Scrap Happy Manda

New Blog!

2011-01-17T15:07:00.002+10:00

You'll find my new blog over at http://mandasrambles.com. See you there!

Mothers

2010-02-04T08:02:00.003+10:00

A friend sent this to me on Facebook and I thought it was too nice not to share.

Real Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough doesn't come out of carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked up.

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?' and get their answer when a little voice says, 'Because I love you best.'

Real Mothers know that a child's growth is not measured by height or years or grade. It is marked by the progression of Mummy to Mum to Mother.

The Images of Mother

4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mummy can do anything!
8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mum knows a lot! A whole lot!
12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn’t know everything!
14 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother? She wouldn’t have a clue.
16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She's so five minutes ago.
18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She's way out of date!
25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it!
35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mum's opinion.
45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mum would have thought about it?
65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mum.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.

It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows.

Knew it was too good to be true...

2010-01-22T08:51:00.003+10:00

A week ago I ran out of formula so I decided to try Levi on cows milk and he loved it. That night he slept through until 5:30am. This may not seem like much to some but this is BRILLIANT for Levi as he usually wakes around 3am in a screaming fit. That night we had no screaming fit, no crying, nothing. I didn't hear him until 5:30am when he awoke in a pleasant mood. I tried this again the next night and guess what... it worked!! 5:30am again! I tried again the third night and success again so I thought THIS IS IT! No more night waking and screaming fits! The fourth night was the same. This was BLISS. I hadn't had so much sleep since he was born. Until he decided I didn't like this idea anymore and last night and the night before I was up and down again with a screaming baby. 1am, 2am, 3am, 4am... :(

He's teething at the moment so hopefully he'll go back to sleeping through again soon but for now, it's back to waking several times a night and not settling. Joy.

RECIPE: Baked Potato Slice

2010-01-12T08:23:00.001+10:00

BAKED POTATO SLICE

INGREDIENTS
2 medium potatoes and 1 large sweet potato (or 4 medium potatoes only)
4 eggs
1 cup bacon, diced (you can also use ham if you prefer)
1 medium tomato, finely diced
1 large onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
1 cup grated cheese

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 200`.
2. Grate potatoes and using your hands, squeeze the excess water out.
3. Beat eggs together in a large bowl.
4. Add potato, bacon/ham, tomato, onion, parsley and half the cheese, mix together well.
5. Spread the mixture into a well greased shallow baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
6. Bake uncovered for about 40 minutes or until browned.
7. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Quick & Easy Salmon Bake

2010-01-12T08:16:00.002+10:00

QUICK & EASY SALMON BAKE
INGREDIENTS
3 large potatoes, washed, peeled and diced
1 415gm can of salmon*
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 cup grated cheese
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup tomato sauce (or about 3-4 good squirts of the bottle)
salt and pepper (optional)
* NOTE: Most canned salmon comes with bones and even they are entirely edible, I can't stand then so I sift through the salmon and remove any bones I can find (or crush them up until you can't see them)

METHOD
1. Boil the potatoes and onion in one saucepan until potato is soft. Mash together well adding milk/butter if desired.
2. Mix the salmon together with the potato/onion mash, cheese and tomato sauce, add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Spread mixture evenly into a baking dish and sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top of the mixture (evenly).
4. Bake in a moderate oven for 25-30 minutes or until breadcrumbs start going brown (You're not cooking it, just heating through the salmon and melting the cheese.)
5. Enjoy on it's own or with a nice salad.

My Recipes - Coming soon!

2010-01-12T08:13:00.000+10:00

I'm getting constant requests for my recipes from Facebook friends and others so from now on, I'm going to add them to my blog which will automatically appear in my Facebook feed. You can then comment or add your own variations if you like! So, watch this space... ;)

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T08:26:00.002+10:00

I'm still struggling to believe it's now 2010. That date just seems so.. futuristic? I've seen a few movies and TV shows from many years ago that show the year 2010 as being waaaaay into the future. But it's not. It's NOW!

We had a wonderful Christmas with Keith's family at Yeppoon in Central Queensland. We had a self-contained unit booked for four days at Capricorn Resort so it was great not to have to make everyone's bed for a change! Christmas lunch was spent at Keith's Uncle and Aunts place in Yeppoon. There was fun, laughter, Christmas tunes (on the iPod, not singing thank God!) and general merriness which is always a good way to wind down after another hectic year.

New Years was very quiet with just Keith, my sister, myself and the boys. Harley and Levi were in bed by 8 so that left Keith, my sister and myself. Keith was in bed by 9 so that left my sister and myself. I was in bed by 9:30 so that left my sister to bring in the new year on her own! LOL Sorry Bug. ;)

Our breastfeeding journey has come to an end

2009-11-06T19:50:00.003+10:00

Well, I lasted almost 7 months to the day breastfeeding Levi. I'm very proud to have lasted that long as there were many times I was ready to throw it all in but I'm glad I peservered now. It's such a special thing to experience and I'm going to miss it but I knew it was coming to end soon. Levi just wasn't as interested as he used to be and I felt like my milk supply was dwindling away. The ending point was a few days ago when I got sick and had to start taking medication that wasn't safe for Levi so I had to give it up.

Levi's been fine with his bottles. He can't get enough of them! He's on three solid feeds a day (plus a few snacks here and there) and three bottles. He's such a little garbage guts. I suppose he thinks he has to eat quickly before his brother gets in!

levi's first day of day care

2009-10-21T20:05:00.002+10:00

My littlest man is growing up! His first day of day care was today and they said he had a wonderful time. I missed him like mad! I shed a little tear when I left him there (not as many as Harley's first day though - I was a mess!) but the day went so fast and them they were both home again. He did so well for his first day and they said how much like Harley he is which I really can't see but then I look at both of them all the time!

I can't believe how fast these boys are growing up. I know I keep saying that but it's really something I can't get my head around. One moment they're newborns and the next they're walking around! Slow down already!

Testing 123

2009-10-10T18:10:00.000+10:00

Just worked out how to blog
from my iPhone. How exciting! It's about time I updated so I'll get onto that soon. Now I don't have an excuse not to. :)

Here's a pic just because...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

a little facelift

2009-08-17T15:05:00.001+10:00

For the blog, not me (I wish!). I'm making a few small changes here and there to update the site so if you'd like me to add a link to your blog/website, let me know. (My blog gets a little traffic from all over the world as I have some digital scrapbooking freebies on here.)

Sleep, sleep, where for art thou sleep

2009-08-16T19:26:00.003+10:00

Sleep glorious sleep. It's something we take for granted when we can get plenty of it. It's a luxury I can rarely experience lately. Levi's sleep is still all over the place and I'm beginning to blame myself. I've gotten into a (bad) habit of bringing him into bed with me when he starts stirring around 2-3am and of course, when he's in bed with me, I don't sleep for fear that I'll crush him or something! The reason I bring him in with me is because I don't want his crying and noise making to wake Harley up (the GOOD sleeper!). I really need to stop doing this and concentrate on getting him back to sleep in his OWN bed. As of tonight, I'm going to "attempt" this new plan.

Speaking of which, it's 7:45pm and I'm turning in. Wish me luck!

A few more firsts...

2009-07-30T15:01:00.002+10:00

We've had quite a few firsts over the last few weeks!

First solid feed...

First time in the Jolly Jumper...

First time in a Bumbo...

And first TEETH!

Ok, so you can't really see much but trust me, they're there! I took this photo with my phone so when I find my good camera, I'll try and get a better pic. Can you believe it? Teeth at FOUR MONTHS??!?

So far, so good!

2009-07-23T17:28:00.002+10:00

It's only been a little over a day and already I've seen a huge difference in Levi since we started the solids. Today he's been more content and sleeping for longer periods. He seems to LOVE his solids so I guess he was just a hungry little fellow! Here's hoping we see more of this new little Levi. :)

A new plan

2009-07-22T10:37:00.003+10:00

Levi & I visited the Child Health Nurse today and I told her all about his crappy sleep routine at night and we've come up with a new plan that I'm going to try effective tonight.

Currently, he's going to sleep around 4:30/5pm and sleeping for around 3-4 hours before waking for another feed around 8:30/9pm and then going back to sleep again and waking for another feed around 1/2am. It's after this feed that everything heads downhill. After I put him back down after this feed, he's waking every hour or so because he's already had the bulk of his sleep - don't worry about Mum's rest!

So... this is the new plan. Let him go to sleep when he wants in the afternoon (4:30/5pm usually) but wake him after an hour or so for a feed of solids (just farex with a little pureed fruit in it) around the same time I'd give Harley his dinner. After this feed, give him a shower/bath, have a little play and put him back down around 7:30/8pm after a breastfeed. By waking him earlier than he would usually sleep until, we're hoping to change the bulk of his sleep to overnight instead of the afternoon and half the night. If he wakes around 10/10:30pm, I'll offer him a dreamfeed but if he doesn't, so be it! If I can get him to sleep from 8pm until around 5am, I'll be one happy Mummy. Of course, I don't expect this to be a walk in the park either!

Wish me luck. ;)

a quick catch-up

2009-07-16T18:18:00.002+10:00

Since I'm such a bad blogger and all! It's been quite a few weeks since I last blogged and quite a bit has happened during that time too! Here's a quick rundown...

• Keith, kids & I drove to Brisbane for a bit of a holiday and so I could go to the Pink concert with Bernie & Rebecca. It was AWESOME! I can't put into words how great that concert was but I can show you some pics. You can view the album here. It was a great trip overall and the kids were really well behaved, considering they were locked in a car for days!

• I officially have a TWO YEAR OLD. Can anyone tell me where the last two years went because I can't remember! We threw him a birthday party on Saturday 11th July (a few days after his actual birthday) and it was wonderful! So many people came. My Dad, stepmum and Grandma all flew up from south QLD and a good friend, Katharine, flew up from Sydney with her gorgeous little daughter Alyssa. Mum, Ant, Ryan & Candy came from Townsville and quite a few local friends too. He got SO spoilt. Here's some photos!

• Levi's Christening was held the day after Harley's party on Sunday the 12th July. It was lovely. We held it at the same church Harley was Christened at and by the same priest, Father Kevin! Afterwards we had a BBQ lunch back at our place. It was a really nice day. Photos here!

And that's about the last few weeks in a nutshell. I really need to blog more often so I don't have to cram catch-up posts in like this! I'll try... ;)

A trial...

2009-06-07T03:02:00.001+10:00

Friday night I gave Levi 120mls of expressed breastmilk in a bottle and he guzzled it down. That night he slept for 6 hours. Straight! I thought I could be on to something here so last night I tried him with 120mls of formula and he slept for 7 hours straight! From 7:30pm to 2:30am. I feel like I've had a weeks worth of sleep in two nights! I'm going to trial this for a while to see if it really will help us (me) get some sleep instead of feeding every 2-3 hours around the clock. There's is no way I could express that much during the day and he didn't seem to mind the formula. I'm still breastfeeding though,all bar that one feed at night. Here's hoping for many more nights like tonight. I can dream can't I? :)

After almost 2 years...

