I have been tagged by the lovely Emily at Desert Darling - see her heavenly wedding here.

1. If you could give your teenage self one piece of advice what would it be?
This is a hard one given that I teach teenagers now. Mostly it would be to focus on the good things and not obsess about the bad plus the "take a teaspoon of concrete and harden up" quote which runs through my head often at work would have been exceptionally good for me!

2. Tell me about your first pet!
I could go on and on about this one. I had lovely dogs when I was a kid but they were family dogs. Ruby (my Irish Terrier) in my mind is my first pet as both mr k and I are solely responsible for her...all the poop picking up, walking, food, health, training etc. It has been WONDERFUL!! She has bought so much love into our lives. I could go on but I know I bore people about this so I'll stop (but can I just mention she could have been easily named Wookie or Chewbacca for the adorable noises she makes:)
3. If you had 1 million dollars to give to one charity, which charity would you chose?
Anything to do with education - hands down. It brings so much opportunity, cures, good things to everyone. I would donate to several organisations including www.iceafoundation.com.au
4. Of the seven deadly sins (wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, gluttony) which do you consider the worst?
Probably envy - seems to bring out the worst in people.
5. What is your star sign?
Sagittarius (and I fit the classic profile)
6. What is your happiest childhood memory?
Catching a cricket ball in Dunsborough when I was about 8. It was Summer, my family were playing beach cricket and I had a Proust moment when I caught it when time slowed down and I realised I was truly happy.
7. What were you doing at this time three years ago
In Bali, villa with a private pool, cocktails being made by villa butler. First luxury holiday ever - never looked back :)

Thanks Emily, this was fun.

Bring on the holidays

Thank god the holidays are almost here. I am a school teacher and we are in our last week of the term. I will have two blissful weeks off although I will have to write some reports and do some marking. I am hoping to get down to Busselton and if the weather is hot enough, bathe my growing bump in the aqua water of the bay. I'll need to look out for stingers though!

Although I am still waiting for that second semester energy boost, my skin has finally settled down. A previously unknown advantage of weight gain is that people keep telling me I am glowing but I know it is because the extra pudding is making my wrinkles plump out :)

Image from http://www.discoverwest.com.au

Online shopping

I have seen Gilt Groupe on different blogs for a while but never bothered signing up. I need to save money, not spend more thank you very much! However today I did sign up just to have a look at what I was missing out on..big mistake. There are some seriously good deals on there. I told myself it was for baby items. I've made a resolution to not pay full price for items. My most stylish friend has this motto and her wardrobe is glorious (and vast).
In particular I loved the life factory bottles but then I had a look at the other sections...gorgeous and they don't seem to be end of season stock that no-one likes. I love the Lim 3.1 dresses.

If people join through you, you get $25 credit when they make their first purchase. This system seems to work well by my reading of all the blogs out there. Although I think I only have one regular reader (hi mum!), I'm still going to have a go. Even without the credits, the prices are very good.

Join gilt groupe

Teddy bear and other wild things

I have never been one for teddy bears, didn't even suck my thumb when I was little or have a "blankey" (my younger sister carried a fetid piece of sheepskin for years) but I do have a new teddy bear now. My dog Ruby has become quite attached lately. I am not sure if it is because I have been slowing down but she loves to take a nap with me. Although I am sure the dog getting up on our bed will have to stop before the baby comes, it is very comforting to have her with me. She has taken to snuggling my stomach..not sure if she can hear the baby or if is just a comfortable pillow! She also has the colouring and looks quite similar to one of those old English teddy bears so after all these years, I finally have a teddy.


I have already started with the baby however. We bought our first toys a couple of weeks ago. I saw them on the seriously stylish sass and spice blog. Mr k and I went out to Babyland and bought the monkey, the lion and the giraffe. Very cute and I don't even like soft toys. I do love their belly buttons!

Images by me and bebe online

Time passes

Oh dear, I was trying to treat this blog like a journal so I could print it out and have a record of my pregnancy. I don't why I thought I could do this..I've never even kept a journal. Well, baby is absolutely fine and I am in my 19th week. Everything has been very smooth sailing apart from the fact that all I want to do is sleep, sleep, sleep! Recently I have been spending my Saturday mornings in bed and Saturday afternoons on the couch. I feel so good on a Sunday and feel revitalized but it all goes by Monday evening.

My mum and dad went home to NZ to visit her folks when she was three months pregnant with me. She told her workplace just before they left and they all decided that after her trip, she was leaving work. Sounds like heaven! Mum is the original Energiser bunny and so she said she was a little bored but loved her afternoon naps every day.

