Just playing.

Been a while I know, I have been meaning to blog but just never seem to find the time. Things can be really full on here. I only just picked up my camera for the first time in a few weeks yesterday.

Cam took me out for lunch yesterday, we left the kids with my Mum and went to the tooradin airport restaurant called "Wings and Finns". It is a seafood restaurant but I managed to find a nice spicy chicken salad on the menu, it was divine. All the salad ingredients were very fresh and reeking of quality I have not been that impressed with a salad for a while. We also got a bottle of wine and some desert, I got a Pear, Lemon & Lime tart and it was AWESOME. Lucky for my calorie count we didn;t need dinner last night LOL.

The running and gym is going well, I am jogging 5km each run and getting better slowely. Had a scare the last run I went on involving a car load of guys drinking at 6:15am in one of the carparks I jog through on the track but I wont go into that. That was Saturday morning and I have not attempted a jog since due to a nasty headcold but I have been back to the track and was a little jittery so who knows how I will go when the time comes.

Here are a few photos, the first one I took a while ago but played with it for a scrap challenge so why not upload it LOL. The second one I took yesterday, I took it through my closed window in a moving car with three wines under my belt so I am impressed. I have added an action called Urban Acid and a vignette during the RAW processing.

The Third one I took last night, once the kids were in bed hubby suggested I take my camera down to the beach for a play. I need to get some photos for a blog challenge and am struggeling, I wanted to get a shot of 3 beach boxes and had an idea of some effects to apply to them but I just wasn't feeling it last night and came home with some very average shots. The beach was busy and I was worried people would think I was a sicko and taking photos of them. Anyway I did get this beach box shot at Mt Martha South Beach and pretty much Post Processed it to within an "inch of it's life" as hubby would say LOL. I processed it in Lightroom then in PS CS2 I added a vintage action, I have so many I can not for the life of me remember which one, then I added a pink Grad filter then a lens distortion filter, of and of course one of Bud frames I love the finished product, too bad it doesn't fir in with the blog challege theme.

The last photo was also taken last night too, It was taken at Nun's Walk....where I run. I blogged a photo taken at the exact same spot in 2006 in an entry called Picture of Nunn's Walk There is a lookout right where I park when I go for my runs and this is the view from it. Breathtaking in everylight, this is the first time I have taken sunset photos. I was chatting to an elderly man the whole time I was taking photos, he was an artist and interested in what I was doing. I was glad for the company considering my experience at Nunn's walk only a few days ago. ANyway the photot was again processed in Lightroom then taken into CS2 where I added a slight "pop" and adjusted the colour balance to bring out the blue in the sky. Yes I am getting right into post processing, gotta keep up with the times. I added one of my fav Frame actions Jodi's Multiple Choice Frame Action

Well that is it for me, I have more photos to upload before my camera battery dies and then bottles to fill. Kellie, I know you read this and I wanna thank you for taking an interest. I know you love seeing pics of the kids. Lub you xxx

Awesome Frames

I am up to my elbows in Action but have only tried out a few. I am loving these frame ones by Bud Guinn found here. Admittedly everything looks alot better in photoshop than anywhere else but they are still effective.

Kids are going well, Anna's molars that I have been complaining about for months have finally broken through...barely but the gums broken so we are getting somewhere. It pretty much happened yeaterday and let me tell you, it was the day from hell. I missed out on the gym because she was so feral she had me really upset in the morning and come afternoon my head was THUMPING and I could barely move my eyes. Two beers at dinner time helped with that though. I am going to go this arvo, however it's the perfect day for a run and I am tempted to go for a small jog instead....maybe I should do both to make up for whatever damage I do at Mum's group tomorrow. I just made the most scrummy orange and poppyseed muffins for tomorrow, it was a Gluten free packet mix and they turned out PERFECT. One of them broke as I was getting it out of the muffin tin so Anna and I had to eat it......damn.

I am really enjoying the photography blog I have recently joined, I am going to learn alot of that great crew......I have alot to learn. I have also been madly stalking the photography section of Essential baby crap.....why has my font changed and where the hell did my font choices go? Agghhhhhhhhhh. Anyway been getting loads of tips and inspiration from there aswell.

Ryan is awesome, he is a little Mummy's boy which is so nice for me. He is very cuddle, unlike Anna was. He is very happy to snuggle on the couch with me. He is getting around very fast now and Anna enjoys playing chasey with him, she tires him out very quickly.

Anyway, that's it for now. Will try to post more regulary with photos. Here are ones from yesterday with one of the frames I was talking about.

xx

P.S.....Just coming back in to say I did end up doing both gym and Jog...managed 3km and who should I bump into on my fav track.....Crissy, my old running partner. She was meeting up with her boss for a run and saw my car so jogged out to meet me and gave me some company on my return leg. I was struggeling with a stitch so conversation was hard. How funny, I was coming back....uphill.....against the wind......with a stitch and there is this wonderfully lean chick running towards me waving her arms around at me PMSL. Was a lovely surprise, she is prolly just finishing her run now.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, welcome 2008! This should be the first year since 2004 that I won't be pregnant for any part of the year. Our family is complete and I think both Cam and I are looking forward to moving on as a completed family.

We whispered "goodbye" to 2007 last night, we went to bed early and only had two drinks each so we were nice and sober. Ryan woke me up just before midnight so I got to sneak in one last kiss for 2007. I listened to the squeaky little teens over the road stop squeaking and giggling long enough for the countdown, then they went right back to partying. The girls squeaking and giggling like brain dead morons and the boys yelling, belching and cursing like real "heros" Oh to be young and stupid again *sigh*

"2008 is sure to be a good year" quoting a text message I recieved this morning. I for one have some high hopes for 2008. A family very close to me has had a really shitty time the last few years and I am hoping that 2008 brings to them a fresh start full of nothing but happiness and the best of luck for each and every member of that family.

To a very special EB friend who I know will read this, I have said this elsewhere but I'm going to say it again. You are very very strong and focused, whatever happens in 2008, whatever the outcome you will know in your heart that you have done everything possible. I hope you get the outcome you are so desperately fighting for and deserve, Hang in there XXX

Here are some pics of Miss A taken on 29/12/07. Hard to believe how much of a poohead she is at the moment just by looking at these pics LOL.

