Maternity Photo Shoot

Last weekend was an exciting one. My good friend Nataliya took my maternity photos! We'd been talking about and planning it for weeks. When the time came, typically, I was stumped as to what clothes I should wear, Nataliya wasn't feeling very well and on top of everything the weather was awful!

But it didn't stop us having a whole lot of fun - and the pictures...wow! Well, see for yourself... ♥

[More pics here]

For further information and enquiries, see Nataliya's photography website!

For the record, I was at 36+3 weeks in these pictures - 4 days short of full-term! And PS - the sweepstakes are still open!

My Gripe with the Telephone

Alexander Graham Bell (or whoever really invented the telephone) was a genius, he really was. I can't deny that. I couldn't imagine a world without telephones in some form. Living in a different country from the majority of my family has been much easier thanks to our ability to simply pick up the phone and have a chat whenever we so please.

There are, however, the negatives. Telemarketers and scammers, mostly. They get hold of your number and they call and they call and they call, and even when you scream at them to stop calling, they call some more.

Sometimes, like today, even my mobile line isn't immune.

And the conversation always begins the same way: "Hello Madam, my name is X and I am calling you from Y. How are you today?" I don't know you, you're not interested in how I am, get to the point (this is not generally a silent thought). "Now, I must inform you that this conversation will be recorded for training purposes." (Lovely - I'm helping to create more of you.)

Today's call happened to be someone claiming to be calling from my internet provider. "Are you happy with the service, Madam?" (If I weren't, believe me, you'd have heard).

He started out by trying to get me to change my land line provider. I wasn't having any of it. He then claimed that my internet contract was about to end and said that he could renew it for me while giving me three free months. "Can you please confirm your full name and your address?"

Why?

"Data Protection, Madam."

(Bollocks.)

Sir, while you may be the most honest man on earth, you may also be the biggest liar and not in fact calling from X at all. Why should I give you my personal details when it was you who called me?

"But I'm telling you I'm calling from X!"

Yes, but that doesn't necessarily make it truth.

"I cannot help you without this information, Madam."

Well, I'm quite certain that if you were calling from X, you've already got all that information displayed on your computer screen and therefore do not need any further information from me. Again, may I remind you that you called me. I am quite sure that were my contract about to expire (I have since checked and it was automatically renewed back in October), I'd have received some form of correspondence informing me of such.

"OK, Madam, goodbye." :)

Call me paranoid, but wasn't there something just wrong with that picture?

And what on earth possessed me to answer the phone?!

The other day someone called the landline (a few times) claiming to be calling from some obscurely-named place that dealt with our "computer warranty". He claimed that our computer was at risk and he needed us to... (we didn't let him go on. I can only assume that he was about to ask us to give remote access to someone there to allow them to "fix" our computer. Big joke.) What didn't help his case was that he had no idea which of our computers he was actually referring to... "the Dell" was all he could say.

Gullible, we are not.

And when it comes to genuine telemarketing calls, despite having registered with TPS, it's made no difference whatsoever. I am one of those people who will instead just let the phone ring. As a general rule, I never answer the landline at all. And when it comes to mobile calls, I do not pick up if it's a number I don't know. My reasoning is that that's what my answering machine is for (failing which, my curiosity takes over and that's when google and sites like whocallsme come in handy).

David is appalled by this and always has been. He hates watching as I put my phone away when it's still ringing. He, like many others, believe a ringing phone is to be answered. Personally, I think a phone is there to assist me, not have me be it's slave. It's there to make my life easier, not to fill me with rage.

Then again, maybe next time I'll take this approach... or this ;)

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Project "Fill the Freezer"

Right, the time has come to start thinking about filling my freezer with meals for "afterwards." Anyone would think planning this would be a piece of cake for someone like me but if I could put it off until the last minute I probably would. Which is why I've sat myself down and forced myself to think up a list of things I can make that will freeze nicely to be eaten in a few weeks' time.

