big FAT 3-0! (weeks pregnant people... not years old!)

Christmas saw another milestone... 30 weeks down, only 10 (ish) to go. I have no idea where this little bub is going to fit over the next couple of months.... isn't the belly big enough? YIKES!

Xmas Xcitement.

Of course it wouldn't be Christmas without a cute nephew and silly hat. Jackson works it for the camera.

'tis the season...

Now before you all get on the phones and call child services I'm entitled to the disclaimer that not a drop of alcohol has touched my lips, But who can resist having a bit of a laugh at the work Christmas Shindig? I was probably one of the only people to walk out of there remembering anything.

pretty

It's that bright happy, sunshiny, time of the year. The sun gets up earlier, and goes to bed later, the weather is warmer, and generally people are happier.

Now if only people would quit getting in my way in the shopping centres and get off the road during all this pre christmas madness.

Little em ain't so 'little' anymore

28 weeks

That's right... where there was once abs (albeit a fair while ago now) there's now one big protruding belly. It's even getting a little tough to bend over, something I'm constantly reminded of in my job. I go to lean down to get something from the camera bag, and BUMP, there's the belly in the way.

Only about 12(ish) weeks to go, and we meet little 'Gert', who in fact might be 'Bert'.... and we still haven't definitively decided on a name. Plenty of time for that, right?

shopping

I could finally contain myself no longer.... I went shopping for some clothes for Gert! And with totally cool sayings printed on the cute little tops like "I burp like daddy" how could I resist?

Bring on the Sun

It's that time of year again, where the sun is starting to show itself a little more, there's cricket on the TV, sunscreen is being brought out, and people are planning BBQ's. Not long until summer is finally upon us again. What fun!

Hands on...

Chillin' out on a lovely sunny day couldn't help ourselves but to have a bit of fun with little Gert,... well my belly at least. Aaaah, it was nice to relax in the sun.

YIKES!

I've been growin'!

Gert's getting more active these days, and I've discovered that my craving for raspberry soda tends to get Gert rather excitable. So I've gotta be careful just how often I get stuck into it.

Say bye bye to the body I once knew! I'm a vessel now!

Half way!

There's no denying it now, That belly just keeps on growing! I reckon I didn't just 'pop' over the weekend, I 'exploded'!

Gert is getting a little more active, or rather, I'm feelin' Gert a whole lot more, though thankfully I haven't been kicked in the bladder or punched in the ribs (yet).

It's hard to imagine that 20 weeks have already been, and now I'm looking at the 2nd half. Where does the time go? Christmas will be here soon!

Gert or Bert?

I had the 19 week ultrasound of baby 'Gert' today. At this stage it is possible to find out the gender of the little munchkin, but we chose to wait and see when Gert finally reveals him or herself.

The suspense is already starting to get to me... maybe we should've found out... We did get video of this ultrasound, and I could've sworn I saw boy bits, but then when I watched the video again, I wasn't so sure, it could be a girl. I guess to my untrained eye I could be looking at anything.

Aside from all of that, 'Gert' is doing well. Growing as s/he should, and giving me high fives and doing backward summersaults. All in all, Gert is healthy and happy and that's all I care really!

18 weeks...

WOWSERS! 18 weeks already.... where does the time go?

I wasn't going to worry about snapping the belly this week... but it seemed to have 'popped', and in comparison to last week it looks a little more prominant.... lord knows my pants have been telling me! (not to mention the growing 'assets'... freakin' cleavage is exploding!)

Another thing I won't be doing for a while

Yep... the thrill and fun of riding a motorbike... looks like my big preggo belly will be getting in the way of that. And then of course I doubt the 'safety' in strapping a baby seat to the back after 'Gert' arrives. Something tells me I'd be in all sorts of trouble.

Oh, and then of course there's hubby Steve not letting the "mother of his child on a death machine" despite him also having his licence. Do I hear double standards? hehehehe

17 weeks and counting!

