So You're Pregnant, Mothering a Toddler, and Playing a Nun in December.

Baby Bechaz #2 or The Singing, Pregnant Nun

Before I begin, I apologise for not continuing my blog since last year. My bad. Life got in the way. Please love me, internet land. In my absence, around 6000 people have viewed my blog -uh. Wow! Yay! Hope you all liked it and sorry if it was simply the ramblings of a narcissistic pregnant lady!  Hope you have enjoyed the sarcasm and blatant brain-ramble.

Guess what!  Hubster and I recently found out we were having baby #2. Apart from the initial (good) shock (WTF were we even trying for more babies right now? Yay us and our fertile loins!) and the blatant fear (oh my, how shall I deal with TWO little screaming, sticky, Peppa-Pig loving, Playdoh-eating, whirlwinds? Will I ever sleep again?) we were overjoyed! 

#1 (Isla) will be around 2years 4 months when little PeeWee is born, and though we aren’t sure how she’ll take it (loves being centre of attention like the majority of toddlers) she will hopefully love the little munchkin and be able to understand a bit of what is going on! So far she has decided the baby is a boy… no wait… a girl… no wait… it’s a frog. Called PeeWee. Peppa Peewee. (Pretty sure she was saying ‘Poo-Wee’ but I choose to take it how it sounded phonetically). And the Peppa part comes from a particular TV show that her grandparents have got her hooked on.

So PeeWee (Gender Neutral) it is. 

And enough about my fabulous first child and on to our second Wonder-kid. 

Little Fetus PeeWee is around 12 weeks old, and we are just finishing Trimester 1 this week.

Despite only just growing arms and feet, our second child has already demonstrated their complete disregard for the way things are done around here, and the standard set by the daughter-who-must-be-obeyed.

Firstly; Morning Sickness. Why do they call it morning sickness when it sticks around 24/7. The wondrous feeling of wanting to hurl your guts up but not actually hurling… (Lucky me doesn’t spew easily). Sometimes I wished I would just throw up to get it out of my system, but of course that’s not how morning sickness works. According to my all-knowing friends (many of whom have had several children) the act of throwing up does not disperse the nausea. So instead, I nibble on a cracker or dry toast, and hope it subsides. Some days are better, and this week (around 2 days ago!) it subsided almost completely, so I did what any sane mother-to-be would do, and visited Sizzler. Got a light bout of food poisoning, learned my lesson, and retreated to my salt and vinegar rice crackers.

Anyway, this morning sickness was far beyond what I had experienced with Isla. Some days it was to the point of not being able to get off the couch and allowing my toddler to watch an hour and a half of morning cartoons (something I promised myself I would never do…). Due to this, many people think we’re having a boy this time around.

Secondly: Aversions & Cravings. Oh my lawdy. Do not bring meat (especially red!) near me (just like last time!!). Anyone who knows me, knows I usually take my steak moo-ing, bloody, and sometimes cold in the middle (perhaps a vampire/caveman in another life?), but whilst pregnant, heaven forbid anyone should wave a charcoaled sausage within two metres of me! Goodbye meat!

Farewell Dairy, Sorbet, Coffee and all my favourite foods! Yep, they make me bloat like a pufferfish. 

In other news, Salt and Vinegar (which normally I despise and find very… stinky!) suddenly makes me feel so much better. Also chickpeas. And refried beans. And BABY CORN! OH holy crap how did I not know about the joys of tinned baby-corn before this? Drain them and eat them by the tin! To a lesser extent, water-chestnuts. Fortunately I have found a great recipe for a chickpea, babycorn and water-chestnut stir fry which I plan on trying soon.

Thirdly: I got fat earlier. Granted, was a few KGs heavier after Isla (yeah, probably not going to get into all the pre-maternity clothes I saved from 2012 after all…) but my lower tummy has popped out in the last week. Probably bloating (as I said, I did visit Sizzler and I now eat a lot of babycorn/chickpeas), but I treated myself to a new pair of maternity jeans all the same. The ones with the 30cm long beige elastic waist that reaches to my bra. Yeah, Justin can’t keep his hands off me. Fortunately, I can tuck that part in for a few more weeks and pretend to be a normal, hip and happening 28 year old.

