Thinking Happy, Week 5

Time again for " Operation Think Happy ", as brought to you by Holly over at Good Golly Miss Holly! In no particular order:

1. Winnie the Pooh - Flynn is just starting to take an interest in toys and this week he's really started to pay attention to a small Winnie the Pooh comforter he was given. Mick and i wave it in front of his face and talk to him as Winnie and he's started to smile and giggle at it. Smiles and giggles make me happy!

2. Hot cross buns - so Easter is still a month away, i dont care. Fresh, warm, hot cross buns with sultanas in them are the bomb!

3. Bloggy love - I got me some bloggy love from DaughterOfTheStars this week. She bestowed the 'Sunshine Award " on me and directed her lovely readers to my page. Thanks much! She also described my son as gorgeous, so extra happiness points for that!

4. My beautiful fiance - he's done so mcuh work around the house today, and i've done nothing but feed the baby, read the sunday papers and take a nap on the lounge. I just really appreciate him. Aww....

5. Engagement party stuff - again. We've settled on a date - April 3rd, which is Easter Saturday. Party time!

6. Operation Sleep - its starting to work! 3 days in a row Flynn has settled down to a 2 hr nap in the middle of the day. His efforts, even though it must be hard for him being put into a new routine, have really made me happy. Tonight ? He's moving into his own room for night time sleep!

7. Knowing my weight - yep, i finally weighed myself for the first time after giving birth. And i have to say, the results werent too bad. In fact, i'm only 3 and half kilos heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight, and i'm happy with that. Still, am i going to tell you the actual number ? Uh...no.

I Wanna Be Like Mike...Umm, I Mean Martha

And by Martha, i mean Martha Stewart. See, since becoming a first-time, stay at home mum ( SAHM ) i've been watching a fair bit of day time tv. I've kept up with Dr Phil, Oprah, Ellen and the girls from the view, but i've also found a new found love for 'The Martha Stewart Show' and for the Australian version of 'Ready!Steady!Cook!' I've been drooling madly over all the delicious food they cook on these shows and then it gets to dinner time and i'm inspired to make something just awesome for Mick and myself - only i dont have the pantry stocked with fancy ingredients that Martha has. I dont do too badly - its not like i dish up the boring old meat-and-two-veg - but i cant just whip up some gorgeous fancy meal without some degree of preparation.

So as of grocery shopping this week i'm inspired to stock my cupboards and fridge with some cooking show basics: filo pastry, rock salt, bread crumbs, frozen berries, tumeric, paprika, soba noodles. You know, things like that. I mean, i already have mixed dried herbs, plain salt and 2 minute noodles, but they just dont cut it. If i have all that stuff then i can just pop on my favourite recipe website, www.taste.com.au, and find myself a meal to impress my fiance with every night, without having to drag poor Flynn to the supermarket when i only need to buy one or two items.

So tonight, bearing in mind that i dont yet have my fancy pantry set up, we'll be having barbecued lamb steaks topped with avocado and melted feta, accompanied by my mixed tzatziki salad concotion - cubed cucumber, red capsicum, cherry tomatoes and baby spinach covered in tzatziki dressing. Y-u-mmmmmmm......

Thinking Happy, Week 4

Hello again, and welcome to week 4 of Holly's " Operation Think Happy "! Just a reminder that this involves listing 7 things that have made you happy this week. Focus on the positives people!

1. The moment, #1 - I was in the middle of getting dinner ready last night when Flynn decided he wanted to have a grizzle, so Mick scooped him up and took him outside. After a few minutes i go to the door and out in our driveway, there they are - Mick lokking down at this little wrapped up bundle in his arms, chatting to him about God knows what. I just stood at the door, unseen and smiling.

2. The moment, #2 - A few hours later, i've finished feeding Flynn and he's lying back, all milk drunk.... but not taking his eyes off his daddy. Its like, even at 8 weeks old, Daddy is his hero. Too, too sweet.

3. Planning an engagement party - finally! We've been engaged since October but havent even thought about an engagement party yet. Its not going to be anything fancy, just a big bbq at my parents house, with family and friends.

