Luka Anya - 8 months old!

Wow I would've blinked and missed this one!

Luka and I have been sick as of late and all my time has been focused on getting ourselves better.
We both have a bad cold, runny noses, chesty coughs and poor Luka hasn't been eating much (or nil) solids and has been vomiting up mucus (which is kinda good, gets more of that bug out of her system).
Nights have been hard because Luka goes into bad coughing fits, then I use that time to comfort her, give her fluids, wipe her nose (and mine! I actually fell asleep with a tissue in my hand the other night) and give her pain relief. She's still getting up and down temps poor thing, I really hope this is over soon!

Downside to being sick is that we may be missing Luka's first concert at her daycare this Friday and quite possibly our friends baby boys first birthday if there is no sign of improvement (sharing's not caring) :-(
Also she hasn't been eating much or at all. Happy to say though she had a small bowl of food this morning and managed to hold it down. I'm hoping this is the start of her healing.
On the plus side, it's the first time I've been sick all year, I think this is also Luka's 4th or 5th cold this year too so that'll be good for her developing immune system!
Also Spring is literally around the corner, I am over Winter and ready for Summer. This year we are definitely hitting the beach, last Summer we didn't get a chance because I was so close to giving birth and Luka was too small.

Anyway, apart from sicknesses this has been quite the month!
A huge milestone has been met, you can keep scrolling down for that one :D

Starting to get more hair!



We made a trip into town last weekend and got some ice cream, Luka had a small taste and loved it!
Like mother like daughter :D

Dream car! Luka crawling towards a Merc that was on display for New Zealand Fashion Week

Weight: Luka had a trip to the doctors the other day for her cold and I think weighed in at 7.11kgs?
I can't quite remember, but her last weigh in was at around 7months and she was 7.1kg. She's filling in 00 clothing comfortably and I think we'll be moving her to 0 soon enough.

Sleep: Since she's been so sick lately, and teething, she hasn't slept a whole night. Since she was born she's only had 2-3 nights of uninterrupted sleep.
I really hope this improves, I know it's something that were not doing because she has a good routine down and gets plenty of food and stimulation during the day.
I guess it'll just be something she'll grow out of. Eventually.

Diet: Luka is now on Stage 3 solid baby foods which are less pureed and more chunky etc consistencies. We like her try different foods and have her even eating from our plates sometimes so that her taste buds develop. It's still very healthy, wholesome foods, she only has a small to nil amount of processed food once a week to try I.E. a small taste of ice cream but other than that it's all natural :-)
At dinner time I like to cut up kumara, carrot and potato into cubes, boil them and then serve them to her dipped in some sauce from her baby food jars. She loves it and it teaches her some kind of self sufficiency.

Routine: I've changed Luka's old routine from every 2.5hour wake cycle then a nap to every 3hour wake cycle then a nap so she's getting the most out of her day. It does change while were out cause she does tire more quickly and with her being sick she only stays awake 1.5hours and sleeps for maybe 2hours which doesn't bother me as she's healing.

Social: Luka is very sociable! She still tends to give people the 'I'm still sussing you out' stare, but once she's been around you long enough she lets her personality shine :-)

Likes:

• avocados, bananas and sliced up apples for breakfast
• putting pretty much anything she can grab into her mouth
• her bottle
• my water bottle
• going outside
• crawling into the kitchen to see what I'm up to
• looking at herself in the mirror (uh oh!)
• Baths!
• Having rides on mine or Andrei's shoulders

Milestones: The day that I posted her 7months update, later that night she started sitting up all by herself!
Then the other week she started crawling :D It was after I finished vacuuming the house and she crawled right up to it, it was amazing. She started off doing the whole grasshopper crawling movements and now just goes for it.
Plus, she's been pulling herself up on objects such as her cot, on us, the coffee table etc. She's had a few slips and bumps to the head but she's so determined and I've noticed her feet starting to flatten towards the ground from her usual tippy toe stand.
I think she'll be walking or just starting to by her first birthday :-)
She now visible two bottom teeth, they're so cute especially when she smiles cause she kinda scrunches up her face aww! But man are they sharp! She's always chewing on my shoulders and neck and has given me a few hickeys LOL!
I think her top teeth are starting to come through too which has been adding to the stress of her current sickness, she's been handling it well. I can't wait to see them pop out :-)

She's so curious of everything.

