38 & 39 Week Update

These last few weeks have been tough ones. I find pre-labour very difficult to deal with emotionally as it reminds me of what happened with Leo's birth and how slow progressing it was. Also for anyone who has experienced it you will know how frustrating it is to have contractions for no "real" reason! I have kept faith that my body and baby know what they are doing and every pain is leading me closer to a speedy and smooth labour.

38 weeks

38 weeks

39 weeks 1 day

How far along?: 38-39 weeks
Total weight gain: +7-8kg from pre-pregnancy weight
Maternity clothes?: Getting a lot of use out of my maternity singlets
Stretch marks?: Can't believe I have managed to escape ending up covered in stretch marks! Even my old ones are still pretty light
Sleep: Up and down all night
Best moment this week: Reassuring dr's appointments :)
Miss Anything?: Being able to play properly with Leo and be active
Movement: His movements are smaller, but still feeling just as many, love my little ninja baby even though he hurts me!
Food cravings: None at the moment actually, although the last couple of days I have been constantly hungry
Anything making you queasy or sick: Comes and goes, definitely something I am not going to miss about this pregnancy
Gender: Boy
Labour Signs: Lots and lots, but trying not to read too much into it. I know from experience how long this stage can go for
Symptoms: No new or interesting symptoms really, who would have thought that one of the main challenging things about pregnancy is how boring it can be?!
Belly Button in or out?: Half and half haha
Engagement ring on or off?: On, I don't seem to swell during pregnancy thankfully
Happy or Moody most of the time: So, so moody
Looking forward to: Being done with pregnancy! Sorry I'm such a downer this week, the end is definitely the hardest part

37 Week Update

Term, oh my goodness I'm term! This pregnancy has really flown by. I cannot wait to have him here, but every day that his arrival draws closer I get more and more nervous. Not about giving birth, not even about having a newborn again. I'm nervous about how I will cope with two little boys. I'm nervous about how Leo will cope with the change. I'm just scared. Excited, but scared. Someone reassure me? Haha

How far along?: 37 weeks
Total weight gain: +7kg from pre-pregnancy weight
Maternity clothes?: I wish I could wear no clothes! I get overheated so easily. But my maternity singlets are getting a good work out
Stretch marks?: A couple of teeny tiny new ones this week! Right at the top of my belly
Sleep: Between the hourly toilet trips and pelvis pain, not much sleep is happening
Best moment this week: Becoming 37 weeks and knowing the end is in sight haha
Miss Anything?: Being comfortable, I am pretty over being uncomfy
Movement: No real movement changes, he is still as active as ever. He has a very specific routine that I am familiar with. Curious to see if he will be the same once he is born
Food cravings: Smarties
Anything making you queasy or sick: A little nausea in the mornings
Gender: Boy
Labour Signs: A few, I don't want to get excited though
Symptoms: My usual pelvic issues, stabbing pains in my cervix, frequent BH contractions, fatigue, nesting, grumpiness...Poor G, he must be getting so sick of me!
Belly Button in or out?: Loving my little outie, I dread to think what it will look like post partum
Engagement ring on or off?: On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Lots of mood swings this week
Looking forward to: Labour and being able to see my beautiful little boys interact :)

36 Week Update

I'm a little behind the times as I'm actually 36w4d today (almost full term oh my goodness!!)
This week has been quite rough. My pelvic issues are not getting better, they are getting much worse so I'm on almost full bed rest and crutches 95% of the time. As much as I am not ready to have this baby yet, I am SO ready to not be pregnant anymore. Looking after Leo while in this much pain sucks for both of us. Thank God for G and MIL (my two saviours), they have been amazing.

We've spent this week checking things off our "To Do" list and it's quite exciting to see everything coming together. I can't wait until I can sit back knowing there is nothing left to do except give birth :) Hopefully we are fully organised before he decides to arrive.