2009-06-04T09:11:00.000+10:00

.. I think we may well be DUMMY FREE (well, for Harley anyway).

Harley's dummy, or "Pipey" as it's affectionately known, has disappeared. And no it's not a trick we're playing on him, just telling him it's disappeared, it has most definitely disappeared. Like into thin air! We can't find it anywhere and we've turned the house, yard, shed and car upside down. It's been 5 days now and he has asked for it but we've just told him that "Pipey is gone" and he carries on. Like it's no biggy! I was hoping to be rid of the dummy by the time he was 2 and it looks like the dummy had the same idea!

Our only hope now is that it doesn't just turn up again one day and he finds it or we'll be back to square one. Here's hoping we find it first!

my, how fast they grow!

2009-06-01T19:45:00.002+10:00

4 days - 3.43kg

1 month - 4.50kg

2 months - 5.45kg

I swear, some days I can see him growing right before my eyes. I don't remember Harley growing THIS quickly but I'm sure he must have. I wish he'd slow down for a little while. I want a baby for a little while longer! :(

2 month needle time

2009-06-01T17:26:00.001+10:00

Levi had his 2 month needles today. It's really hard to hear your baby scream when they're getting hurt (even if it's for their own good!) so Keith came with me. What can I say... I
m a wuss! He did really well though. I gave him a feed directly after the jabs and he was fine. Boob fixes everything! (Don't tell Keith I said that... LOL).

The notes in his little red book read "Doing well. Flow murmur? Difficult to hear. Not in all positions. Never heard before. Review at next appointment." This is a little worrying. If he had a heart murmur, surely it would have been picked up before now. I'm not going to worry over it as it's more than likely nothing but I will be getting them to check it out at his next appointment in two months.

This isn't the first time his heart has been in question. During an ultrasound when I was pregnant, they picked up an 'Echogenic Focus' or a spot on the heart but it disappeared when I went for another scan a few weeks later (I blogged about this). Of course, I'm really hoping there isn't going to be a problem with his heart but if there is, I guess we'll deal with it as best we can. Just keep your fingers crossed that it's nothing.

Mummy & me

2009-05-29T14:07:00.000+10:00

Just some fun shots of the littlest man and me. Everyone tells me he looks a lot like me. You be the judge!

Smile!

2009-05-24T11:39:00.001+10:00

This isn't Levi's first smile but one of many we've been given lately and hopefully one of many more to come! There's something soothing about a baby's smile isn't there? You could be having the worst of worst days and it takes one cheesy grin from a baby and you forget about your worries. For a moment anyway. :)

shoutout

2009-05-22T19:58:00.003+10:00

Just a quick plug for some of my friends websites that I've recently added to my blog. OZHandmade & I Heart Craft. Well done girls! Loving your work. :)

Just testing

2009-05-22T18:45:00.001+10:00

If this works, I can blog on the run from now on. Yay Blogger Mobile!

8 weeks old

2009-05-20T19:55:00.000+10:00

I honestly can't believe how fast the last 8 weeks has gone. It seems like literally yesterday we were at the Birth Centre awaiting his arrival and now it's 8 weeks later and we have a happy, healthy (and heavy!) baby boy! I won't say the last 8 weeks has been easy because it hasn't but we're still getting on our feet and I'm still trying to get my head around the fact that I have TWO kids now, not just one. O_o

Harley has been great with him, apart from the occasional rough pat on the head. He is yet to understand the concept of "gentle" but he's getting there. He loves his "Yeewhy" (Harley's name for Levi). Whenever he can't see the baby, he asks where Yeewhy is, he gives Yeewhy a kiss and cuddle when he goes to bed at night and he helps Mum by putting Yeewhy's dummy back in when he cries. It's adorable!

Here's my boys bonding...

Told you. Adorable!

I'm a shocking blogger!

2009-05-17T11:49:00.001+10:00

I will be writing soon so keep an eye out! So much to say, so little time to say it. Sorry to my blog stalkers!

Here he is!

2009-04-04T19:37:00.002+10:00

Introducing Levi Charles...

Isn't he precious? ♥ There's loads more photos in my Facebook albums which you'll find here and here.

Levi's Arrival - A Wonderful Water Birth!

2009-03-31T07:34:00.001+10:00

Friday 27th March 2009
It was a sunny Friday afternoon and I was watching Harley on the trampoline when I realised that I had a dull constant backache and very frequent Braxton-Hicks. I tried to shake the backache with Panadol and also tried walking around the trampoline (not ON the trampoline!) a few times but there was no budging it. This was when I knew something was up so around 3pm I rang Keith to let him know that I thought I may go into labour soon. I then rang the Birth Centre and told them what was happening and they suggested I come in for a quick checkup, just in case (considering my last birth!).

Keith got home around 4pm and had a quick shower while I packed the car and got Harley ready. We arrived at the Birth Centre around 5pm and after a VE, discovered I was already 5cm dilated. Sue the midwife told me they probably weren't Braxton-Hicks but were actually mild contractions. I hadn't felt a thing apart from the tightenings! It was then decided that we weren't going anywhere so we called Keith's parents to come and get Harley. It was really hard saying goodbye to him knowing that soon he wasn't going to be my only child! He was more than happy to spend some time at Nana & Pop's place though (they have chooks!). :)

So dinner was ordered for us and we sat on the verandah of the Birth Centre eating while watching the sun go down over the river. The contractions continued on for a few hours and got down to 2 mins apart at one stage but I still I wasn't feeling much pain so I went and watched a movie with Marion the night midwife on duty. I thought, if I'm going into labour soon, I should probably try and get some sleep (yeah right!) so I went to bed and not long after I layed down, nothing. Everything stopped! I was shattered. :( I went and saw Marion and she said there's various reasons why labour stops including stress, anxiety, etc. We're still not sure why mine stopped but it gave me a few hours to get some sleep for what I knew would be a big day the next day!

Saturday 28th March 2009
Keith and I got up around 6:30am and walked to the little shop over the road from the hospital to grab some breakfast. I was ravenous but also felt like I needed to keep moving so walk we did! And it worked. While I was sitting down to eat my bacon & eggs, a contraction hit. Still wasn't a painful contraction but I knew what it was. They continued on throughout the morning but with no regularity and not getting any more painful so we discussed breaking my waters. We decided to wait until 10am to see if it would happen naturally but nothing improved so my waters were broken at 10:06am. The first time I felt a real, proper, very painful contraction was 20 minutes later at 10:26am! Sue asked if I wanted the bath and I said I would like to try it so she ran the bath and I got in around 11am (it took forever to fill!). I was only the tub for a few minutes and a few contractions when I told Sue I needed to push. She asked if I wanted to get out of the tub or stay in there and I think I mumbled "stay in please". After about 4 or 5 good pushes on my knees, Levi Charles was born in the bathtub at 11:14am with his Dad right there to help catch him. "Established labour" was even quicker than Harley's - just over an hour!

He was weighed later in the day and so much for me thinking I was having a monster - he was only 7lb 15oz (3590gm). Smaller than Harley was! But Levi had a bigger head and that's what mattered. He was also 53cm long - the exact same length as Harley. His APGAR was 9 at 1 minute and 10 at 5 minutes. He was perfect! All done with no drugs but with a bit of a nasty tear.

I'm so totally in love with my little family. I had a wonderful experience at the Birth Centre. I'm so glad I chose to go there and if we decide to go back again for #3, I'll be more than happy to use them again. ;)

Still no bub

2009-03-22T18:59:00.002+10:00

Yep, I'm still hanging around! Or should I say bub is still hanging around - the little trickster. It's had everyone convinced it was going to come earlier but obviously changed it's mind, much to my disappointment. :( I'm sooo sore lately and living on the edge! Every little niggle has me thinking labour is beginning but them everything disappears and I'm back to square one. Two of my friend who are also due around now are still hanging in there too. It's going to be interesting to see how far the gap is between our three bubs! I'm dying to hear that at least one of them has had their baby (or me of course LOL).

It's all very exciting (and just a little painful).

Latest checkup findings

2009-03-11T14:35:00.003+10:00

Bub is definitly engaged and ready to come at any time. I've been 4/5ths - 3/5ths engaged for months and after today's checkup, I'm 1/5th engaged. I thought WTF? It's going BACKWARDS? :( But noooo, it means it's well and truly lodged in there and ready to roll any day now. Being that it's so low already, they predict another extremely fast labour as it doesn't have far to come down to be born. I hope they're right! I'm praying it happens soon as I can hardly walk now for the pressure on my pelvis and tailbone. Picking up Harley is out of the question as it hurts way too much now. :(

They tell me everything is looking wonderful and labour can be any day now going by my previous symptoms and how low bub is. Bring it on!

I don't want to get my hopes up...

2009-03-08T14:29:00.001+10:00

But it looks like things may be happening sooner rather than later. A few things that make me think this are the fact that my tummy has well and truly dropped further, bub isn't moving half as much as it usually does, I'm extremely irritable (poor Keith!), I have aching legs, a backache and a headache, I've started to lose the "plug", I've had a mild case of diarrhea and the Braxton-Hicks are getting frequent and very uncomfortable! A little hard to ignore all that when you want something so badly.

Although, we are in amidst a tropical cyclone (Hamish) at the moment so I'm kinda hoping bub holds out a few days yet but as we all know from past experiences that my kids wait for no-one! Time will tell though. Watch this space for a birth announcement soon. Hopefully.

All ready to roll

2009-03-02T16:37:00.000+10:00

Funny I should choose that word as that's about all I can do these days. Waddle and roll! My bag and Bub's bag are packed and I'm just hoping I haven't forgotten anything. Last time it was my beauty case so I had no toothbrush, hair brush or shampoo and conditioner! I'm sure I looked a right mess but I really didn't care less at the time. Keith grabbed them before he came up to the hospital the next day though so I at least got to feel human before I left! So I've learnt my lesson and this time I'm packing a SPARE hairbrush, toothbrush and hair care goods.  

I'm still struggling to believe I only have less than 4 weeks left. This pregnancy has gone SO fast and it's not just me that thinks so! This baby is incredibly active, almost to the point where it really hurts. It manages to take my breath away most days! It's a good thing I guess as if I didn't feel anything regularly, I'd stress. I haven't had any more dramas since the last one... *touch wood*. Hoping it stays that way too!  