Postpartum: Nothing new for me I'm afraid apart from starting to go for jogs with Luka (it's on hold at the mo because of being sick) as I've noticed my belly starting to sag so I've started working on my abdomen muscles to stop that. I can't wait to start taking Luka swimming so I can start to tone that area back up.
But as I mentioned in her 7month update I wont really start focusing on getting my body back till the new year once I start getting more shifts in at work and from there I can increase Luka's time at daycare.
Work has been amazing, I'm getting back into my old mojo before I fell pregnant and I'm meeting all my selling stats plus have picked up a few extra shifts, I'm really looking forward to my next bonus at this rate which I'll put towards Luka's birthday and maybe some pampering for myself and of course storing some away for savings :-)
Breastfeeding is starting to become less and less. After I had my pump fixed I never really got back into having the breastfeeding teas and getting into a routine so Luka only has about 2 beastfeeds a  day now and is mostly taking the bottle. I hardly have any let downs anymore so I'm coming to terms with the fact that my breastfeeding journey will be over soon (sigh).

Until next time!

XOXOX

Luka's First Birthday Ideas

Planning on purchasing some block numbers and having them as some of her party decor

Ah! I'm so glad I'm finally getting around to writing this and getting things rolling round for Luka's First Birthday in 4months time!

Seriously 4months!!! This year is going way too fast.

So I'd thought I'd share some of my ideas for her birthday celebration that I got off my Pinterest account which you can check out here

I'm very keen on having a shot like this taken!

At the moment we have sorted a spot and a theme. The theme is just a casual Summer Garden Party with a BBQ, so happy that her birthday is in summer, which Andrei and I will be hosting at a top secret location for now.

Below are some of the cake ideas I like.
The first cake is a raw coconut strawberry layer cake, the second cake is something that I'd like to have for guests . I'm big on Luka having a healthy lifestyle with not much processed foods in her diet so I'm very much considering getting her a cake made with all natural ingredients if I can help it, especially with the plan of her doing a cake smash.
I'm wanting to get her cake from this cool little wholefoods store called Mondays that pride themselves on good organic foods.
Plus, their cakes aren't too big just incase Luka would rather have a small bite of the cake rather than fully dig into it. But I think at this stage with her eating she'll dive right in :-)

I'm planning on ordering a book from Printstagram, a cool website which takes the photos on you're Instagram account and makes them into magnets, albums etc and I'm really keen on taking the photos of Luka and making it into a book for guests to sign and leave a note for her on each page.

I'll be making a Pinata for the older guests to have a whack at!
It'll have party favours on the inside :-)

Planning on making some DIY paper flowers too.
I've made pom poms before so this should be a breeze

I'd like to have a chalk board displaying what Luka has achieved in her First Year.



 

Below are some shots that I would love taken of Andrei, Luka and myself.

I have a friend that is a hobby photographer as well as my dad so I'll get them to take some shots of us, our guests and have some non-choreographed ones throughout the day.

 

 

 

 

So that's it so far.

It's nothing too strenuous. I have planned, for party favours, to make up little candy bags and put them into the piñata. I've also collected Luka's baby food jars and will be putting cake mix into them and baking a cake in the jars to hand to guests after the party.

I'm wanting to also either hire or buy a bubble machine for the kiddies to have fun with :-)

I've done her invites which I'll post after her birthday as it has all the info of the party and that is really just for guests at this point in time.

 

Until next time!

 

XOXOX



5 little things...

 

 

I love the smell of

jasmine flowers in a warm summer breeze and lavender even more in the evening. They're romantic scents which make me think of the times in my life where I have been most fulfilled and happy.

 

I love the sound of

Tui birds in the trees, another thing that reminds me of summer and the beautiful things that make the country I live in great.

