am still seeing the chiropractor and she is still my saviour. I feel better at this stage than I did a month ago. The pain relief is wonderful. I have however, finally put on the 10kg that I lost last year, and am starting to feel quite bulky. I was saying to the hubby last night that I feel sooo much bigger and awkward like this than I did when I was just fat, but I am carrying around the same weight. At least I know that in a couple of weeks time that I will lose some of it again. Really looking forward to hitting the pavement again and getting fit again. My goal is to be able to run 5kg non stop by the end of the year. I have never been able to run, so it will be amazing if I can do it.

I had a baby shower on the weekend. It was a little bit stressful, but lovely to have my girls around and have them so excited about the baby. I am really lucky to have such amazing and generous friends. We got such an amazing haul of gifts. It was quite overwhelming, and now I finally feel like I am little bit more prepared for bring home the little bundle. We got lots of wraps, blankets, towels, lovely sleeping bags, some beautiful outfits, quite a few toys, sheets, care packs of oils, bath wash, lotions, a fantastic set of bedding and a very funky mobile for the cot. The car was full of gifts. MIL also found his entire collection of hard cover Dr Seuss books that hubby had when he was a child. Really lovely and he was so excited! All I need now is a couple of sets of sheets and things like bibs and a nappy bag and I will be all sorted. A big change from having nothing at all. I am very glad that we decided to hold off buying anything until now. Plus, because we dont know what we are having, I want to wait to buy clothes, so we can get some funky coloured stuff. Not that we are planning on the typical pink for girls and blue for boys, but you know what I mean...

Now for the kitchen update - for the past 2 weeks, we have had an empty room with a fridge and no walls. The kitchen arrived last week, and is stitting in the dining room. All of the stuff from the kitchen and the dining room are sitting in the 'babies' room with all the presents from the baby showere and supplies (nappies etc). The house looks like a war zone. The bathroom has become a mini kitchen/ bathroom/ laundry. Our 'pantry' is a cardboard box on the lounge room floor. There is dirt and dust everywhere. Can you tell I am getting a little over it??! At this stage it looks like this weekend will be spent finishing preparing the room (sanding, painting, polishing the floor) and it will be next weekend that the actual kitchen goes in. So I will have a week at home where I cant really do any nesting. I should theoretically have a couple of weeks up my sleeve, but it wasnt the relaxing start to maternity leave that I was hoping for. Hubby is beside himself, and doesnt really know when he is going to get it all done, but we are on a bit of a deadline... I am trying not to stress, and sometimes I think, 'what does it matter? we will manage' but its hard to stay calm and reasonable when I am 37 weeks pregnant and the baby can theoretically come any time from NOW!!!

Anyway, enough of the vent. I am sure I will be better after this weekend - the sanding will be the worst. Once that is done I will be able to start cleaning upstairs at least!

Hope you all have a good week.
Will be online from home after tomorrow - life as we know it is about to change!
vxx

Georgia

I finally got some pictures of my lovely niece Georgia! She seems like a lovely baby and I am really looking forward to getting to know her better!

May she have a lovely and blessed life!

baby boom

How good has it been this week with all the beautiful babies being born? I loved Katie's story. I cant believe that she gave birth to her lovely Natalia in the ambulance. Awesome! And congratulations to Kellee who had her lovely baby this week also. All the best to the both of you and enjoy the next few weeks of bonding and special time! Very exciting!

I have 5 weeks to go until I can join the ranks of motherhood. Have decided to stay on at work for another week and now I will finish up on June 30th. Its partially due to how good I have been feeling since I discovered the chiropractor and partly because we are getting a kitchen installed at home over the next 2 weeks and I dont want to be sitting at home in the demolition zone when I should be nesting! I will be fantastic when its done, but I am not really looking forward to the next few weeks without a kitchen. We have a microwave and a BBQ with a gas burner, but I cant see myself standing out in the cold of the morning making porridge! So there will lots of toast and cereal and a bunch of BBQ's and takeway but thats OK! It will be worth it to have a beautiful clean kitchen with storage and a dishwasher and space. Bring it on! I will be sure to take some before and after shots and post them here in a couple of weeks!

This weekend will be demolishing the old kitchen - hubby can do that. He insists that I go out for lunch with the girls and go and get some pampering - so I am getting a pedicure on Sunday. Its just so that I am not hanging around nagging him, but its a good excuse to be a bit spoilt!

Hope you all have a great weekend!
vxx

Oh My God...

