Week 29 Pregnancy Update and Youtube

How far along? 

The end of week 29

Total weight gain? 

I'm not sure, I have another midwife appointment soon so I will update you. I feel huge though.

Maternity clothes? 

Yes, although nothing overly exciting. I purchased some pretty preggo-panties and some polka dot maternity/nursing pjs from Topshop. 
I  thought they were really cute and I can use them when breast-feeding because they have buttons for easy boob-access.

I'm on the look out for a bump support band too, I think it might help my skin recover if it's weighed down less?
Oh, can I also just mention that there don't seem to be any kind of coats which flatter a pregnancy shape, I've tried on SO many, and in the end I've just had to accept that they will all make me look massive. Boo. 

Stretch marks? 

Nothing so far, fingers crossed!
I'm still using NSPA oil, but this time in the shower. I find it really sinks into my skin nicely that way and i like it much more. It gives a really nice soft finish. I've just finished up using my Mama Mio Tummy rub oil, which I've really enjoyed, particularly the smell.

Sleep? 

Sleep is varied, and some nights are better than others. 
We got a new memory foam mattress this week, and you literally sink into it. It's SO comfortable but I'm finding it quite hard to get out of once I've sank into the middle... I even woke myself up sleep-talking last night saying 'I wish I could pay someone to help push me out of this bed at night'.... strange lady aren't I?

Best moment this week? 

It's got to be having some lovely cozy nights in with my husband,  and just watching Jeffy move around in my tummy together, I really am such a home bunny right now. 

Worst moment this week? 

I spent all weekend working on my 'Draw My Life' video, I had no idea what a huge project it was, and it made me so exhausted, so I was terribly grumpy! I have to admit I'm dreading how grumpy the lack of sleep will make me when little Jeffy arrives...

Miss anything? 

Being able to cuddle properly! i do miss having a proper squeeze, I'm such a cuddler. Still missing not being able to drink, I'm pretending Halloween doesn't exist this week, it's just no fun preggo! 
Oh, and getting out of bed not being a huge mission. 

Movement?

Little Jeffy-bump really is  massive mover and I love it. He's constantly squirming around, I do wonder if he ever sleeps? I know lots of people say their babies have a pattern, he doesn't really seem to have one, he just moves constantly. 
He's still loving my right rib area, particularly when I am walking along or lying down. He kicked me so hard in the ribs the other night that it actually woke me up!  Oh, he gets hiccups now too which I love :)

Food cravings? 
I haven't had any ravings as such but I have eaten a lot of cake, and then I wonder why I need to buy big preggo-pants hehe Seriously, the bigger my bum gets, the more I seem to want to eat cake, oh dear. 

Anything making you feel sick or queezy? 

Thankfully nothing.

Gender? 

We're having a little boy, and I think we have decided on a name finally!

Symptoms? 
When i filmed my update I couldn't really think of any, but now I've remembered a whole bunch of them...
Stretching pains in my lower abdomen, being tired,
I also had really bad heartburn at the beginning of the week, before I discovered the cold glass of milk
trick! 
Jeffy-bump is also starting to feel pretty heavy now.

Belly button in or out? 

Out, but sometimes when Jeffy shifts around it pops back in for a while. I miss my inny!

Happy or moody?
Happy apart from when I am over-tired. 

Looking forward to?
We have our very last scan halfway through November, I can't wait to see what Jeff's up to in there. 

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Pure Zen

The title of today's post seems appropriate, 'Pure Zen' epitomizes how I've been feeling all week long. 
Calm, content and serene. 
I'd even go as far as saying this is the best I've felt throughout my pregnancy.

It's also paying a little homage to my new lipstick love, Pure Zen by MAC. 
I find nude-toned lipsticks particularly suit my complexion, and as I've always favored a natural make-up look, they are a safe choice for me.
It may sound ridiculous, but I honestly think I was meant to own this. I popped into MAC one lunchtime specifically for this shade, and out of the thousands of lipsticks all perfectly lined up, this was the first one I reached for. 
If there was such a thing as 'lipstick destiny', I think this was it! 

Pure Zen is sightlier peachy toned version of my usual go-to, Hue. Cream Sheen formulas are my favorite offerings from MACs lipstick collection; I find them creamy upon application, long lasting and they don't tend to cause dry lips. 
I think I'll always love my nudes.  I know they aren't particularly adventurous or Autumnal as such, but anything pinky or peachy-nude and I find it terribly hard to resist. I can certainly say with confidence that this one wont be leaving my daily-make-up bag for the foreseeable future.

(Check out the dimples... I'm sure they've grown?! They seem to be looking very prominent indeed...)

I'm afraid my outfit is somewhat 'last season' this week...

