36+4 - Best thing to do when pregnant? Remodel your house.

Haven't updated for a while because it's all been a bit mental here!

This all began around 6 months ago when we talked about the possibility of getting a log burner. We've been thinking about it for a few years but I was adamant that in the small living room it would be stifling and pointless. Since Christmas this kind of progressed into knocking out a wall to make our dining room / kitchen merge, as the dining room before was a bit of a dead space.

To me, it's really important we have a table to sit and eat as a family as regularly as possible. In my head it's a time to sit around and talk about our days and have family time - although at the moment it's normally a bit of a battle ground between us vs. children. Still - perseverance is key and I'm adamant it's going to pay off! But other than that the dining room was basically just a corridor between the kitchen and living room.

This evolved into the idea of also having double doors into the garden so the kids can run round safely while I can still see them and do a few bits in the house. Especially with us having the baby so I'm going to be a little torn between the 3 of them.

Before -

 

The only time my brother could book us in was the past 2 weeks, or when the baby came. We decided the disruption was far better off in pregnancy than with a newborn, so that's what we did! We still have stuff left to do - painting the fresh plaster and putting up shelves / storage etc., but we are mostly done now. I'd like to say I've been super chilled and relaxed about the whole affair, but that would be a complete lie. I have cried and sulked and not slept and generally been a bit rubbish - but I can honestly say now it's coming together it was totally worth it.

During -

 

The house is more open, and there's so much more light. The kids have more room to play and run round, and they can go in the garden safely. We swapped the living room / dining room round so we sit so much further back from the road. It's just lovely and I'm so glad we did it. By we I mean all the other people while I've mostly just sat around and cried.

After - ish!

 

One thing we didn't anticipate which has made things a bit trickier is my SPD. I'm not going to dwell on it too much as I don't want to be negative, but it's rubbish. I can't really sleep; my walking speed is that of an injured snail; and I can't do lots of the things I feel I should be able to. It hurts and it's frustrating and I just want to be able to do everything and I can't.

I've had to finish work earlier than I'd planned to, as I was just coming home every evening unable to climb the stairs without crying; or having to work myself up to getting out the car as it hurt too much. I'm still struggling, but at home at least I'm able to get in more supportive positions, and I'm trying to lie down every day when Violet naps for an hour. I feel like I'm the least fun mum in the world at the moment, and I can't be who the girls deserve, and that sucks the most. But - not forever hopefully! Onwards and forwards - people have it much worse than I do.

Baby wise - I am 37 weeks on Thursday. I am not at all sorted. Everything has been so house focused but I'm hoping this is going to start to wind down this week and I can start sorting baby things! To be fair, we have bought most of the things; they're just in a massive pile in the cot and I'd like to have a sort out.

This week I need to get the birth pool out and inflate and check for punctures etc. I need to get a few more home birth bits and just get everything together. I think the idea of it all is a bit abstract at the moment - I'm hoping when I've sorted through those bits I start to feel a bit more prepared and focused and I can shift some mental energy onto the fact we will have another baby soon, as even typing that sentence out feels a little bit strange!

Alice has predicted the 1st July and completely refuses to deviate from this date. She was having a conversation with the baby earlier via my belly button, and apparently the baby was saying she is definitely coming on the 1st July and she is going to buy Alice a present. The girls also decided between them that the baby needs a birthday cake when she is born, but they will eat it for her.

The midwife is coming to the house on Wednesday to go through birth plan / home birth stuff. I was stressing about the plaster on the walls but I've decided she must have seen worse!

Alice is ridiculously excited and keeps talking about it. Violet has very much decided to ignore it, but either coincidentally or not has definitely started the "terrible twos" complete with shouting, tantrums and foot stamping this past few weeks. It's going to be a big transition for everyone and I'm just hoping we all make it through the other side!

We have had a few weeks nappy free though - potty trained Violet day and night! I can take 0 credit for it - we've been trying on and off for months and getting nowhere, and I thought I'd give it a proper go over half term. She just decided that the potty was now acceptable and just did it, and then refused to wear nappies at night either! So for this brief few weeks I am nappy free for the first time in 5 years!

