Yet another week has flown by, and now I'm in my last week of work, and a week away from full term.  Hopefully Chip's going to stay put a bit after 37 weeks though- much as I'd like to meet it and know it's OK, I'd like it to bake a little more, I'd like to enjoy some of my maternity leave, and we're hoping Phil can get through a couple of big cases at work before rushing to the birthing centre.  So baby, please stay put until a couple of days after your due date, even if crazy Mummy tries to suggest otherwise.

What we ate:  Quick and boring meals, using lots of summer veges.  Pasta, eggs and so on.  The standout meal for the week was last night's: schnitzel, boiled (garden) potatoes, (garden) beans and corn on the cob.  Healthiness, be damned! (but hey, at least the meat has iron). Also, one of our plum trees is fruiting beautifully, and I've been enjoying plenty of those!

How we moved:  Another good, consistent week.  It's great having Phil swimming frequently, as I'll basically go to the pool when he does unless I'm completely exhausted.  I "make" myself do 1k, usually free+pull, then I'm free to putz around with breaststroke, and generally relax.  The water feels wonderful on my swollen feet, and it's a wonderful way to end the day! As well as 3 swims, I squeezed in two evening walks (plus the walk to yoga) and a yoga class.

Where we went: Nowhere.  Dude- I'm 36 weeks pregnant.  Where am I gonna go?
 
What we wore:  As little as possible.  We've been blessed with a couple of weeks of perfect pregnancy summer weather- crisp and cool mornings with sunny and warm afternoons, but it's still plenty warm for me most of the time.  A little bit of humidity has returned, so it's short summer dresses when I'm hanging out at home!

What we bought/got given:  We finished our baby shopping on Saturday- exchanging a bassinet, and picking up some bits and bobs for the car.   There'll be more before the day- things I don't realise I've forgotten, things I've been waiting until after my baby shower for, and things for the hospital bag.  But as far as my mega baby list goes, we're there!

What changed:  I'm increasingly puffy, but it's still not too bad by pregnant in summer standards! An odd and new side effect of pregnancy

Exciting moments:  None really- this next week is going to be a biggie though!


What I miss: Getting out and enjoying the summer.  I'm so tired and we have so many chores to do over the next few weeks that I've barely seen the beach this summer.  And, in other foods I miss: Subway. Phil and I lived on it pre-preg; it was a post workout staple! If there's a chicken sensation to be had in early March, it may just have to be my first post baby meal!

Hot Potato Chip: Week 35

Another week, another weekly update! Time is flying.  Two weeks to full term.  7 weeks until I think I'm going to meet little Chippo!

What we ate: Watermelon.  Also, lots.  I am ravenous all morning, and much less hungry in the afternoons and evenings.  So I take second breakfast (usually a peanut butter sandwich) and a couple of morning tea options with me to work every day!  We've been getting into the meal planning zone a bit more recently- an important place to get used to, as we'll be living one income soon.  Gulp.

How we moved: I was awesome.  Swims on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Monday (for a total of 6km), yoga and a walk to and from on Thursday, and an hour long neighbourhood walk on Sunday.  That's about 6 hours total- not bad given that I've been back to full time work.  We had a late night planned on Wednesday, so I decided to be smart and take the night off swimming and have a nap instead.  In the end, that meant I was groggy for our evening out, wide awake when we got home and went to bed, and exhausted on Thursday.  Shoulda just swum!

Where we went: The pub.  Yep, that now gets a special entry! Our local was hosting TVNZ 7's politics show Backbenchers, so we went along to show our support for our preferred party.  It started at 9pm, so was a lateish evening, but lots of fun to get out of the house on a summery night, drink cranberry and soda, and talk about grown up things like bikes and beer.

What we wore: One pair of my maternity togs are nearing the end of their useful life- they should fit, but the waistband on the bottoms has a tendency to flip down, bearing rather too much white, stretch-marked, belly to the good folk of Cambridge. 

What we bought/got given: I got a parcel from BRITT which was just the best thing ever.  Cute blankies and cloths, and the bestest little outfit, including a plaid shirt onesie and Chip's first pair of jeans. Aww! (and a pair of super soft pajama pants, which have put straight into my hospital bag)

What changed: More of the same.  Slowing down. Sleeping a bit less.  Feeling pretty good though- to the extent that one can feel "good" at 35 weeks pregnant.

