Getting my bake on!

Our kitchen was always a little sad and sorry looking.  When we first bought the house we said that we would definitely need to get a new kitchen.  There was so little cupboard space for storage, hardly any bench space and the oven and cook top had seen much better days.  We got by though for over two years, until the oven door basically fell off a few months ago and then we decided that we really needed to do something, and quickly before the new baby arrived.

Last week our new kitchen was installed and I love it.  It's nothing too fancy but it's a million times better than it was before and I absolutely love it.  They layout had to stay the same but everything has been updated (we just need to replace a few splash back tiles which were damaged during removal of the old kitchen).  I have cupboards to store things, brand new sexy appliances and I am feeling so inspired to cook!  I also can't wait to get Ella involved in cooking.  I think it's really important, but also lots of fun and it's something that I am really looking forward to sharing with her.

I haven't really had an opportunity to do much this week, but tonight we made home made pizza's.  Ella was a brilliant little apprentice chef and after our masterpieces came out of the oven we had a little carpet picnic.  It was basically the first time that Ella had eaten pizza and she loved it!  Archie was keen for some too - he's never far away from Ella when there's food away!

It's a long weekend this weekend so I'm looking forward to getting in there and doing some serious baking.  Our humble backyard lemon tree is brimming with fruit which the cocky's had been attacking, so we pulled them off the tree today before they stole any more and I think we'll bake a nice lemon cake or slice as well as a few other sweet treats. Yum!

36 Weeks Pregnant

I know it sounds silly but the other day I looked at a calendar and started to freak out about how close I actually am to having this baby.  Sure, I know it's not far away and we've been counting down the weeks but seeing it on paper, just a few small boxes separated now and my due date and it was a little scary.

Don't get me wrong, I can't wait for this baby boy to come into the world and make us a family of four, but at the same time, everything is going so well at the moment that I am a little nervous about the changes that we are about to experience all over again.

We went through a bit of a rough patch with Ella a few months ago.  She was just being a normal toddler and expressing herself the only way she knew how, and in all reality I responded like a toddler and got angry and frustrated and made situations worse.  There was a lot of tension in the house and very little sleep.  Since then though, we seem have fallen into a beautiful rhythm and we all seem to be on the same page.

Now that Ella is able to communicate with us and she basically understands what we are trying to get across, everything is just... easier.  She's been so well behaved and such a joy to be around.   The tantrums have gone (mostly), tears don't come as often and her sleeping has improved so much.  She's learning so much so quickly and it's just a really fun stage of her growth.  This is probably the most comfortable I have been as a parent and I feel like I'm constantly smiling now, instead of constantly sighing and feeling like I am banging my head against a brick wall trying to teach her what is appropriate and what's not.

She's become so much more aware of feelings and is so affectionate right now, always hugging and kissing and hearing her say "wuv you mama" literally brings a tear to my eye.  I love the one on one time that we get to spend with each other.  She's always tugging at my tops so that she can kiss my belly or pat the baby.  She talks and hums to him in there and he responds by rolling around and she giggles when she feels the movement on her face.

In a matter of weeks though, the dynamics of our family will change.  The calm will go out the window.  I wonder how Ella will react to having a new person in the household.  I wonder how I will to be honest! I worry that I won't be able to give her the same one on one time that she is (we are, really) loving so much right now.  It will be a big change for everyone but I look forward to finding a new beautiful rhythm.  Our family of four.

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I have been feeling physically well for this late stage in my pregnancy.  I'm not all that tired which I am surprised about, although I do lose my breath easily which is frustrating, especially when trying to keep up with Ella.

This little one is so different to Ella in utero.  With Ella I used to consciously try and count the number of kicks I felt, always worried that there wasn't enough movement in my tummy.  This time around, it's just constant and at any given point you can look at my stomach and see it rippling and contorting and quite frankly, it is quite painful, but that's my only complaint.

I had an appointment with my obstetrician yesterday and he said that everything is going really well.  Bubs is in position with head down, however his spine is against mine which is why it's limbs everywhere pushing out of my belly when he moves around.  I am still measuring slightly large so we are expecting another biggun!