Sorry this has been quite long and dull - basically there's nothing to report other than I crazily decided to rip my house apart at 8 months pregnant and I am the size of a small house! Hoping for a more restful few weeks before baby decides to make an arrival!

With love and light xo

40+6 - Failure to prepare...

I feel like I could just write - still pregnant. But, I'm trying to write things down as I know how quickly it all disappears from memory when baby gets here. Which will be soon hopefully?

I'm going to be honest - every day I go overdue it almost seems further away! Like having a baby is this weird metaphorical thing that might happen at some point in the future?

I've had a few evenings where I've felt a little optimistic about baby coming, with cramps / pains and a few Braxton Hicks: so I keep trying to go to bed and get some sleep and hope that I'll be woken in the early hours to something happening. It's the constant "what if?" that's exhausting. I wake up every hour in the night checking if my waters have broken, or if something is happening. I keep trying to make sure that at any given time I'm fed and the house is clean and I'm not shattered, just so I can cope with the labour to the best of my ability. It's a strange feeling of limbo - I don't want to plan too far ahead and I'm trying to take each day as it comes, but for a serial planner / organiser like me that's incredibly difficult!

If someone told me I'd be another week then that's fine, I could deal with that. But it's the constant apprehension and waiting that I'm finding difficult. I know I should just be enjoying the last few days of being pregnant, but I'm anxious and nervous and just want to crack on now! However I am enjoying the last few days of just Alice and mummy snuggles, and it's been nice to have these few days of sunshine to play with.

I had a sweep on Monday which was painful but not unbearable, and was 2cm dilated. I got a little excited after, thinking something might happen, but it was a huge anticlimax. I've got another booked today for 3.30, so hopefully she'll be able to tell me if there's been any progression at all - not that it means anything really!

I couldn't sleep last night for fretting about induction, so I decided to face it head on and did a couple of hours research on the pro's and con's of various things. (For anyone interested - NICE guidelines are always incredibly awesome, as is Homebirth.org.uk, the NHS website and the Royal College of Midwives)

I've already discussed with the midwife that I want to wait until 40+14 (2 weeks overdue) rather than 40+12, to give the baby as much chance as possible to come on their own. I'm feeling quite negative about induction and it's definitely something I want to avoid, so I'm glad to have an extra couple of days to allow my body to do it's thing.

It's not that I want to be pregnant an extra few days, it's just that the likelihood of needing intervention increases just such huge amounts when induction is used, and the chance of needing a caesarian or assisted delivery just shoots up. It tends to be referred to as the "Cascade of Intervention" - basically when you start faffing with one thing it throws the whole process out of whack! For a lot of reasons I don't want interventions unless absolutely necessary.

Having read lots of studies etc. I feel a little more clued up now on the process and risks of various things. Hoping to have a chat with the midwife about it today, and go through a few concerns. Obviously I'm hoping to not need any of this at all, but a failure to prepare is preparing to fail!

This is probably all so dull for anyone not overdue with a baby - sorry!! I'm still confident that baby is fine, and will show up when they are ready. I just need to keep reminding myself that the body is incredible, and childbirth has been happening for a very long time. I need to not let my confidence waiver, and just focus on how exciting it all is. Easier said than done I'm afraid!

So I said this last time, but maybe next time I update I'll have a baby? Until then - clary sage, ball bouncing, lots of walking, and a bit of hoping!

With love and light xo

40+1

No babies yet. I was kind of thinking I wouldn't get to add any more pictures here, but at least I'm pretty sure I won't need another row! I was quite curious if she'd dropped any in the pictures but I don't think so - just gone outward a little more.

Officially 1 day overdue today, but I've always thought my due date was the 1st September anyway so not particularly climbing the walls yet, however after today I am all for Operation Shift Baby! Haven't tried any moving baby methods yet, other than cleaning and scrubbing floors today, but planning a curry and a walk tonight maybe; followed by lots of Clary Sage!


Packed, repacked and checked all my bags and home birth stuff today. Showed Mitchell where everything is and what everything's for. Doesn't feel particularly impending but then it never did with Alice either - not really had any pains or tightenings etc. other than killer back pain at the end of the days. If anything, I feel better this week than I have in weeks! Struggling a little to sleep but that's only down to me being the size of a small house.

