It's all Normal, But it's Not

Once you get past a certain stage in your pregnancy you start to see your midwife every 3 weeks. This Monday just gone it was exactly 2 months until AvaLillaBee is due and it was 3 weeks after my last midwife appointment, so we went in to see her. 

I had a million and one questions to ask about this pain or that pain, that cramp and this feeling. She took my blood pressure which she said was normal and then took the good ol' pee cup sample and sent it off for testing - apparently normal. 

Then she asked me if I had any questions. I asked about my cramps around the bottom of my back, the heartburn I get from drinking water, the sharp pain I got once or twice at the top of my uterus, the knotted feeling of back ache, the headaches, the pains I had in my pelvis when I could barely walk last week... All of these things I was terrified about, terrified that baby wasn't well that she wasn't doing something right, that I wasn't doing something right. That she was going to come any minute and I've had these visions of me going into labour telling the midwife "We're not ready yet, she's not ready yet". But on the other hand all I can think about is how she is fine and she is just chilling until it is her time to come. Adam reckons she will come early. But anyway, I asked her about all these things I was worried about and she said they were normal. 

I felt like a complete loon! The midwife reassured me that all of my worries and troubles were normal parts of pregnancy and some of them, like the back ache, are probably only going to get worse during the latter parts of my pregnancy. Sleep is beyond me a lot of the time now, either I get the whole restless leg syndrome thing, or my hip hurts, or I need a pee, or Millie our cat, feeding her ever growing up brood of six kittens, needs feeding.

The midwife got me to lie down so she could feel where Ava was and how she is doing so I asked if the midwife could tell me where about's Ava is lying because I can never tell. She said Ava has her head above my belly button and her bum by the bottom of my stomach with her legs and arms curled to the side. She told me that Ava and bump are measuring in at the right size for the length of the pregnancy I am at and said there was nothing to worry about. Then we listened to her heartbeat. Adam and I love that part. We didn't realise now when we go for appointments we would be able to hear her heart beating but since we do and we can, it's such a great comfort to a little worrier like me. 

Not that there is much to worry about. Ava is bouncing and kicking all over, even having a good old dig at my ribs. Now I know the womb is supposed to support Ava and give her all the comfort she needs to be safe inside my body but where is the comfort and support for my ribs, and my bladder, and my stomach? The cheeky little monkey takes it all for herself. But as they say, as long as she is okay, that's all that matters, since women's body's are apparently built for this sort of thing I shouldn't worry myself too much about my organs moving all over my body. 

Oh well. As long as she's fine and I am curled over in pain because she has kicked my ribs... then I am fine. 

Baby B Update

There has been lots going on so I am sorry I haven't posted. Most days my brain is too exhausted to formulate words. But today I shall try.

The last post I wrote I told you I would tell you next time about the cot Adam and I have purchased. We have been collecting vouchers from Adams work place because you can use them in a couple of mother and baby shops and last Monday (wow has it really been that long since I posted) we went in search of a cot. We made it our reward for getting AvaLillaBee's bedroom cleared and ready to be decorated.

First we went to Mothercare and couldn't really find any cots that we liked. We didn't have loads of vouchers but I knew we had enough to purchase a neat little cot. However, the one we saw in there was too plain and boring for me so I asked Adam if we could go to ToysRUs/BabiesRUs to see what they had in there and we had a £5 voucher when you spent over £50 which we knew we would be doing anyway so there was an extra £5 there.

Thankfully as we entered the car park I saw a sign on the door that said "IF YOU SPEND OVER £40 TODAY IN STORE YOU WILL GET £10 OFF YOUR NEXT VISIT" so I was glad we went there instead. We meandered around the isles inside to get to where we needed to be and found there weren't many cots out on display and there was only a blue one in our price range. I like the size and shape of it and it didn't have a boring headboard end like the last cot... But it was blue. The sign said they had it in pink too which I thought would be ideal if it was a toned down pink so we enquired with the sales assistant for the cot. She took out a catalogue and showed us the PINK cot. It was very pink, very bright in your face pink. Those of you who know me know my love of pink only goes fingernail deep and I'm only tolerating it now because we are having a girl so the fact that this cot was very pink made me say no straight away.

Then I turned to the wall of cot advertisements and for some reason they had a cot on the wall that they didn't have out on the stands. I don't know why, maybe because it was really good value for money and was worth the price. It was the same size as the blue one and personally I think in better shape. So we got that one instead. Now it is stood still in its packaging waiting for the room to be decorated. My sister Bethany said it would be a good thing to unpack last, as a good luck idea. I think she is right.

I can't believe we have just under 2 months to go. It is all becoming so real so fast and I am barely keeping up. I say there is lots to do but really if she came tomorrow (No Baby don't get any ideas) then we would be fine with what we have. But she is cozy and staying put, because I said so.

The Search is On

This month Adam and I have two weddings to go to. We have his brothers on the 13th and my brothers on the 28th! So, I need something to wear, because the only dresses I have now that actually fit me are two maxi dresses, that I alternate in wearing every other week to church. Maxi dresses are nice, but trust me... after a while, there is only so much you can do with them, and they always make me look like a tent, like a woman with a ball up her top. It's not flattering at all.

I have looked in a few places and all I seem to find are dresses that aren't below the knee. The women are wearing quite short, very tight dresses with 4 inch heels, because obviously at 30 weeks pregnant (32 by the time the wedding comes, 34 at the next) the only thing you're going to be tottering around in is 4/5 inch heels. It totally baffles me.

However, when Adam and I went to Mothercare the other day I found some saving grace in the dresses they have on sale. Now all I need to do is cross my fingers and hope they still have them next week when I get some money to buy one. On the other hand my sister, Bethany, sent me numerous pictures of the dresses they had in Mothercare in Bradford and I did not like a single one.  I had to ask very politely who the dresses were for, as she hadn't told me previously. If they had been for her I would have told her she was nuts, but since she had looked them all up for me and taken pictures of them all, I told her she was nuts, in a nicer way. It was nice of her to look for me. But why is it that all pregnant women are supposed to wear stripes? You get told unless you are skinny there is no way you should really be wearing horizontal stripes as they stretch over your body, so why is it as soon as you're the size of a balloon the shops think you want to wear? The mind boggles...

If you hadn't guessed it already, yes I am ranting. I need to rant every now and again. It makes me feel human.

Also, the lack of shops that sell maternity dresses, that don't look like tents, is very far and few between. I searched every shop I could think of, and this was their online range... even bigger than what they supply in store. I could not find a thing. I honestly, could not find a thing. Unless you wanted to rob a bank for me so I could buy a dress from JoJo Maman Bebe... feel free if you like.

I might just hide in the background when all the wedding photos are being taken that way nobody needs to see my nice large belly. I am not of any major importance at either wedding (meaning not a bridesmaid or main party) which means I don't need to be in lots of pictures, which is completely fine by me. It's funny because I look down at myself and don't see a very large bump but I guess other people do, and now I am going to have to start asking Adam to take pictures of bump as I can't hold my camera far enough way to get all of her in. I am not any bigger than I am supposed to be but I am getting bigger.

Apparently, little tip for you from my midwife, once you hit 20 weeks and over the measurements of your 'bump' from top to bottom should correspond with how many weeks you are. So, if you're 25 weeks your 'bump' should be 25cm. I think that is pretty cool. Also, kinda scary because at 40 weeks my stomach is supposed to be another 10cm bigger than it is right now... Definitely scary.

So next week at some point I shall hopefully show you the dress I have got for both weddings, if I don't get the money in time I shall be wearing a good old maxi dress... nothing wrong with that although I may get told off because it is red, white and black with stripes. You make do my dears, you make do.

