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I can see the finish line!

3 Things the people are saying

Seven days

Woohoo – hello week 39!

Not feeling any labour signs as of yet, at least I don’t think I am.

Below is my latest pregnancy vlog for weeks 37+38.

Can’t believe I’ve been recording these videos for the past 30 weeks. It was a completely new thing for me, one I had to step outside my comfort zone to do, but I’m happy that I’ve managed to continue making them to the finish line.

Some weeks have been harder than others, but it will be nice to have a record of my first pregnancy and see how I changed over the months. Also if baby girl ever wants to see details of her journey to the world, she can watch!

Just for laughs, look at the difference between my latest vlog…

and my very first at just a mere 7 weeks!

p.s. I’m thinking of doing a pregnancy q+a video, so if you have questions you would like answered, feel free to comment below and I’ll do my best to compile a video with answers.

The day I took a tumble

29 Things the people are saying

So yesterday I fell over.

I can’t even explain how it happened but I tripped and fell face/belly down into an empty Tube carriage. I wasn’t even in a rush or anything, but somehow I managed to catch my foot climbing into the carriage and fell.

I remember laying there. I remember pain. I remember crying.

I also remember this lovely old lady coming to help me and then her getting off the next available station to call my husband so that he could take me to A&E. #lackofphonesignalonthetubesucks

Thank God – baby is fine. I am just a little bruised up but will also be fine.

The devil is a liar.

I however will not be taking any more chances and have taken this as my cue to chill at home. No more unnecessary outings for me.

This journey is almost over (39 weeks tomorrow!) and what a great testimony of God’s love and faithfulness it has been.

In other news my MIL is here! Baby girl you can now make your appearance!

Peter Rabbit + the joy of reading

3 Things the people are saying

peter rabbit

Alas! The first week of January is over! The snow never fell and the sun continues to shine on a daily basis. I love this unpredictable English winter! I think she knew my MIL was arriving soon and didn't want the adjustment from Nigerian temperatures to be too harsh!

So my favourite thing right now is my Kindle. I've had it a month or so and really love the flexibility it brings when it comes to reading. I've always been a bit of a bookworm and enjoy settling down with a good book. Before I discovered blogs I read a LOT of books to the point that when I was 11, I received an award at school for taking the most books out of the school library! I enjoyed nothing more than hanging out at the central library reading through the latest arrivals.

Fast forward to the generation of my 15 year old siblings and they often ask me, 'how did you do your homework without Google'. I laugh and respond by reminding them that there are places called libraries and books called encyclopaedias which took the place of the internet + Wikipedia back then (am I showing my age!). Either way I believe reading is an amazing and will always actively encourage it.

When I was a little girl my parents gave me with the Beatrix Potter story collection; the story of Peter Rabbit and his friends. I think there are 21 books in the full collection and they gave me the first 14. I loved reading those little books and cherished them. Recently I was tidying up and came across a bag where I stored childhood memorabilia and found all the books, still intact. Now that we're having children of our own, I plan to pass them down and hope they have the same enjoyment I had from them. Other favourite childhood authors of mine include Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl and Judy Blume.

One of the things I love about the Kindle is being able to download samples of a book, so that you can read the first chapter or so and see if you like it. Right now on my Kindle I am reading Love & Marriage by Emerson Eggerichs.  Last week I came across a book called 'Kingdom Parenting' by Myles Munroe. I downloaded the sample and really enjoyed it, so will look to purchase and read once I've finished Love + Respect.

What are you reading right now and what were your favourite childhood books?

First time experiences

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I’m not going to lie to you, I am on watch.

Since reaching 37 weeks (38 tomorrow), every little ache, twitch or pain I feel now, I’m like ‘is this the start of labour’?

The thing about going through your first pregnancy is that you have no idea what to expect in any aspect. I am constantly texting my friends who have been through this before to get their advice and guidance because quite frankly I haven’t got a clue what is going to happen next or when. The whole aspect of the unknown is slightly scary. You just have no control. Whilst I know everyone’s experience is different, it’s nice to hear other people’s experiences. [Readers who have given birth – did you get any warning beforehand?]