4. Chocolate truffle balls - I stole this very simple recipe from Welfare Wisdom and completely loved it! Basically get a packet of your favourite biscuits ( like Caramel Tim Tams for me, or it could be Oreos, Mint Slice etc ), blend them into crumbs, mix with cream cheese, chill, roll into balls and then cover with melted chocolate. Yummmmm.....

5. Cucumbers - or, more specifically, cucumbers from our vegetable garden. I dont know how my farmer fiance does it but they're big, green and fresh...oh, and free!

6. Mothers group - This was the fourth week of meeting up with my mothers group ( a group of first time mums - our babies range in age from 8 to 16 weeks ) but its the first i've actually ' clicked with ' some of the other mums. I'm a little shy and it takes me a while to warm up to strangers, so it was nice to be able to have a little chat and not feel too self-concious about it this week.

7. Hitting the 8 week mark - that is, my son is now 8 weeks old and i havent broken him yet! He's also gone up a size in the clothing for the first time, so that was a nice little milestone to hit...

A Recap, Valentines Style

So i promised that i would make a quick recap post of what happened on my Valentines Day. To be quite honest, there isnt anything overly exciting to recap - thats not to say that i didnt enjoy the day, only that there was nothing incredibly adventurous or parade-worthy to make note of.

Mick and I exchanged gifts at 6am when Flynn woke for a feed. I had bought him a dog tag style pendant to go on a chain he already owns, and had it engraved - " With Love, Amy. 14.02.10 ". I know, i'm too sweet. What did Mick get me ?

This gorgeous little charm to go on the Pandora bracelet that he had bought for my birthday. Pretty, right ? And what was also lovely was that he told me it wasnt a charm - he was giving me a piece of his heart. Awwwwww.....

I made pancakes with banana and honey for breakfast; we took turns reading the Sunday papers while i fed the baby; we just lolled around the house and took it easy until mid afternoon, when it came time for me to start gettng ready for dinner. I specify " me " because i had to spread the whole " getting ready " thing out over an hour or two: i had to shower, shave my legs,blow dry and straighten my hair and do my makeup. Which is not too bad except that i had to have a half hour break somewhere in there to breastfeed Flynn, before he got too cranky at Daddy for not having any boobies. But i got prettified ( unfortunately we werent clever enough to take any photos ) and i must say it felt great to get all dolled up again without having to contend with a huge belly.

We dropped Flynn off at my parents place and Mick and I had a nice dinner at a semi-fancy resturant. I got the chicken, stuffed with cheese and bacon, wrapped in filo pastry; he had the nutcrusted barramundi; and we both indulged in dessert. We werent out long - Mick, especially, missed his " little mate " - but it was nice to have an hour and half to be a couple again, not just " parents ".

I know its kind of late, but i hope the rest of you had a great Valentines Day, whether you were coupled up for the day or not!

Thinking Happy, Week 3 - Happy Valentines Day!

Ok, so its actually the day before Valentines Day but i'm getting in early while i have both my children ( the baby-child AND the man-child ) asleep . Once again, i'm joining in Good Golly Miss Holly!'s " Operation Think Happy " by making a list of 7 things that have made me happy or put a smile on my face this week - feel free to join if you like!

1. Being healthy - both Flynn and I had our 6 week post-natal check ups this week and i'm happy to say we're both healthy and problem free!

2. Having time to myself - I left Flynn at Grandma and Poppy's house ( thats my mum and dad ) while i went to get a haircut. Its the first time i've had in 7 weeks to get and out and about by myself - it was so nice just to have an hour and half just doing something for me. Of course i wondered what Flynn was doing and went straight to him and smothered him with kisses when i got back.... but in the moment, it made me happy to have that little ounce of freedom.

3. An early morning snuggle - with everybody! Now before you let your imagination run away with you, i'm taking me, Mick and Flynn, all curled up together this morning. I had Flynn curled into my chest trying to get him back to sleep and then Mick rolled over and hugged me into him. It was just a blissful little moment where i realised what a beautiful little family we've made....

