Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from me and Harrison! 

One Month On

Harrison had his one month old birthday yesterday and what a whirlwind of a month it's been! I can't believe how quickly the time has gone and it's both exhilarating, watching our little boy develop everyday, but also bittersweet with the realisation that he will grow up so fast. So, what has happened in the last month? 

J returned to work after his paternity leave ended. That was hard. Really hard for me to see him leave us, knowing that his heart was breaking a little bit to say goodbye. Most week days I spend on average 2 wakeful hours with J. Whilst it used to get me down, now we have a child it really upsets me. In the minutes before he's expected home I'm like our old family dog, Cassie, pacing the hallway, looking through the spy hole in the door every few minutes, eagerly awaiting his return. I carry Harrison around, geeing him up saying 'Daddy will be home soon!' And then the magical moment comes when I see J's bike lights flash up our driveway and I open the door to him and then our evening feels like it's finally begun. Watching Harrison and J spend quality time together is the absolute highlight of my day. 

Harrison has changed so much already. He was focusing on objects and lifting his head up from birth, but everyday his eyesight gets better and his body grows stronger. He is a very happy baby too who (when he's not feeding or sleeping) loves to be cuddled and played with. 

He's just getting used to being on his rainforest gym playmat. Though he can't handle it for very long before becoming bored / overwhelmed, he will happily kick his legs about and be spellbound by the lights and sounds. It's very cute to watch!

Harrison is also sleeping pretty well. Most nights I only have to get up to feed him once, usually at some point between 1:30am and 3am. He is also usually fairly easy to settle afterwards so I've not been too sleep deprived. But sometimes we have bad days (or nights) where he'll just want to be cuddled and played with at 3am! There's also the fun of getting him fed, changed and all drowsy, only to discover his nappy has leaked or he sicks up all over himself, and then I have the hilarious, bleary eyed task of getting him changed whilst he becomes evermore displeased at having been rudely woken from his milk drunk stupor. 

We've been out and about a lot this last month and had lots of visitors. I try to keep his days busy and we always go for a walk somewhere as I'm a firm believer that the fresh air will do us both some good. He normally falls fast asleep as soon as we go out too and so far hasn't screamed in public! We've also had a few play dates with my old best friend from school, Laura, and her little 9 month old boy Coby. Whilst they're both too young to really interact, it's nice to introduce Harrison to socialising with other children so young. 

Breastfeeding is going well - it's definitely got easier but sometimes it's frustrating having to do it whilst out and about or at 3am when I'd rather be asleep! But overall I'm loving being Harrison's mummy. He is such an adorable, lovable little boy that has brought so much joy to our lives already. I can't really imagine what my life would be like without him and I certainly don't want to try. He's just filled our lives and hearts completely.

I will try and post another update soon but as I have discovered, finding the time to grab a few minutes to update this blog is a rarity. I hope Harrison will read this blog one day and realise how much he's been loved and cherished before he was even born.

Baby's First Week

Our gorgeous boy is now 11 days old and the time has just flown by! We've had plenty of outings, visits, cuddles and hundreds of feeds already and J and I fall deeper in love with our little man every single day. 

Harrison's first week rushed by in a whirlwind of visits from the community midwives, our friends and family. Our lives have changed beyond recognition as every second is spent caring for our boy. Nights merge into days and the days grow increasingly short. Things that used to take a short time, like getting ready to leave the house or have a shower, now take hours. I the first week I missed so many meals because I was so busy looking after Harrison, making sure he was sufficiently fed, dry and loved. 

Things have calmed down a bit now we're in the second week. Our hungry baby still feed about a million times a day, but this is good, he is growing strong and healthy. He is a happy baby too, quite content to stare dreamily at the cloud pattern inside his Moses basket.

He loves his daddy, who is blessed with the magic touch of soothing him when he is grizzly. And as for me, my love for J grows stronger every day as I see what an amazing father he is and how he cares for our son. 

The past 11 days have been filled with firsts. Harrison had his first bath yesterday. He was a bit grizzly at first, but once he got used to the warm water, he loved it! I really enjoyed giving him a bath too with J, I hope it will become a nightly ritual! 

Everyday brings something new and it really is a magical (and exhausting) time! 

Baby Gibbs has arrived!

Wow! What an amazing and overwhelming couple of days! Here he is, our beautiful baby boy Harrison Isaac Gibbs, born on Sunday 10th November at 2:13am and weighing just a touch under 8lbs. He is perfect and arrived happily and safely into the world.

