I don’t know about anyone else but Christmas just blurred into one, Michael and I were soo busy! It was so amazing seeing our family and friends but oh my god I feel like I could sleep for a week! Saying that… I almost did last night 😴 I managed to sleep for 9 hours 45 minutes 😱 I think my body was telling me to chill out. I can’t believe Michael didn’t wake me up – top hubby 🤣 I think he realises that growing a baby is tougher than it looks! I think I ate enough to feed the thousands at Mum and Dads yesterday so I was extra tired after all the energy it took eating mwhaha! Special shout out to Mum for cooking an unbelievable roast dinner!

Ahh I do love Christmas time! Drama aside, we had a lovely Christmas. Hopefully, that’s the last of the dramas… I am still waiting for the results of my urine test to come back, I only sent this off on Monday so hopefully it won’t take much longer than a week. They are testing to see if the Group B Strep can be detected in my urine, we have to hope it’s not but if it is then we will just deal with it. I have to admit that my bleed was a blessing in disguise… if I hadn’t have gone to hospital I wouldn’t have known I had GBS. I really am so grateful that Hinchinbrooke were so thorough.

There is nothing I love more than spending quality time with my loved ones. All we kept saying was this time next year we’ll have our little boy with us. I can’t actually believe it’s just over 4 months until my due date. Oh wow, we have so much to buy and sort. I made a spreadsheet yesterday of everything we have left to buy (ok that’s basically EVERYTHING as we have virtually nothing haha). I’ve put it into months so we can spread the cost of everything out up until April – hopefully this will work! There’s so much to buy and I have to admit I am being a bit of a diva because I want everything to be the best of the best!

Our New Years Eve was lovely, I was dreading it a little bit because I was going to be the only one sober! My brother and Charlotte had a party and it was brilliant. I lasted until about half 12, pat on the back for me?! What did everyone else get up to?

I’m loving my growing bump and the fact I am now looking pregnant! I think all the Christmas food has definitely helped 😜

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2019, it’s going to be amazing!!

First of all, I apologise in advance that my last post (and this post) seem to be all about the problems I am having! I thought this blog would all be fairies and rainbows but I want to keep it true to my pregnancy journey so am just speaking (or writing) my feelings!

If you read my last blog post you’ll know that I ended up in hospital in the early hours of Christmas morning after having a big bleed. Everything was absolutely fine with both the baby and me. I had a swab taken from my cervix and if I’m perfectly honest I had forgotten all about it until I had a phone call from the midwife this morning.

Whenever I get a phone call from the midwives generic number, my heart always goes all fluttery. I spoke to a lovely midwife called Emma who had asked if I’d been up to the labour ward over Christmas. I explained what had happened and she then went on to tell me I have an infection – great just what I wanted… But that’s absolutely fine I thought, I’m sure I can just have some antibiotics to treat it?! Emma explained that I have for Group B Strep so I will need to be treated for it during my labour because it can be passed onto the baby. She was really reassuring on the phone and said that it is quite common in pregnancy. She also explained that this was NOT related to the bleed in any way, it had just been picked up from the vaginal swab.

I then did the worst possible thing and went onto Google to have a little research into it. After I’d read some of the awful things, I had a phone call from my friend Amy. Poor Amy was only phoning to tell me she’s already walked Wilf (her dog) and on the other end of the phone she ended up speaking to a blubbering mess (me). Amy is literally the best when it comes to calming me down, she had reassured me that it’s good that the infection has already been found and that it can come and go as well.

I then went on and googled some more and tried to take as much in as I could. Group B Strep (GBS) is actually quite common in pregnant women. It’s a massive risk to the baby if they catch it and it’s untreated because it can cause the likes of Sepsis and Meningitis – obviously the first thing I did when I saw those words was FREAK OUT. The statistic on the NHS website is 1 in 1750 babies catch GBS during labour. It doesn’t specify if it’s women who have been treated during labour or if it’s undetected but I’m just going to take it that I’m lucky I know in advance I have the infection.

‘There is also an extremely small risk you could miscarry or lose your baby’ quoted from the NHS website is what scares me the most. Seeing those words is not nice at all. That’s the last thing a pregnant women would ever want to read! Why do they need to say it if the risk is really small 😤 I guess it’s because there is still a risk… Stressed myself out again now. I know that stress is never good in pregnancy so I do need to remain positive.

Whilst I was on the phone to my Mum, I had already text my brothers girlfriend Charlotte. She is soon to be (fingers crossed) training to become a midwife and she’s good at making me see the positives so she was really lovely to me. Obviously my Mumma was too because she’s just an angel. I really am so lucky to have parents like mine.

