11 Months Old

 

For the happiest baby in the world little Mr Milo sure has been grumpy this week. This is the reason his update is a week late. I filmed the video update on time but just couldn't get a good photo for his 11 month picture and in the end had to make do with these. The picture below basically sums up his mood this week.. He's under the weather, poor thing, as he was sick today but I'm hoping it's just a bug and he'll be bright eyed and bushy tailed again tomorrow.. 'cause I've got to go to work.

Speaking of work I don't think I ever did an update on that so I'll try to get round to that soon but for those wondering it has been a much easier transition that I'd anticipated and he loved his childminder and the other kids there so anyone in that position right now nervouc bout returning to work.. don't be. 

Development wise it's tough to remember what he did last month, I think he'd just discovered pointing, well that's still a big form of communication but he know also claps and has learned some more dance moves including squatting up and down and 'the twist' which I think Grandma migt have taught him on the sly. He likes to crouch to do everything from eating to playing to pooping.. so that's new and he's now what I'd consider to be a fully fledged walker. He doesn't have many places to walk so for the time being he does laps of our house pausing only to try and sneak up the stairs (often successfully - bad Mummy! - not all the way though.. don't call social services.. please?)

He's been drinking cows milk during the day but he still has his formula morning and night with 2 solid meals in between a morning snack (rusk etc). I know it's cool to give them only cows milk from 1 but I think he'd miss it so I've ordered (Tesco online) some 'Growing Up Milk' to see how he likes it.. I think I'll stick to a formula bottle at bed time at least for the foreseeable future but might switch his morning bottle to regular milk to wean him off the formula slowly as well as cut costs.. babies are expensive! 

So next month my baby will be 1. I think he will be my last so this is doubly sad as the final phase of my baby momma'ing is about to be over, I will miss it but I hear boys stay 'babies' for longer so I'm holding out hope I can still swaddle him when he's 25.

Miss BB

10 Months Old

 

 I always struggle.. wait, do I start every update like this? lol. I think so but it's true it's hard to recall the little developmental landmarks from the past month when you come to write them down. There are really only a couple that come to mind for Milo's 9th month, He took more than two steps, 5 to be precise and is now walking a lot each day just never very far. He's becoming more interested in games and playing with others, he's always enjoyed interaction but now he seems to be getting in to the to and fro a little more. He started with the childminder as I returned to work this month so he's been in a whole new social environment and so far he's settled in brilliantly. No problems yet. The only other thing that jumps out at me is the dancing.. he dances to everything. I'm not saying he jumps on the floor and busts out some shapes, it's more bouncing, rocking and swinging his arms from side to side but every time he hears music of any kind he starts. It's cute.

As I've previously mentioned these pictures are getting harder to capture since he wont stay still for more than 10 seconds so it's a good job I only have 2 more! I intend to do occasional updates after his first birthday (which by the way we plan to spend at Hooters - but that's a whole other post) rather than monthly's but I will of course continue to blog Milo's progress once he reaches his 12 month.

Miss BB

8 Months Old

 

Milo Bear is 8 months old and he is getting BIG. 

When I last weighed him he was 20lbs!! I don't know if that's big for his age but he seems it to me. He's still crawling like someone is chasing him (which I actually was last week) but no walking yet. He pulls himself up on the furniture and lets go to balance for just a few seconds but he's showing now signs of venturing out on his own just yet. Last months I said I wanted to substitute as least one bottle every day for a solid food meal, he's now eating at least 2, sometimes 3. We didn't go through a period of him not sleeping, he's continued to sleep through the night but rather than wait until the bottle was no longer sustaining him for that long period I decided to pre-empt it. He now has his evening bottle which sets off his routine for bed time but potentially all other meals are 'food'. Most of the time he's still having a bottle first thing, just 'cause it's easier but that's the next step. I think the bottle at night will stay constant for the foreseeable future.

