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What I Ate Wednesday

September 4, 2013, 4:33 pm
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Breakfast
I had organic porridge (I've gotten the whole family hooked on this...it is so good! Flahavan's Quick Oats!) with almond milk, 1/2 banana and cinnamon.  


Lunch
I promise we do eat something other than soup for lunch!!  It's actually total coincidence that we happened to have the EXACT same thing as last week!  But what can I say...this is the ultimate cosy, at-home lunch :)  Chicken & veggie soup with a poppy seed roll to dip with.


Snack
Here's what I had for my post-workout snack...a Pink Lady apple chopped up with a Danone Activia strawberry yoghurt.  In case you're wondering, when I say workout I mean an hour long walk with 6 dogs & a stroller ;)  


Dinner
Penne pasta with ground turkey, tomato sauce, red pepper, zucchini and parmesan cheese...this was soooo good!  We went through a phase of being obsessed with this dish but then got a little sick of turkey mince so we hadn't had it in a while but I started to really crave it again lately.  It's very easy to make and fills you up!  Emilia loved it - she had seconds...and thirds...ha ha ha :)


Dessert
Frothy decaf latte made with our new Nespresso Lattissima+ machine and some chocolate HobNobs.  Yummy!!  This time I used skimmed milk and I have to say it was kind of a disappointment as I didn't find it frothy enough...the machine instructions recommend using either semi-skimmed or skimmed milk so maybe semi would have been better.  I have previously used full fat milk and loooved the frothiness although it was pretty rich.  I will let you know when I find that happy medium - I'm still getting to know my new machine!

xoxo
Anna

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Throwback Thursday!

September 5, 2013, 3:59 pm
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This week's throwback is pretty recent but right now looking at the picture makes me think it was so long ago!  This was taken on the morning of my 25th (last) birthday, when Emilia was just under 2 months old.  Look how little and squishy she was!!  I remember taking this photo and then deciding not to post it because I was breaking out and my roots were in desperate need of some TLC...now, I just don't care!  Ha ha ha ;)

I can't believe on my next birthday Emilia will be over ONE year old!  

xoxo
Anna

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Dressing My Mini Bump!

September 6, 2013, 4:18 pm
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Here's what I wore today...I've been feeling a lot better lately, thank god!  The worst of my morning sickness seems to be over although it feels like my bump has doubled in size!  It's not visible at all in this picture because of the angle but trust me...it's true!  I think I look like I did 20 weeks pregnant with Emilia!  

I love this GAP cardigan so much for autumn and seeing as today was a little chillier I took the opportunity to break it out.  The shirt is by Tommy Hilfiger (old - have had it forever) and the jeans are by Zara.  My leopard print ballet flats have a gold chain detail at the toe and were from New Look...these are also extremely comfortable!  My bangle is by Farrell & Brown which you can buy at Meadows & Byrne.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! :)

xoxo
Anna 

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Banana Bread & Barnyard Animals!

September 7, 2013, 5:43 pm
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I baked banana bread last night for Emilia's (and my ;) breakfast and she loved it!  I used Annabel Karmel's recipe from her Eating for Two book.  I am a fan of banana bread anyway...I used to love when my mom made it but I have to say I really like this recipe too!  It's made with pecans & raisins - delicious!  I had it for breakfast this morning with a coffee :) Yum!

I also practised some more driving today which I'm quite proud of!  Although it took me about 25 minutes to reverse park into our driveway (embarrassing...I pray to god none of my neighbours were watching!!).  And I had a little mishap with a video I filmed yesterday when I accidentally deleted it from my SD card.  Unfortunately it's gone forever :(  So that's why there was no video today!  Oh well, these things happen.  


Emilia & I visited my mom this afternoon and she got to play with my old toys from when I was little!  This Fisher Price barn was one of my absolute favourites...I can't believe my mom kept it and all of the animals too!  The door makes a "moo" sound whenever you open it - did any of you have this farmyard set too?!  

Good night from my bed to yours :)  And if you want to try the banana bread I made, you can find the recipe here!  

xoxo
Anna

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Sunday Croissants with Emilia!

September 8, 2013, 3:52 pm
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Another breakfast shot!  This time it was Sunday croissants for brunch...we had a bit of a lazy morning!  I'm also really loving our new Nespresso machine - some might say I've become a bit of an addict!  Good thing you can get decaf capsules too ;)  


Emilia enjoyed her croissants too!  She actually got half a chocolate one & half a plain one (we all know she's going to be a chocoholic like her daddy!).  We bought her birthday presents this afternoon and hid them in the car so she doesn't see them till the big day!  I am so excited for Wednesday but a little bit sad at the same time...I don't know if it's the pregnancy hormones or is this just normal mommy feelings but everytime I think of her turning one I start to tear up!  I can't even explain it - I just can't believe how much she has changed and grown in the short space of one year.  I know everybody says it but the first year goes so fast and before you know it your tiny newborn baby is a cheeky little toddler with a personality of their own.  And you're left reminiscing and sobbing like a crazy person...ha ha ha!

