Casual Sunday

Happy Sunday, Everyone :)
It's so nice and sunny here in Birmingham today and I'm in a very good mood, because birdie slept 4 hours straight tonight, so I got pretty much an uninterrupted sleep from 1am to 5 am :)
I actually think it's because I gave him Infacol with his milk just before putting him down for his nap and it really helped...or he might have just done it all by himself :D I don't know and I don't care. Also D took the ''morning shift'' again so I got a good lie in as well. The morning sleep is not uninterrupted though, because I have to get up to pump. It was still nice :)
And since I was feeling rested and it was nice and warm and sunny outside I decided to go for a little stroll :) And this is what I wore

The sweater is actually from Primark. I got it when I was still pregnant because it's nice and loose. I do tend to go for bigger sizes with sweaters anyway though, because I like them quite loose. Leggings are from h&m and so are the shoes obviously. The bag is New Look, but I actually have it on my stroller rather than carrying it myself, so it actually wasn't part of the outfit :D

Hope you guys enjoyed your Sunday as much as I did mine :)
Stay tuned
xoxo

2 Week Postpartum Update

Another week has ended !

This is what I look at 2 week after giving birth. I have a bit of a muffin top on the sides :D Annoying, but I wasn't hoping to look this great just after 2 weeks so I'm happy anyway. I have now lost a total of 19 pounds so I have another 5 pounds to go to reach my pre-pregnancy weight. The thing is that I think I was heavier than I'm comfortable with before getting pregnant. So hopefully, with the breastfeeding and adding a bit of excercise I can lose 10 pounds rather than 5. 

I am feeling so much better these days anyway and even managed to get a nice small brisk walk today. The thing is I can't walk that fast with the pushchair because the roads near our flat are not quite flat...victorian square and all that I think I need to venture a bit further out to get a good walking pace and not shake up the little one too much :D
And since we are pretty sure about the name now I don't mind announcing it here (there is a slight chance we're going to change our minds because our registry appointment is not until next Friday) 

Drumroll please !

We have gone for Oscar Leo :) I'm practicing calling him by his name every now and then and seems like it suits him quite well :)
He is growing so much as well. We think he is going through a growth spurt and he was actually 3.3 kg at his last weigh-in with the midwife, which was on wednesday. If he keeps going at this rate he'll be too big for all his newborn clothes in a matter of days :D 
Another thing is that he is actually quite long/tall and his legs are long as well. So a few all in ones are actually a bit too short for him now as well. He can't really stretch in them anymore :D
Other than that we are still continuing with bottle feeding him expressed milk and only very occasionally topping it up with formule (mostly in the evening when all I have left is milk expressed after having coffee :D I don't want him to be awake all night long)
He really is the cutest thing though and I might get frustrated at times because it's all so new still, but I get over it so fast . It's just all crazy amazing :D

Newborn Essentials

We went into this adventure of having a baby thinking we will survive on the bear essentials that people say you actually need, to realising that, why make it harder for yourself, if you can make it easier with a few ''un-neccessary'' gadgets.

If you are expecting than it's more than likely you've seen those basic lists that are all over the Internet. The lists that say that you only need abut 5 long sleeved sleepsuits and 2 cardigans and something for a colder weather. I sure did. I saw them everywhere, and thought because everyone keeps saying it...it must be true. Little did I know, that poo seeps out of nappies daily and it does smell. Finding things around you while trying to change a baby is not easy at all, even though you might surprise yourself at how many things you can do with just one hand while holding a baby in the other.

So why worry about having to wash those 5 sleepsuits just after 3 days, if you can just stock up on some basic cheap ones. They usually come in a multi-pack of 5-7 and can cost as little as a pound for one. So get those onesies that you find are so cute and so cheap...you will thank yourself later. What I also found that before the baby I thought having the sleepsuits with buttons coming through all the way down aren't the best ones. I really like the ones that come over his head and only have buttons by the feet. You don't need to take the whole thing off for a nappie change :) And the top buttons usually come really high up and seem uncomfortable under his little chin.

