First OB Appointment

Last Friday was our first appointment with my obstetrician. We went back to the same OB as we used for Eli. She was very pleased to see us and was it really does feel like you've built a connection with someone after they witness such a unique milestone in your life. 

During our appointment she did the usual measurements and review results from my first ultrasound and blood works. Then we checked up on the little one via an ultrasound machine my OB had in her office. During our scan the baby was very much awake, kicking, jerking abouts, moving its head side to side and even sucking its thumb. At that moment it really sunk in I had a little person inside of me. I get so caught up with Eli all day I don't get the chance to bond with the little person growing inside of me.  When I was pregnant with Eli, Ian and I would speak to my tummy in anticipation of his arrival we haven't really done that yet with this one.

Another reason why reality is only sinking in is, during my last ultrasound it was just a blob on the screen with a heart beat, now it has formed into a human being with arms and legs. Also seeing my baby moving so much inside of me made me realise I really do need to be more careful. It's making me doubt whether I should play in the finals basketball game next week. My OB measured the length of our baby and was surprised to learn it was already six centimeters long. I wonder whether this little one is going to be bigger than Eli. 

Another thing we learnt during our appointment was my OB may actually be on holidays during my expected delivery date. She is scheduled to return from her holidays 3 days before my due date but considering Eli was 9 days early and historically arrival of babies tends to be earlier at subsequent births, she fears she may not be able to deliver my child. She does have a substitute so I can continue to be serviced by her except for the big day. Which in Ian and I's opinion is really pointless so we're considering going public. I really don't think I need an OB considering I had a normal delivery and if the results this time around will be exactly like the first time, it's really just a waste of money having an OB (especially if she's not even going to be present during the delivery). 

I never dismissed the public sector however Ian was not comfortable with random midwives conducting the check ups each time. However there are programs now via the public hospitals where a dedicated midwife is teamed up with patient throughout her pregnancy up to delivery. A program I would strongly consider. So we have a few days to think about what we want to do. 

Obviously its too early to know the gender however I find myself calling it 'him' but I don't know if that's just cause that's what I'm use to saying at the moment. This week I want a girl though.

6 more months to go ...

Exciting News!!

Post drafted 31 January 2013

I'm writing this post now but unfortunately can't publish it until up to 12 weeks time.

Today we discovered we're expecting baby number 2!! We're very excited, very happy and very at peace. 

I've been sick, even before the long weekend away. I knew I had a cold coming up cause I had that weird tingling feeling in my throat. I don't know if you guys get it ... how I would describe catching it would be when you didn't keep your body warm enough over night so the next morning you wake up with this tingling feeling in your throat. 

Other factors that I calculated that may have lead to my sickness was, prior to arriving to our holiday destination (Avoca Beach) the tingling feeling had moved into a cough, I didn't pack any warm clothing either and for most of the weekend we experienced rain and cyclone like weather. And finally Eli ended up with a case of gastro and figured I've cross contaminated myself. So when we returned and I was sick as a dog I wasn't overly surprised.

My body ached, I felt like I could not even get out of bed. Eli was still going through his gastro, I was changing a soiled nappy every 40 minutes. I had to call my mum to bring me food (arescaldo of course) and help me look after Eli while I got some rest, my mum is the best! 

The next day I still didn't feel 100% so Ian took the day off to look after both of us. While we were doing the groceries my stomach did not sit very well. I was constantly dry reaching to the point that Ian suggested maybe I'm pregnant and I'm suffering from morning sickness. The thought never crossed my mind cause the first time around I did not feel any form of sickness plus I figured maybe this new condition was part of my flu. 

That afternoon I took a pregnancy test. The results were positive ... I'm pregnant! I woke Ian up from his nap and asked him to have a look. We smiled, we hugged, we talked about the next steps. 

It's weird, I'm not working nor am I planning to work but we're not worried. The one thing we learnt from the first pregnancy is - you'll adjust and you'll be surprise how everything works itself out. Think positive, let go and let God. We (I) were so stressed about things when I was pregnant the first time and now that I look back on the stuff I use to be worried about it's so minute to me now. I think we got so focused on the issue we didn't have an objective view on options, plus hormones probably played a part. 