4. Blog posts - not mine: yours! I've read so many interesting posts this week.... keep up the good work people!

5. My haircut - ok so i've already mentioned that being able to get out and go for a haircut made me happy, but the haircut itself has put a smile on my face too. I've had about 6cm/2 inches-ish taken off so i now have a shoulder length bob type thing happening. I have a natural wave in my hair which, with the new length, looks much more bouncy and less weighty. Noice!

6. A full nights sleep - Flynn had one night of what is called ' sleeping through ' - that is, he slept from 10:30pm til 6:30am, which means Mummy got almost a full 8 hrs. Might not sound like much but it made my day!

7. Facebook friend requests - i had one from a blog buddy ( hey Paula! ) and one from a girl i went to high school with. She still lives here in town but - as you do - we lost touch, so it was nice to get a friend request and be able to catch up a bit. I've also realised that there are at least 5 girls from my class ( including me ) who still live here who have babies 1 yr old or younger. Maybe i should try and start a mummas group with them?

So there you be - with Valentines Day up tomorrow hopefully i will have some more highlights for next weeks list.... and a specific Valentines Day recap post for you aswell!

At Last - The Unmasking...

Well, doesnt that sound mysterious - " The Unmasking ". You know who usually gets unmasked? Superheroes - and the villains at the end of every episode of " Scooby Doo " thats ever been made. Not that i'm a superhero or anything ( so you can quit it with your Amy-as-Wonderwoman fantasies ) nor is the person i'm about to introduce you to. No - he's someone that you're all very familiar with but till this very momentous occasion you've never seen his face. Who could i possibly be talking about?

Mr Gil.

Or Michael, as his mother named him. Or Mick, as he prefers to be called. Thats us right there - me and my fiance, the man i have formerly hidden behind the mantle of Mr Gil and who will now be referred to in this blog as Mick.

Why unmask him now, after all this time? Well i figure i use my own name and because i cant help but gush over my gorgeous boy i've used my son's real name and plastered his photo all over this site; plus if you're my friend on Facebook ( which you can be, if you wanna.... just let me know ) you'd be able to see Mick's page via the " Amy Wells is engaged to " link anyway. And this way when I have any cute pictures of Flynn with his daddy or both of his parents i can post them without having to blur Micks face or crop him out. Its just going to make things so much easier!

So there you have it. I dont know if any of you were curious to see what " Mr Gil " looked like but if you were i hope your curiousity has been satisfied. And now onto the rest of my day - Flynn is ( thankfully ) having a nap so i get some lunch in before i take him for his 6 week check up - and needles - this afternoon....

Thinking Happy, Week 2

Welcome back to " Operation Think Happy ", as so dubbed by Holly at ( the newly re-named ) " Good Golly Miss Holly! To remind you, the operation involves a weekly post of 7 things that have made you happy the past week. So:

1. Finding my son a girlfriend - or my best friend P had her baby this week and i've decided that she and Flynn will day get married. Welcome little E.C!

2. Spending time with my sister - i dont always get along with my sister, but it was nice just hanging out watching some movies with her one rainy afternoon. Also, it meant i could eat my lunch/go to the toilet/fold some washing uninterrupted because i had someone to help me with Flynn.

3. Cashew marsala - i literally only ate this meal half an hour ago but it was sooooo delicious. Chicken and rice and sweetness and creaminess and - yum.

4. Singing - i used to give awesome concerts whilst cruising around in my car; now bouncing around the loungeroom singing my son to sleep makes me happy. Today i gave a particularly tuneful rendition of " Love Me Like The World Is Ending " by Ben Lee, yesterday it was " Gravity " by Allison Krauss...

5. Afternoon naps - i've been lucky enough to fit in some afternoon naps while Flynn has been sleeping. I've always been a fan but now that i have a baby and sleep is not as abundant as it used to to be, a really good nap makes me very hapy indeed.

6. My neice B's smile - she's just tunred one and she has the cutest little smile. Not all her teeth have come in yet so its all gappy, which only makes it cuter. She also likes to accompany it with her favourite word - " Hello! " - over and over. Too sweet!

