We've Moved!

After some deliberation we've decided to move our blog over to:

WWW.FAMILYSWIFT.TK

The rest of the information is over there, as is a new post! 

-Annie

75%

30 weeks gone.

We are currently at the 30 week mark (or 75% of the way through) and I can't believe it's been such an outrageously long time since I updated the blog.  Partly due to being very busy and partly down to laziness, in all honesty.

I recently got a promotion at work, which took up focus for a while.  Quite exciting if not only because it'll mean more money for the family.  However it doesn't mean a better chair, so I'm stuck with one with no sense of direction - which means more clattering into filing cabinets - keeping it real.

Also the 29th July was mine and Annie's first anniversary.  It seems like yesterday that we were saying our vows, standing behind the drunken town crier and walking down the cobbled streets of Rye, past crashed cars to our reception.  To celebrate we had a 2 night break in a little B&B all the way over in Biddenden (14 miles away).  After a slightly rocky start, which involved arriving at the B&B 45 minutes before the owner, we had a lovely time looking out over the wheat fields (stupid wheat) and pottering around, looking at the fish etc.  In traditional style we took a trip to an animal sanctuary and had a lovely time.

Annie & I at Barclay Farmhouse B&B.

Since the beginning of August I've developed an obsession with the Olympics.  In true Englishman style my attitude was: "It'll be crap", "London will be too busy", "Who cares who wins anyway" right up until the last minute...then I watched 5 minutes...and then I was hooked (much to Annie's dismay).  Therefore the Olympics has been on in our house all the time I've been home and eventually Annie got into it as well (mostly the athletics).  After watching the 100m last night I'm pleased that Vega will be born when Ussain Bolt is the fastest man in the world - he is a laugh.

On a slightly more ranty tangent associated with the Olympics; it has been my desire for a long time to get into sport just to get some more exercise and as a bit of an "outlet".  It is unbelievably difficult to get into sport in this country and it actually makes me quite angry.  If you can find a sports club near you it will be probably be too expensive to join, if it isn't too expensive to join it'll probably be snobby and want you to have experience in whatever area of sport you choose.  I seem to be on the brink of getting some tennis coaching, which is quite exciting.  I will definitely encourage Vega to get into sport when she's little, as I didn't really try with PE at school (too many bigger boys).  I will try not to be a pushy parent.

Vega's rock baby nappy.

Nursery coming along nicely.

There's not been a huge amount going on in the baby department.  Annie and I have purchased a few second hand pieces to add to our baby collection but are nearly there with what we need.  Therefore it's just adding slowly to what is there and planning for when the baby is born.  We already had a go at making up a supply bag for the hospital including clothes for the baby, clothes for us, toiletries and food.  But what do you do when you've not been to the supermarket for a while and you're in desperate need of a snack?  You tuck into the hospital supplies. It's been such a long time since I wrote a blog that I have failed to post a picture of Vega's custom nappy - only for the most rock n' roll of babies.

Bouncer for £12 second hand - rather
than £55 new.

We have been, however taking the opportunity to make the house a little more homely.  We have got around to putting up some artwork we had sitting around and Annie has had the paintbrushes out for some nice bird portraits.  It may not be so easy to do all of these things once we have a baby and it's important to feel like you're in your own home.

Vega's first custom artwork.

Speaking of things you can't do when the baby is around, Annie and I visited the Cinema for the first time since we found out we were pregnant and from one of the most important movie franchises ever (Star Wars) to another (Batman).  There was no chance I was not going to see The Dark Knight Rises but for some reason Vega seemed a little bit afraid of Bane's voice - can't imagine why.

Annie's favourite baby outfit (we like
dinosaurs in our house).

Unfortunately for Annie, the cinema at 30 weeks pregnant isn't as easy as it was at 5 weeks pregnant.  That can add to the list of eating, sleeping and walking around which also seem to have got much harder further down the line.  At 30 weeks there's almost light at the end of the tunnel which just increases the delicious blend of excitement and terror.  Not that I'm scared of being a father but (as I've said to Annie) babies' little floppy heads are terrifying.  Other than that, I'm bursting with excitement - although I think it's time for people to stop asking when we're having the next one.

