12 weeks 6 days - 2nd trimester!

Wow, it's been ages since I last posted! I get so caught up day by day it's crazy. Each day is now it's own little routine broken up by mealtimes. Although I still don't follow the routine I set out a little while ago properly. I've not exercised for over a week now. I don't really go out for walks very often, usually only at weekends. But I get to see Sarah every week which is great. And I do spend more time with Robert.

I am SO thankful for my friendship with Sarah. I cannot get over how alike we are in so many ways, and amazed at how well we gel. We could literally spend hours with each other talking about anything and everything, and we text each other every day! And it's sooo great that we are going through pregnancy together too. She is now feeling "Boo" kick, and I so can't wait for that part too! I felt Robert kick at 15 weeks, and I'm now nearly 13. I might feel it sooner this time, but I do hope to feel it at 15 weeks by the latest. So only 2 weeks to wait before I feel Squidge kick! Fingers crossed! A few days ago I was sitting still, concentrating on feeling what was going on, and I thought I felt a few little bubbles, and got all excited, but then a few seconds later I farted LOL. So obviously just wind bubbling down through my intestines lol.

I had a lovely day yesterday. I woke up feeling quite tired, well very tired actually. Jonathan came to bed the night before and we had some couple time, which was nice, but unfortunately it woke me up fully and then he fell asleep and started snoring and wheezing away so I couldn't fall asleep! Argh! So I was knackered come morning time. I asked Jonathan if he'd mind taking Robert to his parents to give me a lie in and so I could get things done, and he did. I had a dressing gown on and got Robert dressed, went downstairs to get his jacket on, then Jonathan asked Robert to give me a kiss, and up toddles Robert to me eagerly, gives me a kiss, and then he walks out after Jonathan. It just felt so weird but nice, seeing Robert walk off like that, like he was growing up so fast. The surge of love I got at that moment was indescribable.

I went back to bed, and had an extra hour and a half sleep. It was lovely! Then I got up and was about to get dressed when I thought I should probably have a shower as I had a morning to myself, I prefer to shower in the mornings as my hair can dry better rather than being all scrunched up on the pillow at night. I had washed myself, shaved, and lathered up my hair, then I started rinsing it out when I suddenly came over feeling sick and had to go down on all fours in the shower to ease the feeling. I wretched a couple of times but I wasn't sick. I managed to just about finish rinsing my hair (had to leave the conditioner) and I got out, hurriedly dried myself and put on a dressing gown, and wrapped up my hair, went downstairs and got breakfast. I should really have got breakfast before my shower, as it was already gone 10.30. But luckily it was all ok.

Watched some Stargate Atlantis leisurely while eating breakfast, and then got dressed. Played a bit of computer game, and then I started to get things done around the house so I caught up with washing up (there was a huge pile from Sunday where we had the in-laws over for Sunday lunch), and I also changed the bedsheets (looooooong overdue) and sorted out the rubbish bins. Jonathan's parents came over 15 minutes earlier than normal for a Tuesday (they had a tired boy to deal with!) and as soon as he got back I put him up in his cot, where he was laying for quite a long time moaning, then some louder cries, then soft moaning again before he finally fell asleep. FIL and I went out shopping, and when we got back, Robert was still asleep! I enjoyed the roast so much on Sunday I bought two more lamb joints as they were half price in tesco. Shame I didn't see the offer last week! I spent £11 on half a leg of lamb then, and yesterday I spent £7.50 on a WHOLE leg of lamb!

Squidge is definitely wanting meat lately. I just soooooo want to roast a leg of lamb today just so I can pick at lamb all day! Just lamb on its own! Yum! And I still have 2 packs of bacon in the fridge, got lots of ham, and in fact I'm thinking about sausage and mash tonight!

Something else I really want to get done is my belly gallery. I took a photo early in pregnancy but it was a different place to the last belly gallery as the lense on Jonathan's new camera wouldn't take photos that close up, so I'm tempted to use the same camera I used for the last one, in the same place. I didn't really see any difference until 18+ weeks anyway so if I take my first proper one tomorrow that should be ok. If I get a third pregnancy I will be taking them more regularly as I WILL be at a healthy weight range by then and I should hopefully be showing more early! :)

Anyway, I've got a few photos for you of my little gorgeous man.

I absolutely adore this photo of Robert. His eyes look so soulful!



I used it in a graphic I did, brightened it up, smoothed it out, and brought out the colours in his eyes and made all but his eyes black and white, and I looooove it!



I just love him so much!

But since that photo was taken, I have given him his FOURTH haircut! At 16 months old, that's roughly one every 4 months!! lol! I'm pleased with this last haircut, it looks good and I think I must be getting used to it hehe! I will show you another time once my darling husband gets around to downloading them from the camera, editting them to make them brighter and then uploading them. The hair on top is slightly longer than the sides and back :D Although he has this weird thing on his scalp which makes his hair lie funny, so even though I cut all the hair ontop of his head to the same length, there is always a bit off to one side that looks like it's longer than the other side!!! Oh I love him so much. I find it so hard to believe that anyone else can get the same amount of love as what I give him but I guess that Squidge will.. it just seems so weird because Robert is already here!

