Week 27/28 - Back to Work

Top - H&M
Maternity Leggings - H&M

I went back to work this week after a couple of weeks off for the Easter holiday. I was worried that I'd be feeling really tired and knackered after the first week back and, if that was the case, how was I going to manage another 8 weeks at work until maternity leave?

But, I feel surprisingly good! Yes, I've felt a little tired and been a bit worn out at work. But I am making sure I eat well and actually take my breaks. I am also making sure I take things a bit slower. I am so used to rushing around at work and at home that I have to make a conscious effort to slow down. This all seems to be helping me not be so tired.

Thursday was probably the worst day; I had been sat down quite a lot and then, when I stood up, I had a stitch like feeling. This lasted most of the afternoon and into the early evening. My bump was also feeling quite hard and tight. After a shower and putting on some looser clothes these feelings all eased and I have since felt much better.

Next week I have my next midwife appointment, where I will have a blood test and the other normal checks. I want to ask the midwife about my bump size, I know they use this measurement to gauge the size of the baby, but I just feel quite small. I know there is no set size the bump should be, if watching One Born has taught me anything it is that bumps come in all shapes and sizes, I just want my mind put at ease.

The next mailing from Aptaclub arrived today. I really like the packaging and the little gifts you get. This latest pack is all about taking time to relax before the birth and has guide to labour and the first 10 days. The idea is you 'Take time to soak it all in...Underneath you will find our guide to a new life. So run the bath, relax and soak it all in.' The gift is some Love Boo Mummy Splendidly Soothing Bath Soak. It smells lovely and I am looking forward to using it.

Tomorrow Paul and I are going to the Baby and Toddler Show at Glow, Bluewater. I don't really need anything else now, but will be on the look out for some freebies and anything I haven't thought about! I will blog about this next week.

Have a lovely rest of your weekend.

Amy x

Week 26/27 - Happy Easter!

Vest Top - H&M
Cardigan - SheInside
Maternity Jeans - H&M

Last week marked a couple of milestones in my pregnancy; I am now in the third trimester and it was exactly 3 months until Baby Bond's due date! The fact I have entered the last trimester has passed me by a bit, you don't suddenly feel any different, it is more of a milestone for the baby. The baby is pretty much ready to be born and the chances of not needing much medical intervention if born early are greatly reduced. As the days move on I am now likely to feel more tired and worn out. The baby has now moved up a little higher, under the ribs and can squash my lungs a bit, I get a bit puffed out walking up stairs!

The fact last week saw the 3 month countdown to the due date is a bit scary! My body has already gone through so many changes and in a few weeks it will see the last major one, the birth! I'm still not worried about the birth itself, more what comes after; will I know what I am doing? Will I be OK when Paul goes back to work and I am by myself? How will I cope with the post pregnancy hormones and not being pregnant anymore (which I am quite enjoying)? I don't want to be a panicky mum; not worrying about every little noise the baby makes, how will I make sure I don't? 

I am sure these are questions most mums-to-be ask themselves. I know deep down I have the answers to all of them. With love and support from Paul, my family and friends, I (and Paul and our little bundle) will get through anything. As usual Paul managed to calm me down and point out I won't be doing any of the next chapter of our lives alone. As much as I have enjoyed my pregnancy, so far, I can now start looking forward to the next part of the journey; meeting Baby Bond and all of the excitement and happiness that will bring. :)

So on that note, last week I was decorating the baby's room. I knew I wanted to do a mural, something I had designed, something from mummy to baby, my first gift. I started off a while ago looking at other mural designs online. I took inspiration from a few, I needed a design suitable for a boy or girl, so I went with a tree and owls. The cat under the tree was a later addition. My beautiful cat Button had died just before Christmas and I wanted to include him in the design. (As sad as it is he still feels part of our family!)

Below are photographs from design to painting the wall, drawing on the design (using an OHP - old school I know!), then painting the mural itself. It took a lot longer than I had expected but I had time and wanted to do it properly. I am so pleased with the result, it turned out even better than I had hoped. I hope you like it too.

