Catch Ya Later Two Thousand Thirteen

Well well well, and just like that- another year vanishes into nothing but memories. Great ones at that!!

Some personal highs for me were; how incredibly proud I am of our wee family for making the brave move to Perth in Feb & how far we've come since then, Mum getting the all clear for another 6 months, watching Blake grow from a dribbling infant to a vibrant & delightful toddler, our spectacular Bali getaway was more than we could have ever dreamed of, seeing friends & fam back in NZ for Blakes first birthday, and the real winner for me was our engagement atop of the most beautiful spot in the world- that perfect moment will forever be engrained in my mind.. 

None of this would have been possible without that man above. Thank you Oli, you big spunk you, for everything you do for us- but mostly just for putting up with me & yet still managing to love me unconditionally. The feeling is mutual.

There were some lows, losing my grandfather last month was a big blow, other than that it was mostly just general parenting stresses- illnesses (fuck you gastro & good riddance), teething, lack of sleep etc. Feeling extremely overwhelmed at times for me, more often than I would like actually, and in serious need of the extra helping hands that were unfortunately 7 hours on a plane away... But that was all to be expected with what we have taken on, and the fact that we are still adjusting to this parenting business. It has all been a massive learning curve, and one that we have fully embraced, even if it isn't always butterflies & rainbows. 

But at the end of the day, this is what life is about;

That smile. She is my heart in a human form

and;

It's about to be duplicated. 

Excited just doesn't cut the mustard. Meeting him is becoming very real very fast & the old ticker is already bursting at the seams with love & gratitude for my expanding family. 

So cheers 2013, you've been full to the brim with goodness, but 2014 is already shaping up to be some stiff competition.. I'm not quite sure if I'll ever be 'ready' for what's about to happen, but I'm pretty damned excited anyway! 

Happy New Years friends, enjoy & have a drink for me!!

Gemma 

Xmas Week Recap

Hey folks! Wow- where to begin!! I feel like I'm bursting at the seams with vocab & I'm at a loss where to start! Be prepared for a biggy guys... 

Well, Christmas is done & dusted. And all we have left is a truckload of recycling & bloated bellies... Or empty bellies in Blakes case. I would love to tell you all that it was a joyous & memorable few days around here but I'm not going to sweeten things up with a lie. It was very, very average... Blake was so sick it was horrid. 

Vomit & diarrhoea everywhere. 

So our plans went right out the window and we spent our whole day wrapped up indoors trying to comfort B. But (yes there is a but!) thankfully, I had prepared some sweet treats to devour, that luckily for us, we didn't even have to share in the end! 

My wonderful friend Aimee gave me the recipe for these decadent rum balls and MY GOSH they were friggen fantastic. All they consisted of was a chocolate cake base (bought as a sponge from Coles), half a cup of choc chips, half a cup of chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup desiccated coconut, 50ml rum, and a tin of sweetened condensed milk. Throw it all together, roll into little balls, roll around in some more coconut, chill & serve! I will definitely be making these again soon, Christmas or no Christmas I don't care. And as for the strawbs- also delish. But I would really like to know how to make them without squishing up one side on baking paper? I googled it but even trusty old google couldn't help me out there..? Anyone know the trick?

Despite Blake being a walking, infectious, diseased zombie, we managed to have a good few hours of present opening (as there was a LOT to get through) on Xmas day. Santa spoilt Blake rotten & she got some pretty sweet toys!! Check that growing mountain;

As for me, I was more than a little excited to receive these two books from Oli;

I've heard great feedback on Tizzie Hall's books and I'm conveniently all for saving our sleep right now. And Jamie's 15 minute meals is one of the best cookbooks I've come across, so many ideas my mouth and mind were watering and running on overtime just looking through it. I actually got excited about cooking for once- hey, whatever works!

I was also pleasantly surprised by the delivery of this sweet sweet gift from my grandma;

Ecoya- you have totally nailed this candle business. My living area now smells like marshmallows on a nightly basis, so dreamy... 

Boxing Day was spent blowing up our paddling pool with a ball pump (2 hrs later and one large bicep in Olis case). Once we finally got it there we were stoked with how roomy it was. And that our tiny outdoor area could actually accommodate it..

It was all fun & games in there until Oli had one too many drinks and things took a turn for the worse.... I swear one second he was a relatively normal being, and the next "whatssshhhupp Gemma, whatssshhh wrong?" (Meanwhile he's pretending to be a whale & attempting to do bombs in the pool...) Um yeah. Good times. It's never as funny from a sober perspective. 

