Wooohoooo

Mum and I went out for a Chinese after work and had a good long chat about everything - I feel very happy and content and I know she is very pleased for me.

When we got in, I noticed an NHS envelope... tore it open, and it was the letter telling us of our first scan... Thursday 1st December! Although we knew we would be getting a dating scan, just having a date to look forward to is amazing! And it's not too far away either... WOOHOO!

9 Weeks cont...

In the 9th week (as I am now), babycentre.com says... "The tiny tail is disappearing and so many changes have taken place that your baby has changed from an embryo and is now officially a fetus. This is the critical stage when your baby's organs are forming. The baby is now constantly moving and shifting, though you won't be able to feel anything for several weeks. The arms have grown and the hands are now flexed at the wrists and meet over the heart. The legs are lengthening and the feet may be long enough to meet in front of the body."

I stayed at home again last night - Jack's Mum, and now Jack's sister have the sickness bug, I don't want to risk getting it and doing any damage. Hopefully Jack won't have picked up any of the germs so can come stay with me in my germ-free home!

Mum told me she's secured me a babyseat and pushchair from a friend of hers (yes, although we told them not to tell anyone, our parents seem to have told EVERYONE!) I'm surprised there hasn't been an ad in the local paper at the rate they're going!

We booked tickets to see Little Britain Live next November, someone's going to have to babysit! Our first babysitting favour to be asked, how exciting!

9 Weeks Pregnant

Well I know I'm 2.5 hours off the 'actual' 9 week mark, but just took a bump pic and had to post it up (won't have time in the morning)!

I've just noticed how much I've grown since the 7 week bump pic!

Proud of Daddy

Yesterday I managed to get through to a human at the Ante Natal Unit. My doctor had told me I'd be getting a Midwife appointment at 10 weeks, and a scan at 12. The lady at the AN Unit said that I get a scan at 12-15 weeks and a Midwife appointment after that. Very confusing. Anyway, I gave her my details and she said she could see me in her system so a letter should be coming out by the end of this week regarding my scan. Woooohooooo! I can't wait until I have a date for my scan!

I was sooooo tired yesterday, and I ended up working until 7.30 - the worst day that I could have worked late seeing how tired I was! I had to go to the loos to have a little cry about it! All day I had been looking forward to getting home, having dinner, watching Eastenders, having a bath and getting in bed.

I'm very proud of Jack - he didn't smoke at all today. Nada, nought. He said he keeps fancying one, but then thinking of me and the baby and that's over-riding his feelings. He's smoked 20 a day for over 10 years, so I really hope he manages to quit. I've told him if he lasts for a week I will treat him. Argh I don't know to what though!

I'm going home tonight, so I will be able to get a bump pic for 9 weeks. See ya tomorrow!

Blerghhhhhhhh

I'm back into my 5-meals-a-day-stage now YUM! If I don't eat I feel empty so I have to give my body what it's asking for.

Jack's dad was sick in the night last night - the bathroom is next to our bedroom, so I heard everything, felt so much sicker, and couldn't sleep after that. Well I did, then the bin men came, oh joy! So I'm not the happiest of campers today.

On the good side, I have the right extension number for the antenatal department that I need to talk to to chase my midwife appointment. The bad side is they are constantly engaged, but I'm on the right track now at least.

Grrrrr

The weekend was lovely - did nothing on Friday night but relax with a takeaway and the tv. Saturday we went to look round some houses, and abslutely fell in L-O-V-E with one of them. Went out on Saturday night to a friend's birthday (very smoky pub) - I felt like I'd been smoking in the morning! Yesterday we went out for a big fat Sunday lunch and dreamt about our lives in "our house".

I called the estage agent this morning to ask which direction the garden faced, and got an "oooh I haven't got a clue" (very helpful, thanks).

This afternoon I hoped the same lady wouldn't answer the phone, and called back to try and arrange another viewing in the daytime (it was dark when we saw it the first time) - and they've accepted an offer on it BOOHOO!

I've been looking on the net since then, but no where seems to compare - it was perfect. May be a little expensive, but it was ideal.

Prawn has been fine - I watched lots of Discovery Home & Health (lots of births) and been scaring myself! I think I should stay away from those shows, especially when we're eating!

8 Weeks Pregnant

Today bump celebrates it's 8 weeks of life. Hooray! I know last week I said I was going to post a bump pic each week, but we've been house-sitting and I forgot to pack my camera! So 9 weeks will be the next pic installment. According to babycentre " the eyelid folds are forming, the tip of the nose is present, and the arms now bend at the elbows and curve slightly over the heart." Wow.