Bracing myself for an emotional & busy week! 

xoxo
Anna

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12 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2!

September 9, 2013, 3:58 pm
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Sorry the lighting is so bad in these pictures - it's started to get really dark here again in the afternoon! :(  It seems I need to take all my blog photos earlier in the day from now on!  


How far along? 12/11 weeks - am saying 12 but still not sure if it's changed or not.  Will find out at tomorrow's OB appointment.  
Total weight gain: Gained another 2lbs this week putting me at 120lbs which is 5lbs total.  I remember last time I would get a lot more stressed about weight gain/whether I was gaining enough or too much...constantly checking if I was on track, etc. etc.  This time around I'm a lot more relaxed about it because I've been through it and I know what's normal!  Some weeks you gain more, others you gain less/none at all...it all balances out in the end :)  
Maternity clothes? All the time!
Stretch marks? No new ones!  Been using Mama Mio Tummy Butter every night on my belly to prevent them.
Sleep: Still good.
Best moment this week: 
Miss anything? Not at the moment but I know that soon I will miss sleeping on my tummy!  Those days are numbered...I can tell :(  I am a total tummy sleeper and that was one of the worst things about pregnancy last time.  Right now I am sleeping this way as much as possible to get the most out of it, ha ha!
Movement: No.
Food cravings: HOLY sausages!!!  Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a big meat-eater...in fact, red meat is usually a no-go for me as I generally find it gross.  But this week I developed these extremely strong cravings for sausages...sausage rolls, meat balls, any kind of pork sausage, especially with ketchup.  OMG.  I think I'm turning into a sausage!  The funny thing is our treat cupboard is overflowing with cookies, cake, chocolate, etc. which NEVER happens as I normally have such a sweet tooth.  I just haven't been feeling the sweets lately.  Not like me, at all!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not at the moment.
Gender: No clue.
Labor signs: Nope.
Symptoms: Morning sickness is definitely gone - phew!  And my energy is slowly but surely coming back.  I have days where I feel totally normal and like "myself" and then some days I still get super tired.  So it varies!  One thing I forgot to mention in my video (and brace yourselves for TMI here...) was constipation :(  Unfortunately I do remember this symptom from last time.  I think the prenatals tend to add to that :-/  Sam recommended Weetabix so I bought a humongous pack of it and I intend to mill through it next week...ha ha ha!
Belly button in or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Our 2nd ultrasound tomorrow :) We get to see little No-Name again!


If you want to compare this week's bump with my 12 week update from when I was pregnant with Emilia, click here! 

xoxo
Anna

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New Due Date & Birthday Prep

September 10, 2013, 4:47 pm
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The birthday preparations are underway!  Here's what my house is beginning to look like...basically it's as if Peppa Pig just vomited all over it, ha ha ha!  I'm staying up late tonight to prepare Emilia's cake...right now it's cooling in the fridge so I can frost and decorate it.  I've also set up her place at the table for when she comes down in the morning :)  I am so excited!  My mom always had this tradition where she'd set up our places on the morning of our birthday with our presents, cards, cake & candles...even on a school morning!  We weren't allowed to come down from our room till everything was ready and it was always a lovely surprise.  Even now that I'm grown up & moved out of home I still miss those birthday mornings.  So it's really important to me that I continue this tradition with my family too!     


We also had our 12 week scan today!  This time around the baby was extremely active!  He/she was kicking and moving like crazy - I actually got a fright when I saw that, I was not expecting it as last time the baby was so tiny and still!  We got to hear the heartbeat which was amazing :)  And I got a new due date!  So even though I was technically there for my 12 week scan the computer put me at 11 weeks 1 day so I am one week behind where I thought I was and my new due date is March 31st!  

Gotta go get covered in pink frosting and cry a little bit more about my baby growing up...ha ha ha ;)

xoxo
Anna 

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Emilia's 1st Birthday!

September 11, 2013, 4:24 pm
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It's official...I have a 1 year old!  Eek!  I can't believe it!  My little baby is technically no longer a baby but a toddler!  (Even if she hasn't quite mastered the art of toddling yet!)  Here are a few pictures from Emilia's big day.  Her reaction to all of her presents & cake in the morning was so cute...I think she was excited but a bit overwhelmed!  