Big thank you to my mum who has helped huge amounts over these past few weeks with having Alice and helping out, and another big thankyou to Mitch's family for having Alice and helping out! Would have certainly been struggling a lot more without everyone's help!

So, no news at the moment. Will try and write a quick post when things are happening!

With love and light xo

38+3 - Stick a fork in me!

For a while I didn't even think I'd have to put another row on the bump picture - I was super convinced I was going to be early as I just feel huuuuge! However here we are, 38 and a bit weeks and not a twinge in sight. Obviously baby girl is quite happy in there, and far be it from me to tell her what to do!

Midwife today and baby is happy and healthy still. Still measuring a few cm large for dates but it's calmed down loads, and since the growth scan they're quite happy I'm not going to birth a 19lb baby. Heart and blood pressure all okay, and I've been booked in again for 2 weeks when I will officially be 3 days overdue. I'm not going to lie - I'm kind of hoping I don't end up attending that appointment!


I had another GTT a few weeks ago as they, yet again, suspected gestational diabetes due to glucose in urine. The GTT was no fun - could eat at 6am but then not till after 4pm and I was just feeling super sick and ratty. However, thankfully no diabetes, so still all on track for a normal birth, and hopefully a homebirth!

Everything is (hopefully) ready to go on the homebirth front now. I have a huge box of old towels and sheets; we have tried the birth pool; I have snacks for everyone involved; I've packed a bag with all mine and babies things in that I hopefully won't need; I have music; I've been listening to hypnobirth tracks; and generally reading all / any homebirth stories I can get my hands on.

This site has pretty much been my bible and I've spent countless 3am hours reading every midwife article, birth story, advice list and FAQ I can get! http://www.homebirth.org.uk/


Feel really positive about the birth at the moment. Had a lovely evening practicing with the pool and working through any little issues - e.g. which taps to use to fill, where to put it, lighting and tarps etc. It was so lovely to get in and took all the aches and pains out of my hips and legs - it's just ridiculously huge and felt completely like I was floating in all the lovely warm water. I know last time the water made a huge difference to labour pains and I'm really hoping to successfully birth in the pool again - I think it made a huge difference and would completely recommend it. 
I haven't written much about my reasons behind choosing a homebirth on here - partly because I don't want to sound like it's the right thing to do! It's what I want to do, but every woman should be given the right to choose whatever seems right for them. Birth is all about making informed choices, to hopefully be empowered by how incredible your body is. For me, there are lots of reasons I want to be at home. For others, there are lots of reasons they don't. If I end up in hospital I won't have "failed", but that doesn't mean I want to be there!
I'm really looking forward to being in my own space, with my own things, my own bath, and all my own creature comforts. Being able to make a drink or have a wander or potter about while in the early stages, without the big "is it time to go yet?!" rush of last time. I'm looking forward to feeling in control, being in my own environment, and on my terms. I'm looking forward to getting into my own bed when it's all done, with a tiny baby and no other ladies /babies in the room, and no doctors poking my baby at 6am for no reason! 
I'm mostly looking forward to all the midwives going home and leaving us to get to know our little girl, and us all getting to know each other as a family of 4!
Obviously I'm not looking forward to the pain of labour, but I feel ready now. I keep dreaming of labour, and every time I get so much as a mild cramp I think it may be something starting! Mitch and Kirsty have both guessed tomorrow, but Mitch has since retracted his guess and thinks I'll be weeks yet - rubbish! I'm getting uncomfortable and tired, and every day seem to be finding it a little harder. I will obviously miss being pregnant, but I'm ready now.
Have a guess here - chocolate based prize for the winner ;) http://bebepool.com/go/?a=lizz&view=list

Who knows - maybe the next time I update I'll have a baby?!

With love and light xo

36+3 - An update

Time for a bit of a pregnancy update I think! To put the picture above in perspective, here's last time at 36 weeks-ish!

So I am now 36 weeks, and physically getting to the "well ready" stage! Mitch is putting up with all my moaning, bless him, but it's starting to start to be a little frustrating in parts. I think baby has dropped a lot, looking at pics above, and because of that I'm having quite a lot of hip pain etc. Moving is becoming a little cumbersome, and I would say I've perhaps lost what little bit of elegance I ever had and gained a lovely waddle!

