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.

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...

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.

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.

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?

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. 

Baby Bedroom Bonanza

We've come to the point where we are starting to decide what we are doing with the baby bedroom. At this current moment in time the baby room has a single bed in it, a couple of doors that still need to be hung in various rooms around the house (including the baby bedroom) and lots, and I mean lots, of junk. Bits and bats that make up the house, like under floor tiling, bathroom tiles, panels from the bathroom and pieces of wooden skirting board that really just need to go in the bin. However, Adam rarely has time at the moment and I am forbidden to lift anything heavier than a cotton wool pad (slight over-exaggeration BUT it sometimes feels like that's all I can carry - I am quite capable of carrying things but, I've been told not to over do it but I sometimes forget that I'm pregnant and carrying an ever growing child in my belly).

So, yea we have that to contend with before we even get started on decorating the bedroom. I think Adam is going to tackle it when he has a week off in March - it was the week we were going to go away and have a bit of a vaycay away from the world, but oh well, we have to make do. Once Adam has cleared up the baby room we are going to figure out what we are doing with the single bed; I presume we are keeping it for the spare bedroom downstairs (once Emily moves out). Then the walls need sanding and painting.

This is where my brain got to with regards to decorating the bedroom when I decided to ask Adam's opinion on what colour we should do it. Not expecting a response other than 'Do whatever you want' or 'whatever makes you happy' I was gladly surprised when he said pink and green with a border going through the middle. So I got onto the good ol' Pinterest which will never faileth on giving good ideas and found these colours.

The top green and the lighter pink

I showed them to Adam and I guess we must know each other well because he likes the colours that I found which is awesome. So once the junk is removed, the walls are sanded, then we can paint and decorate with a border and put a carpet in... not forgetting furniture and some curtains then we are away. The day baby arrives seems to be only a moment away which is why I am starting to panic about things and books, people and websites keep telling me that I should get things sorted as when I enter the third trimester (in only a few short weeks time) I won't have the energy to do it. I suppose this is what a husband is for. He has bigger muscles than me so can lift more.

But if on the off chance that things go belly up and we don't get time straight away to finish all the essentials baby can sleep in a Moses basket or on our bed and we can change her on the floor. Haha, not ideal but beggers can't be choosers. I've been looking at bulk furniture sets from ToysRUS and they seem pretty cheap and some websites have really good deals on baby stuff so should we buy separate or should we buy sets... this is my dilemma at the moment.

Was trying to find a picture of me as a baby that Mum put on Facebook but I can't find it -
so if you have it Mum, please send away 

Milo the Mini Minder

Apparently, it is said by some, that male cats know when their female owners are pregnant. They do what male penguins do, which is, sit on the egg until it hatches. Obviously, a cat can't sit on a human egg but he tries to get as close as possible! Milo will follow me everywhere (when he isn't meowling his head off). He will sit on my feet and on my chest and will follow me to bed at night time. We don't let them stay in our bedroom over night though because as soon as the light goes off he will come up to my face and purr and rub his head all over me until I get up.

Milo sitting as close to me as he can

He is a little cutey. Sometimes he can be a right pain in the bum, Milo I mean, not Adam, but at other times he will just come and sit on my tummy and let Ava try and bump him off since he is so big he is squishing down on her space and that's not fair is it? She doesn't have much room in there as it is, never mind with fat cat Milo on top.

Kicking Adam out of his space on the bed.

Millie seems to have taken a slight interest in me as well but she is too bothered with her own kitties to be interested in mine.

Also, on a more positive note than yesterday Adam and I have been deciding on colours for baby Ava's room and I think we are going to get started on decorating it in April/May time but more about that tomorrow.

I wasn't going to post today but since I've missed a couple of days here and there this past week I thought I'd give you all a little bit of a catch up with my crazy life.

Purring his head off

Minimal Motivation

I seem to be lacking in any type of motivation to do anything at all these days. I haven't been feeling well the past couple of days and I think it is a mixture of old pregnancy symptoms mixing with the new and the added feelings that something is completely wrong with baby when actually nothing is wrong at all.

