It's my party...

And I didn't cry and I didn't want too!

This week baby D is just over 15 inches long and weighs in at around 3lb.  Now I'm not going to lie I am at a loss as to a baked good comparison this week so please comment away with any suggestions (I love comments ;o) ).

However I will share my EPIC birthday cake, made by my friend Sarah, aka Manton on occasion, for my surprise 30th birthday party that Pip (worryingly sneaky) had been planning for a fair old while.

Now the event has passed all the fun parts have come out in the wash and the story goes that Sarah offered her excellent baking skills and asked for ideas, to which Pip sent over a couple of "maybe something a bit like this" thinking: smaller and not quite so shop worthy and ended up with: exact copy and could sell for a fortune!
Not only does it look amazing but it tastes superb too, we still have 1/3 tier left despite one party, one round of tea and cake on Monday with family and taking the top tier into work today!

This last week or so baby D seems to have become an expert in finding inappropriate positions, on several occasions we have been able to prod at a bottom or a head - no idea which is which - laying prostrate across my tum and I shall go into no further details when I say that it is clear when baby D is bum down and legs a'kicking...  

So, I am now 30.  Fully launched into my next decade...  

To celebrate the not so eagerly awaited occasion Pip started off this weekend by hiring me a vintage MG Roadster (yes he is indeed a legend), sadly as Pip has only had his driving license 9 months it meant he couldn't drive it - darn!

 

So we headed off to the New Forest for the afternoon, roof down, picnic packed and head scarf on, for me at least!  

Saturday ended with a trip to the cinema (we are the Millers - Fun-ny) and a request to be ready on Sunday for half 2...

Sunday I took out Ali, then Rob (he was the decoy so this trip was after half 2) for a spin in the wheels then at an alloted time headed off with mum to the Uni...

On arrival I was sung to and presented with the cake above and some truly embarrassing "life of Jill" photos.  Over the years, and much to everyone's amusement, I have had many hair styles and attended many fancy dress events!  Pip had become BBQ king, TB had made a pavlova special, although sadly it was eaten before I could get a snap and Hels had made a smashing batch of cupcakes.  The afternoon passed with lots of chit-chat, food and laughter.  It was lovely to have friends and family all together and humbling to know they had all come for me.

Siblings - that have the same nose...

Yesterday was the event itself and involved card and gift opening (I am a very lucky lady!), breakfast in bed, more cake eating and having to take the car back.

My fabulous gift from Pip.

All in all I'd say I had a superb birthday and that being 30 isn't the end of the world as I know it.  Bizarrely now the day has passed the time between now and baby D arriving seems even shorter (approx 9 weeks away).  And when I think I have 6 weeks of work left that really puts the hoolies up me!

Bring on impending parenthood!!

Dear Pip...



Dear Pip.

This week our baby weighs about 2.5lb pounds and is apparently 38 cm or so in length.  Now I have found the most amazing looking cake that is approx. 38 cm long, according to the recipe.  If anyone chooses to make this I will be in awe of you forever!! 

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/31915/red+velvet+choc+cherry+bombe

Quite how all this is bundled up in my tum I am not quite sure but its movements, wriggles, shifts and kicks have kept us amused for many a period of time.  Generally these moments involve me grabbing your hand early morning or mid-evening and strategically placing it where the baby is moving around.

The movements have also had me grumbling, particularly recently as they have woken me up a few times during the night, then once I’m awake – as with most pregnant ladies I would imagine – there’s the “do I? don’t I?” thought and of course once the thought’s there it’s a case of  I’m not going to get back to sleep until I’ve been, so off to the loo I go…  This regular occurrence has accounted for you having to put up with a fairly grumpy wife recently and for this I apologise – I also warn you (and make a mental note myself) that it’ll only get worse for the pair of us when baby D makes an appearance!

You and me on my birthday celebrations back in 2009!

This weekend just gone has seen us celebrate your 33^rd birthday, as I said to you at some point over the weekend, birthdays always make me reflect on times past and I am not sure that when we celebrated your 29^th birthday – the first year we met – you would have expected us to be hitched and preggo four years later!!

