Maternity leave days ten to fourteen

The baby's room is coming together.  I spent literally hours trying to sew a ruffle for the bedroom curtain, after much swearing and two broken needles I finally made it!

Sorry for the poor quality of the photos, I took them on my little camera. 

Basically I had the curtain already and I simply appliquéd some coloured fabric onto it and onto the tabs at the top.  That part was really tricky actually, but I am pretty pleased with the results, although they aren't perfect, but then neither am I.

I also strung up some bunting that I made in co-ordinating fabric, I got the colour way from the Jamboree range at Mamas and Papas:

On Friday I picked up some sample paint pots from B&Q that matched in too.  I have a small wooden trolley/toy box that I am going to paint with them, and maybe some picture frames too.

Hope you have all had a good weekend.  Even though I am not going to work tomorrow, I still have that Sunday evening feeling.  I think it is because Paul is back to work tomorrow, so I will be on my own.

maternity leave: days seven, eight and nine

Oh dear, I am not keeping up with my maternity leave diary!  Well I haven't really had anything exciting to report.  On Sunday I had the ladies from my NCT group over for another afternoon tea.  It was lovely chatting with other pregnant women, all due to give birth around the same time as me.
Baby has been really active the last couple of days, like crazy active, it's still not in the right position though, it's back is on my right hand side and it is much better for its back to be on my left before birth because it makes it easier during labour (apparently).  I have a midwife appointment tomorrow, so it might have moved by then, we will have to wait and see.  I keep feeling its foot in my side and grabbing it and saying "foot" loudly so maybe it will know what its foot is, or will recognise the word "foot" after it's been born.
Today I spent some time writing my birth plan, or as I have called it "Birth preferences" because nothing ever goes to plan. I want to have as natural a birth as possible, but at the end of the day I just want baby to come out and be healthy and for me to be healthy too.  I am sure that is all any expectant mother can hope for.
Any of you write a birth plan?  What did you include?

Maternity leave: Days five and six

Spent yesterday getting the house ready for my "afternoon tea with mummy to be" (NOT a baby shower which is far to cliché and makes people feel obligated to bring gifts), including a food shop which was shockingly expensive.  Can't believe a small trolley now costs what it would have cost to fill a large trolley 5 years ago. Also put together my party games, including a drawing of a giant baby with an anatomically correct umbilical cord and placenta to pin on!  my pregnancy quiz which took me about 2 hours to do...I think I was really over-thinking the questions, printing off sheets for match the celebrity baby names to their celebrity parents, guess the measurement of mummy's tummy with string, preparing for guess the baby food flavour and preparing vegetables and fruit for match the vegetable to the age of the foetus (in weeks).

On second thoughts the placenta looks more like a tomato.

Today I got up early to get everything ready and made two trays of sandwiches for all the guests.  My mum and sisters came over in the morning and helped me with the last few finishing touches to the house as well as finishing off icing some cupcakes that my sisters made. Friends arrived at about 1.30 then all through the afternoon friends popped in and out, we had sandwiches, cake, tea and played the games as well as me opening presents which was so sweet of my friends, and not expected at all.  I was very happy to receive the Mamas and Papas Jamboree changing mat which I have been lusting after.  There was an element of surrealism to the whole thing though, it felt a little bit like my birthday, only nothing was for me!
Foolishly I forgot to take any photos for the entire day,  took some last minute ones of me and my family but apart from that, nothing! What an idiot!

yes, my sister is holding a spider plant, it was the prize she chose for winning one of the games!

Maternity leave: Day four

Thought I would share with you some artwork I have done for the  baby's room today.  Do you remember this post, of images from the Jamboree collection at Mamas and Papas, in particular theses paintings?  Well I loved them so much but just couldn't justify £22 pounds a pop.  So...I decided to imitate them on canvases I bought from Hobby Craft for about £5.00.  Do you like?  I am really pleased with them.

Today I continued the big clear out, nearly there now, made some soup for freezing so that when baby comes we have some easy nutritious meals at the ready and added a few more things to my hospital bags.

What are you up to?

Maternity leave: Day three

More clearing out today, making room for baby.  This weekend I am having a couple of gatherings of friends to celebrate coming to the end of my pregnancy, some may call it a baby shower, but I am calling it "Afternoon tea with Mummy to be"!!  So I have been trying to think of games to play that are fun and silly but not too embarrassing, so far there are my ideas:

Guess the size of mummy's tummy with a piece of string, closest size wins,
Blindfolded baby food guessing game,
Pin the umbilical cord on the baby (like pin the tale on the donkey),
Childbirth Trivia quiz,
Celebrity baby name guessing game or match the name to the celebrity baby,
Blindfolded guess the baby item.

Anyone got any other ideas?

here is a pic of me, Baby turned 37weeks yesterday:

Maternity leave: Day two

The big sort out continues; today I sorted through all our old receipts, some dating as far back as 2005.  I can't help but think "why on earth did I keep this receipt for a white t shirt from tescos that I bought in 2006 for £3.00"?  Hubby sorted through a massive pile of paper including lots of bank statements, credit card bills and the like.  Both of us are terrible at organising our paper work. We both always wish we were better at being organised with our things, not hoarding, keeping things in order, the right place for the right thing, but we are fighting a losing battle against our genes.  Both sets of parents are terrible hoarders and organisers, it is quite literally in our DNA to be chaotic with our things.  We are also finding it very difficult to get rid of stuff, if we are not asking ourselves "will I need it in the future for some obscure reason"  I am thinking "but I could make it into something".  But those days must end because we have a baby coming and it needs room!  So not only have I now an extensive list of books for sale on Amazon, but also a pile of shoes, bags and clothes waiting to go to charity shops.  It is quite cathartic in a way, but also frightening.

In other news I went into town today to buy some nursing bras, I am now a shocking size 34 J!!  Which is the largest size I can get, so I am really hoping they are not going to get any bigger when the milk comes. I am finding some of the physical changes of pregnancy quite distressing and am beginning to wonder if I will every feel good about my body again.

Also bought some washable nappies from Boots.  We are planning on getting more second hand but are feeling the urge to make sure we have everything ready for baby sooner rather than later, so a pack with 3 wraps and 12 liners should keep us going for a while if baby decides to come a little earlier than expected.

Last night I ordered a Tens machine for hire to help with discomfort during labour not sure if it will do any good but I figure anything is worth a try.

Maternity leave: Day one

On Friday I had my last day at school for some time.  It was possibly the most incredible anti-climax of my life.  I thought it would feel so wonderful and such a relief, but of course to everyone else at school it was just another normal day so there was very little in the way of celebration. It is a strange feeling really; to be off work for something other than a half term or holiday, the true reason for not being at work hasn't really sunk in yet.  

So how has the first day been?  Well pretty good really, I got up late and came downstairs to find a silly surprise left by my husband:

The cuddly lion we bought for baby all snuggled up in our new moses basket!

I spent the day tidying and sorting, trying to get the baby's room ready and doing general housework, everything takes a v.e.r.y long time because I am so slow!  

When my hubby got home, he had another surprise for me:

Oooh yes! A box of doughnuts!