Weekend Round-Up and a Quick Review (also maybe some cartoon boobies)

I was busy with a post on Thursday then got the dreaded family emergency phone call, calling me away from "work" (I say that loosely). So I'll save that one for another day and do a round-up of the last of the long weekends activities and purchases for the next 2 months (boo-hoo).

It's always nice to have an extra half a day to the already long weekend, but not when you have to spend it at the emergency room, and then the ICU. Although, I didnt actually spend it in the ER. You don't know what kind of lurgees are hanging around there, and with an immune system that is already functioning at minimum capacity I decided to send my well wishes with family and waited outside instead. I was however allowed into the ICU which brought back a thousand flashbacks of my life 4 years ago.

The guy in the bed next door was having a blood transfusion, which was quite sick and yet facinating to watch at the same time. Call me weirdo if you must.

I will say however, looking around to see every bed in the ICU was full, there was even an isolation room with someone in there that didn't move once while we were there, makes you take stock of your life and it gives you an opportunity to be thankful and grateful for your health. I'm thankful for my health and I'm thankful for the blessed opportunity I have to grow life.

Friday doesn't have much to report. I felt almost guilty for the fact that pajamas, movies and rest were the order of the day.... But, rest we did and I was all the better for it the following day.

Disappointment

Shawn and I went shopping for a camping cot and pram on Saturday. Although, we still walked away empty handed, after I said that I first want to see what there was on offer and if there were any discounted items that we might find at the Baba Indaba that was taking place this weekend. We had planned this outing for Sunday. Woke up Sunday morning and my gut told me just to check the website. Lo and behold it was cancelled.

I had joined their Facebook page a while back to be kept updated of any happenings, yet none of their posts show in my feed, so I missed the post that states 4 days before the event that it had been cancelled. Apparently I wasn't the only one who hadn't seen that post. People were furious to say the least. Driving all the way to the expo to find an empty exhibition hall. This is was also the second show this year that was postponed/cancelled. Very bad planning to say the least.

So I decided to then spend Sunday with my parents. Not before painting my nails with this sexy colour!

We met at Irene Mall, had something to eat at Mugg & Bean (the family go to restaurant), ooohed and aaahed over baby items at Naartjie Kids (As per Nana,WILL be wearing outfits from there - 16 weeks and already spoilt) and shopped for bunnies for the babies room, ate bubblegum ice-cream and then decided to drive to Woodlands Boulevard to do more shopping.

I remembered while we were out that I need more facial wash but also wanted a scrub because my skin has taken a bit of a turn for the worse over the last few weeks. It's looking very dry and I have a lot of little pimples sprouting a long the jaw line as well as tiny bumps on my neck and chest.

Review

For those that have read my previous blogs will know that I have always been a fan of the African Extracts Rooibos range and have been using that for quite a few years now. I'm also not one to change my facial products too much as it does have an adverse reaction on my skin. Rather the devil you know and all that. However, because I felt that with all the changes going on I really neeeded something different, and I needed a scrub desperately. But. there's always a but, I am not a fan of those very grainy hard scrubs, It makes my skin feel sore, red and blotchy. Then I spotted the Rooibos and Anti-Oxidants 3 in 1 Facial Cleanser from the Clicks Skincare Collection. It claims to:

- Cleanse Skin
- Gently Exfoliates
- Helps to remove make-up

Also, it was cheap as chips and was price at R37.99

Sold!

The Verdict (after one use only) 

I quite liked it. The exfoliating beads were a lot more grainy than the African Extracts cleanser, but they were not hard. It didnt feel like a was rubbing course sea sand on my skin and it felt like my face, neck and chest had a good cleaning. This cleanser is also gentle enough that you can use it daily.

I also bought the Rooibos and Anti-Oxidants travel/trial pack with a Facial Wash Cream, Toner, Day Cream and Night Cream to sample before buying the complete range and not being entirely happy with it. I probably wont be using the facial wash cream, I've never been fond of that type of cleanser. I bought it mainly for the toner and moisturisers. If anyone wants a cream cleanser, mail me and you can have it!

Note to self (and to others)

Do not drink the toner which smells just like peach iced tea. Very yummy for the face indeed. I decided to use the night cream this morning instead of day cream for a thicker coverage seeing as they my skin has been so dry lately. So far, I'm happy. A small amount goes a long way. It wasnt too thick and blending it in was a breeze and it left my skin feeling moisturised.

All in all, not a lot of money spent and still I'm left feeling suitably satisfied. Thanks Clicks.

