Summer week 19

Hi all,
Hope you all had a lovely easter weekend, mine was full of BBQ's and general merriment.
This week has not been such a good one for me. I think i may have overdone it somewhat over the weekend as i have been feeling rather ill for most of this week. At first i felt like i just had a stomach bug but now that has subsided a bit and i keep getting cramps in my abdominal area. I am pretty sure the stomach bug had something to do with the sandwhich i ate on monday as i started to feel ill almost immidiately after eating it and i am putting these stomach cramps down to the baby laying on something or simply stretching my insides. I was feeling the lower part of my stomach last night (where it was hurting) and i swear i felt a foot... It freaked me out a bit and i tried to feel for it again but it was gone and so was my cramping feeling.
Phil is giving me a hard time as i wouldn't phone the midwife but like i said to him the only thing she could have done was to book me in for an appointment and as i already have one on monday it is pointless. I will simply fill her in on monday and i am pretty sure she will tell me its nothing.
Its getting pretty uncomfortable to sleep now and i am having really broken sleep which i am sure my husband is loving... not. It hurts to sleep on my back for too long but everytime i wake up i have rolled onto my back so not sure how i can stop that.
Apparently at this stage i should be feeling really energetic and stuff but believe me i am not. If i sit for too long watching telly i start to fall asleep. I am usually really tired by 10pm which is most unlike me.
Oh one last thing that i have noticed recently is how clumsy i am becoming. On Monday i popped out on my lunch hour to get a sandwhich and managed to walk into three walls, one door and one short bollard - what is up with that!!! I have fallen over my bed countless times this week and keep misjudging doorways. After doing some research i have discovered that due to the increasing size of my tummy my centre of gravity has changed but nobody has bothered to tell my brain it seems. The website suggested that i start wearing flat shoes - thats not going to happen until i have absolutely no choice as i am much shorter than people realise as hardly anyone has seen me without heals on.
The short hair is brilliant and i am really loving it - no regrets at all. It now takes me 15 minutes to dry and straighten it in the morning - how great is that compared to 40 minutes! This will definately help when the baby comes and i have less time to spend on my own appearance. And it definately helped the other morning when my hairdryer actually set on fire and broke so i had to go to work with wet hair!!
Nursery is now painted and looks great. Just want to start putting the finishing touches up now but my dad is insisting he puts one more coat of paint on first. When it is completed i will put a picture on my site for you to see, its going to be very unique. Just need to get the furniture now to fill it up! - All second hand donations welcome... : ) as we have absolutely nothing yet except 3 car seats and a travel cot.
No more to say I'm afraid except one peice of advice - if you decide to use the Johnsons holiday skin moisturiser make sure you wash your hands afterwards... learn from my mistake as i have very funny coloured palms at the moment!
See you next week when i will hopefully be feeling lots better.
Feeling crappy mum to be.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Summer week 18

Not much happening this week apart from alot of movement. The flutterings are getting stronger and it won't be long before other people can feel the kicks. I am slightly alarmed by the frequency and am wondering how much sleep i will end up having as a result... The baby is definitely a fidget just like its daddy.
I have been burping alot and having pains one side of my tummy. This is probably just a stretching pain where everything is growing and expanding.
I have had alot of compliments about how "well" i am looking which is nice.
The financial side of things has played a big part this week. It suddenly dawned on us how much money we need to have saved before i go on maternity leave to pay my share of the bills and it is a frightening figure. Statutory maternity pay is rubbish (£108 a week). We will inevitably cope somehow but it is still quite terrifying. The saddest part about not having lots of money is that it impacts on how much time maternity leave i can afford to take. I would love to take the full amount of time allowed but looks more like it will be 6 months at the most. It will definitely be a very lean Christmas this year... : ( Phil is being very good and is willing to work lots of hours and had even mentioned getting a second job but to be honest i just want him at home with me enjoying the prospect of being a parent, not getting home so tired that he goes straight to bed. I have even considered getting a second job myself but in reality who would take on a pregnant woman and would i really be able to cope (probably not).
Anyway money isn't everything and we still have our health : )
The stickers for the baby room arrived a couple of days ago. They are so cool! I am really glad i went with this option. Hopefully we can get on and get it finished over the long weekend. But the weather is supposed to be very nice so no doubt we will want to go out and enjoy the sunshine.
I am really struggling with the no smoking thing now. It is getting ridiculous. The longer i give up the more i want one. I know i gave up for a very good reason but i also know that i will start smoking again afterwards. I am even starting to wonder if i want one so bad just because i know i can't have one not because i am craving the nicotine. I desperately want to get drunk too which is very strange as i wasn't exactly a heavy drinker before i got pregnant. So i am sure it is partly wanting what you can't have! I just have to keep thinking that i only have another 4 1/2 months to go!!!! sh*t thats scary!
Nothing more to add this week (told you there wasn't much to say). Hope you all have a fab long weekend and get fat with all that chocolate.
P.S if you are still coming out into Guildford on saturday night i will see you then (i will be the one staring at everyone very enviously from the corner!!)
Bye - mum to be
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Summer week 17