 

 

I love the taste of

 fresh fruit, cold ice cream and pistachio nuts.

They're just amazing.

 

I love the sight of

people enjoying their families.

 

I love the feel of

the sun bouncing against my skin, the sand between my toes, the warm wind travelling through my hair and my baby kicking in my belly.

what do you love today?

 

XOXOX

 

 

Second trimester down, one to go....

I cannot believe I'm finally in the third trimester of pregnancy!

It feels like only a month ago Andrei and found out; feelings of excitement, worry and explainable joy are still very raw even though I did the test in May.
Now it's October and anytime within late December or early January our baby will be here, it's crazy!

Luka's movements have been more prominent in the last 3weeks. You can see her kicking and moving about so well in my tummy I will need to upload some videos of her movement soon...
The only downside is that it's getting extremely cramped in that little space she's happily growing in. I'm starting to feel uncomfortable when sitting and I'm starting to sleep with a pillow between my legs.

From L to R: week 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21.

From L to R: week 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27.

Otherwise everything seems to be OK :-)
I've started nesting (an extreme urge to clean EVERYTHING, like a mother bird prepares a nest I'm preparing a healthy home) and have soaked and double cleaned a lot of clothes, linen and this weekend I'll be cleaning the walls, crevices in our room as Luka will be sleeping next to us in her bassinet....which reminds me I need to clean that as well plus her clothes!

** A quick tip for expectant mothers, always clean newborn babies clothes before they wear them as the chemical spray the use to set and preserve clothing on display is very harsh on their new delicate skin and may cause allergies. Even wash hand-me-downs as you don't know how long they've been sitting around etc, you can read all about that here .

Me now at 28weeks! Just look at that belly!

I'm so excited! My pregnancy has gone incredibly fast and although I want to fully immerse myself with my baby list I have to remind myself about spending more time with Drei.
We're going to a Halloween party this weekend (I'm going as a half sugar skull and half Marilyn Monroe, I want Drei to go as Heath Ledgers 'Joker' from The Dark Knight but we shall see...) plus going to see the new Metallica movie at IMAX tomorrow!
I've also put by him that when I go on maternity leave we should go to Goat Island and do a bit of snorkeling plus a little trip around the Coromandel and enjoy the summer together as I doubt we'll have time to do that when Luka's here, she'll be much too small to go on long trips and obviously wont be able to snorkel with us!

So that's kinda the plan at the moment, it's really just a waiting a game at the moment. I do want to keep myself busy though as I've heard the last 10weeks of pregnancy tend to drag so having those plans in tow will make the wait more bearable :-)
In the mean time I'll leave with the usual read below, cheers everyone!

How far along? 28 weeks (7months) pregnant yipee!

Total weight gain/loss? I haven't weighed myself yet so I'm gonna stick with 67kgs although I feel a lot heavier as Luka now weights around 2pounds!

Maternity clothes? No maternity wear. I don't see the point in spending money on a short term thing. I still wear the same jeans that I did before I got pregnant, but a wear them with a Belly Belt. It definitely saves you a lot of money in the long run. The only thing I will buy is maternity lingerie, my bra's that served me pre-preg are now starting to get small and cut into my skin so I'm going to need to get some which I know of a Bendon outlet close by which sell Elle Macpherson Maternity (I do still want to feel sexy y-know?) plus some good basics.

Stretch marks? Still none, let's hope it stays that way!

Symptoms: Shortness of breath, sore legs, beginning to feel uncomfortable....hooray....

Sleep: It's good, like a stated earlier it's having it's challenges, I'm also waking up at strange hours again I.E. 2, 3 and 4am and then having to force myself back to sleep. But otherwise I sleep like a baby, no pun intended.

Best moment this week? Hitting the 3rd trimester! Plus my gym rang me today and on Wednesday we'll be taking photo's for my gym article which will be going up soon!!!

Miss anything? Of course, but I'm not going to bother with my '-pre-pregnancy' hang up's, I'm actually loving being pregnant right now. My bump makes me smile and love feeling Luka move around.

