32 Weeks

My physical appearance seems to have undergone it's biggest transformation to-date over this past four weeks. You have grown significantly and as a result, so have I. Your movements are still very regular but as you are running out of room, they feel completely different now.

Just like your brother did, you frequently get hiccups! Lots and lots of hiccups! Now you are bigger, they feel stronger and sometimes (like when I'm trying to get to sleep on a night) they can be very distracting. It's like when you have a twitchy nerve, you can't help but focus on it.

Earlier this week I had some pretty painful Braxton Hicks contractions. My belly is starting to itch now from all the stretching. It's getting more awkward to put my socks on. I can't sit or lay in any position for too long because it gives me back ache. And without even realising I seemed to have gone from walking normal to the pregnant lady 'waddle' (cringe).

But all that aside, I love being pregnant. I love rubbing my tummy and talking to you. I love feeling you squirm when I'm half asleep in bed on a morning, it's the nicest wake up call ever!

And Dexter is really looking forward to meeting you. He likes to tickle my belly because he thinks he's tickling you. He likes to hug it and share his food with you via my belly button (haha). When we go to the supermarket he always says that soon you will be able to sit next to him in the trolley. And he is looking forward to sharing bubble baths with you too, he likes company in the tub :D

32 weeks down, 8 to go.... xx

Our 4D Scan

Today, we went back to Miracle Inside to have another sneaky peek at you. You were very active at the time and at first were not feeling very cooperative so kept turning away but eventually you let us get a few pictures :)

Here is a very cute and pouty you...

Yawning...

Picking your nose...

And even trying to cover your face with your feet to hide from us...

At 29+4 weeks you are estimated to be about 3lb 6oz already. When we had a 4D scan with Dexter at 29+2 weeks, he was 3lb 8oz so we are guessing you will probably be a similar weight to him when you are born.

28 Weeks

Hello final trimester! Definitely looking and feeling more pregnant now.

As a result, my exercise regime is starting to slow down as my organs are gradually being squashed up against my lungs.

My appetite is raging! lately and mostly for sweet stuff. An old wives suggests this is a byproduct of carrying girls. With Dexter is was cheese, cheese and more cheese :P

About a week ago I started feeling your hiccups for the first time. It's so cute :)

We had another midwife appointment today. We got to hear your heart beating again. She had a good old feel of my belly and said you are exactly where you need to be, already pointing head down.

We also got to measure my fundal height for the first time to get some kind of indication as to how big you might be. The general rule of thumb is 1cm per weeks pregnant you are, give or take 2-3cm. Today, mummy measured in at... 28cm. Perfect! Just like you xx

24 Weeks

24 weeks down, 16 to go...

I think I'm starting to look a little more pregnant now, people at work are actually starting to notice. Rather than fear they may inadvertently call me fat, people have been sure enough to brave asking. Although I'm still at a really awkward in-between phase right now where I am getting too fat for my normal clothes but am not quite big enough to really fit in my maternity clothes yet.

Excuse the serious face, this pic was taken at 7.30am.

Comparing my bump at this stage, I reckon I am not too dissimilar in size to when I was carrying Dexter... but how I am carrying is completely different. Your brother's bump was all down low and stood out quite far, where as you seem to be higher and more round all over but sit closer to my body.

Since my last update, the past few weeks have brought with them:

• restless nights sleep
• lower back ache
• my first experience of Braxton Hicks 
• a much more active little girl - major positive!!

You are on the go all. the. time. Your movements are so strong now that I can actually see them! And not just the major kicks either, when I lay down I can see gentle little ripples across my belly as you wriggle and turn so gently that sometimes I can barely even feel it :)

As your movements are so regular now, I'm definitely noticing more of a pattern. Between 9pm-10pm has been your time to have a shuffle for a few weeks now (and remains the case) but I also now regularly feel you on the move around 6.30am as I'm stirring to my alarm. Movement outside of these times generally tend to just be if I sit forward too far or if I cross my legs, in which case you give me a firm kick to remind me that you need more room ;) They say you don't need to start Count The Kicks until your third trimester when baby is more active but I swear I have no problem doing it already :)

Until next time, baby girl... xx

20 weeks - half way there!

Today I am 20 weeks pregnant. TWENTY WEEKS! That's half way through now! I'm not under any illusions that the next 20 weeks are going to fly by or anything - in fact the closer you get, the further you seem to be from the end goal.... but at the same time, when I look back it doesn't feel like all this time has passed since I took my pregnancy test and got the news. And now here we are.

