A little smile came creeping...

up on me this morning.

I am finally 12 weeks pregnant and I know when my scan is.

I can stop taking folic acid, I think it makes me feel sick.

I have activities planned for every day this week so hopefully looking after the monster will be easier.

For some strange reason I just feel happier, the prospect of going to playgroup this morning has excited me. Then we have a mammouth supermarket shop to do as we've run out of everything!

Meeting up with friends I've not seen for about 12 weeks on Tuesday for lunch. Food is much better received when someone else cooks it.

Usual Wednesday playgroup with spare afternoon to indulge the monster in painting with mummy or the park.

No visit from my mum on Thursday - I'm not being nasty but it's always nice to have a change, so I can go to Little Nippers and see friends from there who again haven't been seen for weeks. Then we are taking the little man to see the scan.

Tumbletots on Friday, Hmm not sure the little man enjoys this anymore but we've paid for a term so need to keep going.

Slight niggles to annoy me:

why why why? do we have to pay for the scan pictures this round?!

why isn't it Thursday now?

why is Fifi and the flower tots so annoying?

1 week to go!

I have 1 week and a few hours until we can see baby pip for the first time. I have fianlly rung the scanning department at the hospital as I still haven't had a letter despite being almost 12 weeks pregnant. Hubby has managed to get the time off work and the little monster/man is coming along to see everything!

If everything is okay at the scan I will tell the whole world and it's neighbours! I will probably announce it on facebook too. So all those who won't know, will soon know.

We're almost at the magic 12 weeks milestone. This time however I have told lots of people. I have found it very hard this time round. I have been feeling very sick, extremely tired and out of breath all the time. I felt so bad I had to tell people so I could have some help with the little man. I think it's the worst part of pregnancy except for the childbirth bit!! No one knows you are pregnant and you get very funny looks in Tesco when you are huffing and puffing after loading 5 carrier bags full of food into the trolley. I can't use the enviromentally friendly bags so well as I can't lift them!

Hubby also gets the award for sympathetic husband, most of the time. He's had to take on more child care, cooking the evening meals and been alone in the evenings whilst I've been asleep from about 7 until 11!!! He's done it without moaning but the housework is slipping as he doesn't seem able to remember to help out with that. But I am very pleased and can't complain.

Meanwhile I have accured some birthday money which I am going to spend on some new shoes and as soon as I am feeling better, I'm off for a bit of pampering at a beauty salon.

Little man's behaviour is improving slightly, the new trick is running away to hide after being naughty so we can't tell him off. Or so he thinks. His idea of hiding isn't exactly very well hidden, sometimes it's just putting his hands over his eyes!!

Anyway, roll on the scan and the second trimester!!

The waiting game..

Pregnancy is a big long wait, almost 40 weeks in fact which is just very long!

I've finally almost hit the first milestone of 12 weeks. I'm 11 weeks today and I was desperatly hoping for a scan date through the post this morning. They are very spot on with the scans doing most of them at 12 weeks, not 10 weeks like they do in some other areas, unless they've changed their ways of course?!! Maybe I should ring the hospital and check I'm still on the list?!

It's my birthday and very unusually I didn't get any post at all. mimble wimble and some of the usual cards are absent. Hmm maybe you get less as you get older.

Anyway had a nice day with the hubby off work to take me shopping, out for lunch and ice cream and then help at home with the little monster. Ended up buying nothing for me and a Postman Pat SDS van for little monster! (very early birthday present).

Now please just send me that scan date NOW!!!!!!!

Slightly miffed

I went for my booking in appointment today. I'm 10 weeks 2 days according to my dates and the midwife didn't really bother about a due date.

Lots of writing in the green notes again and lots of sticky labels. Lots of silly questions about family history and if I'd had any bizarre diseases or blood disorders.

Bad points:

Still no scan date

Didn't get to hear heartbeat

Can't give birth at Chorley unless the consultant says so due to forceps delivery last time, so will have to have a referral appointment at Preston, personally don't think I can be bothered with the hassle of the appointment so might just accept the situation and ask for a tour of the unit as I can't remember much from last time.

