Eggshell Green

Stuff I Luff

• Give aways! There are some good ones out there like the Spring Giveaway on Indy Grrl. (And don’t forget about my Cupcake Give Away – you have until next Monday.)
• Chinese roast pork. Homemade is pretty good but I never seem to get the crackling as good as store bought. Will try a different method next time and see how it goes.
• Making trifle out of left-over cupcakes – oh yeah! Left-over cupcakes!? Yeah, I made a double batch to use up some cream and froze them as I couldn’t eat that many all by myself. Well I could. But that would be gross.
• Sunny days when you can get some overdue washing done. I am such a mum.
• Crafting. I made Abby some little hair clips the other week. Easy(ish) and cute! The glue gun part was tricky…
• The magic of plant food. The hydrangea cuttings that I’ve had for a year suddenly shot into flower after the husband fed it. Who would’ve thought! :)

Look what mummy made

Abby modelling the hair clip

Flowering hydrangea cuttings

Prettiful

Stuff I Luff

• The hubby baking me cakes. Oh yes, he’s a good man.
• Abby’s Jolly Jumper – so useful and Abby loves it.
• Fries with chicken salt – mMmMm chicken salt…
• The good weather holding up. I don’t want to believe that summer is over :(
• Frozen meals ready for reheating on days where you just can’t be bothered with anything else.
• Antihistamines – wonderful stuff that makes me feel less shit. Even better when your new three month supply doesn’t expire in one month (cheeky pharmacy!)
• Having the time to craft. I’ve been busy with lots of new cupcake paintings lately and a give away will be in order to celebrate that. Watch this space!
• Making baby food. It’s so satisfying to know you’re saving lots of money by cooking up your own fruit and vege (although Abby’s yet to try vegies but that’s next). I don’t love it so much when the Internet distracts me a little too long (20 minutes too long) and my pears burn…

Baby food fail

Preggiversary

It was a whole year ago that I found out I was pregnant.

We were on our way to a friend’s birthday drinks at the Southern Cross and Ms Constantine and I dropped by the New World Metro to get a pregnancy test. It was a few days after my period was due, and Ms Constantine couldn’t wait to find out if I was pregnant or not, so she convinced me to get a test as soon as possible after we finished work. The hubby and I had only decided to try for a baby a month earlier, so this was the first test.

Abby when she was an 8 week foetus and only 1.75 cm long!

So we got the test, and we were at a bar, and I had filled myself up with boring non-alcoholic beverages (boo!) and needed to go toilet, so there was nothing left to do but to take the test in the ladies’ loos. It wasn’t the best place, and the loos in the Southern Cross can be pretty dim which made peeing on a stick quite challenging… too much info?

I stayed in the cubicle waiting for the lines to show itself. I hate taking my time in a public loo. I always feel like I’m holding up the queue and annoying people. But I had to give the test a few minutes, five to be safe… I felt as if everyone was thinking I must be in there taking drugs or something because I wasn’t doing anything but waiting.

I had a feeling that it was going to be positive as I had felt all the symptoms of early pregnancy a few days prior. Surely enough, the control line showed up, then the second line started to colour and I had a lump in my throat. It didn’t feel real. Could I? Am I? Adrenaline rushed through me. Whoa – yes, I’m pregnant! What a very private moment in a very public place.

Abby asleep in the 12 week ultrasound scan

I felt a little weird with everyone around, but through happy teary eyes I managed to tell the hubby the news. He didn’t even know that I had gone to take the test in my absence, so was surprised muchly. Then I told Ms Constantine and there were more happy tears and hugs all round.

Too bad I couldn’t have any drinks to celebrate, but 20 March 2009 was a great night.

I did another test the next day, and then did another at the doctor’s the following week (because’s three’s a charm).

And that’s how I found out I was pregnant.

Tags: baby, pregnancy, ultrasound

Stuff I Luff

• Abby settling herself to sleep. No more carrying her around to get her to sleep!
• Having eight hours of uninterrupted sleep again.
• Smoked fish. Particularly good in a green salad with blanched green beans and a simple herby sour cream and lemon dressing.
• Ice cream in a cone for a simple dessert. I’m loving vanilla ice cream at the moment.
• Forgetting to hang out the washing then hearing the neighbours curse as their washing gets wet in the rain – mwahahaha!
• Market Kitchen. That show has so many scrumptious and really do-able recipes. Just tried their Pan-fried Chicken Livers with Pears and it was yum. I’m going to try and turn that into a pâté. (And doesn’t Tom Parker Bowles look just like his mother Camilla?? He just needs a wig, lipstick and a few decades on him and he too could be bedding Charles – *shiver*)

Is it Tom, or Camilla? I dunno!