My stomach and bottom of my throat always feel empty. My stomach always feels like swishy swashy like I've drunk too much water and it is finally getting to that time where it takes me just that little big longer to get up out of my chair. I seem to be walking around like a person 40 years my senior and my bladder is acting the same way.

I would say that's too much information but everyone has got to know these things at some point. I have started reading a pregnancy book too which is quite funny. She writes the same way I do and has a nice hint of sarcasm to her voice that makes her a fun read. I guess it is just one of my day time things to do. But anyway back to my motivation. I lost it. I don't know where it has gone. I think it disappeared at the same time as my pregnant belly got bigger; or maybe baby has taken it all. Either way I'm finding it hard to do things these days.

Take for instance the fact that I don't like leaving the house anymore. The house seems be my comfort zone and even though I go for little walks here and there I don't like leaving the house for too long. I have a cinema pass and Adam and I often go to the cinema but sometimes I just really don't want to leave the house. I know that when I am out and about I will enjoy the film and enjoy spending time with Adam on our own - a rare occasion these days but I have to push myself to get out of the house which can be quite hard sometimes. My sister, Bethany tells me it is a comfort thing that I like to be around things which bring me comfort which I guess could explain it, however, most women only experience this towards the end of their pregnancy.

Another thing, I haven't really had the urge to eat anything at all. Last week it was apples and this week it is nothing. Nothing I eat seems to quench my hunger and yet it does all at the same time because I am not hungry anymore but yet I am. It is a strange feeling but one I suppose I shall have to just bear with. Like my sister, Bethany also said, "you wanted a baby you've just got to deal with the 9 months before the baby comes" and hey only 15 weeks to go. So prepare for some more moaning.

On the plus plus plus side, Ava is now kicking loads, everyday and most of the day. Mid evening she tends to stop which is nice but then as soon as I go to bed she is back at it again. It is a lovely feeling.

The Disappearing Act

Things I have lost since finding out we were expecting a baby:

I lost some knitting needles. Or rather I don't my know where they are. They must be somewhere. When I used to knit at my mum's house I had a bag full of knitting goodness and now I have no idea where it has gone. I have looked everywhere. It had needles of most sizes and even some extra wool but still no idea where they have gone.

My purse. Disappears all the time. I like to think I have put it in a safe place and think to myself that if I put it in this place then I am going to definitely remember it but no I don't. The safe place is most definitely the safest place it can be because I never remember where it actually is. I think that's a good place for it to be until I need it for something, then I have to pull the house apart to find it. One time I went a good couple of weeks without knowing where my purse was at all because I had my bank card and my bank card was really all I needed but then I figured I should find my purse because it had my driving licence in it. Silly me.

My bank card. Looked everywhere for it. I knew I had given it to someone after we had been shopping for food. I thought I had given it to Emily to put in her purse, so I checked her purse, checked Adam's wallet and still there was no card. I even rang my bank and asked if anyone had used it but they hadn't. Nothing new had been set up and nothing had been taken out of the account so I knew it had to be somewhere. However, just to be on the safe and yet annoying side, just before Christmas I cancelled my debit card. The new one came rather quickly but a month later my husband found my bank card in the inside pocked of his suit for church, mushed up with some tissue.

My keys. These are forever getting lost. I really should put them in my bag. I have to remind myself to put them in my bag but then if nobody else is around and doesn't remind me to put them in my bag then what am I to do... I can't remember everything. I even forgot my keys the other night when I went out to see a friend and I knew my mum wouldn't be up when I got home; which ended up in me banging on the front door at midnight and ringing the house phone non-stop (which nobody answered) until I rang my mum's phone and she sleepily plodded down the stairs barely awake enough to open the door.

