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37 week update

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Looks like we made it….. Woooooo. This morning our baby is officially classed as term and as long as all is ok when she is born she won’t require any special treatment. I am still in shock that she managed to stay in.

Last night I definitely felt like she was making her approach. I had ALL the classic labour symptoms but no I’m still here bump in tow for another day. Part of me really wants her to just be here..now. However I know that I don’t really have the energy for labour at the moment, thanks to all these contractions I’ve barely slept in days and I have a cold/sore throat so so its probably best she waits inside a little longer. Would be nice to have a pain free day today and I am dreaming of just how good a hot tub would feel…

So at 37 weeks what is new? Not much.

Cravings :

Still ice and teeth brushing but everything else seems to have disappeared for now.

Weight:

Haven’t really gained any weight again this week, in fact last week I lost a few pounds – apparently this is common close to labour.

Physical changes:

Baby has dropped so bump is a lot lower, feet are starting to swell more and my breasts are more tender. My appetite is poor, I force food down most of the time.

Baby:

She is head down and fully engaged – this means lots of pressure down below and I’m generally sore all day unless I’m in the bath. Despite being engaged she manages to move a lot especially at night and when I’m eating.

Preparation:

The nesting instinct is definitely there, the energy to do it..not so much but slowly things are getting done. My bathroom is almost complete thanks to my other half and his dad so that’s one less stress. All of babys items such as clothes, nappies, car seat etc are ready to go.

Name:

We still have no names…HELP.

Me:

I am so cranky and grumpy most of the time. I try to mask it most of the time and I think I do a pretty good job but I hate feeling this way. It’s been a hard 9 months and I’m really looking forward to this pregnancy completing.

Family:

I’ve been very lucky all along with the level of support from both my other half and all of family. Couldn’t have done it without them and particularly now they are a great help. Izzy is still making every day happier for us and is so funny I can’t help but smile when she is around.

Latest bump shots:

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That’s all for now.. Hopefully my next post will be introducing my baby girl 😀

DIY Christmas Hampers

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Last year I made Christmas Hampers for my family and also sold some to friends to give as gifts to their families. I had a fabulous time making them and really wish I’d had the time and energy to do it again this year but unfortunately not. Luckily for you lovely lot I am going to share what I put in the hampers and easy tips to do it yourself. A homemade hamper is such a lovely gift for someone special and so much cheaper than buying in a store although not as easy or convenient I admit.

So here is a pic of last years hampers:

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I included:

Vanilla sugar – find how to make it here.
Spiced Salt – A Nigella recipe which you can below.
Orange and Vanilla Marmalade
Shortbread
Miniature Green & Blacks chocs
Candy Canes
Mixed fruit soaked in rum
Epic Hot Chocolate – Jamie Oliver recipe which I will blog tomorrow
Garlic and Chilli Oil
Chocolate marzipans
Chocolate nuts

Firstly what I would change if I was making them this year:

1. I would replace the cake tin with a basket. Although I liked the cake tin and its very handy and reusable I like the look of a basket.

2. Shortbread – I would make my own as so much tastier and a nicer touch I think. You can find my recipe here.

3. I would add some alcohol ..now I did actually include alcohol in some of the hampers I gave as I made flavoured Irish Cream using Plain Irish Cream with orange or peppermint flavoured extract but I would perhaps also add a small bottle of bubbly or wine depending on how thrifty I wanted to be.

The items my family loved:

1. The flavoured oil: my mum in particular loved this and I’ve refilled her bottle several times this year.

2. The epic hot chocolate – my sister loved this and I’m probably going to be roped into making some this year too. It makes a gooey thick drink perfect for dipping churros or waffles into.

3. The marmalade – Izzys great grandparents loved this.

4. The spiced salt/vanilla sugar – EVERYONE enjoyed these.

So how easy is it to do? Fairly easy, you just need some time.

Aside from the sugar, shortbread and hot choc recipes which I have already shared here are a few more recipes/tips to get you going:

Flavoured oil:

Firstly depending on how many hampers you are making buy your olive oil in bulk and as high a quality as you can afford as it makes all the difference. A simple garlic and chilli oil is easy to make.

Using fresh red chillies and whole garlic cloves gently heat with your oil in a heavy based pan for around 15 mins on your hob to get rid of any bacteria which may be lurking on your garlic/chilli. You could use dried chilli flakes instead if you prefer but whole chillies look more effective in the bottle. Wait until cool and then pour into your sterilised bottles, seal immediately and they are good for a few months.

