Mason's 10 month update

How is the time going so bloody fast? How is my little baby almost 1 year old?? I look back and miss every second of having a little baby and with everyone around me being pregnant again I just feel so broody!

I always think how lucky I am to have a brother,someone who I shared my childhood with,someone that I could argue and play with when no one else wanted to,someone to share my memories of childhood and someone who knows me very well. I can't wait for Mason to have that 'someone in his life'.

This little cheeky boy is now a proper little lad and he's almost crawling. He's over his reflux now thank God.

He was weighted 3 weeks ago and he was 21 3/4lb which is spot on for his little body. He's in size 4/4+ nappies and taking 7oz bottles first thing in the morning and before bed and 5oz before his nap.

His sleep is up and down but most nights he'll go down at 7:30 then he gets up between 1-3(sometimes at 4/5 but rarely) and then goes back to sleep until 7. He has been getting up rather early which is quite hard but with this face is hard to be mad at him:

He's now fully weaned and he absolutely loves his food. His favourite delicacies are:

-fruit yoghurt

-fruit purée

-jacket potato and beans

-spaghetti bolognese

-fish and veg

-CHIPS

-baby crisps

-weetabix

He usually has weetabix with chopped banana for breakfast, maybe a potato with cheese and beans for lunch and 2x yoghurts for dessert and pasta for dinner with fruit for dessert.

I haven't been too adventurous with his meals as he now eats like people so is no need for me to mash his food so I make his meals on the day. I love when we go out for food as he's so easily pleased and there's always something on the menu that he will eat.

He loves sucking out of straws so we make a weak juice for him in a normal cup and then put a straw in it.

As I am now back to work 3 days a week,he spends a lot of time with other people which makes him very social and happy to be with other people.

He is such an amazing baby, always with a massive smile on his face and so loved by everyone!

He's got 4 top teeth and 3 bottom ones so according to the dentist we've got one more to go and then we're done for a while.

I'll finish this post with more pics of this little monster x

12 weeks old baby

I am so gutted that I haven't done Mason's 8 week update but I have been so sleep deprived and tired all the time that I barely found time to have a bath.

Mason is now sleeping from 7/8pm until 11 then again a feed at 3. Some nights he sleeps straight through 3 some he'll just sleep from 9. We are just getting him into a routine so hopefully soon we'll get there.

The wonderfulness is smiling all the time, he's such a good baby that sometimes I wonder if he's mine. I look at him and I want to eat him! I didn't think I could love something like I love him but I do and I am so proud so have him as my son.

He is in size 3 nappies and has about 5oz of milk. He's not a massively hungry baby although he's so round and cute.

He had his 8 week jabs and the BCG vaccin and he was amazing, only cried for about 10 seconds. Everyone loves him so much and I always get comments of how lovely his smiles are. He also has smiley eyes :) 

Baby Mason at 4 weeks old

The past 4 weeks have been the hardest but also the best of my life. We moved house (twice if I count moving out from Liam's mum where we stayed for a couple of weeks after baby's arrival) and obviously got stuck into parenthood and got used to having a 3rd person around us.

On tuesday the royal baby was born as well so Is baby mania at the moment so Mason will definitely have some friends to play with.

Mason's progress:
He is a very strong little boy and he is always lifting his head and being nosy even though he shouldn't be able to do it yet. He has gained over a pound from his birth weight so at the last weight in (4 days ago) he was 9lb1oz which is normal for his age.
He is still a very sicky baby :( but I am taking him to the GP again in 2 days and I will insist to get referred to a pediatrician as I'm sure this is not normal. We changed his bottles, his formula milk 3 times, used colic drops and nursed him more than usual and his is still sick after each feed. Because he is so sick all the time he is always hungry and not sleeping becuase he's hungry so our days can get very long.
We have a little routine now with sleeping at night : bath with me or Liam around 10/11 at night, bottle of milk (around 4 to 5oz) and then we all pray for a 12:30-1am sleep until 4am until another feed and change is due then another sleep until 7:30 -8am ( this sleep is sometimes in bed with us, naughty but we all love it). Just after Liam goes to work we then get in bed for a mid morning sleep until 10,11am depending on what we are doing that day.

He is an amazing boy and everyone loves him, whenever we go and see anyone he is very well behaved and just faboulous in general. I love taking pictures of him and showing him off because he is so beautiful. 

