Always better together

Today isn’t the weekly update, I will pop that up on Wednesday instead because today is a very special day.

You see, today I have been married for two years! That’s 730 days spent with my incredible husband. And I am still so stoked every time I get to say the word husband!

We have been together for a decade this year, during that time we lived 321 kilometres apart for four years while he went to university and I started my first job.

That was many, many kilometres of driving, hours on the bus and jealously guarded weekends spent together. As well as countless texts, Whatsapps and Facebook messages sent and hours on the phone. At one point I’m sure all his varsity friends were convinced I was a figment of his imagination…

We have lived under the same roof for four years and have been on our own for another four. We bought our first house two years ago – just before we got married – and celebrated the second anniversary of that milestone last week.

In the time we have been together we have fostered many litters of kittens until we adopted our two gorgeous creatures, had one car stolen from our first flat in Joburg, and now we are expecting our first child.

When I look back on our time together I am in awe of the adventures we have had in such a short amount of time. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for the two of us and am excited for the experiences to come.

It is a truly special thing when you find someone who you look forward to being by your side when you head into your 30s, begin the journey of starting a family, and can see sitting beside you in that rocking chair on the porch at the end of a lifetime.

Looking back I am incredibly humbled by our life together so far, by our love and support of each other and the sheer contentment that I feel with him. I can’t wait to get home to him at night, I miss him when he goes away and I still get a thrill to think that he’s mine. I love him and it has gotten deeper, richer and more fulfilling with each day that passes.

To make a long story short, there is no one on earth I would rather have by my side than this man. I am ridiculously excited to see him with our daughter, I can’t wait to find out what kind of dad he will be and there is not a doubt in my mind that this little girl already has him wrapped around her finger.

I love you Babe, here’s to many, many more anniversaries in our future!

 

A week’s worth of looks using capsule wardrobe

So I thought I’d do a bit of an update on the capsule wardrobe and how its working out. I’ve been using it for about a month now and here’s what I think:

• It really does make things a lot easier when you can see everything at a glance. You don’t need to scratch, everything stays mostly neat. I’m enjoying that aspect a lot.
• I tend to have go to outfits. The way I dress is pretty simple anyway, I’m very much a ‘jeans and t-shirt’ dresser, but its nice to be able to just pull out pieces that make sense without needing to think about it too much.
• I haven’t really felt the urge to shop. This is amazing for me, because I never need an excuse to shop. But when I look at the clothes in the stores I think that’s nice, but I don’t need it. This is a mind set change that happened far quicker than I anticipated…

Here a a few looks I’ve put together so far. I found I went for the simplest options first, so now I need to start getting a bit more creative…

Cobalt blue maternity dress belted with brown leather belt, denim jacket and yellow and silver wedges

Black, grey and yellow high-low dress (Non-maternity), Ghrenda sandals, brown skinny belt (belted over belly), grey crochet cardi

Navy bengaline maternity pants, pink and cream printed sleeveless chiffon top (Maternity), navy boyfriend blazer, white sandals

Black pleated front maxi skirt, black cami for layering, red and white polka dot crop top, Ghrenda sandals, silver daisy cuff, infinity ring, small heart necklace.

Distressed boyfriend jeans (non-maternity), white and blue strip gap t shirt (non-maternity), white converse, navy blazer, silver Lovisa statement necklace.

Black leggings with ruching at the ankle, chambray maternity tunic, pink suede flats

Black Bengaline maternity pants, neutral tank for layering, pale pink sheer chiffon sleeveless shirt (non-maternity), denim jacket, neutral and silver flats

 

 

My favourite pregnancy workouts

So I have been having a very good pregnancy so far and have been exercising pretty regularly throughout.

I’m not going to lie to you that I’m some sort of super human who never misses a workout. There are days I don’t feel up to it, days I am just plain lazy and days when I am way too busy. But I have been trying my hardest to get it done at least two to three times a week and if I manage four I have a mini-celebration.