7. Mr Gil - admittedly he was kind of reading this list over my shoulder and wanted to know why he hadnt been included yet. So i've kept the best for last - of course he makes me happy! Sometimes unbelivably so.....

Happy Birthday - To Me!

Oh yea, thats right - go Amy, its your birthday.....

* Note * This is not my actual birthday cake - i just thought it was cute!

My 26th birthday to be precise, and my first as a mumma. So far its going well.... Mr Gil gave me my birthday present at 4am when Flynn woke up for a feed ( I gotta say it was a nice suprise to be spoilt in the middle of the night! ) and i'm a very lucky girl - my boys got me a Pandora bracelet! I dont know if Pandora is a big thing overseas but its pretty popular here. Basically its a completely personalised charm bracelet system, where you start off buying the base "snake chain " bracelet and then add on which ever charms you so desire. Mr Gil has bought me the silver version ( very cleverly knowing that i dont wear gold jewellery ) and had included two charms - an " M " bead ( for his first name... ) and an " F " bead for Flynn. Aww, my boys are two cute!

Flynn also decided to spoil me by going (almost) straight back to sleep after his 4am feed and then sleeping another 3 and half hours - which means i got around 7 hrs sleep over night ( score! ) and got to eat my breakfast and take a quick shower uninterrupted. Mr Gil claims this is because he had a little father-to-son chat with Flynn and told him he had to be good on mummys birthday. Which he has - he's only just fallen asleep after 4 and half hours awake, but it was relatively calm awake time, so i truely am getting a good little boy today.

The rest of my immediate family are coming around for birthday cake this afternoon after Mr Gil gets home from work. Its only going to be a small gathering but i'm looking forward to it - i mean yes i'll be getting cake and birthday presents but its nice to have visitors when i've been spending the majority of my days with just a little person for company ( note that by " little person " i mean my baby. I havent recently acquired my own dwarfed person ). And then Mr Gil is cooking me some Indian food for dinner and doing the dishes to boot - what a guy!

I guess we'll find out tomorrow how the rest of my 26th ended up....

Another Weekend By The Numbers

8:30 - time i went to bed on Friday night. Yep, a Friday night and i'm in bed before most 10 year olds. However, i am pregnant and Friday night i just could not get comfortable AT ALL. There was no remedy for it except to gu lie down and shut it all out.

1 - diamond ring that was presented to me with my breakfast in bed on Saturday morning.

1 - proposal by Mr Gil.

5 - approximate number of times i smiled " Yes!!! " in reply. Yep - consider me engaged...

6 - number of people my mum invited around to my house for an impropmtu afternoon tea on Saturday afternoon. Without checking with me first, but seeing as my mum supplied the banana cake we ate, i didnt mind. My mum just couldnt wait more than a few hours for me to announce my engagement to my immediate family.

$70ish - the approximate cost of the lovely romantic dinner Mr Gil took me out for on Saturday night. We tried a new Thai resturant in town - mussaman curry = mmmmm....

62 - my new top score on Wii Boggle. Mr Gil thinks that i'm a nerd because i'm good at Boggle ( ok, probably true ) but i think he may be secretly reading the dictionary so he can beat me one day.

7 - hrs spent at antenatal class on Sunday. The midwife that ran the class was quite casual and funny, so everything seems a bit less scary now. If literally billions of other women can have babies, so can i!

$600 - approximate amount of money we've spent on the bubba so far. Thats not including clothes and blankets and knick knacks, only big ticket items. We've got a car seat on layby and then we only have to get a cot, and it will be time to set up the nursery.....

Its Babymoon Time!

Thats right, its babymoon time! I dont think any of you read the original babymoon post, so here's the link. Basically its me and Mr Gil going away for the weekend before the baby arrives and this weekend is the weekend. As of 8am tomorrow morning we are headed for Shelly Beach.... and three days of rain. Yes, we're going to the coast, to the beach and the sand and the waves, only to have it rain.

