Competitive Mums already...?!

I have a lovely yoga teacher.  I was doing her classes before my pregnancy, and switched to pregnancy yoga this year.  The first 8-week set of classes I attended commenced with about 8 attendees, gradually dwindling as Mum's-to-be left on their maternity leave.

Just one new face last week, and another newbie this week.  A maximum of 5 attendees this round, so a small, intimate class.  Now I must say, everyone I've met so far has been just lovely.

So today's new girl is barely showing, but is at the 20-week mark (where I am).  I feel enormous, and said so with a laugh.  Some sarky comment came back at me... I'm surprised at how the competitive Mums are already showing up.  I mentioned that it depends on how each person's uterus is positioned... and got a smug smile back.

So I turned to one of the girls I've known a while and mentioned that I saw the doc last week, and had mentioned that I'd been worried that I'd not put any weight on yet.  New girl then, a little more quietly, mentioned that she'd already put a stone on.

Who's smug now then?  But perhaps I shouldn't have said that I actually lost 4kg's the first month after I found out I was pregnant... and have actually put on 600g since  *blush*

Has anyone else come across competitive Mums this early on?

PS.  I'm off for my 20-week scan tomorrow, wish me luck?  Halfway there!

Cheers, KangaRue

Stressed much?

I've been lucky so far with my pregnancy, I fell pregnant pretty quickly (at the "geriatric" age of 37) and have had very little "morning" sickness etc, etc.

A couple of weeks ago I woke up with pins and needles in the fingers of my right hand.  6 hours later they finally went.  In the interim I jumped onto Twitter and asked if anyone else had experienced it - a couple of people asked if it was pregnancy related... bizarre, "how are pins and needles in my fingers pregnancy related?" I thought.  Apparently it is - having then searched online, I found out that sleeping on my back (which I had that night), can cause it.  Sleeping on my left hand side has alleviated it - if it kept happening, apparently a wrist splint may have helped.

So when on Saturday I got spots before my eyes, that increasingly got larger, started flashing and then went to blur (I could only see half of BoyWonder's face when I looked at him), I only slightly freaked.  And then the headaches - on and off since - kicked in.  Jumping online I worried that it could be pre-eclampsia.  Had any of these symptoms lasted for more than a couple of hours at a time, I was prepared to go to the hospital, but they didn't, so first thing on Monday I went to the GP.

The GP tested both my blood pressure and urine, both of which were normal.  But he was concerned, so he sent me to the emergency eye clinic at Queen Mary's Hospital.  Spending over four hours in the hospital to be told a doctor couldn't see me that day was frustrating, so I headed back first thing this morning, this time organised with books to read.  Which was a pointless effort, as they nurses soon put drops in my eyes that, once the stinging wore off, had the world in a complete blur!

After further examination, it turns out that it's likely a type of migraine.  With pregnancy your blood vessels get bigger in order to pump the additional 5 litres of blood in your system without raising blood pressure.  While the doc wants to run some blood tests etc. tomorrow, it's likely that it's just one of those pregnancy-related things.

Oh, and was I under any stress... between working full-time, studying part-time, and being pregnant, no... but perhaps my plans for five loads of washing, gardening, study and baking a cake for the weekend was expecting a bit much.  As it was, I got none of these things done, as I've been suffering with the headaches or asleep to escape them... so I guess this is a SilverLining that it wasn't anything serious, Pickle is fine, but it was just my body letting me know that perhaps I need to slow down a bit.

Cheers, KangaRue

To cycle, or not to cycle... that is the question?

I must apologise that this is my inaugural post for 2011.  Uni work was nuts at the end of last year, and BoyWonder and I travelled home to Australia for a holiday in November (future blog posts on that later).  Before then, I was cycling to work three or four times a week.  Off on holiday we went - where we walked, swam and snorkelled in the sunshine.  And then returned to freezing temperatures back in London, only for it to snow a couple of days later.  It was a bit of a shock to say the least, but not more than the surprise I got the following week... at the hospital... when I found out I was 7-weeks pregnant.  It was good news - I was expecting the doctor to tell me something was wrong, but it was a surprise, albeit a pleasant - nay - a big, exciting and joyous one!

So, I will catch up over the next few weeks on the load of foodie and travel blogposts I have planned, but for now, back to the cycling...

Obviously I wasn't going to cycle to work in the ice and snow - I wouldn't have done this without being pregnant, it just been too dangerous.  But seeing as I am pregnant, the risk of falling/sliding/stacking was just too great.  And while the weather is hardly balmy yet (!), it is getting less cold, and the ice and snow is gone.  I've passed the 12-week mark, the doc has said I can exercise, I've kept up with my yoga and pilates... so I was contemplating getting back into my cycle-to-work (somewhat encouraged by the general crapness and unpleasantness of my public transport commute...).

But a couple of the pregnancy sites and books have said it isn't a good idea incase I fall off (but it's OK to cycle on an exercise bike... dullsville).  But one book has said it is good - keeps the hips moving and my growing weight will be supported.  My boss - who was lovely and very excited when I told him my news - freaked today when I told him I was going to start cycling again.  Now, I must point out that I have never fallen off my bike before.

I miss my bike, I miss the general well-being and relaxation I feel when I've cycled.

With such mixed responses so far, I am be keen to find out if there are any other Mum's out there who continued to cycle - or anyone else who has any thoughts?


Cheers, KangaRue

Vamping up Halloween

I love Halloween - any excuse to get dressed up in fancy dress is a good one, but unfortunately I'm to busy with uni work to get all dressed up this year.  However there is a SilverLining... tonight I have achieved something I've always wanted to do - carve my very first Halloween pumpkin.

I'm also a huge vampire fan(g), so here is my pumpkin unlit:

And in all its glory...

And from a slightly different angle.

Please let me know what you think.

Cheers, KangaRue

Masterful Offerings

I love Masterchef, but most especially I love Masterchef Australia - not only because I long to see my hometown in the background.  I enjoy cooking and eating good food, so luckily I married BoyWonder who is an imaginative and skilled cook.

The past weekend we were watching the latest season of Masterchef Australia, which is currently screening in the UK.  Inspired by Matt Moran of Aria Restaurant, BoyWonder made the Gnocchi in Burnt Butter from part of the celebrity chef challenge recipe.  He'll have to make it again, as I completely forgot to take any photos, but it was mighty delicious!

He followed it up with a blueberry meringue pie with blueberries from our own bushes.  There's also a rhubarb and apple lattice tart, again with rhubarb from our garden.  Photos were taken with my phone, so apologies for the quality.

So no one was more surprised than me when I arrived home quite late this weekday evening, thinking I was going to have a quick thrown together dinner, only to be banished from the kitchen.

And this is what arrived on my plate...

OMG, it was the Eggnet with Pork, Prawn, Beansprouts & Cucumber Relish from Martin Boetz of Longrain Restaurant's celebrity chef challenge in Season 1!  A slight amendment to the recipe as we had scallops in the fridge rather than prawns (shucks!), and he also added shaved waterchestnuts and bamboo shoots.  Absolutely delicious layers of flavour with lots of umami, freshness and utter, utter yumminess.

I'm typing this as we're watching another episode, and Alvin's Drunken Chicken with Bruised Salad is getting accolades, so I'll keep my fingers crossed and keep you posted!

Cheers, KangaRue

PS.  We keep debating which is the not-to-miss restaurant in Sydney... Aria, Longrain, Rockpool, Red Lantern... the list goes on.  Which would you pick, or do you have another suggestion?