30 Weeks Pregnant (75% baked!)

At 30 weeks I am officially 3/4's or 75% of the way through my pregnancy! We are officially on the countdown to meeting baby and time is flying.

I haven't worked during pregnancy and I know I have been very lucky to have had this time to myself to relax and enjoy each day. During the first trimester I would have to say that time felt like it was moving very slowly, and I believe not working compounded this as I had nothing to take my mind off the growing secret inside of me that I was bursting to tell everyone about. That being said, I am so grateful that I didn't have to be on the packed train into London everyday and work through the nausea. I left my job as an accountant at the end of September last year due to many factors, two being the late nights and the travel into Leicester Square each day. The plan was to have a month or two off (as I was studying for two CIMA exams in November to become a chartered accountant) and apply for a new job closer to where we live. We found out I was pregnant in November and I never went back to work! I honestly know believe there would have been a lot of tears and stress for myself (and for Mr P) if I was still in that job, and when I say that so far I have had a wonderful pregnancy, I know a lot of it can be put down to the fact that each day has been at my own pace, waking up late and lounging around, holidaying or having a bath or a walk into town when I feel like it. So I'm very aware that I'm extremely lucky in that respect and I take my hat off to all pregnant women who get on with it and work whilst they are pregnant! 

Mums to be in the UK can take maternity leave from their job from 29 weeks pregnant, if they wish to go early or they can work up until they are ready to give birth. Despite my current unemployment status, I qualify for statutory Maternity Allowance as I worked for 26 weeks in a 66 week test period prior to the babies due date. The weekly amount is £138.18 which will not go far however I am extremely grateful that I qualify for this and this week I received my approval letter stating that my first payment will commence shortly. I have many little bits and pieces to pick up for baby Paicey, just small things like nappies, wipes, creams etc and I think I will even treat myself to a pedicure with my first payment! After not working it is very exciting to get a payment regardless of how small it may seem to some!

This week I caught up with some of my girlfriends from Australia for a lovely dinner cooked by my gorgeous friend and foodie, Melodie who is about to set off filming a television series, cooking her way through Italy. If you like food and recipes,  be sure to check out her blog here. We had a truly lovely evening catching up and the bump seriously received the most rubs and hands on it than its ever had! The girls where trying to feel kicks but I had to tell them that baby Paicey wasn't moving at that moment and I would tell them when he or she did! They loved my big tummy and I felt the love. We were celebrating my friend Jess's 30th birthday and I must have eaten about 36 cupcakes at the end of the meal. They were gluten and dairy free and as I was assured they were apparently healthy, that was enough for me!

Lots of pregnant woman go through a 'nesting' faze at some point, and this week I think it started to happen in our house. Our house is small but quaint and our living room is not very big. Our sofa is on the extremely large size, so it takes up a lot of space. We don't have a coffee table as we think it would take up too much precious floor space but I've started to think about the logistics of having a baby and trying to have a cup of tea/coffee or even a bite to eat and also a place to put the babies bottles, dummy, infacol (if needed) etc. So we hit Ebay to look at our options and settled on a 'nest of tables'. We didn't win the first set that we bid on but we are now the proud owners of these refurbished beauties that tuck away in our bay window. I think they will be perfect.

Archie clearly didn't get the memo and thought we brought them for him.

Just enjoying a decaf perched on the littlest table.

We also upgraded the cushions on our sofa as I was never entirely happy with the browns and greens that we originally had and went for a mix of blues, cream and grey. We got them from M&S and they brighten the room just nicely. Now I just need to get the sofa cleaned before the baby comes along. Unfortunately we had a huge water leak causing damage to our bathroom, spare bedroom, kitchen and dining room, but I won't go into that. Hopefully it will all be fixed up soon because I hate to look at the damage. Lucky I like taking baths as our shower is definitely a no go zone at the moment!

New cushions!

This week on Saturday it was raining so went to a boutique cinema in Walton called Everyman cinemas. Its a small screen that seats around 40 and every seat is a comfy couch with a little side table for yummy snacks! We seen X-Men and took a moment to think it may be our last or close to last trip to the cinema before we have a little one keeping us at home! We had lunch in Nandos prior to the movie and I couldn't tell if it was just me or if I was sitting in the smallest booth seat in the world! I was so squished I felt I could barely get in or out. Mr P said it was OK for him so the expanding bump was just taking up all my space. I snapped a pic below when I thought no one was watching.

