BUMP PICTURES!!!

Finally! Got camera charged! Yay!...Here are some pics of the bump... they're not the most exciting pics in the world, but you get a good idea of how big Sprout is getting! ENJOY!

Half Way...

Bonjourno! Ahhhhhh, Oui Oui!

I am back! Sorry for the absence. I've been unwell! (Sad face) but I am better now (HAPPY FACE). Yes, I spent much of last week tucked up in Bedfordshire feeling poorly and covered in snot! Well, not really covered in snot, apologies for the analogy, it wasn't quite a scene from Ghost Busters, but I did produce a lot of the stuff, close to 5 bin liners full I should imagine. It wasn't very nice. But, like I have said I am MUCH better now and I am so glad the lergy slapped me in the face when it did rather than this week as myself, Tristan and my soon to be sister-in-law Helen of Glanville are heading off to NYC to see my brother on Wednesday eve and it would have been such a cow-bag if I went feeling like that. Especially with the air con on the plane! YUK! And I'm so prone to nose bleeds lately! It would have been a nose fluid disaster! Awwww, I cant wait to see my big brother and give him a massive hug! I'm so proud of him.

Big Bro James, Me and Helen of Glanville...5 Years ago!!!

Sooooo Tristan returned home on Thursday after 5.5 very looong weeks away! I was very glad to see him and he me I think! :) We had our 20 week scan on Friday people! Yaaay! HALF WAY! And I can tell you that baby Sprout is developing beautifully! At 15cm in length we could see Sprout in detail and really enjoyed looking at our little babba. We got some fab pictures too! We do have to go back in 2 weeks as the little squirt had its arms crossed over its chest meaning the sonographer (Haha, I almost put scenographer!) couldn't get a good look at the heart, so they have to take another look when Sprout has decided to move to another position! Cheeky little thing, they made me get up and jump around and everything, alas to no avail. To be fair, we don't really mind as it means we get to check Sprout out on the screen again. One thing I do know, is that we've got ourselves a bit of a wriggler...

I am going to upload some pics tomorrow, I know its taking some time but the camera is finally charged, we just have to clear the memory card which shouldn't take long. I promise that tomorrow you will be able to view 'The Bump!'. I would have been more organised tonight and uploaded some on, but an event occurred which set me back slightly.

BIG Whale! 

 I had my first pissy hissy fit tonight you see. I got home from work desperate to try on my new shoes which i ordered from the Dune sell, and boy are they nice. I got them for New York. So, there i was in the bedroom in front of the large mirror slipping on my new shoes (which fit like a glove) when it suddenly happened. Tristan came up to see me and out of nowhere and quite startlingly my inner psycho bitch decided to join us for a catch up. I think i took one look at my legs and declined into a state of temporary depression at which time the vocal self abuse began, after huffing and puffing quite extremely and calling myself a beached whale Tristan came to comfort me and said i was being silly to which i responded 'A SEAL THEN!'...despite his efforts and back rubbing, i stood up and shuffled away from my darling husband to the bathroom dragging my feet with me...still wearing my fabulous new shoes i might add, where i continued to run a bath with extra bubbles... I'm not proud of this behavior and on reflection i had honestly believed that my inner 5 year old had packed her bags and left at least...3 years ago. However, it seems she still resides within me and tonight was the night she popped up for a visit. No doubt she will be visiting again one day in the near future as my hormones continue to run circles around me, and when she does, i shall just have to remind myself, as i have done tonight, that i am no beach whale, or seal, or big fat Mr Blobby. I am indeed pregnant and blessed to have a gorgeous little life growing inside of my belly which i am so crazily overwhelmed and delighted with that becoming a bit squidgier around the edges really is a tiny price to pay, of course. It goes without saying. AND, at the end of the day...I have a FABULOUS new pair of shoes! HELL YEAH!

My lovely new shoes...Hubba Hubba! 