Did You Know?

You can use nipple cream for many things other than just nipples.Yes, yes you can. I started getting this crack on the side of my mouth. Goodness knows what caused it but it was flippen sore. Nothing was clearing it and Shawn suggested nipple cream. I laughed him off and then went to Dischem to get something else. The lady behind the counter fully agreed with nipple cream and or baby bum cream and sent me on my way.

It started healing in 2 days. Can you imagine that.

Nipple cream for the win then.

Things Your Mother Didnt Tell You About Pregnancy

You've probably dreamed about pregnancy and being a Mom since you were young. You've probably sat and poured over old time family albums while your Mom explained what it was like for her to be pregnant with you. She may have hinted at the morning sickness and how tired she may have been. Then you fall pregant yourself and realise there are a whole host of details she failed to mention to you.

Let us look at some examples:

1.  You will be an emotional wreck. 

She have briefly mentioned that your emotions may fluctuate here and there but what she didnt mention is that some may flirt with the borders of crazy. I'm not talking about mixed emotions of "I cant believe I'm going to be a Mom", to, "How the hell am I going to keep a little human being alive, I can barely keep myself together" I'm talking about emotions such as:

Michelle:  Okay, I better get ready for work, I'm going to be late. Speak to you later
Shawn:  Okay Bye
Michelle:  Wow okay. Bye Then
Shawn:  What now
Michelle:  Nothing. Talk later. Maybe tomorrow again when you have 5 minutes for me

Shawn:  oooookaaaaay.

2.  Being pregnant is hard work 

While Nana is excited at the prospect of little grandchildren feet running around, she probably didnt mention that growing a baby is hard work. Hard work! It takes an energy you never knew existed to barely keep yourself standing let alone you plus one. However....

3.  Pregnancy can turn you into a raging sex-bot!

There's probably a pretty good reason she didnt mention this one, I mean, how many people want to think about, well you know.....nevermind. Some woman apparently experience an increased sex drive during pregnancy, probably because of the increased blood flow to the sexual organs and hormones etc, increasing sensitivity etc... All you Moms out there, you know what I mean. Yes yes, dont even bother to pretend... how did that bebe get there in the first place?

4.  You might snore

Actually you probably will snore. You'll probably want to activate point 3 before you fall asleep. Just saying.

5.  You might get leg cramps.

Your legs and feet will also swell. Everything below your neck will swell making you look like you are the only human being on this planet that has no joints. Your feet may not fit into your shoes at some point and all your personal grooming will probably go to pot, making your body look like Vietnam circa 1970: the jungle is overgrown, explosions resound in thee darkness and people on the homefront are staging protests and fleeing halfway across the world.

6.  Pregnancy can be very overwhelming

This one is a real doozy. Your mother may have skipped over this one as well, and for good reason too. Being pregnant is very daunting. It is very scary to sit and think about the future, whether or not you will be a good mother, whether or not you will know why your baby is crying etc. People will come with their unsolicited advice and you will want to cut them. Pregnancy will also activate every weird dream you may ever experience. I have had some cuh-razy dreams lately, like my teeth falling out and bumping into old high school friends in a government hospital who were using it as a canteen. I also dreamt that my baby was breathing and sleeping but it wouldnt wake up. Ever.

7.  You will lose friends. 

You will. It will also be more difficult to talk to friends/people who do not have children.
People who don't have children don't want to know about other peoples children. Fact.

8.  You WILL appreciate your Mother

She doesnt ever tell you this one because she secretly hopes you figure this one out for yourself and you do. Very early on. My mother and I have managed to create a bond that I could never explain to anyone else. Pregnancy can be a very lonely time at times and she is the one person you can count on ALWAYS.

9.  The bond isnt always instant

I struggled to find an attachment to this baby for the first 3 months. It started to grow a very small amount after the 12 week scan and I could actually see this little human being. Then last night I felt my baby move for the very first time. The bond was sealed from that very moment. I feeling I will remember forever. Lots of little bubbles. UH-MAY-ZING!

[Cartoon] - Ramble

Greetings from the toilet bowl today!

So far, it's been a relatively good week in the MS department, but just because it'st Friday and I want sit and relax and do endless amounts of Sudoku and crossword puzzles in this fantastically overcast and cuddle weather.... Mother nature has other plans for me.

We're 12 weeks now, (can you flippen believe it. Time has flown by, tomorrow I wipe my eyes out and there will be a little human that needs me more than anything. SCARY) Everyone keeps saying that it should be letting up around about now. Mine only seems to be getting worse. I cant help but picture myself in 4 months time still hovering over the toilet bowl like a drone.