A better look at the cake I made...I ended up staying awake till 2am baking, frosting and decorating it!  But it was so worth it :)  I just baked a basic yellow cupcake and buttercream frosting recipe for 24 cupcakes from my Betty Crocker book.  I tinted the frosting pink with food colouring and used my Big Top Silicone Bakeware to make a giant cupcake.  I baked it in the oven at 175 degrees Celsius for about 45-50 minutes and then frosted it & decorated with Dr. Oetker edible paper flowers and sugar flowers around the top.  


The birthday girl after opening her presents...she was glued to Peppa Pig!  Good thing she got lots of Peppa presents ;)


After her nap we went Emilia's Oma's house for lunch and she got to unwrap even more presents!  She loved everything, especially the cards!  I think she thought the cards were books...what a cutie!


And this was her beautiful birthday outfit - the dress is from Billieblush in Brown Thomas and the cardigan is by Bonpoint.  She is wearing the slate grey bow and light pink headband from Layniebug Designs.  You can't see her shoes but she wore her white leather bow shoes from Next.

I really hope Emilia had an amazing 1st birthday - all I know is that she was absolutely shattered by the time bedtime rolled around so I think I will chalk that up to being a success!  Now I am bracing myself for her birthday party on Saturday...and praying for good weather!  Happy Birthday princess Emilia, you are the best little girl your mama could ever have wished for! 

xoxo
Anna

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Throwback Thursday: Pre-Baby Body & Some Food for Thought!

September 12, 2013, 6:09 pm
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This week's throwback is from 2 years ago (September 2011), taken in Sorrento on our honeymoon!  Ahh...the pre-baby body!  Sans stretch marks and a 24" waist with absolutely no effort.  Those were the days!  I hope to go back to this after baby #2 is born (I mean...not straight after but you know what I mean!).  I never really did get my pre-baby stomach back after Emilia but then I also knew I wanted to have another baby again close together so I think a part of me sort of said, oh what's the point and reached for another chocolate Hobnob ;)  Or three...  

But yes, I would very much like to start working out again after little No Name Saccone Joly arrives - in the meantime I intend to *try* and keep up my fitness level by walking a few times a week (so far this is failing miserably...but hopefully the second trimester energy boost will kick in soon!)  In all honesty though, this entire post feels horribly shallow, especially given the fact I'm conscious Emilia had the sniffles & runny nose all day and just now I had to give her Calpol as she had a temperature and was very snuffly tonight :(  There is a total shift in priorities once you have kids that nobody can fully prepare you for.  And while I am the first to admit that I still fully enjoy making an effort with my appearance & by no means do I have any intention to "let myself go" (don't panic, Jonathan!!) things that once held so much importance like a bangin' body or a tiny waist are nothing compared to the health or happiness of your baby/ies.

When I posted a picture of my less than perfect post-baby bikini body this year on holiday in Italy, I got all kinds of nasty comments calling me "fat", "flabby" and even telling me that I should be "ashamed to wear a bikini" or "I would kill myself if my stomach looked like that".  The sad fact of the matter is that all of these comments came from young girls or other women (some with children of their own).  When you think about it, it's actually no wonder most women suffer from body image issues if they are so intent on putting each other down/ripping other women apart.  But here's a piece of advice for all of my younger readers (or anyone who needs to hear it): these harsh words would most likely have crushed my self-confidence had they been spoken/written to my teenage self...in fact I probably would have been so devastated that I would have deleted all evidence of these pictures and burned them.  However now I can tell you it's a whole different story...I promise you that as you get a little bit older & wiser, you start to care less about what other people think and focus more on what makes YOU happy.  Starving myself or obsessing over every little imperfection on my body seems like the most pointless waste of time ever ESPECIALLY when I could be putting that energy into something far more productive and positive like spending quality time with my family/looking after Emilia/walking my dogs/writing a blog about positive body image...ha ha, wait - what?!  You get the picture ;)

What I'm trying to say is...there are more important things to life than having a six pack or a "thigh gap" (I actually didn't even know what that was until a few days ago...)  And although of course I would love to get my pre-baby body back someday, it's just not at the top of my list of priorities anymore and it's also not something I would risk damaging my health over.  So please bear with me as I continue to share imperfect pictures of my current self and remember to hate less & love more...whether that be yourself or someone else.  Because life is too short to spend under your own little cloud of negativity and critiquing other women's bodies.  What's important is that you are happy with who YOU are, it doesn't matter about anybody else.  

I hope this post has inspired you in some way or another!!  I did not expect to get that deep...but it's the middle of the night and I tend to get inspired at the most random times like this...oh well :)  Love and positive vibes to all of you!

xoxo
Anna

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Emilia's Peppa Pig Party!

September 15, 2013, 1:19 pm
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Sorry I haven't posted in the last two days, but I have been sick :(  I caught Emilia's cold the night before her party...what a disaster!  Luckily neither of us were feeling too bad on the day and we were still able to go ahead with it.  Emilia was quite sniffly but she is such a trooper - it didn't seem to affect her mood at all!  

