The Waiting Game

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Good morning from a very quiet kitchen, way too early on a Sunday. 

 

Yes, Christmas is just around the corner and so is the arrival of our little bundle. We are a mere 5 days away from Due Date - and we are to squeeze in festive celebrations within that time also. 

 

So our "waiting game" isn't so much sitting twiddling our thumbs, but it is frustrating all the same!! 

 

This part of pregnancy is tough for those whose virtues don't reach patience (moi). Also for those people who like to be in control of a plan and timescale (also moi). And maybe those people who have anxiety and are fed up with hearing "well this might happen" and "it might be like this" or "everyone's different so you never do know" (definitely 100% moi). 

 

And you know, this tummy full of kicks and punches and I have been having deep & colourful conversations for 9 months now, we're totally friends already - I just need a big fat real true life look at their face cuddle. 

 

Maternity leave is something that nobody really preps you for. They all say - "oh my gosh this is the most wonderful time" and "enjoy the rest" and you leave work on a high thinking YES! This IS the best time and I am sooo gonna enjoy this rest!! Trust me, 2 days of resting and your brain is ready to get back into the real world. Trouble is, your body is loving the rest. So you're stuck with this desire to run around the house nesting, buy all the Christmas presents in one great big shop, strut around the house baking banana bread like you're some sort of example from 'Good Housekeeping' magazine - coupled with a body that just wants to sleep. And I swear, I don't know if it's because your body changes in late pregnancy all of a sudden or just because you stop rushing around at a million miles an hour but suddenly you actually physically cannot bend down to pick stuff up. You suddenly realise that it hurts when you can't get to the sink because your tummy is in the way. And you start getting out of breath and tired way more easily then before. Everybody just goes with "enjoy the rest" and forgets to add on the important "because you won't be able to do much else!" 

 

This took me a while to adjust to. I used to get quite uptight about rest days, feeling like I was being lazy or just not doing very well. I'm totally over that now. Growing an entire human being in your tummy is hard work! Which sometimes during the course of this pregnancy I have been guilty of forgetting - possibly because it's work that you can't see (apart from the rapidly growing bump of course). 

 

It has taken 3 weeks but my brain and body have come to an agreement on alternate busy & lazy days. And there are tons of things that you can still do on lazy days to keep your brain and body satisfied - I have become a little bit addicted to that Words with Friends game and Sudoku puzzles. But hey - it keeps me sane(ish). 

 

And having said all of that, I am still so thankful and happy that our little baby is still safe and well. As long as it stays that way, and as much as I hate waiting, bubba can arrive any time they like in my eyes. 

 

Now, the sun has finally come up and I need a refill of tea. Don't know if I will get a chance to blog again before Christmas - and there is a chance that Baby might be here before my next post!! Until then I shall be working on my patience... 

 

Mx 

 

I hope that you have the most fabulous Christmas filled with love & light and shared with people that make you smile. xx

 

 

 

 

You Spin Me Right Round Baby

Aloha!

I am writing to you, at 3:23pm on a Friday afternoon, sitting in my armchair wearing a pair of boy boxers and eating biscuits.

HELLO MATERNITY LEAVE! 

Actually, as much as I would love this to be the case for most days, it isn't. I solemnly swear that I have got showered and dressed every day this week.*

*Before 4pm anyhow.

Anywayyyyy. Today is a little different because I didn't sleep at all last night. And it's all to to with the position of my little bubba. 

On Wednesday at my midwife appointment she said that although everything is totally fine and healthy - heartbeat strong, good movements and fully engaged (!!) that the little one was just chilling lying on his back. Medically called "Posterior position". 

Apparently I need to try and turn him around so that his back is to my tummy. 

Now, first time mums who are all new to this jargon and worry dramatically about everything will relate to what happened over the next 48 hours. 

I came home got straight on all fours - trying to use gravity to swing my baby round into the optimal position. I asked BNF to call his mum because I needed her exercise ball to do my rotations on to get this baby to move. I broke up with my pregnancy pillow (BIG DEAL) in the hope that changing my sleep position would help. Everytime I felt the baby move I would lean on the closest counter to make space in the bump so that whilst wriggling he could maybe get into the right position. (FYI, not so appropriate on shop counters.) I have done about 70 billion Rolling Cobras. 

And actually. Do you know what I found this morning. I'm tense. I'm stressed up like a fricking clam because all I am thinking about is the position of this baby and worrying about it and in fact this stress and tension is counter productive to the 70 billions Rolling Cobras and everything else because my tummy is so tight that 
 the poor bugger can't move anywhere anyway!

So. New plan. 

We do not worry. And we do not stress. I have always said from the beginning - as long as the baby is not in any distress, then I am not in any distress. 