I'm sleeping okay-ish - waking up around half the time for a couple of hours in the night. I wake up, and it's just like my brain has been completely turned on and I am wide awake - normally from around 3 - 5.30ish? Then it hardly seems worth going back to sleep as Alice up anytime from 6! It seems to hit me at points throughout the day, and I could literally just sleep stood up some of the time.

She is kicking lots, and still doing lots of movements, which can get quite painful now depending on where I'm being punched! Always reassuring to feel / see though, and I'm sure will be missed.

In general, I'm super lucky and feel really blessed to be able to plod on. But some days I'm just counting down the hours till Mitch gets home and I can have a little lie down! I have found this pregnancy physically harder than Alice - I don't think it's any worse, I think I just get a lot less time to sit down, as I'm normally chasing round after a mental toddler.

I broke up from work on Friday, although had originally wanted to do a few more weeks but had to use up some annual leave. Feels strange to be part of the maternity leave lot again, but definitely less relaxing than maternity leave last time ;)

The midwife came to the house on Friday to go through everything birth plan / home birth wise which was really lovely. We went through all eventualities and practicalities - I had to order a few more things for the birth, including a torch and spare batteries! Still need to get a few more bits together for it and assemble them in a box all together. Mostly just a few more old towels and sheets etc. that I don't mind throwing. I have packed a little hospital bag but really hoping not to use it.

Having a go filling the birth pool on Thursday night to see how long it takes to fill and how easy it is to get to temperature. Will have a look at what way to best arrange furniture etc. and just run through the last few logistical bits for home birth. Also planning to jump in and have a go - would be rude not to surely!!

I need to get birth snacks / drinks for me, but apparently most importantly for the midwives and Mitch / my mum! I have informed everyone involved that I'm not putting a buffet on but apparently it's falling on deaf ears!! :P

Also need to jump back on the Hypnobirthing band wagon and start listening to the CDs again. I found some of the techniques really helped me stay focussed and in control last time, and it really can't do any harm! Got some Clary Sage aromatherapy oil, and a lovely lady from online has sent me some labour massage oil too.

Mentally feeling a little fed up today - keep having glucose in urine so have to go for yet another Glucose Tolerance Test on Thursday. It's a stupid fasting test, and I'm so used to snacking all the time at the moment as I can't really eat a whole meal. I'm sure the results will be negative again, and it's just such a long time to be sat in the hospital, starving, with naff all to do. Even though I'm sure it's nothing, I will worry all weekend about results, as Gestational Diabetes would mean no home birth, no water birth, lots of monitoring and medication etc. Not a path I want to go down at all.

Still, trying to stay positive and remember my body knows exactly what it's doing, and all will be okay.


Have set up the pushchair with a buggy board, and been practicing with the Moby wrap / Babyhawk and a teddy to make sure I have options for getting out the house when baby is here! Although very tempting just to hibernate, need to make sure we all get a little bit of fresh air. Alice currently unsure about buggy board, so hoping to take her out for a wander maybe before the littlest one shows up.

We keep talking about how her sister will be here soon and she keeps telling me her sister is asleep and when she is awake she will come out to play. She also wrapped a little present for the baby for me last night, and we keep talking about babies and breastfeeding. I'm trying my best to make sure she knows what's happening, but I guess we'll see soon!

37 weeks on Friday, so baby is classed as full term and is free to show up at any point from then on! If you haven't guessed already, please place your bets! - http://bebepool.com/go/admin/?a=lizz&view

With love and light xo

34+5 - Growth Scan

I went for the growth scan yesterday, and I'm happy to report that baby wasn't 25lb! She was measuring exactly perfect for dates, and they gave her an estimated current weight of about 5lb 8oz - not super accurate obviously as based around ultrasound but reassuring to here they don't think she's quite ready yet. A normal amount of fluid too, so no further tests needed. No idea why I'm measuring big but I just think the baby is long like Alice.

No pictures as you couldn't see a lot in the scan, a foot here or there but baby is too big for posing! I asked them to check and we're definitely still team girl which is a relief - I love boys but I don't think he'd appreciate a pink room!