I feel a little bit lucky because my friend and one of my very beautiful bridesmaids Paige has a midwife for a Mummy (I’ve known them for over 20 years). I had text my worries to Paige and she said she’d get her mum to give me a call. Noreen phoned me and just let me know all about GBS and her experience with it. She honestly made me feel so much better and I’m really grateful for the chat we had. She explained that I will more than likely be given antibiotics during labour and the baby will probably be monitored for a while once he’s born. Noreen is also expecting two new grandchildren in the new year which is super exciting! Paige’s sister Jodie is due very shortly after me with her second bubba.

As scary as it is, I just need to remember that the hospital will know I have GBS as I will have a star on my maternity notes and I will be in safe hands. There is nothing I can do to control the situation so I just have to deal with it. This doesn’t bode well with a control freak but it is what it is!

Has anyone got any experience with GBS in past pregnancies or their current pregnancy?

On a more positive note, our baby boys movements are just getting bigger and bigger. I’ve got some amazing videos of him moving that I just love watching. If I wasn’t in my pants, I would share them with the world 🙊

For Michael and I, Christmas always starts on Christmas Eve! It has become a tradition to go to the pub with both our sets of parents on Christmas Eve for a couple of drinks. I have discovered the non-alcoholic Koppaberg which is actually really nice so I treated myself to a couple of those! We also always see lots of friends in Weatherspoons so it was nice to catch up with them too! Everyone has been loving the ‘Amy Crisp taxi service’ haha. We got home from the pub about 11pm so it wasn’t too late although we’re usually home by about 9pm! We were obviously feeling a bit wild, especially me on my non-alcoholic Koppabergs 😜 The table we managed to get had three empty little Prosecco bottles on already so we were winding my mum up and lining them all up so it looked like she had drunk them all – we’re very easily amused!

I’m now going to go into a little detail of what happened when we got home, it’s a little bit gross and may be a bit graphic so I’ll give you a pre-warning if you don’t want to read on…

We came home from the pub and went straight to bed and I’d woken up at about 12:15am Christmas morning with our bed sheets covered in blood. I literally jumped out of bed in a massive panic and ran straight to our en-suite, I was literally dripping with blood. I can honestly say it’s the most scared I have ever been in my life! Michael was amazingly calm as I was literally shaking with fear. He managed to calm me down and I just sat on the loo and we decided on the next step to take. After about two minutes I had thankfully stopped bleeding – the flow had slowed right down. I phoned the NHS helpline and explained what had happened and they advised that I went to A&E. By this point I think it was about 1am and we took the trip to Hinchingbrooke Hospital.

We arrived at the hospital just before 2am and luckily it was empty – thank goodness for that! My stomach was in knots. I couldn’t work out of my stomach was in pain or if I was just so worried with fear (thank goodness it was just fear). We were initially seen by the consultant, then the doctor and then I was wheeled over to the labour ward to see a midwife and gynaecologist. I had said to the doctor I was more than happy to walk as I felt fine to but they wanted to wheel me over. I felt really dramatic being wheeled in 🙈

The first thing the midwife did was check the baby’s heartbeat and it was beating steadily just as it should do – I have never been so relieved in my entire life. I hadn’t felt any movements from the baby since the bleed so I was thinking the absolute worst! I haven’t had any bleeding or spotting throughout my pregnancy so I was absolutely petrified. I then ended up having a swab of my cervix to check everything down below was looking as it should. Everything looked absolutely fine and the midwife had said the bleeding was caused by my cervix moving. Michael had googled what it could be and said that this is what he’d thought. I however thought my placenta had erupted or something! It turns out it isn’t abnormal to have a bleed but I am so pleased we went to get checked out. There is no way I would have enjoyed Christmas if I didn’t! Having said that, I didn’t think I’d spend Christmas morning with a midwife and gynaecologist prodding my lady parts. We were just so relieved that everything was ok with both our little boy and myself.

After a couple of hours at the hospital, we finally arrived home at 4:30am! We didn’t tell our parents until the morning as we didn’t want to worry them in the early hours. We managed to survive Christmas on three and a half hours sleep! I think the excitement and adrenaline got us through.

We spent Christmas morning at my parents, we took the dogs for a lovely walk in the meadow and then came home to do presents with my brother and his girlfriend Charlotte. After a couple of hours at Mum and Dads, we went to my in-laws for Christmas dinner which was really lovely! We then had Christmas Day number two at my parents today (well now yesterday).

We had such an amazing Christmas (although a little bit of a dramatic start), I hope you all did too!! We have lots of plans with family all the way until New Year’s Day so I can’t wait to continue the festivities!