The bump closing the gap between table and me!

Well that was our quiet-ish week at 30 weeks pregnant with a trip to the cinema, a good girly catch up dinner and my first bout of nesting. I've got plenty of bump photos lined up for my 31 week post as I wasn't very good at taking them this week. I hope you enjoyed reading xx

29 Week Pregnancy Update!

There really isn't a moment now that I'm not aware of my pregnancy. In weeks gone by I could go about my business and momentarily forget I'm pregnant, just going about my day with loads of energy. But now, the bump is big and the baby is moving around like crazy! Things that were once easy have become hard. Shaving my legs has to be done sitting down in the bath and I can no longer get to my toes to paint my toenails. Breathing has even become a big job... I'm starting to run out of room in my abdomen and if I laugh or lay down I often get shortness of breath. All this and I'm still loving being pregnant! For me it's a beautiful time of anticipation, excitement and wonderment. Don't get me wrong, I am nervous about labour and birth, the first few weeks of sleep deprivation and learning to look after our baby, but the excitement about meeting our little one by far overrides the nerves.

We had a little shopping trip this week and brought a few more bits and pieces for the baby. I am planning to breast feed but may go with a formula dream feed during the night or express some milk to give in a bottle so Mr P can help with the odd feed, so we brought a set of Dr Brown's bottles. We have been recommended these colic reducing bottles by friends and they have great reviews. We also brought a steriliser for the bottles and cleaning utensils, a padded nappy changing matt to go on top of the dresser in our bedroom, and a few more new born one pieces which were on my earlier wishlist post. We ordered a simple white moses basket and sheets from John Lewis and a Prince Lionheart white noise bear which we hope will help baby Paicey (and us!) get a good night sleep listening to sounds of the womb.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was looking forward to starting pregnancy yoga. I've since been taking a class for the past 3 weeks and its really enjoyable. I sometimes don't feel like going as I'm getting tired around that time of the day but it is so good and refreshing once I am there. We do a lot of stretching, light yoga poses, breathing and pelvic floor exercises which will be beneficial during labour. The instructor is a gorgeous woman who has a lot of energy and loves to talk about pregnancy and babies. It may not be for everyone but we focus on our babies and send love and positive energy to them during the class, which I love. It feels wonderful to stretch out my body in a safe way for pregnancy and learning the breathing techniques feels empowering in the lead up to labour. Its also nice to be in a room full of other pregnant woman and have a chat afterwards about how they are feeling.

We have been undecided on whether we should move from our 2 bedroom house to a 3 bedroom once baby arrives as we like to have a spare room for family to stay when visiting from Australia. We think we have found the perfect solution as we love our little house and have renovated every single room in the 3 years we have lived here so are quite attached. So this week we had a few building companies come over and provide quotes to add another floor and create a master bedroom with ensuite and dressing area in our loft space. I think we are going to go with this option so it is quite exciting, however the 8 -10 week building time will not be quite as exciting!

On Friday Mr P, the bump and I ventured out for dinner on opening night of a new restaurant that opened up on the lovely Kingston river front. We were lucky enough to be invited to sample their delights free of charge and had the yummiest food and drinks. My mocktails were so divine I didn't even miss not having alcohol! Check out Busaba Eathai Here for their yummy menu and locations. I wore a pre pregnancy dress of mine that really revealed the bump which I was a little self conscious about at first, but we had lots of smiles and well wishes on our night out.

Next week I am off to the doctors to get a Whooping cough vaccination so wish me luck on that one. I can't believe i'll be 30 weeks next week! Have a great week x

Baby bump stepping out for dinner at 29 weeks.

28 Weeks - Welcome to the Third Trimester!

I've hit the third and final trimester! Woohoo! Theres something so great about reaching milestones and it feels like we are on the home stretch to meeting our little baby in August! We've had a great week with an action packed weekend which has made this week fly by which is exactly what I want at this point. 

