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.