Small bump unknown...

Dear Pregnant Me,

People will tell you to make the most of your sleep, you will laugh along with them and smile knowingly as if you know how bad it is going to be. You don't. And you didn't take their advice. Or maybe sleeping when you're the size of a whale and it feels like a pack of ferrets was let loose in your belly wasn't as easy as they thought. (Or remembered.)

You know the nursery that you have spent hours/days preparing and getting ready? It will be trashed within a day or two. There will just be so much stuff and so little time. Those cute little drawers from Ikea will soon be piles of 'newborn' 'first size' and '0-3/3-6' as you need things that will fit the baby to be accessible and close at hand.

Those date nights you have been trying to make the most. Well really make the most of them. Never again will you just be able to go and see that new film that came out at the Hyde Park Picture House or go to Pizza Express on Orange Wednesdays on a whim. Date nights will become military operations. Sorting a babysitter weeks in advance, getting The Baby ready, bathed and in bed, leaving lists of instructions and then staring at your phone all night worrying. It will feel forced and you will often be too sleep deprived to enjoy it. So yes, really, make the most of them.

Spend time with your friends without babies - although the gap may already be apparent. Because when you become a walking, talking baby making machine you will find their eyes glaze over and you've become a little less interesting in their eyes. When you cancel your lunch date cos you've had a bad night or The Baby has a cold they won't get it - just like you don't now.

Your whole life is about to change in a big way and you have no idea. You have no idea how hard it will be. How relentless it will be. How it will test your relationship. But also how much love you can feel for this tiny baby squirming in your arms. How much it will rely on you. Need you. Love you in return. 

Yep nothing can prepare you for that.

Love,
Sleep-deprived me

P.S You have a boy so not the future crafter you were expecting. Get lots of good washing powder. Lots of muzzies, Lots of energy and embrace the madness!

________________________

This post was largely sponsored by a serious lack of sleep. We have started sleep training here and when we see some success I will do a post on that.

 

Baby bump layouts on 'due' day...

I felt it was apt to share some baby bump layouts on my official due date.
The room with the best light in the house is now the nursery and has ugly blinds - which do not make a great backdrop for a photo shoot.
So excuse the dodgy pics.
I have tried to edit them as best they can.

In other news have just had a curry for my dinner.
No sign yet.
Next post could be a birth announcement.
Fingers crossed!

Maternity Monday: Bump at 36 weeks and thoughts on 3rd trimester

 I've really enjoyed the third trimester. Sure I had a tiny bit of indegestion. Sure I've felt *huge* at times. Sure I've struggled to get out of bed.
But...

• We've been excitedly preparing the nursery and all the baby stuff
• I had a great baby shower
• I love feeling the bubba kicking 
• My skin and hair is glowing 
• The end is in sight
• We'll get to meet our little baby soon

See how big my bump is now at 38 and a half weeks....

Maternity Mondays: 35 weeks and kicking (lots!)

So last Monday the British bank holiday weekend broke from tradition and we had some sun- yay!
My sister came up from London for the weekend and so we had lots of shopping and eating out fun.
It was the Saltaire Arts Festival on the Saturday and we got to tour lots of houses and see galleries and local art exhibits. It was a really fun day - we snapped the pics above in Roberts Park and on the canal.
On Sunday the rest of my family (except for Gem and By in Canada) joined us and the Belgian made a very Yorkshire Roast for us all. This is a very scrappable pic...dad and Alli don't feature much in my scrapbooks!

Feelings at 35 weeks:

• Excited and smug that we have been so well organised and seem to have everything we need
• Enjoyed getting lots of rest over half term
• Having as many date nights with the Belgian before we become house bound for a while
• Blooming - acid reflux was a fleeting moment and generally third trimester hasn't been too bad
• The Little Wriggler has lived up to their name from the 12 week scan and I often have little limbs sticking out and poking me
• Worried about names as we're constantly changing our minds and struggle to think of a boy's name we both really love

How did all you momma's out there decide upon the name?

