26 weeks

How far along? 26 weeks 6 days

Baby is the size of a: head of lettuce

Gender: Girl, and I am loving being able to refer to them as "the girls". My sisters and I grew up being known as the Ihrke Sisters, so I am so excited for these two to be The Edmonds sisters.....im sure it will be The Crazy Edmonds sisters ;)

Best moment this week: This week has been rough. I think I am officially over being pregnant.If this category was titled "worst moment of the week" I couldnt pick just one haha Best moment would have to be just spending time with Kynley. Her little personality is so so funny, and I love doing fun things with her like having picnic breakfasts on her mini table or cuddling in bed watching brave. Our favorite thing right now is bath time. I love baths so getting to do a massive bubble bath is definitely a favorite of ours, until I get over her poking my belly over and over.

Miss Anything: being comfortable

Food cravings: fruit. mandarin oranges...pineapple....strawberries

Sleep: Amazing.I think the acupuncture has really really helped.

Aches and pains: Well lucky me, i got diagnosed this week with an Irritable Uterus. Basically I get contractions that are about 3-5 mins apart for a couple of hours and they are painful! They dont dilate, at least for now, but they can which makes me more susceptible to preterm labor. I have been having strong painful braxton hicks throughout this whole pregnancy. Finally Saturday they were super bad and soooo uncomfortable. I went home and laid down and everything went away. They next three days they came back and would last for a couple of hours. I finally had my neighbor come over (she is a midwife) and she told me she thought it may be an irritable uterus. Sure enough my dr said the same thing later that day. There is a potential for bed rest or possible medication if they continue to get worse. It is looking like i may try and start an early maternity leave in July. We will see. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, just really tired this week.

Looking forward to: Maternity leave? haha it seems so far away!!

25 Weeks

How far along? 25 weeks 6 days

Baby is the size of a: Rutabaga

Gender: Girl, and I have officially started on her nursery. Well kinda. I at least bought her crib/cot and have painted it gold! And it is BEAUTIFUL! Once it is fully dried and put together I will share the process. Im kinda in love with it. I also ordered some pink fabric from america that has gold polka dots on it. The pink and gold theme is definitely coming together :)

Best moment this week: Getting acupuncture done? Can this be the best and worst part? I am NOT a fan of needles so the whole thing made me a bit uncomfortable, but I felt amazing afterwards. MY sciatica nerve that has been killing me is for sure feeling better. I am going again next week and hopefully will get even better after that!

Miss Anything: My normal energy level. I have been extra exhausted this week.

Food cravings: Not anything too exciting...but I'm enjoying food for sure haha

Movement: Oh Yes. Lots of it. When ever I go to listen to her heart beat she always kicks right where I put the doppler.

Sleep: Great, but this week needing more than usual....

Wedding rings on or off: This week I have started to get really really itchy hands and feet at night, which causes my hands to swell. I had this in my last pregnancy too but not until very late. It is the worst thing ever. So my rings are off at night. F*cking hormones!

Happy or Moody most of the time: GREAT! So happy! This has been a great week for our little family and for my little business, busier than ever but everything is really good. 

Looking forward to: The husband and I just booked a trip to Bali for next month! Woo hoo! We are ditching Kynley for a few days and are going to go lay by the pool & just relax :) Its a quick 5 hour flight from adelaide (yes, I said quick, at least compared to our usual 14 hour flight) And we will have no baby with us. I can't wait!!!

A quick Kynley update.....

She is crazier than ever. She has a serious attitude on her that is hard not to laugh at most of the time. Her vocabulary consists of Dad, Mom, uh-oh, whats that, stuck and her new favourite, See Ya! She runs in and out of the room just saying "See Ya!". It is adorable. 

She also decided to pee on the tile floor today after bath time and then proceed to splash around in it until I could grab her (Im moving slightly slower than usual). Hilarious or disgusting? haha Needless to say the crazy went straight back to bath time....

24 weeks

How far along? 24 weeks 6 days

Baby is the size of a: Ear of corn

Gender: Girl and she is 100% officially named :) I won't give you her first name but her middle name will be Elizabeth named after my husbands mom.

Best moment this week: Watching baby girl kick from outside my belly! I can now just look down and see movements. I also felt an elbow or knee or something poking out of my belly last nigh which was cool...but kinda creepy at the same time!

Miss Anything: Not being in pain every time I move! My back is KILLING ME! It makes it hard to do anything... My pregnancy app on my phone just told me that this is the best I will feel until the baby is born. If that is true then FML

Food cravings: Still having a bit of a sweet tooth! I also just discovered passion fruit. I have had passion fruit flavoured things, but never the fruit itself. And let me tell you...I AM ADDICTED! 

Movement: Soo much movement! I love it

Sleep: amazing! I fall asleep by about 8:30 every night and pass the f*ck out! Literally there is no waking me! 

