DD minus What? - The Introduction

Right, so before you all get cranky with me for having missed quite a few days on this countdown, let me explain two things:

#1: I missed Christmas Day and Boxing Day because, well, theyre Christmas Day and Boxing Day. I had people to see, presents to unwrap and a big plate of fresh prawns to eat.

#2: I've missed the other 3 days because, well....i gave birth.

Yes, ladies and gents, you ready that correctly - i would formally like to introduce the blogging world to Flynn Charlie Freshfield, born December 27th, 2009 ( or at what would have been DD minus 15) :

There he is - my very own little dude. After having known since the 20 week mark that we were having a boy it has been fantastic to finally meet him. I wont go into the gory details of the actual birth ( although i probably will at some point - its a tale every mother wants to tell ) but suffice to say after only 6 hrs from first contraction til the big arrival i was happy to see a perfectly formed little person turn up. If you cant tell from the photo Flynn has his daddys nose and my hair ( check out the hair - isnt he spunky?! ) and he weighed in at 6lbs and 9 ounces he's on the smaller side of average ( which tends to happen when you arrive 2 weeks earlier than expected ).

So far, all is going relatively well - he's had a little trouble getting the hang of the whole feeding thing and he has this funny little sqeaky noise coming from the back of his throat when he's sleeping deeply - which alternately super cute and super scary because it sounds like he's struggling for breath - but other than that both he and I - the mumma! - are doing just fine.

So there you be. I'll leave it relatively short and sweet for now. I just thought i would take advantage of the fact that Mr Gil was kind, and smart, enough to bring me my lap top to amuse me during this 3rd day in hospital and fill you loyal reader type people in on my absence. Hoping you all had a very Merry Christmas and wishing you all the best for your New Years celebrations ( i predict mine will be spent in front of the tv, watching fireworks from downtown Sydney whilst i breastfeed)......

DD minus 18: Santa Comes Tonight!

Indeed he does - and for anyone who's counting, yes i missed another day ( through circumstances i care not to discuss right now, i was unable to use my computer ).

So yes - its Christmas Eve, which in my immediate family is both an exciting and sad time, all at once. I know thats i've mentioned it before on this blog and on previous blogs, so i wont dwell on it too much but Christmas Eve is a little sombre in my family as my younger brother passed away on this day - 20 years ago this year in fact. 20 years is a long time ( so long that my mind boggled when i realised the whole anniversary this morning ) but suffice to say i'm pretty sure it hurst now less, especially for my parents. So there's the sad part.

However, now that there are little kids in our family again, its back to having that whole exciting, " Santa comes tonight!!!! " part. This of course applies to my brother and sister-in-law with both of my neices but what is exciting is that next year this part will apply to me. At least a little. My baby will be just under 1 yr old next Christmas, so its not like they will realise who Santa is or what he does, but i myself can get caught up in the whole baby's first Christmas and baby's first photo with Santa thing. Its going to be cute.

And yes, before anyone gets a little up in arms, i know that Santa is the only dude who gets a little loving at Christmas. I understand that there is another guy by the name of Jesus who was apparently born on December 25th and that quite a few ( million ) people around the world happen to have a special celebration to celebrate his birthday. So here i am acknowledging Jesus' role in this most sweet and joyous of holidays, even though i dont subscribe to his particular brand of religion.

Neither, apparently does little H - she told me earlier that Grandma had been reading her a story about Mother Mary and the Baby Cheese......

DD minus 20: The Day Of The Slug ( And Winning An Award )

The day of the slug - and who, or what, is the slug you may ask ? The slug, my friends, is me. Thats what i felt like today - a big fat lazy slug. I woke up as the same time as usual, got up with Mr Gil and ate my breakfast and saw him off to work and after he'd left i thought i'd watch the last 20 minutes of the morning variety program. This was at 8:40am - next thing i know, i open my eyes and its 10:30am. I'd fallen back to sleep! And even when i opend my eyes and realised what time it was and what had happened, my first instinct was " man, cant i get just five more minutes ? ". I dont know what it was - maybe i'd done too much work yesterday afternoon after another attack of the nesting instinct - but i was just overwhelmingly tired, lethargic, sluggish; and it didnt really get much better over the course of the day. I had a shower, woke myself up a bit, but all i could manage the motivation for was web-surfing, tv watching and magazine reading. Way to spend the day Amy.

And so, there is not so much to report on today. However, thank god for Chantal over at Growing Up...Townsend Style. She's very kindly bestowed the " Happiness 101 " award on me, and thus she has saved my blog post for the day from complete and utter boringness.

The award also comes with a meme of its own - i'm supposed to list 10 things that make me happy and give this award to 10 other people. That being said, i dont think i want to name 10 of you - i think i'm going to go with 3. I mean, i want to keep this award somewhat exclusive.... if i share it around too much it'll lose all its glory! ( Kidding, of course. Or am I ? ) Anyhoo, 10 things that make me happy:

1. My neices , H and B. One is 4 years old, the other is having their first birthday in 8 days time, but they are both adorable little cuties that do amusing things.

2. " Ripe " by Ben Lee. Its just a really good pop album that makes me want to sing along. Singing along makes me happy.

3. Mr Gil, my gorgeous fiance. Granted sometimes he does things that make me unhappy or frusturated, buut most of the time he makes me insanely happy.

4. Mangoes. One word - yum. I am so having one after i'm done with post.

5. Finishing a crossword puzzle. I'm trying to keep my brain sharp to stave off baby brain moments and possible dementia, so being able to completely finish a crossword puzzle ( and not the type which is entirely made up of pop culture answers ) gives me a real buzz.

6. Blog post comments. Hint, hint people...

7. A really good nap. I know the napping itself is kind of a non-event but its the refreshed feeling after a really well earned nap that makes me happy.

8. " Amelie ". I've seen this movie 7 or 8 times, and i own it on DVD, but it doesnt matter how many times i watch it it never fails to give me that fuzzy, feelgood, feeling.

9. Jeans and a white tank top. I've mentioned the power of this very simple outfit, but i'll say it again - jeans and a white tank or t-shirt always make me feel sexy, and feeling sexy makes me happy. Hell, the power of this outfit has even worked for me whilst i've been pregnant, which is really saying something.

10. Macadamia icecream.....mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm.

And who am i handing my award to?

Sheena at If These Walls Could Talk

Paula at Insert My Blogname Here

Andy at WildARSChase

Go to it people!

