I've just spent the last hour carefully cutting out a blue star to stick on her blue birthday card and making myself cry thinking about how much I love her!! I can't believe she will be two on Sunday! I've got the blue food colouring for her blue cake, and got some blue balloons, and blue wrapping paper to wrap up her presents which will be:
* 'Gruffalo feet' slippers
* Hat and mittens set with elephants on
* Maisy apron
* a green hat that looks a bit like a frog that she tried on in Ikea on Sunday!
* an M&S jigsaw puzzle in the 'same' box as the one she already has
We're thinking of going to West Midlands Safari Park with her on Saturday morning, then obviously I've got to make her cake(s) and we're planning to spend Saturday evening blowing up balloons! Grandma, Grandad, Nan and Grandad are invited for tea and cake on Sunday afternoon, but we want to spend the morning together celebrating.
I'm due to finish work on Friday, so that will be one huge relief. I haven't enjoyed it at all these past few weeks. It has been increasingly stressful in terms of the UCAS references and the Key Skills and tutorial that I was stupidly given, so to finish will be great (although I'm not really expecting anyone to notice, which in itself is a bit strange). Husband is on a course today, so stayed in Edinburgh yesterday, so I'm in the middle of a tiring spell of looking after Elizabeth on her own. Her cold is nearly cleared up, and on the whole she's been ok, just one more bath-time to go!
It seems like a LONG long time since she was born now. I remember last year being particularly emotional. My memories of the event were quite frightening, and I had a sense of dread about the day. In the run-up I kept thinking 'This time last year...' whereas this time I'm more excited about how Elizabeth will enjoy the day. I feel the same about Christmas too. I'm looking forward to getting the tree, and making Christmas pudding, and generally getting into the Christmas spirit, which should be so much easier once I have finished work. Then I just want to focus on having some fun with Elizabeth in these last few weeks of 'our time' before the new baby arrives.
Elizabeth has been telling Monkey everything at the moment. She leaves him in the car when we go out, then when we get back into the car she tells him where we've been and what we've been doing. Today when we got back into the car after a trip out to Tesco she announced that Monkey had a baby in his tummy!
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
26 weeks and counting!
After two hectic weekends away we feel like seasoned travellers! Halloween weekend (well I say weekend - we travelled down on Saturday and came back on Sunday) was spent down in Surrey with Elizabeth's Godparents and their new(ish) baby boy, and this weekend we were at my sister's in Hertfordshire. The second weekend from a practical point of view worked better in most ways because Elizabeth had her own room, and slept in the car on the way home on the Sunday. The journey was shorter (2 hours) and we made it out of the house for lunch at the local pub and for a walk on Sunday. It has taken one heck of an effort in terms of packing, gathering food items for her, and washing afterwards and before the next weekend, but I think I can conclude that it was worth it. We only tend to realise once we actually make it out how 'entrenched' we become being at home in the same old same old routine all the time.
So we're back with a more positive attitude. Husband says "positivity begets positivity" so we're trying to think positive and not waste energy mulling over negatives.
I was 26 weeks yesterday. Week two of my second yoga course last night - I did feel it was a lot more difficult, some of the movements felt really awkward, and I'm definately getting bigger. The baby is as active as ever, and I'm tired. Elizabeth picked up a cold at the weekend, and we're having daily "Nose bad nose bad" tantrums which make eating meals nigh on impossible, and she's not sleeping particularly well. Once I'm awake I'm generally awake for a few hours, so feeling very tired and inpatient with her (today particularly).
Went to the library earlier in the week and picked up a book on crochet, and bought a £1.30 crochet hook today. Having cleaned the house from top to bottom yesterday, done the mandatory three loads of washing and washed up the lunch dishes today I sat down to create only to find it was really difficult to get beyond casting on my first stitch! I had planned to buy some really nice, brightly coloured wool and create something (a bag? a scarf?) for Christmas presents, but maybe that is a little too optimistic!
