Summary Sunday (On a Monday Again!)

The dog ate my home work. That is all I have to say about missing Summary Sunday AGAIN!

1. How far along?: 23 weeks 2 days
2. How big is bub?: According to What to Expect, Our Monster is the size of an ear of corn at 22cms long and 680 grams... That's some heavy corn!!!
3. Weight gain?: Still lingering at about 1.5 to 2kgs above my pre-pregnancy weight.
4. Stretch marks?: No new ones.
5. Maternity clothes?: SO COMFY!!! A friend of mine has offered me a big bag of her maternity clothes to borrow rather than spending big on new stuff.
6. Sleep?: I want more. I struggle to get comfortable and I toss and turn. Once again I was awake a 1 am this morning. Me want sleepies!!!
7. Best moment last week?: My mate C arriving from Australia for a visit and asking before he touched my belly. I LOVE people who ask!!!! Note to others: Just because I'm gestating doesn't mean my belly is public property!
8. Food cravings?: Chocolate, although I don't need it.
9. Symptoms?: I'm starting to get really sore feet and ankles on super hot and humid days... not everyday, just some. But on these days, by the afternoon my ankles are looking a bit puffy and my feet feel like I've been standing all day!
10. Exercise?: Yoga.
11. Gender?: Still don't know.
12. Movement?: More in cooler weather and lots in the evening before bed.
13. Belly button?: Still threatening to pop but not following through.
14. What I miss?: Being comfortable. A good night's sleep. Vodka.
15. Labour signs?: None
16. What I'm looking forward to: Heading to Sydney on Thursday for a quick visit with my mum. Hopefull shouldn't be too stressful! Cross your fingers for me!

Bumparama! Rocking da belleh!!!

Cyloney Summary Sunday

From earthquakes, to severe weather warnings, and now we have a tropical cyclone on its way for a visit. We expect TC Jasmine to reach us late Tuesday or early Wednesday, unless it blows itself out or dramatically changes direction between now and then... Actually I wouldn't mind locking down for a few days with The Man and avoiding everyone, although it shouldn't take a cyclone to get some alone time!

Onwards with today's Summary Sunday (please note it's actually on time this week)!

1. How far along?: 22 weeks 1 day.
2. How big is bub?: This week Our Monster is about 28cms long and should weigh just under half a kilo!
3. Weight gain?: I'm about a kilo (give or take) over my pre-pregnancy weight now, but I feel super porky, especially now that some of my clothes, particularly my jean shorts, are being less accomodating of my growing gut!
4. Stretch marks?: None yet. Yay cocoa butter!
5. Maternity clothes?: I am totally in love with my Bonds maternity singlets. They make my boobs feel so comfy, although people seem to look more at my boobs when I wear them. Less accomodating wardrobe items are falling by the wayside (like the afore mentioned jean shorts) in favour of stretchy, light, non-clinging items.
6. Sleep?: Patchy last week. Some days I feel like I could sleep forever and others I just can't sleep no mater how hard I try!
7. Best moment last week?: Having been so caught up with work it seems like that is the only thing that has comprised my whole last week. It was nice to feel bubs tumbling and kicking away as I spent my days knocking over lesson plans for my new language course.
8. Food cravings?: I'm struggling with food again. Seeming to gravitate towards potato chips and the occasional chocolate, everything else is hit or miss. Although I had a very nice piece of toast with Vegemite and avocado on it!
9. Symptoms?: I'm reflux central this week!
10. Exercise?: Still going with th yoga, but I kinda feel like I should be doing something else...
11. Gender?: Still a surprise.
12. Movement?: Still rumbling and tumbling, although Our Monster gave me a bit of a scare this morning when we weren't up and kicking at our usual time! At least one of us got a sleep in!
13. Belly button?: Shallow.
14. What I miss?: Goats cheese.
15. Labour signs?: None.
16. What I'm looking forward to: I'm looking forward to the start of my Bislama language courses this week. I'm going to be running two a week for 10 weeks. Tomorrow morning we'll know whether or not all the effort on lesson plans etc will pay off! Hopefully too I may get some cyclone induced downtime with The Man, which would be really good, especially considering he has once again worked  much of the weekend!

Here's a picture of my rocking pot belly! I'm looking rather portly!

Have a great week everyone!!!

Summary Sunday on a Monday (again)!

Ok, so my excuse this week is that all of a sudden I have work coming out the wazoo! I'm busily trying to knock over all the pre-paid work from an Australian client, when out of the blue someone contacts me to run some language classes for them! All well and good (and very exciting), but I now have to put together a 10 week language course and workbook for the classes which start next week!!!

