39 weeks pregnant

I am now halfway through my last week of pregnancy, assuming Little Parasite is on time. Since less than 5% of babies are born on their due date, that doesn't really mean much!  Despite having enjoyed the pregnancy (constant nausea throughout and sciatica excluded) I'm definitely looking forward to the end of being a human incubator now.  I haven't had a comfortable night's sleep in weeks, and although I know I won't get a full night once the baby is here, at least I can move about to get comfortable for the few snatches of kip I do get, and not get out of bed 6 times a night to pee!
I've had a few pre-labour signs, so I hope I don't have too much longer to wait.

I had a 35 weeks midwife appointment and everything is still going well.  LP is still in the correct position, heartbeat strong and lots of movement.  The midwife estimated that the baby will be between 6.5 and 7lbs, which I don't think is too bad (ask me again when I have to give birth to that though!), so I hope LP isn't late otherwise it's just going to grow and grow.

In other news, the house move went well and we've been in for about a month now.  We had a lot to do when we moved in, and our stuff remained in boxes for ages (hence the long gap in updating).  I'm now looking forward to a couple of days of peace before the baby arrives - I made sure I knew where my cross stitch gear was at all times!
The dogs have settled in well.  They have moved so many times in the last couple of years that they're old hats at it now.  They were a bit stressed by the plastering and decorating since that's something they've not encountered before, but lots of running in the local field helped diffuse their stress.

I have another midwife appointment tomorrow, so I will give another update shortly.

In the meantime, here are the bump photos, as I know my sister is keen to see them! 

35 weeks

Definitely can't be mistaken for too many

pies now!

 

 

37 weeks

Change in background due to moving

house - we still need to decorate our

room at some point. 

Feeling properly massive now!

 I'm pleased that (so far) the only

stretch mark I have is across an old

belly button piercing scar.

 

 

39 weeks

Very pointy belly button!   

 

Time Little Parasite moved out...

Worm's eye view. This is what happens when you

let your husband loose with the camera!

 The other significant party!  Gareth has been awesome

during the pregnancy, and has put up with a lot

of my needless worry and whinging about nausea.

The pregnant woman's kitchen

The brands may be a little different from household to household, but I reckon you'll find variations of the following in every pregnant woman's kitchen.  For me Gaviscon is becoming synonymous with dessert.

Midwife appointment

I had a midwife appointment today and everything is going well.  I'm measuring spot on for my dates and Little Parasite's heartbeat is still very strong. It's also moved into a head-down position. Of course, knowing how much LP moves, I imagine it's back in breech now.  When the midwife palpitated my stomach to check the position, LP kicked her out of the way!  The midwife commented on how active the baby was (you could see lots of movement without having to place a hand anywhere to feel).  I hope LP isn't overdue, because at this rate I'm going to end up with internal bruising!
Gareth and I have our first antenatal class next week, so that should be interesting.  Although this one's about using car seats, so maybe not that interesting.

Pregnancy yoga is still great, and is really helping my back.  I sometimes do some of the stretches in the toilet cubicles at work when my back is particularly sore!  Mostly, I've enjoyed having a couple of hours each week to totally unwind and relax.
I've stopped running now as it was getting too uncomfortable.  Without an intense workout, I feel really unfit, especially since the heavy load that is my baby makes it feel like I've run a mile when I've only walked up some stairs. All perfectly normal, but I don't like it!

In other news, things are finally moving forward on the house front, although I am reticent about getting excited about an actual completion date - typical inter-solicitor bantering causing delays.

Birthday card

I tried something a little different with this birthday card.  I incorporated a super quick cross stitch tag and attached it to the card with some thread.  I like the overall effect, and I think I'll be making more of these.  Cross stitched cards can take a surprising amount of time, but using this method is a nice way of producing some speedy cards that still have that needlecraft look.

 The photo doesn't show it well, but 

the cross stitch tag has metallic thread

Upright image to try and show the 

tag dangling. Excuse the messy

background - I didn't plan the shots

that well

 I wish I knew how to take better photos of my craft projects.  The blurry, poor detailed shots (even when taken outdoors) I do manage put me off posting them.  If anyone has any tips on photographing crafts I'd be very grateful!  I have a 'point and snap' camera, so I'm a bit limited with regard to manually focusing etc., but there must be something I can do to improve the image quality!