How far along?: 36 weeks
Total weight gain: +6-7kg from pre-pregnancy weight
Maternity clothes?: Just pjs this week, perks of being house bound!
Stretch marks?: As you can see my old ones are still pretty faint
Sleep: Not much sleeping being done at the moment
Best moment this week: Accepting a counter offer we made on a house! Eeek, very grown up :)
Miss Anything?: I miss not being in constant pain
Movement: Getting a bit cramped now it seems. He is still very active though
Food cravings: None
Anything making you queasy or sick: I actually vomited this week and have had lots of nausea. Lovely
Gender: Boy
Labour Signs: A fair few early labour signs, but nothing that sets of warning bells
Symptoms: Pelvic instability, leg cramps at night, lots of pressure on my cervix. No heartburn!! So relieved, he must have dropped
Belly Button in or out?: Outie all the way!
Engagement ring on or off?: On
Happy or Moody most of the time: I'm still happy despite everything. I'll be happier still when he is here haha
Looking forward to: Labour! I had such an amazing response from people after I shared Leo's birth story it has really renewed my faith in my body and my ability to birth this baby

Leopold's Birth Story Part 1

So I have mentioned a few times on this blog that I had quite a traumatic birth experience with my first and that I am planning a natural, "healing" birth this time around, but I have not actually told the story of what lead me to have PTSD and to want a very different birth.
First time pregnant mummas, I really advise you don't read on. Of course, my idea of what is traumatic may differ dramatically from yours, but I never liked hearing the negative birth stories while pregnant so completely understand if you feel the same.


I really want to write this story down in full, partially for anyone interested in reading it, but also for my benefit as I have often avoided retelling it. Warning; this will be a long blog entry.

Pregnancy:

I fell pregnant when I was 19 years old. Although bubs wasn't exactly planned, he was not a surprise either.
I carried very big in my first pregnancy (I will post a series of photos at the end of this blog post), at the time a larger than average baby was suspected to be the cause, but we now know I had a lot more fluid than most people have. I showed early and just kept getting bigger. I had little to no morning sickness and to be honest I really loved being pregnant. I loved my bump, I loved my bigger breasts. I loved the feeling of growing my child within me and how womanly that was.
Unfortunately in my first trimester I did some ligament damage at work (I was a childcare worker) and as my pregnancy progressed and my ligaments stretched this damage got worse and worse. By 20 weeks I was in constant pain and had started regular physio. I also had issues with sciatica.
Despite this, things progressed well and both bubs and I were healthy. I had a low lying placenta that moved up by 32 weeks and was not an issue. I gained 14kg all up, the maximum weight gain for someone of my height and felt every kilo of it.
At 32 weeks I started having very regular and quite painful contractions. The hospital suspected I was in early labour and we had to discuss some very frightening options of what would happen if Leo arrived so prematurely. Thankfully everything stopped on it's own and that was our only real scare the entire pregnancy.
My doctor was sure that a) baby would be big and b) I wouldn't make it to 40 weeks. At 37 weeks pregnant Leopold went from being fully engaged to transverse so our birth plans changed completely. Now considered 'high risk' due to baby's position and my doctor's fear of him being an ill fit for my pelvis I was going to have to deliver at the bigger hospital near us, as opposed to the small, local one that had been my first choice.

Labour: Part 1-

Despite my doctor's predictions I was nearly 40 weeks pregnant and very much fed up. For the last 10 days I had been experiencing regular, but bearable contractions. I wanted them to either go away entirely or amp up and neither of these things seemed to be happening. The night before my EDD I accepted that he would not be arriving any time soon and enjoyed a lovely night with G's family, laughing lots and eating good food.
I went to bed at around 11pm that night feeling tired and happy. At 4.30am I awoke to a very big contraction. I got up to go to the bathroom and realised I had lost my plug (actually the second time I had lost it during pregnancy) and had my 'bloody show'. Suddenly I was very aware that I would be having this baby, and soon, and my nerves really set in. Crying and scared I woke G up to let him know that things were happening. I had another contraction at 4.45am and decided to call my MIL to tell her what was going on. She was very excited and told me to give the midwives a quick call to ask their advice. After being informed by the midwife to rest while I could, I hopped back into bed nervous and excited and got a couple of hours broken sleep between 5am and 7am, contracting every 15 minutes or so.
G called into work in the morning to let them know he would be staying home with me. It was Monday the 20th of June 2011, my EDD and we relaxed at home all day, pottering around and getting some things finished like packing my hospital bag and cleaning. My contractions gradually got closer together and stronger. MIL brought over some lunch at around noon and I was contracting every 8 minutes or so, but still able to talk through them. To be honest I think we were all a bit more excited than we should have been and thought that my contractions would be helping me progress well regardless of how strong (or in this case 'weak') they were. I was determined to stay home until I felt Leo turn from transverse, the one thing I was sure of was that I did not want a c section, and after an hour or so of time spent crawling around on my hands and knees I felt him make one big turn and settle into my pelvis.
At 4pm we decided to go get checked out at our local hospital to ensure his heart rate was good and that I was still contracting regularly. The hospital confirmed everything was fine and the contractions were coming every 4 minutes. They were getting a little more painful now, but still not really that strong. We went to MIL's house with the plan to hang out for awhile and have a nice dinner then head from there to the hospital when they were coming every 3 minutes or so.