Tags: television

To be or not to be

OK, so I’ve been pregnant once and that doesn’t make me an expert, but here are some things (apart from the usual morning sickness, swelling, pain etc.) that I think anyone thinking of having a baby might want to know:

• You will be extremely tired. More tired than when you did an all-nighter out partying, or for us geeks when you stayed up studying for exams… You might be less tired in the second trimester but then you’ll get tired all over again towards the end. You’ll be even more tired when it’s time to have the baby so rest and eat when you can before going to the hospital!!
• You will miss eating, both in terms of types of food as well as the amount. Pregnant ladies love food but usually it’s less more often rather than lots at one sitting. Going out to dinner isn’t so fun when you can only have half your meal. And you can’t just buy sushi when you want it. Also giving up the drink is another downer (although I admit to taking a couple of ‘tasting sips’ on occasion).
• You will get bored. This happens once maternity leave wears out its novelty. When you’re really big and really tired there isn’t much you can do for entertainment except maybe watch TV. Even then the Food channel repeats become tiring, especially when you know you can’t be arsed trying any of the recipes.
• You will get big. Obvious yes, but worth mentioning because simple tasks can became quite difficult – like putting on shoes, shaving legs, moisturising, hanging out washing, even lying yourself down to sleep. Your belly also gets wet washing dishes and hot cooking dinner!
• You will ache in places you’ve never ached before. This is even before labour begins.

Having said all that, I’ll quote what my wise sister-in-law once said about pregnancy- “You hate it and love it at the same time.”

And look what cuteness comes out of your troubles!

Tags: baby, guide, pregnancy

Stuff I Luff

• Sleep. I’ve mentioned this many times, but like someone said to me “You don’t know tired until you have a baby”.
• Sleeping Abby. Then I can do normal things like eat and shower.
• Sunny days. Wellington had some wintery days recently but touch wood that the summer weather has finally arrived and here to stay (for at least the rest of the summer).
• Remembering to charge my laptop and phone before it’s too late.
• Green Day. I’m an old school fan from the 90s with all their albums and I still love listening to them.
• Sandwiches. Love sandwiches.
• Fez not farting at night. We have him in our room and waking up to a silent-but-violent is not cool!
• The husband feeding me chocolate ice cream as I blog.

What a month

Abby is a month old already can you believe! She has already grown out of some of her newborn clothes and there are still some unworn. It’s a bit sad that she won’t be this teeny for much longer but as long as she gets easier to handle I won’t be complaining (much). Can’t wait for that.

One month old already

Abby has been busy for someone who has only been in the world for a little over four weeks. She’s been to two bbqs, on a road trip from Wellington to Palmerston North then to Auckland, another road trip to Taupo before heading back to Wellington, she’s visited friends, been Christmas shopping and had her first Christmas with both sides of the family.

Pukeko in a yucca tree

Christmas was busy! Abby took up most of our time leading up to the day, and we ended up with a yucca as our Christmas tree, complete with a pukeko (although a ponga tree would’ve been more awesome of course). We had a full house with family staying in all the spare rooms, and one of my nieces came down with chicken pox on Christmas eve so spent her Christmas in quarantine away from the two newborns. Not so fun for her. I won’t be surprised if one of us gets it next but I hope it won’t be Abby.

Abby and her cousin Bridget (who is a day younger)

Fez was extremely well behaved. He got a bit freaked out with all the noise and kiddies wanting to play with him – understandable having mum and dad neglecting him so over the last month and all.

Abby and Fez having a Christmas nap

So, it’s been a busy month and as parents it’s been exhausting. Abby is still fussy with breast feeding so Mummy Milk Truck continues to deliver milk in a bottle. She has her good days among her bad days where she stays awake for hours on end and cries about being too tired (or hungry yet again). She’s an adorable little girl though, even when she’s bawling. She’s beginning to interact more and makes those cute baby sounds when you talk to her. We love her more each day and hopefully the next month will be much easier – fingers crossed.

Tags: baby, Christmas