Countdown to Maternity Leave

After yesterday's efforts at work I now have just 4 weeks left of work. My shifts will actually be dropping to 2 a week next week so really only 8 shifts to go.... Yet it still feels like it will never end and I will never have my baby!!!

The past 2 weeks has been tough. As you may know we were all a bit sick a couple of weeks back. Well I has a big cough and ended up with rib pain. The dr said the pain was because of the cough. Well then the cough went, but the pain stayed!! OMG.

I had an ultrasound done and turns out the pain is actually my uterus pushing my floating ribs up.

The pain is shocking. I can't lay down at all. Thank god we have a recliner- that is currently my bed. Apparently the paid will not get any better, just worse as I get bigger.

So I am 31 weeks pregnant. 9 long weeks to go!!!

Guilty of enjoying Squeak being sick!

Well it has been a HUGE week.

Last Wednesday I got sick. Little sick in the stomach and the flu. So its safe to say I have done only what I absolutely must do this week.

By Sunday, Squeak started getting very sick. His temperature kept rising, bad cough and all he did was lay on the lounge and sleep- he couldn't even be bothered complaining about what we watched on tv! it was serious.

DAY 1- Ok so sucks that Squeak is sick, and sure its bad to see him like this- but gee its nice to have a break. I can watch whatever I want, read a mag, try to recover myself and I don't have to listen to his whining. Little angel just sleeping on the couch ill just keep his fluids up and give him medicine when needed. Too easy!!

DAY 2- Visit from the MIL. Still sick. Seems a little more talkative today. I already went to the DR for myself a few days ago and he said it was just a virus and to rest up... so will continue with my plan. Squeak eats a little dinner that night, good man he must be on the menz.

Day 3- Ok so we are still just on the couch. Getting worried now. Actually he seems worse today. High temps, cough is much worse, vomiting  OH NO.  Go to the Drs. Dr can hear something in his lungs. Get antibiotics. Go and get a chest X-ray done. Have to wait till tomorrow for the results. Spend the rest of the night watching him breathe and reading horror stories of kids who died from pneumonia.  I also feel really really terrible and think I should have gone to the DR earlier. Bad Mum!!!

Day 4- Call DR first thing. His lungs are clear. Just need to keep doing what im doing. Squeak gets out of bed a different child. He is refreshed, awake, eating, playing, destroying, making mess, being loud- yep he is back. Gosh that was quick.

Ok so it did really suck that you were sick, I hated seeing you that ill and I was worried- but now that I know you fine and its just a bug- cant you just be sick on the lounge 1 more day??? Mummy needs a nap!

MHO Monday Mingle #10

This weeks theme:  Birthdays

1.  When is your Birthday?

December 19

2.  Do you normally have a big party?

Not really. On the big ones we will have a little party but I like just having a BBQ with some family over or going out to dinner. Being so close to Christmas everyone is usually pretty busy.

3.  When are your SOs and kids birthday? Do they fall close together?

Hubster is in May. Squeak is end of March and this little one is Due in July... So I guess we will see. I have a feeling she will come in June tho :-)

4.  How do you celebrate their birthdays?

For Hubster we would do something similar to what we would do on my birthday. Dinner, drinks. BBQ- Whatever he would like, unless its a big birthday we would have a big party. Squeak has only had 3 birthdays. The first one was a huge party of course... lots of food and people. The 2nd birthday nothing massive just a few family over. And this year was the first year he has had friends... so we had a real kiddie party with friends. 

5.  If you could have one thing for your next birthday what would it be?

A tummy tuck and breast lift!!! I dont think that needs explaining :-P My tummy had plenty of saggy skin before I hate to think what it will be like after baby girl.

 Okay, now it's your turn. Grab the button and questions and repost on your page!!! You don't have to answer the questions, you can just repost the button on your sidebar or in a post. Link your page or post up and mingle with other bloggers!!! No rules, just meet new people!

The Baby Girl Diet

Its no secret i'm pregnant with a baby girl and couldn't be happier. However when I tell people that I was on 'The girl diet' prior to conception they are shocked, and didn't even know there was such a thing. 