For 2008 I just want my lovely little girl back, I miss her like crazy. I see glimpses every now and then but mostly she is not the same little girl. She has a terrible time teething and these molars are taking forever to break through, her poor little gums are so swollen. Who knows what she is feeling. I have to credit her on her toilet training though. We packed the potty away a few days ago and she is happily using the toilet. I can count on one had the amount of accidents she has had and I can;t rememeber when the last one was. Now just to get her out of nappies while she sleeps.

No stopping him now.

Well, he is definately on the move now and there is no stopping him. Time to lock everything away. Ryan is just toooo good at this commando crawling. Anyway guess what I got for Xmas? I woke up to my special little boy saying "Mum mum mum". I raced and got the vid camera and got it on video. Whoo Hoo. I was so happy and moved to tears. So Xmas eve he starts commando crawling and Xmas day he says his first words. He is really coming along my not so little man.

Anyway here is one of my fav pics of Anna and a pic I took of Ryan today in the kids new sandpit.

I really have to turn this pooter off and go to bed.*yawn*

6 months today

Can you believe my baby boy is 6 months old today. OMGoodness, and he looks like he is about 8months LOL. He is a big/healthy boy. Very tall and very strong. He is trying his hardest to crawl, he rolld everywhere and gets into anything he can. He is extremely cuddly, he is just adorable.

We are all set for Xmas, we are so excited and can't wait to watch Anna open her prezzies.

I just had my highschool reunion, it was an awesome night which resulted in me peeing in the bushes (a girlfriend of mine has this theory that you know your having a great time if you end up squatting in the bushes LOL) and requiring a stitch in my ankle from broken glass, I did not get the stitch but I needed it LOL. I have been using tape stuff to hold the wound together and it's healing quite well. Though it does mean no running till it seals over just cos I am scared of infection. I have been going to the gym though and LOVING it. Have even had a slight weight loss which is great but would be better if I could get out to jog more. It's very hard with the two kids and a shiftworker in the house.

Cam and I recently had our 3yr wedding anniversary, My Mum came and watched the kids while we went out Xmas shopping followed by a nice lunch which I worked off that same arvo at the gym LOL. It was awesome, it was great to spend some time without the kids with my husband. Can't wait to have some kid free time again.

Anyway not much else going on here, well nothing interesting enough to publish LOL and the stuff that is interesting enough I don't dare publish LOL.

Here are some piccies of the kids, in the form of signatures again. Oh that's what I have been up to, have started making signatured for other members of the parenting forum I use. I just love making them and need the practice so everyone wins. Anyway here are my latest ones of the kids. O.K so the pics decided to go to the top of the post Grrrr. Bugger it! You just have to cop it.

Well, I can't be bothered searching through my millions of photos so I have just uploaded some sigs instead.

Things have finally really settled, Ryan is AMAZING. I am so in love with him, I really realize exactly how bad things were back there. He smiles all the time now, pretty much no more screaming fits at all, he sleeps well for his day naps and is improving with his night sleeps....mind you he is still a bit of a poohead at night. He is rolling all the time both ways now and is shuffeling around his play blanket. He is just generally so much happier, content and relaxed and so am I in turn. He is taking some rice cereal each day now, although I was sceptical and against it, it has seemed to help settle his tummy heaps.....or is it the Chiro and Osteo care he is also recieving.....I got desperate.

Anna is great.....with me. But she is challenging her Daddy something fierce. She doesn't see him anywhere near as much as me and she craves his attention and figures the best way to get it is by being naughty so when he is home she is damn exhausting. She is starting to finally take notice of Ryan and show some interest. She mothers "Howard" her toy tiger and it's very cute. She breastfeeds him and tells him he stinks and needs a change and she builds him little "cubby holes" to live in. Oh it's wondeful to observe. She is getting very clingy with the men in her life and when Cam or my Dad leaves the house she has massive Tanty's and screams "My Grandpa" or "My Daddy". It's tragic but kinda cute and endearing at the same time.

The weight watchers isn;t going so well. It's bloody hard to count points and weight stuff when your in a massive hurry to make something so I tend to only eat what I know the exact points value for or just guess. I have been back to my old fav running track and this week I walked there twice. Once just over 5km with just Anna in the pram and the next time 6.5km with Anna and Ryan.....that's alot of weight to be pushing trust me. Anna is about 14kg and I am guessing Ryan is about 7.5 at least and the pram would have to be at least 12kg. Felt AWESOME. I even jogged the tiniest tenny bit the day I only had Anna. You can't jog with the scoop seat attached so it's not an option when I have both of them, as temping as it was.

Anyway as good as it has been feeling I have had to take two rest days so far due to an injured neck/shoulder. I dunno what I have done but my chiro says it's a mess. After some treatment yesterday and some icing it's much much better though and I will have to make an effort to do something tomorrow. My core is SHOT, I feel very very weak and have started some planks and crunches. I have my highschool reunion coming up and have to face the fact that I have to go looking a frump.....why wasn;t it held before I fell pregnant, I was at my fittest and strongest then. Oh well, I don;t really care too much what anyone there thinks. It just would have been nice to be able to wear something hot.

Well that's about it, I have some pasta cooking, I am gonna have it with a sprinkle of parmesan and cracked pepper....my fav. I have just finished my glass of my fav Pinot and wish there was more LOL. I am so happy Ryan has finally come good. He is now the baby I though he would be, I enjoy every minute with him and smother him in kisses.....which I might add he absolutely loves LOL. Cam appears more relaxed with im too and I think they are gonna be great mates, I love watching him play with Ryan, they are forming thier own very special bond.

I promice to post propper pics next time, I just take to many to choose from. Toodles XXX

Where do my days go?

This isn't gonna be much of a post but it's all I have time for right now. Things are getting better here, if only we could sort out Ryan's night sleeps I recon things would be pretty bloody good.

I will get on ASAP with new photos. Ryan had his second lot of immunisations today. I cried of course. It's one of the hardest things for me as a mother to do but it has to be done and no-one else is putting up thier hand to take him.........Yes I mean you CAM!!!

Anyway thanks Stu and Shannon for your comments. Shannon it means so much to me that you still check in here. Your blog is gone now which I fully understand, Your wedding page is beautiful and I used the same song for mine and Cam's wedding video/slideshow thingy.

Off to check out Anthea and Kylie's blog now, I am on borrowed time so they will be quick visits.

