Love, bubs and life on our little farm

I throughly enjoyed staying with my parents and I know Elka loved it - what 18 month old toddler doesn't like endless adoration and attention!

We cooked Christmas cookies, chocolate crackles, decorated Christmas fruit cakes and did all manner of festive things. Elka developed a strong obsession with Santa - he was mentioned all day everyday, we had to visit him numerous times and all Christmas decorations and songs were accompanied with her bright little voice yelling "SANTA!!".

Well Santa lived up to his golden status by delivering her a see-saw and new textas etc. She then went onto to be very spoiled with our under the tree presents including a barbie lap-top (HUGE success - she loves it and has learnt letters since using it!), toy moving horse and a newborn doll.



I also got very spoilt with my lovely hubby saving my best pressie till the very end - handing me a little box in which I unwrapped a gorgeous diamond necklace! When he explained the significance of what he had chosen I was even more touched. It is two concentric diamond circles and he said it represented me being pregnant and carrying our children. Awww. Not only that but its beautiful and sparkly ;) Big brownie points to Jase.

The day finished with way too much eating of our traditional hot lunch (turkey, lamb roast and ham followed by a devine Strawberry Hazelnut Gateau - very excessive!)

We decided to head home to check on the farm and to make sure the heavy cyclonic low rains hadn't done too much damage. Then enjoying the freedom of holidays with no plans, we hit the boxing day sales (oh yes I got some bargains including a new Seafolly bikini, Napoleon make-up, a silk caftan from Bardot and some boring but useful maternity tank tops from Kmart) and stayed at our beach house enjoying the cosy rain and a delicious dinner out at our favorite resort.

Yep its been a good festive season so far.

Being pregnant and with a toddler, needless to say we have minimal plans for New Years Eve but I am looking froward to the week of holidays we still have left with very little besides catch-ups with friends planned.

Feeling like crap - got one hell of a summer head cold. Being pregnant means nothing stronger than panadol and even that I dont like taking much of.

So I used retail therapy -went shopping for xmas groceries and instead hit the Crossroads 50% off entire store sale. They are a random store - a little nanna, a little Fashion Fair-esque but recently have had some cute dresses that are pregancy friendly.

So I bought a skirt that I am actually using as a strapless dress - its pretty cute in real life. This photo doesnt do the colours justice.

And yes it did make me feel better for half an hour or so... or at least distracted me from wanting to die ;)

Seems I am going to wear out all my spending on the pre-xmas sales rather than the Boxing Day/End of Year sales. I am so very weak in the face of clothing discounts!

Just in case you wanted a little something for yourself for Christmas (hey we all need something pretty to wear on the day!), check out Portmans special for 40% off everything in store with their voucher off the web. Deal is on until Tuesday.

I couldnt resist and made a special trip in to use the voucher on a gorgeous silk singlet with tie-dying and dip dying detail. Too pretty to not buy at 40% off!

I had gone off Portmans clothes but recently I have to say that their fabrics and patterns have been really pretty.

Having a baby is a beautiful amazing thing that just blows my mind.

But.... its sometimes just designed to be an exercise in tolerance and in testing your pain threshold. Honestly at times, it can be like 8 months of a very subtle water torture.

So "most" of my nausea has passed now at 16 weeks, so instead I have jumped into some of the later pregnancy joys. The "sleep training" - the hormones that give you pregnancy insominia, you drag your tired butt around all day just dreaming of bed and then when you fall into bed, bing can't get comfy and fall asleep. Not to mention the 5am wide awakes.. For me this is all amplified by my lower back pain - another pregnancy symptom I score.

Add to that the numerous night toilet trips to pee and the vivid pregnancy induced dreams that make me toss and turn most of the night and you have broken sleep long before the little newborn is on the outside demanding midnight and 4am feeds.

Last night I dreamt about Elka swimming and drowning in a farm dam, I was so desperately trying to save her in my dream, that I threw myself sideways out of bed and woke with such a hammering heart, that my chest was actually hurting. Needless to say it took an hour of tv watching at 1am to calm myself enough to sleep again (oh and of course a creep into her bedroom to see her sleeping little shape).

To finish it off - I have started getting my leg cramps too - excruciating cramps that snap into my calves whilst I am asleep. I suffered them all last second and third trimester despite whatever supplements I took and advice I listened too. And it seems I will be again.

Oh yes - starting to feel very pregnant now!

But the part that makes it ALL worth it? I can really feel bub strongly in the last few days - thumps, pokes and kicks and I have even felt them from the outside with my hand. And that is just the most amazing thing feeling a little being in there!

Random choice of date for an update but I have a 15 week belly pic so I thought I better do an update.