On Friday 8th Nov (H's birthday) I was due to go visit some friends with a newborn, but about 30 mins before I was due to leave the house I noticed a bit of a show in my knickers and became aware of the dull, crampy pains in my belly - like mild period pains. I cancelled the visit to my friends and called J, asking him to come home 'just in case'.

The surges / contractions (I'll use these terms interchangeably) started late Friday night going into the early hours of Saturday morning. They felt like strong period pains with my tummy tightening up, but lasted only a minute or so and came only once an hour at this point. 

Saturday morning, J and I lazed around the house. We made breakfast and watched TV and just breathed through the surges together. They started getting stronger and closer together so that by 4pm, J was concerned that we needed to call the hospital, as they were coming 4 mins apart. However, my waters hadn't broken and I felt like it was still too early to go in - I was convinced the hospital would send me home again!

We called the hospital and they asked me to come in for a VE, so we got packed up and drove to the Constable Wing where the midwife led unit, Juno Suite is located. Once in, we were shown to a room in the suite - but it had no bed, chairs or birthing ball in it! Everyone seemed pretty disorganised to be honest, but J started setting up the room with all the multi coloured LED candles and aromatherapy oils we'd brought with us. Eventually all the bits were brought into the room and I had a VE which found I was 4cm dilated, so that was settled... I was told I wouldn't leave the hospital till I'd had our baby!

The hours ticked by, with surges growing stronger and closer and closer together.  Every 15 minutes a midwife called in to check the baby's heartbeat. The whole way through, he had a healthy, strong heartbeat. J kept reminding me to snack on the Alpen bars I'd brought, to drink water and to change position, but by 10pm, no position was particularly comfortable and I was getting very tired. A midwife came in to perform another VE and said I was still 4-5cm dilated. I felt so disappointed, my cervix had made hardly any progress. She said the membranes were bulging as my waters still hadn't burst. Then all of a sudden, what felt like a water balloon filled with warm water burst and splashed the midwife in the face! I was horrified but can now see the funny side :)

Once my waters had burst, labour seemed to shift up a gear. Within an hour, I felt the urge to bear down with each surge, which caused more and more water to gush out of me. The sensations were becoming hard to bear so I was given gas and air, which was more of a distraction than any kind of pain relief. I quickly found myself entering the kind of deep trance like state of labour, the pain and the intensity of each surge washed over me like waves and I felt completely powerless to control it, only to keep calm and submit to the sensations.

At about 11:30pm I was told I could go in the birthing pool. As I climbed into the warm water an immediate sense of relief washed over me. It felt so good to be in the water. J set the room up and I positioned myself to face him, with two midwives behind me. Each surge filled me with an uncontrollable sense of needing to push down, my birthing body just completely took over at this point and I was now deep in a trance like state - able to communicate but only dimly aware of what was going on around me. I had gas and air to help take the edge off, but as I said, it didn't alleviate any of the sensations, it was just something to focus on. Unfortunately, with each urge to push, I was very conscious that I was also pooing in the water, though as I hadn't eaten very much that day I doubted it would have been anything substantial. I felt awful and kept apologising but the midwives just shushed me and rubbed my back soothingly. When you push, it feels like you're pushing out the biggest poo of your life - there's no way you can isolate the pushing sensation to just your birth canal. J was constantly on hand to spray my back with cooling spray everytime I got too hot and keep me hydrated. I

have no idea how I could have done any of it without him by my side. 

At about 1:30am, after a couple of hours in the pool, I felt the baby's head travel down my birth canal. The senior midwife felt inside me and could touch his head. I looked at the clock on the wall and said 'right, this baby is coming out by 2am'. I was beyond exhausted, my body felt like I had been swept along in a tornado, I was so sore and battered. A few surges later, the baby's head started to crown. Forget any of the pain of the surges, which were deep and muscular. This felt like I was being torn in two - literally white hot agony. It was the only time in the whole of my labour that I felt panicked, I was just so unprepared for the intensity of it. Fortunately, the crowning and pushing out of his head didn't take too long and before I knew it, the midwives were spurring me on for the final few pushes. Out came his shoulders then, in a slippery rush, he was out. I turned to find him in the water, but it was murky. A midwife plucked him out of the water and straight onto my bare chest. J and I embraced and shaking, held him close as he took his first few breaths. It was the most amazing yet surreal experience of my life - kissing my baby boy hello for the first time whilst sitting in a drained bathtub filled with blood and entrails! J cut the cord - something we hadn't planned on but felt right at the time. The placenta was quickly and painlessly delivered and our baby was taken off me as I was shakily helped out of the bath. I was given a bed to lay on and wrapped in sheets, blood still seeping between my thighs. Our baby was weighed and when they asked us for a name, we announced Harrison Isaac Gibbs. He was handed back to me for breastfeeding, which I was luckily able to do straight away, though it is a funny sensation. Once fed, Harrison was handed to Jody and I was wheeled into another room for some stitches and post partem care. My legs were still shaky, I guess adrenaline was coursing through me, despite my exhaustion. I brightly announced I'd like to go home as soon as possible. I just wanted to get home and spend time with my perfect little family. And J and I are completely besotted with our little monkey. He is such an adorable, cuddly baby who wants nothing more than to be with his mummy and daddy every minute of the day. And the feeling is entirely mutual. ❤️

