Word of the Week

A week of broken sleep, endless work, it's been weeks since payday, rain & snow, maternity leave feeling longer away than ever and a heavy belly.

#WoTW

Family Photo Friday #5 - 31/01/14

I took advantage of having a friend with me to snap a quick family photo of us when we were out walking last weekend... I love that we have these photos. There aren't many more opportunities for pictures as a threesome... Roll on the foursome!

My favourite picture from last week's linky came from All about a Mummy - I'm so glad that people are actively seeking out opportunities for photographs of all their families together!

So, it's the last weekend of January and lots of people suggested that this would be the week they joined in picking their favourite photograph from the month. No excuses now! 

Let's recap the rules! 

• Share a family photo from your week just gone. It needn't be a Family Photo Friday specific post, I don't mind you recycling! You can join in weekly, monthly or just whenever you can. It can be a formal portrait or a snap from your phone, something you posed for or something you caught when no one was looking. It could be from a day out, a gathering, an activity at home, it doesn't matter so long as it gives a snap shot of what your family looked like during the week that's just been.
• Give us a brief explanation of your photo. 
• I'd love it if you could grab the badge to add at the bottom of your post and Tweet about it using #familyphotofriday - my Twitter handle is @oneformybaby12.
• Pop over to visit at least two other bloggers and see what they've been doing - maybe you can watch their family grow and change too!
• Leave a comment if you can.

I promise to visit as many of you as I can and I'll pick my favourite photo to share next Friday.

Happy photo-taking and memory-making!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://thursdayschild-fridaysthoughts.blogspot.co.uk/p/family-photo-friday.html" title="Family Photo Friday @ Thursday's Child, Friday's Thoughts"><img src="http://i1363.photobucket.com/albums/r718/oneformybaby12/cfd43ed3-81dd-4bc8-891e-83da05b4339a_zpse02e79b8.jpg" alt="Family Photo Friday @ Thursday's Child, Friday's Thoughts" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Is my baby moving enough?

Baby movement was the thing I remember desperately waiting for to start in my first pregnancy, and I second guessed every twinge and gurgle – which was, in retrospect, probably trapped wind – until I felt my daughter roll at eighteen weeks. From that point on I counted her kicks and wriggles religiously for several weeks, I even had a wristband to help me keep track until a pattern emerged. Eventually I came to be able to anticipate when I’d next feel her move and ultimately worry if I needed to… Although, until the very end of my pregnancy she was fickle and always woke up for a slice of the cake action! Perhaps I am more laid back in this pregnancy, but I don’t feel any need to worry about my baby not moving as once again I’ve learned to recognise the patterns and what is normal for us. The exception to this was a few weeks ago when I took a fall down the stairs, and of course no chocolate or cold fizzy drinks could get baby to move… Until I got to the hospital to be checked out, when the hiccups and the party started!

There are distinct similarities and differences between the way my daughter moved and the way this baby makes their presence known: E’s movements were usually quite slow, but big and bold, like stretches that pushed me away from my desk if I sat too close and rolls like she was practicing her synchronised swimming. This one is all legs that I feel right in my waist and a permanent fidget who just can’t seem to settle or get quite comfortable. What is similar however is that they both were/are about a lot during the day, their most active period was/is the 8-9pm slot and thankfully they both settled/settle down as I’m getting ready for bed for a peaceful night. Certainly in my late pregnancy with E, it was not her movements that kept me awake all through the night!

I think both my babies have been on the active side. Both exceed(ed) the ten movements a day that the midwife always told me to look for… A friend of mine, whose daughter is two weeks older than mine and whose next is due just days after mine shocked me the other week when she told me that she only feels movement a few times a week. Our placentas are both high and anterior, which can reduce the amount of movement you feel but I find it so odd to think that what we feel could be so different. But that’s normal for her.

So what would my advice for expectant mothers be? In the early days of feeling movement, I think trying to find a pattern is virtually impossible, but you’ll soon start to establish what’s normal for you. I felt my daughter for definite at 18 weeks and this one several weeks earlier, but I’ve had friends report sensations in subsequent pregnancies as early as 12 weeks, and some not feel a thing until long after 20… To feel more or less movement or different sensations to the next woman is completely normal. It wont take you long to notice what’s typical for your baby. But you shouldn’t ignore it if something doesn’t feel right, or you feel no movement or significantly less than usual. Your midwife definitely wont think you silly for asking to be checked over and it’s definitely better to be safe than sorry. BUT, before you call, I’d always recommend trying a few things:

• Eat or drink something sugary. E was stubborn at every scan I had and every time I had to eat a Mars bar from the hospital vending machine to wake her up and get her moving. Hopefully your baby will be as fickle as her.
• Have an ice cold drink. You’d wake up and get moving if someone poured a cold bucket of water over your head, and this can have a similar effect on your unborn.
• Prod gently or give your belly a rub. This is probably more likely to work in later pregnancy when there’s not much left between you and your baby as you’re stretched to capacity but I can certainly get a reaction out of this one most of the time.

