Month 6 as a mummy of 3

March 2015

I cant quite believe that I've been a mummy of 3 for 6 months now, I really don't know where the time has gone, but here is my 6th month....

If you read my blog post last month, Month 5 as a mummy of 3, you'll have seen that Mr was having some interviews for a promotion at work and we are very relieved to say that he got the promotion *does a happy dance* It's going to mean some pretty big changes as although the money is much better it also means that he will quite often be doing 50 hour weeks. It's going to be strange as some days he'll be gone before we wake up and not back until the children are already in bed, I feel like I'm really going to have to step up as a mum and be there for the children more than ever and I'm going to have to stick to our Routine more just to make the days bearable. I am hoping that it means I might get a little bit more blogging done as I only tend to do it when Mr is working late and it looks like that's going to happen a lot more often now.

Mothers day wasn't quite as I'd imagined it to be as Mr was working all day and my parents were on holiday, so I spent the day at home with 3 rather bored kids, we made cookies but that was about as exciting as it got. The joy of  been a mother, never actually getting a day off as much as you want one, unfortunately children don't understand about mothers day so they still spent the day making a mess and filling nappies. It wasn't all bad I did get a bottle of wine, a nice bunch of roses and some chocolate to enjoy when they were all in bed.

S the little super star has got her 2nd swimming badge, I'm so proud of her and can't wait to take her again to show us how well she's doing. Although I received a letter from nursery saying that after the Easter holidays they will be having a new swimming teacher as they were not happy with the current one and some parents have complained, apparently she was grading them as group rather than on a more individual basis that they normally do. Neither me or Mr had private swimming lessons as children, I had lessons through school and Mr taught himself on a holiday one year. Because of that we didn't know what pace to expect her to learn, so we were pretty happy with her progress, maybe with this new teacher she'll have a few more before the end of the school year.

Yet again we have had an illness, this year we seem to have had one thing after another. This month its been stomach bugs,  we've had two! I desperately want it to be summer so we can have a break from all these bug, I've really had enough this year it's literally been one thing after another, as soon as we get over one thing we've got the next. Fingers crossed that's it for a while now.

We don't seem to have done much with the 'littles' recently, so we took them to the soft play centre on Mr's day off. It really reaffirmed to me just how much we need a car. We went for a bus waited half an hour for it turn up, when it finally did there were already 2 pushchairs on so we couldn't fit, another 20 minutes until another bus came that didn't take us as close so we had to walk the last mile in the rain. By the time we got there I was so stressed, but determined that we were going to spend a nice day together, seeing how happy they were made it worth it. But with a car we would have been there an hour earlier, I wouldn't have been stressed and we wouldn't all be soaking. It also wouldn't have cost us £10 for a taxi back home. I really hope we have a car by the end of year.

Thanks for reading 

Elly xx

Month 5 as a mummy of 3

February 2015

The biggest thing for us this month was E starting nursery one morning a week. She had 6 settling sessions, where I could stay with her as long as I felt I needed to. I stayed the whole 2 hours at the 1st one then left her 20 minutes on the second session and gradually built it up until the last one where I only stayed for 10 minutes. I'm so proud of how well she's settled in. She only cried for the first two weeks and now goes in quite happily to find her new little friends. Apparently the only time she cries is when her and S have been playing outside together and E's room have to go in a few minutes earlier, and she doesn't want to leave her sister. S thinks it's very novel having E at 'her' nursery and loves being able to be the big "know it all" sister, by showing her around and telling E what she has to do, she likes me to take E to her room first so that she can help drop her off like a mummy.

Mr's had 2 weeks holiday off work, it's been nice having him around in the mornings to help out but by the end of it I was definitely ready for him to go back and get back into my routine. He had to go into work a couple of times on his holiday to have an interview and tests for a promotion. It has made our relationship a bit fraught as he's been very stressed with it all and it's rubbed off on the rest of us. I really can't wait to find out if he has got the job but he doesn't know for another 2 weeks so it looks like I better get use to this stress. If he gets the job our entire lives will change its such a big pay rise and he has to be able to drive which will finally give him the push he needs. Neither me or Mr can drive, I learnt and even had a test when I was 36 weeks pregnant with S, but unfortunately I failed and my driving instructor told me to have a few months off while I settled into motherhood then come back and pick it up again. I never got round to it and now its one of my biggest regrets because it's harder to get someone to watch 3 children than it would of been just with one. Not being able to drive or have a car is starting to make me feel like the kids are missing out on all sorts of trips that are all part of childhood. Just little things like going to garden centres, farm parks and just general days out in different places, where they could learn so much. I'm really hoping that we will have a car by the end of the year.