It seems I've been getting lazy with my blogging, but I just don't want to end up like a stuck record moaning about how sick I'm feeling! This week has been rough. Still no actual vomit, but I'm feeling closer and closer to that point and I don't like the feeling! I actually feel ok as I'm writing this, so hopefully that will be it for a while *please*!

Jack's been excellent while we've been house-sitting, letting me lie down while he makes us dinner, and making sure I get enough veggies. Every morning when he drops me off he says "love you" then "love you bump".

My jeans are getting tighter, no one's offering me a seat on the trains yet though which is a shame cos I'm sure now is the stage when I'd really appreciate it!

Happy Halloween

I haven't posted a message for a few days because I felt so rough. I went to Holland & Barrett on Friday to get some crystalised ginger, and bought a ginger and choc chip flapjack which I picked at all afternoon and I did feel a lot better.

I felt ok-ish on Saturday, we went to a Halloween party in the evening and I stayed on my bum allllllll night because I started feeling the tiredness.

I also took out my belly bar. There are special ones you can wear through pregnancy which are stretchy, but I don't really think I will be bearing my post-pregnancy belly to many people, so it's come out! Jack's happy because now he can rub our bump without catching himself on anything!

I got a bit worried yesterday because I was experiencing pains which were worse than the period-type pains I had been having before. I asked on the Handbag forums, and apparently they are perfectly normal, and is just the uterus stretching, which made me feel a lot better and made both me and Jack more reassured.

7 Weeks Pregnant

Wooohoooo today we've reached the 7 week mark, how exciting! But I feel the sickest I have ever felt. Yucksville. I've decided that I will try to add a photo each week to show how my bumps progressing, so to start, here it is this morning, at 7 weeks...

I know I know, it looks quite big for only 7 weeks old... but here's where I must add I didn't exactly have a flat stomach to begin with! It has definitely grown, and before pregnancy, it was 'pinchable', now it's firm and hard!

I didn't go in to work today until 11am, I felt as rough as a dog. We went out to our friends' new house last night and for a bite to eat, it was really nice because it took my mind off feeling sick. She gave us the baby trainers (sooo cute) and 18 babygro's! 6 for newborn-3months, 6 for 3-6 months and 6 for 6-9 months!! They are teeny tiny and it meant Jack couldn't sleep because he got excited all over again!

I woke up and couldn't even stomach my early morning toast, I just had to go back to bed. I didn't feel good all day (I told work that I had been sick in the night and couldn't get myself up just yet), so I told them I still felt sick when I eventually dragged myself in, which was nice because I was treated a little more delicately than usual!

I've ordered a little bump belt off the internet http://http://www.bloomingmarvellous.co.uk/product.aspx?CategoryID=Practical_Essentials&ProductID=6912&language=en-GB which apparently is recommended to use from 2 months of pregnancy, incase of any jerks in the car, basically the belt pushes into your lap rather than tummy, it also means its more comfy once the bump is more prominent!

Instant Dinner

Last night all I wanted to do was get in, lay down and not move again! Jack and I had planned to make a lasagne from scratch, but I couldn't be bothered, and now, when I'm hungry, I have to eat NOWWWWW!! So Jack went and bought a pizza and garlic bread and cooked that up... dinner in an instant!

I'm feeling a bit better today thankfully.

I've decided I'm going to tell another one of my friends too... I was going to tell her at the party, but the right moment hadn't come up... and now we've been house sitting in N.London I keep hoping to bump into her on the tube but haven't done so far!

Ooooh I've had a look on http://www.babynames.com for some inspiration... we only have one name we like for a girl and that's it! Can you believe, some people actually would call their child 'Chaviva'!?!?!

Oh Mum!

My mum's just told me she suffered with morning sickness alllllll the way through her pregnancy with me, and she was in labour for 26 hours. I reeeeealllly hope I don't take after her! I'm still feeling a bit sicky, I hate hate hate it!

Teary

Last night was a verrrrrry tearful one. I won't go in to details over what, but I don't think I usually would have been as bad! Jack was very good at comforting me and making sure I stayed relax, for the sake of the little bubba.

The remote control for my tv has been lost, and it won't work without it. I felt really bad going up to bed at 10pm and Jack having to do the same as there is no tele to occupy him! I think I'll have to look for one of those universal ones....

Oh, and I forgot to say in yesterday's entry that I told my Dad, Stepmum and his parents this weekend too and they all were very happy!

Lazy Weekend

The weekend went well... on Friday I went and got some 'Mum To Be' vitamins from Boots, and they most definitely have helped. I have been eating a slice of toast every few hours too, but I have felt so much better since taking them. Lucky I got 90 of them ;)

It was lovely just catching up on sleep and lazing around on Saturday, we watched the X Factor and just got a take away which I was more than happy to do!