Nesting Stage Skipped

I think the nesting stage skipped me and went straight to Adam. He has been an absolute star and I honestly don't know what I would do without him. Whatever I have needed he has been there - like my personal slave, haha, just kidding.

But in all seriousness, I think the nesting stage comes in the second trimester when you have loads of energy and think you can conquer the world and do anything. But I am telling you now, those of you who haven't been pregnant before but are planning to have children, that is just your body leading you into a false sense of security. Oh yeah, it knows what is coming up just natural instinct I suppose so it is giving you that last bit of freedom before it takes your body down an exhausting ride of aches and pains, not to mention no proper sleep. Do your nesting while you have the energy, because come the third trimester you won't be able to.

I do my little bit around the house when I can and even wiping a work top or two can instantly make the place look tidier but give me 20 minutes into a job and I am aching for top to toe. I have no idea what I would do if Adam suddenly couldn't do anything anymore but I am thankful for the way things are now so no changing please.

I say the nesting bug has skipped me and gone straight to Adam because in the five days that he has had off I think the only time he hasn't cleaned has been Sunday. We don't labour on a Sunday which is good because I think he has gone into hyper clean drive and today I was honestly at the point of just telling him to slow down. Friday he cleared out the baby bedroom a little, Saturday I did the living room and he did the kitchen, dining room, stairs and hallway then Sunday we chilled but Monday we finished off the baby bedroom by putting all unneeded things in the spare room. At this point Adam was also doing the washing and had cleaned out the kitchen where the cat tray is. If you think that is a lot today he did even more washing, cleared out the utility room, the cupboard in the dining room and yesterday I forgot, he did the cooker too. See what I mean? I was on the verge of telling him he should really take a break when he said his back was aching so he had to chill out for a bit.

Obviously I am not getting at him at all for doing all these jobs, this is my way of telling you all how much of an amazing husband he is being and if you could purchase one of Adam in a shop then you would definitely be getting your money's worth. However, unfortunately for you lovely people there is only one Adam and he is priceless so... He won't be in the shops any time soon.

Tomorrow I shall share the news with you of our cot buying conundrums. It was definitely an exciting and interesting journey.

Bumbling Along Like a Bee

Posts have been slow recently and I have no one to blame for this but myself. I don't even have an excuse for it. So apologies to one and all that read my blog and I thank you continually for your support, comments and 'likes' on Facebook.

I am now 75% through my pregnancy and apart from an exhaustive list of aches, pains and annoyances I seem to be getting on rather well. I hope this is a sign of things to come during labour. Yep, that's right you up there or whoever may be listening, I am booking in my labour now on the 8th of June and I would like it to go as smoothly as possibly; if its not too much trouble for you. There I have booked it - one can wait in hope.

The further along the pregnancy I get the more paranoid I seem to become over every ache and pain that comes my way and I have my midwife in my phone so if I need to I can just give her a quick call. For now, I've been using Google to rationalise my hypochondria but all seems to be normal for now. If I am in serious doubt I can ring the midwife, she is there for a reason I suppose.

I have a couple of weddings coming up, one in 2 weeks time and another in 4 weeks time so I am waiting for as long as possible to get a dress and I am hoping with all my might, mind and strength that I can find something other than a maxi dress. I hate wearing maxi dresses now, they are all I seem to wear. It is slightly depressing as I am in the show-my-bump-off trimester except maxi dresses do nothing but hide the ever growing baby inside your tummy.

I don't think anyone can say that pregnancy agrees with them or their body because it clearly doesn't but what I would like to optimistically say is that pregnancy at the moment compliments my body. We seem to be getting on well at the moment. That's not to say we don't have our disagreements but right now I am enjoying the thought (or feeling rather) of AvaLillaBee growing inside me and she is enjoying kicking me in the ribs so really it's a win win situation; come back to me in 4 weeks time and I shall let you know if I still feel the same way.

Adam has nearly finished clearly out the soon to be baby room and I hope with all fingers and toes crossed that by Monday we will have bought a cot ready for little Ava to sleep in at night time. My, it's all becoming very really isn't it?

I got another batch of cute baby things that no longer fit Amelia from my sister so I can't wait to get them all sorted out on a rail and I may have put in a couple of requests here and there for some seriously adorable baby dresses from George in ASDA - seriously you should go look on their website. We also got a little package from some friends at church today with a gorgeous soft blanky in it, some Johnsons baby products, nappy bags and wipes, socks, mitts and other cute baby essentials - like baby scissors for cutting finger nails... I never realised how essential they would be until Emily had to keep sitting there chomping on Amelia's nails because the little baby girl would constantly scratch her own face. So I think we are getting there.

Subconsciously Supplying the Brain

For the past week I have been reading every night before I go to sleep. I didn't even realise I was doing it until today when I finished the book I was reading and wanted something else to read. I had to actively go searching for something else since I had read the two freebie books I had downloaded on my Kindle Amazon app on my phone.

I was reading a book called "The Diary of a Nobody". I figured they must be a somebody in order to have written a book. It was based in a time where shillings were the usual currency and women wore dresses for all occasions and maids were a common occurrence. Then I wet myself laughing (not literally - my bladder is still in tact although who knows for how long with this pregnancy) at the first freebie chapter of Miranda Hart's book, I have promised myself that I must buy it at some point. I downloaded a book called "How to Have a Stress Free Life"; where it shatters everyone's dreams of accomplishing this because it tells you from the off set that it is completely normal to have stress in your life - it just depends on what kind. Thanks for nothing silly book.

I think it is good to read before going to sleep as it helps my mind wander away from my normal every day life and just delve into the world of whatever book I am reading. My eyes usually last about an hour on my phone before the screen starts to get blurred and I need to go to sleep but that's okay because I can usually read a lot in an hour. But like I said I didn't even realise until recently that I was actively engaging in the reading world and should now qualify to list reading as one of my hobbies on my CV - I wonder who even does that...

I guess it's definitely not a bad habit to have of reading before going to bed and it certainly beats watching television. It will definitely come in handy through all those sleepless nights we have to come with Ava B. since during breast feeding you do nothing but sit there, or so I have been told.

So anyway, now I am actively going to read "Great Expectations" on recommendation from my mum, so lets see how that goes. Subconsciously reading makes me think of all the other things I do to engage my brain without even realising it, since the TV isn't included in that I am sure there are other things I can do that will help my brain actively engage in something without even realising it.

Phone Freebies

Might be too good to be true but we shall see.

There are some good pregnancy websites out there such as:

thebump.com
bounty.com
emmasdiary
mumandme
whattoexpect.com
parents.com

They give good advice, you can get good advice from other people and weekly updates on how your baby is developing. I don't know which one of these I gave my phone number to but it was an interesting surprise to receive a call from a representative of Disney. They asked me if I was due to have a baby soon - how awkward would it have been if I had said no? I told them yes I am and she said "Congratulations" in a really happy 'Disney' sort of way. You know the way they talk to you in the shops.

Then she said as I am pregnant Disney are giving away free books and Micky Mouse bookshelf and they would be arriving within 30 days. There was a catch though, a nice small catch. They said they would also be sending two other free books and if I didn't want to keep them I would have to send them back first class post but if I did want to keep them then I would have to pay I think, £5 in total for each book. Then she gave some blurb about if I kept the second set of books without returning them within 10 days they would sign me up (automatically) to the Disney collection of books where they send you two every 4 weeks at the cost of £5 each. But I asked her twice that if I sent the second two books back within 10 days then it wouldn't continue on and she said no.