Plasterer came today so we no longer have a hole in the ceiling thankfully, and when it's painted at the weekend should hopefully be able to get the last few bits up and sorted. Also intending to pack a bit of a hospital bag as a "just in case".

Started a baby pool like I had with Alice - Mitch was the only person to guess the date right last time! I think there may be chocolate based prizes for the winner? Have a guess!
http://bebepool.com/go/?a=lizz&view=list

With love and light xo

34+4 - Large For Dates

Trying out the fancy new Blogger app at 5am so excuse any spelling mistakes - realised I've not been updating much so may as well make use of some quiet time!

I had my 34 week midwife appointment yesterday, which was a little more eventful than originally planned. I have been measuring a few cm's too big the whole way through this time, and was still a little big yesterday. They've referred me for a scan this morning to have a look at baby and see if I've got like a cat in there as well or something. 

On the one hand, I'm looking forward to seeing baby again today. Fingers crossed she's still a girl or there will be one tiny boy in some ridiculous dresses. Also looking forward to (hopefully!) confirmation that baby is head down and good to go. Always nice to see baby too, although Mitch can't come because of work which is a bit rubbish. 

On the other hand, I do worry a little. But then I worry about everything. The concern with a fundal height that is large for dates is that your baby is going to be like 20lb! However I'm trying to reassure myself - bodies have been producing babies for a very long time. They know what they are doing. I am not measuring ridiculously huge, and have been following the same growth throughout. I haven't gained too much weight, and I haven't been living on Mars bars and chips - however tempting! 

My main concerns are obviously with baby, as long as they're okay I'm good. However I worry about my lovely birth too! I'm still hoping for a home birth this time, and another positive experience to go with Alice's! 

I guess this post a little pointless as I'm not really sure what's going on at the moment, but will hopefully have more of a clue later. My middle of the night research has backed up exactly what I thought - fundal height is a really poor indicator of baby size as it depends on so many things including how baby is lay, and amount of fluid. From the looks of things, ultrasound isn't a much better indicator either! But I will go for my scan and take it from there.

Just been looking through blog to try and find mentions of this from last time. I'm sure (but can't quite remember!) that Alice was always measuring big for dates, and they predicted she would be 9lb plus. She was 7lb14oz - perfectly normal weight. 

The other slight concern on their part is glucose. Throughout my pregnancy with Alice, and this time, I've had sugar in my wee pretty much every time. I had the fasting blood sugar test a few weeks ago, but depending on the results of scan today they may want me to go back for that again. Fingers crossed for no as I'm grumpy when I don't eat!!

To summarise my 5am ramblings - midwife pretty sure I'm having a litter of kittens instead. Get to see baby today and hoping she's still a girl. Will update later. 

With love and light xo 

30+2 - Bit of an update

Bit of an all over update as lots of little bits and pieces going off here!

We had an Alice free day today so have been blitzing lots of jobs in preparation for the arrival of new small child. Today I sorted through all the newborn / 0-3 clothes, stuff we've been given, and bits I picked up from eBay / Facebook. Finally feel much more organised in that respect although it took a lot longer than anticipated - primarily due to my OCD making me create drawer dividers!

We painted the alcoves in the bedroom and gave those a couple of coats, and the chimney breast is being wallpapered at some point in the next month or so. Still have lots of bits to do in her room but feeling much better about the state of it - pictures bought and need putting up, and I want to make a collage-y picture like one of these - http://pinterest.com/evenstarx/nursery-art/. Curtains up too, and black out blind here and ready for hanging.

Took the cot down in Alice's room today and sorted her big girl bed out. We are currently 40 minutes in to the first night and so far so good! I am envisioning a few wake ups but it needs doing, I just really can't be bothered - she sleeps so well in her cot and I would quite happily leave her in it for the next 20 years if it means she sleeps!

Still set on the name. Slightly concerned that someone famous is going to use it first as we literally have no other names. Relieved to see that the Kim / Kanye baby is called North.

Getting much bigger, and a bit more back/hip pain. Partly due to being stubborn and not wanting to slow down, partly due to chasing a small mental toddler round, partly due to my body failing me and feeling about 80! I'm at the midwife tomorrow so hoping that baby has spun a little and is pointing the right direction, but I'm not convinced and I'm pretty sure she's still sideways. Loads of time yet though.