This month E really has been growing up, we have finally weaned her off her bedtime bottle, she's 20 months old now and it's been bothering me for a while that she to old for a bottle. We have tried a couple of times to stop but she's been so upset by it that we've given in and given her a bottle. This time I got her a new sippy cup that had a silicone spout so she could still lie down, she used that for about a week then would happily have her usual cups, which is much better as she sits up with them and I don't need to worry about her having prolonged contact with the milk that could cause tooth decay. The next step now is ditching the dummy, I'm hoping to do that around her second birthday.

We finally got round to taking the kids swimming. They had so much fun, it was H's first time and we hadn't been with the girls for about 6 months. It was great to see what S has learned in her swimming lessons, I couldn't believe how much she has come on. E was quite scared when we first got in but after watching S for a few minutes she soon wanted to join in. H really liked it as well, I was worried he was going to cry but he spent most of it laughing at the girls and being able to make make big splases when he kicked his legs. After we'd been swimming we took them to feed the ducks in the park which finished the day off nicely.

Thanks for reading Elly x

Month 4 as a mummy to 3

January 2015

This month has been mainly spent indoors, started by a week of quarantine while S had chicken pox. I was really impressed with her, she never moaned or complained, she just spent the days doing jigsaws, practicing writing and watching her favorite TV programmes. She had to miss the first week back at nursery which we were both upset about, the last few days of the Christmas holidays she was becoming quite hard work, I think she missed the stimulation. The spots soon scabbed and she was back the next week. I thought E and H had got away with it but 12 days after S's had scabbed they both came out in spots. It was definitely harder as E & H couldn't tell me what was up and the fact that two of them had it at the same time didn't help and we had a couple nights with only a few hours sleep. But I'm glad they've all got it out of the way now while they're still young.

H has had a nasty cough for over 5 weeks so we decided that it wasn't just a cold that his sisters had given him and we'd better get it checked out. I'm still not 100% sure on what any of it means and whether he has got asthma or if he might have it in the future but the doctor gave him an inhaler to take 4 times a day for a couple of days then just as and when I feel he needs it. The problem is I've never dealt with asthma, so I have absolutely no idea what I'm looking for. Luckily Mr had it as a child so has a rough idea, but the Doctors appointment was so rushed as he was already running 20 minuets late and you could just tell that he didn't have time for me, so we left more confused than we started and have decided to keep giving him the inhaler as he needs it and in a few months take him back to a different doctor and see what they say, unless obviously it gets worse then we'll go back sooner.

It's been another big month for H as I've weaned him. I'm sure there's a lot of tutting at me now for not waiting till he was 6 months, but after 2 weeks of constant crying and wanting so much milk he kept throwing it up I decided it was time. And he's taken to it like a fish to water, the girls only had a spoon or two of baby rice for the first few days but H ate 10 spoons at his first taste and hasn't stopped since. He seems so much happier now that he has a full tummy. I'll probably do two weeks on an evening meal, then introduce breakfast and another two weeks and introduce lunch. I much prefer to make my own baby food, but this time I don't feel that I'm going to have as much time as I had with the girls so I've stocked up on jars and pouches for him. So far his favorites are Ella's Kitchen - Bananas bananas bananas and Hipp organic - Vegetables with rice & chicken. The girls are both really fussy eaters and I'm determined to give H as wider variety of food as possible in the hope that as he grows he'll be more willing to try new things, unlike his sisters who seem to live off the same 4 meals! 

After been stuck inside with chicken pox we were just starting to enjoy getting out and about again when we had a load of snow, S just had to have one day off nursery because I physically couldn't push the pushchair through the snow, we had lots of hot chocolate and snuggled up watching telly. It was nice having an unexpected relaxing day at home, but I didn't fancy doing it for long. The next day Mr went and bought some sledges for the girls to make getting out and about a bit easier, and life carried on as normal. I use to love the snow but now I dread it, as nice as it is to look at, all I want is to carry on with life as normal.