I can't help it. It's not my fault. In fact, I think I was going a little crazy before I even got pregnant. I blame it on not working. Your brain slows down and doesn't have to work to 'deadlines' as such, it still needs to work to deadlines but not ones that you get paid for. I know I have to be more organised and it is all about being more organised and doing this to help that and putting that there to remember this but somehow, somewhere the communication of that to my brain doesn't work. It drops through the filters and into the never never. If I just remembered to leave my keys in my bag then I would be fine. If I just remembered to put my purse in my bag I would be fine and if I left my bank card in my purse then it wouldn't get lost.

But do I remember any of this.



No, of course not.

One, Two, Miss a Few...

... Ninety Nine, One Hundred.

I told Adam I had to do my blog today and he asked "Why? Can't you just do it tomorrow?" valid question which has a valid answer. I told him I didn't post on Friday and I didn't post yesterday because the day ran away with me in a polka dot bag on a stick on it's back and so if I didn't post today there wouldn't be a good flow to my blog; and I don't want to get out of the habit of blogging before I've even gotten back into it.

I found out at some point last week that my body doesn't like sugary things, it gives me a headache and sometimes makes me get really bad heartburn so I was determined not to eat that much, however, that quickly went out the window when I went to my mums for the weekend; we are here until Tuesday. I blame Adam. He should be with me at all times and in all places so that when I get offered chocolate he can eat it instead of me but when I was given a tray of Thornton's Chocolates (capital letters needed for the chocolate's importance) to share with a friend on Friday, how could I refuse? Then it just went downhill from there. So, I think if I write it down and tell everyone I shouldn't be eating too much sugary things then hopefully I will stop myself from eating too much. My mum also has Pepsi, a cup full of flavoured sugar; bring on the unladylike burping.

How could anyone refuse?

Then yesterday we went to visit my youngest sister, Bethany, in Preston. She made everyone a Sunday dinner complete with roast potatoes (Thank you Bethany) which was delicious, scrum-diddle-e-umptious. So I ate all of that and yes, you guessed it, more chocolate. It wouldn't be so bad if I had remembered to take my Gaviscon to my mum's house, but I didn't. But I seem to be coping on the paracetamol at the moment for the headaches.

So, this weekend has just been too busy to get everything done. I should write my blog from my phone but the app I have to write it with isn't very good and blogger doesn't seem to exist on the Windows phones... something they need to correct pretty soon. Plus my brain remembers some things and forgets others which is slightly annoying and by the time we got back from Preston yesterday all I wanted to do was sleep for a couple of hours. Adam and I were supposed to be going to see a film at the cinema so I wanted to get in a little nap to get rid of the headache before we went. I slept for a couple of hours, got up and wanted to go back to bed but, I persevered in staying up for a couple more hours yesterday, and still didn't want to get out of bed for church this morning.

I love Kitty piccys!!

Well, that's me for the past couple of days. Tomorrow I'm not quite sure what we are doing besides visiting my brother in the evening and then on Tuesday visiting my Grandma and Grandad so I shall keep all updated. It's weird when Adam gets five days off and we go to my mum's house for the long weekend because we try to cram so much in and we get ourselves so busy that we never seem to stop. Don't get me wrong it is lovely to see people but sometimes the roller coaster of life really should just slow down for a minute or two.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I know some people won't celebrate Valentine's Day and I know others won't have anyone to celebrate Valentine's Day with BUT I will celebrate it with you! I hope everyone felt a little bit of love today even if it wasn't from a special someone and I hope everyone celebrated the day doing exactly what they wanted and they were happy.

Adam was at work all day and he was a little late this morning so we didn't get time to open our cards and I didn't want to open mine without Adam being there so I told him I would patiently wait until this evening to open it. So, when I went downstairs this morning I saw a nice big red envelope... not too big as to look cheesy (personal view but I hate hate hate the massive Valentine's Day cards they just look so tacky - to me anyway, others can love what they wish) but it was big enough and bigger than the one I got Adam.

I love this man more than words could ever say.