On Thursday we had our 28 week appointment with my midwife which entailed a blood test to check for anaemia, a urine sample to test for protein and glucose and a blood pressure reading. Happy to report all was well. Mr P came to this appointment as he was home from rugby training and got to listen to baby Paicey's heartbeat which was cool for him. The midwife felt around my belly and pushed and pressed really hard and was able to tell that our little one was head down and feet up at this point which made me happy. But she did say that the baby still has a lot of room and could turn out of position at any point. The student midwife measured my bump from the pubic bone to the top of the fundus and got 28 centimetres which was spot on for 28 weeks and then the midwife did a quick measurement and got 32 centimetres, which could mean that we have a huge baby! They both agreed to disagree and said either way, baby Paicey is measuring on target and was a nice size. So it will be interesting to see at my 32 week appointment with the GP what the measurement is coming in at, as they say that everyone takes the measurement differently. Plus its not all baby in there, maybe theres lots of fluid!

On Friday evening we had an end of season awards dinner for Mr P's rugby club held at the Hilton, Heathrow terminal 5. It was really nice to get all glammed up for the evening. I spent the afternoon doing my nails and makeup and went for a blowdry at the hairdressers which was nice. I wore a twobirds floor length dress that covered my bump beautifully. I borrowed it from my friend Shauna as I didn't want to buy anything that I wouldn't wear again. Shauna is much taller than me so I had to wear the highest heels that I own due to the length of the dress, which happened to be my 5 inch Jimmy Choos that Mr P brought me for our wedding day. It was nice to pull these beauties out for the night nearly a year after our wedding. Nice until 2am when we were leaving and my poor feet were in agony.. worth the pain though! I was worried about my feet swelling but I haven't experienced this symptom yet. We were really rubbish with taking photos except for a few that I insisted were taken in our living room before we left. I intended to get a few of me and my hubby all dressed up in his tuxedo when we arrived but we were too busy having fun. I was actually really disappointed we didn't get one of the two of us as it was a perfect occasion to show off the bump and would have been a nice momento.

I was so shattered when we woke up on Saturday morning after a 3am bedtime on Friday night so I stayed in bed til around midday before getting up to get ready for another day out. We were off for a day in the sunshine to watch the last game to be played at our rugby club before they knock it down and the team moves into the new state of the art training centre they have built for next season. My hubby has played for the same professional club for 10 years now so we have seen a lot of players and there families come and go over the years, and many of our old friends came from near and far to say goodbye to the old club ground that has been there for 80 or so years. We had a great day, lots of food and plenty to drink for Mr P and it was another big day, finishing up at 11pm. I had to grab a seat from inside and bring it out as my legs and back were starting to ache and sitting on the floor was only good in short periods as my legs were getting pins and needles. Lots of babies and bumps were out and I got a few snaps with my friend Lindsay who is pregnant and just 1 week behind me. She has a bigger bump than me and looks great!

On Sunday we needed to make the most of the glorious weather so we walked along the river from Kingston to Hampton which took about an hour and thirty minutes and had lunch in a cafe in Hampton. We've done this walk before and managed it a bit quicker and also walked the return journey, but it was a bit much for this pregnant mummy to be so we caught a boat home which was so lovely! 

All in all, week 28 and entering the third trimester was a fantastic week. Plenty of relaxing days at the start of the week, a good midwife appointment and an action packed weekend. The bump is starting to get very big now and I get lots of comments and people wanting to feel it. Im not one to mind this, but I am aware that some pregnant ladies don't like people touching their bumps. I've been chugging back the gaviscon before bed as i've had some heartburn but nothing too serious. I weighed myself at the midwife appointment and I am still 9kg heavier than pre pregnancy. Everyone has an opinion on the gender of baby Paicey with most saying they think its a girl. A few bets have been placed and Im just too excited to think of the moment we find out! Oh and we brought a baby book called The baby whisperer. I'm about a third of the way through it and I'm liking it a lot so far but I will let you know once I'm finished it whether I recommend it. Its about a structured eating, sleeping and activity routine for when baby arrives. I hope you had a lovely week too! X

27 Weeks Pregnant

How far along: I'm 28 weeks and 3 days along, so I am running late on my weekly update.

Symptoms:  I have just started to get uncomfortable as my belly is huge! Its probably not that big but it sure feels that way to me. Just sitting on the sofa I find it hard to get comfy as if I sit forward it doesn't give my bump enough room and if I lay back I feel crushed and like I'm not getting enough oxygen. Plenty of Braxton Hicks contractions where my tummy goes into a hard ball. These are painless but still uncomfortable. Braxton Hicks are just practise contractions to get your body ready for the big birth day. Overall I feel happy and content with not many ailments to complain about so I feel very lucky as everything is going along swimmingly.