Thanks for reading

E x

Month 3 as a mummy of 3

December is always a special month for us, as it's our wedding anniversary on the 1st, which Is a lovely way to start the month or it would have been if I hadn't forgotten to buy a card, and had to go dashing down to the shops at 9 am! This year I also decided to start a new tradition, a 'December box.' I filled it with some new books; activity books; Snowdog pens; chocolates; a magic Santa key; jigsaw and most importantly our "Elf on the shelf" Eddie although I didn't buy an official 'elf on the the shelf' because to be honest they're faces freak me out a bit. The girls loved him and really enjoyed hunting for him every morning, this is definitely a tradition we will be doing every year.

This year December has also been a special month as we got H Baptised. I really enjoyed myself as I was so much more relaxed and laid back about  than at the girls Christenings. I think because I've done it twice before I knew exactly what to expect. Everything went to plan the only thing that didn't was that it started to snow about 40 minutes into the party, so a few people who lived out of town had to go in case got worse and the roads were closed (this happens quite regularly through winter here).

My nephew turned one in the middle of December, It really upset me, I really don't know where the last year has gone. I wasn't even pregnant with H when I met my nephew for the 1st time. I remember holding him and being really broody and really wishing I could have another baby, but thinking that I can't because it wouldn't be practical. Little did I know that less than a month later I'd be getting a positive pregnancy test!

S's nursery concert went really well, she did great and really enjoyed herself. I felt a bit of a loner as Mr had to work with it being so near Christmas and all the other children seemed to have both of their parents there, she didn't seem to bothered that daddy wasn't there and had such a big smile on her face when she saw me sat in the audience. 
Nursery has had her so hyped up for Christmas, I love it as much as the next person but its been getting a bit to much, she's constantly bad tempered because shes so tired. I know this is just what happens but its our first proper year of it and i'm really surprised just how much it does effect them. Its like nursery treat them like a wind up toy, they keep winding the children up then let them go as the holidays start, so you're let with one over excited child!

This month we had lots of fun doing Christmas crafts; we painted baubles; made reindeer footprint pictures; made magic reindeer food and lots and lots of Christmas biscuits. It was a great way to pass a few days when it was too cold to go out. And they made nice cheap presents for people.

Keeping up with the tradition that we started last year, we went to see Santa on the 23rd, with my mum and this year my sister and nephew came with us. We go to a lovely one in a cavern, we were really impressed as well as it was the same one from last year, he has a lovely welsh accent, which for some reason makes him feel more authentic. 

Christmas was a bit of a blur as usual- after months of build up, a late night building toys and then overly excited children waking you at some unearthly hour, it seems to pass in a sleepy haze especially after that glass of bubbly with lunch. We spent most of the day with my family which I love as its just like being a child again and love seeing my children having the same wonderful Christmas's that I had. Last year we had Lunch at home that Mr made, it was nice but it's not Christmas without my mums Chrismas Dinner. Like every year I can't believe how kind and thoughtful some people are and all 3 of them were spoiled rotten, as a parent its one of the best things seeing your child's face light up as they open their presents. The only problem this year was that E decided that she couldn't be bothered to unwrap them as it looked to much like hard work so insisted that I unwrap them and she'd play with the toy.

Routine

Is it just me that finds that Christmas completely messes with your routine? Well it's now the 13th February and I'm still not back to normal. So I've decided it's time to take action and we now have a very structured plan that's pinned to the fridge to help us stick to it. I've also drawn the the times on little clocks to try and help S start to understand time. 

I don't expect us to stick to the plan perfectly everyday, because some days we obviously have to go out and 3 days a week S has nursery, but hopefully it will just give the children enough of a routine that they will be more settled, better behaved and have a better nights sleep.
I have just about managed to keep our bedtime routine in tact over Christmas, but with 3 children having had chicken pox we have had a few nights where it's gone out of the window.