I haven't been sleeping very well lately which the midwives put down to anxiety (and the octopus in my tummy). It makes sense though. I'm probably anxious about having another unplanned home birth like last time. It wouldn't be a bad thing as I know I could do it but my intention is to make it to the birth centre! I know I'd be fine as someone is only ever around 20-30 minutes away. I have a few people on backup this time in case no-one is around when I go into labour. Better to be over-prepared than under-prepared...

A bit of a scare

2009-02-19T16:33:00.000+10:00

Earlier today I was vacuuming Harley's room when my vision went blurry and I started to feel dizzy. I stopped immediately and sat down in case I passed out. Not long after I sat, my left arm went tingly from the elbow to the fingertips and soon after that the left side of my face went numb too! I thought I was having a stroke! I rang Keith to tell him and then put Harley to bed so I could lay down for a while to see if that'd help.

When I got up, I felt better but had a splitting headache so I rang the birth centre to see what they suggested. They asked me to come in just for a quick check over. They took me over to the hospital to hook me up to a CTG machine to check that bub was fine (all good) and I had a few braxies while there which showed up clear as a bell on the monitor! Another thing I noticed was that every time Harley made a loud noise, bubs heartrate went up! Bonding already? Or terrified of big brother! LOL

Anyway, as it turned out, it was nothing too bad. They think I was suffering from a migraine. All that for a damn headache? At least I'll recognise it next time. Well here's hoping there won't BE a next time though...

It's raining babies!

2009-02-09T18:10:00.002+10:00

I had my baby shower on Saturday the 7th February which was kindly hosted by my sister Rebecca at my place. It was such a fun afternoon and was great to catch up with the girls! We played a few fun games including Baby Scattergories, 'Never Say Baby', The Price is Right, Celebrity Tots & Guess the prego's girth (101cm!). LOL We also got some photos which you can see here.

The food was fantastic, the games were fun and the company was great! I couldn't have asked for a better baby shower. Even though I asked for no gifts (as this kid has everything already!), the girls still brought something which was wonderful. Thanks again ladies for making my first baby shower such a special occasion for me! xoxo

31 weeks - Where did the time go?

2009-01-28T10:07:00.002+10:00

I still can't believe I'm already 31 weeks along but then I get a few massive kicks to the ribs and it reminds that yep, bub really is way up there already. LOL I had my glucose test last week. The drink wasn't as bad as I remembered and the blood test didn't hurt but OMG it left me with a massive yellow/purple bruise! I don't know the results from the tests yet but I'm sure if there was anything to worry about, they would have let me know by now. I hope. :|

Bub is coming along nicely. Lots and LOTS of movement daily. It feels like there's rarely a moment I don't the baby moving around in there. So much for sleeping 95% of the time. What a crock! At least it puts my mind at ease, feeling the movement. You tend to stress heaps when you don't feel anything so I'm happy to have the occasional foot in the rib, headbutt in the hoo-har if it means bub is OK.

I'm pretty much organised for bub now as I have all the clothes, nappies, toiletries, etc but the poor little thing doesn't have any of it's own toys! I've been sorting through Harley's old toys and cleaning some of them up for the baby. One thing I still have to do is pack my labour bag! Don't want to leave that too late... just in case. ;)

A huge relief

2009-01-21T13:21:00.001+10:00

Just posting a quick update on the follow up scan I had to have after they found an ecogenic focus (spot) on bub's heart at the 20 week scan in November. The follow up scan was on the 31st December and I finally saw the results today - all perfectly normal! There's no spot there at all now and everything looks fine. What a RELIEF! Oh and apparently I shouldn't expect a small baby this time around either. Eep... :|

I mentioned to the midwife that I thought bub had started heading south about two weeks ago so she had a good feel and I was spot on. He's 4/5ths engaged! Of course, he can always turn around again but I mentioned that Harley was head down and stayed head down from 28 weeks so this one will probably stay there too (something to do with the stretchiness of my uterus? LOL ). I also found out he's laying in the opposite position to what Harley was (Harls was legs on the left, this one is legs on the right!). I'm so happy that all is well.

Not long now!! :D

My wonderful start to 2009... Not.

2009-01-12T10:29:00.002+10:00

We're only two weeks into the new year and already it feels like it's going to be a bad year. Here's my last two weeks in review...

• Harley started in the toddler room at day care and screams bloody murder when I leave now, tears, tantrums, the works - whether he's inside or out (usually LOVES it outside). Makes it very hard on me to leave him there so I get upset every time I drop him off.

• Someone I know is very unhappy in their job and is stressing a lot which is very unhealthy for them. They are hoping to hear about a new job prospect soon which I really hope works out.

• A married couple I know are going through a rather messy separation which is breaking my heart. They used to be so happy but things just aren't working out and they've decided to go their separate ways.

• Someone I know has recently had a nasty medical scare - a small stroke. I guess nothing is small when your health is involved. I'm hoping and praying this person makes a full recovery and is back to normal soon.

• Some people I know have been involved with a rather nasty substance - drugs. Nobody needs that sh!t, especially these people. I really hope they wake up to themselves soon and realise how much they are hurting the people around them, not only themselves.

... and that's about it in a nutshell. There's more but I don't want to bore my blog stalkers to death so I'll leave it at that.

Stress isn't good for anyone. Especially when your over 7 months pregnant. I'm beside myself thinking I'm going to go into premature labour because of the amount of stress I'm under but to be honest, it's my own fault. I don't HAVE to take on everyone else's problems but for some reason, I do. I wish there was an easy way to block everything out and concentrate on myself and the gorgeous baby in my tummy but it's easier said than done. I'll get there though. These are just some of the bumps in the road of life. I just wish they didn't all happen at once! :(

I'm such a bad blogger!

2009-01-06T15:50:00.003+10:00

OMG. I'm so sorry to my blog followers! As you'd know, I haven't updated this blog for quite a while so thought I'd better get my act together and do it quick smart!

Continuing on from my last post - 'Not the day I was hoping for' - things have well and truly improved. First and foremost, bub is doing great and appears to be very healthy. I've had two ultrasounds since the last one and both have shown nothing to be concerned about which is a HUGE relief. The last two sonographers I had were great too. We managed to get some wonderful photos which you'll find in my Facebook album here.

We did find out the sex of the baby but I'm not going to share online unless someone asks as I'm not sure who reads my blog and there's a few people that don't want to know! We're just thrilled that bub is happy and healthy in there.

As for our Christmas and New Years, it was a very quiet one for us this year! Harley was spoilt ROTTEN by everyone. From Santa he got an electric quad bike which he got on for the first time Christmas morning and rode it like he's been doing it for years! There's heaps of photos here.

My business is going great. A little quiet over the holiday season but things seem to be picking up again now which is good. I'm trying to do as much as I can now before bub arrives as I'm not going to have much time afterwards!

Anyway, now that I've sort of caught up, I'll try to update this more often. Try to! :)

Not the day I was hoping for

2008-11-08T12:23:00.006+10:00

Today was the day of our halfway scan. I was hoping to go in there, see bub, find out all was OK and maybe even the sex but it sure didn't turn out that way. I left the room almost in tears but NOT because he didn't tell us the sex... It was because he didn't tell us ANYTHING. Keith and I were both asking questions and he'd give us the briefest of answers and then carry on. I even tried cracking a few jokes with him but it was all business. I'm pretty convinced he didn't know what he was doing as twice he typed the wrong thing on the screen. He was concentrating on a spot on the heart for ages and Keith & I were getting very anxious because of course, he wasn't saying anything so we asked if everything was OK and he said he just has to get a few images so the doctor doing the report can see everything. Yeah fair enough but IS EVERYTHING OK?!?! He didn't answer us. My heart was in my throat, my fists clenched and my toes crunched through the whole process. When I left I almost burst into tears.

This is the spot he was concentrating on.

I really don't care about the gender of the baby at the moment, I just REALLY need to know all is OK so I've booked another ultrasound on Wednesday (12th Nov) with a great place that will actually discuss everything with you. I've used them before with Harley and they were excellent (should have gone there FIRST). This place also have 3D so should be able to see any abnormalities better - fingers crossed there aren't any to find though.

What was meant to be a wonderful day for us turned into a sh!t day pretty quickly.

My Predictions

2008-11-06T08:01:00.002+10:00

I thought it might be fun to add a few predictions about this baby here and see how many actually come true.

Prediction 1.
It's a boy.

Prediction 2.
I *AM* going to make it to the birth centre.

Prediction 3.
He's going to have brown hair and brown eyes.

Prediction 1 I should be able to confirm after tomorrow's scan, Prediction 2 I can confirm after the birth and Prediction 3 I should be able to confirm a few months after the birth (once the eyes choose a colour!)

I really can't wait for the scan tomorrow! My intuition is really telling me now that it's a boy so if they say 'It's a GIRL' tomorrow, I'll be a little surprised! I'll be ecstatic of course, but still surprised. I'm hoping it's a girl since Keith wants a girl but I told him it doesn't work that way. I also told him that I think it's another boy but he said 'We'll see...'. LOL That we will! TOMORROW! *squeee*

Night #1 in the big boy bed!

2008-10-31T06:55:00.004+10:00

Great success! You may remember a few posts back I talked about Harley's new bedroom suite Well, last night was his first night in his new big bed! Last night he "helped" Dad Dad put the bed up...

Then we showed him again how to climb up and down it (as it's quite a big bed) and he mastered it right away! Come bed time, we did everything as normal, bottle, bed, story, kisses, leave, and he went to sleep about 10 minutes later (with Teddy I, NOT Teddy II . That operation has been abandoned for now LOL).

I'm kicking myself I didn't get photos when he was asleep but I didn't want to risk waking him up again on this first night. I did however get some 'first morning' photos! He woke up around 6:30am which is pretty normal and just layed there banging against the wall until he decided he wanted to get up and that's when I went in with the camera...

Just climbing out of bed...

"Oh, hi Mum!"

Always plenty of other opportunities for the sleeping ones. I'm so proud of my big boy! ♥

Boot Scootin' Baby

2008-10-29T19:57:00.002+10:00

This kid is kicking up a storm in there! Today is the first day I've felt Puggles move all throughout the day, not just once a day. He/She is getting bigger! I love getting those little boots as it makes me remember that YES I am having a baby and makes it seem all the more real.

I was finally able to pick up the heartbeat with the home doppler the other night and it was music to my ears. I made it into a little video with the scan photos from the 12 week scan.

I'll never tire of hearing that noise. :) My next ultrasound is November 7th and that's the one where we hopefully find out the sex! I know I've said it before but I don't really want to share with EVERYONE but I can't see myself holding it in for too long. Haha!

Operation Teddy Swap

2008-10-29T18:40:00.002+10:00

Harley's had the same teddy since he was born and loved it from day one. This is "Teddy"...

