Cooking and walking.
Last night's dinner was a semi-disaster. We had lemon crumbed chicken, which is delicious and easy when my Mum makes it. But I had trouble with the frying part. The outside was looking burnt, while the inside had only just cooked. I lamented my burnt chicken for a while.
Then I was turning the chicken over, using a spatula instead of tongs. Apparently, that was a bad idea. The oil splattered everywhere, including my right arm. I have six tiny burn marks, and two slightly larger burn marks which have formed blisters. It didn't hurt at the time, so I waved away my husband as he was trying to help me by putting ice on my arm. To no avail, by the way. He's a persistent helper. But that was good, because it really hurt afterwards, and probably would have hurt even more if he hadn't done anything.
But, surprisingly, the chicken was delicious. Maybe it's one of those dishes you just can't mess up, no matter how hard you try. Hence the semi-disaster classification.
Sometimes people annoy me. When I'm walking somewhere, no-one moves out of my way. 95% of the time, I have to move for them. People who are able-bodied, not elderly, and not almost 8 months pregnant. I've tested the theory by continuing to walk the same path until the person is almost on top of me, then moving out of their way. Seriously, I think people would much rather bump into me than veer slightly to either side. It's like a game of chicken. What is up with that? Some day soon, I'm just going to keep walking. That'll show 'em. Or even better, wait until I've had the baby, and have to push a stroller everywhere. Oh yeah! I'll have the power then!
Closer.
Yesterday I went to en Executive Assistants' Luncheon. It was just basically about getting to know other people who do the same kind of work I do, and getting free food. But you wouldn't believe it - I talked to people. Yes, me. I find it so much easier to talk to strangers now that I'm pregnant. I guess because I actually have something to talk about, something that most women either have gone through, or will go through sometime in their lives. So I can relate to people. And hey, everyone loves babies.
I'm getting closer and closer! There's only 3 weeks and 3 days until work finishes. And there's only 5 weeks and 5 days until the baby's due! It's almost getting scary. Almost. I think that when I get to 37 weeks, I may start getting nervous. 37 weeks is considered full-term, you know. So really, the baby could arrive any day after the 18th of December. Eeeek.
I'm tired, as usual. Yay. Walking anywhere has become a chore for me. I walked to the post office this morning, and it felt like my legs were made of lead. I was walking and walking, but felt as if I was stuck in one place. My husband picked me up for lunch, and we had Subway. We ate in the car, and I almost fell asleep on his shoulder.
Ummmm, that'll do.
To she-who-must-not-be-named (aka Voldemort).
Please stop trying to pull me into your life!
I wish.
I wish she hadn't dragged me into this. It's so clearly none of my business. I would have been quite happy not to know, and continue in my naivety. All this trying to distinguish fact from fiction is not beneficial for me. I never asked for this.
Oh, good.
Praise the Lord. It doesn't seem like it's true. Well, I asked the other person who would have been involved, who I trust way more than the person who told me, and he said it's not true (at least not that he knows of, i.e. he wasn't involved). But, I wouldn't have thought any less of the people involved if it did happen. Just wanted to get the facts. It is a relief, though.
Dear God.
Dear God,
There are a lot of things I don't know about some people in my life, I realise that now. But this?
Please help me to process the information, and discern the truth from the lies.
Love Alyssa
Flying.
So, our original plan was to drive to my brother-in-law's wedding in March, with a 2-month old baby, on a trip that takes about 24 hours non-stop. We'd obviously have stopped HEAPS along the way, so it might have taken about three days.
But yesterday, we got a ridiculously good deal on plane tickets! It's going to be about $350 all up, which is what we would have spent on petrol and accommodation on the way there, anyway. And my husband doesn't have to take all that time off work, which he probably wouldn't have been paid for. I've read that flying with a baby that young is actually EASY, because all they do is eat, sleep and poop. We can so handle that. I was mostly worried about the baby crying and disrupting the other passengers, but come on. Even if he/she does cry, it's only a two-hour trip. The other passengers can learn to adjust. Or listen to their radio headset thingies. But I'm sure our little one will be fine.
This is going to be really cool! God rocks.
Oh, another reason God rocks, is that the work issue is being sorted out! It should be completely resolved by the end of the day! And to make it even better, my boss has gone to a meeting for the rest of the day! So when he comes back tomorrow, it will be DONE! Excitement.
My baby is totally moving around HEAPS. Man alive. My belly is wobbling around like crazy. I love it! The baby's a squirmer!
Assorted.
According to this article on Blogging Baby, a Danish study cites 'drinking eight or more cups of coffee daily while pregnant as greatly increasing the risk for spontaneous abortion and stillbirth.' Also, 'women who drank four to seven cups daily had a 33 percent increased risk of fetal death.'
