Out with the old…in with the new

If you ask me where 2011 went, I couldn’t possibly tell you. This year has just flown by.

2010 was a big year and I remember thinking back in January,  ‘I had no idea how this year will pan out’.

What will happen, what will change, who will be in our lives, what will we achieve, but you know what, God  has a way of working everything out and is always faithful.

I am thankful this year for my husband and the marriage that we have. It isn’t always easy but it’s encouraging to know that we are on the same page and want the same things for our marriage. We have worked hard this year to invest into our marriage as we want to build on our foundations so that when baby comes, whilst things will change, the foundation of who we are won’t.

In this second year of our marriage my love for him has grown and I have seen myself change and adapt to many new situations, become more accepting of things I cannot change.

Yes I still like to plan and make my endless lists, but ultimately I know that God is in control and He wants the best for us. God continues to bless our family in ways we couldn’t even imagine and we are truly thankful to have come through another year.

God has added to our family and in less than 3 weeks we will meet our dear little girl. I know I say it all the time, but I thank God for the strength He has given me throughout this pregnancy. From vlogs to posts, I have enjoyed sharing this pregnancy journey with you.

This year we also got more involved in our church family and have made some amazing friends. I can’t stress the importance of a good church home both for spiritual input and ongoing encouragement in your faith. They have been a great source of support for us this year and we appreciate and love them all.

To all my readers, new and old, thank you for supporting this blog during the past year. I appreciate all of your comments and emails as you follow me on this journey of life.

I pray that 2012 is a year of great things for you, full of answered prayers and fulfilled dreams.

Wishing you a blessed 2012.

Happy New Year!

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Term!

Dear Baby,

Congratulations on reaching 37 weeks today.

You are officially ‘full term’, although your due date is not for another 3 weeks.

Mummy is feeling slightly more uncomfortable but still loves every kick, jab and poke you give. I will so miss them when you’re on the outside.

Grandma is on her way and can’t wait to hold you. Daddy is so excited too.

We all eagerly await your arrival!

Lots of love, always.

Thoughts at 36 weeks

1. I must have been running on adrenaline the last couple of weeks. I honestly don't know where I found the energy to do things.

2. I foolishly thought finishing work would give me more time to do things, but I'm finding that I am tired all the time. My body is slowing down and even if I'm not actively doing anything, just the movements of the baby alone, exhaust me. It's a lot tougher to move about or even find a comfortable seating position and I can't stand for longer than 10/15 mins without feeling extreme backache. However it's not for much longer and it is good to know that she is still head down.

3. I spent last weekend washing all her clothes, blankets, bedding etc. Who knew that baby laundry would be so exciting and smell so good! Looking at all the items, as small as they are it's amazing to think that in a month or so, they will be worn and used. We've also sorted out the pram and car seat, so things are coming together nicely. I've picked up all the things needed for my hospital bag and will pack them all sometime this weekend.

4. Emotionally, while I am excited and looking forward to baby coming, I'm finding myself irritated by the smallest of things. If something is not right or in place, I get upset or angry. It's so frustrating and my poor husband is feeling the full brunt of it all. I'm assuming this is another pregnancy hormonal change, but I hope it goes away soon. I don't like being grumpy, especially at this time of year!

5. Getting out of the house is good. I spent the first part of the week away with hubs, which was good for a change of scenery and to get a bit of rest away from home. At home there is always something to be done, so being away helped me to relax and rest. It was also nice to order lots of room service and have someone else do the cooking for a change!

6. I enjoy finding baby bargains. This week we picked up the last few bits of baby things and I was able to price match a lot of things to get some good deals in store. #itsthelittlethings

7. Next Thursday she will be full term, which means she can arrive at any time. My thoughts: Please let us see the New Year!

8. My MIL has booked her flights and will be with us in 2.5 weeks. Can't wait for her to come. Yay for mothers and proper Naija food!

9. I have been listening to lots of Hillsong United lately. Loving the 'Tear Down the Walls' album. Hopefully baby will have heard the tracks enough times, that when I play it for her on the outside, she will recognise them :)

10. I am SO glad I beat the crowds and ordered all my groceries online (unlike last year). If you have never been to a supermarket in the run up to Christmas, you won't appreciate how amazing this is!

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve so from our family to yours - wishing you a wonderful Christmas!

35 and 35

Today marks 35 weeks of pregnancy with 35 days to go…a pretty cool pregnancy milestone don’t you think!

I finished work yesterday and was surprised about how emotional I felt about it.