I find that I work out best when I do it in the morning. The issue with this is that getting out of bed is such a trial. I would go so far as to say down right traumatic!

This is me most mornings:

Pre-workout – “I just can’t possibly manage to get out of bed. If I get up now I will not be a functioning human at all today.”

“The cat has only come to cuddle now, I’ll wait five more minutes…”

*10^th alarm goes off* “Oh hell, how is it that late already? I have to be at work in half an hour!”

On mornings I managed to get up and work out – “I feel so good!”

“That was a great idea, why don’t I do this more often?”

“I’m going to get up early every day this week and workout!”

Then the vicious cycle starts all over again.

I find I’m most optimal if I do a few short workouts. That way if I’m feeling good I will do a few more, but if I wasn’t feeling it that day then at least I did something and can continue with my day and try squeeze something in later.

The ideal week sees me doing Yoga on Mondays, Cardio (a walk around the neighbourhood) on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Strength on Wednesdays and Fridays.

I like to follow along with a youtube video and so far my favourite one is from POPSUGARfitness. It’s the pregnancy strength routine with Andrea Orbeck. It’s fantastic and I always feel like I worked really hard in the 10 minutes when it’s done.

I also love the lower leg and upper body workouts – both by Sophia Ruiz.

Youtube is great in general for those who workout at home. You can customise the workouts by doing as few or as many as you are able and you you will find such variety both in terms of exercises and time slots. I’m particularly fond of POPSUGARfitness, BEfit, and ToneItUp

If you’re looking for a good workout give these a try:

 

Pregnancy Update: Week 24

Wow, we’re in the last week of September already! Where is this year going?

This last week both felt like it flew past and dragged on. We had our big anatomy scan to look forward to but it felt like getting there took forever!

On a whole the week was good. I have made a habit of turning the lights out at 9pm. It seems early, but going beyond that I just can’t keep my eyes open anymore and I practically pass out. If I push it too much the next day is so hard because I feel really drained. Ok body, I hear you early nights it is.

Other than that hubby and I have taken walks, watched tv and spent quality time on the couch, cuddled with the cats and just enjoyed spending time with our little family. We’re excited for when the Monkey will be here in person to play with and talk about her often.

This weekend was a rare one where we had no plans and got to spend the time catching up on errands around the house. Big news is we have finally started working on the baby room and by working on I mean that I have started clearing out the junk. Hopefully we will one day finish this room. I feel like it will never happen at the moment…

How far along? 24 weeks

Baby is the size of a: Cauliflower!

Total weight gain/measurements: I’m currently at 62kg on the nose. I’m really, really happy with this.

Maternity clothes: I am still very happy with my capsule wardrobe. It is working out so well. Seriously how have I not done this before?

Stretch marks: Nope and the doctor who did my last scan says she doesn’t think I have the skin type that will develop stretch marks. Don’t know if I believe her, but that’s pretty cool to hear.

Best moment this week: Seeing the baby’s face. What an incredible experience!

Miss anything? This has been a good week so not much is on the radar. Although with all this hot weather a big plate of sushi and glass of ice cold wine sounds heavenly…

Movement: I have a really active little girl on my hands. It’s really exciting to watch my stomach move from the outside

Food cravings: I had an intense craving for sweet and sour chicken. We had it and it was glorious

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope 🙂

Gender: Definitely a girl

Symptoms: I have been getting burning eyes lately. Not sure if it’s from not sleeping well, or something else, but it’s annoying. Also the tiredness is creeping back in…

Belly button in or out? In but shallow

Wedding rings on or off? On, but I’m only wearing one and I’ve put my engagement ring away. My fingers swell in the heat.

Happy or moody most of the time: Definitely happy

Exercise: Hubby has been walking with me and I did a strength session. So I’m writing this up as a good week.

Looking forward to:  Next week Wednesday is a public holiday in South Africa so I’m looking forward to having a midweek day off. I’m pretty sure we’ll work on the baby’s room.