Hello again,
Can't believe it is that time of the week already. Time is flying by which is good in some ways!
Had a midwife appointment on monday which went very well. All my test results were excellent and they said i couldn't be any more healthier if i tried - so all good. I also got to hear the babies heart beat again. Thats very strange but comforting in a funny kinda way.
Next appointment will be in about 3 weeks which is just a check up (more wee tests, blood test etc) and then to the fun bit on the 2nd May when i have the next scan and find out the sex!
Not many new feelings/ complaint this week. The heartburn is getting a bit worse but i now know i am allowed to have Gaviscon which would have been good to know a few weeks ago. Just assumed i could not take any medication. My tummy is growing more and i can kinda feel everything stretching which is really weird. I am pretty sure i have felt kicking now but it does really feel like a weird fluttering sensation. Its not powerful enough for phil to be able to feel it yet which is a shame but its most of the time so i am thinking it is definitely an active little nipper.
I feel much prettier at the moment but i don't mean pretty in that sense, i mean in a glowing well-being kind of way. Although the condition of my hair and skin is amazing at the moment. The best way to describe it is that feeling you get when you get back from a summer holiday with a tan and you go to meet friends for the first time since you have been back and the tan makes you look sexy & healthy (well in my head it does anyway).
The nursery is coming along now. The flooring is done, the skirting is finished and all the woodwork has been primed and glossed, it is now ready to have the cosmetic decoration done. Have decided against the elmo thing now as it is giving me a headache. Instead i have found a really cool thing on the net which i am going to do instead. They are theme packs of stickers. Basically you pick your theme (we have gone for under the sea) and they send you a pack which includes lots of big vinyl stickers of seaweed, dolphins, anchors, fishes, seahorses, bubbles etc and you just paint the walls to represent the sandy sea bed then the blue sea then just a neutral colour on the top and go creative putting these stickers everywhere. It looks so effective. I am just waiting for the stickers to arrive. They are easily removable and even re-stick.
I went for it and chopped all my hair off!! It looks fab and i love it so much. Big big thankyou to my hairdresser as she did an amazing job. My husband even went so far as to say he thinks it makes me look really sexy (not sure i agree about looking really sexy but i like it and it has made him happy).
Back to baby stuff. I have been really thinking about maternity leave from work recently. Thinking i may go off at the beginning of August unless i am forced (for medical reasons) to go sooner as you never know what will happen with blood pressure and stuff like that. So i will be extremely bored over the summer! But it may be a blessing that my mum and a few of my mates work at schools and will not be working over August - make sure you come and see me!!! Might take up another hobby for that month - painting or something? or i may just slob about watching DVD's and stuffing my face.
Not much going on apart from the above i am afraid. This weekend is a busy one for me though as its my brothers 18th birthday on Sunday (April fools day!) and we are going for a family meal on saturday to Pizza Express and it is also mine and phils 8 year (or it could be 7 years - i have lost count) anniversary of being together not being married (yes we are sad and celebrate both but we don't celebrate valentines for this very reason). Apparently phil is going to cook me a romantic meal although i did catch him on the phone to his mum promising we would pop over on sunday so it may not be the romantic day i had in mind!
Won't keep you any longer. See you next week!
Mum to be
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Summer week 16

