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

going hoff!

Apologies for my absence. Its not that I have been busy, its just that I feel like I have had nothing to write... well thats not exactly true, but I havent been in a writing mood.
The last few weeks have been pretty good. I have had a lot on with work. The Chritsmas party and a few functions.
This week we actually had David Hasselhoff come in the office. He was in our studios recording a single and came up to meet us all... and I have proof!

How funny is that!

For a couple of reasons I havent been superstrict with my eating and I have done no excercise for the past few weeks. Having said that I have managed to avoid all alcohol at christmas parties and have been eating pretty well considering. I had to visit a doctor yesterday and I was weighed in the surgery and guess what!?! I weighed in at 78.5kg!! Its the first time in years that I have weighed under 80kg and man was I excited! It means that I have lost a total of 11kg since I started at WW, and that is going to make such a difference to me for the coming year.

Have an interesting couple of weeks coming up. My mother in law goes in for chemotherapy today, so we are having a quiet christmas with her this year. I dont know if she will be up for much, but I think our priority is spending time with her. I also have 2 weeks off work, so I may not be able to post for a couple of weeks, but will give it a go from the home PC. We have just had the internet connected at home, so fingers crossed.

I wish you all a wonderful christmas and a wonderous 2006. I know that you will all keep fighting the good fight and reaching your goals next year. You have all been so inspirational and its been wonderful discovering these blogs and starting one myself. Well done to everyone on all your successes this year. You all ROCK!!

all the best

vxx

disaster averted

Things are looking back on track for me. I stayed off the booze last week, stayed within my points and went to the gym twice on the weekend (as well as a couple of walks during the week). I even got up at 6.00am this morning and went to the gym! I feel like I am more motivated and more determined to beat this!

After my dissapointing 0.9 gain last week, I am delighted to say that the scales showed a loss of 1.3kg this week to take my total loss to 9.4kg. I am really happy with that. The only minor bummer is that I am sitting on 80.1kg and would have loved to have cracked the 70's. The scales at the gym show me as 79.5kg, so I was hoping to see a 7 today... never mind, I know that its all good.

Despite this, I have decided to not go to my meetings for the rest of the year. I will still track and weigh myself at the gym once a week, but I cant justify going to meetings at the moment. I will be able to explain more in the next few weeks, but the for the moment I think its the right decision and my leader agrees. I didnt make the decision lightly and I hope that I can keep on track on my own - I know I have your help and the help of my lovely hubby - so it shouldnt be too hard.

I dont have too much on this week. Am going to Oasis tonight and we are going away with a group of friends at the weekend to Hambledon Hill House for our group 'festivus for the rest of us', but the guys all know that I am on WW so they wont pressure me into eating crap!!

I hope you all have a good week. Congratulations to Phillipa and hugs to Mary...

vxx

rock and roll star

Thanks to everyone for your supportive posts. Rest assured I wont be going back to that meeting (ever) and I will return to my normal meeting next week. I have been eating lots of fish this week and am off the booze completely, so things are looking good. My points have been good and I have been for 2 good walks so far, with the weekend to come. Feeling much more positive!

I just have to share a little bit of my night last night. I had such a good time and am still buzzing. Most of you now know that I work for a record company, so I am lucky enough to go to a lot of really good gigs. Sometimes this is exciting, but sometimes I would rather stay home and watch bad TV on the couch with the husband and the dogs. Last night was a night that I would have rather stayed home, but I made myself go to see the Strokes (yes, poor me!!). It was at the Gaelic Club in Sydney. I get there and the fun starts. I ran into an old work mate who I hadnt seen in a while and was delighted to find out that his wife was expecting a baby. (good news #1) The gig starts. They are rockin'. Its all good. Someone whispered in my ear that Liam Gallagher was in the room. Yes, Liam Gallagher from Oasis (this may not excite some of you - but I am a mega fan). He was standing in front of me for most of the night. I had to pinch myself a few times and keep control. I was watching the Strokes and Liam Gallagher is standing in front of me...