Thrifty Thursday: Using stamps as embellishments

So because I missed my Maternity Monday's bump update on the bank holiday as I was entertaining family - I thought that I would share my bump at 26 weeks layout. (Actually I have just realised that I missed my bump update for the whole month of May - its been crazy with exams and coursework deadlines at school!) My scrapbooking has been increasingly more thrifty and resourceful recently as everything is boxed up and so I am working with limited supplies - but it means that I am rediscovering old passions like stamping and embossing. The main embellishement on this layout is washi tape and then a stamped tag with the title and small little heart stamps to emphasise the pictures.

This second layout was created in probably 15 minutes. I used an old Studio Calico 6 by 6 pad and then on the ledger paper used washi tape and embossed alpha stamps to add the title. I also embossed the little Amy Tan his'n'hers icon - which I felt went along with this photo, which was taken on our 3rd anniversary getaway to the Lake District.

 A close-up of the stamping...

Over the last few days I completed a mini album of my baby pics and have been loving adding sequins as embellishment. I felt that with only six weeks to go till due date I needed to get that completed before starting on my own baby scrapping!

What techniques have you been rediscovering?

Maternity Mondays: Bump at 28 weeks

 Finally - after being subjected to hours of slide show reels at my family's house - he has realised the importance of taking pictures and recording things for our future posterity - hurrah! So he even agreed to taking some self timer pics of our new family of three.

As I have entered the third trimester I have found that:

• I can no longer see my toes when I look down!
• It is getting harder to bend down and pick up stray exercise books, glue sticks or discarded worksheets at work
• It is taking a lot more effort to get out of bed or up off the sofa
• I am shorter of breath when climbing stairs or doing too much (like walking up the Chevin to take these pics)
• I somehow have loads of second hand baby clothes from friends, a buy, sell and swap forum on facebook for my local area and charity shops - here's hoping we have enough!
• I am slowly, but surely, getting over my fear of needles - more blood tests due this week.
• The baby is enjoying beating out a dawn chorus for me every morning! 

I have been packing up my hospital bags ready just in case- any advice fellow bloggers? What should I pack?

Maternity Mondays: The bump at 26 weeks!

And here it is in all its stripy glory...

Soon to be found on a layout near you...although one of my Easter holiday projects has been packing up my scrap room (sob) and so all of my crafty supplies are now in Ikea boxes on a bookshelf in our hallway. The nursery is being painted and then hopefully it will start to take shape.
I think it will be harder to scrapbook now that its not all out on show or easily accessible, I liked to be able to just leave a project and come back to it. Luckily I have lots of layouts stacked up, photographed, edited and ready to be blogged so in between pics of my rapidly growing bump there will be still be some scrappy goodness.

Maternity Mondays: The bump at 16 weeks

So, the sister who is abroad, has been nagging for more bump layouts or pics. Even though she has seen my vast girth via skype - I prefer it when it is on a layout!

So here is my 16 weeks layout:

This layout was largely completed using American Crafts Dear Lizzie range. I created a paint frame for the photo mat - a technique I picked up from watching one of Shimelle's many online tutorials. A lot of my recent layouts feature paint effects as once i have a certain supply out I tend to use it more often. I even painted the little Studio Calico wood veneers - cute huh?

Now for some musings, or mumblings, about pregnancy in general from an almost 27 weeks along pregnant lady:

• Why, oh why, is the maternity section always on the top floor of the shop? Don't they know that pregnant ladies and stairs are not a great combo?
• Why, oh why, have so many high street stores confined their maternity wear to online only? Don't they know that we like to try things on and see how stretchy they are?
• Why, oh why, have I got lots of little spots undcer the skin on my face? I have always had a good complexion and suddenly it is blotchy and enflamed. However my hair is doing very well and I am not having to wash it as often as it is shinier and healthier looking in general - win!
• Why do people think its funny to call you chubby or say that you are looking fat? 
• Why do other women think I want to hear their nightmare stories of childbirth?
• Why does everyone want to rain on your parade by telling you all the negative things about having children?
• Why don't men, or husbands more specifically, understand that you after working a full week its normal to fall asleep at 8'o'clock in front of Question of Sport and then sleep in till 10?

On a more positive note though I can now feel the bubbs kicking a lot and I find that quite reassuring and I am  really excited to see the little human being that we created in about 13 weeks or so. Yay!
More recent bump pictures to follow.
Feel free to add some of your own pregnancy gripes...