Yes there are of course things that you can do to help move a baby from Posterior (lying back to your back) to Anterior (lying back to your tummy). But they do not have to be obsessive and at the end of the day if the baby doesn't move, it's still ok. Posterior babies still come out and are perfectly healthy. The labour might just be longer and more painful - but again as long the baby isn't in any distress, then we're all good in the hood. And also, I read somewhere that 87% of posterior babies turn round during labour into the "right" position - it just takes them a little longer to get there. But hey we've waiting 9 months to meet the little pickle, whats a 3 day labour between family?! *reaches desperately for more chocolate biscuits* 
If you're interested in the things you can do to try and turn the baby, my few faves are below along with some links to the best and most helpful (and least scary) websites I've found: 

- Forward Leaning 
When you feel the baby start to move about, lean your upper body over something - like a kitchen counter, to let your bump hang down low. Breathe into your tummy and make some wriggle room. Probably stay there for about 10 minutes or so. 

- Sit Correctly 
No lounging on the sofa. No sitting on an office chair with your legs crossed. No lying back on the sofa with your legs up. You need to have your knees lower than your hips (for long legged people like me, I acknowledge that this is hard, but just try it) and have your pelvis tilted forward instead of backward. Our kitchen chairs sit lower at the back, and I find sitting backwards and sort of straddling them (way classy) is a much more comfortable position. Albeit not so appropriate for hosting dinners. 

- Exercise Ball 
Again, because of my long legs and stupidly small body I find that sitting on the ball my hips aren't higher than my knees, so I have to sit with my legs stretched right out if I want to use it upright. However, I find that kneeling on the floor, with my tummy in front of the ball and my upper body draped over the ball is THE MOST comfortable thing ever. And I can just kneel there rocking myself gently and breathing into my tummy for quite a while. It is particularly helpful if my tummy is tight or if I just don't "feel well". I can even watch the tele doing this. I love it. 

- Rolling Cobra 
Ah. I learnt this in our Lazy Daisy class. And although it took me a while to get to grips with, I now love it. You need to be on all fours, hands under your shoulders and knees behind your hips (apparently this opens your pelvis up further). 
Inhale and arch your back up (like cats pose in yoga), as you exhale push your butt back over your feet, inhale and "roll" your body through close to the floor - chin, boobs and bump, as low as you can get, then exhale and push back up into all fours. 

All of these things can be done every day. But don't worry about doing them all day every day. 

The links to the websites are below: 

Spinning Babies - also really good if you have a breach baby and want to try and turn in order to birth naturally. 

HomeBirth - not just for home births!

Baby Centre - probably my favourite go to pregnancy website actually. And the app is really good too! 

Health Unlocked - they have an NCT community that has some pretty helpful stuff.

At the end of the day, we have absolutely no idea what is going to happen on the 'Big Day'. And the most important thing and the thing I'm looking to most is finally meeting our little bundle of love. Whatever journey we have to take to get there will just be another one of my life stories to share. But one thing if for certain, gettin stressed ain't gonna help one bit. 

Completely off topic, if you still feel stressed - google 'cute baby animals', always works for me :) 

Ciao bellas. 

Mx

To Laugh at Yourself, is to Love Yourself

Apparently. 

I have been way down in the dumps this week. And super lethargic and lacking in any type of 'oomph'. 

I haven't got out of bed. I've slept all day. And when I have managed to roll myself out of bed it's been to eat, or cry in a different position. 

I think it's because on Tuesday I had a tiny bit of a freak out where I hadn't felt Bump kick me for a couple of days. And being a newbie to all this and not sure of correct procedure I went to the doctors. 

Apparently this is wrong. ALWAYS go to the midwife. And if the midwife isn't there. Go to triage. 

Doctors are fab and all - but they are not midwives. And babies are not their remit. 

I found this out in an alarming appointment where my doctor told me that she could neither feel the baby or was sure of what she was feeling for. And then tried to listen for a heartbeat with a doppler probe used on diabetic patients feet (if you have never seen one of these, they look like a pen. Not cool to have shoved in your tummy) which of course meant she couldn't hear a heartbeat.

So off she sent me to the hospital, feeling completely freaked out and scared that if a doctor couldn't feel my baby then where had it gone!? 

However, arriving at triage could not have been more different. I was still on my own at this point because BNF was at work (at this point trying to hitch a lift over to the hospital) and the midwife was calm and reassuring and put me on the bed on a monitor and gave me some ice cold water to drink to try and 'wake the baby up'. This did actually work and I stayed on the monitor and it showed a strong healthy heartbeat and I'd felt something like 7 kicks in 30 mins - which is totally healthy and fine. She also explained that the babies head was super engaged and he was most probably lying on his back which is why I couldn't feel him kicking like I had been used to.

By this point BNF had arrived, given me a big cuddle and then proceeded to play around with everything in the room, including the buttons on the bed - causing me to drop to the floor and swear a lot. Which he found hilarious. Honestly, he might not make it through delivery day. 

So. After all that excitement I went home to bed - at around 7pm. And like I said, I haven't really left the bed since. 

Until today. 

I didn't sleep at all last night, and my hips had been in so much pain. Then I remembered that Mrs Wobbly had brought over an old hot water bottle. 

So I went and filled it up - actually being a little bit too happy considering it's just a hot water bottle - and went back to sleep with it on my hip. Which must have felt amazing and cause me to drift back into a really heavy sleep. 

Because the next thing I know, I've woken up absolutely soaked from the waist down. 

I swear to God. I actually thought I was in labour. 