So here is the long-awaited party post!  As you probably already guessed, we went with a Peppa Pig theme ;)  Emilia is obsessed with Peppa...everytime she sees her whether it's on the TV screen or in toy/picture form her face lights up and she gets ridiculously excited!  And whenever she hears the theme music she starts rocking back and forth like crazy!  I'm serious, the creators of Peppa were definitely onto something...it is like a drug for kids!

Above is how our dessert/display table looked!  The fabric clouds and Peppa & George "Emilia" banner were custom made by Craftaholic on Etsy.  I found the banner first and loved how personal it was - then I asked the shop owner if she could make the clouds having seen something similar on Pinterest and she said yes!  I am so happy with them and will be using everything in Emilia's nursery when the party decorations are taken down.  I also got some pink & white paper straws from Fancy That Loved on Etsy.  They were amazing quality and very thick!   


Here is the amazing Peppa & Emilia cake!  This was baked by my extremely talented cousin Esther.  I sent her a picture that I had found on Pinterest and she recreated it (except I think her version was even better!).  I LOVE the little Peppa & Emilia figures on top (these are also edible!) and the pink buttercream frosting...yum!  I hate flat cakes, so I wanted something with lots of texture.  This was perfect!  Inside the cake was three different layers of pink vanilla sponge, going from light to dark pink - top to bottom.  It tasted as amazing as it looked...as you can tell, Emilia loved it :)


The bunting/cake topper is from The Path Less Traveled on Etsy.  I love how delicate & personal this was, I actually didn't want to spoil it with candles!!  Unfortunately you can't really see it in this picture but Emilia was wearing a beautiful peach tulle dress by Billieblush.  Her headband was by Layniebug Designs& Peppa Pig bow was from Heather's Bonny Bows.


My cousin Esther also baked the pink cupcakes (they were vanilla with buttercream frosting again...drool!) and I got the Peppa Pig customised cupcake toppers from Unique Party Supply on Etsy.  My sister Emma baked the chocolate marshmallow cupcakes which were delicious and had pink frosting & sprinkles on top.  I decorated the back of the table with a pink flower garland which I bought a few months ago from The Pavilion Garden Centre with pictures of Emilia printed from Printstagram and held up with little pink wooden clothes pegs from Skull Buttonry on Etsy.


More treats at the party included these adorable cloud cookies and pink star wand cake pops, all baked by my cousin Esther.  She got the idea of the cloud cookies from Sweetopia and I think they look so sweet!  Emilia loved their little smiley faces :)  The cake pop wands were also made by The Path Less Traveled on Etsy.  We used plastic knives & forks for the most part but I also found these wooden Peppa Pig teaspoons and decided to get some just for fun! They are from Bespoke Party Products on Etsy.  I also included them in the kids' goody bags - blue and green for the boys and pink for the girls!


For the goody bags, I used pink polka dot paper bags from Suzie's Cards on Etsy and filled them with treats we bought in the party supply section of Woodies.  Princess Peppa was also on our display table along with her wellies for jumping in muddy puddles ;)  We bought the pink paper cups & plates from Tesco and the Peppa Pig themed ones from Smyth's Toy Store.  

We were incredibly lucky with the weather that day as the sun was shining and we set up a puppy petting zoo out of Emilia's wooden playpen outside in the garden so that the doggies wouldn't be too overwhelmed in the house with 20+ guests!  They were so well-behaved and were a huge hit with the kids (one of the little girls developed a special bond with Nuvies...I don't think she put her down for the entire party!).  Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the dogs but they looked so cute in their yellow Peppa Pig bandanas that our groomer made for them!  I definitely think that Emilia's 1st birthday party was a success...I started planning a little over a month ago and it was everything I could have hoped it to be :)  I have to be honest though, it was a lot more stressful than I had imagined a 1 year old's party to be...but that's probably just my personality!!  I tend to get stressed about having everything perfect which, let's face it, it never is...especially when there are babies and kids involved!  Right now I'm just exhausted & happy that I don't have to do it all again until next year ;)  

xoxo
Anna

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Emilia's 12 Month (ONE YEAR!) Update

September 21, 2013, 8:08 am
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I am finally getting around to writing Emilia's 12 month update!  This will probably be it until about 18 months, as my initial goal was just to document her first year.  But I will probably update again when she is a year and a half, as I'm sure lots will have changed by then!  


Height/Weight: Emilia weight about 22lbs (from when I weighed her last month) and is between 27 and 28 inches in height.  It's quite difficult to get her to stand still so I'm estimating that she is maybe 27 and a half inches!
 
