How I was feeling: 26-28 weeks pregnant & counting...

Afternoon, lovelies! 

The 3rd Trimester has come around wayyyy too quick!

I haven't actually kept with with my blog as you can tell, mainly because my pregnancy has flown by so quickly that actually nothing interesting has happened! I'm rather blessed to not come across any problems as such and baby is doing very well, kicking all the time, I'm learning the lil' ones routine already - I really enjoy waking up in the mornings to loads of movement, as baby has gotten bigger my ribs are starting to take a bit of a beating! I can only describe it as nudging but can wake me up and startle me from a sleepy state!
Throughout 26-28 weeks I feel like my bump has grown tremendously and it can only be a good thing as there were worries before that I was 'too skinny' - read more on that in previous blog posts...

My overall feelings from the past 2-3weeks is that as much as I think my head wants me to do things, especially in work - my body literally cannot keep up & I get tired very easily and it comes along with the process of being pregnant that your legs don't move as fast as before and your back can sometimes give out and become so achy that you feel little relief until your laying down or in the shower...

Those pesky varicose veins are having to be watched closely now, I used to think only bigger or heavily pregnant women got varicose veins but in reality your body is just not used to extra weight/pressure and even as someone as slim as me can get them! They are no longer just protruding out, there's also clusters of purple veins which really need to kept an eye on as if they get more/bigger i'm in higher risk of clotting...

I did have my 28 weeks midwife appointment that went really well, being measured and being told I was growing nicely and babans heartbeat was brilliant, blood pressure was fab & I didn't find it bad at all getting my blood taken again! I did talk to the midwife about my cramps and varicose veins - which did result in a hospital check up the same day but overall I only have to have stockings to keep my legs contained. If I do experience anymore pains then it's back to the hospital as I might need injections to reduce the swelling...

These next few weeks are honestly going to fly by & despite everyone saying 'towards the end you'll wish it went faster'.. But honestly I feel like it's gone by so fast I haven't had time to enjoy being pregnant - It's still almost as if it's not even real..
How is mum doing?
How far along:28weeks & 6days
Total weight: 9st 10lbs
Maternity clothing: Mixing it up by buying larger size dresses - still wanting a decent pair of jeans though!
Sleep: So-so
Best moments of the week: Hearing the heartbeat & having my ribs kicked in!
Miss anything: Being able to move as fast as I used to.. I'm slow :( 
Cravings: Nope, just been eating as healthy as I can - with cheating of course... 
Anything made you sick or nauseous: Not really.
Gender: Whatever it'll be it'll be..
Symptoms: Varicose veins and back ache & sore ribs! As usual
Belly button in or out: 100% Out! It's poking out of my tops now & bruising :(
Happy or Moody: Happy - but tired!
Wedding rings on or off: Engagement ring is still on - fitting better!

Thanks for reading this update, hopefully when I'm on maternity leave I can actually enjoy my pregnancy!
~Ellie xoxox

How I was Feeling 24weeks Pregnant & counting...

Gooood afternoon to you beauties!

The weeks are literally flying by now - 24weeks, crikey!

So a lot more has been going on since last blog post.. We've progressed with buying stuff for the baby regardless of the fact it might be "too early" or there's those "superstitions".. Since last blog post Kurt was working away for 2 weeks & some things had been going on as far as building work is concerned, I've been forced to move into my mums house for the time work has been on. We've had a new bathroom fitted complete with new tiles and 2 of the bedrooms have been mold/damp treated and re-plastered... Next on the agenda is to get our hallway sorted (see other post for more in depth rant)

We bought a Moses basket from a local baby boutique as it was a lot nicer and cheaper than anything I've been looking at online! I didn't want a modern looking basket nor a soft wicker basket - We went for white wicker with a white lace cover! All together with the stand it came to £63.. Much cheaper than Argos (which you can pay £70+), Mothercare (£70-£100+) & other websites/stores... Of course there was the option to buy second hand - but you never know the condition of something someone else has had - regardless of age, especially when you're putting a newborn in there!