Hello again,
Before I start I have to tell you how surprised I am to see how many people have been reading my blogs. I originally thought it would be a nice way for friends of mine that live far away (Bolton or Australia) to keep up to date with my progress but it seems to have evolved and I get almost 50 hits a week which was quite shocking. I am just very pleased that they are getting read I suppose!
If anyone is reading this who is also an expectant mother it would be great to get in touch and share experiences. I haven't made any pregnant friends as yet but I have been assured it is very helpful. (This isn't a shameful plug to get more friends on myspace by the way!!).
Anyway down to business. This week I have had quite a few complaints. My backache got so bad that I almost started crying at work! The good news is it seems to fluctuate so its not painful all the time just now and again. The last two days I have had heartburn really bad - mints really helped with this so I now carry tic tacs everywhere with me. The only other physical pain is the strange stomach twinges which after reading up seems as if it is just the baby growing and my tummy getting bigger. It doesn't hurt as such just makes you go "ooh that's a tad uncomfortable" but gives you a nice feeling as you know that's your baby. My boobs still haven't grown (much to my husbands disappointment) but I am quite relieved as I am not sure I would be able to stand up-right if they did.
Saw something in the paper last week which really annoyed me. Since I have been pregnant I have had such a craving for peanut butter but the doctor and midwife told me not to eat peanuts so I have just ignored the craving. Last week the paper said that this pregnancy warning was a load of rubbish and is only meant if you have a family history of peanut allergies, exsama or heayfever - which my family have none of!!! Total dilemma - do I now disregard what the doctor said and give in to my craving or do I still cut it out as how reliable can a newspaper really be?? I work with the media and know exactly how unreliable they are sometimes.
Sorry - a little moan there (had lots of those recently). I have turned into such a moody cow. Research keeps throwing new things up all the time and what you were told (even 6 months ago) may not be the case now. Only last month some research came out to prove that caffeine does pregnant women absolutely no harm at all.
You may remember me telling you last week how my husband might be getting made redundant - well he didn't. He was offered voluntary redundancy or to take the new role in reading. He opted to do a one month trial in reading and they if he still doesn't like it he can then take redundancy at the end of the month. Between me and you he loves that job and I know he will stay.
The nursery is at a standstill for now - well just until I get to Homebase and get the lining paper. Still no luck with the elmo themed border so it looks like I will have to import some from America.
Got another check-up with the midwife on Monday - not sure what this one entails but I have to see her at the surgery instead of at home.
My appetite hasn't really recovered very well and I would simply not eat at all if I didn't have to. But I can eat without feeling sick and can eat after 7.30 now which is good as I was quite restricted by this. I have really gone off sandwiches - how odd is that!! all fillings.
Decided to chop my hair off!!! It is currently very long (almost reaches my elbows) but it gets so knotty and if I don't use my straightners in the morning it just looks awful. I keep thinking how when the baby comes I will not have time to faff around with hair straightners every morning so I am opting for a longish bob! a bit like Kym Marsh in coronation street - what do you reckon? Oh well if it looks awful it will always grow out.
Nothing more to say really, sorry its not a very interesting one this week. Tune in next time to see if it gets any better!!
Oh thanks for all the name suggestions for a girl - NONE!! I have a gut feeling it is a girl (Phil thinks its a boy) so if I'm right (which I always am) then I am screwed for names. Help me out, all suggestions are very welcome!
See you next time - Mum to be xxxxxx
P.S still no recognisable kicks from the baby yet - I can't wait!
P.P.S Totally unrelated but we are planning to sell our sofa, It is only a couple of years old and comprises of a large corner sofa, a matching 2 seater and 5 matching scatter pillows. If you are interested or know something that is let me know as i can email you a picture. Hate using e-bay so thought i would ask around before i attempted that route.