So here it is our new routine:
7 am Wake up and get dressed
7.30 am Breakfast time
8 am Brush teeth & hair. Hats, coats & gloves on if it a nursery day.
8.30am Telly time or play while mummy sorts the washing and does any other jobs that desperately need doing.
9.30 am Craft time - paint, draw, make or bake
10.30am Snack time
11am Educational play- practice writing with S or flash cards with letters or numbers. And practicing words with E.
12pm Lunch time
12.30pm Quiet time and reading
1pm E's nap time
2pm General playtime- a chance for them to choose what they play
2.30pm Outside play whatever the weather
3pm Snack time
3.30pm General play
5pm Dinner time
5.30pm Quiet time and reading
6pm Bath time, brush teeth, ready for bed, supper and bedtime story
7pm Bed time

Do you find having a routine helps your children?
E xx

Month 2 as a mummy of 3

This month has definitely had its ups and downs, it started off in October half term when we went straight from a chest infection to a stomach bug on Halloween. I was so upset the girls didn't even get to wear their costumes. I'm glad that they were too young to know that they had missed out on it. I'd had such an action packed week planned with them, with lots of crafts and fun activities for them to do, but they'll just have to wait until next year.

When we were finally all better Me and Mr went shopping for some new clothes for me with my birthday money, that I had saved from September, but typically I spent most of my money on Christmas presents and clothes and treats for the kids. And then I spend half my life complaining that I have no nice clothes that fit me, but some how children's clothes and toys look so much more appealing.

Me and H had our 6 week check, which went great, he's putting loads of weight on, now weighing in at a hefty 11lb 8oz. I still can't get over how big he is compared to the girls, I almost feel like I've missed the newborn stage. But I'm just glad that he's healthy. The Health Visitor came to our house on the Monday to do weight, height etc. And then we went to the doctor on the Tuesday for the physical exam. H had a few tiny spots on his private parts which I'd assumed were a little bit of nappy rash, But my Health Visitor was positive it was thrush and made sure she wrote a big note about it for the Doctor, sure enough mother knew best and it was nappy rash, I know its better to be safe but sometimes I feel like they just like to make you feel like a bad parent for not thinking it might be serious and taking them to the doctor, but I'd have wasted his time anyway.

As soon as S went back to nursery after the October half term they have been leaning the songs for the Christmas concert. Now don't get me wrong Christmas is my favorite time of year, I love everything about it, I start thinking about the next Christmas on boxing day, but my patience is already starting to wear thin with songs that I've never heard before and bless her she only knows half the words and gets frustrated that she can't remember the rest. I know she'll be amazing in the concert and will love every minute of it, i just wish they would of waited a few ore weeks before starting or at least send a song sheet home.

It's been a very tough few weeks and after 7 weeks of it I was at my wits end, always someone crying or needing something, E and S fighting over stupid things, the never ending jobs that are messed up as soon as you do them, the hundreds of nappies that need changing and the sheer tiredness of it all. So after me breaking down in tears to Mr, on his day off I was sent off to the shops with just H who slept the entire time, to get some fresh air and time to myself. It was a great chance to reflect on everything and by the time I'd done I was missing the girls and ready to go back to the mad house. I need to learn to take a break before it gets too much, Mr keeps joking that I'm going to give myself a heart attack because I get so stressed trying to leave the house on time.

I would love any tips on how to stay sane.....

Ex

First month as a mummy of 3

Week 1

We had a great first night with H, he settled himself in his Moses basket and slept loads, the girls spent the night at my parents so we could concentrate on getting to grips with feeding especially since we were told after he was born that he was tongue tied. It was great to have some time alone with him to bond.

This time I decided that instead of rushing around and going out straight away that I would rest at home and try and keep visitors away for a few days. I've felt a lot better in myself for it, after having E I had terrible "after pains" 4 or 5 times a day some lasting nearly an hour and were so painful I would debate ringing A&E, this time I've had one after pain that wasn't as bad as I remember them being and generally my whole body has recovered quicker.

Nursery runs are pretty hard luckily I've got Mr to help and some days he takes S on his own which is much better, I'm so worried about how I'm going to do it on my own.

On Tuesday (4 days old) I finally felt up to going out, so just after Lunch we started to get ready but all 3 of them started to play up. Both girls started having paddys over silly things like which shoes they were wearing and H filling his nappy twice and getting hungry.  Mix that with Mr getting stressed because he couldn't figure the pushchair out we ended up staying at home everyone having a nap, then we started again and went for a little walk down to my mums for a brew. So we made it out in the end just 2 hours after we intended to leave. 