Movements? Always. I suppose every mother feels like there baby has the most strongest kicks ever! But because my belly is still quite tight her kicks are very obvious and even my mum (who's had 6 children) thinks they're very strong, it's awesome that I can see her moving too, she tends to move much more when she's hungry and when she's had some food. That's my girl!

Food cravings? Nothing too extreme. I've been wanting fruit salad and yogurt, bangers and mash, roasts. Obviously not together!

Starting to show? I'm not too sure, what do you think?

Happy or moody most of the time? Good moods, happy happy all around!

Exercising? I am. I didn't make it to the gym last week as we had a bad bout of rain. I walked 30mins to the bus stop and back home each way to catch the bus to work and the weather cleared up a little bit during the weekend so I did a 30min walk around the block.

Baby is a: Girl!

Belly button in or out? In.

Looking forward to? My gym article going up, receiving my dress I ordered from ASOS, buying my shoes, going to see the Metallica movie and my friends Halloween party!

XOXOX 

Quick little catch up...

Hey Everyone!

It's been a few weeks and there is just so much I want to update and blog about; but life's hectic schedule has prevented me a wee bit lately!

To keep you in the loop of what's been happening Andrei and I have moved out of our old grungy place and are now staying with my mumma till early next year when we'll move into our own home with Luka :-)

That's taken up quite a lot of our time with the move plus with work commitments and what not.

I saw my midwife the other week and requested another scan which I'll be getting in two weeks time, I can't wait to see how big bug is getting! Plus I also requested a maternity leave note from her and will officially be finishing up work middle of next month then all that leaves me is a month and a few weeks to nest, relax and enjoy this amazing NZ Summer and then Luka will be in the world forever :-)

My 26 week bump :-)

Also on another note, my gym, Configure Express, have asked me to write up an article on why exercising while you're pregnant is A-OK!
They know that I have this blog so they thought I'd be the perfect candidate for it plus also state the obvious on eating healthy.
It was such an honor! I've written it up already and they love it, there now going to get some photo's of me and then we'll have the article up very soon :-)
I'll definitely be posting about it once it's in full swing.

A photo I've taken so far for my gym article. Decked out from head to toe in Nike, a very good reminder to 'Just Do It' even when you're carrying :-)

Oh yes I did mention it's Summer here in NZ (FINALLY)!!! Well actually Spring, but the weather has been beautiful and it makes me hopeful for a few road trips to the Coromandel with Andrei before baby arrives plus many Summer outfits to share with you too.
It's also my 1 year Anniversary with working at Overland on the 11th and each year that you're employed under the company you get a special little discount off shoes or a voucher.
We're in our Summer Range at the moment and I've got my beady eyes on these beauties...

Overland Footwear 'Bambie' sandal

Strappy stilettos are definitely in this Summer so I thought I'd keep up (albeit being 6months pregnant) and get these once my anniversaries here.
Hey a girls gotta look good, plus they're really comfy (really) and at a great height so come 9months along I should still be able to rock em' ;-)
Of course I do have some flats and platform wedges on my list too, I'm not that impractical :P

So that's it really, I'll leave you with my pregnancy update and will be in touch soon with my outfit from my baby shower next post :-)

How far along? Now 27weeks pregnant! (6months) Only two more weeks to go and I'll be in the Third Trimester.

Total weight gain/loss? I'm now 67.8kgs, baby's been growing rapidly and should now weigh almost 1pound.

Maternity clothes? Still nothing, I can fit my jeans with a belly belt. I've had to buy larger tops though cause my pre-preg ones are too small and keep riding up. I will be looking into buying dresses and some new pants soon. In all honesty I don't want to buy maternity wear as I don't know when I'll be pregnant again.

Stretch marks? Nothing new. I have old stretch marks from when I was heavier in my teens but no new ones. I'm still using Bio Oil and drinking plenty of fluids, eating healthy-ish and exercising which is keeping my skin supple.

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks, feeling a bit short of breath when I'm constantly moving.