We really would have been happy with a boy or a girl... we were just praying the baby was healthy. And if you have ready this post you will understand why we were so worried about health issues. However I thought, after losing a baby girl, a girl sure would be nice- So I went on the girl diet figuring it couldn't hurt. I thought I would post about what I did exactly in case any of you other mummy's or mummy- wannabes want to try. There really is MUCH MORE you could do.... I just did the easy things. 

Image from Google Images

A diet high in potassium and sodium will favor a boy. A diet high in calcium and magnesium will favor a girl. The idea is to make the environment favor boy/girl sperm to give them a better chance at fertilizing the egg. So with my diet here is what I did:

• 2 Months prior to TTC I took prenatal vitamins and folic acid
• Calcium and Magnesium supplements (or eat food high in calcium and magnesium- I took the lazy option)
• Cranberry supplements
• Increased dairy intake
• Ate more chocolate (bummer, right?), sweets and fresh vegetables. 

Image from Google Images

Thats is for my diet. Now there is also a way to sway for a certain gender by timing intercourse. I used the Shettles Method. The idea is that boy sperm doesn't live very long, but are faster then girl sperm- so if you DTD on the day of ovulation you are more likely to have a boy. Girl sperm are slow, but live much longer. So the idea is that if you DTD a few days before ovulation, by the time you ovulate there will only be girl sperm waiting as all the boy sperm would have died. Here is what we did:

• DTD leading up to ovulation and stopped 3 days before ovulation. 
• DTD in the missionary position (Shallow penetration favors girls- they are stronger and can make the journey).
• No orgasm- The alkaline when you release favors boys. That would cancel out all the hard work with the diet. 

Image from Google Images

Like I said I just did the easy things you can try to have a girl. Who even knows if it really did work, I had a 50/50 chance anyway right? But I figured it couldnt hurt, and at least I know I tried. 

If you are thinking about going on the boy or girl diet just make sure you do PLENTY of your own research. The website In-Gender is a great resource and place to chat to others doing the same thing. 

The Scary Nana Radar

My mother has always been a little, err, scary in the mornings- and during the night for that matter. I remember when I was younger you would always feel so privileged to be able to sleep in mums bed with her. Well im not sure why I always put myself through it. It would go something like this:

• Get into bed with mum... we both get comfy, lights out.... damn... need to move. Roll over. Get yelled at- 'STOP MOVING.' 
• 5mins passes.... need to move again. Lay there stiff as a board with fear mum will kick me out if I move- all while thinking, I NEED TO MOVE. 
• Mums moving, this is my opportunity- I roll over at the same time. 
• Crap... I didnt have enough time... this isnt right, I still need to move... Ill just risk it and move. Mum- 'If you move 1 more time your going back to your own bed'

This all continues for about 30mins until I finally decide its not worth the stress and I will just go back to my own bed.

My brother, sister and I also knew not to bother mum in the mornings. She was NOT a morning person thats for sure. She needed a good half hour to have a cuppa and wake up before we spoke... at all. 

Well recently my mother has actually moved in with me. I am pass the whole 'being scared of my mum while she sleeps or just wakes up' phase... however it seems squeak has a 'Scary Nana' radar built in. 

The 1st morning she woke up here squeak was being extremely quiet upstairs. I went up to see what he was doing... there he was standing at the end of Nanas bed just watching her sleep. Not making a sound. I said why dont you hop in give Nana a cuddle (it was around the time she wanted to be woken up anyway). He looked at me like I was crazy!! Instead, he grabbed a shirt and threw it on the bed from a distance. 

Its funny how kids just sense these things. He will not go near Nana first thing in the morning... And to be honest im not really sure why she is always totally fine with him in the mornings... in fact she will try to talk to him and he will come running to me...  it really is like she is just omitting 'Scary Nana Morning Vibes'.  

Toddler Hip Hop Dancing- Pricey

Follow my blog with Bloglovin Squeak has ALWAYS loved music. Dancing, singing (if thats what you'd call it) playing on instruments. So a couple of months back I looked into getting him into dancing. We loved the sound of the Hip Hop because it is part break dancing and acro all in one. He is only 3, however we wanted him to do this because its something HE wants to do not because its something we want to force on him. 

Well, he absolutely LOVES it. Some lessons it takes him a while to warm up and actually get off my hip to go and dance, but boy when he does he sure has some moves. I was very impressed with what they actually teach them at such a young age. Like the rolls and the hand stands. Its fantastic. 