As baby bits have rather taken over our world and my gifts to you this year were a slight disaster (wrong size for one thing and didn’t actually arrive for another...) I was determined to try and have a birthday weekend, despite above mentioned grumpiness!  Friday we headed to Sprinkles – which granted, is generally more of a treat for me than you - but it cheered me up after a rather dodgy week at work which I like to think made me better company over the weekend…!

Us at fantastic Halloween celebrations last year in the US

Saturday involved a bit of shopping and a trip to the cinema (2 Guns, quite good for those debating whether to see it but not going to win any awards!) then Sunday I “made” brekkie in bed and started making a cake for you before we headed over to Winchester for a browse round the art and craft market – and spotted more baby bits! – then on returning home I popped in a roast and finished off said cake (another birthday disaster – anyone for crumbs held together by icing?!) and had a game of newly purchased Scrabble.  Which I won, not very sporting but a surprise to both of us I think :o)



One failed stout and chocolate cake/pile of crumbs held together by the grace of God and icing...

Yesterday was another trip to the midwife for us.  It has been a real comfort having you there for each appointment, generally serving the purpose as my memory as I am still forgetting a lot of things like, what to ask the midwife…   It’s great to come out and discuss the friendliness of that day’s midwife or whether the heartbeat (now down from 143 to 135 which is perfectly normal is the due date gets closer) means it’s a boy or a girl etc.

In fact the whole baby thing has generally been made better and easier because of you.  I share everything with you, possibly too much sometimes, about how I have been feeling, what affects  growing this baby is having on me, hopes and plans for our future as a family…

Our wedding, 15 mins after saying I DO!!

To say I couldn’t imagine doing this with anyone else is a bit daft as you are my husband and so it kind of goes without saying but however corny it is true.  I feel proud to be your wife and excited that we have made this little JilliPip together.  I know you are going to be an excellent dad and I look forward to our relationship growing and changing as we journey into parenthood; who’s turn is it to deal with this nappy or debating the pros and cons of sport lessons vs music lessons (btw oboe is also off the list until this one, and any others, are of a sensible age, very painful apparently) or who will be head meanie when it comes to discipline!

So here is to our last few weeks as parents-to-be!

Love You xx

Rhino's, the bump and Sprinkles!

  This week we are at week 27, we have about the same length of time left until we meet our little one as we had had when we told everyone we were expecting.  A slightly bemusing thought when I think of the weeks that have gone by in between and how quickly they seem to have flown.  

More and more now I am getting impatient to meet our little one, to see how scrunched up they are, will they have chubby legs like me or blond hair like Pip did when he was born?  Will they have a happy nature and sleep through most things or will they be interested in everything new and want to stay awake?  So many thoughts and questions about what our little person will be like and what sort of identity they will have.

Baby D is now approx the weight of a large box of icing sugar and as we have had a few requests from folk (they shall remain nameless but for ease we shall refer to them as the US contingent!) for bump pics, here we have said bump with said icing sugar.  And yes this did take a fair few photos and even a "Really, you think that's a flattering photo of me? (eyebrow)" for poor Pip, so I hope y'all like it ;o)

As you can see I was in fact mid baking session...

As well as baking up a batch of banana & peanut butter cupcakes, which included a disastrous butter cream incident Sat eve that had me up on Sunday am with a second attempt after waking up with an idea of how to solve it. (Yes welcome to my mind..) I also whipped up a batch of peanut butter balls after a convo with the lovely CC.  And am sad to say they have all now gone :o(

Although this week at work was a short 3 day-er it certainly felt like I had hauled in a full week come Friday afternoon.  By which time fellow colleagues and I had all but given up hope and the usual tea round turned into tea? Wine? Vodka?  This then led to an entire conversation about Sprinkles (gelato/waffle/crepe, basically pudding, establishment) or Spronkles as Pip calls it due to a typo on my part in a text message some months ago. A trip to Sprinkles has basically turned into my "glass of wine on a Friday".  

