I am amazed that nearly every person I have spoken to about being pregnant has asked me whether Adam and I know what we are having. We know that we are having a baby, but we do not know whether it is a boy or girl.
We made the decision fairly early not to find out, although I gave Adam the option so that he could take more time to get used to it, but he said that if he found out that I would be able to tell what it is just by his reaction. Adam is hoping for a girl, so that when it gets old enough to go to public toilets and give the birds and bees talk, that I will have to do it! He seems to think that it is a boy though, seeing that most people in our direct families seem have a boy first.
A lot of people have opinions on what we are having, from doing tricks with wedding rings, to whether I am carrying in front or to to back or side, to whether my skin is oily or dry or whether I have gotten more hairy since falling pregnant. Some people are a bit frustrated that we haven't found out, or they think that we know and just don't want to tell them. They want to buy a gift for the baby before it is born, but don't know what colour to buy. I laugh when I see how frustrated they get, because we want it to be a surprise for everyone.
I've known people that have found out what they are having a long time before the baby is born, and give the baby a name and almost a 'personality' long before the baby makes its debut. I don't want to celebrate this child's life prematurely, and have made the decision not to have a baby shower so that that everyone can celebrate with us even more when we meet the baby for the first time. For now I am just enjoying being pregnant and feeling this life growing within me.
For those of you who are a little impatient, you don't have to wait long now. The baby is due to make its grand entrance in less than three weeks now.
Monday, 14 July 2008
Sunday, 22 June 2008
Six weeks and counting...
Wow, time sure goes quickly. I can hardly believe that there are only around six weeks to go until Adam and I become proud parents, and that so much time has passed since I last updated my blog!
I’ve been in my contract job for five months already, and am in the process of passing on all of my tasks to others in the team. I’ve been offered a role there when I am ready to return to work yet, but I’m not sure what I’ll be doing yet. The plan is for me to take off three or four months after the baby is born, but we still need to work out if I will go back part-time or full-time and all of the other finer details.
I’ve been in my contract job for five months already, and am in the process of passing on all of my tasks to others in the team. I’ve been offered a role there when I am ready to return to work yet, but I’m not sure what I’ll be doing yet. The plan is for me to take off three or four months after the baby is born, but we still need to work out if I will go back part-time or full-time and all of the other finer details.
For those who I don’t get to see all the time, you are probably wondering how the pregnancy has been going. Well, I can honestly say that I have been blessed with a good pregnancy experience. I am really glad about, because if I'd had a really bad time of it I know there would be absolutely no chance at all of convincing that sweet husband of mine to go back for a second time (Hi Adam!) as it is Adam doesn’t like the idea of having more than one child.
What has made the pregnancy so good? Well, I have not had any weird or wonderful food cravings, and there is not really any food that makes me ill. I enjoy all the food that I have been eating and make sure I get a real variety. Basically, if it has been a while since I have had something I might say to Adam “I really feel like…..”, but given that I don’t repeatedly ask for the same food, I wouldn’t call that a craving. I’ve been eating a lot more, but mostly healthy snacks like fruit, nuts and cheese sticks. Aside from sore hips which has diminished since the doctor gave me tips on how best to position myself at night, I’ve been as active as ever, but I try not to run for the train now (Tracey – it’s not running that you see me do – it’s just walking fast!). I sleep well at night and have managed to avoid heartburn and reflux that hits some people. That’s not to say that I might not have some of that to deal with in the coming weeks.
What has made the pregnancy so good? Well, I have not had any weird or wonderful food cravings, and there is not really any food that makes me ill. I enjoy all the food that I have been eating and make sure I get a real variety. Basically, if it has been a while since I have had something I might say to Adam “I really feel like…..”, but given that I don’t repeatedly ask for the same food, I wouldn’t call that a craving. I’ve been eating a lot more, but mostly healthy snacks like fruit, nuts and cheese sticks. Aside from sore hips which has diminished since the doctor gave me tips on how best to position myself at night, I’ve been as active as ever, but I try not to run for the train now (Tracey – it’s not running that you see me do – it’s just walking fast!). I sleep well at night and have managed to avoid heartburn and reflux that hits some people. That’s not to say that I might not have some of that to deal with in the coming weeks.
The last time I went for a baby check-up the doctor didn’t know what to say to me. “You’re so healthy. Not that I want to wish you otherwise, but there’s not much more that I can tell you”. That was nice. Since then I have come down with a cold, which I’ve been fighting for more than a week. I admit that it’s been a real challenge not being able to relieve any of the symptoms with nasal decongestants or things to stop me coughing, but I am slowly getting better day-by-day.