All the while we have been fighting third world telecommunications problems here in the past week (where else in the world can a single air conditioner take down an entire telecommunications system?!), so the ups and downs of the internet have not assisted with getting my work done!

Also over the weekend I have been distracted by the greatness of my pickles, after I cracked open this jar of them and got stuck in... DELICIOUS!!!!

Yum yum yum!!!

Anywho... I hope my excuses are acceptable to the general public! And with that out of the way we can now get on with this week's (last week's?) summary...

1. How far along?: 21 weeks 2 days.
2. How big is bub?: According to What To Expect and Pregnancy Lite, bubs weighs in at about 400 grams and is about the size of a spaghetti squash, measuring in at about 20.3 cms.
3. Weight gain?: The weight it slowly coming on but I think most of it is baby and baby related paraphernalia as I'm only about 1 kilo over my pre-pregnancy weight.
4. Stretch marks?: No new ones! I've started slathering on the body butter after showers in the morning though!
5. Maternity clothes?: I've given in! I bought a couple of pairs of maternity yoga pant things and a couple of Bonds maternity singlets when we were in Melbourne last weekend and have taken to shirking my underwire bras in favour of my super comfortable (but very cleavage revealing) singlets! I'm getting incredibly lazy with my clothes! I've always been big on comfort but this is taking it to another level!
6. Sleep?: Still up and down. Some nights are better than others. I keep waking with pins and needles in my arms!
7. Best moment last week?: Feeling Our Monster's kicks getting stronger... Daddy gets to feel them more and more frequently now!
8. Food cravings?: No food cravings, in fact I'm struggling food apathy again and I'm finding it awfully hard to find things that whet my appetite!
9. Symptoms?: Reflux. :o( And MASSIVE boobs! The man looked like all his Christmases had come at once when the lady at the bra shop in Australia said "Hold on a minute and I'll get you the G cup to try on"!
10. Exercise?: Still doing my yoga twice a week... but I'm toying with the idea of going an extra day or two per week.
11. Gender?: A very wise mummy friend of mine said over the weekend, "If the gender was supposed to be the most important bit then babies wouldn't come out head first". Not a bad theory I reckon!
12. Movement?: Every week it gets more and more although I still think we get more movement in cooler temperatures.
13. Belly button?: Working its way to the surface...
14. What I miss?: Thanks to She, I went on the hunt and found me some pasturised Fetta at the local supermarket, so I'm not missing that any more, but I still miss margaritas and, strangely, cigarettes!
15. Labour signs?: Nope.
16. What I'm looking forward to: Getting some of this work out of the way so I can relax a bit more again!

The bump is looking rather cute rocking out in my maternity pants and singlet!

Summary Sunday (on a Monday)!

A bit of a delay to Summary Sunday thanks to our trip to Melbourne for our 20 week scan!
I have a complete human being, of undetermined gender, gestating away inside me! Thanks to our fabulous scan, no one will ever be able to call our sweet child spineless, brainless, or heartless!

We also had a great weekend catching up with The Man's family, including his beautiful, chubby little niece!

Anywho... On to this weeks summary!

1. How far along?: 20 weeks 2 days
2. How big is bub?: As of our scan on Friday, bub was weighing in at 339g. And according to my Pregnancy Lite App, bub is about 25cms long.
3. Weight gain?: It has started... I got on the scales today to find that I've gained nearly 2.5 kgs in the last fortnight. That seems like too much too fast to me, but hopefully it's mostly baby aand baby stuff.
4. Stretch marks?: I've been using nut body butter for the past few weeks and I haven't noticed any new ones yet!
5. Maternity clothes?: Given that the bump has popped, I have succumbed! I bought a couple of maternity singlets and bras yesterday, along with some maternity yoga pant things that were on sale. They are super comfortable! And The Man looked delighted when he heard the magic words "G Cup" in the bra shop!
6. Sleep?: I wish I'd had more over the weekend. I took to having a nap in the car when we were driving which has left me with an awfully sore neck.
7. Best moment last week?: I was going to save it for Photographic Phriday, but this hard won photo sums up my best moment of the week!! How wonderful it was to see Our Monster, hear the heart beat (for the first time), and find out that everything is where it should be! We're still not very cooperative when it comes to scans and photos, so that makes this photo even more special!



Our Monster, showing a strong resemblance to Daddy.