Oh, by the way! If you Google 'Beached Whale' some pretty dodgy pictures come up! I would avoid it if i was you!

My Bible! Amen! 

This is interesting...I've just opened my pregnancy book to 20 weeks and 4 days which is exactly where i am today and one of the sub headings says...'I cant look in the mirror as I'm feeling so down about my size. Will things get better?'...HA I guess it must just be a 20 week and 4 day thing then! Who knew these books could be so specific! :) Actually, this has happened several times with my pregnancy book, often i have felt a certain way or have experienced a new feeling or emotion, thought or worry and opened my book to find the explanation and advice staring me right in the face. Therefore i would highly recommend this book, its a day by day pregnancy book and has been full of so much helpful information. If you are pregnant and or thinking about getting pregnant and could do with a good reference book, have a look at this one its called 'The Day-By-Day Pregnancy Book.' What i especially like is that it speaks directly to the mother and the father, so it really thinks about everyone concerned. And if you are anything like me, it really shares a day to day response so if this pregnancy thing is all a bit new, nothing gets left uncovered. Even when i started getting nose bleeds, i was able to look it up and understand the changes in my body that were making them happen. I bought my copy in W H Smiths before i fell pregnant and its been my bible.

And no, actually, I'm not being paid by the publishers to sell this book...But maybe i should be!

Wednesday 1st Feb...

Hello!

Soooo, its Wednesday Feb 1st at precisely 14:48 in the afternoon...Obvs, 14:48 is the afternoon! DUH HOLLY! And i am not at work today! I had a bad night last night, i just couldn't get to sleep and had a thrashing headache...so I decided to stay home and try to get some rest, although i still haven't had any kip. I think i will try and have a snooze after i have written this. I'm not feeling sorry for myself, just a bit tired is all and fed up with my head hurting. I spose its going to happen from time to time as my hormones must be going WILD! Its like a whole hormone party going on inside there and my brain is going WOOOOOHOOOOOOOO PARTY ON! And I'm like going...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO STOP IT, THAT HURTS...and my body is going  WOOOOOAAAAAAAHH MAN! WHATS GOING ON...and I'm like I CANT SLEEP! So yeah! That's pretty much what it feels like! :) I'm not complaining though, its all in the line of duty.

In case you are unable to read my fine handwriting...the words in the picture say 'There's an unwanted party in my head!!!'.

STILL no fresh bump pics for you today i am afraid, camera charger still lost up in the attic somewhere and i cant find the usb cable that came with my phone! SOooooo, it will have to wait until Saturday. I know a few of you have been asking to see how the bump is doing, and i can confirm that it has grown significantly! I went to see the midwife yesterday and she said it is exactly how it should be! SO thats good! Its not growing out of my head or anything so thats a relief. Sprout must have moved right to the back as i didnt feel him/her for a few days which was slightly unnerving. I guess when you get used to feeling it and then you feel nothing you kind of miss it, so i admit, i missed the fluttery feelings. After hearing the heartbeat yesterday and what was apparantly the sound of sprout kicking it was clear that everything was as it should be and healthy. I can only assume sprout had gone into hiding for a few days to start his/her combat training which is what the kicking must have all been about. So good on him/her...not long now and i might actually be able to feel them! Bless...I did have visions of sprout inside the womb wearing a sweat band and working out on some sort of baby press bench...rather like Gizmo in 'Gremlins 2'...

Gizmo fights back...Gremlins 2

Not that i think for one minute that Sprout is a gremlin! That's not what i am getting at! That would just be weird!

Anyhoo, what other news do i have?...Well, Tristan my husband will be back in just over a week which will be GRRRREAT! I have missed him so much and it feels like he has been gone for an age. You see, he works offshore as an ROV pilot which stands for (Remotely Operated Vehicles). Basically it is his job to control, maintain and operate the vehicle offshore on rigs and ships which goes down very deep into the sea. Whilst the vehicle is in the water Trist is able to watch the screen and control the vehicle to follow pipes etc to carry out surveys for example. That's what he tells me anyway...for all i know he could be a spy, or a writer for Time Out magazine or even a bigamist! I just don't know! Haha. Na, I'm pretty sure he is an offshore ROV Pilot and he works very hard at what he does! That said, it is time for him to come home now because i miss him lots and lots and Sprout would like to hear daddy's voice...who knows! I might even try and persuade him to sing to bump!