Also had the results back from last weeks GTT and all okay - no diabetes. Winner. Pass me back the cake please.

This all seems to be absolutely flying this time. I would be quite happy to be pregnant for another 9 months if it means I get more time on my own with my special Alice. Even if it does mean I hobble round in the evenings!

However that doesn't mean I'm not excited, just can't imagine how 30 weeks has gone so quickly!

With love and light xo

28+3 - Pregnancy Update

Been to the midwife this morning and feeling a little fed up. Had glucose in my urine again so have to go the hospital on Thursday for a Glucose Tolerance Test again (had one about 32 weeks last time) which means fasting all day until test finished. In mid morning and should be done for after lunch time, so only missing breakfast, but that's tough when you're forever hungry!! Mitch can't take time off work this time so I'm just going to take a magazine / book etc. but not particularly looking forward to it. 

Baby also currently breech. I know that's nothing to worry about at this stage (28 weeks) but Alice was always head down and I'd just got it in my head that it was this case this time. I've been reading a few tips for movement on the Spinning Babies website so I'm going to get my birth ball down and start doing a few exercises to encourage baby to spin. 

So, even though I know both things will probably be fine, I'm just a bit worried. Both breech presentation and gestational diabetes would mean definitely no home birth, and probably no water birth. It's safe to say I'm feeling a bit down and a bit self pitying about it this morning, but there's not a lot I can do! 

I think I need to get back on the hypnobirth positive mental attitude - it will all be okay - birth is a natural thing and an amazing thing that your body is designed to do. 

Pregnancy wise I'm doing okay so far apart from the above! Starting to get a bit of back pain but nothing out of the ordinary. Struggling to breathe throughout the day a little as she's just so high up in my body. I think (maybe?) I had some Braxton Hicks the other day but I'm not sure as I never had them with Alice. 

I'm no further on with baby things than last post - all clothes and accessories still in attic and no further with her room. Got to decide whether to paint or not, then start getting things out and see what we're missing. She does have curtains now which is a step forward I suppose! 

With love and light xo

27+3 - Photos

I tried to take a set of proper photos but they somehow got gatecrashed by a cat and a small child! 27 weeks now, and officially third trimester. Alice has got into the nightly routine of helping me put cream on my tummy, although I'm sure the stretch mark monster is creeping up...

With love and light xo

39+6 - Best / Worst - Third Trimester

Okay, so seeing as though I am officialy cooked tomorrow, I'm going to do my summary of the best and worst things about the third trimester. Click for the first trimester and second trimester! I'm hoing to carry on with these best and worst things when baby is here, maybe every 3 months or so? We will see!

The Worst Things

1. Painful / uncomfortable kicks. No-one really mentions quite how uncomfortable kicks and movements can become, especially at 3am when the baby has decided that your ribs are actually quite a nice place for kicking away, and repeatedly kicking the same place is a very good idea! I had a few really sore / almost bruised patches from when she kept kicking away and it brought me almost to tears on a few occasions. Still, I put movements in the best list too so they can't be that bad!

2. Lack of sleep. This is obviously a hugely negative factor, as you're so tired and achey and fed up and all you want to do is sleep, but it seems to completely evade you. You also want to punch the next person who tells you it's "just practice for when baby is here", no matter how right they might be! How much practice of sleep deprivation do you really need? I wish I could nap in the day, as that would make everything much better. I need to work on this skill for when she is here I think...

3. Size. During the third trimester, down to your physical size, you become unable to do certain things, or roll over without making noises like a strained elderly lady. You can't bend down without considering it a military operation, and you consider installing a hoist to aid bath time. I am most looking forward to putting my shoes on without leaning against a wall.

This probably isn't helped by the fact that I am no good at asking for help, and just like to do things myself. Slip on shoes have helped a lot - good job I love Vans.

4. Clothes. I know this is incredibly vain, but I am so incredibly fed up with wearing the same things day in day out! I have tried to save money by not really buying a lot of maternity clothes, but now they're just all falling to pieces and I'm so fed up of the same 5 tops and the same pair of jeans - I just want to wear normal person clothes again!