They pretty much start by doing their routine which consists of about 5 moves... Squeak generally does his own thing. They will then play some games and practice the moves one at a time. Then its solo time. Only no child gets to have their own solo because squeak is up dancing for EVERYONES solo!

Anyway, I received an email today about their mid year concerts they will be having in June. It will cost $25 per ticket... $60 for his costume... $40 for the DVD and his winter uniform which is $65. I just dont believe how much money I am going to have to pay to watch squeak run around on a stage... probably not doing the routine, when I already pay high fees every week. Blew me away!! 

Is there an activity you have arranged for your child/ren which cost way too much?? Seriously he is 3... its just for fun. Pretty expensive!!

These are the same shoes Squeak wears to dancing... only he loves them so much he wears them everywhere even at night with his PJs. 

Sad day today. RIP baby girl.

Today is a sad day. Today is the day my baby girl passed away, 3 years ago.

I was shocked when I found out I was pregnant with twins.... We could not have been happier though.

Everything started to go bad from 12 weeks. We were told our son had a 1 in 4 chance of survival. I had a CVS and everything came back fine. Then at 16 weeks pregnant my son was diagnosed with a VSD (Ventricular septal defect) which is basically a hole in the heart. And my daughter was diagnosed with HLHS (Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome) which is pretty much half a heart. The whole left side of her heart was underdeveloped and not functioning.

Our sons condition was not too serious, he would be fine. However our daughter would need an operation not long after being born. We had high hopes. The dr said if you had no choice but to have HLHS you would want hers.

Well I went into labour at 32 weeks and ended up having an emergency c-section. The weight requirement for surgery was 2.2kg and she weighed 1.8kg...They would not operate.

We spent the next 7 days praying for a miracle, hoping she would gain weight. Then things took a turn for the worst 1 night and it was clear to us that she was dying. We had 2 choices. Let her live a couple of days longer, hooked up to the machines without us holding her... Or we could unhook her, take her with us and spend some time together. We decided to hold her.

We spent 2 days being with her. She slept in our bed with us for 2 nights, we played her music, told her everything we wanted her to know. Then on the 9th of April her little heart stopped beating. It has been the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with... And still dealing with it now.

I am however happy to say my son was born with no problems. By the time he was born his VSD fixed itself. He is a happy healthy 3 year old.

To my baby girl- I love you... I'm thinking of you always xox

Chickenpox and Pregnancy

Getting the Chickenpox while pregnant is not something I thought I had to worry about.... Until today.

I went to work this morning and there was a child I care for that was extremely unsettled. I spent most of my morning caring for him trying to cheer him up. Well around lunchtime he broke out in a rash that just kept spreading. A rash that looked a lot like chickenpox.

I have had chickenpox before, so what are the chances right? I'd say I'd have to be pretty damn unlucky to get the chickenpox again at all let alone while pregnant. However at the same moment I noticed the rash on the baby I remembered reading that the first sign of chickenpox is feeling "generally unwell".... That made me think gee, I feel quite generally unwell at the moment. I can't actually pinpoint why or where I'm not well, I'm just not!! It's gotta be in my head!!!

For all you other mothers out there who are worried about getting chickenpox while pregnant I have done some research and here is what I have found:

-getting Chickenpox while pregnant puts you at greater risk of contracting pneumonia. Make sure you tell the doc if your having trouble breathing.
-Chickenpox puts you at a greater risk of miscarriage if you are in your first trimester.
-Chickenpox puts your baby at risk of having problems such as scars and eye problems. This risk is greater if you are between 13 and 20 weeks but even then the risk is very small (around 2%).
-if you have had chickenpox before you are not likely to get it, however you can get your dr to do a blood test to check your immunity.

So now I'm hoping to find out tomorrow if the baby did have chickenpox, because now I am worried. Even though I'm sure I'm immune!! If it was chickenpox I will go to the dr tomorrow and get the blood test done to make sure. Great excuse to have a day off I guess :-)

My Pregnancy Glow- Rant

So you may have seen the movie "What to expect when your expecting". My favourite character, and the one I can really relate to is Wendy, played by Elizabeth Banks. All Wendy wanted was "the glow- the one they promise you on the cover of those magazines". Then she calls it... "Pregnancy sucks".