I'm going to keep this short today as my head s hurting too much and i need to get away from this screen, but i hope you are all having a lovely week and i will write very very soon.

ADIEU FOR NOW. xxx

Just popping in with a boost...or not I should say!

Have you ever tried to eat an orange whole after peeling it? I have, just now in fact and i can confirm, it doesn't really work! You will just make a mess and get sticky fingers. You're much better off eating segment by segment like most normal people.

I thank you.



So, hello friends, and might i say friends from around the globe! I am indeed extremely delighted for having checked out my audience on my blog stats (yes, i can do that) I can see that not only do i have views from the suspected UK, USA, South Africa, Australia and other places around the world where friends and family reside, but also from some very interesting locations...for example Russia! I am very pleased to know that my darling friends and family are reading this blog but that also strangers are too! It makes me want to reach out and talk about something really smart and interesting...Like Cadbury's Boost Chocolate Bars...


Now, often we hear of pregnant women, (i say women because it usually is women who are pregnant, I'm not being sexist), talking about their change in appetite during the 9 month period that they are in the family way. And i have to say, that when i got up this morning i did indeed crave cake! Not just any cake, for the thought of a flapjack or a muffin did not appeal, but a proper piece of carrot cake, or lemon cake you know, proper home mad nanny cake. So, i had the pleasure of going for a beautiful stroll on Saunton Sands Beach with my good friend Emma and her little girl Lauren who is in fact turning 4 tomorrow! CAN I GET A SHOUT OUT FOR LAUREN PLEASE PEOPLE! ITS HER BIRTHDAY TOMORROW!!! Thanks....anyhoo, at the end of this refreshing walk did i decide to indulge in a bit of cake from the shop which sells a variety of hot and cold snacks. However, to my sadness and dismay did i get to the counter, ask what cake they had available only to have my attention drawn to a small rack on the counter holding smartie cookies! I DIDN'T WANT A COOKIE! I WANTED CAKE!!! So, not wishing to make a scene, i settled on a carton of OJ and a Cadbury's boost...not wanting to share any, because i am nice like that, i brought it home and had it after my sandwich and cuppa soup.

 Now, its been a log time since I've bought a chocolate bar because I'm usually a savory girl you see, give me a lump of cheese or an olive any day and I'm yours, rather like a mouse, (although I'm not sure that mice like olives...Ill have to investigate that further!). However, today, this did not suit and something sweet was indeed required instead. NOW in the past if i have ever had a boost i have found them rather sickly and very filling, like I've said, i'm a savory girl. Today however, today was different and I am still sat baffled as to what happened. I opened the boost, i bit into the boost and i swallowed the boost...then, the next thing i know...THE BOOST IS GONE! Within the space of about 12.3 seconds i had eaten the boost and i hadn't even been aware that id done it! In shock and disbelief i studied the wrapper, searching somehow for some kind of answer or clue that might explain to me how on earth I, ME, ONE OF A SAVORY PREFERENCE could have performed such a swift and unexpected devourment of the chocolate bar in question. THEN TO MY HORROR, I discovered that there was a piece of the blue, foil wrapper missing too! It must have stuck to the thick caramel center and without realising it i must have swallowed it with the chocolate coating and fondant center! Oh dear...i have disgraced myself...I'm turning into that lady from that children's story book...

Oh god! What has become of me! Why didn't Trev give me a sign? Some kind of warning? 

That said, it was very nice...i did enjoy it. My only regret is that i didn't buy two of them...and perhaps, if I'm completely honest with you, a couple of those smartie cookies too!