Summer week 15

Hey,
This one is a bit late as i was not near a computer last week. Had friends visiting from Australia so lots of shopping and sightseeing!!
Not that much to report again. I feel absolutely fine now with the occasional back ache but if it wasn't for that and the ever growing bump i would just forget that i was pregnant.
Oooh, went shopping and i think i am the luckiest pregnant person in the world, this seasons fashion is so suitable for me!! Its all smock tops and big flowy tops with the seem running under the bust so its great, i think i have only bought 2 maternity tops and the rest are just normal ones. Sadly i had to give in to the maternity trousers... I am wearing a pair now that are just so hidiouse. The waistline certainly would give Simon Cowel a run for his money. Oh well its all about comfort i suppose. I also discovered that New Look now have a maternity department! how cool. Not sure if they do in Guildford but they certainly do in Kingston as i managed to get a cool going out top for my brothers 18th birthday in a couple of weeks. He wants us to go clubbing with him - not sure i really fancy that!
Anyway, its been a very stressfull week which is annoying as i took a week off work! On tuesday phil found out that he may be made redundant (will find out today). After much discussion and worry about it we decided that redundancy would be great as he would get a nice payout which would sort us out while i am on maternity leave. So now we are praying he gets it. If he doesn't he will have to work in Reading which isn't extremely far away but far enough away for him to possibly miss seeing the baby in the evenings before i put him/ her to bed. Fingers crossed on that one then!!
Got given lots more baby stuff this week which is always good. On Wednesday we were given 8 bags of clothes, a bag of toys (bin bags i mean) and two car seats - not bad going at all. Anyone wanting to buy presants then blankets, bedding etc would go down quite well!! My mother-in-law has started a baby box. She got a lovely wicker box and has started filling it with clothes, shoes, teddies etc. Its a really nice thought. My mum has started her knitting!! something tells me this baby will want for nothing and will get spoilt rotten. My mother-in-law also suggested sorting out a baby shower but i wasn't keen on the idea. Its much more of an American tradition and i don't want people to feel they HAVE to buy me stuff.
The nursery is coming along (slowly). Phil and my dad have now smoothed the walls down and layed the laminate flooring. Dad is putting in new skirtings and putting up the lining paper this week. Finding sesame street or elmo borders is proving difficult although i have found one online that we may get shipped over.
Getting extremely anxious now about finding out the gender. I have done lots of tests and dangled the wedding ring over my tummy etc and it all points to a girl but i am staying open minded until the 2nd May.
Thats enough for now. Sorry it was late but i am a very busy person!!!
Oh one last thing, still no recognisable kicks yet. Had a few flutters which could have been kicking but not entirely sure.
See you at the end of the week
Mum to be
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Summer week 14

Not much going on this week to be honest.
Main complaints are that I think the baby keeps lying in a strange position as I keep getting a pain which is similar to a trapped nerve or pulled muscle but its strange as I just know it is to do with where the baby is laying.
I am still struggling to sleep and have a bit of trouble eating. I have worked out that I must eat dinner before 8pm (latest) as I cannot eat a thing after this time. I am also suffering from severe headaches (but I was susceptible to them before I was pregnant, it just feels worse as I cannot take anything for them). Also my contact lenses itch like hell, I read up on this and apparently during pregnancy your eyes produces less liquid over your eyes so they become very dry and a little sore (this can also cause headaches). It is called dry eye syndrome and is made worse if you wear contact lenses. If it continues I will have to revert back to wearing glasses (uuurrgggghhh). Will keep wearing the lenses until I can bear it no longer!!
My concentration and memory are much better now and I am starting to feel happier. Still checking the bump every morning and it is definitely becoming more noticeable, even Phil thinks I am showing now. I just need to get a little bigger to justify that it is actually a baby and not just fat.
Went shopping at the weekend for maternity clothes and wanted to get a token present for the baby to celebrate the scan. Got a bit upset as I had a splitting headache and got tired very quickly which frustrated me more than anything as I had been looking forward to this for a while. We went to Camberley and I hated ALL the maternity clothes so opted for some smock type tops and just got bigger baggier sized clothes. Also treated myself to a new soft dressing gown and some comfy slippers. Couldn't find anything I wanted to get for the baby as all the neutral stuff was yellow or white which I don't really like. Mum saved the day when she found a really cute mint green outfit from mothercare so I got that.
Looked at the big expensive stuff like cots etc and Phil almost had a heart attack at the prices. Although he felt much better when I found some of these things on ebay or second hand from the local ads. Think we may go scouring some car boots soon, always good for a bargain. I do want to get a few things brand new as its our first child but there is nothing wrong with second hand.
Was getting worried about the cats as they have a habit of sleeping on my pillow and I was concerned that they would get into the cot while the baby was asleep and suffocate him/ her. Until someone at work told me you could get cot nets which were designed to keep cats out, had a look at one and they seem very good so that is one worry off my mind.
Still haven't felt the baby kick yet but there is plenty of time for that. I have had a few flutters but it could just be wind.
The nursery got off to a flying start and has now stopped mid decoration. Phil stripped the horrible walls down (with a bit of help from my dad) but as yet that is all that has been done. Decided on laminate flooring as it will be easier to clean up any mess although I do want a big rug in the middle of the room. Hunted high and low for any elmo or sesame street wallpaper or borders and have so far found nothing. I am not giving up though and my talented husband is going to paint an elmo mural on the wall for me - lets just hope the baby likes elmo as much as I do!
Got some friends here from Oz for the next couple of weeks and I get to meet their 1 year old for the first time tomorrow. We are spending the whole week together doing child friendly things like going to London Zoo. It will be good practice for me and I cannot wait.
Not got an anti-natal check up until next month. My next scan is booked in for the 5th May and I will hopefully be able to find out the sex of the baby. We have decided on a boys name (although it may change later on) but have not found a girls name yet. I am not going to divulge the boys name yet but am very open to hearing girl name suggestions (PLEASE).
Anyway that's enough for now. Looking forward to hearing your girl name suggestions.
See you next week
Mum to be
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Summer week 13