Aches & Pains: My back...my back...my back....seriously is going to kill me. AND to add to it I have started to get really bad acid reflux this week. Like all day everyday. Im dying.... I hate it. I only had it will Kynley for like 3 weeks while we were in america and then it went away. If it stays around for the rest of the pregnancy I will kill someone...probably my husband ;)

Happy or Moody most of the time: Actually been really happy this week which is a fantastic change for me! Had a few rough patches but for the most part in a really good mood.

Looking forward to: Another week gone....yup I am pretty sure I am over it. I also would like to think that next week I will start to clean out the guest room which will be the new babies room....we will see if that happens. I will do my best!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup!

OK, so this is not something I would normally blog about. However, when I initially made this blog I did intend to blog different recipe's as I love to cook! After making this soup earlier in the week and having my husband talk about it for days and days, I decided to take the time and share it!

We have always been big fans of broccoli cheddar soup. It was the soup served at our wedding that we specially requested from the chef at the Four Seasons. Their soup was much better than this, but this is close enough for me! I made it again last night just to work out a few of the kinks from the original recipe, and Kynley ate two bowls! I am telling you it is addictive. Since it is freezing over here in Aussieland, it is the perfect "keep warm by the fire" meal :)

This will make enough for 4 people approx. OR two with some left overs! The original recipe is from the US so I had to do a lot of changes, as well as double it. It was barely enough for each of us to have a full serving. Here we go...

(Aussie Version)

• 2 tablespoon (30g) butter
• 1 medium chopped onion
• 1/2 cup (65 g) butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 cups Thickened cream
• 2 cups milk
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups fresh broccoli 
• 2 cups carrot, julienned, shredded or finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 cups grated tasty  cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

(USA Version)

• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium chopped onion
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 4 cups half & half
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups fresh broccoli 
• 2 cups carrot, julienned, shredded or finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions.....

Chop and saute onions in 2tbs of butter, set aside. 

In a large pot whisk together the melted butter and flour over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes, making a rue.

Gradually whisk in Milk, Cream, (or just half and half for usa) and Chicken stock until no more lumps from the flour can be seen. Let simmer for 20 mins.

Chop, broccoli and carrots to desired thickness. Add to soup base.

Let simmer for 25 mins until broccoli and carrots are tender. Add in nutmeg, cheese, salt & pepper!

Have assistant wake up from nap and insist on participating

OPTIONAL: I don't like my soup very chunky, so I like to give it a quick second in the food processor so it is a bit smoother. My husband prefers his chunky so it is up to you :)

Serve with fresh bread and ENJOY!!!!

23 weeks

How far along? 23 weeks 6 days

Baby is the size of a: Grapefruit

Maternity clothes? Enjoying all of my US purchases! Makes you feel much better when you have cute clothes that fit!

Gender: Girl and I am in full brainstorm/creative mode for her nursery! Im determined to make baby girl's room as special as I did for Kynley when she was born. Because I am the second born in my family, I think it is really really important to do everything I did with the first pregnancy so this little one gets treated equally. That means spending as much time and effort on everything, including my blog ;) Anyways, I am going with a pink and gold nursery and am going to attempt to paint her crib/cot gold! Im kinda excited about it but terrified at the same time. I will keep you posted through out the process ;)

Best moment this week: MICHAEL BUBLE!!! Oh be still my heart I f*cking love that man haha I went to his concert last night and let me just say I was blown away by how amazing he was. His voice...oh my god...melt my heart. I am in love. Also getting to see my husband for the first time in 3 weeks, watching Kynley run to her daddy with her little arms out melted my heart! 

Miss Anything: Alcohol. Especially when we got re routed on the flight home and were forced to get on an extra flight. Im telling you, I could have really used a drink to calm myself down haha 

Food cravings: Cake? I have been craving cake or brownies the last few days. Anyone who wants to make me some can be my guest ;)

Movement: Daddy got to feel her!!! Yay! So exciting when it isn't just me :) 

Sleep: Good, just trying to get back in this time zone

Aches & Pains: Well lucky me I got to spend yesterday at the hospital....I started having these really sharp pains on my lower right side at 7:30 yesterday morning, every 2-5mins. They were really really intense for a few seconds and then would just disappear. They were getting so bad I was starting to feel light headed and nauseous, so I decided to call the Dr. Of course they had me come in just to check it wasn't pre term labor or anything else. 5 hours later I was finally sent home. The dr thinks the baby may be hitting a nerve that is causing the pain, i have still had it on and off today but not nearly as frequently. All I kept telling the nurse and midwives was to make it fast so I didn't miss the Michael Buble concert!!! Luckily I made it :) Thank you to Tracey and Elise who helped me out with Kynley so she didn't have to sit at the hospital all day with us! Hopefully this is not something that continues to happen all the way through this pregnancy!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Well after the flight home and being stuck in the hospital for a day lets just say I am not someone you want to mess with haha I am most definitely moody. My most amazingly patient husband has learned that very quickly. I am hoping now that the strews of travel and everything is gone I start to feel like myself and get my happy attitude back, we will see.