Where does the time go? Already I'm at 17 weeks pregnant. Not long until I hat the magical half way point.

EXCITING NEWSFLASH: At 16 weeks I felt 'Gert' move for the very first time. It was like a bubble, not like anything else I'd ever felt before. My first WOW moment (apart fromt the massive WOW of discovering I was pregnant in the first place).

It all becomes so much more real. There's a living creature inside me, growing and developing. It's a lot to get your head around!

The belly is starting to protrude. I feel huge for a first time mum to be, but I've given up caring. My hospital appointment went well yesterday and everything is going along fine. It's nice to actually look pregnant, even if my wardrobe has had to be altered to accomodate for the extra bump!

Toolip Festival

Spring has arrived, and with it, flowers (and hayfever).

It's gotta be my favourite time of year, with all the colour and vibrancy.

People are happier, the weather is nicer, but not stinkin' hot, and it's still easy to sleep at night.

15 weeks preggo

I'm now officially "showing". My clothes are getting tighter, I can feel my muscles stretching, and today I was asked if I was pregnant. Quite funny really, because there was that awkward moment where the lady had gone too far to back track in-case I was just getting fat, so I stepped in and said, "Yep, I'm pregnant!" Kind of a nice feeling really.

It's all beginning to become rather real now, tangible. So many things to do, to buy, to prepare.

Reminiscing

Given that I haven't touched rock in well over 3 months, and haven't actually had a real 'climb' in what feels like forever, I was flicking through some old photos of myself.... well, the internal mag at work decided to do a little piece on me about my climbing, and I had to find photos of me climbing, very difficult considering I usually take the photos.... but I digress.

I think I'm coming to the shocking reality that my climbing days are numbered, at least for a little while, what, with bub growing inside me. And just as the weather is getting all fantastic and climb worthy, and I'm beginning to feel really non sick. I think I'll need to get out for a bit of a trip, even if I can't climb, just to be out there.

Up the Duff

The accomodation at 12 weeks

It's official, and 'safe' to spread the news. The Short Blacks are in the baking business, baking the littlest Black of all. So far, all is well. 'Gert' (as we're affectionately calling our little bun) has a good strong heart beat, all its arms, legs, fingers, toes, eyes ears and nose.... and they're all as they should be, where they should be. Naturally we're as pleased as punch.

The second trimester has just begun, and I'm beginning to feel more human again, though Gert still likes to remind me who's the boss with the odd wave of nausea.

No one ever warns you about what pregnancy is really like though, they tell you it's incredible and amazing, and warn you about morning sickness, but no one warns you about the headaches, the exhaustion, the stretching pains, the restless sleep and totally insane dreams. It's like, once you've entered the pregnancy club then everyone starts to share their 'stories' with you. "Have you had to have naps in the afternoon yet?".... Are you kidding me? I'm ready for a snooze an hour after I wake up, and don't get me started on cravings!

Truthfully, I wouldn't trade it for the world, it's an experience I'm extremely blessed to be having, but by crikey, what I'd give for a good strong black coffee and a slice of brie!

The resident at 12 weeks

Brrrrrrrrr!!!!

Again, it's been a while between posts, and if I wanted to I could blame a variety of things... but we'll just go with lazy for now.

Steve and I went for a little winter holiday, to a colder place rather than up north to escape the chilly nights. We decided that Tasmania would be a fun place to go, it's a beautiful state and the destination of our first holiday away together, so while it was rather chilly, it was still really gorgeous.

We spent the majority of our time at Freycinet Peninsula, and a night in Hobart. Given that there was a great blanket of snow up on Mt. Wellington we couldn't resist heading up there for a run around and a bit of a snow fight. It was like being a kid again.

A bit of rest and relaxation was just what we needed, (though we should've taken more time off.) Before too long the weather should start to improve and the general mood of everyone will lift with the warmth of the sun.

It's been a while...

Sure it's been a while between posts. But I've been doing all sorts of things, getting colds, and planning a holiday, and running around for birthdays, and there was even a wedding in there.