Sleep:  I'm still sleeping really well. I wake up often to change from my right side to my left or vice versa and then I need to adjust my huge pregnancy pillow but I fall straight back to sleep. I'm very tired in the mornings and sometimes get up to go to the bathroom and have breakfast and then lay back down. Life is very relaxed at the moment but I know that in a few short months I won't be able to sleep in so I am making the absolute most out of it.

Weight Gain: I'm up just under 9kg which is around 19.5 lbs. I've noticed that this is not all baby as my upper arms and legs are a bit fuller than they used to be, but i'm ok with it and don't feel like I will have a problem loosing the weight in the months after our baby arrives.

Food:  I'm still so hungry all the time. It is recommended that you eat 6 small meals a day at this point to aid the body in digestion which has slowed down due to pregnancy, but I've still just been having my normal sized 3 meals. I'm often starving in between meals and even after I've eaten sometimes. We've started making fruit smoothies in between meals and having lots of apples, raspberries and strawberries. I'm craving fruit lately as I've been eating a lot of it which is always a good thing. We've been making sure we cook fish a couple of times a week so the baby gets all the Omegas it needs for healthy brain development. That being said, I definitely crave chocolate and Ice cream the most above everything else. I was desperate for an Ice cream tonight but Mr P wouldn't go to the corner store for me as he is trying to be good with his own intake. The rugby season has just finished so he really needs to watch what he eats for the off season. Needless to say I was very annoyed and settled for an apple instead!

Movement:  Such strong and lovely movements all day long. Lots of kicking, squirming, rolling and pressing. Sometimes so strong it startles me. We've not had too much luck with getting Mr P involved in feeling the movement as every time he tries to feel my tummy, baby Paicey becomes quiet again.

Belly Button: Its a half innie, half outie! The top half has popped right out with the bottom half still in.

Stretch Marks:  Still remaining stretch mark free on my belly (please long may it continue), but just last night I noticed some tiny ones on the underside of my boob on the left side. We went out today and brought some Mama Mio pregnancy boobtube lotion, so I will be routinely applying this along with the Mama Mio tummy butter twice a day to try and avoid any more.

Wedding rings:  Still on. And only getting tight when it gets really warm which isn't too often here in London. We had some gorgeous weather this week and only for a few hours were they feeling very tight.

Baby's Gender:  Still unknown of course! I'm feeling so curious especially with all this movement and my belly getting so big now. I just can't wait to find out if we are parents to a boy or a girl when baby Paicey arrives. So exciting!

Bump:  Getting very round and hard. The photo below was taken for my sister and wasn't intended for the blog so please excuse my outfit!

27 weeks belly. Please excuse my comfy outfit!

24 & 25 Weeks update

Eeeek time is flying by and April will be officially over when the sun goes down tonight. We've had some lovely spring weather here in London which I LOVE. This means lots of lunching on the river in Kingston Upon Thames and lots of day dreaming about summer with our baby in tow! My Mum is flying over from Australia when baby Paicey is born to meet her first grandchild and to help us settle in at home. We are very lucky that Mr P's parents are also coming, so I keep mentally taking notes on where we can all take the baby for walks and which cafes and restaurants look the most pram friendly.

Im 25 Weeks, 4 days pregnant so I'm just a few days off being pregnant for half a year! I am missing  a few things at this point. The first being soft poached eggs! Oh how I miss these delights. Then I'll be honest and say I'm missing drinking alcohol! I really miss the social factor of getting together with friends and having a glass of wine or just having a drink with my husband at our local. And I'm seriously missing sleeping on my stomach and back. Just over 3 months to go until I get to sample these delights and drool into my pillow again (in between broken sleep).

We had our regular 24 week GP appointment last week where I had my blood pressure taken and we listened to baby Paicey's heartbeat on the doppler, which was such a wonderful sound.
From the  24 week point they start measuring the bump from the top of the pubic bone to the top of the uterus in centimetres. The measurement should be on or near to your babies gestational age in weeks, give or take 3 centimetres. My bump was measuring 24 centimetres so it was pretty accurate and all was good!