DD minus 21: Ah Crud, I Missed A Day

I promised myself that i was going to write a post every day of this countdown and then i got busy and distracted and went and missed a day. Poo to that! It was, of course, 22 days til the due date, it was Sunday yesterday and what distracted me was H's ballet recital and then going out for dinner. Her dance recital was so cute - all the little tiny girls are all dressed in sweet little costumes and they do their little dances as best as they can. At least one girl in every group dances way-out-crazy, and usually someone freezes up and starts either crying or waving to their families in the crowd. Once all the little girls are finished their routines they're allowed to get changed and then sit in the audience to watch the older girls perform. Highlight of the night:
H to my dad, in a quite moment between dances " Hey poppy, you should do ballet instead of golf!! " Every person in the immediate vicinity burst out laughing.....

Now, to today. The majority of it was spent tidying around the house and i finally got around to making more room in our linen cupboard so that i could unpack some more boxes from the garage. Yes, i know what your thinking - i've been living in this house for almost 6 months, surely i'd already done all the unpacking ? Well not quite.... i'd kind of left all the boxes of junk stuff til last because i didnt really have anywhere much to put them. Until today. The nesting instinct strikes again!

The only other noteworthy thing i got up to was catching up with P, my best ( and also pregnant ) friend. We've both been so busy working and doing baby things that we havent had much time for a catch up, but todays weather and the fact neither of us was working made it the perfect day for an icecream break. What was really fantastic though was being able to discuss all the little pregnancy niggles and birth worries with another impending first time mum. I mean dont get me wrong, its nice to get the advice of women who have been there, done that; but it was really great to get to talk about all the worries and issues and discomforts and the handful of good things ( hallelujah for the babys head moving down - i've discovered the ability to breath again! ) with someone else who's experiencing it for the first time and is just as confused as i am. P is due 4 weeks after me, so i suppose i'm just a tiny step ahead of her in terms of growings and goings on, and i'm hoping for her sake ( aswell as my own! ) that i have a good birthing experience..... i dont want to freak her out anymore than she probably already is!

So thats my Monday in a nutshell. For the record it was one scoop of macadamia nut and one scoop of passionfruit icecream and it was scrum-diddly-umptious! Tomorrows agenda? A run to the recycling center with all my excess cardboard - you know, from all that tidying and unpacking i did today - and afternoon tea with my nan, who i wont be seeing on Christmas Day. Oh, also, i plan on fitting in a nap somewhere ......

DD minus 23: Oh Good Lord, I Think I'm Leaking

OK, i dont just think i'm leaking.... i know i'm leaking. I also know that is probably too much information for most of you ( Leaking ?! Leaking what, from where?!? ) but in the rundown to giving birth i wanted to make note of it. Although i know its completely normal, noticing that i've burst some kind of hole in my boobs is kind of a freak out.

And now - forgetting that. Its Saturday! Which you would think seeing as i'm on maternity leave and staying home everyday doesnt mean much, but it does - firstly because it means Mr Gil isnt at work either, and secondly because tonight is my work Christmas do. I'm not going to call it a " bash " because i believe a bash requires a few more than 5 office staff and their partners, and neither does it qualify as a " function " because im thinking not many functions are held on the back patio of someones house. No, i think calling it a " do " is the best way to go on this occasion. Its not a barbecue either because there wont be any actual barbecuing - its just the few us getting together for a drink, a chat and a meal of some nice cold roasted meats, some prawns, salads and dessert and the obligatory pre-meal snacks.... chips, dips and cabanossi and cheese. Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm!

I have graciously allowed Mr Gil to have a few beers tonight, seeing as its technically a " do " and all. No, i'm not some kind of beer-Nazi fiance who wont let her man drink - rather i've had to put my foot down and ask that he not have his usual beer or three after work every day just in case i go into labour. I mean the last thing i want to do if i go into labour is try and wake him up when he's sleeping off a few drinks, or have to drive myself to the hospital. To be quite honest, i dont think my head would be clear enough to operate car controls when the moment finally comes!

So, two and half hours out from the do/party thingy, i think i'm going to take a shower, fix myself up with a clean bra and possibly take a nap.... not necessarily in that order. Rundown of party happenings ( and any tantrums that may or may not be thrown over certain presents, as mentioned yesterday ) in tomorrows post!

DD minus 24: Dude, Its Raining

This is highly unusual. Like i said in my post of two days ago, it was 38 degrees celsius and only due to get hotter. Today, out of nowhere, i wake up to an overcast sky, steady rain and 28 degrees celsius. Ah, weather patterns - you never cease to amaze me.

So, with the arrival of a little rain, today has been a good dayto do, well - not much. I had to go out and buy a Secret Santa gift for one of my work colleagues ( my work Christmas party is tomorrow night, and i thought i'd better not leave it til the very last minute ). Only problem is that the guy i had to buy for is not exactly my favourite person in the office. And when you only work with 5 other people, being the " not favourite " is not exactly an enviable position. Anyhoo, so i gotta go out and buy a present for this guy and the only idea i can come up with is either going to tickle his funny bone or completely offend him.

See, my main problem with this guy is that he is a mooch. That is, in an office job where the hours are 9am to 5pm ( what a way to make a living... ) he sits at his desk and actually does some work from, maybe, 11am til 12:30pm, and then from 1:30pm til about 3pm. The rest of his working hours are spent " procrastinating ". You know, for lack of a better term. For instance, we open at 9am and it takes him roughly half an hour to count the cash in his till and organise the days paperwork. Then he volunteers to go and do our banking and walk to the post office to check our mail. This, admittedly, can sometimes take a while, especially if the queues at either place are long - however, a job that takes the rest of us maybe half an hour always seems to take him in the vicinity of 45 minutes to an hour.

So this gets him back around 10:15 am.ish... at which time he'll sit back down at his desk, answer a phone call or two, help a health fund member/customer if he isnt quick enough at hiding from them and then its 10:30am which is time for a coffee break. And, of course, this means he needs to leave the office again to buy his coffee and then his 10 minute morning tea break usually takes him 20 minutes. Which is how we arrive at his 11am start time.

I wont go into the details of his working day after his one hour lunch break ( dishes that need washing, garbage that needs to be taken to the bins, pottering around in my eyewear dispensary and generally annoying J and i ... ) but suffice to say his habit of wheedling his way out of actually work AND GETTING AWAY WITH IT has really given me the proverbial shits. I cant say that i'll miss having to put up with him while i'm away on maternity leave.

