Maternity Leave

I started maternity leave this week. And I think I've been busier on leave than I was at work!

The gorgeous bunch of flowers I got from everyone at work on my last day

Saturday was my Baby Shower, just a small gathering of a few friends and family for afternoon tea and it was really lovely. I thought it was going to rain, and it did sprinkle in the morning, but then the clouds cleared and it ended up being quite sunny and humid by the end!

The yummy, yummy food...and this wasn't all of it, there was also fruit and some other lovely sweet things, not to mention some
fantastically delicious diabetes cakes that my friend C made...must get recipe!

My sister A and girlfriend K did a great job organising everything and the food was lovely, even if I couldn't indulge in much due to the GD. Still, I did ok, and managed to graze on a lot of the treats on offer.

I got ridiculous amounts of baby stuff, and I am so, so thankful to everyone who came for their gorgeous gifts. I don't think I've ever seen so many cute baby clothes in my life!

Opening presents...the baby bath filled with stuff is from my Sister A, who also had another basket filled with stuff. She has been collecting it ever since I told her I was pregnant (at 5 weeks!) and I think she's going for the title of
 'Best Aunty'!

I've spent the last 4 days washing, washing, washing and I've finally got all the baby gear washed, folded and put away.

I did a little shopping on Sunday and bought some books for the baby for Christmas (Dymocks had a 3 for 2 sale on the Kids Top 101, YAY!) and grabbed one or two things for myself and Dave for Christmas, and I spent the $100 Dave's Nana gave us at the shower in Target buying a nappy bag, a play mat and a cool tummy-time mat thing that has some really gorgeous colours and a mirror and stuff.

Monday was all about the washing and waiting for the blind for the baby's room to arrive, gonna put it up on the weekend.

Tuesday was acupuncture and OB appointment. The OB was really happy with last weeks ultrasound results, the baby's growth has slowed right down to normal and is measuring bang on average for a baby of her/his gestational age so chances are good s/he's not gonna be a giant baby but just normal size! I have also officially only put on 500grams in the last 8 weeks since I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. In fact, I've technically lost weight as I now have hips again and I've lost some fat off my thighs, as well as my little back 'flaps' as I like to call them, however because the baby is obviously still growing and putting on weight my weight-loss doesn't actually translate over to the scales, but I'm feeling good.

Anyone for a wrap?

It's made me feel really confident about being able to lose weight after the baby is born and getting back into decent shape. It's no secret that I was overweight before I fell pregnant, and already trying to lose weight, and following the GD eating plan and learning a lot about good nutrition these past 8 weeks has really set me up for losing the 20 or so kilos I want to lose to reach my goal weight. I will admit though, I'm not gonna be strict on myself those first few weeks after bub is born, I reckon I'll have enough to think about, but I am determined to keep up these healthy eating habits and allow myself one cheat day a week. I also plan on speaking to the nutritionist at the diabetes centre after we're back home and things have settled down a bit about modifying the eating plan she gave me to compensate for breastfeeding. The endocrinologist I saw said that a diabetes diet/way of eating is one of the healthiest eating plans you can follow, and that if I keep it up, making the modifications to take into account breastfeeding, I should be able to stay diabetes free for a lot longer than I might otherwise have if I'd continued on the unhealthy track I was on pre-pregnancy (having gestational diabetes increases your risk of developing type-2 diabetes within 10 years if your baby's birth). With the added bonus being I should be able to lose about a kilo a week without being hungry and still giving my body everything it needs for good nutrition and healthy breastfeeding.

And let me tell ya, I have a list in my head a mile long of all the things I want to have on those cheat days, things I haven't been able to eat because of being pregnant or because of the GD, with a Maccas chocolate sundae being at the very top. Closely followed by Salmon Pate and Camembert Cheese!

Wednesday I went to Ikea, that den of home-making goodness, and got some drawer dividers to help me organise all of the clothes and wraps for the baby, as well as a few other bits and pieces and a wall lamp for bub's room.

I'm feeling pretty organsied and ready for bub now. There are still a few more bits and pieces that I would like to get, and I still haven't hung the pictures up in the baby's room yet, but all of the important stuff is done, with the exception of putting the car seat in the car. My hospital bag is packed and I have a list of the things I can't pack yet but have to grab when the time comes.

The doc says it's just a waiting game now and bub could come at anytime and I'm finding it really hard to sleep. It's like the 'night before Christmas' anticipation times a thousand and all I want to be doing is cleaning and organising the house, not doing something so useless as trying to sleep! However I am very aware of the fact that I need to try and get as much sleep now as possible and I'm thinking tomorrow, after I've dropped the edited catalogue at work I need to take advantage of my current 'lady of leisure' status and have at least a nap or two.

I think I've earned it!

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