Nappie genie - they tell you don't need this as you can just use fragranced nappie bags and a regular bin. We bought one just in case and kept it in the bedroom. We now have two...Finding the bags and then having to tie them up and then take your baby to the bin...........you get the deal. It's just easier to stick the dirty nappie in the bin with all the dirty wipes and giving it a quick twist does the job 3 times faster. And we're probably talking minutes here, but all those extra minutes add up during the day. We have the Tommee Tippee Sangenic nappie bin and it was just £10 and comes with a binlines that should last for 300 nappies.

This brings be to baby wipes. Every single page and midwife and parent education class will tell you not to bother and just use cotton balls with water. If you have the time to boil water and cool it down and have a place to keep it somewhere and then when you need to change the nappie boil some more, because the water you boiled earlier when you had 4 minutes to spare is now too cold for his bottom, then you just go ahead and do it. Otherwise, just use the wipes. I am actually thinking of getting a wipewarmer, because little O gets slightly upset with a cold/wet wipe every now and then. Yes it's another gadget, but I think it will be worth it once there is less crying. We are using Johnsons wipes for sensitive skin at the moment, and they seem to work, because he hasn't had a rash yet.

Baby swing. Sometimes you just need to put him down no matter how hard it might be :D I bought the Graco swing that plays music and swings and does all the tricks just so he would be in with the action once he's a bit bigger and more alert and awake. At the moment though I'm just using it for smaller naps, because the incline on the swing is too big for him...even with the blankets I've put in there. And he's not that interested in the music :D

Breast Pump - This is a touchy subject. You are meant to wait for at least 6 weeks until you start expressing so it wouldn't distract from breastfeeding(if you have gone for breastfeeding rather than using formule) But since it hurt too much to breastfeed him I got the pump on the 6th day and have been so much happier ever since. I'm not saying that you should give up as well. I mean they do tell you it will hurt for a good 2 weeks before your nips toughen up and the process will turn into a bonding session rather than torture, but I was weak, so I gave up. I have found though, that because I've cut down on breastfeeding to a single feed in the morning (That's when I have the most milk, as I don't pump during the night) it doesn't hurt at all, and it's kind of nice to know that I can breastfeed if I need to. I do use nipple guards though, because it creates more suction for him. He's gotten a bit lazy with the bottles :D
I have 2 manual and 1 electric pump, but I have to say I prefer the manual one. It just seems more efficient and it's less noisy. Another 10 pounds well spent, and since I have 2 I don't have to worry about sterilising it right away.

Feeding/sleeping/changing schedule. We only printed one out yesterday, but it's already because such a useful little thing. It might be the crazy hormones or the lack of them, but I just forget the times I've fed him and I know it's pretty much impossible to overfeed a newborn, but it's good to have that note that if I just fed and changed him an hour ago then there is something else wrong with him and I can deal with it faster and more efficiently. You can find pre-made blank ones all over the internet. We got ours from Babycentre.com webpage.

The last thing I've noticed about us is the muslin cloths, I just find paper cloths much better, because you can just throw them in the bin once you're done :D and you don't have to go on a search of a dry corner.

Hope you found this post useful, and it's made you feel better about those crazy baby buys you've made. They were invented for a reason :D

Anything you've found you can't live without? Leave a comment for me below :)

Outfit of the Day

Good Evening, everyone. This is a quick outfit post from yesterday. My family left in the morning to fly back to Estonia, so I went to town to send them off at the train station.  I didn't bring little birdie, because the weather was really nasty and rainy so D was taking care of him while I was gone. I didn't actually think I would be able to go anywhere without him this soon, so it's good to know D can handle a couple of hours unattended :D
I'm wearing H&M basics...a long black tank top and leggings and Zara sweater. And if you've been following my blog you might remember these shoes. I was obsessed with them but the last pair was completely destroyed because I wore them pretty much every day and when I bought this pair, my feet were a bit swollen, so I couldn't fit into them :D But they are back now, and I'm so happy :D
I did have to wear a black blazer as well and I wore my tan New Look bag :)

A Nice Day Out

I am writing this post with liitle birdie (his cry reminds me of birds :D) sleeping on my stomach, so I'm struugling to type, but it's ok. I don't have the heart to put him down...ok I actually picked him up when he was sleeping...don't judge me :D

Anyway, we had our first little walk today. My parents and little brother are visiting us from Estonia, so we took a nice stroll in the sun to meet them in town for a coffee. And it was so nice to get out and about. Actually ever since we introduced bottles and formula milk I just feel I've got a bit of normality in my life. I manage to cook dinner and have a shower and even make myself look a bit nicer with a bit of make-up :D

Another thing that happened today was that we got a graco swing delivered. I chose this one just for the sole reason it's higher above the ground that most of the other ones and it swings and plays music and noises and does all the cool stuff. I know he is way too small to be really interested in anything, but he does like to be in the middle of action so it would be good to have him a bit more eye level to everyone. He doesn't really snooze in it though, I think it's the angle of the chair.