Beside it was a little bear with a heart on it's tummy. I have no idea why (probably hormones you know how it is people) but I suddenly got a tear of happiness in my eyes. Adam had gotten me a bear! He had gone out and seen it and thought I would like it and so bought it. I was so thrilled! He gives romantic gestures in his own little way throughout the year but not in the usual chocolates or flowers (and hasn't given me flowers to date yet) but I don't mind that. He loves me the only way he knows how and that is perfectly beautiful enough for me. I haven't named my bear yet but he shall go with me everywhere I go.

Adam later noted that he wanted to get me a bigger bear but he knew I would be a little annoyed since we don't have lots of spare cash at the moment, and I don't like money spent on me when I know it needs to go somewhere else. He got me exactly what I wanted and I baked him a cake, which we are currently munching on.

It should be noted that I might not bake again until the end of my pregnancy, or after baby Ava is born because I just can't seem to remember anything or get any ingredients right. I forgot to grease my tin this afternoon (luckily it didn't matter much) and the other day I made such a mess in my kitchen for the pancakes so I don't think I will be doing that again in a hurry!

Knit, Sew, Stitch

Yes, yes. Another one of those tabs at the top of the page that says 'Coming Soon' on it but if you check all the other tabs they finally have something of interest on them! I promise.

About five maybe six years ago my mum sat down to knit something for the Bliss charity - a charity for those beautiful little children born too soon and so they have tiny little bodies and maybe aren't so well. It was Christmas time and the church every year made bundles to give to the mothers of the premature babies. Mum was knitting hats the size of tennis balls and cardigans that would fit only the smallest of dolls; never mind a baby. I was always really fascinated by what she was doing and would watch her needles click clicking together magically changing a ball of wool into something that could be worn or used. I wanted to help and do something for the Bliss babies too and so did my sister, Emily. So, we started to knit. Or, rather, Emily started to knit and I got frustrated, told mum I couldn't do and sat and watched from afar as my sister and my mum click clicked together in their little clubbing of needle clicking.

Time went by, a few years in fact, things happened and my patience changed and it was Christmas again, or coming up to Christmas so my mum got her knitting needles out and I sat again in awe of what she was doing and decided that this time I would try it. I would sit down and put needle to needle with wool and create something. My first piece of 'something' had holes in it. It had dropped stitches or too many stitches and couldn't have been used for anything useful but I did it and I got the hang of it. And because I had figured it out as a treat Mum and I went out to the shop bought some wool and a pattern to make a hat and a scarf. It was a plain scarf with a simple pattern but it was still a scarf and when I was finished making it I was extremely proud of the blessing I had received to have patience to be able to get it done. I was also blessed with a warm neck and head for the winter time!

Two years since then and my skills have gotten a little better and I can finally read patterns without my mum having to write them out for me. And since I have a baby on the way I decided to give a cardigan a shot. I wasn't very good last time and I don't even think I sewed it up properly. But this time I have followed the pattern to the T and I may have gotten stuck and I may have pulled it out more than once but that's just because I want it to be the best it can be for our baby Ava.

So, every now and again I will write a post on the piece of clothing I am knitting at the moment and on the Knit, Sew, Stitch page I will put the pictures of the things I have been knitting recently. I think the more I do the better at it I will get. Nobody can say practice doesn't make perfect in this circumstance especially since before I started my cardigan and a blanket I made a couple of weeks ago I didn't even know what an 'eyelet' was let alone how to knit one!

Getting there...

Puddled Pregnancy Brain

I am enjoying pregnancy for now. I am going through the stage where I can start to feel little baby movements and even though I know baby Ava is in there it all doesn't seem real; not yet.

However, there is one thing that pregnancy could definitely do without and that is the mixed up moments of madness where I forget what I am doing, where I am going and how I am doing it. I didn't post yesterday, I was going to, but then I didn't. I forgot. Or rather, I had it in my mind to post, was going to post and then got distracted. Yesterday wasn't a good day for my puddled pregnancy brain. I think yesterday I'd just had enough; and it wasn't just the pregnancy.