I feel that Adam and I have gotten a lot closer during the past six months in particular, mainly due to the fact that we talk a lot more. We might see how parents are relating to their kids and then later on talk about what approach we felt did or didn’t work. Basically, we are learning heaps about each other’s values. The baby seems to hiccup a lot, and I’m sure Adam is getting annoyed with the number of times I grab his hand and whack it on my belly telling him that he has just “got to feel this…”. I think even he is surprised at how violently the baby moves at times.
My favourite time of day is at night when I have just hopped into bed and have rubbed moisturizer into my belly. The baby usually starts to kick a little more and I love poking it and prodding it and making it react to my touch. By the time I turn onto my side to sleep it seems to stretch out and kick me for a few more minutes before settling down again, but it doesn’t keep me awake. I think that I wake it when I turn over, but it usually goes back to sleep pretty quickly.
I only have eight work days left, and I am looking forward to having a break where I don’t have work constantly in the back of my mind, as I have done every other time that I’ve taken annual leave. By then, I’ll have only about four weeks to go, and will hopefully have more time to keep you updated on our progress.
Until next time.
I feel that Adam and I have gotten a lot closer during the past six months in particular, mainly due to the fact that we talk a lot more. We might see how parents are relating to their kids and then later on talk about what approach we felt did or didn’t work. Basically, we are learning heaps about each other’s values. The baby seems to hiccup a lot, and I’m sure Adam is getting annoyed with the number of times I grab his hand and whack it on my belly telling him that he has just “got to feel this…”. I think even he is surprised at how violently the baby moves at times.
My favourite time of day is at night when I have just hopped into bed and have rubbed moisturizer into my belly. The baby usually starts to kick a little more and I love poking it and prodding it and making it react to my touch. By the time I turn onto my side to sleep it seems to stretch out and kick me for a few more minutes before settling down again, but it doesn’t keep me awake. I think that I wake it when I turn over, but it usually goes back to sleep pretty quickly.
I only have eight work days left, and I am looking forward to having a break where I don’t have work constantly in the back of my mind, as I have done every other time that I’ve taken annual leave. By then, I’ll have only about four weeks to go, and will hopefully have more time to keep you updated on our progress.
Until next time.
Sunday, 17 February 2008
A new start
As mentioned in my last entry, I have a new job. I am now working as a Senior Corporate Accountant with the Over Fifty Group, located just one block from where I worked at Treasury Group (TRG).
I made the decision to leave TRG in October last year. I had been hesitant to leave whilst trying to fall pregnant, because I thought that it would not make a very good impression on a new employer if I was to start a new job then have to ask for maternity leave if I fell pregnant straight away. I made the decision after a friend of a friend pointed out that even if I was to start a new job and fall pregnant straight away, that the new company would be so happy to have me working for them that they would definitely grant me maternity leave, because good accountants are pretty hard to come by at the moment.
I didn’t resign from work straight away because I was waiting to find out the outcome of some things that had been going on there, and I didn’t realize how stressed out I had been until after I got back to work after our holiday in late November. It was within two weeks of that initial decision that I actually fell pregnant, but I didn’t find that out until mid-December.
After Christmas I was feeling stressed again as soon as I returned to work. Now that I knew I was pregnant, and that stress wouldn’t be good for the baby, I finally started my search for a job, rather than just talking about it as I had done for so long. I decided not to tell my boss or other senior colleagues that I am pregnant, as I didn’t want to be stereotyped like “oh, so THAT’s the real reason you are leaving”. And it’s true, it wasn’t just that fact.
If everything goes well, I am planning to return to work when the baby is around three or four month’s old. My ideal job will be a full time role as a combined Financial Controller and Company Secretary, and over the past two years I have not done a lot of accounting work. As a stepping stone to that ideal job, I have decided to work in a full time accounting role, a contract role that we take me up until the end of June, so that I will be better placed for my idea role after having the baby. As a result, I told my boss and other colleagues that I was leaving for career reasons, but I also know that deep down my boss knew that I was also leaving because I simply could not work with one particular colleague any longer, an issue that I had raised with him a number of times over the past two years. I will call my old boss in a month or so to let him know my news, but he is still upset about the fact that I did what my contract said and only gave two weeks notice, when they wanted me stay longer after handing in my resignation.
One of my close colleagues has moved to Sydney with her husband and is still working with TRG. Initially, the boss gave the Financial Controller in Melbourne permission to hire two new accountants, but after the other two colleagues also resigned within a week of my resignation, the Melbourne office will now be closed, and the accounting function moved permanently to Sydney.