But here is the first look of little birdie. All tired from his first walk

And passed out on the pillow. This is my pregnancy pillow actually. And he absolutely loves it. I think it's because of the snug fit of it, once it's folded over. It's a life saver, thats drying on the bathroom radiator, because a bit of poo sneeked out of his nappie and made it dirty :D I don't know what to do with myself...feel so lost without it :D

NB! The walk actually happened yesterday, but my laptop decided to run out of battery and my parent had the adaptor to charge it up, so I couldn't finish up and upload the post until now. 

Also I have found that all those things that people say you don't really need, are actually quite useful. I'll do another post about the essentials later on the week. And of course everyone will find their own views and ways, so it's just going to be a little update on what I have found useful and what I have learned over the week and a bit being a first time mum :)

Stay tuned :)

Hopefully I will find time to write another post soon

xoxo

1 Week Postpartum Update

Has it really been a week already? We have survived it :) This has probably been one of the most challenging week of my life and yet I don't mind because it's all worth it, every minute not spent sleeping and fully functioning :D
First of all I would like to mention that they really don't tell you the pain you feel after the birth. Muscles I didn't even know existed hurt and I still find it a bit painful to sit down. First few days were the worst. Just the thought of getting out of bed so I can leave the room to calm the little one made me tear up and then another thought that I have to breastfeed.....
So the plan was for me to solely breastfeed for about 6 weeks and then start using a pump to express for one night feed and emergency. But I'm finding it really hard. On day 3 I actually cried because of the pain. And yes, some of you might say that he is probably just not latching on properly, but he was getting a good feed that put him down for a good few hours, it's just that feeding every 2-3 hours every day is really hard on your nipples. It really is....so the plan failed. We got the pump and I'm pumping every few hours to build up the milk production and we are also using formula, to get him to gain some weight. He was 3kg when born and at his 5 day check-up he weighed at a tiny 2.7 kg

So all in all things that have gone according to the plan : Zero
And that's ok. We are making things work for us and it's really something you have to do rather than vigilantly sticking to some silly plan you made before the baby arrived.

Here is my 1 week postpartum update. I will talk baby all through the week anyway, so I won't do a seperate one about him. 

This is what I look 1 week after giving birth. I am actually amazed at how fast I bounced back. I still have a little belly, which is absolutely fine. It's quite funny actually, because it's really soft little O likes to sleep on it :D
All together I have lost about 15/16 pounds. I have not done anything other than breasfeeding in a sense of excercise :D so that is just the weigh that has hone off without any real effort. I do think I need to do some muscle work to get back in shape but I'll wait until the pain resides and I've had my 6 week check-up and ok from the doctor.
My stitches are healing nicely and there is now just a little uncomfort rather than real pain.
Also like I said earlier, instead of solely breastfeeding I am now expressing milk and using a bottle most of the time, I do like to get in a feed in the evening though and get some bonding time. I have to top him up with a bottle though because he just dozes off after 15-20 minutes and then wakes up a bit hungry. But I'm afraid 20 minutes is maximum I can have him latched on because of the pain.
I am using a hand pump (tommee tippee) at the moment but will probably get an electric one soon to be more efficient. And we are using Hipp Organic formula. O seems ok with all of these ways of feeding. And a happy and full baby makes happy parents :D
It is all very surreal though...I can't believe I'm a mother. And it's amazing.

