fetal weight loss during pregnancy | Its just another day

fetal weight loss during pregnancy

 

What a day.

What. A. Day.

So this morning the toddlers came in my room yelling, "Hot chocolate! Hot chocolate!" We have been having a cup of hot chocolate every morning since we decorated for Christmas, so that they wanted a hhot chocolate wasnt a problem. The timing of their wish most certainly was.

I had them wait. I got out of bed. I came to the kitchen for them to get into a fight over who gets which spoon. I warmed up breakfast. {Mommy tip: make huge batches of breakfast and heat it up over the next couple days. This week we had pancakes and oatmeal. This has made our mornings much smoother!} One of our toddlers had a stinky diaper that he did not want changed. He made it very clear he wanted to remain in his stinky diaper-- though no one wanted to be near him. In fact, he had to go to his room to calm down before I changed that diaper. When he finally emerged, his brothers were yelling, "HOT CHOCOLATE!" I told them if they keep yelling at me, there would be no hot chocolate. That we must be patient. (There was much confusion over the definition of this word, patient: perhaps it is an old wooden ship used during the Civil War era? No...) I changed the diaper. He joined his brothers at the breakfast table.

I finished making their breakfast plates. They continued dropping hints about hot chocolate. I continued telling them to wait. I glared at the Keurig to hurry up and heat up the water-- must have coffee now! Finally it all came together. Finally I made myself a plate. I sat down with my cup of coffee and my small plate of pancakes (you know, whatever was left) and started eating. Immediately, toddlers start exclaiming, "Sticky! All done! EW! STICKY!" I gave them baby wipes to clean their hands. They put their baby wipes in their hot chocolate and rang them out over their heads... I asked them to stop. Our oldest asked if he could watch a Christmas movie (also been letting them watch more movies earlier, due to the holiday season). I told him not yet. The toddlers demanded to get down. Our oldest wanted to know when we could watch one. I told them all that I would assist them after I ate my breakfast.

And so they asked me for the next five minutes if I was done.

When I cleaned all the hands and cleared all the plates, I discovered our dishwasher was ran before we went to bed last night, meaning I had a dishwasher full of clean dishes and about 5 plates, 4 mugs, 4 forks, and 1 knife filling the sink. Plus my husbands breakfast dishes (1 pan, 1 plate, 1 fork). The boys are now running free is syrup coated pajamas. I put the dishes in the sink, turned away from the dish mess, and went to deal with the boys. We changed clothes. They resisted taking off snowman jams. Our 5-year old insisted that he either wanted to wear his pajamas all day or nothing at all. I went to their rooms only to find no jeans in any of their drawers. I literally got them dressed sitting on the floor next to the dryer, pulling their freshly cleaned clothes right out of the dryer and tossing their pajamas in the washer as I undressed them. Our 5-year old approved, "We should get dressed like this everyday! Then I wont need a hamper anymore!" (For some reason all our boys dislike their hamper.)

The bad thing about getting them dressed in the laundry room is that I had to walk through the kitchen and see the kitchen mess again. Ugh. I tell them I want to take a shower now and they need to behave. I dont know what set him off, but one of our toddlers then started throwing a tantrum. Time out. I calm him down and tell them to behave. I told our oldest that there was no wrestling allowed while I was in the shower. He promises he understands. The other toddler follows behind me, "Hungry, hungry, huuuuuungryyyyyy...." No way is he hungry with 2 hearty bowls of oatmeal and 3 pancakes in that tummy, plus the glass of hot chocolate. I tell him he needs to go play. He throws himself face down in my bathroom. Time out.

I finally got in the shower. While I was rinsing the conditioner out of my hair from my super fast shower, two of my boys bust in the bathroom accusing the third boy of biting one of them. And sure thing, one of the toddlers has a huge bite mark on his shoulder. The other toddler-- the accused toddler-- is pointedly not  in the bathroom with his brothers. And so I rinse, get out and go sort this all out. Time out for the biter. Apologies, tears, hugs, lectures... An injured party. It was very dramatic. I cant believe he bit his brother while I was in the shower. Over a block tower.

I start thinking they need fresh air. I get ready. They wrestle. One of the toddlers falls off the couch. Our 5-year old feels his brothers are being too loud. The toddlers want to watch Frosty the Snowman. Our dog wants to go out. I felt like they just didnt want me to get anything accomplished. I wasnt entertaining them and I wasnt getting our stuff together so we could get outside and walk to the park. Nothing was coming together and they were all fighting, arguing, crying. I wanted a hug.

Lunches packed. Shoes on (why is it always the same child who cant ever find his shoes?). A debate ensued over whether or not they needed jackets (me saying it wasnt cold enough, our 5-year old saying his brothers needed their puffy coats). The toddlers fought over who could carry the lunch bag. All three fought over who could carry the picnic blanket. All three argued with me over whether or not they could bring toys (me: no; them: yes. I won). Keys forgotten. All go back inside. All go back outside. Finally on our way. Find the perfect spot. Realize we forgot waters. Do we walk back? No, we stay.

I settle us into our spot and the boys all fought to sit in my lap! What?! We get out of the house to go play-- at an empty playground, no other kids or adults to feel shy around-- and they want to quietly sit in my lap?! After wrestling on my couch all morning?! I insisted they go play.

