maoko: Balloons

I'm back.

I’ve really missed blogging and interacting with you all, but I needed some time away to clear my head and just focus on being healthy, calm and happy. I do apologise for just shutting it down without as much as even an explanation.

I decided that now was the perfect time to come back to the blogging world, and it is the perfect time to share with you all my happiest news yet –

I am currently 16 weeks pregnant!

I know, who would have thought?!

Honestly, I feel like all of the kind emails that I received after my post detailing my frustration whilst on Clomid really helped me relax and see the brighter side of life. I cannot tell you all how much I appreciate those emails, tweets and messages that I received. To receive such lovely comforting words from strangers is a strange yet amazing thing.

I stopped blogging because my hormones got the best of me and I was finding myself feeling sad and stressed out by comments I was receiving, and things that were happening in real life which related directly to this blog. Now that my hormones are in check, well - kind of, and I am going to be moderating all comments from now on, which seems rather painful, I am hoping to stay on track.

I didn't close the blog in order to keep my pregnancy a secret, I would have loved to have told you all straight away - as any of my loyal readers know, I am a pretty open book.
I am sure that a number of you clued on via tweets and pictures I would post on instagram anyway.

Finding out that I was pregnant was a surreal feeling to say the least.

On Friday 6 July, I was aware that my period was 2 days late but didn't think much of it to be honest. Women have always told me “When you are pregnant, you will know” but apart from my period being late, I had no other signs. I cannot tell you how many months I had thought that I had symptoms, only to get my period in a few days and feel that slap in the face of disappointment.

I went to my local chemist to stock up on some necessities in preparation for when it arrived and picked up a Clear Blue Digital pregnancy test whilst I was at it, even though I knew I had about 30 at home. What can I say? I am a hoarder.

Once I got home, I peed on the stick and then walked away from the bathroom. After you get so many negatives, you don't hang around waiting for the result to show because you know it will be negative anyway.

I got changed and then about 5 minutes later remembered the test so went back to the bathroom and nearly fell over when the display read 'Pregnant, 2-3 weeks’. Surely not, I must have left the stick for too long.

I waited ten minutes, drinking as much water as I could despite my bladder feeling full from excitement and used another test from another brand – low and behold it said Pregnant too.

After running around the apartment, which is no easy feat considering how small it is, and screaming to myself, I tried to ring The Husband before remembering that he was at his End of Financial Year party. I messaged him and asked him what time he would be home and that I would be waiting up for him. He replied that he would be late, and not to wait up.

I rushed down to the news agency at Melbourne Central and pretty much purchased all of the glitter pens, card stock and poster paper that they had in stock and made this big poster. In my excitement of making it, I didn’t write ‘Boy OR girl’, I just wrote ‘Boy Girl’ haha.

The Husband came home hours later and woke me up to see what was going on, I told him to look behind the couch and come back to me. He came back holding the poster with a look of disbelief on his face. We were so excited. I don’t think excited is even the right word actually.

He asked me if I already knew the gender as my 'Boy Girl' had confused him. My bad.

Needless to say, excitement was radiating through our apartment that night, and it hasn’t stopped since.

The next day we trotted off to the doctors where I peed on yet another stick and the doctor stood at the sink examining it for 20 minutes before The Husband blurted out “WELL?! Is she or isn’t she?!”, it was then that the doctor admitted he had left his glasses at home and could not read the result. There were definitely two lines on the test but I had a blood test that day also and our amazing news was confirmed.
It was very early, only 4 weeks and 2 days, but definitely pregnant!

Of course, I wanted to tell everyone immediately but we waited for roughly 13 weeks to tell majority of people, bar best friends and family.

I had no intentions of ever announcing it on Facebook as I was trying to have dinner with all of my close friends and tell them in person, but that got expensive and time consuming very quickly - I randomly decided to one day and I definitely do not regret it – a simple “The Husband and I are looking forward to welcoming our first child into the world in early March 2013” did the trick. The love that we received was fantastic!

The Husband definitely wants me to mention this, but it goes without saying that I have not touched a drop of alcohol since falling pregnant and that all the photos of cocktails and champagnes on Instagram, blog posts etc have actually been mocktails or somebody else’s drinks. I was so careful about what I ate in Bali, hence the thousand toasted sandwiches and pizzas, ha.

I haven’t really craved anything odd, but I did crave Hommus in the early weeks and then cheese on toast and hot fries for the remainder. The smell of meat and coffee is enough to make me sick.

I am due March 11, which just happens to be Labour Day – what a cruel joke that is. I take comfort knowing that people rarely give birth on their due date though!

We are not going to find out the gender of our baby, but I am driving my self insane over this decision.

I stare at the scan photos wondering if that is a little doodle or hooha that I can see!

I had these photos taken by Brooke from For The Love Photography and thought it would be a nice little memory to have, before I get too big. I am pretty sure that I will get big as I popped out at 7.5 weeks - mortifying!!

Plus, better to have some cute photos for this post rather than my standard dirty mirror shot.

I'm not sure what was so funny, perhaps the security at Luna Park not liking us being there with out gigantor balloons.

It's good to be back and to be able to share my news with you is even better!

Yesterday we celebrated the first birthday of Henry (but his real birthday is today!) with a birthday extravaganza thrown by Liz and Dave, and to perfection might I add.

On Saturday I headed out to Airport West and picked up 2 giant balloons from UltimateBalloons and then had to drive all the way to Liz in the left lane, sticking my head out the window ever time I wanted to turn and was sweating like a dog because I was so scared that if I put the air con on, the balloons would burst.

It was enough of a struggle to get two of them in my backseat, if they had of burst on the way I would have been devastated.

Little did I know that Liz had the same bright idea as me, and had already picked up 2 of the giant balloons! Oh well, you can never have too many balloons.

The party had a white and yellow color theme so I thought I may as well match, plus I practically live in this jacket anyway.

There was no shortage of sugar, let me tell you that much.

I know that I have blogged about my dislike for paper straws and wooden cutlery before, but it looks so adorable that I will give it a pass.

These were full of apple juice and water.

Gender suitable lolly bags for the kids, and you can see mine (and The Husbands) handwork as we tied on the names, I figured that the kids would not notice the sloppy bows – they would be too interested in what was actually in the bags.

As The Husband and I approached the front door we saw Thomas through the window with his hair sporting an uncontrollable static spike from the balloon. We were practically falling over ourselves with laughter as he didn’t even realize. Too cute.

When he rubbed the balloon on The Husbands head he said “You’ll pop it” – he obviously didn’t trust the spiky hair hahaha.