XXX

Time to update.

Well, It has been a while. It's been a bloody busy 4 months here since Ryan was born. ALot has happened but to summerise, as I have no intentions of goig into it in detain here on my blog, I copped mastitis twice, Ryan grew incresingly difficult, we stopped breastfeeding in hope it had something to do with that, he got worse on bottles, a G.P prescribed him special formula and reflux meds, he got a tad better but not much, he saw a Paediatrician and got stronger medication and has been sent off for an abdominal ultrasound and a couple of other tests and is finally getting a bit better. Since my last post it's been pretty much a house full of screaming here, the "Colic" has definatley made a mess of me.


We all went away as a family to Porpunkah (I think that is how you spell it) for the week the AFL Grandfinal was on, we had an absolute ball. Cam and I drank beer and wine every afternoon and finally relaxed a bit. The kids were great although Ryan had us up several times every night.

Anna is growing up very fast, she is 2.5 years old now and has a very "grown up" attitude LOL. She loves to dress up as a fairy.

Ryan is also getting big, as he should with the amount he drinks. He is a shocking sleeper, we seem to have his day naps sorted quite well but he is still terrible at night, Cam and I are like zombies these days. Now the colic seems to be subsiding and his supposed Reflux is getting under control he appears happier and we are getting loads more smiles. He has been rolling from front to back since he was 2 weeks old, I can't wait till he can sit up by himself. He is a spitting image of Cam, he is a very cute baby. We are hoping we have gone through the worst with him now. I am hoping I will begin to enjoy being a Mum of two soon.

We have also had a Visit from my Cousin Nikki and her lovely family recently, they come all the way from Scotland (Nikki is from QLD but went over to Scotland and never came back LOL). Nikki was lucky enough to witness my lovely Son's screaming. A few people have been lucky to see it now and realise I am not exagerating.

Anyway that's about it here. Ryan is due to wake up so I didn't want to get too involved in my blog as once he is awake that's it for me. I have put together a few photos of the kids.

Before I forget, a massive Congratulations to Kylie on the birth of her 3rd beautiful girl Murphy. She is just divine. Hello to Anthea and yes I am still stalking the Ausrunners so hello to all of you guys aswell.

Will try to use my blog more often now Ryan is settling down. I have started weight watchers and am trying to get back into exercise so I can start running again. I am sure my blog will be the first place I brag about any weight loss.

XXX

Finally some endorphins

Can you believe my little man is 7 weeks old? I have some fantastic news, he was weighed last Wednesday and he had put on 210gm in one week so we have finally got somewhere with the feeding. I am so happy and proud, I screamed and hugged the nurse when she told me LOL.

So seeing how I gave birth a massive 7 weeks ago and my milk supply is pretty good now I decided it was time to get my endorphin fix I have been craving for so long and start exercising. I only did 20mins on the bike which actually lasted almost 30mins with all the breaks I had to take to re-settle Ryan, then I did some ab work and some resistance band work with my upper body followed with some yoga stretches. Oooooh it felt good. I would like to do this 3 times a week for now and keep an eye on my supply and if it doesn;t effect it I can step it up and spend more time on the bike.

Once the weather improves I will be able to get the kids out in the pram more often, this will be a much less stressful way of exercising as it is hard to exercise while keeping Anna entertained and Ryan settled between feeds. WOuld be much easier to just shove 'em both in the pram and go for a brisk walk up a hill. Anna is about 14kg now so it would be a good work out.....actually unless it is raining tomorrow we have a big hill walk planned cos we are going to walk to the market then to a mates place.

The new protein packed diet is going well and my sugar cravings are almost non existant now. I have managed to put on another kg with it though and I have only one pair on pants (that aren't trackies) that fit and about 4 tops. Hence me wanting to start exercising again. I just wanna get back into my jeans, not even my skinny jeans, my fat jeans would be a good start *blush*.

ANyway the kids are going great, Anna has perked up alot since she was sick and having tantrums 24/7. Best I go and check on Ryan then have a sponge bath before his next feed in case he doesn't like the taste of sweat.

My Little Man.

Awwww, isn't he a cutie. I am sooooo inlove LOL. Things are going much better I think and I am actually almost looking foward to the next weigh in. He has been a very setted and contented little man today, I feel my milk has increased again and he is feeding more efficiently. I croched that beanie he is wearing in those pictures, it is pure wool from the Bendigo woolen Mills and is a peach. He certainly need it in this freezing melbourne weather.

Have to say a special thankyou to Anthea for all your support, not only just now with the breastfeeding but the past 10 months while we were pregnant. Seems like almost eberyone in our not so little group is or has had feeding trouble of some kind huh! Why can't it just be easy? Anyway thanks heaps and I hope you are feeling much better XXX

Crash.......and burn!

Wow, how to go from blissfully high to depressingly low in less than a week.......have your milk supply drop. Yep after being so happy with our feeding it went backwards. Lucky for me I had a visit from a great lactation consultant who has pointed out a few things that should help once corrected, like attachment and my diet. Yep turns out I need alot more protein in my diet. So we have made some changes and I think/hope we are getting there.

Anna has been a mess this week, we know she was teething and she had a temp a few days ago but she just wasn;t getting any better and I couldn;t get her into the doctors till Friday so we took her to the hospital on Wed night. After waiting 2 hours all the doctor could find wrong with her was a little bit of a red throat and a tiny bit of an ear infection and he wouldn't give her antibiotics. We think that she is also playing on it a fair bit now, we are having real trouble with her. I just want my good/sweet little girl back.

Anyway, just to prove I do take photos of Anna aswell as Ryan here is my latest LO. It is not a digital one for a change, it took me ages to do cos I am not very good at the "manual" scrapbooking and I kept changing my mind.....plus I could only spend little amounts of time at it at a time and had to keep packing up all the scrapbooking gear each time.....Anthea I don't know how you do it. I bet you have a special room/desk dedicated to your scrapbooking.

I have not been taking photos this week, too busy with the feeding again. Oh I am so tired, I am off to bed. I started this post ages ago but got distracted with feeding Ryan, he is now finally settled in our room.....only after feeding him 3 times in the last 1.5 hours LOL.

Anyway, tell next time Toodles.

5 weeks...life is bliss!