Looking forward to: A weekend with my little family :) It is Mothers Day Sunday so hopefully we will do something fun with just us. I want to enjoy every second I have with just us 3. 

21 & 22 weeks

How far along? 22 weeks 6 days

Baby is the size of a: Papaya

Maternity clothes? Oh how I love love love shopping in America! I have gotten some really great clothes while i have been back....so good I think I need another suit case! I have opted to go for less maternity tops and more cheaper clothes in bigger sizes. H&M has amazing sweaters right now for pretty cheap so I grabbed a few of those that will grow with me during the aussie winter :) I also got a few new pairs of maternity jeans and of course some Victoria secret yoga pants...can never have enough of those :)

Gender: Girl, and she shopping is even better than I remember when I was preggo with Kynley! This place is dangerous. I feel like I was just doing this not that long ago......

Best moment this week: So many it is hard to choose! We had my little sisters Sweet 16 on the same boat we had my 16th birthday party. It was pretty amazing and everyone had a lot of fun. We also celebrated our family Easter a week late so the whole family could be there. A big buffet  brunch and then an easter egg hunt. Kynley loves the plastic easter eggs, I filled them with dummy's (pacifiers) and jelly beans. I know what I am bringing on the plane as a surprise for her to open....hopefully she won't get on too big of a sugar high!

Miss Anything: Just feeling like myself. Little things like chasing Kynley around and taking her up and down the stairs at my parents are becoming really hard as I get bigger. Im ready to have my full energy level back.

Food cravings: I have been drinking iced tea like crazy!When I think about it, I have pretty much been craving it my whole pregnancy. I always make it at home in aussieland. Here I have been getting iced tea AT LEAST twice a day. Since I have moved to Australia Starbucks has introduced the Trenta size (XL for you aussies) in their cold drinks. Seriously the best thing ever, a shaken Iced black tea is my drink :) Or the Nordstroms black iced tea is amazing too, even better actually. Lets also just say i have been thoroughly enjoying the food while I have been home :)

Movement: This kid loves to kick me in the bladder all the time!!! Even more than I remember with Kynley. It is killing me. I am definitely noticing her movements more and more during the day too.

Sleep: Sleep has been great over the last week. After visiting the chiropractor to sort out my back pain I have been sleeping like a baby. Minus getting up to pee.....seriously the worst part of being pregnant

Aches & Pains: My lower back is killing me....so so bad. Along with my sciatica pain I am feeling like I'm 80 years old. I have been seeing the chiropractor all week to make me feel better. We are leaving tonight to head back to Australia, and between Kynley and my back I am dreading it. I actually woke up feeling ere ally good this morning, so fingers crossed I stay that way. The only time I will have to lift my luggage is in customs so fingers crossed there is a nice person around to assist me....doubtful but a girl can dream....

Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody!!!! I know when I am being moody as well so I really really try to control myself so I don't take it out on the people around me. And like usual I'm super emotional. I think it's the leaving and not seeing my family until Christmas thing that is killing me. More for them not getting to see Kynley until then. Also the horrible anxiety of getting back on a plane with my toddler tornado. I just want to cry thinking about it....trying to think positive for a smooth flight.

Looking forward to: Getting back to Australia to see my husband. 3 weeks is a long time to be away and I am ready for life to go back to normal for us. Also I have the Michael Buble concert next week....I am pretty sure that is the only thing actually getting me on that plane tonight haha 

We have had such an amazing trip back, I am so so so sad it is ending. Kynley has changed so much in the 3 weeks we have been home. She is talking a lot more and really starting to understand things. Her new favorite thing to say is "what's that" and she will point around a room. Auntie nanyn got her obsessed with Starbucks cups, if we get drinks from there, which we do everyday, we have to get her a cup of ice water. That usually is good enough but sometimes it ends up with her screaming TA from the back seat wanting a sip of ours. Ta is a word the use in australia for please and thank you. It is great for kids and Kynley uses it all the time...her ta's go from a small quiet polite world to screaming almost growling it when you ignore her haha it is pretty funny. She also says uh oh all the time, but its more like uh-uh-oh! The other day while we were shopping she kept saying "Ta! Uh uh-oh!" over and over. It took me a couple of minutes to realize that meant she threw her dummy out of her stroller...

 I tested a small dose of benadryl on her yesterday and it seemed to work so I am hoping an 11pm flight and a descent dose of benadryl will help us survive the trip home. I am headed to target now to stock up on snacks and a few new toys to entertain her. If the flight goes smoothly we may end up coming to footy after we get in to watch Tex play and hopefully keep us from going to bed. If I can keep both of us awake until 5pm it is pretty easy to time change...we will see how that goes.