25 Weeks: Christmas fizzy, let's get dizzy!

Wooooooh! It's been a busy few weeks for mummy with "Christmas" taking over from *my blogging needs*. What do I have to do to get noticed round here?!

She and daddy have *again* been hogging the laptops to do things like "online shopping" (mummy said she'd also try some "on-land" shopping, to be a bit retro), and to be fair, they've been super-busy because both their own mummies weren't very well, so they've been travelling up and down a lot and they've been very tired and stressed with that and work.

In the end, mummy and daddy decided to spend a quiet Christmas at home, just the two of them - as mummy said it'll be their last quiet one "forever". So they spoilt each other rotten, as of course *I* will be the centre of every Christmas from now on (oh yeah!)

I say "quiet", but daddy got mummy a silver pendant which chimes. The idea is that I hear the noises now and then when I'm borned and upset, mummy can swing the chimes near me or my cot and I'll calm down. Dunno about that, as I'll probably just want food, sleep or my nappy changing and no amount of jingly bells are gonna make a difference till I get what I want, but they *do* sound pretty and mummy loves the pendant, so there you go. Hippies!

As one of her Christmas pressies, Grandma B did a lovely book for mummy, all about her memories: http://is.gd/5ELBo .

Mummy said it was so beautiful it made her cry a bit (mind you, she's crying quite a lot these days - hormones!) I can't wait to be able to read it all by myself, or even better, have Grandma read it to me!

Mummy felt very naughty as she had TWO glasses of champagne on Christmas Day. She says 'baby loves bubbles!' If her friends ask if she's had any cravings, she usually says, "No, just for alcohol". One said, "That's not cravings, that's withdrawal...!" and they laughed. There are so many views on how much you can/can't drink, but mummy is sensible and reckoned with the amount of food she'd eaten that day, I'd be OK.

And how much food! 4 yummy courses including mushroom soup, roast sea bass, roast and mashed veg, chocolate pudding and tonnes of tasty cheeses!!! I actually felt too squashed to move around until *much* later, so I simply went for my late night boogie when mummy was in bed, and made her feel a bit sick...oops!

Talking of dancing, daddy has set up the brand new "Wii Sports+" Grandpa and Grandma B got them for Christmas. Mummy has ditched the gym membership to save money and this way she'll be able to keep fit at home whilst I'm there to watch, and laugh at, her :)

All was going well on Boxing Day, until she decided to show off to daddy on the Boxing game (he laughed that she looked like "a violent squirrel" and said something about YouTube - but she just gave him "the look" she's practising for me, so he stopped) and then suddenly I got sooooo dizzy, I had no idea what was going on. Turns out she'd had a go at the Hula Hooping game. Twice! Maybe she was getting me back for my late night antics, but all I'm saying is if she tries doing that when I'm borned, I'll be sick on her...

I'm not sure why mummy's trying to tone up anyway. She's still wearing her normal clothes, Daddy says she's still beautiful to him (what a charmer, eh?!), her friends say I'm 'neat' and 'tiny' and her two maternity dresses are still too big for her. But I'm going to make her a LOT bigger yet over the next 6 weeks' and she wants to be strong enough to carry me - she's starting to feel really tired with that extra weight - she's already put on nearly a stone - pretty much all on her bump and boobs! - and is terrified of stretch marks, so is rubbing the BioOil on daily.

She's also been getting pains around her groin as the joints relax and bones start to move around ready for my debut. It was making her waddle a bit, like a duck (I thought it was quite soothing being rocked about like that, actually!), so her doctor sent her for physio. Her Wii sessions are also aimed at helping make that better.

Mummy was laughing when they had to weigh themselves on the Wii as even though she's 6 months pregnant, she came up as 'normal weight' and daddy was 'overweight' (he's not fat, he's big-boned!). Then 5 days later when she had another go, she'd put on a pound over Christmas, which tipped her into 'overweight' too. The Wii machine doesn't have an option for pregnancy, so the only thing she can do is to put her target weight as another 6 pounds heavier. The Wii is saying "Well done! You are on your way to achieving your goal!". It must be a very confused computer, cheering her on for getting "fatter"!

