33 weeks

I have been a bit disorganised in terms of keeping this up-to-date as the Easter Hols were more than a little hectic but great fun.

My parents came to stay with us for Easter weekend and my 30th Birthday. It was lovely to see them and mum helped out with getting the decal on the nursery wall- it took two of us quite a while and was incredibly fiddly. Really happy with the result though and the nursery is almost complete- just some baskets, my recliner chair and the curtains to go. Mum now has the fabric for the curtains, so I'm excited to see the final product.
We also had a flying visit from the in-laws and grandparents- which was lovely. We seem to have eaten out more than we've eaten in over the last week or so- guess that will all change once Octopus arrives.

We had our NCT course at the weekend which I was looking forward to but not sure that Andy was feeling quite as enthusiastic as me however he got fully involved and seemed to really enjoy it (which was a relief, as it was really important to me to get him more involved). We met some lovely couples on the course that we'll hopefully keep in contact with (another session tonight on breastfeeding with them all) as they were all lots of fun and it's good to have people locally that are going through the same thing at the same time. There is talk of us girls going to yoga together as most of us are now on maternity leave/just about to start maternity leave.

I didn't learn massive amounts on the course but that is probably because I have read so much already- it confirmed lots of my thinking though, especially in terms of my ideal birth plan. It was definitely informative for Andy and he is now taking his role in all of this much more seriously and keeps telling me off for slouching. It was really lovely to see him change a nappy and bath and dress a 'baby'- makes me excited to see him as a Dad for real- I think he is going to be great. The course gave him lots of practical tips for how he can help in labour and in the first few weeks- he seems to have taken it all in and says he is looking forward to it all now.

Trying my hardest to make time for Andy now, as when Octopus comes along I know I'll be too busy to show him much love/affection/attention. Trying to ease the burden at home whilst I still can and give him as much relaxation time outside of work as possible. We'll see how this goes as I continue to get bigger and more uncomfortable.

We ordered the carseat and isofix base last night and also a Tummy Tub as Andy was keen to try one after hearing about them at the weekend (so sweet). Have ordered a hypnobirthing CD on recommendation from our course leader (she is also a doula) and hopefully we'll get our water birth. My placenta has moved enough for me to be able to deliver naturally so we stand a much better chance than we did before! Also blown up my birthing ball and I intend to spend some time on that, trying to encourage Octopus into optimum birth position- don't fancy back-to-back labour.

Everything feels like it is falling into place- just keep remembering little bits and bobs that we need to get/do before baby arrives.

31 weeks

31 weeks sounds like we're actually getting somewhere- it feels less in weeks than months somehow. Octopus continues to be manically active most days but occassionally rests for an hour if I'm lucky. Kicks and movements are much more painful than they were, especially when aimed at my ribs or hips, but they are also incredibly reassuring. Hoping that baby will sleep more when he or she is born than they do now. Hiccups are also increasingly regular with no particular pattern to when they occur.

We have painted the nursery and I'm really pleased with how much brighter it looks- looking forward to my parents coming to stay over Easter so that they can do the glossing and then we can put the carpet put back down, stick our decal on the wall and put all the furniture back in there. How exciting. We have also ordered the fabric for the curtains-it is gorgeous and I'm really looking forward to seeing what they'll look like when my Mum has made them.

With every day that passes it seems more and more likely that this whole baby thing is going to happen. I haven't really dared to get my hopes up too much and there are still no guarantees but I am allowing myself to get a bit excited now. I have a midwife appointment tomorrow-she should measure me so that we can see if we're on track growth wise.


Just back from a lovely weekend staying with my cousin, her husband and little one. It was great to see them all. We also celebrated a friend's 30th Birthday on Saturday night with a party and then saw him baptised this morning at his new church. His testimony was amazing. Such a small world that we met so many new people this weekend and had connections with them all in different ways. 


First week of the 'holidays' so no longer signed off and can get out and about more. Went to say goodbye to my class and colleagues on Friday which was nice but I am definitely ready for some time out of work/teaching in general. Looking forward to a different challenge and all the joy/tears/worries it will bring.

