Say what?

I'm in total denial about the fact that I am going to Paris tomorrow morning. I just can't face packing and trying to find decent outfits that will actually fit me!

I think I'll just eat a huge portion of sausage and mash and ignore the Paris trip for a few more hours...

Weekends are never quite long enough...

Friday night James cooked a delicious Thai coconut soup with lots of lemongrass, chilli, ginger and prawns.


It was just what I needed to combat my cold.


Saturday started off the best way possible, with a lovely breakfast and the sun shining in through the window. The rest of my Saturday was busy, me and Sabina went to look at a University she is considering applying to.



Sunday me and James headed out in the beautiful weather.



Me with my bump...



and James with his boot!


We rounded off the weekend in the perfect way, with a roast dinner.

Positive spin and all that....

I'm not feeling too great at the moment, I have a cold and am feeling very sorry for myself. I'm also having a crappy week at work, which isn't helping.

Now! Let's try and focus on the good things:

1. James is back tonight, after a looong trip to Ireland.

2. Darren cooked me dinner (again!). Sausages and mash.

3. Tomorrow is the 20 week scan. (Can't decide if this is a good or bad thing as I am so worried about the results.)

4. There is a baby in my belly and it's moving around right now. (Clearly this is the best thing of them all.)

Culinary delights part 2

Just had a rather spicy but very delicious stir fry cooked for me by my friend Darren. Yum.


Speaking of yum, look at this lush selection of cakes I chose from when getting dessert for me and my friend Anna, who invited me over to her house for lunch on Saturday. I chose brownie, praline and apricot macaroon.

All's well that ends well

After nearly 5 hours at Westfield, looking in countless shops, I couldn't find anything I wanted to buy. Everything seemed wrong, not what I was looking for, too expensive, frivolous.... The last shop we went in to was Foyles book shop and finally I found something! The baby bible to anyone who has used Gina Fords routines.... And to top it all off my sister got me a discount courtesy of her student ID. I'm only going shopping with her from now on!

20 weeks = half way there!

Long time no see

I'm off to see two lovely friends that I haven't seen for ages! Can't wait.

TGI Friday!

I'm leaving an empty showroom behind and heading out to meet my friend Heather at the bar where she works. I'm also leaving my heels behind as it's so nice and sunny outside I'd rather wear sandals!

A little bit of sweetness...

Continuing my Friday Feeling with a grande soya hot chocolate from Starbucks and the most delicious brioche pretzel from Ottolenghi....

Some things never change

I've got the Friday Feeling, big time... Maybe because I am going to a BAR tonight, wearing HEELS!

(I'll probably last until about 9 pm..)

Breaking news!

I've neglected to tell you that I have hit a seemingly huge milestone in my pregnancy, I can feel the baby moving! After weeks of waiting, laying still in the evening and TRYING to feel it, it finally happened a few days ago. I was watching telly when I suddenly thought to myself "that is definitely the baby". It was subtle, but totally different from anything else I had felt before. It wasn't gas. It wasn't my own pulse (once when I was "trying" to feel the baby I got all excited before realising it was my own pulse in my aorta I could feel...), It was the baby!

I put my hand on my belly, and there it was, a little kick in my palm! Even James could feel it! Since then I have felt it everyday and it is very reassuring for a worrier like myself, I know she/he is in there and is doing well.

I also had a GP appointment the other day and whilst there I mentioned that I had had some discomfort similar to period pain a few days earlier, so the doctor let me listen to the baby's heartbeat, just to ensure all was well. I could listen to that sound all day....

That is all!

What's the story morning glory?

Blueberry yoghurt with banana and cereal, yum.

Typical

I fell down this morning (yes, I'm very clumsy) on my to work and scraped my knee so bad my trousers ripped. This wouldn't be so bad if they hadn't been the only pair that fits me!! So now I have to rush to H&M after work to try and find some new trousers for work tomorrow. Very annoying when what I really want to do is go home, stuff my face and fall asleep in front of the telly.

Culinary delights

This week I got to enjoy an absolutely delicious roast chicken accompanied by vegetables grown in the garden. Note the strangely shaped carrot on the left!





Yesterday Sabina and I went to ikea to buy what James would refer to as "cheap bric a brac" .
No visit to Ikea is complete without some Swedish meatballs. Although I must say I was disappointed to see they longer serve boiled potatoes, just chips (??) or mash! Still it was delish.

So sue me!