On Wednesday my student midwife came to do the usual checkups, he lost 5% of his birthweight and they allow up to 10% so that was fab. She checked his feeding and we're doing great with that aswell so I'm feeling really pleased with myself this week.

Week 2 

On day 10 came a really sad day for me, saying goodbye to my wonderful midwives. I really wish you could have midwife care longer before being passed onto the health visitors, Midwives know all your history and know you personally mine saw me through 3 pregnancies, delivered two of my babies and looked after me postnatally for all 3. My health visitor on the other hand has changed for each baby and I've never really taken to any of them I've and have always felt very judged by them and always feel like I'm treading on eggshells with what I say and if I say the wrong thing I'm going to get told off like a child at school. As silly as that sounds In my experience its how I've been made to feel, I really hope that I've just been unlucky and there are some lovely health visitors out there.

This week we also braved our first shopping trip to the local shops, I was pleasantly surprised by how well it went. H pretty much slept through it, E was really we behaved and happily stayed in the pushchair and S stayed close and walked nicely just with the odd blip because she wanted to go on the buggy board that unfortunately doesn't fit on my iCandy Pear when its in double mode. All in all it was a success, the next step is going to be doing it on my own!

E seems to have suddenly grown up she can now point to the correct body part when asked and now says please and tries to say S's name it really does only seem 5 minutes since she was H's size.

This week H has become a real person when we registered him, I'm hoping the doubt about his name will get,  I think it's just as everyone's said it goes with the surname but he's a HH so I wasn't  100% about it, I love his 1st name but I dislike my married  surname.

Week 3

Mr started back at work after his 2 weeks paternity leave, it's  been a hard week I wasn't ready for him to go back, the thought of being on my own was so daunting. But I found the best trick is to split the day into sections, get to lunchtime, then till 2, then till 4 when I start making tea, then till bath time at 6, then it's just bedtime and RELAX! I never know what shift Mr's going to work so some days he's home till late morning and works late, others days he leaves the house before we wake up and is back in time for tea. It's hard with it being like that and I wish he had a job with a regular shift pattern, but I'm grateful he has a job that can support me being a stay at home mum.

Week 4

This week has been incredibly hard we've all had colds and just generally felt rubbish and I've really not felt like doing anything at all, the washing pile has built up and up and  the house is an absolute mess. It's surprising how mush washing we make, I'm optimistically hoping that I'll get into a really good routine of doing it, and it won't seem as bad. 

The nursery run is still hard getting 3 children and myself up and out of the house by 8.30 is tough, but the girls know the routine and we've not been late so far.
I'm making the most of H sleeping a lot and when S is at nursery spending as much quality time as I can with E. I'm really concerned that she's going to feel left out 

It was my local NCT(national childbirth trust) sale this week . I love going there's  always amazing bargains and it's nice to spend some time with my Mum and sister. I also sold at this sale which is a great way to have a clear out, and unlike a car boot or table top sale they take all the stress out of it, you label your items up in your own time at home, drop them off and them pick up any unsold items after the sale,  then just sit back and wait for your cheque in the post. 

  E xxx

36 & 37 weeks

36 weeks

This week I had my home pre-birth visit, which went really well, me and Peanut are both doing great and the midwives are happy for me to give birth at home. She left me with my home birth kit that contains everything for the midwives and two bottles of enthonox. Now i'vr got the definate go a head for a home i've ordered my birth pool liner. I've been putting it off as I didn't want to waste my money if they turned around and said I couldn't have a home birth. I've also ordered the crib sheets which were the last things on my list that I still needed to buy, its like a weights been lifted off my shoulders knowing that I've got everything he needs.

The nursery is so close to being finished that I can finally start getting excited about it, its lovely going and sitting in there at night I just cant believe that he's going to be here in the next 6 weeks!

37 Weeks
Yay I'm finally Full term, so feel free to come anytime little man I'm (near enough) ready for you!
The most fruststating thing at the minute is when people say "not long now" I just want to scream " I know" at them, and I'm just stating to get a few "no baby yet" or "any signs yet", I'm sure people must know how annoying and frustrationg it is to hear that especially people who have children themselves but they just cant seem to help themselves.

