Stokke!!!

So...we're in Boston right now...wandering around somewhat aimlessly and we stumble upon a maternity store. Inside said maternity store is none other than a Stokke Xplory! WOOOOOOOH! We knew we'd like one for Pie mini, but didn't know where to see one "in the flesh" to have a go and a play. We certainly didn't expect to find one in Boston of all places. Anyhoo, we are now decided on the Xplory. It's such a smooth ride and so much higher than regular push chairs. It's also LOADS slimmer than other ones which is great. So we are now decided that this is the travel system/thing for us and most grateful that Mum has very generously said she'll buy it for us.

I didn't realise how pushing something that big would affect me. When you're walking down the street it's just you, your bag and your personal space in front of you. When I was test driving the Xplory it felt so weird. My personal space was totally massive and it was a bit daunting. I suppose I thought it would be a little like pushing a trolley, but no. Nothing like it. When you're in the supermarket, everyone has a trolley. Not everyone has a huge multicoloured thing with a baby in it. Hmm. We'll see how this progresses. It reminded me of an article I read online a few weeks ago about the first time you go out with your new baby alone. It hadn't even occurred to me that this might be weird. Can't really comment on that yet though.

Midwife appointment at 23 weeks

So I saw another different midwife today. She seems nice and has said that I can stay with her now rather than seeing someone different each time. She was actually pretty shocked that I'd seen different people each time.

I asked her about the possibility of a home birth. She was really excited about it! She said that none of her ladies are having home births at the moment and that she likes them. This really surprised me because everyone I've spoken to and most things I've read on the internet say that midwives aren't a fan of home births. A pleasant surprise then - she even said that it was the best way to get one to one care during the birth! Phew, I'm now relieved. All we need to do now is figure out how to afford a birthing pool. It may have to be born in the bath teehee! Just kidding. I said that to Simon and he nearly died. Hahaha...

We're off to America for 18 days tomorrow. I'm nervous about all the travelling. The trip was planned before we knew about le bump so will see how it goes. I'm sure it'll be fine.

Post Germany

Simon and I went to Germany for a friend's wedding the weekend just gone. I didn't plan the return very well! We got back quite late last night and so I've taken today as extra holiday to catch up on travel sleepiness!

Ute (friend who got married) is also pregnant and expecting at the same time as me. It was really nice to be around someone who is in the same situation as you. I got sooooooooo tired at the wedding party, we didn't get to bed til gone 2. It was great to see her so happy though - and in a dress!!

Pregnant, married school friends!

Some of her wedding guests bought her baby stuff like a push chair/travel system thing. It made me realise that we haven't bought anything for our baby yet. At all. I have a list of essentials and some stuff we're having from my Mum's house (changing table/chest of drawers and a mirror). It was Mum's when she was little and I had it when I was a child and now it's going to belong to Pie mini. Dad's going to get the family crib from Uncle Mike's in the next few months. I'll feel better when we've started to get stuff together. It's creeping up faster than I thought it would; we haven't even decorated the nursery yet! We are agreed on what colours we want, which is a start. The plan is to get on the case when we're back from America - the next hurdle! (Financial and physical).

21 week pregnant bellies!

20 week scan!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! I love scans. I appreciated that bump doesn't really like them, but they're bloody wicked! It sounds incredibly cheesey and everyone says it but it really is true: there aren't words to describe the sensation of seeing the development of your unborn child.

We got 2 pictures (seems to be what they do at the hospital instead of just giving you 1) and this is the best one. It's more clear on the actual image, scanning always seems to lose clarity. It's so much more advanced than it was before - it actually looks like more of a human now! We decided to still not know if it's a boy or a girl so it remains an it until birth. I could tell that Simon really wanted to know, but we stuck by our original decision which I'm pleased about.

Not so keen on the scan lady this time, she kept poking it and got quite irritable with it when it didn't lie how she wanted. I get that she needed to get certain measurements etc, but hey!

Anyhoo, we're both really excited now!