All the above has left me feeling rather confused and upset, the first time I've cried in a long while anyway. Maybe it was the emotional shock of leaving little man with a friend for the first time almost ever, maybe the shock of being pregnant has hit me suddenly. Maybe it's hormones!

Will start focusing on upcoming birthday next week and organising lunch out.

Secrets

I've been keeping a secret, not very well because I've probably told at least 10 people by now! It's been very hard but I can't wait any longer and the lovely people who read my blog are now to be told "I'm Pregnant!" Yes really. Personally I don't think it has sunk in yet.

Oh yes the sickness, nausea, burping, bloating and extreme exhaustion have all brought me down to earth with a bump. Looking after a terror tot going through a naughty phase is and has been overwhelmingly awful, thank goodness we've done potty training before the strops and tantrums began, these have now given way to just sheer naughty behaviour!

Little man has entered the next stage of intellect, Why? why? why? he asks constantly and after most requests to perform actions or after each explaination. If you are wondering when it will come it seems to be proceeded by "what's that?" and later "what's that noise?" He knows about our baby who is being called baby pip for now and has asked on several occassions when it be coming. After telling him after Father Christmas has been (January) he now seems to think Father Christmas brings babies and that he will be going to live with Grandma and Grandad when mummy goes to hospital. We've corrected him of course!!

Fears of miscarriage are still floating around, I am yet to have my 12 week scan but I feel confident that all is well and if not then it obviously wasn't meant to be. Also slight worries over the birth bit & whether the labour will shorter than last time. However I am really to consumed with feeling awful to think much into it all at the moment.

I ask if you know me in real life - away from the blogging world to keep the secret safe and to yourself until I have had my scan, just in case there is a problem.

We're off to Scotland..

on Sunday, in the caravan. Hoping it will be nice weather and that I will soon start feeling better. We're not cancelling this holiday after we lost out at the beginning of the month.

The route is set up to Loch Lomond, the east side of the Loch which is quieter and is where the West Highland Way runs. We could climb Ben Lomond if we fancied but personally I think we'll look at it from a boat and hope the loch sickness isn't too bad!!

We're hoping to visit The Sealife centre, the falkirk wheel and enjoy many days sat by the loch hopefully without midges. All planned to be relaxing and non-stressful and lovely. Oh (big screeching hault noise) we're taking our 30 months old toddler!

We've just hit the next stage of terrible twos, the defiant "NO!" accomopained by kicking, screaming, loud yelling and point blank refusal to co-operate. This has happened before but now it is more severe. Distraction techniques are becoming less successful.

We're also trying out "what happens if I do this" behaviour. Examples include banging one's fork repeatedly on the dinner table and resorting to banging with hands if fork is taken away. Other examples have included throwing things down the stairs (mainly toy cars) and basically just being plain naughty.

Little man seems to have no remorse, shouting at him makes him laugh and the only thing I think is working is the naughty step. We introduced this all of a sudden last week but it's taking time.

All this behaviour I could really do without right now. I'm feeling very awfully ill and exhausted. Thank goodness for half term holidays so parents in law are around to help with the monster.

Oh well back to dreaming of realing by the loch........ AHHH!

New things

It's Spring, well it looks like spring but feels more like Autumn as the temperature isn't quite living up to it's expectations. Little man hasn't made it into a pair of shorts and sandals yet and I'm still wearing jeans. I have swapped my comfy boots for ballerine style pumps though.

Lots of plants coming up and our tomatoes, runner beans, strawberries and my lone corgette plant are all in the new greenhouse and growing ok ish as far as I can tell.

The garden in still going through it's summer makeover and tidy up but there is still a lot to do and a garage to empty. Then the shed and lean-to will be demolished and their contents put back into now more empty garage (in theory). Hopefully the contents of the garage will go on ebay and earn us a pretty penny.

We're swapping out gas guzzling giants (2 volvos with 2 litre engines!) for a deisel 206 and a diesel 7-seater touran, the latter has been kindly donated to us free of charge by my in-laws!! Both cars will hopefully do 45+ mpg so we will be saving and the enviroment will have a few less grams of CO2 in it.

Also I'm eagerly awaiting my doctors appointment next week, why oh why do you have to wait for 2 and half weeks to get a simple appointment?!!