#3028 Sunday’s Murphy drive-by

You know how often you’re looking forward to something for so long, then Murphy’s Law gets in the way right before the time comes and stuffs it right up?

Well we had a catch-up planned with my bestie and her fam, organised for weeks and weeks now…

Then Mister F needed urgent vet attention this morning. 🤦‍♀️

But it’s OK! We made it work, and still got to catch up with them, just a little later. 🙏

And happily, the catch-up was fantastic and everything I thought it would be. 🥰

So those Murphy fairies didn’t quite get us this time, it was just enough for a scare. 🤣

#2912 Emotional and physical supports

Today has been one of the hardest days by far. I thought sleep deprivation was bad (IT IS). Physical pain is a whole other level.

Three things helped me today. The facial I had pre-booked, trying to use up a voucher that very nearly expired this month. It was following a whole day of pain and discomfort, and so to lie there while someone tended to me, reminded me that the whole point of putting myself first is so important, and unfortunately the lack of it, is why I’m in this painful predicament in the first place.

New Years Resolution #1 Put myself first, to the detriment of everything else. I don’t care about all the other shit anymore!

Second. Bestie gave me some much needed advice regarding my pain, and I am hoping to God that it will help me. Having someone to lean on who has been through similar crap, can be better than any GP advice out there.

Third. My darling girl wrote me this note in the heat of my pain today:

I am so lucky to have her love and care. I am so lucky for a lot of things in my life, but I will be luckier still when I get this horrible discomfort out of my life.

But for now, these things were my saviours today. 🙏

#2711 Someone to talk to no. 2

Having someone to talk to when shit gets hard… whether it’s your partner, a friend… means the world when it feels like everything is falling apart. ❤🙏

#2695 Reflections at 15 weeks

Baby boy is 15 weeks today. ❤

My parenting approach and state of mind has changed significantly as of late, and baby boy has also improved, becoming a tad less fussy.

Or maybe it’s his temperament improving that’s led to my relaxed being. 🤔😆

Either way, I’ve been reflecting a lot on how I did things with baby girl.

She was easier, but it was still hard. Other than temperament, the other marked difference between then and now?

I wasn’t reading everything on social media and second guessing myself at every turn.

In other words, I went with the flow.

I accepted (to some extent) all the stages. I didn’t look things up constantly, I didn’t try to change things (much). I went along with pamphlets given to me by the maternal health nurses…

And I got up, changed her, fed her, got her to sleep, and repeated, with greater blocks of time extending between all three as she got older.

Age improved certain elements of this cycle over time.

I just worked it out, as I went along.

I’ve realised in the last couple of weeks that I need to apply the same mentality to this time around. I’ve become so focused on controlling the situation and steering the outcome, something I learnt on the long journey to pregnancy this second time around that it isn’t a good idea.

Trying so hard to hold onto something often means missing a lesson or an important learning.

So I’ve been remembering. Applying my old learnings to my days. Moving intuitively.

And as my bestie said to me “you’ll get through it.”

So simple, but so true.

We get by. We get it done.

We get there.

And so, but with something else now entirely, I’m still getting there. 🙏

#2560 Baby parcels

Baby parcels. It’s been a fun day 😁

The first one came in the morning. It was small and flat, and I knew it was one of the two things I ordered last week.

And so it was. The outfit I’m planning on putting on baby, one of their special ‘first,’ once they arrive. 🥰🥰😍😍

Oooh, I can’t help it, it’s so cute! I was oohing and aahing over it, and baby girl was like “come on Mum, yeah say you love it some more.” 🙄🤣

And I paused and went – “I love it!”

A sneak peek. 😉

Then, an hour or two later, there was another parcel. Baby girl informed me as I worked, that there had been something left at our door. We went to have a look… and I was immediately puzzled. The thing I’d ordered last week was small. This was in a medium rectangle shaped box. There was something that was meant to come in Hubbie’s name too, which may have needed a larger box, but this was in my name.

Intrigued.

I couldn’t wait. I ripped it open, and saw a packet of nappies. 🥰😁🤣

I knew immediately it was one of my besties who had gifted me this, before I even read the note that came with it. And so it was, she was giving me a pack of the ones she used on her little one when he was born.

Ahh, nappies! It’s already beginning! I need to have myself an arrangement of nappies, creams and wipes before baby comes, so I can start experimenting and seeing what works for baby (and me) and so I don’t have to worry about running around when baby is here.

It’s so exciting! I flit between being petrified, to excited, to anxious, to happy, to petrified again, to freaking excited!