So what now ... well I have to buy another pregnancy test just to confirm the results. From memory I need to see a doctor about getting some blood work done so they can take a snap shot of my blood levels etc to see if there are any red flags now. Also the blood work will tell me how far I am too. We're interested to know how far I am for a number of reasons: we barely get an opportunity and we've had some massive weekends last few weeks and I hope my actions have not impacted my baby. 

I believe in the power of thought and declaring, so I claim now my baby will be a girl but either way I will be over the moon with whatever God blesses us with ... OMG Eli's going to be a kuya!!  

First night in his own bed

At the beginning of this week we purchased a bed for the little man, three days later it was delivered. Very impressed by the service Oz Design Furniture (Auburn). Next day I purchased sheets, mattress protectors, a quilt and pillows. I washed everything and last night was the night. 

The night Eli will sleep in his own bed for the first time and the night we will commit to putting him back into his bed every time he woke up and crawled into ours. 

We started the bed time routine at 9pm. Any earlier he's not tired enough and just makes us tired trying to force him to sleep. We read books, sang songs, practice the skills he knows such as the alphabet, counting to 20, 'where is your ....', said a prayer then finally I told him 'it's lights out'. So we turned off all the lights and he started his nightly ritual of tossing and turning until he found his "sweet spot" for the night. By 10:15pm he was asleep.

I went to sleep around 12:15am myself. I'm going through waves of insomnia lately. I recall hearing him wake at one point at night but Ian was still awake. I could hear them talking and playing. (Argh! he should've put him back to sleep straight away, not encourage him to stay awake.) I heard him eventually make it to our room but Ian quickly took him away and closed our door. He came back banging on our door crying, poor baby. Ian must've gotten him back to sleep because I recall waking at one point and only Ian was next to me.

Then in the early hours of the morning I felt someone pulling against my side of the bed, then climb over me and snuggle into my arms. He looked at me with his big eyes and smiled. I smiled back and for a split second was content of having him back in my arms, but I knew letting him stay would be three steps back. So I continued to hold him in my arms and together we walked back into his room while I told him "lets go back to your bed." We snuggled and instantly he was asleep. I thought about staying in bed with him, but again I knew he had to get use to being alone in his own bed. I waited a few minutes and returned back to my bed. 

He's growing up so fast. He really isn't a baby anymore but my little toddler man. I say to Ian sometimes "remember when he was a baby and he was quiet?" He's got such a big personality now it surprises us everyday cause the son we knew a few weeks ago didn't normally do this or act like that or say those words. 

We're actually disciplining him now too. We give him warnings before we enforce the punishment. We opted for the "time out corner" method. We did started saying the "naughty corner" but he picked up the word naughty quickly and says it all the time. A word we don't really want him repeating or believing he is, so we changed the label to "time out" instead. 

When we place him there we explain to him why he's being put there and tell him how long he has to stay there, usually 1-2 minutes. Surprisingly he quickly picked up that he must stay in that spot for as long as we tell him, although he does attempt to escape from the spot sometimes. Other times he fake cries while he's there too. You can hear sobbing sounds and he has placed his hands over his face but the moment you tell him he can leave the corner, the sobbing immediately stops, hands come down from face, he says a cute "sow-wee" and smiles. What Ian and I find funny though is sometimes we've only given him a warning that he'll be put in the time out corner but he'll be already walking himself to the spot sometimes crying too, making it really hard not to laugh. 

Eli, you are such a joy.

Where I'm at

So I've been pretty quiet on the blog front.

I don't know just not feeling inspired to write. Feeling a little lethargic. Feeling a bit can't be bothered. 

I lie. I do feel bursts of inspiration for posts but at locations and moments where my lap top is not with me. And when I'm finally home the work required to run of the house and be a housewife sucks all the inspiration out again .... I don't mean that as bad as it sounds.