5. Waiting. And waiting... And waiting some more...

You know this huge thing is going to happen soon and change your life forever, but you're just sat around watching Jezza and waiting for something to happen! It's a very strange feeling, just like you're completely stuck in an interim stage where not really anything has changed just that you've had a few weeks off work and got a bit fat.

The Best Things

1. Finishing work. I worked till 36/37 weeks and I made the right call. I was really starting to struggle, partly due to lack of sleep and partly due to back and hip pain. In the last week I was coming home in tears, and just physically couldn't have worked another week. Complete hats off to the ladies who manage to work until due date - I would not have been able to!

2. Maternity leave. Kind of a continuation of the above point, but maternity leave is lovely! Especially when there are no pesky babies getting in the way of your Grey's Anatomy marathon...

3. Excitement! I didn't think I could possibly get any more excited, but how wrong was I. She has a name and a bed and some sheets and everything, (apart from a swimming poncho and smoking jacket / beret as Chloe keeps pointing out :P) and we are all so excited to meet her and give her cuddles and just learn everything we can about this tiny person! Who is she going to look like? Is she going to be ginger?

4. Attention. Getting all the attention without anyone else stealing it is awesome ;)

5. Movements. I know I've listed kicks in the worst things, but they're also incredible and amazing to feel and just know that you are growing a little person who is kicking away to let you know all is okay. I will miss them when they're gone, and miss this incredible closeness we currently share.

6. Preperation. Feeling much more prepared, having tiny clothes folded away in tiny drawers and just feeling a lot more in control. I'm sure this feeling is only temporary, and as soon as she arrives I'll feel like the most underprepared person in the world!

7. Babies. And obviously the best thing about the third trimester is that soon enough, I'm going to have a baby! How awesome is that?!

In all seriousness, I wanted to write this before she came and I completely forgot all about my pregnancy and how I felt. It has been an incredible 9 months, and we are so lucky that everything has been pretty straightforward up until now, and I just hope we are as lucky with the birth and meeting our beautiful little girl! Who seems pretty content in staying put for another two weeks... sigh!

If anyone has any questions to ask me while I'm still preggerz, write them below and I'll try and answer to the best of my ability!

With love and light xo

39+5 - Letter from Grandad

Not a lot to write about I'm afraid! I've had a few tightenings over the past few days which I presume are / were braxton hicks, but they weren't painful or uncomfortable. Other than that nothing! I've been a little uncomfortable and achey, but I think that's largely been down to doing too much walking. Not due for another 2 days, but still sort of sat around waiting.

I opened my email today to find this lovely email from my dad. I'm trying as hard as I can!!! :P

"Dear Lizz,

After due consideration, I have decided that today is a good day to have a baby.

It would give us a little time to indulge in a few cuddles and kisses prior to going on holiday with a clear conscience and no worries.

Furthermore I would be able to play darts tomorrow and I have nothing else booked in at this stage for this evening.

If you are coming round for tea tonight, please feel free to finish your meal before getting stuck into the matter at hand. (Have a word with ***babies name removed!!*** please)

Looking forward to your response.

Best Regards,

Neil"

39+3 - Bump Photo

Only one more space on the photo grid, hopefully to be filled with a picture of me and baby! Click here to see them all in order :)

With love and light xo

39+1 - Nada.

So, my guess has been and gone! For some reason I'd got the 7th April in my head, but that was yesterday and despite my best efforts the day went without so much as a twinge. Between now and the 23rd someone has guessed every day and I'd really like her to be here by then! We will see.

I've been a lot more tired this past week, partly due to my new sleep schedule which you could set a clock by! I manage 11/12 - 4, then 7 - 9. I have no idea what it is about 4am that wakes me up, but I've been very thankful for iBooks / the Kindle app and the ton of free books available on those! I guess maybe the sleep schedule is preparing me for baby?

The weather has been beautiful but I've not really done a lot. Took a few walks out to meet people / do a little shopping but I keep getting crampy legs so having to have a little sit down - my fitness levels have literally never been so low and it's quite frustrating! Was chatting to someone about climbing last night and I realised at the moment I can barely climb a set of stairs, let alone consider bouldering - sad times!

Everything is ready for baby I think. Everyone keeps asking if we're ready but I guess there's only so much you can do? I'm sure we'll figure other things out when she's here!