Tummy seems to have popped - not fitting a lot of clothes now and I am wearing most shorts etc below my bump. A bit of back ache and some sciatic nerve pain but other than that feeling pretty strong and fit. Although my feet just ache and ache by the end of the day, would help if I had a job where I sat down for some of the day!

Had an obs appt this morning, heard the heartbeat which is always nice.

Most notable is that I am finally feeling much better! Only mild nausea mainly if I don't eat. Its good to feel almost human again. Hurrah for the second trimester! Although poor old Jase has been on the receiving end of a few hormonal outbursts...

This is really the best stage of pregnancy - you feel less sick and tired and you are still mobile and relatively agile. I am feeling bubby when I sit down and relax (which only happens at about 8.30pm) - little thumps and knocks. So cute.

On the countdown now until our 19-20 week scan where we find out the sex! Exciting! I feel like we are having another girl...

We have been keen to pimp our entry path. We inherited a pretty pathetic set of stepping stones which have always been awkward to use and not so impressive to look at.

With our extensions to start in the New Year (sometime!) we wanted to ensure that our front door is still obvious, as the extension will protrude from one side of the house, making our front garden almost a courtyard and it would be good to direct the eye towards our entry.

We bought the same pavers that we recently paved our laundry courtyard with - they are beautiful and a really soft colour that matches the house trim. And we bought the same trimming blocks in dark charcoal. I am not usually a matchy matchy person but the two areas are on different sides of the house and I think it offers some continuity in theme...

And so in the stinking heat and heavy humidity (paving in Summer is always the best time lol), poor old Jase slaved away, whilst I supervised (site foreman) and Elka enjoyed her toddler pool in the shade of the verandah (tough life of the toddler). But my impressive hubby knocked over the whole job in the one morning!

And so here are the before and afters.






Hello lovely new path!




I am a happy home owner - although poor Jase has to move onto the next area of paving - our new garden/steps area. More photos to come!

But my pants now longer do up... so hit DFO I did. So much for other peoples xmas presents - bah! I was a Christmas grinch and got myself some lovely flowy tops and dresses to cover my protruding bump (must take a new belly pic!). Forever New has some great long line work blouses - soft 100% cotton and very pretty. I also got a very summery Witchery baby doll singlet in soft pinks patterns with a brown top half. I am slightly less convinced on a very pretty 60's swirly mini dress in pinks and purples but the fabric was too pretty to say no and I think it could be tucked into a nice work skirt to "serious" it up for work...

I am a hater of maternity clothes - seriously how do they make them so mumsy. You can't force me into a pair of cropped cargo pants at the best of times (d-a-g-g-y and soooo not slimming!) so I am not going to pay a fortune to wear some when I am feeling less than glam anyway. Don't get me started on the long peasant style maternity skirts (so early 90's) or the poofy, sorry "floaty" tops (because my top half needs to look bigger!).

So yep I was the size of a small whale last pregnancy and still wearing my own clothes - thanks to the black and white elastic belly bands purchased from Ebay for $5 each. They hid my open flies and held everything up. I also found some great stretchy waisted pants and skirts from Valleygirl etc and bought some tailored pants in size 12 to give me some extra room. I probably spent less than one item of maternity wear from that great offender of mumsiness Pumpkin Patch Maternity Wear.

Of course the maxi dresses get a big shout out too - best.things.ever when you are not keen on tightness around your tummy.

And for work tomorrow - well I have just remembered that I bought that gorgeous plum coloured Calvin Klein dress that falls so well over the bump and will help me make the most of my new cleavage (hey need to enjoy it while I can!).

I might be a Mum but am not planning on looking like it until I can help it :)

I am a happy girl and not just because I survived my hens weekend in Sydney - I even managed to dance the night away and not look a teeny bit pregnant. Great fun to let my hair down but a few glasses of bubbles wouldn't have gone astray!

No I am blessed this time because I have been granted a wonderful promotion at work - I have advanced a whole level which now makes me a senior scientist rather than just "scientist". Well its important to me ;) especially as it has taken most people there about 10 years to get to that level and I have done it in three. So I am definitely glowing at the moment - its nice to be good at what you do and love it too. Not only that - but the promotion is being back paid - so we will eventually get a lovely couple of lump sum payments, not to mention the increased pay rate will be very welcome during my maternity leave at half pay. Life was good anyway and we are so blessed in our life so this is just a very tasty cherry on top.