Mr k and I decided I would try and work as long as possible because we are keen for me to be a stay at home mum for as long as we can afford it. I am hopeful that this will work out. Mum and Dad seriously did without back in their day and they survived and I think we will have to do the same. Although I am getting 6 weeks paid maternity leave from work, the new parental leave payment from the government for 18 weeks (I think) which is approximately $500 a week (but taxed) and I have about 13 or so weeks of long service leave. Hopefully through 1/2 pay, we can eke it all out for a while. Work finishes in early Dec and the baby is due very early Feb so I do have a good block of time before the bub arrives.

The only drama was that we were planning to build a brand new home and it was going to be gorgeous!! We were about to sign and then found out we were pregnant and thought new born baby and building were not the best of ideas. We like life simple. So we are doing some quick renovations but the only thing I have organised so far is a quote for a garage and thinking about air-conditioning for the nursery (currently the baddest junk room you have ever seen).

Hmmm, hopefully my future posts won't be so newsletter-ish!

birth

love, love, love this video.


and this one
Leo Hart

online love

Asos has got a fantastic sale on at the moment- up to 70% off plus an extra 10% at the checkout. Love it and they deliver to Australia!

Images from asos.com

12 weeks

We made it! 12 weeks today. So happy! Both mr k and I feel like we can relax and enjoy the road ahead.

only me

You know those horror stories that people tell you about when you're pregnant, the woman who had appendicitis at 81/2 months, the lady whose gums bled every day, the girl who broke her leg. Turns out that I am one of them. I fractured my ankle on Saturday afternoon. See that nice little piece of bone floating around on the right hand side of my ankle. That indicates the fragment of bone that was pulled off via a tendon/ligament. Yes I had an x-ray while pregnant. Very stressful but the dr in emergency told me it would be more drama later on if it didn't heal properly due to being misdiagnosed. As it was the x-rays took about one minute to do and they chucked a big lead jacket over my belly. And of course, I can't take painkillers. Very frustrating as I can't do anything by myself as I can't put any pressure on my foot. Maybe it is a lesson in teaching me to let go a little, to stop trying to control everything. Probably not. I don't really subscribe to that way of thinking. Fractured ankles are a bitch. Full stop.

We have a doctor!

This afternoon we met the man who is going to help us bring our baby into the world. We had lined up appointments with four obstetricians as we wanted to make sure we were comfortable and confident with our ob. Today was our first "interview" and it will be our last. No need for other appointments we have found our man! Bruce (yes that is his first name) is in his late 50s, calm, kind and professional. His lovely wife runs his office and both mr k and I feel we are in good hands. We saw Squigly wriggly again (our nickname for the bebe) and everything seems in order.

We have visuals!

"Oh so there is a baby in there" were my first words at our scan. Yes, this baby is going to have a wise momma. I also realised that I need glasses, mr k and the sonographer kept trying to point out the heart beat but I couldn't see it. We also got our date, I am 10 weeks 6 days and bub is due the 2nd Feb 2011. mr k was quite tearful and overcome but I was more interested in seeing that all the bits and bobs were in the right places. This was quite strange as I am one of those sad sacks that those sentimental, god-awful ads actually work on. I can be sitting on the couch laughing Modern Family and then crying at the Telstra ad. Pregnancy has made this adorable facet of my psyche worse. But I digress, we have a baby, it has two arms and two legs and a head that looks like Skeletor. It has a heartbeat and everything seems more real.

baby blankets

I lurve rocket and bear's knitted baby blankets. They are adorable. I find my self all inspired to knit and crochet my little heart out and then remember I can't actually do either of those things. Thank goodness this lovely lady has an etsy shop.

On other news, I completed the dreaded Year 9 camp which wasn't as hard as I thought it would be...maybe first trimester exhaustion is on its last legs. Tomorrow we have our first scan - mr k is pretty excited. He can't think of anything else and wants to talk about it all the time while I am a little nervous and just want to think happy thoughts so I won't worry too much. Either way, we'll know tomorrow.

A black US president and now a female prime minister of Australia. This makes me feel good about what kind of world our baby is being born into. I remember 9/11 and wondering if I should have children.
Not especially keen on how Julia Gillard became prime minister but it speaks volumes about the changes in our society about women and leadership.

