We’re off for a dating scan next Friday which we’re both looking forward to, it’ll be good to see little Pea even if he or she is just a little blob at the moment. I also get to go for my booking in appointment next week with my new midwife Michelle. Hopefully a bit of the old Annie charm will secure me another homebirth though I’m sure there’ll be a bit of umming and ahhing on the midwife front. When I was pregnant with Bean they sent me off to the consultant to get the nod from him before agreeing to a homebirth, he incidently couldn’t understand why I had even been sent to him so hopefully we can bypass him this time. Technically I can be a grouch and insist on a homebirth and they’ll have to agree but I’d prefer not to have to kick up a fuss

Bens top front teeth have been coming through this week which has come at the same time as her first cold- oh joy. I best get used to the dribble as I’m sure by the time she stops dribbling like a beast that Pea will have started. I may have to invest in a waterproof poncho to save myself from getting sodden with slobber.Mind you how can I not forgive those beautiful blue eyes ?…

I have bitten the bullet and made the first doctor appointment to get the ball rolling so to speak. It’s just the formality of saying “hello doctor I am pregnant” , it’s not an exciting appointment as its not like I can hear little Peas heartbeat yet or any of the juicy stuff that will follow later. I’ll be due an ultrasound scan in another 7 weeks to date little Pea.

Having had my last pregnancy with a single umbilcal artery I am hoping for a  somewhat  less eventfull pregnancy. Of all my 7 pregnancies so far it was only the last one that i had SUA , one of the contributing factors is being a grand multi para (having had lots of babies), I love that phrase as it sounds a bit super actiony like paratrooper. I dont know if I am being unrealistic by assuming that this pregnancy will be a walk in the park after all I have been very lucky having had 7 normal births, but at the same time there’s nothing to say that I will have any problems. I have looked up about SUA and cant find an answer to the “now i have had SUA is it likely to happen again ?”. Not that it’sa big problem if it does, after all Bean had an SUA and she’s fine but the moment of birth was quire hardcore with her heartbeat dipping and there being a huge true knot in the cord, not to mention her being wrapped up in the cord all over. It’s definitely something that I would ask to be scanned for, a true knot in the cord if Pea was SUA. Just because it’s not worth the risk of things going wrong.

Of course following the doctors appointment I’ll have to go to the local midwife centre and ask for a home birth, which is where the fun shall begin !!!!

On a happy note Bean rolled over for the first time today, major progress for the little lady and she’s now sitting unsupported for a couple of minutes at a time )

We opted for the Early Response test having seen the advert on tv for it working up to 6 days before your periods due, we figured a day before mine was due and this test would give us a good reading. We settled down in the bathroom for the big event and I decided that peeing on the stick was marginally less embarassing than peeing in a cup. 3 minutes later and we had 2 lines ! Yep thats right pregnancy-ville here I come. We were all very excited here with my eldest Holly who’s staying for the week jumping round the lounge with joy ! Al keeps calling me mummy all the time now, even when Kittys not around )

Good news, although I did already have an idea that we had “done it” when 10 days ago I started having disrupted sleep, waking in the night to pee, morning sickness (all day!) and tender boobies. Even so it’s still nice to see it in pink and white, confirmed that yes thats right I won’t be able to drink again for months and months. Gin my old friend, I’ll miss you…

I googled up a due dates calculator and have found out that my due dates 16 th April, making Kitty nearly 14 months old when baby Pea (as we’re going to call him/her) pops out. Obviously when I say “pops out” I would like to add that there’s a little more to it than that….

Well who would have thought it but little Bean’s 20 weeks old now and getting bigger everyday. She has her first tooth and plenty of dribble to add to it too! It’s been a fun few months thought they have really flown by.

We decided to wait to try until September to try for another baby however Al got all excited this morning and announced that we could start trying now if I liked. I liked ! Exciting times ahead, the possibility of a little brother or sister for Bean is really cool.

I’m hoping that with a small age gap between them the sibling rivalry thing shouldn’t be too bad. I’m working on the theory that Tom, Holly and Callum were close together and that they have always gotten on famously. Besides at 33 I’m not getting any younger, it’s already scaring me to think that when Beans 7 I’ll be 40 ! Man !

We’re not bothered about whether we have a boy or a gal but if we were really honest we’d both like a little boy. I’m looking into the whole diet oin pregnancy thing at the moment and the list of things to eat if you want to conceive a boy (it’s all a bit old wives talesish but then why not have a go and see!). Things like …

• you are more likely to conceive a boy if you avoid milk and dairy products, such as yoghurt and cheese, nuts, chocolate, shellfish and wholemeal bread.
• eating food rich in nutrients such as potassium and calcium, and vitamins C, D and B12
• Salty food and bananas

Well it’s early days yet but I’m going to go for the bananas and salty approach – yum!

Salty banana surprise anyone ?!

Al’s back at work today after having had he last 5 weeks off to be home and I have to admit that if it was me I’d go to pieces leaving the Bean behind. I’m not daunted by being home alone with her as there’s nothing I can’t do with her strapped to me in the sling ! Kittys had a busy 5 weeks what with trips here here and everywhere visiting people, some nice afternoons out and a few trips to he local pub by the sea to help us play some pool and win some cash on the music trivia machine, not to mention being very good and letting us decorate the hallway and erect a shed. She’s very excited too as this year in July she’s coming to Latitude Festival with us for a long weekend of rocking out in the sunshine )

The postnatal brigade of midwives and the health visitor have left us pretty much to get on with it having decided that seeing as I’m not a total newbie to all this that the odd phone call to see if all’s well will suffice .This suits us after the one and only visit from the health visitor involved her sat on the settee saying the now legendary phrase in this household – “Pelvic floor exercises are so easy to do, like right now I am imagining drawing a tampon up high into my vagina”. Al’s face was a picture as his head popped up with a look of “did I just hear that correctly” and a stifled giggle from where he was sat on the table behind her. This was doubly hard for me as I already was finding it difficult not to chuckle at the somewhat frail 50 something health visitor sat before me. It was almost as embarrassing as if your mother were to enter a room and declare that your father had just given her a most satisfactory rodgering…

Right I best be off so I can chill out before Bean wakes up… and yes I know we called her Kitty but Bean has just stuck. I’m feeling my age today as Thomas my eldest is 13 today ! Happy Birthday Wombat! (note obvious history of giving children daft nicknames)

For he latest Bean photos use this link -

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=95336&l=09606&id=807330577