He's starting to get really frustrated that he can't communicate. For the most part he's a really happy baby but if he wants to get our attention he can make himself heard, he doesn't scream or cry he just shouts a lot. We're getting a lot of dadada mamama and brrrr but nothing resembling words and nothing consistent. He's still scratching everything to test the noise/texture and talking of noise.. boy does he like to bang things on other things? ANYTHING you give him he will take to the nearest hard surface and bang bang bang, little drummer boy!

The last thing is a bit weird, he's started shaking his head, kind of like swaying it from side to side, not like a 'no' action, more like he's dancing to music nobody else can hear.. I looked it up online as I was worried he might have an ear infection (he's still poking around in them) but although all the Mums were freaking out and assuming their kids were going to have some serious problem they all seemed to be 7 or 8 months so I have to assume that it's developmental and he's just learnt a new trick. The health visitor is coming to visit for the first time in I think 6 months today so we'll see what she says but as far as I'm concerned he's a healthy little boy with a very healthy appetite.

Miss BB

Standing Man!

In a week Milo's gone from only just crawling to pulling up on every available surface to stand. The only way he's managed to fully stand tall so far is on our tv unit as it has a shelf as kind of a halfway point. He did that yesterday and I managed to capture it today so wanted to share, of course. Until then he'd had to make do with kind of pushing up on all fours on the hearth (as above) - unfortunately this little habit did lead to him eating a little bit of coal when my back was turned. I'm going to have to get used to this moving around stuff fast!

So without further ado.. here he is in action..



Miss BB

7 Months Old

This month has been a big one for Milo, crawling, rolling and trying his darndest to talk. I shared the video of him crawling already but in case you missed it, here it is again..

This month was the first month that his monthly photo was tricky... he did NOT want to sit still.
He's off and about all over the place but he's still kind f frog leaping rather than crawling, he's been desperate to get around for a while though so he's a lot less frustrated now. Still no teeth and still no regular meals but this month I am really going to try. With Ella she didn't sleep well so I weaned her on to solids asap in a bid to keep her full through the night but Milo has slept perfectly since around 2 and a half months so I've not had the drive to take him off his milk yet. He still has 4 bottles a day and at the moment the only other food is a rusk that he feeds himself or the occasional powdered meal. I want to try him with bananas next week I think, everyone says that's a good starting food so I'm hoping he wont hate them like I do. 

I'm not sure there's much else to report other than he's still really strong with his legs. I can walk him around the house just holding his hands but he's been doing that for months, I fully expected him to forgo crawling altogether and just walk. He can just about pull himself up on furniture but he's not quite there.. he more pushes his bum up and stays on all fours.. It's like he'd prefer to crawl that way.. he doesn't really understand the knee shuffling yet but somehow he's still managing to get from A to B. I'm just about coming to terms with him growing up.. I so desperately wanted him to stay small forever but he's becoming such a little character I can't baby him forever. Besides.. he never really wants to cuddle anyway, he wants to be off doing his own thing.



Til next time..

Miss BB

Milo's On The Move!

Last week Milo crawled for the first time. It was just before 7 months as he will hit that mark tomorrow but he's been showing signs for a while. He's not exactly running around just yet but if he wants to get somewhere he can and he WILL! Bizarrely he still can't sit by himself, he can balance when he's placed in a sitting position but he can't pull himself up without help. He's even trying to stand.. I'll share a picture as soon as I catch him at it but he pushes his bum up, straightening his legs like he's going to start an 'elephant walk'. He's going to be off to school before we know it :(

He just needed a little motivation ;)

Miss BB

6 Months Old

I know I say this every month but 6 months?? How did this happen? I am torn.. I want him to grow up and am looking forward to seeing him develop but on the other hand, can't he be my baby forever???

Anyway.. onwards and upwards, he's 6 months old and that's kind of a big deal! This month was a big one, although there were no major developments he's generally more curious about motoring and I wouldn't be surprised if I walked it to see him toddling around any day now. No matter where I put him he wants to be off somewhere else and although he can't yet sit or crawl he somehow manages to shuffle his way across the floor. He's going to be a little adventurer, I can tell.