I just wanted to share something with you all. You may have read that I have been complaining a little about a bit of pelvic pain that I have suffering with during this pregnancy. It has been quite horrible at times, affecting my sleep and definitely my moods. I spoke to my Obstetrician about it and he said it was just normal 'wear and tear' and I had to live with it. Finally yesterday, I thought enough is enough and went to see a chiropractor. In 15 minutes, she fixed 3 months of agony. I cant believe how much better I feel and how this has been affecting my mood. Its like someone turned on the light today. I am going to see her again tonight, and hopefully I wont have to suffer with much more pain for the next 6 weeks (yep, thats all I have left...)
Just wanted to share
hope you are all having a good day
vx

more belly shots

Last weekend we headed down to Watsons Bay for a lovely sunday afternoon with the dogs. It was very sunny, but also quite chilly. Even so, it was lovely to be in the fresh air and be free. I am suffering a little with some pelvic pain, which seems to be getting worse at the moment, so walking isnt the most comfortable thing to do, but I am trying to do a little bit every couple of days. Besides, the doctors recommend 20 mins of walking most days to keep my blood sugar down and that is my priority at the moment.

I really like this shot (apart from the litttle bit of belly that is showing under my top!). I was determined not to be a frumpy pregnant woman, so am wearing mostly tight tops and my awesome jeans that I got from Target for $35, and will probably last me until I pop!

Just one more for you for today. Its a bit far away, but its a nice photo. Its of the lighthouse at Watsons Bay. You can just see my 2 little pooches in the bottom. The little one has just been speyed, so we were expecting her to be really sooky that weekend, but she was a trouper! She is becoming very affectionate and I cant help but start to really like her. It was hard at first, because the older one Sabi, was the perfect dog, and she has been quite scatty and a bit of a pain, but I think she will improve! I will get some closer pics up soon - they are very cute (both poodle crosses) and I might even get a pic of my DH! We wonder how the dogs will cope when the baby comes, but I am sure we will manage! They will be a bit jealous tho at first.

I spent the weekend reading a great book 'Secrets Of The Baby Whisperer'. It was recommended by a friend of the hubby's and had some great advice on routines, sleeping and feeding. It had made me quite excited about the baby coming and I feel a bit better about having the knowledge and the support to deal with what is going to happen in the next few months!

Have another appointment this week, so will find out my weight gain on Friday. I think its around 7kg, so thats not too bad with 6 weeks to go!! Eeek!!

Hope you all have a good week.

vxx

cute pic for a friday

Just thought this was cute

Hope you all have a great weekend!

vxx

I am an Auntie!!

Just wanted to share the news - my sister in law had a baby girl early this morning. Her name is Georgia Maria. I think she is around 3kg - I saw her and her mum this morning (she was in the same hospital as my obstetrician) and she was tiny with lots of dark hair. Am going to see her again properly tonight - very excited!

I went to see the specialist today about my diabetes. It doesnt sound like a huge problem, I just have to watch what I eat and do a little bit of exercise every day. I think I can manage that. I still have only put on around 6kg (although the scales at the specialist say that I have put on 8kg) - either way I am still lighter than I was a year ago, so I cant be doing too bad!

I have about 4 weeks left of work, and we are having our new kitchen installed soon, so its all happening in my world at the moment. Its going to be a crazy 2 months!

Will try and get some photos of my little niece in the next few days and post them for you all.
Hope you are all having a good week
vxx

It was too good to be true.

I am sure this is nothing to worry about, but I got a call from my doctors office yesterday and she told me that my glucose tolerance test came back with high sugar levels and I have gestational diabetes. All I was told was not to freak out, and that I would have to see a specialist next week after my regular obstetrician visit.

My thoughts are that if it was of any serious concern that I would have to see someone about it immediately, so I am worried, but not too worried.

Just wondering if anyone else has had any experience with this. I have done a bit of reading and it seems that I have a lot of the indicators, being

• being overweight;
• having a family history of diabetes; (my maternal grandmother was diabetic)
• being older than 30.

I am just a bit dissapointed because I have been quite good with my eating and not put on too much weight, so I was thinking I wouldnt have to deal with anything like this...

I am going to stay positive and try and be as healthy as I can. One of the main issues that can arise from GD is having a large baby, and I really want to try to have a 'normal' delivery, so I am going to eat well, stay away from the lolly cupboard and do a bit more excercise - and DRINK MORE WATER!!

Will update more after I see the specialist. Hope you are all having a good week.

vxx

what's with bananas?

Just a little whinge...
I just went to my local IGA supermarket and they were selling banana's for $13.99/ kg!! I know there was a horrible hurricane in FNQ and there is a terrible shortage, but what am I supposed to do about my banana cravings - I am pregnant after all.
I dont mean to sound self centred and I do feel bad about all of those farmers and residents who have lost their homes and livelyhood, but I am really missing my banana fix!
Thats all - I just had to vent...
vx

finally... the bump revealed!

Greetings - what a beautiful day it is today? Still my favourite weather - I love it! It was quite chilly this morning, but thats OK. Starting to think of what its going to be like getting up and feeding a new born in the middle of the night in July. Its going to be cold.....

I have finally got around to uploading some pics. These are the ones taken in Pearl Beach.

I know they were only taken 2 weeks ago, but I feel like I have had a major growth spurt since then and feel much bigger than I look in these pics!