P.S. we have decided on a name for our little boy but I’m going to keep it hush 🤫 Unless you ask me, I’ll probably tell you 🤪

If you didn’t just sing the title of this blog, are you ok? 😜 So I’m actually two days early – I’m not officially 20 weeks until Thursday but what difference does two days make ay!

I wanted to write today because for the first time I could see my baby move! For the past maybe two weeks, I have been feeling flutters which are getting stronger as the days go by (just like I’m getting bigger as the days go by, yay). We were lying in bed last night and… no I’m just kidding (sense of humour doesn’t get any better). So yes, we were lying in bed and I was just staring at my tummy (as you do), I was actually looking at my belly button because it’s definitely going weird. It’s obviously where I’m growing it’s pushing further forward than it used to. Enough about the belly buttons, ohh they are weird aren’t they?! I used to love mine, I hope to resumes to normal position post baby 😂 So as I was looking at my tummy, I swore I could see the baby moving but I just didn’t really think much to it. Then I was sat on the sofa earlier this afternoon and I could feel him having a proper wriggle so I got my phone out and videoed it to see if you could see anything moving. YOU DEFINITELY COULD! Ok, so I wasn’t sure to start because I didn’t know if it was me imagining things. I sent it to Michael and he couldn’t see it so I’m going to show him when he’s home from work so I can show him the exact spot to look haha! HE WILL SEE IT, might just need to zoom in 😉 I’m not going mad, I promise! I posted it in the Babies due in April, May & June group I have joined on facebook (cute or sad, not sure?) and some of the ladies in the group said they could definitely see it. I would share the video but it’s from an extremely unflattering angle that I’m not prepared to show ha!

*update* Michael has just got home from work and can see the little wriggle – yay 🥳

Talking of this facebook group I have joined, it’s great but it’s also very eye-opening and upsetting. When I first joined the group, there were women leaving the group daily as they had had miscarriages which is just heartbreaking. The rate of women leaving the group has dropped massively but even now women are losing their baby’s at 12+ weeks which really is horrible. I feel really naive because I just honestly hadn’t realised how often this can happen. I know getting to your 12 and 20 week scans is a safety point to an extent but it just shows that during pregnancy you’re never really ‘safe’. Having said this, I refuse to be so worried that something may go wrong to not enjoy my pregnancy. I am really enjoying it so far and I don’t want that to change. The group is also full of lots of loveliness as well. I have met two ladies that are due in April and having their babies at Hinchinbrooke Hospital too! One of them actually only lives 10 minutes away from me and has fairly recently moved to our area.

I feel like my tummy is growing everyday and I am wearing everything I can to make myself look pregnant – guilty as charged! I got this cute little jumper dress from Primark. Admittedly I did look like a sack of potatoes before I put the belt on but the belt made a huge difference and it also helped to show off my cute little bump too so I couldn’t resist a photo 😉

Last week, I had also experienced heartburn for four consecutive days. One of the nights, it  was so bad it actually woke me up and it just wouldn’t go! It wasn’t fun at all but luckily (touch wood everyone), I haven’t had it since. Does anyone have any tips for preventing heartburn if it decides to come back? I’ve also read that this means our baby could be hairy! Me and my friend Hannah always joke that he’s going to come out with Michaels quiff, just like Jimmy Neutron ha – could you imagine! I keep wondering what he’s going to look like, he’s just going to be perfect! Only another 20 weeks until we get to meet him (obviously give or take a week or two).

In other news, I managed to get all my Christmas shopping done yesterday, yay! This year is the most disorganised I have ever been, can I blame being pregnant ha?! Instead of wrapping up my presents, I decided to write another blog post. Maybe I can partially blame the blogging for my disorganisation too 😂 It’s probably unlikely that I’ll post again before Christmas so if that is the case, have an absolutely wonderful Christmas everyone. Make sure it’s filled with love, laughter & lots of food!

P.S. Someone found my blog on Instagram who is due the day before me (8th May) and her story is scarily similar to ours. It really made my day that she sent me a message and I’m looking forward to following her pregnancy journey too!

I woke up at 4:30am this morning, I feel absolutely cream crackered! I was feeling mixed emotions about our scan at 8am. Yes, you read that right – 8am! I didn’t even know the hospital would be open that early! Mind you it wasn’t really because we got there just before 8 and it took us 15 minutes to be seen because it was obviously the first appointment of the day. Let’s face it, we’re all a bit slower in the morning aren’t we?! Well I know I am! I was excited because we would get to see our baby boy again but also the scan has lots of thorough checks to make sure everything is looking ‘normal’ or as it should.