 

September Doctor’s Appointment: The Anatomy Scan

Yesterday was a pretty awesome day for me. It’s weird how having something awesome to look forward to puts you in a good mood, but that’s the way it panned out.

I got up early, spent a bit of extra time in bed cuddling with my cats before getting ready and heading to work. All with the anticipation of going to the doctor that afternoon and seeing the baby.

I love doctor’s appointments. They’re really reassuring and a great way to know that you’re on track, milestones are definitely being reached and that all is well. I have said it before, but one of the hardest things for me is trusting that everything is ok with the baby. I want to see her and know for sure that we’re all good. So getting to see the baby once a month is definitely a highlight for me.

This particular scan we went back to the fetal development specialists – the same practice we went to for our 12 week scan. This is supposed to be done around the 20 weeks mark to check structural development, make sure that everything is on track, that blood flow and organ development is good; all that fun stuff. Also if you haven’t been able to before, this is where you confirm sex.

The session started with counselling about what we were going to do, what we were looking for etc. then into the scanning room we went.

The first thing we did was measure things like bone length (thigh, shin, radius and ulna and humorous), check for fingers and toes, and just generally make sure that her growth was within the expected range, which it is. She’s getting really big! It’s amazing.

Then we started looking at the brain, heart, kidneys, stomach, liver, bladder, eyes; we checked for cleft palate, umbilical inclusion, spinal development and a whole bunch of stuff that I can’t remember right now. The good news is that everything is perfectly normal and she is doing great.

It’s a bit odd for me, because I latched onto the “everything looks really good” sentiment and a few random facts, but other things just kind of passed over me. For instance I know she weighs 628 grams, her leg bones are almost six centimetres long and she has four fingers and a thumb on each hand. Also we definitely, definitely have a little girl on our hands. I have heard stories about people who get told its one sex, but when the baby is born: Surprise! It’s not what you were told it was. So I keep asking to double check. Weird, but true.

We got the most adorable 3D photo of her face which I am obsessed with! I swear the world stopped turning when I saw that face. She’s so cute. I know I’m biased because I’m her mother, but seriously we have made one adorable baby. She has her dad’s nose and my chin. It’s love. I cannot wait for the 4D scan now!

I’m ridiculously happy right now and can’t stop looking at my photo. Sorry this post was so wordy. I try to keep them short, but I have so much to say!

Pregnancy skin care

I haven’t spoken much about skincare on here but it’s been on my mind a lot.

Mostly because throughout my first trimester I was dealing with some severe hormonal acne, which has thankfully cleared up. Now my skin is looking quite good on the whole with just the occasional blemish making an appearance. And these are largely due to lifestyle (cheating on the diet, not getting enough sleep etc).

That said my skin care has changed a bit and I have picked up a few tricks that has helped me to maintain that pregnancy glow I’m really enjoying right now. If you’re interested I’ll list them below for you:

The first thing I did was cut out use of salicylic acid. This is a big no-no during pregnancy (as are most acne treatments like Benzoyl Peroxide and Accutane), which really is a bit of a bummer when you’re breaking out on a daily basis.

I found the best way to deal with the breakouts was to keep my skin clean, treat it gently and wait the blemishes out. Not easy to do let me tell you!

I found using witch hazel as a toner went a long way to helping my skin look and feel better. It’s a natural anti-inflammatory and went a long way towards reducing redness and swelling. I would also dab it directly to particularly bad blemishes.

Another thing that really helped the condition of my skin is regular exfoliation. During the first trimester I relied mostly on mechanical exfoliators (the type with the fine little beads in it). This is not my favourite kind, but I was wary of chemical exfoliators during that delicate period. I really like Nivea’s Daily Essential scrub with B12.