An annual event: The dogs' bath

Well, actually the title isn't quite true since their bath was a year overdue anyway, and they usually get bathed every 6 months.

So, the dogs are the latest victims of pregnancy nesting, and they were subjected to a cleansing.  I decided to bath them before we moved as I didn't want the new house smelling of wet dog.  I also wanted to bath them before I got too big to be comfortable hunkered over the bath for long periods of time.

I managed to convince the dogs to climb onto a stool and jump into the bath themselves so I didn't have to lift them.  I'm surprised they did, although Tangent would've legged it if the bathroom door wasn't closed.

Tangent on the stool I used to get him to get in 

the bath himself.  Although it looks like he's stood

on some gallows 

'I thought you were cool, man'

Misery: Ilustrated

I forgot how tiny Willow is beneath all her fur!

 

Shiny, sparkly dude!

Super glossy Willow

31 weeks pregnant

Single digit countdown! I now have 9 weeks till Little Parasite arrives.  The last few months have flown by at an alarming pace.
My midwife called me last week to let me know I have borderline low iron in my blood.  I've been taking iron tablets since then and my energy levels have been increasing.  I'm glad the tiredness is subsiding as I have so much to do with the house move!
For the last week I've been craving sugar.  I'm not sure that it's an actual pregnancy craving as such, but it's not just a case of fancying a biscuit either.  Gareth did a bit of research and found that craving sugar in the last trimester isn't uncommon.  The baby's brain is rapidly developing over this time, and glucose helps with neuronal growth.  It's as good an excuse as any to indulge in some Cadbury's Fruit and Nut!

My bump grew a lot between weeks 30 and 31, and I have finally had to stop wearing my regular t-shirts (which I have probably ruined through stretching now anyway).  My bump is just starting to feel cumbersome now, and bending down is getting annoying - there is a human in the way.
I've also had to change my driving position since I now get wedged in behind the wheel if I use my usual position.


Things I'm looking forward to in 9 weeks (apart from meeting Little Parasite!):
1.  Drinking coffee - now the smell doesn't make me feel ill, I really miss it!
2.  Exercise properly - I miss crunches!
3.  Cycling - though I doubt I'll be leaping on a bike the day after giving birth...
4.  Sleeping on my front - currently I flip from my side to my back like a landed mackerel
5.  Being able to see my dogs when I train presents:

This is my current view of Tangent when

training presents.

 And my view of Willow.  She tries to keep eye contact

when doing presents, and can't keep seem to resist

trying to peek over my bump at me.

I think my belly shots for the last couple of weeks show a definite growth spurt...

30 weeks pregnant.

31 weeks pregnant...

 31 weeks pregnant.

Where the Hell did that come from!

Peanut butter jelly time!

The best way to clean an empty jar of peanut butter is to give it to a dog with a tongue that shares proportions with a hummingbird.  Plus it affords minutes of fun watching said dog try to remove peanut butter that has stuck to the roof of his mouth.  Who needs a social life? That was rhetorical, so don't be mean.

Peanut butter jelly time!

Anniversary and maternity cards

Below is the anniversary card I made for Gareth a couple of months ago.  I like the design, but unfortunately smudged silver ink all over it.  I really enjoy sewing on cards! I think it adds a nice texture and impact to the overall effect.

A simple design, but I like it!

 This is the 'you're leaving to have a baby' card (I'm guessing they're just called maternity cards) I made for my manager recently.  The cross stitch design looks simple, but it was surprisingly fiddly.  It was stitched on 32 count aida so I was a bit cross-eyed by the end.  It also has metallic thread which is notorious for tangling.

 You can't see it very well, but the gold

embellishment is a baby's bottle embossed 

on gold vellum.

 I'm not sure why my photos of cards keep coming out rubbish.  I think I need to explore my camera settings a bit more.  More examples of poorly photographed cards are below.  The first was a birthday card for my mother-in-law, and the second was for my neice's 3rd birthday.  Not that I'm trying to catch up on craft blogging in one post or anything.

 Another simple card. I think it works

ok, but I feel there is something 

missing.

