Time for a little update

I am still pregnant - coming up for 9 weeks. I miscarried at 9 1/2 weeks last time, so it is a nervous time for me,  but I have hope that it won't happen this time.

I am mostly feeling OK - just tired. I haven't gained any weight yet which is a relief - I put on 6 kilos before my first booking appointment with BB. Though I still haven't lost that 6 kilos! I think being Paleo and pregnant is awesome. I have so much more energy than I did with BB, less nausea too. And because I am not filling myself up with bread and pasta and the like I am eating lots more highly nutritious foods instead. It's not dissimilar to the GD diet really. I am not 100% perfect. I fall off the Paleo wagon frequently, usually when out. Bread is the major sin - I always feel worse after I have eaten it, but I still do it sometimes - I like it and its an easy option.

I have had some really tired days (usually the days after I have eaten bread!), but I have been going to  bed at the same time as BB so that's helping me keep on top of that. I feel nauseous most of the time and am suffering from heartburn and indigestion. My nausea usually occurs in the evenings though, so going to bed at 7 means I sleep trough the worst of it which is great.

I haven't told BB about the baby yet. I am waiting until after the scan (30th May) and any further tests required before I tell him. I say further tests because I am going to have them. With BB I didn't. It would have made no difference to me if I had a child with special needs that time. I would have happily accepted what I was given. However, this time is different. Firstly I am older, there is a big decline in egg health between 38 and 42, and secondly its not about me anymore is it? Its about BB now. I am a single mum who will have no other support whatsoever - I need to be sure I don't take on more than I can manage.

BB did say he would like a "brother friend" the other day. I asked if a "sister friend" would be ok, and at first he said no, then when I mentioned some of his best girl friends, he decided that sister friend would be fine too. I'm not sure which he will get. I keep thinking of the baby as a girl, but my rational brain tells me a boy is more likely (DD is one of 5 boys!). Nausea in the evening is apparently a girl sign though. I don't really have any preferences. A girl would be nice for me terms of giving me the complete parenting experience, but a another boy would be great too. We have lots of lovely boy clothes that need to see a bit more wear, though if it is a girl I can cull even more stuff before we move! I will find out - I still don't get how some people manage to wait on that info until the birth. Its still a surprise, whenever you find out, you can just be more prepared if you know at 20 weeks. I think it will be nice for BB to know too - it might be easier for him to connect to "brother" or "sister" than "baby".

I have been clearing out and getting ready to move. I know it is a long way off if this pregnancy does go to term - not moving for over a year if that is the case, but I think the time is now for culling stuff, as once I get into the third trimester and then when I actually have an infant to care for, it won't be so easy to do. I went through all my teaching resources this week and have binned most of them. It was actually a very satisfying experience to get rid of all of that. I am selling things on ebay and amazon, giving stuff away on Facebook, and taking a bag a week to the charity shop.



The garden is also done, chicken coop gone and lawn laid, so that the house is more ready for renting out or to sell. Ideally I would like to get an investment mortgage on it and rent it out - keeping a little house in the UK would be ideal. It all depends on what happens with the exchange rate though, I could only afford to mortgage for about 60% of the value, which currently means I can't afford a house in Australia. I have hope for the exchange rate though, its currently heading in the right direction - we just have to wait and see what its like in a year.

Where we are moving to is still a little up in the air. I am fairly certain I have it down to two places - Alice or Albany. Two incredibly different places. Alice I LOVE. It feels like home, I know lots of people, have professional contacts and think I could get some interesting work, there is a great little Steiner School that I would be so happy for my kids to attend, the parenting situation of a donor parent or gay parent wouldn't be abnormal,  I love the dry sunny weather and I think it would be a great place to spend your primary years... BUT most of my best friends have left, it might seem like I am hankering after a past life, the property prices are really high and at best we would be in a small until with little or no garden. Keeping my house here really wouldn't be an option. It's also a long way from anywhere and flying out is expensive when there's three of you, everything tends to be more expensive too - most food and other goods travel a long way to get to there, so that adds to the price, the Steiner school also requires the payment of fees... so on the whole its a very expensive option. Add in to that the fact that I think I would want to leave when BB hits his high school years and it seems like a better idea to find somewhere new now. But I do love the Alice and am not quite ready to let go of her yet.

Albany I visited several times when I lived in WA. It's a nice size, with all you need, great beaches, stunning rock formations, nice hinterland, a climate that allows you to enjoy the outdoors all year round, fresh local produce and great nature play opportunities for kids. It's easy to go from there to other places, both big and small - Perth is just 4 hours away and the southwest corner would be great for little trips out and family camping holidays. WA is also the place where I fell in love with Australia and decided to stay. Exchange rate permitting, I could afford to get us a little 3 bed detached house with some garden. I also have a long standing best friend there which is one of the most attractive features, she has a little girl BB's age, and a baby girl.  Her partner is very willing to be a male role model for BB and he would be a great one too. Having them close by would be like having family. I know several other people in the state, though not many in the town itself. BUT... its not as sunny, the schools are big (but free) and WA as a state is isolated - I have lots of friends on the other side of the country. BB's Australian family are over the other side too... so we would actually be closer to them if we went to the centre.

I have written all the pros and cons of each place on paper, and Albany is the clear winner logically, but Alice still holds my heart. So we will see.


Other news since I was last here - BB has his first bike. My Dad bought it for him. Its a little balance bike. He can go quite quickly already, but hasn't managed a glide yet... he'll get there though. I have decided to treat our current weather summer. Its about 14ºC but hey. It's dry quite a bit of the time and sometimes the sun even shines. We are getting outdoors at every opportunity. A few weeks ago we started a park hunt - which is that we try to find a new childrens' park wherever we go. We found this little toddler obstacle course the other day on the way home from the train station, tucked in some trees behind a major road - who would have thought.


On the whole life is good - much better now that summer is here and I know I have a way out of England. Its a nice place to visit, but as a place to live, Australia wins hands down.

Hello, and thanks for stopping by. My name is Emma and I am a lifestyle entrepreneur, writer, teacher, coach and mentor. I am passionate about eating real food, learning, travel and health. I get to spend my days with my amazing son who has chosen to learn from the world rather than at school. We write to share the life we love and to help others create a life they love too.

5 comments:

  1. Tiffany CampiottiMay 8, 2014 at 3:34 AM

    Now is definitely a great time to get organized and go through the "stuff" that just seems to accumulate. Sending you positive thoughts for a full and healthy pregnancy!!

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  2. Hilary AlexanderMay 8, 2014 at 1:53 PM

    So glad the pregnancy is going well!

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  3. Such an exciting time for you!

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  4. It is... But I must say I read your recent post about having arrived at the pint where you have everything you want and you just have to live in the present moment with some degree of envy...

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  5. Very excited for you & glad things are going well. The move sounds like such a tough choice. It'll probably have to come down to a gut decision & then no looking back once you decide.

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