So I listened to them fight over the swing. And over the random toys they found in the sandbox. And I wondered, "Why did I go through all this trouble to take them over to the park just to listen to them fight here? At home I have my book. My coffee. I dont have the problem that I forgot to pack water." I was just about to pack us up to go home when one of my girlfriends walked over and met us at the park. I chatted with her. The boys wandered away. They ran; they chased; they played. They went down the slides. The swung on the swings. And I relaxed. We ended up walking home feeling better, tummies full from our packed lunch.

They were happy until we got home and they realized it was naptime. I wrangled them into bed. It was one of those days that you look at the clock and think, "Is it seriously only 1:30 pm? There are so many hours left in the day!"

Im still not sure what Im going to do with all those hours.

Im just hoping the second half of our day is smoother than the first half of our day!

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weight lose tips during pregnancy | Its a wrap take two

weight lose tips during pregnancy

As you may or may not know, I am forever messing about with my nails. And whilst my nails have sometimes looked like maybe my dog did them (you can see my failed nail art post here), nothing seems to deter me and my experimentation knows no bounds! 

Whilst gone are the days of treating myself to a manicure and pedicure pre-Christmas, I still had some time (!) to try and do something with my nails so I was party season ready.  I had already tried the Ted Baker Nail Wraps before in the shade black floral, and you can read my review on those here along with how to apply them.  I was so pleased after using them last time, I decided to try them again in a different shade for Christmas.  

My only grumble with the original black floral shade was that the pattern didnt show up too well on my very short nails.  So this time I chose a different shade (helpfully, there isnt a single mention of the shade on the packaging), I can only describe this shade as black with pretty oriental-style lilies on.  This pattern actually repeated on every single nail wrap and the pattern was evenly spread from the base of the wrap to the top.  This meant that even with my very short nails the pattern could be clearly seen this time. 

I applied the wraps on Christmas Day and it took me around 30 minutes to apply the full pack.  This time included time chasing my daughter and stopping her from riding our dog, Pablo.  So all in all not too bad!  I had previously applied a clear top coat varnish to the wraps when I had last applied these, but I didnt this time (I had lost the nail polish...well, my daughter has actually hid it in an extremely good hiding place!). Having said this, the lack of a top coat didnt seem to make any difference to the longevity of the wraps. 

These little beauties lasted a full week before I peeled them off, and to be fair I think they could have stayed on a few more days. This is pretty amazing in itself as I am forever washing my hands, forgetting to use washing up gloves and over Christmas week I forget the amount of times I had to tear some toy open from its Alcatraz type encasing. For the cost of £7.50 I cannot recommend these wraps enough.  I cant seem to find them on the Boots website anywhere, so you will need to pop in store to find them, before I bulk buy them all!

Thanks for reading, 

  

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weight loss foods during pregnancy | Baby 4 14 weeks pregnant

weight loss foods during pregnancy

Another year, another baby! We are excited to announce Im 14 weeks pregnant, due July 1st, 2014.

We kept the news under wraps during the first trimester because of my history with miscarriages. This is my 5th pregnancy and my 3rd time making it past 13 weeks. My first pregnancy miscarried shortly after 12 weeks. My fourth pregnancy showed issues on the first ultrasound, at 7 weeks, but wasnt declared a miscarriage until 10 weeks. I had a D&C for both my first and fourth pregnancies during my 12th week.

Ive definitely felt nervous throughout the first trimester with this pregnancy. We have wanted another baby so badly and that last miscarriage was very hard for me to handle (read "Holiday worries"). Weve also kept this pregnancy secret from our children until this past weekend. With my fourth pregnancy, we told our oldest from the beginning and even brought him with us to our first ultrasound. He was heartbroken when we told him that the baby went to heaven (read "Miscarriage"). When we told him the news about this pregnancy, he was so excited and then his face drew in, "Will this baby actually come, Momma?" I assured him that this baby looked healthy, but that God always has a plan and that we will be able to hold our other babies in heaven. I really want to tell him 100% "Yes, this baby WILL come. You WILL hold this baby." I really want those words to be true. How can I guarantee that though? We dont know. God does have a plan for us and we need to trust him, in all things. I hope that whatever happens, I can show my children Gods love for us and show them what it means to live your faith and trust Gods plan.

So last night while we watched a Disney movie, our oldest sat next to me with his hand on my tummy, watching the movie with his "baby sister." (No, we still do not know the gender, not for several more weeks, but he really wants a sister!) He said prayers last night with his sister, pressing his little face against my tummy so she could hear him. This morning he gave me a hug and then gave my tummy a hug, wishing his sister a good morning. He even told me that we needed to be quiet because she was still sleeping... :) It is so sweet. Our toddlers are two and a half and very unaware what a baby in Mommas tummy means. One of our toddlers uses his toy stethoscope to listen to the baby. The other gives my tummy kisses and says, "Baby tummy..." I did think it was adorable that one of our toddlers asked if I had two babies in my tummy. It almost made me wonder if he somewhat grasped the concept of twins. I assured him that no, I only have one baby in there.