We picked up a few outfits & I couldn't resist buying a kids book!! Kurt was very excited to order some things for me to open while he was working away - A triceratops plush toy & an outfit saying "I heart daddy" with a Welsh flag - he loves dinosaurs & is also proud to be Welsh... He would like to have dinosaurs as a theme for the baby even if it's a girl OR a boy.. I'll let him have this one.. Secretly I think kiddies clothing looks nicer when it's unisex, rather than putting them into specific colours - especially when they are so young!!

We've decided (very quickly) on a 3 way pram from Mothercare. I wanted it to be specifically able to have multi-function, 4 wheels, and a pleasing on the eye colour scheme! At first I was looking at prams costing over £400+ and was convinced I couldn't find what I wanted with all the extras for any less than that, Kurt asked me to try and look again at prams and if I honestly couldn't find something cheaper then we'd go for 1 of the prams I picked out on my "virtual items list"... I managed to find a good brand name pram, with 4 wheels, came with accessories I needed and had the "trio" conversions. The price was the same in Argos as in Mothercare... £259.99 Black and green Hauck pram set! I kept looking on it and reading up on the reviews and reading size & weight before and after it's been folded down - I was very impressed! We purchased it right away - Although I was disappointed that I couldn't go in a local store to look in person & experience picking the pram out with Kurt, I also trusted his instincts to buy it online there and then!

Hauck travel set pram

We also bought the nappy disposal bin from Mothercare! It was on sale for 1 day only and you can't always guarantee a sale online so we bought it there and then in the shop! £36.99! It came with 6 cartridges, rather than buying them separately - it was sold as a "starter pack". I've no doubts this will be a life saver! Although the bags may not be bio-degradable as such it can cut out numerous trips to the outside bin, as well as not taking up so much room in any other bin or waste disposal. I have thought that once baby is old enough then I might start cloth nappies as they are more in a routine and have better control over their toilet habits ( as when they are newborn and a few months old they go poop VERY regularly) - then the fun of potty training can begin once they're ready!

Very happy that baby is doing well and that I've finally put on weight, I'm still in awe every time I feel the baby move around. I'm just so in love - I can't describe it! The midwife was very happy with my condition and weight gain and said it was nice and steady progress - which was ideal! Right size belly for how far long I was & we got to hear the baby's heart beat on the Doppler again - which is always magical! I spoke to my midwife about what the consultant said & she consoled me and said sometimes consultants like to say things & unfortunately it doesn't go down well with women, especially pregnant hormonal women! She agreed that he did cause concern but it wasn't at all necessary and if there was problems then we'd know about them! Next time I see the midwife I'll be reaching the 28 week mark! After that it's more frequent appointments! Exciting stuff!

I'm also glad to have received my maternity pay & leave form (MAT B1) and can't wait to hand it into work - I love working, it's all family based (not my personal family) they understand my needs as they've all got kids and grandchildren, but to have time to rest and nest for the baby is all I've been pining for ever since we had work done on the house. That, and I can only do so much in a shop now, as we've got all the responsibilities - its not like a chain store or a supermarket - everything is done by us, pricing, shelving, helping and serving customers, order goods & dealing with deliveries - we do it all! It's quite physical work - it does come with the perks that we get tea breaks for 10 mins whenever we want to, and it's basically like a free workout at the gym - but to a pregnant lady it's not fun for much longer!

How is mum doing?
How far along:24weeks & 1day
Total weight: 9st 1lbs
Maternity clothing: Yep! But also still fitting into my pre-pregnancy tops and t-shirts!
Sleep: So glad I bought a pregnancy pillow - I'm surrounded by pillows now!
Best moments of the week: Kurt felt the baby kick and move very strongly!
Miss anything: Being able to finish a plateful of food in one go instead of slowly eating!!

Cravings: No cravings as such, but much better appetite
Anything made you sick or nauseous: Still getting travel sick :(
Gender: Whatever it'll be it'll be..
Symptoms: Varicose veins and back ache & sore ribs!
Belly button in or out: 100% Out! It's poking out of my tops now!
Happy or Moody: Moody - our house hasn't been getting done and finished quick enough!
Wedding rings on or off: Engagement ring is still on - fitting better!

Thank you so much for reading my blog post, this journey has been certainly VERY fast and it's almost as if I run out of time to write/type things down as I experience them... I just can't wait to have him/her in my life for real!
~Ellie xoxox