A couple of things that are different to last time: 

1.       I have a toddler so don’t have as much time to feel pampered and excited and take tummy pictures. Though I did snap a pretty fabulous one with a  lime (baby’s size this week) while she was hoe-ing in to some avocado.

2.       I am working part time at the high school whilst juggling the toddler and a home singing studio 3 afternoons a week. The tiredness just doesn’t cut it.

3.       I am playing Maria in The Sound of Music right as I hit approx 19/20 weeks pregnant. Yeah, I didn’t plan on getting pregnant when I auditioned. Fortunately I am making all my costumes and have given myself extra girth in the stomach region. And boob region. We all know how that goes. So, Biloela, be prepared to view the Pregnant, Singing Nun in early December! (Theatre-people, you get this, right? The show must go on!)

4.       I pretty much know what I want, what I don’t want, and what I don’t want to happen that has happened in my last birth/pregnancy! So as fabulous as Doctors & Midwives are, unless there’s something wrong, don’t bother me or tell me to do something different (ie: Labour in bed or that I should get induced, or that I am breastfeeding wrong!) because it ain’t gonna happen and you are just going to anger the beast. In saying that I really respect you and think you’re all fabulous… but please just don’t rush me this time! 

5.       I already have a lot of baby clothes/toys/etc as hand me downs so I don’t have to shop as much. (Huge down point.) On the up side, Isla is moving to a new room so I can re-decorate the nursery and her new room! Woo!!

6.       I am a lot more blasé about the little things, and a lot less worried. Which makes for a happier Bechaz household. Or maybe I just don’t have the alone time to worry as much ;) 

All in all! First twelve weeks have gone quite well! Here’s to hoping the next 28 go well and my toddler stops kicking me in the stomach all the time (We think she is trying to remain an only child, as the other day I said ‘Say hi to the baby!’ and pointed at my tummy, and she said ‘Kick it! Kick it!’ and proceeded to do just that. Apologies to second child in advance.)

Welcome to the family PeeWee!

Love xxx

The joys of being kicked in your sleep and no longer fitting in small spaces...

The joys of being kicked in your sleep and no longer fitting in small spaces...

Fruit to Fetus Comparison: Spaghetti Squash/Ear of corn (Approx 400-450gms and 28cms)

Cravings:  Sugar and naughty food. Have been resisting the urge as much as possible, and trying to eat healthy! I don't know if you can get olfactory cravings, but the smell of jasmine (in flower!!) is heavenly and I just want to smell it all the time!

Aversions: Bread gives me core-of-the-earth heartburn (Says the girl who used to eat hot curries)

Husbands’ excitement metre: Excited!

Mini-Muffin Kick-Counter: Kick-a-rific! Up to around 20 – 30 a day (mini ones mostly!) very active muffin at the moment!

So this week Miss Muffin has contented herself with using my body as a personal gym. I’m sure this is only to get worse as the weeks go on, but some very big, surprising, kicks have been happening this week! So big, in fact, that JUSTIN CAN FEEL THEM! Yes! Finally Justin can be physically involved in this pregnancy, other than donating some DNA. Obviously he’s been present for ultrasounds and has dealt with all the emotional eating/crying/sleeping, but the fact that he can feel our daughter move is very very cool!

We are in the midst of buying/designing a house at the moment, and he is getting very ‘nesty’. I’m sure this will be me in a few weeks (and I’m excited about the decorating) but for once Justin is the one excited about room size and floor space, while I get to daydream about painting the walls and planting a garden.

Apart from the kicking (which has been upgraded from ‘goldfish/popcorn’ status to ‘someone is flicking the inside of my tummy with a plastic ruler’ status) nothing much has been happening this week! I have much more energy, which is good, because there’s a lot more to do at the moment (work, house, extra-curricular etc).