My hubby is insistant that we go out and do a 'photo shoot' pretty soon to document me as a pregnant woman. I am quite looking forward to it, but I know I will have to be in the mood. I want to take some pics in my dress, and I may even do some tasteful nudey shots. Just imagine Demi Moore on the cover of Vanity Fair (but I will look nothing like her!!).

We have finally started getting organised and got a few things for the bub - have borrowed a bassinette and a change table, and bought ourselves a pram - can you believe that is the first thing we have actually bought! I cant believe how laid back I am being - but really, I dont want to go over board. All I really need to get now is the capsule for the car and some nappies and we will be sorted for the time being. I know there are plenty of other things I should get (like clothes and wraps and stuff) but I am sure they will be appear....

Start my ante natal classes this week - I think this will be the start of it becoming very very real... Will let you all know how it goes!

Hope you all have a great week. Enjoy this glorious weather and smile at the wonderful news of the miners being freed!

vxx

my favourite time of the year

I love this time of year. There is still a chill in the air and but the days are warm and clear. There is nothing better than a bright blue sky, warmth from the sun and a little bit of nip in the air. It really is my favourite! All is good with me. I am feeling well and happy. Work is busy, and a little bit challenging (especially the 7 flights of stairs I need to walk up every morning to get here...) and all is progressing well with the pregnancy. I went to see the doctor this week. He was very happy with how things are going. I have no complaints and although I have started putting on a little bit of weight, its only 6 kg since I fell pregnant, which I am OK with. Infact, I still weigh less than I did this time last year (when I hit 90kg). My goal when I fell pregnant was to try to not reach 100kg, and at this rate I dont think I will get near it! Lets just see what the next few months have in store for me. I have 12 weeks to go. Where did the time go?

Have had a pretty busy couple of weeks of late. Very social and busy which is still tiring me out, but is all good. Easter was spent catching up with lots of friends (especailly those with kids) and eating too much! Last weekend we went to a beautiful spot called Pearl Beach near Woy Woy just out of Sydney. There were 6 of us and we hired a house just near the beach. Spent the whole weekend eating and reading and relaxing. It was just lovely. The others all insisted that I should take it easy in 'my condition', so wouldnt let me help with the cooking or washing up, which was such a treat as I feel that's all I do when I am at home. The place is beautiful - just over an hour out of Sydney and its feels like you are a world away. The house we got was lovely and really reasonable for the weekend for 3 couples, and the beach is really nice with lots of beautiful rock formations and places to walk. The hubby took a few shots of me highlighting the bump, so I will get him to help me put them in a post. Some of them turned out quite nice.

Its been great having all these 4 day weeks and I am dreading the thought of a full week next week, although work has been kind enough to find me a parking spot so I dont have to catch the train in which will make it so much easier for me to get to work. I only have 8 weeks left until I go on maternity leave, so it will be interesting to see what these next few weeks hold.
I hope I manage ok...

I wanted to say a HUGE congratulations to the beautiful and inspiring Philippa who reached goal this week. You are so amazing and gracious about everything you do! Well done to you!

Also, I have a baby question if anyone can help me. The boys name we have picked out is the same as a friend of ours baby (a close-ish friend who we have only recently started spending time with, but we are likely to see quite a bit of them in the next few years). We are thinking of using the shortened version of the name but the husband thinks we cant because its too close - its the only name that I like (for a boy). Is it still OK to use it, or should I just get over it and find another one? I am really struggling with this one!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend and I will be back sooner rather than later!
vxx

Pregnant Woman Shouldnt Stay Up Past Midnight

I am exhausted today. Just got back to work after a 2 day conference. Two nights after midnight are not that great for a pregnant lady! I cant complain too much - at least I got some sleep and I am not hung over like the rest of the office. Most of them were out drinking until 5.00am! I cant imagine ever doing that again. The conference was at Doltone House at Pyrmont and we spent 2 days listening to music and hearing about how good we were! The night were taken up by lots of food, drinking (by all but me) and a couple of bands - over the 2 days we saw Pete Murray, Augie March, Something For Kate, Shannon Noll, Human Nature, Alex Lloyd and some new acts like Kate Miller-Heidke and The Inches. I am pretty lucky to have this job, but sometimes I wish I could just be at home with the hubby on the couch - I think I am getting too old for this!!

Have been pretty busy for the past few weeks. The trip to Peppers Anchorage Resort in Port Stephens was divine. Its such a beautiful spot and we had a really relaxing time. Just hung out - did a spot of fishing, went for a swim and a really lovely walk along the beach. The hubby was really excited about going fishing and was rigging up his brand new rod in the hotel room, when the knife he was using to cut of a bit of plastic slipped and found its way into his hand. We had been at the hotel for 10 minutes and I was already running around frantically looking for bandages - we quickly found out that the wound was quite deep and would need stiches, so I drove him all around Nelson Bay looking for a medical centre! He got 3 stiches in the end, and the doctor said that he was very lucky that there didnt appear to be any nerve damage. If that was the case we would have had to go to the hospital in Newcastle for hand surgery! Hows that for a bit of holiday excitement! The minute we got back to the hotel - all he wanted to do was fish! He is hooked - pardon the pun!!