Exciting moments: Washing the baby clothes.  So cute. The only time I'll probably ever be excited about baby laundry.

What I miss: I miss not worrying.  I've been a super anxious pregnant lady, usually without any particular reason to be. I realise that the worry doesn't end on D-Day, so not sure if this is really an acceptable "miss" or not. Also, sushi. I walked to work on the other side of the road on Monday and caught a whiff of sushi through a vent.  I'd never thought of sushi having a smell, but seriously- this was the best smell ever.  Definitely a contender for my "first meal"!

(Note: the NZ pregnancy guidelines warn pregnant women off all sushi, not just raw fish, so I've been steering completely clear of all my favourite haunts)

Hot Potato Chip: Week 34

It really seems like only yesterday that I was writing about week 33 (though week 32 seems an age ago).  Week 34 was returning to work, being tired, and slowly getting more uncomfortable!



Ready for work at 34 weeks

 What we ate:  I had a reasonably good return to work: lunches with lots of salads (including bits and pieces from the vege garden), lots of lovely summer fruit, and not too much chocolate from the snackbox.  I did, however, underestimate for the first couple of days just how much food I need to get me though a day of work at this stage, and had to keep popping to the convenience store (for cornflakes and tinned fruit- I managed to walk past the chips).  Phil and I also enjoyed a lovely meal out on Saturday night- in the buzzing metropolis of Putaruru.  One of last season's MasterChef finalists has started cooking for a new restaurant in the old hotel there, so we drove out for an earlybird venison dinner (us and the pensioners). 

How we moved: Being back into a routine plus some nice weather was a good combo for me.  I did something every day but Friday, totalling 5:40 of exercise- less than half of a big week for Old Kate, but not bad by my current standards :)  This is how it broke down:

Tuesday: 7km walk along the river path
Wednesday: 30 minute swim
Thursday:  25 minute walk and 1 hour of preggy yoga
Friday: Off
Saturday: 40 minute walk
Sunday: 50 minute walk
Monday: 55 minute swim

Where we went: Putaruru (see above).

What we wore: Work clothes- scraping the bottom of the barrel a bit now, so it's lucky I only have 3 weeks to go!

What we bought/got given: Not much actually, apart from some PJs and things for my hospital bag. I was a bit slack.  But we did a bit more building and organising, and I did a little more list writing so I'm not TOO panicked.  Only about 85% panicked!

What changed: I'm slowing down more, and struggling a lot more with sleep since last week.  I also may be having more braxton hicks- but it's not always easy to tell the difference between them and some of Chip's big press-y movements!  And lastly, my feet have grown at least half a size.  It's not just swelling (though that's started too)- the hormone relaxin causes the ligaments all over the body to, well, relax.  This includes the ligaments holding all the foot bones together.  Relaxed ligaments = spreading feet.  And it's permanent!  Not what this already wide-footed girl wants to hear!

Exciting moments: It was actually a bit of a stressful week. Nothing major, but I worried about things, struggled to get back into work, and had a couple of minor sads.  But the first of my February Forum babies was born, as well as the first two of my ante-natal babies! The list of babies between now and Chip is getting ever shorter!

What I miss: Sleeping on my back.  And being able to shave my legs/tie my shoes.

11 things about me

I'm sitting on the couch trying to find more ways to justify staying on the couch- I'm not particularly tired, just particularly lazy! So I was stoked when I saw that Britt had tagged me- I'm it, which means I have to post!

So, here goes:


Rules:

[01.] You must post the rules.

[02.] Post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post.

[03.] Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.

[04.] Tag eleven people and link them on your post

[05.] Let them know you’ve tagged them!

11 things about me:

1. It took me a year or two of cycling to learn to drink on the bike.

2. If I wasn't a triathlete I'd want to be a rower.  Or a cross-fitter.

3. Despite what all the diet books tell me, I firmly believe that some things are just better with a bit of butter.  Scones.  Popcorn. Jam toast. 