She's also getting backache more regularly (sorry, mummy!) so she's looking forward to her course of pregnancy massages with a lovely lady called Mari, and then will be writing about them on www.gurgle.com. More about that when it happens - I can't wait, either!

Today mummy has been taking it a bit easier, but I've been missing the Wii, so I've been doing some crazy somersaults instead! Mummy said it's like her stomach is flipping on a fairground ride. Sounds like fun, huh?!

I'm going to go now - I have to gear up for more breakdancing when mummy goes to bed...

See you in about 14 weeks...!

Lxxx

22 weeks: Having a kickabout...

Hello again!

Sorry I haven't been blogging in the last 6 weeks. Mum & Dad keep hogging the computer for 'researching' (whatever that means) things like "travel systems", "sleep systems" and they are already thinking of getting shut of me as they are looking at nurseries (tch!). Mummy felt a bit weird doing that before I was born, but you have to start looking in the 2nd trimester (3-6 months) as places in London get snapped up. They've only looked at one so far, but they seem pleased enough that I'll be happy there, although they aim to look at more.

So I'm growing bigger every week (the length of a banana now, crown to rump says Daddy's iPhone app!) , although everyone still says mummy's bump is 'neat', and she doesn't always get a seat on the tube unless she huffs a bit and pushes her belly out. She's started pregnancy yoga too in the last few weeks. We both find it boring, but it's meant to be good for us. I don't mind, I just get to lie about whilst she has to make funny noises. Weird! (Daddy calls it "Boga" - short for "Baby Yoga" - I think he's going to be my comedy role model :)).

The main big news last week (week 21) is that we went to hostipal (as I think it's called) for our 20 week scan and mummy and daddy got to see how big I've growed! So big, that they didn't manage to get a good picture of me this time - mummy said I just looked "like a big blob" - the cheek! Daddy reminded her that I seemed healthy and that was the main thing - you tell her, pops!

The hostipal lady said I was developing well, but "a bit smaller than usual". Mummy shrugged and said "Oh well, so am I!" Grandma B later told her that Asian babies tend to be smaller than Causcasian ones anyway, so she was right not to worry. Daddy's turn to be cheeky - he said "Oh! So we're having a short-arse then are we?!" Like he's Mr. Tall...I'm going to have to watch these two...!

The lady kept prodding and jiggling me to make me turn around for the photos, but she was annoying me, so I turned away to face mummy's spine. Ha! The lady then said I must be a shy baby - mummy and daddy both laughed, "Don't know where they get that from!" and "No child of ours, then!" but they know really it's because I'm *exactly* their 'bubs' that I have a mind of my own and can be a stubborn little b*gger when I want to be...

They got a quick peek at my face and mummy gasped, "He's got your nose!". Daddy smiled, "He's got your mouth!". They call me a "he" as mummy's convinced I'm a boy, although Daddy has recently started to imagine I'm a girl. They've chosen to leave it till they meet me in person to find out. Mummy says she hates baby blue and pink anyway ("twee") so her logic is if no-one knows in advance, they hopefully won't get bought much of it! Mummy wants to dress me in white and cream (and bright, funky stuff). Daddy says that she just wants me to co-ordinate with their home. He might be right! :)

Daddy jokes that I'm going to be a perfect child, well-behaved, sitting quietly in the corner: but mummy said that sounds boring and if I'm anything like them, I'll be a mischievous little scamp but I'll get away with murder, as I'll be cute and cheeky with it. (And when I'm older, I'll be charming, just like Grandpa B!). I reckon mummy's vision sounds *so* much more fun...!

Talking of fun, I've been having lots of it, trying out my increasing strength by punching and kicking mummy's tummy. She's funny - sometimes she pushes back to let me know she's there - like a game! Or she'll talk or sing to me to try and get me to move more.

Mummy noticed I have definite sleep cycles - I start getting active around 11pm-1am, but then I'm all sleepy in the morning and don't start stirring again till about 10am when she's at work, and I'm feeling a bit peckish. I'm a night owl, just like her then! I also appear to go nuts when she has something sweet to eat (sugar ruuuuuush...!) and I like a dance to fast, pounding music - in the last couple of weeks, I have had a boogie to the club scene in Spaced, a disco scene in Sex and the City and the other day, to 6 Music. Mummy is proud that I appear to be developing cool music tastes.