The resort is beautiful - I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance. Very secluded and right on the marina - if you like expensive boats (like we do) you will be in heaven. We hired a little run about for a day and fished for a couple of hours - caught a few but nothing worth keeping - it was just peaceful and relaxing (until the sea sickness kicked in - I am pretty sure it was pregnancy related, I never get sea sick normally)...

Nights were spent at the RSL which is always fun in those coastal holiday places! We also had a lovely dinner in one of the waterfront restaraunts - nice!

Always nice to get away...

Pregnancy is going well. Have been feeling well and I went to see the obstetrician last week and all is fine! I have put on a total of 2 kg since I got pregnant. 2. Can you believe it? I actually went and bought some maternity clothes on the weekend and everything was size 14, which means I have dropped a dress size! I find that quite astounding after trying to lose weight and struggling and now it doesnt seem to be a big issue. The other thing is that I am really embracing my growing belly and wearing quite tight clothing. I always used to wear baggy tops and things that didnt cling, but now I am loving the snugness. I bought a really beautiful black dress to wear to my gala dinner last night - stretchy and tight, it hugged my belly and made it look HUGE and I LOVED it. So many people commented on how flattering it was (and the best bit was that it was on sale and it was a MEDIUM!!)

At week 25 now. Feeling very pregnant and finally look like a proper pregnant woman. Its awesome! My only slight issue is that I think i have Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction. It causes me quite a lot of pain some days and some days I dont notice it. I think I might go and see a chiropractor, as my doctor is a bit old fashioned and just says that its normal pregnancy wear and tear and tells me not to worry about it. The issues I have is that I have to walk up a lot of stairs to get to work and I dont want to have problems when I want to give birth naturally. Will see what the chiro says..

Hope all is well in blogland. We bought a new camera last week, so I will try and post some belly shots next post!

have a great week, until next time vxx

Yes, I'm still here!

Well, havent I been slack of late? Its been over a month since my last entry and I must admit I am a bit ashamed of myself. I guess I dont really feel like there is much going on, even though we are really busy and there doesnt seem like time to stop and take a breath.

A quick recap - baby stuff seems to be coming along well. The bump is well and truly showing now and I have even gone out and bought myself some maternity clothes. I am really liking showing off my belly - its a proud little status symbol!! The good news is, last time I went to the docs, all was fine and I had only put on 1kg from where I was before I got pregnant! I am pretty happy with the way the weight thing is sitting. A lot of people have even told me that I look like I have lost weight. I am eating lots (but trying hard to eat lots of the right things) and doing a bit of exercise, but I am definitely not dieting so dont any of you worry that I am trying NOT to put on weight deliberately! Its starting to feel like I am getting a bit bigger now, so my next doctors vist (next week) will be the true indication! I have also started to feel the baby move a lot more, which is weird and also very exciting! Its all becoming more and more real... On a slightly worrisome note, I fainted on the train this morning - probably more to do with the fact that the train was packed and I was hot rather than anything serious. I am going to have to catch a different train, or at least get myself a seat in the morning, because if my hubby wasnt with me it would have been much more horrible than it actually was! I dont think its my blood pressure, but I will make sure I ask the doc about it next week.

We started the baby shopping on the weekend. Basically just looking for a cot and a pram. My dear friend Kim has offered to lend us hers (when she decides she wants to stop at 2 kids and not go for another!) but until she makes that decision, we need a back up plan. It was pretty full on traipsing around the shops with so many other pregnant women - and who knew how expensive everything was! We say a couple of prams at around the $1500 mark, which I just found horrendous! We settle on a mid range (@ $300) pram that was very light and easy to carry. I dont really mind what it looks like as long as it doesnt give me grief and I can lift it up the stairs! We also had the mother in law come with us on Sunday - night mare! She is claiming to be an expert on all things baby - based on the fact that she had 1 child, 31 years ago. It was really painful and it was such a relief that the hubby mentioned it first. I guess its pretty funny - that old mother in law cliche, but it really was a trial. We didnt buy anything - have decided to wait until Kim decides and then we will go from there!

I have been geing to the gym a fair bit - started doing aqua aerobics! The class is full of oldies and much bigger ladies, but you can work as hard as you want to and I actually find it a good low impact work out! I am surprised at how puffed I get, but also surprised at how hard I can work. The instructor is always giving me the safe option which is really good. She said I shouldnt get too hot and cook the baby! I am a bit scared at how tight my bathers are already though - I just assumed they would stretch and I wouldn't have to worry about getting a bigger one, but it really feels like they are going to break! How embarressing would that be??!!

Looking forward to this weekend - we are going away to Peppers Resort at Port Stephens. I have been there before on a work conference a couple of years ago, but it will be so nice for just the two of us to go there together and relax. We have been running around so much lately and trying to get the house in some semblance of order for when the baby comes, that it will be so nice to hire a dingy and go fishing or just lay by the pool and read. I really want to order room service and eat breakfast in bed! I am sure it wil be lovely. Also great to get Friday off work! We were planning on going to Vietnam for our holiday this year, but we just dont have the time, so we have booked in a couple of weekends away, just so we get some 'us' time in before July...