Routine: Her daily routine hasn't changed much from last month except for the fact that she is now pretty much down to one nap a day...which is fine if she sleeps for 2 hours during her first one but not so good if she sleeps for less time, as that means she can tend to get quite grizzly in the late afternoon :-/

Sleeping: Emilia still sleeps through the night in her own nursery with the door shut.  We actually stopped using the AngelCare sensor mat as the alarm kept going off and scaring us half to death in the middle of the night...the reason for this is because her crib is quite big and she moves around a lot, so she would move off the mat and it would freak out!  So now we just use the monitor in her room for when we are downstairs in the evenings, otherwise we have it switched on but don't even bring it upstairs with us when we go to bed as we can hear her anyway through our wall (our bedrooms are right next door!)  In terms of naps, on an ideal day she will go down from 12-2pm.  Bedtime is between 8 and 9pm. 

Eating: I am down to just one breastfeed a day - this is her bedtime one, so she is almost finished with nursing!  I am SO happy that I completed my goal of a year because I remember how hard it was in the beginning and how badly I wanted to give up.  But I'm so glad I didn't and I can tell you right now that it was absolutely worth it.  Research has shown that breastfed babies have the natural ability to tell when they are satisfied/full and I have definitely seen this with Emilia in how she eats regular food - it's amazing!  She is by no means a fussy eater and will try everything, however when she has had enough she just stops...whether it's something healthy or something naughty like a biscuit or ice-cream.  (Though she really likes those things too ;)  I have noticed some funny things like she doesn't care for cucumber (we have to hide it in omelettes and sandwiches), she is naturally attracted to brightly coloured fruits & veggies...and she has learned to detect the rustling of sweet/biscuit wrappers.  She gets extremely excited and starts jumping up and down...ha ha ha!  Oops ;) 

For breakfast she still has organic porridge or Weetabix with whole milk & honey along with a piece of fruit, like a banana.  With breakfast and lunch she just drinks water but sometimes she gets orange juice with her porridge if we have it in the fridge (it never lasts long!!)  For lunch she usually has a wholegrain chicken/tuna/egg salad/ham & cheese sandwich with lots of veggies like cherry tomatoes, cucumber, avocado and some babybel cheese.  For dinner she eats whatever we're eating along with whole milk to drink and for dessert she usually gets an organic yoghurt/fromage frais and some fruit.  For her afternoon snack she normally eats cheese & tomato puffits and 1/2 an apple or whatever other fruit we happen to have in the house. (This is the same as last month.)   When we're out or if we're at my mom's house she does usually have something sweet for dessert like a bit of cake or ice-cream or a cookie.  I believe in everything in moderation...I've practised this with Emilia since the beginning...I have never banned anything completely as I don't want her to grow up associating certain foods with being "bad" or "good", simply "more satisfying" or "healthier".  But everything is allowed, just in regular and proper portion sizes.  

Sizes: Emilia is wearing 12-18 months clothing and size 4+ nappies.  We're still using Pampers Active Fit or Baby Dry and we have always been happy with those!


Milestones
  • She is now WALKING!! Yesterday she took her first steps!!! To be totally honest her very first steps were not that dramatic...I saw her take them out of the corner of my eye, when I was putting away toys in her room and she suddenly took two steps on her own from her rocking chair to a toy she wanted.  Then she did it again when she walked from the couch to the TV and at that point I decided, alright we need to document this!!  So Jonathan and I filmed her practising walking between the two of us.  Above is the thumbnail from the instagram video I took! 
  • She is articulating her words a lot better and also has her own little ways of saying things!  For example she says "dada" or "daddy" in the morning when I bring her in to see him, she says "mama" when she's tired or wants me, she says "dudden" a LOT (this can actually mean a few different things) which normally means "doggy".  She has a little sound she makes when she's saying "bold" (bad), it's like a "gnnn" sound at the back of her throat and she will say that when she does something she knows isn't allowed or if she's hitting me or the dogs with a toy (something she also knows is not allowed...ha ha ha!).  
  • Obviously along with walking she has been standing on her own for much longer, she is still quite wobbly but we are getting there :)

That is everything I can think of!  If you have any questions about anything I mentioned, please let me know in the comments & I will try to reply!  

xoxo
Anna


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13 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2!