Birth story to be continued...

13 weeks

20 weeks

23ish weeks

37 weeks

39 weeks

35 Week Update

We had our growth scan last week and everything looks perfect with our little man. Definitely no IUGR issues so yay! He is measuring steadily along the 34th percentile and his estimated weight was 5lbs/2.3kg. I think if I go to 40+ weeks he will be a bit bigger than Leo, but still in the 7lb range. I have a feeling he may arrive earlier though :)
His head is measuring a lot bigger, but as Leopold was a big headed babe that does not surprise me in the slightest. Every day that goes by I am getting more and more excited to give birth and meet our beautiful bubba. I definitely need every one of the weeks I have left to get things ready for his arrival, but I am more excited than nervous.

Squishy Bub at 34w4d gestation. Look at those pouty lips!

35w1d

How far along?: 35 weeks
Total weight gain: +6.5kg from pre-pregnancy weight
Maternity clothes?: Not really, still squeezing in to all my normal clothes
Stretch marks?: No new ones surprisingly!
Sleep: It's not always comfy, but I seem to be getting enough
Best moment this week: Our growth scan results being all good and of course seeing Squishy Bub again
Miss Anything?: I miss not being pregnant! I'm still trying to enjoy it, but this is the hard bit now
Movement: I definitely don't experience movements slowing down like a lot of women do at the end of pregnancy, still as strong as ever
Food cravings: Cocoa Pops this week
Anything making you queasy or sick: Early mornings
Gender: Boy
Labour Signs:I get a very "real" contraction every day or so. It's intense and I need to breathe through it, it last about 1.5 minutes and builds to a peak then dies off just like a normal contraction. I have faith it's just my body preparing itself for birth and things are slowly happening
Symptoms: Pelvic issues are still causing me some grief. And my acid reflux/heartburn is awful, but an easier week this week
Belly Button in or out?: Outie all the way!
Engagement ring on or off?: On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Sore, sore and happy
Looking forward to: Wearing my Blackmilk clothing again haha

33 & 34 Week Update

Oh my gosh where to begin! So much has happened the last two weeks.
Well, I am 34w2d today (seriously?!!!) and feeling every one of those weeks. The last month or so I have been having pelvic issues, lots of pain, tenderness and trouble with mobility. Finally get in to see a physio (actually the same physio I saw during my first pregnancy) and what do you know? My pelvis has almost completely seperated and become unstable. So lots of exercises and physical therapy for me! And I have to wear a special pelvic belt. Hopefully we can minimise the damage done and help the pain, but I'm looking at a 6-12 month recovery post-partum so need to take it very easy. How easy can one take it when they have a toddler and newborn? I guess I'll find out!

Also my doctor is a wee bit concerned about Squishy Bub's growth so we're off for another growth scan this week. I have suspected bubs is small, and last growth scan he was measuring 30th percentile (I'm very aware ultrasounds can be inaccurate in estimating size), but my doc is worried he isn't growing effectively and dropping percentiles. If that's the case I will be looking at regular monitoring and possible early induction. That really scares me. A) Because I feel like I need every single one of the weeks I have left to prepare for bubba's arrival and b) because I want a very natural birth experience this time around and am worried how an induction will effect that. Of course,  a healthy baby is my main priority, but I hate this unknown element. Everyone please cross your fingers for me that it all looks good and Squishy is growing. I'll be sure to update here as soon as I know :)

33 weeks (and poking his bum out!)