10 days with our baby

The first 10 days with baby Mason were hard and tiring but the best days of my life. This little boy is the best thing that happened to us and I feel so lucky to have him.I didn't think that you could love someone as much as I love him,he's just amazing!

The first days were hard as we were all getting used to each other, I was in a lot of pain which was very frustrating as I couldn't give him my full attention and my boobs were throbbing with pain! The midwife said he is perfect and he's developing just how he should for his age. Today we have the 10 day check which I'm sure it will be just fine.He was born with a mark on his bum which has now gone,also had his first bum rash which is also gone and we had a bit of a sticky eye.

He was quite a sicky baby, vomiting all the time but I think that was my milk being quite fatty.

We also had piercing screams every time we changed his nappy, he was absolutely hating it and it broke my heart to hear him crying like that :(

Now he's just amazing, the crying has gone,he just makes piggy noises when we change him. He loves his daily baths with me and I love it too!

We try and get him in the bath by 10/10:30 so Liam can give him a bottle by 11 so then he's asleep straight away and I only have to get up once or twice in the night for a feed and change.

He is sleeping a lot with feeds every 2-3 hour. I try to keep him entertained while he's awake so he gets a good sleep.

He's a very sucky baby so we give him a dummy to chill him out! I was against dummy's before him *** nasty cheap plastics*** but is amazing the effect they have on him and I always said that if he's happy and content then I am.

I also breastfeed apart from his after bath bottle of formula that Liam gives him. I can't say that I love breastfeeding because I don't, it hurts and my boobs have gone humongous but I know is good for him, I will put him on formula full time when he's 10 weeks ...maybe.

HOUSE UPDATE:

We are finally moving tomorrow!! I can't believe this happened just when I went into labour but there is an end to it and tomorrow is the day. I am so excited! 

Oh... The car broke down when I was in labour as well so Liam had to run to his dads to get his car at 12 am at night, we had the parking pass in the old car but that's a different story! I didn't expect this to be easy anyway ;))

Baby Mason Ethan is here

Our beautiful baby has arrived into the word on 25th June 2013 at 7:22 am weighting 8lb. The labour took almost 4 days and quite traumatizing but was worth every second. I will tell the full story soon, in the meantime we are moving house, sorting the car out as is broken down and cooeing around this beautiful boy. 

Letter for my baby

Dear baby,

I decided to write you a little virtual letter because I cannot find a pen anywhere in this house and is a very big chance it will get lost by the time you get to read it. So I just wanted to tell you that I am not mad at you for getting me really fat ( 3-4 stone extra to be precise) or for the pains I encountered in the past 15 weeks or so. Pains that I didn't even realize exist in my body.

So, baby! These are the things that I will miss about being pregnant:

- my bump. Not my now bump. My before bump, when is was cute and manageable
- excuse to eat a lot
-your daddy's face when I fart and blame you
-the dog being around me all the time
-your kicks
-not having periods (Is a girls thing, you'll never understand)
-maternity clothes, some of them anyway
-getting away with not cleaning, cooking or anything else I don't really fancy doing
-being made cups of tea by your dad
-shopping for newborn stuff and just for general junk. I have been doing a lot of that in the past months and I have stopped as we physically haven't got any more room and you have so much stuff anyway
- the excitement of meeting you
-the excitement on your dad's face every time we mention you
- the excitement on your grandparents to meet you
-weekly bump pictures I have been taking since I was 16 weeks
-something BIG to look forward to
-time off work!!!

Things I will not miss about being pregnant:

-pains, aches, big kicks in the ribs, punches in the bladder
-sore boobs
-random sickness and vomiting episodes,usually before bed
-weeing every 5 minutes
-having no sleep, especially in the last trimester when bump is too big
-weird sudden cravings like cherries when I have no money on me
-weight gain
-not being able to wear many clothes for too long due to ever changing shape
-paying for maternity clothes that I don't get to wear for too long
-stretch marks ( got a few in week 38 to 39)
-hot flushes
-not being able to shave or see my bits
-not being able to drink, I miss WINE!
-not being able to walk anymore or do any sort of exercise

So baby!! As you can see there have been pros and cons but we will love you very much and we have sacrificed a lot of things in order to offer you the best start in life. We are moving to a bigger house, we got a new car so we can get you in an out easier than in our old car, we have ensured that you have every single piece of clothing, cosmetic, toiletry and gadget that is available so you don't miss out like we might have done when we were little. We will take you to baby groups, swimming, football games and any other things you might like doing (saying we I mean your dad of course as I will be too busy drinking wine).
I am excited to sit around the table together whilst you throw food on the walls, your dad cleaning it and me booting the dog for begging and making noises... that's how I picture our dinners :)
I am excited for our first Xmas together. You will be too small to understand but it will be amazing!!

