Author: Deborah

Barry M Quick Dry in Pit Stop (grey)

Sunday sounds like a good day for some positivity. I’m not very good at finding the positives of the day or having a gratitude journal, but I’m sure I could come up with three good things that have happened each week. So I thought I’d share these on my blog.

This week was my first full week back at work since I was off sick. It’s been tough but Justin Timberlake’s new single has got me through it. I keep putting it on when stress is kicking in and have a bit of a boogie in my chair. I can’t be the only one who chair dances, right?

Lunchtime reading

  1. When the sun stays out long enough to have lunch outside. On Monday the weather was lovely and I found a bench outside my work to have my lunch on, read my kindle and get some much needed vitamin d.
  2. Barry M Speedy quick dry nail polishes. Oh my goodness these are my new favourite thing. I decluttered my nail varnish collection recently but I still don’t find the time to do my nails. I always want to do them when I’m on my way out of the door. I picked up Pit Stop, which is a pale grey, and applied it with a couple of minutes left before rushing out the door to work. And it survived! So these polishes are now my go to for most occasions. They’re also really easy to get off too.
  3. I have wallpaper in my living room finally! As it’s a new build property we had to wait for the walls to dry out, but it’s been another 6 months to decide on the wallpaper and then bribe someone to come round and put it up. I love it! It’s from Laura Ashley and they have matching cushions which I’m tempted to get. My home is becoming more homely and it makes me happy.

Laura Ashley Willow wallpaper in the living room

What’s been making you feel happy and positive this week?

Author: Deborah

20 weeks pregnant

I can’t believe I am half way! It feels like only yesterday that I was counting down the days of the first trimester wondering why time was going so slowly. I’m actually beginning to panic now, baby will be here in no time and there’s so much I want to get done around the house. You can see all the things I want to do in my pre-baby bucket list.

19 weeks pregnant

At the start of 19 weeks I decided to start a YouTube channel to talk about my pregnancy journey. It gave me something to focus on and it meant I could talk about some of the items that aren’t easy to take photos of – baby clothes without the model for example! Here’s my 19 weeks pregnancy update video if you want to have a look.

Something that became more apparent as the week went on was that I can’t sit for very long in certain positions. Sitting up in bed lying against cushions is out of the question. When we had that really lovely hot weather here in the UK, we set up a blanket and lots of cushions against our wall in the garden. I positioned myself there with sunglasses, a hat and two books, but sitting back against the cushions was causing me a lot of pain. It was getting sharp pain just to the right of my tailbone. I’ve spoken about pain in my coccyx before during the second trimester but this is a little bit different. This is only sharp when I move between positions and then it goes away. I did notice it happening while walking the other day, so I really hope it isn’t going to turn into something worse. When I go for my 25 week midwife appointment (which feels like ages away) I’ll discuss it then.

19 weeks was the end of my sick leave too. I started to feel anxious about going back to work in case the headaches started again. I felt lucky that for the last few days the headaches disappeared completely. I don’t know if the pregnancy hormones just settled or it was because I was actually relaxed. I’d spent the time off giving myself the time to do the things I enjoy doing that I usually don’t have the energy to do after a day at work. I baked, I read books, I crocheted and I got outside for walks. Sometimes you don’t realise how badly stress can affect you until you have a break. Heading back into work I’m definitely going to try and carve time away to do those things. I think Simon had missed the baking! Or at least MY baking; my mum made lots of cake for us in my first trimester.

20 weeks pregnant

20 weeks pregnant

On Friday we had our 20 week anomaly scan at the local birthing centre. It was magical to see baby jiggling around in there. We saw it yawn and got to see close ups of it’s little feet and hands. It’s a long scan as they go through all the anatomy to make sure everything is growing as it should. She talked us through everything she was looking at but some things just looked like a blob. We didn’t find out the gender and I’m so glad we didn’t. I think I really want it to be a surprise.

Baby is growing well and is healthy but my placenta is a little low. It’s not blocking the exit but it’s lower than they’d like so I have to go back for a scan at 34 weeks to check it’s moved. They said it’s usually moved by then in 9/10 women so I shouldn’t worry.

I went back to work on Wednesday and the headaches are back! I went to the opticians to check it wasn’t my glasses and they said as they are in my neck it’s most likely stress causing them as well as the pregnancy hormones. So that’s fun.

I’ve also filmed a 20 weeks pregnancy update which features a hypnotherapy book a friend sent me and all the updates from this week.

This week

Baby is now the size of a – Banana.

My favourite moment was – Seeing baby wiggle on the ultrasound scan.

My worst moment was – Headaches!!

I’ve been feeling – pretty good when I don’t have a headache. I’m beginning to feel little popping feelings from baby moving.

I’ve been buying for baby – Nothing, I’ve been good!

I’m missing – Pate. Why do I want pate? I hardly ever eat it.

I’m craving – Carbs!

I’m looking forward to – Starting my ante natal yoga class soon.

Author: Deborah

Astilbe container flowers

The weather was glorious a couple of weeks back and we spent a lot of times lying on a picnic blanket in the garden with cushions propped up against the wall. It was uncomfortable but the sun was beating down and it was too good to miss out. With summer coming soon, whether we get any heat or sun at all, I really want to get more use out of the garden.

