Saturday 25 June 2011

What's in a name?

Now I'm still fairly set on our boys name of Dylan but I'm really stuck for a girls name. I think that's because we're having a boy but before we find out fir sure in a week and a half I thought I'd share our current list...

Girls
Lexi
Olivia
Zoe
Heidi
Sienna

Boys
Dylan

If you have any fabulous suggestions I would love to here them!!!

Friday 24 June 2011

Choosing a Changing bag

Changing bags... wow there's a lot of choice out there! First one of which, I think, is whether to buy a changing bag at all.. or a multi-purpose holdall. Changing bags are functional, yes, but do they hold everything you want for the price you want to pay... and in a cute package?

Here's a little look at what's out there right now..

Mamas & Papas
Satchel bag and Cover in Cress
£55.00

Skip, Hop, Dash
Deluxe in Uptown Stripe
£54.75





Pink Lining
Yummy Mummy Changing Bag In Foxglove Glen
£70.00




Ju-Ju-Be
BeAll in Dizzy Daisies
£94.50




Wallaboo
Changing Bag in Pink
£42.00




ZPM
Nappy Bag
£24.00




Cath Kidston
Spot Holdall in Blue/White
£60.00




Frost French
Floozie cream print holdall
£22.50




Hello Kitty
Changing Bag in Pink/Silver
£89.99

*********************

Firstly... OH MY GOD Changing bags can be EXPENSIVE!
Who knew? I can't remember how much I paid for my first but I know it wasn't more than £50.. some of the bad boys out there today can set you back a couple of hundred squid.. that is CRAZY!
Much as it matters what it looks like on the outside functionality has to win out in the choosing of a bag.
There are so many different kinds to choose from, you can get them that unfold to reveal a mini changing station, you can get ones with 10 pockets and ones with just two. What will work for one Mum wont work for another. Ellas changing bag did unfold and I thought that was really handy so I might look for that again but I sacrificed storage space for that function and perhaps there is something out there now that's a better combination of the two.

If you have any fantastic recommendations for me... please go ahead and leave me a comment!!!




Nursery So Far


You may remember I mentioned we decorated the nursery about a month ago. Since then nothings really happened with it and it's continued to store my junk. I am steadily clearing the wardrobes of my stuff and creating a more baby-friendly space. I will blog pictures of the progress a bit at a time but I had to share the cute decorative bits I bought yesterday. The boxes and bunting are both from the Next "Ziggy and Friends" range. I wanted to go with bright colours and gender-neutral stuff since we don't know what we're having yet. I may have got some shots of the decorating stages so if I find them I'll post those too.. Otherwise I think this is going to move quickly now it's got a bit of momentum!


Tuesday 21 June 2011

Week 18

So apparently I'm 18 weeks pregnant!154 days away from birth.. EEK! let's push that aside for a moment and be scared about that nearer the time. But for all of that sweet potato sized baby in my belly I still just look fat lol. I will take an 18 week belly shot tomorrow and show you.. I'm still at that inbetween stage where a stranger wouldn't dare presume and I am feeling a little self conscious.




I'm sure I'll pop and be huge before I know it and then wish I was just a bit podgy again but its an annoying phase while I'm in it! I'm still not feeling much movement. A little here and there but it's always over before it's begun. Also I'm getting out of breath so easily now, I walk home and every day it gets a little bit harder. So.. Here's to week 18!

Monday 20 June 2011

Back To My Roots

Since I fell pregnant I have had the oddest problem... my hair wont seem to take colour.
I have coloured it a few times in the last 4 months but check out my roots. I know my hair hasn't grown that much in the one month since I coloured last. The dye doesn't take very well at first on my "virgin" hair and then washes out really quickly leaving these unsightly roots :(
I'm not really sure what to do now. I don't really want to put any harsh bleach on my hair after it reacted so badly last time but I'm not going to be able to wait out the regrowth. I have another 5 months before I'm potentially back to normal so a trip to professionals may be my only hope. I know I never suffered from this problem last time so I'd love to hear from you if something similar has happened to you!


Wednesday 15 June 2011

17 Weeks

Lee's reaction to the picture this week was "oh my god, what is wrong with that baby?" lol. So... Nice to know where he stands. It's onion sized this week. I thought I'd feel more flutters since it's a bit bigger but I haven't really felt anything. That's really what I'm waiting on now. I want to feel my baby!!!
 

I am enjoying the pampering goodies I've been treating myself to lately and keeping everything crossed I can keep stretch marks at bay.