So baby!! Hurry up and bring some excitement to our lives because we REALLY need it!!!

Love, your fat mother!

39 weeks pregnant

This week I honestly thought I was going to give birth as I had really bad pains and little contractions. We ended up going to hospital on Saturday night as the pains were unbearable. They took bloods ( which left me with a horrendous bruise on my left arm), smear test, blood pressure, temperature and baby monitoring for more than half an hour. The results were fine which was quite frustrating, I secretly hoped they would give me a reason for all these pains. We were there for over 5 hours and it was draining and depressing. Hopefully next time I'll end up in there I will come out with a baby as I am sure the nurses know me already and of course I know my way round the hospital.

Apart from pains, Braxton Hicks and other unknown symptoms I had not much has changed. Still loving watermelon and the other day I had a really big crave for cherries after seeing them in a green grocer. I wanted to buy some but didn't have any change so I didn't in the end but kept thinking about how delicious they looked so went back the next day and got some... they were devoured in less than a minute.

It was Fathers Day on Sunday so we spent the day doing bits and bobs in the morning, had lunch out in town followed by a visit from my dad and the rest of the afternoon spent in the pub with my dad and rest of the family and friends with babies. Got a lot of sympathy looks from other people with the question : ''Oooh still pregnant then??'' Everyone is texting me to ask if I'm still pregnant and almost feel guilty for saying yes! Even Liam has been Googling 'How to induce labour naturally' which sent me absolutely mental. I am not a bloody baby machine and I don't see how is such an inconvenience for everyone else that I am still pregnant, if anyone should feel stressed and impatient is bloody ME!

 

 We now have a moving date... a week today!!! Mental I know but if we get ourselves organized then I'm sure it will be fine with our without baby.  We need to hand the keys over on the 27th June so that day we are going to Liam's mum to stay and we allocated a week to decorate and get the furniture in our new house so we won't be homeless for more than 7 days. If the baby comes earlier then we'll just have to move out a bit earlier but we're now hoping that baby is a bit late :) At least in 4 weeks we can say we've moved house, had a baby and we're all settled!

34 weeks pregnant

               
                        My 34th week also marks the last week in work for me as per my last post.

A lot of people have of course shared their very much appreciated opinion that I have finished work very early and I will wish that I would have finished a bit later just so I can get more time with the baby when he's here. Well, yes, I would have loved to work until a week before the baby is due and have a decent salary until probably August as opposite to getting only 90% of my not so great salary at the end of June just in time for the baby's arrival. I would have loved to have 5 weeks extra with my baby next year rather than sit at home now and watch Jeremy Kyle all day and obsessively clean the house/arrange baby clothes/re-arrange baby clothes/ count nappies/worry about the house/worry about the how we are going to raise a child on one and a half wage with a mortgage,new car,other crap/ worry in general just to fill up my 6 weeks which I could have spent with my child. But try and explain this to my horrendously painful back and vagina area. Also to my feet that look like they've been pumped up by 10am,to my legs that refuse to function if I sit down for more than 20 minutes,fatigue and dizziness I get every day around lunchtime to name a few.

This week hasn't been great for me as i am getting heavier and I am happy I have finished so early not just for me but for the baby as I feel I have been putting a lot of strain on him by not resting when I need to and forcing myself to do stuff like cooking every night after work,a bit of cleaning here and there,not getting up from the desk every 20 minutes and all this. I also feel like I've been a useless girlfriend for the same reason as All I do is moan with pain,sit down like a vegetable and just be miserable. Long gone are the days when I used to cook from scratch nice dinners and cuddle on the sofa or go for a walk. Now is more like a quick pasta with a ready made sauce and quick return to the sofa where I practically rot until is shower and bed time.Not exactly romantic ( especially when you have hairy legs and other bits so basically not much going for you as a woman)!