Do some people actually drink more than eight cups of coffee per day??? Wow. Even four cups sounds ludicrous. If I had the money (and wasn't pregnant), I'd probably have one Vanilla Latte every two or three days. But I couldn't handle more than that. On the odd occasion where I've upgraded to a large, I can hardly eat anything for the rest of the day, and feel extremely jumpy (like my body is running at high speeds, but my brain is still almost asleep). I don't even want to think about what eight cups would do to me! Do you develop an immunity to the effects of caffeine, over time?
I just fell down the stairs, and landed on my knees. Ouch. My right knee is all grazed. Lucky we have a first aid kit in our office. It still hurts, but it's been cleaned, padded and taped. I have a feeling I'm going to have quite a few bruises, though.
Drinking too much water makes me feel sick.
Only 4 weeks and 2 days until I finish work. Oh, how I love saying that. It makes me so happy.
Aaaaargh! Dramas at work. Well, soon-to-be dramas. Like, it will be a major drama when my boss asks how a certain task is going. It's an 'urgent' task, and through unforseen circumstances (the bank's fault), there has been a huge setback. And I just know that when I tell my boss about it, he will be angry at ME. Yep. Like, I could have done more. I could have noticed the mistake earlier. Blah blah blah. Whatever. In four weeks, I am SO out of here. I'm not officially resigning until after the baby's born, and we make sure everything will work money-wise, but even if we do need extra money, I don't want to come back here. Anywhere but here will be fine with me. Being a 22 year old woman in an office of three middle-aged men is not fun. They have all these huge expectations of me. I don't get paid enough (and could never get paid enough) to change my entire personality to fit what they want me to become.
Coffee.
I had a Gloria Jeans' Very Vanilla Latte last Friday (naughtily, because of the too much caffeine thing). It was SOOOOOO good. I'd forgotten how delicious they are. Wow. On my way home from the hospital after having the baby, I am going to go to the shops near my work, and have a Vanilla Latte, and some sushi from the best sushi place EVER. I don't even know what the place is called, but man alive. The sushi is so very yummy. Goodness gracious. Baby, come out now! I want sushi! Just kidding... kind of. Now I can't stop thinking about the sushi and the coffee. Darn it! Cravings are mean.
Onto another topic. People stare at pregnant women. At first, I was thinking "Oh yeah! You're just staring because I'm one hot mama! You know it!" and flaunting my pregnant-ness. Then, I started to think "What are you looking at??? Are you JUDGING me? Look, wedding rings! I'm married, I can have babies when I want! I'm 22 for goodness sake!" More recently, it's been "Ummm, do I have boogers? Do I have something on my face? Ooooooh... *hyperventilate*"
Sushi and coffee! I need some. PLEASE?!?
Awesome camp.
We went to Youth camp on the weekend. It was fabulous. :o)
Being 32 weeks pregnant made it a bit uncomfortable at times, but nothing I couldn't handle. This weekend, the baby must have had a growth spurt, because my belly was feeling very heavy. But surprisingly, when I was jumping around on Sunday night, I felt completely normal. It scared me a bit, as I felt as light as a feather. But then the baby was kicking throughout the entire service, so I wasn't worried.
Anyway, camp. By far, this was the best camp-ground I've ever stayed at. We didn't have any chores. The food was delicious. There was lots of chocolate milk. They had something different for each morning tea/ afternoon tea, not just the same thing every time. The cabins were wonderful. We had ensuites, and comfortable mattresses. Some of the girls stayed in the cabins at the bottom of the hill, which were more like resorts. They had kitchens, ensuites, a TV area, and the leader got her own room with a double bed. :o) Crazy. Oh, and they had a table tennis table, which pleased my husband immensely.
I stayed in a cabin with my husband (just the two of us for most of the time). It was strange to begin with, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. I would have missed him way too much, otherwise. And he looked after me. I love that man.
Peter Blase was our guest speaker for the weekend. He rocked. So many people were fully touched by God. He has an anointing to bring the anointing, if you know what I mean. :o) He was great. God was great. Everything was great. My brother was smashed by God. Yay!
Anyway, that's all my camp news. Even though I got more sleep than I have any other year (must have been the familiarity of having my husband there), I am still really tired. But we don't have any plans for tonight, so guess what we'll be doing!? Ahhh, sleep is good. And guess what I did in the car at lunch-time today? :o) We'd even left the pillows and blankets in the car from the weekend, so it was a very comfortable little nap.