A very girly card! I can't say I'm a   fan  of the

design,but it seemed perfect for a 3 year old girl.

I messed up the French knots used for the eyes too,

so the bear looks like she's stroking out.

Holiday!

This week was a rarity as both Gareth and I had the week off.  Due to the nature of Gareth's job, we don't often get time off together, so an entire week was brilliant!  It was Gareth's birthday too, and I was so glad that he was able to have the whole week off for it, since he works crazy hours and deserved the break.

 We visited my sister early in the week.  We don't see my sister's family nearly enough, so it was nice catching up with them.  Unfortunately, my brother-in-law was at work, and my nephew and one of my nieces were at school, so we only saw my sister and youngest niece.  I'm glad we were able to see them before LP was born, as I wanted to show off my bump to my sister!  However, LP (who is usually very active) was being boring and wasn't moving about very much, so my sister didn't get to feel the baby move.  I'm hoping we get to meet up again soon when LP isn't in such a contrary mood.  My sister also kindly lent me a lot of baby stuff.  With all the baby things around the house now, reality is definitely sinking in.

Mid-week we took the dogs to Weston-Super-Mare.  It's been about 3 years since we'd been to the beach, and Tangent in particular was very happy about the change of scene.  We were somewhat spoilt when we lived in Aberdeen, as our flat was just a 10 minute walk away from the beach.  Luckily, it was out of season so the dogs had free reign of the whole beach.  We strolled about for a couple of hours and shared a portion of fish and chips.  Gareth went off to explore the peer whilst I played with the dogs along the water edge, and promptly lost the frisbee to the sea as neither dogs were keen on wading beyond their knees to get it.  Wusses. 

 The peer

Gareth looking pensive.  Originally

Tangent was sat by his feet looking 

out to sea too, but he moved out of 

frame when I took the photo   

J'accuse!

 I didn't realise how much I missed 

the beach.  I took it for granted how

close we lived to one in Scotland

 

Willow waiting for the frisbee to be thrown. 

However, by this time said frisbee was slowly being

dragged out to sea

 

Tangent amongst an array of lugworm burrows

 

 

Gareth and I went to the Lido to round off the week.  We opted for a package that included lunch (with a glass of champagne for Gareth), full use of the facilities (outdoor heated pool, sauna and hot tub) and a spa treatment.  I currently can't use saunas and hot tubs as the excess heat isn't good for foetuses - essentially turning your body into a boil-in-the-bag baby unit.  Unfortunately I couldn't use the pool either as I have expanded out of my swimsuit beyond social decency.  It stretches around my bump, but I think people would object to the amount of side-boob action going on.  I wasn't about to pay out for a maternity swimsuit for the sake of one day either (my local pool is an hour away by two buses, so swimming isn't a realistic pregnancy exercise option either).  However, I thoroughly enjoyed a relaxing read by the pool whilst Gareth went for a swim etc.

Our spa treatments were completely opposing, with Gareth opting for a rigorous Hawaiian Lomi lomi, and me a pregnancy massage.  There was a bit of confusion at first as they initially had Gareth signed up for the pregnancy massage!

We also had several lazy days interspersed in our week, so all in all an excellent break!

Should I be worried?

Do I need to worry about Gareth's parenting skills?

I should probably point out this is a doll, if anyone is

flipping through the Yellow Pages for the NSPCC

Leigh Woods - September

We got the dogs out to Leigh Woods for the first time in ages a couple of weeks ago.  Gareth and I have missed going there too, so it was nice getting out beyond the local green to air the dogs.  Between Gareth's ridiculous shifts and my returning pregnancy tiredness, we've struggled to get out and do things lately.  We did manage to go and see Three Men in a Boat which played at the Tobacco Theatre last month and we both enjoyed that.  I read the book many years ago and found it hilarious.  I was intrigued as to how they would work Montmorency into the production!  A plastic dog ornament was the answer.

 Obligatory stand-in-a-tree shot #1

 Obligatory stand-in-a-tree shot #2

Willow looking deliriously happy about being

back in Leigh Woods 

Tangent waiting for us to catch up

What happens when you go too far ahead of the pack?