September 24, 2013, 3:28 pm
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How far along? 13 weeks 1 day! My due date was pushed back by exactly one week to March 31st which is why I didn't do a second 12 week update last week!  Now I am officially into the 2nd trimester which is crazy...I feel like even though the 1st trimester was awful symptoms wise, it went so fast!
Total weight gain: Gained 3lbs in the past 2 weeks!  I am now 123lbs which is actually exactly the same as what I was this time last pregnancy (even though I look way bigger!).  That means I've gained a total of 8lbs since the beginning of this pregnancy.  I'm not going to lie, the last 2 weeks have been rough getting to terms with the weight gain being that all the books, websites, forums etc. tell you that the "normal" amount of weight you should gain in the 1st trimester is up to 5lbs!  I just feel like it's piling on so fast & I'm showing so much more...does this mean I'm going to have a huge baby?!  But now I feel a lot better about it and I know every pregnancy is different - what's most important is that the baby is healthy!
Maternity clothes? Yep, yep, yep!  This dress I'm wearing is a maternity dress from Benetton that I got last pregnancy and the leggings are not maternity but they have a good amount of stretch in them.  
Stretch marks? No new ones! 
Sleep: Not great :(  I think the dreaded pregnancy insomnia has begun now that my bump is a bit bigger and it's getting more & more uncomfortable to sleep!  I may have to break out my pregnancy pillow again.
Best moment this week: My day at the spa yesterday! I got a prenatal massage & pedicure, it was a much-needed break & felt amazing to be pampered :)
Miss anything? Not really!
Movement: No.
Food cravings: I didn't notice any real cravings this week, though I will say I'm definitely liking meat a lot more than normal.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not at the moment.
Gender: I have a feeling it's another girl for some reason!  Don't ask why...I would be happy with either to be honest!  But I just can't imagine having a boy - I would be really surprised if it was!  
Labor signs: Nope.
Symptoms: Bloating & constipation have been the worst these last two weeks :(  It seems like both are letting up a bit now though so I am definitely thankful for that!  Otherwise my nails are still splitting and very weak (total opposite to last pregnancy!).  
Belly button in or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or moody most of the time: Errr a bit of both!  My emotions & hormones have been all over the place lately!  I seem to cry at the drop of a hat...it's kind of embarrassing!!
Looking forward to: Finding out the gender (hopefully in November!).  We can't wait :)


To compare this pregnancy's 13 week bump to the last one, click here!

xoxo
Anna

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14 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2!

September 30, 2013, 2:18 pm
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How far along? 14 weeks
Total weight gain: I forgot to weigh myself this morning...I will update again next week!  But I did take measurements!  Right now my waist is at 28" and my belly is at 33".  My pre-pregnancy (meaning pre-first pregnancy) measurements were 34"-24"-34" and my postpartum waist measurement was 25" on a good day.   
Stretch marks? No new ones! 
Sleep: I know I'm not getting enough! :(
Best moment this week: It was not a great week to be honest...the weather has been really crappy and I think it's affecting my mood.
Miss anything? My energy!
Movement: No.
Food cravings: Nope! 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not right now.
Gender: I definitely feel girl!  For some reason I'm seeing Emilia with a little sister...I mean maybe I'm wrong but this is how I'm feeling!  We finally picked out a girl name that we like, just in case.  It was difficult because of course Emilia was our first choice and we already have our boy name!  But I'm happy with both names we have picked and will be excited to use either!
Labor signs: Nope.
Symptoms: Last pregnancy I got the typical sore, sensitive, massive boobs but this time because I was right at the end of breastfeeding that didn't happen (thank god!).  While the breastfeeding came to an end I felt they were actually getting smaller and I was so grateful (I know, weird thing to be happy about but trust me - those girls got huge and swollen at some points I was glad to be rid of them!).  However now that I've stopped breastfeeding completely I feel they are getting bigger all over again :(  Nooooo!!!!  Other symptoms include fatigue (I still don't have my energy back) and crazy mood swings.  God bless my husband right now because he must be made of some strong stuff to not leave me the way I've been acting lately!  Like I said last week I am SUPER emotional and feel totally out of control when it comes to my mood, it's like a yo-yo and I've had to stop reading the news or watching anything sad on TV because I go into total meltdown mode :(  It's horrible!  We do seem to be out of the woods with the constipation though so that's always good ;)    
Belly button in or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or moody most of the time: Definitely moody.
Looking forward to: Feeling like a normal person again...ha ha ha!

Want to compare last my last 14 week update with this one?  Click here!

xoxo
Anna
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15 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2!

October 7, 2013, 3:32 pm
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Poor Emilia has a back tooth coming up (I can feel it with my finger now) and she woke up crying and in lots of pain twice last night, then ended up falling asleep in bed with mommy.  The poor little thing has not been herself all day - acting super clingy and upset, wanting to be held by me all the time, barely eating and rarely smiling or laughing (so unlike her).  So it was very difficult to peel myself away from her for ten minutes to film and then by the time I got to take pictures it was almost dark so the lighting sucks...and as you can tell she would not leave my side :(  I really hope she gets better soon!  