We've been packing away books and CDs and the like from the study this week into wine boxes I've collected on our numerous trips to Sainsburys. Husband is suddenly feeling the pressure to get Elizabeth into her own room, so I've packed a few of my own boxes too - but it really is the last thing I feel like doing on top of all the general household maintenance and shopping that seems to fill all my hours. The other thing I've been turning my attention towards is Christmas shopping. I think we've got all the grandparents sorted - with preserves etc from the Greenacres farm shop and Old Liverpool calendar and book on the docks. I've put in an Amazon order, and an M&S order through Quidco, and picked up MIL's present today together with a set of bowl/plate/cup in a presentation case for Raj from Whittard which was a good find and comes in on budget. Still to get:
My Mum, Dad (+ birthday), Husband's Dad, Stu, Carley and Elizabeth and husband, which when I write it down doesn't actually seem that bad - oh and a few friends... but still, the process is underway.
Good news came last Thursday in the shape of an unprecendented interest rate cut of 1.5% so that should significantly reduce our mortgage payments. With an increase in child benefit and child tax credit expected when the new baby arrives we should be much better off in the New Year, the only fly in the ointment being husband's job security (or lack of it). No news on the HBOS front at the moment.
I've got one more full day at work, then a half day next week, then that's me finished. I don't actually start maternity leave until 6th February, so I'll be on full pay (annual leave) until then thank goodness, as I really don't want to do it any more. Since they changed my timetable in September I dread every Friday, and have really been counting down to finishing. My heart's not in it - I just want to prepare fully for the baby, and not have to contend with 3 hours on the M6 and the associated stress of Elizabeth being looked after.
So we're back with a more positive attitude. Husband says "positivity begets positivity" so we're trying to think positive and not waste energy mulling over negatives.
I was 26 weeks yesterday. Week two of my second yoga course last night - I did feel it was a lot more difficult, some of the movements felt really awkward, and I'm definately getting bigger. The baby is as active as ever, and I'm tired. Elizabeth picked up a cold at the weekend, and we're having daily "Nose bad nose bad" tantrums which make eating meals nigh on impossible, and she's not sleeping particularly well. Once I'm awake I'm generally awake for a few hours, so feeling very tired and inpatient with her (today particularly).
Went to the library earlier in the week and picked up a book on crochet, and bought a £1.30 crochet hook today. Having cleaned the house from top to bottom yesterday, done the mandatory three loads of washing and washed up the lunch dishes today I sat down to create only to find it was really difficult to get beyond casting on my first stitch! I had planned to buy some really nice, brightly coloured wool and create something (a bag? a scarf?) for Christmas presents, but maybe that is a little too optimistic!
We've been packing away books and CDs and the like from the study this week into wine boxes I've collected on our numerous trips to Sainsburys. Husband is suddenly feeling the pressure to get Elizabeth into her own room, so I've packed a few of my own boxes too - but it really is the last thing I feel like doing on top of all the general household maintenance and shopping that seems to fill all my hours. The other thing I've been turning my attention towards is Christmas shopping. I think we've got all the grandparents sorted - with preserves etc from the Greenacres farm shop and Old Liverpool calendar and book on the docks. I've put in an Amazon order, and an M&S order through Quidco, and picked up MIL's present today together with a set of bowl/plate/cup in a presentation case for Raj from Whittard which was a good find and comes in on budget. Still to get:
My Mum, Dad (+ birthday), Husband's Dad, Stu, Carley and Elizabeth and husband, which when I write it down doesn't actually seem that bad - oh and a few friends... but still, the process is underway.
Good news came last Thursday in the shape of an unprecendented interest rate cut of 1.5% so that should significantly reduce our mortgage payments. With an increase in child benefit and child tax credit expected when the new baby arrives we should be much better off in the New Year, the only fly in the ointment being husband's job security (or lack of it). No news on the HBOS front at the moment.
I've got one more full day at work, then a half day next week, then that's me finished. I don't actually start maternity leave until 6th February, so I'll be on full pay (annual leave) until then thank goodness, as I really don't want to do it any more. Since they changed my timetable in September I dread every Friday, and have really been counting down to finishing. My heart's not in it - I just want to prepare fully for the baby, and not have to contend with 3 hours on the M6 and the associated stress of Elizabeth being looked after.
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