Wow, what a ride this has been so far and Ryan is only 5 weeks old. This week has been fantastic.....why you ask? Well because finally all our hard work with the feeding is paying off. Ryan is finally fully breastfed, I have to be honest and say that my negative side had come out and I have given into the thought that we would be comping him with bottles and formula untill he is no longer milk fed but after making a few changes we saw a huge improvement and he was taking less and less from the bottle, then I had some extra help with a prescription drug. Anyway it is going fantastic and Ryan is much much happier. He was a tad unsettled on the forumla and things just wern;t working like they should but it's all good now.

I am loving having a new baby in the house, I missed out on so much when Anna was first born due to personal issues. It's going to be hard stopping at two LOL.

Anyway have been very busy taking loads and loads of photos of the kids. We are going to need a new hard drive. I was hoping to have lost some weight by now but the first few weeks of feeding dramas saw me turning to one to many packets of chockie bickies and I have managed to put on weight rather than lose any. I think that is about to change now though cos I am much happier and not craving the crap food anymore, I am however obsessed with Porriage and just ate my second bowl for the day. The feeding makes me so hungry, I love my porriage with honey, sultanas and banana. Someone told me it was good for milk production and that is what started me on it.

OMG Stepford wives is on......what an odd looking movie. Anyway check out the new LO's, I just whipped them up quickly this arvo after taking the photos to mark him turning 5 weeks today. Oh he really is a wonderful baby. Anyone who knows Anna wont be surprised when I say she is quite the character. while I am feeding Ryan she feeds dolly and says "feed the boobie" LOL, she then makes dolly fart and announces that she stinks and needs a change. She doesn;t miss a beat that girl. I will have to do a few Anna lo's so you all don;t think I only take photos of Ryan.

Anyway am off to check out what everyone else has been up to in blogland. Life truely is BLISS XXX

Obsessed.........

......Yes I am obsessed with taking photos of my kids especially my new baby as he doesn't move as much. Actually that is a lie cos during this particular photo session he rolled over a total of 7 times from his front to back. Yes he is only 4 weeks old and he has been doing this for almost 2 weeks, yes I have given birth to a freak it would appear LOL.

Anthea: I have to agree that the girls clothing sections are always at least twice as big as the boys. I have some awesome stuff here for Ryan to grow into from this years Myer Stocktake Sale, very trendy indeed. Even Target have great boys stuff, especially in winter. I love the Hoodies. Oh And the boys bonds jeans are a MUST! I have the girl ones for Anna but have seen the boys ones on and they look so cute. Anyway I am off to perve at your wonderful blog now XXX.

Edited to Add: Wow Anthea....I looove your blog! The latest LO's are sensational as always.

4 weeks old AAGGGHHHHH

OMG, can you believe my little man is already 4 weeks old! I am kinda in shock, it feels like only yesterday he was born.

Besides one teary two nights ago everything here is fantastic, the feeding is going well. We still have to top him up but not as much, he is a fantastic feeder on both breast and bottle so at least we know he wont starve for the next 5-6 months. I still would have liked to exclusively breastfeed (hence the teary a few nights ago) but it is looking unlikey.

I got my new Camera, we got the Nikon in the end and I loooove it. I have taken so many pics of Anna and Ryan already. Anna is at that age where she likes having her photo taken and the new camera brings out the best in her already amazing eyes. She had her little boyfriend over yesterday and I snapped them kissing, will post that pic next time LOL.

Hubby is back to work in a few days, something we are both dredding.

Sorry Anthea, have to agree with Stu on the boy clothes, I used to think there was not much out there for boys....I suppose there still isn;t compared to girl stuff but there is certainly some trendy stuff out there for boys, but not so much for this age. Everything seems to be powder blue at this age. The 000 stuff is all very cool but that wont be fitting Ryan for some time yet. I have had some awesome stuff handed down to us that I can;t wait for him to fit into. Scrapbooking gear and manchester is a whole new story though!!!

Well it certainly is a frosty old morning here, thinking of everyone on thier long runs today that is for sure. OMG hubby just came back from walking the dog and he said there is ice on everyones roof. We were lucky enough to be kept up all night by the party across the road last night, we camped out in the loungeroom but it was still really load, they had a Karioke machine and were doing thier best to kill every song they attempted. Lucky for me it's Sunday and a pot of good quality tea is definately on the cards.

More LO's

Yes I have been busy, I whipped these up two nights in a row while waiting to do the last feed for the night. The first two were made using the Mary, Mary Quite Contrary Kit by Sande Krieger found at Two peas in a bucket http://twopeasinabucket.kaboose.com/ The second two were made using bits and pieces from http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/

I have had to download some more gear as most of my stuff is very girly. It's hard to find stuff for boy digi scrapping.

Hubby and I are researching Digi SLR Cameras. I think he is finally agreeing to letting me have one. Looks like we are gonna get a Nikon D40 Kit DX 18-55mm EDII. It is a bit cheaper then the Canon EOS 400D and got a much better write up from "Choice" but everyone seems to have the Cannon so I am having trouble finding out what people think of the Nikon. AAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

3 Weeks old today

( LO made with "Festival" Kit from Shabbyprincess)

OMG, my little man is 3 weeks old today ALREADY.......AAAGGGGGHHHHHHH. Things are going great, he is such a beautiful baby and family life is wonderful. He is a very hungry baby and feeds pretty much 3 hourly around the clock so hubby and I are very very tired. I am still breast and bottle feeding and it is going well. Ryan gained 240gms last week.

No-one is going to believe me but he has rolled from his front to back 5 or 6 times. It is very odd and annoying when I am trying to give him infant massage or take photos of him.

I went for my fist walk this Tuesday, I felt every step in my pelvis but it still felt great to be out and mobile. I only had Ryan in the pram, would hate to think how sore my pelvis would have been with my boofa little girl in there too LOL. In general my pelvis is doing much better though, I think I am ready for the exercise bike, I just have to watch what little milk supply I have.

Thankyou everyone for the congratulations and kind words. This is such an exciting time for us and we are enjoying it so much though hubby is a little grumpy at Ryans night feeding habbits, anyone would think it was him sitting with his boozies out in the middle of the night LOL.

We are going away in a few months for Grandfinal weekend, I am so excited as we have not been away since May last year. We are going with other familys so it is gonna be great for Anna. I am very excited about the whole thing, we never did anything when Anna was a tiny baby but nothing is gonna stop us this time LOL.