There were two of us waiting to be seen and then they called ‘Amy’ so me and another lady both got up! The midwife quickly grabbed the surname which wasn’t Crisp on this occasion. I quickly sat back down after looking a lemon! What are the chances of both the patients waiting to be called Amy?! Probably really bloody high because I’m sure every other person I meet is called Amy – thanks Mum and Dad 😉 That’s why I’m so adamant to have a name that’s not really popular for our little boy. Not a weird name but something that’s not as common as Amy! Or even Amy Louise!! I know about three of them just in St Neots 🤣

We were lucky for our scan because we had two midwives in the room – they had a new machine so one of the midwifes needed some assistance from the main midwife. I thought initially she might be a student midwife (wouldn’t bother me in the slightest if she was) but I checked her badge and she wasn’t. It turns out she just hadn’t had any training on the machine yet – we were her first baby to scan on it!

As always, the heartbeat is the first thing we saw on the screen. Ah it was beating so strong, it feels like it gets stronger every scan we go to! It’s probably the same speed but he’s probably just getting bigger! Baby Crisp was lying in a very awkward position and wasn’t playing ball so the poor midwifes were struggling to get some of the key measurements. They managed to measure the femur bone (I’m sure it’s the femur) but other than that they were struggling with his awkward position. They were trying to check something to do with the heart but couldn’t get to the right angle for what they needed so they went to his brain and came back! Nope, baby is still being awkward. It was like a repeat of our 12 week scan – they struggled to get his neck measurement then too. Although, that was because he was in shadow because my womb is tilted. They ended up having to scan me internally – dignity out the window.

What are we going to do to get the baby to move into a different position… So first of all I had to lie on my side! Nope, nothing! Then I literally got tilted back on the bed so high that I practically had my feet in the air. This was the same position I got put in after feeling faint when I gave blood, oh the joys! But still nothing. He was waving his arms and kicking his legs but just not in a ‘text book’ position. Last resort, I went for a wee. Sorry that sounds a bit gross to go into that detail but it adds an extra detail to my anecdote 😉 Had a shake in the toilet, laid back down and he’s still stuck in the same position. After this last resort, the midwife said I don’t think we’re going to be able to complete today. I really didn’t want to leave without everything being properly checked because then I’d just be worrying about why they couldn’t find what they needed. We had one last try – hip thrust on the bed (think Call On Me Video) and some booty shaking! HALLELUJAH! He moved! Thank goodness for that, obviously booty shaking will be the first thing to try if this happens again! Bet he was cracking up inside. Everything was looking ‘normal’ so we left feeling really happy.

We ended up having a 45 minute appointment because of a) the new machine and b) the awkward baby! We didn’t have to pay £5 for our scan images which was a nice surprise! I had to stop on the way to get cash out as well – typical!

I’m consultant led for my pregnancy because my BMI is 0.5 or 1 below ‘normal’. Initially I wasn’t going to be but they moved me over at my 12 week scan. This means I get an extra scan at 28, 32 and 36 weeks just to check the baby is growing as he should. Everything measured just perfectly today and they didn’t mention him being small so that’s really positive. Although, I’m really not worried because I’m only just under the threshold and I think they would just rather be on the safe side. I just see it as the chance to see my baby some more before his big arrival. I actually feel lucky to be consultant led because if I wasn’t today would be the last time I’d see him until he was born. That just feels crazy!

Right, I think that’s all I have to say about the scan today. ‘That’s all’ – as if I’ve not rambled on for way too long already haha. I think you deserve a medal if you made it to the end mwhaha!

Last but not least, I have properly started to feel Baby Crisp move now! It’s no defined kicking or anything but I can really feel him wriggling – usually after I’ve eaten. It really is the best feeling ever. We love our little boy so much already 🥰

P.S I’m finally starting to ‘pop’!

Michael has the attention span of a three year old when it comes to shopping (wish I was joking) – he is quite the online shopper. When we had arranged to go shopping, I was preparing myself for a one hour shopping session in just ONE shop. We decided to go to Kiddicare in Peterborough as we’ve heard great things about it and it has a wide range of items. I think it has now been brought out by Dunelm because if you type in www.kiddicare.com it redirects you to the kids part on the Dunelm website – fun fact of the day! To be honest, we weren’t overly impressed. It had some lovely bits but there was nothing that you couldn’t get from John Lewis and they didn’t have the Bugaboo Cameleon to look at – boo!