34 weeks

34 weeks

How far along?: 33-34 weeks
Total weight gain: +5-6kg from pre-pregnancy weight (huge gain the last fortnight!!)
Maternity clothes?: Just bought so super daggy trackies. Hells yes!
Stretch marks?: Oldies definitely more visible, but no new ones *yet*
Sleep: Not too bad suprisingly
Best moment this week: The birth of a good friend's baby boy (early yesterday morning). I'm so happy for her and so excited! But also really nervous now because that means of all the preggos I know IRL I'm next eek!
Miss Anything?: Being able to eat without heartburn
Movement: Very, very painful now. He's strong even if he is little!
Food cravings: Cucumber sandwiches! I really, really want one. Now. Please
Anything making you queasy or sick: The sight of my untoned thighs is not pleasant
Gender: Boy
Labour Signs: The last 24 hours, just quietly, yes. But I think we're still awhile away (well I HOPE we are) from anything serious happening.
Symptoms: Pelvic issues, heartburn/reflux, nausea, constant need to wee, fatigue, Braxton Hicks contractions...you name it I have it!
Belly Button in or out?: Cute little outie :)
Engagement ring on or off?: On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Still happy, but going to be totally honest, I'm getting a little over it now haha
Looking forward to: Being able to kick a ball around the yard with Leopold again

32 Week Update

32 weeks was always going to be a nerve wracking week for me. I went into early labour with Leo at 32 weeks (thankfully it stopped, but was very scary!) and my youngest niece was born at 32 weeks in December 2011 (she is now a healthy and happy toddler ^-^), but so far so good :)
I had thought that bubs might have turned breech yesterday, but today I am feeling hiccups very low so fingers crossed he is staying put head down!

32 weeks

 How far along?: 32 weeks

Total weight gain: +3.5-4kg from pre-pregnancy weight
Maternity clothes?: This cooler weather is awesome! Lots of leggings and baggy jumpers for me. Bras are so uncomfy though, I want to be braless 24/7 haha
Stretch marks?:32 weeks was when I got my first stretch marks with Leo, but so far no new ones
Sleep: I'm in a bad sleep routine right now. MUST NOT STAY UP PAST 11pm!!
Best moment this week: Getting a cute little video of Squishy bub doing his ninja thing. 
My best moment this week is not pregnancy related though. We have officially started inspecting houses to look for our first family home :) Very exciting!
Miss Anything?: I am having a real craving for a new tattoo right now...
Movement: Had the odd quite day, but he is super active at night
Food cravings: None at the moment. Lots of foods I feel like, but no strong cravings
Anything making you queasy or sick: Woke up choking on my acid reflux the other morning. That was pretty gross. Pregnancy is so glamourous hey?
Gender: Boy
Labour Signs: Actually yes this week! But thinking it's just because 32 weeks is my 'bad' week. Nothing too worrying though
Symptoms: Still the yucky heartburn/acid reflux. My pelvis hates me right now too. Oh and nesting this week! Nothing is clean enough for me
Belly Button in or out?: Nearly fully popped now, so not used to having an outie
Engagement ring on or off?: On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, I'm always happy :)
Looking forward to: Being able to do the dishes without hitting my belly on the sink

30 & 31 Week Update

Well as you can see we had our second 4d scan ^_^ Our beautiful little man is chubby, healthy and has lots of hair apparently! I love the first pic where you can see his cheeky little smile, I'm so curious to meet him and see what he looks like in real life! Not long now, we're in the final stretch and as tough as this pregnancy has been I know I am going to miss it.

I don't have any particularly great belly pics from these two weeks, I'll take a better one tomorrow when I hit 32 weeks!

