Just a few signs that I am losing it

It's official... I am losing the plot! Here are a couple of recent examples:

1. I couldn't find my phone anywhere... I searched high and low until I found it in the top of the bin

2. A couple of weeks ago I took Oliver swimming. As I put on my swimsuit I tried to adjust a weird lumpy bit around the bottom area... turns out it was one of Oliver's socks that had got stuck there when I washed it!! Had to laugh and explain as my fishing around probably looked quite odd to all the other ladies in the changing room...

3. I ordered some nappies for Baby Two and wondered why they hadn't arrived- on checking my order I realised that I'd sent them to our old Cambridge address (we haven't lived there for nearly a year)

Killing time and waiting for baby... urgh!

Hello!

I am still knocking around with a pretty huge bump and lots of hopeful twinges... nothing that has turned into a baby though!! I am now past the point at which Oliver was born, but still 5 days before my date (15th) and I have yet again reached the bottom of my 'extreme clean before the baby comes' list and the house is looking ok. Hooray!

Unfortunately I have swollen ankles and legs so I'm suppossssed to be putting my feet up a lot- actually above my heart which is easier said than done, especially with Oliver around. But I usually manage it during nap time and the evenings, when Ben and I have been watching 'Larkrise to Candleford' which we've never seen before. Really enjoying it so far, and all the better for being 10 hours long!!! Ahhhh :)

Now Oliver and I are starting to turn a bit loopy in the house (it's been raining pretty constantly for weeks now...) but today was fab- Oliver and I read lots of books, played pictionary on his magic writer eraser thingy, and made a den with Mummy and Daddy's kingsize duvet, watched 'Charlotte's Web' (one of his first full-length films) and during naptime I made him a duvet cover with my very favourite material ever with co-ordinating navy underside, which will match his bunting and owl themed bedroom.

Isn't this material just wonderful??? I can't get enough of it, and am wondering what to make next out of it! Possibly a tie for Oliver for church?! Something else for his room? Suggestions welcome.

Also today I made chocolate chip Tollhouse cookies, mmm, the best ever American recipe. I found it is on google images too, so you HAVE to make them: (I just chopped up a lot of chocolate for the chocolate chips).

So after a fairly lousy week today was fab, and now I am close than ever to getting this baby out, and have got Ben at home for a three-day weekend now. Hoorayyyy! Just what I need :)

Oliver: Old enough to be an older brother??!!

New hair and huge bump :)

Well Ben came back this time last week... and then he left again yesterday!! Thank goodness this is is his fourth and FINAL week away in the last eight weeks... he's been away more than he's been here :( I can officially say that the novelty of going to bed earlier and getting up later, and having lots of free evenings to be crafty with my sewing machine has now worn off and I am very keen to have him home for GOOD! (Well, until July when he has a field trip, but he's home with us all of May and June, hoorayyyyyyyyyy!)

This afternoon I had the wonderful high-maintenance pleasure of getting my hair done. I got it on a groupon offer with tons of money off, and I had half a head of highlights, a wash, cut, blowdry and conditioning. A friend round the corner, Kim, was wonderful and had Oliver for me while I was enjoying being pampered, and fed him his tea too! Ahhhhh. It was bliss, and I am really pleased with it. I've also discovered that it is really nice to have your hair washed by someone else. Maybe I will be rich and not very famous one day and have a live-in lady who washes my hair a couple of times a week??? Haha, that must be what celebrities do. And she would do my ironing too... ooh, I have it all planned out :D

Here it is:

In other life news, I am sure that Baby Two wants to come out!! It is partying most of the time, and pushing down with quite a bit of pressure. Maybe one day it will just push out :) We are all ready with our Baby-coming-early-contingency-plan that means that Ben carries his passport wherever he goes in case I ring him and tell him it's starting. Then he's got to phone an airport and jump on the next plane home! Better cross my legs until he is back on Friday...

Also for your viewing pleasure - a preview of Baby Two!

P.S. The photos were taken on our webcam- I don't want to get the camera out of the hospital bag in case I forget to re-pack it!!

Recent happenings, mostly without Ben

Hello hello, it has been a while but we are all still alive, and no,  it isn't because I have had the baby!

Things are all well here at the moment. Sorry, no pictures, just a lot of rabbiting! The most drastic (!) things this week are these:

- Ben went on a helicopter! That was pretty cool and manly. He said it was REALLY loud and they all had to wear three layers of survival gear, in case they ditched the water... glad they didn't! He had a fairly good time on the drill ship last week- things had to keep being stopped as they checked for safety etc so there was a lot of waiting around which got a bit boring... like all of my evenings alone, boo hoo! It is so wonderful to have him back with us now- if only for a "limited time only" (He leaves again for training in London on Sunday...)