I will miss working with Su-Ann, Susan and Sherly, as we had a lot of good times working together at TRG and they have become close friends of mine. I just wish that I could’ve done more to help them out with some of the issues that they were facing there. We’ve all learnt a lot from our time at TRG, and I’m hoping that maybe one day we’ll have the opportunity to work together again.
I made the decision to leave TRG in October last year. I had been hesitant to leave whilst trying to fall pregnant, because I thought that it would not make a very good impression on a new employer if I was to start a new job then have to ask for maternity leave if I fell pregnant straight away. I made the decision after a friend of a friend pointed out that even if I was to start a new job and fall pregnant straight away, that the new company would be so happy to have me working for them that they would definitely grant me maternity leave, because good accountants are pretty hard to come by at the moment.
I didn’t resign from work straight away because I was waiting to find out the outcome of some things that had been going on there, and I didn’t realize how stressed out I had been until after I got back to work after our holiday in late November. It was within two weeks of that initial decision that I actually fell pregnant, but I didn’t find that out until mid-December.
After Christmas I was feeling stressed again as soon as I returned to work. Now that I knew I was pregnant, and that stress wouldn’t be good for the baby, I finally started my search for a job, rather than just talking about it as I had done for so long. I decided not to tell my boss or other senior colleagues that I am pregnant, as I didn’t want to be stereotyped like “oh, so THAT’s the real reason you are leaving”. And it’s true, it wasn’t just that fact.
If everything goes well, I am planning to return to work when the baby is around three or four month’s old. My ideal job will be a full time role as a combined Financial Controller and Company Secretary, and over the past two years I have not done a lot of accounting work. As a stepping stone to that ideal job, I have decided to work in a full time accounting role, a contract role that we take me up until the end of June, so that I will be better placed for my idea role after having the baby. As a result, I told my boss and other colleagues that I was leaving for career reasons, but I also know that deep down my boss knew that I was also leaving because I simply could not work with one particular colleague any longer, an issue that I had raised with him a number of times over the past two years. I will call my old boss in a month or so to let him know my news, but he is still upset about the fact that I did what my contract said and only gave two weeks notice, when they wanted me stay longer after handing in my resignation.
One of my close colleagues has moved to Sydney with her husband and is still working with TRG. Initially, the boss gave the Financial Controller in Melbourne permission to hire two new accountants, but after the other two colleagues also resigned within a week of my resignation, the Melbourne office will now be closed, and the accounting function moved permanently to Sydney.
I will miss working with Su-Ann, Susan and Sherly, as we had a lot of good times working together at TRG and they have become close friends of mine. I just wish that I could’ve done more to help them out with some of the issues that they were facing there. We’ve all learnt a lot from our time at TRG, and I’m hoping that maybe one day we’ll have the opportunity to work together again.
Big news on my 30th
I turned 30 in late January, and celebrated with my family and friends on the night of Saturday 26 January, which was Australia Day. For those of you who were too far away to celebrate with us, here is part of the little speech that I made after cutting the cake:
Leah: “I’ve always said that 2008 is going to be a big year. In the first part of the year we have my birthday, our friend Amanda will be having a baby, our niece Liana will be baptized, and Adam’s sister Sarah will be getting married. There’s not a lot happening in the second half of the year, but my sister-in-law Beccy will also be celebrating her 30th. As for Adam and I….”
Family & friends: (squeals of anticipated excitement)
Leah: “……. well, we've both just gotten new jobs”
Family & friends: (sighs of disappointment that the news they are after did not come)
Leah: “….. and in the second half of the year, God has decided that we are going to be parents!”
Family & friends: (screams, applaud and lots of tears).
So there you have it. I am now sixteen weeks pregnant with our first child, and have started to develop a nice ‘pot belly’, or ‘bubble belly’ as someone called it today. I have been fortunate not to have experienced severe morning sickness, and have only had a mild afternoon queasiness which is beginning to subside.
We got to hear the heartbeat for the first time on Thursday, and because Adam and I agreed not to spend money on Valentine’s Day cards or gifts (I don’t like the commercialism of the day), he bought be a small flower arrangement in a heart-shaped box and wished me a ‘Happy Heartbeat Day’. So sweet!
It took nearly eighteen months and countless prayers to begin the start of our dream, and I am glad to say that we didn’t have to take the advice of one dear friend that we should be trying to fall pregnant whilst I was standing on my head (just like in that movie), although I was tempted to try almost anything at one point!
Leah: “I’ve always said that 2008 is going to be a big year. In the first part of the year we have my birthday, our friend Amanda will be having a baby, our niece Liana will be baptized, and Adam’s sister Sarah will be getting married. There’s not a lot happening in the second half of the year, but my sister-in-law Beccy will also be celebrating her 30th. As for Adam and I….”
