How far along? 19 weeks already ... It feels like this pregnancy us zipping by so far.


Stretchmarks? None so far.

Symptoms: I picked up a nasty bout of gastro this week that literally zapped every resource from me so the tiredness is tenfold now,

Sleep: solid apart from the peak of my gastro that saw me sleeping on the bathroom floor and sitting in the shower at 2am.

Miss Anything? You guessed it, I'd love a glass of sav blanc or Chandon right now! 'Tis the season to be merry and I'm missing out wahhhhh

Movement: busy wriggling babe whenever we get one of Es full blown tantrums... Hoping it doesn't mean I can expect two against mumma in future.

Age: 18 Months ... and oh my goodness, could being a mumma get to be anymore fun than it is right now! I have loved every second with E but at this age there is such an emphasis on fun and play.

We've been shopping up a storm:

Now that's what I call Disney 4 disc boxset
Target festive mason jar sippy
Target dinosaur shaped sandwich cutter - only $3 and the perfect simple way to make sandwiches lots of fun.
More Christmas decorations - got to love 40% off at Target and Myer.


Making Christmas presents - personalised gifts for the ILs from Snapfish. With a 60% off code last week these were all of $10! The perfect stocking stuffers.


Christmas baking! I had to make something to share for Ethan's daycare Christmas party and conscious of egg allergies/intolerance's, I decided to use a cookie recipe that didn't require egg. With only 4 ingredients, these should have been simple but thanks to the sweltering humidity here and the copious amount of butter included, I had to refrigerate the dough in batches for at least an hour before use and roll out with my trusty Tupperware rolling pin (filled with ice water) between grease proof paper. It was a fiddly nightmare and I still have two batches of dough in the freezer as I simply couldn't face working with more of it at the time. Don't even ask what happened to the green icing that should have been included!





Decorating the office and collecting gifts for our charity present drive. I'm beyond thrilled with the support so far and I love knowing that we are helping those who need it most right now. Without doubt, giving is the best part of Christmas.

Making delicious salads with the perfect summer ingredient - pomegranate! Fresh and yummy, this one is just leaves, fennel, spring onion and mint with pomegranate, haloumi and a squeeze of lemon. Simple and refreshing, this salad is a big hit with everyone we've ever served it up to - including my dad who thinks salad should only contain lettuce, tomato, carrot, cucumber and cheese!




Christmas Carols! I'll say it again - Its the most wonderful time of the year! We headed along to the Mayor's carols with my sister, her family and some friends. We all bought along nibbles and blankets and enjoyed a festive night singing all the favourites. Ethan was in heaven with all the music and was on his best behaviour bopping along to Jingle Bell Rock.




Painting and swimming. We broke out the finger paints for the first time and E was a bit bewildered with it all and not too sure about the messy hands. We followed up with some swimming at granddads which is always a big hit!

How far along? 18 weeks



Stretchmarks? Nope - sticking to the same creams as last time.

Symptoms: Tired, so darn tired this past week but just loving life.

Sleep: tired tired tired and still with those wacky dreams that leave strange bruises on me.

Miss Anything? Fetta cheese on my salads and a glass of Sav Blanc to go with it.

Movement: lots of rolling and movement as soon as I lay down to sleep each night.

but they never said it would be so hard either.

I realise that I am so very very lucky to be married to the man I love, mother to our perfect little boy, have a job I enjoy and the blessing of another baby to come. I am grateful for every single part of my life but being a wife, a mother, pregnant and working full time is exhausting and you know what? Sometimes it is just so damn hard. Some days I'd love to bury under the covers and skip the day altogether. Its hard to keep all the balls in the air and every now and then, one slips and you have to start juggling all over again.

Things didn't really change for us after Scott and I got married. We were already living together and life continued just as it had before our wedding so we were not at all prepared for the enormous changes that pregnancy and then parenthood brought to our lives. Sure we expected a shift and we were even happy about that but we weren't at all prepared to be 'dropped' by friends of many years and we weren't prepared for dealing with a baby with silent reflux (and now a toddler with silent reflux). We were prepared for lack of sleep (although maybe not to the extent of our reality) and the shift in our relationship and its focus but it hasn't been without its struggles.

