Soup, glorious SOUP!!!

I'm not that keen on winter. It's windy, your lips get cracked, the days are shorter, it's cold..... honestly I could go on. But the one thing I LOVE about winter is soup!!! There's just something so comforting and soothing about a nice warm bowl of soup on a chilly winter's night. So I thought I'd share my lentil soup recipe with you. Try it this week, you won't be disappointed :-)

Lentil and vegie Soup

2 small or one medium onion

3 cloves of garlic (or less if you're not keen)

some ginger (I only add this if we have it in the house)

1/2 medium sweet potato

2 carrots

Pumpkin if you have any

1 medium zuc

a handful of beans cut into chunks

a handful of brussell sprouts cut into quarters

1 cup frozen peas and corn

2 tins of brown lentils

2 tins of canellini beans (You can use whatever tin beans you like)

About 3 cans of tin tomatoes (I used a BIG tin of tomatoes and a smaller tin)

2 stock cubes dissolved in water

So you pretty much just cut all your vegies into equalish sizes so they all cook at the same time. Add a little oil to a big saucepan, add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook until the onion is soft. Add the hard vegies(s.potato, carrots and pumpkin) and cook until just softening. Add all the other veg except for the peas and corn. Cook those until they are just soft. Then you add in all the other ingredients except for the peas and corn. Add enough water to cover the whole thing. Simmer until all the veg is cooked. Stir in the peas and corn and season to taste (You can also add some herbs if you have any. I add some dried mixed herbs but it's lovely with some fresh parsley). Serve with some crusty bread :-)

Stay tuned for some more tasty soup recipes. In the mean time here's the latest belly pics, enjoy!

35 Weeks and 2 days (1st June)

(My stupid belly button has decided to stay half innie half outie!)

The Winter Blues

Well that's what I've decided to call it anyway. I have been lacking enthusiasm lately to sit down and update my blog. I'm not really sure why, considering I'm on maternity leave now and have some free time on my hands. I think it's all starting to get a little bit too much. My brain is hurting.

People keep asking me if I'm getting nervous or scared about labour and I honestly thought I was doing quite well. I am about half way through Juju Sundin and Sarah Murdoch's 'Birth Skills' book and like the concepts they talk about in the book. Like I said in a previous post I'm not stupid enough to think labour will be 'fun' and an easy task to accomplish. But at the end of the day the baby has to get out some how and it's up to me to get it out! But the more people ask me about it the more I start to doubt myself. I'm sure their intentions are good but it's putting all this pressure on me and really freaking me out.

I thought I'd try and get 'organised' and do some things to aid in the labour process. I had read about raspberry leaf tea and will get some of that from the healthfood store this weekend. I did also hear some mummas mention perineal massage. So thought I'd google it. And holy crap, I really wish I didn't! It's actually scared me a little about the labour process. I really really don't want to tear and understand that the massage may help this. But just reading it nearly had me hyperventilating. Now I'm unsure whether I should try it or maybe just do everything I can to avoid a tear (birth upright, avoid the epidural so I can feel when to push etc) I have no idea why it freaked me out so much. I did read it that perineal massage hurts and burns etc. Maybe that's whats scared me.

I had my midwife appointment last week. Bub's is head down and heading towards the light! Still not engaged yet but early days I know. I also had a breastfeeding class last week. It's nice to know what the 'ideal' breastfeeding experience should be (demand feeding as baby requires, at least for the first 6 weeks, at least 8 feeds a day etc). I'm just going in with an open mind and really hope I can breastfeed. I know it's best for bub's but at the end of the day my motto is healthy happy mum= healthy happy baby. It's definetly more involved than I thought. Not just put baby on the boob and all will be okay. It's definetly something I want to succeed at but understand that formula is not poision and if worse comes to worse I will formula feed bubs. I'm just hoping to breastfeed because the thought of sterilising bottles is not very appealing!

Well better go tidy up the place. I feel like since I'm on maternity leave now it's more my responsibility to have the house clean, have dinner cooked etc. I'm sure it's just my perception as hubby has said nothing of the sort. But I feel like if I do just have a 'relax' day and he comes home and it's not perfect than it's my fault, I'm not doing my 'job' as a wife. Silly I know. But that's my brain at the moment.

Belly Pics 

33 Weeks

33 Weeks

34 Weeks

34 Weeks

A Woman of Leisure

That will be me in less than a week WOO HOO!! Only 4 shifts to go and then maternity leave. Can you tell I'm really very excited :-)

We had our 2nd birth class last night which was nice. A mumma who gave birth the day before came and shared her story, and even bought the little guy along. 2.8kg of tiny bubba goodness. So darn cute. And he made this tiny little crying noise I don't really learn anything new from the classes (since I learnt most of it at uni) but I think its a definite eye opener for hubby.