Since my last pregnancy ended in a partial molar pregnancy, our OB/Gyn has been closely monitoring my first trimester. Already I have had 3 ultrasounds. It was so wonderful hearing the heartbeat on that first ultrasound at 7 weeks. It was even better hearing the heartbeat and seeing the baby wiggle at 9 weeks. Best of all was the 12 week ultrasound showing a healthy baby doing acrobats in there. I told my OB that I swore I felt flutters already and he said that is common in consecutive pregnancies, especially with how active our little one has been. (I swear, all our babies spend the entire time in utero kicking and moving!) My next appointment is at 17 weeks. My OB said we might be able to determine gender then-- thinking pink thoughts!!! :)

It is so nice to finally share the news of this pregnancy. It has been increasingly harder dressing my baby bump. I had to start wearing maternity clothes at 12 weeks. My mom said that by her third pregnancy, her stomach popped out as soon as she saw two pink lines! Ive definitely been feeling that way. This has also been the hardest first trimester Ive experienced, maybe because Im chasing around two two year olds and a five year old. Ive felt nauseous and tired in previous pregnancies, but I spent most evenings sick during this past first trimester and exceedingly nauseous all day. Ive been crossing off the days until the second trimester! When I was pregnant with twins, I just felt tired during the first trimester; I could sleep like a cat. I was sick and nauseous the entire second and third trimesters though. My sister feels that if this time I have a rough first trimester the second trimester is bound to be better and nothing could possibly be as rough as the third trimester pregnant with twins! I have to agree with her on that. The past week or so has been much better, though Ive been falling asleep on the couch around 6 pm. I do feel that Ive had more energy though, which is a nice change.

Im just so thankful for this baby and wrap so many prayers around it.

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weight loss program during pregnancy | Its the most busy time of the year

weight loss program during pregnancy

Wow. It is December already? The last time I looked at my calendar, I swear it was October...

The toddlers are about 20 months. As everyone likes to say, "this is such a fun age." As I like to say, this age exhausts me. It is so much fun watching them discover things. I love actually seeing them learn, like when they repeat a new word or when they figure out how to open a gate or door. C stacked his blocks nine blocks high the other night, then knocked them over to meticulously line them up in a row. Absolutely adorable to watch.

Then there are mornings like this morning.

C has decided that he doesnt want to put shoes on. I really think that is the dilemma. He wont leave the house in socks-- he must have shoes to cross the threshold-- but he does not like the act of putting shoes on. He also is exceedingly particular in what pair of shoes he wants. (Last month they only had one pair of shoes each. Why, oh, why did I buy another pair?) I was running late so I skipped the necessary steps for him to willingly put his shoes on, nearly a 10 minute game when done properly. He was a mess. He flipped from boneless to absolutely rigid for nearly 20 minutes while I attempted to get O ready to go. O was a sweet thing while I was battling with C. He listened to me; he brought me things. Once he was dressed and ready to go, O refused to leave the house. C had his shoes on, so he shot out of the front door and jumped right in the van. O would not leave the house. He clung to the front table. He clung to the door frame. He clung to me when I tried to put him in the van. I literally wrestled him into his seat, pointlessly repeating, "We dont act this way." I then had to pry C out from the back of the van where he had comfortably settled into big brother Ds high-backed booster seat. Did C think I would let him ride there? The temper tantrum he threw while I buckled him in his own seat made it sounded like he did, indeed, think I would let him ride back there. I locked the front door, headed back to the van echoing with the sounds of angry toddlers, and briefly wondered why I was even leaving the house. (Then I thought back to post-breakfast when they both crawled on the table to attack my centerpiece and realized this might be a better use of their energy.) I turned on the van, the Christmas station started playing, and both toddlers stopped crying to start "singing" along to the holiday songs. Really? And I smiled because it was so cute listening to them. All was forgotten. The battle over buckling into the car seat was over and I moved on.

We arrived at our destination. I unloaded the van. Both of the toddlers fell asleep on the ride over. While I unloaded the stroller, C woke up and started screaming. He screamed when I unbuckled him and put him in the stroller. He screamed while I took O out of his seat and put him in the stroller. O gave me a big smile and a big hug. I gave C his sippy cup, which he threw. I started walking and C yells, "Oook! Oook!" (Translation: Look! Look!) He points to something in the parking lot and I excitedly yell with him, "Wow! Look, Cole, look!" I fumble for my wallet. Yup, left it at home. No money to pay for parking. No Starbucks on the way over because I was running late. I am now standing in a freezing cold parking lot with no way to pay for parking and two toddlers who will not be happy if I didnt bring them in to play-- with no coffee. What a morning. (Thankfully, my girlfriend took pity on me and spotted me the $2 to park.)

So far, we are stumbling along. When we came inside to play, C screamed at the top of his lungs because he wanted to play over there and not in here. I stood holding my angry 20-month old while the other moms looked at me. I always wonder while this is going on if I should do an obligatory time out or jump on the bribery train. I erred on the side of bribery and gave him his sippy cup. He clutched his water like it was his life line and started stacking toys in a basket.