The next day was a bit of a flop as I felt rather nauseous and just generally "off", this was after my exercise-induced vomit episode & I just read my book in bed whilst Oli looked after Blake. (I've just started the 'Rose' trilogy by Jennifer Donnelly and I can barely put my kindle down, good books galore at the mo!)

It was Friday when we discovered Blakes mouth was incredibly swollen after a very vocal bawling session on her behalf. You know the ones where their mouths are wide open and the tears are streaming down their cheeks? 

Well hello molars. 

You bastards. 

She is getting all four of them at this very moment & her mouth looks like she's been chewing on rocks for the past week. It isn't pretty in there. That girl has been in the wars this week I tell ya! One has broken the surface thus far, 3 more to go... 3 more to go...

Broken sleep is just the norm this week. Up, down, up, down.

But hey- I guess this is actually good prep for when the new baby arrives, sleep will be nothing but a distant dream come March. Unless Tizzie really is a miracle worker... I'm bloody hoping so. (Did anyone else stop & think Tizzie is a really strange name? All I think of is frayed edges or knotty hair) 

**Oh and funnily (not really), the one night Blake did sleep from 11pm through, we were all awoken with a huge bang at 4am. Some winner had blown up the ATM a block over from our house, it literally shook our house and we were 200 metres away. So the whole neighbourhood was out on the street watching the scene unfold in the early hours, apparently this is the 15th case in the last month and they're still yet to catch them.. Someone's earning a truckload of cash this summer, literally!

We did manage to get to the beach down in Rockingham on Saturday- we hadn't been to that one & it was a lovely outing;

Yes if you squint hard, that is Oli making himself shark bait out by the yacht. 

Blake absolutely loves the beach, and thankfully we live in just the right place for it. Perth has the best beaches I have ever seen, crystal clear water & white sand. Picturesque!

Yesterday was the last day of Olis mini Christmas break with us & he woke up with a very crook tummy, and ended up hanging out in the loo for 3/4 of the day. 

I know. It's laughable isn't it? 

Luckily he's all better today though- just in time for work! Woohoo..... Excuse my sarcasm, it may be the lowest form of wit but god it's good.

So all in all, a pretty hellish week. One that certainly won't be remembered as a jolly xmas anyway. But hey- it's almost the new year!! How exciting! 

We still don't actually know what we are doing for our final night of 2013, probably nothing too extravagant though. This will be my first sober one in roughly 10 years, so that'll be... Different. Hopefully we can pack up some blankets and find a cosy spot near the fireworks to watch the countdown, that is unless we fall asleep before then (highly likely). But we do have sparklers sorted, so what more do we need really?

I'm currently writing down some goals for the new year, it's getting me all jacked up just thinking about all the possibilities- I'll be sure to share some with you in the coming posts. I would love to hear what everyone else has planned for the year ahead too, let me know!

Today we have our midwife appointment which I've been hanging out for; time to start organising the pool hire & all that jazz. *Ahhhh- so not ready* But definitely ready to hear his ticker & find out what position he's in at the moment. Then I may do some yoga at home & go for a stroll if my calves allow it... Those babies are tight!

Hope everyone is still enjoying some time off or if you're working, counting down the minutes til knock-off! 

So strange just being at home this time of year, normally we would be at some sort of festival, I would personally be hating the actual camping side of things but drinking enough to not give a shit & having a ball listening to sweet tunes! Life has certainly changed... I say that a lot don't I. Tis very true.

Sorry I'm still talking, I'm actually done now.

Oh wait no I'm not; I have to quickly mention that I lost my Ben & Jerrys virginity yesterday, and I can't believe I held it for so long..

Life changing stuff. 

Gemma

Thought of the day "I seriously don't care that my family see the new year through in London with all it's brilliant lights & general magic-ness, seriously, not one bit" 

 

29 Weeks

What's been happening: 

He is now around 1.3kgs and 40cm from head to heel. This week his brain development & growth is rapid, and his skeleton is continuing to harden. He may now react to loud sounds too. Bet he is sick of Christmas Carols in that case! 

I've been in the wars this week, continuous heartburn & headaches have been a real joy.. My back & neck are also incredibly sore- I might book in to see the chiropractor next week and see what miracles they can perform. 

Weight Gain; Same same, my belly is cooking along nicely & I'm rather enjoying its plumpness this week. Tis rather cool knowing you've got a little friend with you at all times, all cosy & warm.

Workouts: Yesterday I made the mistake of going to Jacobs ladder to burn off some of those extra Christmas cals, those stairs are pretty killer & I normally would do around 5 or 6 laps in half an hr and that's a decent workout. But I hadn't been in around 8 weeks & I wasn't actually feeling too great to begin with...