 

I can't justify being in front of my lap top for hours while my baby watches tv the whole time or not take advantage of the sunny weather to do the washing or mop the floors while my baby is asleep. I now refuse to do any chores on weekends as it is family time or it's usually filled with engagements for one or all of us to attend.

I never joined a mother's group when I first gave birth. Motherhood was an adjustment for me and I really didn't want to be out with Eli unless hubby was coming along with us. Then 6 months later maternity leave was over, I was back to work four days a week so the day I had off was spent catching up on bonding time with Eli, no extra activities required. But now that I am a SAHM I've been taking the little man to playgroups to get him burning off all that energy and to get us both out of the house.

My family has been going through some personal issues relating to deaths and near death experiences. Supporting family through these times can be emotionally and mentally exhausting but it has reminded me how fragile life can be and not to take it for granted. The current events reiterated how important it is to be as healthy as best you can and the value of family.

So that's where I'm at. Got some other stuff going on will share once I get things rolling and in due time ;)

Where are you at?

Rome Half Day Walking Tour

You can't go to Rome and not (literally) see the Collosseo. It's in the heart of the city and it's not only until you see it with your own eyes do you realise the size and magnitude of this structure. I recall someone once warned me 'In Rome you will really feel the term "high tourist spot."' The whole city is very busy with tourist and locals especially the Colosseum. I strongly, strongly, strongly, suggest booking a tour group in advance to avoid the long queues for this place. I was so surprised how long the lines were for the general admission area and personally, wouldn't want to be disappointed wasting my holiday time queuing. There are also tour companies that scout the queues to see if people would like to join their tours and I've had friends who taken this option and weren't disappointed. 

We booked a walking half day tour with Viator and it cost us 30E per person. The tour we selected not only took us to the Colosseum but through Palatine Hill, Trevi Fountain, Panthelon and Piazza Navona, which was great however meant we were doing more walking between sites then enjoying the sites itself. 

We meet the tour group close by the Colosseum. Once everyone arrived and checked in we by passed the massive queues and entered the Colosseum. We walked up to the upper level, probably walked 1/4 of the area then walked down to the lower level then exited the Colosseum. Don't get me wrong the tour guide provided a lot of history and facts about the Colosseum and the city itself and no I don't think I would have wanted to spend hours in there either but I would have liked to have walked a loop around and had the opportunity to take photos of the other levels. 

After we exited the Colosseum we walked over to Palatine Hill which contains many ruins of ancient Rome. They are constantly refurbishing and digging up artifacts. Something I learnt during the tour, ancient Rome is literally buried underneath itself. Whenever the city wanted to rebuild it would literally bury the old and build over it. It's prevent throughout the city. There would be rock cliff sides where there seems to be layers of different material and parts sticking out and you wonder why, its because its probably some artifact. There's so much history literally under your feet and the leaders of the city doesn't know where to start but ironically can't due to the infrastructure that now sits on top of it. 

After walking through Palatine Hill we walked about 2km to the Trevi Fountain. Once we reached the fountain we were given 10 minutes free time. By this time (lunch time) area was packed and very mindful of pick pocketers and dodgy people trying to sell you something.

One "trick" I was told to avoid was agreeing to let someone take a photo of you (and your partner or group) for you. I was told this trick is used by scammers to get money off you once they've taken the photo. This was my constant fear that whenever someone, usually another tourist asked me if I could take a photo of them, I turned and ignored these people. 

Note: to ensure a return to the city again one day one must hold a coin on their right hand and thrown over their the left shoulder. 

They believe roughly 3,000E is thrown into the fountain daily and coins are collected regularly and donated to charities or to fund the maintenance of the site. 

From here we walked over to the Pantheon and entered the temple. Inside we learned more history and facts about the building. Anyone can enter into the Pantheon, anytime and it's free.

Afterwards we headed over to the Piazza Navona. This place is really pretty, surrounded by lots of restaurants, a little market perfect spot for people watching. When you look around the place looks very familiar, that's because they Piazza layout has been duplicated by The Venetian Casino chain.  

