Near-naked posing with the bump

SHE Magazine's September edition

On Tuesday I was contacted and asked to participate in a special feature being prepared by the girls at SHE Magazine for the Gold Coast Bulletin. A journalist who works with my friend and ex-colleague Chantay told me that I’d been suggested as someone who might be interested in participating.

The feature entitled ‘Gold Coast women bare all’ is part of the magazine’s October body issue where Gold Coast women discuss body image, health and fitness.

After I was given the details of the interview and photo shoot it took me a little while to decide whether this was something I wanted to do. Then I thought stuff it, you only live once, and it would be a great keep-sake anyway.

I must say I was pretty apprehensive this morning when I was readying myself for the semi-nude shoot – yes you read correctly. Bar a few props I was to do a photo shoot celebrating my pregnancy baring as much skin as possible without being too risqué.

 

It's not like I was getting full on naked like Demi Moore or Britney Spears did with just their hands strategically covering their lady bits and showing off their baby bumps - I am not that brave!

I wasn't as brave as Britney was for her Harper's Bazaar cover!

I think body image is such a personal thing, but it is so widely discussed! I haven’t always loved my body – it has been a love-hate relationship to be honest! But I think it is an important topic to talk about. I find it even more relevant now that I am pregnant and my body is actually going through something it was meant to… I love seeing my body change and grow with my baby.

The shoot today was fantastic and a lot of fun – I can’t wait to see the pics! Make sure you keep your eye out for the October edition of SHE Magazine in the Gold Coast Bulletin!

Can't wait to tell our baby one day that it was in my belly at the time of these shots!

Can't touch this

Maybe I should consider getting a t-shirt like this one printed...

I recently had an experience, which up until now, I thought would be horrendously invasive and an assault on my personal space.

A stranger touched my pregnant belly without my permission.

Let me paint a picture for you.

On my hunt for something to eat for lunch, I went to a little local kebab shop where I knew the owner made amazing felafel kebabs. She is Indian-Australian and is about four foot tall with a broken accent and she is very sweet.

“Hi, I’d like to get a felafel kebab please,” I asked her. “With lettuce, tomato, a little bit of onion and barbecue sauce thanks.”

When the lady was finished taking my order, she looked up at me and then down at my belly. Quick as a flash she was then softly stroking my abdomen while saying “You’re pregnant – how far along are you?” to which I stuttered “About 24 weeks – we’re not finding out the sex.” She simply smiled and said “Good girl. Now go and sit down and I will bring your lunch out to you.”

Now I always thought that when I got pregnant, that I wouldn’t allow complete strangers to come up and touch me – I am funny about people I don’t know being in my personal space. 

But this lady had such a kind demeanour that even thought her actions took me by surprise, I didn’t react in the negative way I thought I would. I guess it depends on the person and the situation.

My belly has been growing, but it has become such a part of me now that I don’t really notice that I am getting bigger. I find myself going out to check the mail or do the grocery shopping and catch people looking me up and down or staring at me. My first thought is to go “What the hell are you looking at?” before I remember that I am pregnant and they are probably looking at my little protruding belly.

One checkout chick even offered to lift my bags of groceries into my trolley. I stupidly thought “Why?” and then realised that she was smiling at me saying I shouldn’t lift anything heavy in my state. Duh she can see you’re pregnant Ashleigh!  

So I guess I just have to get over people reacting to my pregnancy. Whether I like it or not, people are going to comment and want to touch me, which kind of creeps me out but I do understand that they are just being sweet. But I’d appreciate a little bit of notice before you try and put your hands on me because it's still my body, not yours. 

  

Making every day a productive one

There is nothing like a bit of productivity to make you feel good.

I love doing mundane tasks just so I don’t have to think/worry about them – getting things done and off my plate gives me a bazaar boost.

I am sure I have mentioned before that I love writing ‘to do’ lists. Today my list consisted of a few things:

• Book in baby shower venue and confirm preliminary details           
• Draft baby shower invitee list
• Change our dog’s address with the GCCC
• Change my dog’s veterinarian appointment 
• Contact furniture refurbisher about glamming up some pieces of pine furniture for the baby’s nursery
• Go to Medicare

I managed to fit this all in while completing a very busy day in the office and sending out multiple stories to clients for approval, billing out accounts and making appointments. All in a day’s work…

Over the weekend I bought paint and brushes to start work on decorating the nursery, organised what artwork and craft projects I wanted to start, which would feature in the room and did several hours’ research on baby products, furniture for the house, textiles and landscaping ideas for the backyard.

What was a little daunting was thinking about actually completing these tasks with a newborn baby. Thank god for time (hey I have another 20 weeks up my sleeve) and the fact that I work with my dad and am able to take some time off work after the little one arrives… maternity leave is a god-send.