So, over the last few weeks thankfully my exhaustion and nausea have gone. And my appetite seems completely back to normal. Plus I'm still exercising regularly so actually, I'm feeling really fit and well at the moment. But whilst those early pregnancy niggles have taken the hint and buggered off, the second trimester brings with it some of it's own fresh, new annoyances:

• My 'need to pee' frequency has increased ten-fold - as you are getting heavier and more active, the pressure you are placing on my bladder already has me peeing for England.
• My belly button is already trying to break from being a innie to an outie (so attractive).
• Little things like sitting crossed legged at my desk or putting on socks is slowly but surely starting to become more awkward.
• Oh and hello pregnancy insomnia, not sleeping properly at night is just what I wanted :P

Since finding out we were having a girl at our scan last month, it has been so strange getting used to referring to you as 'her' and 'she'. And you definitely are a girl too. We had our 20 week scan today and as well as confirming that you are developing healthily and measuring about average for my gestation, they also double-checked that aspect for us too ;) whoop whoop!

At least now I don't have to worry about having to return any of the pink clothes and accessories I have already bought over the last four weeks. There has been a lot. I couldn't resist. There is so much choice for girls. Too much in fact. I have always moaned at how little choice there is for boys and daddy has always said 'god help me if we ever have a girl because you still manage to buy Dexter enough clothes!' and he wasn't wrong...

And prior to falling pregnant I always said I wouldn't fall into the trap of wasting my money on 'newborn' clothes this time around. That Dexter was only in the newborn sizes for about a fortnight and it would be a waste of money. No no no, we are skipping straight to 0-3 month sizes. But when you are stood there in that shop looking at how small and adorable newborn clothes are, it is just too hard to resist.

The entire top rack is newborn aka up to 10lb so you may fit in it for about, oohh maybe a week. But strangely enough, although my belly seemed to pop really early on in this pregnancy, as things have progressed it seems to have slowed down a little. In fact, I would say that at the 20 week mark my belly is smaller this time with you than it was when I was carrying Dexter.

I would like to think it's because you are going to come out all small and petite and spare my nether regions from too much stretching but I think in reality you are luring me into a false sense of security and actually you'll be HUGE :D haha

I can't wait to find out which way that turns out xx

Little Wriggler!

When I was pregnant with your brother I had an anterior placenta cushioning my belly, so I was 22 weeks or so before I felt any movement from him. Being a first time mum and constantly having people ask me if I'd 'felt anything yet' so far in was slightly unnerving.

This time around though, my placenta is posterior. And having been there, done that on the whole detecting first movements malarky I was expected to feel things a lot sooner this time.

From about 13 weeks I had some questionable sensations that I thought was you but couldn't be 100% sure. But the day after we had our gender scan I started getting some unmistakable movement from you putting my "officially feeling you move" gestation at 16+3 weeks.

Since then you have become increasingly active, not to mention an awful lot stronger. So much so that daddy has even been able to feel sensations from placing his hand on my tummy already!! And last night, you didn't half give us both a jab.... or kick.... I'm thinking kick. Your movements seem to be predominantly on my left so I'm thinking that this is the end your feet are at right now.

It's starting to feel a little more real now that you keep reminding me you're in there.

Love you xx

Team Pink or Team Blue?

Today we had an appointment with the midwife who gave me the once over to make sure all was ok and also let me and daddy listen in to your heartbeat. It's an amazing sound to hear. She was able to find it really quickly and it was so clear.

Then later in the day we had an appointment at Miracle Inside for a private early gender scan!!!! We just couldn't wait that long to find our whether you were team blue or team pink - I was itching to start buying you things and thinking about what colour to paint your bedroom..... and here you are..... our little baby GIRL!!!!

It didn't matter either way what the end result was, but knowing you are a girl makes you seem even more real now. Like a real little person. We already know what we want to call you, we've had a name picked out for months now, but that's remaining hush-hush until your grand entrance to the world :) And of course we couldn't resist heading straight out to buy out first little bit of pink to celebrate.

So our next little peek at you is scheduled for me turning 20 weeks as we are booked back in at the hospital on Tuesday 29th September for our anatomy scan.

Catch you then xx

16 weeks

I am so over suffering with these pregnancy symptoms now :/ All the exhaustion and nausea that just won't go away. All the books and forums reckon you are supposed to have turned a corner by 16 weeks. Aren't I supposed to be all energetic and glowy by now???... not the case.

But at least I am actually starting to look pregnant a little bit more now and not just like I am carrying a few extra pounds. Maybe it is still not quite so obvious to some outsiders but here we are at 16 weeks (well, 15+6 but near enough). Starting to look a little chubbier ;) haha

Love you xxx

12 (+3) weeks

Another 4 weeks passed and finally scan day arrived!! We got to take a peek at you for the first time today and check that everything was present and correct. They confirmed a single foetus (phew! twins would have been life changing) with a fluttering heartbeat. We got to see your little developing brain, tiny feet and adorable little hands and fingers.....you even gave us a little wave :D

So originally it was thought I would be 12+1 weeks today however you were measured at 12+3 which means we are expecting to meet you on 16th February 2016. I honestly don't think that is because you were conceived 2 days earlier in my cycle though, our bets are on that it's simply because you are gonna be a big'un. Your brother was 8lb 12.5oz and people always say that second babies are bigger, hence why you have already adopted the adorably affectionate nickname of Tubs. And also because even at this early stage this is what mummy already looks like....