Its almost the end of 2013 and of course the end of the year brings about reflection of what has passed. Its been a big year for us, as have the two before it and I could never have dreamed the highs and lows if I tried. Here is some of my year in review (not in any order):

* We welcomed the most precious little girl to start 2013 - our 3rd niece, the gorgeous Lillee.
* We had to deal with some health scares for me and for Ethan that thankfully have all been managed and treated. Sadly though, Ethan is still requiring medication for his silent reflux as its just too severe even now to continue without but we continue to hope its something he will outgrow.
* Our baby boy turned 1! Who knows where the time went and how my baby became a toddler but he is very definitely not a baby anymore and that's okay because he is the most delightful little guy around.
* I suffered the indignity of another Blues loss... if I'm honest, I barely watch SOO anymore and go for the socialising now.
* We said goodbye to some friendships that if we were honest, were really over in 2012. There have been more than a few tears shed at my end and its still a little raw but I'm looking forward to moving on in the New Year.
* We celebrated my father receiving a well-deserved Order of Australia Medal.
* We endured over a year of a baby who thrived of minimal sleep and fought weaning with his considerable will to enjoy a boy who now sleeps through the night at long last (touch wood) and loves his sippy of milk.
* I survived the Federal election complete with hours of volunteering and a 3am start on the big day to celebrate a Coalition win!
* Our boy started daycare and with it we experienced our first true bout of separation anxiety that is just fading now.
* I shared some special occasions with my two favourite women, my mum and my sister including seeing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with them both and The Script concert with just my sister.
* We rekindled some old friendships and made some wonderful new ones that bring us a lot of joy and happiness. I'm also lucky enough to be a part of the most amazing 'mothers group' who give me their support and unstinting friendship always.
* We celebrated the lives of some treasured people who will forever be in our hearts and memories.
* I started a new career after 15 years in the real estate industry and its turned out to be the best possible change I could imagine complete with a supportive and hardworking boss who is a pleasure to work with.
* After some initial shock, we celebrate an unexpected pregnancy and now await the big arrival of B2 in 2014.

Pregnancy the second time around with a toddler underfoot has been a little hard on me and I've been constantly tired, often nauseous and not much help to Scott lately who has been picking up the slack with cooking, getting up with E at 5am and keeping the house. As a result, we are both snappy and tired so Christmas this year can't come fast enough with the much needed break it brings, a blessing for us. Two weeks together doing nothing but relaxing and having fun is just what we need to welcome in the New Year and all 2014 holds in store for us.

At the end of the day, life is hard but you know what? The highs, lows, losses and gains .... Its all worth it.

How was your 2013?

If you're a long time reader of my dribble, you may recall my very first post over at Gold Coast Real Estate Girl. For those that don't, here it is ... http://gcrealestategirl.blogspot.com.au/2010/06/world-cup-widow.html
I was bemoaning the fact that I was a World Cup widow but if you continued to read, I got right into the series and even got up for the 1am odd games.

Three years on and the World Cup is coming again. If you're a football fan, you will know the draw for Brazil was done on Friday night at the oh so civilised 3am. Sadly, Australia didn't fare so well in the draw being an unseeded team but I think the media's 'Group of Death' is more than a little bit of an exaggeration. Especially given England, the USA and company didn't fare much better in their Groups.

Obviously no one wants to draw raining champs Spain, Chile AND 2010 runners-up the Netherlands but then again, no one wants Brazil, Portugal or Ghana to name a few either. Scott tells me we are screwed in his oh so succinct summation but I think at best, its an opportunity for our Socceroos to fire up and play against the best there is in the World and if nothing else, take some lessons from the matches for next time and towards preparation for the Asian Cup. At worst, we are done after three games but at least we can say we were there.

I quite liked former Socceroo, Craig Moore's, take on our draw when he likened it to a draw in the Champions league where everyone was worried about their team playing the 2 powerhouse teams in the group and  an unnoticed Valencia slipped through and went on to win the group.

Are you excited for the World Cup? Are you planning to watch the games live next year ... I must admit, my timing is once again impeccable with this pregnancy. E was born right around the Olympics so there was plenty of midnight television that was actually worth watching during all those night feeds and all that rocking and if B2 proves to be similar to E in this regard, then at least I will have the World Cup to look forward to at 2am.

How far along? 17 weeks



Stretchmarks? No.

Symptoms: Sick from a cold that just won't go and has left me stuffy, snotty, tired and all around pretty average... but great otherwise.

Sleep: tired tired tired and still with those wacky dreams that leave strange bruises on me.