My Labour and Delivery Story

I never thought I would be so bad with labor pains. I honestly didn't. I also thought I will get it easy and be one of those women who go to the hospital, find out they are fully dialated and then push 3 times...hello baby ?! That didn't happen :D
I did so much research on the Internet to find out how you can tell when you are in labour, and the most popular answer in all of the forums was ''you will know when it's time'' I was a bit sceptical about that one. But I can now say, you really do know.
My contractions started on Wednesday afternoon around 4pm. They came every 10-15 minutes and where really mild, so I actually didn't know at this time that I was in true labor. I went to sleep about 1am and woke up at 4. This when I felt my first truly painful contraction. It kind of made me cramp up and for that first one I forgot I was meant to breathe...so I think it hurt a bit more than it should have. I also felt the need to poo (which I didn't) but I did think that this might be gas pain, so I went to the toilet just in case :D
5 minutes later, I had another one. Now knowing this is not gas, I tried to breathe through the contraction and it might have helped...I really don't know. But it's again true what they say. You can feel it coming and then at one point it's really painful and then you can start feeling it subside. I felt mine really low in my abdomen and actually all around my bottom parts (which is why at first I thought I needed a poo) And they lasted for more than a minute.
I always thought contractions were meant to feel like your whole stomach is tightening, but mine just started out low and then the peak of the pain I felt in my lower stomach as well, so I guess everyone are different. All I know that it hurt and all I could think about at the beginning was, that if this gets any worse I am not going to last without the drugs. A funny part of all of this though is that we actually watched an episode of Peep show earlier where one of the characters was giving birth. Another thing I read before getting the real contractions, that there is a break in the middle. I have to say with me it wasn't a clear break, because I still felt a dull pain all the time. They are worth it though, just to catch your breath and move positions.
Around 6 am, when the contractions had been pretty constant for 2 hours I actually had a shower. I figured, I want to wash my hair and put some make-up on :S :D don't ask. It just felt like the right thing to do. After my shower I woke up D. He didn't come to bed until 3am so I figured he can use as much sleep as possible, because I had no idea how long my labor will last.
We went to the hospital for the first time around 9am. got settled in a room in the birth centre just to find out I'm not dialated at all and it's still really early labour. So we decided to go home around 12 as i figured I'll be much more comfortable being home. Around 4pm my contractions got really strong. I could really feel the peak of them in my crotch area. D was really good giving me a backrub every time. Also I felt leaning forward and down and being on my toes helped. At 7pm we decided this is it so my friend took us to the hospital. We got settled in another room and even though with the first examination they told me I'm still not dialated with the second one I was alreday 2cm and that was within 4 hours.
Another thing is that when I got to the hospital my mucus plus came off. And I really couldn't have missed it if it would've happened at home.
The contractions were so painful and there was no break, I hadn't slept for what felt for days and I was getting so tired and exhausted, so I had an ephadine injection. I couldn't sleep though, because I had midawives and doctors doing tests on me. Apparently I had developed diabetes at the last day of my pregnancy or so they thought. I know it was the sportsdrink and sugary snacks. Anyway because they thought it might be diabetes. they decided to move me to the delivery suite to break my waters and speed up delivery.
At 4 am I was trasfered. I got an epidural, my waters were broken and it felt like bliss. I honestly don't remember much of that phase, because I was in no pain I got some sleep. This all lasted for 8  hours and in that time they actually gave me drip as well with hormones to speed it all up even more. I didn't feel the contractions for so long, I then thought I got away with it, because I had dialated to 6cm and they said it's not going to be long now. But then something went wrong and my epidural was not working for me anymore. The excrutiating pain was back and I think it was even worse because of the hormones. They then gave e 2 top ups in the epidural drip that started working and 2 hours later I was fully dialated and given max 4 hours to have my baby, or they will have to call the doctors for intervention.
2 hours later I started pushing. And even though the midwife told me I was doing an amazing job, nothing was happening in an hour and a half. They then told me they will have to call the doctors which is when I decided ''No Way'' and 15 minutes later his head was out and it took me one more push to get the rest of the body out.
The pushing stage was actually not painful. It was on the other hand super exhausting and I just remember that intense need to push even though the midwife told me not to a few times. In the end though, the relief of it all being over and that little boy coming out...it was pretty amazing.
Not all was good though. He didn't scream and was found to have some liquid in his pipes, but at the end I got to hold my baby boy and hear how everything was actually good :)
We were taken to the maternity ward and the next day we got to go home :)

40 Week Pregnancy Update

Hello Due date...and I'm guessing by the end of tonight I'll be saying Goodbye Due Date...without the baby.

Here is my 40 week pregnancy update...hopefully the last one for a long long time.