I've been in alot of pain this week and think I've got sciatica or a trapped nerve because if I get out of bed at night I get a shooting pain from my back down my right leg that makes it buckle underneath me with every step I take, in a way its nice because Mr now has has to do all the night wake ups with the girls but at 37 weeks pregnant I'm needing several toilet trips a night that now are impossible. Even with all the pains and tiredness I still don't want this pregnancy to end, I really do like the feeling of having a baby inside me and them being all mine I don't have to share them or pass them round for cuddles, I feel like I'm the only one that really knows them and the only one with a bond with them.

This week I'm starting to get abit nervous about the birth as I keep having flash backs to E's and remembering the pain I was in. But  there's only one way out so I'm just going to try and put it to the back of my mind and deal with when the time comes. To take my mind off it I've been trying to keep busy and with a little bit of help from my nesting instinct I've made lots of meals to freeze and washed all of the baby clothes and bedding. For the freezer I have made chicken and mushroom pies, shepherds pies, lasagne's and some mushroom soup, its not alot but I'm hoping that it will just save me cooking a few days especially when Mr goes back to work and I'm to tired to do anything.

34 & 35 weeks

34 weeks

I Feel like I've been hit by a bus I'm so tired, by 10am most days I'm dozing off to sleep in the chair while the girls play, I feel terrible but physically can't keep my eyes open, most days I doze on and off for 20 minutes and I have to force myself to get up and do something. The weather has cooled down a bit which has made my life a bit easier and a lot of the the swelling in my feet and ankles has eased up a bit now.

I had my 34 week midwife appointment on Monday, and everything was fine my worries about him been breech were put to ease when she reassured me that he's head down. I'm measuring a 2 weeks behind but they weren't concerned as the girls were both quite small, so I must just be following the same pattern and having another little baby again.

 35 weeks

E has hit the terrible twos early and if she doesn't get her own way the whole town knows about it. Mix that with S' s usual paddys and i'v been tearing my hair out, wondering how im going to cope with 3 children when I can't cope with 2. 

Peanuts nursery still isn't ready, i'm really starting to get stressed about it now. Its just been problem after problem with it, first half the plaster came off the wall when we took the wood-chip off, then for some bizarre reason the paint wouldn't stick to the ceiling, all the wallpaper I want Is out of stock and now we've started wallpapering we've realised that there's not one straight wall in there. So i've no idea what its going to look like when its finished could be a complete mess the way its going. Fingers crossed it works out in the end.

Thanks for reading  x

Our new little bundle

Well after keeping us waiting 9 extra days our little baby boy 'H' was born at 3.11pm on Friday 26th September weighing 8lb5oz, which after two 6lb babies seems massive to me. After a very long build up it was a very quick labour with only 5 minutes of pushing which I was very grateful for, but as I was having a home water birth the second midwife didn't make it in time, so was a little bit panicked but all worked out well in the end.  I will write my full birth story up, so please come back to read that and follow our story of 3 children under 4 years old.
E xxx

25 to 33 weeks

Through one thing and another i'm afraid blogging took a back seat so I thought i'd have a quick catch up and hopefully get back into the swing of things.

25 weeks

E had her 12 month jabs this week, but they didn't have one of the vaccines in as the fridge they were kept in had broken, so we have to next week for one more. It upsets me so much to see her in pain and crying but I'd rather see her upset for a couple of minutes than have a serious illness that could last for weeks. 

26 weeks

Been feeling rundown again this week. I keep getting like this, my body feels alot weaker this pregnancy. The toll of two toddlers is getting to me now and everyday I seem to be waking up tired.

27 weeks

With the nice sunny mornings it seems to be waking the girls earlier and earlier, which when your not a morning person isn't a nice experience. They have a blackout blind and curtains but the light still seems to creep in their room And wake them by 6am.

28 weeks

I had the midwife this week which went really well i'm measuring a week bigger than I am, other than that everything was spot on. I'm being a case study for a student midwife which I'm pretty happy about as she'll be at all my appointments and will be the one who delivers him, under the watchful eye of a fully trained midwife.  Its put my mind at ease a bit as not knowing which midwife i'd get bothered me, I was lucky with E that I knew the midwife who delivered her but it was pure luck there's quite a few I don't know, so its nice to know that I'll be seeing a friendly face.