I'm kind of disappointed but i'm going to make the most of it. The beach in light spring rain could still be fun, and sexy, right ? Plus we can do a bit of shopping and some other little touristy things - and every knows that going away for a long weekend is always better than staying home and doing the same old thing again.

Ooh - and this Sunday night sees the grand final for the National Rugby League season. This is the Super Bowl of my favourite sport, and Mr Gil's team happens to be playing so it could potentially be a big exciting evening. We're going to go for an early seafood dinner and then watch the game in a sports lounge, so there's another experience we wouldnt be having if we weren't going away ( if we'd stay'd home, we'd be watching the game from our loungeroom ).

So bon voyage readers - an update and some pictures upon my return!

Another Weekend By The Numbers

3 - number of kicks felt during a storm on Friday. This is significant because these were the first baby kicks i've been able to feel on the outside of my belly. I've been able to feel little butterfly-ery movements inside for a few weeks now, but the first belly kick i can feel from the outside ? Very special.

1 - christening attended. For my neice, B. She was too cute in her little christening dress with her fluffy hair.

5 - number of hours spent sitting in the sun after the christening. I'd say sitting in the sun drinking, but i wasnt. Everyone else was though - its so weird being the only sober person at a bbq or party.

100 - number of dollars spent on groceries for the week. Mr Gil decided to experiment: we went to a local green grocery for our fruit, the local bulk meat centre for our meat and bought the " rest " at the supermarket, to see if all that running around was less expensive than buying all the groceries in one place ( ah, that being the supermarket ). And it was! Around $30 cheaper in fact.

1500 - number of dollars we could potentially save for the year if we do our groceries the grocer/butcher/supermarket way. Thats the cost of a holiday right there!

6 - pieces of French toast i ate for Fathers Day lunch. I made them, so i figure i deserved an extra piece or two. I had originally planed French toast for breakfast, but Mr Gil was one of those people who spent 5 hrs drinking - so McDonalds egg and bacon McMuffins were on the menu instead.

60 - pages left until i finish the book i've been reading. And by " been reading " i mean i read the first 2 chapters about 3 weeks ago and read three quarters of the rest of it yesterday. In case your wondering which book it is: " A Harp in the South " by Ruth Park. Its an Australian classic that i'm pretty sure i read for school once, but its turning out to be much better than i remember it.

We're Going On A BabyMoon!

Yes you read that correctly - a babymoon. What the boojesus is a babymoon you ask ? Its the holiday you take before your baby arrives. I read a few articles in some pregnancy magazines mentioning women who'd been on that last little holiday as a couple, so I mentioned it to Mr Gil and now we're off to a little place called Shelly Beach on the central coast of New South Wales ( note: NSW is the state we live in here in Australia. We only 5 , plus two territories. Big country split into biiiiiiiig sections.... ).

I'm looking forward to it - it will be the first time Mr Gil and i have gone away together, just the two of us, not to visit family..... and it will also be the last for a long time. We're only going away for a long weekend so its not a long time but i'm determined to make the most of it. Sleep ins, long lunches, time at the beach, throw in some touristy type stuff and a couple of romantic dinners and voila!

A great weekend with a great guy will make me a very happy and contented pregnant lady....

Another Weekend By The Numbers

2 - slices of chocolate Toblerone cheesecake ( made by yours truely ) that i ate on Friday night.

900 - approximate number of calories contained within those slices. My belly is growing anyway - what do i care about calories?

104 - dollars spent on maternity pants. Yes, i bought maternity clothes last weeked but you know what ? I have since discovered that my work pants no longer do up without the help of a saftey pin and my jeans just arent comfortable shoved all the way down below my hips.

45 - approximate number of minutes spent sorting, folding, and putting away the washing on Saturday afternoon. I was trying to tidy up a bit before Mr Gil's sister and brother-in-law came for a visit. They arrived just as i got to folding the underwear....

2 - movies watched this weekend: " Pride and Glory " with Edward Norton and Colin Farrell on DVD, and " My Sisters Keeper " with Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin at the cinema.

