Rolling on the river

Week in Summary

Timeline: 34 weeks 

Due date: 4th October 2015 (I've been a day out all this time!)

Symptoms: It's been a mixed bag of the fun on this front, I would say to date I've had nearly every associated symptom but they have been as changeable and fleeting as the British summer weather so I don't get too bummed out before something new comes along to keep me awake Googling at 3am surprise me.

To summarise, I've had appearances from:

Tiredness
Restless Leg Syndrome

Itchy belly
Rib pain
Back ache
Heartburn
Excess Wind

Increased urination
Swollen feet
Swollen WhoHa (who knew that was even a thing?!)

Low blood pressure (dizziness and nausea)

Headaches

Nosebleeds

Bleeding gums

Oh, and lets not forget discharge and Haemorrhoids...

Despite the list of horrors, overall I'm feeling pretty good and have only really struggled with the rib pain. When that's about it's really difficult to sit comfortably, and worse, sleep - blissfully I don't get it everyday and I've not had it more that I have had it so won't complain about that ratio.

I'm starting to notice now how some simple movements are getting harder where my body doesn't have the strength and agility it used to. Getting up is harder, and I mean this in the literal sense... moving from bed > sitting up or from the sofa > standing is no longer a graceful affair. The additional weight is hard on my knees and hips and sometimes I need a helping hand because my abs have scarpered.  Insight into old age? 

I have to just take a second to give high fives and gracious thanks to whatever entity decided to spare me the pregnancy mood swings. I've felt more emotionally stable that I did pre-pregnancy - Big shout out to PMT liberation! 

External stuff: I've still managed to evade stretch marks, even though I've used a vat of creams and lotions over the last 5 months I still don't think I'll come out unscathed on this one. My bump is pretty taut and I fail to see how it can grow further without making some of the wormy buggers. 

The linea nigra - yep, I had to Google it too - has arrived.

Mucus plug - yep, a second Google - has left (I think)

Hormones are still keeping my pre-pregnancy greasy hair and nose and excessive pit sweat at bay. Triumph!

Boobs haven't grown into massive balloons as first feared - am only tentatively grateful for this at the moment because, you know, wait till the milk comes in...

Sleep: I just had to dictionary the word.

Have had initial discussions with the Husband on sorting loft so the spare bed is useable again. He's not keen on sleeping separately and it's not my first choice either, but we are disturbing each other with different schedules and patterns and sometimes we* might just need to take time out and shut ourselves** away in a dark, quiet room.

*I

**myself

Cravings & Longings: The sweet tooth prevails but with much less fussiness. Chocolate, cake, sweets, I want it all!

I had been turned off meat for a while, especially chicken, but it's gradually come back and all is good again.

Best & Worst moments: It's been a few months so there has been too many good moments to pick just one, but mainly I love feeling little munchkin moving around and to be able to see it so pronounced on the outside too... it makes it all the more real (even though I still can't actually get my head around the fact that we will be parents before long - what first time parents can, right?)

Gender Prediction: We've done a 180 on this, so now I think Boy and Husband thinks Girl. Which reminds me, I had a terrible nightmare the other day: we were taking our new baby (boy) home from the hospital and something had happened to our car so it needed fixing (sketchy recall of this bit), so I put the baby in the car seat and went to the bonnet where my husband was stood, but for some reason I didn't strap him in. Let's just say he fell out of his seat and awful things happened. 
I read somewhere the other day that nightmares are a 'thing' around this time in pregnancy - as if we don't have enough anxieties to be getting on with!

Names: The never ending saga of finding mutually agreeable girls names continues. 
We have a pick of boys names that we would be happy with and they have stayed pretty consistent for a while now, so if bump's a boy we'll decide which suits him best on D-Day (Delivery Day)

Movement: Bump is busy making shapes these days. Hiccups = belly twitch; shifting and turning = freaky undulating motion (my favourite); kicks and elbows = peaks and jabs. 

Purchases/Gifts/Donations: Where to begin? We are literally stocked up with everything we need. We've bought some books, toys and teddies, a few muslins, teeters and outfits (some of which are below) but the rest has/is all been gifted, lent to us, or handed down. We are a lucky pair of mofos who have saved a bunch of money thanks to kind friends and family. 

The only things left are the crib (hand me down), a bath and bouncer (gifted), an ear/room/bath thermometer and we are DONE!

To-do's this week: I started packing my hospital bag this weekend and it just needs a few additional items before it's ready to close up and sit in wait for the big day.

We've been working to finish some DIY jobs around the house. My nesting instinct has been in full swing for weeks so I've been super keen for organisation and tidiness. We are not quite there with it all yet so we hope to get some of the bigger remaining jobs done so we can forget about DIY for a while afterwards! 
Turns out I'm not a bad Tiler!

Happy Sunday friends X