It's The Final Countdown..

30 Weeks today, that's 10 weeks yes 10 weeks till our due date!

(EXCITING!!!)

Following my glucose test last week I got a phone call last Friday to inform me that my blood sugar levels were 8.6, this is high as they would prefer them to be 7.8 or under. Yesterday I had to attend a appointment at the hospital to talk to a Diabetic Midwife, she told me I would have to test my blood sugar levels 4 times a day and showed me how to use the blood glucose monitoring system this had me worried at first as I hate needles but I surprised myself and its nothing to worry about! 

she also informed me of what Gestational diabetes is and what it means for me and for the rest of my pregnancy, but reassured me its common in the 3rd trimester. I need to look at my diet and change certain foods. I will have to have more appointments and scans to keep an eye on mine and Baby Greens health and growth, as it is common for ladies with Gestational Diabetes to have large babies, this will also have a impact of Baby Green's arrival as depending on how things go I may have to be induced or have to have a c-sec (unless she makes an appearance before my due date) but they wont let me go over my due date at all but that is something that they do for all with diabetes.

WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO?

Apart from appointments we haven't really been up to much Baby wise, we have been sorting out little bits in the nursery and we think we have everything now for when she arrives. Hoping to have the nursery completed by the the end of November, I cant wait to see it all complete. I washed Baby Green's socks/tights, bibs, muslin cloths and hooded towels, it was such a happy thing to see around the house.

At the weekend myself and James went to Windsor and had a late breakfast and walked around by the Castle and River and had a Ice Cream, It felt like the perfect Autumnal day and something we haven't done in a while so it was lovely change and a must to do more often! 

 I also saw a couple friends this week and had a good catch up as it had been a while.

This week we are planning on going to Blue Mountain Golf Course Firework Display,

as this is where we got married its just lovely going back and having them little memories come flooding back, we went last year too and loved it I doubt I will be walking back home with a bag of doughnuts this time though.

How Far along are you?

30 WEEKS!

How are you sleeping at night?

Right now I've been sleeping fantastic, ok I'm still waking for a wee a few times a night but when I'm asleep its a good sleep and I've felt much better for it. Yay Hope I haven't just jinxed myself.

Any Baby Purchases this week?

Yes a couple of cardigans, blankets, bedding sheets, a unit for the nursery, baby bouncer (in the post) 

and a few other things that have helped complete us in having everything we need.

Best moments regarding Baby this week:

Like most days when she is moving around I love trying to guess what part of her body is sticking out and it does but when I get the camera out she hides its like she knows. I also played a little bit of different music and she started moving and kicking so not sure if she likes it or turning away from it.

Any Food Cravings?

No I wouldn't say there was any, but if I suddenly get a idea of food I fancy I don't seem to get it out my head until I get it or somethings that satisfies it.

Oh Rio drinks! Its about the only fizzy drink that doesn't cause Heartburn so every now and then its a great treat!

Food Aversions:

Nope cant say I do.

How's Mummy?

Mummy is doing well she has a lot more Energy this week, something I've not seen since before I was Pregnant, doesn't mean I've gone and used it wisely but it certainly has helped. I'm very excited that we are getting ever closer to our little bundle of joy being here but with that, I'm also getting anxious about labour I personally believe its to do with the unknown and how I will react to that. I find that I work myself up (a lot) when in unknown situations and can find myself hyperventilating, so I want to learn how to control this is I find myself getting like this is labour so will look into relaxing techniques, also I hope once I've spoken to the Midwife about my concerns she will help reassure me and give me all the information that I will need.

What are you looking forward to this week?

I guess its the scan next week when we have to go for our next appointment regarding the diabetes, its always great if you get a chance to see Baby on the screen and we haven't seen Baby Green since week 20.

Our Baby In veggie/fruit term:

Summer Cantaloupe

Bump Pic:

Knowing what you need..

How do you know how much clothing you need?

How do you you know what you need full stop?

This is something I have struggled with, I've seen so many lists of what to buy. what one person recomends the next person says is a waste of money. A long with that I've asked people what I need  and they come up with a totally different list to the ones you see in Magazines or online.

This just totally confuses a first time mummy to be.

So what have I done? I've tried to cover all areas of clothing, even though people tell you not to buy so much clothing because people will buy you lots once baby is here, but how do I know they will? I can not rely on other people to get the basics for my baby, plus how can you not buy too many when you see so many cute clothes when you are out and about? You don't even have to be out specifically baby shopping and you could spot something, believe me I know as this is how Baby Green's wardrobe has grown!

As you are aware Baby Green is due in January and being in England one thing we cannot predict is the weather forecast, no matter how much we love talking about it! Therefore we have bought clothing to try and cater for most weather types.

