Over the last few weeks I've had my Grandma, sister and my parents all stay with me in separate lots. My parents go home the day after tomorrow and this house is going to feel very empty soon. I love having visitors. Being so far away, visitors are few and far between, so we hit the visitor jackpot this time around. We took my parents to Hobart on the weekend to see the Museum of Old and New Art (one of my favourite places on earth) and the Salamanca Markets and earlier this week we took a trip with them to the East coast of Tasmania and swam at the (freeeeezing) beach. The pictures above are of a house I saw in St Helens completely covered in foliage and an old ice cream truck I saw hidden in an alleyway in Hobart. They were the only pictures I took on each of those trips. I've lost my photo taking mojo over the last few months. Maybe I'm not seeing the beauty in things like I used to, or maybe I'm seeing it, but just not feeling the need to capture it. My SLR is tucked away somewhere with a dead battery. It's sad when creative enthusiasm for things that once brought you joy dwindles. I'm hoping it will remerge soon. I like to take photos just for the sake of documentation, not necessarily trying to make a work of art. I know that future me will appreciate the photos I take now, just like the present me appreciates the photos I took in the past. So, I will endeavour to take at least a photo a day, of something, anything, from now on, an informal kind of 365 project if you will. Have you ever partaken in a 365 photo project? Any tips?

Just some late night playing about with my graphics tablet. When I was a kid all I would draw was faces.

Ps. Mouseover ;)

  

Uni is over for me for some time and I've been thinking about how I'd like to spend the next few months. Hopefully, creatively and with lots of relaxing, while my belly grows. The above were just the first things that came into my mind that made me feel excited. I'd like to have lots of happy, fulfilling days. The sun doesn't set here until about 9pm and I really love taking walks in the early evening. I have been picking flowers to press and C and I admire all of the beautiful houses in our neighbourhood. I've felt a little bit of that you-won't-have-time-for-these-things-in-a-few-months pressure but generally I feel like I'll just make the best of things.

Despite my initial (and continued) cringing, I have begun looking at baby items (cots, prams, etc). Today I discovered my first (tiny human growing) stretch mark. At first I felt fairly unhappy about it, but then it kind of made me smile. Then I doused myself in Bio-oil. I'm still not sure how to feel/talk about this kind of stuff. I feel guilty for not immediately loving pregnancy. I don't hate it at all, I just feel kind of neutral about it. I am also incredibly impatient and I just want my tiny human now.

What's something that you're excited to do once you have the spare time for it?

Yep!

It turns out, I am the temporary vessel for a tiny, growing human. It is only about 1/3 of the way done. We found out quite late into things and it was a big surprise. I am definitely still coming to terms with it, but it's growing on me more and more each day (literally). I haven't been very active on my blog for the last few months, for no reason in particular, I just kind of dwindled, and when I've felt the urge to lately, I've felt like I couldn't be totally honest. So, I'm glad you now know this newsy bit of news.

Working out how a small human would fit into the equation hasn't been too difficult - C has always (conveniently) been the person who has wanted to stay home and cook and clean and look after children, and so, my lack of enthusiasm for most of those things, teamed with my desire to go into full time teaching in the next couple of years, makes this a pretty good arrangement.

I'll admit, I am excited, but incredibly nervous. But mostly excited.

The best parts about growing a tiny human (so far):
+ Growing a tiny human
+ Thinking that it looked like it had a beard in the ultrasound (C has a big beard).
+ Hearing its heartbeat for the first time and having it trying to kick and swim away from the little machine that the midwife was poking around my stomach with.
+ Making up nicknames (Squid, Space Invader, Bagel, etc).
+ Making up real names.
+ Making C do things for me (even though he already does a million things for me a day).
+ Finding opportune moments to tell people and them being excited.
+ Being pregnant at the same time as my half sister and sister in law.
+ Second trimester happy hormones.

The worst parts about growing a tiny human (so far):
+ Being in that in between stage where people aren't really sure if you're pregnant or just have a round belly. Being on a really rough and packed articulated bus and really wanting a seat but not wanting to ask for a seat (C made me stick my stomach out, so yes, I got a seat).
+ Sickness. For many weeks, 24/7. I have acquired the skill of throwing up mid-conversation, then continuing talking in the next breath. Also, all sorts of receptacles look useful when you're throwing up several times a day. C is basically my hero for dealing with me while I've been so sick.
+ Worrying that the way I sit, or lie, or something I eat, or any kind of movement might hurt it.
+ The prices of baby paraphernalia.
+ Appearance negativity (Where is my beautiful glowing pregnancy skin? Why do my clothes not fit already?)
+ Worrying about not having finished my degree and wondering when I might get back to it (in due course, I'm sure).
+ No soft cheese.

In closing, a small human should emerge some time in May. C is hoping it is a cat, jk. I can't see myself evolving into a full-time Mommy Blogger, but I will keep this blog updated with some details along the way.

Happy days!