Anyway, recently Teddy (I) has seen better days and is starting to fall apart due to over-snuggling so today I bought a replacement (Teddy II). Teddy II is exactly the same. Same fur, same blanket, same colour, same stitching, same everything except for the wear & tear BUT he won't have anything to do with it! :(

I did try... (video 1)

... and I tried again ... (video 2)

But it's obvious there's no fooling my son. He chose Teddy I both times. If he sees Teddy II on the floor, he'll walk all the way around it until he finds Teddy I. :shock: Looks like I may need to whip out the sewing kit and revive Teddy I... LOL

I am lucky.

2008-10-28T13:24:00.002+10:00

I've been whinging a little lately and I'm going to put it down to pregnancy hormones as I really don't have anything to whinge about. Allow me to explain...

Yes, I have a husband who is away 5-6 days a week BUT I do have a husband! A loving husband who is more than happy to work to provide for his growing family.

Yes, I have a cranky boy today BUT the other 80% of the time, I have a pretty good kid! He (usually) does what he's told, sleeps when he's supposed to, eats what he has to and gives me cuddles when I need them.

Yes, I have pains in the hips, back and boobs BUT I have a gorgeous, healthy little baby growing inside me who I can't wait to meet and I didn't have to go through months or years of heartache to conceive them.

Yes, I complain about the fumes from the buses driving past and the cane haulers starting at 4:30am BUT it means I have a roof over mine and my family's heads in a great area.

Yes, I complain that I never hear from my friends BUT I still have friends. Great friends who I know would do anything for me if I asked them to.

I really am lucky. :)

Today my heart stopped...

2008-10-24T17:07:00.001+10:00

Keith & I took Harley to pool today for the first time in ages as it's been too cold/windy and Keith was in the toddler pool with him while I was sitting on the bench about 3 metres away watching them. I turned away and started watching the 'Learn to Swim' kids in the big pool and couldn't have looked away for more than a a few seconds when I turned back to see Harley under the water and Keith with his back to him. I seriously lost my breath. I couldn't breathe for a few seconds and then managed to get to my feet and started heading for the pool screaming out to Keith to grab Harley.

We figured he was only under for around 4-5 seconds but long enough to get a belly full of water. He spluttered a bit when we got him up but was OK, albeit a little wide-eyed. I, on the other hand, was hysterical. I was screaming at Keith to get him out of the water and Keith just kept saying sorry, sorry, sorry. I told him that's all it takes, to look away for a few seconds and they drown. The feeling that rushed over me when I saw him under the water was unbelievable. I couldn't get to the pool quick enough yet I couldn't move, frozen with fear! I feel like the WORST mother in the world for taking my eyes off them and I know Keith feels horrible as he keeps apologising to me. It was a very quiet trip home as I was trying not to cry to make things worse.

Harley is perfectly OK now, it didn't seem to phase him at all but I'll never get that picture out of my head. I never EVER want to experience that again. :(

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-10-23T13:52:00.002+10:00

Yep, another year down and I'm still no wiser. LOL I had a wonderful, albeit lonely, day for my birthday this year. Harley was day care all day, Keith was away for work so it was just me and Puggles (and even he/she was very quiet). The first SMS was at 6:30am and it was from Keith telling me there was a card for me in his top drawer and another under Harley's mattress. Then the phone calls started and didn't let up until around 10am! I had a lovely lunch with my ex-neighbour Judy and when I picked Harley up from day care, this is what he gave me...

They said that's the most he's ever drawn! It's usually a line and a few dots. I feel special! :)

When we got home, I set about doing the evening duties and didn't notice these sitting on the table out the front until it was almost dark...

How nice are they? They're from Keith (of course!). He knows my favourite flower is Bird of Paradise. I'm a lucky girl. :D

Home Sweet Home

2008-10-21T11:18:00.002+10:00

Well, Cubby Sweet Cubby anyway! Here it is, in all it's glory.

And of course, there's no show without Punch...

It's a great little cubby. Harley just loves it. If I'm ever looking for him, he's usually in there! I crawled in myself today. Thank God no one was around with a camera. LOL

All is well in Uteroland!

2008-10-15T13:41:00.003+10:00

I had my 16 week checkup today at the Birth Centre and all is well with Puggles. We did the paperwork (boring!) and then got to the fun part of listening for the heartbeat. I was just about to tell the student midwife (attending the usual midwife) that she may have some trouble locating it due to the anterior placenta but nope. I think I got our "You may have some troub..." and there it was! That beautiful sound that I will never tire of. She picked it up right away, a wonderful strong heartbeat between 150 & 160 bpm.

We also discussed breastfeeding and how I'd really like to make a go of it this time since I didn't have much say last time. Hopefully this time I'll be a "milker" as my husband so eloquently puts it. LOL I'm going to attend the class and do as much reading as I can but all of that means diddly squat if I'm not making enough milk again. I managed to feep Harls exclusively for 6 weeks before I had to progress onto formula as he just wasn't gaining enough weight. Fingers crossed I won't have that problem this time though!

Checkup Stats
BP: 100/60
Weight: 66kg (What the...? I lost weight?)
Heartbeat: 150-160bpm

The Birth Order of Children

2008-10-13T18:51:00.002+10:00

I simply have to post this here to refer back to later on. Too funny!

The Pregnancy

1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.
2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.
_____________________________________________________
Preparing for the Birth:

1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing.
3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month
______________________________________________________
The Baby clothes:

1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, colour co-ordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.
2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?
______________________________________________________
Worries:

1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick upthe baby.
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing
______________________________________________________
Dummies:

1st baby: If the dummy falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and sterilise it.
2nd baby: When the dummy falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.
3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.
______________________________________________________
Nappy changing:

1st baby: You change your baby's nappies every hour, whether they need it or not.
2nd baby: You change their nappy every two to three hours, if needed.
3rd baby: You try to change their nappy before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.
______________________________________________________
Activities:

1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.
______________________________________________________
Going Out:

1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.
2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.
______________________________________________________
At Home:

1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.
______________________________________________________
Swallowing Coins:

1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays.
2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.
3rd child: When third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!

Someone is getting clothes for Christmas...

2008-10-13T18:16:00.002+10:00

Today we bought Harley an early Christmas present...

K&D Garden Villa Playhouse

K&D Boogie Slide

We decided to get him these as he uses the ones at day care and absolutely loves them. Apparently he's always in the cubby at day care and WITH A GIRL too! :| Talk about starting young. LOL They cubby won't be set up until Keith gets around to it but I set the slide up for him today and he loves it already. Managed to get quite a few giggles (and a few grass stains too!).

This is why he's only getting clothes for Christmas. (Yeah, who am I kidding.) :)

Cheese!

2008-10-10T09:34:00.004+10:00

This is what my son has started doing when I say 'cheese' while trying to get his photo.

I vaguely remember my sister doing exactly the same thing when you'd say cheese to her trying to get a photo!

Another one for the books...

2008-10-08T13:45:00.000+10:00

After paying for my purchases at the self-serve checkout at Woolworths today, I put my wallet back into my hand bag (it's one with pockets underneath) and noticed the other pocket was open - the one that had my keys in it... OMG I've lost my keys!!!

A very patient friend & I spent the next hour retracing our steps around the whole of the shopping centre looking for the damn keys until I had a brilliant idea... I wonder if they ARE in my bag but in the other pocket? Well bugger me, they WERE in there, under my wallet! (I realised then that the other pocket was open at the checkout because I'd just taken my wallet OUT of it!) I apologised profusely to my friend for my stupidity and almost burst into tears.

This goes down in my 'Placenta-Brain Moment' Hall of Fame.

Who's a lucky boy?

2008-10-07T10:28:00.002+10:00

Yesterday was a big day for Harley. He got a new bedroom set, a new booster seat AND a haircut! Here's some photos (of course!)...

New Bookshelf/Toybox

New Trundle Bed
(Not in white, it'll be in a similar stain to the bookshelf)

New Booster Seat
(S'n'S Maxirider AHR)

How awesome is his bedroom going to look! We're not going to change him over to a bed for another few months yet but the bargain we got on the bed and bookshelf was too hard to ignore. The trundle bed is just awesome. It has the trundle underneath (obviously) but then some drawers under that for whatever he wants to put in there. I wanted a trundle bed for two reasons. While he's getting used to a big bed, we're going to leave the trundle out in case he falls out of bed (we have a barrier too but you never know with kids LOL) and so he can then use the trundle for sleepovers when he gets a bit older. It's a great sturdy bed and should last for many years. We hope!

I just love his new booster seat too. Check out these features:

Features AHR (Active Head Restraint) technology to provide valuable side impact protection. The unique adjustable AHR head rest grows as your child does
Converts from a forward facing seat for 8kg to 18kg infants to a booster seat for children up to 26kg
Exclusive patented Anti-Submarine clip for use in booster seat mode. Deep wings for side impact protection fitted with EPS liner for added head protection for the child
Built in child harness to 18kg which stores away when not in use. Harness adjustable by push button
Luxurious fabrics plus additional cushioning and padding all over. Includes two cup holders (suits cups, drink cans and fruit boxes) that can be rotated into a stored position when not in use
Includes pivoting arm rests, a recline mechanism, seat belt locator and split crotch strap all for added comfort and safety.
Suitable for children from 8 - 18kg using the in-built harness, then up to 26kg using either the car's lap/sash seat belt or Safe-n-Sound Protecta Harness

Love it! Not sure when we're going to put him in it though. I want to get him used to it before the baby comes though.

Now for the haircut! He was so good. It was almost 5pm and he was sooo tired from being out all day with me & Dad but he was great. He sat in Dad's lap the whole time. The whole process took around 3 minutes and he did crack up at one stage but not from the haircut, it was just because he had to sit still for so long! LOL Here's some photos...

Before (Front)

Before (Back)

During

After

I think he looks so grown up! He's definitely not a little baby anymore. :(

15 weeks and feeling fine!

2008-10-06T11:42:00.002+10:00

This was taken today (a day late but meh!). I can't see much difference from last weeks but I can see that I've popped out a lot more. Things have finally settled on the sickness front now which is great and I don't feel as tired. Feeling fine! Looking forward to the check-up next week. I'm hoping they can pick the heartbeat up on their doppler as all mine picks up is the placenta! Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. It's still a relief to hear that doing it's job though. :)

POP goes the tummy

2008-10-02T19:56:00.002+10:00

I haven't posted a belly shot in a while so here's the last two I took. You'll probably notice a significant difference over the week. I think I'm rounding out now!

13 WEEKS
14 WEEKS

Do you see it or am I just imagining things? LOL

Boy? Girl? Who knows!