Its all good. I have been reading all your blogs regularly and keeping up with all the news. I cant wait until the beautiful Phillipa reaches goal - I will be soo excited for her! And I want to send my love to Mary who seems to be having a rough time right about now!

Still loving the Biggest Loser. Loved it tonight with the makeovers - Kristy is looking beautiful and how amazing did Shane look without that beard! I love it when you can really start to see the change in people - its just really inspiring! Just like you all...
Have a great week
love vx

introducing

I thought you might all like to have a look at the first pictures of our little one - 19 weeks young and doing well.

Dr says it has all the right bits in all the right places, so I look forward to getting to know them better when they get out here!
Am starting to look properly pregnant now (at least in tight clothes), but have taken to wearing baggy clothes, so no one has really noticed. I am almost half way there, so its hard to believe that in around 4 or 5 months I will have myself a baby. Very excited.

In other news, all the changes have now been announced at work and I was deemed not ready to be put into a managers role, so will stay in my current position with a different boss. I was extremely dissapointed as you can imagine, and have said barely 2 words to my current boss. I really have lost all respect for him and have complained to HR about the way he dealt with everything. I mentioned that I had told him that I was expecting, and she knew nothing of it and was involved in the decison making. Instead of being bitter and sulky, I have spoken to HR at length and we are developing a plan to have me move into the role that I want before I go on maternity leave. I am determined to show them that I can do it!

Going to try to have a fairly healthy and productive weekend. On Saturday I am going to a prenatal yoga class with my pregnant buddy, and then possibly going to the gym. Sunday, the hubby is in the final of the bowls pairs (he plays comp lawn bowls - he is too funny), so I will be up early to cheer him on and in the evening we are heading down to the domain for Tropfest. Its tricky doing the picnic thing when you have to be careful about what you can and cant eat, but I am sure we will manage. I also am really missing my glass of wine at social events, but its a small price to pay!

We need to start sorting out what we need for the baby, and although we really dont want to go overboard, we want to be prepared, so any suggestions on MUST HAVES will be very much appreciated!

Oh, and I am LOVING The Biggest Loser. Even the hubby is addicted. Am finding it really inspirational, my main problem is that its on at precicely the time that I would normally go out and exercise. Last night I had to bite the bullet and went for a lap around centenial park while the hubby was at football training!

Thats all from me - hope you all have a great week!

vxx

cricket feast

I just had to share this little story about the people that were sitting in front of us at the cricket yesterday.
A bunch of about 5 guys turned up with a styrofoam box and an esky. Through the course of the day, this is what I saw them eat....

• A BBQ Chicken, ripped up and put into buttered rolls
• A cheese platter with stilton, chedder and pate on crackers

then it got interesting...

• fresh prawns
• 1/2 LOBSTERS - yes these guys brought LOBSTERS to the cricket!!

the next time I looked up, they were eating

• individual creme caramels in bowls
  
• then, a packet of tim tams, some grapes, one bar of lindt dark chocolate orange chocolate -

it was at this point that I yelled out 'I hate these people, have they got an expresso machine in that box' and the guy turned around and gave me a square. I felt a bit sheepish, but god it was good.

Then there was another block of lindt chocolate.

I mean, who brings that kind of stuff to the cricket? And the funny thing was, that there wasnt a woman in sight. We couldnt work out what kind of men would be organised enough to bring that kind of food to the cricket - LOBSTER AND CREME CARAMEL.... It was very weird, but a little bit inspiring! Where was the moet and the sashimi, and the truffles and the fresh oysters... Any other suggestions from blog land?

vx

Wonderful weekends

Well, despite being a little sunburnt and sore, I had a wonderful weekend. Yesterday was my 2nd wedding anniversary and we had a wonderful day. Started in the morning with pressie - hubby bought me a beautiful black pashmina. You are supposed to give cotton on your 2nd anniversary - neither of us could think of anything! So the pashmina (being wool) is not actually cotton, but he figured it was a natural fibre so it would pass! He is too funny!

Went to Zen in Darlinghurst for a massage. They have this beautiful couples room where you can get massaged together. It was really lovely. Although, I am bit concerned as I find the massage thing really uncomfortable. I spend the whole time wincing with pain and wondering when the relaxing will start, and before I know it is over and I feel more tense than when I started. I am loathe to admit that to most people (especially the hubby) but I just dont enjoy it. And I know that its not just because he wasnt a good masseuse, because I have felt this way on previous occasions. Am I weird? I feel like I am weird, cause massages are good right? Oh well, I can spend my $$ on other things! So today my back is sore. I think he hurt me...

