It's Christmas!!! 36 weeks....

36 weeks

Christmas is finally here, woo hoo!!! We are spending Christmas Day with Dan's parents and then heading up to mine on 27th. Dan has the whole of Christmas off so we can enjoy and relax together. I hope the baby doesn't arrive now.... can you imagine how Dan would feel if his Xmas lunch was interrupted with contractions.... heehee!

Christmas Eve was Mass followed by Max's, yum! The Christmas Day was such a lovely day, we all got spoilt lots, food was yummy and it was such a lovely day! I am starting to feel the baby growing and becoming uncomfortable (not bad timing with only 4 weeks to go!).

I think I should buy shares in Gaviscon the amount I am drinking! I have learnt to eat slowly and take a couple of spoons of Gaviscon as soon as I feel the heartburn hit! It seems to work. I am just waiting for the baby to 'drop' and then hopefully I will manage better!

Sleeping is still uncomfortable, I have now got a routine of two cushions, one supporting my belly and one supporting my back. Poor Dan has no space in the bed but not long to go now. I wake up in the night with sore hips or sharp pains into my vagina (wee time) and then have to slowly move over to the other side and wait for the baby to move position. It's mad how sometimes I can't even feel the baby inside and my belly is soft and other times the baby is right up against me and I can feel all the limbs and it is so uncomfortable. We haven't seem an actual hand or foot yet but there is definite definition or elbows and things. I tend to have to push them back in as they dig into my ribs and the baby knows to move. It is strange that I can now feel movement of legs etc right round my side, I didn't realise the womb goes all round there but I guess it's got to go somewhere!

We went up to my folks on 27th and had more pressie time, lovely to see Nick, Abi and the boys too! Felix is crazy and has so much energy (adorable though!) however it makes me think I would prefer a little girl, all angelic and quiet. Hmm, I am sure that is never the case! We will be happy with whatever we are given, very exciting!!

Mum's poor chickens got eaten by the nasty fox too (on Boxing Day) although one managed to escape and survive! Very sad not to have the chickens about though :0( Mum will have to get some more.

Dan and I have been relaxing lots over Xmas. Lots of food, chocolate, DVD afternoons. Very relaxing and exactly what I should be doing with only 3 weeks to go. We have been getting to bed quite early too and sleeping through to 9/10am (except for the usual interrupts of toilet breaks through-out the night!). We have still been waking up knackered though so it will be a shock to the system when Dan has to head back to work!

All in all a lovely Christmas and crazy to think that this time next year we will have a little boy or girl crawling about, waiting for Santa to arrive! Cannot wait! ;0)

The week before Christmas.....

35.2 weeks

My second week off work and I must admit I am getting use to it! It is lovely having the time off with the build up to Xmas, getting the house ready with all the decorations, Xmas shopping etc. Shame that the snow fell and it's still very icy but lovely not having to get up and make my way into work!

Frances took a few of us to an outdoor Nativity Show in Guildford. It featured real animals (donkey, sheep, horses etc) and was nice to get into the festive spirit. It would be lovely to take our children there when they are about 5 yrs old as all the kids there loved it.

I had a midwife appointment and all was good. Baby is still head down and blood test results we all fine too. I have starting taking some extra Iron tablets though just to keep my energy levels up.

Dan has been out a lot with work so it will be nice when Xmas comes and we spend some relaxing time together. I love Christmas time, shame I won't be able to drink or eats lots though....

35 weeks - Baby Shower 'Snowed Off!'

35 weeks

I was so excited about my baby shower, Vic had organised it and it was due to take place at my house, afternoon tea, cakes, pressies, mum was coming down and then the snow came..... mum was stuck in Warks, trains were screwed and it would have been just too difficult for people to travel. So annoying! We have rescheduled so hopefully it will happen in the new year (I will keep my legs crossed so the baby doesn't arrive before!).

My hormones have been going crazy the last couple of days. I felt quite weird and not 100% on Saturday night and after I had gone to bed (Dan was out with the boys) I was up all night being sick (4 times) then just being woken up by a horrible acidic gag. It was awful. At first I thought it might be food poisoning but it didn't feel like food poisoning, I was just being sick and had awful heartburn. Dan finally came home at 5am (!!!) and after swigging a lot of Gaviscon and drinking glasses of milk, I finally got some sleep.

Feeling like this, on top of the baby shower being cancelled and Dan being out till 5am, lets just say I was an emotional wreck when I woke up! But.... after lots of cuddles and some non-alcoholic mulled wine and of course some cake I felt a lot better! These pregnancy hormones are a nightmare. Just imagine, 'time of the month hormones' timed by 10 and you are almost there..... I felt miserable and had enough of being pregnant!!! (p.s. I feel a lot better now!)

'Deck the halls with bells & holly.....'

34 weeks

I finally got the Christmas tree up and all the decorations and it looks gorgeous. Dan thinks he is coming home to Santa's Grotto each night but I love it.

It's crazy to think, this time next year we will have a little one running about and probably pulling all my baubles down (how on earth will I come...) ;0)

When Vic and I went to the Christmas Fair last month there was a lady writing on baubles. I got one done and it says, 'Sweet Dreams Bump 2010'. It is hanging on the Christmas tree this year and hopefully for many years to come. The baby's first Christmas decoration!