The rest of the afternoon passed normally enough. D came home from preschool and attempted to wrestle with his brothers. There is no point wrestling with toddlers. They get angry if you stand on the corner of their blanket. They get even more angry if you make them sit down when they want to be standing. I am not sure how many times I said, "Keep your hands to yourself." Sometimes I feel two steps away from implementing "camp rules." I could be the mom with the mini van and the snazzy song. I clap the first verse; they clap the second verse as they line up behind me. Im not sure if my mind is slowly slipping away or if that really is a good idea. If we do have a family line-up song, do we have to wear fanny packs while we do it or matching family shirts? While I thought this over, the boys ate lunch. I started loading the dishwasher and got distracted. D broke an ornament and cried when I threw the smashed ornament away (he didnt even get in trouble; it really was an accident). I comforted him and resorted-- again-- to bribery. "Do you want a piece of cinnamon bread?" Ornament instantly forgotten.

After lunch and bribery snack, I told the toddlers it was diaper time. C ran full speed in the other direction. O, ever the listener, started crying as he walked towards me. I laid him on the floor to change his diaper, wiping his nose first which made him so angry he held his breath. So far weve had a handful of breath holding incidents between both toddlers (my oldest was a relentless breath holder-- multiple incidents every day). O turned blue from head to toe. I thought he was going to pass out, as D often did, but I manged to distract him right before (blew in his face). During his exhausted post-breath holding whimpering, I quickly changed his diaper then gave him extra hugs. He pushed away from me and ran toward the toy bin, laughing loudly as he dashed. From one emotion to the next... Now to find C to change his diaper. C had actually climbed into a kitchen cabinet and was laughing maniacally. I could almost interpret the laughs, "Shell never find me here! I just got out of diaper changing and nap!" After wrestling with him through a diaper change, both toddlers were finally ready for nap, something neither of them wanted to do. No matter how often I explain to the boys that loud crying over naptime only makes me feel that naptime is more necessary, they still cry loudly when I say naptime. So off we went. C throwing himself flat on his face every couple steps to show me how much he didnt need a nap and O obediently following me down the hallway while he cried.

Now that both toddlers are down for nap, Im looking around the house thinking, "Where to begin?" I have a load of laundry in the dryer. I have a sink full of lunch dishes. I  have piles of mail and papers to go through, stacked on every surface in my office area. D wants me to sit on the couch and snuggle him while we watch a movie. And our calendar is just full. Every day we have something else going on. I was looking at childrens books the other day and realized I havent done reading lessons with D since before Thanksgiving. Our days just slip by! I really do think this is a fun age. These boys make me laugh out loud all the time. (Even when they are misbehaving because, sometimes, it really just is too cute.) I think this age would be even "funner" if I could clone myself for the holiday season. My hubby and I could go to the preschool production while Mommy Clone 1 stayed home with C for naptime while Mommy Clone 2 took O to the pediatrician. This 1:1 ratio would also be ideal for those toddler temper tantrums...

On the plus side, the hubby is officially on holiday break tomorrow. I cant wait to be spoiled this coming month with an extra pair of hands around the house all day. Thank you, STA-21.

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during pregnancy weight loss plan | Neverland

during pregnancy weight loss plan

 

 

First, to my momma, do not read this blog post.

For the rest of you, having your second (or second and third) child is not at all like having your first. Some things just are different. For the longest time with our first, I felt like we were "playing house." We had this little baby to dress up and bring places with us-- just dont drop him (for those of you who had to take care of "egg babies" in health class). When our next children arrived, we felt like we had the newborn thing down. We knew about late night feedings, nap schedules, and telling the grandparents--again-- that we do not want to put rice cereal in the bottle. (The confusing thing, for us, is that we had twins... a little different than having a singleton.) But we knew how to take care of a newborn and we knew what to expect from each newborn phase. Naturally, this made us actually enjoy some of the newborn phases. "Some" being the operative word. I cannot imagine anyone saying, "Wow, last night was a blast. Our newborns cried from 5 pm all the way until bedtime. It was a great time." We knew that those endless late night feedings were not actually forever, no matter how exhausting they were for the first couple months. We knew that eventually the newborn phase would be over and eventually just the simple act of laying a hand on their back wouldnt be as soothing as it was. When people told us to enjoy it now because it goes so fast, we agreed. I cant imagine how quickly the rest of their lives will go. Suddenly we have a four-year old. If four-years flew by, how quickly will ten? Fifteen? Twenty? Thirty? How does my mom feel with two daughters producing grandchildren? How does my granny feel holding her great-grand babies? It feels like yesterday we brought D home from the hospital. Now he is a big bad preschooler with two little brothers.

But other things are different as well. I remember taking D to the soft play area when he was a toddler. I walked next to him, helping him climb up the obstacles and down the slide. I made sure he didnt put anything unsavory in his mouth and sanitized his hands before he could touch his face. Fast forward to our play area trips now: a four-year old and two toddlers. While D is ripping his shoes off and running towards the slide, C is high tailing it to the climbing wall and O is attempting to eat every neglected shoe he can find. Meanwhile Im standing forgotten by the stroller holding the hand sanitizer. It just doesnt go according to plan anymore.

There is slew of other things. Not that I was ever exceptionally embarrassed when my child acted out in public, but now it takes a lot for me to feel embarrassed by our circus. There is, truly, only so much behavior that is within my control. Some things were so hard for me the first time around. For instance, the battles that toddlers will pick-- like, every battle they could possibly pick, they do. I didnt know why he wanted to make our day that much more difficult. Now I know toddlers just enjoy the fight. Weve also learned a lot about different strokes for different folks. What worked with our first, might not work for our second or third. Weve also learned that some of our boys are exceptionally stubborn (I have no clue where they got that from...). Weve also learned that some of our boys are exceptionally soft hearted, in some areas more than areas. While we have to sternly tell C and D "no" over and over again, telling O to please stop will do the trick.