2008-10-01T19:11:00.002+10:00

14w 3d
Of all the people I've asked about their thoughts sex of this baby, I'd say about 80% have said girl. Whether that's just wishful thinking or they see something on the scan photos that I can't, I don't know! I don't even have an inkling of an idea. I've been thinking about life with either and this is what I've come up with so far:-

BOY
- I've already got HEAPS of boy clothes
- We won't have to paint the new nursery
- I have an awesome name picked
- I know what to do with a boy!

GIRL
- Keith would really like a girl
- I get to buy HEAPS of girly clothes
- I get to decorate the new nursery in all girly stuff
- I have an awesome name picked
- I'll have to learn what to do with a girl!

So as you can see, I'm going to be happy with either BUT I know Keith really wants a girl so I'm tending to sway that way. Hell, I'm being outnumbered here! In all honesty though, I really don't mind either way which is weird as usually you definitely have a preference for one or the other but not me! I'm just looking forward to having a little baby in the house again.

Harley is going to make a great big brother. The girls at his day care tell me he's very gentle and careful around the little babies in his room. Could be a different story when he can't leave this one! LOL I'm sure he'll be great.

I have my next checkup on the 15th October at the birth centre. At the moment it's 4 weeks between visits but soon enough it'll be 2 weeks, then one week then none because Puggles will be here!

A Day in the Life of Harley Andrew

2008-09-23T10:18:00.000+10:00

Hi! My name is Harley Andrew and I'm this many [holds up 1 finger]. Son of Dad Dad and the lady who's name I refuse to say (only because she wants me to so bad!). I also live with a furry black thing that walks on four legs. They call it a cat. I call it a pull toy.

My day begins when the light comes through the window. The M lady comes to get me after a half an hour of me talking to Teddy (Oh how I love Teddy ♥ ) and then we have a play and watch a show called Sunrise on the bright box that I like to push all the buttons on. I wait patiently while the M lady gets my breakfast ready, usually some soggy biscuits with milk (Weetbix) or some soggy clumpy floaty things with milk (Oats) and my favourite, toasty toast with jam! The M lady doesn't like my jam hands very much when I want to give her a cuddle though. I don't know why? Jam is yummy! :D

The next part of my day is what Dad Dad calls "bogey time" (bath time). Bogey time is fun. I love bubbles!!! I have a few friends in there too; ducky, squirty shapes, pelican. They like playing with me in the bath. Once the M lady says "Hopping out now?", I know it's all over and I don't like that very much so I protest by saying "Nuh." It appears the M lady can't speak my language because she gets me out anyway! :( After bath time, I'm wrapped in a nice fuzzy towel and taken to my bedroom. The M lady throws some white stuff all over me which I help to rub in, then she puts a clean nappy on me and some clothes and it's back to bed for me.

I sleep until I wake up (doesn't everyone?) and then I let the M lady know that I'm awake by having another D&M with Teddy. He's a great listener but doesn't say much? She comes to get me, we have a quick cuddle and then I get a snack and a drink before we head off on our walk. She puts me in the pram and off to the shop we go. Along the way I see lots of things like "Thomas" chugging along beside us (trains), a few of those furry things that make lots of noise (dogs), some people I don't know that always want to rub my head and tell me how much they love my hair and of course, the hole in the wall at that place we get the mail from. The M lady always lets me grab the stuff out of the hole in the wall. I don't know where it comes from but there's always more every time we go there! I often hear the M lady say how much she hates someone called "Bill". I wonder who Bill is and what he did?

After our walk, I'm allowed to play outside in the yard. Yay! I have lots of toys to play with in the yard but I'd much rather play with the things the M lady doesn't want me to like the big green thing with wheels on it (wheelie bin) and the long green thing that squirts me when I pick it up (hose). I'm so happy to have the sandpit now but I don't like it when I get sand in my nappy! :shock:

When playtime is over, it's time for more food (lunch)! The M lady makes me a sandwich or some other yummy food and I eat it all up. This makes the M lady happy so she gives me a treat like a biscuit or some little black yummy things (sultanas).

It's quiet time after lunch so the M lady and I watch some cartoons on the bright box with the buttons or we play in my room until I'm ready for my nap. I like playing in my room. I have so many great toys and books. If only I could read! Instead the M lady reads them to me. I love the pictures though. I especially love the books with flaps that hide things behind them. My favourite toy would be my colourful blocks that stick together (Lego). The M lady doesn't like it when she steps on them though!

Nap time again. I have a great nap (usually) and when I wake up, it's time for now outside play! The M lady and I share a snack on the front lawn and then we play ball. I'm getting pretty good with the ball now, I can even kick it! I like throwing it to the M lady to catch and throw back to me but I can't quite catch yet. I'll work on it though! In the afternoon is "bus time". We sit on the front patio and watch the buses drive around the corner (all 11 of them). I'm not sure where they all go but they always come back! After a bit more of a play, it's back inside for more quiet time until the M lady gets my dinner ready. I wonder what it will be tonight? I love my chicken with veges or the long stringy things in yummy sauce (spaghetti bol).

Dinner time is over and it's bogey time again! All my friends are still there and we have a great play until it's "hopping out now?" time. Again, I protest but it goes unheard so out I hop and head into my room to get dressed in my night time clothes. Unless of course the M lady loses grip of me and I make a rudie nudie dash into the loungeroom to hide behind my little couch. :lol: She always finds me though (I think my giggling gives me away)! Once I'm all dressed, we have more story time in my room and this time Teddy sits in too. He likes stories. :D Story time is over and I know it's getting close to bed time as the M lady has started yawning again.

After a nice warm bottle of milk, the M lady gives me a cuddle and kiss and then tucks me into bed telling me she loves me. I'm not sure what that means but I'm pretty sure that I feel the same way.

First scan = great success!

2008-09-21T18:18:00.004+10:00

Our first ultrasound scan was on Friday and it was great! I must admit though, I had a feeling of dread all morning. I was half expecting to them to say they couldn't find a heartbeat but I knew I was just being silly. I can't help but think that way after what happened last time though.

Anyway... everything went really well. We (Keith, Rebecca & myself) got to see bub in it's glory. Such an active little bean it was! Hardly sat still the entire time (an hour). It was such a relief to see it there on the screen, heartbeat and all. The best part is we got some wonderfully clear photos.

The Profile Shot

Face Front-on (A bit scary looking!)

Full Body Shot (My fave!)

(You can check the rest out here.)

It makes it all so much more real now, seeing it on the screen. The due date hasn't changed at all, my dates were spot on so we can still expect this one around the 29th March. We were told what they thought the sex was but we're not convinced so we're just going to wait till the next scan in November. How am I going to wait that long! :|

Checkup Stats
BP: 110/90
Weight: 69kg (Eep!)
Heartbeat: 158 bpm

Ultrasound scan tomorrow!

2008-09-18T10:33:00.002+10:00

12w4d
I'm so excited about this but also a little worried even though I have had no reason to worry with this pregnancy. Sometimes I think it's going a little TOO well but that's just silly, isn't it? I should so very grateful that I've been given this chance so soon and not over-analyse things that aren't even there! Tomorrow we're going to see our little baby and it's going to be perfect. :)

12 weeks - Yay!

2008-09-14T09:27:00.001+10:00

12w
First things first, here's the first belly shot of my actual belly. I've been avoiding these because I just looked fat but now I can definitely see a little belly forming there.

(Don't you love my cow jammy's? I wore them at the hospital after I had Harley! LOL

I''m so stoked to make it this milestone. Just one of many more to come though! The "magical" 12 weeks is supposed to be a safe zone but of course, things can still happen but we're not thinking that way this time. I have no reason to think anything is wrong so I'm not going to. The best part is we have the 12 week scan this Friday! I'll actually be 12w 5d but that's fine by me. They might be able to see more! I'm going to ask if they can tell the sex that early but I'm not going to be heartbroken if they can't. Just means we'll have to wait for another few weeks. :)

As for sharing the news about the sex and names, etc, this time we're going to try and keep them to ourselves for as long as we can. I can see myself slipping up very early on though! LOL If someone wants to know the sex, I'm happy to tell them but I won't be sharing the news on here or any forums I'm on. Sorry girls! :P

And the news is out!

2008-09-11T13:53:00.000+10:00

I'm finally allowed to shout it from the rooftops. :) I seriously don't know how I held out this long not telling my friends and family. I even lied to my Grandmother the other day! :( So glad it's all out there now. Mum is glad too as apparently she was having trouble keeping it out of conversations. LOL

You'l notice now there are a few more posts below this one as I've been blogging since I found out but not publishing them. Sneaky sneaky!

First Birth Centre Appt Today!

2008-09-04T18:33:00.000+10:00

10w 4d
Today was my "booking in" appt at the birth centre. I met another of the midwives (she was lovely too!) and we went through the usual mounds of paperwork, etc, had my BP taken and a bit of a chat about the centre and how things work. Everything sounds so great. My next checkup is the 15th October so I'll be around 16 weeks then. She said second pregnancies are usually felt around then, a little earlier than the first time around. I can't wait to feel the baby moving! It's such an awesome feeling. I can't wait to share it with Harley! Not that he'll have much of a clue what it is but still, it'll be very special. ♥

Checkup Stats
BP: 110/90
Weight: 65kg
Heartbeat: Doppler not used

I think he's bored of the babies!

2008-09-03T09:47:00.000+10:00

Harley is still in the nursery part of his day care (6 weeks to 15 months) and just watching him this morning when I dropped him off, I think he's bored of all the babies in his room! He doesn't play with them or anything, just walks past them looking at them as if to say "Meh. You're boring..."

He's the oldest in the nursery at almost 14 months and I'm glad it's not much longer until he goes up a room but then he's going to be the youngest in the room so it's going to be interesting to see how he interacts with the older kids. I hope he doesn't revert back to how he was before he started day care (really shy & withdrawn, crying when another child cried, etc).

I asked if they could move him up but they said 15 months was the minimum age for that room. He's walking exclusively and does everything all the other toddlers in that room do (except for talking clearly). It's only a month I guess.

He's been walking since he was 12 months and so have a few of the others in there but they still seem really young, even though they are walking. He's such a little boy and hanging out with babies just isn't his thing apparently.

My little man is growing up. :(

I got a place! (10w1d)

2008-09-01T19:05:00.000+10:00

10w 1d
I've been so excited about possibly giving birth at the birth centre here in Mackay and I'm so happy to say they called me today to say I have a place!!! The booking interview is this Thursday! It was so funny. The number came up as 'Private' and I usually don't answer them thinking it's a telemarketer so when I answered she said "Hi it's [Name] from the Birth Centre." I said "Oh good! I nearly didn't answer your call thinking you were going to try and sell me something." She said "Well not really but I am calling to say you've won something in a way. A place here at the B/C!"

This place is quite hard to get into so to be granted a place is just awesome! I only hope stay to stay a low risk patient now.

Here's the first of my belly shots since I'm starting to get a noticable belly now!