Coat- Anthropoligie last winter

Spotty shirt- Urban Outfitters last summer

Jeans- Topshop maternity Leigh Jeans

I know last week, I ranted about how I was loving my autumnal nail polishes, but as you may have guessed from the above, I'm never one to shy away from a gorgeous classic nude shade and nails are certainly no exception.
Ballet Shoes by Essie being my current preference. You can't beat an autumn pastel shade, and I thought it went rather well with my coat and lipstick of choice. Although you definitely need to apply two coats to get a good color pay off, I think it's worth it, what a beautiful shade.

This week has seen me mainly tucked away in a cozy corner with a cuppa, writing the script for my 'Draw my Life' video for my youtube channel. Oh boy, has it been hard work!
It turns our condensing almost 25 years into a 10 minute into a narrative script is a terribly difficult task, which has ended up taking hours. I wish I was exaggerating, but unfortunately, I'm not.

So, I exhausted myself with that this weekend, drafting the cartoons until the early hours, and filming the final thing. I couldn't have done it without the husbands help and encouragement, he put up with a alot of preggo tantrums this weekend (you can even see a mini one at the end of my latest pregnancy update video)... Bless him, he deserves a medal.

Finally, I suppose there's no need to say really that I have been ferociously 'pinning'. Seriously, my Pinterest addiction has grown, I'm not quite sure how I'm ever getting any kind of real work done! This week I've been obsessing over my Autumn board, and have created a Wish list, Home and Beauty board too.

How have your weeks been? Have you tried Pure Zen before? Are you excited about my 'Draw my Life' video?

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Week 28 Pregnancy Update and Youtube

  

How far along? 

End of week 28

Total weight gain? 

I haven't weighed since last week when I was 56.4kg.

My midwife has started measuring bump now too, she said bumpy is on the small side of normal. 

I think they like you to measure 2cms over or under, and jeffy-bump is in the 2cm under bracket. 
I'm not sure if that's just because I'm quite small, she wasn't worried though, so neither am I. 

Maternity clothes? 

No new maternity clothes, I don't really like any of them so I'd rather save money for some 'new mummy' treats when I am skinny again. Although, I desperately need to go and pick up some preggo-pants, sadly my bum has grown and so has bump. Normal pants just aren't acceptable right now! 
I did get my hospital gown though, ahhh! I can't believe getting to that time when I need to start thinking about packing the hospital bags. 
I'm also really struggling to find a winter coat. I don't want to buy a maternity one, but everything I've tried is so unflattering for bumpy and I. Any suggestions are very welcome.

Stretch marks? 

Not yet, I'm using NSPA oil now and I don't really like it, I miss my Mama Mio Tummy Rub Butter but it's a little pricey. 
I'm on the search for a more purse friendly one that I liked the smell of. 

Sleep? 

Rolling over in the night has become really painful, sometimes it even makes me yelp.
I wake up to go to the bathroom a lot still. So not too wonderful, but okay. 

Best moment this week? 
There are a few...

All Jeffy's movement, he sure is a feisty little thing. I'm wondering if he's going to be such a wiggly worm on the outside world?! I think I'm going to have trouble on my hands when he arrives! 

The comments I received on my latest Youtube channel were so lovely and overwhelming  I feel so lucky to have such supportive followers, massive thank you so much to each and every one of you. I've loved sharing this journey with you so far.  

Stef and I went out for dinner and drinks on Saturday night, it was so nice to have a little snippet of our 'old life' hehe. 

Oh, this might sound strange, but other people's babies arriving, Sofia from Sofia's Journal
and Amy from Amy Antoinette. It's made me feel so happy and excited for them, and I felt a little emotional too!  
One of my favourite pregnant blogging ladies Lucie, was also told her baby is very likely to arrive in the next couple of weeks, I'm ridiculously excited for her!
Frankie from the Saturdays finally had her little boy too, she announced her pregnancy the day I found out I was pregnant, so I've always been interested in her pregnancy. I can't wait to see a photo of her little chap! 

Worst moment this week? 

I don't think I have one really.

Miss anything? 

Going for runs and being able to drink more than one glass of wine. I thought I didn't miss it but I really do! 

Movement?

Movement has been insane!! He's managed to find his way to my right rib now, and he feels really strong. 
He's also been getting hiccups and has had them about 5 or 6 times now. It was such a strange sensation the first time it happened, and when I realised what it was, it made me smile :) I do feel sorry for him though because they go on for a good 15-20 minutes sometimes.

Food cravings? 

Still just chocolate, I always need my daily fix. Hot chocolate has actually been on the agenda a lot this week, Starbucks signature hot chocolates are the best. I also discovered that a milk throffer is my new favourite kitchen appliance for home made hot chocolate. 