This is the part that I really dont want my mom to read. Sometimes we just want to enjoy their childhood. We know how fast they go from toddler to preschooler now. Sometimes we just want to bask in the total outrageousness of toddlerhood, even if that means throwing some of the rules out the window. No, they cant throw in the house, but, tonight, he just looks so darn cute chucking the jingle bell ornament he stole off the Christmas tree... Its even slid over to our parenting of D. We love the things he says, his little views of the world, how he feels about things. Sometimes we would rather ignore the clock and let him talk the night away. (Dont get ideas that we dont enforce law and order. I said sometimes.)

There have been many ah-ha moments along this journey from adolescence to adulthood when I realized why my parents made the decisions they did. My parents still call my youngest sister "the baby," something us three older siblings roll our eyes at. As a child, I often felt this was totally, 100% unfair. To this day, I am convinced that while I was in school, my grandmother and mother were out spoiling my youngest sister. (I swear she had a new toy every time I came home.) Now Im the mom. Maybe my granny did dedicate her time to buying my youngest sister ToysRUs. I dont know, but I really dont care. I know why she did. Childhood is fleeting. It is here one minute and gone the next.

Everyday I have to let go a little more, let my oldest test the world around him a little more, assert himself a little more. I was the mom that cried, "Hes going to be going away to college soon!" when he took his first steps. It feels just around the corner, him becoming a man, not needing me to kiss every owie and boo-boo. What happens when my kisses dont make it all better? Or he doesnt sigh deeply and walk up to me whining, "Momma, I want cuddles..."? Im not ready to let that all go yet. I dont know when I will be. For now, I want to enjoy childhood. Lets play dress up and spoil the kids. Lets turn a blind eye on really long afternoons, let them stay up on a Friday night for a Christmas special. Lets have popcorn and cheese sticks for lunch. Lets hug it out and lay on the floor talking about what we want to be when we grow up.

But, whatever we do, lets not grow up yet.

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pregnancy weight loss tracker | Its all about that blood

pregnancy weight loss tracker

I know, I know, not my most catchy-ish of titles, but it was this or some other dodgy blood related one!! So, first off, this isnt some gruesome tale that involves alot of blood and gore, sorry if thats what you were after (!). This is the tale of me and my experience going to donate blood for the very first time. There are no dodgy photos and this isnt a preachy blog post urging you to go and do it. If you fancy reading about my experience of giving blood, or, if you have ever thought of donating before but havent been sure, then this is the blog post for you. Now we have cleared all of that up, lets get started! 

Back in December, in the midst of my blogging every day for Blogmas, I pledged to go and give blood. I wanted to go and do something for someone else during a season when it can feel a bit over commercial. I wanted to do something that would actually make a difference to someone else and hopefully show my daughter that Christmas isnt all about the presents. Ahhh, me and my bright ideas. My well laid plans certainly did not go to plan (they rarely do), and I found myself, after a week of worry, being turned away at the donor centre because the blood donation session was full!!! Argh! You can read all about that little escapade here.

Now I am not going to lie.  Giving blood worried me.  This was no walk in the park for me.  But dont you find that those moments that you feel most challenged by are sometimes the moments that you look back on and feel the proudest of? This felt like it could be one of those moments. And did you know that giving blood can save up to three lives? Fact. 

I had already signed up to the blood donation website where you can find out your local times and venues, and when one popped up near my home, I felt I had to go and do it. The very moment I clicked book, my nerves returned. As with most things in life, the thought of doing something is way worse than the actual event. (Hmmm, maybe with the exception of child birth?!) And as someone with a very over active imagination, I had already imagined the worst.  I imagined fainting, of my arm dropping off, of being sick all over the nurse - a bit like in the exorcist, of falling off the chair and other such completely believable scenarios (!!!).  

The big day finally came and I arrived very nervous.  As I had booked my session online this time there was no chance of me being turned away. I registered at the desk and went to take a seat in the waiting area.  When you book an appointment online they send you all the paperwork through the post and it saves time filling the forms out when you arrive.  I had to drink a big cup of water to help replace the fluids I would lose during the donation and during this time my two year old daughter performed a rendition of chim-chim-cheree from Mary Poppins which was nice. (N.B. I cant guarantee she will be there for you if you donate, but I am considering hiring her out for the waiting room!). 

Next, I was called into a private area and was asked questions to screen if I was suitable to give blood.   My finger was pricked to test my iron levels. A drop of my blood was placed into a copper sulphate solution and if it sinks to the bottom it shows you iron levels are OK for you to donate. (And you know this bit doesnt really hurt because Im taking pictures at the same time!!).  

However, I wont get too cocky as my ability to then take a good picture of my drop of blood sinking in the tube was a fail!! Sorry for the poor quality. I felt I had to include this photograph as the lovely nurse did the test twice for me so I could get a good shot!!!

After the test I went out to sit on a couch and I was placed in a semi-upright position ready for the donation.  A blood pressure cuff was placed around my arm to maintain a little bit of pressure and then the nurse found a good vein. Obviously you can feel a pinching sensation, but really, it was nothing.  