Birthing room at Juno Suite

Harrison's first hat

Being weighed...

Harrison and his mummy (that's me!) 

My little family 💕

Due Date

The due day has been and gone and baby is still here, snugly in my tummy. I spent the day relaxing, sorting out more bits in the nursery and I even went for a long walk round Highwoods Country Park. It was lovely to be outside, listening to my birthing playlist, taking photos and drinking in the autumn colours. Who knows, it might be the last chance I get for a while. 

We are both doing well according to the midwife - urine, blood pressure, baby's position and heartbeat - all fine. I had a sweep too and the midwife found my cervix was nice and soft, which is a really good sign. It was uncomfortable, but I put on some music and did my deep breathing and I was able to relax through the procedure. I'm really happy that our baby seems to be doing well and so now I'll just keep my fingers crossed the sweep works and our baby arrives very soon...

Day Before Due Date...

Apparently only 5% of mothers give birth on their due dates. I'm very much hoping that this baby comes very, very soon. The discomfort is almost unbearable now - I weighed my boobs yesterday and each weighed 3lbs - that's 6lbs worth of boob on my chest alone! In addition to the extra weight of the baby, the amniotic fluid and the extra fat I'm carrying, my poor back struggles to support me now. I don't even want to think about how much I weigh now. Even getting out of bed or up the stairs is hard work. How do morbidly obese people manage it?!

I have an appointment with my midwife tomorrow. As always, I hope that the baby is in a good position and seems healthy and strong. It's always such a worry that the midwife is going to say something is wrong. At least at this stage the baby has grown enough to live happily outside the comfort of my womb should I need to be whisked off to hospital and induced. 

I'm really struggling to get my head around giving birth. I know what to expect (to an extent) and I know what's expected of me, but labour is such an uncontrollable process that I just can't imagine what it's going to be like. I've actually got the point now where I welcome every twinge of pain or slight cramp because it makes me wonder whether this is it - the time is now. 

And the great baby race has begun! One of the hypnobirthing mummies from my course had her baby a couple of weeks ago and this weekend saw the arrival of my friends baby 3 weeks early. And to everyone's mind I should be next...the pressure really is on. 

I have no idea how J is feeling. I think he's just bottling his fears and doubts inside so as not to worry me. Thank god he has strength enough for the both of us because I could not have done this without him. It sounds cheesy I know, but he has been my rock through all this. From little things like him stroking my back every night to relieve some of my discomfort, through to the bigger things like his commitment to the hypnobirthing programme and buying so much expensive stuff for me and the baby, he has supported me 100%. I look at myself in the mirror now and I am so changed. I don't recognise the woman in the mirror - the bulging egg shaped tummy, tiger striped with scars and stretch marks, my breasts, so huge and blue veined, the nipples about 4 times bigger and darker  than the little pink rosebuds I remember from before. I look and feel swollen, like a balloon fit to burst. Yet J still tells me he loves me. He stands behind me as I study the imposter in the mirror and brushes my hair away from my neck and kisses me tenderly on my collarbone and whispers that he thinks I'm beautiful and that he loves me. Whatever happens, I am eternally grateful and filled up with love and wonder that he has been with me every step of the way. 

And now, I sit quietly and watch my hospital bag, willing labour to begin, silently praying for our baby to arrive here safely and soon. 

39 Weeks

Still no baby :(

Oh please hurry little man, we just cannot wait to meet you! You already have a beautiful bedroom, a wardrobe full of clothes, toys to play with and books to read. And most importantly you have two parents who love you deeply and are anxiously waiting for the signs that you are on the way. Please, please get here soon, get here safe and be healthy, whole and happy. Are hearts are filled with hope for you.