Anything making you feel sick or queezy? 

Just my heartburn.

Gender? 

A little boy. I have gone a little crazy with my baby boy inspiration board on Pinterest. 

Symptoms? 

Bad heart burn, sometimes it completely kills my appetite, which is strange because I'm still hungry when I actually eat, I just don't feel hungry. 

And as I mentioned before , the pelvic pain at night, I think this is due to the pressure on my hips and pelvis.  

Belly button in or out? 

Mostly out but it has popped back in more than once this week, I think he must be curled up around it when that happens. 

Happy or moody?

Generally happy, a tad hormonal. 

Looking forward to?

Stefan ordered some practical baby bits this week so I'm looking forward to receiving those, it makes everything feel very real and imminent! 

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Vixen | Autumn Chat

Hot chocolate, chunky knits, and the earthy smell of fallen leaves in the park.
Autumn has finally arrived, and is without a doubt my favourite time of year. For some reason it just makes me feel really nostalgic, and seems to be the season for reflection. As Mr. Fitzgerald beautifully phrases it, 'life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall'.

Autumn certainly is a time to get cosy, I think that's probably why it's my favourite season.
I've been such a home-bunny recently, and that's probably a lot to do with being pregnant. I honestly think it's the perfect season to be pregnant!
I'm really enjoying evenings in, accompanied by a cup of tea, a few scented candles,  and a cuddles with the husband. 
Stefan and I have gradually been getting more and more prepared for Mr.jeffy-bumps' arrival too. We've ordered a gorgeous little baby bouncer and have agreed it's almost time to order and pick up his pushchair. I've been going completely crazy over on my Pinterest, on Friday I spent about 6 hours obsessively pinning baby related photos. It's getting a little out of hand, I may need an intervention soon!

In terms of beauty, Autumn also means I can start wearing all my favourite nail shades again. I have always preferred darker polishes, particularly of the deep berry colour (although I am always partial to a nude/french manicure shade too). In fact, I'm sure my nail varnish collection is pretty much all sorts of variations of the same colour!
Vixen, a dark vampy plum shade by Revlon, has made a welcome appearance on my nails over the last couple of weeks. It's very similar to OPI 'Vampire State Building', which I think they discontinued. You'll be happy to know it's rather purse friendly too, at just under £5. You'll definitely need a base coat, and a couple of coats of Vixen to get a lovely opaque look. The consistency is quite watery, but as I said, a couple of coats and you're good to go! Instant Autumnal-ness (is that a word?!)

I've been such a happy little preggo this weekend (it makes a change!), so we've managed to pack a few activities in. Trust me when I say, I am most definitely appreciating having the time and energy to do all these things now, from grabbing a hot chocolate on a walk, (you'll see a little more of that in my most recent pregnancy vlog), to going out out for dinner, or finding a spare couple of hours to do a spot of home baking.  
I'll admit, I'm rather exhausted now, but it's was worth it! 
People keep telling me how much things will change when little Jeffy comes along, so I almost feel like these last couple of months are a strange in-between limbo-type stage. We know how different our lifestyle is going to be soon, and we're just waiting for it to happen.

Sunglasses: H&M

Scarf: Zara 

Cardigan: Urban Outfitters (a couple of seasons ago)

Top: Topshop (a couple of seasons ago)

Jeans: Topshops Maternity

Boots: Topshop

On Saturday night I took Stefan out for a belated birthday-man dinner at Sketch a gorgeous restaurant just off Oxford street. We really enjoyed our little date, it was such an artsy, eclectic atmosphere.

In fact, we liked it there so much, that we've decided it should be our first proper date alone together after Jeffy is born. 
I must say I'm looking forward to being able to drink and making my way through the cocktail menu!

Anyway, I hope you've all had a lovely weekend too.
What are your favourite things about Autumn? Do you enjoy a berry-nail shade at this time of year? 

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Week 27 Pregnancy Update and Youtube

  

How far along? 

End of week 27. My update for the end of week 26 was a complete lost cause, sorry about that!

Total weight gain? 

I used to be 47kg, now I am 56.4kg, I think that's nearly 2 stone! Eep, and we're only just hitting third trimester.

Maternity clothes? 

Nothing new, although maternity pants are now on my wishlist, mine are so uncomfortable. I never really understood the need for these before now! I would also quite like some preggo pjs, there's a polka dot pair in Topshop I have my eye on.

Stretch marks? 

I'm not sure... I think I might have one above my belly button but I can't work out if it's just the linea nigra... I'm trying to pretend it's not there.

Sleep? 

Sleep is okay, it really hurts my hips to roll over, and I'm still getting up for bathroom visits quite a lot, but other than that it's fine. I haven't had any crazy preggo dreams for a while though...