16 week midwife appointment

I didn't know what to expect from my midwife appointments, but now I know the answer is "not much". I see her for all of about 15 minutes, if that and the midwife I saw last time has moved areas so I won't be seeing her again. That's all I'm going to say about that.

I've turned into a recluse. I haven't been out (with the exception of the first 4 weeks when I didn't know and was feeling ok) since I've been pregnant. I just don't want to. I like to be in bed by 10 at the latest and if I do go out I find it less than fun to be surrounded by noisy drunk people who stink of alcohol. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I'd really like to be one of the noisy drunk people! People know you're pregnant, but don't seem to realise the implications of said situation. I guess I was guilty of not understanding either before I know what being pregnant was like. Sentences like "I've got something you can't have" really aren't appreciated.

12 week scan!

Here it is...the moment we've been waiting for, our 12 week scan! All is fine :-)

Baby lies on its back

Baby lies on its side facing away and waves

The sonographer said it was very wiggly LOL! It was constantly on the move and didn't like having it's picture taken, but apparently babies in the womb aren't fond of sonographs. It kept rolling over, like when you roll over in bed and take the duvet with you! She had to keep chasing it around to get the measurements for the Down's test, but baby wasn't playing. Typical, stubborn just like it's mother! If the test result is low risk we'll get a letter in 2 weeks, if high risk they'll phone us in the next 2 weeks.

It was pretty crazy seeing it on the screen.  I knew it was there and that I was pregnant, but now there's proof. We saw it's heart beat and it waved its arm around. I didn't realise how clear the image on the screen is. I've seen other people's scan pictures and they've mostly looked like white blobs, but having seen it on the monitor I can totally see what's what with ours. I guess it really is different when it's your own :-)

It's really amazing that it's now fully formed and the remaining 6 months are for growing and maturing. Incredible! The scan also moved our EDD forward from 30th August to 24th August 2009. That makes me 12 weeks and 3 days today. No wonder I feel so much better! The nausea has all gone and I've got my energy back! I still like going to bed quite early, but that's fine by me. We even went to see a band the other night (Mumford & Sons - excellent. Support from Peggy Sue (also excellent), House of Brothers (shockingly pretentious and awful) and Alessi's Ark (outstanding)). I wasn't tired at all the next day! Wooh! Things are on the up, but apparently it's only for the next 3 months or so then the final trimester is back to super tired. I can understand that though, huge bump and all...

We're both really very excited now; Simon was grinning from ear to ear - even when we got back to the car, but maybe that was because his face was frozen with biting British cold LOL!

Off work...still

I'm still off work! I was feeling much better last night then lo and behold I wake up this morning with massively swollen glands and an incredibly tender neck. What that all about?! I managed to get the doctors appointment that work wanted me to. He checked me over and said everything was fine. I forgot to take my pregnancy notes with me (argh!) so he couldn't write on there that I'd seen him, but I guess it'll be on my regular notes. So everything is fine and it's all normal early pregnancy stuff, feeling shattered to the point of falling asleep at work. He doesn't think I'm anaemic which is good.  In his words "it's all quite normal, you'll just have to struggle on with it as you are and work will have to understand." How do I put that in a way that won't irk them??

To ice the cake as it were, we're having our boiler and radiators changed Monday through Wednesday. It's snowing and -3 degrees Celsius. We haven't any heating, with the exception of small oil heater on loan from Simon's Mum and a panel heater; the house is thus terrifically cold! Simon made his sandwiches in his coat this morning! Bless him.

We wanted to wait until our 12 week scan before we told people, but we were just too excited!! I suppose everyone we see more often than not now knows. Me not drinking is a dead give away, also the fact no one's seen me since our house warming party! I just don't have the energy to go out and be sociable right now. Plus sitting there while everyone else is drinking sucks, for want of a better word. Have you ever wanted to talk to drunk people? They SMELL! Going to the cinema is ok; it's relatively short, I can sit down and don't have to speak to anyone! I'm not into cooking right now either, which is worrying. I don't think I'm eating as well as I should be. God I sound miserable. Actually, I am! Temporarily, I hope.