Miss Anything? Oh how I'd love some cold and flu tablets ... or a glass of wine after the long long days in what I aptly heard described as Toddler Town. Our TT is complete with nap refusal and all out tantys making that wine even more sought after.

Movement: definite movements that even Scott was able to feel. It still blows my mind every time.

You might remember me posting in one of my weekend updates about a photo shoot my family and I did to celebrate the sponsored partnership of Surf Life Saving and DHL. Turns out the local newspaper picked the story up and here it is...


http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/lifestyle/clubbie-colours-are-a-real-family-affair-for-the-fife-clan/story-fnj94iqm-1226775995141

I'm so proud of my amazing family and I'm also very proud to be a part of such a wonderful family that gives so much back to the Community.

I haven't shared a shopping update in a while I realised so here goes, these are some of my latest buys:

Bonds had 40% off their online store so of course I  bought up big with Wondersuits, Wonderbundles (how adorable are these too by the way?), singlets and underwear for me. There is a bit a lot of pink in there I know (I just realised quite how much when I unpacked the order) and no, we haven't found out the sex of B2, I just love the prints and figure if we have another boy then these will be great gifts for future nieces or easily returned for boy suitable prints and given my paranoia of never being able to source favourite items again, I just couldn't not buy.

Christmas decorations... I just can't resist buying decorations but I do have strict guidelines around colour (we only use red, green, gold & silver on the tree). I love the little angels from Target and I'm a big fan of the Myer trim shop where I bought the gold leaves and ??? I'm still searching for the perfect wreath though... years of searching in fact has yielded me with nothing I love.

I love Kmart for cheap and cheerful homewares (not as much as my sister but that's another story) and these glass stacking jars are only $15! Yes, $15! Ideal for the bench top or for entertaining, you can use each piece individually or stacked as part of a lolly/dessert buffet, to hold coffee pods as ours is right now or even in the bathroom to hold toiletries, hair bands etc. I sent S out to search for them initially and he tells me he was stopped several times on the way back to the car to ask where he had bought it from so this of course meant I had to race back to the shop to grab another for fear of them selling out and discontinuing them.


Its the time of 40% off sales clearly and Jeans West jumped on the bandwagon. I heard great things about their range of maternity jeans during my last pregnancy but as I have never liked pants or jeans much I didn't other with any maternity jeans last time and didn't miss them. Fast forward a
nd since having E, I now love pants and jeans with a scary number of pairs accumulated in only 16 months. As B2 is due mid May, I expect a pair of maternity jeans will come in handy now given my newfound love for pants so I bought a pair of the Jeans West jeggings in indigo. I've worn them twice already and while I like the fabric, colour etc, I feel they are just a little too thick and honestly, I HATE the over the belly band ... this may change come Winter though so we shall see. JW have also launched a new Juniors range and there are some gorgeous pieces for boys and girls. I have been looking for some denim shorts for E for ages but hadn't found any that were soft and thin enough for our warmer climate so I was pretty pleased when both pairs on offer met my requirements. I also couldn't resist the gorgeous striped tee. The quality seems good in the boys range and the prices aren't too bad, around $25 for a pair of denim shorts.

I have also gone a bit crazy over Christmas pjs for Ethan and bought a near matching pair for E and my niece Lillee at Target (on sale for $10 a pair and great quality) plus the cute little elf ones from Kmart for only $10 along with a Santa sippy cup for Christmas day. I'm still on the hunt however for the perfect Christmas Day outfit and can't find anything that I love that isn't going to cause E to swelter uncomfortably.

How far along? 16 weeks



Stretchmarks? None.

Symptoms: I've still been a bit nauseous some mornings this week but otherwise feeling great apart from a cold that seems to be coming on complete with sore throat.

Sleep: well but still waking tired after 8 hours. I guess that's the norm when your body is busy creating.

Have you told family and friends: oh yes, we aren't that good as secret keepers!

Miss Anything? Yep, pseudoephedrine or even just good old cold and flu tablets to knock this cold on the head.

Movement: still just those flutters around bedtime but no decent kicks yet.

It's safe to say that as far as E is concerned, poor old Santa is a great big fail this year.

Does anyone else have a heck of a time trying to find the perfect Christmas gift for their parents and inlaws? It's never so much about the money for us (although I always have a budget), it's more about finding the perfect gift that tells them just how much we love and appreciate them both now and always.