- On Monday morning I got to speak to my Grandparents on skype. It was lovely and a testament to their impressive technical skills that they could log on without a problem and we could all hear each other :) However, while we were chatting Oliver walloped his head (nothing new there) when he fell over... and all of a sudden there was lots of sad crying and a LOT of blood. I said goodbye to N and G pretty sharpish and starting mopping up with a tee-towel and washing it all into the sink, it was quite scary and I wasn't quite sure where it was all coming from. After a while a drink did the trick and he seemed okay again, just a bit needy, and dribbling blood every now and again... urgh! It wasn't until a couple of hours later that he let me look in his mouth and I saw that there were two huge teeth marks- like a stamp- in the middle of his tongue... it looked absolutely horrendous and we later took him to the Doctors just in case they suggested stitches or anything else scary- the Dr was very impressed at what a good job he'd done, but said there wasn't anything they could do- just take him to the hospital if it went all dodgy and it should heal on its own. Phew. I wonder if he will have a scar on his tongue? Urgh. So that was sad news, although all is well now and it doesn't seem to be bothering him!

- On a happier note, Baby Two is now headdown, engaged and ready to come out soon!! Woah. I am just past 36 weeks so still technically 4 weeks (+??) to go though, but I'm still feeling good about a second early birth... please??! Heartbeat is still quite speedy... does that indicate it's a girl, or is it a boy who is particularly excitable or out of breath?? I've been washing all the baby clothes and blankets the last couple of days and Ben got the Moses basket back out of the loft for me. It's getting quite official, ahhhhhh.

... I think that is it! My latest crafty project (Oliver's car mat) has been coming on pretty quick with Ben away, but it would be even quicker if I could sort out whatever I am doing wrong with the sewing machine, boo hoo! But I am really enjoying it.

Feeling crafty

This year I have become quite crafty. I was always a crafty goddess wannabee, but now I have actually completed a few projects I am feeling very fulfilled and accomplished :) All of the projects were VERY basic, but I am still pleased that they look nice and that I made them!

Here is what I have made:

- Bunting for Oliver's room

- A couple of cushion covers for Oliver's room (to match the bunting- double wow!)

- A skirt for my sister's birthday. No photos, but she told me she wore it to church and it fit. Hooray!

- A sign for Oliver's door... so he doesn't get lost :)

- 2 x felt animal books, one for baby two, and one for my sister's baby two (due six weeks after ours!)

Here are a few pages from inside (some of the pages are the same- some are different). Major credit goes to a lady's blog I found for the amazing lion page, which can be found here: http://www.onelovelylife.com/?p=2621 Inside my books:

Now on to the next project: a car playmat for Oliver. I was going to leave it until once I am settled with the new baby but Ben is going to be away for half of this month too (again?? Nooo!!) so it will be good to have a project on the go in the evenings so I don't feel too lonely. Also, I have his car mat all mapped out and designed in my head and I'm VERY excited to get started!!!!

All things bright and beautiful!

Sorry for thre late posting on this, my blog has been doing funny things all week and it wouldn't upload pictures and was doing funny things with the writing too!! All better now I think. I started it some time last week:

Ben has been away on work training since Sunday evening (again??!) but luckily the sun has been keeping us busy and happy and we've hardly had a dull moment.

- We have pootled to the park LOTS of times, and most times Oliver has walked most of the way there. The swings are our favourite. One tricky thing is walking there and back: speed and stamina aren't too much of a problem for him, but he is very STUBBORN and keeps veering off the path. As we keep going to the park I thiiiiink he's starting to learn the way so he's getting a bit better, but oh! if we see a dog... we HAVE to follow it. I just have to hope and pray that we will get a dog and an owner walking towards our house. All of a sudden he gets very animated and speedy following it, going "woof, woof!" My heart sinks as the dog we are following starts to walk away from our house... until we find another one going our way. Phew.

- We had our friends, Nicola and Ruby over for some fun in the back garden. It was hot enough to get the paddling pool out, woah! Oliver is a bit wimpy so he splashed in the water at arms' length but Ruby is a thrill seeker! The pottered around the garden happily playing with toys and bubbles while we ate cakes and smoothies. Mmm!

- This afternoon Oliver and I went to the beach! It's only a 10 minute drive to the seafront from our house- I don't know why we don't do it more often!! Oliver enjoyed playing with the cups and little spade we brought down there but he LOVED toddling along on the sand, at a safe distance from the waves of course.

- This isn't linked to the sun and the sand, but the need for eyes in the back of my head was just heightened greatly!!! He's been into the fridge and getting things out, switching the light on and off and changing the temperature for a few days, but today he got IN it! I'm afraid I was too horrified at his cheekiness to document it with a picture: agh!!!