I feel much less ‘chipper’ than usual, but this is possibly to do with work more than anything else. I feel less like myself and more like a ‘grey’ version of me, which is not so great. Whinging emo that I am. 

On a more hilarious note, I’m finding it hard to navigate the art room storeroom, and often find myself having to go around things that normally I could just slip in between. We have large compacting shelves, and when they are slightly overstocked,  I have to send students in to get things rather than go myself. They laugh at me. Also it might have been because I turned one of my eyebrows green today with Lino-printing ink.

Not to mention (another pregnant-art-teacher-related-problem) I find the bottom part of my tummy now protrudes so much that it is starting to get in the way of my art teaching. Ie: My clothes have a line of paint/graphite/lino ink/glue on them permanently (have taken to wearing aprons) and I get prodded by waist-level objects a lot. Also my students find it hilarious that I have to ask them to move their chairs in to the tables so I can get past. Only half way, and not THAT huge, I can’t imagine how this is going to work in 15 weeks time!

Yes, people, I’m planning on working until the end of the year. I am mentally preparing myself for the possibility of failure, as this is dependent on health, heat and how grumpy I am. My midwife (bless her) looked at me like I was crazy when I said I wanted to work up until the end of the year, but what else am I going to do? It’s not like I have a choice to sit at home and do nothing (I’ll go crazy, and we need money to buy a house!). It would be much smarter, considering our daughter’s due date, to take maternity leave starting next year, and get normal pay over the holidays. Of course, when have babies ever understood the concept of smartly timed maternity leave? She'll come when she darn well wants to, and do with my body what she will in the meantime!

In saying that, I have to get a certificate saying I can work (with doctor’s permission) up until the end of the year. Otherwise I have to stop around week 6 next term, due to government law. Fingers crossed our lovely doctor (and Miss Muffin) allow this to happen!

Anyway, maternity leave or not, it’s a tough gig at the moment! Off to finish the work-load and get kicked as I attempt to sleep! Here’s what I want to do to Miss Muffin’s bedroom in our potential new home (fingers crossed! Not definite yet!) I love this colour with the white cot and furniture :) Simple but gorgeous!

And just for interest - blue for girls a big no-no? I don't think so, but tell me what you think! There will also be many forms of rainbow and colourful things in there :)

 

Toodles!

Rhonie

I AM A HORMONAL WRECKING BALL AND KITTENS AND LOUD NOISES MAKE ME CRY!

I AM A HORMONAL WRECKING BALL AND KITTENS AND LOUD NOISES MAKE ME CRY!

Week of Pregnancy: 12 *YAY* Nearly finished First Trimester!

Fruit to Fetus Comparison: Large Plum

Cravings: Darrell Lea Red Licorice... but this used to be a craving before I got knocked up....

Aversions: NOT MEAT! YAY! Capsicum/onion/spices – Uber heartburn.

Husband’s excitement metre: Close to Nil, but his sympathy metre is nearing the top about my fatness and incompetence at keeping my tear ducts in check.

So, last week my nausea stopped, which is great (see previous post for freak out on that), but heartburn and bloating has increased which sucks. Gained a kilo then lost a kilo (WTF? Not complaining though...) and have been eating horribly (Fish & Chips, Subway, red licorice – up to half a packet a night – and cakes, courtesy of my amazing staffroom) But eating horribly comes with the territory of Reporting/Marking weeks at school unfortunately.

This week has been hectic – our entire art room (and staff room) had to be cleared as we’re getting a new floor and the walls are getting painted, reports had to be done by Wednesday, Trying to hand stuff out to kids, but half of them took the week off (lucky bludgers!) and then, of course, our house looks like a bomb site and our kitchen smells like a dump. I feel like a disgusting human being right now, and a horrible home-person, but it’s kind of a given when you have very little time. Also, kind of craving a glass of Moscato; my inner alcoholic is getting the shakes. Instead, have been demoted to designated driver.