4. I'm addicted to Child of Our Time.

5. I am a real old stick in the mud when it comes to music.  I frequently discover a "new" song, only to find out it's 5 years old and horrifically overplayed.  And you will often hear me saying "Oh, is this that song from Glee?"

6. I have no idea at ALL how to garden.  This coupled with my black thumbs is a bad combination.

7. I can read (most) books at least three times.

8. I'm not a pet person.  I don't dislike animals- I quite like them.  But I've never truly loved a pet, and have no burning desire to get one.  This makes me feel like a bad person, but I can assure you I'm nice :)

9. I have wanted to go to Canada since I was about 5 years old.

10. I took Latin throughout all of high school. It comes in handy occasionally in European countries and pub quizzes.  And once I translated a Latin maxim that came up in a legal text without having to check the footnote.

11. I tend to be That Girl who Hogs the Singstar Mic.

 

Britt's questions for me:

1. Do you floss? If not, do you lie to your hygienist about it? Yes (in part thanks to Britt)!  But before I was a good girl, I stretched the truth on occasion.  

2. It’s Friday night. What would you love to be doing? I would love to be out for (quiet) drinks with a group of girlfriends.

3. Favourite movie of all time? The Sound of Music

4. Do you remember your dreams? Maybe once a month, on average

5. What’s the worst pick up line you’ve ever heard? I've never really had one used on me (*shame*).  Always liked "seen any seagulls lately?" "how about a shag?" though!

6. If you won the lottery would you quit your job? Yes.  I thoroughly enjoy my job, but we're about to have a baby, and I would love the financial freedom to stay home for longer.

7. Do you like mitts or gloves better? Gloves.

8. Do you use the library? Yes- I probably read 50+ books a year and buy about 2?

9. Would you rather travel to the future or the past? Future- nothing I'm particularly interested in seeing for real at the moment.

10. How much is too much to spend on a pair of jeans? Shoes? $200 would be my absolute limit for jeans, though I've probably never spent more than $160, and I usually buy the $60 chain store ones.  I'm going to treat "shoes" as normal shoes, not including specialty or sports shoes, or boots.  In that case, I'd also say about $200 as my limit, again with the most I've spent being about $180.  What's "too much" is a tricky one- I try very hard not to judge how people spend their money- but I'd probably start rolling my eyes a little north of the $300 mark.

11. Favourite song of the day? See #5 in my 11 things! My song of the moment is The Carpenters' Top of the World, cos I'm trying to make it my "Baby Theme Tune."  Oh, and I've also been playing "Life's a Happy Song" from the Muppets over and over again.  So much delightfulness!

My questions for you:  

1. Where do you sit when you blog?

2. What's your hot drink of choice?

3. When did you get your driver's licence?

4. Which toiletries are you "brand loyal" in relation to?

5. What accounts for the biggest proportion of your grocery budget?

6. Are there any authors whose books you will automatically buy?  If so, who?

7. Do you still read the paper newspaper?

8. Be honest- do you like McDonalds?

9. Do you prefer crosswords or sudoku? Or do you hate 'em both?

10. What is your least favourite household chore?

11. If I told you my birthday, could you tell me my star sign?

I tag Lucinda, Casie, Liz, Angela and anyone else who wants to play!

Hot Potato Chip: Week 33

It appears that this blog has officially become a "Chip: Weekly Updates" blog.  Sorry about that, folks, but I'm not exactly doing a lot in the way of triathlon at the moment...

Week 33 was our last week of holiday. We got home from our trip away late in Week 32, and had most of a week to potter around before heading away again for Phil to race.  It was good to have a few solid days at home to cook a freezer full of meals (seriously- I think we have 30 meals in there?), build a little bit of baby furniture and pretend to do some work in our garden...

What we ate:  I craved healthiness after our holiday indulgences, but didn't always do the best job of making good choices; and we were so busy feeding Future Kate and Future Phil that we didn't always pay quite enough attention to feeding Present Kate and Present Phil!

How we moved: I did a lot, but didn't do very much in the way of deliberate "exercise".  I think I ended up at one walk and two swims for the week. Plus a quickie swim in Pilot Bay.  But I also spent two solid days cooking, an afternoon in a hot garden, and a long morning spectating at a half ironman.  Given how much those things take it out of me nowadays, I'm not beating myself up for not doing more workout-workouts. Hopefully I'll do a little more this week, now that I'm back at work!