29 weeks

This week Mr was a Godfather to one of his best friends little boys, it was lovely christening but unfortunately we had to whiz of straight after the church to get the train to go holiday. The girls had gone the day before with my parents, so I was looking forward to a nice relaxing train journey, but it was so busy and I was disgusted how many people sat there and watched a 7 month pregnant lady stand for an hour on a scorching hot day that by the time we got there I was so tired and stressed that I never wanted to go on a train again.

30 weeks

Our holiday was amazing, we had such a nice time with my family, we stayed in a beautiful holiday house in Llandudno. It had everything we needed for 7 adults and 3 under 4s. Iv always loved North Wales, as it reminds me of family holidays as a child so having the chance to take my own was amazing. Taking them to all the places I remember and seeing how much they love them too has made me the happiest mummy ever. And great fun for me reliving my childhood.

31 weeks

The weather has been ridiculous this week far to hot for me even if I wasn't pregnant, we've constantly got the fan going and Windows open. And I try to avoid going outside if I can, I don't mind if i'm doing something or going somewhere but I can't stand sitting in the sun. Most people think i'm mad but i'm just a winter person.
I ordered my birth-pool this week and when it came we had a trial run with it, which was great fun the girls absolutely loved it, S thought it was a swimming pool and keeps asking to go back in it.

32 weeks

S has gone into the big room at nursery through the summer holidays to get her ready for her funded place in September, shes so excited about and tells everyone we meet about, I can't believe she's in the pre-school room shes growing up far to fast. I'm slightly nervous about September now, how on earth am I going to get 3 children and myself up and ready to leave for nursery at 8.30am 3days a week. Hopefully it will just become habit after a couple of weeks.
Tiredness has come back again, I seem to be alright for a while then it suddenly hits me like a brick wall and I feel horrendous and don't want to move off the sofa for a few days, hope its not here to stay now.

33 weeks

The pain in my ribs has started in exactly the same place I had it with E, its already getting unbearable, with a physical bruise appearing, it feels like i'm having my ribs slowly broken. I've blown my birthing ball up this week in the hope that it will help relieve some of the pain and also because i'm getting worried that he's breech so hoping that if he is then bouncing on the birthing ball and leaning over it might help him turn.

 

Thanks for reading x

40 weeks

40 and 41 Weeks 

Well surprise surprise I made it to my due date, I swing between being really impatient and thinking that he can wait a bit longer because I've still got loads of jobs to do. It was my birthday at 5 days overdue, in my head I thought he would arrive either on or before my birthday. After that I was so disappointed and feeling down and hormonal that I would just burst out crying every time someone even mentioned it or even if i saw adverts on telly about babies. I had a sweep at 6 days over that set tightenings off the next morning, they carried on for 48 hours before actual contractions started, 6 hours of real contractions later H quickly made his appearance and I fell in love for the 4th time.

38 & 39weeks

38 weeks
Having a tough week again this week, I have a terrible trapped nerve in my back I think it might be sciatica as when iv been lay down for a while it sends shooting pains down my right leg that buckle it, its worst in the middle of the night (which is a great excuse for Mr to get up with the girls) and bizarrely is gone by the morning. Having disturbed nights is wearing me out again though and most days im falling asleep by 10am. Just hope he's not too late so all these symtoms will go.

39 weeks
I got very excited as my bump dropped bang on 39 weeks on Wednesday, so I got my hopes up thinking that he was only a matter of days away but he still hasn't made his appearance,  which is probably a good thing as two days before my due date I've started doubting our name choice, I think we'll still go back to the original one but I'm not 100% thay it goes with our surname. Its such a hard choice and something that you've got to live with the rest of yours and their life that it shouldn't be a rushed decision,  its really upsetting me and making me angry that we can't agree on a name that we both like. And with the birth being so imminent its so important that we get it right.
The other thing thats annoying me is all the people asking if I'v had any signs yet. With E it made me laugh when people asked me because it seemed to be bugging everyone else more than me. But this time with it being a much more tiring pregnancy with more ailments, I find myself getting really cross when people ask, I'm just glad that most have being by text so I've just ignored them.
Our first week of S being in nursery 3 days a week has started and being quite a challenge to be out the house on time I can't imagine what its going to be like with a newborn baby aswell!