30 Weeks, being photobombed :)

31w5d, feeling heavy and low

How far along?: 30-31 weeks

Total weight gain: +3.5kg from pre-pregnancy weight (really stacking it on now!)
Maternity clothes?: I really hate wearing clothes at the moment, leggings and baggy jumpers are as dressy as I get. But I am not in maternity clothes, pretty much just wearing my normal stuff still, but they don't look as nice as they used to. And I can still fit my denim shorts yay!
Stretch marks?: My old ones are becoming a bit purple/pink. Moisturising does nothing, if you are going to get them you will get them, but I'm addicted to the smell of cocoa butter haha.
Sleep: Except for my heartburn keeping me awake, sleeping well.
Best moment this week: Our 4d scan was AMAZING! Really wish I had gotten one with Leo :( Oh and we think bubs looks like me! Considering Leo is such a clone of his dad I'm very excited to find out for sure. 
Miss Anything?: Deli foods, I really want salami and feta. And beer. I can't wait to enjoy a beer.
Movement: Super ninja baby as per usual. He is getting very low now!
Food cravings: Fairy bread lately, but haven't gotten any yet. Still enjoying my smoothies, but not really craving them.
Anything making you queasy or sick: My acid reflux. And sometimes I'm nauseous when I first get up.
Gender: Boy
Labour Signs: No
Symptoms: Acid reflux/heartburn and my pelvic pain is getting pretty bad. I think he *might* be engaging!
Belly Button in or out?: Top half is officially popped!
Engagement ring on or off?: On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but tired.
Looking forward to: Labour! Haha.

And the proof, a little mini me?? Perhaps, only time will tell :)

28 & 29 Week Update

Oops forgot to do a proper 28 week update, things have been very busy around here that's for sure!
I've been doing more driving as I'm very keen to get my license a.s.a.p. We've been tidying and organising the house and yard, slowly but surely. I want to have everything clean, sorted and up and running before Squishy Bub makes his arrival and we have our hands even more full.
DF is working from home 4 days a week running his own business and it is so lovely to have him around more often, we've missed him!
And Leopold is still being an awesome toddler. I'll do a proper update on him in the next week or so ^-^

29 Weeks

29 Weeks

How far along?: 28-29 weeks

Total weight gain: +2kg from pre-pregnancy weight
Maternity clothes?: Now that the weather is finally starting to cool down I can start living in my Winter pjs, trackies and baggy jumpers yay!!
Stretch marks?: No new ones so far *fingers crossed*
Sleep: Starting to get a wee bit uncomfy
Best moment this week: Finishing up the last of our newborn clothes shopping and putting the boy's new car seats (matching!) on layby. And seeing our little man at a growth scan (I'm measuring a bit small), he is perfect <3
Miss Anything?: I could really go a cocktail. And I miss being able to wear all my clothes
Movement: As per usual, ninja bub is still being ninja bub! A few movements have actually made me tear up this week, so ouchy!
Food cravings: Still mango smoothies. And strawberry smoothies. And now hot chips and lamb souvlakis. Yummmmmmmm
Anything making you queasy or sick: If I don't snack regularly I get a bit queasy
Gender: Boy
Labour Signs: No
Symptoms: Acid reflux/heartburn and a tiny bit of hip pain at night (bubba is low!)
Belly Button in or out?: Top half is popping out, bottom half is staying flat. Weird
Engagement ring on or off?: On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Really happy :)
Looking forward to: Our next 4d scan (only 6 more days!)

27 Week Update

Happy Valentine's Day! 27w4d

 

How far along? 27 Weeks

Total weight gain: +2kg from pre-pregnancy weight
Maternity clothes?: I'm loving long maternity t shirts, but other than that just living in leggings
Stretch marks?: Still no fresh ones, although my older ones are slowly, but surely getting more visible
Sleep: Fine once I get to sleep, just struggle with the falling asleep part *sigh*
Best moment this week: Finding out I don't have GD yay!
Miss Anything?: Sushi, I miss sushi so much
Movement: 24/7! This little man is crazy
Food cravings: Mango smoothies, mango smoothies, mango smoothies
Anything making you queasy or sick: For once, no! It's a miracle haha
Gender: Boy
Labour Signs: No
Symptoms: Terrible heartburn, wish it would leave!
Belly Button in or out?: Flat as a pancake
Engagement ring on or off?: On
Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY!
Looking forward to: Our next 4d scan

24 & 25 Week Update

Wow these weeks are really just flying by (that's my excuse for never updating on time). It feels like I should only be coming up to 20 weeks, not a few weeks off 30 weeks!

We had our 4d scan last week and it was simply amazing. I really regret not getting one done with Leo actually, would have been very interesting to compare their pictures! As it is we can already tell that bubs looks so much like his big brother. I'm looking forward to our second 4d scan (at 30w4d) because we'll be able to have an even better look at his cute little features ^-^ I am so in love with him already!