8. Food cravings?: I was desperate for a kebab when we got off the plane on Thursday! Not really any other cravings as such, and I still have incidents of food apathy. But my appetite is back along with my sweet tooth.
9. Symptoms?: Belly ache as everything stretches. And the belly has popped!
10. Exercise?: Back to yoga again tomorrow after only getting to one class last week!
11. Gender?: Still no idea, but as the scan ws being done I did have the thought that it would be a girl.
12. Movement?: We're starting to move and shake on a daily basis now! But The Man isn't feeling it as much as he'd like!
13. Belly button?: So shallow!!! I think we're only a few weeks off the snooze button popping out!
14. What I miss?: Still missing margaritas... But also missing fetta and goats cheese... Fetta, watermelon and mint salad... MMMMMM....
15. Labour signs?: Nope
16. What I'm looking forward to: This week I'm looking forward to getting back to yoga, and I'm hoping that Our Monster will start to kick a bit more for Daddy!

You may remember that last week, the bump looked like this...

This week, we've gone wild and exploded outward!

When I compare the photos I can see where the 2 kilos came from!

And here's the kicker...

The Man and I just felt Our Monster kick!
Not just on the inside, but with hands on my bump!!
SWEET!!!!!
So awesome!!!

Summary Sunday

After my freak out last week and subsequent somewhat hormone induced breakdown worrying over how much this whole child bearing exercise was going to cost us, the heavens opened and this weekend good things have come our way!

One dear friend of mine called on Thursday to say that she had unearthed her sons cot from 20 odd years ago, and offered it to us! And another friend called me yesterday to offer some toys, a super schmick pram, a "possum pack", and a toddler car seat, all for a bargain basement price as she has decided to return to Australia and doesn't want to carry too much stuff back with her! AND The Man's mother called to say that she and her husband would be away around the time of the birth for a month nd they have offered us his house to stay in while they're away, effectively reducing our accomodation bill in Melbourne by half!!

Suddenly I feel like the universe hasn't got it in for me afterall, and I have been reduced to tears by people's kindness and generosity!

On a Summary Sunday note:

1. How far along?: 19 weeks 1 day
2. How big is bub?: According to What to Expect and my Pregnancy Lite app, Our Monster is about the size of a mango or large orange, and weighs between 230 and 240 grams.
3. Weight gain?: Still nada... still loitering around the same mark. I thought I'd put on about half a kilo, but a few days later it was gone... seems to be more bloat and poos than anything! I've had a few people this week who didn't know I was pregnant tell me how much weight I've lost! And another few people have said that I don't look pregnant. It seems that to some people I look pregnant, to others I'm just looking pudgy!
4. Stretch marks?: Still no change, but I am excited at the prospect of having my stretchmark collection added to by someone other than Mr McDonalds!
5. Maternity clothes?: Not yet, but I do need to buy some new swimmers! And maybe some maternity bras... underwire is uncomfortable in the evenings.
6. Sleep?: Early to bed and very early to rise.
7. Best moment last week?: Feeling proper "kicks" rather than just vague "somersaulting".
8. Food cravings?: I've had a couple of moments this week when i've just had to have Vegemite, and I've been eating a fruit salad everyday.
9. Symptoms?: Fatigue, hyperactive sense of smell, headaches, and a few moments of tearfulness.
10. Exercise?: I've swapped over to yoga classes as my stretch class has been cancelled, and they've been great. Only went twice last week, but I'm considering going in an extra day or two if I can fit it in. I keep wondering how I'll go when I reach massive fatty boombah state though! I'm also trying to do a few laps each day when I get in the pool, rather than just beaching myself on the steps!
11. Gender?: It can only be one of two things!
12. Movement?: We're stepping up on the movement front. Things are starting to feel a bit more purposeful!
13. Belly button?: Getting shallower by the week... The Man thinks it's hilarious!
14. What I miss?: Coffee.
15. Labour signs?: None.
16. What I'm looking forward to: Our 20 week scan (at 19 weeks and 6 days) on Friday!! Hope we can get some cool piccies to show off!!

The bump really hasn't changed over the past few weeks. I feel huge, yet people say I don't look any different! You be the judge!