So, with that all explained, what did i manage to find and buy him for his Secret Santa gift ? A book entitled " The Lazy Persons Guide To Life ". I happen to find this quite funny, as does J and one of our other colleagues - giving a lazy person a humourous guide to being lazy ..... hilarious! The problem is not only is he a master procrastinator but he also has mood swings like a teenage girl on her period.... which is to say you cant predict them and they arent always pretty. So tomorrow night we find out if he sees the humour in my joke ( even though it is an actual dig at his laziness.... ) or whether he gets offended by the " lazy " tag.

Here's to a good laugh.... and a nice long break from his annoying, whining, woe-is-me, procrastinating ways.....

DD minus 25: More Yucky Medecine?!?

I am not ashamed to admit that i am completely and totally tuckered out as i write this. Hanging out with a 4 year old day has really taken it out of me, so god only knows what i'm going to be like in the first few weeks of having a newborn....

H, my 4 year old neice, is a very cool little person. She's not the kind of little kid thats prone to tantrums ( although when they do happen they can be a doozy! ) and she's happy to sit and watch tv for a while if her very pregnant aunty is a little tired. Even better, she came up with the great idea of playing doctor with me this afternoon - she the doctor and me the lady who has just had a baby ( wow - what an imagination... ). The game involved me lying on the lounge and her checking my heartbeat, blood pressue and throat with her little toy doctors kit, and making me take about 12 doses of yucky faux medecine. I also needed a few needles as did the baby, but the good news is after a few days bedrest in hospital, my faux baby and i are doing fine. This game lasted around an hour, which was plenty of time for me to recover some energy and keep on keeping on.

What else was fine was " Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs ". I'd read some good reviews and although kids movies are usually a gamble, this one paid off. There was enough laughs for little kids but the occasional joke that only the adults would pick up on; the animation was great; and the concept was easy enough for a 4 year old to understand but no so juvenile as to leave me bored. Basically, this crazy backyard scientist invents a machine that turns water molecules into food and through a slight mishap the machine gets launched into the sky - effectively feeding off the water in the clouds and making it rain food. Thats enough for little kids - its raining food, and giant food at that ? Hilarious! H decided that if she could make it rain food she would want big hamburgers; i was voting for giant icecream cones. Either way, thats enough post-film conversation to pronounce this one a winner.

And now, i'm thinking its time for a plateful of mango and then its off to bed. Oh, and also, our muffins ending up a winner also - i'd planned on banana but H had the idea of throwing in some gorgeous juicy cherries aswell. Mr Gil has had two and plans on taking with his lunch tomorrow, and my brother ( H's dad ) told her that they were really nice so..... so, yea, go team Amy and H!

DD minus 26: Dude, Its Hot....

Yes, of course its hot - welcome to the Australian summer. So in the part of Australia where i live, the temperature starts to heat up from around the middle of November and there isnt usually any cooling down to speak of until early March. Generally, i am in love with this part of the year:
* First of all, its the Christmas period. I know there's something to be said for a white Christmas ( you know, by people in the Northern Hemisphere ) but i'll take the heat and the sun for my Christmas celebrations.
* Its the season for all the best fruit - namely peaches, cherries and mangoes. I've said it before, i'll say it again - mangoes are the food of the gods.
* Putting your lawn sprinkler on to water the grass and letting all the little kids run through it
* Barbeques - cooking outdoors, eating inside with the air conditioner on
* And a few other things i cant quite remember right now

Dont get me wrong, i'm still much happier to have this weather than be stuck in winter, but this summer i'm really feeling the heat. Guess why? Oh yea, i'm pumping around enough blood for two people and thats keeping me extra warm as it is - and the combination of heat and being on my feet have given me ankles the size of an elephants. Sexy.

I mean it only got to 38 degrees celsius here today ( thats 100 degrees for your Fahrenheit type persons ) but its only set to get warmer and, like i said, the heat carries on for quite a while. o matter - now that i'm on maternity leave i dont have to go outside if i dont want to, or be on my feet all day, so i can indulge myself in a fabulous hourand half long nap under the airconditioning in the afternoons. Which i did, today. Naps are fabulous.

But before i took a nap? I have finished the baby's room - i am now officially a rockstar! Or at least i felt like one this morning when i had finished putting up the wall decals and vacuumed the carpet. I am loving the wall decals. Check it:

I apologise for the flash reflecting off the paint there, but how cute are my little puppies? If your in the market for wall decals, for kids rooms or otherwise, try http://www.dezignwithaz.com/ . Theyre a company based in San Fransisco and they have some really cool stuff.

And now, onto tomorrow. I can promise there will be a lack of baby updates because - tomorrow i'm babysiutting my neice all day. Yep, i'm hanging out with H while her mum and dad are at work. So far i plan to take her to the movies and to make some banana muffins for our afternoon tea so instead of baby talk you can expect a run down on the antics of a four year old, possible a movie review and a critique of my banana muffins ( made straight out of the box ). Mmm - muffins.....

DD minus 27: Look Whats Finally Coming Together

You know how when you've been wanting to do something for months, and for better or worse you've ( kind of ) been procrastinating or just not quite finding the time - and then, finally, you get your arse into gear and the project is nearing completion .... you know how that makes you feel ? That " wow, look what i've done ", personal pride kind of feeling ? Yep, thats what i've got going on because..... the baby's room is almost done!

I feel like i've achieved a lot today. Its not just the physical act of washing and drying and folding piles and piles of baby clothes and cot sheets and fleecy blankets - although seeing all those little clothes hung out on my washing line was kind of sweet. Its more than that. The near completion of this physical task - the painting, the putting together of furniture, the washing and folding, the organising and decorating - is symbolic. It means I'm READY. Or as ready as i'm going to get anyway. Sure, i still need to pack a bag for the labour ( altough i did pack my bag for the actual hospital stay today - go me! ) so i'm technically not quite ready, but i feel like i am.

I also feel excited, nervous and a little scared - but on top of all this, i feel ready. I know i'm repeating the same word over and over here but theres no other way to explain it. I feel like i'm in a place where, even though i am excited and nervous and just a little scared, i'm also at ease with whats going to be thrown at me and i'm pretty sure that i'm going to be able to handle it, no matter how bad it appears to be. It might be because i've been having all these little conversations with other mothers or other pregnant women lately - like my beauty therapist today ( by the way way, lower leg and foot massages are the bomb! ). Its nice knowing that i'm part of a group - which has literally billions of members.

She asked me if i had thought about pain relief for the birth ( which i have.... kind of ) and how i think i'll make it through labour ( which can literally last all day if not longer ).