This time of year is chocka-block with birthdays in my family... (I'm next... woo hoo!) But naturally the 'grandkids' are the ones that get all the attention... who can blame them.... they're gorgeous!

Up und at zem!

It's been a while since I last posted, much because I've been hectic busy! But we managed to get away over the Queens Birthday long weekend and I even braved it and had a bit of a boulder.... it's definitely been a while.

Knock u out....

The regime has begun. Baby's got back, and she's bustin' her butt to have less of it. I'm not seeing results yet, but I must be getting somewhere, cos' I can feel it. I'm still too scared to weigh myself though.... damn twisted perceptions.

Watch this space

Had my first session at the gym today... and surprisingly enough I'm feeling it. The plan is to get all fit and slim lined! With any luck I might fit back into my 'skinny' jeans in a month or so.....

Weight: 64.5kg's ... Now you know.... Now I'm going to be accountable to it... Biggest Loser style... hehehe. (an scarily enough, according to my height and weight I am actually overweight. Nothing like a shock like that to scare you into dropping a few kilo's.

It's that time of year...

...When a glass of red at the end of the day is absolutely wonderful. To kick up the feet, with the trusty slippers on, safe inside from the chilled night air, and the dark clouds, and rain. With the heater on, and the cat curled up in her chair and some nice music to make the working day seem long gone, a glass of red to warm the insides and all is right with the world again. .........

Until you see the evening news.... but that's another post.

And so...

My head has been full of random thoughts, and ideas. The month of May is alredy upon us and I feel like I'm still wading through a million half thought out plans for the year, and still not able to get past silly things I feel I've done up until now..

One day I feel like I'm achieving something and then the next I realise there's still so much to be done.

I'm in need of a holiday, a rest from my over-active imagination.

Chirp!

feeding some gorgeous little parrots at Raymond Island.

A weekend away, complete with rain and wildlife.

Definition of me!

Been at home, sick all week. Haven't been out taking any photo's... which got me to thinking. That's pretty much how I define myself.

Emily - photographer.

S'pose there's a lot more to me, but it's so easy to pigeon hole yourself. "Hi, my name is Emily and I'm a photographer." It's never "Hi... I'm a strong woman when I need to be, but I also struggle with issues of what's expected of me and what I want to achieve... bla, bla, bla..."

To be completely honest our opinions and definitions of ourselves change with any given day. Today I'm struggling a bit with my own dreams and whether I'll be able to pull it off, whereas yesterday I was pretty good.

See what happens when you have a week to wade through all the thoughts you would otherwise have left packed away while going about your day to day. It's scary.

Sleepy

I'm so tired, and sleepy, and stuffed up to the eye balls with a cold.

I hate being sick, it really eats away at time that could be spent outside in the sunshine.

Sleep is wonderful, I think I might hybernate for winter.

Seasons turn, turn, turn..

Another season upon us, the ever changing colours and experiences of the lives we live.

Sheesh; that sounds a little profound doesn't it? Something to ponder, food for thought.

On one hand it seems as though the year has been flying by, and on the other it feels as though it's taking forever to tick over. It seems to depend on the day or the mood. I feel like it was years ago I was getting married and then it feels like just last week we were on our honeymoon, when all the while we've been living our married lives for just a touch over a year now. Before you know it we'll be clocking up fifty years and wondering where the time went.

One whole year!

The celebration

It's hard to believe it's already been a year. What a wonderful year, a year since the big wedding shindig!

And are we happy? You bet ya sweet batootie we are!

We celebrated with a weekend away at Hepburn Springs, kickin' back, enjoying the sunshine, drinking some bubbly and ales, eating scrumptious food, lazing in front of the fire place and enjoying each others' company. It was a wonderful break from the real world.

A little more celebration!

WOO HOO!

We did it!

We overcame a 38c total fire ban day (hottest March day since 1963), heat stress, vomiting, thunderstorms, rain, blisters, exhaustion, aching muscles, mud, and some more rain, to cross the finish line without losing any team members 31 hours and 52 minutes after leaving the start line.