Baby's movements are getting very painful as well as he seems to get some limbs stuck in my ribs all the time and this week I managed to get him filmed as well.Freaky shit that! It still amazes and freaks me out but is also an amazing feeling.

I am seeing the midwife on Tuesday for my 34 week,can't wait to see who is replacing Fat Julie this week. Long story short,my midwife ( lady called Julie who was too fat to get off her chair so she was always accompanied by someone who did all the moving for her) went off sick after my 16 week appointment so I saw a different one at each appointment which is very annoying as I had to explain to each one of them my back pains and my SPD which I also diagnosed myself with.This is also one of the reasons why I finished work early,my midwife didn't refer me to a physiotherapist until 2 weeks ago when It was bit too late for them to do anything with my crushed pelvic bone and 'wonky spine' and basically I kind of self certified myself and decided to finish work and rest my back.

On a more positive note though, I am not in so much pain anymore,maybe cuz my body is now immune to pain after suffering for so long and I am finally looking forward to baby's arrival so I am in a happy mood.The baby shower is on 1st June and after that only 3 weeks left if the baby is a good boy and comes on time.

Tomorrow I will start doing the hospital bags because I am a control freak and like to be organised,especially after having this weird dreams that I'm going into labour and I'm not ready for it!!! It was awful because in my dreams I was upset about the fact that I haven't been organised not because my baby was born premature! I really hope this nesting crap goes away once I give birth,I can't start obsessively tidying and cleaning and organising with a newborn baby like i do now.

I am very happy that I have no stretch marks to show for this pregnancy and will credit Bio Oil and Palmers Cocoa Butter for it. I however seems to have gained quite a lot of cellulite :( as I haven't been able to do any exercise since January because of this back and groin pains. I am planning to go for the longest walks with the baby and the stepdog so I'm not worried about that.

Someone said to me today to stop questioning why I'm tired or hungry or hot and just deal with it so I had a nap yesterday and today and still went to bed at my usual time. I think my body knows that I finished work and is now catching up on sleep.Sleep is lovely!

P.S. sorry for the blurry photo. I haven't got a clue why is like that as is perfectly clear on my phone.

Last day in work pre-baby

What an emotional day! Not only was my last day in work but we picked up my new car and didn't have time to say a proper goodbye to my old one :(

So as I said,today was the last day I got up at 7am to go to work.Well, I actually got up at 5:30am(!!!!!!) because I kept dreaming that I'm going into labour on my last day and don't have time to handover and to say goodbye.Liam wasn't well either and he got up earlier than me so him not being in bed was weird too.

Me and my friend Michelle slaved away last night baking buns,cakes and brownies for work people, nothing better than a dress down Friday with cakes for breakfast, they went down very well.
***I am really getting into baking and even treated myself today with some new baking trays.I know! Is the little things nowadays***

It was so strange to walk through the doors and make my coffee and generally following the same routine I do every day knowing it'll be the last time I'm doing it.Everyone kept asking if I'm getting emotional and I must say that I did get very sad but didn't really have time to get sad and sulk as I was so busy trying to get work done.

I must say that my work colleagues are ace and they are the only reason I am still in that job. The banter we have and the inappropriate jokes kept us going during these awful past months where there weren't enough people for the amount of work we had.

I was so spoiled with gifts for the baby,cards, flowers, wine (mwahahahaha, more for mama,I have a couple of bottles of rosé with my name on them after baby), chocolates and whatnot.

Not sure how long I will be off as we haven't yet thought about childcare so for now I just want to enjoy some time off, try and spend as much time as possible with Liam and hopefully move house before the baby comes.

A few photos from today:

Sexy cakes

And the piece au resistance for after baby shenigans:

Mmmm...I will love it, each sip of it!

P.S. I must mention the most hilarious thing Shaz from work got us for the baby (the massive yellow flower in the pictured):

www.bloomingbath.com
Check it out! I love Shaz for finding the most random things ever online ! Xx

33 weeks pregnant

I am now 33 weeks,7 weeks away from baby's arrival. This has been a very exciting week for us and this is how the bump looks:

This week we've got another thing baby related: a new car. It had to be done and I love it. My old car had only 3 doors and a boot big enough to fit 2 carrier bags from Lidl which is not ideal when you have to get a pram around and a car seat in the back.I loved my Yaris and it breaks my heart to get rid of her( is a she of course and her name is Didina!) but is yet another thing we had to sacrifice.Our new car is a fairly new Peugeot 308 with 5 DOORS and A MASSIVE BOOT!!! how fancy are we??