Well that's it, Poppy is being very very cute right now so this post is taking FOREVER LOL.

Toodles XXX

It's a.......................

BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ryan Cameron arrived on June 23rd at 4:05pm weighing 7lb 12oz. He was just over 2 weeks early. After getting off to a shakey start we are finally home and setteling in.

My waters broke on the Thursday night and after stop start contractions Friday and Friday night we agreed to have the drip put in on Saturday morning. Ryan arrived 7 hours later but only after getting his shoulder stuck and a difficult delivery. The labour and birth was much much better than my last, I used Gas to take the edge off the contrations in the last few hours, I was much more in control and it was all much more active. I had skin to skin contact with my price as soon as he was born and cut the cord myself.

Unfortuneately my milk was slow coming in once again and Ryan lost way too much weight and turned Jaundiced and became dehydrated resulting in him needing to be put on formula and what little milk I was able to express while he was placed in a humidicrib with the lights on. He was finally well enough to come home yesterday and we are breastfeeding, suplimenting with formula and EBM and pumping. It is all very exhausting but hopefully worth it, I am hoping to achieve what I couldn't for my little girl.

The birth took it's toll on my pelvis and I am in more pain now than I was by the end of my pregnancy but have been given the go ahead to start walking as soon as the pain eases. My stomach muscle separation came back together quite well and the midwife was super impressed. I thank a stronger core and wearing belly tubing 24/7 from about 20 weeks.

My wonderful hubby was amazing during my labour and took turns with the midwife in massaging my lower back every contraction as I leaned over a fit ball, my back was bruised from thier massaging the next day LOL. He constantly told me how proud he was of me and how well I was doing and kept giving me that extra push everytime I started tiring. For someone who hates gore he coped extremly well and I am super proud of him.

We are now a very happy complete family of four, I think that will be it for us. My body just hates pregnancy and my babies keep ending up in bad positions for birthing, Anna being posterior and this one having his hand above his head and his shoulder getting stuck. We are extremly blessed with two beautiful babies and I personally think that going again may tempt fate. I do get a high from birthing though and this time I am left with the most fond memories from what I will forever consider the most amazing experience of my life.

will be back with pics.

36 Weeks

First off here are two of my most recent LO's. The first one is using a template made by Rhonna Farrer found at http://twopeasinabucket.kaboose.com/default.asp The second is using a kit made by Amy Teets called Sun Porch and I got it at shabbyprincess.com

So, 36 weeks today....is this pregnancy EVER going to end? I have to say I am pretty grumpy these days. I am sore and extremly uncomfortable. I can not exagerate how uncomfortable I am. I am just not one of those women who enjoy being pregnant in the last trimester. How anyone can enjoy being this big is beyond me. I am dying to go for a walk or a ride on my stationary bike, the three of us went to the local market on Sunday and I was actually having a comfortable day and I could have walked around there all day. It just felt so good to be out and mobile. I didn;t even mind the braxton hicks that I copped every 5 steps I took LOL.

The baby's head engaged last week which has contributed to the uncomfortable and extremly heavy feeling. I am experiencing all the lovely pre-labour symptems and just have my fingers crossed this baby comes the same time it's sister did and doesn't make me wait till I am 40 weeks or over. At this stage with Poppy she was born in 2 weeks and 2 days.

Not much else happening here. Been crocheting like crazy and finally got the baby blanket finished but wont post a pic till baby is born (it is gender specific). I am obsessed with making beanies and I think I should have one for every possible head size this baby could come out with.

Poppy is doing great, she wears me out though but is very helpful when I need things picked up. She is becomming very good with her colours and can count to 11. She is also very good at comforting me when I am having a "moment" and says to me when I am crying "you ok Mum mum?" followed by "it's alright" as she pats me on the back or gives me a cuddle. I hate not being able to run around with her or rough around on the floor with her. First thing I am gonna do when this belly is gone is roll around on the floor with her and play chasey with her....then I will sit with her at her table and play playdough with her......I don't fit at her table any more.

I am sure hubby is just as over this pregnany as I am. I am sure he is sick of my moods and me not being able to do much around the house due to my pelvis. He is still a champ though and a decent cuddle with him can make everything seem soooooo much better. We just wanna meet our baby now, not long to go but it sure is going SLOOOOOOOOOOW!!!

Anyway that is it for now. Baby has hicups and it is very irritating. Time for a drink of water me thinks.

Peahen

XX

32 weeks

Cool, 8 weeks to go till my due date.....7 weeks if we go ahead with an induction at 39 weeks.

Pelvis is a little cranky this week, the shopping trolley seems to really set it off but it can't be avoided, we all have to eat. Hubby set the cot up for me this week in our room, we are having a party on Sunday and there wil be a couple of newborns there so it will be handy to have a room where we can stash them away from all the noise. I had forgotten what the cot looked like LOL, it's not like it was all that long ago Poppy was in it.

I have also got the baby's bag packed for hospital. I wanted to do it early so I would not have gender specific clothes hanging around the house, I have been busting my guts keeping our secret mainly from my parents but I bloody let it slip a few days ago anyway....I got to almost 32 weeks without telling them so it's a bit dissapointing to slip up at this stage. Nevermind, I can still keep it from some of you guys LOL. Anyway I got a kick out of packing the teeny tiny clothes, I had forgotten how small a newborn nappy is.

Baby is constantly reminding me of it's presence and I am beginning to wonder is it ever sleeps. Last night I watched my belly morph into all sorts of weird and wonderfull shapes as feet and elbows protruded out of all four corners of my belly, if hubby were home he would have freaked out but I love it.

Anyway, thankyou to all who commented on my new blog and thankyou to all the Ausrunners who checked in to the update thread to see how we are going. You can be assured there will be plenty of pictures posted when this baby is born. I hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day, I am sooo jealous of all who made it to the MDC.

XXX

I know I know.....you think I am lazy!

Wow, I admit it, as soon as blogger made it nessesary to set up a google account I kinda gave up on blogging. It was one of those "i'll do it tomorrow" kind of things that never got done. Then tonight for some reason i decided to have a look at my blog and saw 2 comments and thought.....hell, i have to do something about this LOL. Anyway I posted a comment thinking that would buy me some time but then felt bad and thought I would look into what is involved in getting this blog up and running again.......a process that took a whole 20 seconds......i am so embarrased.