Well I'm having one of those days. You know the kind of day where your legs hurt, your belly aches, you have all sorts of cramps, baby keeps kicking your bladder meaning your going to the bathroom even more then usual (if that's possible) and don't even get me started on the heartburn. Yea, one of those days.

But seriously, what's up with heartburn? No amount of Mylanta seems to be doing the trick. Before I fell pregnant I didn't even know what heartburn was but now I can't seem to get rid of it!!! I feel like my insides are on fire from my belly up!!

To top it all off, I, like Wendy, know a lady who is the real "magical pregnancy unicorn". She is pregnant with triplets and is experiencing pretty much NO pregnancy symptoms. None of the bad ones anyway. No heartburn, no increased appetite, barely no weight gain, nothing is swollen, not uncomfortable in any way. Oh and my favourite, NO STRETCH MARKS.

Like I didn't have enough stretch marks after my first pregnancy, the universe decided they missed a few spots and thought they would give me some fresh ones.

Pregnancy is a miracle, I am blessed... However I think ill be happier when baby girl has finished baking. Lets be serious, being pregnant and creating a little person is really really hard.

Antenatal Classes: to book or not to book

I keep thinking about a conversation I had with my MIL a few weeks back. She was asking me if I had thought about antenatal classes yet. Well I haven't. This is my 2nd pregnancy however I didn't go to any classes the first time either- I knew I had to have a c-section so that's how I justified it- like, what's there to prepare for?

Anyway, to save myself having to go into the reasons why I'm pretty sure I will not be going to any classes I just told her I'm not sure. MIL then went on to tell me not to make Hubster go if he doesn't want to, and not to make him be at the delivery of he doesn't want to!!!! Ummm, I'm pushing a baby out of my vagina- he will do whatever I say thanks!

So with the antenatal classes- I feel it may be a good idea to get Hubster ready. In my opinion nothing can prepare you for what your going to experience giving birth, but if Hubster can retain some information on how to support me then it may be worth it. Apart from that reason I can't really see the point.

My birth plan is to take the drugs offered, breath and listen to the doctors. That's pretty much it... Nothing to type up and laminate here!!

So a question to you other mummy's out there- did you go to antenatal classes? What did you learn? And would you recommend?

I should have known the peace was too good to be true!!

So lately life has been pretty busy. We moved house 2 weeks ago, and for any of you that have moved house you know all about how it is the WORST job in the world! So I have been super tired (being almost 28 weeks pregnant may also have something to do with it).

So this morning, I made myself and squeak some toast, set him up in the upstairs lounge with his morning cartoons and sat downstairs watching sunrise enjoying my toast and coffee. Complete silence... Heaven.

Squeak comes running down the stairs stopping on every second step to hold his foot up (he can't start anything being on his feet). He gets closer... OMG... COVERED in baby powder head to toe. I patted his shirt and a cloud of powder drifted off. My reaction "oh no, what have you been doing" he replies shrugging his shoulders "I don't know".

Time for me to investigate- I get to the babies room.... It looks like her room has been dusted for prints. White powder everywhere. I just closed the door. My future self will deal with that one.

What have your kids secretly done when you thought they were behaving?

Let me introduce myself...

I am a very busy mummy of a very energetic 3 year old... Lets call him squeak. He is the light of my life. It's funny he had a birthday last week- I just can't believe how fast time has gone but at the same time I can't remember life without him.

My son was a twin... Unfortunately our daughter passed away at 10 days old- however that's a whole other post!!!

Hubster and I wanted to try for another baby right after squeak was born but the thought of going through everything again was very scary to us. We finally decided to try for anther baby, and I went on "the girl diet". After everything we went through last time we would have been happy with a healthy baby, but no harm in trying to sway for a girl right?

Well I am pleased to announce I am now 27 weeks pregnant with a little baby GIRL. Yep my diet worked!!

Hubster and I have been together 7 years. I work in childcare 3 days a week (just can't get enough of the little critters) and Hubster works in Hospitality as a manager.

I love networking, making new friends and sharing stories. I wanted to create a blog that would not only be entertaining and show the life of a busy modern day mum, but also be helpful with some tips and recipes I come across along the way.