This weekend we are visiting Annie's Nan, Uncle, Aunt and Cousins in Reading.  Next week is the start of antenatal classes - lots to look forward to.

The nursery

The new cot and ever evolving mural and
new lamp shade.

This weekend we thought we'd try and make some advancements on the nursery as it was feeling quite far from completion.  Unfortunately we weren't very happy with the cot that we had as it was quite dirty and hard to clean.  Also with our shallow hats on, we thought it was a bit plain.  We found a second hand cot nearby that was in need of a bit of clean (but is painted, and so a bit easier) and arranged to collect it Saturday night.

Unfortunately we were also not entirely happy with the purple wardrobe that we had bought as it couldn't really sustain the weight of anything on the shelves and there were some rips in the fabric.  We decided that a proper wardrobe was our best bet.  We decided to go where everyone goes to get furniture...Ikea.  If there was ever a place to put you off being a parent, it's Ikea.  Sorry Vega but if we need to go to Ikea, you're not coming.  I'm fairly certain if you took a group of children to a Cadbury factory, they wouldn't get so excited.

The filled wardrobe.

Armed with a new wardrobe, a cot bumper and a quilt we returned home from Lakeside *shudder* about half 7 and night, and went to collect the cot.  Sunday morning we got to cleaning the cot and were really pleased with the results, then assembled the wardrobe and then assembled the cot.  The result is a room that is beginning to look quite a bit more like a nursery, which makes us feel much more prepared.

As well as this we've bought a couple of job lots of baby clothes (less than £1 an item) second hand ranging from 0 to 9 months.  Some of it is a little more girly than we would pick for ourselves but at least we're doing OK for clothes now.

Wardrobe from the outside.

Annie and I filmed ourselves talking about the pregnancy for  the documentary which was quite fun and has been well received by the people making it, so we'll try and get round to doing some more.

Other than that, everything seems to be going well with the pregnancy although Annie is slightly paranoid that her bump isn't as big as other people she's seen around.  I reassure her that they are probably more advanced than her.  One of the women we saw must have been having twins (she was massive).  I've also noticed an increase in the amount of times Annie says "I'm going to have to give birth" to me, so that's clearly hitting her a bit as well.

Last weekend I was reading a few chapters of "Fantastic Mr. Fox" to Vega and she was kicking when I did the voices of Boggis, Bunce and Bean.  I'm kicking myself for not finding the time to do it this weekend, but we have been very busy.  We're definitely going to get some more Roald Dahl  books before her arrival (don't think I could get sick of reading them).

Quite a tiring weekend but at least the Sunday night Chinese takeaway was well earned.

It's really hitting me...

As per usual it's been ages since I managed a post - just seem to be really busy.

In general, at the moment Annie and I are getting very excited about meeting our little girl, as well as feeling a little terrified about not being ready at the moment.  We still need some real essentials like mattress for the cot and moses basket, bedding, pram etc. but I'm trying to tell Annie that we'll get there before she gets here (even if it is only 3 pay-days before the little one is likely to arrive).

Unfortunately today I've been feeling quite angry as I had previously believed that paternity leave was 2 weeks paid at 90% of your wage.  Turns out UK legislation regarding father's rights is actually pretty tight as far as European countries go and that I'm actually only entitled to £135 per week for 2 weeks.  It looks like I will be losing out on 2 weeks I was looking forward to there.  Luckily I've managed to save my holiday so that I have 3 weeks off as well as 3 days for the birth, so at least I get to see my little girl for a little while.  Unfortunately it's just another example of Dad's being left behind.

I was recently contacted about an opportunity to take part in a self-filmed documentary about expecting parents, which is very exciting and Annie and I are hoping to get a start on recording some stuff this weekend.  We thought it sounded like fun as it's aiming to show a different side to younger couples.  I think it'll be nice to see some young parents on TV that aren't on the Jeremy Kyle Show and other such negative coverage.