Cheeky little man had the cord over his face for half the scan and then his feet on his head for the other half. He's such a little cutie. The ultrasound tech was amazed when we could see him starting to open his eyes and said she had never seen a baby of this gestation do that, one strong bubba we have!

22 & 23 Week Update

23w3d

How far along? 22-23 weeks
Total weight gain/loss?: -1.5kg from pre-pregnancy weight
Maternity clothes?: I'm living in my pyjamas as the weather is so hot at the moment!
Stretch marks?: No new ones. My ones from first pregnancy are still very faded  

Sleep: Terrible. Insomnia has hit me hard and sciatic is kicking my arse! Wish I could sleep
Best moment this week?: Leo feeling his little brother move, he freaked out haha
Miss Anything?: Sleep!
Movement?: Constant movement, my little kicker :-)
Food cravings?: Still sandwiches and chocolate
Anything making you queasy or sick?: Nothing in particular
Have you started to show yet?: Definitely!
Gender?: Boy
Labour Signs?: No
Belly Button in or out?: In. I think it's getting a little flatter though
Engagement ring on or off?: On
Happy or Moody most of the time?: Tired
Looking forward to?: Our 4d scan booked for the 24th!

2013 and 21 weeks!

Wow, it's 2013! And what an exciting year it is going to be for my family. In about a month we are going on a lovely mini holiday to the beach (definitely looking forward to that as this Summer is looking to be a hot one), my fiance is working towards finishing is writing course and starting a home business, we are house hunting and looking to buy our first home, in May we will be welcoming our second, beautiful son (due only 8 days before my 22nd birthday), then we celebrate Leopold's 2nd birthday late June. Cannot wait for all this and more!

We rang in the New Year in a relaxed fashion. Showed Leo the children's fireworks at 9.30pm (he was mesmerised), put him to bed and then I watched DF and my younger brother play drunken xbox. Very amusing :-) I was asleep before 2am. I do wish I'd been able to have a couple of drinks, but there is always next year. Hope everyone had a lovely New Year's Eve and wishing everybody an amazing year to come. It's amazing how fast time as flown since having Leo over 18 months ago, part of me hopes this year moves a bit more slowly!

21w2d

How far along? 21 weeks
Total weight gain/loss?: -2kg from pre-pregnancy weight
Maternity clothes?: The dress I am wearing in the above picture, I want one in every colour!
Stretch marks?: No new ones. My ones from first pregnancy are still very faded  

Sleep: Sleeping well this week
Best moment this week?: Feeling/seeing lots of big movements!
Miss Anything?: Once again, alcohol. Damn you NYE!
Movement?: Millions of movements!
Food cravings?: Still sandwiches and chocolate
Anything making you queasy or sick?: Nothing in particular
Have you started to show yet?: Popped out a lot this week
Gender?: Boy
Labour Signs?: No
Belly Button in or out?: In. I think it's getting a little flatter though
Engagement ring on or off?: On
Happy or Moody most of the time?: So happy :-)
Looking forward to?: Our 4d scan in a couple of weeks time

20 Weeks!

How far along? 20 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss?: -4kg from pre pregnancy weight
Maternity clothes?: I love long maternity singlets!
Stretch marks?: No new ones. My ones from first pregnancy are still very faded Sleep: Bit of insomnia at night, but sleeping okay (when Leo doesn't keep me up)
Best moment this week?: Seeing beautiful bubba at our scan! Gorgeous little man
Miss Anything?: Funnily enough I miss alcohol and I was never a big drinker
Movement?: Little cutie is an active bub. Feeling (and seeing!) lots of movements
Food cravings?: Sandwiches! With salad, ham, cheese, chicken...whatever I can get my hands on!
Anything making you queasy or sick?: Beef and just general morning sickness
Have you started to show yet?: See above picture ^-^
Gender?: Boy
Labour Signs?: No
Belly Button in or out?: In. Although it's getting very deep!
Engagement ring on or off?: On
Happy or Moody most of the time?: Very happy :)
Looking forward to?: Picking the name and our 4d scan early next year!

Tomorrow!