Sleep: Sleeps great, can't sleep in belly anymore and I hate it when I sleep on one side for too long my hips get pins and needles. I'm getting used to Luka moving around more at night too, she eventually settles down.

I also had my first late night snack! It was 3am and I woke up and could not get back to sleep, Luka was kicking and my tummy was grumbling so I got up, made myself a bowl of corkflakes, played some Candy Crush, read a magazine and before I knew it it was quarter to 5!

Best moment this week? Getting the opportunity to write my gym article :-)

Miss anything? There are things that I miss, my old body, certain foods but I love being pregnant; and I won't be for long so I'm enjoying it :-)

Movements? Oh my gosh yes! They're getting more stronger each week. You can start to see her kicking too and when Andrei lay's his head on my belly and talks to Luka she kicks him in the head it's so funny/cute! She's moved up from my belly button to my ribs now, I feel little butterfly kicks for now but I'm not looking forward to the full on boots in the ribs!

Food cravings? It's the funniest things but I'm still loving my salad, avocado, tomato and cheese on crackers!

Oh plus I had these amazing waffles and ice cream from this ice cream bar literally right next to my work place so I've been killing for another plate....

Starting to show? Per the first picture above, I think it's pretty obvious :-)

Happy or moody most of the time? My moods are well balanced, I'm happy and sad when I need to be.

Exercising? Yup! I managed gym twice this week. I live a bit further away from the gym now so instead of walking 15mins there and then 15mins back home it's now a 45-50mins walk each way which I totally don't mind as the weather has been stunning!

Then I work out for 45-50mins and I just feel amazing! It makes me feel like a bit of boss too haha, 6months preg and still going strong yeah buddy!

Baby is a: Girl!

Belly button in or out? In.

Looking forward to? Getting a new pair of shoes, wearing more dresses, my gym article and my next scan to see little Luka :-)

XOXOX

Celebrating Baby Girl

Last weekend Andrei and I hosted our first Baby Shower for our little girl who's due in early January.

What was essentially planned to be a casual BBQ at our place moved to a Mongolian BBQ restaurant surrounded by most family and friends :-)

It was such an amazing night, very relaxed, great atmosphere and the gifts were non stop!

Here's a few pics that were taken during the night with my Polaroid camera....

Group shot! A few of the guests had left before this was taken.

 

My beautiful friend Candice!

 

Some of the gorgeous girls from Mi Piaci!

 

 

This photo of me and Andrei makes me giggle. I accidentally poked him in the eye hence his facials!!!

 

 Some of my beautiful friends from work!

 

 

My BFF and God-Mother to my baby, Beya :-)

I wanted just a casual gathering for the baby shower which wasn't just a 'girls only' thing.

The restaurant was an 'all you can eat' buffet so I think that set the mood quite nicely for everyone to socialise and have a great night :-)

I set the table with pink and purple Pom Poms , old perfume bottles and baby booties to set the 'baby' theme but make it look pretty. And everyone seemed to have fun with taking the pics with my Fuji Polaroid camera :D

(Shake it like a Polaroid picture!!!)

 

Oh and by the way, as you've probably seen by now, we've named baby girl Luka.

Per this post here which I said about the naming decision, Andrei and I wanted to call her Darcey at first but we and coincidentally Luka thought she suited this name best :P

I really wanted a Russian name for her anyway, and Luka seems to fit the bill just right, plus it's unisex! 

We revealed her name to everyone by these cute block letters which I purchased from this cool store called Typo, then I painted on blue and purple (mine and Dreis fave colors) glitter glue and did and ombré effect to really make Luka's name SPARKLE!

It was such a fantastic night, Andrei and I felt we couldn't thank everyone enough for their company and the gifts they brought for Luka, it was truly amazing!

Plus all the support and well wishing we've received from family and friends that couldn't make the night has just made this whole experience for us becoming first-time-parents incredible :-) 

 My work friends gave me a $50 voucher to Pumpkin Patch. They've just started their Spring/Summer collection which has a 'French Countryside' theme, and I had my eye on this cute as a button romper! Andrei chose the adorable socks and I added in the headband :-)

This is only some of the gifts Luka was given! I was also treated to some skin oil and some bath and shower soaps/bombs from Lush.