In amongst this I had a doc appointment (DISASTER – more on that later), a blood test, and frantically rang around trying to get a booking for an ultrasound on Monday and Tuesday of next week (FAIL! Ended up calling in a favour!) If there’s one thing I’m already regretting, it’s deciding to go to an Obstetrician who lives on the Sunshine Coast, when we live six hours away in Biloela. Smarty-pants me thought this would  be fine, as surely we wouldn’t have to go down too often. Neglected to think about where we would stay (with my lovely brother in uni-housing? Nuuuuu thank-you, or with my parents... no, wait, theyve’ sold their house and jet-setted to Scotland. Good for them!) so our lovely family friend offered us a room! 

So, down to the nitty gritty – What is the general consensus of Week 11/12?

I AM A HORMONAL WRECKING BALL!!!! (as stated in title)

"How did this come to be," you ask, “You’re such a stable, normal, person” 

Lol, Jks, I'm a psycho.

So, what has made me more of a psycho than usual? I shall tell you: freaking progesterone. SCREW YOU PROGESTERONE! 

So, on Sunday, Justin told me a sad (but uplifting) story about a lady who went through a bad trauma, something I normally would feel sympathy to, but have the rationality to brush it aside as a tragic accident. Not today. Not if Progesterone has anything to say about it.

Justin: (tells story)... but she’s fine now and has a whole new life.

Me: ... THAT”S SO SAD! *Wails with loud heaving sobs into the pillow*

Justin: Wtf?! I said she's fine now!

Me: BUT WHAT IF THAT HAPPENED TO YOOOOOOOOOOOU!!!?!?! YOU”RE NEVER ALLOWED TO GO AROUND GAS PIPES OR ELECTRICAL LINES!

Justin: (pats shoulder) Okay....

Me: OR WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO EWAN(brother) I WOULD SO BE RIGHT DOWN THERE ALL THE TIME!! HOW CAN THEY NOT EVEN VISIT!!! *wails louder*

Justin: Nothing’s going to happen to Ewan.

ME: And... And... AND I MISS MY MUM!!! *Wails*

(Just for the record – my mum is safe, healthy and happy – but currently in Scotland visiting family.)

ME: AND I”M GETTING FAAAAAAATTTTER!!!!!

Justin: (Unable to keep it in any longer and laughs) Ohhh boy, this is hilarious.

ME: (Semi crying semi laughing and sounding like a crazy person) I KNOW!!!!!!!! I... Can’t... Stooooopppp... CRYING!

This continued for about an hour. Then I got a headache because of the crying and felt worse. Then I had a long nap.

Sunday complete.

Skip to Tuesday Night. I am browsing the internet, procrastinating doing my reporting, and someone posts on Facebook a link entitled ’21 pictures that will restore your faith in humanity.’ Check out the horrifying cuteness here:

Adorable, tear-jerking cuteness.

Me: Oh, Hey, this will be nice and happy and cheer me up. Doobee doobee doo...

First picture is of Christian people apologising for bigotry against gay people. Eyes well up.

Me: That’s so NIIIICE!! People are so NIIIICE! I love people! *crying*

Picture is of two guys rescuing a sheep from the ocean. Almost have to be rescued from my own ocean of tears like a horrible emo.

Me: AWW! They risked their lives for a SHEEP! Humanity is AMAZING!!

Come across pictures of guy rescuing kittens from a flood - flood of tears continues. Then picture is of a fire fighter rescuing a dog from a fire. Crying gets louder and wetter.

Me: That poor dog!!! I hope he’s okay!!! *wail*

And so on and so forth until all 21 pictures are complete.  Crying then refuses to cease for another 30 minutes as I attempt to regain my dignity.

So, to answer the question I’m sure you’re all wondering – am I more overly sensitive, or is my crying-trigger on edge. Answer: Both. Probably. However, I can totally tell I’m being an irrational idiot, thus making it worse, as I irrationally cry about being an irrational idiot.

Tune in next week for more stories of Rhona the irrational crying buffoon (complete with pot-belly - watch her cry about getting fat!)

Peace

(PS: Also - totally share those pictures! They are so lovely! I hope you enjoy them!)