Our garden is plain and empty. Last year we seeded the grass and put more slabs down to make the most of the garden, but we didn’t use it as much as I wanted. I found the picnic bench that my stepdad made great for eating dinner on but not so good for relaxing.

We popped to out to get some sun loungers to chill out on when the sun is beaming down. These ones are perfect for sitting up and sipping water (no Pimms for me this year!) or reading, or putting them flat for a bit of a nap.

Astilbe planted container

We picked up two astilbe plants in containers from Homebase as they are the perfect hight for propping the kitchen doors open. If I kill off the astilbe I’m going to replace it with lavender. They sit either sides of the doors when closed so it perfectly frames them.

I’ve planted some geraniums in a pot that had failed salad in it – you can see them sneaking into the photo above. I’m a plant killer and the label on the geraniums said they didn’t need much water so they sounded perfect for my not-so-green-fingers. Hopefully they’ll be flowering soon with pink and lilac flowers.

Simon bought some saxifrage and bacopa which have small flowers and he’s planted them where there’s a gap between the path and the fence raised up. It was growing grass in it but hopefully these little plants will take over. Why do flowers have such bizarre names? I just call them the ones with the tiny flowers.

Saxifrage flowers in garden

I’m trying to bring some colour to the garden but it’s a long process. I want to sew some bench seats and a tablecloth for the picnic bench. I may screw that up completely as I have no idea how to sew properly.

I’m going to put some wildflower seeds down to attract the bees and butterflies to the garden. The mix looks like it has lots of different colours so I think it will be really pretty. I want the garden to be inviting and somewhere that next summer with the baby we can really enjoy.

What have you been doing to get your garden or outside space ready for the summer?

Author: Deborah

and then there were three

Years ago I wrote a 30 before 30 list and I haven’t even got half way through completing it. There are a few things on the list that I have to strike through now I’m pregnant as they aren’t possible, and you know what, I don’t care.

Just because I hit 30 this year doesn’t mean I can’t do the things that are on the list afterwards. 30 isn’t a blocker, there’s nothing on the list that I’d be too old to do or I won’t be allowed to do just because I’m older. Saying that, there are a few things I want to do before the baby comes along, because unlike gaining a year, a baby’s going to change everything.

Things to do before baby arrives…

  1. Decorate the living room, nursery and gardens
    While we have a bit more time on our hands I really want to get the house sorted. We moved into our new building 18 months or so ago and there’s still magnolia walls and just grass in the garden. Actually, the front garden does have plants (planted by the developer) but there’s also weeds and grass overgrown there too. It looks horrible and I’m embarrassed that it’s outside our house.
  2. Go on a babymoon
    I loved our honeymoon so much and I really want to get another holiday in before baby arrives.
  3. Afternoon tea
    I’ve never been out for a proper afternoon tea and I’d love to experience one.
  4. Sunday morning lie ins
    They aren’t going to happen afterwards are they?
  5. Go to the cinema
    We hardly ever go to the cinema. I can’t remember the last time we went or what we saw. It was possibly a couple of years ago. I see a trailer and think, yep, lets go see that. But it just never happens. So we’re going to make it happen at least once before my due date. Although I think I’ll need an aisle seat, I don’t know if my bladder will hold for the length of movies nowadays!

Do you have a bucket list of sorts?

Author: Deborah

One thing I love about my bullet journal is that I don’t have to be consistent. I can do whatever I like in it and it doesn’t matter. I’m not restricted to a certain format like with a normal diary or a filofax with the proper insert. I can change things up on a weekly or daily basis if I want and skip wholes weeks out completely.

I want to share with you a few of the layouts I’ve been playing around with recently and some of the lists and collections I’ve been creating. I really use it for whatever I need to note down instead of using multiple other notebooks or bits of paper.

Monthlies

Bullet Journal monthly may

Bullet Journal monthly budget

Daillies

As I’ve been skipping days recently I haven’t done a weekly spread in awhile. And some days even turn into a combination like below where I have Friday and the weekend because why the hell not! I’ve also been keeping track of my pregnancy each week so I can make notes of how I’ve been feeling or what we’ve done/bought that week.

bullet journal dailies

bullet journal dailies

Collections

Collections for me are pages where I can dump just about anything. We’re trying to decorate and buy bits for the house, so I have a list of measurements for parts of different rooms. It makes sense to have them all in one place and I just take this photo with me on a trip to IKEA or wherever.

Brain dump to do list

bullet journal measurements collection

bullet journal collection days out

What hasn’t worked

Expenses! I just don’t enter them. So I’ve downloaded an app called Toshl, which I’ve used previously, and I’m now trying to enter everything on there. I can categorise my spending and use tags, so I can keep track on what type of things I’m spending too much on (food usually). As you can see above on my May monthly spread I’ve included a budget table which has some of the categories listed. I’ve added a budget to each and then I can use Toshl to add them up at the end of the month.

I’ve been using my bullet journal for 5 months now and I really like the flexibility it gives me. I wavered the other day thinking about an A5 filofax but I’m not going to invest in one while my buju is going strong.