So, cool. I get two books and a bookshelf free then when I get the next two books I send them back and all is done. Awesome. I like freebies. I keep getting random freebies in the post which is nice because I hardly ever get post since all the bills are in Adam's name. So packages are awesome. However, we shall see about it when it gets here...

By The Wayside

I seem to have forgotten my knitting this past couple of weeks. I've been so busy trying to keep the house tidy and keeping the kittens alive, who are now 3 weeks old as of today that I my knitting duties have fallen by the wayside.

I have tonnes of patterns and free websites bookmarked on my browser so I suppose I should just get on with it. I have wool and needles, not necessary the size I need but I have enough to keep me going so I should just get going right? What's been putting me off? Knitting should be the perfect excuse for me to sit around on my butt all day and click click away but I don't so what do I do instead... I actually have no idea - brain is mushed as you know.

My mum is busy knitting away for me, which is incredibly insane since she has fibromyalgia (apparently spelt right) so her body tells her when she has done too much, which is probably a quarter of the way through the day and if my mum gets further than quarter of the way through the day then the next day she is paying for it by aching all over. My mum told me she was doing 8 lines at a time on our baby blanket. 8 lines. And that blanket is huge, delicate and beautiful. So I really have no excuse to get my butt going on the hooded cardigan pattern my mum sent me. I have a pile of gorgeous things my mum has made and so far I've made baby a cardigan, with no buttons... I really should get some buttons. Hat that needs its bow, booties and mitts to match.

By the way, the house isn't even tidy so this isn't an excuse I can even use anymore. I was trying to clean up using some good old FlyLady techniques - if you haven't heard of them look them up. But then I got ill and achy and had a knot in my back for DAYS! That no matter what I did I couldn't get rid of and for some reason I hate cleaning up whilst other people are in the house I don't know why. Maybe it annoys me that they're sat down chilling out whilst I am cleaning - I don't know. But the house is back to square one again... a mess. I need some kind of structure but it just keeps going out the window. Hopefully my sister, Emily, and her baby daughter are moving out tomorrow so I can do a major clean and feel all fresh and new for a day, because the day after I am guaranteed to feel like a mess.

Pregnancy insomnia apparently...

So that's when I can sit and do my knitting, as well as carry on with the challenge of looking after a 3 week old kitten who now needs to be fed every 3 hours. Yep every 3 hours. Even at night. it's a good job I don't really sleep isn't it? Feels good to get that out.

Surrogate Kitty Mummy

It's not easy you know. I didn't think it would be. But it has definitely been rewarding.

I woke up every two and half hours last night to feed Little Grey - the name I've given the runt of our litter. Being the only girl in a family of six she needed immediate care, love and attention. This included being fed every 2 hours (but I changed it to two and half for my sanity) and given eye drops twice a day along with two of her brothers who have contracted conjunctivitis - common in young kittens.

At first I didn't think I was getting anywhere, LG kept pulling away and meowling. Her claws, not fully developed yet and therefore non-retractable, kept sticking into my clothing making it harder for me to feed her. The nozzle on the feeder was too small and I kept panicking that I wasn't going to be able to feed her and she had to be fed, by me. I am lucky Millie is such a trusting cat otherwise this task would have been impossible! During the night she didn't want to feed much and I felt getting up was a pointless task as I was becoming more and more frustratingly tired at trying to make her eat. I'd tell LG calmly, "You need to eat, this is good for you". Then when Millie came upstairs to feed her brood I would have to literally wrestle the 5 boys she has away from the teet that LG was feeding on so she could get anti-bodies from her mummy.

I weighed all the babies this morning and I knew LG was visibly smaller than the others but she is roughly 9oz smaller than the biggest kitten which may not seem like a lot but with it being life and death here it is vital she puts on weight to become as big as her brothers - the meanies. I wouldn't say that I have become obsessed with weighing her but I wanted to keep track of all the weight she put on or, heavens forbid, lost. But this evening I had a little smile on my face when I noticed that LG had put on 0.2oz and was now in the 5oz category and her beautiful little eyes are shining up at me.

"We're not going to give up on you little one" I told her as Millie got into the bed I've made for them and started washing her. I am hoping it's just first time young mum syndrome for Millie that has pushed her to want to look after this beautiful yet incredibly small kitten. LG is the runt and by far the smallest and weakest of them all most cats would have given up on the runt by now but not Millie who purrs lots every time she has her babies near her. I wonder if Millie knows that LG is the only girl and that's why she isn't going to give up on her. I'm not sure but I am glad of it. Millie is a brilliant mummy. I just had to step in a little and give her a hand.

So, fingers crossed that this two and half hour feeding will soon turn into 3 and 4 hours and LG will be feeding more at longer intervals so will catch up to her brothers and make them see who is boss. You can't keep a woman down and she is a fighter.

Another thing about bottle feeding LG is that her mummy, Millie, thinks the milk is for her too so I've had to pull her off the milk a couple of times as she is trying to lick LG's face off because of all the milk. But I guess that helps with the eye problem which is quickly getting better. It's nice to see all the kittens with their beautiful eyes open.

Date Night Double

Last night Adam and I were bored of staying in the house all the time. We just wanted to get out and spoil ourselves a little. Live the high life and forget all of our worries and troubles and just enjoy an evening together so we decided to go to the Cinema. But because the film wasn't going to be on until quite late (about 9ish) we decided we should go for dinner together first and because the Cinema we were going to is surrounded by restaurants - for obvious reasons - we went to dinner at Fayre and Square. 

I love the meals there because they are really scrummy. We decided for a starter to get this nacho and wedge sharer; it was amazing. The nachos were really salt and peppery BUT it worked well with the sour cream and salsa which I lurve. Then I had scampi, because it was definitely cooked with these really nicely fried chips - they tasted divine. I even had mushy peas! What type of cool restaurant asks if you want a 'fish' meal with peas, mushy peas or beans - Fayre and Square that is who! I can't even remember what Adam had because I was so engrossed in my delicious scampi. I don't have it often especially whilst being pregnant BUT it does the trick. Hits the nail on the spot. 

Then we went to see 'Side Effects' which was a really good film. Catherine Zeta Jones popped up again. She's been in about 3/4 films that I've seen recently. Maybe she was taking a break out and then decided to go on the books again so her agent has had her whipped up at every chance anyone can get. I won't explain the film because I'll explain it tomorrow with the other film we decided to watch today. The woman who is in the film called 'Girl with a Dragon Tattoo' looks SO different in this film I hardly recognised her and Channing Tatum was in it too. He seems to have really stepped up his mark from the sweet romcom films I first saw him in, like Step Up and Dear John. In this film he seems like 'a real man' and I mean that in the greatest sense of the word. My husband has always liked Channing Tatum for his acting of course, but I've more or less liked him just because well, he is nice to look at. But, in this film, he really did it for me in an acting sense. I enjoyed his performance and actually focused on the way he was acting rather than just staring at his face. Oh it happens... and I'm not the only one. You know it. 

So, after our little splurge out last night we didn't really need to go out today for date night but this really funny film has just come out called 'The Croods'. I knew straight away it was Emma Stone as voice over, and it's nice to see another come back as well - Nicolas Cage. His voice at least was great in this Dreamworks pic, hence why we didn't see him act. It was a really fun family comedy with just mild threats of violence... yeah if you count a massive multi-coloured tiger/cat pouncing on the whole family so it looks like they're going to get eaten. However, they are the most flexible family I have ever seen in my life, especially for ones who are not so lean. Adam loved a character called 'Belt' the most which looked like a cross between those singing and dancing racoon look-a-likes in Madagascar (You know the ones who sing - I like to move it) and a monkey with REALLY long arms. Very cute.