Over the last 3 weeks, daddy kept trying to feel when I kicked, and also kept talking to me to encourage me. (Mummy loves his little chats to her tummy, they are so sweet and loving). Anyway, Mummy and I couldn't believe he couldn't feel it - I was trying SO HARD to say hello! So finally this morning (3/12/09), I thought I'd wake earlier than usual to greet him and he felt a little kick for the first time!!!

He didn't want to get out of bed and leave us after that!

Pics to follow later, mummy's trying to choose one that makes me "look least like a blob". (I'm going to get her back when I'm borned - perhaps a wee on her clothes?)

See you in about 18 weeks!

Little 'L' xxx

16 weeks: The big Swine Flu question, a check-up and going BONKERS

It's all kicking off...!

Mummy went to the docs on Tuesday as a guy at work was diagnosed with swine flu on Monday, so she thought she'd rather be safe. She supposedly had it herself in June, after a trip to Ibiza, but without actually being seen by a doc (an over-the-phone diagnosis) and a course of Tamiflu later, she wasn't 100% sure she'd actually had it, nor if she was therefore immune.

Her doctor is a woman with 2 young children herself, so she trusts her judgement. Dr Hearne said that the NHS recommended she have the jab...but between these 4 walls (and this blog - shh!) if she was pregnant, she wouldn't have it herself. In her opinion, it hadn't been tested, and she believed in staying healthy, keeping the defences strong and the body healing itself.

Basically, she said, it was up to Mummy. What a dilemma! She has decided to not have the jab, with some trepidation, but she realised this would be a dilemma all her life now...wondering at every stage if the right decision had been made for me.

She IS a worrier though. Being 39, she knows she's very lucky to have conceived so quickly, that this may be her one baby, and is concerned things continue smoothly...

Anyway, more medical stuff: Mummy and Daddy went to the hospital on Wednesday for a routine 16-week check up.

Mummy was concerned that her blood pressure was going to be high as they'd rushed like demons to get there...only to have to wait one and a half HOURS, with no one keeping them updated. Would it hurt to have told them not to rush, when they eventually answered the phone and Mummy was panicking, saying they might be 5 mins late as they were stuck in traffic?

Anyway, by the time they got seen, Mummy was resigned to waiting, if not exactly calm. But her blood pressure was surprisingly fine, and the results of her blood tests were all good (great news to Mummy as she feels in the last couple of weeks, she's been too tired to always eat *that* healthily and she's rather giving into her sweet tooth a lot, as "baby loves chocolate"! But Daddy said that they still ate pretty healthily compared to most people and Mummy has to cut herself some slack).

Mummy did ask about her daily afternoon headaches though. Apparently headaches are quite common in pregnant women, and you can take the occasional painkiller (check the packet), but Mummy prefers not to take drugs if she can avoid them.

The midwife asked about her diet: cup of milk in the morning with her multivitamin/folic acid tablet (using up her Boots 3-for-2 tablets still!), fruit for breakfast when she gets into work - lovingly prepared by Daddy - an elevenses bit of fruit loaf, then healthy lunch and dinner, and milk at night. Midwife advised to add a mid-afternoon snack (e.g. rice cakes) and drink more water. (At time of writing, it has helped :))

Other than that, whatever she was doing, she was to keep doing it!

Mummy and Daddy then asked if they could listen to my heartbeat. Mummy can't feel me moving at all yet (she knows it's early, she just can't wait!), so I think she just wanted reassuring that I was still OK. They heard me kicking about quite vigorously... perhaps the adrenaline from the earlier stress?! Or maybe I was getting excited (like Mummy) about the Dizzee Rascal gig the next day...I've no idea who he is, but she keeps singing his songs to me!

Daddy tried to record the sounds on his iPhone, but it caused crackly interference so the midwife told him to move away. Sweet, how he's so excited though!

__________

Thursday's gig was great fun. Mummy mentioned her pregnancy to the security lady with the hope of swapping her standing tickets for a seated one, but she got even better treatment and got guided to the disabled area: great view, loads of room to dance, AND chairs.

Not that she used them. Lots of loud noise and 'pounding bass lines' got Mummy bouncing up and down and whooping excitedly - it seemed like she had a great time, anyway! She said something to Daddy about wanting to "use Bonkers as a lullaby" (whatever that means) when I am born.