The gig ws really good. They played a lot of new songs, but they also played some old favorites like 'New York City Cops', 'Last Nite', 'Hard To Explain' and more. The room was buzzing and everyone was thrilled to be there. Then I get a tap on the shoulder. Another old workmate and her fiance are there. They have been in LA for ages and I hadnt seem them for about 5 years. And they are having a baby as well. (good news #2 or is it #3). It just seems like we are at a stage in our lives when good things are happening and people are really settling down and making new people! That makes me happy. They are also 2 really lovely couples so I am thrilled for them all!

Ok - I am rambling, but I havent had a fun night like that in ages. Then I get to work this morning and half the office has been out drinking with The Strokes and Oasis until 5.00am, while I was tucked up in bed. I probably wouldnt have gone out (am getting tired in my old age) but that is just too rock and roll!!

Anyway - I better get some work done - am off to hear some more stories and live vicarious through my workmates.
Good vibes to all this week!

vxx

Uh Oh...

Well, well well. I missed my Monday weigh in this week. An old friend was in town and it was the only day she could catch up, so I went to WW today. I had had a pretty lax week - not terrible, just not as careful as I should be. I think I went over my points twice (slightly) and I didnt do too much excercise, so I was expecting a gain. So, imagine my dismay when I put on 0.9kg! I was a bit bummed with myself, but the icing on the cake was when I said 'Gee thats not good' and the weigher said coldly 'no its not'. Some words of encouragement would have sent me away quite positive, but that just made me want to chuck in the towel!

There are lots of reasons why I wasnt so good last week, but they all sound like excuses. The hubby got a new job and we got some other really good news, so we went out to celebrate with a lovely dinner during the week. I havent been feeling 100% so I have been tired and not able to excercise. My friends make really yummy party food and I over indulged very slightly on Saturday night. But seriously, I have had much naughtier weeks and lost and I am really bummed that it got so bad...

It has been so great reading your posts this week. The lovely Phillipa contines to bring smiles to my face. She is so positive and happy. It really makes my day!

I am going to try super hard to be good this week and try and get some excercise in, but I think I may stop actually going to WW for a while. I resent having to pay money to people to have them tell me I have put on weight. I apologise in advance for my mood, but I am really dissapointed in myself today.

I will pop back in later this week when my mood improves!
have a great week
vxx

Groundhog Day

Today is a good day. I had a lovely weekend and I am just feeling quite happy with the world. I think I know that summer is just around the corner and its nice to know that I wont spend this summer in my only pair of jeans because I have nothing else to wear!

The hubby and I spent most of yesterday lying in a park in Balmain with our dogs reading the papers and enjoying the sunshine. There is something really relaxing about taking off your shoes and touching the ground. And the dogs love it too!! We were both som calm and happy when we got home.

Went to see Kelly Clarkson last night - not really my favourite singer, but I had to go for work and she was excellent! It was a good way to top off the week after meeting INXS and John Farnham... I will try and post some photos soon (after I work out how to do that!).

It has been so exciting to have people read my posts last week. Thanks to everyone who took the time to leave messages. I am really thrilled.

So I had my weigh in today and lost another 0.5kg which I am really happy with. It makes my total loss to date 9.1kg and I am soooo close to getting under under 80kg. So I got my 13 week star and I hit my 10%. YAY! So if all goes to plan this week I will hit my 10kg and get under 80kg, but I cant think that way - I will just do my best and hope for a loss!!

I am getting a little frustrated with my body tho. My size 16 clothes are falling off me (a good problem to have) and I have been trying on size 14's and they dont fit me. I am sure this will only be a problem for a week or so, but its really frustrating me!!

Nothing big planned for this week. Trying to stay fairly low key before the stupid season gets into full swing - by my diary its November 25th this year - HELP!!

Have a good week all
vxx

copy cat - 12 things about me

I found this on Phillipa's blog and I thought I would do my own! I think its a really interesting way to get to know people and I actually found it an interesting way to find stuff about myself!