26 - approximate number of times i broke into tears whilst watching " My Sisters Keeper ". You should not watch a movie like that, with your mother, when you're pregnant - its just far too upsetting.

80 - minutes spent in the sunshine, watching my brothers soccer semi-final.

0 - number of goals scored by my brothers opposition. His team won the game, 2-0. Go the Wanderers!

1 - number of times i applied sunscreen before hitting the sunshine. Did i re-apply ? No. Did i get sunburnt ? Sure did. Does that suck ? Yes indeedy.

6 - number of berry and chocolate mousse parfaits i made for Sunday nights dessert - one each for Mr Gil's parents, and two for each of us! I didnt exactly tell the Mr Gil-in-laws that we had extras though - naughty me....

Domestication

My sister-in-law told me that once she got halfway through her pregnancy she couldnt stop cleaning her house. I said that that would never happen to me - anyone who knows me knows that i have an aversion to cleaning, or manic cleaning anyway. I'm happy to have my my house look " lived in " - not slovenly, but a few pairs of shoes by the front door and a pile of unfolded washing in the spare lounge chair dont faze me.

Well - not anymore. Its come as a slight suprise to me that in the past few weeks i've come across a nesting gene i didnt think i had. I dont think its because i'm pregnant though - i'm putting it down to trying to impress Mr Gil. Actually, i dont think that impress is the right word. Its just that we're living together as a couple and we're starting a family and i feel the need to keep the house tidier now. No, i'm not prescribing to feminine values of the 50's ( have his meal when he gets home ? Run him a bath ? Making sure the kids are seen and not heard ? Uh...nuh ) its just that its something i can do in the domestic partnership.

For eg - i cook most nights, so he does the dishes. If he puts a load of washing on, i hang it out. If he's outside mowing the lawn, i'll be inside cleaning the bathroom. Or whatever.

So there you have it - i've become domesticated. Like a dog. But not like a cat - thos bastards are malicious, evil little things....

Moving Pictures

So, here's a development for you - just in the last few days or so i've been able to feel my baby move. How exciting! I'm not quite sure how to describe it exactly but lets put it this way : it slike my tummy is a fishbowl and the baby is a little fish, flitting around in there and occasionally crashing into the sides. I think my bub must like doing underwater yoga or something because since i've been able to notice, i've realised its quite the hive of activity in there. In fact, i have what a sonographer described as " a wriggler ".

At least thats what i was told at my 19 week scan on Monday afternoon. Mr Gil and i were in with the sonographer for 40 minutes, during which time the baby twisted and turned, flipped and flopped... and pretty much did anything but stay still. She found it quite amusing though - rather than get frusturated that it wouldnt stay still long enough to concentrate on any one body part, she just took little pictures of the head, or the heart, or the leg etc whenever she could. IT was cute to watch too : we got to see the baby yawn, and wiggle its bottom and curl up with its fists under its feet ( hence the yoga, see ? ).

And just quickly - what else were we told at our scan ? The gender of our baby....

The Return of: A Weekend By The Numbers

6 - slices of pizza that i ate for dinner on Friday night. And i was scrounging around my parents fridge for a nice piece of fruit after that. This eating for two thing is just weird...

$132 - approximate number of dollars i spent on the lay-by i picked up Saturday morning. All maternity clothes - 2 tank tops, i skirt, i cute top and a maternity pack containing a t-shirt, singlet, a pair of leggings and a tummy band.

35 - minutes spent cleaning the bathroom. I swear the previous homeowners must have barely ever cleaned it - there are rust stains on the floor of the shower recess and faint brown marks in the bathtub that just wont come up with regular cleaners. Its going to have to be industrial strength!

4 - hours that Mr Gil and i spent " out " on Saturday night. My brother and sister-in-law invited us to meet them down at one of the locals pubs for a drink and to see a band; we said sure, we might come for an hour or so. An hour turned into 4 hours and a pretty enjoyable night...

0 - the number of alcoholic drinks i consumed whilst at the pub. I'm a good pregnant lady, see ?

10 - am, the time we rolled out of bed after our little night out. Not too shabby for a Sunday morning.