I love Christmas time although this year I am gutted I won't be able to indulge in wine, champers, smoked salmon, blue cheese, pate and all the other yummy treats around Christmas. Although, knowing me I will have a little of each I think....

This year we are spending Christmas Day with Dan's family then heading up to mine on 27 Dec. We are spreading Christmas right out and Dan is off work the whole time as well so it should be lovely and relaxing.

It will be nice if we have a bit of snow on Christmas Day too but not too much that we can't drive up to Warks though!

We had a lovely Christmas lunch round Vic and Steve's, their flat looks lovely and magical. They are off to New York for Christmas and baby has been told not to show it's little face until Auntie Vic is back! Stay put! A friend of mine, Michele was due 24 Dec and her little one showed up on 2 Dec... it was a bit of a wake up call that the baby can arrive whenever it wants!!! yikes!

Finished Work - 10 December 2010!!!

34 weeks

My time has finally come!!!!! I finished work today, woo hoo!!!!!

It got to the stage (especially when the snow hit last week) that I was really struggling with the commute in. The walk from Victoria to the office was such a struggle (usually takes 20 mins and was now taking me 25-30mins). I was actually getting to the office and feeling like I was about to give birth, the baby was not happy!

I am finishing 6 weeks before D-Day although with Christmas in 2 weeks, I have lots to buy and sort out, then Christmas and New Year and before you know it, it will be 2 weeks until baby day (if it comes on due date that is!). Apparently only 5% of babies come on their due date, so I doubt ours will either! I do keep thinking that I will wake up on 23 Jan and the contractions will begin....

Sleeping is becoming more and more annoying! It did use to be my favourite time of the day, tucking into bed but now, although I can get to sleep easily, I end up walking at least twice a night for the toilet or my hips hurt. I have two pillows in with me, one under the bump and behind my back, they help but when I wake in the night it takes me some time to get up as my hips or pelvis kill like hell! The joys of pregnancy hey! I have another 6 weeks of this!

The baby has moved up, I can regularly feel its kicks right under my boobs which is a weird feeling, quite uncomfortable really but again nice in a way. Apparently the baby will kick less in the next weeks as it has less and less room to move about. We will see....

Work got me two presents, a calender to mark all the babies 'milestones', sucking thumb, smiling etc and they also got me a baby grow with a Star Wars slogan on the front..... very kind of them and I don't want to come across ungrateful but it was a very odd present?!? I would have just preferred Mama and Papa vouchers really. Neither presents were really 'me'! Oh well.....

We had our 'annual' Christmas dinner tonight too. Dan and I organised it in the private room at the Avalon, Clapham. There was about 18 of us and was such good good. We all had to do a secret santa and it had to be something to wear, some were very funny!

Even some celebs showed up... Lady Gaga, Alan Carr, Cheryl Cole, Simon Cowell, Beyonce & good old Boris!

This type of photo could start rumours for poor Cheryl Cole..... this was my secret santa gift to Robin, celebrity face masks!

Lovely pic of the current yummy mummy and soon to be yummy mummy Zoe and Helen (Helen is about 22 weeks pregnant and glowing!).

With not drinking I coped quite well. I was wide awake until about 1.00am and then the tiredness hit and it was time for my bedtime. We had our whole day antenatal class the following day and when I saw Dan knocking back his sambuca and lighting the flame in his mouth I knew it was time to head home. I could imagine a hangover and a birthing class do not mix.... and I was right! Poor hubby ;0)

1st Antenatal Class - 33 weeks

33 weeks

The bump looks quite big in this photo. I don't feel that big... At least it's very neat and all bump!

After the cancellation of the first original time (due to the snow), we finally got to attend a session. We chose a course in Banstead (as it's a nice area) and it was at the teachers house rather than a church hall. It's run through the NCT (private antenatal) the lady running the course, Maria Hamilton is great, she is from Northern Ireland, has two kids (6 and 8 yrs old) and is very laid back, chilled and down to earth.

Dan and I were the second couple to arrive, I walked into the living room first, saw a girl that looked like girl from Ugly Betty, her partner and then another girl who looked 'right up my street!'. As that girl stood I realised she had no bump.... she was a trainee midwife, typical!

There were a total of 5 couples on the course, Ugly Betty lookalike is Alicia and Phillip, who live in Hackbridge, Funmi and Pradeep who are moving to Epsom, Rachel and John who live in Kingswood and Irina and Drew. They all seem like really nice people and it will be good to get to know them along the course.

Dan and I along with Funmi and Pradeep are the only two couples that don't know the sex of the baby. Everyone else is having boys, I think!

The course is really good, a lot of chatting things through and I think it helps that Maria is so down to earth as it makes so much more sense that way! We have learnt about pain relief, massage techniques, the labour (ouch), relationship management and so much more. It is such a good course and I would highly recommend it to other expectant parents. I must admit though... I wasn't that nervous about childbirth before but since discussing it during the course, I am now sh*tting myself!!! It's sure gonna hurt!!!