When I moved into the second trimester I phased my peels back in (these are exfoliators that use acids such as fruit enzymes and lactic or glycolic acid.) I use these twice a week and my skin is reacting really well to it. The types I am using are gentle and use fruit enzymes. I really like the Freeman’s Pineapple Mask. Exfoliation is the most vital step in skin care in my opinion and there are plenty of good masks out there so shop around and consult your doctor.

In terms of my everyday skin care I have paired it down to be incredibly simple with more natural products. I have tried to steer clear of harsh products or those that contain sulfates, parabens or phthlalates. I currently use The Beauty Factory’s Daily Ritual range and my routines look like this:

AM

Quick cleanse with Bioderma, apply eye cream, apply hydrating serum (using Yves Rocher Hydrating Serum), apply moisturiser with SPF (using the Beauty Factory Multi-Vitamin Day Cream)

PM

First cleanse with an oil cleanser (using the Body Shop’s Chammomile Oil Cleanser), second cleanse with cream cleanser (using The Beauty Factory’s Cream Cleanser), apply eye cream, apply hydrating serum, apply moisturiser (using the Beauty Factory’s Intensive Night Cream)

I also like to apply a nutritious mask once a week and this I rotate depending on what mood I’m in on the night.

Wow reading back on this it looks like a lot! But it’s really not. My routine literally takes me five minutes in the morning and 10 in the evening.

Daily side notes:

Hubby and I were watching the Monkey moving from the outside last night. We’re starting to distinguish between kicks and rolls. Rolls look so cool!

I managed to drag myself out of bed for a workout this morning. I hate having to get up, but my whole day feels so much more productive. I have to make more of an effort to do it more often.

It feels like South Africa skipped spring and jumped right into summer. We’ve been 30 degrees and about all week. It’s amazing! Last night I heard bullfrogs for the first time this season. I’m ridiculously excited.

 

Pregnancy Update: Week 23

Well, here we are in week 23. I feel like time is just flying by now. It’s a little crazy for me. My third trimester is getting closer and closer!

This week was a good one. I was very busy at work and that left me a little tired and listless in the evenings, but being productive makes me feel good mentally – so I didn’t mind too much.

I read about four books in the last week. I’ve been bitten by the bug and I figure that I need to get the reading done now before the baby comes as I feel reading time will be very thin on the ground.

Even though the week was busy it felt very same old, same old. We had a great weekend though. The weather has been brilliantly hot and I took advantage of that and the fact that I seem to be incapable of sleeping past 7am these days to go for a long walk on Saturday. It was awesome. The neighbourhood was really quiet, the birds are all out, the flowers are putting on a brilliant show. It also felt so good to feel the sun on my arms and legs.

After I got home and managed to drag Hubby out of bed we went out for a nice lunch, did some shopping for friends birthday presents (August/September is a really busy birthday month for us).

We then went to Pretoria to see said friends and have a pizza evening. It was great, lots of catching up and laughter and playing with babies and general awesomeness. We’ve all been really busy lately and haven’t had as much get-together time as usual, so there was a lot of talking!

Then Sunday we chilled. I read and napped and cuddled with my cat – who is incredibly clingy at the moment and has turned into my little shadow. He follows me around all the time. It’s very sweet.

And that’s it really. We have our Anatomy scan this week and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s on Thursday so I will probably had a really wordy post and some new photos of the Monkey on Friday.

How far along? 23 weeks

Baby is the size of a: One site says cantaloupe and the other says large mango….

Total weight gain/measurements: I forgot to measure this week, but we are definitely bigger.

Maternity clothes: I’m still wearing a mix of items and am finding this so much easier to do in the warm weather than it was in the cold.

Stretch marks: Nope, none that I can see.

Best moment this week: The Pizza evening with friends and feeling the Monkey wiggling about even more. She’s started playing games with us now and Hubby and I spent a good hour on Sunday morning playing “In-the-womb-hide-and-seek” It was a lot of fun.

Miss anything? Right now I would give anything for a complete night of sleep.