No-one that I work with has come across the concept and after a lengthy discussion on how amazing it was etc. etc.etc. an executive decision was made to turn our next team lunch into team pudding and head to Portswood for some!  I am yet to share this nugget with Karina...

http://www.sprinklesgelato.co.uk/menu.htm

I'd like to report that come Friday evening I resisted the tempting trip to the above and settled for the peanut butter balls instead!  

Saturday Pip and I decided to wander round Southampton searching for Rhino's, as one does...

To explain, the local zoo has bought a mass art project to the streets which involves over 30 decorated rhinos being placed around the city.  http://gorhinos.co.uk 

Having left the map at home (my fault) we set off idly up the high street and then found a free map in Waterstones!  So out came the pen and we crossed them off as we went round.

Many of the rhinos have been decorated by companies in Southampton, this on being Balfour Beatty I believe.

From The Marlands...

...to the bandstand in Palmerston Park

The Bargate...

...to St Michaels church

Round past the De Vere

towards Mayflower Park

Towards the ferry terminal..

....and up the hill by the old maritime museum (I think this is my favourite one so far)

And the one in town quay, that we did drive too!

We did have every intention of continuing the search for the other half Saturday afternoon but after a hefty lunch at a newly discovered Hallidays Tearooms on Bedford Place (go there, its lovely) we caved and headed home, so we still have about 15 to go I think.  The discovery of the further unseen rhinos may well co-inside with another lunch at said tearooms...

In other news, the work on the chest of drawers continues...!

Some classic Winnie the Pooh makes an appearance!

The french stick and a bit more shopping

So we are now 26 weeks or so into this pregnancy, length wise baby D is going to plateau so baked goods may start to vary and be a touch tenuous from here on in! Currently baby D is approx. half the length of a traditional French stick or the length of the bottom layer of this rather amazing wedding cake (ta google).

Movements continue to get stronger from my little passenger and I can definitely feel he/she moving around and doing the odd somersault.  So far no hiccups, which various sources of online guidance advise can start around now but a definite pattern is emerging, after I wake up and before sleep are key movement times, elevenses and the 3pm cuppa are also good times for a wriggle!


This last week or so started with a trip to the midwife.  I had my blood pressure taken - all good, baby's heartbeat found and timed - also good and then my bump measured top to bottom.  The student midwife measured me at 27 cms.  Then told me that usually the expectation is a cm per week of pregnancy.  Meaning I am 2 cm over.  I am guessing that the look of "OMGawd I have a beast baby already" maybe then caused her to say that another midwife may indeed measure me differently...  That evening Pip was enlisted to measure said bump and shaved off a cm, so calm has resumed ;o)

On Tues Pip and I headed off, in the rain, to the New Forest Show to enjoy the delights of the cattle, sheep and poultry as well as the complimentary lunch provided by Ringwood brewery.  Where I did indeed have 2 puddings, the epic looking pavlova and some chocolate brownie :o)

We didn't see it this year but the Shetland Pony Grand National was epic last year!

This weekend we headed up to Granny D's to see how she was, run the relevant errands and just keep her company!  Along with re-arranging the lounge (more Pip than me) and re-arranging the many flowers she has received (more me than Pip) we did manage to head into Watford and guess what, did some more shopping for baby D!  We actually didn't go that crazy and picked up a sleeping bag, which I keep referring to as a sleep suit and Pip calls a grow bag, thankfully we both know what each-other mean, although to anyone who overhears us I am sure they wonder whether we are referring to a baby or some vegetables!  We also caved and picked up an Eeyore toy too!

One sleep bag, kindly modeled by a teddy

One Disney Eeyore rattle

We have now bought home the car seat that Sue has purchased for us, an epic zebra print group 0+ seat that should see us through to when baby D is around 4.  A slightly terrifying thought at the moment!

Our fab car seat also modeled by a handy teddy - please note a split my nail trying to undo the clip - not a good start!