A couple of weeks ago he was playing with his ears a lot and we were concerned he may have had an infection as he would bother them until they were red but according to my online research ear discomfort is a common teething symptom so I'm pretty sure that's all it was.

He's still eating well, 4 bottles a day and one jar of food, I'm looking to add another solid meal to his routine in the next week or two, he's a growing boy and milk wont fill him up forever. I'm also going to try my hand at making my own baby food as I have the time where I didn't when Ella was a baby so it's just another thing on the 'last baby bucket list'!

I'm still kind of shocked at how generally well behaved he is, I've mentioned before that Ella was not an easy baby/toddler so I can't believe how lucky we've been this time around but it would seem he really is just gonna be a good baby. He sleeps well at night, often 11 or 12 hours from 7.30/8pm and takes 2 naps per day on average. I put him down and he smiles at me and I go get him from his sleep and he's gurgling away in his cot.. it's totally foreign territory for me, Ella cried going to sleep, through the night and when she woke up!!

They're the main updates but as I always say I will try to update throughout the month with little milestones.. though I never remember, do I? I need to update his little scrapbook then I might share some pictures of that with you too. For those who prefer to watch than read you can see my video update below.

Until next time...

PS

His hair seriously naturally falls into a little faux-hawk.. it's bizarre but I kinda like it!

Miss BB

Finding His Feet

 

Milo's fifth month marked the discovery of.. his feet! He's always been a knee grabber but now he actively grabs at his feet... after long periods of staring at them of course. He loves to be tickled and although he recoils when you touch his toes he sticks them back out for them to be tickled again. This week he found his ears but that's another post.. I haven't managed to capture it on film yet.

Miss BB

5 Months Old

 

Milo bear is 5 months old.. he promised me he wouldn't but he got bigger and if it's possible, even cuter. This month seems to have flown and it's hard to keep track of new development without regular blogging so month 6 will see more of that with one monthly summary update post. His eyes are still blue so we have to assume they're staying that way now, lovely for us as we have only brown eyed children in the family. He is looking more and more like his Dad every day but I continue to search for myself in him. He is still sleeping through the nights and I would have said he'd not slipped once had it not been for last night. He's showing real signs of teething now and another symptom is waking in the night. He woke at 2am, I comforted him and put him back down, he cried for 5 minutes and went back to sleep. He was fitful and whimpered now and then but for the most part he slept and it's the first night he's woken in more than 2 months. I will let you know whether this becomes a habit in a week or two. At 20 weeks he discovered his feet. He's always had a thing for his knees but his feet are his new favourite place o grab. He's not been too interested in putting them in his mouth yet but everything and anything else gets chewed. He has a penchant for hair pulling and grabbing faces and remains the most expressive baby I've ever met.

He will smile at anyone attentive and is now giggling lots. He's ticklish but it seems selective.. he has to be in the right mood and he is eating well. He drains every bottle and could probably do with two solid feeds a day now though we're only just getting in to that routine. He naps twice during the day, once mid morning and once mid afternoon, he's not always happy about it but doesn't usually take long to drift off. He loves to be held but that's my fault.. we cuddle too much so people tell me and he stays awake for walks now where before he would be asleep straight away. His hand eye co-ordination is much improved and he can take something from me now and play with his toys.. but he normally just wants to chew on it. He's trying to talk, he loves to squeak and shout and right now as I write this he's cooing in his pram while I wait for him to nap. He's still very strong and the walking reflex hasn't left him yet, he's dying to get moving but shows no interest in rolling or crawling. He pulls himself up to a sitting position but I think he needs more floor time to develop his movement. Of course I'd be happy for him to stay just as he is forever, 5 months is a lovely little bundle and he's no trouble.. I know the bigger he gets the harder it will be and I'm not ready to lose my baby yet. One last note... his hair wants to be a faux hawk and it's taking all I have not to dye it pink and shave the sides... but I wont. Maybe just some gel and coloured mascara?