Here's what i'm holding on to - billions of other women, since the dawn of time, have been able to do this. And if they can, i can to. Simple yes, yet motivating. If so many other women can do it - can be strong, can bear down in the face of pain, can kick and scream and fight until the " job " is done ( or, for the Zen ladies out there, bite their lips and do it all in silence ).... then so can i. I can be that Superwoman.

And seeing as i've put together a piece of furniture all by myself this afternoon, made up the cot, sorted and folded all the clothes my child owns and cleaned the bathroom, i think i'm well on my way to that superhero status....

DD minus 28 : Its The Final Countdown

So, here it is, my ambitious new blogging project.

Wondering what " DD " is ? Its Due Date. Thats right - as of today there is exactly four weeks til the due date for the birth of my first child. Bearing in mind that only around 5% of babies are actually born on their due dates, this countdown is not going to be very accurate. I mean we could get to DD - 14 and i could go into labour; or we could hit DD + 7 and nothing might be happening. Nevertheless i'm going to start an official countdown today anyways.

Now, before you all close this page out of boredom, this countdown is not going to be all " ooh, i'm having twinges in the lower abdomen today! " or " When are my stupid waters going to break already!!! ". There will, of course, be some of that ( whats a countdown to a birth without it ? ) but there'll also be a rundown of whats going on in my head and my heart, what i've been up to now that i'm on maternity leave and just general, non-baby related chit chat. And besides, there will be Christmas and New Years thrown in during the 28 day countdown and a planned " Best of 2009 " post aswell.

So - whats going on here on DD minus 28 ? Well today is officially the first day of my maternity leave so i dont really have any routine to follow or anything that i absolutely MUST do. That being said, the giant watermelon bellied bird in me is anxious to get my bags packed for the hospital. You know, like i said, just in case this countdown doesnt quite make it all the way to the end. Its amazing to me how much stuff people/doctors/magazines have recommended i need to take! Ok, pyjamas, plenty of underwear and nappies and clothes for the baby are kind of obvious, but :
* cooling spray for my face during labour
* sugary snacks for energy
* Ear plugs
* Loose change for phone calls
I mean that kind of stuff i wouldnt really have even considered. I'm sure any mums reading this are laughing their guts out at me, but seriously the last thing on my mind is some fancy moisturising spray for the labour ward. Plus, until my antenatal class, i didnt know you were allowed to eat anything during the whole event so i wouldnt have thought to pack lollies either.

So theres that - and there is also lunch with my sister coming up. I thought i may aswell get out and be social and enjoy being a lady who lunches before i become a mum who wears lunch all over the front of her shirt. I'm thinking chicken carbonara is sounding good.....

Guess Who's Back...

Back again! Amy's back! Tell a friend!

Okay, yes, that was a lame reference to a long forgotten Eminem song, but basically what i'm trying to say is that i'm here. No, i didnt die. Nor did i run off and join the circus, fall into a black hole or even give birth. No, the incredible truth is that my wireless internet modem up and died and of course my internet providers are incompetent and sent me the wrong part twice before i finally got what i needed.

So i missed my little old blog here. Truth be told there hasnt been anything overly exciting happening in my life ( although i'm currently reading " Eat, Pray, Love " by Elizabeth Gilbert and its been provoking all kinds of self-explorative thoughts .... ) however: this Monday the 14th of December will see a resurgence of regular posing on this blog. And by regular, i mean EVERYDAY.

Unless of course i'm abducted by aliens, lose all connection to the electrical or, God forbid, go into labour....

Mi Casa es .... Umm, How Do You Say Baby In Spanish ?

I’m nesting. Kind of like a giant, watermelon-bellied bird.

Yes, until now I’d always thought it was an old wives tale or one of those funny things pregnant ladies say to explain away their craziness, but I have the “ nesting instinct “, and I have it bad. Basically, its this intense feeling of wanting to clean and rearrange and generally get my house for ready for the arrival of the baby. Like I said, I’d heard of women saying they were nesting before and I just thought it was a load of clap trap. But over the course of the last month or so this need to have my house in tip-top shape has taken hold of me – and its getting worse. Its not just cleaning ( that’s how it started ) – its decorating too. I purchased my little duplex earlier this year, and moved in back in July, but its only now that I’m obsessed with having all the decorating finished.

Mr Gil and I have spent a good amount of time in the last two weeks painting. Its with good reason – the previous owners had thought it a brilliant idea to paint the walls garish, circus clown colours and, pregnant or not, there is no way I could live with a Kermit the Frog green bathroom. ( I would find a Kermit the Frog bath mat appealing though ). So now all the walls in the living area are a nice, neutral sandy/green colour, with a slightly darker hue for the architraves. I’ve made it my personal project to paint all the doors ( the same colour as the walls, only in a gloss paint ) and I only have three doors to go. Mr Gil is fervently working on the baby’s room – and knowing that we are having a boy guess what colour we went with ? Blue – yes, no-one could ever accuse of being original. I liked a seafoamy green colour but Mr Gil was set on the blue, so blue it is. It’s a lovely aqua blue and the trim will be a darker navy colour and we’ve ( ok – I’VE ) chosen to go with white furniture.

I never knew decorating my home would get to me so much. Sure, I knew what paint colours I was and wasn’t willing to live with, but I wasn’t prepared for how emotionally attached to the choices I would be. I want the house – my first own, non-rented piece of property – to be an extension of me. A visual interpretation of what image I have of myself, and want others to have of me. I want to say “ of us “ because we’re almost a real family now, the three of us ( Mr Gil, The Bump and me… ) but aside from really wanting to have blue in the baby’s room, Mr Gil has been happy with my décor suggestions. Or at least, he hasn’t voiced any objections. So I’ve gone with what I like, whats “ me “ and i’m just hoping in some way its “ him “ too, and he’ll be comfortable living with neutral paint colour and black and white photography on the walls. I want our space to be classic yet contemporary, but I don’t want to feel like I’m living in some kind of art museum. You know ?

Maybe you don’t. All I am sure of is that there is crazy, overwhelming desire within me to get it all finished before the baby arrives. Its not just some idea of practicality – “ It’ll be much easier to do it before we have a crying baby to look after “ – but more of a “ I cannot possibly be a good mother unless my walls are painted/pictures are hung/bathroom is sparkling !!! “.

Yes, triple exclamation mark – its that nuts.