Movement: I’m starting to identify body parts now. Last night while lying in the couch I’m determined she was sticking her bum out at us. Well, it was that or her head…

Food cravings: Ahh the sweet craving is back! Ice cream, puddings, gummy sweets. I want it all. And for some reason Milk, I have really been enjoying my milk – which is weird, because I don’t like milk…

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope 🙂

Gender: A girl!

Symptoms: Lots of movement, general tiredness, stuffy nose, mild swelling and back pain at the end of the day, occasional hot flushes which lead to feeling lightheaded. In other words the usual.

Belly button in or out? In, but getting really shallow.

Wedding rings on or off? On for now

Happy or moody most of the time: I’m very happy right now

Exercise: I wasn’t great on the exercise front, but I did get in some strength and then the aforementioned epic walk. This week Hubby’s walking with me. So I will get more.

Looking forward to: Going to the doctor and seeing the baby

Fashion Friday: Creating my Maternity Capsule Wardobe

While scratching through my wardrobe desperately searching for something to wear the other day I had a mini-meltdown (pregnancy hormones, whatcha gonna do?) and decided that something had to be done.

I have always been a fan of simple, mix and match style that is easy to wear and makes me feel good. But somewhere over the years I have fallen off the bus. My wardrobe is overstuffed with clothes I never wear and items that get shoved to the back and don’t see the light of day. I hang onto stuff way longer than I need to and I’m really not getting the best out of my clothes. Plus my shopping habit has gotten way out of control.

The while browsing through blogs I stumbled upon un-fancy.com. It was a revelation; such simple elegance, so many useful tips – I couldn’t get enough. Caroline is a firm believer in the minimalist capsule wardrobe. Her basic concept is that you plan a wardrobe that you love, shop seasonally and wear everything. I love the idea.

So off I rushed home and promptly began going through all my clothes. And I was ruthless. I printed the wardrobe planner out, I filled it in and I really thought hard about what I wanted and would wear. Plus I had the pregnancy to think about. Really, there is no better time to get used to a capsule wardrobe than when you’re pregnant. You are already quite limited in what you can wear due to your ever expanding girth and you don’t want to buy too much because you’ll only wear it for a short time. This is perfectly inline with seasonal shopping.

Caroline works off 37 pieces and I am really proud to have brow beaten mine down to 45! (Why is it so difficult to let go of clothes?) I am going in for a second cull this week, now that the dust has settled a bit. I really want to get to the point where I have a rule of three concept going. Three of everything – one casual, one dressy and one in between. I think that will lend to the most versatility.

I also identified areas where I was lacking a few items. As it happened this was in the shoes and accessories department.

I have a bit of a shoe fetish, but have curbed my shoe buying habits so much that the only ones I have are well worn. I have created a list of what still works and what needs replacing and will set about getting what I need. I’m hoping to be able to live with what I have… At least for this season.

I have bought three statement necklaces though. I feel they will work well with what I own and will add a bit of pizzazz to my ensembles. I’m excited by what I’ve created and think it will work very well with maternity and then life with a young child.

A look back at our holiday

I’ve been so busy in the last week I almost forgot to put up this post on our holiday! Oh well, rather late than never I suppose.

As I’ve probably mentioned a hundred times last week we headed home to the Lowveld for a very well deserved break.

We had to pick up some family from the airport on Sunday before starting our four hour car drive. I don’t mind the distances – we do a drive like this about once a month to visit our families – but they’re starting to get a tad difficult. I think that the end of my travelling days will come in October because getting in and out of the car can be a trial.

We arrived at my parents-in-law’s house where we were spending the night and we had a big family dinner. It was the first time many of the family had seen me since finding out I’m pregnant as well as it being the week of wedding build up for Hubby’s cousin so there was a lot of celebrating.

The next morning we headed off to the bush. We spent the week at Djuma Private Bush Lodge in the Sabie Sand Reserve. This reserve is internationally famous for its leopards and we had some incredible sightings. If you’re planning a trip to sunny South Africa, or just up country to the bush then definitely try and stay anywhere in the Sabie Sand. It’s a bit of a spoil, but completely worth it.