Miss BB

4 Months Old

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I hate that he's getting bigger so fast!

Days after last months update I am happy to report Milo started sleeping through the night. For at least the last 3 and a half weeks he has slept from 9pm to 8am pretty much on the dot every single night. For me he can play up as much as he likes during the day if he's going to do that! Ella was such a terror at night that I keep waiting for it to all stop but so far so good. I didn't really pursue weaning after the first couple of attempts but will start again properly this week. I don't want him to suddenly wake up at 4am because milk isn't sustaining him and then have to start weaning. He has acid reflux so the health visitor advised to wean from  months as solids will help him with that. Apparently it's easier to keep solids down. He is quite possibly the sickest baby ever! He's not unhappy about it, usually throws up with a smile on his face  but I still feel bad for the little mite. It's always so tricky to remember his little milestones when it comes to the monthly update. One thing I absolutely can't leave out is the thumb sucking. That's right, my son is an official thumb sucker!

He liked a dummy in the first 6 weeks of his life and then really wasn't that interested and wouldn't keep it in his mouth. Since then he's been very much a hand chewer which we assumed was 'itchy gums' in the lead up to teething but this week is progressed and the thumb is the 'finger' of choice. It's all very cute and he self soothes which is good but I dread the time that I will have to wean him off it. With Ella I could take her dummy away but I can hardly remove his thumb!! I've heard of using that nail polish to prevent you nail biting but I don't know.. cross that bridge when we come to it. Years off yet.

Talking of teething, we had to invest in some baby Nurofen two weeks ago when he started crying during feeds (very unusual) and was very warm with little rosy cheeks. I can feel something on the top gums but nothing substantial yet. He's still a giant wriggler, I've had to put him back on his bouncer 3 times while typing this. He pushes himself off it on to the floor. I don't know how much he weighs because terrible parent that I am I haven't regularly attended clinic as I should but seeing as the last time he saw the doc he was such a beast i think he's healthy. They advised babies like him need to be weighed less as he's obviously putting on weight (haha). You may have seen the laughing post a few weeks ago, he laughed for the first time this month but I think he's laughed a grand total of 3 times so far so it's nothing to write home about. Very cute when it happens though, the kind of sound that today makes up for a day of screaming the house down. I can't think of anything else MAJOR that has happened in the last 4 weeks. He's desperate to sit up and is constantly craning his neck trying to get up himself. He has big ideas does my Milo.. thinks he's a big boy! He has 4 bottles in 24 hours now. 220ml and 2 sachets of infant Gaviscon in each which doesn't stop him being sick completely but definitely helps. Lastly his little 3-6 month suit he's wearing today has inspired a new nickname. "Little Boat"

I wanted to include that incase we ever forget why we call him that.

Usually I do Milo's monthly update videos but today Ella volunteered. She sat at the laptop with him and every time she finished Milo hit a button and deleted the whole thing. She persevered and eventually i had to take him away but this is Milo in Ella's words....

Miss BB

Milo's First Laugh

Milo laughed for the first time less than an hour ago and I couldn't wait to share it with you...

Miss BB

Look Who's Eating Food!

Ok so maybe he's not TECHNICALLY supposed to be trying baby food for another month but he is just SO hungry! He's already taking as much milk as his bottle will hold and we're still having night feeds because it's just not filling him up. Last night we decided to give baby rice a go. There's a lot of conflicting opinions online as to whether it's safe to put this in their bottle or not - for those unfamiliar with the product its very finely milled powder.. not rice-like or lumpy at all - but I am in the 'not risking it' camp so we spoon-fed him. I made it super milky, not much powder at all.. it's his first time after all! He wasn't keen on the spoon and for the most part what I did get in his mouth he either spat out or just left it there unsure what to do with it. I can't imagine what a surreal experience it must be for a baby but today I have given him a spoon to play with in the hope he'll get used to it and our next attempt will be more successful. He seems to like it and managing to grab the spoon and locate his mouth is a big milestone for little baby M!