The Sun was shining in from the window, which made my one side fade out a bit. So I'm sorry about that :)

How far along: 40 weeks

Gender: Boy

Weight gain: This will be my last weigh in...I'm almost certain of it. SO the total weight gain in 40 weeks is...drum roll please...24 pounds. I must have either lost weight in the last weeks, when I refused to weigh myself, or gained some and lost some, but in the end, it's 24 pounds, and I know that whatever I gain from now on, will be the baby. This is what I'm telling myself at least.

Stretch marks: I thought I found one around my belly button. But I can't be sure, because it can just be a little redness. I will find out once I go back to my pre preggo size I guess. If it is a stretch mark it's actually pretty annoying, because it literally came in the last few days...I mean come on :D

Sleep: I don't need that much sleep these days. I can easily go through the day on just 4 hours of sleep. I go to sleep quite late 2-3am or wake up for a couple of hours around 4-6am. I think it's my bodys way of preparing for the broke up sleep I will be having due to the baby :) 

Miss anything: I do. I miss wearing my clothes. I miss fitting into clothes and I miss bending down to put my socks on without feeling any pain :D I miss having normal sized feet and fingers. I miss being able to turn in bed without struggling. I just miss not being pregnant now for all the little things.

Signs of labour: Lots of little niggles here and there. Painful braxton hicks contractions, these are actually pretty awful :S I'm just hoping they are actually doing something as well rather than just annoying me. I'm also gettign a lot of lightening crotch, which is annoying, because it's just making me feel like I need to pee ALL THE TIME :D Other than that it's really nothing serious. I haven't had all the real signs like the ''show'' or my waters breaking.

Best moment of the week: It was a pretty uneventful week to be honest with you guys. I haven't done anything, and it's just all been very normal. I think normal is good :D Actually this one could be reaching my due date :D I've made it, how amazing is this...now it's just a matter of days

But I'm off to my friends engagement party now, so you guys enjoy your day and I will enjoy mine :) 
xoxo

Last Day Until Due Day

Good evening, everyone. I can not believe it has been 9 months already. Time has gone past without me even noticing it. I was just telling D yesterday that it will be really weird not to feel the baby move inside me any more...because he will be with us.
To think about it now, I should have planned a cool day out or something for today, but I didn't :D So instead of doing some elaborate thing I kept it simple. My friend came over for lunch after she finished work I started my 40 week pregnancy update post :D and then had a nice dinner with D.
 A lot of my days surround food these days. It's actually the part of the day I really enjoy now that I'm not working...cooking home made meals. And I've started to bake more often as well. I've always loved to cook, but with full time bar work and living alone, I never really did it, because of lack of time and the fact that every time I bought food, it just went off since I didn't have time to eat at home.
Also, I bought a book yesterday...''Inferno'' by Dan Brown. I'm a bit obsessed. I've read ''The Da Vinci Code'' ''Angels and Demons'' and ''The Lost Symbol'' already and loved them, so I have high hopes for this one as well. I just thought it will be good to have something  to do during the hours and hours of breast feeding and if book reading doesn't work I've always got Netflix :)
So I'm ready...where is he???

Apple Crumble Cake Recipe

Here is my go to recipe for an apple crumble cake.

What you need:

• Ready made shortcrust pastry ( I know it's so easy to make yourself, but the pastry costs less than getting all the ingredients separately)
• 3 apples ( I've used different types, and they all work)
• Jam for the base ( the one I used this time I got from my friend, she actually brought it all the way from Poland, where her mum made it, and it's amazing. It's strawberry and blueberry flavour)
• Sugar
• flour
• butter

Start off by baking the pastry on it's own for about 10 minutes in a preheated oven (175'C) just so the bottom won't be soggy.

Cut the apples into small cubes and put them in a pot with a bit of water, sugar and cinnamon and cook them until they have turned a bit softer. I actually use more water than neccassary probably, because at the end I add a bit of flower. This created a jam like consistency of the remaining sugary/cinnamon flavoured water.

I then take the pastry off the oven and add the jam to the base. Then add the apples on top.

For the crumble I actually used a ready made pack (I had some leftover) But if you don't have one in the cupboard, just make it yourself...it's so easy.