My obstetrician is going on leave in a couple of weeks.  I knew this when we first visited him when we found out we were pregnant and we were aware that he may not actually be the one that delivers the baby when the time comes.  He has a great partner in the same office and I have no issue if he has to deliver my baby instead.  My obstetrician however said that because bubs is measuring quite large, he could potentially induce me early so that he could be present for the birth before he goes on leave.  I would be almost 39 weeks pregnant at that point - but he assured me that he would only do this if he thought it was completely safe to do so.  At the time I thought this seemed like a great idea but now that I've had time to mull over it I'm not so sure.  I feel funny tampering with things when really I should just let bub decide when he's ready.  We will have a big discussion at our appointment next week to discuss all the options and the pro's and con's of everything.  In reality though, I could give birth at any stage now!  Maybe he'll decide to come early anyway, unlike his sister who was ten days late.  We'll just have to wait and see and for now I'll just have to put up with pointy little elbows and a swift kick to the ribs every once in a while.

The 'M' Word

On friday night I caught up with my Mother's Group friends for dinner - a ritual that we try to keep to every 5 weeks so we can have a girls night out and not worry about crying babies or dirty nappies.  We had a lovely meal at an Italian restaurant with lots of chit chat and laughter, punctuated with one rather uncomfortable moment.  We happened to be discussing the bub's 2nd birthday party and one person suggested we go to a local indoor toddler play area where they actually cater for the children and do all the decorations etc.  All we have to do is turn up basically which sounds good to me!  Particularly when I will be due to pop at any moment!

A couple of mum's questioned what sort of food would be served and we came to the conclusion that it would probably be your typical party food for children - nuggets, pies, hot dogs and the like.  Some were more concerned about this than others.  Some were of the opinion that it was ok to eat that kind of food because it's not something they eat all the time, others were dead set against it because they felt that food like that was just not going to pass their toddlers lips.  I can understand both points of view, but I was of the opinion that it's a party, a one off sort of thing, so I wasn't all that concerned if Ella had a day of eating 'party' food instead of what she usually eats which is good healthy food that I prepare myself.

One of the mum's then coyly brought up the touchy subject.  She was reluctant to say what she wanted to at first but then said "It's disgusting but, oh, it's ok, I can say it in front of everyone here because I know that nobody here would do this".  She eventually came out and said that a mother she knew fed her two year old child McDonalds.  Most of the ladies at the table had a look of horror on their faces, some looked down and didn't want to say anything, I, on the other hand, along with one other mum, smiled crookedly and looked around the table and confessed that our children had in fact eaten McDonalds.  Needless to say, the mum who brought it up was completely embarrassed and apologised profusely for offending us (which she hadn't).  Ella had actually eaten it for lunch!  The other mum had fed it to her kids for dinner before she went out that very night!

The table was essentially silent but I went on to stand up for myself and my decision that I had no problem with Ella eating McDonalds every now and then.  It's certainly not something that I feed her on a regular basis but there are times that it's an easy option if we're out and about and I know that she will eat it. I certainly don't feel like a bad mother because she's eaten it a handful of times knowing that every other day she is eating better food than I probably do myself!

Eventually the conversation ended and we all moved on to lighter subjects.  I'm lucky that I have a group of open minded friends and we all respect each other's opinions as it wasn't uncomfortable at all from that point.

I couldn't wait to go home and tell Tim about it and we both had a chuckle and joked about how were were "bad parents".  The one thing that I took away from the situation was the way that I confidently stood behind my choice and wasn't afraid to voice my opinion.  Had it been  a few months after Ella was born and it would have been a very different story.  At that time I was not confident at all, I probably would have put my head down, not said a word and then tried to fight back tears of guilt!  And I would have felt that guilt for weeks.  I was so unsure of myself then and had no conviction in the decisions that I made, always second guessing myself.  As my journey into motherhood has continued I have become more and more confident each day.  I by no means know everything about parenting and I'm still learning things each day from my little pocket rocket, but I am proud of the strength that I have gained over that time and am thankful that I have been able to change so much in the almost two years since I've had Ella.  I am careful not to judge other's choices since becoming a parent because at the end of the day, all we ever want is the best for our child and we make our decisions based on this.  What is right for me, may not be right for you, and that's ok.

It was Mother's Day yesterday.  The photo above was taken whilst we ate lunch at Manly, right before a bird pooped all over my back!

I was treated to a sleep in, pancakes for breakfast, a beautiful card made by Ella with Tim's help and some lovely gifts to help with my gardening.  I also received my Small Prints pendant which was taken on my birthday and was ready just in time for me to wear on Mother's Day.  I am so thankful for Ella, Tim and this little boy growing inside my belly.

Becoming a mother drastically changes your opinion of your own mama, or in my case it has at least.  I know how hard the job is now and appreciate it so much more.  My mama is such a special person and I am so lucky to have such a wonderful role model to help guide me through this journey.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mama's out there!