Family & friends: (squeals of anticipated excitement)
Leah: “……. well, we've both just gotten new jobs”
Family & friends: (sighs of disappointment that the news they are after did not come)
Leah: “….. and in the second half of the year, God has decided that we are going to be parents!”
Family & friends: (screams, applaud and lots of tears).
So there you have it. I am now sixteen weeks pregnant with our first child, and have started to develop a nice ‘pot belly’, or ‘bubble belly’ as someone called it today. I have been fortunate not to have experienced severe morning sickness, and have only had a mild afternoon queasiness which is beginning to subside.
We got to hear the heartbeat for the first time on Thursday, and because Adam and I agreed not to spend money on Valentine’s Day cards or gifts (I don’t like the commercialism of the day), he bought be a small flower arrangement in a heart-shaped box and wished me a ‘Happy Heartbeat Day’. So sweet!
It took nearly eighteen months and countless prayers to begin the start of our dream, and I am glad to say that we didn’t have to take the advice of one dear friend that we should be trying to fall pregnant whilst I was standing on my head (just like in that movie), although I was tempted to try almost anything at one point!
Monday, 24 December 2007
2007 in review
Well, another year of challenges, sadness and joy has nearly gone, and I’d like to share some of the highlights with you.
I was fortunate enough to volunteer at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Melbourne in March and saw a number of famous swimmers as they prepared for their races. There is such a fun atmosphere amongst the volunteers at events like that, and if there is another big event like that in Victoria in the future, I will most likely volunteer for it!
We have celebrated two engagements this year, that of Adam’s sister Sarah, and my ‘cousin’ Amanda (we grew up across the road from Amanda’s family and they are practically our family now).
My family is well, and we celebrated the birth of another niece – my brother Jamie’s wife Beccy gave birth to Liana Caitlyn on 4 October, a little sister for Lachie, who is now four years old and will be starting school in 2008. My other nephew and niece, Jordon and Kiera (eleven and eight years old respectively) are growing up very fast, and I can hardly believe that Jordon starts secondary school in the New Year.
We celebrated the life of Adam’s dear Uncle Jeff, who sadly passed away in October. Adam’s father is having ongoing treatment for his cancer, and we continue to pray for his health.
Not having any formal study to keep me busy this year, my passion for pipe band drumming resurfaced after a two year break, and I joined the drum corps of the University of Ballarat Highland Pipe Band. One of the highlights was playing in the street march at the Daylesford Highland Gathering earlier this month, where our band won the event in our grade, and I got to march in my first ever massed band, an event where nearly all the bands march and play together. I have watched many a massed band since I was little, but to be part of the band was such an awesome experience.
Work continues to be challenging, and I have made the decision to look for a different job in 2008. I thoroughly enjoy the work that I do, but there are some things that I have tried unsuccessfully to change, and rather than continue to let it get me down I have made the decision to move on. Part of the reason is that my boss works in Sydney and I only get to see him face-to-face about once a month, which isn’t enough. I want to learn as much as I can, but am finding that hard without a mentor around to observe.
All-in-all there have been a number of things to celebrate in 2007, including significant birthdays and reunions, and I know that 2008 will also bring its fair share of joys and challenges.
I’d like to wish all of my friends and family a very special time as we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, and I wish you all the best for a safe and happy New Year.
I was fortunate enough to volunteer at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Melbourne in March and saw a number of famous swimmers as they prepared for their races. There is such a fun atmosphere amongst the volunteers at events like that, and if there is another big event like that in Victoria in the future, I will most likely volunteer for it!
We have celebrated two engagements this year, that of Adam’s sister Sarah, and my ‘cousin’ Amanda (we grew up across the road from Amanda’s family and they are practically our family now).
My family is well, and we celebrated the birth of another niece – my brother Jamie’s wife Beccy gave birth to Liana Caitlyn on 4 October, a little sister for Lachie, who is now four years old and will be starting school in 2008. My other nephew and niece, Jordon and Kiera (eleven and eight years old respectively) are growing up very fast, and I can hardly believe that Jordon starts secondary school in the New Year.
We celebrated the life of Adam’s dear Uncle Jeff, who sadly passed away in October. Adam’s father is having ongoing treatment for his cancer, and we continue to pray for his health.
Not having any formal study to keep me busy this year, my passion for pipe band drumming resurfaced after a two year break, and I joined the drum corps of the University of Ballarat Highland Pipe Band. One of the highlights was playing in the street march at the Daylesford Highland Gathering earlier this month, where our band won the event in our grade, and I got to march in my first ever massed band, an event where nearly all the bands march and play together. I have watched many a massed band since I was little, but to be part of the band was such an awesome experience.