Initial Mural Design

Painting the wall, drawing on the design, painting the mural

The finished mural

(If you are interested in having a mural designed, or anything designed for your baby, please do get in touch. )

I hope you have all had a lovely Easter, Amy x

Body Shop Vitamin C Energising Face Spritz Review

I have been using this face spritz for about two years now and I love it. For my wedding, to keep costs down, I did my own make-up. I used all my normal day to day Max Factor products and just made sure I practiced a lot to get the right amount of coverage. However, I felt my make-up would lack staying power. That’s where the Body Shop Energising Face Spritz comes in.

I read a review in a magazine and decided to give it a go. At £9 a bottle it isn’t too expensive for what it promises to do. The spritz gives the face an instant pick me up when applied and also refreshes, the smell is amazing. This was not the main reason for me buying this product though. I spritz my face after applying my make-up and it helps set it. I definitely feel my make-up lasts longer when I use it.

I now use this everyday as part of my make-up routine. It also lasts for ages. Two to three spritzes is enough to set you for the day!

Week 25/26 - Quality Time

Midi-Dress - H&M
(from my shopping trip)

This week, again has been relatively quiet on the baby front. I can see why people say this is the honeymoon trimester. Things seem to be progressing perfectly and I am feeling pretty great. The baby's movements seem to be changing a little. It is still kicking and I can see the kicks, not just feel them; but it also seems to be somersaulting and rolling a lot more. I can only describe this as the feeling you might get on a roller coaster when your stomach feels like its turning upside down! I haven't yet seen any elbows or knees sticking out, I'm not really sure when this happens. It probably all depends on the size of the baby and how much room it has to move around.

This week has been the first of the Easter holidays and I have been quite busy, I plan to relax more next week! On Monday I went shopping. I haven't been 'proper shopping' for ages and felt I needed a general spring clean of my wardrobe as well as the need to buy some bigger clothes to accommodate the growing bump. I had a list of bits I needed, bigger vest tops, maternity tights etc but also wanted to have a look and see what took my fancy. Nothing was really jumping out a me, which was a bit dissapointing. I decided to pop into Zara and have a look as I sometimes find some good bits in there. After trying on a few things I settled for a couple of striped Ts. I then went back to H&M, which I think has to be my favourite shop, I don't think you can beat it for style and value, and found a few more bits to add to my purchased items! (See the pics)

Clockwise from top left:
Striped Ts £7.99 each- Zara
Cardigan £7.99 - H&M
T with pocket - H&M
Striped skater dress - Primark
Back and front of top £14.99 - H&M
Vest tops £3.99 each - H&M
Newborn sleepsuits £7 - Primark

On Tuesday I had my nails done. I go for gel polish rather than acrylic nails. It's a nice treat and lasts for ages and you don't have to worry about not touching anything for hours afterwards! I went for a deep purple, as this would match the outfit I'd picked for a wedding reception on Saturday.

On Wednesday Paul and I went away for a couple of days. We went to Brooklands Museum, just off of junction 10 of the M25. I enjoy watching motor sport and so decided to stop here on the way as it was the county's first purpose built racetrack. Brooklands was also the site of aircraft building during WWII, there is a hanger with old planes. Parts of Concorde and other planes were also built at Brooklands throughout the years. You can go on one of the Concordes that was built there, which was very interesting. 

After Brooklands we headed to our home for the next couple of nights; the Bat and Ball in Cuddeson, on the outskirts of Oxford. The room was perfect for what we wanted and situated above the pub itself. All the rooms are named after cricketers and the cricket theme runs throughout the pub. We had dinner in the pub both nights and it was great. Lovely home cooked and freshly prepared dishes. 

On Thursday we went into Oxford itself. I was a little dissapointed. I have been to Cambridge a couple of times and I assumed Oxford would be the same! Don't get me wrong there is some beautiful architecture and history, but I felt it was more shops and tourists than architecture and history. The university buildings were a bit further out than the shops in the centre and as I had already done a lot of walking the day before I was a bit worn out and so we stayed more central within Oxford. 

On our way back home on Friday we went to Winchester, which is lovely. From the car park we walked into the centre, about a 10 minute walk. Walking along a small river set in gardens. We then went to look at the cathedral and the high street, which had lovely old buildings and a market. After that we made our way back home to Kent. I had a lovely few days away with Paul, probably the last time in a while we will have the opportunity to be away, just the two of us!

A busy week was rounded off yesterday with a family gathering of my mum's side of the family, some of which I haven't seen for ages. It was great to have a catch up and a laugh. We then topped off the day by going to a wedding reception. It was lovely to see the bride and groom and share in their special day.