Miss BB

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2 Months Old

 

 2 months old? Already? I don't like this one bit! 

As you know Milo has suffered with colic and acid reflux. He's still not great and his sleeping is hit and miss but we do get the occasional good nights sleep (by current standards). In the last month he has been pushing himself up to stand against up , grabbing everything he can and is finally enjoying bath time. To soothe him we often use white noise such as the hairdryer.. in fact as I type this he is being lulled to sleep by a genius app playing him the sounds of a doppler.. what will they think of next? He is consistently taking 6oz bottles and is hungry all the time.. I can't wait to wean him on to solids.. I'm sure that will be the key to him sleeping through the night. He's just a very hungry boy. Ella absolutely loves him, she has infinite patience when we have none and will sing to him even when he is screaming at the top of his lungs. He's a serious headbutter, has been since he was born but recently he seems to have motive... he split my lip the other day.. I'm still not sure what I did to deserve it. I'm considering putting him in his own room.. everyone else seems to think it a great idea as he's a fidgety sleeper and I get him up when perhaps he would have slept through had i not heard him. I'm just not quite ready to let go.. he's too lickle!! Everyone is getting regular smiles now which makes his screaming fits a lot more tolerable.. it's very hard to stay made at him when he's so very cute. his eyes are still very blue. Brown is the norm for my family but Lee has green eyes.. they can take up to 6 months apparently to be the colour they will be forever but I'm hoping for green.. he already looks so much like his Dad I'd be really surprised if he didn't get that from him too. 

Overall month 2 has been the hardest so far and I'd really like it to remain that way. He will be teething before we know it and I'd like a little respite before then. My Mum has kindly offered to take him off our hands every Friday (thanks Mum) which we obviously jumped at so we do get one unbroken night of sleep a week and in all honesty I don't know how I'd survive without it. Lee's a huge help but I don't like him to do too much during the week as he works long hours and that's the whole point of maternity leave, isn't it? I know he feels like he should be doing more though which is tough for him. Hopefully Milo will get easier soon so life can get one step closer to normal again.

Miss BB

6 Weeks Old

So Milo has reflux. He visited the Doctor and was diagnosed last week. He went from being the perfect baby and sleeping all the time, feeding well, just generally better than I could have hoped for to... well.. not.  I'm glad he seems to be improving thanks to the various changes we've made and medications he's now taking but it's not the easy time he was promising when he was first born. I knew it couldn't last but deep down I really hoped it would.. I thought I'd earned a good baby after Ella was such hard work.. but no. It's really tough between Lee and I because we both have different ideas of how to deal with a baby that cries all the time and we're both tired but we're doing well to avoid conflict so far. The worst thing that could happen right now would be for us to be fighting. I can see how this kind of thing can cause problems in a relationship but I am confident we will stay strong and support each other as best we can. Communication is key!

I haven't visited the clinic to have him weighed since the midwife weighed him at 2 weeks but I weighed myself with and without him at the weekend and deduced his weight is now approx 12lbs.. 

little chunk!

Miss BB

4 Weeks Old

Can you believe my little  Milo bear is 4 weeks old today? I can't believe it's already  been a month yet can't believe a month ago he wasn't here. He's growing so fast (too fast) filling out his little suits and getting stronger all the time. He's more alert now and awake for longer periods of the day. He's discovered her doesn't have to be perfect and has a little cry every now and then. Still doesn't like bath time but doesn't mind so much being changed anymore. He's slept a couple of times 6hours+ through the night but it's not a regular occurrence - appreciated when it happens though. It's just 2 weeks 'til Christmas and I'm so pleased to be able to celebrate it with our new little man. This time last year we had almost given up hope of conceiving him so he's really the best gift we could have asked for.

Miss BB

3 Weeks Old

My baby boy is 3 weeks old today! It's been a LONG day of fussiness so this is a short post before bed but I'll film a video update tomorrow...