23 & 24 weeks

23 weeks 

Been a bit of a mixed week this week some glorious hot days and some cold wet ones. We had a lovely picnic in the park with my mum, it was the type that you dream about all winter, it really was perfect. S has decided that she loves playing football and spends all day everyday pestering to go to the park to play, luckily there's a football pitch a couple of minuets walk from our house so if its not raining we go, but i'v discovered that at 6 months pregnant playing football isn't a great idea and i'v managed to pull loads of muscles doing it. 

I'v found my new favorite hobby, crochet. I love sewing but now my sewing machines not permanently set up, as my sewing room is in the process of been turned into a nursery, it seems such an effort to set it up and pack it away so the girls don't mess with it the next morning. I'm a very slow knitter so get bored before i'v finished anything, that's why crochet appealed to me so much, the only equipment you need is a hook and it builds up really quickly. In a matter of two hours i'd already made a square and i'm hoping to build it up to a blanket before Peanut arrives. 
I'v never experienced heartburn in pregnancy before, but this week its been in full force and has got quite unbearable. If the old wives tales are righ and heart burn means your having a hairy baby then i'm having a gorilla!! Both the girls especially E had head fulls of hair, but I never had heartburn once with either of them. It's making me so impatient to meet him now i'm so curious to what he looks like. Will he look like his sisters? Have hair or be bald? Have fair hair like S or dark hair like E?  

24 weeks

What a busy week! E is now properly walking so we've been to get her her first pair of shoes, I always get 'proper' shoes from Clarks as I feel they do the best job of measuring and making sure that they have the right shoes for they're feet, I tend to buy trainers, wellies and sandles from elsewhere but I like the girls to have a good pair of shoes especially while they're young. Clarks have such nice designs as well there's something for every taste. They last so well that even though they are a bit more expensive they last a lot longer than cheaper high street stores.

I'v become a godmother for the first time to my nephew which was lovely, it was a gorgeous day and the girls looked adorable in their matching dresses and were so well behaved I couldn't believe that they were my children. The only bad point of the day was when my next door neighbor rang to tell me that our fire alarm was going off, Mr raced home to find that luckily it was a false alarm. It scared me so much at how easily our home could of been ruined and precious memories lost.

My happiest (and scariest) news of the week is that E turned 1 on Monday. The past year has really flown by, I really can't believe that my littlest girl is one. We had a lovely day and were even treated to a lie in until 7. We spent the morning at the soft play centre, frantically making her cake in the afternoon while she napped, then went to my parents for a buffet. So although a little manic we had a great day. 

24 weeks is a milestone I love passing as it means that should the worst happen and Peanut either decides or has to come early, the medical teams will try their best to resuscitate and save him. Its not a nice thing to think about but nice to know that he at least stands a chance. 

Thanks for reading 

Elly x

21 & 22 weeks

21 weeks

This week was my local NCT (National Childbirth Trust)  nearly new sale, I sold a lot of my girly stuff, had a good clear out but at the sale itself I managed to spend twice as much as I made. if you have one near you they are fab, the bargains you can pick up are amazing, just make sure you get there in plenty of time because they are really busy. I became an NCT member as it means that you can get in early and get the best bargains. To find out more go to nct.org.uk 

I made my first blue purchase this week, some cute little hats from Next, I don't want to go mad and buy loads, I just wanted something to make it real. It doesn't seem to have sunk in that I'm having a baby boy and somehow doesn't feel right knowing, hopefully it will sink in soon.
The nursery is very slowly coming along i'v started to fill the holes in the walls and done a bit of sanding on the skirting boards and door frame, I'm glad I started it in plenty of time because its taking forever to find the time to do it.

22 weeks 

This summer is going to be hell for me, I don't like the heat very much anyway but being 6 months pregnant through it is awful and so far we've only had a week of it, hopefully its going to be a typical British summer and rain for the next 3 months. Although the nice weather has meant that Mr has got in with a lot if outside jobs finally.  I can feel Peanut's bum now when his back is facing outwards, poor little man bet he's sick of me poking him already.