38+1 less than 2 weeks to go til due date!!!

Latest bump picture...front and side on. For some reason the pictures make it look so much smaller than it is in real life. I feel huge. Kindly was told that I look like I'm carrying about 20 kids...lol CHEERS KENNY!!

Things I really can't do anymore: reach over the ironing board to unplug the iron, get comfy on the sofa THEN reach for laptop/cuppa/remote control, run for a bus, go anywhere without peeing twice first, get up off the sofa/roll over in bed without grunting like a pig, go to sleep without taking obligatory Rennie first. (amongst MANY other things)

Things I've mastered: peeing in a pot, going to the loo 8 times during the night without opening my eyes, eating constantly, functioning on minimal/broken sleep, washing baby mittens/socks without losing them to the washing machine monster, spotting dirt in just about every nook and cranny of the flat but not actually being able to do anything about it!

Got the midwife this afternoon so hoping she will be able to feel the baby better today and see that she is definitely head down and engaging! I have a horrible feeling she's not though, I've been getting pointy legs and arms sticking out all over the place! Really would like to have a natural birth and not a c-section, so fingers crossed.

Got some bits and bobs in the Asda baby event, got my widgey breastfeeding pillow, which is amazing! Got some newborn bottles and a kit with thermometer, clippers, scissors, nose sucker (YUM!) etc. So I think I'm pretty much set now, just got to collect the moses basket and cot from kenny's mum and sister. Oh and I need to go get measured and buy some nursing bras, but I realllllly can't be bothered! Must do it sometime soon or it'll be too late!

Well sadly baby didn't turn up on my birthday yesterday so we haven't started a family tradition following mum having Nathan on her birthday! But then again, we could see that Ella turns out to be a boy and follow the tradition of being told it's a girl at the scan and actually being a boy. Hope not, too much girl stuff!!!

Have filled out the baby books we've been bought so far, need to print some bump pictures for them. Was a laugh trying to fill out family trees with mine and Kenny's families, we've got family all over the place...none of them straightforward! lol.

Oooh finally succumbed to stretchmarks too :( boooo I thought I'd managed to avoid them. But there's LOADS at the bottom of my bump and there's a few angry looking ones threatening to get bigger on the sides too. Could be covered in them over the next 2-4 weeks :( not fair! But thankfully everyone says I've not put on a huge amount of weight (not been weighed in donkeys so it's probably more than I think) so hoping to not take too long to get back into my normal clothes. But I refuse to even get those clothes out just yet, they scare me! lol.

Need to get a frame for the button picture I've done for the nursery AND I really need to finish off the 2 canvases I started to paint and then they can all be hung up :)

Right, better get myself in gear, have some lunch, get showered and dressed and eventually head to my midwife appointment to see what delights are in store for the next 2 weeks.

35+5

Less than a month to go...

Yesterday's bump picture at 35+4, everyone says I'm tiny, certainly not feeling tiny!!

Not sure if Ellabump is still the wrong way around since my GP appt at 32weeks...I have been on my knees, on the birth ball and hanging over the edge of the sofa in vain trying to get her to turn. I've no idea where she's at now. I constantly have a very large round lump under my right ribs which I think is a head but it could be a bum? And I have some very sharp pointy body parts poking out at the bottom left of my bump...no idea! Can't wait til midwife appt on Wed 11th to find out for sure. Probably will have to discuss having her turned and/or c-section dates if she is breech/transverse/oblique. Kacking my pants, really don't want a c-section. It's the last thing I want. But nothing I can do about it I suppose and just have to go with the flow!

The urge to pee every 5 minutes is really driving me nuts now, it's never eased up through the whole 8 months but jesus christ, I can just have been and then literally 5 minutes later be bursting again. Wish she would stop squashing my bladder!!

Went to see Ciara yesterday and she'd got a really cute pressie for bump from Ireland when she went visiting home at Xmas. So cute, a little pair of Irish leprechaun sock/booties. :) Was good catching up with her, last time I saw her I was only about 4 months gone!!

Made a cute piece of artwork to hang in the nursery, I got some bright coloured buttons on ebay and glued them a bit like a mosaic in the shape of an "E", just need to get a nice cheap frame and hang it up and I'll post a pic. Also need to finish 2 of the 3 canvases which I painted to match the bumper and curtains.

I got a bargain in mothercare the other day, got a cute animal mobile to hang over the cot for £10. And got some blankets and we finally for a moses basket stand and chest of drawers for cheap as they were on gumtree. Who says having a baby is super expensive?! We've managed to source everything pretty cheaply. I must admit the only extravagant thing I've bought is a nice big colourful rug for the nursery. I love it, and so does Kenny (that's a first!). But even this rug which is pretty decent quality and huge was cheap off ebay. Bargain hunter Vicki here :)

Just need to get the chest of drawers in from the car later today and put all the nice clean clothes away in it. Then we'll just be waiting for Kenny's mum to make the moses basket covers so we can bring it home and then we're sorted :) So exciting.

Re-packed my hospital bag this morning too and reduced what's in it. Just need to get some nursing bras and dummies for baby. And when the time comes we just need to remember to grab me some clothes for coming home in and a hairbrush and I'm set! MUST remember to put baby's carseat in the car too...they wont let you away unless you have it!

Was back to work properly for the first time in about 5-6weeks this last week. Wasn't too bad. Having to wear stupid business dress but at least it's not for long. Struggling though, only have about 3 outfits that fit! I managed to speak to personnel and they've said I can use holidays at the end of Jan so that I finish up earlier too as I doubt I'd make it to 31st Jan as originally planned. So hopefully this coming week will be my last, then 2 & half weeks hols starts and then maternity leave starts. Woop! As much as I'm fed up sitting around the house and getting bored and it makes the time go slower...I'm struggling with work. It's stressful, tiring and lots of getting up and down and walking involved which is destroying my hips.

Hopefully i'll post a pic of all my finished artwork and the finished nursery with moses basket in it/clothes put away soon. We'll see! And I wonder how many more bump pics I'll do before I pop/be popped?

Off for a cuppa, and for the past 3 days I've really wanted  sorbet... we don't have any and Kenny wont get it for me. He's trying to keep us healthy...boring!!! I'm so hard done by...!