I usually keep a running list of  gift ideas for everyone eg. My go to for mum is theatre tickets and Swarovski ornaments but sometimes there is nothing showing and none of the crystal appeals. This year has been one of those years. Scott and I haven't had a single idea for our parents ... Until tonight! It all came to me while watching Scott cook dinner funnily enough.

I heard on the radio today (between wiggles CDs) that Dragon were on tour and scheduled to play the Gold COast in 2014 ... You know, the 1980's band that sung 'Young Years' ... Which is also one of my dad and my all time favourite songs. Dad and I share a big love of music, especially all things 80s and have been to many a concert together including The Eagles and Richard Marx to give you an idea so Dragon tickets are completely perfect.

Consultation with my sister led us to deciding to organise a family sitting over our family holiday with a photographer mum loves for her gift. The photographer did my sister's wedding and niece's first pictures so we know his work well. She's been desperate for an entire family portrait, especially since the babies came along so she will love this. Pity the pictures will be out of date come May when B2 arrives but we can always just repeat next year.

The in-laws were proving impossible this year. Never easy to buy for at the best of times, they don't like clutter, have just returned from an OS holiday and have absolutely everything they need. We were tossing up books, box sets and not much else when my brainwave struck! I was thinking of an experience for them when I put two and two together and came up with a full day wine tour with lunch at our very own local wine country, Mount Tamborine. I did some research and found a great one that does pickup, drop off, 2 course lunch and 4 wineries. I can't believe I've never thought of this before as it's right up the ILs alley given they love wine, food, Mount Tamborine... It's perfect.

We are breathing a big sigh of relief tonight knowing that we really have completed all of our Christmas shopping.

How's your shopping going?

How far along? 15 weeks


Stretch marks? No - and I go on and on about it but I am loving using my Mothercare cream again.

Symptoms: I definitely need to keep up those pelvic floor exercises as an annoying cough this week reinforced they aren't quite what they used to be.

Sleep: the nights have been cooler which helps enormously as my body temp is much higher lately but not enough to help me sleep through this week.

Have you told family and friends: Yes! And you can check last month's 'sooner than expected' post if you want to see E's eviction notice.

Miss Anything? After the week I've had, you guessed it, WINE!

Movement: slight flutters but nothing definite or consistent. I had an anterior placenta with E so didn't feel anything till 21/22 weeks last time so I'll probably be shocked to feel anything significant before then.

Age: 17 Months

We had a bit of an unenviable early start to our weekend when we were woken before dawn by the sounds of E's very laboured breathing. Concerned as he appeared to be struggling for air, we woke him and were greeted by a very sad baby with a harsh seal like cough that frightened him (and us) each time. Poor babe also had a temp spike of 38.6 (not bad considering how many times we've nursed 39+). Whooping cough was the number 1 illness that popped into my head and given it appeared his breathing was affected, we made the decision to head straight to emergency. Luckily it was a surprisingly quiet night/morning and the triage nurse had one listen to E and admitted us immediately saying that we did the right thing bringing him in as he very much needed to be there.

How far along? 14 weeks


Stretch marks? No - Loving using my Mothercare cream again.

Symptoms: still tired but that's about it now with some occasional queasiness.

Sleep: it's great... I'm sleeping well and solidly thank goodness.

Have you told family and friends: Yes!

Miss Anything? Wine! Yep, still badly missing my sav blanc ... But it's totally worth it.

Movement: no, nothing this week. I can't wait for Scott and Ethan to feel them though.
Best moment this week: putting up our Christmas tree with Es help and thinking forward to how much fun the future has in store for our little family in every Christmas to come.

Food cravings: loving my cola drinks and mangoes - thank goodness they're back in season.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nothing I can pinpoint this week.

Have you started to show yet: yes but it's still not a definite bump.

Baby is a: Girl ... I'm dying to know! Must hold out! Only 26 weeks give or take to go 😩

Belly Button in or out? Innie and unlikely to change.

Wedding rings on or off? On and there to stay for awhile.

Happy or Moody most of the time: happy definitely but feeling more overwhelmed than usual and have had a few OMG how will I do this with 2 under 2 moments.

Looking forward to: having more energy, the 20 week scan and Christmas with all it entails.

1. Make nuts and bolts - it's an Aussie thing involving nutri grain cereal and curry powder amongst other things.