Pregnancy sure does make us do funny things hey! Teehee.

Now, according to the hospital from my 12 week scan i am indeed 18 weeks and 2 days preggers now. According to my book of pregnancy at 18 weeks and 2 days, although i may not feel it yet, my baby may start to have hiccups at this stage. Now, that's fine. I can handle that...but then, as i read on, it says and i quote 'Your babies eyes and ears are now in their final position of his face. The ears have moved up from the jaw line and the eyes have moved up from the side of the head to lie closer together, looking forward. being the immature person that i am, i started to laugh when i read this. I decided to draw a picture...

This is sort of what was going through my head...however, I'm not the worlds greatest artist...but you get the gist. Tis verra funny! 

Haha....Oh...too much time, tooooo much time. I would like to have wrapped this post up with some picture taken by myself, however, i cannot find the dear camera charger which i suspect has accidentally been put in the attic by accident by darling hubby. However, when it is finally charge i shall send you some pics of sprouts bump which has popped out this week quite significantly...and will also start sharing with you some bits and pieces that i am collecting for the nursery! Happy days.

For now...I'm going for a nap! And then possibly a nice hot bubble bath. Until next time though my furry friends. Be nice to one another, and good. And remember now, if you cant be good, be careful!

Who's a dipstick???...I AM!

A very sweet Hamster! Doing what appears to be Hamster style sit ups! 

Soooooo, to many of you who know me, work with me, spend time with me socially, you know that i am a bit of a ditz, even at the best of times. This isn't deliberate, I don't do it for attention, it just seems to happen. I have always been happier living life and going about my days in a bit of a dream world imagining things rather than really taking whats in front of my face for granted. Sometimes this works well, other times it doesn't! Many a time have I been told to 'grow up' or to 'get a grip' but its hard you know! Haha. But boy oh boy, the last week or so I have been such a dipstick! I'm seriously losing the plot! I just cant seem to switch on! The other day  my friend and colleague spent 5 minutes telling me how her little girl wanted a hamster for a pet, and when she finished talking i said 'I know! Why don't you get a hamster?!' And that is just an example of what people are having to put up with! it must be very annoying!

A beautiful Humming Bird...unlike myself. 

Another thing that I've noticed is that I'm finding things funny which, really, aren't that funny at all! I do seem to be laughing rather a lot and giggling at things. Particularly the cat! He only has to look at me and I'm off with the giggles. Poor things going to get a complex! Yip, its hard to irritate me at the moment, and if you do ill probably just come straight and tell you! ( And that's another thing! Honesty! I'm probably as blunt as I ever have been at the moment!) Its certainly a rarity for me to be skipping around the office at work, but I have been and it feels good to be HONEST! :) AND TODAY I was humming all day! Not even a tune,  just couldn't seem to stop making noises...again, to passers by or people sat near to me, this must have been REALLY annoying! Just little sounds coming out of my mouth whenever i moved! 'Doo be doo....Pause...cachow de da de...la la ba boooo.'! I mean! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? Haha...I go to put something in the bin 'Doo fa la teeee pa pa balooo'. I go to get some water 'Bow wow, ma ma ha la dee'. I go to the loo...'Skip eeeee, za za pachang!'. Its almost like looking at fighting words in an old Batman comic...'POW WOW! KAZAAAAAM! SMACK!'. Well, almost.

So, I guess what I am trying to say, is that I am feeling really happy! The dopiness, and the light hearted attitude has got be due to the fact that I'm not taking anything too seriously and really, life is good.

This is me in 4 months.