Work continues to be challenging, and I have made the decision to look for a different job in 2008. I thoroughly enjoy the work that I do, but there are some things that I have tried unsuccessfully to change, and rather than continue to let it get me down I have made the decision to move on. Part of the reason is that my boss works in Sydney and I only get to see him face-to-face about once a month, which isn’t enough. I want to learn as much as I can, but am finding that hard without a mentor around to observe.
All-in-all there have been a number of things to celebrate in 2007, including significant birthdays and reunions, and I know that 2008 will also bring its fair share of joys and challenges.
I’d like to wish all of my friends and family a very special time as we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, and I wish you all the best for a safe and happy New Year.
Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Farewell to a gentle man
Sadly, Adam’s dear Uncle Jeff lost his battle with cancer on the 19th October. I went with Adam and his family to see him a week before he passed, and I am glad that we were able to spend that time with him.
The funeral service was very special, and from the time that Uncle Jeff’s friend Thrace got out his guitar to sing one of their favourite songs – “Always look on the bright side of life” – to his dear wife Ale having the courage to speak about her loving husband, I don’t think there was one person there with a dry eye. It was a full house, with standing room only, and as Ale said, Jeff would have been stoked to see so many people there!
Jeff Booth 1959 - 2007
The funeral service was very special, and from the time that Uncle Jeff’s friend Thrace got out his guitar to sing one of their favourite songs – “Always look on the bright side of life” – to his dear wife Ale having the courage to speak about her loving husband, I don’t think there was one person there with a dry eye. It was a full house, with standing room only, and as Ale said, Jeff would have been stoked to see so many people there!
Jeff Booth 1959 - 2007
Sunday, 2 September 2007
You mean I have to march?
I used to play the side drum in the Clans of the West Pipe Band, but put it aside when I started studying again. After my course ended, I was asked to join the band again, but decided against it because there wasn’t always someone there to teach me, and I find it hard having to learn stuff like that by myself.
In the middle of the year, I joined the drum corps of the University of Ballarat Pipe Band, which has a reputation of having one of the best drum corps around. I’ve been practicing a lot, and can finally say that I have passed the Year 6 girl, and am striving to be as good as the Year 8 guy and the other Leah who has been playing for 7+ years, but I think we’re still a fair way off the senior players.
My first ‘play-out’ with the band was at their Scotia ball last night. The drum corps did a special drum salute that included back-sticking (hitting the drum with the back of the stick), and then we played whilst the rest of the band marched in. All was going well until I noticed that most of the band was marching on the spot. It was then that I realised that I was going to have to march out of the ball room with the band.
Now, I know that it sounds crazy, but for some reason I wasn’t expecting it. In all the weeks of practice that I did with the band, we never once practiced marching, and I had not even given it a thought. However, there is not one pipe band around that doesn’t march, so that fact that I hadn’t even considered it was pretty stupid. Anyway, after the first initial panic-ky thoughts I started marching along, and marched right out of that place with the rest of the band, just like I had been expecting it all along. The band was none the wiser.
BTW, I had a fantastic night at the ball, which included a tonne of country dancing where they teach you all the steps as you go. I also know why I never did my deb – I can’t dance for peanuts!
In the middle of the year, I joined the drum corps of the University of Ballarat Pipe Band, which has a reputation of having one of the best drum corps around. I’ve been practicing a lot, and can finally say that I have passed the Year 6 girl, and am striving to be as good as the Year 8 guy and the other Leah who has been playing for 7+ years, but I think we’re still a fair way off the senior players.
My first ‘play-out’ with the band was at their Scotia ball last night. The drum corps did a special drum salute that included back-sticking (hitting the drum with the back of the stick), and then we played whilst the rest of the band marched in. All was going well until I noticed that most of the band was marching on the spot. It was then that I realised that I was going to have to march out of the ball room with the band.
Now, I know that it sounds crazy, but for some reason I wasn’t expecting it. In all the weeks of practice that I did with the band, we never once practiced marching, and I had not even given it a thought. However, there is not one pipe band around that doesn’t march, so that fact that I hadn’t even considered it was pretty stupid. Anyway, after the first initial panic-ky thoughts I started marching along, and marched right out of that place with the rest of the band, just like I had been expecting it all along. The band was none the wiser.
BTW, I had a fantastic night at the ball, which included a tonne of country dancing where they teach you all the steps as you go. I also know why I never did my deb – I can’t dance for peanuts!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
