10 things I'm looking forward to

I'll be home on the range very soon. Well, not quite a range, but something with a yard and outdoor space with trees and plants around, possums in the trees and non-feral cats prowling around. The good old Burbs. There is nothing like them. Tranquillity and peace. No dolmuş tooting constantly and no endless traffic jams. Lots of things to look forward to, but here are my top ten so far.

1. Seeing my mum, dad, sister and two nephews

2. Drinking real soy latte's (weak ones, of course)

3. Jock's ice cream

4. Day out with my sister at Aurora Spa Retreat

5. Cups of tea and biccy's as mum, dad and me watch CSI or Law & Order

6. Driving on Melbourne's well made roads

7. Catching up with all my girls

8. Home cooked meals (that I don't have to cook)

9. The change of pace that Melbourne brings in every aspect of life

10. And, of course the long awaited arrival of our first baby

But to the upside, is always a downside, and there are certainly 10 things I will miss about Istanbul.

1. My husband :(

2. Summer

3. Köfte (Turkish meatballs), Ayran (Turkish yoghurt drink),Lahmacun (Turkish flat pizza), and all associated mezze or small dishes

4. Simit and tea for breakfast

5. The unique craziness that is truly Istanbul

6. Street food

7. Kendin pişir, Kendin ye (cook yourself, eat yourself) outdoor bbq gardens where you order köfte, lamb chops, chicken wings, salads etc and the bbq is bought to your table and you cook the meat yourself. No dishes! They clean up after you.

8. Cheap manicures, pedicures and blow outs

9. The beautiful Bosphorous

10. Shops open early until late, 7 days

Do you see what I see?

Isn't it funny how life can just start to change in the blink of an eye. It can put you on a path that's like a one way street where you can never turn back. It's exciting, the thought of the unexpected and new, but scary at the same time. 

I am on that road now as I hit my sixth month of pregnancy. I'm thrilled, happy, scared, worried, elated and getting bigger with each passing week. 

Today as I stood in the kitchen and looked down at my feet I noticed that I could see more of my tummy than my feet and it seems to be all so real now. I spent the first twenty weeks wondering if it was all really happening and worrying about what could go wrong but once I felt those little feet tapping the inside of belly, I knew it was for real.  

Becoming a parent brings up a million and one emotions, fears, thoughts, expectations and concerns but I am glad to be where I am now. We have played the failure, disappointment, patience, try again game for a while now so we are ready for what the next stage of life has install for us.

I'm going to try my hardest not to turn my blog into a pregnancy and parenting blog, but forgive me if I fail. Over the remaining months I'll be back in Australia blogging about life back home so I hope to have lots of fun and different things to share.