Mat leave week three: 33 weeks pregnant

Apologies that I'm a tad late on the preggo

diary post this week, but it's just been soo busy! I had my baby shower on Saturday (thanks again to everyone who came/helped etc. Love you all) and I have also been on two day trips since then. I thought I would be bored and lonely on maternity leave, but my calendar seems to be full at the moment!

So. General achievements this week.
Baby shower. Check.

Look what my family made! ITS MY PRAM ! <3 and half the cakes had been eaten by the time I got to take this...

Stool reupholstering. Check.

So proud of this! I am also still rather trigger happy from using the staple gun.

Quality family time. Check. Trip One with other half's mum and sister to the charming Axeminster fair, where I may have purchased a new teacup. And milk jug. And restrained myself from buying at least two whole teasets. Mama is broke yknow!

 Trip two was with Rob to stay at my mums house overnight, and then today we went to Bird Land gardens in the Cotswolds. Lovely.

My little sister loving the penguins! It was mad how close they were. Feel a bit sorry for them in this hot weather though.

I also went out with Rob's mum for some more baby things. She bought us a crib so baby now has somewhere to sleep! Yay!

The crib we got.  It rocks and also has a locking mechanism and is small enough to fit down the side of our bed. And its preeeetty!

I am so glad we finally bought the crib, it was really put my mind at ease in being that little bit more prepared for baby's arrival. Not to mention all the wonderful baby shower gifts! I have now sorted those into 'ready for iminent use' - clothes, blankets and a couple of toiletry type bits, and 'save for laters' - toys, teddies, larger bits and bobs, because we just don't have the space for much at thr moment. The save for laters are going to join my pram in storage at my gran's house for now.

So after such a busy week I am pretty tired out! Which doesn't take much these days. At my ante natal class on Thursday we had this scary physio lady come to tell us about pelvic floor exercises (don't ask this part was traumatising), posture and labour positions.  She basically made us all feel bad for not doing our pelvic floor exercises and then even worse about pregnancy posture (turns out EVERYTHING that is remotely comfortable is now banned. It is bad for your pelvis don't you know). Getting comfy is difficult enough these days, but now I have Scary Physio Lady echoing in my ears whenever I do something she told us not to do. Baby is now the weight of a pineapple apparently, so its not easy!

I also got to have a sneaky peak at the ages of all the other women in my ante natal class which was interesting.  At the first class I did get the feeling I was the youngest person present and the list of names confirmed my suspisions. I'm the youngest at 20, the next youngest woman is 23, then 29, and everyone else is in their 30s and a couple in their 40s. I think maybe it's some sort of new thing to have babies at an older age? Cosmopolitan would have us beleive that we are all feminist career women these days and this seems to prove that. Maybe it's just the area I live in,  but it seemed that a few years ago everyone was starting young. I don't know.

Enough of my waffling any how... I must wander in search of food... pregnant woman must feed every two hours.

33 week belly photo!

Mat leave week two: 32 weeks pregnant

I can't believe I have been out of work for two weeks already, the time is flying by at an alarming rate. I'm really hoping all this hot weather doesn't continue,  as I dislike hot weather at the best of times and I don't like the thought of caring for a newborn in the midst of a heatwave.

We spent the day at Download Festival yesterday, and although we were disappointed we weren't getting to camp out this year I was very glad to come home at the end of the day. Things tire me out easily these days, and by 7pm I was feeling like I'd had enough and wanted to go to bed! During the day the sun was scorching hot so I spent alot of it watching the main stage from the comfort of a camping chair beneath my umbrella.  When I wasn't trecking back and forth to the toilets that is.

Skindred were the best performance of the day although headliners Avnenged Sevenfold certainly didn't disappoint. 