ALSO! I have been going on about wanting to go to Derbyshire for aaaaaages! I have had this desire to go away and pretend to be like Elizabeth Bennett in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice! (please note that I specifically stated the BBC version, the one with Colin Firth and NOT the one with Keira Knightly! That's very important!) And well, last week I decided that there was nothing stopping me, I just needed to make it happen! It didn't take much persuasion to get Dora to come with me, and together we have managed to find a cheap B&B which we booked today! BARGAIN it was, a 3 night trip for £90 each! BARGAINOUS! The idea behind this (as well as re-inventing Elizabeth B) is to get some good old fresh air and exercise before I get to Hippo stage. We are heading off on this little adventure when I will be 6 months pregnant. Meaning I should still be able to walk a bit and wont quite be waddling completely! And by waddling, I mean, like a duck! because I am aware that this will happen! Sometimes when I am walking up the stairs at work I feel like I am waddling and im not even half way yet...so I am fully repared to waddle! I have wanted to visit the Peak District for many years, and when Sprout comes along, walking trips just wont be as simple as they are now for at least a couple of years, so its time to do it! I CAN'T WAIT!

A happy duck out having a waddle.

I am 17 weeks and 4 days today! This means there are still 157 days to go and according to my Pregnancy book, my husband should be sending me flowers any day now...haha, ok! So it doesn't really say that! But it DOES say that My baby's complex lung development is continuing. And that I must be aware of hyper-extending (WHAT???)...uh...OK, so I must try to keep my hips in a neutral position and must try not to move my hips to one side!...Hmmmmm, that's gonna make walking hard! I must keep all movements slow and I must relax! SO basically, what my book is telling me is that at this stage of my pregnancy, I cannot swing my hips, I cannot over reach and I have to be slow! I KNOW, ILL JUST TURN MYSELF INTO A FLIPPIN SNAIL SHALL I!!!??? Because, as we all know, snails are odd creatures, and I have been acting odd. And snails are slow...and don't have arms to reach! SO maybe I should just do that! Ill become a snail!

Snails are odd creatures...

NEW CLOTHES! Yaaaaaay!

Soooooo, you know how i said that Barnstaple was just RUBBISH for buying maternity clothes! (Actually, come to think of it, Barnstaple is particularly rubbish for buying any clothes unless you are smelly and over 80.) Well, my dear friend Dora Hobb Nobb kindly went on a little spree for me in Bath on Monday and did ever such a wonderful job in the sales. Take a look at this beautiful range of garments...

I really love my new dresses! And my first pair of maternity jeans! 

What we have here is a range of designer labels...

I believe this was Dora's most favourite purchase...

Close up you can see the pretty leaf printing in several  pretty colours. Overlapping and complimenting eachother on top of the black background. This dress is perfect worn with a pink, orange or blue cardigan, cashmere preferably, and a pair of classic 50's peep toe heels. Possibly out to dinner or a family occasion such as a christening or a bbq. 

As you can see, adding movement to this dress shows off its many layers and  flowing qualities. Perfect for a springtime stroll or riverside picnic. 

A floral pattern to go alongside the maternal nature of the average pregnant lady in all her hormonal glory. 

So ja, i feel pretty lucky and more than pleased with my new wardrobe. I think you owe yourself a pat on the back Hobbs, you did well by me you really did. I have to say addressing me as Mrs Holly Bransby Feather-bottom on the parcel would have been amusing had i of actually been in to receive it on Wednesday! The fact that i had to have it re-directed to my place of work was slightly embarrassing, especially as it had to be signed for!...You little jester you Dora!

SPROUT UPDATE: Little Sprout and I have had a good couple of days, i think he/she must be having some sort of growing spurt as i have been ever so tired. I had to leave work early yesterday just so i could sleep. I think i was home at 3pm which confused the cat immensely. Honestly, i walked in and he was there looking at me like i shouldn't be here! Cheeky sod. Anyway, that's not for here. I have also been eating a lot of yogurts this week which has been nice, i seem to have to have a Muller Light for desert every night or i am simply not satisfied. Cherry and Strawberry are my favourite flavours. However, tonight i did purchase a mango and passion-fruit one which i have never tried before...i will let you know how i get on with that. 