Today I also had some other more emotional priorities to take care of.

These included touching base with some friends I hadn’t spoken to in a little while to let them know I’m thinking of them, sending texts and emails to family to let them know how everything is going with the baby and telling them to stop going overboard with presents and embroided clothing for the baby (this was specifically directed at my grandmother who is busy creating gorgeous garments for the baby, whose sex we aren’t finding out).

I also took a moment while driving to work to make a promise to myself to stress less this week and concentrate on my big picture priorities, which is my growing family.

It gives me a great sense of satisfaction to know that I have made the effort and was able to tick several things off my ‘list’ – it sounds strange but I’ll go home tonight feeling much lighter after culling several items off it.

Tomorrow will be a new day and a new list.

 

                                        

Weekend Warriors

The past week, we have had the most glorious winter weather, so we've been trying to get as many jobs around the house done as possible!

Last week Ben and his dad, Doug, spent the weekend in our front garden completing our landscaping. We wanted steps leading up to our front letterbox (which hasn't been built yet - this will be another weekend project) and we were originally thinking the steps would be constructed of treated timber and then stained.

However, we went for something different and decided on a timber sleeper/river rock combo and I think the results are fantastic. We used the leftover river rocks from the stairs around the edge of the garden bed, giving it a more natural feel than typical concrete edging that you usually see.


Timber sleeper/river rock stairs. Pack of four solar lights were picked up from Bunnings for $25 (we only used 3 here).

Leftover river rocks were used to line the garden bed at the front of the house.

The plants that we put in about six months ago are coming along.

It feels good to get jobs done. I don't know about you, but I love ticking things off a 'to do' list and this has been something we've been wanting to complete for a little while now, so it's fantastic that it is now done.

Next step, as mentioned, is to build and render a brick letterbox. We'll probably start sourcing materials for it this weekend and then lay the slab for it. After the yard is done, next step is the baby's nursery and I already have several projects (art and furniture) planned for this. Excitement!

Personality +

"Split Personality" by Steven Wilson

Over the weekend I read a really interesting column by Q Weekend senior feature writer Fances Whiting on the multiple personalities of her husband titled “How many men do you live with?”

She had names for each of his personas – the ‘hoverer’, the‘re-packer’, the ‘accuser’ and so on depending on her husband’s actions and how he reacts to certain situations.

This got me to thinking about my personalities – it’s easy to pick out those in others and be, you know, a bit critical, but I think sussing out your own personalities will help you to control them when they start showing signs of developing a mind of their own...

So here it goes…

THE STRESSER/MISS NEGATIVE

What I would probably call my most dominant personality, this girl always finds things to stress about. She is a very frustrating person to have around because she’s often on edge and snappy, which annoys her husband and people she works with. Even though she is aware that she is stressing, she finds it difficult to calm down often getting herself into anxious fits of destruction. She tends to dwell on the negative.

THE HEALTH GURU

This side of my personality likes to lecture people about being super healthy and maintaining a good level of fitness. She is interesting in holistic and organic cooking, nutrition and different forms of exercise and meditation, but at times, fails to practice what she preaches, occasionally stuffing her face with chips, chocolate or cheese (this often happens when her enemy the Stresser comes along). She likes to take loads of supplements and vitamins and this makes her feel glowing and full of health.

THE POSITIVE ONE

Paying almost daily visits, this girl helps bring confidence and clarity to things I really want in life. She focuses only on the positives and eliminates negative vibes, only looking forward to things that will bring happiness and light to potentially bad situations. She is the one who grasps on to dreams and things I want to achieve and with her optimism, helps to make dreams into reality.

THE WEEPY ONE

Unfortunately, there is a side of me that can pretty much cry on cue… and mean it. She is a cry baby who hates fighting and disagreements, will shed tears over sad stories on the news, beautiful stories about children or people who have fought through illness. She will get upset over seeing road kill, or stories she has heard about animal cruelty… She often cries over mistakes and things that have happened in the past and on the flip side, will cry happy tears over milestones (birthdays, anniversaries, achievements etc). She often needs to be reassured and can be highly sensitive.

MISS COMPETITIVE

She basically just wants to be better than everyone at everything.

Those are just a few – I am made up of several more (some I'd prefer to keep behind closed doors, such as a particular girl that comes out only in the bedroom for my husband) but I’d say those are the more dominant ones.

I’d say we should all go through this exercise of acknowledging our own multiple personalities before we start criticising those of others. Hey, it might just be the reality check you need.

To read Ms Whiting’s column in full go here:

http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/how-many-men-do-you-live-with/story-fn6ck8la-1226302514141