To add to my good mood, my nausea is finally lifting - I have not had to eat every 2 hours today just to stop from gagging - whoohoo! And my parents arrive today and Dad is babysitting Elka tomorrow so that Mum and I can have our Day Spa day - can't wait! Bring on the massages and pampering :)

I wish and hope everyone has moments like this xoxo

Before we get hooked into the Christmas spending, we have to purchase our next years worth of hay first. We normally buy 100 bales and get it delivered by a truck - this is a costly exercise - over $1000 but much cheaper than trying to buy hay in small amounts through winter when it is out of season.

So I am currently waiting for the truck to arrive -the shed is tidied and waiting. Packing 100 bales of hay safely so it doesn't fall or combust is tricky and will have to wait for Jase to get home from work as I am not allowed to hoik them around now that I am pregnant. In the meanwhile - they can be thrown out onto the driveway at the entrance of the shed and for once I will be hoping for no rain - at least for today!

I had my NT scan yesterday and bubs is looking pretty perfect as are my risk stats. A nice relief. The 12 week scan is lovely as bubs is so little that they fit on the screen but you can still see all the little body parts - amazing stuff.

Now.. I head to Sydney for hens weekend tomorrow - I have clothes organised that are relatively slimming for the bump but I am still battling the nausea and the dizziness is getting worse so its going to be a demanding trip to be in a party mood the whole time. I will do my best!

Feeling a little better - still sick and quite dizzy but not nearly as bad as before. Have only put on 1kg or so despite eating lots of chocolate and ice cream - again it seems pregnancy has brought on a sweet tooth for me). Am feeling my appetite starting to grow too.

I am a little short tempered though - I do get a little frustrated when Elka pushes the limits or when I have cleaned up spilt milk for the 5th time in 5 minutes etc. I am hoping that the second trimester will bring a little patience for me along with the extra energy and well being I am crossing my fingers is coming my way!

My sciatic nerve plays up every now and then. But overall I am getting through long busy days at work with little more than some achy feet. I am blessed with being strong and healthy and I do appreciate it.

I have had my bloods for the NT scan done and I am having the scan on Thursday - looking forward to it! Although I had sneak peek at bub the other day at the obs as he scanned me to check for the heartbeat again. So very cute - they become little mini-bubs from blobs so quickly!

Looking forward to finally telling all my workmates so I can wear fitted clothes again.

Fingers crossed all will go well on Thursday. Bring on the second trimester - I already have a pregnancy massage booked for next week - can't wait!

My little one is growing up big time now. She is chatting and repeats just about every word we say now. I think she must be learning about 10-15 words a day. She is good at stringing words together now too. She often chatters that "Mummy said..." and then off into her own language. I would love to know what I am saying!

She is doing great at toilet training. She is getting good at telling us she needs to go and we have caught quite a few wee's on the potty and the last two mornings she has done her morning poo on the potty. She has also been successful using the potty at daycare too. She gets rewarded with a stamp on her hand which she wears very proudly. I am so impressed at how clever she is but its something you can't really "brag" to other people about cause really who wants to hear about poo's and wee's lol! Aahh the glamour of being a parent!

She is very good at pointing out her body parts - she can do nose, ear, eye, mouth, head, hair, shoulder, neck, chin, tummy, arm, hand, finger, knee, foot and toe and say all of them. She loves to pull my shirt up and pat my tummy and say "baby".

She sings little snatches of Baa Baa Black Sheep which is her favorite song.

She gives big smooches accompanied by a very loud drawn out "Mwwaaaaaaaahhhh" which is so cute. If she gives anyone else a kiss then she always finishes by demanding a kiss from me - so sweet!

She understands complex instructions and loves to push things and be a little naughty to get attention. Her naughtiness is often puncuated with a huge smirky grin on her face.

She is a great eater - very coordinated wiht her fork and spoon now. She loves to have frozen fruit ice blocks and loves cold water. She loves to sit on the bench and help me cook - we cook mini cupcakes and she loves to have them for morning and afternoon tea.

She feeds the horses tiny handfuls of hay through the fence and tells Sooty to shoo when he is trying to sneak out the front door. She gives her dolly's bottles of milk, wraps them in blankets, pats them to sleep and pushes them in her little toy stroller. The other day the cat was lying on the floor in the way of her toy stroller so she stood there yelling "beep beep"! Which is something I say to her when she in the way of me. I hadn't realised that she had picked it up - made me laugh!

She is so smart and aware of everthing going on - I can't believe she still has so much growing to do!

I love living in a semi-rural location - the people are just not as rushed or as rude as the city. Since I work in the city, I get to see both ends of the spectrum most days. Driving in the city areas is pretty nasty stuff these days - but out on our country road I find myself relaxing and letting people in or giving them lots of room for an easy merge and I nearly always get an appreciative wave.