I did 6 laps, it was tough but it didn't feel like I was over-doing it at all at the time. Alas, when I got home I vomited everywhere (!!!!) and was bedridden for the rest of the day. I don't think the workout was entirely to blame, my body has been all out of whack for a while & I think it was just was a build up of my lack of sleep and poor nutrition. My lesson has been learnt anyway, no Jacobs ladder for me until baby is on the outside! It's Christmas (obviously) so that was about the only real workout I've done as of late, and my calves are so sore today that I am severely handicapped, so I doubt ill be doing much for a couple of days except hobbling like a geriatric. 

Movement: Bucketloads! My tummy takes on the weirdest shapes, it's creepily cool..

Food Aversions: Nope just cooking aversions as per usual.

Food cravings: Oli and I swore off KFC until at least the new year a couple of weeks back so those zinger burgers have been on my mind. (Healthy I know...) But last time I had it, it was actually pretty gross so I think I'll just keep up with the no KFC for as long as possible. Other than that, this week saw an overindulgence of sugar due to the silly season, but we're finally starting to run out now (thank god).

Sleep: Pretty shite really. A not-so-sweet mix of Blake being sick, my neck/back killing me, heartburn, an ATM bomb explosion one block over last night (I'll elaborate in the following post), and now Blakes molars are on their merry way. Oh teething, you're a real ruthless bitch aren't you?

Miss anything: Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeep & energy 

Fun/ interesting things for the week; This week has not been what I would call fun, but on the bright side- we invested in this pretty sweet blow up pool for our outdoor area & I'm looking forward to many more summer afternoons getting bouyant in there with B

(The feeling of lying on my front is euphoric!)

Stretchmarks; Nope 

Happy or moody: Bloody exhausted

Looking forward to: The New Year!! I feel like its going to be a goody... And our midwife appt on Monday as Oli finally gets to meet Sara.

Bump update: 

First thing this morn;

Sorry it's a tad dark, but trust me.. It's better this way. This pic makes him look rather petite for some reason. He's not. 

I've got some posts on the way with lots of pics of our Xmas antics, and a follow up to my weight loss post too. Hope everyone is having a very relaxing & revitalising week with friends and fam!

Gemma 

Merry Christmas!!

I just wanted to pop in to say Merry Chrissy to all my lovely readers;

Hope you all drank & ate excessively, and got spoilt with lots of socks & choccies!! Our Christmas took an unexpected turn as Blake started power chucking on Xmas eve, and it just so happened to be the start of an on-going gastro saga. Round 2. And we are now heading into day 3... 

I'm trying not to think about how much it has sucked to be honest as its a total bummer... But we can't do much but ride it out & give her as much love and care as possible. We've definitely had many cheerful moments in between her bad spells so ill be sure to share them with you all soon..

This scene made me grateful just to have my family even if they're not healthy this Christmas, ain't love grand? 

There was also some AMAZING rum balls devoured that ill have to post the recipe for (thanks Aimee!)

Anywho- hope everyone is healthy, happy & well and truly stuffed!!

Gemma 

1 Sleep!!!

How can anybody keep calm? It's Christmas Eve!!! 

 

I'm actually a 5 year old girl trapped in a hugely pregnant body right now. I want to jump & dance & wave my arms in the air like I just don't care, but I'll probably scare the baby so I'll just sit & smile like a weirdo on the couch. 

Last nights BBQ went off without a hitch, 'twas lovely to see some friends before everyone disperses for the week. And Oli had a great birthday, despite feeling his age as he put his back out at work yesterday. (I had to laugh- the timing was too good).

Blakes mountain of gifts has actually grown to an absurd size, & she is going to freak out with how much wrapping paper she has to roll around in and scrunch up tomorrow morning!

And half of the gifts are hidden in the back.

One child. One million gifts. 

Meanwhile, in Paris;

Yep, that's my Mum & Sister enjoying the sites of the most romantic city in the world. No biggy... I still feel strange not being there with them, not just because they are living an actual dream, but mostly just because I'm always with these dorks at Christmas. Nonetheless, I'm so happy they're enjoying themselves (even if they have forgotten there is actually a fifth family member), and I'm also grateful for my beautiful little tripod & all the glorious time we get as a unit these holidays. Next year we will definitely all be together, and there'll be extra members joining the clan- even cooler!

Seeing as I actually have to cook this Christmas for the first time ever, I'm going to attempt rum balls (is that even ok whilst preg? Meh..) and a watermelon feta & mint salad to take to Xmas lunch tomorrow. Man, I feel like such a Mum this year. How did that happen?

I'll post pics later if they turn out presentable enough!

