This time last year, it was Good Friday and I was 36+4 weeks pregnant.

I was a ridiculously cheerful pregnant lady for the most part, but not that night - I was cranky & irritable and declared 7.30pm to be bedtime as I was NOT feeling good.

Turns out I wouldn't get any rest at all... not for the next 24 hours, anyway.

{For all those people who said that if it was labour, I'd know it - I say phooey! I was in complete denial for a few hours at least, until I started timing those 'cramps' which were actually contractions... and even then, I was sure it was too early to be labour starting, so I protested the whole way to the hospital!}

Tomorrow, my baby is 1.

So.... my husband is awesome & has bought me the best 30th birthday present ever - AND I got it early, since my birthday isn't until July. We've invested in a Thermomix! What is that, you say? It's a you-beaut cooking machine - and it is all sorts of amazing. It costs a pretty penny, but the idea is that it replaces a whole stack of your other cooking appliances in one machine, and it lasts for a loooooong time.

Since I've had it, I've been experimenting with different recipes and am so happy with how they've turned out. I've made things I would never have normally tried, like my own breads and pastries. It's VERY cool. The first day, I whipped up a garlic & herb pull-apart bread, and some potato & leek soup. Oh, heaven. Over the next couple of days, I also made beef strogonoff, mocha pudding, and veggie soup with some leftover bits & pieces.

They were great! As was the delightful coconut cake I made for morning tea - rough and crunchy and YUM.

I've cooked for a few people {my guinea pigs, haha} since getting the machine, and it's made a great amount - fed six people pretty easily, mostly with leftovers. Since I loved the bread so much, I did it again; this time paired with minestrone soup. Sweet and sour pork meatballs & veggies were our main, followed by sticky date pudding.
It's tough to choose my favourite item cooked, but the lemon meringue pie I made from scratch last night was pretty awesome. The most ridiculously crumbly shortcrust pastry; amazing tart lemon curd; fluffy peaks of meringue.
I'm really enjoying cooking, and the Thermomix is certainly helping me get my mojo back. I've used the Everyday Cookbook that comes with it for a lot of things, but also started dipping my toes into the forums, which are filled with recipes from other owners. Can't wait to see what else it can do!

Have you used a Thermomix before? Any recommendations or favourite recipes that I should try? :)

I've seen a lot of photographers doing cake smashes lately, and I really really wanted to do one with Georgia before her birthday - how fun! We have had a fair few expenses though, so I couldn't justify spending a fortune getting it done, so I decided to attempt to do one myself. They may not be picture perfect, but they were great fun.

The week ahead is going to be busy. House cleaning, party planning & organising for the birthday - as well as my late Nanna's birthday on Monday, my brother/SIL's first wedding anniversary, and my Mum's birthday too! Hard to believe that at their wedding last year, I was 35 weeks pregnant and was going to POP the following week.

Seriously - check out that belly! Size of a house. I still can't believe that a) my belly was that big & b) she fit in there!


Georgia is doing really well. Crawling all over the place, starting to show more interest in being on hands & knees, and enjoying practising standing with one of us helping her. She's reading books, saying a few more words (cat! ta! wa-ter!) and back to sleeping well. It's nice to have my happy baby back. She's getting tall, and I'm really interested in finding out her height and weight when we have her 1 year check-up soon.

I'm really, really excited about her birthday party. I know it's one she won't remember, but I am really happy to be celebrating it with friends and family, old and new. I don't know how we would have gotten through the last year without a good support system, and seeing how much they love Georgia makes me warm & fuzzy. Plus - cake! :)

We're almost a quarter of the way through 2014 already, can you believe it? I thought I might take the time to update on how things are going around these parts, because I'm feeling pretty darned great about this year.

• Georgia ~ I've been taking lots of pictures, and watching her growing up from a wee baby into this cute little toddler. In the last few weeks, she seems to have shot up again - her face has changed, she's lost a lot of her chunky baby thighs (sniff) -- growing too fast. She's been through the wars with some more teething & a cold, and we've been starting to wean; meaning we've had a clingy, sad wee one for a while. Thankfully we're coming out the other side, and that trademark cheeky grin has come out again. :)

• Read ~ I'm currently reading 'Twelve Years a Slave', which is book #5 of the year so far. I've also just purchased all of the 'Game of Thrones' novels as a bundle for $20 - so I have a LOT of epic reads ahead of me. I've read the first two, but I keep getting distracted...
  
• Move ~ I have consistently exercised every Monday/Wednesday/Friday since January 1st, with no excuses. Mostly runs, but sometimes workout DVDs and/or walks. I'm down almost 7kg and feeling really good, running 5km stretches now.
  
• Cook ~ I'm really proud of how much I've cooked so far this year. We haven't spent a lot on eating out at all, apart from the odd Thai food meal with friends. And, best of all, I'm lucky enough to be getting a shiny new cooking device for my 30th, which will help to REALLY spice things up in the kitchen.
  
• TTC ~ Watch this space; not a great deal of things to report here yet, but we're working on it!

The days are starting to speed up, and my little girl is almost a year old - I am SO not ready for this!

We're still commando crawling, but not much else - but that's ok. She's a happy kid, who is beautiful and funny and smart, and will NOT be walking on her first birthday. I hate that I've spent several of the past months comparing her to other babies, and I hate that deep down I still feel sad that she's behind in those respects; milestones can kiss my arse. Instead, I'm focusing on her growing up and enjoying what she can do.

The more I look at her photographs or watch her playing independently, the more I see a little girl, not a baby. It's bittersweet; I miss the baby stage so much, but I love this new stage too. Listening to her talk to herself, to us, to the cats, it's hilarious. She waves to anyone who says hi/bye to her, and is fascinated with books - turning the pages, blabbing away and feeling the textures in those touchy/feely novels. She's adorable.

I'm going to enjoy this fleeting last month of babyhood - but I'm also looking ahead. I'm so very excited to teach this little girl the ways of the world and watch her discover new things every day.

I've been lucky that hubby has been working from home. It's let me have this running time without having to worry that Georgia is asleep, or awake, or cranky - he usually feeds her breakfast & lets her have playtime on the floor. I never would have thought I'd choose exercise as my 'me-time' activity of choice, but I'll take it!

How have you been making time for yourself so far this year?

This cheeky, dramatic little girl is 11 months old & is the funniest thing. This past month has been full of surprises.