The toughest journey is the most rewarding.

Approximately 20% of participants pulled out, 100 reports of hypothermia on Friday night/Saturday morning, and countless cases of dehydration. A team lost one member even before checkpoint one due to heat and dehydration, which shows just how horrendous the conditions were this year.

Snap!

To snap the snapper!

Sometimes you end up on the other side of the camera, but it's nice to snap back!

Nice one!

One week to go...

Here's the team all snazzy in our lovely new team t-shirts in our final group training session. Hmmmm... not long to go now. just over a week, and now the painful reality is hitting me harder and harder... What was I thinking? I must've been mad to have another go at this. Who am I kidding? Of course I'm mad... I can't say no to a challenge, I can't whimp out of a dare.
Of course the donation lines are still open... but you should know where to go by now... if not, scroll down!

This time in two weeks...

Not long to go now.

We had our final team training session today in preparation for the big slog in two weeks. At about this time (3:20pm) in exactly 2 weeks, all things going well, we should be somewhere along the Warburton Trail heading ever closer to the finish line.

I'm looking forward to the challenge, looking forward to the four of us trudging through together and crossing that finish line. I'm looking forward to the feeling of completion and team satisfaction.

I'm not looking forward to the pain, I'm not looking forward to the mental game, and I'm not looking forward to the way we might be feeling after 24 hours or more of the same faces.

I will be enjoying the final steps across that line, and the champagne that will follow (even if only for a photo).

**************************

The donation link is still following this latest update.

I wouldn't be subjecting myself to this pain for a second time if I didn't believe in the cause, and my pain, and stubborn determination is definitely reason enough to donate.

http://www2.oxfam.org.au/trailwalker/melbourne/team/58

Oh the mortality!

It's not pleasant to be thrust into a situation that wreaks of sadness, anger and fatality, but sometimes the life of a press photographer can lead to that.

Safe as I am, in my world of 'local news' there are occasions where you are thrown into someone elses nightmare and expected to come up with an image that tells the story, and shows the emotion. Today was one of those days, and I was faced with one of those occasions.

In the moment I was safely detached from the situation, thinking of how best to capture the mood and trauma. I did just that. I feel I was true to the moment, and safely held back exact identities without compromising the emotion. But later; now; I'm struggling to deal with the full impact of the situation. I didn't know the man who died, I didn't know the family, or the friends, but now, hours after the adrenalin of 'getting the image' I'm able to shed a tear and feel a loss for those that knew the man.

To me he was just a man, to his family and friends he was a mate, a son, a brother, maybe even a father.

Today I faced an element of my own mortality, and have struggled with the image. Today I loved my friends, relatives and life just a little more intently.

Here comes the sun... dadada

Another training sessoin, another war wound. And despite the 40 odd km's we travelled, the worst I sufferred was the sunburn! Sure the feet ached a bit and the legs were a tight, but it just proves you never can trust a weather man. It was meant to be drizzly and overcast with a top of 23c. It turned out sunny and fine with a top of 23c. So despite the hat, I still copped a beating from good ol' Mr. Sunshine!

Another lesson learned.

And remember, you can still donate! go to http://www2.oxfam.org.au/trailwalker/melbourne/team/58 for a donation straight to our humble little 8 legged team!

Aaaaand then?

It's been a busy couple of weeks, though I still feel like I've achieved very little. Amidst the feelings of frustration and dissatisfaction mostly with the 'nine to five' I think I may have come up with some sort of game plan. If indeed a game plan can even be made with life; let's face it, there are a lot of factors that are completely out of our control. So, I've figured out what's within my power to change, and it's about time I started actually changing them.

Umm...