I wont lie.  I didnt look down at my arm once.  I just didnt want to see it.  But I can honestly say, it was absolutely fine!!! Yes, there was a little bit of pressure of my arm, but that was literally it.  I didnt feel faint, I wasnt in pain and I didnt feel sick.  They ask you to do several exercises during your donation to help reduce your risk of fainting, like clenching your hand, clenching your bum cheeks (!) and moving your feet.  Obviously not one to risk fainting and erring on the side of caution I clenched away like my life depended on it! 

The process of actually having the blood taken took about five to ten minutes.  That is all!!! I thought I was going to be hooked up all day! It really was over before I knew it and I had donated just under a pint. And then its the bit you all know is coming, I was escorted to have a well earned drink and a bourbon biscuit. 

Apart from having a bit of a sore arm for the rest of the day, I felt absolutely fine.  The staff were really a credit to the blood service. From checking in to the actual donation, they couldnt have been nicer. And you know what? Everyone thanked me for going to give my blood.  Even on my way out, a nurse who I hadnt seen said thank you to me for attending.  How absolutely lovely.  I mean I didnt want a red carpet and an award or anything, but feeling like you have done something great, well, it makes you feel great. 

I dont want this post to come across as preachy or to make you feel like you have to go and give blood.  Its a personal and individual choice. All I will say is that if you are even considering it, then go and do it. Coming from someone who worried for a whole week about this, it was absolutely fine and I will definitely be going back to donate again. You can find the UK Give Blood website here where you can find out more and find your local sessions. And what better way to start the year than to donate blood to help someone, somewhere, who really needs it? 

"When you give blood you give another birthday, 

another anniversary, 

another day at the beach, 

another night under the stars, 

another talk with a friend, 

another laugh, 

another hug, 

another chance", 

American Red Cross. 

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pregnancy weight loss time | An epiphany a sales haul

pregnancy weight loss time

I love a little mooch around the sales.  Whilst normally I never seem to find that much and end up buying stuff that full price, this year I found a few little beauties that I thought I would share with you. And who hasnt missed my dodgy posing whilst trying to show you some clothes? Oh, thatll be no-one then.  Well, in actual fact I have had an epiphany. I have given up trying to look at all cool in my outfit photos.  I cannot compete with the other gorgeous bloggers who bounce their way along the street with the sunlight shining in their hair and their new skirt flowing.  So Im not even going to try. 

I tend to take my photos with my camera precariously balanced on some books and whilst simultaneously trying to nudge my daughter and dog out of the way.  And another valuable lesson I have learnt. Take a picture on the day when you are ACTUALLY wearing the outfit, instead of rushing around like an idiot getting changed from your very comfy pjs one afternoon because you just realised you needed to take an outfit picture!! Who said blogging was easy eh?! But, on to my sales picks which is what you here for, and pictures of the items...with a few funny ones thrown in. :-)

Starting with Topshop. I picked up this black blouse with a gorgeous jewelled collar. I am a bit like a magpie with anything shiny at the moment. Its short sleeved and is a little cropped so I do tend to wear a black cami underneath. The shirt is still available on Topshops website here.

Didnt quite manage to get Baba out of shot. 

"I am just so happy".

Who knows what I am doing here. Appears to be head, shoulders, knees and toes, but your guess is as good as mine.  

I also picked up this jacket that Ive had my eye on for ages.  My husband thinks these jackets make me look like an extra from Flash Gordon, but I just love them.  I also adore stripes, so this one was definitely coming home with me.  I think I will wear this ALOT when the weather gets that bit warmer. 

I couldnt find the exact one on Topshops website, but they have this and this and if you went in-store I bet you would find it. 

We also picked up some lovely plates from Marks and Spencers in the sales. We chose this 12 piece dinner set which are white and then black to the underneath.  We bought a few extra bowls in the same design too. I think there was a chip in nearly all of the plates we owned which was a bit embarrassing when we had friends over for dinner the other week. Hopefully these can last a week without me chipping any. Its doubtful. 

You can find the set here and they have some individual plates here. And on the topic of my finely tuned skill of chipping most plates, this extends to glasses too, so we picked up some very thick ones from T K Maxx. 

They were £4.99 for three and then we bought an extra one individually for £2.99.  I found it a bit bizarre that they would sell them in packs of three, but anyway. They look like you need to take a sledge hammer to break them, so again, lets hope they make it past January in my very safe, or not so safe hands. 

Did you make it to the sales? Any amazing finds you would like to share? 

Thanks for reading and wishing you all a lovely weekend, 

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pregnancy weight loss tea | When bad cakes happen to good people

pregnancy weight loss tea

This incident took place last Saturday.  Mr Bee was busy tearing the carpet up from the stairs (we are redecorating) and I was entertaining Baba.  She has had a pretend mixer and cake set for Christmas and her favourite thing to do is for the both of us (I have to be fully participating...no watching from the sidelines-its a bit like Master Chef), to make carrot cakes.  And whilst I love my little girl dearly, after the fifth time of making carrot cakes, I was wanting to stick my head in the oven.  So, being the super mum that I am (ha,ha!), I suggested we make some carrot cakes. For REAL!