Also on the agenda today;

Oh corny Christmas movies- how I love thee!

Hopefully Oli finishes up early this afternoon & we can watch it together, I know he won't want to miss this one! (Sarcasm)

Later on, I want to head out on a Christmas lights trail, and then before we know it we'll be in bed & I'll be trying my hardest to sleep, probably will come easier this year in my condition, hopefully anyway! 

Hope you all are having a WONDERFUL day,

Thought of the day "am I going to feel tipsy off these rum balls?"

Gemma 

Birthday Wishes

Hey all, how was your weekend? Hope everyone got in some relaxation before the festivities begin.. I worked on stretching that stomach for all the extra food intake over the next week, it's good to be prepared. 

Well today my better half turns 26, 26! I feel like his 21st was this time last year... And then I feel remarkably old when I comment on time like that .. "Feels like just yesterday when..." (Said in an old whistley woman's voice) 

Unfortunately for Oli, he is yet to have the pleasure of retirement, so on went his steel caps and high vis this morning and off he went to work. 

He actually has managed to get away with never having to work on his birthday throughout his entire life thus far, what with it being so close to Christmas and all, so today is going to be a different birthday for him. When I say different I mean shitty. Alas, we have had two holidays in the past four months so this is the price he pays- he actually left without too much moaning this morning so props to him for the positivity. 

We have organised a bit of a BBQ gathering for this evening to celebrate & I'm looking forward to grilling up some burgers and making choc dipped strawberries. Summer is bliss!

Our weekend was really chilled out over here, Friday sunset was spent down at the beach with fish & chips and an army of seagulls, and on Sat Oli  had to get his present buying done so we bravely went to the mall (I can't stay away!) but I tagged along purely for selfish reasons;

So whilst those two battled the crowds I watched corny 'top of the pops' hits and got my nails catered to. I almost went for a Christmas theme but I couldn't bring myself to do it- a feature glitter nail was all I could muster.

I also took this happy camper to the park for a swing in the sun;

That little ruffle butt kills me.

On Sat afternoon I whipped up an incredible frittata which I will have to post the recipe for;

Mmmmm feta.

And on Sat night my lovely friend Nat sat in with B whilst Oli and I went out for a wee date to the movies to see 'Anchorman 2'. I have to say, I wasn't overly impressed. It definitely had its moments but it was just downright ridiculous in some parts. But man my frozen coke was worth it just for the trip, a litre of sugary heaven. Oh, and funnily- I saw a poster for the release of the movie "the book thief" whilst there & I squealed with delight. This is the book I have almost finished at the mo & it is phenomenal. Seriously, read it. So I'm excited to see that in the New Year! 

Sunday consisted of yet another date at the beach, this time with this babe;

(These babes I should say)

I hadn't seen Teesh in far too long so it was great to catch up and go for a frolick in the ocean together. I may have been slightly irresponsible though as when I slipped into bed last night my back was seriously stinging- slip slop and slap people! That's the motto of the story. 

Ouch.

There you have it- and now Monday has arrived. I'm going to go to the gym shortly for the last time this year id say & then get in the kitchen for tonight..  I hope everyone is having a wonderful day, or if you're already on holiday- a wonderful start to your festive season!

Thought of the day "Happy birthday Oli, you've still got it"

Gemma 

P.s I am currently unashamedly blasting Mariah Careys "All I Want For Christmas Is You" and dancing around in my underwear, I really f'n love Xmas 

28 Weeks (7 months)

It's official. I'm in my last trimester...!!!!! I'm not really sure how I feel about this, but to sum it up- a good blend of anticipation, fear, excitement and nerves pretty much nails it. I feel as though I can't wait to hold him in my arms, but I'm also rather anxious about giving birth again... Shame they go hand in hand eh?

What's been happening: 

He is now a whopping 1.2kg and 39cm from head to heel. Crazy to look back just 10 weeks ago & he was a fifth of that weight! He's starting to build on those fat layers this week, the final touches to the whole process- pretty sure I've got this side of things covered with ease. 

As for me, just the usual heartburn & I've also begun getting rather bad lower back pains this week too. All the glamorous things begin! I also am getting sore feet by the end of the day and quite bad cramping- all things in which I didn't experience last time. 

Weight Gained; Still steadily gaining at this stage, I feel like my face is filling out a bit more and my upper arms / thighs have put on a bit. Although I could just be paranoid. I do still feel presentable most days though & I'm just grateful I don't have any of that awful swelling that some women experience! Still 3 months to go though... Scary thought. 