Zzzzzzzzzz

Miss BB

Grabby McGrabberson

That's my boy! Always Sleeping for Mummy!

He needs his rest as he's developing so quickly. A couple of days ago he started grabbing at things for the first time. He got the little ribbony loop thing inside my top, you know the one you use to hang things up? He's since discovered my hair... likes to give that a good tug. Rest assured I shall not be wearing earrings around him for a while.. ouch! Another little development milestone is that he follows us with his eyes now. He rarely focused on us before but now he can really look and turns his head if we move side to side. He's more alert every day and is awake for longer periods which is lovely. He's already growing so fast, I wish he could just stay tiny forever but I'll settle for him being the best behaved baby boy while he is still small. He will lay in his cot and just look around the room, I've never known a baby so content.

Fingers crossed he's just a really good baby and this isn't a passing phase.

In case you missed it here's his 2 week update that went live this week...

Miss BB

Week 38

It would seem the now little Milo is fully formed and ready to go there are no in-utero updates to share. He's the size of a leek and approx 6.8lbs. I missed a midwife appointment so I don't know how big he is in reality but I have my final meeting this Friday, Scary stuff! I have all the little vials to take for them to fill with my blood in case I need a transfusion. I was a little puzzled about this myself as the won't take enough to give me if I do need one so... why do they take it? hmm! I can only assume it's to check I don't have any nasties in my blood before the operation. I have all of my paperwork and instructions of what to do the night before/morning of the operation. I will have to be up at 6am to take a pill which kinda sucks but I imagine I'll be too excited to sleep anyway. I'm getting really nervous about the c-section now. I know it's routine and it's still preferable to going through hours of labour and potentially having to go in as an emergency section anyway but knowing I will be totally lucid and aware of everything freaks me out. I was off my head on everything they'd give me by the time they rolled me in to theatre the first time.. this time will be very very different. I'm nervous of the spinal block going in, I'm nervous of it wearing off halfway through and I'm possibly MOST nervous of the pain that I'll feel after it's all over and I've regained feeling. OUCH! All I can imagine is it will be like people say when they come-to after cosmetic surgery (I watch lots of reality TV) they say it feels like they've been hit by a truck. I don't want to feel like I've been hit by a truck! But this time next week he will be here and I will have to face it either way. 

I'm really hoping that the emotion of his arrival will put me in a bit of a blur and before I know what's happening the Spinal will have worn off and they'll have topped me up with pain killers. We'll see. I'm not scared about his arrival or bringing him home, I'm actually starting to get excited now. It's really happening. As has been the case throughout my pregnancy, nobody is as excited as my Mum. I'm a bit concerned she might explode when she first visits. Ella is excited... off and on.. I think once he's home and well and I'm recovering she will love it but I get the impression she's worried about me because she knows I'm having surgery. I think she's put off her excitement a little for the same reasons I have... just get that bit over with and know that I'm fine and then I can enjoy it. His room and everything is still only almost done. We're going shopping tonight for all of the last bits and pieces we need. More blankets for example... MILK for another. We're nearly totally ready for him. 

Miss BB

Week 37

So it's just 2 weeks before we get to meet our little guy and I'm finally feeling a little excited. in the last week I have bought most of the stuff we were missing. We still need a couple more newborn outfits for him, more blankets, toiletries and milk... it's felt like I have loads of time left to do these things but I really don't anymore. I have started watching all the baby programmes on Home & Health that I've avoided thus far.. I think they're helping me to remember what the first few days with baby are like and I'm feeling more relaxed. Ella is still really excited and she's been so grown up recently I'm no longer worried about her feeling pushed out. 