It's been getting increasingly difficult to conceal this at work as you weren't shy about coming forwards from quite early on...

So this past 4 weeks brought with them more nausea which did ease a little around 9 weeks but only with the aid of a constant food supply nearby. Couple that with extreme exhaustion that kicked in around the same time meaning I struggled to make it through the day without napping and this has been pretty much daily life; eat, sleep, repeat.

But that's ok.... because it's all for a good cause.

And your brother is now beginning to understand why my tummy has grown recently and why he is forever getting told off for playing too rough with me (we don't want his head or foot giving you a jab). He seems excited about being a big brother although he changes his mind so often about whether he want's a brother or a sister. We haven't even attempted to explain to him that actually that's not our decision to make haha

I'll let you in on a little secret though. Given the similar symptoms and the fact that your scan looks very much like Dexter's did at this stage we are currently under the impression you may be a boy. There's time for that to change though and honestly, we don't mind either way... just so long as you arrive safe and sound.

Look at how much chunkier your tum is than Dexters was! :D

Love mummy & daddy xx

8 Weeks (or thereabouts)

Four weeks on and my pregnancy symptoms have well and truly reared their ugly head. And let me tell you, I honestly don't remember it being this hard the first time around.... Maybe that's partly to do with the fact I was child-free last time and able to be selfish about looking after myself. Or maybe it just is worse this time.

No, it definitely is worse this time. The exhaustion I remember well and I can cope with. It's the nausea that's hard. The constant nausea. From morning 'til night I feel sick. Eating is the only thing that helps. Predominantly sandwiches and toast. But all this does is ease the sickness, it doesn't take it away. And I have to keep eating constantly just to keep it at bay. I'm struggling to see how this is going to pan out at work without raising questions.....

So anyway, I am 8 weeks pregnant - but this is likely to change slightly when we get you measured at the first scan which is now booked in for Friday 7th August :) This seems ages away though, especially as we haven't told anyone about you yet. Four more weeks of trying to cover up my sickness. Oh yeah, and being paranoid about everyone guessing anyway because of my already quite prominent blump (translation: cross between bloating and a bump).

But symptoms are perfectly normal and actually a good sign that a pregnancy is progressing well (apparently). It still doesn't make them any easier to deal with though.

As my sickness progressively got worse, my craving for pitta bread & houmous disappeared as quickly as it came around. Now I couldn't think of anything worse. Even the thought of putting it in my mouth makes me want to heave. Strangely enough, my go-to item in dealing with my sickness at the  moment is this....

I drank lots of Chocolate Yazoo milkshake in my last pregnancy (lots of calcium is good for baby) but OMG this is something special, it's soooo delicious. Who would have thought milkshake would quell sickness, but this is my favourite drink at the moment. Hopefully all that dairy is making you big and strong :)

Despite my nausea and lack of energy I still am trying my best to make time for exercise. Running seems to be my favourite activity at the moment. Or at least, the one I am finding easiest to tackle. With all this rubbish I am eating at the moment it is more important than ever to keep at it. I am determined to stay fit and healthy during this pregnancy. Apart from being good for both of us, it will aid my stamina during labour - and all I want this time around is to be able to push you out by myself without the need for intervention <3

Roll on August, I can't wait to see you. 4 weeks, 1 day and counting :)

Love you xx

Finding out...

So yeah, today this happened.....

It wasn't a surprise or anything, this was ultimately the desired result. Well, technically I suppose it was a surprise in a way as we weren't expecting it to happen so quickly. You obviously didn't like to keep us waiting (let's hope you are so efficient when it comes to my due date!)

There had been a few little indicators that I might be pregnant; including one or two days of just feeling completely exhausted and my new addiction to wholemeal pitta bread and houmous that just seemed to spring out of nowhere!!!!! Honestly, I am eating the stuff almost every day. Before meals. After meals. As a meal. All. The. Time.

I never had any food cravings with your brother. I had things that I liked to eat. And things that helped subside my morning sickness. But nothing that I could honestly say I craved eating. That I felt I had to have. This is definitely different. I would definitely call this a craving.

So yeah, along with a few other physical aspects I guess you could say the signs were there, we just didn't want to get our hopes up and be disappointed.

But this morning me and daddy were far from disappointed. In fact, when daddy hugged me I almost cried (tears of joy, of course). I would be classed as being 4 weeks pregnant today and we hope to meet you sometime around mid-February 2016.

Love you xx