Personally I’m not a fan of the home doppler. I think that they can cause paranoia for mums who aren’t trained in using them and aren’t always sure that they’re listening for, and the lack of research into prolonged, repetitive use of them worries me a bit too. But that’s just me, a lot of my friends find them just the safely blanket they need for their pregnancy.

If after an hour of relaxing and scoffing a doughnut and a can of coke, you’ve still not felt movement, its time to give your midwife a call. Similarly, if your baby is normally a quiet one and it’s got an unusual wriggle on, it’s probably worth a mention to set your mind at rest.

My final thought on this is that you really know your body and your baby best. Most of the time it’ll probably be nothing and it’ll all be fine, but just occasionally there could be a real problem. If you don’t feel happy then push for a check up and if you feel like they’re listening stamp your feel a bit harder. Because actually, mums really do know best! 

*This post first appeared on Wriggly Rascals on December 12th, 2013.*

Guest post: Learn With Me Photography Week 2

Today you'll find me over at The Reading Residence talking about perspective in photography... Some handy hints and things to try!

Enjoy!

Play

Having completely missed what the prompt word for The Theme Game was this week, I've been left feeling a bit uninspired and my head's in it's midweek-not-in-blogging space.

But, I've been sitting awake since 2:45am trying to think. This came to me. 

Moby. Play.

Image nabbed from www.amazon.co.uk (it's 4am!)

What a great album. I shall mostly be listening to it for the rest of the week. 

What album do you think you need to dig out for an airing? 

Spread a little happiness

Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country.

- Anais Nin

A photograph from our friends' daughter's baptism last weekend.

Matt had spent more time in Afghanistan since his daughter was born at the start of December - including her first Christmas - than he had at home and we loved seeing them all back together to celebrate.

An open letter to my local supermarket

Dear Local Supermarket,

I am 34 weeks pregnant and the mother of one under two. I am exhausted, my hips hurt and feel as though I am wider than a bus. Getting my toddler (replace with slippery fish out of water) in and out of the car at the best of times is hard, but it's even more difficult when this belly is in the way. It requires me to open my doors as wide as possible, else I (we) just don't fit.

I am grateful that you provide 'parent and child' spaces for parents like me, they make getting my slippery fish in and out far easier, without risking damage to my car, or anyone else's. However, I am begging you to relocate your spaces away from the very front of your store. Please let me explain.

Today I made two visits to your store and while strapping in/un strapping the slippery fish, I saw three cars pull up in these spaces who had no baby or toddler with them. In fact when I looked in their cars, there was no evidence to suggest that they even had a young child.

I confronted one man, who claimed that having had two hip replacements, he was entitled to park there. His wife looked at me like I was dirt while making sarcastic, patronising noises at me.

Another man had gone by the time I was able to say anything. I left a note on his windscreen.

The ironic thing being that there were empty spaces in the disabled bays... And can you imagine the uproar if I had parked in a disabled space? After all, pregnancy and motherhood are not disabilities. We just don't fancy denting our neighbours' cars while we go about our weekly shop with our kids. I have no care for the space closest to the door. I will happily walk across the car park in the rain. I just want a wide space and I don't want to lose out to those who aren't entitled to use them.

While your spaces remain so close to the door they'll continue to be abused by the childless, the lazy, the people who don't seem to understand their purpose. Move them away and our struggling double hip-replaced colleagues won't fancy the walk. You won't enforce the rules, you don't have parking attendants. So please do something to help us parents out.

I'd love to know your thoughts on my idea and would be thrilled to discuss this with you further. You can email me at thursdayschild.fridaysthoughts @ gmail.com.

Yours,

Thursday's Child

Mirror mirror

Just happened to have noticed the prompt for the Better Photos Project this week and then got this silly picture of E by chance. Link up? Why not!

Silent Sunday

Exploring

I consider myself to be pretty lucky tucked up in this corner of Northamptonshire to be blessed with wonderful countryside and plenty to do. Don't get me wrong, having grown up near the coast I couldn't have picked worse when I chose to settle in the middle of the country and I do yearn for the seaside, but as counties go, Northants is up there in my opinion.