We love you more than you could possibly imagine, and we haven't even met you yet!

Maternity Leave

And so now I'm on maternity leave. The time has gone by so scarily quickly that I almost feel dizzy. I had my last day at work on Friday and I spent Tuesday and Wednesday last week handing over to my maternity cover, Amy. She is really nice and I know she'll do a great job, but I can't help but feel sad to be passing over the reins to someone else. I'm nervous about my new job too, which I'll have for the rest of my life, of being a mum! It's all felt very final this week and I've been sad to say goodbye to Diane at work. For a leaving present I got a Sophie le Giraffe for the baby, which is like a dogs chew toy but for babies and is apparently one of the best toys out there for newborns. I also got a £65 voucher for Moors health and beauty salon in Colchester that I'm really looking forward to cashing in!

Last weekend I had my baby shower where I was spoilt rotten and got lots of beautiful gifts for the baby. The shower was at Maison Talbooth in Dedham on the 12th October and the 18 of us that came enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea. It was a wonderful, memorable day.

I think it's these photos my mum took which made me realise how big I have become! Not just my pregnant body, but my face and arms seem so swollen. The last few weeks of pregnancy are definitely tough because I feel uncomfortable about 90% of the time. The heartburn is terrible, I wake up every night with disgusting acid reflux that makes me feel so sick. The other night I had so much pain from acid indigestion that I had to wake up J at 2am who had to drive me to Highwoods Tesco to pick up some Rennie. Not surprisingly, he wasn't too happy...

So with just a few weeks to go, I'm now playing the waiting game. I woke up last night to use the bathroom and I was drenched in sweat. I started to panic thinking my waters had broken, but no, I had just got too hot. Then I started to feel some twinge like pains as I stood up - but no, labour had not begun. I now know that every twinge, cramp, ache or pain is going to bring about a flurry of questions in my mind. Am I in labour? Is this it? I also know that I'm going to have to ramp up my hypnobirthing practice as the nearer I get to my due date, the more daunting and scary it all becomes. J and I have been practicing the visualizations and I am amazed by the sense of deep calm I feel as he reads to me, but I need to get his voice recorded so I can hear him read the scripts out loud when he's not here.

My dear Dad also sold my beloved car, Otis, last week for me. I got a very good price for him but I was heartbroken to say goodbye. I had some adventures in that car...

So, to round up, my hospital bag is packed, the baby's clothes have been washed (twice - because I didn't know I had to use non bio detergent the first time), the nursery is painted and we're ready to go. Every minute of every day will just be spent now hoping and praying that our little one arrives safe and sound.

One Month Till Due Date!

I'm currently laying in bed waiting for sleep to come find me. It's been a busy week celebrating two major events: my 29th birthday and one month till our due date! Of course, I understand that due dates are very rarely accurate, but it has given us something to focus on. I'm pleased to say we've finally finished the nursery today! The wall stickers are up and they look absolutely fantastic! 

We've also completed our hypnobirthing course this week and we are both feeling much more prepared and excited (rather than fearful) about our baby's arrival. We've been listening to the CD most nights, practicing the visualizations and breathing techniques and also I've finally finished the book, which was incredibly insightful. My birthing ball turned up this week so I've also been having fun sitting on that and bouncing around to encourage baby into the ideal position. It's so crazy to think that possibly this time next month we'll be holding him in our arms! I'm so excited and just filled up with happiness. 

Uncomfortable

I am happy to report that Baby Boy Gibbs is doing very well. The last few antenatal check ups I've had have been very reassuring. Bubba is a healthy size, growing well and his head is engaging, which is a good sign that he's getting ready to come into the world. My blood pressure is good and I'm healthy, although I spend most of my day now in pain with such bad backache! It starts to hurt earlier and earlier each day, I guess because the weight of my breasts and baby are pulling on my spine continuously. The only respite I get is when either J rubs my back or if I lay down on the bed. Even if J just lightly strokes my skin, it feels so heavenly, I forget the pain in my back.

I haven't been to Aquabump for a few weeks now. The weather has suddenly shifted into autumn and the cold pool, tiny changing cubicles and prospect of driving home with wet hair puts me off. We also attend a Hypnobirthing class on a Thursday night, and being out late two week nights in a row takes it's toll. 