You get 5 ticks feasting on you. Tan had an awkwardly

positioned tick right below his eye. I removed it intact, 

but it still looked irritated.

28 weeks pregnant

I am now officially in the last trimester.   The second trimester went so fast it's scary!  I'm glad to be in the final 12 weeks. As much as I'm enjoying being pregnant I want to meet Little Parasite!  Although I'm not looking forward the weight gain I hear is common in the last few weeks.
I have a good sized bump now, which I occasionally forget about when trying to squeeze though gaps I clearly no longer fit through. I don't think my brain has caught up with the growth spurt yet!

My 28 week midwife appointment was earlier this week, and I had more blood taken to check iron levels etc.  The baby's heartbeat is very strong and regular (about 140 beats a minute) and the midwife seemed amused by how active he/she was.  Considering how busy Little Parasite generally is, I'm just hoping it doesn't have ADHD!
I need to get the 'flu and whooping cough jabs soon too.  I did try calling today but the line was busy and I didn't want to pay to listen to jazz music whilst I was on hold (I really don't like jazz).

Generally I'm still feeling ok.  Less frequent nausea; some heartburn; tiredness but other wise good.  I feel that I need to do more exercise than I'm currently doing, but I always think that anyway, even when I wasn't pregnant.  Gareth assures me I'm doing enough exercise, but I find it difficult knowing whether I'm being sensible or lazy.

And on to the bump photos...

26 weeks pregnant

Looks like I've swallowed a gym ball 

similarto the one in the background.

Probably mistaken for a giant pea .

28 weeks pregnant

Not a great photo to show off the bump;

it just makes me look fat!

Questions and anthers

Two years ago I got a cutting of a pepper plant from a colleague.  It had been growing idly away and not really doing much else, as plants do.
I had pretty much given up on it actually producing any peppers (it produced many flowers, but these never turned into anything) until a friend from work informed me that the flowers needed to be pollinated.  In hindsight, it was a bit obvious - how else do plants fruit?

So, I spent the next week helping the pepper plant to have sex with itself.  This isn't as kinky as it sounds, and just involved rubbing some pollen onto a cotton bud from one flower and brushing it onto the anthers of another flower.  Less than two weeks later, a small green bud had formed where a dying flower was.

A few weeks later, we were able to harvest our first (and only!) pepper.  We ate it raw with a homemade fish pie and it was amazing!  It makes such a difference growing your own.  The store bought ones taste very watery by comparasion.  We're hoping to get more peppers from it next year, but I think producing its one pepper took a lot out of it as it's going a bit yellow around the leaves.  Hopefully it will recover over the months.

 The tiny but tasty pepper!

A very shiny picture of the pepper's insides.

Monthly update

I've realised it's been a month since my last post. I'm really going to have to either stop apologising for not updating, or just get better at posting regularly.

We have reached a point with the house buying where nothing seems to be happening, but there's a lot going on in the background (i.e. legal searches).  There was a bit of a delay as the vendors hadn't instructed their solicitors for three weeks.  There was a miscommunication between them from what I gather, but thankfully things are progressing.
It's looking more like we will move in early November, so a bit later than we'd have liked but still way before the baby arrives.

Pregnancy-wise everything is going well. I'm still getting bouts of nausea but it's a lot better than the early weeks.  The movements are very strong now, and at times it can be uncomfortable. I don't mind this since it means the baby is active and well.  I'm not saying I wouldn't appreciate it if it would stop bouncing around on my bladder though.  I'm getting to a stage where running is getting uncomfortable, so I think I will have to stop altogether soon - I'm finding it hard weaning off completely!  I feel really unfit at the moment, although I know that's pregnancy-related.  Walking up stairs leaves me feeling like I've sprinted a mile with no warm-up!  I walk for 1hr40mins a day, do yoga once a week and a pregnancy fitness DVD once a week, so I doubt I am actually as unfit as I feel just now.

24 weeks pregnant

As the post title suggests, I've now reached the 24 week mark.  It's quite a nice point to be in, as if Little Parasite decides to make a super early entrance, its survival rate has increased dramatically from the last week. I'd still rather it cooked for a little longer though, so it can avoid any health risks associated with premature babies.  Plus we're really ill-prepared just now.  We're in the process of buying a house, and we're hoping to complete before October, so there seems little point buying any bulky furniture/prams etc. till we've moved.