We then ended up going to Queensgate as it was only 10 minutes away and they have a John Lewis, H&M, Next, Primark and Marks & Spencers (we didn’t make it that far). We first of all went to John Lewis and picked the baby monitor we think we are going to get the Angelcare AC315. Has anyone used this? I’m 99% sure someone had recommend this to us. Michael liked this one best because it has a movement monitor that goes underneath the baby’s mattress so this will be great when Baby Crisp is in his own room. We also had a look at the change bags, I had my heart set on a JEM+BEA Jamie Backpack. It’s so so nice. However, I am quite a small build and it turns out backpacks just don’t suit me – AT ALL. I looked like I was going travelling for 6 months! Time to Plan B on the change bag. I would love a JEM+BEA one, they are my absolute favourite, but we will see!

After a very traumatic hour in John Lewis for Michael, it was time for a food break! I’m just joking… Michael actually pleasantly surprised me, he was obviously on his best behaviour. He is just as excited as I am for our little bundle of joy to be born and it’s not like we were shopping for me so it’s different to being ‘dragged’ around the shops. We went to Bill’s for brunch which was delicious. Did it hit the spot – yes it did!! Michael went for a full English, obvs and I had poached eggs on toast with hollandaise, smashed avocado, hallumi, red pepper and potato rosti, it was literally amazing! I think this must be the first time I’ve ever ordered something that’s completely vegetarian, I’ll be vegan before I know it, NOT.

After our brunch break, we went into Primark to get some muslins and a couple of newborn sleepsuits. Hannah (the bestie) has tried loads of different muslin but swears by the Primark ones. We ended up also getting a little Batman outfit – I was thinking of the marketing haha! I post personal posts on all my Limelight social media (not what I’ve had for dinner haha but when we got married I shared a photo etc) so I can’t wait to share a photo of our little boy in his Batman outfit when he’s born. Michael also picked the cutest little jumper which we couldn’t resist buying. May is quite an awkward time to be born because it can be really warm but it can also be really cold. I guess, we can always buy extra bits when he’s born as long as we have all the essentials. We were hoping to get some sleeved and cap sleeved white vests from Primark as they’re dead cheap but they didn’t have any newborn or 0-3. I mean it’s not like we’re in a rush or anything, we still have precisely 5 months to go, although I’m sure he won’t make an appearance on his due date. He’ll probably end up having the share, the poor sod! We have so many family birthdays in May – my Mum and Dad, Heidi, Nan, Grandad, Michaels Nanna and my cousin Ellie-May too. He’s bound to share with someone! May’s going to end up being just as expensive as Christmas is haha!

Michael had mentioned in the car that he loves little waistcoats because they just look adorable. I think this stems from Thomas at our wedding. He’s my little Godson and he had a suit to match Michael & all the groomsmen! He looked absolutely gorgeous. So… we ended up buying a shirt and waistcoat for the baby in 0-3. This really tickled me as we have no planned events in May, June, July or August but apparently it’s just something he can wear when he goes to dinner at Nanny and Grandads as it’s nice to get dressed up haha?! Hopefully he will fit in it for Fathers Day as I’m sure it’ll make Michaels day if he wears it!

We purchased some other little baby bits from Next and H&M and then before we made it to Marks & Spencers, we headed for home. I was a very proud wife because Michael lasted at the shops for three hours without moaning! I’m making him sound miserable, he’s really isn’t haha. He just absolutely HATES shopping! Well, not anymore if it’s for baby things – wahoo! Little and often is going to be the way forward I think 😉

When I first started my blog, I was a bit worried I would run out of things to write about. Who was I kidding? It’s me and I’m renowned for being a massive chatterbox so I was clearly wrong. I have so many things I still want to write about!

Being a first time Mum can be quite daunting, there are so many things you need to buy and where on earth do you even begin?! I have a little bit of a head start because I work for five hours a week in a lovely little baby boutique. I have known since I started working at the shop that I would get a Bugaboo Cameleon, it’s my favourite pushchair by an absolute mile! Luckily, Michael is really easy going so he’s happy for us to get whatever I love – phew. I actually don’t think I would have been able to compromise on the pushchair because I really do have my heart set on it. I love the classic plus in both grey and navy. The navy is a John Lewis exclusive so that made our decision nice and easy – grey. I am all for supporting local businesses and it wouldn’t feel right to go for one that you can’t buy from an independent shop, especially one that I work in. Plus, the navy comes on a silver chassis and I think the black looks loads smarter. It’s just so pretty! I can’t wait to push it around (and actually buy it). Well I say buy it… we are extremely lucky because my parents are treating us, or Baby Crisp, whatever way you look at it!