Hypnobirthing is going great. I really like all the relaxation exercises, but we've only got two classes left and I still haven't finished the book or properly practiced the breathing exercises. It's not so much as having the time as remembering to do these things when I have got a spare moment. Everything seems to fill my days up so quickly. I am so glad that J is supporting me with the Hypnobirthing exercises and lessons though. He is great, and it means so much to me to have him learn with me and support me. Like we are a proper team. Last week I was able to relax in the class very easily and got so caught up in the visualization and breathing techniques that I couldn't believe it when the teacher said that 30 minutes had gone by - it felt like 5! That was a real turning point for me and made me realise that Hypnobirthing is going to work for me. 

In other news, we have finally got round to putting up some of the wall stickers in the nursery. They look fantastic! 

J had been putting them up - I'm amazed at how fast he does it and how easy he makes it look! I know I'll ruin the stickers for sure if I attempt to stick them on. There's still a lot left to do, but it's getting there.

The time is going by so quickly these days, I know it will go by in a flash and before I know it our precious little baby will be here. Occasionally I have my moments where I feel panicky and scared of going into labour and birthing him, but most days - days like today, I imagine holding him in my arms for the first time and I'm overcome with love. 

Baby on the Move

The last few weeks have seen our little baby's movement grow increasingly strong and noticeable. I still can't identify hands, feet etc, just lots of big sweeping movements under my skin. It feels weird, slightly alien, but also reassuring and fascinating at the same time. There can be no doubt that there is a little person inside me wriggling around!

I have taken to letting the light fall on my bump and feeling / watching the amazing reaction of our child as he responds to the sunlight through my skin.

http://vimeo.com/74046893

Maternity Shoot

Last Saturday I had a maternity shoot done by Gemma Giorgio Photography. At the time I was 30 weeks pregnant. I've never done anything like that before, seeing as I'm more likely to spend time behind the camera, but I had a really fun time and I'm really happy with the photos. I'm so glad I'll always have these now to remember this magical time.

Me and my bump ❤

This one was one of the first lot of photos we took inside the house. She took so many it was hard to choose, but this was my favourite of me and the bump up close.

We were really lucky with the weather last weekend so we walked to Highwoods Country Park from my house to take the next lot of photos outdoors. This one was taken under a beautiful canopy of trees.

In one of the meadows at the park. I love the colours in this one.

This one was one of the last we took at Highwoods Country Park where I laid down in a big patch of soft grass.

This photo was taken over by the lake and is my favourite from the whole day. I think I look really cheeky and happy as I cradle my lovely bump.

The whole experience was really positive and enjoyable. I quite liked having my photo taken in the end and I will always treasure these photos. 

Dream Baby

After moaning that I hadn't dreamt about our baby for months and months, yesterday I was finally rewarded with a dream about our little guy. The details, as always, are hazy, but I remember kneeling on the floor with my arms outstretched, excitedly urging our baby boy towards me as he hurriedly toddled into my waiting embrace. I then covered him with kisses and cuddles whilst he nuzzled into my neck. It was such a delicious dream and has made me smile all morning :)

I hope that dreams come true x

30 Weeks!

30 weeks pregnant today! Only another 10 weeks (roughly) left until we can hold our little one. The countdown begins...

Third Trimester!

And here we are, in the third trimester already! Wow, that has gone by so quickly!

The last few weeks we have been busy clearing out the spare room ready for it's transformation into a beautiful woodland themed nursery. We have also bought pretty much all the big, expensive stuff and this weekend, J and my Dad finished the path outside our house so our wonky drive can now accommodate a pushchair. The last few weeks have just flown by as we've been frantically trying to get things done on the weekends and in the evenings. The nursery-to-be is still looking like a small elephant has charged around inside, but we have some of my work friend's family coming to collect the big bookcase and two DVD shelves soon that are currently taking up lots of space. Once they've gone, and a few small bits packed and tidied away, we will be able to start decorating the room. You can see my inspiration board for the baby's room here.

As to the big stuff, we now proudly own this:

Quinny Buzz 3 

and this:

Quinny Foldable Carrycot

and this:

Maxi-Cosi Pebble Car Seat

and this:

Maxi Cosi FamilyFix Base

and this:

Mamas and Papas Aruba Natural Changing Unit

and this:

Motorola MPB36 Video Baby Monitor

And we bought all of this stuff in one day, after a manic weekend of price matching and bargain hunting, for the grand total of £780! We actually managed to save over £450 because of the royal baby promotions going on that weekend. Great tip - Mamas & Papas price match products that are in stock online from other websites, and in stock in-store from stores within a 50 mile radius. So, we were ecstatic with our huge saving! 