AHHH! 😁🤣🙏🤰

#2537 The long overdue catch-up

I feel the above title is a bit redundant… aren’t all catch-ups long overdue nowadays? What with covid scares, general sickness because summer is posing as winter, and all manner of crap keeping us on edge, anxious and away from loved ones?

🤦‍♀️🤣

But it happened anyway. We caught up with bestie, her hubbie and gorgeous son, and it was the best night. I sometimes get sad after nights like this, because it would be great to live closer to each other… then I remember how insanely busy we all are, and we’d still probably catch up the same amount of times as we do now. 🤷‍♀️

I think my highlights of the night were connecting over music, as we get highly passionate about that (and what a beautiful thing to connect over, don’t you think?) and seeing bestie’s little boy wave goodnight to us as he went off to bed! OMG! That was the most unexpected and beautiful thing, I loved it.

Totally made my night. In fact, the night, made my night. 🥰😍😁💖

#2515 KK ’22

After a truly crazy week, I had something great to look forward to tonight.

KK with my bestest girly pals.

I took this photo before I left. I literally was wrapping and writing cards up until I left this afternoon, and had been organising presents from as recent as yesterday.

It’s been a mad week. Sick, no car, working, and appointments, all on top of each other fighting for my attention, while me with my baby brain went from room to room, feeling lost, needing a constant reminder of things, 55 tabs open in my head and wondering why it is I walked into that room?

But it was all good. It all led to something sweet in the end. 💖 We had a beautiful night, enjoyed a yummy meal, exchanged presents, and it’s true what one of my friends said, it’s never enough time when we are together. 🥰

Just as well one of the gifts tonight was a calendar where we can pencil in monthly catch-ups together… now that’s a great idea! 😁😁🎄🧑‍🎄

#2300 The different faces of Easter

It was a different but really beautiful Orthodox Easter.

Different in that we went to a few extra places…

Beautiful in that we saw a few extra people!

Apart from the usual family-based Easter at Hubbie’s side of the family, we had a birthday party in the late morning that had me in the company of people I don’t usually see on Easter… my closest friends. The kids were shrieking and playing arcade/ticketed games, and just to be around my friends on such a day, felt so special.

We punctuated our Easter lunch with a park visit down the road, where both Hubbie and I swung around with baby girl on this 360 new-age see saw until we felt dizzy. 💫 But the sun was shining and the sky was so blue, we couldn’t stay indoors all day.

And then I got to see my bestie in a drive-by (sounds so sinister!) in the late afternoon, and get a glimpse of her precious baby boy. 😍

Honestly, I was in so many different places and across so many different people, it felt like the longest day, but also a really rewarding and beautiful one.

And whether or not you spend days like this with family, or with friends, I think the thing to consider is “is it with someone I love?” and if the answer is yes, you are WINNING.

🥰🥰

#2112 Sweet cheeks

Awww. We met a beautiful baby boy tonight. 😍

He is precious, and so perfect. We all thought so, and all felt the love and sheer adoration as we had turns holding him.

Awww. I feel that is all I can say. So glad to meet you little man. 💖

And as I whispered to him “we are going to get very well acquainted, ok?”

😁😁

It was bestie’s newborn, and it was just beautiful being out and about with friends. It’s something I am still paying gratitude to, and which I’m still not able to wrap my head around… freedom.

But gee, it feels good!

#2096 Your grass is greener

My gratitude today is a bit of a weird one, because it comes by way of comparison…

You know the saying, “the grass is greener on the other side?”

Well, what if you looked over the fence and found that the grass was brown… brittle… maybe even non-existent?

I’ve had many jobs now where I’ve had access to media of all sorts. Much of it has been entertainment and fictional. But some of it in the past has been based on fact and quite difficult to take in. And now as I work in the education sector, you can imagine how much more realistic and factual things have become.

As such, I was across some content today that was discussing serious disease and infection in the body. I watched, I listened… and I grew depressed.

Whenever I see something like this, I’m reminded of me and bestie in year 12 biology, studying hard and musing that there are A LOT of things that can go wrong in your body or kill you. Sobering thoughts, which is why I DID NOT follow on with that theme in my further study.

But it’s very true, and very sobering. In jobs like this, I am reminded gently time and time again that things can very easily go wrong, and in seeing that I realise how freaking lucky I am.

Hubbie came home and I was like “you know what? If you’re having a half-good day and your health is in not bad shape, well count your lucky stars and shut up. Be grateful.”

Which is what it always comes back to, right? Being grateful. 🙏

Be grateful for the beautiful life you have. Even with your problems, someone wishes they were you right now.

Someone wishes they were on your grass.

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