Yet I still get stuck in a rut about places to go. And I forget them I am minutes from Cambridgeshire, Rutland AND Leicestershire, and they have a lot to offer too. 

So this morning we met up with one of my NCT friends for a morning walk at Foxton Locks. The sun was shining but there was still a sense of winter about... But a sense that winter was passing too. E was disappointed at the lack of ducks but enjoyed doing most of the walk hand in hand with her life long friend, another E, even if it took some time for them to figure out which combination of hands was most conducive to walking forward in a straight line. I love watching these friendships forming, and I love the sound of two little girls giggling with glee.

And frankly, after a week of eating my body weight in things I shouldn't, I needed the walk too. You wouldn't know, looking at the photographs that four hours later we'd be stuck in the middle of a hail storm. I think I got it wrong when I thought winter was passing. 

Not time to pack away the wellies just yet then. 

Word of the Week

This one needs little explaining. I have the appetite of a small holding of farm animals and cannot stop eating. Particularly Mars Bars (other confectionary items are available).

Having done well so far to not pile on the pounds like I did when I was expecting E, I am half trying to watch what I eat... Unsuccessfully this week! 

That's why I've picked...

Family Photo Friday #4 - 24/01/14

This week has disappeared in a pile of work, mostly. At the weekend we celebrated our friends' daughter's baptism, and I photographed the event... Which meant I spent the whole day on the wrong side of the camera.

However, a little bedtime silliness and the camera did catch my two children - in and out of utero - for this week's Family Photo Friday. 

Her fascination with the bump is growing as much as the bump grows itself.

Her prediction last week was a dinosaur. This week a girl. We shall see! 

Thank you to those who linked up with me last week. Each week finds a new face, and it's so lovely to have you all on board! 

My favourite image this week came from Life as a Mum - I think it filled me with excitement for E having a sibling and the special relationship they will have... And who can resist a puddle?!

Right then Week 4! Let's recap the rules! 

• Share a family photo from your week just gone. It needn't be a Family Photo Friday specific post, I don't mind you recycling! You can join in weekly, monthly or just whenever you can. It can be a formal portrait or a snap from your phone, something you posed for or something you caught when no one was looking. It could be from a day out, a gathering, an activity at home, it doesn't matter so long as it gives a snap shot of what your family looked like during the week that's just been.
• Give us a brief explanation of your photo. 
• I'd love it if you could grab the badge to add at the bottom of your post and Tweet about it using #familyphotofriday - my Twitter handle is @oneformybaby12.
• Pop over to visit at least two other bloggers and see what they've been doing - maybe you can watch their family grow and change too!
• Leave a comment if you can.

I promise to visit as many of you as I can and I'll pick my favourite photo to share next Friday.

Happy photo-taking and memory-making!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://thursdayschild-fridaysthoughts.blogspot.co.uk/p/family-photo-friday.html" title="Family Photo Friday @ Thursday's Child, Friday's Thoughts"><img src="http://i1363.photobucket.com/albums/r718/oneformybaby12/cfd43ed3-81dd-4bc8-891e-83da05b4339a_zpse02e79b8.jpg" alt="Family Photo Friday @ Thursday's Child, Friday's Thoughts" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

New

Reality is kicking in.

We're on the final countdown to our big 'new'. Our second baby. A brand new life.

Starting all over again. 

E will be a new big sister. We'll be new parents again. A new family of four.

I'm looking at all of E's stuff that is out and ready for it's second round. As good as new, some of it virtually untouched. But all new to this baby.

We can't wait to meet you, little new.

We've been reading (300 Picture Book Challenge)

A lot of our recent books have been about "choo choos" - better known as Thomas the Tank Engine. We own The Engine Shed, a baptism gift from E's godfather (he and I both avid Thomas lovers as children!) which is the complete collection... We are working through slowly!

It's not all been locomotive themed though...

We finished week 3 at a total of 42. I can feel us slowing down a little as we re-read books from earlier up the list...

Here's my up to date list on Pinterest.

                                     

SIlent Sunday

Tales of the Baby Brain

What a disastrous day.

We're up, we're ready to go, I've checked Kirby Hall's opening times and we are off. It's the failsafe well, it might rain destination for the toddler who likes it best outside.

Firstly I can't remember where to turn. We get lost. On arrival, I haven't checked carefully enough, and failed to notice the winter opening times. 

We'll go to Dean Park, I thought. Closed.

We'll go to Lyveden, I thought. Closed.

By which point, we've driven half the way around Northamptonshire. We'll go to Fermyn Woods... Great in principle, it's open, after all. Except it's £2.60 to park and I only have my bank card. So I have to pay £2.40 in addition on unnecessary beverages to put a car parking ticket on my car. 