* I bought my bottles from Lakeland and they were reasonably priced.

Chocolate marzipans/nuts:

For this you will need really good quality chocolate ( I went for dark) a block of marzipan and a packet of hazelnuts. Roll your marzipan into small balls then simply melt the chocolate ( I used the old Pyrex bowl over a saucepan method) and then dunk/roll your balls of marzipan and your hazelnuts into the choc and put on greaseproof paper to set. Whilst choc was still melted I added some little decorations ( white choc stars) but they aren’t necessary. Make small bags out of cellophane and add 4/5 chocs and tie with ribbon. Extremely easy but effective and tasty.

Festive spiced salt:

Mix together sea salt, pink/red peppercorns, dried chilli flakes and star anise in jars. This looks so incredibly pretty and tastes divine!

Tips:

*Look out for special offers on luxury chocs such as Green & Blacks and throw a few into each hamper.
*Always add a candy cane or two for visual effect.
*Buy large packs of caster sugar and sea salt to make up your flavoured sugars/salts and mix them at least 1 month prior to Christmas to allow the flavour to develop.
* Tie pretty festive ribbon around jar and bottle necks.
* Buy labels from craft shops and handwrite the description/date of creation on them.
*Make sure you sterilise your jars.

Coming up later this week…recipe for Epic hot choc and peppermint creams!

The Pelagonia Range – A review

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Pelagonia is an award-winning Macedonian food range based on the very best of traditional recipes from the region. Their growing range includes innovative new products based on the trademark red peppers and quality fruit and vegetables grown in their fertile country.

I first came across the Pelagonia Range at last years BBC Good Food show, I sampled some of their wares and fully intended to go back and pick some up at the end to take home but alas I forgot and was pretty annoyed with myself. After writing a review of the show the company followed me on Twitter and I’ve been excited to read about their new products.

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Nearly a year on I was lucky enough to be sent some products to review. YUM.

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Malidzano is a rich, smokey aubergine meze. Perfect as a dip or spread on flatbreads or in sandwiches or …ahem by the spoon. It really is like nothing I’ve tasted before and I highly recommend it.

Aivar is a regional speciality traditionally made each September by Macedonian families by roasting red peppers over hot coals. The sweet roasted red pepper maze is perfect with cheese..we loved it with halloumi but is incredibly versatile and we have also mixed it with sour cream for a delicious dip for tortillas on movie nights. Delicious.

As a foodie it’s an incredible delight for the senses and would make a lovely gift or addition to a hamper for someone who loves food.

Malidzano is available from independent fine food shops and online via The Ottolenghi webstore

Aivar is available from 200 Waitrose stores (£3.59) and independent fine food shops.

*I was sent these products in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Wishing time away…

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After spending a good chunk of this pregnancy expecting baby to arrive early and hoping that she wouldn’t it now feels rather strange that I am almost officially classed as term (37wks on Friday although by my dates I am actually 37 &4 today) and baby is still safely tucked up inside. How amazing is that?

As amazing as it is and believe me I am thrilled that we lasted this long it does now feel like we have even waiting for our baby FOREVER. Every single day I wake thinking will it be today and every twinge is possible labour pain. It’s a nightmare. In theory I am more than happy to wait until baby is ready to arrive as I want her to be as healthy and strong as can be but I am finding it so frustrating. I didn’t feel like this last time at all in fact when my waters went at 37wks just before a trip to the supermarket it was such a shock that I didn’t have time to think of anything.

Last Thursday my midwife informed me I’m 3/5 engaged and she would be surprised if I made my next appointment and I have to admit I was quite excited. The last few weeks have been so sore and uncomfortable that I was done I guess. However Mother Nature thinks differently and so does my baby apparently. I don’t actually feel like she will be here in the next few days and now I realise it was a good thing. Izzy is really not well..she had a week of us knowing something was brewing and then over the weekend turned into a horrible cold which is now a cough and a wheeze too. We were woken at 5am today by a lovely outpouring of vomit over our freshly changed bedding and right now I’m sat on the sofa with her watching Shrek and having cuddles. If I had been in hospital when she was ill I would have felt terrible and if I’d had a teeny newborn here I would have been so worried about her becoming ill as well so its all for the best.

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My baby girl will arrive when she’s good and ready and I will spend the time waiting with my other (slightly bigger) baby girl, making sure she gets better and has all the attention she needs.