Every time I think the fact that we're having a baby feels "real" something else happens that makes it seem more "real".  The first time that I saw her on a scan and she was just a tiny little bean I thought "wow that's her...it's really hitting me now".  The next time that we had a scan and I could see her little face, I thought "wow you can see that it's a little person growing in there...it's really hitting me now".  When we had a 3D scan and we found out we were having a girl I thought "now we know the sex and name and everything...it's really hitting me now".  I get the same thought every time she kicks me (I particularly like putting my face on Annie's belly and getting a little kick in the face, for some reason).  Now it's getting to the stage that we're trying to get the baby room a little more in order, we're thinking about all the things we want to do when she's around and we're buying our sling to carry her around and Annie's bump is hard to miss...it's really hitting me now.  I really wonder what the next thing will be that makes me think that thought.  Those moments make me really happy so I hope there's plenty more to come.

For months I've been getting well ahead of myself and worrying about what I'm going to do if Vega has a boyfriend I don't like when she's a teenager or if she even thinks about smoking, things like that.  One step at a time I think.  It seems unwise to count down until her arrival as she could turn up early or late (probably late if she's a Swift) but it's just over 3 months until she's here and I'm very excited.

Busy-ness

It's been a long time since I managed a blog post.  Everything seems a bit hectic at the moment.

Auntie Beth and her best Top Gun impression.

Last Sunday my Dad took me and the sister-in-law flying for her birthday.  The weather had been looking terrible all week but thankfully we got almost completely ideal conditions, which was a bit of luck.  The plan was to drive her back to London afterwards in order to collect her old cot (hers as in her son's not hers as if in she's a bit nuts and sleeps in a cot).  This seemed like a stroke of genius as everyone benefited from it.  Unfortunately there were queues on the M25 (I'm going to blame Thatcher, for convenience), so we decided to chance driving through London, from East to West.  The first problem is the amount of time this takes even when there's only light traffic.  The second problem is that I've got a nauseous wife and a hyperactive sister-in-law on board.  Therefore there was lots of pointing and speculation about the living standards of various parts of East London (all shit, if you were wondering).

Anyway we arrived pretty late and spoke with Annie's mum for a bit before going to collect the cot, by which time it was approaching 10 o'clock.  I don't want to compromise my hardcore, rock n' roll partying image but I'm not confident of being able to drive an hour and 45 minutes on the motorway at 10 o'clock at night without feeling very tired.  With this in mind we decided that we would stay in a Premier Inn (ironic name, I think) for the night and drive home in the morning.  When we get to there the receptionist says it's going to be £81 for the night!  Apparently if you book via the website it's cheaper so she advises that if we have a smart phone it's probably worth popping online and reserving now (not having a smart phone is it's own punishment, so I don't need this).  Unfortunately there's not a whole lot that you can do so we paid up.  Now, the adverts from Premier Inn boast that you are: (1) guaranteed a good night's sleep and (2) everything is premier but the price.  While it wasn't a bad night's sleep it doesn't change the fact that nodding off in the first place is difficult with paper thin walls and a noisy family next door (spose there are worse things you could hear in a hotel).  The price however was pretty premier for what you get.

A sample of the work at WillowsCornerArt.

Fortunately I can't quibble about the price too much as my talented little missus has been earning a few bob by doing portraits and initials/nameplates (http://www.facebook.com/WillowsCornerArt/info).  I'm very proud of her enterprising ways and she's been doing amazingly with it.

We are still trying to get the baby room in shape and the most recent step is to get Vega her own wardrobe for diddy clothes.  I would highly recommend the canvas wardrobe for Dunelm Mill.  It was a steal at £12 although to be honest it takes a few days for the foul smell of the wipe-downable fabric to disappear.

Already got her own wardrobe.