Where we went: Tauranga for Phil's half ironman.  Just over a 24 hour trip in total, and possibly a little too tiring for this gigantosaur, especially with the 3:30am wake up call! 

What we wore: Slouchy, round the home, kinda stuff.  Trackies, stretchy cotton dresses.  Old baggy t-shirts.  It was nice not to have to get properly dressed for a few days!   But then on Monday I had to put on work clothes again.  And learned that, sadly, my proper work shoes are now too small (pregnancy can cause your feet to go up a full shoe size.  Permanently).

What we bought/got given: Loads! I had a bit of a panic attack about being behind the 8-ball and went on a bit of a purchasing frenzy.  Baby clothes, feeding, changing and sleeping accessories.  Bassinet and cot mattresses and linens.  And some of the delightful things I need to put in my hospital bag for me!

What changed: Chip has moved from my right side to my left, which is good news for labour if Chip stays that way.  Clever baby! Other than that, not a lot has changed- I feel much the same as last week.  Tired, slow but not too bad.
Exciting moments: Clearing out the baby's room and building the cot.  The nursery is far from "done" (and we're really not "doing" much... it won't surprise you to learn that I'm not the sewing acres of bunting and painting the walls type...), but it gives both of us a warm feeling inside when we walk past and see the cot in there.  We also passed the one month til full term (37 weeks) point- and it's 4 weeks til full-term today! 

What I miss: Being able to shop for an afternoon without multiple loo stops and without getting sore feet after an hour or so!

Hot Potato Chip: Week 32

What we ate: Sweetcorn and stone fruit! The next phase of summer food is well and truly upon us.

How we moved: Wellington was good motivation to exercise, even in the rain.  I missed my old favourite pools!

Tuesday: Rest (travel)
Wednesday: 45 min (hilly) walk
Thursday: 1hr (waterfront) walk
Friday: 50 min swim
Saturday: 50 min swim
Sunday: Rest (travel)
Monday: Rest

Where we went:  Wellington.  I'm sure the number of visits I've made while pregnant (this was #4) will help Chip recognise his or her true home town.  Right?

What we wore: Started off the week in lovely summer dresses and jandals (thank you, Glassons).  Finished it in jeans, wishing I had brought a jacket!

What we bought/got given: Lovely books.  Thank you lovely friends!  I spent yesterday mucking around in Chip's room realising just how much more we need to get. Ugh!

What changed: Chip has GROWN and is making me much less comfortable!  Finding a comfy sitting position can be tricky.  Finding a comfy sleeping position is damn near impossible!

Exciting moments: We passed the "2 months to go" milestone (well, in theory.  I suspect Chip will NOT be here 2 months from now), and entered Chip's birth year.  Woo!


What I miss:   Running.  Walking just isn't the same- especially in the rain!

Hot Potato Chip: Week 31

What we ate: Christmas treats.  A few too many, of course... Our main meals were fairly healthy, so I hope that makes up for it!

How we moved: Relaxed and fun, and feeling a bit more energetic again.



Tuesday: 35 minutes at home yoga (started as a walk, but the rain put an end to that!)
Wednesday: 45 minute swim
Thursday: Yoga
Friday: Was supposed to swim, but alarm didn't go off
Saturday: 40 minute swim
Sunday:  40 minute ride / walk (on the Napier waterfront path- I gave my bike to my sister with about 2km to go)
Monday: 45 minute walk; 15 minute OW swim (the rest of the time I mucked around)

Where we went:  Napier.  Such a lovely place to visit, I didn't want to leave!

What we wore: My sister made me a gorgeous maternity dress (and I may have stocked up a little on summer essentials in the Boxing Day sales)

What we bought/got given: Chip got some lovely Christmas presents- a book and cardi from his auntie and some cuuute wee hats from his Grandma

What changed: Not a lot, though getting some rest means I am feeling a bit more like me again!  I just need to remember to keep resting and not wear myself out.

Exciting moments: Single digit weeks to go... Exciting?  Or scary!?

What I miss: Being able to eat what I want.  Runny Boxing Day brunch eggs, rare meat, cold leftovers...