Getting All Political on Yo' Ass

Yes, i’m getting all political on you. And by political, I mean I’m going to have a whinge about a socio-political issue so for anyone who a) doesn’t care or b) isn’t interested, feel free to click on over to Facebook right about now.

I’m sure anyone north of the equator is completely unaware, but for the past four weeks now there have been a bunch of Sri Lankan “ refugees “ sitting on an Australian customs boat, moored off the Indonesian coast. That’s quite a few nations to wrap your head around, but long story short we’re talking about Sri Lankan nationals trying to make their way into Australian territory. Thing is they didn’t quite make it – they got busted just beyond our waters and had their boat hauled off to Indonesia ( apparently Australia and Indonesia have some agreement in place in regards to “ boat people”, the details off which I am not clear on ). So there you have it – four weeks ago a boatful of refugees got caught trying to slip into our country and have been sitting on an Australian government boat ever since. Why you ask ? Because they refuse to get off.

This is where my rant comes in – how have they been allowed to just refuse to get off? Since when do illegal immigrants, refugee or not, get to dictate the terms of their status, effectively telling the government where to shove it ? Those who know me know that I’m quite the humanitarian ( or hippy, depending on your view ) but even I’m drawing a line here. You cant just float your way from one country to another with the intention of illegally sneaking in, and then stomp your foot and refuse to co-operate when your caught out.

Here’s the latest scenario – after 3 and half weeks of sitting on an official Australian vessel, using mobile phones to communicate with media outlets and having well spoken children cry on TV, begging to be let in, the Sri Lankans have been offered a place in Australia…. As long as they are processed in Indonesia, which could take up to a year. This offer was greeted with a big fat “ Uh…. Nuh “ from our Sri Lankan friends, who are still refusing to disembark in Indonesia and are threatening to drown themselves if they are taken straight to Australia. What reaction does this illicit from me ? “ How freaking rude”.

It’s not that I have no compassion. I don’t doubt the existence of refugees and there may even be some of them on this particular boat ( even though they speak wonderful English, have mobile phones on board and allegedly flew themselves to Indonesia before boarding their leaky refugee boat ). However, I find this whole refusal to co-operate thing hard to swallow. I would imagine that if the situation in your homeland was so abhorrent, your women were being raped and your men were disappearing, you had nothing to eat and no future for your children, so terrible that you fear living there any longer – well I would imagine that an offer of safety and freedom in a good country, inside of a year, would be a godsend. I’d imagine that you would take any safe home you could get, whether it be in Australia or Indonesia or – god forbid – even New Zealand.

But no, not these “ refugees “. Nope, for them only the best will do, even though they have no legal right to obtain it. And yet, for some reason, our government is putting up with it. I find it hard to believe other Western countries would do the same.

Lets just put it like this - can you see a whole bunch of Mexicans parking themselves on a barge in the middle of the Rio Grande and refusing to get off on their own side ? Un-bloody-likely….

You Can Still, and Will, Do This....

The past was called to my attention today and i realised that i'm not as contemplative now as i once was. I'm not sure if this is a bad thing - i still contemplate, but the things on my mind are now more often trivial than deep and meaningful. I blog about the days random happenings and make lists of curious tidbits instead of musing on my innermost thoughts. I suppose its because i'm happier now - and with happiness there is a definate lessening of internal contemplation. Or internal damnation , which was quite often what was happening in my case. I've stopped looking inside and trying to figure out what was wrong - i still delve inside every now and then but i dont see much wrong anymore. I dont feel like there's so much i need to get off my chest, which really decreases blog post subject matter. That being said, i could make regular posts about how good i'm feeling, and how things are going so well or how much brighter the world seems - only i know that if i was reading a blog where every second poast was sunshine and rainbows i'd be completely turned off. Life needs its yin and its yang, its black and its white, its ups and its downs, in order to be interesting. And so does a blog - just as a blog that was continually full of doom and gloom would become boring, so would continual " happy-happy-joy-joy ".

Whats my point here ? I'm trying to convince myself i'm still capable of deep and meaningful; that i'm still able to ponder the intellectual and the emotional and not just the trivial and ridiculous; that i can still become absorbed and lost in a film or book or album instead of merely watching or reading or listening. And most of all i'm trying to convince myself that being able to do all these things will help me raise a wonderful person, with an open mind and an open heart.

I want to be the mumma who helps her child to experience and live and learn and grow and.... be. I want to let my child know that its a good thing to be smart; that their are hundred ways to do things but that doesnt mean that any one of them is the single " right " way; that thinking for yourself is awesome and being a sheep is not; that different does not always equate to worse. I would like to think i'm up the this task. Admittedly, its crazy to think- not 18 months ago i was still seeing a pyschiatrist, trying to convince myself that i was not the boring/dumb/ugly person that i imagined i was. I had to learn to rely on myself, knowing that true self-reliance and belief was all i needed. Now ? In approximately 9 weeks time i will have someone in my life who will rely on me for everything; their reliance on me will literally be the difference between life and death. Its a sobering, scary yet exhilirating thought.

My life is not going to be mine anymore - and yet it is, and so much more mine than it ever was. Its just going to be different, thats all. And isnt the proverbial change as good as a holiday ?

And They're Racing!

Happy Melbourne Cup Day everyone! I am pretty sure I’ve written about the Melbourne Cup before however, for those not in the know, I am talking about the biggest and most important horse race in Australia. Its known as “ The race that stops a nation “ because come 3pm this afternoon the majority of Australians will either be glued to the tv or huddled around a radio watching the 3200m race. Yes, we Australians love our sport, whether the main competitors be human or equine.

The fun part about Melbourne Cup is the betting. I’m not a regular gambler, nor am I an expert – but, like many Australians, I take the opportunity to have a once-a-year bet on the big race. I came to work 15 minutes early this morning specifically so I could pour over the form guide. Unlike the expert race goer, I don’t take previous form/trainer/jockey/gate drawn into account; nope, the majority of my decision making comes down to three things:
* Number
* Colour
* Name

That is, when I’m trying to pick a horse on which to put all my annual hopes of luck and fortune on, I make the decision based on what number the horse will be running as; what colour silks the jockey will be wearing; and whether I like the name of the horse. These three things need to combine to give me a positive vibe. Are they colours I like, or do they have another lucky association for me? Is it running under my lucky number, or number I feel good about ? And does the name have a good ring to it ?