30 weeks today!

Hooray, we have made it as far as 30 weeks and so we are now 3/4 of the way through the pregnancy (which sounds less than it feels!). Octopus has been very active this week- in fact he/she was so active one day that I thought my stomach was going to split open. It was very sore. Apparantly, as they continue to gain weight and have less room inside you, the kicks and punches become less intense. I don't mind them though, as I just feel so blessed to have this baby inside me.

Not much to report this week. Another week off work and so time has dragged somewhat but I can't complain- would much rather be cleaning the house than stressing out at work. We have decided on the colour of the paint for the nursery (a very pale green) and we intend to get at least one coat on the walls this weekend- although we shall see. 

The weather has been glorious this week, but I've not really taken advantage of it as have no-one to go out and enjoy it with. Feels like such a waste. I'm hoping that the weather is this good when baby comes along, so that I can get out and about with the pushchair lots and enjoy the sunshine.

So far I seem to have been lucky enough to escape the worst of the pregnancy symptoms and side-effects and I'm hoping that this continues. I was a bit freaked to find out that normal weight gain for someone with my pre-pregnancy BMI is anywhere between 25 and 35lbs. That's could be 2.5 stone- which seems a lot! I know that lots of it is baby/fluid/placenta but even still! Hoping that I stay more towards the 25lbs than the 35lbs but I won't know as I haven't weighed myself at any stage! In fact, I'm worrying that I've not put on enough weight, despite my best efforts with the KitKats this week. No doubt the midwife will tell me, if she is in anyway concerned, at my next appointment. I haven't been measured yet- so no idea if I'm on track or not.

Another weekend down...

Matilda was fantastic and I couldn't recommend it more. Lyrically it was clearly Tim Minchin's work and the staging of it was so clever. It was lovely to catch up with London friends although the weather was less than favourable, so we ended up at Westfield in the morning- not exactly making the most of what London has to offer but did get some cute bits for Baby Wiles. Always lovely to get back to the green fields and fresh air of Wilmslow though- just couldn't live in London anymore- moving up here was the best decision that we ever made.

Hubby is now in Liverpool at the footy and I'm sat at home on my own. Not ideal given the amount of time we actually get to see other (especially over the last couple of weeks) but I know he'll have loved it.  Just hoping that he'll work slightly less once our Baby is here otherwise it's going to be tough. I know he has every intention of being around but work does take over somewhat at times and we don't have the support of having parents living close by to help us out. Natural to be concerned I think but I have great faith that we'll be alright.

The backache is still niggling and I know it'll only get worse over the coming weeks- nothing seems to make it better- walking, sitting down or lying down- it still hurts. Any aches and pains are worth it though if we get a happy, healthy baby at the end of it all.

The cats were happy to see us as they had clearly been trying to get into the automatic pet feeder in our absence and had managed to knock the battery out- so hadn't eaten since Friday night! Little sympathy though as they just needed to be patient and food would have been dispensed at the correct time. They are a nightmare- 5 minutes after feeding they behave like they have never been fed- neither of them are underweight- think they are just greedy! 

Rang my mum to wish her a Happy Mothering Sunday. Can't believe that this time next year (God willing) I will be a proper mum, rather than just a baby storage device. I really can't wait to be someone's mummy- such a special job. 

29 weeks today!

"Happy 29 week Bumpday" was hubby's comment this morning to our latest (not so) little family member before he went off to work. To celebrate (well not really to celebrate 29 weeks) we're off to London for the weekend to see the Tim Minchin/RSC production of Matilda and I can't wait. Up until now it's been great to be able to pop back down to London for the weekend to see a show and catch up with friends but all of that is soon to change. We'll have to put trips like this on hold until baby is old enough to stay with grandparents for a night.

My new GHDs have arrived this morning, after the old ones gave up the ghost a few weeks ago, so I have treated myself to straight hair. I never find the time/have the energy to do it anymore and I do love being able to run my fingers through my hair without them getting stuck in a thick, tangled birds nest! It seems wrong that something so bad for your hair makes it look much healthier in the short term!