150 - approximate number of minutes i spent in the sunshine over the entire weekend. Mr Gil and I decided to tackle all our outdoor jobs while the weather was unseasonably warm. Saturday he mowed the lawn whilst i hung out ( and brought in ) a few loads of washing; Sunday he watered the lawn while i swept the front and back verandahs, and then we both planted the first seeds in our vegie patch.

1 - movie watched - " Paul Blart: Mall Cop "

93 - minutes, running time of said movie.

2 and 45 - hour and minutes that it took us to actually get it watched. We kept pressing pause so we could jump up and check the roast that was in the oven ( Mr Gil ), or go to the bathroom ( Me ) or take a quick trip to the supermarket to pick up teh gravy we forgot to buy earlier...

Aww, welcome back Weekend By The Numbers!

Welcome to my Humble Abode....

Wow - the past few days have been muy hectic! I have finally moved into my first, non-rented home over the weekend, so i've spent the last week either:
A) Undercoating and painting;
B) Loading or unloading boxes and furniture; or
C) Unpacking and arranging said boxes and furniture.

I'm so glad i decided to take a week of annual leave to coincide with the move, because otherwise i'd have random boxes sitting around for weeks on end. Don't get me wrong, i still have a few odds and ends to sort through, but for the most part everything is in its new place. Mr Gil and I still have a second coat of paint to put on this weekend, and even though painting has proved to NOT be my favourite job in the world, its well worth it to cover up the colours the previous owners had going on. I'm all for colour, but just couldnt handle the Kermit the Frog hued green of the bathroom, or sunflower yellow of the lounge and dining room. Colour is gorgeous and effective when its splashed about - i'm thinking cushions, photo frames, knick knacks..... its more pyschedelic nightmare-ish when its everywhere. Everywhere. Everywhere!!

I've also been to have a nuchal translucency test - which is, in laymans terms, an ultrasound and blood test to determine my risk of carrying a baby with Down Syndrome or similar chromosomal abnormalites. Its sounds a little scary, but its just your basic ultrasound. Its also the first time i've been able to see my little person looking like a baby, and not a frog. What relief to know i'm carrying a human and not an amphibian! To be serious, the dating scan at 8 weeks shows the baby at quite an early stage - Mr Gil and i nicknamed the baby Stumpy because of the tiny, stump like, froggy looking limbs it was sporting at the time. But this time around, at 12 weeks now, litte Stumpy is recognisably baby like - tiny little fingers and toes, crazy rapid heartbeat, and fully formed and functional organs. I also think Stumpy is practising baby yoga in there - i cant feel any movements for myself yet but waiting half an hour for him/her to get into the right position to have the nuchal photo taken was like watching a tiny, underwater ballet! At one point, he/she even mooned me, so i have half a mind to ground my child as soon as its born.... what a cheeky rat!

And thats been my week thus far - excluding sleep ins and mid afternoon naps. Its going to be tough going back to stupid work next week....

The Time Has Come

Right - so remember that thing that i said i would eventually write about, i just wasnt going to reveal what it was at the time ? Yea, well, the time has come. Drum roll please....

I, Amy, of Insomniatic Musings.... I am pregnant.

Read it again if you have to, but it will say the same thing. I'm 25 years old, and i am going to be a mumma before my 26th birthday.

You are probably sitting back and doing your math about how long i have been with Mr Gil - yes, i will confirm for you that it has not been a long time, and this pregnancy was not planned. It was a suprise - a beautiful, amazing, terrifyingly scary suprise. I am - we are - very happy. I've always wanted to be a mum and i was beginning to despair that it would never happen. But now it is, and with a man that i am deeply in love with, even after what is a relatively short time.

I'll keep this short - its late, and as i've discovered, the early stages of pregnancy make me tired - and i'll provide more details later. I just wanted to share my news with.... well.... everyone!

I Do What ?!?

I am a blanket hog.