We would also quite like to have a go at co-sleeping with Vega.  I think the plan is to "side-car" the cot to our bed and then she can also sleep in our bed if she falls asleep in feeding or if we bring her in, in the morning.  Now we have had to make some sacrifices for this.  We have got to sacrifice our double bed for a king size and therefore sacrifice our crappy old £100 mattress with horrible springs for a nice new fancy one (don't say we don't do anything for you Vega).  Anyway my ever generous grandparents are coming over to purchase the new mattress for us this weekend and my lovely mum bought us a new bed frame.  This arrived yesterday and we decided to put it together last night.  Needless to say this took a good 2 hours or more and involved a handful of petty flatpack squabbles (we've never had a flatpack that didn't).  It seemed a good idea to assemble the new bed frame before the mattress arrived, so we now have a double mattress on a king-size bed.  Luckily we don't get a lot of visitors so we won't look like morons to anyone but ourselves.

There's not a lot of activities involving Vega at the moment, until the ante-natal classes (I imagine there'll be some content there), I still can't get over how strong her kicking is.  There's nothing more relaxing in the morning when you're half asleep than reaching over and putting a hand on the missus' bump and feeling a massive kick.  However, I think it's probably less relaxing when you're carrying a baby and she's doing her best Vinnie Jones impersonation on your bladder when you're trying to get to sleep.  Annie attempted to stop her ante-emetic medication but it lead to her being sick and feeling nauseous more, so she's back on that.  Other than that, this is the what they call the enjoyable bit of the pregnancy.  I know I'm certainly enjoying it so far.

Nesting

Annie's talent at work.

Generally it has been a quiet week, but I am regularly able to feel some good boots from the little one.  She does, however, still have a tendancy to kick mummy's bladder around like a rugby ball and then act all good-as-gold when I put my hand on Annie's belly.

Annie and I seem to have developed our nesting instincts a little this week and had a big tidy up this weekend (which is regrettably a blue-moon event) and managed to get rid of 3 bin-bags of clothes.  A fantastic achievement.  As well as this Annie was inspired to paint a mural (or Murial if you're Nanna Swift) on Vega's bedroom wall, which I think looks amazing, and has prompted some commissions in exchange for reusable nappies for Annie.

We also plan to get a kiddie wardrobe for all her clothes quite soon - this one from Dunelm Mill.  Unfortunately it's a choice between blue, pink and black.  Blue seems to be least offensive and with a bit of tarting up should tie in nicely with the Murial.  Soon it'll be time to start thinking about moving all the breakable stuff from toddler grabbing height.  We've also settled on the sort of mattress we want for Vega's cot.  As we're spending little on the pram and getting our cot for nothing, we decided it was worth splashing some cash on a more expensive mattress.

Mum, Dad & Vega.

The growing bump.

As we're progressing into the second half of the pregnancy Annie seems to be expanding a little more rapidly, around an inch or 2 in a week is pretty impressive.  The next step in the pregnancy to really look forward to is being "viable".  Because of all the movement from Vega and her love (or hatred, but I want to think love) of Mum and Dad singing Bohemia Rhapsody to her, it is easy to forget that if for some reason she was born now her chances of survival would be small.  24 weeks is the point where survivability improves dramatically, so hopefully that'll be a nice bit of comfort.  But for the moment my main objective is to calm Mrs. Swift's shopping spree desires.  We have decided on the pram we want and are waiting until a more appropriate time to get it ordered.  We settled on a cheaper model than intended, as we're planning to carry the wee lass as much as possible - and some of the prams you see around are a closer relative of Optimus Prime than of a pushchair.

Petit Star City Bug - The pram we've chosen.

Continuing with our hippyfying at the moment, I've decided to basically cut meat out of my diet (can't live without fish) after watching a hideous PETA video (I should have known better), featuring Sir Paul McCartney (thanks Macca).  Not too sure if we will follow this diet for Vega when she gets to the right time, I'll have to see how being a pescatarian  coeliac goes for a while.