Based on these three things, this year I have put my bet on a horse named “ Shocking “, which is running as number 21 ( a multiple of 7, my lucky number ) and his jockey is wearing black and gold ( I like the combination, and it’s the colour of my fathers football team). I think I’ve got a pretty good chance this year. I’ve got my “ good vibe “ combination happening and the horse was actually fourth favourite with the bookies last time I checked. Also, the last time I won anything on the Melbourne Cup was 10 years ago, so I figure I’m about due for a win.

Now all I gotta do is count down to 3pm, along with the rest of the nation, to see how I fared….

Insomniatic Musings Child Of The Month

Now - let me just point out that i've been so lax with running features that i cant even remember which friday of each month i said i would do Child of the Month. So, forgive if i'm a little out of wack here ......

NAME: Emily Bear

AGE: 8 years old and counting

CUTENESS FACTOR: Off the scale!

REASON FOR FEATURING: I’m featuring Emily Bear for two reasons: firstly because she’s talented, and secondly ? Because she’s just so cute! Seriously – have you seen her on the “ The Ellen Degeneres Show “ ? She’s just pure cuteness on a stick! Altogether now….awwww. For those who haven’t seen her on TV, Emily is a young piano prodigy who also happens to be adorable. I’ve seen her twice on “ The Ellen Degeneres Show “ and although I’m no music virtuoso myself, I have to admit she’s pretty impressive for her tender age. I mean, she composed a song for Ellen and Portia for their wedding, which made Ellen cry. How sweet is that?
Amongst her other achievements: she played at the White House when she was 6 years old; she's the youngest musician ever to have featured at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago ( ok, this one doesnt mean anything to me but apparently its noteworthy ) and she's released 4 albums so far. 4 albums at 8 years of age..... holy guacamole.
I suppose the cynics amongst you might argue that she’s probably being pushed by bossy stage parents, or that any pieces that have been written by Emily must have been, at least in part, written by an adult. Shame on you! Sure, maybe her parents did push her to start piano lessons at a very, very young age ( NOTE: I’m not saying they did. If your Emily Baer’s parents, please don’t sue me ) – but most children that age wont keep something up unless they really enjoy it. They also wont be good at something unless they have a natural ability and a passion for it. So, as far as I’m concerned Emily Bear is a cute, talented little moppet whether its her choosing or not.
So congratulations to Emily Bear on being Insomniatic Musings Child of the Month – see what kind of acclaim talent and a cute set of dimples will get you ?

Realisations and Ponderisations 28.10.09

* I love my blog – and my bloggy friends. Why else would I have gone semi-postal only a few days ago ?

*People love a pregnant lady. I personally have always loved pregnant ladies, with their big round tummies and the way they have to waddle everywhere. ( Yes, that’s right, I’m admitting it. I WADDLE. ) Now that I’m well and truly showing I have people that come into our practice asking when I’m due, or do I know what I’m having…. As of yet I haven’t had random people wanting to touch the bump though. Thank god, because if it gets to that stage that may be a little too intimate to be sharing with strangers. I am, however, happy to share my bump with J – she’s yet to actually catch a kick or a movement, but she’s trying really hard.

*Lawns are great. I’d say grass in general, but I’m not overly fussed on wild grasses or the overgrown jungles you find in some peoples backyards. I’m talking about lawns – nice, fresh, manicured, green lawns. It’s a real treat to be able to kick my shoes off in spring and summer and walk around barefoot ( in my yard of course, not like, say, at the mall. Umm….eww. ) The feel of lush grass underfoot is just the essence of Australian summer for me. Plus, a well kept lawn just makes your whole house look better. I’m about the presentation to, you know….

*Whilst on the subject of lawns – DON’T PARK ON MY GRASS. Seriously people – Mr Gil and I do not spend precious time watering and feeding the lawn to have you park your big, ugly, dirty car on it. The lawn is for walking and admiring – the street is for parking. Also please note: parking on my lawn is extra rude when your aren’t even a guest of mine. If your hanging out with one of neighbours, park on their damn grass.

*“ Big Bang Theory “ is a great show. I didn’t quite get into at the start but now I’m loving it. I think its because, underneath, I’m actually a nerd ( Mr Gil claims my adeptness at Wii Boggle to be evidence of this claim ) – I’m not quite on the scale of Sheldon, but I can appreciate the whole nerd aspect of the show. Plus, I totally have a crush on Leonard. Leonard is a total cutie with his big glasses and his shyness and his sarcasm – and Penny can totally see it. Penny and Leonard are going to be my new Ross and Rachel….

*I actually enjoy cleaning my bathroom. This is both strangely odd and kind of scary. Who the hell enjoys cleaning anything, let alone their bathroom?

*I miss sushi. And soft serve icecream. And camembert cheese. All things I’m supposed to avoid whilst pregnant. Poo to that.

*I haven’t been to the movies for a while. By a while, I mean for maybe 2 months, 10 weeks at the most. That’s quite a length of time for me. And whats even weirder is that their have been movies released that I would have liked to have seen, I just never got around to getting down to the cinema. This makes me kind of sad. It also makes me realize I had better check out a few more new release movies before I have a crying baby to disturb everyone else with. Thank god for the “ crying room “ at my local cinema complex….

Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?

So – by looking at the amount of posts I’ve made this month, you would assume that October has been a relatively quite month for me. This isn’t quite true – I’ve been for a weekend away, I’ve had numerous doctors appointments, I’ve been busy at work and I’m brand-spanking-newly engaged, so I’m not quite sure why the lack of posts. I’d like to blame it on motivation, although that sounds really petty. What I mean is I put in a bit of effort while I was sick off work to spruce up my blog, I tried to come up with more interesting posts and even so it seems like my readers have just up and disappeared. Comments have almost well and truly dried up, and I cant seem to attract anybody new to come and visit this page.

Whats up with that people ? Have I become boring in my old age? Have I been posting too much “ baby “ stuff, and driven all you happily childless readers away? Am I not funny/interesting/mentally challenged enough anymore ? You gotta tell me! Its like being deserted by your friends….. you still wanna hang out on their blogs, but they just don’t come around like the used to.

Maybe its not me – maybe its you ( yes, you. ). Have you guys just become too busy to read blogs anymore? Have your lives just taken right off, to the point where you cant be bothered putting finger to key anymore? Have your daily adventures become so exciting that you manage to write your own blog but the next adventure rolls along before you can catch up on other peoples stuff?

God – I know this sounds like such a rant, but its not. I don’t want to come off as some kind of whinger; I don’t want to sound jealous of other peoples reader numbers or comments; and I most certainly don’t want to sound like I think my writing is that good that nobody should be missing out….. I just miss my readers! At this rate, I’m thinking I keep blogging until the baby arrives, just to document the last few weeks of my first pregnancy and then I up and quit.