My first puking incident

2008-08-31T09:23:00.000+10:00

Well, I was having a great night last night until around 9pm when they brought our meals out at dinner. Woah, I went downhill fast after that. The smell of everyone's food especially my own made me REALLY nauseous. Everyone was eating and I was just sitting there, looking at my delicious dinner knowing there was no way I could eat it without disastrous consequences so instead I opted to put it in a container and take it home. I apologised to the girls and explained that I had to get away from the smells.

On the way home I kept taking deep breaths and drinking loads of water but fat lot of good it did me. I was 7km from home (36km trip) when I had to pull over and puke my heart out! I didn't think I'd ever stop. I have never vomited throughout all my pregnancies so this was a first for me. I kinda knew it was only a matter of time before it happened due to the way I'd been feeling the last few weeks.

So that was my night in a nutshell. I felt like such a git having to leave so early but I'm sure the girls understood. My dinner is still in the fridge and I told Keith if he wants to eat it, make sure I am NO WHERE near him at the time.

The Birth Centre Tour

2008-08-27T12:38:00.000+10:00

Today was the day of the Birth Centre tour! Leisha came with me since Keith couldn't make it. She loved it and so did I! It was just what I wanted it to be. :D When I rang up a month ago they said there shouldn't be a problem booking me in but you can't be booked in until you've had a tour of the centre and decided if you liked it. Well, I had the tour today, loved the BC BUT I'm on a waiting list! :( Apparently March is the busiest time of the year for them (musn't be anything good on TV in June/July? HAHA!) I'm first on the waiting list and she said a few usually drop out anyway so I should get a place soon. She even said if I don't, they'll try and squeeze me in anyway! I told her that I'll most probably go into April but still have to be booked in as March as that's my current EDD. I explained my last birth and told them I probably wouldn't take up much of their time. HAHA! It was so homely. It was just the atmosphere I wanted! God I hope I get in. I'm pretty sure I will but fingers crossed.

Pregnancy wise, I've been feeling OK in the mornings but the afternoons are another story. Trust me to do things backwards - I don't get MORNING sickness, I get AFTERNOON sickness! Around lunchtime is when things head downhill. Almost every day. It's just after lunch now and I've just eaten but I can feel that funny feeling in my stomach again. It probably doesn't help that I've been eating crap again. LOL Oh well, I'm sure it'll pass soon enough and there'll be another complaint! I should just suck it up and deal with it. I'm damn lucky to even be in this position!

9 week check up

2008-08-25T13:42:00.000+10:00

I had my first real check-up today. I had Harley booked in to see about this damn cough that he can't seem to shake and thought I'd get myself checked out at the same time. Kill two birds and all! I'm now 65kg which is sooo hard to believe as I've been eating so much crap lately AND I feel like the side of a house but nope, only gained 2kg. :| I want to start getting a belly so my pants start to fit again! (I've never actually wanted to gain wait in my whole life apart from now. LOL)

While I was getting checked out, my GP said we can try and listen for the heartbeat but no guarantees we'll hear anything. Well we did! It wasn't long enough to get a proper reading though as Puggles was moving all over the shop but you could hear it. Yay! That makes it that little bit more real, hearing that heartbeat. :)

I just spent...

2008-08-18T11:22:00.001+10:00

... $1,300 on new linen!!! In 2003 I purchased about $1,400 worth of brand new linen including a QS quilt set (inc. European pillows, cushions, etc), curtains, towels, etc and the other day out of the blue, the guy who sold them all to me rang me and said he'd be in town Sunday (today) if I wanted to have a look at the current stock. Umm, yeah!

So, this time around I bought a new KS quilt set called "Bradford Stripe" (been wanting a KS doona for aaaaaages - some may remember me posting about it months ago), bathroom set, two new latex pillows (since I MELTED the last ones we had *oops*), some huge thick tea towels, table runner with matching placemats AND he threw in for FREE a gorgeous SB quilt set called 'Stripy Stars' for Harls when he migrates to a bed. Oooh I'm so happy with my purchases! :) Here's some pics...

The Stripy Stars SB set

NOTE: Not Harley's bedroom (he wishes!)

KB Quilt Set

NOTE: Definitely not my bedroom!

All booked in!

2008-08-14T11:21:00.001+10:00

This morning my 12wk NT scan was FINALLY booked in. YAY! I say finally because I've been ringing for weeks to book it in but it was always too early. Not this morning! All booked in and ready to roll on the 19th September. I can't wait to see Puggles! Did I mention that's what I'm calling this baby now? LOL

7 weeks already?

2008-08-12T14:52:00.000+10:00

Yes!!! Can you believe it? (Well, 7 weeks 2 days actually.) It's so hard not to say anything on Facebook as I just want to scream it from the rooftops but I learnt my lesson from last time. We're going to wait until after the 12 week scan which at this stage should be on the 19th September. I have the tour of the birth centre on the 27th August which will be interesting. I need to decide if I want to have this baby there or just at the hospital. Just have to see what the tour brings and how I feel about the centre.

Things have been drama-free with this pregnancy so far *touch wood* which makes me feel that all is OK and I'll have a little newborn in March next year! :) As for how I'm feeling at the moment, well I can hardly keep my eyes open most days and nausea comes and goes. I haven't been physically sick YET but I feel nauseous most of the day. I didn't have that last time! Different sex maybe? We'll just have to wait and see. :)

Busy, busy, busy!

2008-08-12T14:43:00.001+10:00

I apologise to my avid readers for not updating in a while! (Does anyone still read this thing anyway?) I have been so flat out lately I honestly don't know where the time has gone. SHMD has been keeping me on my toes lately. When it rains, it really pours with that venture. At one stage, I'll have no jobs for months then all of a sudden I'll have 6 in one WEEK! It's great though. I enjoy doing it and people like my work and are happy to purchase my products, I'll keep at it.

We spent this weekend just gone in Townsville with Mum & Leon. Yes, they are back in Townsville now! Hard to keep track of hey? LOL They got a lovely house in a nice area which is good. We didn't do much but that suited me just fine. Still managed to get some shopping in! ;) It's always good to get away for a few days.

Our neighbours, Gary & Judy, moved away recently. :( It's so sad! I miss them so much. I really hope someone nice buys their place and we have something in common with them. I'll always have a bond with them. You may remember Judy was present at Harley's home birth. My Mum couldn't make it so Jude was the next best thing!

Anyway, that's about the last few weeks in a nutshell. I'll try to keep up with the posts in future but no guarantees. ;)

Looks like the symptoms were something afterall!

2008-07-21T19:42:00.000+10:00

Yes, we're pregnant! Once again, we're heading on the wonderful journey to becoming parents again. Harley is going to make such a great big brother and I can't wait to see him interacting with his new sibling. We've decided to keep this one under wraps for a little while, just in case so even though I'm typing this as we found out, it won't be published until we're ready to announce it.

So, how am I feeling so far? In a word. Crap. I've been sooo tired and have zero energy. I don't remember being this tired last time around. I guess running after a toddler does take it's toll on you! My current pre-pregnancy weight is 63kg which is the lightest I've been since I was 16 years old. It's bizarre to think my pre-pregnancy weight with Harley was 72kg! I don't feel any lighter but a few people have told me that I have lost a lot of weight. Oh well, going to put it all back on again soon! ;)

Cycle#2 CD27 - 11DPO

2008-07-17T09:56:00.000+10:00

Today there's been some light pink bleeding but I'm not counting myself out yet. AF isn't due for another few days so instead of testing Friday, I might wait until Saturday or Sunday when Keith is home. I feel this so strongly and don't want to be disappointed so I really need to stop working myself up! Damn I hate this time of the month (moreso than the OTHER "that time of the month" LOL)

Cycle#2 CD24 - 8DPO

2008-07-14T18:15:00.000+10:00

Here's my symptoms for this month:-

O - 3DPO: Nothing (did get a positive OPK at 1DPO, my first!)
4DPO - 7DPO: High temps (37.4+), excess CM, lumpy boobs, itchy legs, moody, unquenchable thirst
8DPO - All of the above + cramping on the lower right (not for long though)

The itchy legs are driving me CRAZY. I've read somewhere that's a symptom of early pregnancy but who knows. It could just be wonderful winter! The high temps make me feel like I'm cooking from the inside out. They come and go though. Helps keep me warm I guess! LOL The cramping was unusual. It was kinda like a stabbing pain down low on the left side (ovaries?). As for the moodiness, I'm ready to KILL someone I'm that angry. Poor Keith copped a lot of crap over the weekend and I feel horrible for taking things out on him but if I *am* pregnant, I can blame the hormones. I hope it doesn't last throughout the whole pregnancy though. I'll have no friends by the end of it! Fingers crossed for us. :)

When I get pregnant again...

2008-07-13T18:30:00.000+10:00

... I'm NOT going to POAS every day to see if the line gets darker.
... I'm NOT going to ask for the HCG results from my blood tests to see if they're within "normal" range.
... I'm NOT going to request an early scan (unless it's definitely warranted - eg. heavy bleeding again).
... I'm NOT going to advertise it on Facebook until I'm comfortable (mistake I made last time!) :lol:

Of course, all of this is easier said than done. Last time, I was sooo concerned with results of the HPT's and the bloods that I think I may have stressed myself into miscarrying. :( OK, I know that sounds silly but that kind of stress doesn't do anyone any good.

So, next time, I'm just going to take a chill pill and just enjoy the pregnancy rather than worry about the technical stuff! Please keep your fingers crossed this happens soon for us. :)

This time 12 months ago...

2008-07-08T10:03:00.000+10:00

... I was wondering if the baby was EVER going to come! I was 3 days over due and had Keith pressuring me to give birth on this day as it was the 7/7/07. I told him it doesn't work that way and the baby will come when he wants. And he did. Two days later!

I can't believe Harley is almost one. I refuse to believe it's been a whole YEAR since he was born. And now here we are working on making another one! LOL His party is going to be held on the 12th July and of course, I'll upload the photos when I can. :)

Happy 6th Wedding Anniversary to us!

2008-06-24T10:07:00.000+10:00

SIX YEARS! Can you believe it? Keith and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary on the 22nd June. I swear, the older you get, the faster the time goes! :(

For our anniversary we went to a show at the Entertainment Centre with my sister and a friend and then out for dinner to an Italian restaurant. Delicious! It was a great night and I look forward to spending many more happy anniversaries with my wonderful husband. :)

On to another cycle

2008-06-22T08:16:00.000+10:00

Well, we're not pregnant this month but I'm not surprised as I hadn't had a normal cycle since the miscarriage. I so felt like everything was telling me I was pregnant but I guess it's just another of my body's cruel tricks. Oh well, always next month! On to cycle two... :)

Harley's first show!