Other than that i don't have much to report. Its still 3 weeks until Tristan returns home from Angola and it feels like he has been gone for a lifetime. I just fear he wont recognise me when he returns home....or at least my fat arse anyway! Hahahaha...Ok, so its not that fat...not yet anyway! And i do have some lovely new dresses to cover it up! So EVERYONE'S A WINNER!

Twins, Milk, Shopping and a Church...

I had the most vivid dreams last night! Teeeheeee, my goodness, so vivid! I was so glad when i woke up to find out that they were all in my head and not actually happening for real. I didn't bother looking them up either because they were very obviously closely related to my being up the duffer. But my goodness, it was like a farce, it really was! It was ever so funny, i mean, if it had been a scene in a film i would have been cringing and laughing all at once...it really was looney!...Shall i just tell you what happened? YES! Ok then.

So it all started when i walked into this room which was all soft, almost like something out of the old soft mint adverts where everything was sort of pillow like. And a family member (i cant remember who), came up to me and handed me my twins! I had obviously just had twins unbeknownst to myself! Rather than being overjoyed i was slightly alarmed! Which i should point out now isn't a reflection on how i feel, i don't feel alarmed in the slightest in real life. However, in the dream i was alarmed, possibly because in true dream like fashion i hadn't actually given birth, the babies just appeared and got handed to me like a stork had just dropped them down the chimney whilst passing by! And hey presto, i'm suddenly a mother of two!

 I observed whilst still slightly shocked that one of the babies had dark hair which clung to his head which, by the way, was a really odd shape! I do believe i pulled some sort of face, poor thing, and then i glanced to my left arm which held the second twin and this one had fluffy blonde hair and was sleeping. Still confused, i handed the babies to a passer by, whom it was i could not tell you and that's when the panic started to sink in! I HADN'T BEEN SHOPPING FOR THE BABIES! Scrambling around on the bouncy carpet in this marshmallow of a room i desperately tried to find a piece of paper and a pen so that i could write a shopping list of things that i would need for the babies. It seemed to really upset me that i hadn't been to the supermarket to buy nappies, a baby bath, cotton wool etc etc. At this point my mum appears in the room and listens as i shout my list out to  her and she quite unhelpfully just nodded her head!

SO the next thing i know i'm ready to leave the room to go shopping for essentials when, and this is the embarrassing part, i started to produce milk! But in true slapstick, almost Tarantino style the milk just started to squirt everywhere like i was holding two hose pipes up to my chest! I say Tarantino because it was just like that scene in Kill Bill where everybody fights and blood squirts everywhere, but instead it was milk...and people weren't getting killed. It was a disaster. The babies were crying and i was upset and everyone looked disappointed! Can you imagine! Milk everywhere! THEN i magically appeared at the entrance to the supermarket with my trolley alongside my Aunty Pamela who was supposed to help me buy all the things on the list! However, the milk was still spraying and for some reason i started to run, and it all turned into an episode of supermarket sweep as i ran frantically between the aisles throwing cotton buds, nappies, wipes and anything baby related into my trolley so that i could get back to the babies before anything else horrible could happen. Aunty Pam was of no use, as i ran around flapping like a distressed seagull looking for things she seemed to stay put in the crisp aisle and i simply couldn't find the baby baths! Nightmare! All of this happening with the milk spluttering out on the shop floor so all the customers were falling over! Dear oh dear oh dear!

Eventually, the milk stopped, i had my shopping sorted and i appeared back at the room where i was greeted by the majority of my family who were calm and happy and smiling (I left Pam, however, back at the store staring at the crisps!). Tristan was there holding the twins and he handed one to me...then we all walked through a door on the side of the room which opened up into a pretty little church with big windows letting in masses of sunshine. There were lots of pretty pews made out of wood and everything was very white and holy. Standing at the back of the church, we all started to sing hymns, some of which had words which i recognise now as modern day pop songs sung in a more choir like fashion!... and that my dear friends was when the dream ended...