I’ve always kind of maintained that I write a blog for me, just like I’d keep a journal, it didn’t matter if anyone read it or not. But after 3 or 4 years of blogging, I’ve become accustomed to a bit of reciprocal blog love – I’ve thrived on it – and now that its seems like the bloggy love is no more, its just not the same….

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.....

Look Into MY Crystal Ball

Another year, another Pyschic Expo - which meant another personal reading for your truely. I know we've discussed before how much i'm into the hippy-dippy mumbo-jumbo stuff, and i'm sure at some point i've mentioned other readings. Dont get me wrong - i dont put complete faith into everything that a pyschic/medium tells me, i just find it fascinating to have a potential insight into my future.



As i mentioned on SonnyVsDan's blog a few weeks back, i had a reading in 2007 that contained some very specific information that has turned out to be pretty close to having come true. I was told, at the age of 24 and being single at the time, that i would: be married, have bought a house and being having a baby - before i turned 26. Specific ? Yes. Unlikely that all that would happen in around a year and a half? Yes. But get this - i've bought a house and have a baby due 11 days before my 26th birthday. And, if you listen to the chatter from the people who know me best, it seems like they all feel i will be at least engaged by that time too. Two outta three aint bad, right ?

So, with the Pyschic Expo back in town, i thought i would go for another reading. Turns out the same woman i had my last reading with was back, so i thought this would be a great opportunity to see if she could strike it lucky twice. Here is a little of what the tarot cards said:

*The major theme for the next 6 to 9 months of my life is transformation - the pregnant belly might have been a give away you say ? yes, but i was asked to pull just one card from a deck of 52, and thats what I pulled.
* My partner is from a different background from me and the initial stages of our relationship involved travel - you mean, like the kilometres clocked up between the town i lived in, and his town about 45 minutes drive away ?
* That at some point in the next 6 to 9 months, i will have to make a choice between two ways to travel. Not physical travel, but more like two different paths my life can take. I'll be stressing, but i shouldnt worry: there is no wrong decision, and everything will work out no matter which road i take - could this be whether or not to return to work after maternity leave ?
And the big one:
* This baby is coming early.... in around 9 to 10 weeks ( or 3 or 4 weeks early ) in fact.She also says she feels it will be around Xmas ( great ). In wont be because of complications or an emergency, simply because its just my bubbas time - ok, so this one is very specific, so i guess time will tell. Consider the countdown on!

So there you have - a potential insight into my very near future. Please check back in the next 6 to 9 months to see how much of it actually comes to fruition....

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!

Its Not Easy Being Green...

So.... " Wicked! " was, well, wicked. It was great. Amazing. Thrillifying, as the would say in Ozzian. And my mother enjoyed it too, which was a relief because i wasnt sure it would be her exact cup of tea. And i think my bubba enjoyed it because the entire way through the second half i was being kicked. Actually, i'd heard of a study that babies in the womb, when played music, will react most ot classical, so i suppose a musical like " Wicked! " almost falls into that category.

I wont give away details for those who havent seen it but suffice to say i totally recommend you get yourself some tickets when you can. I can also say that you will probably spend a good proportion of the first half disliking one of the main characters ( although i wont say who ). Oh - and " Defying Gravity " will absolutely blow your socks off. Which is a good thing.

What else did we get up to on our little roadtrip ? Baby furniture shopping - and it wasnt successful at all. Now i'm not going to be one these fussy mums who only wants brand name, expensive furniture or baby clothes or whatever, but the one thing i have my mind set on is getting a nice, quality, baby change table. You can get the standard baby change table, which is a plastic three tier trolley - kind of like a food service trolley, only plastic-er - but i'd like to get a change table that acts as a peice of furniture. Wooden, white , with three or four drawers, so thatw hen your finished using the top as a change area, the whole thing just becomes a chest of drawers for the little one's room. And do you think i could find one in my price change ? Uh.... nuh. The least expensive one i could find was still priced oat over $500 and i just cant afford to be spending that on ONE thing.

Let see: we've already bought a pram, but we still have: change table, cot and car seat to go, not too mention all the little stuff. So $500 on one item is a bit much when Mr Gil and i are trying to stick to a budget. Good news we may have found an alternative to the baby change table - a regular chest of drawers that i can put a change mat on top of - so that may be another item to be ticked off the list.....

I'm Off To The Land Of Oz

Yes, the moment is finally here - i am finally getting to see " Wicked! " tonight. To those of you who are not into musicals that probably doesnt mean much, but if you take into account that i tried to get tickets almost 5 yrs ago when i was in NYC and am only now just succeeding in that aim well...... thats a long wait. 5 years is a long wait for anything really. But the wait is over - my mother and i are roadtripping 6 hours ( probably longer when you add in all the toilet breaks my pregnant bladder will need.... ) down to Sydney to see the show tonight, and will be roadtripping it right back tomorrow.

6 hours you say ? WTF ? Here in Australia ( or at least where i come from ) a 6 hr roadtrip for an overnight event isnt really all that long - we do it all the time - and even if it were, i'm thinking this roadtrip will be well worth it. I have heard such great things about " Wicked! " the musical, and i read the original " Wicked! " novel by Gregory Macguire about 7 years ago, so i'm pretty confident i'm going to love it. So much so that i will probably buy the soundtrack.

Which means i can swap all the songs from " Rent " that have been floating around in my head the past two weeks for soaring ballads about witches and wizards and being green....

Its Real - and Its Hilariously Scary....

I dont mean to alarm you but.... i'm getting dumber by the minute. Its ok, i have an excuse, but its the excuse itself thats the scary part. All the females reading this may want to sit down for this part but..... baby brain is REAL.

Yes, sadly, i have discovered that old chesnut - that a baby eats your brains cells, effectively making pregnant women stupider - is true. Ok, technically they dont eat your brain cells, but studies have concluded that a womens brain does shrink whilst she is pregnant, a phenomenon commonly known as " baby brain ". Baby brain causes the lucky lady to forget basic things, get all clumsy, and basically make silly, simple little mistakes, the likes of which may cause her embarrasment but will give her family, friends and colleagues hours of laughter.