2008-06-16T08:17:00.000+10:00

Harley visited his first show this year! (We don't count last year when I was 8.5 months pregnant with him. LOL) His first "ride" was the super slide. He went down it with Dad and I managed to get a few photos just before my camera died. Typical!

Here's the slide...

Harley & Keith heading up...

And with Uncle Skeeta...
Overall it was a great day and he even got his first showbag (Thomas the Tank Engine of course!) Can't wait to go back next year when he's old enough to go on the real rides! :)

My "symptoms"

2008-06-09T18:36:00.001+10:00

* Loads of EWCM & lotiony CM up until yesterday, now only the occasional glob (sorry for TMI!)
* Fatigued (having an 11 month old could explain that though! LOL)
* Lumpy breasts (This was the giveaway I was pg last time...)
* Eating more (I eat like a bird usually)
* Crampy. Oh so crampy.
* Very emotional (crying, cranky, etc) - this is so not me - Ok well the cranky part is but I don't usually cry much!

I still have the unshakable feeling that I'm pregnant again. Womens intuition is a strong thing and it hasn't let me down yet so if I'm not pregnant, I'm going to be very surprised.

Of course, all of these things could be normal post-miscarriage, I wouldn't know as I'd never had one before. If I'm not pregnant, I just wish AF would hurry up and show her damn face so I can get back to something that resembles normal.

It's amazing what one phone call can achieve...

2008-05-31T09:47:00.000+10:00

We rang the furniture store on Thursday to complain about the (lack of) service from the furniture not being delivered when it was supposed to be and said that we were not happy and would be cancelling our order if nothing was done. Surprise surprise, two minutes later we get a call back saying it would be delivered THAT NIGHT by an external removalist. Yay! So I now have my new bedroom suite (minus the tallboy - still on the way), the TV Unit, the bookcase & the dining table!

Our new dining table...

Our new bedroom suite...

... and of course there's the other stuff but I haven't taken a photo of that yet. Will upload when I do!

Why can't people do their damn job?!?

2008-05-28T19:49:00.000+10:00

We were told when we bought the new furniture that it was going to be delivered today (Wednesday 28th). I rang them this morning asking what time it would be delivered and was told around lunchtime (but she never checked my order). So lunchtime comes and goes, no furniture. I rang them again at 2pm only to be told my order won't be delivered until NEXT Wednesday because someone forgot to add it to the delivery list!!!! I thought to myself no I won't go off at the girl on the other end because it wasn't her fault but GEEZ, she wasn't make it easy as she was a snotty little turd who wasn't very helpful at all. I've been so excited all week (especially today!).

I've decided that I'm going to call them tomorrow and complain to the manager. Fair enough, it's only one week BUT it's the principle. They said it would be delivered today and it wasn't. All their fault. I need to stress the fact that I have sold ALL my furniture in time for the new stuff to arrive today but since it didn't, I now have no table & chairs and no bed. Not happy Jan...

Our new furniture (hopefully!)

2008-05-23T18:20:00.000+10:00

Keith and I went looking for new furniture today since I managed to sell all my solid timber stuff bar one thing! Here's what we'll be getting if things go according to plan...

Our New Bedroom Suite
(minus the single tallboy)

Our New 7pc Dining Table
Our New Lowline TV Unit
(minus the TV unfortunately!)

Our New Lounge Suite (100% Leather!!!)

Our New Wall Unit

And there you have it! I can't wait to get all this great stuff in my house. Then I'll have to go accessory shopping of course! ;)

Time to begin again!

2008-05-21T12:17:00.000+10:00

It looks like it's all over and now we can look forward to trying again next month! I know I said I'd wait until Harley's first birthday but who am I kidding. Like I could wait that long! (Two months... LOL).

I don't know how I feel about falling pregnant again. On one hand, I'm going to be, obviously, ecstatic but on the other, I'm going to be scared that I'll have to go through all this again and I really don't want to do that. I now know why it's not a great idea to shout it from the rooftops so early on. Everyone that we told and then "untold" have been great and I couldn't wish for better support but for us to tell everyone again so early on and then only to lose it again, it makes it awkward for people I guess, not only us. So, if I do fall pregnant next month, I'm not going to put it on Facebook like I did last time (WHAT was I thinking?!?! The excitement made me do it!), I may tell my forum friends and maybe our parents but not the whole world. Let's see if I can stick to this hey? LOL

Harley's First Day of "School"

2008-05-14T18:37:00.000+10:00

Monday 12th May 2008 was Harley's first day of day care. He wore the shirt they gave him at enrollment and he looks so cute in it! It really suits him. The poor little guy was shattered by the time we picked him up. He was asleep after being in the car for about 5 minutes and SNORED all the way home. It was so adorable I caught it on video... (be sure to turn your sound up!)

He had a great day overall. They said he was a great baby but he did manage to get himself an indicent report on the first day. He climbed out of the sandpit and bumped his head! He was fine after a bit of a cuddle though. I have to admit, I thought about him all day! I wanted to ring to see how he was going but I was strong. We have him booked in for two days a week. How am I going to do this two days a week! :\

Happy Birthday Nan - R.I.P

2008-05-04T13:12:00.001+10:00

It would be my Nan's 83rd birthday today if she were still alive. She passed away on the 28th December 2003, oddly enough, the same day I would have been due to have the baby if things were to go as planned. Instead, I lost the baby the day before her birthday. We made a trip out to her grave site this morning and placed some flowers by her headstone. I don't really believe she is there, only in body. It's good to have somewhere to go though, just to say hello.

It sounds silly but I like to think the baby is with Nan (even though I know it's not really a baby yet). I'm hoping she'll look after them for me as I'm going to need them back soon. I've spoken to Keith about TTC again and I think I want to wait until at least June/July this time, just to make sure my body is fully healed from my operation and ready for another pregnancy (not that we can ever know that for sure).

Even though the little one was only with us for such a short time, it's going to take a long time to recover from losing them. I never knew just what to say to other women who had lost a baby (at any gestation) and now that I've been there myself, I know there is nothing you can say. You just need to let them know that you are there for them. I've had so many wonderful messages from so many wonderful friends. I just want them to know I really appreciate it.

I never wanted to write something like this...

2008-05-03T17:05:00.000+10:00

... yet here I am.

I'll start from the beginning.

I started bleeding around the 22th of April (6w), not heavy but enough to wear a liner. I had some bleeding with Harley too so wasn't too worried but this was different. The colour, the consistency, the timeframe, everything. I had my first scan on the 23rd April, everything OK, too early for a heartbeat but we could see everything was in place. The scan showed the sac, etc was measuring 5 weeks. A little weird considering I was 6w 1d but I'd heard the US machines can be out by up to a week so didn't think too much of it. Bleeding continued, getting a little heavier but still not enough for a big pad. There were days when there was next to nothing and then days where there was a bit.

Had my second scan yesterday which showed the baby had been growing as we could see it in there and they got a heartbeat of 111bpm which put my mind at ease a little, but nowhere near completely. The baby was measuring 5w 5d but I was 7w 3d so that set alarm bells off and when I started to get slight cramps yesterday afternoon after I got home, I began to worry. All afternoon I had an intense backache that I couldn't shake with Panadol.

I've just come back from the hospital now where it has been confirmed that the baby died measuring at a 6 week gestation so either it died last night while I was cramping and had the backache (6w as per the scan dating) or it died AT 6 weeks (LMP dates) and there was no heartbeat yesterday, she must have picked up something else. In my mind, I'm thinking the baby died last night as I was totally inconsolable for about an hour even though I didn't know if the baby was gone or not. I believe that's when the little one left. I was alone as Keith was at work but that was Ok by me as he really didn't need to see me like that. Thank God Harley was in bed as he didn't either.

All through the pregnancy, my bloods didn't rise much and I had a bad feeling right from the very beginning. Call it Mothers intuition. Now that we know the truth, I'm still going to spend some time away from the computer like I had planned as I think the break will do me good. We'll be OK. Life goes on. I like to believe that whatever doesn't kill us only makes us stronger.

I really want to thank everyone who was thinking of us through this difficult time and I really appreciate the support we've been receiving.

Taking a small break

2008-05-02T15:39:00.001+10:00

Had the second scan today and the baby is there and has a heartbeat of 111bpm BUT is only measuring 5w 5d, not 7w 3d as per my LMP - that's a massive 12 DAYS difference. I don't see how that's possible. 3, 4 even 5 days maybe but not 12. I also got the results back from my second lot of bloods and it was only 1606 so it hasn't even doubled from the last test taken 3 days prior which was 1534. I'm not sure what to think. My heart is telling me I have a healthy but small baby inside but my brain is telling me to be realistic and that none of this adds up and can only be leading to the worst. I'm still bleeding and it seems to be changing colour and
consistency but still no serious cramping or back aches.

I really don't know what to think/do so I've decided I'm going to have a bit of a break from the internet. I can't deal with the added stress of everything I read and the one way to stop myself from reading it is to stop LOOKING IT UP! So, I'll take all the sticky vibes everyone can muster up and hopefully I can come back in a few weeks time with great news.

(7w 1d) Say hello to Bub #2!

2008-04-30T12:29:00.000+10:00

Well, you can't really see much but it should be in there. The dates are measuring 5w on the scan which was wrong but I think the guy said these machines can vary up to a week which makes sense. I'm so confused by the dates! Today I'm 7w 1d but if I go by the date I ovulated, I'm only 6w 5d. It really doesn't matter that much but I'm just worried the baby isn't growing like it should be but then if I go by the ovulation date, everything is right on track! My HCG level from Monday was 1534. It's within the normal range for a 6 weeks gestation even though I was 6w 6d (LMP date). I have my second lot of bloods tomorrow and the ultrasound scan on Tuesday when I'll be 8 weeks (LMP date).

Gotta stop worrying... gotta stop worrying... It's gonna do my head in!

On another note, Harley's routine has completely changed. Gone are the days of my little early bird! Well, he's still in bed early but no longer by 5pm. Here's a rundown...

7am - Bottle
8am - Breakfast
8:30am - Bath
9am - Nap time
11am - Morning Tea
12pm - Lunch
1pm - Bottle and nap
3pm - Afternoon tea
5pm - Dinner
5:30pm - Bath
6pm - Bottle and bed

And that's our day in a nutshell! Of course everything changes is we leave the house. Afternoons are a shocker. Most days it takes him about an hour to get to sleep. I don't know why. He's tired by then as he's usually yawning his head off and rubbing his eyes but just won't go to sleep!