Met with a group of friends from church last night and we continued our lent course on different ways to read and study the Bible. It was good and caused much hilarity. S.P.A.C.E.P.E.T.S was last night's method and I can honestly say that I don't remember many of the words that it stands for, so not sure how well it will work as a method in the long run, but I will never forget SPACEPETS!! Our Lent challenge has been scuppered for some members of the group as they didn't order their 'Real Easter Eggs' soon enough and now stocks of them have completely run out online and in the supermarkets that were stocking them. We have thankfully been organised and so have 16 of them to give out to neighbours, family and friends to celebrate the real meaning of Easter. As our road is so long, we'll be sending cards to most people and only giving eggs to our immediate neighbours, who we've barely spoken to since moving in in July. Oops. It's quite a scary thing to do but hopefully people will be appreciative of some well-intentioned chocolate!

As my first week of being signed off work draws to a close, I have to say that I'm feeling quite relaxed but a little guilty at the lack of things I have achieved. I started the week with good intentions on completing outstanding paperwork for work but have done none of it! The house is cleaner though and we have a lot more things purchased for baby, so not wholly unproductive...

This week, my appetite seems to have doubled but I'm trying hard not to give in to it, as I know that I am getting more than enough calories for baby and I really don't want to be eating for two as the consequences could be disastrous on the post-baby weight loss front. Trying to eat lots of fruit to stave off the desire for Kitkats and choccy digestives, which I should never have bought in hindsight!

Right, I need to go and post my Mothering Sunday card otherwise it won't get there on time. I only bought it a week ago....

So here goes...

After a lot of thought on the matter, I have decided to write a blog. It's a bit late to call it a pregnancy journal- but I figure I still have 11 weeks left until my estimated due date, so in likelihood I still have 13 weeks left of pregnancy and it will give me something to do! And then who knows if I'll have time to continue once baby is here but we shall see.

There hasn't been a day of this pregnancy so far when I haven't thanked God for blessing us with this baby. I pray that our baby will be delivered safely and that Andy and I will be good parents. I still can't quite believe that it's actually going to happen and so I'm wishing away the next weeks, so that I can experience the reality of being a mummy. It really is the only job that I've ever wanted to do- so I hope that I'm okay at it!

I am in awe of just how amazing new life is and that what started out as something smaller than a poppy seed, is now a baby that kicks and squirms and flips inside me (hence the nickname Octopus). I never grow tired of feeling our baby moving, even when it's painful, as it is such an incredible thing to experience. I just can't wait to meet our precious gift and find out if it is girl or a boy. I don't have a gut instinct either way but I have just always thought I'd have a boy, so I could be surprised if it's a pink bundle rather than a blue one. We're not bothered which team we're on, we just want a healthy, happy baby Wiles.

I have had a really easy pregnancy so far and I can't complain at all. The back ache and hip ache is starting to annoy when I'm trying to get some sleep but it is a small price to pay for what we'll get at the end of it all. The last few weeks have really dragged- maybe because unlike in the other trimesters, there are no milestone scans to look forward to. We have got another scan at 32 weeks, to check the position of the placenta, so I suppose that is something to aim for. 

By far my favourite bit of pregnancy has been the hours of geeky online research into the best things to buy for baby. From the travel system to the baby monitor. I have spent many hours finding out about the benefits of cloth nappies over disposables and have finally bitten the bullet and ordered some- so we'll see how they work out on baby before we order any more. 

I'm eager now to get on and get the nursery decorated so that we can set the cot up and stick our wall decal on. But I have to wait until Easter weekend, when my parents are kindly coming up to help us decorate. Just want to see how much room there will be in the rather compact room, so that we can consider whether more storage or a chair for breastfeeding is the priority.

So, I'm 29 weeks pregnant tomorrow and we shall see what surprises this week brings...

Here is baby at 21 weeks- check out his or her long legs!

Here is my bump at 28 weeks and 5 days. I think it looks bigger on the picture than in real life- but they do say that the camera adds 10 pounds (which is a much bigger baby than I want even at full term!)