Mummy also said that if she got this VIP treatment, she was going to book lots of gigs and 'work this pregnancy'! Her friend Ella had said that she couldn't bear gigs when she was pregnant as she couldn't drink, but Mummy's take is that if she avoided places because of others drinking, she'd never go anywhere. She says going to pack in as much as she can before I'm born and she's too tired - and poor! - to go anywhere.

I have no idea what she means though, because of course, I am going to be a model child and sleep all night ... :)

15 weeks: I can heeeear you!

Me again!

So now my ears are working, mum told dad she's not going to swear any more, not even under her breath, when the horrible nasty commuters on the tube are rude and mean and jostle her and don't give her a seat.

Still, she's only just beginning to 'show' and to be honest, there are lots of people with bigger bellies just walking down the street who are not pregnant, so she's not expecting much chivalry at the moment! She notices people glance at her belly for a second, and then look away, as if they have tried to assess if she's pregnant or has a wine belly, decided it will be too embarrassing if they are wrong.

I'm very excited as tonight I'm going to another gig, this time for two bands called White Lies and Bombay Bicycle Club, where mummy's friend Christiana has managed to get them guestlist. Hurray! I'm already working the VIP lists!

And Dizzee Rascal on Thursday...which mummy is very excited about. :)

Daddy talks to me through mum's tummy now. But I'm still waiting for my playlist of cool music to be done - they've been too busy going to things like the Baby Show at Earls Court to research the frankly mind-boggling world of 'travel systems' and 'sleep systems' - two phrases mum said she'd never uttered in her life before. Dad just grumbled about the cost and wondered when they stopped being 'pushchairs' and 'cots'.

He did have to laugh at mum. She was being all airy-fairy and idealistic - she wanted to just carry me in a papoose and not deal with any form of wheels at all until I could walk...Then they got side-tracked by the demonstrators at the show and now she wants one of the more expensive brands as it's so beautifully designed. And *I'm* meant to be the sucker?!

I can suck my thumb now! And apparently I'm the size of an avocado. Mum yelped when dad read the bit from his iPhone app (they're very up on their tech stuff - they've not bothered with pregnancy books, just getting their info digitally, mainly!!!) that said these measurements they give you are 'crown to rump' - so if you stretched me out I'd be almost double that!

But back to the music. I'm going to throw this question to you, dear reader, for some cool, ambient, chill-out-style music.

Apparently if I listen to it in the womb, it will send me back there and calm me down if I'm fretful once I'm born...

Suggestions will be music to my newly-working ears!

13 weeks: Little L's very first blog post

Well hello, world!

I'm actually not even *borned* yet and already blogging, so goodness knows what I'll be like when I can hit the keys for myself.

In the meantime, my slightly-in-shock (they didn't expect me so soon...) but proud parents-to-be, S and A, are going to be blogging on my e-half.

See? Still in the womb and already a) delegating efficiently (do I get that from mum?) and b) making bad techy jokes (deffo a skill from dad).

Anyway, this post is 6 days late, as they've been too busy to set this up till now - tch! - but it's my very own blog, so I can update family and friends on my news as I get older.

I'm using 'Little L' as whether I'm a boy or girl will remain a mystery until I'm born next April, but my name will definitely start with an L (also not to be revealed till I'm born...)

I'll probably not post too much whilst I'm in mum's tum as it's pretty quiet in here. Except when she goes to gigs - thanks to her, my first gig was Massive Attack - which is apparently a good thing. Although dad reminded her she did take me to the World Air Guitar Championships before she knew I existed. They're hoping this "ironic evening" will not affect my musical tastes. To make sure, they are preparing a suitably cool playlist for me to listen to from the belly as my hearing kicks in at 16 weeks, but I thought you might be interested in the first photo of me at 12 weeks (22/09/09), apparently going for a walk...

I already have dad's profile, mum said. And his appetite. Dad wants my first words to be "Nom!" (as in the sound he makes when he likes his food "Nom, nom, nom!"), although that made mum purse her lips and raise her eyebrows. I think she told him they teach that at mum-school.

Anyway: here's the pic. Till next time...