Workouts: Only a couple at the gym this week, I just haven't found the time for more. I'm really loving the body balance class at the moment, the blend of tai chi and yoga is really good & not too challenging for me yet. Seeing as the gym crèche is closed for the next week though, I'm planning on mixing things up with some outdoor walking (before it gets too hot to leave the house) & some swimming at the local pool. I haven't been in so long and I can imagine feeling weightless doing laps would be amazing right now! 

Movement: This kid is a party animal. Either that or he's in the most awkward diagonal positional ever. I quite often feel like an arms going to break through one side whilst simultaneously, a leg will be trying to kick out the other side, it certainly makes for a good show on the outside! 

Food Aversions: Certainly not 

Food cravings: No cravings this week really just the usual.. Although, I'm on my second bag of starburst babies- those things are phenomenal. 

Sleep: Big improvements from last week thankfully! Blake has been sleeping through again (4 nights in a row now) and I've been tucking in no later than 9 each night, mostly because I'm intimately involved in my new book & therefore bedtime is extremely appealing.

Miss anything: Salmon sushi, I could really do with a good 10 chunks of fresh sushi! Not long now though..

Fun/ interesting things for the week; My belly button is teetering on the verge of popping out, it can't make up its mind but depending on where he is situated in my belly will either push it out or in. It looks really strange & indecisive! Just go one way already!! 

Stretchmarks; Negative! 

Happy or moody: Happy

Looking forward to: Christmas day

Bump update: I'm struggling to find clothes that fit at the mo, but these pants are a godsend- good old elastic saves the day (notice the blurred toddler, she is so busy these days- always got somewhere to be in a hurry)

Gemma 

Cheesy Prawn & Coriander Quesedillas

Heya! How is everyone going this week? Frantic last minute present buying? 

Last week I had so much enthusiasm for buying presents, but after 6 or 7 trips to the mall however, I now feel like never going shopping again. Ever.

I finally finished & posted everything yesterday & it felt like a tonne of bricks had been lifted off me, next year I'm going to have to get into this online shopping trend I think- stress levels were at an all time high. I may have even rammed a few people with the pram yesterday, I said sorry but it was definitely an intentional "get out of my way" tap on the achilles. People traffic is the worst kind of traffic... Some people are so unaware of their surroundings it is mind boggling that they are even consciously walking!! 

Anyway- it's done- woohoo! Now I just hope everything arrives to everyone on time...

The other night I found myself in the same age old dilemma that I do most evenings.. What the heck do I want for dinner? 

The forever unanswered question that runs my life from approx 4pm onwards. 

That night I decided to mash together the two things I love most at the moment- bread & cheese. So what better than Quesadillas? I had never made this Mexican dish before but had tried it many times, most recently in Bali with pulled chicken- delish. Now I didn't actually follow any recipes of any sort, I just figured it can't be that hard to get two tortillas filled with whatever I want and fry them together? 

Luckily, I was right. 

So here's my recipe for Prawn & Coriander Quesadillas that will blow your mind... Incredibly easy, incredibly scrumptious & not so good on the waistline... 

Ingredients;

2 Tortillas

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Handful spinach 

1 cup raw prawn meat

3/4 cup grated cheese 

Handful chopped coriander 

Chilli flakes

Squeeze lemon juice 

Avocado for the side 

Method;

Firstly, cook the prawns on high in the frypan until no longer clear (3-4mins), I add some chilli flakes and a squeeze of lemon to the pan whilst doing this to give them a bit of flavour.

Remove prawns and rinse pan ready to cook tortillas.

Chop the prawns into thirds.

On a plate, put the cheese coriander prawns and spinach on top of a tortilla and season with salt & pepper.

Place the tortilla on a hot pan with some oil and place the remaining tortilla on top to form a sandwich. 

After approx 4 mins (check to see the tortilla is crisping up underneath) flip the tortilla carefully and allow another 4 mins for the other side to crisp up. Add more olive oil if necessary.

Once done, simply remove & cut into fours. I served mine with some avo as it went really well with the prawns..

This was so easy to make, and obviously you can put anything you like in them, such a good idea if you're in a rush for dinner! (I wasn't in a rush, I'm just lazy in the kitchen) 

There hasn't been much else to report this week, I made it back to the gym yesterday after a 6 day hiatus & it made my day so much better after releasing some endorphins. So back I go to a body balance class this morn, then I'm off to meet up with my mum group for lunch. Naturally I made another batch of caramel slice for this meeting- what? It's for them honestly.

Don't judge me. 

I've also been on Pinterest for recipe inspiration this week & have found some things I'm looking forward to trying out- if any are a roaring success I'll be sure to share them with you all..