Yes, thats right ladies and gentleman, I have been made aware that i am, in fact, a blanket hog. I am one of these people who steals the sheets in the middle of the night and leaves their bed mate shivering in the cold. In the inevitable rock and rolling of sleep, i somehow manage to pull all the bedclothes onto my side and leave my partner naked bar their pyjamas ( if, indeed, they are wearing any ). I'm a douche - right ?

Yep, Mr Gil lovingly informed me one morning this weekend that i had contributed to his chances of catching pnuemonia by hogging all the blankets on the bed we were sharing and leaving him lying their freezing. I was horrified and, rightfully so, apologetic -i'd had no idea i do that! Have i always done it? Why hasnt anyone ever told me before ?Admittedly, i do love to be all snuggly when i sleep in colder weather, but since when am i blanky-selfish?

Mr Gil said it was fine because being curled up against me was keeping him warm enough ( my bountiful booty must produce a lot of heat during the night that i'm not aware of... ) but i still felt terrible. No-one likes a blanket hog - or at least i dont. However, i suppose we cant be held fully responsible for the things we do when we're asleep. At least i'm not up trashing the house in a sleepwalking trance, or snoring loud enough to wake the nighbours ( right? Im not doing that am i ? ). Those things would be worse. At least Mr Gil can steal the blankets back if he yanks them hard enough - you cant wake a sleep walker for fear of them injuring themselves, and sometimes the only respite from a snorer is to squeeze their nostrils together, stopping their breathing ( risk of death anyone ? ).

So, my apologies to Mr Gil, and my apologies to any other man i've ever shared a bed with.
I know not what i do....

One Quarter Down, The Rest Of The Year To Go

So, i thought seeing as we are one quarter of the way through 2009 ( god, already! ) that i might quickly review how my goals for the year were going. AS it turns out, i think i'm doing pretty well!

Continue the gym/health kick: Ok, to be fair, this one has slipped a little in the last month. I was away from home for two weeks so i didnt make it to the gym at all - i did go for a few walks after work, but going for a walk just doesnt make me feel the same. And i've been sick with the latest icky bug the past week and, consequently, havent have only been to the gym once in the past week. However, its not like i have stopped going because i couldnt be bothered anymore, which would mena a big fat FAIL on this goal. NO, its only been circumstance that has stopped me, so i'm going to give myself a 6/10 on this one thus far.

Spend as much time with my neices as possible: I'm going to give myself a pass mark on this one. Admittedly, since the arrival of Mr Gil to my scene i have not been as frequent a visitor to my brothers house as i once was, but all the time i do spend with H and BellaBoo is quality. BellaBoo is three months old now ( ah, how convenient for her to have been born on New Years Day ) and she is a chubby-cheeked little cherub with fluffy brown hair. She gurgles and laughs now, so you can pull funny faces and make her laugh, as opposed to pulling funny faces and just looking like an oodball. H seems to have gorwn closer to me since Bella's arrival - i think both being the oldest we have a thing going on, because i know what she's gona experience being the oldestof the brood. I've tried to pay her a little more attention than Bella sometimes to make sure she doesnt feel like the baby has " stolen " everyone away from her. That makes me a good aunty right ? 8/10 on this one.

Try saying " yes " more often than " no " : Yep, this train is definately still on the tracks. In fact, i credit how much i'm enjoying my new relationship with Mr Gil to the fact i am more open to saying " yes ". We met online, and he didnt have a picture on his profile - in the past, i wouldnt haven't struck up an email " relationship " without having seen a picture first.... but i this time i said " yes ". When he invited me to roadtrip with him to meet his nephews not soon after we'd met, i could have freaked right out..... but i said " yes ". Even the fact i ignored the so-called dating rules and went on a handful of dates with him inside of two weeks was me sayign " yes ". And look where its got me ? For the happiness i'm exeperincing right now, i give myself a resounding 10/10 ! Yay me!

So there you have it.... the three month review. At this point i would also ( appropriately ) like to wish everyone a Happy Eatser however your spending it ( catching up with family and attending Mr Gil's 10 year school reunion ). Please remember that chocolate is your friend, but even friends can turn enemies if you get too much of them. Safe eating everyone!