Well its been another busy week.
The midwife came over on Wednesday to do all the tests (blood test, urine test, blood pressure...) and found it very amusing when i asked if this would be the last blood test. I think her words were "there is plenty more of that to come". How niaeve she must think i am. Thankfully my blood pressure is back down to normal but i do need to drink more water apparently. She left telling me that the next few months are supposed to be the best and i should enjoy them. So i plan to.
I swear i am getting bigger by the day. Sadly i have got into the routine of checking my bump in the mirror before i get in the shower every day and checking again when i am fully dressed and on my way out to work (probably just making sure i am showing enough). Thats so sad and Phil keeps laughing at me saying you are the same size as yesterday but he is a man so what does he know.
The scan picture has certainly made the rounds and i have pretty much shown everyone now. The funniest reaction is when people say "oh my god its a baby" - what the hell were they expecting!!! My brother has been calling him/ her jelly bean (as thats what it looked like in the first scan) and i really thought after this scan he would stop but unfortunately i think its going to be a name that sticks.
Had my mums 50th birthday on saturday which was great. Met up with relatives and old friends we have not seen for a while so obviously i was the topic of conversation and even had two people kissing my bump! didn't realise people did that, have to say i was a little shocked.
Oh my God what has happened to my memory... i used to remember everything and now i can't even remember what i was doing 5 minutes ago. Its really frustrating especially as i am still having guitar lessons and can't remember a thing from lesson to lesson!! I do hope this is temporary as my sister keeps joking that i am turning into mum and i am.
Speaking of mum, me and the cooing nanny are going shopping this weekend for baby things. This will be the first time buying things for the baby so i am very proud of her for for waiting this long. Only going to get clothes and cute things, we will wait a while longer before we start on the big things like cots etc as i am still being cautious.
Finally the main thing i have noticed recently is my mind set and attitude towards things. I have always been told that i was very mature and had a grown up head on my shoulders but i think its not until you are faced with motherhood that you really truly grow up. I reacted this week to something in a completely different way than i had ever planned to. This won't make much sense to many people but i do not want to go into details on what this was exactly. I just realised that there is much more to life than petty squabbles and past mistakes or misunderstandings. Your priorities and the whole perception of life and what its about definately alters (god thats getting a bit deep). I really feel like i am extremely lucky to be bringing a new life into this world. This is not something that everyone gets to experience and i really should count myself lucky.
I am so sorry, it did get a bit deep this week but a couple of things have happened to make me look long and hard at myself (and i am not just talking about my bump in the mirror in the morning!). This may also have something to do with the strange hormonal changes that keep happening, in some ways i am glad i am not the man - many apologies to phil for the mood swings!

Anyway thats enough. Not much happening next week apart from me growing even bigger but come and have a read as there may be something interesting - who knows!
Mum to be
xxxxxxxxxxxx