Yesterday we went to view our first house in S.E, which was nice, but the bathroom was downstairs which is a bit impractical, so Jack drove us round seeing if we could see anything nice and looked in some estage agents windows... Im hoping this isn't going to take too long!

Jack's been lovely, and when I woke up this morning he'd made me some toast and a glass of O.J so I wouldn't have to move and end up feeling sick.

We're house-sitting this week so it will be nice to be pregnant and alone for a while!

Morning Sickness Cures

Since feeling nauseous, I decided to do a bit of net research, and share with you some of the recommendations I have found to help combat morning sickness from other pregnant ladies (Thanks you Handbag luvvies ;)).

• Eat little and often
• Take Boots 'Mum To Be' vitamins
• Eating ginger biscuits
• Eating Soft Mints / something minty
• Eating dry water biscuits
• Sweet sugary tea before getting out of bed or within 10 mins of getting out of bed
• Eat within 10 minutes of waking
• Keep dry crackers next to bed so you can eat before moving
• Sniffing lemons
• Set alarm for every 3 hours throughout the night to eat a dry biscuit (helps not having an empty stomach upon waking)
• Eating a few Sugar Puffs 15 mins before getting out of bed
• Anti-sickness hypnosis tape
• Sleep
• Wear Sea Bands
• Hot water with a slice of lemon first thing in the morning
• Suck on boiled sweets
• Eat dry / slightly buttered toast first thing in the morning whether you fancy it or not
• Suck on crystalised ginger (put in sandwich if it's too strong)
• Get some Magnesium Tralanate from the doctor
• Drink lemon & ginger tea

So, these are what I'm going to try now!

Nauseous

Ergh, I've started feeling the nausea more now, and it's horrid. I've had to take the seabands off when I'm at work, otherwise people will start to twig! I went out for lunch with clients for a massive lunch, and I did feel better once I'd eaten, but sick from the amount of food I'd eaten!

My Mum had to go to Hennes to get some clothes for my sister, so I had a peek at the baby clothes, and they had little Ramones and Motorhead t-shirts, they were so sweet, but I really need to hold off buying things for a while, well at least until after our first scan.

Mum also said once we have our place, she's going to re-do my room, put a cot in there and whenever we want to stay we can, and on the weekends she can look after bubba while we go out if we want to, which is nice as if we're moving to SE, I will need a chance to see my friends from N London too!

When Jack picked me up we went and bought some Ginger Biscuits because ginger's meant to help the sickness, and I bought a box of Roses because I like having something a little bit sweet in the evenings, and I thought one tiny choc won't do too much (after all I am allowed an extra 200 calories a day!!).

We had a chat with his Mum and Sister, and spoke about names... we can't think of any for a boy yet! I think a baby name book will have to go on our xmas list!

6 Weeks Pregnant

Yesterday, the stuff I'd ordered to help prevent and fade stretch marks arrived (Bio Oil)... I want to start my routine of applying every day as early as possible to try and combat the feckers!!

I was tired again yesterday, but not as thirsty, and still feeling very emotional... something silly was said at work and I just wanted to run off and have a little cry!

One of the friend's I'd told got very excited with me over email today which was nice. She told me she's already bought me baby stuff! Some Adidas trainers and some babygro's! She's such a cutie, and it made me want to look at cutesy baby stuff online too!

I tried calling my Nan in the morning and in the evening to tell her the news. I'd really wanted to tell her in person but I just wasn't sure when I'd next see her. I kept getting her voicemail, so while I was waiting for my train this morning, I gave her a call, and said "there's something I wanted to tell you in person but because I don't know when I'll see you next, I've rung to say that you're going to be a Great Grandma!" she was very pleased, congratulative and excited!

Now I have to tell my Dad and his parents. They're going to be the hardest for me, I really don't know why... I couldn't even be the one to tell my mum for God's sake! I'm such a wimp!

Today has started well, but I started heaving when I was brushing my teeth, so the seabands went straight on. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed I don't get sick!

Emotional Wreck

The early night really did me well yesterday - I wasn't really tired at all throughout the day and it meant I could actually get on with some work!

When Jack picked me up he told me his cousin is also pregnant, with her 2nd child, so we would be off at the same time, which is nice!

Last night was my first emotional night - I cried and cried and cried over something that doesn't really matter, but it did to me at that point! Jack was so good and made me think logically and made me feel a lot better. I just hope I'm not like that every day!

I woke up this morning with a sore back but fine. 6 weeks pregnant tomorrow, can't believe it!

How Dryyyyyyy

Last night we went back to Jacks, and it was the first time we'd seen his parents and sister since we told them The News... so it was really nice being asked 1000 questions (it makes me more excited when I talk about it!) and his Mum had even cooked me a seperate dinner incase I couldn't have the curry she'd done, bless her! I had the curry in the end... nothing wrong with spicy food.