Hope everyone is feeling that Xmas spirit and having a very merry week :)

Thought of the day "6 sleeps!!"

Gemma 

Blake 15 month update

Our baby is definitely no longer a baby. She is in fully fledged toddlerhood. And I absolutely love it. 

Blake is a dream kid, she is just so chilled out & compliant (generally) that I often forget a lot of babies aren't like her & just how lucky we really are. She has finally started walking & it is so cool seeing her rock around like a penguin all day. She was a late bloomer with crawling so hence her late start on walking, but after so many months of worrying about her lack of movement & thinking there must be something wrong, I now have no idea why I ever bothered wasting my time on worrying. I guess it's all part of this new parenting journey. Fact is- 99% of the time babies are going to grow at their own pace & move when they want to move. 

This stage is definitely one of the most exciting thus far as she is really becoming her own person with a huge personality. Even though she is still changing everyday, I can see what type of girl she is sprouting into already- incredibly spirited, and incredibly cheeky, surprisingly independent, and a definite performer/ attention seeker (wonder where she got that from).

Sleep;

Blake generally sleeps for 12 hours a night, either from 6-6 or 7-7. She had always been a brilliant sleeper & started sleeping through properly at around 4 months old (don't ask me how, I guess I'm just lucky). Although lately, she has been teething a lot. And she does not cope well with teething. So once or twice a night she's been waking up solely for a cuddle, I never feed her as I know she doesn't need it, all it takes is a quick snuggle and she's back off. Last night was the first night in a week she slept a full night so we're all fresh as daisies today! 

Movement;

Those little drumsticks are getting her around everywhere nowadays! She broke out into a run yesterday- straight into the doorframe. Now she is the proud owner of a rather impressive egg on her forehead, luckily all it took to stop the flowing tears was a quick game of peek a boo. 

Incredibly resilient creatures!!

Food;

This girl loves her food, her absolute favourite is cucumber at the moment and she will eat stick after stick- skin & all. A few more favs include; avocado, lasagne, eggs, peanut butter sammies, green smoothies, anything chocolate-y, and watermelon. Oh, and she had her first sip of dads coke the other day, her smile was so wide with satisfaction I thought she was going to explode with joy. She puckered up her lips in a slurping motion and followed Oli and his can around until he finished it. So now we must teach her that coke is poison- eventually...

Talking;

She is such a copy cat at the moment & therefore tries to say whatever we say all the time. She will say "daddy" directly to Oli & when he arrives home, and she also says "byeeeee" which can also be "hiiii" sometimes. And mummy, ta ta & bubby are 3 regulars. My favourite is when she mimics our laughter though, if Oli and I are laughing at something we'll suddenly hear her crack up mockingly and I am in fits. She is in on all the jokes nowadays. 

Favourites

Some of her fav things to do include; swimming, boogying to any music, being pulled around by Oli in the washing basket, "booping" us on the nose with her magic finger, opening and closing any draws, bathtime, watching peppa pig or bananas in pajamas, and going through my knickers draw and putting them around her neck..

Which is slightly weird but she still manages to make it cute. I better add in that I'm definitely the favourite parent at the moment, dads cuddles are not welcome at 3am only mums. I don't know whether to be flattered or gutted.. 

Dislikes;

Daytime naps- she's currently in a phase where she thinks she doesn't need to sleep during the day which is fun/ exhausting. 

Men, which I think is hilarious- she's ok with all women & most men but sometimes she'll crack it when Olis friends come around, I don't blame her though. Scary looking humans. But generally she loves a good crowd of any gender, just depends on her mood. Books- as much as I try to read to her, all she wants to do is turn the pages as fast as possible or throw the book as far as possible.. Unless it makes sounds, then we might get a few pages in. If we're lucky. 

Being in her high chair- she's just refusing to eat if we put her in her chair at the moment, she just squirms and goes bright red trying to break out. 

So that's our little darl in a nutshell at this age, I wouldn't change a thing....(Maybe just the daytime naps)

Gemma 

 

Weekend Highlights

Heya! Here's a few pics of some enjoyable things over the weekend;

Friday night outdoor cinema date with my gal pals Nat & Keryn (unpictured as she was fashionably late due to getting lost in the park ha!) we watched "About Time" & it was marvellous! Love when films don't disappoint.. 

A glorious beach date with my loves on Saturday morning, I felt so revitalised & refreshed after frolicking in the ocean for a few hours. 

Perth did it people. We hit 40. And we all hid out under the air con. I don't give a shit how much power costs this summer I am leaving that baby running 24/7. (Not really, I'm actually afraid of power bills)

A refreshing smoothie in my funky new jars

And a new book which has already left a seriously good impression after only 5 chapters!