Author: Deborah

Pregnancy Blog Intro for 19 weeks pregnancy update video

I am blogging fortnightly pregnancy updates but I decided to create a video for my 19 weeks pregnancy update. I never ever thought I’d get my face in front of a camera talking, and I’m still thinking what the hell am I doing?! But it’s hard to take photos of muslins and baby clothes so I thought, what the heck, lets film it.

It’s not the first time I’ve been in front of the camera. In one of my old jobs they made me do a video about the latest (at the time) phone on the market. And they also asked me to do a video about learning a bit of sign language to help a customer. I vowed then never to be coerced into filming again. I love video though. I’m always watching YouTube and it’s one of my favourite things to do in my day job.

I cringed majorly while editing it; your voice never sounds like it does in your head, right? I spent more time doing the little intro. I started by doodling baby items while sitting outside in the gorgeous sunshine. Hubby then scanned them in to the computer and taught me how to vector over them in photoshop. It was actually quite fun learning how to do different things in photoshop and finding out what some of the tools do.

Let me know what you think and please subscribe – I’ll give internet cookies!

Author: Deborah

Bump shot at 18 weeks pregnant

I am now well and truly in the second trimester and a little bump is starting to appear (alongside some food baby too – although I hadn’t really eaten much the day this photo was taken). Heres an updated from 14 to 18 weeks of my pregnancy.

When I was 13+2 weeks I had my dating scan and to my surprise I was moved forwards to 14 weeks! I’d had an ultrasound at 9 weeks because of some pain and bleeding and the doctor said baby was the size of a jelly baby. It was amazing to think that jelly baby had now turned into a mille-feuille (so says my Ovia app) or a lemon to normal people. Apart from a huge bloat baby most days, I couldn’t see how a lemon could fit in there.

At 16 weeks I had my second midwife visit. Simon was able to come with me to this one which was lovely as we got to listen to baby’s heartbeat. I couldn’t stop grinning. Everything else checked out with the midwife and I asked her about the pain I was getting in my tailbone. She suggested using a cushion when it hurt. It’s mostly been hurting while doing long car journeys, so I picked up a long narrow cushion from IKEA for £3 which sits at the base of my back in the car and is really comfy. I haven’t had any trouble again in the car with my back, now I get it in the house instead!

Since hitting the second trimester my nausea has pretty much disappeared but it’s been replaced by killer headaches. Paracetamol isn’t touching them and the only thing that really helps is to go to bed. Daily stress and staring at a computer screen for 9 hours a day at work weren’t helping at all so I visited my doctor to get some help. They signed me off sick and I’ve found that even though I still get headaches most days that I can manage the pain by going to bed. Also, coke has really helped! I’ve pretty much cut tea out so I’m not having too much caffeine with the coke.

NCT nearly new sale baby clothes haul

We also went to our first nearly-new sale by NCT and it was scarily intimidating but so much fun. I’ve never been to anything like it before and didn’t know where to start, so we headed for clothes. I found the unisex bits tended to be on the boys table to I hustled in there and picked a few pieces I liked. It was so cheap – a couple of vests for 50p and a 6-piece White Company clothing set for £6. We then went onto the toys and I had no idea what I’d need so I walked straight back out. I think I’ll stick to clothing for a bit!

Anyone else getting totally bamboozled (pramboozled?) by the range of pushchairs there are? I’ve completely geeked out and created a spreadsheet comparing all the features of some of the prams that start to fit the bill. I went shopping with my mum the other day to have a bit of a test drive of some prams and have narrowed it down a bit. It’s really annoying when I spot someone on the street and all I can see is the brand name on the pram – I’m too much of a wuss to interrupt them and ask them what it is!

Find out how I coped with my first trimester.

18 weeks pregnant

Baby is now the size of a – Croissant.

My favourite moment was – Spending some quality time shopping with my mum. We had a look around at prams and lots of other baby bits I’ll need to buy soon.

My worst moment was – Apart from the headaches and being signed off work, I’ve been suffering with a bit of anxiety. I haven’t felt any movements yet which I’ve been told is perfectly normal, especially for a first baby. But I keep getting anxious that something might be wrong, even though I’ve had no symptoms to tell me so.

I’ve been feeling – Emotional. Oh my goodness I am tearing up at everything. Don’t let me watch Supervet alone, I need a box of tissues!

I’ve been buying for baby – I couldn’t resist a cute Winnie the Pooh sleepsuit from Asda. I wanted to buy all the Pooh clothes but I’m sure there’s plenty of time for that.

I’m missing – Ibuprofen!!

I’m craving – I guess it’s because I can’t have it but all I really want is to have pate with some pitta bread. I never have it very often usually so I don’t know why I want it now.

I’m looking forward to – Seeing our little bean at the 20-week ultrasound next week!

Winnie the Pooh sleepsuit from Asda

Categories

About me

Hi there, I’m Deborah. I live in Hampshire with my husband and spend my time baking, making and getting out in the fresh air. Find out more or get in touch.

Youtube

Hello Deborah Live Stream

Popular posts

Me on Instagram