Then we headed off to the cricket. It was an awesome day. The hubby and I decided that we were both equally into the game - you know how normally one person is more into it than the other. Most guys think thats weird, but I am quite happy with the synergy of that! We took water and lots of healthy snacks from home and completely avoided the pies, hotdogs and hot chips that we usually get sucked into. And because I stayed away from the alcohol (not by choice mind you) I walked away at 10.00pm, and felt great! It was however very hot! And we were in the full full sun all day. Luckily the people we were with had sunscreen and I broke my no hat wearing rule and donned a cute little cowboy number, but I still got a little burnt on my chest. Well a lot burnt and I look silly! The game was great, really fun crowd and a really good day... and Australia won, so that always helps!

The rest of the weekend was also fun. On Saturday we did what we have been talking about for 2 years and picked out, designed and put a deposit on my new kitchen. I am so excited. I keep calling it my kitchen, because I do most of the cooking, cleaning and washing up, but it is our kitchen. Its from smartpack kitchens, a company in Stanmore that sells you the kitchens and you put them together yourself (aparently in a weekend!!). We spent a little more than we were expecting, but it will look awesome and sooo much better that the wood-slate-no storage-no bench space-door's falling off mess that we have now! We also went out for a lovely dinner with some friends to a place in Summer Hill called Pier 26. Probably not WW friendly, but really lovely seafood and great value for money!

On the baby front, I am getting a belly and feeling great. I dont feel tired at all and am looking forward to when I actually look pregnant, so people dont think I am getting fat again! I am sure that people round here are starting to think I am Oprah!! Not much planned this week. We dont really celebrate Valentines day, so I wont have any goss from tomorrow, but I am having my 19 week scan on Monday, so I should have pics and news from that! I cant believe that I am almost at the half way mark - who would have thought it!

Hope you all have a great week. I am very jealous that I missed the bloggers lunch on Saturday. I looks like you all had a wonderful day! Top stuff!
vxx

the news is out there

Well, I finally got around to letting my boss know about the baby on Friday - considering I am 17 weeks, its amazing that he had NO IDEA! The good news is that he was over the moon excited and agreed to keep it to himself, as well as pushing all the change of role stuff forward to this week. I am pretty sure it was the right thing to do, and I feel so relieved that I dont have to hide it from work anymore. I have told a few of my close work mates who are estatic, but am going to wait another week or so before I share the love with everyone!

I cant tell you how good it feels to be able to relax about it all. I am felling well (if not a little concerned about my growing belly!) but I know that I need to do a bit more exercise. Its been hard the past few weeks with my conference and the hubby's birthday, but I have no excuse now and have to start moving again!

Today is the 4 year anniversary of meeting my husband. We met at a dodgy bar in the city on a Tuesday night at something like 3am, so I woke him up this morning at 3am to wish him happy anniversary! He is the best and I am so lucky to have him in my life! This Sunday is our 2nd wedding anniversay - how's this for a day of contrasts - we are going to day spa and getting a couple's massage in the morning and in the afternoon we are going to the cricket final! I think its hillarious, but I know it will be a great day. I will just have to see how I go at the cricket without any beer!!

Hope you are all having a happy monday!
vxx

a moment of clarity

Am in a much better mood today. Have decided to not go ahead with any further testing. There is a 0.16% chance of there being something wrong, and I figure that is small enough for me. The hubby went out last night, so I didnt get a chance to discuss it with him, so when we talked about it this morning, we both had made exactly the same decision for exactly the same reason, so it must be the right one!

Have a fun weekend planned. Actually doing a tour of Paddys Markets tomorrow - its a special tour of the asian food section (part of the chinese new year celebrations) and then we are going to a friends 30th, where we get to spread more baby love!

Hope you all have a great weekend!
vxx

Where does the time go?

Apologies for my quietness again this week. I was on a work conference for the first half of the week and no where near a computer. It was a great couple of days, and let me just tell you, the Hilton in Sydney has great food if you ever have a conference there! Just try and stay away from the cakes!

Thanks again to everyone for all the comments and advice you have left over the past few weeks. I am sincerely overwhelmed that there are so many people that take the time to be interested in my humble little life. Although I have not told work, I have decided that I am going to tell them sooner rather than later. It is getting too far into it and I am sick of hiding what should be something worth celebrating. Besides, I really do think that they will be more pissed off with me if I wait another 4 weeks and tell them after I get the job, 'by the way, I am going on maternity leave in 4 months'... Many people I have spoken to about this have said I am damned if I do and damned if I dont, so I would rather do what makes me feel more comfortable.

I went to see my obstretrician again today and finally got my results back. Unfortunately, they were not as glowing as I would have hoped, and although they still are well within the low risk category, I am still not comfortable with the risk they pose. I am feeling quite disturbed and distracted which I dont think is good for me or the baby. I guess noone said this would be easy, but I didnt expect there to be this many decisions to make this early on. I will decide what is right in the next few days. If I decide to have further testing, there is a slight risk of further complications so we just have to work out what is more important to us.