Not used to people's reactions when I wear this top, most people just want to compliment me on it but I end up getting annoyed and thinking WTF IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE WHY WON'T THEY STOP POINTING AT ME. I'm not that huge,  am I? ;)

Its getting quite difficult to spend much time in certain positions now, like standing up and walking (resulting in breathless bouts of Brackston hicks, sore back/pelvis and sciatic nerve pain) sitting upright (for some reason really hurts my ribs) or just sitting on flat seats (numb bum!). Not that I'm complaining actually,  because I feel pretty great. For the first time in my pregnancy I have actually started to feel really excited and impatient for baby's arrival and just want cuddles with baby now. Who, by the way is getting quite large (apparently the size of a kale. What?!) And very very active although baby always has been, the movements are now quite monumental and even painful at times.

But I started my DIY projects! The first one is lining my dresser drawers with wall paper, because all of baby's things are in those drawers and as it's old the wood is a bit rough and splintery in places.

I managed to get some really pretty paper from B&Q, so I'm quite pleased with it. I will have to find more uses for this paper because I definitely have more than I need and it's too lovely not to use. I also bought some fabric for reupholstering my little stool, but its not thick and hardy like I originally planned. I found a lovely black embroidered chinese silk and fell in love with it, I not only bought more than I need (for other purposes I haven't decided on yet...) but I am going to have to be careful on how much the stool gets used now because the fabric is quite thin and delicate. Pics of that one soon!

And lastly my 32 week belly photo :) think I will make a GIF with these once baby is born. Shame I haven't done them for the whole pregnancy but I'm only actually just feeling confident enough to do it!

First week of maternity leave

I'm now 31 weeks pregnant! Wooo! And as this week comes to a close so does my first week of maternity leave. I wanted to start a sort of maternity leave diary as firstly a countdown until baby arrives, and secondly to keep myself motivated and looking forwards at a time when things are probably going to go rather slowly and be very frustrating for me. So I need things to stay as positive as possible :)

Some interesting pregnancy developments, my feets and hands are now so fat I can't wear rings anymore, and I have to fold the elastic of my socks back down over my heel or else they dig in and make painful indents around my ankles! Baby is now so large (apparently the size of a coconut? I don't know if thats supposed to mean weight as they are meant to be about  41cm long?) I can now feel every little movement going on in there, I can tell hands and feet apart and baby has a tendency to stick his/her bum up and out on the left side of my belly button. I've been having some Braxton Hicks, which aren't painful but just make my belly go especially round like a ball and really hard. Although I have been having some back and belly cramps which may or may not be related,  I'm not sure. My belly button is now starting to look rather ugly; I had my belly button pierced years ago but let it heal over when I had problems with keloid scarring which was really gross and I ended up with a bit of a lump on the inside. Well now my belly has stretched the scar has doubled in size and gone purple, and where the lip of my belly button has started to push out I have a weird fold where the inside scar is. Yuck!

But on the plus side I have accomplished so much this week, it has been very productive indeed and I'm feeling quite proud of that. I finally ordered my pram (I'll include pics when it arrives) as well as bought lots of useful bits and bobs too.

Eco disposable nappies and nappy sacks!

I am really pleased to have come across these in Boots, as I'm actually planning on using cloth nappies, but I know that when a newborn goes through 15 nappies a day it's not going to be as easy as it sounds. So this is my solution for the in between times! Yay! They are made from GM free corn based films, so natural and renewable sources,  and contain no nasty chemicals or fragrances.  They are a Swedish brand, are FSC approved AND recommended by the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association (yay for astmatics with eczema like me!) so can't wait to try these out.

And I also scored a total bargain in Asda. Check out this dupe for a John Lewis cot bedding set!

The top one is my set from Asda, which included the quilt and the cot bumper for £28. Plus you can buy all that other matching crap too if it takes your fancy. Although in real life the embroidery isn't quite that bold and dark looking. The bottom one is the John Lewis version,  in which all is sold separately at £35 EACH. So in stead of paying £70 for the set, I got the Asda one for less than £30. Heres to savvy mummy shopping!

Sorry for the long post, just feels like I have so much to say this week! Plus I have so much more time on my hands... but more on that one next week ;)

P.s here is my 31 week belly photo that I almost forgot.

The preggo diary. Week 29

So I haven't been all that inspired to write much in the way of all things pregnancy lately,  but now I'm in my third trimester and it's the hot topic on everyone's lips at the moment,  I thought I would share.