I have NEVER moved so quickly in my life. 

It must have taken me a good 10 / 15 minutes to come round and realise that the hot water bottle had leaked - and when that clicked I just sat there and laughed. Then realising I was sitting in an empty house laughing to myself, I laughed some more.

I can't explain it but I feel a lot better for that moment of stupidity and light heartedness and I don't feel tired or lethargic - or like I'm in the first stage of labour.

So to recap things I've learnt this week: 

• If you ever have any scares during your labour, always call triage. That's what they are there for and they honestly won't mind if you call them every day (this is what they say anyway) 
• If you are down in the dumps, do something really stupid. Or watch a film that you know makes you laugh. Or any of the things I said in the Baby Blues post below.
• Most importantly, always throw away old hot water bottles if you know they leak, to avoid confusion with amniotic fluid loss...

On recoiling that tale to BNF on the phone just now all I got was "But is the mattress alright?" I'm seriously considering not letting him in the delivery room you know... 

Mx

Baby Blues

I'm not talking about these bad boys:

I'm talking about deep, dark, bottom of the ocean, not gettin outta bed for love nor money, pathetic fallacy, bad case of the reds, Baby Blues.

Being pregnant is tough. 

Hell, some days just 'being' is tough. 

Everyone has bad days. Even the hottest girl who has the best boyfriend the cool city job and all the swanky hand bags. Even your boss who believes they are actually the axis on which the world spins. Everyone. 

But throw constant surges of crazy hormones into the mix, along with all the other fab pregnancy symptoms and you've got a whole different war on your hands. 

First and most importantly, this is NORMAL. It does not make you a bad person, it doesn't mean you're going to be a bad mother.

Some days I feel completely overwhelmed by everything. I feel anxious about how much stuff I don't know about newborns. I worry that all the attention is on me and BNF is feeling left out. I was completely freaking out about fitting a car seat (until this weekend when a really nice young man in Halfords showed us that it's really not that hard). I feel like I can't cope and I can't do it. And then I go through the subsequent feelings of guilt because I love my unborn baby so much and I can't wait for it to get here and have a real squish. But hey, this is all new territory and if you went into it bold as brass thinking you were going to be amazing at everything a) you are probably a super arrogant idiot and b) you're setting yourself up for a hell of a fall. 

Pregnancy - and impending parenthood is a learn on the job role. You can be as prepped as you want and there will be something that comes up to bite you in the butt. I guarantee it.

But with this whole new war, you need a whole different battle plan.

Take every day as it comes. If you're having a bad day and you just can't shake it off - let it be. Sleep the day away. Wallow in self pity. Eat chocolate cookies and ice lollies until you're full. And then know that tomorrow is a new day and we'll try again. 

Write everything down. Even the real crap stuff. Because when it's stopped being crap - it might actually be funny. Even if it's not until you're telling your friends when they get pregnant, or when your kids grow up and they ask you what it was like, or you're just sitting round with your friends or partner laughing about - oh do you remember that time I had a complete mental breakdown in Sainsburys and refused to get out the car - wasn't that HILARIOUS. Trust me, just write it all down.

Call your friends. Especially if you're not only refusing to get out the car, but you're actually the only one in the car. Because you need someone to talk your ass outta that situation. And they will make you laugh at yourself. Or they might tell you something crappy that happened to them and you can just indulge yourselves in your mutual crap. Just call them.

Call your mum. Because she's been there. Maybe once or twice. And she'll tell you that yeah of course she had breakdowns and it's fiiiiiiiine because you'll still be having them in 20 years time. It might make you feel better anyway. 

Keep yourself occupied. Choose the decor for the nursery. Do the grocery shopping. Paint your nails. Have a bath. Organise the airing cupboard. Bake a cake. Do whatever you gotta do. 

And take time to remember all the good things. And how exciting it all really is. And I know it's hard - but remember how lucky you are and how many people there are in the world who would love to have a little baby bump to keep them up at night. At this stage with 54 days to go (!!) I'm just keeping my eyes on the prize and thinking about how much I can't wait to find out if it's a boy of a girl (I'm still convinced it's a boy) and have that first proper cuddle instead of just constant high fives from the inside of my tummy. 

I saw this thing on instagram the other day called the A-Z of Gratitude. Super American, but I really liked the idea of it. They take a letter of the alphabet every day and write something that they are thankful for. I also like that starting this on Nov 1st will not only take my up to Thanksgiving, but up to my last day at work. So I'm gonna be doing this as one of my 'keep me occupied' activities for the next 4 weeks. 

For now though, I'm going to cuddle into my pregnancy pillow and enjoy another broken nights sleep :) 

Big Kisses. 

Mx

PS. I have gotta give total snaps to my friend Kitty for her tips on how to cope with bad days. I might sound like I know what I'm talking about but really she keeps me on track. And without her, I'd still be in the car in Sainsburys car park.

12 Weeks To Go!

Aloha! 

I have internet at home now - but no facility to post blogs. So we're still kinda working on that. But I'm back at Mrs Wobblys using her internet AND laptop again - and plus she has a big squishy armchair for me to sit in. And she feeds me. And there's cats to cuddle. So, we're not working on it too fast. 