 

Social Media

I've decided to open a Pinterest and Twitter account.

I had avoided these other forms of social media mediums as I felt I had no need for them. Twitter, well I barely post "updates" on Facebook so I doubt I would be inclined to do so on another forum. Pinterest, I didn't really think the concept was ... interesting enough for me to sign up despite the craze it had created online and amongst friends.

Regardless, late one night last week I set up an account for both and I found the process very ...  intrusive. For both Pinterest and Twitter, post creating an account I had to link with someone. What if I just wanted to create an account with the intention of keeping it private? During the account creation process on Twitter you're asked to follow someone and forced to follow a minimum number of people before account creation is complete. They have suggested  celebrities for you based on your interest but again what if I don't want to see what Helen has to say and would rather just follow my real friends? 

On Pinterest they also suggest people to follow based on your interests then force you to pin stuff on your wall ... why? 

I actually thought I didn't successfully create either accounts because I was feeling so forced into actioning things, that I stopped. However I soon received emails that I had my own followers so I guess my accounts were created.

During the past few days when I have a few minutes, I have been surfing around on Pinterest. I've come to the conclusion that the tool fuels you're urge to spend money. As I created boards, liked and repined things that I liked all I wanted to do was buy that dress, desire to go on a holiday (something we shouldn't consider now), decorate the home with cute stuff when we don't even have key furniture pieces yet and shop for a whole winter wardrobe for Eli ... it's not inspiring me it's making me want to buy stuff that I may not necessarily need.

Yes there are other categories that may not stir the pockets like Architecture, Science and Humor but they're categories that I don't particularly like and looking through the things people I follow pin and like I guess they don't either.

Anyways that's my rant ... now I'm going to shop online for some A1 size photo frames to decorate in my home.

Feel free to follow me

Pinterest: campints

Twitter: campints

Trying to come up with usernames that haven't been already taken was another reason why the process was so tedious.

Happy Monday!

Do you have a Twitter or Pinterest account, let me know I'll follow you

Roma

Some people say avoid staying too long in the city of Rome because it's so busy and touristy. Agree, however the moment it sunk in that I really was in Europe was when I was in Rome, when I was standing in front of the famous Trevi Fountain. I remember standing there taking it all in and saying to Ian with a massive smile "We're in Rome!" I never felt that urge in Paris or London.

Again in Rome we stayed in a self contained apartment. We booked the room via RomeLoft.com here you can see pictures provided by the apartment in addition to the photos I've uploaded. 

Positives:

• The apartment itself is very big for Europe standards. It was the biggest apartment we stayed at through out our trip. 
• It had a fully equipped kitchen, large fridge, gas stove, oven, microwave and dishwasher. 
• Was surprised to find a washing machine as it was advertised as not having one. This was perfect as it allowed us to do some washing. There are towel warmers which we used to help speed dry our washing.
• The apartment location although surrounded by restaurants and a bar was surprisingly very quiet even at night. It also felt very safe as there was a security door at the front and our room was in the first floor.
• Apartment was very modern and had many creature comforts such as air conditioning in both the living room and bedrooms, wifi which was free or included with the cost of the room, a big flat screen tv with cable and english channels.
• Walking distance to key landmarks such as Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and the Pantheon. 
• The retail district Via Del Corso is also a minute walk away. Very dangerous considering shops close at 8pm in summer.

Negatives:

• The person who was meeting us to check in was over an hour late and only after we called and complained to the booking company and they contacted the gentlemen, did he made his way to the apartment. When he arrived he didn't even apologised and was very unhelpful when showing us the apartment. 
• The front door is very tricky to open and was not explained to us when we checked in. 
• Apartment very dark and not enough lighting although there are windows. However when we opened the blinds we noticed other apartments could see into our apartment so kept blinds shut. 
• The washing machine was in italian so we were guessing what functions did what. 

Door step outside our apartment block 

 Separate living room space 

The bedroom

 Kitchen and dining

 The bathroom and washing machine that saved the day