25 Weeks bump.

Baby Paicey is growing and moving a lot now. The movement is so strong and it literally puts a smile on my face every time. I can feel the baby turning over and kicking in both of my sides. Last night was the first night I have been woken up from the strong movement and my uterus was hardening at various points in the day which was uncomfortable but not painful at all.

I am so hungry! I could eat for days. Last night for dinner we made a chicken and mushroom pie (very yummy!) and after my giant man-sized portion I was still so hungry, whereas Mr P said he was so full. This growing a baby business is hard work!

My little 'bowling ball'.

I started to clear out a chest of drawers to make way for babies clothing and bits and pieces and it was great to see what we have and what we still need. I realised we have more 0 - 3 month pieces and not much newborn so we will have some fun picking out a few more things. I've been really restrained with buying things as I would rather wait until we know if its a baby boy or girl so we can go crazy on the cute gender specific outfits instead of neutrals. We have received some gorgeous gifts from our friends and family. People love buying little things!

Baby Paicey's growing clothing collection.

I'd love to hear your comments, so please let me know if your planning on washing all your babies clothing before the little one wears it, or if you've done this is the past.

Wish lists

I've started to think about decorating the babies nursery and I am so obsessed with grey and yellow at the moment. Im loving chevrons which are all over Pinterest but actually quite hard to track down in the UK. Mamas and Papas have some pink chevron patterned pieces in at the moment but not knowing baby Paicey's gender, we are sticking to neutral colours.

1.  I love these onesies! So cute and bold which is what I like so much about them. I definitely have enough white! They are on sale at Mamas and Papas for £16. Find these here. 

2.  Grey and white chevron curtains from Pottery Barn Kids in the US. I adore these. I was originally thinking of doing a feature wallpaper in this style but curtains will be super easy and give the same look to the room. The longest length are £55. Find these here.

3.  I've been told you can never have enough baby blankets and this little knitted blanket matches my current obsession perfectly. Its part of the Patternology range at Mamas and Papas for £21 on sale. Find this here.

4. Set of 4, 8 x 10 prints for baby Paiceys nursery! These are just what Ive been looking for. Im loving elephants and I already have the white frames ready to put these in. Available on Etsy for around £30.  Find these here.

My Maybe Baby Wishlist consists of a few products that I love by Stokke that I would love to have but are certainly not essentials. One of my favourite baby bloggers, Hannah Maggs has got me hooked on their products after her recent review of the Stokke Sleepi cot. See Hannah's review here. 

Stokke Sleepi Mini.  

Mr P and I drove to Chiswick this weekend so we could check out the Sleepi Mini and cot in person and we both love it. It is however, more pricey than a regular moses basket but it is oh so beautiful. Stokke have designed this so that it extends into a full size cot and cot bed so it grows as your baby does. You do have to buy additional conversion kits and mattresses for the extended versions. It is quite narrow which we love as we have a small space to put this in our bedroom which is where baby Paicey will be sleeping when he or she arrives. 

Find this here.

Stokke Steps and Baby Bouncer.

This is two products, one being a baby bouncer and the other a high chair. The beauty of the two products is that they combine together so that your baby can be up high with you. I can imagine when we are eating our dinner or cooking dinner it would be lovely to have our baby at our height and great for interacting. The high chair becomes an adjustable height kids dining chair, so it sees your child through the ages which is one of the beautiful things about Stokke products. Again, both are more pricey than other products on the market so we are undecided. Find these here.

20 Week Scan

                           PINK or BLUE.. We didn't find out!

Our 20 week scan was booked for the day after I landed back in the UK, when I was 22 weeks. The midwife and doctors said this was not a problem when I discussed booking the scan 2 weeks later than the usual 20 week appointment.

We decided not to find out the gender of baby Paicey and we held strong when the sonographer asked if we wanted to find out. Mr P basically yelled 'No' at her when she asked, probably thinking I would change my mind. We had to close our eyes at one point as she scanned over 'that' area. So we will get the most amazing surprise of our lives come birth day when we get to meet our little one and see if its a lil rugby player or ballerina in the making!