(7w) My condolences

2008-04-29T09:15:00.000+10:00

My heart goes out to two friends who have recently found out they lost their little babies in an early miscarriage. One is a friend I've only just met but in spite of that, I already know she's a wonderful person. She already has two children but that doesn't make the heartache of losing one any easier. The other is a friend I've had for a while now and it absolutely broke my heart to hear she lost the baby. This isn't her first loss either. Her and her husband have been trying for a baby for almost as long as I've known them and lost their first little one last year. I don't have any idea what they're going through but I do know she is surrounded by a lot of supporting people who really care for her (me included). I wish both these girls all the happiness in the world and I'm sure one day, they will both have their wishes granted.

(6w 6d) Trying not to worry

2008-04-28T09:09:00.000+10:00

We've had quite a scare over the last few days. Last Wednesday I had a scan and the doctor said everything looked fine but it was possibly too early to detect a heartbeat. That was 6w2d. If I go by MY dates (knowing I ovulated late), I was actually 5w6d so well and truly too early. Since then, I've had more bleeding but nothing heavy and no cramping or back aches so I'm THINKING everything is fine but we have another doctors appointment this afternoon to confirm. I'm not sure if it's still too early for a heartbeat but if they give me another referral for a scan, I'll take it! Anything to help put my mind at ease.

I have thought a bit about if we were to lose this baby and I think I'd be OK with it. Well, to an extent anyway. If it were to happen, it simply wasn't meant to be and we'll try again when we can. I know it's horrible to even think like that but when you're in my position at the moment, it's hard not to.

(5w 5d) So many firsts!

2008-04-21T07:53:00.001+10:00

This week Harley has had so many firsts I've almost lost track! Here they are...

* First time drinking from a strawer. OK so maybe this isn't such a big thing but it is for me! It means we no longer have to take the horrid sipper cup everywhere that spills on everything. Now he can drink from his big boy bottle! No spills, Mum happy. LOL

* First time pulling himself up on his own. This morning, Minka was sitting on the recliner, Harley crawled over to it and pulled himself straight up in one smooth move! Poor Minka didn't know what to think. I guess she now knows he's no longer this little blob on the floor but a moving, talking, hair pulling machine! Look out Ming...

* First ride on the pushbike with Dad. Yesterday, Dad put the baby seat on one of the bikes and took Harley for a ride around the yard (no helmet yet so didn't go too far). He absolutely loved it! He came back from his little trip around the yard with the biggest goofiest grin on his face! See photos below.

* First atomic poo. Now THIS is not a good thing. For those who don't know what an atomic poo is, think of how an atom bomb explodes (like a mushroom out the top). This is what happens to the poo. It explodes out the top! And the sides. And the front. And anywhere else possible. There was poo EVERYWHERE! All over his sheets, his teddy, his clothes, his hands and THANK GOD nothing on his face - particularly around the mouth region. I'd never seen (or smelt) anything like it in my life! And if there IS a God, I never will again. Being pregnant and having a sense of smell to rival Superman didn't help either. I smelt the boy before I saw him so I knew I was in for SOMETHING but just not that. Oh God, the memories!

I ripped him out of it, put him on the changetable and tried to strip him off without getting poo on me and the whole time he was LAUGHING! :| I guess he thought me saying over and over again "Yuck yuck yuck yuck yuck!!!" was hilarious. After the histerics stopped , I threw him in another bath (he'd only just had one - always the way!) and tried to get the poo out of places you don't even want to read about. Yuck yuck yuck yuck yuck!!!

OK, enough about poo. Starting to feel queasy remembering it! I thank the Heavens above that I'm not suffereing from morning sickness as that would have well & truly thrown me over the edge. Speaking of the pregnancy, things are progressing well. I have been rather crampy though but nothing too serious. It's rather constant though so I'm still on alert but as long as there's no bleeding, things should be OK. I have my next check up in 2 weeks if nothing happens before then. It still hasn't sunk in that I'm going to have TWO babies by the end of the year. Well, Harley won't be a BABY baby but he'll still be little. If today's effort is anything to go by, I think he's going to be walking before he's ONE! Look out Minka then... ;)

Blog Header made for a friend

2008-04-16T19:03:00.001+10:00

Her blog is also black like this one so it fits just nice. The photo is of her prego tummy and her youngest daughter giving it a kiss. Awwwww!

(4w 6d) Results are in!

2008-04-14T10:43:00.000+10:00

Got the results from the blood test today. The HCG level was 48 and within the normal levels of a healthy (single!!) pregnancy. I say single with the !! exclamation points as there was a chance it could be a multiple pregnancy due to my Mum's side having naturally conceived multiples. I think I've probably gone through this before on my old blog when I was pregnant with Harley! You'll notice I do that a lot. Repeat myself. You'll notice I do that a lot. LOL

I still don't think it's sunk in yet that we're having another BABY!!! It's very exciting. A little scary thinking I've gotta go through that pain again but if my last labour is anything to go by (and it is!), I really don't have much to complain about!

This was the day I found out last time that I was pregnant - 4 weeks 6 days!

Weight: 68kg still but most of this feels like it's in my BOOBS
Symptoms: Larger tender boobs, really thirsty, soooo tired
Cravings: Still none
Feeling: Feeling good. Just a little tired but you push past it. ;)
Classic Prego Brain Moment: Putting the butter in the cupboard. I did realise right away though!

(4w 3d) Progressing well

2008-04-11T08:07:00.000+10:00

I had my GP visit and blood tests yesterday. Should find out my levels today hopefully. My GP told me that depending on the levels will determine just how MANY babies are in there as I mentioned there are multiples in my family (triplets conceived spontaneously - not via IVF!). As much as I would love to have twins, the thought of having triplets scares the absolute bejeezes out of me. I think if I were having triplets, I would know it by now as I don't think I'd be let off scott-free of morning sickness again! LOL

I still don't "feel" pregnant. I still have lumpy boobs that feel huge but don't look it (bummer) and the fatigue but apart from that, things are normal. Oh and the absence of AF is a bit of a giveaway too. ;)

We really are nowhere near prepared for this baby and by that I mean in having the room set up! I'm going to have to pull my old desk down and get rid of the futon but that's nothing. The main task is painting it depending on the sex as it's blue at the moment. If this Bub is a boy, I guess we don't need to paint anything but obviously I don't want my little girl in a blue room if I can help it! We'll probably paint it the same colour as Harleys room (off while) and decorate it a bit to add some colour.

To be honest, I've never really thought too much about a girl as my instinct has told me that this baby is going to be a boy. I could always be wrong though! The more I think about a girl, the more I want one I think! Although, obviously I'm going to be happy with either. Hell, it could be ONE OF EACH! ;)

Weight: 68kg still :D
Symptoms: Lumpy boobs, super strong sense of smell, hot flushes, no AF, back pain
Cravings: Still none
Feeling: Feeling great. Will be feeling even better when I get the results back!
Classic Prego Brain Moment: Sending a half finished SMS to a friend and yesterday I poured hot gravy in my lap. :|

We're pregnant! The beginning of a wonderful journey

2008-04-07T13:10:00.000+10:00

No, your eyes don't deceive you. It says PREGNANT! How quick was THAT? I was expecting months and months of trying but nope, a few weeks later - BAM! We're up the duff. :)

I'm so excited I'm almost delirious! I can't believe Harley is going to be a big brother in 8 months. Keith is over the moon. Because he is away for work, I sent him a picture message this morning showing the test and saying 'Congratulations Daddy!'. He rang me soon after and congratulated me too! It really sucks that he's away from home as I would have liked to have told him in person but his stupid work keeps sending him away. :( I've got the confirmation appointment on Thursday (10th) so I'll have a definate due date then but going by my dates, it's the 16th December 2008. A Summer baby!

A few things that kinda led me to believe that I might have been pregnant was the constant hot feeling I've been having. I've been taking my temp using Harley's ear thermometre and it's always up above 37.4 which is really unusual for me. Also the superhuman sense of smell gave it away. Apart from that and some "lumpy" boobs, that's about it! It was the same last time around. I didn't even know I was pregnant really until I did a test then a few things made perfect sense. I hope to compare this pregnancy to my last one as I go. :)

Still sinking in!

Weight: 68kg
Symptoms: Lumpy boobs, super strong sense of smell, hot flushes
Cravings: None yet!
Feeling: Apart from a weird stitch in my right side, feeling fine!

The obsessing has begun

2008-04-05T15:07:00.001+10:00

I remember only too well what it was like when we were TTC last time. I over-analysed every little symptom. I didn't do it intentionally, it's just that when you want something so much, you tend to think every little thing relates to that! Here's my current "symptoms"...

High temp - 37.4 at last count. I've been having hot flushes for a few days now. Today has been the worst.
Hot and sore boobs - I usually have sore boobs around AF time anyway but not just on the sides. The heat thing is new though.
Tired - This could have a lot to do with my CAT waking me up at 1:30AM every morning!!! *groan*
Vague - I've done some really daft things lately. I guess I can always put this one down to baby-brain! (They do say you never fully get your brain back after having a baby)
Excess CM - don't ask...
A slight bleed at 9DPO - according to the "books" this could be implantation bleeding but I never had that with Harley so I'm not sure.

And that's about it. I'll report anything new when/if it happens.

AF is due around the 10th April so I'll be testing around then if she's a no-show. 4.5 days to go! :)

We're back on the TTC train...

2008-04-04T08:47:00.000+10:00

For those who don't know what TTC means, it's 'Trying to Conceive'. That's right... We're hopefully going to make Harley a big brother soon! That's the plan anyway. We all know these sorts of things never go to plan. At the moment I'm in the horrid "two-week-wait" which means I won't find out anything until about the 10th April so keep your fingers crossed for us. :) I look forward to blogging about my next pregnancy like I did with the last one!

And we're off...

2008-04-02T10:39:00.000+10:00

Yep, he's finally done it! Our little man is officially crawling now. Here's some proof...

Our clever little man! He also pulled himself up onto his FEET for the first time the other day. I couldn't believe it! He's always trying to pull himself up now! He can't stand unsupported but he tries. :)

Here comes the bride...

2008-04-01T14:13:00.000+10:00

Dad's wedding was on last weekend (March 29th). It was great! Harley flew really well even though we were flying during his sleep time. He's such a cheeky chap. He was playing with the people in the seat behind us all the way home! They didn't mind and neither did we as it kept him occupied!

Thursday night we stayed in a $250 a NIGHT motel (Stamford in Bris.) and it was soooo not worth $250. Saturday night we stayed in an $90 a night motel and it had a more comfortable bed and everything! Typical...

The wedding was gorgeous! Ros (my new Stepmum!) put so much time and effort into it, it was just beautiful. I've added some photos here.

As great as it is to go away, it's always great to come home and sleep in your own bed again!

Sunday was just as exciting as we got to meet the gorgeous Racheal, her hubby James and their adorable 2.5 children (she's very much pregnant!) We had a lovely dinner at Sizzlers and a rather quick catch up but it was great to finally meet her after sooo long. I look forward to catching up again after her Bub arrives!