I've also tried to get an array of sizes, so we have a mix of Newborn and 0-3months items of clothing:

• 19x Short sleeve bodysuits
• 11x Long sleeve bodysuits
• 14x Sleep suits
• 8x t-shirts
• 12x leggings
• 4x outfits/dresses
• 3x Jumpers/Cardigans
• 2x fleecy all in ones
• 2x coats
• 13x socks
• 4x tights
• 3x booties
• 4x Winter hats
• 1x Snowsuit
• 5x scratch mittens

So I think we really have the basics of clothing covered for the first 3 months, I'm sure we will find that we need more of one thing, and have too much of another. I'm sure we could arrange a few fashions shows to ensure she gets wear out of all her clothes.

 We have a good few items of clothing in 3-6 months too.

 

Again its confusing knowing what other things you need for your baby,such as mosses basket/cot, bottles, bedding etc.

We have decided that Baby Green will sleep in the mosses basket that will be right next to our bed for the first few months and go from there to see when she is ready to go into her cot in her room. We managed to pick up a 2nd hand Mosses basket from a local for sale site for £10 and this included the stand and blanket too, at such a bargain it was something we couldn't turn down. We also have opted for Baby Green to sleep in Sleeping bags so have 3x 2.5 tog sleeping bags.

 

 

I do plan to Breast feed if possible, but after a few weeks I plan to combi feed so James gets the chance to bond with Baby Green too as I believe this is great time to be able to bond with your child.

So we went and ordered the Tommee Tippee Complete Starter Kit  and that pretty much covers you for all that you will need to start you off, I am aware that she may not take to the Tommee Tippee bottles but I've herd such good reviews about them and seen how popular they are and that helped with making our choice of what to go for. We also got the Tommee Tippee Manual Breast Pump to start with and see how we go with Breast feeding/expressing.

While on the subject of Tommee Tippee we also got the Healthcare Kit and Soothers, so as you can see they really are a very popular choice for us.

We have a couple of moses basket and cot bed sets, blankets, sheets etc so think we have covered ourselves when coming to bedding and keeping her warm.

 

I don't know how, but we have managed to stock up well and truly on Muslin Squares (15), Burping cloths (5) and Bibs (25) so I think we won't have to buy any of those for a very long time. 

 

Other things we have covered are the Pram, Car seat, Baby Monitors, Bath thermometer, bedroom thermometer, towels, cloths, changing mat, toiletries such as cotton wool balls and water wipes, and plenty of teddies, a few comforters and Sophie the Giraffe. 

I'm pretty sure thats everything, I've more than likely forgotton to add something but Im pretty sure we have everything we need or what we haven't got is on my list of things to get:

• Bouncy chair- on order
• Wet Bag- on order
• Poddle pod
• Nappies
• Formula
• Cot Mobile- on order
• Waterproof cot sheet - on order
• Baby Bath - in two minds of what to do

So once we have all that I could quite confidently say we have everything we need...I think.

Here is some photos of what we have.

 

 

Sneaky look at the Nursery

Today myself and mainly James have painted the nursery, it didn't take us as long as we thought it would. we are very happy with the out come and can't wait for the room to be finished. 

28 week Bump!

Guarding The Bump

My family in one pic.. Husband, 2 cats and bump!

28 Weeks

12 Weeks till due date, that's 10 weeks till Christmas too, I don't know which one is more scary.

OK I do but I'm not trying to worry myself about that just yet.

We had my 28 week appointment today, everything went really well Baby Green has a lovely healthy heartbeat between 130 -135, she is laying transverse (that's laying sideways to me and you).

I've booked in to have my gtt (glucose) test next Wednesday where I have to fast for 12 hours before drinking some glucose drink before having a blood test 2 hours later to see if I have diabetes. Ive also booked in to have my whooping cough injection to help protect Baby Green, I know people have their own reservations about certain injections but for me there is no harm for the baby so I want to do what I can to protect her in her early weeks of life. We have booked in our appointments up to 36 weeks that's takes us up to the 10th December, it might sound a way off but its not.

How Far along are you: 28 weeks Eeek!

How are you finding sleeping at night: Sleep is hit and miss, most nights I fidgit, I'm restless and can't get comfortable no matter what position I get in to. If I'm lucky to have a good nights sleep its still broken sleep due to the joys of pregnancy bladder.

Any Baby purchases this week: Paint and Blind for the Nursery is our only purchase this week, trying to be good as its so easy to get carried away.

Best moments regarding Baby this week: I would have to say hearing her Heartbeat today at our appointment, but in general just feeling her move and kick is amazing.

Any food cravings: I wouldn't say any cravings as such but the last week I've been naughty with a lot of chocolate.

Food Aversions: Nope I cant say I have.

How's Mummy: That's a good question, I'm still tired and not got a lot of energy but just started taking some pregnancy vitamins in the hope they help! Ive had a headache for a few days that I forgot to mention to midwife but will see how it goes, apart from that I'm well.

What are you looking forward to this week: James starting the Nursery, I cant wait to see it all coming together.

Our Baby in veggie/fruit terms: Tropical Coconut 

I will add a Bump Picture tomorrow.