Here goes - drum roll please
12 things about me

12 Movies I Like
Trainspotting
The Princess Bride
Fight Club
In Her Shoes
Say Anything
High Fidelity
My Best Friends Wedding
Pulp Fiction
Before Sunrise
Moulin Rouge
Big Fish
The Sure Thing

11 bands/ artists that I like
Radiohead
Franz Ferdinand
Jamiroquai
Groove Armade
Kylie Minogue
Oasis
Natalie Imbruglia
Faithless
PULP
Robbie Williams
Suede

10 Things about me
My husband and I got married in Las Vegas
I work for a record company
My new years resolution every year is to be on a game show
I spend every Friday night at Five Dock bowling Club
I saw Madonna at Madison Square Gardens in New York City on my 30th birthday
My mother died when I was 13
I have 2 dogs called Sabi and Suki
I watch Friends on a regular basis
I traveled around Europe on my own for 6 months when I was 22
we are renovating our first home

9 Good Friends
Anton - my beautiful husband and the best thing that ever happened to me
Kim - my oldest school friend and someone I can tell anything to
Irene - good friend from London - work - life
Andria - my new bessie
Amber - my new work bessie
Jeff - the first friend I made independant of school - he lives in London now and I miss hime
Amanda - she was with my the night I met Anton and she is tops
Lauren - excellent girlfriend who I work with
Jane - a really good friend - her daughter Caitlin is my god daughter

8 favourite foods
Oysters (and all seafood)
Pizza
Japanese
Italian almond biscuits
Yum Cha
Bloody marys
Turkish delight (the proper stuff not the one with the chocolate)
Mangos

7 things I wear daily
My wedding and engagement rings
My Paloma Picasso rings that I bought from Tiffanys in beverly hills
My chain and cross that my hubby bought me for our 2nd Christmas
A bra
Watch
palmers cocoa butter
ear rings

6 things I hate
Idiots
My neighbours
People who go around the supermarket the wrong way
Bad manners
Agro
Missing my train

5 things I do daily
Cook
Eat breakfast with my husband
Track my food
Surf the net
Shower

4 shows I watch
Survivor
The Biggest Loser
Sunrise
Spicks and Specks (wish I could be on it!!)

3 Places I Have Lived
London
Newtown
Sydenham

2 Things I want
A baby
Take my hubby to Europe

1 Person I Want To See Right Now
My hubby – he had a job interview today and I want to see if he is OK

I hope you like it - it was fun to write!!

monday report

Well - an OK result
Lost 0.5kg so that brings me to 8.6kg total loss. We talked about fibre in our meeting today, so I popped in the health food shop and got myself some psyillium husks to try and help move things along!
Planning a good week of exercise and I dont think we have anything naughty on this week, so I cant wait to get to 10kg lost. Having said that, INXS are coming into the office on Wednesday and I will be so nervous that I will have to have a couple of vino's to calm myself!
bye for now
vxx

why did I start this?

greetings to all.

This is my first ever blog. I am a bit nervous, so be nice to me! I have been reading so many other blogs the last few months that I thought I should start my own! Its a no brainer really.
My main focus at the moment is my weight watchers obsession. I didnt want to call it a journey - it sounds so cliched, but I guess that's what it is. To be honest its my repeat journey. I did it in 2000-2001 and lost 25kg and since meeting my now husband I put most of it back on - actually I put all of it back on!
I decided a few months ago that I didnt like being the size I was and I wondered if my hubby would have even noticed me if he met me today. It doesnt seem like a fair comment to make, but I just wondered it all the same...
So I started back at WW in August and have lost around 8kg to date. Its a start, but I have at least 15kg to go. I know I can do it, I just have to see if I can keep it off forever this time!!

Nothing else happening this week. I think I am going to Kelly Clarkson on Sunday night (for work) and the hubby is going for a blokey poker night on Saturday so I might have a girls night in - chick flicks and early night for me I think...

By the way, Monday is my weigh in day, so I will probably post again today.. stay tuned for some good news - fingers crossed xxx