Baby is "full term" this week so if the worst happened and he made an early appearance all would be well.. he is fully prepared for the world. Many Mums experience "lightening" around this time which is when the baby drops in preparation for the birth and I think that's happened to me. People tell me he looks lower now.. I'm not so sure but I have been really sore at the top of my tummy/under my bust. The skin sometimes feels almost like it's burning and apparently this is a stretching sensation, ouch! I've been trying to relieve it with Aloe Vera which helps for a while but it's not comfortable I can tell you. Gradually my body has been telling me to slow down and do less. I still have pains at the top of my left leg that feel like a pulled muscle in my inner thigh and on the other side I experience occasional flashes of cramp. I get these pains even when I'm resting so walking any distance at all is not easy. Lots of people are asking if I'm looking forward to it being over but although I'm achey I'm not desperate to get him out.. I don't know if that's because of nerves about the operation or if I'm still not ready. I do know that my discomfort won't go away once he's born as I will be recovering from the c-section so whereas most Mums are awaiting that relief I know I won't get that straight away.. but that was my choice.As it is I take Ella to school and back and some not too strenuous house work but try to rest for the majority of my day. I'm beginning to wonder what the baby will allow my days to be like.. will he be fussy? will he be sleepy? Only time will tell... 

Miss BB

Week 36

I'm as surprised as anyone that I haven't been filling your reading lists with pregnancy updates but it would seem the closer I get to the birth the less interested I am in talking about it... is that strange? He will be here with us in less than 3 weeks and I'm not chomping at the bit for him to arrive. Time is passing alarmingly quickly for my liking actually. Early on when it feels like an age 'til it's over it's all fun stuff picking the pram, decorating the nursery, buying clothes and bottles.. now it's starting to feel a bit of an inconvenience. I have to buy more bottles?... I could spend that money on something else if I had a bit more time lol. My whole pregnancy has been a bit odd like that "feelings"-wise, I'm genuinely curious to see how I'm going to feel when he's actually here.

It doesn't feel like 36 weeks have passed and I just don't quite feel ready yet, y'know?  I mean we have all the stuff (pretty much) and if he arrived tomorrow my world wouldn't collapse... I'm prepared but.. I'm not READY. I've waited so long and now I don't know if it's nerves because of the operation or I'm still dumbfounded that we actually conceived the little one but I just don't feel how I thought I would. Next week I will be going to buy all the bits and pieces I need to stock my hospital bag, I still need to get some extra stuff for when he gets here and maybe then I'll feel ready, when I'm totally 100% prepared. In the meantime I'm stuck in this strange kind of limbo, not quite excited, not quite scared, not quite... anything.

  Anyway on with the actual baby update. To quote my baby bump app this week the baby is still gaining weight and becoming rounder in appearance. By the end of the week he will be considered full term. So officially by the end of this week I could pop and he'll be totally fine (in theory).When I went to be booked in for my section they told me they used to schedule them in the 37th or 38th week but discovered that more babies delivered electively in those weeks needed to be sent to the special babies unit (always makes me think of Law and Order... just me? never mind) for help with their breathing so they don't like to do that anymore. It's a strange concept to have not carried to term and already be given an end date. Ella was 2 full weeks late and they were in no hurry to get her out. This one will be born 3 weeks earlier.. so I'm not going to have all that huffing and puffing, awfully uncomfortable time that I did the first time around. That being said walking is no picnic anymore.. standing's no better and even sitting and lying down have their bad days. Every pregnancy is totally different, I can vouch for that, I didn't get any of the aches and pains I have now before and the practice labour has started already. I have warned him he'd better not try and come early but my Mum has been encouraging him every chance she gets, she wants an 11/11/11 baby.He's 5.75lb this week and the size of a Crenshaw Melon. When I googled "crenshaw melon" I found almost as many pictures of pregnant belly's as I did the melons themselves which leads me to believe this is a special strain of melon bred especially to indicate the size of a 36 week old baby in utero. Nevertheless... for your viewing pleasure may I present to you... A Crenshaw Melon... 

So there you have it. I'm going to miss these fruit comparisons so where possible once baby is here I will endeavour to take him to the supermarket and size him up against various goods to give you an idea of how big he is. By Christmas he might be as big as a box of cornflakes... one can only hope.