When I first got pregnant, I saw all of these pictures like:

'First Trimester: Sleep all the time, feel like crap. Second Trimester: Feel amazing!! Pregnancy is so great!! Third Trimester: Get. This. Baby. Out. Of. Me.'

Now I was quite lucky (in a way) that I didn't find out I was pregnancy until I was almost in my second tri, and I didn't have any sickness - just nausea and feeling sleeping alllllllll the time. And then I had the bestest second tri ever! I felt so amazing, I actually felt 'blooming', I felt full of energy, my hair got thick and glossy, my skin got all clear and lovely - all in all, I felt really good and I was so in love with my pregnancy. 

And I just thought - oh my god how could anyone ever not love this?! This is the best! 

Now. I am only just into my third tri. And don't get me wrong - I'm still so in love with being pregnant. And I'm so happy and I still feel very blessed and excited. But oh my goodness. 

Let me just show you this picture:- 

Ok ok. This may be a slight exaggeration. But honestly - OUCH!! My hips hurt whichever side I lie on, so I have to turn over nearly as many times as I have to pee in a night. And believe you me - turning over when you have a big ole bump is no easy feat in itself. 

My feet are like water balloons. I didn't even know they could get that big!!! And the skin goes all tight and feels sore. So you have to sleep with them on three pillows just to make them go back to normal. So now, not only does BNF share the bed with me and my pregnancy pillow, he also has to have 3 pillows at the end of my side of the bed which if he moves at all with his feet - I cry. The poor boy. 

I can't walk up the stairs at work so fast anymore and not without getting out of breath. I have to stop and let people go past me who are in a hurry. I apologised to one of my Directors this week and explained that I was an overweight tortoise. He laughed kindly. But it's true I'm telling you. But I refuse to take the lift.  While I can still walk - albeit at the rate of an 80 year old - I am walking.

I never even realised that I had a tailbone before. Never occurred to me or bothered me at all. And now it hurts. All. The. Time. 

I have a beautiful Michael Kors watch that I can't wear anymore. Because my wrists are too swollen. Mrs Wobbly called me 'Fatty Arm Buckle'. I'm gonna make my baby poop on her. 

Shaving my legs. Wowzers. This has taken on all sorts of new yoga-spheric connotations. In fact anything that used to involve standing on one leg. Putting on pants - have to sit down. Putting on shoes - have to sit down. Painting toe nails?! Don't even... Let the little Chinese man do it. Or if you think the skills are there get the other half to have a go. I'm not sure BNF deserves that pressure. 

As for the bikini line. I actually can't see it. The bump is totally out now. In fact - I can't even see my toes standing up!! So that has kind of turned into some sort of really warped guessing game / memory test. I actually found a picture that really made me laugh the other day...

They are not even lying. 

And now I only have about 4 things in my wardrobe that fit. Or rather, that fit and looks socially acceptable. 

And all of a sudden I'm like I have 12 weeks (in theory) until this little bundle of cute kicks is born and I haven't painted the the nursery or got all the furniture ready and I haven't brought a car seat and how my god do you even know how many types of those things there are?! And I haven't even got a clue about baby monitors like you need a degree to figure out all the different types and I need to pack WHAT in my hospital bag?! And then I have a rare blood type so I had to go get jabbed which hurt - alot - and then heart burn - oh my GOD heart burn is hurts so much!! And reflux?! What even is that?! I wasn't sick at all in the beginning why do I have to have reflux now!? 

Yeah. Brain breakdowns. I also have those. And they come thick and fast. And then I just cry for no reason. And in the space of about seven minutes I go to complete psycho killer mode. 

So. In brief. If you are quite early on in your pregnancy and you are having a ball - a) well done, and congrats and b) do NOT mock the people who are in their third tri or have been through it already. They DO know what they're talking about. And you WILL go through it. And the ladies who have come out the other side, WILL laugh at you. (NB. this will be me) 

I am enjoying my pregnancy. I just can't wait for this little guy (or girl) to get out here and give me a big ole squish. But until he's (or she's) completely cooked and ready I will happily cuddle BNF in the time being. 

I leave you with another picture that made me laugh a lot...

That will be me tomorrow morning. 

Ciao bellas! 

Mx

Good Housekeeping

This is not what our little house looks like. 

Although, we are in a maisonette and we have 2 flights of stairs to climb, so sometimes - it does feel like it looks like this. 

But we LOVE it. And now all the furniture is in and we have lavish finishings (curtains from the discount table in Dunelm Mill - seriously like nobody even told me how expensive curtains were?! What even is that - everyone needs them?! They're just material that hangs at the window?! Craziness. Pure lunacy.) and we have food and pretty candles it all looks quite homely and lovely you know.

And I must admit that even though I thought I would hate the PlayStation coming in; I actually kinda love it. 

We don't do this. 

Mostly because he hasn't brought any girl friendly games. They're all football or zombies or such. He attempted {painfully} to teach me how to play FIFA. Which resulted in his goalkeeper coming all the way out to score a goal while I was just sort of pirouetting on the spot. So I've decided I don't like that game. Oh and GTA. I don't understand that either. Just keep crashing into trees and the like.