Anyway as I said in my sneaky comment I was struck with the same condition i had when i was pregnant with Poppy, SPD.....I can't be stuffed explaining it, if your really interested which lets be honest you arn;t then google it. Anyway it started mildly at about 13 weeks but really kicked in at 20 weeks. From memory a bike session left me almost crippled for a week. I booked straight into a womens health physio who immediately banned me from walking, cycling and vacuming. She was shocked at the lack of stability in my pelvis and demanded I wear a belt which I tried last time and it only made it worse. To cut a long story short I got worse again at 27 weeks and eventually came up with a cunning plan with my chiro that enables me to wear a belt. I have to have regular adjustments to keep aligned to be able to wear it and have improved so much I only wear it while vacuming and doing yoga.

Yoga is freeing up any jamming in my legs which was making my pelvis worse aswell as keeping my back feeling lovely and pain free.....not many heavily preggy ladies can brag about not having back pain. It has also improved my posture which inturn makes space for the baby so I don;t get that rip pain and breathlessness most ladies get at this stage.

I won;t get into weight, it;s none of your business LOL. I'll just leave it to your imagination, what do preggy ladies usually end up looking like when the most exercise they are allowed to do is yoga.....no cardio at all. I do have a rough plan of action for when the baby is born though.....there will not be any running for at least 6 weeks untill the relaxin hormone has left my body and my pelvis stops "floating" about. Then i will need an assesment from my physio to get the go-ahead but I pan on using my bike and walking to ease back into it all. I can't wait....seriously, I have been feeling very house bound and have had some very bad times here with it. Even something as simple as grocery shopping leaves me in agony with frozen peas down my pants (icing). My dear hubby has been wonderful though and gets just as frustrated as me and is always my soothing saviour when I lose the plot and break down.

The baby is doing great....as far as we know LOL. I can tell you this much, it is big and strong. My Obs is very helpful and sympathetic towards my condition, I am in great hands there. Too bad he is on holidays when I am due LOL.

Poppy has turned two, she can be quite the little miss at times and has driven me to breaking point several times over the last few months. She has been in a "big girl bed" for a while now and impressed us with the smooth transition. She makes us very proud.....when she is not having a tanty. I dunno how she is going to go with her new sibling......she talks to it through my belly and gives my belly kisses and even pokes it violently claiming it is "hiding". She is very cute. She always finishes a baby session by pulling my top down and saying goodbye "see you soon".

Anyway, as the darling put herself to bed at 6:45 tonight I should take it as a sign and have an early one myself.....you never know what sort of night it;s gonna be. Turning over in bed can be sheer agony and I often spend the night in alot of pain.....having said that it's been really good lately so I have to cash in on being "comfortable" LOL.

I will post some pics tomorrow when I get onto the big computer, I am on the laptop now.

Crissy, are you still in blogland? Sorry I don't get onto MSN anymore.......I just can't sit still long enough to have a conversation.....Anthea that goes for you too, don't think I have been avoiding you or the other juju's on MSN. XXX

O.K I just quickly uploaded one of my latest LO's. Photo was only taken a few weeks ago on Poppy's 2nd Bday. Embellishments from shabbyprincess.com

Yes I have gone dark AGIAN. My blonde days are OVER!

Food Porn!

Just another motivational tool. Yum Yum YUMMMMMM!!!!

Still here, still exercising.

Thought I had better check in. I am still trying to exercise....I have started a new relationship with walking LOL. Once I took up running I hated walking, found it kinda boring but I have been taking Poppy out in the stroller just for a bit of variety from the bike.

I have however been having terrible sciatica troubles and lower back probs not to mention general leg pain for some reason, mainly my right leg. So yesterday I decided to bring the 3 wheeler out of retirement and go for our walk down my old running track off the concrete. Oh it was nice. We went for a quickly paced 5km walk. I wore my HRM and even had to back off a few times, funny cos I never once felt like I was puffing or I was uncomfortable but my HR was right up there LOL. I had to stop a fair few times, Poppy is not the best passenger and gets very restless, I took a sandwhich for her and plenty of her fav toys but she still got quite sooky towards the end. Lucky for me I had my trusty Ipod and just turned it up.

Anyway I had packed some cut up oranges in a cooler bag (my main craving these days) so after our walk we both sat at the lookout where I parked and dined on our nice cold and juicy oranges. Will certainly be making this a regular feature in my exerciese regime, it was much nicer than walking on the concrete paths around the estates.

I have been walking more than using the bike lately, mainly cos I just love the outdoors but when i do use the bike i am going really well and still enjoying it, except my left toes seem to always go numb.

As for my right leg and sciatica troubles, I saw my chiro today and she straight away asked what problems I have been having with my right leg as she notes my pelvis was twisted more then it ever has been. I suppose all I can do is keep having it adjusted and keep wearing my orthotics.

Baby is doing really well, kicking away as I type. My belly has popped heaps this week and I feel massive, I feel very pregnant and even feel like I am slowing. I have put on weight but not telling yas how much lol. I am trying not to but my whole body is changing, my arms are looking so flabby. My Jeans still fit but I can not do my buttons up.

Well that's it for this week. I think I am doing well but definately need to get bak to the core work, i spoke to my chiro about that today and she said I can still do planks so I will start those again. Hopefully that will help my lower back pain.

Been soooo Lazy.

First of all I would like to tank everyone for thier lovely comments on "Baby Peahen". Celeste & Anthea, thanks heps for dropping in.

Now I knew the time would come that I would have to come in here and admit how lazy I have been and I have been putting it off & putting it off.

For the last two weeks I have done Sweet FA. I am not happy with myself, I am quite ashamed hence me not coming in here and owning up. I was eating really really well but had a few days where I started craving some crap foods and treated myself but felt crap for it so I have had to get tough and motivate myself to make my fruit platters each day again.

On the scales I have not put on too much weight at all but as I just told Crissy my Bum & thighs are gonna need their own post code the way I am going.