Haha, on that subject, when I was telling Jack what foods I couldnt have... soft cheese, raw fish... I'd said "and definitely not mushrooms" (only because I can't stand them!), and last night he told his mum that I couldn't have them! What a sweetie, I couldn't stop laughing!

By 9pm I was ready for bed... we went up and spoke about where we're going to live now and about the future, then by 10 I was sound asleep! I do feel a lot better today for it, I have to say.

I had no other symptoms apart from noticing how dry I am! I must have had 9 pints of water yesterday, and was still gasping! Also my lips need lip balm on them every half an hour.

I felt so sick this morning on the train, it was packed and I didn't get a seat. Luckily I'm wearing a long sleeved top so I just put on my seabands and they seem to have helped.

Due Date Given

I have my first crack on my nipple which is unpleasant, however, I had my first doctors appointment which was very exciting!

I have been given an estimated due date of 15th June 2006 which is great - Jack's birthday and our anniversary. We've had some nice chats about how we must have conceived around the same time his parents did with him (yum)!

The Doctor was very nice, I'm glad I had him... he asked me which hospital I wanted to have the baby in and gave me the forms for my Medical Exemption so I get my prescriptions and dental work for free (damn, I should have held out for my dentist check up!) He told me a midwife would contact me at 10 weeks to do blood tests etc, and that might either be at home, or at the surgery. Then 12 weeks we'll have our first scan (sooooooo looking forward to that!) He also prescribed me some Folic Acid and asked me if I had any questions, at which point my brain froze and said no! As soon as I walked out of the surgery I thought of loads of things I'd meant to ask!

The Night Of Truth

Well, last night was The Engagement Party aka The Night of Truth! It went very very well - such an amazing turnout and we both had a really nice night, couldn't have asked for anything better! My feet ached from the minute we got in there, and now I have a bladder the size of a 50p piece, I was not amused that the ladies loos were all the way downstairs!!

It was very hard trying to share your time with everyone that had come to the party, lots of standing up, smiling, showing the ring and telling the same story over and over again, not that Im complaining, but I dont think I realised how being hostess to such a big crowd is actually quite challenging work!

My Mum and Jacks friend Mark ganged up to organise a bit of silence then threw Jack into the spotlight of doing a speech in which he thanked everyone for coming and for the presents and to say thanks to me for saying yes. It was very sweet!

By about 10 o'clock we both realised we had just been enjoying the party and still had to tell the parents our exciting news. We figured it would actually be quite hard getting four of them together as they were all in different areas of the bar, so we decided to get my Mum and Stepdad together first. We took them into another room we had, which no one was in. I was so nervous I thought I was going to throw up! I told Jack that he had to tell them, and we got in a little huddle. My Mum asked if there was something we had to tell them, and I said we're telling her as my Mum and not as my boss, then Jack announced "we're going to be parents". My Mums immediate recaction was something like "f**king hell!" but in a good way! Obviously because we're still in the middle of trying to buy a house, she's a very practical person and probably had all sorts running through her mind! Also as she is my boss, probably wondering what she's going to do was also going through her head! Anyway, she said she was very pleased, she promised, and I felt like such a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

We then went off to find Jack's parents, and took them into another room. My Mum came too, and this time Jack said "we wanted to let you know, you're going to be Grandparents!" Jack's Mum asked me if he was lying! Once she realised we were being serious the smiles came along and I looked over to my Mum and she was crying! I went and hugged her and luckily she was smiling whilst crying, not sobbing into her skirt or anything! Everyone seems very pleased and we're very happy because our parents are important to both of us and naturally want their blessing.

We decided that we would both tell our closest friends, and make sure they would keep it a secret. I had four people there that I wanted to tell, Jack had five. Jack told his lot all together, I told mine one by one. They are all very very excited, had a few teary eyes and lots of well wishes. We said not to make the reaction too big because otherwise other people would notice! Another friend of mine (well, a friend of a friend), found out this week she's 6 weeks gone too, so thats nice that I have someone else who's at the same kind of stage to talk to if I need to!

When people were saying congratulations to me I kept thinking "oooh they know", then I had to remind myself we've just got engaged too! So much is going on but it's all very exciting!

We went home and stayed at mine for the night and had champagne (not me!) and cake when we got in and spoke about what had happened and what we were going to do.

It was a very very lovely evening; excellent party and such a relief to have told the people that needed to know and getting a good reaction!

My Mum wants me to find out about maternity pay, and I was just watching the Baby channel on Sky, and there was a lady on there from http://www.maternityalliance.org.uk so that's where I'm off to now!