Baba squealed with delight and ran to get her apron whilst I rummaged in the cupboards and prayed I had some carrots.  And that my friends is where I went wrong.  I am no Nigella.  And normally when I have to rummage around the cupboards it means I havent got the right ingredients.  And this means that I shouldnt be cooking whatever it is I am trying to.   

Did this deter us? Hell no. I found the carrots.  Then I realised I had only half the amount of self raising flour I needed.  I made up the full amount with plain flour and whacked in some baking powder too. Surely that would make it rise? It does get worse.  Then I realised I only had dark muscavado sugar instead of light muscavado sugar.  I mean, there cant be that much difference between the two can there? The dark sugar got thrown into the bowl (literally, Baba was helping mix the ingredients, so I had to fish the packet out and measure it out again).

Whilst Baba loved stirring all the ingredients in, little did she know her mother is absolutely clueless going freestyle in the kitchen. Still, the mixture looked OK (ish) and we put it in the oven. When the time was up, the cake looked OK (ish), just maybe a little flat. To decorate, the recipe called for icing sugar (which I had), and orange juice (which I didnt have). Hmmm. I improvised and used the juice of a tangerine and we decorated the cake.  I know, as if it wasnt bad enough already.  

It was time for Babas lunch and I had promised her a piece of the cake after her lunch.  Note to all: never let your child see a cake BEFORE they have eaten their lunch.  Baba screamed throughout lunch, taking half a bite of her sandwich and then refusing to eat anymore. I had already promised her the cake.  Oh bloody hell. 

And bloody hell the cake was awful. Baba didnt seem to mind too much and munched away.  I think she was just overjoyed she had got her mitts on the cake.  My poor husband muttered that he couldnt finish his piece and I just felt sick.  Clearly it makes a big difference not using the right flour, sugar and using a tangerine. Can you die from carrot cake poisoning? 

I now have this vision of Baba in years to come, going to her school fete with a carrot cake her mum made and they end up using it to bat the rat or using it as a ball to knock someone off their stool so they get dowsed in water. It serves me right for not playing pretend carrot cake again!  

Any recipe disasters you would like to share? Go on...make me feel a little better! Comments below please!!!

Oh, and I was going to include the recipe but I feel BBC Good Food may be offended by its inclusion!!!

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pregnancy after weight loss surgery forum | The one about boobs

pregnancy after weight loss surgery forum

Ahh boobs. Theyre everywhere arent they?  Almost daily they are in the press. From a woman apparently waving them around her head in a posh restaurant whilst breastfeeding, to a woman breastfeeding in the swimming baths or maybe even the ten year old that is still breastfed. Then there are the mums who dare not to use their boobs to feed their baby. And then theres the mums that dare do.  The women whos tops are too low.  The woman who has no boobs. The woman who has huge boobs. And if you havent quite had enough of boobs yet, theres always page three where you can see pictures of them, just so you definitely know what they look like. Today, I heard on the news that the British tabloid, The Sun, are no longer going to be printing pictures of topless women on their page three, and you know what? I actually felt compelled to write a blog post to mark the occasion. 

The Sun newspaper, apparently (thanks Google), has a daily circulation of around 2.2 million copies.  Thats alot of copies. Thats alot of readers.  What I find interesting is that up until this week, you could open this newspaper and see a picture of a topless woman.  And for me, it really isnt about the page three model.  If you want to model with your top off, then thats your free choice and decision. Page three to me, represented boobs as being primarily for male gratification. 

I find it funny that some men (not all) are happy to stare at boobs in a newspaper, but at the same time they are agog when you use one to actually nourish and feed an infant. Especially near Nigel Farage.  And for the record, as a mum who breastfed, I can honestly say I never once stood up in a restaurant and waved them about for all to see. Quite frankly, I have no intention of showing the world my boobs, and even if I wanted to, I didnt have the time, I had a screaming baby wanting to be fed.   

The same men overlook the bit about that boob providing everything a baby needs for the first six months of that little ones life.  That makes boobs pretty amazing to me. Alot more amazing than just getting them out. But its not just about breastfeeding.  Page three, to me, represents the notion that boobs are there to be leered at.  It represents those wolf whistles you get on the street, those comments when you are out and when you dont know where to look. That notion that you are just a body.  The notion that all you are is how you look. 

Will this mark a change in peoples views of the female body? I think changing page three will change nothing overnight, but I hope it goes some way to society seeing the person beyond the boobs. And maybe, just maybe, it starts the way for woman to no longer be objectified by society.  That woman arent just boobs. In fact we arent just anything.  

How would I even begin to explain page three to my toddler? Well, I just wouldnt. But what I do hope for my daughter is that when she is older, she can walk down the street without wolf whistles, without feeling embarrassed. I hope she can feel respected by society as the clever and intelligent girl that I know she will be.  So much more than her appearance.  And so so much more than a pair of boobs. 

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weight loss during first month pregnancy | Holiday worries

weight loss during first month pregnancy

Its Christmas Eve and Im loving it. Im cooking our Christmas Eve feast right now, where we celebrate Jesus birthday and spend time together as a family, eating cookies, watching holiday movies, eating more sweets, and playing games. I love this time of year and Im loving it this year, being home for Christmas and embarking on our own family traditions.