See! How cute!

But more on those tomorrow. For now I am going to relax and enjoy the rest of what is left of my evening. I also have definitely have a cold and my lips don't like me at all. I blame my husband who throughout the whole of this past week has had a split lip. I think I inherited it. 

Feel The Rhythm

Feel the Rhyme.

I think I have a cold coming on. I always know when I have one appearing because I sneeze more in one day than I have in months and my nose is getting really stuffed up. I thought it was just another side effect of me drinking lemonade (besides ikkel heartburn) but it's not. I find myself needing to sleep in the afternoons now, back to trimester one but with a bigger belly. I've also realised that I need to sit in some pretty funny looking positions in order to feel comfortable and baby is still lying sideways so I can't begin to imagine how I am going to have to sit once Ava decides she's heading downwards ready for escape.

I also think I am getting heartburn from drinking water and apparently this is a lot more common than I thought. I mean what exactly is in water for you to get heartburn from it? They tell you - 'they' being the experts - to stay away from fatty foods and things that could give you heartburn like fizzy drinks so I did for a while, but then what happens if you get heartburn from water, you're pretty much stuck. I hadn't had heartburn before I was pregnant and for a while I didn't even realise what it was, the only reason I figured it out is because I took some Rennies and the sensation went away. For some reason Gaviscon does not agree with me at all - in fact I think it just gives me more heartburn; by the way does anyone else think the strawberry Gaviscon tablets are AWFUL? I don't know about any other flavour but those ones stick to your teeth - like you need to be getting your finger in your gob to get it off your teeth when it tastes like rubbish in the first place.

Baby Ava seems to be doing somersaults in the tummy at the moment either that or she is just getting bigger and punching rather anything else. To me she doesn't seem that big at the moment. I think that's because I don't have the mirrors around the house to constantly see how big I am getting. But it does mean that when I do get to see myself in a long full length mirror I am very surprised to see bump and kind of think to myself "oh, bump, hello". I can kind of see myself getting bigger but I don't really see the bigger picture from my line of sight. I am at a point where I can still see my toes so I can't be that big yet; still I do have nearly 12 weeks left.

No sickness at the moment but that doesn't mean I won't get any anymore. I am sure it will be fine. We got our first bought dress for Ava the other day and it is really funky. My sister, Emily, got it for me and Adam, or rather Ava, a nice little dress which is also a baby grow! I think its a new thing that I haven't seen around before but all the same, the grow dress is extremely cute. Emily is starting to give me some of the smaller stuff that doesn't fit Amelia anymore which is awesome. I am just waiting for the moment when I can have this coat...

...Which from the look of Amelia recently will be pretty soon.

All Systems Go

Or half go...

Adam has the week off work so today he started on the baby room whilst I tidied our bedroom and then we went food shopping.

It is hard to imagine what the room will look like once we have all the mess out of it but we will get there eventually. He probably lost about a stone just walking up and down the stairs all morning getting rid of the rubbish in the room which will soon go to the skip. For some reason no matter how many times he swept the floor today that he had cleared it was still really messy but I guess once the floor is clear we can put a carpet down and won't even need to worry about the bits of sawdust underneath. So far Adam is 1/4 of the way through the room, in fact I would probably say about a third which is awesome; and with my sister we found the right colours of paint needed for the baby room and the right border which is extremely cute. We could have gone for wallpaper for the whole room which could have been cheaper than paint but then it wouldn't go with the rest of the house so oh well. We probably won't be decorating the room until May anyway but since I can't paint I guess it won't matter.

I have been trying to get round to cleaning our bedroom for days now and the wardrobe has turned into more of a dumping ground for any type of clothing and bedding but at least it is all clean so I tidied half of that today. I have a friend who I used to go to university with and I went into her room one time and she had all her clothes on her floor and referred to it as her 'walk-on-wardrobe' which is what was starting to happen to our clothes so I needed to do something about it before we start having to carve paths through our mountains of clothes to get to the door. So, I was trying to sort the clothes whilst getting rid of rubbish and getting very tired out in the mean time. I get very tired these days - not even exaggerating, silly fat belly. 

Food shopping went well. We managed to get 7 meals to last us for the week for £32 inc. the toilet roll!! Which last time we forgot. We don't have much else planned for the rest of Adam's week off. Thursday I have to have a whooping cough jab but then not much else is going on really. We don't really have any money to go anywhere but it is nice to have him around the house for more than 3-4 hours a day. We were sat watching TV earlier and I was kind of reading something but talking to myself about it - and yes you do it too, you know you do. And Adam kept asking me what I was saying because he thought I was talking to him but I just said "Don't mind me just talking to myself, not used to having people around the house during the day time so just ignore me" because I was talking about rubbish anyway but still he asked me again what I had said when I mumbled to myself - at least he is polite.

P.S. Sorry about the random white box in the blog, it was supposed to be a picture but I can't see it on my blog draft to actually delete it... so it will have to stay.

Brain Boggled by Blackness

I haven't posted for a couple of days mainly because my brain just hasn't been working properly still. It does this from time to time. I can stare at the computer screen willing words to come from my brain and onto the laptop but nothing comes and then I get distracted and forget I was writing at all. Sometimes it gets too late to post but maybe I should write something small and suave or something.

A few days ago my mum posted on her blog the ingredients for Bread and Butter pudding and I had a craving for it for ages and I told mum I wish I had seen her post before we had gone shopping so I could get some eggs - since that's the only ingredient missing from the recipe... and you can't really do it without eggs. I think Adam's mum must be telepathic because we went over for dinner last night and you'll never guess what we had for dessert... Bread and Butter pudding. It was amazing and just what I wanted.

My sister is also a pregnancy craving life saver too because for weeks I have had a craving for coffee and due to my religion I don't drink it, even if I did usually I still wouldn't now because of the pregnancy. But I could smell it everywhere and desperately wanted to drink it but can't have it. However, in our house when I was younger we used to have a caffeine substitute called Caro. It's a herbal drink but smells a lot like coffee and I think because you usually put sugar and milk with it that it seems like coffee too. I have been looking for it everywhere and you USED to be able to buy it in Asda and other superstores but now you can't so unless I wanted to go through to Sunderland to Holland and Barretts there wasn't any way of getting Caro. So I was amazingly happy when Emily rang to say she was in Holland and Barrett so would I like some Caro, uhm YES PLEASE.

I haven't been sleeping properly recently due to the pregnancy and I am SO surprised that Adam hasn't resigned himself to the sofa by now because of all the moving around in the bed that I do. I just can't seem to get comfortable. I've had a few aches and pains all of which I wanted to get checked out with my midwife today, annoyingly enough she said all of the aches and pains I am having are totally normal and will probably get worse - oh well. She said Adam has to give me more back rubs and I completely agree.


Milo, my not-so-little kitty went for his neutering today and it was SO quiet in the house without him. We got him back this evening with no complications or anything with his operation which is good but it is really hard to keep him away from food bless him. He seems very quiet and laid back for now but hopefully he will perk up and like us a little more tomorrow when he wakes up a bit more. The vets we are with are really awesome and friendly and they told us everything went fine. They even offered us a free check up for Milo at the end of the week even though he doesn't need it, they just said if we wanted to come in for peace of mind then we could which is really nice. If you need to neuter your cat or happen to come across a cat that you want to keep that hasn't been neutered please talk to the Cats Protection agency. They were absolutely awesome with us and gave us vouchers for both cats, tell them where you live and they will recommend the cheapest places nearest to you for neutering your cat. We got Milo done and micro-chipped for £20.04 which is nothing compared to what it could be at some places. I really recommend their help.