Archie

Poor Archie doesn't get nearly as much attention as he used to before Ella.  Thankfully these two get on like a house on fire now though so he has a great play mate.  Arch is such a good dog with kids.  Although we are still careful with Ella being around him in case he snaps, she can pretty much do anything to him without causing any issues, including using him as a step to get up onto the couch.

Now that she is talking a lot more she even talks to her furry friend.  I often hear her saying "Look at the plane Archie" while they are playing outside or "Look at my sickers [stickers] Archie" when she's colouring in her sticker book.

You deserve a big bone mate!

Slow Roasted Greek Lamb

My house smells like heaven right now.  Of lingering caramelised meat, garlic and rosemary.  I tried out the slow cooker I got for my birthday for the first time today.  It was the perfect day for it, it was cold outside and somehow the smell of the food just made the house seem cosier.  I haven't had a roast in I don't know how long since our oven door has been broken for months and months so this was going to be a real treat.

It was so simple to cook and tasted delicious.  Plus we have so many leftovers we will be able to savour it for another few nights too.

Greek Lamb Roast

2kg leg of lamb
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
3 sprigs rosemary cut into 1cm lengths
1 lemon, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup white wine
2 tablespoons cornflour

1:  using a small sharp knife, make incisions all over lamb.  Insert a slice of garlic and a piece of rosemary into each incision.  Rub lamb with lemon and season with salt and pepper.

2:  brown the lamb on all sides and add lemon to pan.  Place lid on slow cooker and cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours.  Remove lamb from pan; cover to keep warm

3:  strain juices in pan through a sieve.  Discard any solids and return strained liquid to pan.  Stir through combined wine and cornflour.  Using the browning mode set to sear, stir until mixture boils and thickens.

4:  serve sliced lamb, with gravy and vegetables

This recipe is a keeper!  The meat was the most tender I have ever tasted.

Did she really just say that?

The other night I was watching Ella in the bath.  She was happily playing with her bath toys and rambling to herself like she usually does when all of a sudden I heard her say:

Knock, knock
Who's there?
Ella
Ella who?
Ella Race

Really?  I think I shook my head in disbelief wondering if I had actually heard what I thought I did.  She's been talking a lot more lately but usually a 3 or 4 word sentence is the extent of it which I am pretty impressed with anyway, but this?  Surely not.  That's a lot for a little girl to remember!

I called my mum straight after we finished the bath and asked if she had taught her this and sure enough, she had.  We're so lucky that when mum looks after her when I'm at work she is so committed to teaching Ella new things.  From the moment she walks in the door, to the minute she leaves, she is fully committed to Ella and in a very conscious way.  Her attention is undivided as they sing, read, play pretend games and just generally interact.  I had a very different experience with my Nanna when I was younger and I am so grateful that Ella has such a wonderful role model and she's been able to develop such a strong bond with her Nanny.  I hope she always remembers what a special woman she really is.

Every time I think of her in the bath saying that phrase, sounding just like Elmur Fudd with her L's and R's sounded as W's, I just can't stop smiling.  This little lady is growing up so quickly.

Thirty one weeks

I know that in a few months time I will be kicking myself that I didn't document as much as I would have liked or take enough photo's during my pregnancy, but I can't really be bothered to get all dressed up and pose for pictures, and I can tell by the way that Tim rolls his eyes at me that he's not really that keen on setting the camera up to take photo's of me every week so a dodgy Instagram self portrait will have to do for now.

I had an appointment with my obstetrician this week and everything is going along really well.  I am measuring slightly large for this period of gestation so I am likely to have another rather big baby.  I was overdue by ten days when I had Ella and my obstetrician said that this time if I had to go over the due date, he won't let me go that far to save a few hundred grams - thanks for that!

This baby boy loves to rock and roll!  I can't remember Ella moving around as much as he does.  I'm not just feeling kicks here and there, it feels like most of the day and night he is doing round house kicks in there!  Typical boy.

I am feeling well, although I am getting tired and have quite a sore back, but this is most likely because Ella always seems to want me to pick her up lately.  She definitely knows now that something is going on.  When she comes into bed with us in the morning she cheerfully says 'morning' to Tim and I and then says 'morning baby', pulls my pyjamas up and gives my belly a kiss.  It's just beautiful.  I can't wait to see her reaction when the baby actually arrives.

The countdown is well and truly on now...only 9 weeks to go.  Eek!  I can't wait for that newborn smell again, soft pink skin and gangly little legs.  Part of me just wants to keep him safe and tucked away inside my belly, but I am also really yearning to hold this little man close to my chest.