I have been itching to get back into it the last few days but the Peahen household was struch with Gastro starting with Poppy, it was not pretty. Cleaning up after her was exhausing enough but then I copped it which just made it all too much to handle. Mr Peahen copped it aswell but he is not the complaining type and just put himself to bed insisting he didn;t need any special treatment so he was very easy to take care of. Anyway today Poppy & I are much better & Mr Peahen is at golf so after her nap I had the urge to get back on my bike LOL. Actually I had the urge to go for a run but that is another story and I opted for the bike. While I was on the bike I cranked Poppy's fav CD (The Grates) and she danced for the whole 35 mins while I peddled. I keep a diary of each bike session, how many kms I manage in the 35mins and I have to say that I was almost spot on with my last session so I don;t think I have lost too much fitness as far as the bike is concerned.

SO yes, I mentioned wanting to go for a run. The urge does get to me at times and as vain as it sounds sometimes I think the only thing stopping me is how my enlarged arse is looking in my running pants. However I have messaged Crissy and asked her if she is willing to acompany me on a jog sometime soon. Even if I have to resort to a run/walk thingy to keep my HR in the guidelines, I am just kind of itching and will admit to running around the house at times when I have some spare energy to burn.

Pelvic issues: Yep they have started already, I have been scalded for the shoes I have been wearing this summer but I am not about to stick my feet in hot runners or workboots on a stinking hot day so as I can wear my orthotics. I am on the lookout for some flip flop style shoes with added support and may end up with some birkies (Thanks Em). If I remember correctly lace ups are a no go later in pregancy anyway. SO the pelvic issues, it's not too bad yet but it's there. Even just now on the bike I was experiencing the all too familiar groin pain associated with pelvic instability but not bad enough to stop. I am hoping by now I know my limits.

Have to try to keep up the upper body work with the resistance band, have to make more of an effort in general. I was soooo unfit in my last pregnancy and I have started this one much better off but have to maintain a level of fitness to some degree so as I am able to return to running once the baby is born and so I am able to handle labour better.

As for the baby, she seems to be growing and I am feeling the little kicks now. I am just over 16weeks right now and we have our next ultrasound in 3 weeks. I am showing but am very comfortable. My sports crop top still fits WHOO HOOOOO. My back has been a little agro so I must google some core exercises right now (well right after I pee, I am busting).

So there you go, I stay away for a few weeks and come back full of dribble. Oh yeah we had my brother & his family visit in those few weeks, was great to see my nieces again and for Poppy to meet her cousins at last. They are from Townsville.

Well thats enough crap from me. Will someone give me crap if I don;t come back again for a few weeks cos it can only mean I am being lazy, please go ahead and make me feel guilty. Anthea, we chat almost daily, keep telling me to get off my fat bum!!!!!

Introducing Baby Peahen

Apparently everything is looking great. Baby Peahen is measuring spot on for my dates. At one stage she had her hands tucked behind the back of her head as if she were kicking back on an ocean cruise LOL. We got a great shot of her on 3D but I am not going to post it cos there is alot of detail and a tad freaky looking. I am going to watch the video again as soon as I am finished here. Too early to get a look between the legs LOL but I am calling her a her for now.

This week!

O.K time to start this pregnancy exercise diary. This week went as follows.

Wednesday: 30mins on bike on hiking setting. Max HR 140 & fitball workout
Thursday: 30mins on Bike, hiking setting 8.82km max HR 142
Friday: 35mins on bike, hiking setting 10.42km max HR 145 and fitball workout
Saturday: 15mins on bike before giving up and just doing fitball exercises.
Tuesday: (today) 35mins bike on hiking. 10.53km max HR 149

I dunno what happened Saturday. My legs just felt like lead and They hurt so much I couldn;t go fast enought to get my HR up so I gave it a miss and decided not to push it and did a fitball WO instead. Sun & Mon I did absolutely NO exercise AAGGGGHHHHH.

Hopefully after tomorrow I will have some good news about our baby and some pictures.

Changes to blog

I found my blog a fantastic motivational tool with my running so I have decided to use it as a motivational tool for exercising while pregnant. As great as it would be to still be running the fact is that I'm not and it doesn't look like I will be anytime soon cos I don't think I am fit enough to do so and keep my HR under the recommended level.....so I could give up completely and sit on my ever so quickly growing arse but I have decided to make a positive out of not running and concentrate on just doing any kind of general exersice I can manage.

You see I didn't do much other than the odd walk when I was pregnant with Poppy, I was always so damn tired after work and early starts that I just couldn't be bothered but then I had complications carrying her and an extremly long & difficult labour that I feel I could have handeled better if I was much fitter. So this time I am determined to maintain some sort of level of fitness and strength.

SO far I have been using my bike quite alot but have been a little relaxed for the last few weeks due to a bit of a scare with the baby's health. I was also using my resistance band but certainly not often enough.

I am planning on keeping up the bike as much as I can, I just love using it and I manage to easily keep my HR to a safe level. Infact I found out today I can go a little harder than I have been and still be safe WHOO HOOOOO. I am also aiming to do a pregnancy fitball workout that will hopefully aid in maintaining my leg strength and strenthen my abs, I had Ab separation with Pop and if this baby is as big or bigger than her I will definately get it again......damn I will prob get it no matter what but I am not gonna go down without a fight. There are so many reasons to keep up core strength while pregnant, I have to keep reminding myself that whenever I am feeling lazy.

Hopefully when the weather gets hot hubby & I will be able to take the kayaks out a couple of times and will spend some time at the beach so I can do some walking in the water, cardio & resistance all in one LOL.

I think the main thing is that I just try to keep moving and watch the crap I put in my mouth. I don't want to put on as much weight as I did last time. So far I am 1kg lighter than I was at the same stage in my last pregnancy and I must be a bit smaller cos the jeans that I couldn't wear at 6 weeks last time still fit me....not for long though I am sure....belly is popping. Still I am alot bigger than I was when I was running consistantly.

Right, so that's it. I think I really need to do this with my blog to stay motivated.

I will add that while I was on the bike today I found a blissfull rythem that reminded me of that rythem you find when running. It's never happened on the bike before. I can never decide what to do with my arms so today I pumped tham as I do when i jog, keeping my shoulders back & dropped to open up my airways. Must have look a right tool but I was in heaven. Made me really miss that feeling you get when you are running and everything is working properly and you seem to just glise smoothly along the track *sigh*.

On that note I am off. Time to serve up Poppy's dinner.

What do two lines mean?

Yes, we have a little something extra to celebrate this Xmas. We are 12 weeks today and due on July 9th. I was not going to announce it untill after our scan but I just can't wait any longer. I have been feeling pretty good except for the extreme bloody exhaustion LOL, up untill this week that is when I decided now would be a great time to add morning sickness to the mix.