Tired

Whew... I am going to have to get my act together if I want to do this blog thing. Trouble is I am so so tired. Hoping the glow of second trimester starts soon otherwise I am never going to achieve anything. At the moment, life involves work, coming back home, crawling into bed for a nanna nap and eating, lots of eating. I wasn't at my ideal weight when I conceived and am pretty set on eating high density nutritious foods to make sure I don't gain too much weight. However it seems my hormones have other ideas.
One recipe I am obsessing over right now is Moroccan quinoa and carrot salad. I found it on this website and mmhmmhmm - delicious.
According to whfood.com quinoa is often considered to be a grain but is more closely related to green leafy veggies such as swiss chard and spinach. Quinoa is actually a complete protein in that it contains all nine essential amino acids. Quinoa is "especially well-endowed with the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair. In addition to protein, quinoa features a host of other health-building nutrients. Because quinoa is a very good source of manganese as well as a good source of magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus, this "grain" may be especially valuable for persons with migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis. "
Sounds good to me.
Although the recipe below seems involved, the spice blend makes a good amount which you can use again and it is very simple for such an amazing flavour and textural delight!

Image and recipe from Closet Cooking - a great recipe blog

Ingredients:
4 large carrots (peeled and slices 1/4 inch thick)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon moroccan spice blend
1/2 cup red quinoa
1/2 cup white quinoa
2 cups water (or vegetable broth)
2 teaspoons moroccan spice blend
1 cup chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1/4 cup red onion (diced)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts (toasted)
1 handful parsley (chopped)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon (zest and juice)
1 teaspoon moroccan spice blend
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Toss the carrots in the olive oil along with the spices.
2. Arrange the carrots in a single layer on a baking sheet.
3. Roast in a preheated 400F oven until tender, about 20-30 minutes, turning them once in the middle.
4. Simmer the quinoa in the water along with the spices until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
5. Mix the carrots, quinoa, chickpeas, onion, raisins, pine nuts and parsley in a bowl.
6. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, moroccan spice blend, salt and pepper in a small bowl and then toss the salad in it.

Moroccan Spice Blend

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
1. Mix Everything.

Because I am 36?

I have a great doctor (general practitioner) that I have seen for many years and respect her. Yesterday I went in to see her after finding out a couple of days earlier that I was pregnant. She asked me if I had an obstetrician in mind but as this is my first, I am rather new to it all and asked for her recommendations. She also said I would probably have to have a c-section because of my age (36). When I indicated I was pretty keen on having a "natural" birth if at all possible, she said most good obstetricians would not "humour me" for the sake of the baby's health. However she then tried to ring obstetricians who would "humour" me (she must have said this at least 3 times!) and get me on their books. No-one was available, they were all fully booked out (mind you, I am only 5 weeks pregnant, how do people find out any earlier?!!). She then had to book me in with an obstetrician that she herself used. She did try to reassure me that because she had previously worked in a maternity hospital and worked with the seriously ill babies, she had a particular view of it all. I understand that with all these pregnancy hormones I am pretty sensitive at the moment however given the number of friends who are my age and have not had to have a caesar, I am a little confused. We didn't want to tell anyone yet but I did ring a friend, asked her who her obstetrician was and have booked in an appointment (yes he had space!). I am just wondering if anyone else has been given this advice by their doctor? She said it was based purely on my age. I'm confused. My doctor said she understood that she understood that I would want the "experience" but in my shock I didn't explain that it was more about I couldn't imagine caring for a new baby having just undergone major surgery. If I need to have a c-section then that would be fine but I can't imagine that this needs to be decided now at 5 weeks or could be based simply on my age.

cool threads

I have loved threadless and their fab t-shirts for a long time but was thrilled to see that they have a kids threadless too. I couldn't resist and bought a selection from their $9 sale range for my brother's beautiful new son. Can't wait to start buying for my little nugget.



images from http://kids.threadless.com/

two tests and a champagne

Started off with a overwhelming tiredness at the end of the day, a feeling that something that wasn't quite right and oh yes, taking my basal body temperature every morning to see if I was ready to rumba with the one shot wonder (my new name for husband). After telling my dear one since our first go that he should treat me in general with more kindness/respect/ servitude , it was a bit of a shock to realise yesterday that I was indeed "with child". We had anticipated months ahead of some good fun and actually our first few goes were late at night, both tired and not particularly romantic.
So in a state of hopeful, thrilled shock, it appears that we are 4 weeks and 5 days pregnant. I have been using a useful site www.fertilityfriend.com and now sister site http://preg.fertilityfriend.com , very helpful for someone who loses track of dates easily.