Use cold butter, flour and sugar. Just mix everything together with your fingers until you get a sand like consistency. Make sure the butter is really cold otherwise it will start melting right away. I also like to wash my hands under cold water before, so my body heat won't start melting the butter. 

Then add the crumble mix on top of the apples. I like a lot of crumble and at this point I also add some brown demera sugar. It's a cake, it's meant to be sweet. 

And yes, it's not very healthy, but it's comfort food, and it's so good.

Just serve it up with some vanilla ice cream or in this case we didn't have any so, had a squirt of cream instead. 

So simple, quick and delicious :)

Casual Cargo Thursday

Good evening everyone :) This is a casual outfit I wore today for a quick trip to town to get our friends an engagement gift for Saturday. Hopefully the little guy will stay put until Sunday, so I can enjoy the day :D Pretty selfish I know, but I do believe it would be a nice way to spend my last day of pregnancy...with friends in the garden with some nice food and sunny weather :)
I bought these trousers years ago, and I don't even remember where from. They are missing a button, which I wouldn't be able to use anyway so I just use a belt to hide the fact :) They are so comfortable and loose.
Kept the accessories really simple. Nails and lips are purple and bracelets are from different sets in gold, pearl and teal/aqua colour.

Also I would like to make a note of my nail varnish :) It's BarryM, so it was super cheap,  and it is the matte finish look. I actually really like it. I do find that their nail varnishes are not as pigmented as I would like, but this one only needed 2 coatings and it looks really nice. The colour is called MNP9 Rhossili 419 ? That's a weird name, maybe it's just Rhossili :D OR maybe it's just the nr they use....I just don't know.

I also got the same matte finish look one in turqoise colour, which I will be trying out next :)

That's all for today, enjoy the weekend everyone :)
xoxo

New Season Fashion Picks

Good evening everyone. It is officially the last month of summer. It surely hasn't been a usual summer for me you know with being pregnant and all, but it has been one hot one, so thinking of getting autumn/winter clothes while shopping seems to be a bit strange. But knowing English weather, it will change so quickly you have to think ahead.
I always get so excited with spring/summer collections...all those colours and light and silky fabrics. I'm thinking I never want to see a sweater again...and then the new autumn/winter collections come in and I'm as excited. And this year I have already found some awesome pieces I'm planning to buy, so I thought I'll share a few looks with you :) Or more to say a few statement pieces you can add to your wardrobe and work with your existing clothes.

1. The Leather Jacket

I have always been a fan of a classic black leather biker style jacket. But this camel colour one from Forever21 just caught my eye. And I can see myself wearing it as a part of a lot of different looks. Clearly it's not real leather. But for 30 pounds I think this is a good choice and it's animal friendly :)

2. The Sweater

A grey soft sweater to add to a casual jean look. Funk it up with a cool hat and a bag with heeled booties or dress it down with some trainers and a cool scarf. I am now thinking of ways I can be out and about fast, because I will have a very demanding job as a mother very soon. So anything that is simple and versatile will be the best choice for me if I plan to get anything done during the day.

3. The Bag

I L O V E bags. I think I have always been more of a bag than a shoe person. So I do tend to buy a bag every now and then and then wear it until a person can wear it no more. For autumn/winter I am actually looking for a darker colour like dark red or green or maybe even a black one. I would usually go for a tan colour, but my brown New Look bag is still serving me quite well still.

4. The Autumn Dress

Mid-length with a nice pattern to pair with a chunky sweater or a leather jacket is all I am thinking about these days. I would again going to go for the brown/red colours. Just something about the colours of the trees once the Sun doesn't show its face that often any more.

5. The Booties

Not quite full on boots for winter and not quite open sandals. The bootie is the perfect shoe for autumn. They can be flat or with a nice small heel or you can go full on with a high heel if your feet will have it. I'm thinking of a small heel as I will be pushing a pushchair around most of the times and this means I need to be comfortable. I will also be spending a bit more money on these this year as I need them to last through the walks and rain (England...it really is very rainy)

6. The Jean

I have always been a big fan of a classic blue colour. You know the lighter one that you see on the pictures of your mom from the 90's :D  For a more sophisticated look I would always opt for the darker colours, but I am keeping it casual for this post. Miss60 jeans fit me so well and with some luck you can find a great pair from TKmax for silly 30 pounds :) It's worth the look, because paying over 100 pounds on jeans seems a bit silly when there is a constant threat of throw-up ending on them :D

7. The Fancy Dress

Every year in September I go on a lookout for a perfect dress because it is my Birthday at the end of the month. And this year I am actually lucky, because there are some great ones to choose from in so many different stores. The thing with my birthday this year is though, that it will be too soon after the birth, so I can't be sure that I will be in my pre-pregnancy weight/size/shape. So I am going to opt for a fitted one that won't be showing my shape wear underneath it :D This is the one day I don't mind being in the centre of attention so I'll go for a nice colour. I'm thinking emerald green with some golden accessories and shoes :) Or go all crazy with pink or blue.