Who Do YOU Think You Are?

This is a programme that I love which is currently on TV. Not sure which channel but I know it is there somewhere. It follows celebrities (or some are more film stars, singers etc. so famous people), famous people in their quest to find out who they are and where they are from by using family history sources available to them. These sources could be websites, census forms, parish records and sometimes even books.

There is a UK version and of course the Americans took us up on the good idea and now there is a US version BUT I love this version because it has some really famous people in it like Gwyneth Paltrow and Steve Buscemi, both of which I love and would never be on the British version. They start off with the basic information of their parents and possibly grandparents and then work back from there to as far as something interesting can take them. Sometimes they even go back four or five generations and find out some incredible stories about what happened to their loved ones.

I think this show is a brilliant tool in raising awareness about our family history to people all around the world. For years The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has always pushed the idea of family history so that our families can be joined together from now until eternity - and how are you supposed to do that if you don't know who they are? So, now with programmes like Who Do You Think You Are? There seems to have been a massive increase in people searching for their family history to know who they are and whey they are from.

I know one or two people that don't really care about their family history and that don't want to know more about how came before them and that's fine but sometimes curiosity just gets the better of us and we want to know more. This is why we have experienced an increase in websites helping people search for their family websites such as familysearch.org and ancestry.com have become vital in helping people connect with other loved ones that they didn't even know existed; another reason I love family history.

Sometimes searching through your family history can bring up little surprises that you didn't expect such as one story I read recently about Kevin Bacon and his wife, Kyra Sedgwick who were looking back through their family history and their DNA when they found out that they were actually cousins (once removed), Kevin Bacon although slightly started by this revelation was put at ease by his wife who said that because they were once removed cousins it didn't matter.

But you just never know what might crop up for you. My mum works on the familysearch.org website and as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ and knows so MUCH about family history. She can search almost anyone and if you're looking for someone she will keep searching until she finds them for you. My mum is brilliant at the family history stuff so if you're looking for someone you should just let her know and I am sure she would help.

Apparent Essentials

What does my baby actually really need?

And I don't mean what WE think they need or what society thinks they need... but rather what do they actually need. I was looking online today at different lists of what people think our new born babies need and I am talking about the first 4 weeks of life. Obviously they need the clothes, nappies, bottles, somewhere to sleep but do they really need, at 4 weeks old, a high chair? Don't get me wrong obviously little children do need high chairs but my sister has a nearly 3 month old baby and she isn't in a high chair yet so why would my baby need one.

I was joking with my mother recently about one of us as a baby sleeping in a drawer when we were younger and I am sure none of us would have minded at all. As babies we don't care what we sleep in as long as we are loved, hugged, fed and taken care of, it's when this stops that I think we scream. People keep asking me what we have ready for the baby and are we all ready for the baby and sometimes I think "No we are definitely not ready" but on the other hand when I looked at all the lists today (minus the stupid high chair) it's actually stuff for ME that we have missing and not things for the baby. Sure we don't have a cot yet but we do have a Moses basket so it's not like she is going to sleep on the floor.

Maybe I should get one of these?

Hopefully over next week Hubble will be able to get the baby room sorted so we can start thinking about decorating (Hubble obviously not me, because of stupid paint) and putting a carpet down oh and yeah we should probably think about putting a door on too. So baby has a bed, clothes, something to be cleaned in, nappies and a breast pump should I need it, and she will get all the love she needs plus a little more. I need a changing mat and possibly a bottle warmer - but again bottle warmer isn't an essential it's just something I think I would like to make things easier for me at night time. Seeing my sister struggle with the microwave and kettle all the time makes me really want a bottle warmer but I could live without it. Like my mum said "We didn't have them in my day but I still managed anyway" so there you go.

What did you get your baby that you realised you didn't need and kept it in a box for the first weeks or months?

What didn't you buy your baby that you realised you needed at midnight and had to rush out and get?

Oz the Okay and Powerless

Adam and I went to see Oz the Great and Powerful on Friday but I left the cinema feeling more okay and powerless. It wasn't that great at all but I'm not sure why. Just something didn't stick with me. I think the reason people went to see it is because it was pushed forward by the actors starring in it, such as James Franco, Mila Klunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz, and its predecessor, The Wizard of Oz made starring Judy Garland in 1939.

It started the same way The Wizard of Oz does, in black and white, then when Oz reaches the land of Oz (in exactly the same way Dorothy does) it changes into colour. However, I think because this already happened in The Wizard of Oz I was definitely expecting it to happen. So, because two things had been copied from the first film I was just waiting for a lot more things to come up that would be copied from the first film which made the film lose it's element of awe and wonder. For the rest of the film I just watched wondering how it would end.

The acting was, interesting. Like I said I can't quite put a finger on why the film just didn't cut it for me, maybe I just love the original Wizard of Oz even though the new film is made as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz. Put it this way the best acting throughout the whole film was done by the porcelain doll and the assistant monkey; both of which were CGI. May I add that Adam and I went home after watching Oz the Great and Powerful and watched The Wizard of Oz and the assistant monkey is actually on the wicked Witch of the West's side and not Oz's side so it might have been interesting to put in the prequel (Oz the Great and Powerful) how the monkey becomes evil.

Rachel Weisz was beautiful but seemed a little awkward, however, this could be because I've never seen her in a role like this before but I am glad she is broadening her acting horizons in becoming an evil witch. I have a thing for Rachel Weisz in that I love all of her films so I wanted to love this one, but I just couldn't.

Mila Klunis is good in the beginning as a good witch, but then something happens and she turns wicked and you'd think a beautiful woman like her could do evil 'witch' really well, but she couldn't. I saw wrath and scorn she did scorn like no other woman but even then it just wasn't that convincing to me and her make up looked very odd. I usually like Mila Klunis too but for some reason she just wasn't doing anything for me.

Adam said that he really enjoyed the film but it has to be said that Adam hadn't seen the original before the new film so that could have had an influence on why he liked the film or not. I just couldn't get past the thought that so much of it was like the old Wizard of Oz film. I haven't read any reviews on the film nor have I asked other people their opinion on it but what I would say is that you should go see it just to say you've seen it and have your own opinion on it but don't be surprised if you leave feeling a little deflated about it. You may want to go home and watch the old Wizard of Oz film too just to make you feel better.

Oh, and to make matters a little worse I have been informed by the beloved that there is another film due to come out in the next couple of years, so let's see how that one turns out.

Big Slice Bakery in the 'Bay'.

On Friday, if some of you can remember to back then, Adam had the day off and it was date day so instead of us doing the usual thing we do every Friday that Adam is off, we decided to do something different. This is probably why I remember Friday instead of it merging in my brain with all the other days of the week.

I came downstairs at about half 11 and Adam was playing his beloved FIFA so I asked him what we would be doing that day and the same as every day came out - cleaning, cooking, washing - and for some reason I was just bored of doing that whole thing, especially when you do it everyday. Don't get me wrong things really did need doing and I was doing my best so Adam and I made a compromise, he'd do washing and a bit in the bedroom (finally sorting his clothes) and I would do the kitchen then we would do something else.

Then I remembered that Adam's married friends, Natalie and Dan had just opened a bakery in Whitley Bay, I had never been to Whitley Bay and I can never say no to home baked goods so I asked Adam if we could 'pop' over to say hi to his friends and buy some scrummilicious foods - two birds with one stone and all that. I didn't think he would want to go because it was his day off and his chill out day and 'popping' over to Whitley Bay was a half an hour drive but he said 'yes' and we were off.