The path outside the front of our house took a while to do. J has been cutting back the bushes around the slope of our driveway on and off for a few weeks now, getting ready to clear and prepare the space. As you can see from the photos, there was a lot of work involved and a great deal of earth to shift. 

Before:

After:

At night:

I love the solar powered lights, I think it makes our home look very welcoming. And I love, love LOVE having room to actually get out of the car now without being attacked by a bush, the fear of treading on cat poo and the room to manoeuvre out of the car with the door fully open, reducing the risk of me getting whacked by the car door. 

Anyway, enough about material things for now. As you can see, this had been a huge update since I last wrote. The biggest news about our little man is that J has finally been able to feel him kick inside me. This was such a massive, special thing for us to experience together. For weeks now I have been disappointed that J hasn't felt him move, despite his strong kicks. I'm not sure why it bothered me so much, but maybe it's because I wanted us to feel and share in the intimacy of the moment together, and J would normally feel grumpy and despondent when he couldn't feel him kick. It didn't help that our contrary little man stopped kicking as soon as his Dad put his hand on my tummy! But the other night, Peanut started kicking and moving quite hard, just as we settled down to sleep. I moved J's hand onto my tummy just as Peanut gave an almighty kick and wriggle. J was very sleepy but happily confirmed he'd felt him. He kept his hand on me for a while, feeling our little one jiggle around. The next day he sent me a text saying 'Forgot to say as I was sleepy, but I felt our little man kick last night and it was amazing!! Love you both very much xx' I have been riding high on that text, and the special shared moment ever since. 

My bump is stretching out even bigger now and I am enjoying going to Aquabump classes where I can at least keep cool and have fun in the water. It's been so muggy that I am eternally grateful for the air con in our bedroom. It has been a life saver as when I get home from work on hot days, the first thing I do is just strip off, lie on the bed and let the cool air soothe me. 

In just a few weeks the air will turn cooler and the leaves on the trees will start to change colour. I have always loved autumn, not least because my birthday is in October, but this year will be so special, to know that I will get to hold our baby soon. It's 3 months until my due date today, and I just cannot wait to meet our precious little boy. 

Summer Heat

It's been a couple of weeks and here in the UK we've been experiencing a rare heatwave. Whilst the weather is glorious, it does mean I'm suffering somewhat in the heat. I'll be 25 weeks pregnant tomorrow and not only is my bump getting rather large, but combined with the weather and lethargy, it is starting to get quite challenging to get up from the sofa or bed and move around. I've been feeling more breathless again and having to take things slowly. 

Peanut seems well though, he woke me up last night by bouncing rhythmically on my bladder, which meant I had to get up and use the bathroom. And he was still thumping away in there way into the early hours. We have bought a Pre-Natal Listening Device to hear his kicks and heartbeat, but to be honest, it's not massively effective. It just see to pick up the noise from my fingers holding the thing in place! 

We have our antenatal class booked for a whole day on Sat 24th August. I am looking forward to this, although not watching the video of women giving birth (eek!) I know what happens and there'll be plenty of people in the hospital who know what's going on, so I don't see why I need to watch a person coming out of another person! The midwife who is giving our class is meant to be very good though, so I hear from other mums-to-be at my local Aquabump class. I have been to this a couple of times now and love the chance to socialise with our expectant mummies and cool down in the water. 

Baby shopping is well underway now. We have our baby wish list up on Amazon, to which I'm constantly adding things to:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/registry/baby/1QCX5EVPM8GA

This is because I hope to have a baby shower in September / October so will hopefully get a few bits as presents!

My nan bought us this beautiful Moses basket from Mothercare on Friday, which I love. I am also loving the Jools Oliver 'Little Bird' range of clothing and accessories in Mothercare too and have a few bits from the range. At first, shopping for the baby seemed so daunting but now I'm loving it!

In just a few weeks I'll be in my third trimester. I can't believe how quickly it's going - the time is just flying by and we still have so much to sort out! Poor J spent this weekend clearing more bits in the spare room and kitchen so we now have room to add some cant things, but I think I'll feel less panicky once the spare room is gutted and cleared and we can behind painting and assembling all the nursery furniture. It will all seem even more real.

Well, Kate Middleton has just gone into labour and an old friend from school gave birth last week to a little girl. My hormones are so shot to bits I cried both times! I am so excited about being a mummy myself though, that any news of other women giving birth just sets me off. And before long it will be my turn! I cannot wait for me and J to have a little family of our own.