8. The Main Accessory

I have been looking for a nice brown leather band watch for a long time now. I think it will just look a bit more casual with the style I'm planning to go for during the colder months. Again I don't want to spend a lot of money on it, because If I get sick on it and it stops working I won't be happy :D But these are some of the ones I've found and really liked. So I just need to decide on one....or two...maximum 3 I promise.

I hope you all enjoyed my picks for autumn/winter. Stay tuned :)

39 Week Pregnancy Update

This could be my last pregnancy update :o Most probably it's not going to be but IT COULD :D
I have been so bad at blogging, I have just been so lazy, and feel like nothing has happened really. But now that I think back on the week I actually have been quite active and I actually have done quite a bit, which means I've just been too busy to write it down :D
On Sunday we went to D's parents house to celebrate his and his brothers birthday, which was nice.
On Monday though I had my midwife appointment. She measured me again and decided to send me for a growth scan in the hospital, because the measurement came up the same as two weeks ago. On the scan though it turned out, baby is growing mighty fine and there is no reason to worry. I will have another appointment on the 11th of August just to check the growth again, given I haven't had the baby by then.
Tuesday I cleaned again and Wednesday I had a quick trip to town to get all the bathroom essentials again that I'd ran out and Thursday I had lunch with my friend.
Most evening though, I've just been taking it easy. We've watched a couple of movies, had food and just enjoyed the summer evenings :)
That has been my week, and since I am still so comfortable It has just been a nice chilled out week with no stress and it's just been normal. NORMAL...surely not for long :D

How far along: 39 weeks

Gender of the baby: Boy

Signs of labour: I have been having quite a few braxton hicks contractions daily since Sunday. They say that they will mostly happen if you've been in the same position for a long time and will subdue once you move around, but I just have mine at random times, doesn't matter if I'm walking or sitting or standing. And they will just go away on their own. They are painful, but the pain is comparable to light menstrual cramps, which is just like dull pain and completely bearable. They say you will know once the contractions are real and I think that is true, because I know these ones I've been having are not. I've also been having a bit of pressure down there. it's just a heavy feeling as if someone is resting on my pelvis :D
I have not had any real signs of labour, but I guess you never know. I mean it can be really sudden or you can start having little hints weeks before labour. I'm not getting stressed out on when he will decide to come, because I still feel perfectly fine, which means I have no point complaining. I've been pregnant for 39 weeks, surely I can last another 1-3.

Miss anything: I haven't deprived myself of anything while I've been pregnant, so there really isn't anything to miss. Actually I miss being able to button up my trousers and fitting into my shoes :D Other than that I don't think I'll be doing anything right away after giving birth. A lot of people might say drinking alcohol, but I've had a glass of red wine every now and then, so I'm not gasping for it :D Also since I'm going to  breastfeed I've gotten myself used to the idea that I won't be drinking after the birth either. And that is absolutely ok with me.

Best moment this week: Having lunch with my bestie Aunty Ruby. She is not my aunt in any way, it's just how I call her :D  I haven't been able to see her for so long. I don't think either of us has had a good enough excuse, it just hasn't happened. So it was good to catch up with her over some nice food and mocktails :)

New things for the baby: I ordered a small clutch changing bag. which will be good to take with me while I'm on the go. Just pop it in the bag. It folds out to be a changing mat and has enough compartments to keep some diapers and wipes in it as well. I think that is all though. We really do have everything for his arrival I think. D also did another online food shop so we have a few things in the freezer ready to be cooked. Just some quick and easy things like battered fish and some marinated chicken...

And on that note I'm signing off. Me and D are going for a spot of lunch and a little walk until it's still just the two of us :)