I often stop on the way home from work to pick up milk etc at a lovely little country supermarket/greengrocers. I am normally juggling milk, fruit and a toddler and often the person in front of me will smile and wave me through the check out first. I think that is so thoughtful and the gift of that persons time is very much appreciated by me.

I also find that grocery shopping up at our village - I will quite often have someone offer to return my trolley since I am trying pull Elka, her water bottle and everything else out and into the car. When I mentioned this to my Mum she commented that its sort of a country thing that everyone takes the time to return their trolleys anyway, let alone a strangers as well!

And the other day whilst getting petrol, the lady sales assistant came rushing over to say hello to Elka and to offer her a lollipop (OK points here for being so lovely - but I wasn't too keen on Elka eating the lollipop -which got stuck in her hair and thrown out hehe).

I just want to make sure that in my hectic days, I also take the time to make those small gestures to other people. Letting someone ahead of you at the checkout that has a small child or has less groceries than you... or helping someone in need load their car etc, even letting someone in front of you at an intersection when driving with a wave. I am definitely going to try to fill my days with some good karma!

We have worked all year without Jase taking any rec leave so we decided he deserved a few days off. So we had Thurs-Fri off and headed to my parents beautiful farm in the Byron Bay Hinterland. Its green, lush and so relaxing. The house is timber with huge verandahs and beautiful views to the National Parks ranges and to the coast (you can see the Byron lighthouse at night). The chickens and horses are there for pats and feeds, there are koalas and wallabies to admire. I feel my tensions falling away when I stay there. Not to mention my lovely parents who make every visit feel special and full of nice things to do and yummy food!

I especially enjoy watching Elka play with her beloved Nanny and Poppy. She literally ran to both of them for big hugs when we got there. Its a wonderful rest for me and I love seeing them soaking up their time together. They had lots of toys saved up from my childhood for Elka to play with - they certainaly don't build them like that anymore!

We spent a lovely day at Byron Bay where Elka got herself completely drenched in her only change of clothes so we had to buy her a tourist T-shirt to wear LOL. Well Poppy had to buy her one since he was responsible for her falling headfirst into the water (and he dragged her out by her ankle as he didnt want to put his shoes down from his other hand - great work Poppy!). I am constantly amazed at how Byron Bay and Bangalow have changed since I was a child, they are different places now. But I don't dwell on the changes - I just try to appreciate the lovely shops and nice cafes for what they are and hope that at least the hinterland area will stay relatively quiet and not become crazy-touristey.....

Its nice to be home now - I have had a rough week of sickness unfortunately and today my boobs have decided to behave like they did when my milk came in - ouch! And not so comfortable in 33 degree heat!

Now Mum and I are planning our next Day Spa day - cant wait!! Jase is treating me to an hour pregnancy massage - ooh bliss and I am going to get a few other treatments too since I can't use all the plunge pools and spa's in the Bath House...

Maybe the thought of that will get me through the hectic week of work that is fast approaching. How to hide my huge belly too! I am 12 weeks on Friday - wow! But still a week and a half until my NT scan so I am not keen to tell work just yet.... Hmm where did I put my loose tent clothes ;)

Had another one of those moments where I went "whoa I am so blessed.." and I thought I should acknowledge my special little everday moments from the last 24 hours that add up to me being a happy person.

I am 10 weeks today - that has gone so quickly. I am welcoming double figures with my nausea slowly but steadily improving. I feel pretty yuk most of the time and I get strong waves of urges to vomit but its not constant like it was. I even woke up this morning and gritted my teeth waiting for the ickiness to hit but instead I felt OK for awhile - oh happy days!

Most notable symptom at the moment is my strong food cravings and aversions - I just have to have a certain food and won't rest until I get it. In the last few days it was cucumber sandwiches - unfortunately the homemade variety aren't as good as my craving which was based on the ones I have had at Hyatt High Teas in Canberra - sigh. Jase has informed me that we are not flying to Canberra to have said sandwiches damn it. He tends to draw the line at driving all around SE QLD like we did searching for my perfect caramel slice last pregnancy.

Otherwise my sciatic nerve has decided to come to the party all ready. If I lift Elka too much or lie still too long then I can barely move my hip. Looks like I will be finding time to book some chiro sessions to get through this time. Fortunately this time round I have learnt to slow down - a necessary skill learnt from the tedious sitting around stage of having a newborn. So I can handle the fact that I am less efficient and achieve very little in a day. Although nesting has hit all ready - I have spent all morning cleaning out our walk in pantry (we will never starve in a lockdown emergency!) and its now sparkling and I am a happy girl. Hormones are a funny thing.

3 weeks until my NT scan -cant wait.

Here are my first belly pics