I got into the office and my team had decorated my desk with ‘congratulations’ signs and confetti. I also had an ‘it’s a girl’ balloon hanging from my chair (which is just cut out of the picture). I work in an open plan office so if there was any doubt I was having a baby, there was no denying it now!

We had lunch planned at a local restaurant, however when we arrived they had already decided to give our table away as we arrived late. Slight bummer, but we ended up doing lunch in our work restaurant. To be honest, it was more about the people than the location, so it was still good.

I am so ready to leave, there is no doubting that, my body reminds me every morning, but actually saying goodbye to people, made it all very real and sad. It’s definitely the end of an era.

I know I’m going to do something far more important but let’s just say I was grateful for the coffee handover I had with a colleague which gave me the opportunity to leave the building before the tears started. 

To all my colleagues, thank you for all the well wishes and gifts and special thanks for making my last day fun and memorable.

Time to put my feet up…

You carry it well

That seems to be the most used phrase people say to me these days. I don’t know whether that is good or bad. At 34 weeks pregnant, I’m feeling bigger every day but I guess in comparison to others (which I know I shouldn’t do) I must still look small? Dunno, I blame it on my tall frame. The midwife measured me today and I’m still on track so that is all that matters.

This week sees me finish work (yay) and I have a team lunch planned which will be a nice end to the year. I’m thinking it’s also time to start getting ready for the Christmas and get out the tree and start decorating the place. I thinking this Christmas will be a quiet one, which I am totally up for. No fuss, just church in the morning, then a nice dinner in the afternoon, simple but perfect.

We’ve also started getting the final bits for baby. We’ve split our shopping into bitesize chunks, having done the first trip last week and the next one this weekend. Shopping in stores is not for, especially with Christmas crowds, but can I just say how much I love baby shopping! There is so much cute stuff out there and for girls especially it so adorable, I am having to control my urges to snap up everything in sight.

It’s funny how depending on your phase of life, you visit different aisles when you go to shops. Never before have I ventured into the baby section of stores, but now it’s the first places I visit.

The baby’s room is taking shape and next week I will begin washing everything. One of my mummy friends was like I didn’t need to, but it seems to be the general consensus to wash everything in non-bio soap powder before using on baby, so I will get that done.

It amazing to think that in 5 short weeks or so, she will here. Can’t wait to meet her!

Catch up with the latest pregnancy vlogs below.

 

Lists

Right now my life revolves around lists.

To do lists

To buy lists

People to call lists

Things to finish before I leave work lists

The list goes on.

I have recently found that if I don’t write something down I forget it. If an event is not in my diary it doesn’t exist.

Even when I am talking I often just lose my train of thought mid sentence. So strange and so not like me at all.

Apparently this is very common in pregnancy.

I'm wondering how soon after pregnancy things will return back to ‘normal’.

Showers of love

Saturday was my baby shower hosted by my wonderful friend, Mrs G. 

It was a lovely day and I got to see friends and family I hadn’t seen in a while.

We played games, ate great food, shared lots of advice and prayed over the little one.

There was lots of love in the room!

Baby E is so blessed already. I am so grateful for my community.

Mrs G, me,  my sis and Mrs O

Best bits of advice (I can remember!)

- don’t forget your husband and be sure to get him involved. Try and have time out for the two of you – which God willing we should be able to do as my MIL will be on hand to help

- don’t compare your baby to others, your child is unique

- it is not my responsibility to raise this child, in as much as God will help and provide us with all the tools needed to raise her as we should. Children are gift from God and we are merely caretakers.

- God gives you grace for every season

- don’t be a superwoman – yes the house is dirty, nobody will die – no mummy guilt!

- babies are more resilient than you think!

- use the community around you – many people will offer up their help – don’t be afraid to use it

A big thank you to all who came, we appreciate you!

* I am behind on my vlogs – life has been busy, but I promise to do an update this week!

Like to shop! Love to swap!

My dear friends Aloted and Ronke from FabXchange has launched an online swap shop, where you can post items you would like to swap such as clothes, bags, shoes, fashion accessories and books.

If you’ve ever been to a clothes swap party, it’s very similar but with FabXchange it can all be done from the comfort of your own home. If you have any item you would like to swap, you just list it in the forums (like ebay) and then see if anyone would like to swap it for something of theirs.

The site is open to UK and US users (more countries will be added on request) and is a good way to get your hands on items that may not be readily available in the UK and vice versa by swapping with someone overseas if you choose to. Equally you can find a new home for items you have but have never used.

Apart from sending the item to its new home the whole service is completely free! You can also request for items from other fashionistas and hopefully someone would have it!

So check out FabXchange today and get swapping!

Have a wonderful weekend – I will be back Monday with a baby shower recap!

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