Jubilee weekend

If there's one thing the royal family are good for it's getting an extra bank holiday.  And if there's one thing bank holiday are good for it's crap weather.  Not to let it dampen our weekend we decided to go shopping for some maternity clothes on Saturday, and we did a spot of relative visiting on Sunday.

Annie and the bump in the lovely dress
I picked.

As it's (meant to be) approaching summer and Annie's bump is only getting bigger it seemed a good idea to get some bump friendly clothes in.  So I think Annie can be happy with her haul of 4 dresses, 2 vests and a pair of shorts.  I don't think myself some kind of Gok Wan fashion guru but I think I did well in choosing this dress.  Of course there was a little room in the budget for some stuff for little Vega.

Vega has been very active recently but I've not really been able to feel a good kick due to the fact that: (a) I always get distracted by something and miss it and (b) a warm hand on the bump seems to make her stop.  Annie has been exclaiming for about a week that she can actually see the movements now.  She'd not been moving a great deal on Saturday until we sat down to watch the final of 'The Voice' - dumbfounded that Leanne won but nevermind.  Nothing seems to get my little girl moving like some music.  Unfortunately the tunes that seem to get her moving are a beautiful but sad and wholly in appropriate song by Ed Sheeran, the new Katy Perry song that I don't particularly care for and...Justin Bieber (that's right the "Baby, baby, baby, oooh!" one).  Anyway Ed Sheeran was performing and Vega was enjoying her own little in utero disco and I felt a couple of good kicks and saw one or two as well.

Some pictures of our animals and Vega's
initials Annie drew during the week for
the baby room.

Sunday was pretty grim as far as weather was concerned but we drove down to Bexhill to see the family.  Somehow my Grandad had managed to keep his trap shut and hadn't told my Nan that we'd even managed to find out the sex of the baby - the last thing she knew, we were all gutted because of the meany sonographer.  Before we told her she was convinced it would be Adrian, but was not disappointed to hear that it was Vega. She decided I should tell my aunt so she called her (and chatted about nothing and everything for 20 minutes) and I told her the sex and name.  It's nice that she's been quite interested in everything that's going on as we don't normally speak that much.

Next stop was Annie's step mum.  Lovely and easy to talk to though she is, she is a very difficult customer being the only person who doesn't want to know the sex.  When you are attached to your baby and you constantly refer to her as she/her/Vega it's not difficult to make a slip in conversation.  Couple this with the inevitable desire to blurt it out just because someone doesn't want to know and you've got a very tricky situation.  Somehow we both managed to revert back to calling the bump "it" for the few hours we were there.  I think we may have to limit the amount of time we see her before Vega arrives.

Other clothes accumulated over time.  My favourite being
the "Little Nipper" tee.  Annie is particularly happy about
the Christmas outfit.

After that was dinner with my parents.  Annie struggles a bit in restaurants at the moment, they seem to be a difficult place for a pregnant lady.  There's a bump at about table level so you can't get that close and they often have funny chairs and are quite warm.  Despite this we had a laugh as we usually do - mostly at the man sitting behind us who sounded a bit like a Bond villain and kept trying to make jokes with the waitress, and the fact that my Dad had Turkish coffee which couldn't look more like mud.

Having not kicked a great deal on Sunday, Vega has been going for it this morning.  Annie and I sat around in bed feeling kicks and looking at kicks, it's mad just how much impact she can make at this stage.  Whilst I never got stressed when I couldn't feel or see the kicks it's quite magical when you do get to feel them.  Not being the child bearer it is about the closest that you can get to your baby and I think it really does feel like having a connection to her.  Annie had £4 to spend out of her maternity budget but naturally this got spent on one of those little bears that's holding a blanket that babies have.  Inevitably I also saw some clothes I liked and ended up buying them for my little girl.  I suppose she'll be demanding money for clothes at some point in her life so I suppose I might as well get used to it now.

Clothes I couldn't resist buying.

Vega's bear blanket toy.