I fall over trying to get into the wooden castle climbing frame.

E refused to do much other than go on the swings and then demands an unnecessary beverage. I manage to attract the weird men out walking their dogs who want to regale me with how they've forgotten the dog's lead. Then it tips it down with rain.

We went home and my daughter ate a lunch consisting of ham, which she removed from the bread, and a banana. Followed by a yogurt. Lunch fail? Unsure. Dog eats crayons that are thrown on the floor.

Looking at the photos, you'd never know about any of the bad stuff. Toddler outside equals happy toddler. Dog with full belly equals happy dog.

Exhausted mummy.

Family Photo Friday #3 - 17/01/14

Another week - they go so fast!

We got to hang out with one of E's godfather last weekend, and while I know he probably wont be all that impressed with the photo - and to be fair, I'm a bit disappointed that the focus isn't as sharp as it could be - I think E's face sums up exactly how she feels about spending time with him. He's a camera dodger and anyone who tries to photograph a toddler will know how tricky getting the shot can be... Put the two of them together... 

If you follow my blog regularly, you'll know that my biological family is tiny, but I'm blessed with a whole lot more family we got to choose in the form of godparents and god children. So that's why this picture made it to Week 3 of Family Photo Friday.

My favourite link up of the week last week came from Rachel over at Dreaming of the Country who captured a lovely moment between her daughter and relatives that they don't get to see so often - go and check it out. Rachel has documented her daughter's first months beautifully, and takes some stunning photographs.

So, week 3! Let's recap the rules! 

• Share a family photo from your week just gone. It needn't be a Family Photo Friday specific post, I don't mind you recycling! You can join in weekly, monthly or just whenever you can. It can be a formal portrait or a snap from your phone, something you posed for or something you caught when no one was looking. It could be from a day out, a gathering, an activity at home, it doesn't matter so long as it gives a snap shot of what your family looked like during the week that's just been.
• Give us a brief explanation of your photo. 
• I'd love it if you could grab the badge to add at the bottom of your post and Tweet about it using #familyphotofriday - my Twitter handle is @oneformybaby12.
• Pop over to visit at least two other bloggers and see what they've been doing - maybe you can watch their family grow and change too!
• Leave a comment if you can.

I promise to visit as many of you as I can and I'll pick my favourite photo to share next Friday.

Happy photo-taking and memory-making!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://thursdayschild-fridaysthoughts.blogspot.co.uk/p/family-photo-friday.html" title="Family Photo Friday @ Thursday's Child, Friday's Thoughts"><img src="http://i1363.photobucket.com/albums/r718/oneformybaby12/cfd43ed3-81dd-4bc8-891e-83da05b4339a_zpse02e79b8.jpg" alt="Family Photo Friday @ Thursday's Child, Friday's Thoughts" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Word of the Week

After industrious comes...

I need to slow down now. I've got a lot to lug about, work is busy, I'm not sleeping all that well anymore.

The week has been in partnership with coffee, chocolate and a few early nights.

Weaning Wednesday

Guest posting over at The Life and Times of Mummy Morkus today with my top ten tips for weaning as part of her #weaningwednesday series.

Go and take a look!

Water

I keep having weird dreams. I know that's normal in pregnancy. But the majority of my dreams involve my waters breaking in hugely inconvenient situations. The most commonly reoccurring dream is that my waters go in my office, at work, during a free period, much to the horror of my male (currently childless) colleague who I share the office with, who panics and flaps while I stand there in a puddle wondering what to do next.

You see, the whole notion of 'my waters going' is a complete mystery to me. Because at some point between 2am and 7am the day I had my daughter, my waters just seemed to disappear. They were there when they scanned for her position, and then when they were checking my progress they were gone. But no one knows where, and I have no recollection of it.

So actually, I don't know what it feels like for my waters to go, and unless this one decides to make an early appearance, I wont find out this time either, being a planned sunroof situation.

A lot of my friends had dreams like this in pregnancy; dreams where they were always having a particular gender, or where the gender they dreamed about was not the gender they were being told they were having; dreams that they were going to go into labour early; dreams that they were going to end up labouring in frankly bizzare and unexpected situations.

And some of their dreams came true.

Which makes me wonder, should I stop joking about my waters flooding my office? I'm not sure my colleague would ever recover.

I'd love to hear of any funny 'waters' situations. The whole thing fascinates me, and I suspect will remain a mystery to me. Unless I am in fact Paul the Psychic Octopus...

Joining in with #thethemegame - what an apt theme for the week!