At 23 weeks I don't sleep through the night, and for those of you who have been pregnant you will know why. I had to get up for a pee and then just as my brain was settling down to sleep... I had to get up for a pee again. I drank too much water in the evening because of another pregnancy symptom, the headache, the water helped the headache go away but didn't help during the night *baby is bumping me at this very moment, squiggling and squirming around my insides - very distracting*. So then I'd peed, I'd settled and I was chilled and feel asleep only to be woken an hour later by my sides aching because I wasn't lying on my back and baby didn't like me lying on my side, so all in all I didn't get very much sleep.

But that's not it. My kitten, Milo, whom I love to death, hasn't been 'done' yet if you get what I mean and so he is in heat season - goodness knows how long that lasts (he is on the list of things to be paid for) and at 7am he was meowling for a mate, and it was non-stop. And once I thought he had settled down and stopped he would start up again. From 7am until 11am he just on and off meowled. So when Adam went to work at 8am I couldn't even try and go back to sleep.

Then on top of that, the kittens had chewed through a ball of my wool that I am in the process of knitting with, not good. To make matters worse I was trying to clean the house for friends coming over in the evening and had mopped the dining room floor and Milo then proceeded to walk over it, just as I had finished. Millie, our other kitten, happily stayed off the floor, but not Milo. So I was at my wits end with him and I just kept thinking over and over "He is just a kitten, I'm having a baby and after 1 day of my kitten being a nuisance I want to put him outside in the bin, what am I going to do when a baby arrives?" In the end I tried to be a little more patient with him and luckily he calmed down.

But since I was sooo stressed out with Milo, being a pain, on top of not sleeping and feeling achy, trying to do my knitting was like trying to concentrate on a bulldozer or forklift picking up a needle. I had to pull it out 2/3 times because it just wasn't going right because I hadn't read the pattern properly. On top of that some family members were having a disagreement and I was the go between.

In the end I turned my phone on silent, went to the bathroom, locked the door (even though nobody else was in the house), turned some soothing music on nice and loud and then went in the shower and sat on the floor for a good long while. Showers are supposed to be short but that one wasn't. It helped though. I got out of the shower, restarted and finished my knitting (that part of the cardigan anyway) and made dinner.

Sometimes, you just gotta let it out, and moan, and groan. Even if nobody in the world can help you with a meowling cat or not being able to sleep or kittens walking over just washed floors, you just need a good moan sometimes. So, that's why I didn't post yesterday. Because my puddled pregnancy brain wouldn't allow it.

Baby Bell in the Baking

As you can see at the top of my blog there are little tabs, different pages of my life. Some of them haven't been updated yet but if you click on 'Baby Bell in the Baking' you will see up to date information, cuteness and piccys of baby, bump and more. I won't notify my main page every day of updates that I put on the 'Baby Bell in the Baking' page but if you click the tab you will get the info you need.

I was writing a baby journal and I was reading through it yesterday and I must admit it actually depressed me a little. I mean pregnancy is supposed to be one of the most magical times of your life and there I was page after page splurging out how sick I was and how everything was just a mess and how everyone was getting on my nerves; I suppose that's just the reality of it all really but I don't want to always remember my pregnancy like that. I want to remember the mini movements, the kicks, the punches (in a cute way as long as they're not too violent) and the delighted looks on my husband's face when he feels her kicking.

Yep, our baby is a girl, or so we've been told. I am sure she is a girl, it's just when you're expecting to have a boy from the day you found out you were pregnant up until the day of your anomaly scan it kinda takes a while to sink into your brain what you're actually having.

So, no, peoples, the 'Baby Bell in the Baking' tab is not about baking food but rather it's about baking a baby, as I sincerely hope that's what I am cooking in there; even if she did look like an alien to begin with.

By the way, baby Ava (the name we've given her) - is the size of an egg plant, but the annoying thing is... eggplants come in all different shapes and sizes...

... so I might be a little bit worried if she is the same size as the large purple or green ones on the right of the picture; and she weighs about a lb in weight. HOW CUTE! Apparently this is the month where I start to pack on the lbs... or rather baby does as her body starts to ripen up a bit. Keep you posted!