How far along? 15 weeks!
Total weight gain: 11lbs - I weigh 126lbs as of this morning, gained 3lbs in the last 2 weeks!
Maternity clothes? Did some major damage on ASOS this week so expect some maternity haulage in the next few days!
Stretch marks? No new ones.
Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty well and the crazy pregnancy dreams have started...last night I dreamt I was devouring a huge piece of meat, ha ha ha!! It sounds gross but meat is my craving right now so it was actually pretty heavenly!
Best moment this week: Buying my new car :)  I get it tomorrow, I think.  I can't wait!
Miss anything? I actually wrote this in my last 15 week update too but I miss my clear skin!  It is breaking out big time right now and during the summer it got so nice & clear :(  I wish it would have stayed like that just a little while longer!
Movement: All the baby books/apps/etc. tell me that now is the time to start feeling some movement, especially if it's my second pregnancy.  But I haven't felt anything yet!
Food cravings: Savoury stuff, salty snacks, meat.  
Anything making you queasy or sick: I wouldn't say this is making me queasy or sick but I've been really turned off biscuits lately...there are so many unopened packets of Oreos & Caramel Digestives in our cupboard right now, normally these kinds of things don't last long in our house!  But for some reason the thought of biscuits makes my mouth feel dry & scratchy...it's weird!
Gender: No idea but a part of me still thinks girl!
Labor signs: No.
Symptoms: I am definitely feeling a lot better this week and a lot more energetic.  I think stopping the breastfeeding has helped and I'm beginning to feel more like myself and 2nd trimester-ish! I've started working out again and don't get so exhausted during the day...it's very nice!  I'm still very emotional but maybe not as bad as last week.  Hormonal acne is going strong, as I mentioned before.  And I have had 1 or 2 episodes of heartburn but I'm not sure if this is pregnancy related or not yet!  I did have it pretty bad in my last pregnancy so I'm not looking forward to that!
Belly button in or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or moody most of the time: A mixture of both :)  
Looking forward to: Getting my new car!


Snuggling with daddy <3 


Look at that sad face :( 

xoxo
Anna

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Feeling Better!

October 8, 2013, 4:11 pm
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Today Emilia was finally feeling a little better (still not 100% but definitely better!).  Her appetite is coming back and she was not as clingy today but she is sleeping a lot and we have been giving her little pea-sized amounts of teething gel to help reduce the pain.  

Here is her outfit of the day!  She's wearing a beautiful dress from Zara Baby which my mom got her, white tights and dark pink shoes from Boots Miniclub a sage green Layniebug Designs bow.  When we went out she wore a rust coloured cardigan to match her dress.  I am in love with this outfit!  I think I want to get some darker tights for the autumn though...the warm cable knit ones are so pretty!

In other news the dogs got groomed today so they are all lovely and sweet-smelling.  I am picking up my new car tomorrow - it took a while longer to get it ready as I opted for this water resistant seat protection stuff (I can't for the life of me remember the name of it!!) to be put on the leather so it would be safe from any spillages made by babies/puppies/etc. ;)  I sold my Beetle yesterday and was a bit sad to see it go as it was my first car and the one I learned to drive in!  But I know it's off to a good home :)

xoxo
Anna

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What I Ate Wednesday!

October 9, 2013, 2:09 pm
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Here are today's eats!  

Breakfast
Weetabix with almond milk and a handful of almonds (we had no bananas :( )


Emilia has the same except with regular cow's milk instead of almond & heated up :)  Oh, and check out her shiner! :(  She got this yesterday when she slipped and fell while walking in the living room.  I still have no idea what caused such a bruise! It seems she gets them everyday now that she's toddling around the place!


Lunch
We went to Costa for lunch as it's across the road from where I picked up my new car.  This is my all-time favourite lunch choice - the chicken fajita wrap.  It's made with chicken, cheese, peppers and fajita sauce plus they toast it for you which makes it even yummier.  I also ordered a medium decaf coffee.


Dinner
We spent almost the entire day out so I had no snacks today!  Dinner was chicken chow mein made by Jonathan with wholewheat noodles and peppers...actually kind of similar to lunch now that I think of it!  But so good!


Dessert
Oh.My.God. I was not expecting to fall so deeply in love with this cake!  My mom offered me a slice of this zucchini cake that my sister Emma baked over the weekend.  I am not a fussy eater and will try anything but I definitely did not think that zucchini could be involved in the making of such a delicious sweet treat!  I would describe this as very similar to carrot cake in terms of texture & taste, and the cream cheese frosting was to die-for!!  If I could have eaten 50 slices I would!  

xoxo
Anna

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ASOS Fall Fashion Picks!

October 10, 2013, 4:00 pm
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16 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2!