About 3 Months left of Pregnancy..

Thats 13 weeks till my due date. At the start of my pregnancy it felt like it was going slow but fast at times, now its flying by.

As Baby Green is due early January we are wanting to get all baby related stuff done by Decemeber so we can enjoy our last babyfree christmas without the stress of thinking 'we need this or have we done that'.

So I have written out a to do list-

• Get the last little bits for baby
• Empty the back Bedroom/Nursery of all non baby related items
• Organise,decorate Nursey
• Wash baby Clothes, Blankets, sheets etc
• Prepare Baby Bag
• Prepare my hospital bag
• Deep clean the house from top to bottom

Realisticly I only have two months to do this for us to enjoy the festive period.

The Pram Arrived!!

The pram arrived today, we decided to go for the Babystyle Oyster 2 with the Vogue Humbug colour pack. We had heard a lot of good reviews about it and also went into the shops to have a little look and play. It was between this and another one but decided with this one as it collapsed down much smaller than many of the others. Another bonus of it being compact and lightweight is that I dont drive so it will be perfect for public transport. In addition we had a long chat with staff at Mothercare aswel as reaserching online and decided to go with the Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix car seat, this also fits on our Oyster 2 chassis.

After putting it together (which was a simple job) we are both over the moon with it and cant wait for Baby Green to arrive and use it.

A collection of Bump Photos so far..

I'm now 26+4 days, in the weeks since my scan I've had 1 or 2 appointments can't remember now but all is well with Baby Green she is growing perfectly I'm told she is breech and that's explains why at times I'm so uncomfortable. I also had my flu jab and was given a prescription for Gaviscon at my last appointment and it's now my Bestfriend! 

Here is a photo of myself and James at my Nan's 80th birthday party at the start of September.

Baby Green is moving and kicking a lot, I found drinking hot honey and lemon would get her moving around at times. 

On the 26th September 2014 My heart melted so much, James was giving me a cuddle and had his hand on my bump, he went to get out of bed and said I love both of my baby bumps ( he use to call me baby bump after I got a bump on my head a few years back) and Baby Green kicked his hand as if she herd and was replying! James looked so happy! 

It's amazing watching my tummy move and grow each week, I'm noticing more of each. I love nothing more than when she is kicking me (when not on my bladder). 

We have pretty much got all the essentials that we need for Baby Green, along with lots of cute clothes that we couldn't help but buy. We have everything covered from newborn to 0-3 months. James has a good eye for clothes too, so our little girl will be very spoilt. I'm sure we will have to change her clothes a few times a day just to get wear out of them all. We have been lucky and got quite a lot of clothes in the sales normally we miss sales for ourselves but have really indulged in the latest baby sales. The pram arrives this week, I'm so excited, we are not supersitious (we have a black cat if we get any bad luck it's because if her ha ha) so don't mind it being in the house early. 

In pregnancy my only moan and groan is being very tired and having zero energy, I struggle to do a lot through the day and enjoy resting in my bed in the afternoons sometimes sleeping. I've got to make the most of it right? I really do hope that my energy returns before Baby Green arrives as I would love to get on top of cleaning and I mean deep cleaning of the house. 

Baby Green is a...

Girl!!!

At our 20 week scan we found out that Baby Green is a Girl, everything went really well and she is growing perfectly. We could see her streatching her legs over her head, a Gymnast in the making maybe??
(we also have a name but this is on the hush until she arrives)

First comes love, Second comes Marriage, then comes...

25th June 2014 we annouced our Pregnancy to everyone! 

Our 12 week scan went fantastic, Baby Green kept putting its hand over its face.

At Our 16 week Midwife appoinment Baby Green kept wriggling so we didnt get to hear the heartbeat for more than 3 seconds but it was amazing to hear.

On the 3rd August I felt my first flutters of Baby Green at 17 weeks, Symtoms have stepped up a bit too sapping me of any energy, always feeling tired and only managing to eat small amounts of food.

The weeks leading up to our 12 week scan was full of hiding our lovely secret from others, luckily we had our 1st Wedding Anniversary holiday to keep us busy and hidden.

We spent the week In St Ives Cornwall I was waiting for the pregnancy symtoms to hit me apart from feeling tired I felt fine, up until the day we were sat in the Harbour fish and chip restraunt when I suddendly felt nauseous. The nauseous feeling stayed with me right up until about 19 weeks with odd times actually being sick :(  We had our Booking in appoinment at about 9 weeks which went well about from the Midwife not being able to get bloods from me as im so awkard.

2nd May 2014

Waking up early on the 2nd May (around 5am) we got our positive!!!

Welcome to Our Green Family Footprints Blog, this is somewhere for us to write down and put photos of our memories and journey as a family and the oppotunity to share and also in time look back on our time together.

Over the next few posts I will try and get us up to date to where we are now, I really wish I had started this earlier on in the pregnancy but will be lovely to go back and get myself up to date too.