As I said in my last post, people are now actually starting to ask me if I am pregnant and wow how many weeks etc etc. It is a nice feeling, but at the same time the bigger you get, the more people want to talk about it. It's as if your business and pregnancy is now public property.  Ironic I know, as here I am blogging about it. I do find it funny though. It's a good job I am pretty easy going about it because some people mind being asked if their pregnancy was planned (something even my family didn't ask me!) or what the sex of the baby is (and their opinion that you HAVE to keep it a surprise/ find out IMMEDIATELY/ insert stupid forceful opinion here).

I work in a pub, so obviously I talk to people alot, and customers get curious, so I take it in my stride. Luckily nobody that isn't my family or friends have felt the need to touch my belly (invited or not) yet. Luckier still nobody has told me "gosh you are big/small/low/all in the back/all in the front" in comparison to dates and other pregnant women they may know. Ok, apart from my gran. She says I am carrying all "hippy" and that I MUST be having a boy because my ass is huge. But thats fine because I know my bum is pretty large at the moment,  and I know she means it affectionately.  God help the first stranger to tell me something like that though.

I think I have escaped the worst of it though, I don't know if I just haven't come across anyone that rude or nosy yet, or maybe my style is just intimidating!  I was once told by someone I went to school with that he was intimidated by me because I was "that scary goth girl that hates everyone" !! So maybe that still stands ;) I think I am quite a happy person in general, so it must just be the fashion sense!

I will leave you with this belly photo, at bang on 29 weeks.

As you can see I am getting very round now. Sometimes I catch sight of my reflection in a shop window or something and double take at the apparent football stuffed under my tshirt. I don't think I was prepared to be getting this big. I just didn't think I would really grow that much (I know this sounds really stupid as I still have 11 weeks to go, OBVIOUSLY I am going to get much bigger than this) I thought "no, that won't happen to me surely" duuuhhh! Stupid Lexi.

Until next week folks!

27 weeks pregnant + funky tshirt belly photos

I really don't know where the time is even going at the moment.... 27 weeks has come around fast! Yesterday marked three calendar months until my due date, although I actually have 13 weeks to go. I will also be going on maternity leave at the end of the month, and I am glad I made the decision to start this early. Work has been very tiring lately, and I'm struggling with my back and sciatica problems. Incidentally, they only play up very badly when I'm actually at work!

But in all seriousness,  I am too large to be working behind a busy bar these days. Last night I had my second falling incident this month when I tripped over my poor supervisor, landed on him ass first, and in the process threw half a bowl of water over him. Luckily we are friends and it was actually very funny. My sense of gravity just doesn't know where it is anymore, the slightest uncertainty and I end up on my huge pregnant ass. Good job I'm pretty padded there!

Enough of the boring stuff, have some belly photos of me in my cute new top that my other half bought for me!

As you can see, I'm getting rather large these days. People are actually beginning to ask me if / when I am expecting now, which is awesome because at least I know they aren't secretly wondering if I'm just fat!! Belly does get in the way rather much though, I feel like I can never really hug anyone anymore! And any time someone accidentally touches or bumps against my stomach they freak out as if they may have just sent me into premature labour. Which is quite amusing after all the 'HONESTLY. I'm fine. You barely touched me. No those aren't my waters on the floor.' Because it pretty much happens constantly.

All in all, can't wait to not be working anymore! Although I know I will be VERY bored,  on the plus side I might actually blog a bit more often!

Goth maternity wear: key pieces make great outfits

So, by far the easiest way to build up a decent wardrobe of any style or season is by finding key pieces that will take you through a variety of different looks. This is especially true for maternity wear, even more so for those of us with distinct and unusual tastes in fashion.

Personally, because of my job I have to wear plainish black clothes that are stretchy and not fussy, meaning alot of leggings and vests are involved. But I also really like leggings. Like I said before, a legging fetish of sorts. So my first two staple pieces are maternity leggings, always available in black, but look out for cool patterns in maternity sizes too, and long vests. Long vests are great because you don't have to search (often in vain) for decent maternity vests to suit you, and if you find ones long enough to cover your bum more the better as you can pair with leggings.