Neither of us really know Whitley Bay that well so we were relying on the good ol' satnav to point us in the right direction after previously talking with Adam's friend, Dan, to find our way to the baked goods shop. So after driving round in a circle we finally parked up on a street in the centre of Whitley Bay with parking only a penny a minute - as Adam put it and found our way round to the high street where his friend said their bakery was. We were told it was in the indoor market on the high street so we were looking around for a large market, thinking of Leeds market where it is pretty massive. When we happened to stumble across a small door with an open window front with the sign 'Indoor Market' over the door. We almost walked past it. But when we went inside we were greeted with smiles, small stalls and some very tasty looking baked goods.

And there it was, on the right hand side as we went in, I don't know if they change places when they go in as it might depend on who comes in and books a market table first, but there it was.

Big Slice Bakery

And let me tell you, the slices are BIG. On the day we went in they had on offer I think marshmallow crispy treats, brownies on sticks and chocolate and banana cake, which smelt divine but I could only eat so much so I chose the marshmallow crispy and the heart-burn on a stick brownie. Dan, the stall owner was more than friendly and welcoming, of course we know him but I am sure he would be just as friendly to anyone else who happened to come across his stall. They do booking orders as well if you want to go to their Facebook page for more details please Click me for the goodies.

They had an offer on that day 1 for £1.30 or 2 for £2.00 and who can miss up a good deal like that especially when their slices really are that big. I love the goodies that Dan's awesome wife, Natalie, made herself, at home even though she has two young children, Natalie must obviously be super mum! We all want to be one of those. But anyway, I love the size of their slices because even if you can't eat a full one in one go and believe me I was trying, you can always put it to one side for later and trust me you won't forget about it because they really are that good!

If you want to have a try of their nom-il-icious food just go round to see them at their stand in the Indoor Market in Whitley Bay and they may even have samples to munch on whilst you have a good ol' natter. You won't be disappointed.

Simply Jamming

I jammed it up today. Big style. And I'm not talking DJ sets and radio heads. I am talking JAM. The staple of anyone's diet - well it should be. It's awesome. It can be a dinner and a dessert all in one and sometimes, yes I'll admit it, I even put it on my mash potato... hey, I don't like cranberries that much okay?

After a superbly rubbish nights sleep, and I know more to come, I decided I would have a lie in until 11am. I know how terribly lazy of me. But you try going to bed at 1 (couldn't sleep was in too much achi-ness) getting woken up at 4, trying to go back to sleep until 6 and getting woken up by your husband's work alarm at half 7... it's hard work. I also had to check on the babies who are doing extremely well. We have a little runt in the family but he's still getting fed and I am making sure of that daily. So, anyway, with half the day over I decided I should probably do something productive and after picking up the rubbish in the bathroom and giving it a bit of a wipe around I thought of the idea to bake.

I had this idea the other day too but realised I didn't have any butter and it is kinda a main ingredient in any recipe for cakes etc. that I've seen which is why when we went shopping the other day the first thing on the list was butter - that and the fact that my list was automatically put into alphabetical order.

So, it was awesome for me today to know that I have butter and could therefore get on with making some buns, cakes, etc. only problem this time was that we have no eggs left because I used them the other day for eggy bread - which consequently baby didn't like anyway. But the other week I made some butter cookies for a friend as a thank you for looking after our cats so I figured I could easily find a biscuit recipe without eggs, and the awesome thing about it is I can eat the mixture without getting told off.

I did a quick search online and found these 'Simply Jammy Biscuits' recipe on the 'GoodFood' website. It seemed simple enough.

200g Self-raising flour
100g Sugar
100g Butter
1 Egg (oops more on that in a minute)
Jam

Now as you know, I didn't have any eggs so I substituted the egg for 1 tbsp of oil and a splash of milk - sorry no definite measurements for that, just a 'splash'; you can make up your own mind on the splashes you need. But however many I used it worked so I'm all good.

You mix the sugar with the flour, then add the butter and crumble it together so you get 'breadcrumbs' texture. After that you add the oil and splash of milk and splerge it all together. Put some flour on the work top and roll it on the work top if it is easier. Don't use biscuit cutters because that just ruins the feel of the biscuits. Just use your hands. I think you get about 16 out of these ingredients. You want more? You make more.

Grease a tray or use grease proof paper and evenly separate the biscuit dough into small balls and SQUASH it so it is flat. Don't just pat it, SQUASH it. Not too much because you don't want biscuits to be extra thin then pop the staple ingredient in the middle of the biscuit. You'll know you've put too much jam on the top if it starts rolling off the sides and onto the tray.

Pop them in the oven pre-heated gas mark 6 (I usually put the oven on before I start mixing my ingredients together) for 10-15 minutes and voila you have your scrumm-il-icious biscuits; which we all agreed are fan-tabby-tasticly awesome.

You have no idea how many times I had to retype the word 'flour' because I kept writing 'flower'.

Extra Linkage:

Simple Jammy Biscuits - Good Food

Date Decisions: Scobberlotching

My husband and I go on a date every Friday even if it's sitting in the living room together watching a film eating popcorn. We are friends with a few other married couples and one couple in particular has their own blog called 'Scobberlotch'.

How cool is that name? Scobberlotch, Scobberlotch, Scobberlotch. It's a good word to roll off the tongue with a nice pinch at the end.

Anyway, our married friends have this blog and on this blog they have one of the best things in life, FOOD! They review restaurants and cafes, little quirky ones that pop up down the side streets of Newcastle (and in the area) or large homely ones that drag you off the motorway onto the side road calling you in for food. The good thing about their blog is that they prove you can go on a date on a budget and you can enjoy a good meal in a 'fancy' or 'kooky' restaurant for cheap. And THAT's what I love. They also make a joint effort in writing posts about shops or market stalls that sell awesome and de-lic-i-ous foods. The way the duo talk about the food makes you want to go out and buy food from that store, right now, even if it's late at night.

And it is because of this reason that I asked the wonderful duo if they could suggest a place for Adam and I to go out for dinner one night this month. I told them the budget we have and that we don't have a preference as to where we would like to have dinner, besides somewhere 'different'. We would just like to go somewhere different rather than the usual cinema every week.

This is what they say about their blog:

She stumbled across the word scobberlotch in a textbook during her first year of university. He discovered it again 2 years later and reminded her of their mutual love for the word. When deciding on a name for this blog, she tried to be all arty and romantic and ended up just being one big cliché. He, again, reminded her of the word and their mutual love for it grew even more. So they lived happily ever after with the name of their blog. 

scobberlotch: (v) to loaf around, doing nothing in particular. 

We write this blog because 1. we love food, and 2. because we want other people to start exploring the eateries in the towns and cities where they live, rather than just always going to the big brand restaurants (Nando’s, we’re talking about you!). We think that when you start exploring your local food places then you truly start to know your area. We are by-no-means food experts. Just a hungry food couple with budding appetites. Oh, and we live in Newcastle, England.

They do have a page on their blog called 'Our Scrummy Picks' which does show you some of the cheap and delectable places they've enjoyed so far and I could have picked one of these for Adam and I to go to BUT our friends know us really well so I am sure that if there is one they've liked or one they think we will love that isn't on their 'Scrummy Picks' page then they will suggest that one.

So, I can't wait for the suggestion(s) that they come up with and you can peer at their picks too by clicking the superb link below:

Superb Link to Scobberlotch love

Don't forget to keep a look out on my blog for their suggestion and how it went! It'll be a Saturday post - just so know you.