Monday 13 June 2011

Pregnancy Pampering

This week I've been browsing the beauty aisles for pregnancy focused products. I figure I'm already a beauty junkie, why not take advantage of these speciality products while they I can?
One thing I have picked up and may already have mentioned is..
 Mama Mio Boob Tube 50ml £19.50
This is one of those products that you just don't believe can possibly be as good as everyone says. I thought it was over hyped and more expensive than I'd like but hey.. I'm a very vain person and how can you put a price on a firm, stretch mark free bust post pregnancy number two? I came off pretty badly the first time, I didn't pay attention to that area and the stretch marks found me close to the end... Not this time!!! I apply this stuff nightly and after 2 or 3 days I could see a huge improvement in skin tone and texture. Whether it will actually help prevent sagging or what have you I guess we'll never know for sure but I'm extremely hopeful and even if it doesn't I would still recommend this as a firming moisturiser - baby or no baby!
I have of course wanted to focus on my tummy too but I've been a little cavalier here as I am proud to brag I haven't one stretch mark anywhere on my middle (yet) I would love to tell you it was a miracle cream but I think it' more likely that I've never been very toned and although I wasn't heavy I was never super skinny and could pretty much always push my tummy out and feign pregnancy. I did, however, take a lot of care to moisturise my tummy so you never know.. maybe that did make a difference after all! What I used was..
Body Shop Coco Butter 200ml £12.50
This stuff was like crack to me back then. I can't tell you how many tubs of this stuff I went through. I slathered it on with wild abandon.. Unfortunately my tummy was my only focus area and by the time ugly purple lines appeared on my bum, boobs and thighs it was too late to recover. This time around I have taken to using the much more cost effective Palmers Cocoa Butter which takes forever to use up, melts into your warm skin and keeps me feeling moisturised for 24 hours... FOR REAL! Best of all the Palmers version is just £3.22 for 100g of concentrated formula. I think when it comes to pregnancy body care if it feels like it's working that's all you can ask for because nobody really ever knows do they? Cocoa butter is the ultimate moisturising treat for sure.
Since Ella was born I've tried the hugely popular Bio Oil to improve the look of the stretch marks but honestly I don't think it does a thing. I think once you've got them they're yours.. you have to learn to love them because you're going to have to live with them for a really long time! that being said I'm sure that theory wont stop me shelling out the big bucks for some miracle creams if I fall victim again.
I've looked into relaxing bathtime treats and the one that's appealing to me right now is..

Sanctuary Mum To Be Soft Skin Bath Soak 400g £9.14
This stuff just looks luxurious. It makes me want to go and fill up the tub. It's made with natural ingredients and essential oils and claims to leave you feeling fully pampered and glowing with motherhood. Hmm... Why is it when I hear these tag lines I feel a sudden scepticism rise in me? Either way I used to love bath salts and I like that it is a "soft skin" bath soak.. this suggests it might actually help with the whole moisturising/stretch mark prevention fight and as we know.. every little helps!
Overall I think this whole range looks really interesting. They do their own tummy rubs and oils, all aimed at Mums to be and new Mums that need a little TLC.
I, for one will definitely be picking up a couple of bits from the affordable brand (available in Boots) You are bombarded with pregnancy brands on the market right now and it's so tricky for expectant Mums to chose the good from the bad. For the most part we are talking the prevention of permanent scars on your body.. do you skimp on that? I mean surely the most expensive product is going to be the most effective? I don't think so! I am going to be trialling as many of these products as I can get my hands on (within reason) and sharing my discoveries with you. I am going to shell out for some high end, supposedly "better" lotions and potions as well as bog standard drugstore equivalents and telling you what I think is really worth spending your hard earned cash on and what is just an over hyped, overpriced label.
If you have any great recommendations for me to try or anything you'd like me to review drop me a comment below and I'll try and incorporate it! If you'd just like to share your own product review then leave your link for my readers and I to check out.
You can expect many more posts like this so watch this space.

Sunday 12 June 2011

Baby Bump so far



As so many of you have requested it I thought I'd share with you my bump pictures so far! 
I hadn't got much of one until a couple of days ago when it popped out (biscuits and sweets more than baby no doubt) so these are all I have so far. From now on I will try and update once every fortnight until it starts really growing then I'll up it to weekly. I'm still looking a little thick around my middle and not big enough yet that anyone would dare to ask "when's it due" for fear of offending me but it's expanding all the time so it's about time I tracked the progress. You may have already noticed I have added a little slideshow in the sidebar of this blog with these pictures but it's not a great size so I will continue to put the pictures in update posts too...
Thanks for reading and while you're here don't forget to follow this blog so as not to miss anything!


Thursday 9 June 2011

16 Weeks

This is one clever bambino because the day I turned 16 weeks pregnant I felt my first flutter of movement. They say you start to feel something anytime from 16-20 weeks so it was perfectly on time. It was so strange and very exciting but all too brief! I can't wait to feel a proper kick!




This week it's an avocado apparently and if the pictures anything to go by it's a bit freaky lookin' ... I think I'll need to step up my fat intake 'cause I want a cute little baby, nice and chubby as they should be. I'm starting to get more excited about everything now I've felt some movement. I have finished painting the nursery so I will put some progress pics of that up very soon as well as an updated bump pic!

Friday 3 June 2011

15 Weeks

I'm nearly 4 months pregnant and I still can't believe it lol. This week the baby is the size of a "navel orange" - whatever that is! I've looked ahead a bit and I should warn you the fruit comparisons only get more bizarre as the weeks progress. We had another midwife appointment today and heard baby's heartbeat for the first time which was really special. Nicer for me than the scan, I was stressed then but today I was relaxed and really appreciated the experience. I'm considering buying one of those little things that allows you to listen at home, that would be pretty cool!

We've been so busy this week decorating and preparing the house for the baby's arrival. The nursery is all done now, we just need some extra bits, We have a swinging cot from when Ella was little but I think that will go in our room while it's with us and then we will be purchasing a larger one for the nursery.
It's getting quite exciting now, it's feeling a little more realy but I'm still holding something back, I'm sure I'll feel overwhelmed in a month or so when I feel the baby move for the first time and it all hits me at once.
For now I'm carrying the equivalent of a navel orange and just looking a bit podgy.
 
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...