BUT anyway enough of my skills or lack thereof. I do love the console because living with a boy is kinda overwhelming sometimes. Especially for someone who enjoys their own company like me. If the PlayStation comes on, he will sit - ENTIRELY content, quiet (NB. Unless this involves FIFA where there will be some shouting), completely still for HOURS. And you can do anything. Paint your nails. Try a new recipe that requires concentration. Have a bath. Sleep. Oh my goodness it's just lovely.  

We've only had one moment close to breakdown. With sleeping on a new mattress and just the sheer energy consumption of the move my hips and my back have been so painful and I hadn't been sleeping well AT ALL. Then one morning I think I must have been close to tears and had a mental breakdown because BNF had done something ridiculous like put his towel on the wrong hook and he said - Shall we go and get your pregnancy pillow from mums later? And I honestly have never loved him so much in my whole life. And I made him promise to not make one tiny comment about how much space it takes up in the bed (which he has kept to, kindly) and that night I slept and I didn't get stuck on my back and and I didn't cry and there was peace in the world. And he is my favourite most wonderful boy on the planet. 

I'm actually quite happy at how much we're enjoying living together. And it will be really nice to have some time in our own space before Bubba comes along and we are sharing that space with the little wriggler! 

I'm not happy about the lack of wifi at the moment - I actually think I might have had a dependency problem that I wasn't entirely aware of. But it is booked in with the engineer for a week and a halves time. And until then I have the fabulous Mrs Wobbly to gate crash and BNFs mums house and raid their wifi (and if we're lucky they even feed us too!) God Bless those mothers. 

I'm not sure when I will have internet again to blog and I'm not sure if I even remember what it was I wanted to blog about (I did write it down somewhere) but I will be back soon! 

Mx

Let There Be Sleep

This picture, sums up my entire being so much better than I could ever do with words!

Actually - I am in the mood for people, and I'm very happy actually, but sleep - oh my goodness sleep - I am soooo in the mood for that!!

We picked up the keys to our little home on Sunday and somehow, without even knowing it, Thursday is here and the week is kicking my butt.

However, I do have tomorrow off work and we are going to spend the entire weekend setting up house and making everything pretty so hopefully by the end of this weekend things will be slightly calmer *she says with a hint of naievity and a dash of desperation*

So I might go M.I.A for a while but I have tons of stuff in my brain that needs bloggifying so I'll be back next week!

Mx

Hips Don't Lie

But they do hurt. 

ALOT. 

Shakira, bringing the pregnancy glam.

This particular Pregnancy Pro has only just hit this weekend. And it's hit me hard. I was lying on the bed, pinning away quite merrily (trying to find neutral decor ideas for sharing a bedroom with a boy, it's actually way hard to make things look pretty AND masculine!?) and when I went to get up... I couldn't. The very bottom of my back was just locked. It hurt to try and roll over. It hurt to try and sit up. And then it hurt just to lie there. I felt like a little beached whale. And everyone else was asleep, so I was an abandoned, helpless beached whale. 

Ok I may have over dramatised that slightly. 

But only the abandoned, helpless, endangered mammal part. 

The pain was totally dramatic. 

And then in the morning I woke up and it felt like I had a dead hip. So I turned over (because this particular morning I was DETERMINED to have a lie in. And within 5 minutes the other hip felt dead. So, completely disregarding the beached whale situ 12 hours earlier - I tried laying on my back. Bump too heavy. Back ache. So I kinda just kept turning myself over until eventually I got up. 

But the hips still really hurt for a couple of hours. So I checked in with NHS online to see whether this is cosha (Being a completely naive first time mum I often have to check NHS or BabyCentre for reassurance that I'm not dying** - this is fine, and they usually placate me and I go happily back to my everyday potterings. However, I will say DO NOT go on to forums for reassurance. Because although they can be very helpful places to find people who may well be going through similiar symptoms, they can also be places full of complete scaremongery and ladies who may unfortunately be having some really rare difficulties - which you should not read because a) you will be scared of everything and b) you will just worry that every little symptom is the end of the world and who really had time for that?!) **This overly dramatic thing is a new phase I'm going through right now. I'm sure it'll totally pass. 

Anyway - NHS said yeahhhh it's completely normal and to ease hip pain it's helpful to lie on your side. 

Lie on your side. 

You know, where your really painful hips are. 

THANKSSSSSS!

And actually as it turns out, it made me realise that 'Lie on your side' is pretty much the ONLY 'remedy' for anything achey that you get given. 

My back aches. 
Lie on your side. 
(The bump is too heavy and squishes your organs) 

My chest is tight and I can't breath easy. 
Lie on your side. 
(Apparently there's some vein or something that the bump squishes lying on your back) 

I feel light headed and a bit dizzy. 
Lie on your side. 
(Big vein thingy again) 

I'm having trouble sleeping. 
Like on your side. 
(Actually, I'm lucky enough to have a big pregnancy pillow and this does really work & make lying on your side pretty bearable. BNF brought it for me and I think he got it for a good price on Amazon. But apparently you can put normal pillows around you and between your legs and it helps too?)