Our cot and change table/drawers arrived yesterday. Stupid toys r us only have 1 delivery guy so he couldn't carry the stuff up the stairs so it's been dumped in our kitchen. Hubby had something cut out of his back the other day so he can't lift anything too heavy. So I lugged the cot up to baby's room this morning and we're setting it up tonight. We don't even have a mattress for it, but at least it's a start. I go through periods where I feel like birth is AGES away but then I realise I'll be 33 weeks pregnant on Sunday!

Bub's has been rolling now for quite a while instead of the kicks. But I think over the last week or so bubs might have turned head down (fingers crossed) as I have heaps more room up near my ribs, my belly feels soft up there now and the rolling feels different. That and the hiccups I feel are now in a different spot. I think bubba might be having a growth spurt because I'm hungrier than usual and sleepier than usual (though that could be just due to tossing and turning all night )

I have been thinking of labour a lot lately. Part of me has this 'can do' attitude where I truly believe I will be okay with the labour process. I am attending birth classes, I'm reading my calm birthing book and I've spoken of techniques to use with hubby so we're both on the same page. But then self doubt creeps in and I think 'who am I kidding? I can't DO labour!!' I guess the only thing I can do is think positively, arm myself with as much knowledge as possible and cross my fingers and toes that all goes well. I know labour is no walk in the park, but woman have been giving birth for many many years and if they can do it I can too :-)

32 Week Bump Pics

My 'basketball'

Today - 32 + 5

When it rains, it pours

For most of my pregnancy (except the first 14 weeks when I was spewing and spewing and spewing and lost 7kgs) I have felt great. Granted, I never really did get that 2nd trimester 'energy kick' I have heard so much about, but I have been loving my body and loving growing this little person.

But over the last week or so my body has been SCREAMING at me to slow down. It all began last Sunday when I ended up on the maternity ward. I thought about what I could do to ease the stress and decided to change my 12 hour shifts back to 8 hour shifts for the rest of my roster.

Then I found out last Tuesday that the left side of my pubic bone is sitting higher than my right so the physio pulled it and tried to drag it back to the same height as the right side. He tried 3 times and it's still out of wack. He's a good looking physio that used to work on my ward!!! I was so embarrased. I had on a hospital gown and just my knickers. At least I'm getting used to not having any dignity now. Preparing me for the embarassment that is labour. I was due to go back for more torture session today but I still have a cold and didn't really want to infect people with my germs so have had to reschedule.

I Went to my GP yesterday as I woke up with an awful pain in my right calf. Now I have had leg cramps before and have just massaged the spot and they normally go away. Well not this time. This one has decided to stick around. Just to be on the safe side I am off to have an expensive ultrasound of my leg this afternoon.

And if that wasn't enough my blood pressure is high and the doctor is worried about pre eclampsia. Only good thing is there was no protein in my urine, which is a good sign. Will just check my BP weekly until I see the midwife and see what they want to do in a couple of weeks. I have my fingers crossed that the pain in my calf turns out to be an extremely nasty cramp and that once I go on maternity leave (on the 21st May WOO HOO) my blood pressure returns to normal.

In other news our weekend was great. It was nice seeing the inlaws again and go out for a special dinner. They were super excited to see me pregnant and got to feel the baby move around a bit which was special. I was very sad to see them go yesterday. Makes me realise how lonely I am down here sometimes, with only DH and a few friends. Hopefully in a few years time we can move back to QLD and be a little bit closer to them. I think it's important for bub's to know his grandparents.

Well better go shave my legs for my ultrasound. Don't want to shock the sonographer with my gross hairy legs!

31 Week Bump

30 weeks

Woo hoo!! The countdown is on. Less than 4 weeks until maternity leave and (hopefully, fingers crossed) less than 10 weeks until I have my gorgeous bubba in my arms. I'm grinning from ear to ear. It's all down hill from here :-)

I ended up on the maternity ward Sunday night because I thought I was going into labour. I had constant cramping/spasms really low in my abdomen. Plus I hadn't felt bub's move in ages. Went and got monitored and all looks well. Bub's is breech and transverse so hopefully he/she decides to turn in the next 9 or so weeks! Bub's is measuring perfectly size wise too which is a load off my mine. I have decided to give 12 hour shifts the flick. I think that's what the problem is. That and another UTI!!

Squirt has been wiggling heads lately. I keep getting nice headbutts under my ribs, especially when I'm sitting and my posture is quite poor. Poor thing must be getting it's head squashed! And because of bub's position I'm getting nice kicks down low! Sometimes it feels like bub's is stretching out it's legs in some funny kind of way because I get mammoth movement on both sides simultaneously. It's an amazing, slightly strange feeling.

We have finally started looking at baby stuff. We ordered a cot and drawer/change table combo from Toys r us last weekend because they were half price so hopefully that should be here in the next 2 weeks or so. We've finally decided on a pram too now the only problem is they are out of stock of the pram here in Canberra and they won't be back in stock until June, which considering we are due early July is cutting it a little fine. But as long as we have it before bub's is born.

My in laws are coming down from QLD this weekend which should be lovely. They only saw us at the very beginning of pregnancy (around 6ish weeks) so they are excited to come down and see us again before bub's is born. Hopefully the baby behaves and they'll get to feel lots of movement while they are here.