That's about all that happened over here, hope everyone had a lovely weekend also,

Thought of the day "do men's maturity levels ever become equal to women's? At any age?"

Gemma 

27 Weeks

What's been happening: 

He is now approx 1kg and 38cm from head to heel. He now sleeps & wakes in regular intervals & may begin sucking his thumb for comfort.

I've been getting chronic heartburn as of late & it is going to be the death of me!! 

Weight Gained;I shudder at the thought this week! I hate to be a stuck record but I'm really not dealing with the extra kilos very well this time around. It's just not the same experience for me- I do realise every pregnancy is supposed to differ but when you've been through it before its hard not to have some expectations. Last time I enjoyed it immensely, this time... Yeah not so much. And I am soooo utterly over my boobs, they are so national geographic!

Workouts: Well I went to spin class last Sunday and that sucked. Big time. It had been 3 weeks since I last did it and that 3 weeks made the world of difference. I think he is sitting really high up though so bending over the bike was just a nightmare. I've had two other gym workouts this week & they've both been really good, one cardio based & one strength training session. In saying that, today is day 3 without moving a muscle & I'm feeling particularly lethargic/ rotund- I will definitely be headed to the gym tomorrow morning. 

Movement: I'm starting to notice some patterns with his movement now- which is mostly just sleep all day & go hard at night, I actually thought he might bust through my belly button last night. Upon reading up on trusty google- I discovered movement is generally felt the strongest at this point in the pregnancy as its the only time when they're a decent size & still have some extra room to do plenty of activities before it all gets too cramped. 

Food Aversions: Vegetables?? I'm enjoying general salad stuff like spinach tomato cucumber etc still, but I'm not feeling broccoli or cauliflower or anything like that at the mo... 

Food cravings: Still on the cheese buzz, cheese is great with anything lately. Cheese & vegemite, cheesy quesedillas (recipe to come), cheese on crackers, yeah you get the gist... I had decided to eat better this week (as previously mentioned) but it definitely didn't happen. I think whenever I do that- say I HAVE to do something, I just won't. So this week ill just aim to do what I can to better my intake.. Conveniently Monday is tomorrow- perfect day to start fresh! 

Sleep: Bloody terrible this week, it's been way too hot + Blakes been waking a bit + karate kid is in full action man mode at midnight.. I'm now using a pillow to prop a leg up which is heaps comfier. Hopefully I get in a good night tonight! Bags for miles.... 

Miss anything: I'm starting to sound like somewhat of a booze bag but GOD I want beer!! I've never had a beerless summer in all my drinking days, it is tough. 

Fun/ interesting things for the week; 

Not a lot really- we are struggling to say the least to come up with any potential boy names. Literally- zero, zip, zilch. I fear he will be "boy" for an inappropriate length of time... 

Stretchmarks; Nope!

Happy or moody: Tired.

Looking forward to: Meeting him! It seems as though it will come around very quickly now, I remember feeling like a snowball rolling downhill after 30 weeks with Blake and before we knew it- poof! Hello tiny infant! My vagina is wincing at the thought... 

Bump update:

This is my bump at 7 weeks compared to 27 weeks, crikey!

(Yes I do have to mix n match my togs now otherwise everyone sees my nipples)

Gemma 

Weight Loss Journey (Part 1)

I think I'll split this topic up into two posts, it's a bit of a long story...

I thought I would write about my struggle with my weight over the past decade because a) most women have experienced something similar throughout their lives, and b) I've never really spoken about it in depth before. 

**note that some of the pictures are quite bad quality. I spent so long trying to find photos of myself over the years & it was way more of a debacle than expected! Most photos were just of my face & with friends so I had to dig a little deeper... 

Where it all began...

Growing up, I was always the sporty type- mostly dance, swimming, athletics & netball. From the age of 5 through til 13 I spent almost every weekend at a dance comp, swimming carnival or athletics meet. Back then fast food wasn't really an option & I was doing so much physical activity I doubt what I ate would have made a dent anyway..

2001-2004 (13-15 yrs old)

Hello high school.

And hello puberty. Suddenly, boys & booze were way more important than sport & I gave it all up, even my beloved dance, to dedicate my time solely to my social life. Luckily, at that point my metabolism was still working in my favour and all I seemed to gain was a big set of boobies and some slender hips. Which were my best assets for a couple of years there. The big boobs had run in the family for generations & were inevitable, but it was still strange to sprout a DD cup overnight when you're 14 years old.