With all that said, Im feeling a little down. I keep getting these emails from baby sites (that I keep unsubscribed from!) about the progress of our 4-month old baby, the baby that was never born. Our baby would be 4 or 5-months now (since Ive never made it to full term). We would be getting past the constant feeding newborn stage and into the fun interaction stage. We would (most likely) be done having children. We would have a nursery set up in this house. We would be celebrating Babys first Christmas. Perhaps Im just looking on Facebook at my friends pictures of their babies first Christmases, but I know Im not the only one who feels this way (read Keep Calm and Have a Cosmos latest blog post "The Breathings of my Heart").

This past week at church we obviously talked about Jesus birth. The pastor incorporated this verse into his message, Philippians 4:6-7:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians is my absolute favorite book of the Bible. I could (and sometimes do) read that book everyday and feel just as encouraged as the first time I read it. This week, it was such a pleasant surprise to hear those verses discussed at a pre-Christmas service. I really felt like God was reaching out to me, inviting me to hand him those worries that have been pressing on my heart.

Worry #1: I worry that we will continue to have miscarriages. Two of my four pregnancies have ended in a miscarriage, one of them being a partial molar pregnancy. (Yikes!) How will my next pregnancy turn out? Could I handle another miscarriage?

Worry #2: I worry that there will be an even bigger age gap between our 2.5 year old toddlers and our next baby. Our oldest was 2.5 years old when our twins were born and I thought that was a big difference. I always wanted our kids close together in age... but I cant seem to control this at all.

Worry #3: I worry that the timing is all wrong for our next pregnancy. With our last pregnancy, we knew my husbands schedule. We knew where we would be living. Now... not so much. In about 6 months, his schedule is totally up in the air. He could be in Connecticut for 3 months unaccompanied. He could be in rotating shift work in South Carolina as he goes through prototype. We could all be moving to upstate New York for him to go through prototype there... There are so many possibilities, none of them even remotely solid. Who knows? (Read "STA-21 Officers Program.")

I need to hand all these over to God. I need to give all these things to him. The next verses in Philippians go on to tell us what we should think about, Philippians 4:8-9:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-- think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

I find worry to be a hard state to be in. There isnt a clear adversary. You dont really have something tangible to be concerned about... You just have these thoughts in your head that keep you from fully being in the present. Thoughts that disrupt your peace and keep you from presenting your concerns to God. I hold onto these things and feel that if I keep them close, I might somehow be able to prevent them from happening or might somehow be able to change something. But I cant. I mean, my second worry, the age gap... What can I do about that? The time has come and passed. Nothing can change that. Why do I worry about it?

Whenever I think about worrying and handing my worries over to God, I think about the verses in Matthew. Matthew 6:25-27:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat and drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds in the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

To me the those verses speak of the futility of worrying. Why should I worry when I can hand these concerns to God, God who can answer these prayers?

Philippians 1:27a says, "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." Paul says "whatever happens." Not "when good things happen" or "when bad things happen you get a pass" or any of that. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. I know Ive talked about that verse before. I love that verse. I have it written in the front of my Bible and for a long time, hanging on my bathroom mirror. It comforts me. It gives me hope that I can, no matter what, bring glory to God no matter what my circumstances. Praising God is not contingent on my life circumstances or if things are going my way or if Im where I want to be or if I miss my family or my friends. Praising God is not contingent on whether Ive "moved on" from this last miscarriage.

I feel like I keep having to remind myself of this. I pray and pray about this. I give God this. And then something happens-- an unexpected bill from the hospital for the D&C, a question from a doctor on my pregnancy history, a major holiday we arent celebrating with our longed for newborn-- and Im back on my knees, full of heartache. Im so thankful that through this I have a personal God, a God who listens. A God who sent his son to earth to die for our sins and redeem me so that one day I can praise him in person, joining him in heaven.

Isaiah 9:6-7

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on Davids throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty

will accomplish this.?

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post pregnancy weight loss supplements | A 30th Birthday Gift Hamper

post pregnancy weight loss supplements

At the weekend it was a very good friends surprise 30th birthday party and I was really struggling to know what to buy him.  What do you buy the guy who has everything? If you have read my previous blogs you will know that I love a gift hamper (you can see my baby shower basket here and a fathers day basket here). As our friend is a real foodie, I thought a food gift basket would be a personal and delicious present!

I popped to T K Maxx where I always pick up any baskets I need, however, after picking a basket, I then found this gorgeous pizza plate.  It is a bit of a running joke that our friend is the 16th best pizza eater in the world (he has dropped a few places in recent years), and I thought instead of a basket I could centre the gift around this plate, which to be honest I think he will use much more than a basket anyway. 

I then bought a few items that I thought he would like.  As its his 30th, obviously I had to include a bottle of champagne along with some savoury and sweet treats. I then got my trusty cellophane (!) and wrapped the gift.  I got some really pretty ribbon from Hobbycraft for only 80p for a metre (I didnt realise you could buy ribbon by the metre there and it does really finish off the gift).  Heres the final present: 

To wrap the entire gift I wanted something a bit personal too, so I wrapped it in plain brown paper and then I hand stamped it with little phrases, such as happy birthday and thirty. I think the overall effect looks really good and makes the present alot more individual.  I will certainly be stamping my brown wrapping paper in the future!

Thanks for reading and hope I have inspired you if you have any birthdays coming up!

Happy Monday, 

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