We were both so excited to see our little baby on the big screen again and we weren't disappointed! The 20 week scan or Anomaly scan is very in-depth as they check over the whole baby paying great attention to the 4 chambers or the heart and the 2 sides of the brain as well as the spine and complete anatomy. Our tech at Kingston Hospital was really great and explained everything to us as she went along. Some things we could make out and others not so much. The babies spine and rib cage were very easy to see and the technology is so great, they can highlight the blood flowing through the baby so it shows up in red and blue on the screen.

Baby Paicey was not playing ball and was hiding, facing down so we couldn't see his or her little face and its legs were all tucked up. After I jumped up and down on the spot, turned from side to side and went to the toilet, baby Paicey would still not move so we were asked to go for a walk and come back to get the rest of the measurements. Second attempt and the little one had rolled over so we could see its lovely profile and snap a pic (see below), but the little ones legs were still curled up, so we were asked to rebook for the following week.

Four days later and back in to finish the scan measurements and baby Paicey was in the weirdest position like a little yogi, legs bent at the hips with both feet touching its forehead! Babies have such soft bones and are so flexible but it looked so uncomfortable being basically bent in half. After viewing the lower limbs and feet, we got the all OK that all the measurements looked fab so we are very happy!

17 & 18 Weeks Update

We are on holiday in Lanzarote! It's been wonderful to spend some lovely time together and to feel the sun on our bodies. The resort is great and we have seen the entire island  as we hired a car for 2 days. The island was exceptionally windy the first few days, with warmer sunbathing weather the past few days. We've been doing lots of walking to the neighbouring villages via the cliffs along the coastline.

I have not been experiencing many pregnancy symptoms this week and I am feeling so good. I have been sleeping very well and eating lots including lots of naughty treats, but that goes hand in hand with holidays if you ask me! I felt baby Paicey moving this morning when I was laying on my tummy on a sun lounger. Lots of nudges which were really strong which was really cool. I haven't felt any other baby movement lately so it's still very inconsistent. My belly button has started to change slightly on the top from my belly growing and my wedding rings are getting tighter on my finger but that's definitely to do with the hot weather as well.

I am very lucky and I am off to Australia next week to visit my family and friends pre baby. So although I am not looking forward to the long flight, I am super excited to see my Mum, sister, brother and friends! I was hoping my bump would be a little bigger when I planned this trip but it's still pretty little. I am very much looking forward to going home for 3 weeks but I feel sad already thinking about being away from my husband. We have been talking alot about our baby,  baby names, the birth and what we need to buy when I get back from Australia. It's really exciting and I'm nearly half way!

15 Weeks... and counting

We've had a pretty uneventful but nice and relaxed week. I've been studying for 2 accountancy exams that I am taking at the end of February, mixed in with lunch out with Mr P for Valentines day and really enjoying being pregnant.
For valentines day I received beautiful flowers from the market as well as a delightfully huge box of hotel chocolat caramel selection choccy's. I got the hubby a very cute baby grow that says I love Daddy. Heres a summary of the week just gone and what I have been feeling.

Our Valentines day treats

How far along: 15 weeks, 4 days

Symptoms: I think I've got the hang of what triggers making me feel sick, which is if I go the slightest bit too long without having something to eat. I still get surprised by how quickly the nausea comes but it is quickly relieved with food. I experienced quite strong pains in my abdomen one evening and my old friend google suggested I hadn't had enough water. 2 Big glasses later and miraculously the pain subsided so my body sure is letting me know when I haven't eaten or drank enough water! Other than that, my lower back has been super sore, especially when rolling over in bed or walking up stairs. Kind of like a pinching feeling. I think I might need to invest in a pregnancy pillow sooner rather than later.

Sleep: A few good nights, a few bad nights. My Husbands constant moving and loud breathing has been irritating me lately which I am normally fine with so I'm putting it down to pregnancy hormones!

Weight Gain: I actually lost half a kg this week which is weird, especially considering my growing belly. 

Food Cravings: I'm not really craving anything per say. I've gone off steak which we usually have once or twice a week. I've substituted my piece of steak for a big jacket potato with cheese and sour cream so that hubby can still enjoy his weekly steak fest (due to Mr P's rugby training schedule he doesn't have the potato as he tries to go mostly carb free). On Saturday night after a huge away win by Mr P's team and a try from my husband, we decided to order a pizza (naughty) and I also ordered a tub of Ben and Jerry's ice-cream in cookie dough flavour. After eating half a tub straight from the container I decided that should do it and popped it back in the freezer. I couldn't stop thinking about it and 30 mins later I retrieved it and ate the lot! Ive never done that before.. I definitely used being pregnant as a lovely excuse.