(2004, 15 years old- As you would catch me most weekends back then)

2004-2006 (15 & 16 yrs old)

Once my girlfriends and I got our licences things moved to a whole new level food wise. Drive throughs. How convenient!! I remember during a typical school week we would be switching between Burger King & KFC on consecutive days. And not just a little hamburger or anything pansy like that, triple cheese burgers were our fav. We could inhale so much of that crap so often and to this day I still don't understand how we didn't have heart attacks. On top of that- every weekend I would be drinking an entire box of bourbon and cola pre mixed drinks and smoking rolly cigarettes like I was the coolest kid on the block. I skulled that poison regularly for around 3 years, every single weekend. I don't even want to imagine the horror on my livers face. By some miracle, my body kept itself together mostly throughout that 3 years, I was still doing PE & Dance at school so I wasn't completely sedentary but it must have mostly been my metabolism working on overdrive for a while there. Bless her. 

(Me at my high school ball in 2006 at 17 years old) holding some puppy fat on those cheeks)

2007 (17 & 18 years old)

Suddenly school was over, hello real working world. Two of my girlfriends and I immediately moved out of home together & got big girl full-time jobs. Every lunch break I was trekking to the nearest fast food joint getting tubs of pasta with feta & chorizo, or white rice teriyaki chicken sushi with zero nutritional content. The weight started piling on.. I joined a gym right by my work & would regularly go at least 3 times a week doing circuit training and cardio but that didn't stop the scales from creeping up. Looking back- I am in complete disbelief at how I had little to no knowledge of what good nutrition was whatsoever. We would be going to the gym & then we would go back to our flat and cook up a huge batch of carbonara pasta and eat 3 servings each. It was utterly ridiculous. I had no idea what I was doing to my body at that point, and I was definitely not getting my 5 + a day either. Ironically, my parents owned one of the biggest fruit & vegetable markets in our city throughout this entire time, and I had unlimited access to all of it for free. It also had the biggest organic food section and I barely even looked in it in the entire 10 years it was there. All I ever got was chocolate bars, meat & bread, and the odd tub of strawberries in summer. Yes, I am shaking my head in shame right at this moment. 

That year I put on around 10 kilos, but it was so gradual I barely noticed.

2008 (18-19yrs old)

Along came 2008. This was a big year of changes, I had broken up with my long term boyfriend at the end of 2007, moved to Australia and moved back within 8 weeks and ended up back in with my parents. I got a good job in an office which turns out had a lot of downtime, this was convenient as the newest and coolest thing to hit the web had just arrived. Hello Facebook. This new revolutionary trend was a portal for information and sharing whatever your heart desired (namely pictures of yourself looking as best as possible). I noticed more and more status updates and links shared about dieting & calorie counting, and naturally I was intrigued. So from there I began to research different diets and how to lose weight. Before I got the office job I had started climbing up the mount on a regular basis as I was beginning to feel pretty shit about myself and my appearance by then. But I had initially thought that exercise was the key to weight loss all that time, how wrong was I?! By the end of 2008 I had lost around 5kilos from eating less sugar and climbing the Mount but I was still fairly naive about what I was eating & how to have a good wholesome diet.

(Mid 2008, 18years old- just as I started to exercise more)

2009 (19-20yrs old)

In 2009 I moved down to Dunedin with Oli to begin a degree at Otago University. Our relationship was tumultuous & living with a bunch of boys was really hard work. They loved to drink almost every night & I was over it by then. Slowly, I began to resent my living situation & became obsessed with what I ate and how much I exercised. I was walking everywhere as a student which was great and I was also going to the gym 3 or 4 times a week. But I began to binge eat. Some nights I would order myself a large dominos pizza and scoff it all down in no time at all, then I would sneak across to the dairy for chocolate and lollies and hide out in my room eating the lot. I was miserable. The next day I would restrict my diet to soup & water or something absurd like that, but the cycle would continue. My weight hovered around the 65 kilo mark that year, never really gaining or losing all that much. Towards the end of the year Oli and I broke up and I had to move out by myself in a city where I knew next to no one. The bingeing got much worse and I found myself drowning in a sea of self loathing. It was so horrible. The break up literally broke me and I felt like an empty shell of a human. After getting straight A's all year I suddenly stopped going to my classes and just hid out in my studio room eating just fish and spinach one day, McDonald's burgers the next. Before long, school was out and it was time to head home for summer. My girlfriend and I had got summer jobs together and I was much healthier and happier back home, working & eating better with not as much bingeing happening as a result. I was at a reasonable weight by the end of that year, I felt more comfortable in my skin & a lot more confident. 

(Oli and I in Bali June 2009, I had just turned 20 years old. This photo still shocks me as I swear my face was never that chubby then!)

To be continued......