Here's to a slightly more chilled week next week!

Amy x

Week 24/25 - Time to Relax

Top - H&M
Vest Top - H&M
Maternity Trousers - H&M

Not much to report on the baby front this week. All moving along nicely. Bump does now seem to be growing daily and I am getting a lot more comments on the size of the bump! My sister Faye felt the baby move for the first time, which was pretty exciting for her. Baby Bond will be her first niece/nephew. I have been finding it increasingly strenuous to put tights on, bend down and go up and down stairs! Moving around is generally getting more tiresome and I find myself worn out and out of breath. So the Easter holidays have come at the perfect time. (I work at a school).

The holiday kicked off properly today with a get together meal for friends and family, some of who are up from Cornwall who we don't get to see too often. It was lovely to see everyone and catch up. I also plan to do some shopping; a few baby bits and some new clothes for me. Decorate the nursery and catch up with friends. Paul and I are also going away for a couple of days to Oxford which I am really looking forward to. Probably our last chance for some real quality time with just the two of us! I will also be making sure I relax as much as possible and just enjoy the time off!

This baby record book arrived in the post this week; Lovely Little Mini Person. I wanted something a bit funkier and more fun than the normal record books and this defiantly fits the bill. It has cute titles for the pages, like 'I have some really trendy outfits, here are my favourites'. I bought through Amazon for £12.80. I also love the cards that this company do: The Bright Side, Really Good. They really appeal to the designer in me. 

Have a good week ahead.

Amy x

Midweek Beauty Spot

Boots/Superdrug Haul

I needed to re-stock on some of my beauty products so did a 'big shop' and got some new bits to try at the same time!

Clockwise from left:

Prevalin: As you may know from previous blogs, I suffer from Hayfever. As a pregnant woman there isn't much you can take. This is pretty much it! It is a nasal spray, which I have only used in the past once and hated it! I have used it a few times now. It does seem to work quite quickly, it says 3 minutes. Yesterday I had already used it the three times in the day and was still suffering, however, pollen counts are high. As I can't use anything else I'll stick with it. Who knows how bad I would be if I didn't use it! It is quite pricey at £9.99, but beggars can't be choosers!

Max Factor Mastertouch Under Eye Concealer: I have used this product for a while and really like it. I have it in the palest shade and dap a bit on under the eyes and in the corners of my nose, before putting on foundation. It lasts quite a while and so at £7.99 is pretty reasonably priced.

Herbal Essences Ignite My Colour Shampoo: I dye my hair (yes, you still can when you're pregnant) and so use this shampoo to try and help the colour stay its best for as long as possible. I just love the smell of the product, fresh and fruity and it doesn't weigh my hair down.

No7 Make-up Brush Cleaner: Having given my make-up brushes a deep clean last week (pretty much for the first time ever!) I'd like to try and clean them on a more regular basis. This cleaner can be used in-between deep cleans to reduce residue build up. It's really quick and easy to use and something I think I can easily fit into my regime. After giving my brushes a deep clean I have definitely noticed my skin looking clearer and less spots appearing. At £8 is isn't too badly priced and I think it will last me a while.

Garnier Pure Active Toner: This is another of my everyday products that I had run out of. I use it as part of my daily routine of cleanse, tone and moisturise. I love the fresh cucumber scent and feel refreshed after using it.

Mark Hill Defrizz-ilicious Glam Goddess! De-Frizz Shine Serum: This is a new product to me. I have quite thick hair, but after straightening can go quite flyaway. If I wear my hair curly (which is natural) it is a bit frizzy. So I wanted a product to tame the frizz and fly aways as well as adding a shine. I had been using John Frieda Shine Shock but this seems to have been discontinued, hence giving this product a go. I use it on dry hair, can be used on wet or dry, and it does what it says, de-firzzes and adds shine, I really like it and a £4.33 (offer price) you can't go wrong.

Seventeen Miracle Matte Pressed Powder: This is another of my eeryday products. Again I use the lightest shade. I get on with this product fine and so will continue to use it. I would like to use the Max Factor powder, as most of my other products are Max Factor, but I don't like the smell!

Superdrug Face Masks: Just for a pick-me-up when my skin is feeling rubbish!

Amy x