Case in point: me. Yesterday i had a run of little things, today one big oopsie. See:

* Went to work 20 minutes early so that i could write a letter to a charity. I got out all my details, put them on the coffee table next to my bag... and promptly left them there. So i got to work 20 minutes early for nothing.
* I noticed a discrepancy on my banking reconcilation for the day before. Seeing a payment had been missed i went back in and put the payment on.... but i put it on as the wrong payment type ( cash instead of credit ) so i still ended up with a discrepancy.
* Wrote up said banking and trotted myself off to the bank... where, once the bank teller opened up the bank book i realised i had only written up the cash, not the cheques, nor the deposit total, and i hadnt signed the deposit slip.
* I told Mr Gil i would stop and pick him up an application form for some casual work.... and drove straight home from work without picking up a damn thing.
And the big one....
* This morning i got prepared myself a mid morning snack to take to work, put the rest of the snack ingredients back in the fridge.... and then left for work with the fridge door wide open. Yes, i almost spoiled a whole fridges worth of food. Luckily it is only 4 hours between when i start and when i come home for lunch, so i was able to save everything before it went off. All except MR Gils deli meat for his sandwiches... looks like peanut butter for him tomorrow.

And so - if the quality of the writing on this blog should slip, should i leave a comment on your blog that makes no sense at all, or i generally disappear from the blog world ( because i have forgotten about blogging )..... please forgive me. I suffer from baby brain.

Is It Just Me .....

.... or is Kanye West a total douche bag ? Hell, is Kanye West one of the biggest douche bags of all time? Its not enough that the man wears shutter shades* or that he throws tantrums when he himself misses out on an award, but now he goes and makes a ruckus when someone else loses out. Which is fine - as long as you dont do it onstage after hijacking the microphone, denying the actual winner her moment. Blog about, have a whinge on Twitter - but for God's sake, dont steal the limelight from a mild mannered teenage girl.

I am, of course referring to the ugly incident with the aforementioned Kanye and poor little Taylor Swift.

The douche in action.

Now, i know some of you arent that enamoured with Taylor Swift ( i, however, am a fan ) but even if you arent all that in love with her music, you have to pay her dues. She worked hard, she filmed a video clip, and she was deemed to have won. Taylor should be allowed to have her moment. Like she said, it was her first Moonman - that should be a special moment in any young singer-songwriters life. ( NOTE: I am yet to win a Moonman. DOUBLE NOTE: I am also not a singer-songwriter ). So i can understand how she ( supposedly ) went backstage and cried her poor little eyes out. Some dickhead rushed the stage, stole her microphone, and stole her moment. Biatch!

Thank God Beyonce has some class - despite what her video clip attire would suggest - and gave Taylor some time to shine.

The only question i am now left to ponder - who's the bigger idiot ? Kanye West or Lady Gaga ?

That Cannot Even Make Sense....

What doesnt make sense ? This:

Just in the last week or so i have started to feel much heavier and quite ungainly at times - you know, like every other pregnant woman on the planet. However, i'm kind of worried that my bump is on the smallish side. As in, too small for my stage of pregnancy. Which is 22 weeks ( 23 on Monday ).

So how can it make sense that i feel heavier and awkward and ungainly - but i also feel too small ?

Good question, yea ? Answers anybody ? No, okay, maybe i'll just ask my obstetrician on Tuesday......

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.

Feature Friday: Insomniatic Musings Child of the Month

Name: Olive Hoover

Age : 7 years old

Hometown: Alberqueque, New Mexico

You Know Her From Where ?: The film " Little Miss Sunshine ".

Reason for featuring: Because she is one of my favourite child film characters of the last few years. For starters - look how cute she is with her little teeth, and her chubby cheeks and her huge glasses. Seriously, those glasses could rival the specs i wore as a child, so anyone who can wear those and look so gosh darn cute is a-ok with me. But what i really love about her is her self confidence. If you havent seen " Little Miss Sunshine " ( why not ? Go rent it now! ) little Olive wants to win a beauty pageant, and her whole dysfunctional family take a road trip in effort to help her achieve that dream. Her father is a motivational speaker who cant sell a damn thing; her brother has taken a vow of silence; her grandfather is hilariously funny, but addicted to drugs; her uncle is a suicidal gay scholar; and her mum is trying to hold everyone together. And Olive ? She's just this little kid that likes to dance and 80's throwback sweats.

What i love is that Olive has no real idea that her family is so dysfunctional, and neither does she think of herself as awkward ( even though the massive glasses would, stereotypically, suggest " nerd " ). Nope, Olive is just a sweet, chubby, little girl with a dream - and a an awesome pageant coach/ junkie Grandpa who encourages it. The whole final dance scene at the pageant, and Olives attitude in the face of pageant judgery ( is that a word? it is now... ) just melts my heart.

So here's to Olive Hoover - to her big glasses, her old school sweatbands, her awesome choice of music, and her dysnfunctional family. A worthy recipient of Insomniatic Musings Child of the Month.

What Am I - A Ham Sandwich ?!?

Seriously - i'm about sick of my state manager, The Bell, pretending that i'm not here. That i dont exist. She must think that the more she ignores me, the sooner i'll go away.

And i will. On maternity leave. I just wont come back.

I know i'm raving a bit here, its just starting to become greatly annoying. I've never really liked The Bell anyway but the last few months of being given the cold shoulder is almost enough. Being that she's the state manager i had to inform her of my pregnancy and intention to take maternity leave. I did so when i was 10 weeks and she told me she would toss up a few ideas in regards to replacement staff and call me about the next week. That was 11 weeks ago and i havent heard dot from her since - unless of course i get in touch with her. She hasnt called me of her own volition at all. Consequently myself, J and the rest of our office colleagues are still in the dark about what will happen on my temporary leave.

I called The Bell again this past Friday, for probably the fourth time since our initial discussion, only to be told " Its arranged ". Literally - thats all she said. " Its arranged " and then she just kept on talking. She didnt elaborate on who was arranged, or what was arranged, or when it was arranged. Just arranged - and then she preceded to tell me i dont really need much time off before the baby arrives because all i do is sit down all day and besides she worked up until the Thursday and had her baby on the Friday. Good for you lady - seriously. It must make for a nice little story to tell about how brave you were and how hard you worked ( choke! ). I, on the other hand, would like a few weeks or a month to rest up, make it to all my doctors appointments without having to rush back to work, and to make all the last minute preparations for my little munchkin.

So - thats it. The Bell insists on telling me nothing but " its arranged ". Funnily enough our national sales manager ( remember, The Bell is only state manager ) has told J and myself that they will definately have someone or something in place and she will let us know when they've put it in place.

Which would suggest that The Bell is not only trying to ignore, but is also a liar aswell.

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....