People are very kind and there's already been talk of food being brought over, but anyone with food allergies will know it's much easier said than done. Sure, I can say "mind the garlic", and people will very kindly oblige (while wondering how on earth I live, I know), but very few know to check ingredients of ingredients. And that's generally where it all goes pear-shaped. So for this reason, I am generally quite reluctant to accept food cooked for me that hasn't come with an ingredients label attached to it, as prissy as that may sound.

So I need to get cracking.

Here is my plan:
Bolognese Sauce (with about a kilo worth of mince!!)
Sweet Potato Soup
Kidney Bean Soup
Penny Soup (and a good stock of pitta bread to go with all three)
Tuna Cakes (the only way I'll eat fish)
Ross il-Forn (a Maltese rice dish)

This, in addition to a good amount of pre-packaged frozen supermarket meals and general frozen goods, David making roasts at the weekends, and a small but trusted amount of recipes I know I can throw together quickly, makes me think we'll survive Emily's arrival.

Perhaps my question should more realistically be: do I have enough containers to freeze everything in?!

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Baby Sweepstakes

A few days ago we got talking on twitter about due dates. My official due date is the 2nd February, although it was originally the 8th February. I'll be full term on the 12th January. Of course, it's really anyone's guess - Emily will turn up whenever she wants to. (I've tried to get her to give me a sign as to when she plans on arriving, but alas, to no avail...)

So people got guessing over on twitter. And in all my efficiency, I started putting a spreadsheet together. But then it occurred to me that there might be a more fun way of doing this: Open it up to everyone, and offer a prize!

Here's how it's going to work. Leave a comment on this post with:
1. one date guess
2. one weight guess (in pounds and ounces)*
3. your email address

Simples.

You may wish to choose to guess at just date or weight - up to you. Either way, make sure you leave your email address!

* If you'd like a picture for reference, use the latest ones here - and keep in mind I'm not very tall! (5'3")

There will be two winners. One will be the winning date guess and the other the winning weight guess. If the date/weight has been guessed by more than one person, I'll draw the winner using a random number generator. If no one has guessed the date/weight, then there's no win.

Please only submit one date and one weight guess per person!

The prize will be a scratch card (one for date, one for weight). Now, I only have access to UK or Malta scratch cards so prizes are unfortunately limited to persons in these countries. However, anyone else is more than welcome to make a guess - just for the fun of it!

Over to you - get guessing! This should be fun :)

[Thank you for your entries! Sweepstakes are now closed 19.01.11]

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Of Antenatal Classes and Other Adventures

Christmas was my benchmark. It feels like now that it's over (why does it always pass so quickly anyway?), the floodgates are open and anything can happen when I least expect it - I feel a little bit like a ticking bomb. And strangely, while until a few days ago I was still somewhat terrified of things to come, I am now suddenly excited and (mostly) at peace with it all. Eager, even.

Yesterday saw me get down to business: I've finalised my birth plan (not that anyone will really look at it... I believe it's more for me and David to go into this with a clear mind than for anyone else), and have more or less finished packing my hospital bag.

Emily is very active lately, despite the decreasing amount of space (tell me about it). David and I sometimes just sit and watch her (well, my bump) tumble around, and all I wish for is a little window to be able to peak in and see what she's really up to. I can't wait to be able to hold her and snuggle her.

For the record, our NCT classes proved to be invaluable. We'd heard so many jokes (literally) about the NCT misguiding women, and perhaps this is sometimes true. However we were lucky enough to have a rather unbiased and really lovely group leader called Rachel, who, despite of course having her own opinions about things, didn't force anything upon us and was more than glad to provide us with whatever information we requested. I'd recommend these classes to anyone who's expecting in the UK.

So there it is: As I end this whirlwind of a year bouncing on my gym ball, feeling like a small elephant and running (in the way a penguin would run) to the loo every 20 minutes, I know there'll never be another year quite like 2010!

Here's hoping your year ends positively, dear reader, and that 2011 brings everything you wish for! x

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