Sorry baby for wanting you here so badly. I guess I just want to see for myself that you are just fine.

Until you are ready I will try to stop being so cranky and moaning about any pain..after all this is my final pregnancy I should …ahem try to enjoy it right?

So close

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It’s getting so close
The day we will meet
I can’t wait to see your cute
Hands and your feet
To feel your heart beating
Next to mine
To see you breathing
To know that you’re fine
Cant wait to inhale your baby smell
To know for sure that everything is well
Can’t wait to see your sister
Give you a hug
The thought of it alone gives
My heart a little tug
I wonder when it will be
I wish you could tell me
Tomorrow.. Today?
I wish there was a way
But I know it is soon
And it’s even full moon?
I’m sure it will be when I least expect
I love you already
I just haven’t met you yet.

How important are Grandparents?

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I almost didn’t want to write this post as I am aware that it could sound a little smug but I’m lucky. Incredibly lucky. Izzy is lucky. My other half is lucky. I’m also aware that this could change at anytime.

Yesterday myself, Izzy and my other half went out for lunch with his grandparents ( Izzys great grandparents) we do this at least once a month. They are fabulous with Izzy, still full of energy and I envy the relationship she has with them. Izzy also has another set of great grandparents who she sees regularly and loves to bits. Both sets are on her Dads side of the family.

Sharing Great Nannies lipstick:

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You see both sets of my grandparents have passed away but to be honest even before they died we didn’t have much of a relationship. My grandfathers died before I could really understand and my grandmothers just weren’t very maternal – in fact I am amazed that my parents turned out the way they did because and this is the lucky part – I have the most wonderful parents. I know a lot of people think this but I really really do. I know that I could depend on them for absolutely anything. This means Izzy has fantastic grandparents. She adores both my mum and dad and my other halfs parents who are also fabulous. Her face lights up whenever she sees any of them and if a day has gone by without her mentioning them since she started talking well I don’t remember it.

She has 1 Nanna, 1 grandma, 2 grandpas, 1 great nannie, 1 great grampy, 1 little gran (great gran) and 1 (great) grandad and you know what she never EVER gets them confused.

Having my own child has made me value my parents so much. The grandparent role is such an important one in my eyes and I don’t know how I would cope without them but equally I don’t know how they managed to bring up me and my siblings without any of the same support and in such a way that we didn’t realise we missed out on that relationship. In fact it’s only really now seeing Izzy with them and her great grandparents that I appreciate how incredibly special can be.

I hope this doesn’t sound as though I am bragging but I just wanted to acknowledge that I know we are blessed. Maybe I didn’t have it but my daughter has and hopefully the new baby too – if only for now as who knows what life has planned for us and my advice is soak up every minute. Encourage that bond. Visit them more if you can. Take lots of photos.

Appreciate it.

A Christmas Hamper Review

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Sometimes as a food blogger you get some pretty cool review opportunities. A few weeks ago I was offered a Christmas hamper to review … Um YES please.

So this showed up last week:

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It contains:

Cabernet Sauvignon Klippenkop Coastal Region South Africa 2012 37.5cl
Chenin Blanc Klippenkop Robertson South Africa 2012 37.5cl
The Original Cake Company 2″ Square Top Iced Christmas Cake
Matthew Walker Classic Christmas Pudding 100g
Just Chocolates Divine Chocolate Selection 65g
Crunch Craving Roasted & Salted Cashews 55g
Four Anjels Classic Shortbread Biscuits 100g

So far I may have munched my way through the shortbread – ”twas divine.

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I’ve crunched my way through the cashews and I reluctantly shared the chocolate selection with my other half. I’m saving the pud and Chrismas cake for the weekend and unfortunately the wine has to wait a few more weeks until baby 2 arrives.

Would make a nice present for the inlaws or a good friend 🙂

The hamper retails for £35.99 and I’d say that’s a pretty reasonable price. I’m quite frugal by nature so I am more likely to make a hamper normally than buy one but for convenience and to save all the hassle of wrapping it up etc this is ideal. I especially like the pretty basket – a lot of hampers these days seem to come in cardboard boxes which I think spoils the overall effect.

One big plus point for me was the information leaflet that came with it explaining how everything could be recycled.

You can order this hamper or look lust after lots of others by clicking here

* I was sent this product for free in exchange for an honest review.

What kind of parent are you?