My hips still hurt. But I'm coming round to accepting this as a given. Although I will say - kneeling on all fours for 5 minutes gives momentary relief. And I have read a couple of times that swimming, or just being in a pool is supposed to really help with aches and pains as it takes the weight off. So I'm going to give that a go too once we're all moved in.

Until then I shall do my best to channel Shakira glam... *snuggles on sofa and stuffs another fig roll in face*

Mx

Summer Is Ending...

Well actually, knowing this country it'll probably be back at the end of September! 

But for now I'm getting ridiculously excited about Autumn! 

I love, double love, super love Autumn! Always have done. I also get ridiculously excited about Winter and all things Christmas (and this year - baby!) so take this as a gentle break-in for the crazed hype that will ensue towards the end of the year!

A few of the things I'm super excited about right now are... 

- Drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows 

- Movie night date nights 

- Pumpkin carving & Halloween 

- Firework night 

- Cinnamon EVERYTHING

 
- Gingerbread peoples

- Going for cool walks with crispy leaves 

- Conkers 

 
- Starbucks dates 

- Curling up under a blanket 

- Big knitted jumpers. And scarves. And socks. 

- Lots of cuddling 

 

- Hosting my very first Thanksgiving (I am aware that this is not custom in the UK, but there's such a long time between firework night and Christmas that I need a stopgap celebration, and I like the sentiment and story behind Thanksgiving, so I'm making it a new Malibu Tradition!) 

So I am TOTALLY fine with the rainy grey days that have taken over this last week and the cooler weather (I have always been like this, but it is also true that the hot weather does not mix so well with pregnancy... and kinda leaves me feeling like a walrus abandoned in the desert. So not glam.) 

Plus I kinda like the idea of being able to start again. I love Summer just as much as the next girl, but this years has been a bit of a roller-coaster. We are hopefully *crosses everything and does a lucky dance* getting the keys to our little flat on Sunday, the last day of August. So for me, I personally cannot wait to start the new chapter, during my favourite time of year!
 

Bring on the new season! 

Mx

Malibu's Lazy Rainy Day Chili

Horrid day full of rain, feeling a bit rubbish, Lulu & BNF at work all day... Everyone needed some love today! 

So I made this chili with jacket potatoes (which we ate way too quickly to take any photos) and everyone was happy for at least half an hour! 

This is a super easy, no fuss, idiot proof recipe that will give you a bit of comfort on 'one of those days'.

Ingredients: 
1 large red onion 
1 teaspoon Lazy garlic 
Shake of Paprika
Shake of Cumin 
1 teaspoon of lazy red chilies
Approx 600g lean mince 
300ml Beef stock (oxo cube) 
1 Carton of chopped tomatoes 
2 Big squeezes of tomato puree 
1 Can of red kidney beans 
Salt & Pepper 
Lea & Perrins

Served 4 with a little left over

Method: 
- Chop the onion and fry off on a medium heat with the garlic, chilies, paprika & cumin for about 10 minutes (until the onions look all clear and are a bit smushy) 

- Add the mince, a little at a time, and fry off until all brown (keep prodding it with the wooden spoon to break it down until it looks normal) 

- Make up the beef stock with boiling water, add to the saucepan. Add the carton of tomatoes. Stir in well and let simmer on a low heat. Add in the tomato puree, salt & pepper and Lea & Perrins (this is to taste, I like to splash quite a lot in). 

- Bring all to the boil & stir well. Then lower the heat and cover with a lid whilst gently bubbling, and leave for 20 minutes (do check on it though, and give it a stir) 

- Then add the beans. And if you feel like you're in the mood, another big splash of Lea & Perrins (I was in this mood today) Stir well, re-cover with the lid and leave for another 20 minutes until the liquid is as absorbed as you like it. 

- Then remove from the heat and serve! We topped jacket potatoes with the chili then added grated cheese, because we just wanted fuss free cold weather feel good food. But you can add guacamole or sour cream - whatever you fancy! 

Mx

Sweatpants Are All That Fit Me Right Now!

Bonjourno!

Ah Regina George & The Plastics... how do we love thee... (I actually think that part of the reason I was a baby boy so much is so that I can decorate him with candy canes and call him Glen Coco - how cute?!)

Anyway!! With the whole 'blossoming' and 'blooming' thing it kinda feels like 'ballooning'... and it kinda happens overnight.

All these clever ladies on Pinterest showed me this fab idea of 'stretching' my skinny fit levi's by looping a band through the button hole - I literally thought this was the most clever thing ever.

So I merrily went along to a cinema date with KC with the jeans held together with this band feeling all smug - thinking I was rocking this whole pregnancy in my skinny jeans thing.

Holy crap. I have never, EVER felt so uncomfortable in my life. Firstly there's the whole issue of there not actually being any support to hold your jeans up - so the constant and rather unflattering issue of having to pull your jeans up every five minutes.

Then there's the band itself, just sitting there making a deep indent into your poor little bump - that lets face it, hasn't really done anything to deserve that.

And I dont care how how Marky Mark is (I do actually, very much so) but sitting through nearly 3 hours of this elastane induced hell kinda takes the edge off Optimus Prime doing his thing. But not Mark. In fact, lets just take a moment to appreciate that sweet man. 