Seems we guage ourselves on the success (or lack of) against our peers. It's always nice to be recognised for the ball breaking work you do, the hours you put in, and the crap you wade through in order to get something to print that resembles an accurate and well presented representation of the job at hand. But let's not hold our breath, that only leads to a blue face and a plummet to the floor to regain consiousness. More often than not all the running around, extra hours and monkeys on our back leads to one thing, dissatisfaction with the final product. Of course it does, because the final product isn't really in our hands anyway, it's the monkeys who have the final say, with little thought as to what actually makes a good front or a decent image. Another day, another hacked or completely disregarded image.

The more I dwell on the concept (and let's face it, I am becoming a little bitter and twisted) the more I realise the importance of the schmooz and the squeaky door gaining the most oil theory. Clearly the head down, bum up philosphy of working hard and creating few waves just doesn't cut it in these times.

Expect nothing and be surprised when something actually comes your way.

And what did you do Friday night?

The Twisted Sisters (team 58) training session Ferntree Gully - Mt. Evelyn.

A little over 6 hours and 25km later, at approx. 1.40am this is what a full week of work followed by a trailwalker training session looks like. Note the glazed eyes and insane giggly grins on our faces. Maybe it was the warm night air, maybe the nibblies of sugar along the way, or maybe there really was something a little extra in those staminade drinks after all, but we all moved along at quite a good pace I thought.

We looked feral, had sweat and dirt caked all over us and the feet were just starting to want to have a rest but the satisfaction of making it through our longest night session yet was well worth it.

And here's that trailwalker link for donations: http://www2.oxfam.org.au/trailwalker/melbourne/team/58

RAIN!

As I was on my afternoon walk, getting the legs prepared for this big undertaking in a few weeks, there was this wet stuff falling from the sky... at first I wasn't sure what it could be, maybe the world was imploding or something, then it occurred to me, like a clap of thunder (actually, maybe it was because of the loud clap of thunder overhead) It was raining!

Oh joy, and childhood giggles of delight! I was like a young girl thrilled by the rain after a hot day, grinning like I was up to no good and holding my hands out to feel the drops falling.

When the rain cleared and all that was left was the stifling humidity of a hot Summer day, a rainbow arched across the sky and for a few minutes I was miles away as I watched it fade away. Damn! I missed the pot of gold again!

So...

Between walking, working and struggling to deal with people that frustrate me I've been getting to thinking that a month and a half into the new year, (the year I said I'd be focussing a little more on making a positive step forward into my own ambitions and goals) I realise there are still so many steps I need to make.

Is this what self doubt looks like? Or is it the destruction of self due to the desperate need of a holiday?

These boots are made for walking.... a long way.

In a moment of madness and possible insanity I; along with three others decided to enter the Oxfam Trailwalker 100km's in 48 hour challenge.... again! (You'd think we would've learnt our lesson the first time.) Three of the four have attempted this beast before, and failed, but thanks to our stubborn little heads can't seem to let it go. This time we will succeed, we hope.

Training is well underway, and with only 6 weeks left before the big challenge, we're all starting to feel a little ill at the thought of the pain we're submitting our bodies to.

OH, and if you feel the urge to donate to our wonderful little team of mad women and feel a part of it without any of the agony feel free to visit the Oxfam website and donate to TWISTED SISTERS team #58, at http://www2.oxfam.org.au/trailwalker/melbourne/team/58 and follow the links. And they're tax deductable, so you benefit too!

and now a thought...

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too, can become great." MARK TWAIN

As I arrived at another day of drudgery and confusion I flicked the quotable desk calendar, and there it was, a statement that could very nearly be the quote for the year in the world of little em! Stay tuned, I'm sure there'll be more to come.

Climbin' like we used to

This is more proof than making a statement. A year since we last climbed at Mt. Arapiles both the spunk and I had a bash (and I do mean 'bash') at a climb. Follow Your Nose. grade 22

We both failed, though Steve was showing far better technique than me, and therefore progressed much further on it than I did. For someone who is determined to announce he's not a climber any more, he certainly made it look good.

While I was predominantly up at the rock to photograph other people, it was a bit of fun to hang around and play on the rock again, and great to hang with friends in such an incredible location.