Black maternity leggings and a long vest, with a pink polka dotted blouse (non maternity, worn open) to jazz it up a bit. Black wedge trainers for the smart casual look.

Lots of people also love maternity jeans, and there are lots of colours and styles available on the internet these days. I myself can't stand wearing jeans and haven't for years, I find it difficult to find styles that are both flattering and comfy (and gothy. Haha) so I can't imagine anything worse than wearing jeans whilst pregnant.

My next staple is oversized band tshirts. I haven't stopped wearing my mens XL Type O Negative shirt since I bought it, obviously you can see how I modified it slightly, as the sleeves were too long and I like a lower neckline than your average tshirt. Best paired with comfy maternity leggings, by far the best way to hold onto your non-mummy self and still look good ;)

You can also buy maternity tights, with the same over the bump style as leggings, but personally I find them very restricting as I have very long legs so they can be ill-fitting. I much prefer fishnet tights or others in a similar knitted or woven holey style. They are suitably gothy and because of all the holes they are incredibly stretchy.  They are the comfiest kind of tights,  pregnant or not, even with the bump I can pull them all the way up to my bra! I tend to pair these with stretchy skirts of various lengths and styles, just make sure they are quite elastic, and large. H&M do some good ones in their basics range that are fairly short with an elastic waist (worn on the hips under the bump hence the largeness).

Its also good to have some comfy flat shoes. I practically live in plain black skate shoes most of the time, they are my go to shoes. But Iron Fist make some wonderful flat dolly shoes in a PVC material,  meaning they stretch and mould to your feet and are soo comfortable.  They also have GORGEOUS designs.  I just ordered a pair online ready for summer and can't wait until they arrive.

The summer is approaching fast, so I will have to make another of these maternity clothing posts suitable for warmer weather. Of course, most of these items I have mentioned can be layered or adapted for any season. More outfit posts coming soon ;)

Gothy maternity wear: clothing conundrums!

At 22 weeks I am now more than halfway through my pregnancy.  In my last post I talked about weight gain in pregnancy (and most likely will again at another stage) and how I am coming to terms with my changing body. A massive part of feeling good about yourself and your body is how you dress, so I am just going to talk a little bit about the some things I have done to make pregnancy fashion more about self confidence than just comfort and convinience. Again, I shall most likely revisit this topic when I am even bigger.

One of my biggest fears (and warning this may sound selfish here) is holding onto my identity. I want to still be myself, to dress the way I like to, to style my hair as I do now and to still wear as much makeup as I like when I am a mother. Obviously with a newborn I will be very tired and stretched for time, energy and motivation to keep these things up, never mind the practicalities of it all. But knowing now that I am determined to hold onto myself is a comfort.

So here are some of my 'Skinny Clothes' that I have been putting away with hopes that I shall be reunited with them some day.

My favourite skirt which is Spin Doctor. Layered and puffy with ribbon tied layers for extra volume.

My old faithful party dress.  Well worn and so old I can't remember the label. 

These are the last of my absolute favourites to be put away, although I am slowly adding every day bits and pieces to the boxes all the time as I grow and basic items need replacing with maternity wear.

So far I have managed to get away with not buying much 'maternity clothing' as such,  and have been quite clever about buying key stretchy pieces that will hopefully take me through most of the pregnancy. Maternity leggings are a must though, as are tshirts and vests.  Here are a couple of my favourites so far:

Just a nice stretchy dress from New Look, bought in a size up from my normal size. This collar. <3

Possibly the largest legging and the loudest piece of clothing I have ever bought. It appears I have a legging-obsession going on of late.

I have a few more key pieces I am wearing a lot at the moment,  so I will have to try and put together some outfit posts and maybe a tips and tricks list soon. I will leave you with my 20 week belly photo (finally have the courage to start these!) took wearing a maternity tshirt dress from h&m. Excuse this bombsite of a bedroom.