Seriously. He just gets better with age, no?

Got time for a bit of a throwback? Oh goodness me. 

Anyway - let's get back to the point. Go and buy some maternity jeans. Seriously. They are the BEST invention in the world ever. And they don't even have to be expensive - I brought mine in H&M for £19 a pair and I got a dark denim smart looking pair and a light-wash denim for more of a casual look. I cannot tell you how comfortable these are and how happy they have made me!! (Look, I've given up all alcohol and bad things until the bubba is here, just indulge me with what brings me happiness now, ok? Thanks)

Also. Upper Body Reinforcement.

I am a girly girl. And I love all things frilly and with bows and all those wonderful things.

But right now?

I love my Soft & Comfys from Asda. Seriously; They were inexpensive, they have super thick straps and they resemble a sports bra with no seams and made of the softest cotton you have ever felt.

They're like chest shaped marshmallows. They're just heavenly.

Because my pre-preggers bras have somehow shrunk into some scrap of cover you might find in the costume box of a dubious movie. And they hurt. And quite frankly, we're just not friends right now.

Granted, I am quite lucky that my wardrobe was already full of floaty, transition friendly pieces but I guarantee you that during my bloat-to-bump days these are the two biggest things that have brought me joy in the preggo wardrobe department. But it doesn't matter what it is that you go and buy - what I really need you to know is that you HAVE to be comfortable. With all the hormones that are flying around anyway, you do not need to be getting upset because your clothes don't fit.

Leave the skinny jeans in the draw. Dump the old favourite bra. These things will fit you again (I'm actually not sure about the bra - come back to me in a year and I'll let you know!) but regardless - what's important right now is that you are comfortable and your bump is supported. And that you are happy to enjoy this wonderful time :)

For goodwill I shall leave you with just ooooone more pic of Marky Mark, because it is Bank Holiday after all :)

Big kisses.

Mx

Ooh Baby Baby!

Aloha bunnies! 

Soooo yes BigNoseFrank & I are expecting a tiny little bubba! So again, I apologise for disapearing off the face of the planet again but there has been a slight roller coaster of crazy going on! 

Bubba is due on Boxing Day :) and we have no idea of the sex officially although I'm pretty convinced that it's a boy! I can't tell you why - and I'll probably be wrong haha! But I just feel like it's a boy. 

Now, being pregnant is THE bestest feeling in the world. BUT, when you are not married, still living at home with your parents and your boyfriend (however wonderful he may be) is 4 years younger than you... a positive pregnancy test might just come as a bit of a shock to you. 

However - I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason; even when that reason is seemingly non aparent! "Unknown to you, the Universe is unfolding as it should." <-- This is the vibe I'm going with right now anywho. 

But since June, having ridden the roller coaster and survived the shock and cemented our relationship - we're actually over the moon and so blessed to be expecting and very excited to start the next Chapter of our little adventure :) 

However as a girl who is the first of my school friends to have a baby I have some things that I need to share with you other ladies who are expecting / hoping to have a little one soon that they just don't tell you... 

- Everyone over the age of 38 will say 'Oh well done!!' to you on learning that you are carrying a baby. Like you've passed some sort of fertility test of life. Just smile and wave. It's an oldy thing. 

- For the first 12 - 15 weeks you will just sleep. And eat. (And maybe be sick, I *touch wood* have had no sickness - but I don't wanna sell ya up the river on that one) I actually didn't find out I was pregnant until I was 9 weeks. But looking back, there was a Saturday where I REFUSED to get out of bed, and only did so at 2:30pm on the precis that BNF would take me to McDonalds and get me chicken nuggets. HOW we didn't guess it I will never know. 

- You will only feel comfortable in your old bare thread flip flops. Your swollen feet will fit in your beautiful closed wedges for about 2 hours and then will bust outta them bad boys like elephant feet. 

- When people learn you are pregnant, any sign of emotion you show is just "hormones". It does not matter that they have behaved like complete butt munches and were super horrid, you're "just hormonal". {NB. This may actually be true, but your hormones will make you feel sensitive to it anyway} Also - your new found hormonal surges will enable you to go through a range of On Top Of The World Happy As Larry - to - Bottom Of The Ocean Darker Than Dark - to - Psycho Bitch From Hell - to - Super Insecure Needy Emotional Wreck in the amount of time Mariah Carey can go through 5 octaves. And just as impressively.

- If you're like me, your bump won't show until about 20 weeks. You will go through this wierd chubby tummy phase and you will still be able to get away with your pre-pregnancy clothes for a while and then all of a sudden, seemingly overnight, you will not fit any of your clothes and your bump will be like a little football on your tummy. BUY maternity clothes. Even before you need them. Because you WILL need them. And when you wake up and none of your clothes fit and you have 20 minutes to leave the house - you will have wished you had maternity pants. Just Sayin. 