On a lighter note, it was my hubby's birthday yesterday. I bought him a Sydney Swans jersey a couple of months ago (I would haven given it to him for christmas, but we decided not to do christmas presents last year when we found out we were having a baby), so I have been hanging on to it, to give to him as a present. Well, imagine my delight when I found out that the guest speaker at our conference was none other than Paul Roos, the coach from the Sydney Swans. I took it in with me and got him to sign it on Tuesday, and gave it to hubby yesterday. He was so excited he nearly cried. It was so cute. Its so lovely to give someone a present that they really love. I took him out to dinner last night to a restaurant in newtown called Oscillate Wildly. If you ever get a chance I really recommend it! The food is lovely and fresh, the menu changes every 2 weeks and is always interesting and a little bit unusual, and they do 3 courses for $45, which is such good value for a great dining establishment. And the best bit is that it is BYO, so that helps keep the costs down. I'm not drinking at the moment as you can imagine, so it was very funny watching hubby trying to drink almost the whole bottle on his own. He was a hoot! I had a small glass as it was a special occasion, but it was a very small glass!! We had a lovely night and he had a really lovely birthday!

So on that note I must be off. Thanks again for all your interest and support and I promise to be back soon, and a little less distracted...

take care
vx

Thanks so much to everyone for your lovely comments and support from my last couple of posts. I am so impressed by how lovely everyone in blogland is and its a great place to be at the moment! The overwhelming consensus is that you are still interested in my baby bump stories, so I will continue to share them with you!

So, I still havent heard from the specialist, and since its been 10 days since I saw him, and he told me that he would have the results in 3 days and call me if there was anything to be concerned about, I have decided that everything is OK and I can relax. I have to go and see my Dr next week and I guess I will get the full update then, but I think all is OK. I am feeling so much better, less tired and more normal. I am starting to show, which is part fun and part distressing, but mostly fun!

Now I have a little dilema that I need to share with you all. Any feedback or suggestions are very welcome. Anyone in HR, may know the answer, but I am really stumped! I have been talking to my boss over the past few months about making my job a managers position, which will in turn mean more money, more responsibilty and a bit more say in what happens in this place. I am not so concerned about the $$, but everything will help at the moment as we need to save for when I am on maternity leave. Yesterday, I spoke to my boss again (for the 2nd time this year) about this, and it was confirmed that my role will definitely change and decisions will be made in the next 4 weeks - the whole department is being re-thunk, and there will be a lot of changes over the that time. I am now 15 weeks pregnant and starting to show. Do I wait until after the decisions have been announced before telling him or tell him now and hope for the best? I have been here for 8 years, and this is the closest I have come to negotiating a job that I REALLY want, and I am scared that I will blow it! Its very confusing - I feel like I'm damned if I do and damned if I dont!

I get the feeling that if I do the right thing by them, they wont do the right thing by me. Does anyone have any thoughts or advice for me? I feel like I am screwed!

Apart from that I am really happy and well - eating properly and feeling good!

Hope everyone is feeling great too!
vxx

Thought I would give this a go...

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
1996 - I was living in London and working HMV on Oxford Street. I was living with my lovely friend Irene and my bestie Scott (he was gay, we shared a bed for a year - dont ask..) I had very little money, but was going out a lot and clubbing alot (as you do in London). Also had a chance to travel quite a bit - went to Italy and Belgium. I was in love with Jarvis Cocker from PULP and a guy from my work called Chris! I came home that year - via New York and hated being back in Sydney, but ended up sharing a house in Newtown with 2 girl friends - and so my love affair for the inner west began!

2. What were you doing a year ago?
A year ago I had just started at the newly merged SONY BMG. It was all very strange being in a new environment after working in the same building with the same people for 7 years. It was a strange time. I was also planning my wedding - getting a bit stressed, but also very excited about the big day. I think it was about this time last year that my hubby sat me down and said 'do we really need to do this?' and I actually said to him 'if you want to cancel, its your call, but you have to think about it for a couple of days', because that is the caring understanding woman that I am! After I had planned the whole thing, invited EVERYONE and booked everything. Thankfully he came to his senses (he was just nervous) and we are happier now than we have ever been!

3. Five snacks I enjoy: (god this is a hard one)

• home made pizza on lebanese bread
• cheese, olives, pickles and wine (not so much wine at the moment)
• oysters
• fruit toast or date scones
• weight watchers chocolate mousse, layered with diet rasberry jelly, topped with strawberries, in a kind of parfait - try it, its very YUM!

4. Five songs to which I know all the lyrics:

I am reknowned for knowing lots of lyrics to lots of songs, but I will try and pick 5 (my favourite karaoke tunes)

• Especially For You - Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan
• All My Life - Foo Fighters
• Common People - PULP
• Torn - Natalie Imbruglia
• Better man - Robbie Williams

5. Five things I would do if I were a millionaire, apart from donating to charity:

• Buy the dream house with water views
• Get my hubby the best digital SLR camera I can find
• travel the world, possibly even move to Thailand and start my own guest house
• Open our own business - a beauty salon especially for men
• cure my insomnia

6.Five Bad Habits:

• surfing the net at work
• half finishing projects (knitting, crafts etc)
• watching too much TV
• not keeping in touch with my family
• grooming my hubby (dont ask!!)