This is also my last week in work and I am so ready for it. I am so tired all the time and achy,9 hours sat down each day is taking its toll on my back.I will be very sad to finish work as I do enjoy my job,I love the rude jokes we make in the office and random conversations/debates mostly vagina related(with 4 girls being pregnant in work at the same time) we all have around midday when everyone is too hot and bored to do any more work, I will miss the routine I have every day and I will very much miss the excitement of being Friday! I bloody love Fridays and love how everyone is in such good mood.

No cravings this week, I did however make American pancakes this morning as I saw someone on TV making some and my mouth was dribbling so had to make some immediately. Photos and recipe tomorrow ;) I did however devoured so much whole milk every day,I had awful heartburn and milk seems to sort it out so had lots of it.

I no longer have ankles,I have cankles! My fingers look like cocktail sausages.

I walk like an injured penguin and my legs are chaffing.

I somehow gone off puddings and junk food. No, I'm lying actually! We did have a McDonald yesterday to celebrate the new car but is was horrible and it made me sick. I have a Waitrose chocolate brownie in the fridge and it has been there for a while and I don't really want it :/ I also have loads of nice ice creams in the freezer that don't seem to appeal to me :/ whaaaaat? This is the only time in my life when I can get away with eating crap and ice cream for breakfast( ahem...Course I haven't had a tub of Ben& Jerrys by 10am before).

I just seem to eat a lot of fruit which I always have anyway but now is beyond ridiculous.Last night I felt a bit sick and was very tired but still got up and dragged myself to the kitchen to make a healthy mushroom and asparagus risotto. I never made risotto before but it was nice. Liam had half of a large Dominos Pizza instead. Apparently my risotto looked like baby sick. For dessert I had a big bowl of strawberries.

I am now off to eat a whole pineapple! Xxx

Bargain shopping!!

 

As it was pay day last week, I decided to buy a few bits and bobs for the baby and also for my hospital bag. We are hoping to move house in the next weeks so I want to be prepared in case baby decides to come early and don't fancy searching for nursing pads/muslin cloths/etc in a house full of boxes and other crap. Anyway, how bloody expensive baby related stuff are??? It just makes me angry every time I buy something so I decided to raid the charity shops in town for some dresses for me ( nothing fits any more once again :(), is getting hot and I'm always having hot flushes so not sexy!

I must say that charity shops nowadays are not cheap, you definitely can't expect to buy anything for less than a fiver unless you want a china cup or a yellow,smelly book. I managed to pick up 2 dresses for £15 which aren't maternity but they will do the job and one of them was new with tags but £15 from a charity shop???? I feel robed...

Next stop was B&M Bargains and good old Poundland for some toiletries and baby stuff ( baby hairbrush, baby nail scissors and nail clip for £1.99? Gracias). What actually made me happy and fulfilled was my brand new clothes horse, which was reduced to £12.99 and is has sooooo much space for spreading my big granny pants and my brand new charity shop dresses ;) because I'm class!

and we haven't got a tumble dryer anymore :(

My last and best bargain of all times was eBay. I was randomly looking for something when I typed baby bundle and a whole page of options was open just for me. I'm not very good with eBay ( ever since me and Liam bided against each other on a table and not realising to only be very smug when I told him how cheap I got it after managing to win it against a looser who wasn't quick enough,course that was Liam doing the same thing) so when I found a bundle of over 60 items of baby boy clothing for less than £20 I decided to put a bid thinking it'll go for a lot more given the massive selection on offer. The listing ended at 7 am next day just as I was getting ready for work so was able to keep an eye on it, only went and won the bloody bundle for £21. My dad picked them up for me so saved   me the money on the postage and voila:

It was so much stuff, we got rid of a couple from the bundle and some clothes we had as well as we decided that they weren't as nice as the new ones and managed to put together another lot ready to go on eBay for probably the same price as what I paid. Win win !! So it just shows that you don't have to spend a load of money to get stuff unless you are precious about newborn clothes which we aren't :D

I have a feeling that I'll be doing a lot more bargain hunting soon with the house decorating and finishing work which I'm sure I can get used to till baby comes ;) x