 Cards from friends :-)

 

The photo edit apps I use on my iPhone, in case you're wondering, is PicFx, Rhonna Designs and A Beautiful Mess.

And the celebration really doesn't stop here!

We have friends and family coming from overseas in a few months and with me going on maternity leave soon too it's going to be quite the eventful year for Andrei and I.

Bring it on I say!

The next post I'll update you with what I wore for the evening and plus some :)

How far along? 23 weeks, I'll be 6 months next week!

Total weight gain/loss? Haven't weighed myself this week. I'm guessing I'm still at 64kgs.

Maternity clothes? Nothing yet, I'm still wearing the same size jeans I had since before getting pregnant but wearing them with a belly belt.

Stretch marks? Nope. Still using my holy grail Bio Oil.

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks contractions which I feel about 3 times a day.

Sleep: Sleep is fine. I haven't been waking up during the night the last week.

Also I miss sleeping on my tummy!

Best moment this week? Going to the new Spring/Summer range launch meeting at my work place Overland Footwear and getting work alongside a work friend who I haven't seen in months!

I'm such a workaholic! 

Miss anything? Soft serve ice cream, medium rare steak, apple cider, sleeping on my tummy....

Movements? All the time! She's so active :-)

Food cravings? Pancakes!!!! I make these amazing chocolate pancakes which are so light and fluffy then I have it with Nutella, double whipped cream and bananas. ERMEHGERD!

There goes my healthy eating.... Actually I lie, I'm still eating well. Gotta balance these things out y-know?

Starting to show? Yes indeed :-) I have the cutest, tiny round bump!

I get asked how far along I am, I say so, and then get complimented with how tiny I still am! I find it very flattering especially on days when I don't feel shit hot, it's good to know I still look great!

Happy or moody most of the time? My moods are well balanced, I'm happy and sad when I need to be.

Exercising? Umm next question haha! I've been slack the last two weeks with the gym. I had my 'week break once a month' last week and I haven't been this week cause its been raining and I'd rather not catch a cold!

I do feel very sluggish and my backs aching so I've been doing stretches, lunges etc at home until the weathers fine.

Baby is a: Girl!

Belly button in or out? In.

Names? Luka Anya. I'll leave it at that until she's born :-)

Looking forward to? Summer time, meeting Luka, getting into maxi dresses and wedge heels, going to Shakespear Beach in Whangaparaoa!

XOXOX

Mangere Starwberry Farm

Here's a little post that will sure to satisfy or send you're cravings into overload!!!

About a month ago, just as summer started here in NZ, I went to a local strawberry farm that are famous for their freshly grown produce and there AMAZING homemade strawberry ice creams!

And as you all know by know, I LIVE for ice cream!!!

The farm is located in the rural / suburb of Mangere in South Auckland and I kid you not it is always packed!

Here's some photo's of my experience...

They have acres of land that grow anything and everything from their delish strawberries and veges!

It was around 10 or 11am and the place was slowly getting busy

STRAWBERRIES!

They not only make ice cream cones but also pancakes, sundaes and milkshakes!

How it's made

The sheer deliciousness!!!! I had a bite of the top as you can see :P

This place is worth going to when the fruit is in season!
I paid only $3.80 for a waffle cone and the photo above does it no justice as it was much bigger than that (obviously!).
They have a seating area outside with umbrellas so you can enjoy the lovely summer breeze and also the produce that was purchased.

I ended up buying some freshly grown carrots, radishes and peas that tasted nothing like what you buy in the grocery store but better!

Would I recommend this place?
ABSOLUTELY!!!

If you're not sure how to get there you can find out here, and if you're reading this from overseas then this would be one reason to visit New Zealand :-)

I'll be visiting the farm this week and will be purchasing a punnet to make a beautiful vanilla, strawberry and nectarine tart so watch this space :-)

XOXOX