Overall, I think I'm in the nice stage of pregnancy. I'm not too nauseous (although I'm unimpressed that I am still getting bouts of nausea), I'm more alert than the last trimester (again, unimpressed that I haven't experienced the mega-surge in energy I read about!), and my bump is still small enough not to be cumbersome.
So far, I've also been lucky not to have heart burn or swollen feet.  My main gripe is that the weird after-taste after eating anything has remained with me. At least I can gargle mouthwash to ease that (although sometimes even that leaves an odd taste) and it no longer makes me gag.

I had my first 'bump feeler' this week too.  I was surprised by how little it bothered me.  I'm  not the most tactile of people, so I was really expecting to have a major strop the first time someone touched my bump without asking.  Luckily I knew the person, otherwise they may not have evaded injury so easily.

I have had to buy maternity clothes now.  They are soooo comfortable!  I don't know why they don't make jeans that comfy for non-pregnant people. I may have to move in to them permanently.
It has made me realise just how baggy I must wear my clothes usually though, since I still have a couple of pairs of jeans that are quite loose.

Anyway, on to the bump pictures...

 

21 week belly shot

 

21 week belly shot

Just to show how ridiculous my usual clothes

are looking now. 

24 week belly shot

My bump really seems to have had a 

growth spurt the last couple of weeks.

It went from being 'pregnant or fat?'

to definitely pregnant in about 2 weeks.

20 week scan

I am now 19 weeks pregnant (or 19 weeks and 4 days if I'm being pedantic), and I had my 20 week scan this afternoon.  I drank the obligatory pint of water so my bladder was full - apparently this makes for a better image; better for the soundwaves to bounce off I guess.  The sonographer managed to make the initial assessment (two arms; two legs; heartbeat etc.), but (as with my 12 week scan) after 20 minutes I was asked to empty my bladder so she could try and get the more essential measurements.  Feeling a lot more comfortable (really, I have no idea what it must be like to have a full scan when you're desperate to pee, I feel for those who have to put up with it!), a few more readings were taken.

Little Parasite then decided to do its usual fidgeting, and managed to curl itself into a ball.  After a further 15 minutes of the sonographer unsuccessfully coaxing it into a better position, I was told to go for a walk for 10 minutes to try and encourage the baby into a more co-operative position.
Gareth and I did a few circuits of the floor but after awhile I started to feel like a bit of tit after passing the same people for the 6th time. We were then called back in and Little Parasite had obligingly moved into a better (though not great position).  So, after an hour, we know now that everything is progressing normally, and the due date hasn't changed from 22 December.

 Side profile of Little Parasite

 A really cool shot of the baby's feet from below.

Creepy skull bone shot!  The baby is looking straight

out at you if you're having probles orientating yourself.

My belly (or 'preggy belly' as Gareth likes to refer to it) seems to have expanded noticeably in the last week or so.  It's odd because just two weeks ago I just looked a little pudgy, and now I suddenly have a definite pregnancy paunch going on.  I also noticed today that when I sit up from lying down my belly button protrudes a bit, like it's preparing to pop out like a cork. Gross.

 19 week belly shot

A couple of other cool things have happened in the last couple of weeks too.  Both Gareth and I can now feel Little Parasite move, and we can even see it moving from outside!  This surprised me as I wasn't expecting to actually see movement till further along.  People tell me it's because there's not fat on me to hide it, I just think the baby already has one hell'ova kick owing to the fact it's parents are martial artists and runners!

And finally, just what do you do with the clothes you're outgrowing...?

I was so relieved when I outgrew that shirt!

I can't stand it. I was on the verge of completely

revamping my wardrobe when I found out I was 

pregnant.  That scuppered that plan. 

I just want to apologise for the lack of posts on my other blog. This is partly due to tiredness but mostly due to the fact my graphics pen has still not been unpacked from the move, and as we're planning on moving again I don't want to set it all up just to pack it again.  Plus the desktop PC is surrounded by an inordinate amount of crap that has created an impressive fortress.  I could write more prose instead of cartoons/drawings I guess. In which case I'm just lazy.