the magic three month mark?

I have FINALLY shifted another kg. Seriously, since the day I left the hospital, until last week I hadn't lost a single gram. But finally something has clicked and I weighted in at

PRE PREG WEIGHT: X5kg
FINAL PREG WEIGHT: Y8kg
POST BIRTH WEIGHT: Y1kg
WEEK AFTER BIRTH: Y0kg
3 MONTH REPORT: X9kg

They say that the weight starts to come off after 3months, don't they (sure I heard that somewhere)

J reckons he has lost 2kg since the summer started, due to sleeping in a NON Airconditioned room, haha. But I have budged a kilo even sleeping with the dehumidifier on. I also think that our increase in salads has helped. But obviously the biggest difference has come thanks to there being NO COOKIES in the house for me to devour! My sweet tooth has definately settled down. Perhaps the couple of swims have also had an effect too (need to get re-motivated to run too so that that does not end up as a one-off event)

And the most exciting news - I actually fit into a pair of (non-maternity) linen pants that wouldn't even go over my thighs a few weeks ago. YAY!!!!! Still got a looooooooooooooong way to go, but I am feeling good that change is in the air ;)

25weeks3days

Some serious menu planning (eating like a rabbit for 3days) and efficiently chosen clothing (I looked like I was about to hit the beach, lol - and I even re-weighed myself without my thin hoodie, which cut another 300g off!) and I came in at 2.2kg for the last month and 3days....not bad at all! So there was no weight mentioned this time. As it turned out, it was a different doctor, who didn't say very much AT ALL (not even the "this may be a little cold" before putting the gel on my tum-tum) so I probably needn't have worried. Oh well, it was fun for a few days. And I got to reward myself with a Mr Donut morning tea break afterwards - seriously! We got out of the doctors before 10am, so went to the small shopping centre close by to pick up some groceries, and shouted K and myself to some donuts and (gasp) a cup of coffee!! I don't really drink coffee (and have avoided it more so than usual during pregnancy), but every now and then I just feel like one, and when Mr Donuts offers free refills, well, I just couldn't resist. How good is THAT! (mental note to self to go to Mr Donuts more often). So K and I shared 2 donuts (only because as soon as we sat down she decided that she DIDN'T want the one she picked out from the pack, but she wanted MINE, but I managed to convince her to go 半分子 with me, since she had the plain one, lol) then she said she wanted a drink of milk, so we got her a kiddies drink (105yen, again, too coool!) and a pink donut to share again and sat for some more. Was nice. She didn't eat lunch when we got home, but hey, once in a while ain't bad, right.

So all is good with TJ-baby - about 907g according to the ultrasound pic, right on track. We left home just before 8:20am, coz the traffic in the morning here is crazy - there are 2 lanes going down the hill, about 1km until we turn onto the start of the expressway or straight ahead to the next station area. In the mornings, the road to the expressway is always backed back to OUR traffic lights, so I usually jump into the right hand lane and try to cut in at the last minute. Seriously, can be like a 15min difference if you just stay in the left lane. A bit いんちき maybe, tho..... Anyway, got to the docs before 8:40am, so we were the first ones there, K likes playing with the toys there anyway, and I prefer to get there early and try to get out quickly. Had my checkup (all of 5mins) then was called back for 採血. It seems every time I go they are taking more tests or blood from me - never remember doing it this often when pregnant with K. I was also getting a bit worried because each time the appointments are costing close to 8000yen, or more, and that is WITH the little discount tickets from the city. When I asked the clinic originally they had said that it would be more like 4000yen or something each visit, so I thought I was be taken for a ride, but today it came out at only 3900yen (lol) so I was happy - more money to shout myself Mr Donuts with, right!? Next appointment is in 3 weeks time.....guess I am over the halfway point now, so they are just gonna get more frequent until I am down at the docs every other day, lol.

I also have to pay the 2nd down payment/２次予約金 probably next time, 20万 I think it is, yikes! Better start searching behind the sofa for loose coins or sell my body or something to pay for that.

Apart from the pretty constant back pain (not dilapidating, but ever existent) and some nightly headaches, things are going well though! I am probably not "enjoying" being pregnant this time, but that is only because I am not 100% focused on the pg. That said, I am not NOT enjoying it, so that is good at least. We came home and I decided to end off a lazy week with a lazy afternoon on the sofa reading "Shopaholic and Baby" and eating salty senbei as I figure I can only use the "I'm pregnant, why not" excuse for a few months more so better make the most of it now.

Oh, and it seems each time I go my current pg status (how many weeks/days pg I am) changes again, just by a day or 2. Not sure if that means that my EDD changes too or not, lol. but today I was recorded as 25w3days, even though I counted differently....oh well.

the big weigh-in

is coming up on Friday (25weeks check-up). So I am trying to remember to get myself into pre-weigh-in eating mode for the next few days, in a bit of a damage-control effort. That means smaller meals (only half a bowl of rice last night, compared to eating refills, lol) and snacking on fruit......