We've just been taken out for a meal by work, to celebrate that one of the girls is going off to get married in a few days. We went to Pizza East, the new pizza place on portobello road. The food was delicious and there was a lot of it! Antipasti to start and prosciutto cotto and artichoke pizza for my main course. I've had salami, pecorino and half a glass of red wine tonight so now I will most certainly go to mum-to-be-hell. I figure everything in moderation!

another day, another drama...

Another looong day at work, went in early, at 8.30 and didn't get out until ten past seven tonight. I can't describe how busy I am at work at the moment. You know when you have five things that all need to be done immediately, everything on your to do list is urgent and should be prioritised. I did stop for 15 minutes and go down Portobello Road to run an errand, but other than that I haven't stopped all day. I work at 100% capacity, all of the time. No time for facebook, checking my private e-mails, flicking through a magazine while I have my lunch. I keep working while I quickly shovel in a plate of food. I don't walk, I run. While I finish one task I am mentally preparing and planning the next. I am even rushing when I go to the loo! Granted, I do that about twice an hour, so I guess it adds up... The irony is that I think it makes you very inefficient working in this way. My mind is always on several things. I misplace things all the time because I am too busy to be organised, and then spend ten minutes looking for them. Most importantly, I'm sure my margin of error is far greater than if I did things methodically and calmly. And errors take up valuable time to correct.

I realise I shouldn't complain as I am lucky to still be working and hope I can continue as long as possible. Having said that, I do need to be careful not to do too much. I want to be able to do everything I normally would, I carry heavy boxes when deliveries arrive and run up and down stairs carrying collections on heavy wooden hangers. It just feels silly to expect some sort of special treatment because I am pregnant. But when it comes down to it, my health and that of my baby is far more important that having a "can do" attitude.

I am trying to compensate for all this activity by taking it easy in my spare time. Even though I would like to start going swimming once during the week as well as on Saturdays, I think rest should take precedence over exercise, especially when you get so little of it. At the moment week nights only involve simple dinners, a few hours or down time and an early bed time. I am trying to stay away from anything stressful in my private life and only see a couple of friends each weekend, making sure I get lie-ins and plenty of couch-time.

another one bites the dust

The weekend has gone far to quickly, as it always seems to do. It was a lovely weekend though so I can't complain.

Yesterday, after swimming, I hung out with my sister Sabina all day. We went to Westfield where she patiently traipsed around the shops with me as I looked for something to buy that would fit me and flatter my growing tummy that doesn't quite yet look like a baby bump, more like a big lunch (or perhaps a few too many big lunches...). She helped me find some great pieces, a navy layered top and a pair of leggings from H&M which I am very happy with.

We also decided to indulge in some baby shopping. I realise it is a bit early to start buying baby things as I am only 17 weeks along. But the way I see it, it makes more sense to spread the cost over the next 5 months rather than have to fork out a huge amount of money at the same time. Also, this way I get to enjoy buying bits and pieces that catch my eye, rather than heading out with a huge list of "things to buy" when I am heavily pregnant and have a deadline to meet (the birth of the baby!). Or perhaps I am just finding reasons to rationalise going crazy in Polarn och Pyret and Baby Gap. Whatever.

I got lots of little onesies in Marks and Spencer, a 7-pack of white ones and a 5-pack of cute brightly coloured striped and spotty ones. We also went to Early Learning Centre where Sabina bought a cute little cuddly mouse rattle for the baby.

After that we headed back to mine, watched a rom-com and ate two bags of microwave popcorn. My kind of Saturday night, how sad is that. She stayed over and this morning we just hung out and ate yummy toast with honey. This afternoon I went to Stoke Newington and met a few friends for a roast and then just hung out in the pub for a few hours. Now I am on the couch in my pyjamas and intend to enjoy the remaining hours of the weekend watching tv and reading blogs, before another looooong week at work begins. Oh the joy.

Day of rest

It's a beautiful day in London, the sun is shining like a real summers day. Perhaps the last for this year? I got up at 11.45 after over 12 hours sleep, shocked at how late it was. I'm planning to go swimming at leisure centre, in an effort to do some type of exercise. This will be the second time in my 4 months of being pregnant. Could do better! I'm planning to go once a week from now on, now that I don't have the excuse of morning sickness.
Other than that I hoping to rest today as I've had such a busy week at working, doing nearly 11 hours each day. That's just bit more than I can handle right now.