The highlight of the trip for me was watching a flock of arrow marked babblers attacking a boomslang in a tree (a boomslang is a snake – the name literally translates to tree snake). It is the most incredible thing I have ever seen in my life and I have spent a lot of time in the bush having grown up here.

After the heavenly days we spend relaxing and enjoying not being in contact with the outside world – cellphone coverage is notoriously sketchy and for that I was grateful – we headed home for wedding weekend madness.

On Friday we had the Kitchen Tea/Bridal Shower. It was a fun afternoon spend with the ladies, chatting and spending time with the bride. The Saturday was the big day. It was a lovely venue and was done up beautifully. The bride looked gorgeous and the party afterwards with friends was one for the books.

Then we had a family brunch the next morning before heading back to the city.

It was definitely a bit of a whirlwind towards the end!

I have a few photos here that my father in law took. I hope you enjoy them.

Daily side notes:

Today marks four months to our expected due date! That third trimester is sneaking up faster and faster!

We have not done anything significant in terms of getting ready for this baby yet and its stressing me out. I’m terrified she’ll end up sleeping in a cardboard box! Is this nesting kicking in?

My endurance is not what it used to be, one big hectic weekend leaves me in recovery mode for days!

Pregnancy update: week 22

I’m feeling a little emotionally fragile today.

Last week was my first week back at work after being on leave and last night I said goodbye to my little sister who is jetting off to Hong Kong to teach English.

So much activity and emotion packed into one week! I feel slightly hung over from it all. I’m a little tired and cranky, have a slight headache and have already eaten some of my colleague’s mini doughnuts. I have a feeling this is going to be a long week!

In baby news I don’t really have much to update you on, other than the Monkey is moving like crazy! She is getting so strong now. I feel her during the day while sitting at work, but she still seems to be most active in the mornings and evenings. I even see my stomach moving from the outside quite a bit now. It’s really nice to feel it so much.

She’s becoming more and more real now. I have always felt connected to her, but now it’s like she no longer an idea, but a real little person who will be here in about four months’ time! It kind of blows my mind.

We have a doctor’s appointment next week. It’s the big one – the anatomy scan. I’m really looking forward to seeing her again and seeing how much she’s grown!

How far along? 22 weeks

Baby is the size of a: Spaghetti Squash!

Total weight gain/measurements: We’re up to 92cm now! My sister was joking with me saying that she and her husband will pop the champagne when I hit a meter. It’s a little scary to think I’ll get that big – but only 6cm and I’ll be there.

Maternity clothes: My capsule wardrobe for spring is working well for me at the moment. I am so glad I found out about it and have a post coming up on what I’ve got in the wardrobe to see me through this season and this pregnancy. It really helps make dressing in the morning so much easier. I have a nice mix of maternity and non-maternity items.

Stretch marks: Nope, none that I can see. I’m pretty good about putting the cream on though.

Best moment this week: Getting to spend time with my family and soaking up some of the last moments with my baby sister. Also getting an awesome surprise package delivered to me at work. Read more about that here.

Miss anything? I’m feeling really good at the moment, although I would love to be able to sleep flat on my back for a little bit.

Movement: She’s going to be a dancer I can tell… so much wiggling at the moment!

Food cravings: I have been dying for peanut butter and banana. It’s sooooo good!

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope 🙂

Gender: A girl!

Symptoms: The usual, but I’m happy and they’re not bothering me much at the moment. I have started to get mild swelling in my feet after a long day at work.

Belly button in or out? In, but getting really shallow.

Wedding rings on or off? On for now

Happy or moody most of the time: I’m very happy right now

Exercise: I managed to squeeze in yoga and strength training last week as well as a great walk around the neighbourhood.

Looking forward to: Going to the doctor. I swear pregnancy is the only time you will ever hear me say that!