Well better go have a shower before it gets too cold. I think the Canberra winter has started already. It was only 1-19 degrees down here today. Lucky we just bought a little oil radiator heater for bub's. Might have to turn it on tonight though and test it out :)

30 Week Bump

No I don't wear my wedding rings on my right hand,

it's just because I took my photo into the mirror :-)

I'm Back

Well it's certainly been a while since I've been in the world of the web. Things were so darn hectic with the packing of the rental, cleaning of the rental, moving of boxes into new family home, unpacking of boxes in the new home that we've only just got the internet connected (after much drama..... thanks Telstra!)

Soooo much has happened in that time it's kind of hard to think of where to begin! All went well with our move. The townhouse still isn't 100% set up but is slowly getting there. We are trying to find a new TV unit to fit in a particular spot between two windows, it's driving us batty trying to find something appropriate!!

We haven't even started looking at baby stuff. Though I did see that Toys r us are having a sale on cots so the husband and I are off shopping tomorrow to hopefully find one. At least we've finally decided on a pram. The mountain buggy swift. Hopefully in red with the bassinette attachement. Husband wants the green one but I'm liking red more.

I'm certainly on the count down to maternity leave. I'm hating work at the moment. I went home early the other day and just sat in my car and cried my eyes out. No one at work is helping other people so it makes it hard to give good nursing care. I feel mentally and physically exhausted and so can't wait to leave, only 4 weeks to go. Our new boss is a big creepo and has made a few inappropriate comments about us pregnant ladies!! And also told me he wants to have a hip replacement so he can have more sex!! What the hell!!

I've recently started physio for a back injury I sustained at work so hopefully I have that sorted before labour I got up last night to go to the toilet and my back had seized up. I couldn't walk. Just had to stand and massage my back until the pain dulled enough for me to walk. Oh the joys of pregnancy!

But I better say that I am enjoying pregnancy (I just read my post and it sounds like Im just a whinger ) It's so lovely to feel bub's wriggling and rolling around. Bub's is my personal alarm clock. Every morning at around 5am it'll give me a kick in both sides to wake me up I'm loving growing this little human being.

Every person it seems wants to comment on the size of my belly. Some say its big others say its small. I'm getting a little sick of it. Being a first time mum I have no idea if Im 'big' for this stage of pregnancy or not so these comments while I'm sure are meant to be harmless are starting to freak me out and make me worry about bub's size.

Belly Pics 

You can tell when we moved :-)

No belly pics between week 25 and week 28 as I couldn't find my camera!

25 weeks

28 weeks

28 weeks

28 weeks

29 weeks

29 weeks

29 weeks (my belly button is trying to be an 'outie')

A close up of the outie

A Hard Week

This week I have found out my not quite 15 yr old sister is pregnant. To say I'm disappointed and upset would be an under statement. They live in another state so I can't really help/do much from here. The most upsetting thing though is apparently she's excited about it. I don't think she realises babies are not little dolls you can dress up and hand back when they are crying/upset etc. Having a baby is a life time commitment.

Apparently the father is some 'one night stand' that'll 'be there for her' YEAH RIGHT!!! I just know now the life my sister will have if she has this baby. She probably won't finish yr 10 (baby is due in October) so will have a hard time finding a decent job having not completed yr 10 and having a small baby/child. She is very immature for her age (being the youngest of 3) and definitely lacks motivation. I honestly can't see her going back to school to finish year 11 and 12. Far out, so disappointed. I guess I was just waiting for the announcement considering my mother let her stay at a boyfriends place at 13..... but no they werent having sex right!? Some people are so naive.

I think it's especially upsetting as the husband and I planned our bub's and wanted to make sure we were as financially and emotionally ready as we could be before deciding to bring a baby into the world. My childhood wasn't the easiest or most enjoyable. We never went on holidays like other families did and that is something I don't want our bub's to experience. I'm not talking about a fantastic 5 star experience. Even something as fun and basic as camping for a week in the summer holidays.

My sister sent me a message saying ' Being pregnant and keeping it is all my choice. Mum is supporting my wishes like I thought you would. How would you feel if people were telling you to give up your baby. I don't care who supports me through this, but the people who do I know care and love me.'

I just don't know how to support her when I think it's selfish to bring a child into the world when you're not financially and emotionally ready. Growing up in a single parent household surviving week to week thanks to the government was not fun and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. So how do I support my sister when I think she's not making the best decision?

Squirt and I

Squirt at 22 Weeks

* Squirt weighs about 430 grams, measures just over 27 centimetres long from crown to heel.

* The lips are distinct and the eyes are formed, though the iris (the coloured part of the eye) still lacks pigment.

* The first signs of teeth appear in the form of tooth buds beneath the gum line

Mumma To Be

Loving

* feeling Squirt kicking and moving around

* my ever changing shape

* the excitement people get when they rub my belly

Loathing

* being woken up in the middle of the night with leg cramps

* itchy flaky belly skin

Bump Pics