So I'm 19+4 weeks pregnant and tomorrow is the day of our 20 week morphology scan! I could not be more excited :-)
I keep getting little butterflies in my tummy (some of those are little baby kicks, which are getting stronger all the time now!), partially with nerves and partially in anticipation of seeing our bubba and hopefully finding out the gender.
People assume that because I have a boy I want a girl this time, but that is simply not the case. I actually would really love another boy to provide Leo with a little brother so close in age (they'll be 22-23 months apart eek!). However, I have had a strong feeling the whole time that I am carrying a little girl and will of course be thrilled if this is true. Looking forward to baby shopping and planning for our new addition. I was very disorganised first pregnancy and having a toddler means I don't really have the luxury of sitting around reading maternity magazines and day dreaming.
I know everything will fall into place though :-)

We're also talking about buying our first home in the new year and this is just about the best thing for us! We're in a very small 2 bedroom house at the moment (technically 3 bedrooms, but one is a study/storage room) and we don't even have space for a cot here! I'm also really looking forward to knowing we are providing for our kiddies in the future AND decorating!! Expect to see a lot of inspirational pictures here in regards to that haha.

Gotta head of to bed soon, but some cute pictures of Leo before I go!

Love his little cheeky face!

Giving me death stares as I kept interrupting his relaxing time

That's a couch on either side of him, this is where he chose to sit

Madeleine xoxo

What an exciting month!!

Wow December is really shaping up to be an amazing month for our family.
It is Leopold's second Christmas this year and we are so excited to see his face light up on Christmas Day when he opens all his presents (thoroughly spoiled little boy). We're doing three family celebrations this year, plus our own tradition of Christmas morning being just us. The shopping is nearly all done and I'm really looking forward to writing everyone's cards and wrapping all the gifts!

The 19th of December is the date I am most looking forward to though as it's our 20 week scan! I'll be 19+5 weeks pregnant and hoping bubs cooperates and we get to find out the gender. I would love to give Leo a little brother, but have a feeling we are having a baby girl :) Either way so fun and so much to look forward to.

This we'll be our last holiday season as a family of three and that is so amazing and scary. Time really does fly once you become a parent.

Hopefully I get a chance to do another update before Christmas is over, but if not I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday!

Madeleine xoxo

17 Weeks

Wow time is really flying by. I'm 17 weeks and 3 days (in a couple of hours). Pregnancy is going well. I still have morning sickness, but it more controllable now thankfully. I did end up in hospital on fluids once, so glad that hasn't happened again!!
Very excited for my morphology scan in just over 2 weeks, definitely going to find out the gender!
About to start counselling for PTSD from Leo's birth and that whole experience, hopefully that will help me come to terms with what ever happens during this birth, although we are planning a totally natural, no-low intervention birth at our local hospital. I really trust our doctor and am just hoping I come away from everything knowing I was respected and did my best

Bubba at 12 weeks 3 days

17 week belly!

Leopold is going great, learning so much and growing so fast. He is obsessed with fruit, sushi, The Lion King, all animals and baths at the moment. He will be 18 months on the 21st of this month and I can hardly believe how fast this year has gone. Leo is still breastfeeding like a champ, with no sign of weaning despite the pregnancy and thanks to baby massage is finally starting to sleep a bit better. So proud

Writing a reminder to myself right now to update this blog more regularly, before I know it this baby will be here and I doubt I'll have the time with 2 under 2 hehe.

Madeleine xoxo

Announcement!

I have really been bad at these regular blog updates! But I do have a good excuse.
Things have been very busy in our household because...we are expecting! Yep bubba #2 is on his or her way. We are so excited!
I am 15w3d today (nearly 4 days given that it is 9.30pm) and so far it has been a very difficult pregnancy. Constant nausea, lots of all day/night sickness. I have even been admitted to hospital for fluids due to severe dehydration! All worth it of course and as long as I know my baby is healthy I will deal with it. Thankfully it *seems* to be letting up a bit, which is good, because juggling a 17 month old and this kind of morning sickness is hell!
A very much wanted and planned baby, but still a big suprise as it happened so fast! I have a big baby bump already (pictures soon) and am feeling my little jellybean jump around a couple of times a day which is exciting.

Anyway, so that's why I have been absent. Plus this hectic holiday season always leaves me exhausted. Hopefully I get to blog a bit more from here on out as I would love to use this blog to document my pregnancy!

Madeleine xoxo