Summary Sunday

1. How far along?: 18 Weeks 1 day
2. How big is bub?: At our scan last Tuesday, Our Monster was found to be meeting all the 17 week targets and was estimated to weigh 209 grams! According to What to Expect and Pregnancy Lite, this week bub should be about the size of a mango or pear... although I would've thought that would be two entirely different sizes!
3. Weight gain?: Still shifting up and down within a margin of about 1 kilo over the week. So not really sure if I'm gaining, but not losing either. People who don't know I'm preggo keep saying I've lost weight, and I think my face is a bit thinner, so maybe baby weight gain and my weight loss are equalising each other... Not that I'm trying to lose weight, I'm just trying to gain it slowly if I must!
4. Stretch marks?: Not that I've noticed, although my boobs get really itchy, and they say that can be a sign of the skin stretching.
5. Maternity clothes?: Not yet, but I'm starting to favour certain clothes in my wardrobe.
6. Sleep?: Still crashing early. Some nights I sleep right through, other nights it's pretty disturbed sleep and I wake at 4 or 5 am.
7. Best moment last week?: My scan on Tuesday!
8. Food cravings?: Not so much cravings, but still hard to get excited about most food. Once it starts sliding down my gullet however, that's another story!
9. Symptoms?: I'm peeing like a racehorse! Breathlessness. Not handling the heat!!!
10. Exercise?: I'm swapping stretch and pilates for yoga this week as the class times have changed at my gym. I'm quite liking the gentle strengthening exercise and it makes me feel better in myself if I'm having a crap week.
11. Gender?: Dunno...
12. Movement?: Squiggling and somersaults.
13. Belly button?: Still there, but The Man stuck his finger in it this morning and reckons it's getting shallower.
14. What I miss?: Coffee... and I would've killed someone for a margharita or a bloody mary this week!
15. Labour signs?: None yet!
16. What I'm looking forward to: Picking out more music for my "Morning Music" sessions, when I sit the iPad or iPhone on my tum for bout half an hour before getting up in the morning and play music for our monster. Everything from Lenny Kravitz to U2. Enya to Madonna. Blink 182 to Sinatra. This baby is going to be rocking!

The bump...

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to one and all!

Hope you all had a fabulous start to 2012!

I've decided to start 2012 by stealing a pregnancy update summary thingo from She over at Those Darn Eckersons, and trying to work out how to get the photos off my iPhone so that I can post a pic of my bump that's developing.

The stealing part I'm all good with, but this whole photo's off the iPhone caper is a bit much for my small-step-above-luddite way of thinking!!

After trying to work out this whole iPhoto thing to get my Windows laptop to co-operate with my Apple phone, I finally resorted to plugging the phone into the laptop and using the camera wizard to pull the photos off. Why does technology have to be so complicated?!

Anywho, I have decided to try to fill out the pregnancy summary thingo every week or two until this sprog drops, so that I can chronicle the growth of my bump (and my boobs) for posterity!
I'm going to aim to put it up on Sunday's for what I will now call, Summary Sunday!

1. How far along?: 17 weeks 3 days
2. How big is bub?: According to What to Expect and my Pregnancy Lite iPad app, my baby should be about 14cm long. But this afternoon I'm having a scan so we'll find out if we're on target or not!
3. Weight gain?: Not really. Lost about 2.5kgs in the first 14 weeks and have sat around about the same weight since then... I'm starting to look thinner in the face and fatter in the gut!
4. Stretch marks?: No more than usual! LOL!
5. Maternity clothes?: Not yet, but I'm being a bit more selective about what's comfortable.
6. Sleep?: Most nights I'm crashed out on the couch by 8:30. But this last week I've had a couple of nights where I've had difficulties getting to sleep again when I wke up in the middle of the night.
7. Best moment last week?: Feeling an increasing amount of squiggling in my gut.
8. Food cravings?: Ice blocks and pasta sauce. The acidity of the tomatoes does it for me! Still got the food apathy, but once I get eating it can be hard to get me to stop.
9. Symptoms?: Food apathy, massive(er) boobs, fatigue, breathlessness.
10. Exercise?: I've gotten back to my twice weekly pilates / stretch class at the gym, but that's about the extent of it. I just don't have the drive to get on the treadmill. And I've been swimming gently in the pool!
11. Gender?: We're not going to find out, if we can avoid it. We'd like this one to be a surprise!
12. Movement?: Some squiggling and wiggling in my tummy, and sometimes if I put my hand in the right spot at the right time I can feel it.
13. Belly button?: Still there.
14. What I miss?: Sashimi... Why do I have to live where there's always fresh tuna????
15. Labour signs?: None yet please!
16. What I'm looking forward to: My check up scan this afternoon and my 20 week scan in a couple of weeks in Australia! They're gonna make a DVD!!!

And after all that, here's a photo of my budding gut (beneath my massive boobs)!