October 14, 2013, 9:00 am
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How far along? 16 weeks!
Total weight gain: 11lbs - stayed the same since last week which puts me at 126.
Maternity clothes? Loving my new ASOS stuff :)
Stretch marks? No new ones.
Sleep: I can't complain...I even quite enjoy the crazy prego dreams! It's like watching a movie everytime I go to sleep! 
Best moment this week: Getting my new car & driving. I love it so much now...there is truly no comparison to driving manual! Automatic is the best thing ever!!
Miss anything? Not really.
Movement: No :( I was hoping to feel something this week but so far, nothing. At one point I did think I felt the baby but it turned out to be just indigestion...ha ha ha!
Food cravings: I didn't really have any this week!  
Anything making you queasy or sick: No.
Gender: We still don't know! We find out soon though :)
Labor signs: No.
Symptoms: Like I said last week I have my energy back which is wonderful! My skin is breaking out like crazy though...I feel like everytime I wake up there's a new spot. Not fun. I have been getting a touch of heartburn here & there but nothing too bad. And the last two days I've had horrible bouts of nausea all of a sudden in the mornings (always at the same time) which is weird because I thought my morning sickness had gone! But it turns out it was just because I changed my prenatals and I take them in the morning with my breakfast (which you probably shouldn't do but I am always afraid I'll forget later!). So it was those taken on a not-full-enough stomach that were making me feel sick. 
Belly button in or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or moody most of the time: Err...I'm going to say happy!
Looking forward to: Something special happening next week ;)


Want to compare this bump with the last one? Check out my 16 week bump update here! 

xoxo
Anna

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Fall Makeup Routine!

October 15, 2013, 9:00 am
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One of my most popular requests has always been how I do my everyday makeup. I will be the first to say that it very rarely changes which is why I don't do a lot of these posts but I have switched up quite a few products this season so here is an update on my look.  I usually go for neutral warm tones, a soft smokey eye and a nude lip.


Here are the products I use everyday:

Concealer - Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Concealer in Medium Light
Foundation - Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in Ivory Beige
Eyeshadow Primer - Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden
Powder - Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 001 Transparent
Contour - HD Brows Bronzer
Blush - Nars Orgasm
Highlight - LA Creative Illuminating Powder in Stardust
Brows - HD Brows Kit in Vamp (a mix of Medium Brown & Dark Brown)
Eyeshadow - (From Smashbox Studio Pop Palette) Bliss on browbone & inner corner, Cinnamon Toast on lid, Doe & Rapture in crease, lower & upper lashline
Eyeliner - Be a Bombshell in Onyx & Urban Decay 24/7 Perversion
Mascara - CoverGirl Lashblast Fusion
Lipstick - Rimmel Airy Fairy Lipstick


My eyebrows badly need to be plucked but I think one of the puppies stole my tweezers...no joke!!  It's the second one that's gone missing! :(  

Anyway, I hope this clears up any questions you guys may have had about how I do my makeup. To watch the tutorial, check out my YouTube channel!

xoxo
Anna

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What My Toddler Eats

October 16, 2013, 9:00 am
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I've been asked quite a few times to do a post on what Emilia eats in a typical day, so yesterday I took pictures of everything she had (bar one mini Milky Way Celebration that her dad snuck in that afternoon when I wasn't looking!).  Here's what she had!

Breakfast
Emilia almost always either has porridge or Weetabix for breakfast.  I give her Flahavans Organic Quick Oats with organic whole milk, blueberries, cinnamon and 1/2 a banana cut lengthways. (She finds them easier to pick up this way!)  In her sippy cup she normally gets either water or orange juice, if we have it.


Lunch
For lunch I usually make her a sandwich of some kind.  One of her favourites is a wholegrain tuna bagel with mayo, cucumber and cherry tomatoes.  Sometimes she'll have a Babybel cheese too.  She usually eats about half of this...maybe a little more.  She likes to take off the top and eat the bottom half of the bagel with all the filling on!  To drink she either gets water or whole milk - today it was water.


Dinner
For dinner Emilia normally has whatever we're eating.  Tonight it was chicken korma with green beans, peppers & onion.  She had hers with chopped up naan bread which she loves!  To drink she had some whole milk.  


Snacks
For dessert Emilia had some grapes cut in half with a baby yoghurt. Her favourite are the Glenisk fromage frais which come in a few different flavours.  She usually has one of these and a piece of fruit for dessert.

I also normally give her another piece of fruit like an apple and these Ella's Kitchen organic cheese & tomato puffits for an afternoon snack but she didn't have one today.  

Like I've said before, I don't claim to be perfect and neither Emilia nor I eat 100% healthy all of the time. I try to give her healthy & nutritious snacks/meals during the week but if we go out or visit my family at the weekends she definitely has dessert or sweets, just in reasonable portions. No food is off-limits, everything is allowed but in moderation :)

I hope this helped answer some of your questions and maybe even gave you guys some meals/snack ideas for your little ones!  

xoxo
Anna

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