- Boobs. Oh my goodness. They will HURT. And they will just not fit in your bra anymore. And underwire? Oh my gosh... Underwire is like the infrastructure of hell right now. But actually, going back on what I just said (hormones, soz) you might not wanna run out and buy a maternity bra right away. Not just because those things are expensive, but also because these babies are just gonna get bigger so you might as well wait until you REALLY can't live without one. I am in love with a) a 'soft and comfy' bra that is made of super soft cotton and has no seems and b) a strapless bikini top that is 3 sizes bigger than my usual dress size. Hey, when you want comfort you will. not. care.

- Do you sleep on your back? I used to. However I started to get real bad pains in my kidney area and I was having trouble breathing. So I went to my midwife who was like ooooh yeahhhh you can't sleep on your back really because the weight of your bubba is crushing your organs and there's this super important vein thing that it leans on which restricts the blood flow which is probably why your chest feels tight. Wicked. Thanks mid wifey. So after a couple of weeks trying so hard to learn to sleep on my side, BNF brought me a pregnancy pillow. O.M.G. it is THE best present he has ever brought me. Some people will tell you it's not worth the money, don't listen to those people you can find loads of them on Amazon and they are WONDERFUL. 

- Memory loss. Like, for real. Sometime I start a sentence and then just, completely forget what I was going to say. I go to town and forget what I went for. Even right now I'm struggling to remember what else I was going to put on this list. And then you will forget words. And either make up new ones in their place or just use completely incorrect ones. I told my mum that the nurse inspected my mole with a telegraph... It's cool. Mums have been there they understand. But people at work? They might just think you're crazy.  

And as I said, I cannot remember anymore this evening. So I shall retire. But if I remember what else I was going to say - I'll get back to you! 

Here's a pic of bubba blowing bubbles for ya. 

Big kisses. 

Mx

Driving Miss Daisy

Aloha Beautifuls! 

Ok so confession, I didn't make any goodies for our dinner date. In fact, we didn't even make dinner - take out Wagamammas won that battle and I had absolutely no qualms about it! I'll save those individual Slutty Brownies for another day.

This week I've mostly been obsessing over Wimbledon. I have Djokovic, Nadal & Tsonga (mostly based on aesthetic values rather than any sporting talent) and the boy has Murray, Federer and Serena Williams. If any of mine win the final then he has to buy me dinner and vice versa - unless one of my boys wins the gents final and Serena wins the ladies; then I guess we go half?! I'm not sure. But I love love love Wimbledon so much. Much more than this silly World Cup business. 

Another theme of this week has been cars & coffee... 

There are 3 different situations that I feel I need to address from this week. 

1. Travel Cups. 
I simply LOVE travel cups. I have a Starbucks Red Cup for Christmas time, I have a Starbucks customised gold sparkly cup, I have a bright pink mini cup and we all have a stead fast trusty Thermos somewhere in the house. So long story short Mum brought me home a new travel cup from her company. I made coffee in it, merrily went along my way to work and BOOM! Spilled hot coffee all down my beautiful emerald silk top before I'd even made it to the office. 
Moral: Embrace your inner sensible old lady and test travel cups to see if they leak BEFORE you take them in the car and ruin your outfit for the day. 

2. Aggressive Drivers. 
We have all experienced them. I don't wanna stereotype but a large proportion of them drive some form of white van. Anyway this particular white van was super angry that I didn't let him out of a junction so he threw a whole heap of aggressive gestures to me through my rear screen. So much so that I got a little scared so I decided to turn off the main road into a lane, thinking that he would just continue his merry way and I would go back to the main road and continue of MY merry way. But instead, he followed me, continuing to throw even more scary aggressive signals at me and me not having a clue where this windy narrow - not very public - lane was taking me. Cue complete hormonal floods of tears and the obvious assumption that I was going to be murdered that morning. 
Moral: If you feel threatened, drive to a safe PUBLIC place. The same if you are being followed by an unmarked police car - do not stop, especially in a secluded place. Drive to a petrol station, or a police station or anywhere you know where your dad is. 
NB. He turned off eventually and I made it back to the main road, having not been murdered. 

3. Take Out Coffee. 
Board meeting. 6 Directors. 2 Group Execs. This calls for me, as a secretary, to take my directors coffee and go get take out. 8 cups of coffee. 1 E Class AMG. 1 roundabout. Omg coffee all over the car. I actually think I screamed out loud. This not only means that there is coffee all over the car, it also means that some of the Directors only had half a cup of coffee. It was a dark dark day. 
Moral: ALWAYS take back up secretarial support to monitor the coffee. Also, wet towels are way more effective for cleaning up coffee before using dry ones. I think it's something to do with extracting the liquid and not just pushing a stain in to the carpet - I don't know exactly how it works but it does.
NB. I think I managed to clean the car, but if it still smells I'm going to have it valeted tomorrow. I also topped up some of the coffee with hot water from the kettle when I eventually made it back to the office granny driving. Which I'm sure tasted rank, but they drank it anyway. 

So I'm done for learning lessons for the week - I realllly hope. Now, I'm off to catch up on Wimbledon and watch some rubbish tele. 

Mx 



Photos: I liked them on Pinterest. The pin up is from Nadine Hunters Pin Up / Rockabilly board and the bug is from Karlijn Jonkers Quotes board.