And I am feeling much, much better than my last post. Thanks so much to the people who commented! You guys rock. I feel loved. :o)
Meanwhile, how embarrassing! I was in the bathroom after going to the toilet, and I pulled my shirt up above my belly so I could fix the top of my skirt. Yep, someone walked in and saw my bare belly. Someone who I know on a first-name basis, and say hello to every time I see her (but obviously don't know well enough to show her my belly). Oh well. I'm only at work for another 6 weeks! Yippee!
Today sucks.
I'm just so sick of everything and everyone. Oh well, I'll get over it.
Belly button update.
My belly button is so close to becoming an outie! It's very exciting. But then, when I 'empty my bladder', it goes back in a little bit. But still, it's almost there! A couple of weeks, and I should be an official outie! This is seriously one of the joys of pregnancy. That, and seeing your belly wobble around like it's inhabited by aliens. Not that I know what an alien-inhabited belly looks like, but come on. I'm pregnant. I'm allowed to make stupid comparisons. The baby made me do it!
Camp this weekend.
We have Youth Camp this weekend. To tell you the truth, I'm worried.
I'm worried that somehow I'll fall over onto my stomach and hurt the baby.
I'm worried that my brother and sister won't enjoy it, and won't respond.
I'm worried that people won't be careful around me, and I'll be continually afraid for the baby's safety.
I'm worried that someone will play a prank on me.
I'm worried that someone will play a prank on my husband, my brother or my sister (or they'll be hurt in some way).
I'm worried that I'll cry.
Boredom.
Man, I am so bored. One of the main things I am NOT going to miss about work, is my lunch hour. Sometimes I have no idea what to do, and become bored out of my brain. I surf the 'net, call my husband, eat my lunch... and still have half an hour left. There are not many things I dislike more than being bored. Ask my husband, he'll tell you. I get bored so easily. I must have a very short attention span.
Misfortune.
My step-aunty and uncle were moving down here from up in the sticks somewhere, along with their two kids (and one on the way). Instead of going directly through the moving company, they accepted an 'under-the-table' offer from one of the movers for more than a third of the price (he otherwise would have come down here with an empty truck). They'd used him three times before, and trusted him.
The night before the big move, he asked if he could borrow their car to go our with some mates. Unusual request, but they let him. He crashed the car. It was a complete write-off.
Nevertheless, he was still all set to drive the truck the next day. And he did. Straight into a power pole. The truck was a complete write-off. It was a wonder he survived.
Everything they owned, apart from some little bits and pieces, was lost. As it wasn't through the moving company, their possessions weren't insured.
OUCH. Sounds unbelievable, I know. Needless to say, they need some serious prayer. The moving dude does, too. He must be feeling horrible.
Education.
I had my glucose test on Friday. I'll find out the results at my doctor appointment this morning. I'm not worried. But, that being said, I don't know much about gestational diabetes, and how it affects your body & pregnancy. I can't imagine it being a huge drama, since I only have ten weeks to go, and have been fine so far. Oh well, I'll find out soon.
I had read alot about the glucose test process. Everyone said that the drink is sickly sweet, and tastes disgusting. Mine just tasted like flat lemonade, and was actually really nice. Maybe Australia just has the best glucose drinks. :o)
After the drink, the lady gave me a little countdown timer, and said I could do whatever for an hour, then come back and have the blood test. I went to the shopping centre and bought some groceries. I've discovered that I'm a compulsive grocery shopper. I always buy food that we use, mostly healthy, but we don't necessarily need those things. Naughty me.
Anyway, back to pathology, and the blood test. I almost fainted when they were taking my blood. The lady asked me if I was alright, and I said no. She stopped, reclined my chair so I could lay down, got her assistant to hold my legs up in the air, gave me a drink of water, and put a wet cloth on my forehead. She was so lovely. Once I was feeling better, she had to take some more blood out of the other arm, but constantly asked how I was feeling, and even offered me a cup of tea afterwards! I felt loved.
Tonight, my husband and I have parenting classes! Yay... I think. Here are the things we'll learn about -
* Labour and birth
* Pain management options in labour
* Breastfeeding
* Caring for your child
* Parenting skills
* Child safety
* And more...
* And to top it all off - a tour of the hospital!
That's exactly how it's written. Isn't it funny that the tour of the hospital is made to look like the most exciting thing on the list. All I want to know is where to go when I'm in labour. Although, it would be a funny story, getting lost in the hospital and having to give birth in the hallway! Ha ha, okay, maybe not so funny. Maybe more traumatic. :o)
Apparently, we'll have to watch a video of a lady giving birth. That's the part I'm dreading. I'm quite happy experiencing everything from the mother's point of view, and not actually seeing the baby come out. I've seen some photos, and they grossed me out enough! But I guess it will be... educational... or something.