Best Moment: My favourite moment this week was on Friday when I went to the NICU at St Peter's hospital and visited my friend Jenny's beautiful new son Noah. He was so teeny tiny but absolutely perfect in every way. I even got to hold his little hand. He will be one of baby Paicey's first friends which is so lovely.

Worst Moment: No worst moments really. Studying is a real drag and I don't feel the most productive. I can't wait to sit these exams, they will be my last ones until after our baby arrives.

Movement: I recently blogged about feeling tapping on my tummy earlier in the week. I haven't felt anything similar since, so I'm still not sure if it was baby. But I can definitely feel little wiggles when I put my hand over my tummy and take some time when I am lying down or sitting still. My husband hasn't been able to feel anything yet. I signed up for weekly online pregnancy updates on baby centre, and this week it said that if you shine a torch onto your tummy, the baby can now see light and will move away from it. I really wanted to try this out but Mr P told me I couldn't torment our little baby like that and to leave it alone, our jelly bean will move when he or she wants too!

Looking forward too: We are looking into a holiday in 2 weeks time. Its so cold and wet here so its all about the sunshine and where we can get it! We are looking at Dubai which is more expensive but guaranteed sunshine, whereas the canary islands are cheaper, but still a little cold at this time of year. Looking forward to sunning the bump and hoping it pops out slightly more in 2 weeks so I definitely look pregnant and not fat in a bikini!

Bump: Popping out more and more. Its my favourite past time to look in the mirror at my little bump!

The Bump is coming! I think its lovely.

Baby kicking?

Eeeeek so this is just a super quick update as I'm so excited to share with you that I think I felt my babe tapping on my tummy this morning! I was sitting on the sofa after a very long sleep in, eating my brekky, when I felt a tap tap tap on my tummy on the left side. My t-shirt even rippled slightly!
What else could it have been? Some bloggers and forum posters say that its just gas or bubbles in your tummy as its too early to feel the baby moving.. Im 14 weeks and 4 days pregnant so coming up to the 15 week mark. I've read that it depends on your weight and where the placenta is sitting as it can be in the way. I really hope I feel it again very soon as it makes me so happy!

14 Weeks

How far along: 14 weeks, 2 days.

Symptoms: I think I may have spoken too soon last week, saying I felt great. Ive had quite a lot of being sick this week, vomiting 3 times! I had plenty of all day nausea early on in my pregnancy but wasn't actually sick so this week came as quite a surprise. We put it down to not eating enough and I've had to increase my food intake by adding in snacks of apples and grapefruit and nuts throughout the day to ward of being sick and it seems to have helped. Fingers crossed. I am also quite tired during the day and feel really lazy.

Sleep: Im still having plenty of sleep and lovely morning lay ins but find myself waking up often throughout the night, I'm currently a very light sleeper. I have been waking quite tired even after 10 hours in bed. This business of making a human is tough work!

Weight Gain: I've put on another half a kg or 1 lb which I am happy about as the recommended weight gain for the second trimester is 1 lb per week as a guideline. Total weight gain is at 3.5 kg.

Food Cravings: Ive been eating quite healthy since being sick this week. Lots of homemade cheese and salad wraps with boiled eggs and not much chocolate at all surprisingly. Hope this healthy food craving sticks around as I really do eat what I feel like at the moment.

Best Moment: Not related to my pregnancy but my very good friend had quite a shock and delivered her baby 8 weeks early on Saturday morning. Hearing that they were both very well and happy was a wonderful moment.

Worst Moment: Being sick in the kitchen sink!

Movement: I am desperately trying to feel flutters again and resting my hand on my lower tummy whenever I get a quiet moment. Nothing definite to report!

Looking forward too: Feeling our baby move in my tummy! Come on baby Paicey. Im at the stage where theres no scans for quite some time, usually 20 weeks, so feeling movement would be so lovely.

Bump: Coming along nicely. I think I was quite bloated in my last pics as my tummy feels and looks smaller this week. My husband asked why I was pulling my t-shirt in tight for this photo, but you can't really see my tummy if I don't, so its really not too big but I still love it!