The big things are I guess quite obvious, well at least I think? Pushchair, car seat and base, moses basket (SnuzPod for me), nursery furniture and a bouncer for downstairs. I’m saying they’re obvious and I’ve probably gone and missed something haven’t I! Please let me know if I have? Also, if anyone has any recommendations that would be amazing too! So far, I know we’re having the BeSafe Izi Go Modular car seat with the isofix base, the SnuzPod3 (undecided on white or dusk), I also LOVE the MamaRoo but they’re quite pricey so I’m not 100% sure. I should say we shouldn’t I, oopsie! Has anyone used a MamaRoo, would you recommend? We will also get a SleepyHead to go in the SnuzPod and then use for Baby Crisp’s transition into his bigger cot.

I have absolutely NO IDEA what nursery furniture to go for! Does anyone have any recommendations? I really love the Boori Sleigh Cot Bed with the matching wardrobe and changing unit, but it costs a small fortune. I couldn’t just get the Cot Bed and a different wardrobe and drawers because this would majorly stress me out! Forget 50 shades of grey, there are literally 50 shades of white. Whatever we decide on, it will have to be the same range and brand – my OCD couldn’t cope otherwise ha! If my husband is reading this, he’s definitely going to say ‘what OCD?!’ because I am not always the tidiest haha! I am very clean but I do tend to leave things out everywhere. Although, I’m 1000% tidier than I used to be when I lived at Mum & Dads (sorry). Michaels motto is ‘everything has a home’. It’s role reversal, I swear. He used to be so bad that I’d be halfway through a drink, turn around and it was in the bloody dishwasher! He’s toned it down now, thank god haha!

So I guess we’re kind of sorted for the main things, other than the nursery furniture! But it’s all the small things that are important! How many baby grows, vests, outfits, blankets, muslins, nappies etc?! I wish there was just a tick list of what we need to the exact number! How many bottles? I’m hoping to breast feed but I also know that the most important thing is that my baby is fed, whether it’s bottle or boob so I’m going to go into Mummyhood open-minded (or at least try)! Basically, I haven’t got a clue on all the little bits! We have actually only brought four little outfits so far, I don’t feel like that’s much at all! I’m in a ‘Babies due in May’ group on facebook and everyone on there seems to be sooo much more organised than we are! I just need to remember I’m only 18 weeks so there’s another 22 weeks to get everything organised!

What would be the one thing you would recommend to a first time Mum – I’d love to know?

P.S. The baby bump is coming, it’s getting harder and less chubby looking by the day!! This was last Thursday, bumpdate day, I’m sure I’ve invented that word, I think it’s brilliant 😉 If you hadn’t worked it out it’s a combination of bump and update mwhaha! I reckon if I carry on growing as I have this week, I’ll have my bump for Christmas – yay!

P.P.S I would be lying if I said I wasn’t pushing out just a little bit haha! BUSTED.

I can’t believe it’s actually December. Every year I always say ‘I can’t believe how quickly this year has gone’ but this year has honestly flown by! I mean, it’s no surprise with running a business, a break to Amsterdam, three of my friends weddings to attend, my hen-do, Michaels stag do, our Wedding, falling pregnant… it’s been such a jam packed year! I always thought this would be the best year of our lives but now we have our little boy due in May 2019, I know that will top it!

We went over to our friends today (The Bucks) for a roast dinner which was just delicious – thanks Richard (and Hannah for cutting the carrots and potatoes xox)! My best friend, Hannah aka Mrs Buck (don’t read that too fast, you never know what you might end up saying), had her little boy Keegan on my birthday. What are the chances of that?! I was fuming I had to share though!! She could have held on for another day… Mwhaha, just kidding! It makes it even more special that I have a birthday buddy. He really is the most gorgeous boy. To make things that little bit weirder, according to our due date Baby Crisp was actually conceived on Keegans due date! That’s spooky stuff!

After our afternoon at The Bucks, we came home and put the Christmas tree up!! My Mum and Dad used to wait until two weeks before Christmas to get our decorations up when I was living at home – bah humbug! I think it was more the fact that when the decorations came out so did the Christmas chocolates and if anyone knows my Dad, he’s partial to a chocolate or two or three 😉 Or he used to be, he’s lost loads of weight having been attending an early morning boot camp for well over a year (Mum too). As soon as we moved house and it hit December my decs were going up!! Last year I actually started getting some bits out in November but not this year, I was good! And I waited until 1st December to turn over to Hearts Christmas Radio too – yes I’m that person! I really want to get some outside Christmas lights but have a feeling we won’t end up getting them this year. The house opposite us have them up and they just look so pretty and Christmassy!