A very merry Xmas to all you fellow bloggers and here's to a fantastic new year.

Now just to touch on the running, it has been non existant. I have been keeping up my fitness on the bike however untill a bit of a scare over a week ago....since I have been taking it easy but I recon I am ready to get back into the bike now.

A few factors have contributed to me losing interest in running but I wont go into them now as I am FREEZING and dying to have a hot shower then climb into bed to read my book.

Merry Xmas again everyone XXXXX

Yeah yeah....I know!

I must be the laziest person ALIVE. I will just come right out with it and say I have done NO RUNNING at all. I am in a bit of a rut and I can't even really talk about it LOL.

On a high note though I have been trying to keep up my fitness & muscle tone using that amazing exercise bike of mine. Maybe I am relying on it too much and I have become too reliant on being able to exercise in the cool of the house. I HATE running in the heat and can't for health reasons anyway so I suppose i am just taking the safe & easy way out.

So this is why I have been absent form my blog for sooo long. I can't com in here and talk about my bike session like I used to talk about my running cos they are the same all the time and you guys will find it bloody boring. O.K so I mix up the programs on it but the scenery is always the same. Therefore you wont be seeing much here for a little while. These next few weeks are just gonna be CRAZY for everyone I am sure. I might pop back in for a quick post in a few weeks but it's more than likely I won't be back in here till after New Years........Of course that is unless I get off my bum and manage a jog in which case my blog will be the first to know.

Ausrunners, I am still stalking yas on the forum.

Plenty of peddeling!

Is that even a word....Peddeling that is? Anyway still no running but I am loving my bike. I went for a small walk on Sunday then had a 40min session on the bike yesterday and again tonight. It was hot today but the beauty of the bike is I can have the fan going on me while I use it.

I am trying so hard to watch what I eat. I have been filling up on plenty of fruit and water. I sooooo wanted some chocolate pudding tonight and I just happen to have a portion in the freezer but decided to jump on the bike instead and it worked.....craving gone. I love that bike LOL.

I HATE running in the heat....I would much rather run in a cold wind and rain than the heat! As summer approaches I think the only way I am gonna get back out there is really early in the morning. Why don't I wanna run anymore? I know I love it but I just would rather lock myself in the house and use my bike than go out in public and make a fool of myself.

Crissy I think I need you to come & jog with me!

John Mayers new Album!

Don't listen to the bad reviews, I am telling yas all that John Mayers new album is a peach. I absolutely love it and listen to it several times a day. Last night I uploaded it to my Ipod so now I have some wonderful more mellow music to jog to. While I was there I removed some old stuff I don;t listen to anymore.

No jogging this week due to the wet weather and me not feeling the best, however there have been a few mothers group events and even a girls night here at my place Friday night and I have been shoveling the naughty food in and when I went to put my fav pants on yesterday they were way too tight.......un-wearable so I have to pull my head in and get back out there. Last night I did a nice 40min session on the bike, was very enjoyable till the idod went flat. I can run without music but I can't sit on a startionary bike without music. This morning Poppy & I are going to go for a nice long walk to the park maybe then to the shop. I bloody forgot to stretch after the bike last night and my legs a a tad tight and need to be stretched out. It's meant to get hot today so I would like to go soon before it gets too hot.

So that's it, this lazy fat cow has nothing much to report. Hubby has a couple of days off during the week so maybe ill be able to get out for a jog Tuesday morning. I wonder if my running gear still fits my fat arse LOL.

WOuld still like to do the SIS #3 but I think pride will stop me from entering.

Nuns Walk - 30min jog.

Well, miss Poppy has been waking us up at 5:30am on the dot for the last few mornings AGAIN.....this morning I decided I would get up at 6:30 and head out for a jog. We had plans this morning then Hubby would be off to golf so it was my only chance and I was takign it. The weather was perfect this morning.......No wind at all. I parked at my usual spot but almost missed out on a park cos there were so many boats trailers in the car park....awesome morning for fishing.

I LOVED this mornings "Jog". I managed to stay at a consistant pace for most of it and fould it a little easier to pull myself back when I started to get faster. I decided to go for 30mins today cos I was enjoying it so much. At the pace I was going I could have gone all day LOL.

A very very enjoyable jog! Left me wanting more!

A change in strategy!

As the title suggests I have had a change in strategy. Due to personal reasons I have not been running for a few weeks so again I have copped a blow to my fitness. I have been hanging to get out for a jog but I have had alot of trouble motivating myself. I had NO excuses this morning as hubby was home from his meeting early, so I got my gear on before he got home and pumped myself up.

I decided that I am going to leave the GPS at home for a while and not concentrate on distances at all anymore. I need to just get out and have fun and not worry about timing my distances. I have also decided to not go as hard anymore. So pretty much I am not just jogging. I did wear my watch this morning and decided to head out for 12mins then turn around and come back. Ordinarily my goal would be to come back much faster than I went out but this time I wanted to try to come back in the same time. I did end up coming back faster but on the way out has a fair amount on inclines so that is understandable.

I would also usually sprint at the end of my runs but have decided to stop that for a while aswell.......it was really hard for me and I can see it's a habit that will be hard to break. Slowing down in general was tricky and I had to keep pulling myself back but this is what i want to do for a while. I figure that maybe if I keep it really easy and pressure free for a while then I wont lose my motivation as often. It's worth a try anyway.

Anyway my wonderful spunk of a hubby was nice enought to take Anna & I to the Arthurs seat challenge last SUnday. It was the first time he has been to one of these events and I don't think it overly excited him but the poor bugger gave up his ritual SUnday bacon & egg breaky to be there with me......now that is LOVE! Unfortunelatey I missed Crissy crossing the line. She proib got lost amongst all the other runners who had already finished who were lining up for their goodie bag. It was a debarcle and if I were actually running I would have been really cranky at killing myself to get up that hill only to have to line up to actually cross the finishing line. Me thinks the organisation of the event could certainly be improved. Since I started running I have wanted to have a go at this event but I am not wondering if I really do want it bad enough......I don;t like hills and this is the mother of hills.

Well that is is from me for now. YOu Ausrunners can see why I have been so quiet on the forum lately.....If I don't run, I don't post.