I got a rocking chair off of Freecycle that I've been sanding down to hopefully paint this weekend. Hopefully it will look nice, and it's super comfy to sit and rock in. However I've proceeded to cover every surface in the house with a thin layer of wood dust after spending Monday dusting everywhere - I am an idiot!

Will hopefully take some bump photos today and upload those later. Slightly hesitant to do so as the stretch mark monster has finally caught me. The least said about that the better I suppose!

With love and light xo

38+4 - Mother's Day!

My lovely Mother's Day flowers from my baby girl! And I got a lovely card with a cat on. Smart baby - sending cards from in utero! :).

With love and light xo

38+1 - April fools!

38+1 today and still no sign at all of our little cupcake. Not a twinge or a braxton hicks in sight! As today is April Fools day I did consider posting a little to the contrary but we all know what happened to the boy who cried wolf...

Midwife appointment went fine yesterday, although she seems convinced that baby is big and let me know in several different ways! She did mention something about being 9lb at full term but we're going to quickly skip over that one... Blood pressure and everything else was fine, and baby is now 3/5 engaged so a little more than last time. She did give me some rather glamorous ways to start labour off but I get the feeling that baby is just pretty comfortable in there!

Mitch had Monday and Tuesday off work so we had a long weekend together before baby which was lovely. We fed the ducks at Rufford Park and had a nice wander round Newark in the sunshine and just generally relaxed a little bit in the sunshine. I got honked at by a particularly mean goose and we met the most photogenic squirrel in the world.

The rest of this week has flown by, even though I've not really been doing a lot! I've been really tired, and found myself getting short of breath very quickly, even doing quite basic things such as pegging washing out. I walked into Mansfield yesterday which takes about 10 minutes maximum, and had to have a sit down by the time I got there because I was all hot and out of breath - looking forward to feeling a little fitter!

So all in all, nothing to report. Lots of people wrong on the birthday guess list, but today we have Mitch's mum, my Grandad, and Piers. And Mandy guessed Monday. Will keep the blog updated!

With love and light xo

37+2 - Bump Photo

Click here to see the previous bump photos :)

With love and light xo

37 - Full Term!!

37 weeks today - I am officially classed as full term!! That means baby can come anytime from today and won't be treated as premature, and I would be able to try for my water birth - yay :D

And I am happy to say that I am 37 weeks and feeling fantastic! I'm sleeping better, feeling better, and just feel perfectly happy to be pregnant. I may completely regret saying this in a few weeks, but I'm just perfectly content - baby can arrive whenever she wants now, but can also feel free to give me a few weeks off too - whatever she wants to do.

I'm loving my first week off on maternity leave - the sun in shining; I've done lots of washing and pottering; I've caught up with some friends and had a few little walks out in the sunshine. I'm sure the maternity boredom will catch up soon but it's lovely to be able to have relaxing days with lots of chilling out - I'm getting better at it!

I've been waking up at about 7 as normal, but it's so easy to get up when you're not rushing round getting ready for work in a hurry. I can shower and eat breakfast at a leisurely pace, put some washing in, and just do whatever I feel like. There is a slight issue in that I think I may end up the size of a house - biscuits are just far too tempting when they stare at you from the kitchen.

I've bought a few nursing bras which was much less painful than I though - I'd got it in my head they would be like parachute so feel glad I've managed to buy some that aren't completely fugly. Also ordered the basket for the pram yesterday so that should be delivered to Mothercare sometime next week.

My list of things to get has completely dwindled down to one or two things now, and a few things I'll get after baby is here. People keep asking if I have everything and I think so? I just don't know where this calm has descended from - I was massively stressing out last week and now I just feel super calm and ready. The calm before the storm? Quite possibly...!

This is my last week with a car though, as we've decided to take my car off the road to save money while I'm on maternity leave. This will be rubbish, as I'm so used to having a car. But, I have legs and it won't kill me! It may also help me get back in shape after she is here, and I'll still have access to Mitch's car evenings / weekends. Plus I have very helpful friends for lifts ;P

On the baby birthday guessing front, so far Ben and my dad have been wrong, and Sarah has guessed tomorrow. Feel free to add your guess!

With love and light xo

36+4 - Nursery photos (ish!)

With love and light xo