38 weeks 4 days - heartburn heartburn more heartburn, major sugar cravings, mw app etc

Heartburn heartburn and more heartburn. That's been the recurring theme over the past several days. I get heartburn at night, heartburn during the day, heartburn when I sit or lie down, it doesn't seem to matter. I'm happy for Robbie to stay put for a little while longer if that's what he wants and/or needs, and I am still cherishing the wriggles, pokes, brushes with his arms or feet. But it would be nice for him to come out so I no longer have to deal with the heartburn alllll day long!

Swollen feet are still there, but I do try and keep my feet up, or if I notice my feet have suddenly ballooned I go and lay down (and try and deal with the heartburn that inevitably comes!).

There is still a lot of work that needs doing in the spare room, and it will of course be easier to sort before Robbie gets here, but if he gets here sooner rather than later, then it's in a state where it can very quickly be made suitable for his changing/dressing. We don't have a nursery as such, which I'm conflicted about. I see people saying they are sorting the nursery, and they get it all decorated in nice kiddie colours and borders and all painted. And here's us, with a cot in our room (still undecorated but then it doesn't really need it) of lilac and cream, the changing table and a chest of drawers in the spare room along with some chairs and a bookcase and a lot of thing strewn around (which will of course need to be tidied to avoid tripping or accidents). I guess a nursery isn't REALLY necessary... but it just feels a little like I'm not doing it right. I suppose the perfectly decorated room isn't necessary for a baby, as long as he has a place to sleep, clean clothes, clean nappies, food and lots of love and affection that's all that matters. The rest is purely cosmetic.

I've been craving more food lately, I seem to eat loads. Yesterday I had cereal for breakfast, then I had the curry I hadn't finished at the restaurant for lunch, then a few hours later I had FOUR slices of bread and butter, and then for dinner I had 2 rounds of cheese and pickle sandwiches. I've been craving sweet things a lot as well - I go through anything sweet in ultra quick time. And could really murder a chocolate bar, or a cake (huge slice of), or some of those gorgeous tesco bakery cookies (the biiiiiiig ones), or a big fat slice of tesco finest cheesecake or chocolate tart.

I might have to persuade Jonathan that we go to tesco tonight when he gets home from work, because even though I'd like cake, we are running out of bread and milk, and milk is still pretty much a necessity for me - I'm beginning to think we should buy TWO 6 pint bottles of milk whenever we go, it certainly won't go off! And it'll mean I can have more milkshakes etc.

Anyway, better head off now, have a wash and get dressed (yes yes I know I'm lazy!), also collect some wee for the midwife appointment this afternoon. I think she'll weigh me today - my notes have a space for "BMI at 38 weeks" so that'll be fun fun. I've not weighed myself for ages, but I'm guessing I'm over hmmm... 230-240lbs. If not more. I was fast gaining on 100kg back in July which was the weight limit for a stool thing Jonathan bought me for my birthday. And that's 220lbs. I will definitely do my best to trim up a bit before I get pregnant with #2. Will help with energy levels and hopefully swelling. Right, well keep well, tata!

36 weeks 1 day - inlaws idea, getting ready!

Getting to be quite excited now about seeing my little man, I know it may well be as long as 6 weeks away, but it could be as little as 1 or 2! We've got some baby toiletry type things from tesco - nappies, nappy bags, bath stuff, lotion, powder etc. Should be able to get a hospital bag packed soon now with all those bits and bobs, ready for the outing to Thorpe Park this saturday.

Last night the in-laws came over to take J (well and me) out for a meal for his birthday, had a nice curry in the indian. It was very pleasant, and J showed them the old photographs he'd come across that he'd taken as a boy, which they enjoyed. Something that was quite good was that after a while his dad mentioned an idea that he/they must have had, that after new year (presumably to give us time to get settled with Robert) they suggested that during the week (perhaps on a regular basis) they come and pick me and Robert up in the morning, drive us back to their house 30 minutes or so away, and spend the day there with them, and then J comes back via their house in the evening after work. Sounds to me like a really lovely idea, will mean I get some company during the day, maybe even a little rest! And Robert will get to spend time with his grandparents.

J and I went for a walk after we'd been shopping, because as we were walking out of Tesco, the weather was just wonderful. Clear, cold, crisp, very slight breeze... just one of those lovely autumn/winter weather days. Lovely. :)

I think I might be getting a little low on vitamin C - I've started craving fruits again, as well as my latest usual creamy/milky foods. I get through 6 pints of milk these days so quickly! Cereal, and umpteen glasses of milkshakes normally.

Anyway I guess that's all the recent news (since yesterday hehe). Back again tomorrow probably. xx

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!