The 'Squee' Festival

Only if you like cats and/or cute animals.

Sorry I didn't post yesterday my cat, Millie who was pregnant, finally gave birth to six, SIX, beautiful babies yesterday from about midnight Sunday to 7:30am Monday morning. I had to be up most of the time to make sure all the placentas came out - one per baby - as staying in her body will make her very ill. But, she did extremely perfectly well. I am so proud of my cat.

Millie gave birth to the first one UNDER OUR BED!! That's obviously where she felt safest which was nice to know she trusts us and then we got the prepared box from downstairs and brought it up to the bedroom. And at 1 in the morning Adam had to wake up and pull the bed out for me because I couldn't move it so Millie could carry on safely.

I stayed awake for three of the beautiful births. Her first is a ginger cat, which is extremely surprising given what Millie's colours are. Then she gave birth to a completely cream one, which again was a total surprise. We did not expect ginger or cream. My husband I think has fallen in love with the cream one which is not surprising because I've fallen in love with them all. Then Millie had a baby that looked a lot like her but definitely darker. After that I half went to sleep because I was soo tired and it was about half 3 in the morning and I definitely needed to sleep to look after my baby.

Grey one is clearly being squished somewhere in this pic.

An hour or so later I startled awake to find that Millie had had another baby, this time she had a grey one. I stayed awake for a couple more hours to see if she was going to have more because of the placentas and at about half 6ish in the morning I went back to sleep as I knew Adam would be up an hour or so later - I told him to go to sleep because he wasn't feeling too great and had work in the morning. So at 7:20 when Adam's alarm went off I looked at the babies and Millie and noticed that she had a random kitty head popping out from behind her back as well as the four that she had in front of her so now she had five babies!! And as I was telling Adam she had five beautiful babies out came another one! My little Kitty had 6 babies of her own and she looks so massive compared to the kittens. I can never imagine her as small as they are now, but she was.

So, anyway, here is the squee fest, and I will definitely be uploading more.

A Testimony of Cheese - or Thereabouts

I asked my sister what I should write my blog on today and she said I should write it on cheese. I am not quite sure what she meant by that as my blog has never been about cheese and the posts I write would never connect to cheese so, sorry, this post isn't going to be about cheese.

Hmm... this is made from cheese.

Today was testimony meeting at church; or should that be with a capital T?

Testimony meeting is the most wonderful Sacrament Meeting of the month and always lands on the first Sunday. At the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Testimony meeting is where we stand and share our feelings about the church and about how we feel our spirits grow through different things during the month. Or, it could be about something that happened to you months ago and you still remember it now. It could be about anything that brings you closer to Christ and uplifts others around you.

I love listening to other people's Testimonies of how they enjoy the spirit and the gospel but my mind always goes blank as to what I would like to say to other people without it sounding the same as everyone else. I know I have a Testimony and the people around me, in my family, know I have a Testimony of the Church because they see it in me and how I act every day yet I never share my Testimony and as people say if you don't share it then it won't grow.

My first meal after baby is born will be THIS cheese with tomatoes OH MY OMMMMMM

But can you share it in the actions, thoughts and feelings that you enrich in yourself and provoke in others? I really like to think so. I like to think that people know I do the things I do and live the way I live because I know the gospel of church is true and it is something I can never deny. I tried to deny once, I didn't go to church for 5 years and kept blocking it out of my life because I wanted to believe it was wrong, I refused to believe it was wrong. Yet, that niggling feeling just wouldn't go away. So, here I am. Doing what makes ME happy and through that I received blessings that I would have never thought possible.

Both my sister and my husband put me to shame today by pushing aside their nervousness and getting up on the stand in front of other members to share their Testimonies and each one of them was beautiful. Even young children got up and bore their Testimonies with the pure innocence of the love of Christ oozing out of every fiber of their being. I know what that feeling is like and when I experience it again I will get up and share my Testimony with others. My husband says he doesn't think he has ever heard me get up and bare my Testimony which is quite sad really to say we've been together for so long now. But I vow to myself that the next time I get the feeling to bare my Testimony - and those of you who know what I am talking about - I will bare it. It's pretty much like your heart wants to jump out of your chest and stand on stage for you.

Happy Sunday everyone. I hope you had as good a day as I did.

Date Night Double Delay

For those of you that don't know, on Friday's I don't post because it is my night to spend with my husband. If I get a chance throughout the day then I will post but it will only be about something small.

Yesterday, meaning Friday, we went to the Cinema as we often do on Date Nights as it is mostly free for us to go. I even offered to go to the Cinema with Adam which is new for me considering I don't like to leave the house much these days. I asked if we could go see a film that I had watched a few weeks ago online. I was watching it online because I thought it had come out a while ago and I was in the mood for a horror film and it said on it 2012. But, I guess in America it had come out in 2012, here however, it didn't appear until this last week or so. I really enjoyed watching it on the small screen and wanted to see it on the big screen.

We went to see Mama. It is a horror film with a twist. The film kind of over laps into a different genre but you don't see it coming. The basic plot is this:

A man kills his wife and kidnaps his 3 yr old and 1 yr old daughter and takes them into the woods to shoot them but before he can do that he is killed. The girls are then left in the woods in this cabin for 5 years (I think it is 5 years) before someone finds them but obviously the emotional and psychological issues they have with being left out there have caused them to stunt their mental development. Their uncle comes to 'claim' them as he has been looking for them all the years they were gone and finds that to cope with being left in the woods for all those years they have made up an imaginary person whom they call Mama. The film shows how the girls reintegrate back into society and how this affects their relationship with 'Mama'.

When I first watched the film it was night time and I was watching it alone but I don't remember it being as jumpy as it actually was in the cinema. At some point I did begin to question how I could have watched the film alone, and at night time, but I did so in the cinema it wasn't as scary to me as it was to some other people *cough* Adam *cough*. 

This might be really weird to say but I think it was one of the most beautiful horror films I have seen in a while just because you don't expect it to end as it does so I am glad we went to see it on the big screen. 

Unfortunately I can't really explain much more of the story because then it will give too much away but the cinema was full which was good as I think that made the experience more fun. 

Films coming up to keep an eye on:

Identity Thief starring Jason Bateman
Oblivion with Tom Cruise

Jack the Giant Slayer starring Ewan McGregor
Parker starring Jason Statham

Fast & Furious 6 starring an array of famous people inc. Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson

Shall keep you posted for when these films come out. 

Trying to Move a Mountain

I need to set myself a challenge, a new beginning or rather a new habit. I need a new habit/hobby. I used to have lots. I used to go to the gym and read, or I'd paint a lot... I would do scrap booking and write letters but now all I think I do is knit, cook, and a main procrastination; watch TV.

You know, I really dislike having a TV. It is a constant distraction to life and sometimes I wish I could just throw it out the window because I don't need it; and although it is a good 'focal' point in our house where everyone can sit in front of it and 'be' together. We're not actually 'together'. We aren't talking very much and if we do we are focusing mainly on the television and what is on the television. I don't mind it sometimes, but I find that my brain just turns itself off and stares into the deep dark abyss of the television and this I do mind.

I don't think my brain works as much as it used to, just because it doesn't need to, i.e. for a job or anything but just because I'm not getting paid for using my brain or just because I'm not 'studying' (if that's what you could have called it) towards a degree doesn't mean I shouldn't use my brain. I forget that somewhere in my head there is a brain that studied once, and wrote poetry, typed essays and wrote dissertations that were 11,000 words long. It's not that I miss the work because I don't, I think its the fact that I miss the learning; the idea that I could be doing something else with my brain besides counting stitches. My brain is capable of more than that.