Right now I am feeling very very drained. Literally. This has been a very tiring few weeks.

Monday morning is my appointment with the Gynae. I'm feeling very nervous. Hopefully from next week I will be able to relax a little more and allow myself to enjoy this experience instead of being a constant worry wart. I have a few questions that I want to ask him. I should write them down though. The probability that I wont remember any of them is quite high if I don't.

I just received an SMS reminder for the appointment, Shit's getting real.

I need this weekend! A lot

Dreams

There is such a plethora of pregnancy information on the internet, it's very easy to overload the brain with unnecessary information and freak yourself out. I do this to myself quite easily.

So when I started having the most bizarre dreams, of course, my first stop was indeed Google.

I couldn't really find anything substantial to back up this weird symptom other than, blaming it on hormones. The poor buggers get blamed for everything.

I've had many dreams over the last 6 weeks. Some of them I remember, some of them I don't, some of them I do remember but then I promptly forget. Not willingly of course.

One of the recent ones was a trip to the Gynae, considering I have a pending appointment, this dream doesn't surprise me. What does surprise me are the most insane things that happened.

When I arrived for my appointment, I was left sitting up straight while I viewed the image of my baby head on. It was a boy. He was staring at me and he was struggling to breathe.

When we were done the doctor gave me a piece of paper from an exam pad with all his notes on it and sent me to the reception area to pay. A one thousand six hundred rand appointment had all of a sudden become six thousand rand. What the hell? After a massive fight with the two girls in reception, the one said "well you didn't have the massage and the pedicure so we will deduct two hundred and fifty rand"

What the ????

In the latest addition of "Michelles pregnancy nightmares" - I went to the loo and when I got there, there were 4  kit kat fingers placed neatly on the toilet seat...

Very odd, but I moved them out the way, and when I was done with my hourly pregnancy piddle, I flushed the chain and the toilet started vomiting chocolate all over the place.

I have been off chocolate during this trimester. I'm guessing this is why I would dream of chocolate vomiting toilets. Very sad for me. Very happy for my bum. This dream didn't help my slowly increasing distaste for this sweet treat.

I hadnt mentioned this to my mother and over the Easter weekend, she may or may not have shoved a Lindt chocolate bunny in my face, saying "here, eat this" - cue instant gag. #lols #lovemymother

I've been wondering if I should keep a Dream Diary for this particular time of my life, so when the chips are down, I can always go back and have a good laugh at myself.

It's probably just an excuse though to buy another notebook. You all know about my not so secret love affair with stationery.

Morning Sickness

Today I want to talk about morning sickness.


In my last post I had mentioned that I was suffering from a little nausea but otherwise I haven't had much in the way of actual morning, afternoon, evening, all day sickness.


Well now don't I just feel like a liar.


This weekend I found myself aimlessly wondering around the house from bed to fridge to couch to bed to fridge to couch, you get the picture. I absolutely did not know what to do with myself and the unbearable nausea. I couldn't decide if I was ravenous or if my stomach wanted to turn itself inside out. Sunday was the worst and where it normally subsides by 5 or 6pm, the urge to projectile across the country, stayed with me well into the late hours. After breaking land speed records to get to the toilet all I managed was dry heaving... and lots of it. It was not pretty.


The toy poms seem to be very confused with this behaviour and are constantly by my side. The look of concern on Nikki's face is priceless.


I've been trying to summarize my thoughts on the following facts:


*  Nausea
*  The actual act of throwing up
*  Dry heaving


Needless to stay, dry heaving is hot on the tails of nausea and really is pushing for 1st place. The act of throwing up, although not pleasant, beats feeling like you're on a non-stop rollercoaster with a very full yet very empty stomach.


After I lost my first child, I always vowed I would take the bad with the good. Which I am, because, well, I have no option to be quite honest. But living on flat coke and salt and vinegar crisps isn't fun or nutritious. Right now, until I go back to the gynae, I really have no choice. I'm a lot bit paranoid of just taking anything.


Morning sickness is not for sissies. This business is open and its flourishing. I just want to crawl into bed and cry a little whimper and not have to torture myself with everyones food in the office that smells like Chinese. I'm not sure if it's because 2 weeks ago we had Chinese, and now I'm sub-consciously put off, or if because if the chick in hardware sales is eating Chinese flavoured popcorn, or if it's because I am actually craving Chinese.


Although I'd really like a lamb tikka right about now