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It seems that these days the way that people parent is under way more scrutiny than ever before.

People begin questioning the choices you make before your baby has even arrived.

Questions I’ve been asked recently:

You are going to breast feed yes? – Yes I am hoping to but if I wasn’t is that really ANY of your business random woman at playgroup?

Are you going to use re usable nappies? No I’m not. I think fluff (real nappies) are massively cute and yes a very good idea environmentally etc. We even have council schemes that give your money towards your initial purchase. BUT it’s not for me. I’m not even sure why but its just not. We did seriously consider it on Iz and again at the beginning of this pregnancy but sorry its just not for us.

Are you going to co sleep? We are not intending to co sleep. Now I have nothing against co sleeping, in fact I can see totally how it can be an easier transition for the baby and also a wonderful experience for both mother and child but I am a born worrier. I know that I would spend most of the night worrying about the baby and so for us it just isn’t an option. The baby will of course be in our room snuggled up in a Moses basket close at hand.

Are you going to Baby led wean? Yes ..seriously I’ve been asked my opinions on weaning before baby even comes. Crazy. I said I wasn’t sure but I imagine I will do something similar to what we did with Izzy which is homecooked veggies to start (steamed and puréed) follows by softer foods and finger foods. We will give a wide variety of tastes and textures and hope she is another mini foodie like her big sis.

Will you go back to work? Unfortunately I have to. I hope to take off the full year and then reduce my hours on my return. Or win the lottery.

Are you going to sleep train? No. Maybe when my baby is 6 months old and I’m pulling my hair out I will change my mind but at the moment no. I feel quite strongly that sleep training is not an avenue I want to travel down. It took 13 months for Iz to begin sleeping well but now for the most part she is a fabulous sleeper (when not teething!) I think it takes babies a while to find their natural rhythm and also I couldn’t handle cry it out… I’m such a softy. Nothing against you sleep trainers/Gina Ford worshippers ..in fact I may even be jealous of the amount of sleep you get but we are all different hey.

Two more questions I’ve been asked by family/friends and even a PR lady which aren’t about parenting but a bit annoying are:

How will you lose your baby weight? At this stage I don’t know. At the moment I am concentrating on growing a human inside me. My weight gain and loss is not a relevant topic right now.

Are you going to have a natural birth? Who knows. I know what I want but who knows what will happen.

When did the way we parent become such an open topic for discussion? I love that we can share ideas and give advice be it on blogs/twitter and in person but give us a chance to try things and perhaps even wait for the baby to arrive.

Bring IT on

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I’m nearing the end of my pregnancy.

At this stage in my first pregnancy I was starting to get pretty scared about delivering my baby. The fear of the pain, the after effects of it all and obviously anything going wrong kept me awake for weeks before my waters broke.

I had my birth plan all prepared:

*Water birth – didn’t happen
*No episiotomy – didn’t happen
*Active labour – didn’t happen

In fact labour was hard, harder than I even imagined it would be. My daughter was born at an angle and I was at the pushing stage for a lot longer than I should have been. With every push she came out a little and went back a little. It was hard. In the end I had to have an episiotomy as she was getting distressed. I think the fact that I had to labour lying down, legs in stirrups and all ( as I had been so sick) caused the labour to be longer than needed.

This time around even though I know it can be painful I’m looking forward to it. Labour for me is the finishing line of a particularly gruelling marathon. This pregnancy has sucked. I am not going into this labour with any real birth plan demands. I can’t have a water birth as I will need a cannula for the antibiotics but I am hoping to be more active and have a natural labour with just gas and air. This may not happen. And I am prepared for that.

I have my Tens machine and gym ball ready to go – I found the Tens machine such a help last time.

If I labour for 3 hours or 3 days she will be worth it.

When groups of women who have children or are pregnant get together the discussion about childbirth often crops up and we all tell our war stories/reminisce. Whilst I have heard some (OUCH) unpleasant things the one sentence you always hear is “I would do it all again tomorrow”

Whilst it sucks that as women we have to do this really hard job of carrying a baby for 9 months and then giving birth the feeing of euphoria and adrenaline you get after giving birth is incomparable. No other happiness/legal or illegal high could ever match it. I didn’t really sleep for 5 days after giving birth as we had to stay in hospital but I can’t remember a happier time in my life.

Did your labour/s go as planned? Does anyone’s? Are you nervous about giving birth?

Bump update:

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