This is not dieting, btw, just not scoffing food in 24-7 like I have been - I don't know a time I have ever eaten so much (except maybe when breastfeeding K, lol).

It makes it hard when we just did a Costco run on the weekend.
And I bought the muffins. (yum).
And we had pizza!

I have tried to restrain myself the last few days, honestly, but those choc muffins are just so damn good!!!! At least the rest of them are frozen now, which takes me a whole extra 30sec to get them out, maybe a deterrent?

I feel like a jockey before a big race - hope I make the weigh in, lol.

losing stuff and moving stuff

Sitting here having an ume-shu minus the "shu" (guess that makes it ume juice) and racking my rains trying work out WHERE THE HELL my sunglasses might be. I definitely had them on yesterday afternoon on way home from playgroup (because I basically cannot see without them, even on a cloudy day the glare usually gets me) since I don't remember squinting all the way home. But they are now no where to be found. And I have even gotten well into the habit of putting them in their mega huge sunglass case, so it is not like they wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb anywhere.....

This follows high on the heels of a lost camera batter charger - we have been looking for THAT for 3 weeks now. I cannot find it anywhere. Also, can't remember where it would have been last. Obviously, it is not in all the usual places. gaaah.

And it doesn't help now that we have started packing - I am constantly wondering if I might have put it in with such and such in this box...but I guess it will either turn up before we move, or come out of some random box once we have.

So yes, we are moving, next Saturday actually.

Into a house.

That we bought.

Crazy stuff. It started out as a simple observation that we could *buy* an apartment for the price we are paying each month in rent, but then of course we thought about it and realised that we don't like the apartment lifestyle (what with dog, and kid, and camping/surfing trips, having a car park miles away i.e. not in the front yard is a bummer....) so we started looking at houses. Again, I say crazy - looking for a house in metropolitan Kanto!!!! I don't know how many times we found a great place in Chiba or some other inaka town and said to each other "man I wish we could live here!" but one of main conditions with moving was that J would be able to commute within about 30mins, door-to-door. We figured there was no point living in a great place that HE never got to be in, or got to see us in!!! Cut to 7months later, after searching on the internet every night for houses, spending weekends out looking at houses only to be bitterly disappointed when they are located beside a shinkansen line/factory/cemetery etc etc, or are built on a block the size of what we would use to park the car on in Australia, getting well and truly over the whole househunting biz, and we found a place that we like. It is not our dream home, but it is hopefully ok for now. Saving graces of the house are undercover parking for 2 cars, 4 min walk to train station, and a very teeny tiny, but definitely existent back yard!! We spent the last 2 months sitting on the edge of our seat waiting for loan approval (it came through last week) and J signed the papers yesterday. We have to push the moving to make it by the end of the month, because all of us - me, K, J and his parents - are going o/s on Sept 2nd. We are spending a week in Cairns, then K and I are going down to Bris for the rest of the month (thank you jetstar!!) So basically I will move into my new house, then 4 days later go o/s for a month. Yay.

So I am trying to use up everything possible in the fridge/freezer before the start of next week. I had a pile of capsicums in the fridge for some reason, so last night's dinner was: Spaghetti bolognaise, with red and yellow capsicum and 100% beef mince. Yum

On the menu for tonight:

goya champuru (still got some goya to get ride of)

chili prawns (prawns found in the freezer)

nira egg roll (left over nira)

wakame miso soup (tons of wakame still)

vine-ripened tomatoes (without lettuce because it is so expensive at the moment, and would cause more stuff to go INTO the fridge if I bought it)

Tomorrow night:

pork chops with shiitake mushrooms and onions

asparagus

mashed potatoes

pumpkin

We have one room already full of boxes, and still piles of shit everywhere that needs to be packed, but I am very much a last minute doer. I can't get myself motivated to pack ages in advance, as I am always worried I will need that random object we haven't used since we got here sometime between packing it in a box and moving. J is on my case to do it little by little, which I know I should, but I have assured him that I will get there. I am already having trouble sleeping (must be the excitement) so figure I won't sleep much next week before the move.

One good thing, I have a feeling that the little amount of pre-moving cleaning and packing I have been doing has somehow helped me lose a few grams.... I feel slightly less stuffed into my clothes. Probably the 10000L of sweat that I am outing every time I move an inch. Also have less of an appetite (especially for snacking) so am looking forward to what the scales say at the end of the move! I am already down 3.5% on my starting (over)weight. My goal is to get about 7% off, which would put me back to where I was pre-K. That's too cryptic, isn't it. Basically I have lost 1.5 kg, and need to loose another 2.5kg.

So I guess I should at least attempt to get one box filled while the monster is asleep - yesterday's effort ended up in K packing up half the cutlery in with the winter clothes....note to self, don't take eyes off boxes while K is around. We would have had to eat with out hands until December if I didn't catch her in the act!! hehe.