It’s crazy to think that this time next year we will have a baby that’s 7 months old! Christmas next year is going to be a completely different experience isn’t it?! I’m going to eat so much cheese and so much pate to make up for this year! One of the best bits of Christmas is the cheese, yummy. If you’re pregnant, or have been pregnant, I’m sure you’ll know that there’s so many cheeses you have to avoid. It’s something to do with the bacteria in soft cheeses with a white rind and blue cheese. So basically I’ll be having cheddar! Does anyone know of any other nice cheeses that are safe in pregnancy? My friend was telling me about a shop in our town (St Neots) that may be able to recommend some so I definitely need to head down there. Did I mention pate already? Pre-pregnancy I used to eat a block of pate a week, I’m not joking! I miss it so much, I’m not sure how I’ll cope at Christmas without it. I’m just kidding but I certainly could murder a bit of French Stick with lashings of pate! However, our little bubba is totally worth not being able to eat it. Have I really just written a paragraph about cheese and pate? Yes, yes I have.

I also need to ask… when does baby brain start?! Is this a valid excuse at 17 weeks?! This week I put a load of washing in without the powder and softener, found the remote in the fridge and I appear to be losing my marbles?!

On that note, I’ll leave it there! Happy Sunday everyone, i hope you all have an amazing week and are getting into the Christmas spirt!

Michael and I had always said we’d find out the sex of our baby, much to our parents disappointment (they got over it soon enough). Our 20 week scan is on the 13th December but obviously waiting until then to find out would be far too long for us (me). What if the baby isn’t in the right position like our last scan? It was totally in shadow at my 12 week scan due to my tilted womb and the midwife struggled to get the measurements. Oh yes, I had all the excuses in the world to persuade Michael to cave in and agree. And of course he did – top husband!

So we had this amazing idea of booking our scan for the Wednesday and having both sets of parents over for dinner on the Sunday to surprise them. We had booked the scan but didn’t tell a soul, cheeky aren’t we?!

I spent hours on Instagram and Pinterest looking at ‘gender reveal’ ideas! They had cakes, cannons, balloons – there were so many different ways we could tell our parents. We had decided we’d just bake a cake (or cakes) and then have either pink or blue! This way, we could just use it as the desert and they’d have no idea!

Well how wrong was I?! Our idea was maybe just a little more obvious than we had thought. I either don’t have the parents round for dinner enough or they all know what an impatient human being I am!

When I invited my parents, the first thing my Mum said was ohh I wonder why we’re all coming for dinner, have you got something you might want to announce! Michaels Mum had phoned him and said the exact same thing!

Plan over! We had said we really wanted it to be a proper surprise and it wouldn’t have had the same effect if we told them on the Sunday because it was going to be expected, boo!

We went for our scan as planned and were shown a girls scan and a boys scan so we could see what to look out for. Basically we were looking for a burger for a girl and a hotdog for a boy – simple ay! The first thing we saw was our baby’s heart which was beating nice and strong. No words can describe how it feels to see your baby wriggling about on the screen. We got the ‘right I’m going down’ from the sonographer and we saw two little legs on the screen! IT’S A BOY, I actually squealed! We couldn’t believe it! We are having a BABY BOY. Suddenly everything just felt so much more real.

This scan picture is just too hilarious to not share! Pretty sure it could only our baby who would have the umbilical chord positioned here… I think he just wanted to remind Mummy and Daddy he definitely is all boy haha!

We also had a little 4D scan preview which was really strange. Because Baby Crisp is still quite small it wasn’t really clear. Plus, I didn’t properly look at his face because all I could see was his little winkle just there in 4D! I know a lot of people say that they can get the sex of the baby wrong but there’s definitely no mistake here! I’m not sure I’d book a 4D scan because I want to see our baby boy properly for the first time after I’ve given birth to him. I think because we have found out the sex already we at least need to keep his face a surprise!

Michael said as we were leaving ‘I’d have never admitted it but I really wanted a son’. It was so special for us. Michael was the first born out of his siblings and I have an older brother so we’re definitely following in our parents footsteps.

We were too excited that we couldn’t keep it a secret – what a surprise (do you sense the sarcasm). With our original idea, I had said to Michael that it’ll be nice to have a little secret just the two of us for a couple of days but in hindsight I knew as soon as we’d found out I’d want to tell the world!

Michael popped to Tesco’s to get some blue balloons and we sealed them in a box for our families to open! As soon as we turned up to my in-laws with the box, they knew exactly what we were there for! My parents on the other hand were not so sharp (sorry hehe)! My Mum was waiting until the day before my 20 week scan to make her gender guess but we said Mum you need to make your guess now! ‘No I’ve said I’m not doing that yet, I can’t make my mind up’. THE BOX IS ON THE KITCHEN SIDE MOTHER, what do you think it is?! We then had to give Mum a bit of assistance and say that we knew the gender and it was going to be revealed when the box was opened. We got there eventually haha! Both our families we so shocked to find out, we really did give them the surprise we wanted!

