31 weeks 5 days - cravings, hiccups, nesting

Something I've been thinking about lately is cravings in pregnancy. I have had them - but they've all been NORMAL things, nothing really to give anecdotes on like pickles and ice cream, or whatever. Early on in my pregnancy it was fruit fruit and more fruit. Mainly citrus, but anything would do. Now, the fruit thing has waned a bit, although I can quite happily munch through a whole bag of grapes (We buy two whole bags every time we do a big shop, and I eat most of them).

Now, it seems to be all about the calcium. Bowls of cereal with loads of milk, milkshakes galore, and ice cream. Yesterday I must have got through about 2 pints of milk by myself with my 3 bowls of cereal, and 2-3 glasses of milkshake. Although today I must restrain myself a little, and make sure there will be enough milk for Saturday. As we were shopping last night, J said "do we need more milk?" because he'd only been and got a 6 pint of milk on the Monday on his way home from work with some cereal. Today I finished off that 6 pint carton of milk! So it's a good thing I said "YES we will, I'll go through the one that's in the fridge in no time!".

But it's all good! Because now's the time when the bones really start to harden up, so I need as much calcium as I can get! Oh! And yoghurts, I've been eating those like they're going out of business. The tesco smooth set ones - I really really like those ones! Can't get enough! (3 packs of 6 we get, and they get eaten fairly quickly - I usually eat 2 in a sitting!)

Since I started paying attention to Robert's hiccups, he seems to get them all the time! The other night he got them just after I laid down in bed, and J felt my tummy to see if he could feel them too, and he could! He was surprised at how frequent and rhythmic they were. It seems that a good way for people to feel him will be to wait until he gets the hiccups, and then get them to come over and feel - they won't be feeling his kicks, but at least he can't be stubborn and stop hiccuping as soon as someone comes over to feel! ;)

I actually can't believe how I felt his kicks and movements when they were so slight! I'm so used to his big kicks and sweeping movements of feet over my belly that I can't fathom how I ever felt the teeny tiny movements at all!

Anyway - I forgot to talk to J about the optician, so it might have to wait til next week now. I guess another week won't hurt when it's already been so long. It's a good thing I don't drive! Sometimes as we're going somewhere in the car, I can't read a sign until it's practically ontop of us... as for reading numberplates - hah!

I have a feeling the nesting urge is going to start real soon as the panic wears in that we've still got nowhere to put the changing table, and the back room is still full of boxes, and we still don't have a supply of nappies, and we still need to make sure we have all the essential clothes for Robert and wash them all, and sort a hospital bag just in case he's premature or we need to transfer... etc etc etc. Oh, and writing a birth preference sheet! Goodness, can't believe how much there is to do.

And maybe somewhat silly of me, but I've said that J and I will go to Thorpe Park to meet some friends I've known online for the past year and a half. This is taking place on November 1st! 3 weeks from my due date! I must be friggin crazy! So I'll have to make sure that we take my notes with us, and a hospital bag, and anything else I'll need in case of an emergency incase I go into labour! But crazy as it sounds these people are some of my best friends, and next year, such a thing will be practically impossible with a small baby. So I kind of feel like it'll be now or never! Especially with quite a lot of them from Netherlands, Denmark, or such. And of course I won't be going on any rides! Well, maybe the teacups and the rapids, but that's the extent, if even those! But yeah if any of you lot end up going to Thorpe Park on November 1st and see a huge group of pasty internet geeks wandering around (I think there's going to be 24 or so of us!!!), you'll know who they are lol (well, that it's me, J and a load of my online friends).

Anyway, I'll leave off here for now. Speak to you all soon!

31 weeks 4 days - midwife appointment

The midwife appointment was today. Luckily, my pain when moving has worn off (actually started to get a little better yesterday, only slight twinges on getting up and down from seats, but hurt when I'd lain down for a while and tried to get up. Now it's only a slight twinge when getting up from laying down). Thank you for the comments by the way! Speaking to Beverley about it today, she said it was probably either the baby trapping a nerve, or the head engaging, and then popping back out again.

My urine and blood pressure were both fine as they have been throughout the pregnancy. I thought she was going to weigh me again when I saw her copy my BMI at booking to another section in the booklet, but she didn't. She did actually measure me this time though, and I measured 32 weeks - considering I'm 31 and 4 days that's pretty much spot on! She confirmed that Robert was still head down, as I thought based on where I was feeling his kicks! She also found his heartbeat within seconds! From where she placed the doppler, it seems he's now laying with his back to the right hand side of my belly!

She asked if I was getting some swelling, and I am, I've had to take off my wedding ring, because it was getting tight, and had trouble getting it off when I did try so lucky I guess I did it then instead of leaving it on! Also, my boots seem to have got a lot tighter, they're only little ankle boots (my calves are too fat for knee-highs), but with socks on they did struggle to be done up, plus my feet were wedged in slightly more firmly than normal. She didn't seem too concerned when I told her this, supposedly since my blood pressure was fine, it's probably just water retention.

After the appointment, I went for a walk along the highstreet, where I bought a stack of cards for upcoming birthdays. There are three in October (J's dad, my SIL Nicky, and J), then there's Ewan in November, so I got him a card with a big 1 on it, and then my sister in December. And I also got a card for my mum's partner, who's birthday was on Monday, but they're coming up this weekend for a roast and to be the first visitors to christen our new table! ;)

I am also getting desperate to see an optician. I first got glasses at the age of three, but I stopped wearing them when I was about 19 or so. My eyesight was fine at first, but now it's getting so poor I can bearly read posters 3 meters away. Unfortunately, it's another expense - I expect it will cost several hundred pounds for the eye test, and a couple of pairs of glasses with the lenses I will probably need. There is an optician in town, I looked at the opening times, so I'll have to try and make time to go down there, and make sure that there's money in my account. But I do really need them now. I'll speak to J about getting some money in my account and maybe go down before the weekend.

Hope you are all well, and I'm glad you had a nice day yesterday, Becca. x