Best moment this week? 

Hitting the 3rd trimester mark, fewf! The final stretch now. Somehow it feels like such a relief?! Anyone else get that? Now I'm like 'I can do this!!'.

Miss anything? 

I know I shouldn't say it, but I'm missing my old body now, and being able to go running. Oh, and when bending over wasn't such a massive effort.

Movement?

Movement has definitely changed, little Jeffy is doing bigger stronger movements, sometimes they are quite painful. He's so active all the time, I still really love feeling movement from him, it's got to be the best part about being pregnant.

Food cravings? 

Still chocolate, massively, I can't go a day without it.

Anything making you feel sick or queezy? 

no, nothing.

Gender? 

A boy.

Symptoms? 

My hips hurt a lot more now when I roll over in bed, and I've been getting some really bad heartburn.

Belly button in or out? 

Out!! 

Happy or moody?
 Either super happy or I want to kill someone/cry all day long. I'm all over the place!

Looking forward to? 
Getting the rest of Jeffys things sorted out and learning how to use the pushchair, bottle-warmer etc

Muriel's Kitchen

 

 

On Friday night, the ladies and I agreed it was about time for a little catch up. 
After deciding that our evening should consist of a dinner, wine & cake combo (wine for the girls, cake for me), we ended up in a lovely little place called Muriel's Kitchen.

We were gladly welcomed in from the rain and seated our soggy selves in a rather unusual spot, with pastel coloured chairs that hung from the ceiling and resembled swings. 
Perfect for preggo little me, very comfortable indeed. 

The inside of Muriel's is honestly every girls heaven as far as home interior goes. It's shabby chic all the way, it looks like something straight out of Pinterest.
Lovely little bird-cage lampshades hung above us, scented candles on our table, homemade cakes and a kitchen clock in the shape of a dog, that wagged it's tail with each tic!
I know I wish my kitchen looked like this (I'm sure I'd be a better cook if it did...). I don't think we could have picked a more perfect place for a cosey (sober) girls night.

Now, although I wouldn't particularly recommend the food (although please bear in mind that perhaps I am a little fussy at the moment),  it was a lovely girly hang out. We ended up staying for a good few hours chatting men, babies and life, over giant pieces of red velvet and fresh berry cakes. 

I'd definitely say it's worth nipping in for a coffee & slice of home made cake, or a glass of wine. 

Week 25 Pregnancy Update and Youtube

Hey guys, 

sorry this is such a late update, I should have done week 26 by now too, oops! Oh, and sorry for the lack of photo (you can see bumpy in the video though), I always use photos from my phone and sadly it got pinched a couple of days ago. 

Anyway, I've decided to learn how to use my proper camera for blog photos from now on, just bear with me!

I'll get on with the update... 

How far along? 

End of week 25.

Total weight gain? 

Just over a stone, yikes. It's hard to show through a photo, but I feel huge, like I've swallowed a basket ball or something! 

Maternity clothes? 

Nothing new, I'm trying to get away with maternity jeans and stretchy tops for as long as I can.

Stretch marks? 

Nothing yet, I've been religiously applying all sorts of oils and creams so fingers crossed it's helping my skin to stay stretchy! 

Sleep? 

Sleep has been interrupted as my back ache gets worse and swapping sides gets more painful. I also have to shuffle around my 3 pillows wedged in various places and about 3 or 4 bathroom trips a night. 

Best moment this week? 

When stef and I were cuddled up on the sofa and little jeffy started going crazy in there, Stef thinks he felt a finger haha 

Worst moment this week? 

I woke up with a horrible cold and not being able to take medicine when your ill is really not fun, honey and lemon sucks! 

Miss anything? 

I made a cake this week and realised that I couldn't devour any of the cake mix or lick the bowl because of the raw egg... Boo!! It was very upsetting and felt like suh a waste of good cake mix haha 

Movement?

Movement is constant, and very strong, I can now even feel him when I am walking along which is very strange and when I'm riding on Stefs Vespa. 

Food cravings? 

I just want to eat everything if I'm honest, I'm starving all the time. 

Anything making you feel sick or queezy? 

Nope! 

Gender? 

A boy.

Symptoms? 

The main one this week has got to be back ache, it's starting to become more of a problem and I just can't get comfortable :( there's just no way!! I think I need a preggo back massage soon, they're just so expensive! 

Belly button in or out? 

Erm, in and out!! Depending in what jeffy is up to at the time! 

Happy or moody?

Happy. 

Looking forward to?

We booked a private antenatal class in North London, it isn't until December but I'm still looking forward to it! I'm so pleased it includes first aid for infants too.