7. Five Things I Enjoy Doing:

• cooking
• going to gym (when I actually get there)
• going out for breakfast
• suduko
• going to the cinema

8. Five Things I Would Never Wear (or buy):

• shorts
• strapless tops or dresses
• high heel shoes to work
• a bikini (what was I thinking?)
• I dont do hats, ever

9. Five favourite toys:

I'm not really a toy person, so this is a tough one

• my dogs
• my sunglasses
• my CD collection
• the new smoothie blender
• the air conditioning in our house (what a godsend!)

I wasnt tagged on this, I just thought it would be fun to do! Feel free to do it yourself if you wish!

down-ward dog

Yes I know I have been quiet and I am sorry about that. I have been around and reading other people blogs, which I am loving, but I have just been absorbed with my own thoughts and as I havent been focusing on the weight thing, I am feeling a bit out of the 'group'!

Everything is fine. I am back at work, so trying hard to stay off the net. Well maybe the trying hard bit is a lie! Work has been OK. Moments ofbusy and moments of boredom. Its really tricky to focus and resist the urge not to tell everyone my news. I am starting to think that its not even real, except for the fact that my clothes are all starting to get tight around the waist. Its rather bizzare as people are still noticing the weight that I have lost and commenting on how great I look (which is lovely) and I know in a couple of weeks they will be noticing the ever growing belly!

I had my 12 week scan last week, which actually showed that I was 14 weeks gone, so that knocked 2 weeks off the whole thing. Things looked great with the baby, but some results were a little scary. I had to have a follow up test (also on Friday) and they told me they would let me know in 3 days if the results were bad. I havent had a call yet, so fingers crossed I can start to relax and enjoy this time. Being pregnant should be exciting and thrilling, but instead I still feel aprehensive and really scared. After tomorrow, I will put my relaxing boots on and start to love the ride!

My exciting news is that I had lunch with 2 close girlfriends last week on 2 seperate days. And BOTH of them are pregnant as well. Not as far along as me, but still - I am so excited to have friends to share this with!! The best part is, my dear friend LM is my oldest mate. We have known each other since we were little and my mum and her mum were friends and they always used to tell this great story about how they used to 'bounce tummies' together when they were pregnant with us! (we were born 3 days apart). Now we get to carry on the tradition! I am so thrilled for her and for us both.

On the food front - I have been pretty ordinary. Having too many snacks (trying really hard to keep them healthy ones) and I have only been to the gym twice a week for the past few weeks. I did a yoga class last week and it felt like I pulled a muscle in my ass!! I think it was from all the 'down dogs'. The pain has gotten progressively worse and it now feels like my lower spine is out of alignment. I am trying to talk myself out of it (it actually worked yesterday), but I did 50 mins cross country on the treadmill last night and its a little bit sore today. I think the worst is over, so everything should be fine!

I hope everyone is having fun out there. I will try and blog more regularly, I just hope you dont tire of the baby bump stories!!

take care vxx

and another thing

I just wanted to let you know that I went to visit my obstetrician yesterday. We get weighed every visit as a matter of course, which I would think was fairly normal. The strange thing is that I have lost 3kg since my last visit a month ago, and am now sitting at 76kg!
I have gone from weighing 90kg (almost 20kg overweight - infact being obese) , when I started WW about 5 months ago to now only being 5kg overweight, which is such a blessing going into this pregnancy!
My body will truly thank me for this is a couple of months time! Gotta love a bit of forward thinking!
Happy days vxx

The Happiest Of New Years

Thought it was time to return for the year. I am not back at work yet, but decided to give this a go on the home PC. So far so good.
We had a great Christmas - spent Christmas eve with the family and all of Christmas Day at our friends Lachlan and Andria's. It was so relaxing and peaceful and yummy! We spent most of the day in the backyard with our dogs and everyone was very chilled out and happy.
New Years was just as nice - we had a small BBQ at ours. It was nice and relaxing and the best bit was that we didnt have to go anywhere...

I am a little embarressed to admit that I havent been exercising too much (how hot has it been!) and my eating hasnt been fantastic, but I have a pretty good excuse. I am now 3 months pregnant and really dont think that now is the best time to be dieting as such - although I am still trying to eat good food and avoid junk (which I have been pretty sucessful at!)

So this will take my focus away from hitting goal and onto making the healthiest baby that I can make. And I would really love it if I can do that without putting too much weight on. My aim at the moment is to no put on over 15kg, but I really dont know how achievable that is. I am visiting the obstetrician today, and fingers crossed I have only put on 1-2kg in the first 3 months!

As you can imagine my hubby and I are over the moon and although I am terrified of the next few months, I am also thrilled that we were able to get pregnant without too much hassle. I feel very blessed.

Hope you all had a lovely new year and I look forward to catching up with you all in the coming weeks!

Take care
vx