I say this, and I moan about this but at the same time it is entirely my fault that my brain has literally gone into hibernation. I know 'baby brain' doesn't help but really not developing my own mind is a wasteful thing and it is THIS that I want to change. The mountain I want to move is my lack of motivation. My lack of having a knowledgeable 'goal'. All these wonderful hobbies moved to the wayside drowning in the depths of my habitually lazy brain. I want to read lots again and draw, write, sing, knit even. I do knit at the moment but I don't do all the other things.

This links in to my mum's blog post that she wrote earlier, found here:

januarytodecember.com Post: 2 Hours

She wrote that wants to read more and wants to challenge herself to read at least 2 hours a day but she looks around at the mess, and the tasks that need doing; then the cats need feeding and the household needs feeding so of course there is washing up to be done and that sink looks pretty manky so I'll give that a clean. Then before you know it your 2 hours are up and it is time to move onto something else and you've not done what you wanted to do.

So, instead of setting 2 hours aside a day to read I am going to set 2 hours aside a day to draw, or write, maybe research something just for the fun and I could even read who knows; but I will most definitely be turning the TV off and not cleaning up my house.

And yes, I know I probably won't have time to do something for 2 hours to myself when baby Ava comes but that's precisely why I should start doing things now because at some point in the day she will go to sleep or daddy will come home from work and I will have a minute or two.

Slightly Distracted

Watching OBEM. One Born Every Minute.

I was obsessed when Emily was pregnant and then I think the series ended and my obsession ended but I was in the middle of watching a programme called Obsessive Compulsive Disorders. During one of the advert breaks it said that the new OBEM series was on at 9pm this evening but because I was watching the other programme on Channel 4+1 I quickly realised that it had just turned 9pm so I thought,
"Pfft, screw watching this, OBEM here I come!!"

So, now my sister and I are watching One Born Every Minute. I should be scared and terrified BUT in a way it is good way of picking up tips and writing down notes, plus with Emily being here I can ask her loads of questions about her pregnancy and labour - even though I was there pretty much through the whole of both.

I am trying not to get freaked out by it all because when all is said and done it is going to happen and baby is going to get here one way or another. We have been talking about painkillers and gas and air and I should be scared, which I kind of am, but at the same time I am intrigued and want to know more. It's like when you're doing an essay for something you have to look up everything about it and know everything about it, which can be either be a good or a bad thing. So I can freak myself out or I can be as prepared as I can for whatever happens. And I know, I know, you can never be FULLY prepared but it's nice to know a few of the circumstances than know nothing at all.

My brain.

My birthing plan so far is 'go-with-the-flow' and do everything as naturally as possible. Obviously I might (most definitely will) need pain killers but I don't want to go as far as an epidural and I don't want to have to have a C-Section so at least that is some sort of guideline to go along. It is kinda nice to have gone through it all in 3rd person with my sister Emily because her labour was as straight forward as I think they come. She did brilliantly and it is an experience I shall never forget.

In other news, first time sickness in a long while (I think about two weeks to the day actually) this afternoon during lunch which is annoying. I wonder why I am still getting sickness at random times because it clearly isn't because 'baby doesn't like it' like it used to be. Annoyingly enough I think I was ill because of the fruit juice I had with my lunch, it was five fruit exotic juice and I got it because I can't drink Coca Cola because it gives me heart-burn so I now have a choice between water, water and water oh and the occasional OJ. Nevermind. I'll be losing weight not gaining it! Just because I can't have chocolate now or anything too sweet.

I know, blah, blah, blah.

Baking a Bell: Update

In the progress of becoming 26 weeks pregnant. There really isn't a middle ground is there? It's not like people go around telling everyone they're 25.5 weeks pregnant. So, yeah... I'm in the progress of becoming 26 weeks so the information I have found online relates to someone who is between 25-26 weeks pregnant.

We went to the midwives yesterday for our 25 week check up where we got to do a number of things. First she checked my blood pressure and the good ol' urine sample which all worked out completely fine. Then we got to the interesting part where I had to lie down on the bed and she felt my stomach, all that was good too. After that we did the best bit ever... we heard baby Ava's heartbeat. The midwife found it hard at first to get the heartbeat because Ava kept moving around but we got there in the end. You know when your child pretends to have a gun and shoots at you with their hand? And they say pow, pow? Not bang bang? Well, imagine pow pow pow pow pow whispered and continuously, word after word; that's a baby's general heartbeat.

Think I've used this one before, but it is funny. 

I heard the heartbeat a few weeks ago when I went into hospital with pains but Adam wasn't in the room at the time which was a shame so when he heard it yesterday his face lit up. All he could say was "wow, that is really fast"; also normal. The midwife measured my baby bump and said I was perfectly where I needed to be.

According to a website online baby is nearly 2lbs in weight and is approximately 10-14 inches long, which seems kinda scary because when Amelia, my sister's baby, was born she was 22inches long. So my baby is now roughly half the size she needs to be when she is born! Ahhh!!

At this point in time she is starting to have sleeping patterns too which is very apparent to my uterus since she kicks during the morning, mid afternoon, late evening and night time just as I am going to sleep - thanks baby. I haven't forgotten about sleep yet but it shall soon become a distant memory. I am however, usually up when Adam is at 7:30 even if I haven't slept until early morning due to trying to move into some random positions in bed whilst trying to get to sleep. I really should become a contortionist. I wonder if they have better sleep when they are pregnant.

Can't wait for this. 

And baby is no longer the same size as an egg plant but rather now she is the same size as a courgette - not bad. 

Trial, Error and Then Some

In the middle of last week I finally finished the cardigan knitting pattern that my mum sent me via email. I must have done something right because it actually looked like it was supposed to and everything sewed up in the right places and voila I made a cardigan. It just needs buttons.

So, on Friday, I decided to get started on a pretty but simple pattern that Adam's mum had given me. I am using a beautifully soft wool that my sister Emily bought me a month ago when she was out in town with her daughter and it is the perfect pink. I don't usually like pink, in fact I really don't like pink, but, this pink is beautiful. It is the definition of baby pink.

I looked at the pattern and previously Adam's mum had highlighted a size that she wanted to do for Adam's nephew, Leo. I figured I should go with a smaller size as I don't remember if she was knitting for Leo when he was first born. I started to cast on and did a few rows and it looked tiny! It definitely looked small and when I sized it up against other cardigans I have and the one I made previously, it didn't size up at all.

So, I pulled it out.

Then I decided to follow Adam's mums highlights as it wasn't the smallest or the biggest and seemed to measure about right. I cast on I knit a few rows, it didn't look too small so I knit a few more, then went from rib to stocking stitch and carried on, until I realised that the back of the cardigan would need to be 27cm long and my baby cardigans were only 20cm long; that's 7cm, which is a lot, and I had knitted about 12cm before realising this was going to be way too big for a newborn and sure I could have carried on and hoped in a little while baby Ava would be big enough to fit into it; which I am sure at some point she will, but something didn't seem right so...

... I pulled it out.

Now I am doing the smallest size again and even if it kinda looks too small the measurements match some of the cardigans my mum has made for baby Ava so I am just going to go with it and hope it works. I just got a bit bored of doing stocking stitch which is actually the easiest stitch to do besides knit knit knit knit knit - garter. But oh well.

We had an appointment with the midwife today and all is well with baby Ava, but I shall update you more on her tomorrow.

P.S. Sorry this post is so late. I've been out all day and then got home, had dinner, did FHE, and watched a TV program I've been meaning to watch all week.