Last week at our antenatal appointment, the midwife suspected that the baby was breech and wanted me to go for an urgent scan. At 37 weeks it the last thing you want to hear but off we went, praying that all would be well. Personally I wasn’t 100% convinced with her diagnosis given that all the kicks I had been feeling were at the top, but hey it is better to be safe, plus we get another opportunity to see our sweet little girl again. Thankfully the scan was fine and she was confirmed as cephalic (or ‘head down’ in layman’s language) and hubs and I could breath a sigh of relief.

Back to waiting.

As I get closer to our due date, the first question people always ask my husband is ‘has your wife gone into labour yet?’. Any time we call a family member, that is their first thought and we often have to spend the first 5-10 seconds reassuring them that nothing has happened yet and when it does they will be the first to know!

Physically I am feeling it. I have evenings when I just feel blah! When I just want my body back and the ability to turn in the night without it being an Olympic feat. I seriously have to psych myself up for those night turns. I know that once she is here, I will miss the self containment I have now, but it’s tough. The human body never ceases to amaze me. Now that I am no longer working my wardrobe consists of three items which are on constant rotation, due to the fact that they are the only comfortable items I own right now!

Hubby has been great throughout it all though. Reassuring me when I have my body image crisis meltdowns, giving me massages and foot rubs when I am tired, helping around the house, putting on my shoes lol! He has been a real trooper and I appreciate everything he is doing. I know he too is anxious to meet our little one, as this journey feels like it has been going on forever.

Second time round, I’m hoping the experience will be a whole lot more relaxing!

Looking into the new year

4 Things the people are saying

2012 beach

My husband doesn’t believe in New Year Resolutions. He believes if there is something you want to change about yourself, why wait until January 1st, just make the change there and then. In part I agree, but I do like the freshness a new year brings, an opportunity to start again and do things differently.

This year I take on a new role as a SAHM (stay at home mum), one that I am excited about. Within that it means managing the home, finances, meals, looking after our daughter etc. I have sort of being doing this anyway since we got married (minus the daughter part), but now I want to take it to the next level and become more organised with it.

For me 2012 is about being more disciplined and having consistency around what I do. Many times I start a project, do it for a couple of weeks and then move onto something else. This year I want to complete every project I start and for the things I am already doing, do them better.

Around the home, I want to become a better homemaker. I want to be more consistent in our menu and the food we eat. I am comfortable in our grocery buying routine and know what we use each month, but I don’t want to spend time worrying about what we’re going to eat today or tomorrow, but have it planned out. This will require me to spend time and work out a meal plan that works for our family and then stick to it. I also desire to learn new dishes as well. I have a sewing machine, which I rarely use but hope to see more of in 2012. We thank God for our home and I hope this year we can continue to open our doors to friends and family.

In terms of finances, I currently record every penny I spend. That took some time getting used to, but now it is a habit of mine. What it helps me do is reconcile all our expenditure and identify areas where we need to cut back or increase. This year, I want to establish our new budget for the year and stick to it, equally I want us to increase our savings for the future. We have other financials goals which we will look to work towards.

Parenthood is an interesting one. It is an unknown territory to me and I have no idea how it will turn out. What I do know is that it is our prayer to raise our daughter to firstly love God and have her own  personal relationship with Him,  secondly be a respectable member of society and thirdly be a virtuous woman. In order for her to know God and His love, as her mother I need to be able to display those virtues on a daily basis. All the things Christ calls us to be, I need to model in our home. I read somewhere that your children don’t listen to what you say, they watch what you do. So for me that is major. My lifestyle, behaviour, how I treat others including her father will all affect the way my daughter views the world.

Finally as a wife, I want to be able to support my husband more. Not only in areas where I think he needs help, but areas where he tells he needs the support. So often as wives we can do things to help our husbands with the best intentions but if it is not the thing your husband wants your help in, you can be wasting your time. I want to listen more and direct my time and energy to those areas which benefit my husband the most.

It’s a huge responsibility and I pray for God’s help in these areas.

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