Now onto names… I’m going to leave you with a couple I have come up with so far…

Reggie Salted Crisp

Finley Cut Crisp

Vinny Gary Crisp (courtesy of my friend Amy)

Arthur Crisp

Jude Up Crisp

Walker Crisp

I hope you’re as entertained by those as we were. In the meantime, if anyone has any sensible boys names, please send them our way!

So I am totally guilty of downloading almost all the pregnancy apps there are out there – Ovia Pregnancy, Pregnancy+, Baby Centre etc! Finding a new app is super exciting because it’s exactly the same information presented in a slightly different way.  Yes, that’s right all the apps hav pretty much the same information regurgitated with different photos and a different font. Just like what I did with those last two sentences, I said the same thing but in two different ways and I’m guessing you still read it 😉 Welcome to my pregnancy world!

It’s annoying the amount of time I spend on these apps and read what I  ‘should’ be feeling. I should start having more energy in the new few weeks, oh yes heartburn to come as well and my sex drive is going to increase… I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty annoying reading about how I should be feeling when I’m really feeling absolutely NOTHING. That’s right, nothing! I have had next to no pregnancy symptoms at all. No sickness, no nausea, no cravings. I’m pretty much the pregnant person that all pregnant people want to punch (my midwifes words, not mine haha)!

Don’t get me wrong I love reading all about our baby’s development, it’s actually really fascinating. For example, this week (16 weeks) our baby’s ears have moved to the side of the head and it can hear all the sounds that I hear and the eyes have developed enough so that it can detect light through my belly. The baby is measuring at just 10.5cm and it can already do so much, even suck it’s thumb! I’m sorry but that is just bat shit crazy, what a clever little human being I am creating. I feel like a proud mother already (even though it’s the same for all babies at this stage).

I’m 16+3 today and I’m still waiting for my baby bump as I still don’t look pregnant. I just look a bit podgier than normal which is really quite annoying. As I haven’t had any pregnancy symptoms (other than acne which is totally heartbreaking), I just want to ‘pop’. I want a baby bump so I can actually feel properly pregnant. I should be so grateful that I’ve had a really smooth pregnancy so far (I really hope I’m not jinxing it here) but I just want to look the part too! I want people to see me and know I’m pregnant by looking at me. Bit odd really isn’t it. I never thought I’d be so desperate for one. Maybe I should be happy I can still fit in my size 8 jeans (button does sometimes pop though eek)! They always say that Brit’s tend to want what they can’t have so in a couple of weeks time I’ll probably be posting about the annoying baby bump haha!

The worst part about having next to no pregnancy symptoms is that I do tend to worry that something isn’t quite right – I’m my own worst enemy! I’m still a bit too early to be able to feel the baby move so I don’t have that for reassurance yet. I have been having these hideous dreams, I had a dream the other night that we turned up to our 20 week scan and the baby hadn’t grown since the 12 week scan – it was so real and so horrible. I did actually read that vivid dreams was something that you can experience in pregnancy and I was annoyed I succumbed to something in my apps! Although, I still like to say it’s not pregnancy related because I have had awful dreams pre-pregnancy too.

I ordered a doppler off of eBay which is a thing you can use to hear the babies heartbeat. I used this a couple of times and I’m sure I could hear the heartbeat but you can never be sure. They’re actually not recommended because there are so many sounds you’ll hear that could be confused with the babies heartbeat. I have actually stopped using it now because I realised I was being damn right bloody ridiculous. I just have to remind myself that yes, I do feel absolutely fine and no, I haven’t had anything to suggest something is wrong.

So basically, what I’m trying to say is, I waste far too much time reading about what’s going on in my body (or what should be going on) because EVERY WOMAN IS DIFFERENT. I need to remember that pregnancy doesn’t have a day by day check list of things to feel and how to cope because that would just be impossible. No two pregnancy’s are the same and I want to enjoy my journey that will be completely different to everyone else’s!

So, will you continue to read the information in the apps I hear you ask? Erm, yes I will haha! But I’m going to make a conscious effort not to get so hung up on what’s going on because we’re not robots, we’re human and we’re all completely different!

Now I’ve got to try and keep a bit of suspense going here so I’m going to let you all into a secret. We already know the sex of the baby, ner ner! It’s been so hard to write my first two posts without saying ‘he’ or ‘she’ but I wanted to give myself a chance to write some more before I let you all know.

What do you all think? Are we team pink or team blue?!