Did I mention we love Water Babies?

I know I shout it from the rooftops, but I really do love our swimming lessons! The main reason being that this little pickle's face just lights up the second we get in the car and she spots her Happy Nappy in the swim bag.

Of course, working for Water Babies, it was inevitable that we would splash into the pool eventually, but I don't think I was totally prepared for how much it would become our favourite thing to do together. Before I had Callie, I used to excitedly explain to all our swimmers and future swimmers about what we do, how we teach YOU to teach your baby to swim, why water safety is so important, and how to make the most out of bath time. Now, having spent the last 9 months swimming through the first 3 Chapters, we've jumped into Chapter 4 where things take a slight change and suddenly it's all coming together!

Whereas Chapter 1-3 have an emphasis on bonding and safety, Chapter 4 starts really working on getting little ones understanding what to do should they ever find themselves out of their depth. When I give talks at Mothercare and other events, I always start by saying that drowning is STILL the 3rd most common cause of accidental death in infants under 5 in the UK - it's WAY too high! So it's really important that we're teaching our children about water safety from a young age, and what I love about our lessons is that we achieve that (and more!) but all whilst having so much fun!  

Another thing that I'm so thankful for, more for me than Cal, is the social aspect of it. I didn't do much in the way of antenatal classes, and the same thing happened after she was born with baby groups. I have lots of friends who are amazing, but I soon realised how nice it was to have friends with babies around the same age. I was lucky to be part of the '101 ways to raise a human' community of MumsNet Mums who all had their babies around June 2017, but with 101 women all over the UK, actually having people I could grab a coffee with wasn't as easy. I did my taster term with some lovely parents at Derriford, and then splashed into Chapter 2 at our beautiful plush pool at St Mellion International Resort so Cal could have her Auntie as her teacher. Jumping into an already-established class was scary, and then paired with the body-conscious feeling I think every new Mum feels, I was a little out of my comfort zone, but boy did they make me feel like one of the gang from the second I stepped onto poolside.

I absolutely love swimming with my little girl, and can't bang on about it enough. Even if she does decide she wants breakfast mid-lesson....! But it wouldn't be Water Babies if we didn't have a giggle :)

If you want to come join the fun, drop my lovely colleagues an email on bounce@waterbabies.co.uk or leave us a message on 01752 605627. If you're not local, head to www.waterbabies.co.uk and search for your nearest pools. You absolutely won't regret it!

Saira xx

Saltram House, Devon

Christmas, for our family, is all about the build up. So each year from November time onwards, we try and do as many festive things as possible.

The staple of each year is usually a trip to Saltram National Trust park near Marsh Mills in Plymouth. We’ve been going for years, since before me and my sister moved out of our family home, and it’s a tradition we like to keep up with. 

In the past few years, it’s changed slightly. Whereas it was originally an outdoor event in the entrance, it’s slowly moved further inside the grounds, with the stalls now all situated directly in front of the house entrance.   

The nice thing about it as well is that Saltram always have some sort of experience or event around a similar time so there’s something nice for the little ones to burn off some steam whilst you browse all the local stalls. 

Each year the house is also decorated. In past years you have to pay extra to enter the house however this year the full £5 entrance fee (unless you’re a National Trust member in which case it’s free!) includes both the gardens and house which meant we got to have a look around the beautifully decorated house for no extra cost. This year they have themed it as fairytales, and it definitely doesn’t disappoint! From the beautiful underwater little mermaid scene to the perfectly lit Christmas trees, it’s a sight for sore eyes! 

And those of you who follow me will know by now that I never pass up a photo shoot opportunity! 

39 week bumpdate!

39 weeks.

It's crazy to think that we've been sharing this body for 39 weeks.

 Every day brings something new - wriggles, kicks, hiccups, I've loved sharing every little movement with you - from that first 'is this gas or did my baby just kick' to the 'oh my God, this baby is about to crawl out of my lady garden' (honestly, you've got to stop trying, it'll open when it's ready!)

These last few weeks have been agony on Mummy's thighs - you've definitely dropped down into position; it's like having a bowling ball between my legs. Let's hope you're not the weight of one, though! Not that I mind - it means we're closer to meeting you!

 It feels so bittersweet, thinking about the transition from being pregnant to being a Mummy. I cannot wait to have you in my arms, but I'll miss all our little moments. Up until now it's just been us, and of course daddy when he talks to you and tells you stories and you kick him in the cheek. I'll miss how excited you get when it's morning and we wake up, you do the breakfast dance, and the 11:30am dance to remind me to eat lunch. I'll miss when you stick your bum out so far I have to rub it to get you to sink back into place again, or when you prod me with your little foot so high up it makes me jump and then laugh. I'll even miss how you make yourself extra comfy when I go to the loo, as if there's suddenly lots of extra space in there and you do a starfish in my tummy! 

Our birthing pool is here, the kit is ready to go, the cleaners have done their deep clean and I've finally got all your bits and pieces together so we are ready when you are, little Princess xxxxx

First day of maternity leave - a cream tea!

Me, bump and my nephew!

32 week bumpdate!

I can't believe I've been so busy with work and decorating at home that I haven't done a bump date since 27 weeks - sorry for being so rubbish!

So here we are, writing this at 33 +1, but we haven't taken this week's photo yet, plus it's officiallyther Easter Weekend so this one seems far more appropriate ;)

The third trimester has been lovely. Hormones have been flying and I've been quite short-tempered, but because that's not naturally who I am I find it hard to ever actually act on it! But boy oh boy, sometimes I hear my brain shouting JUST SHUT UP!!! at people. 

I've LOVED finally having a big enough bump to warrant looks in the street, people offering to carry things for me, and people giving up seats for me. That's one thing I am massively grateful for - my bump isn't huge, I probably don't look nearly 8 months pregnant, but HOLY JUSTIN BIEBER it's hard carrying around 5lbs of baby! It's tiring, but more than that, it throws your whole centre of gravity off balance. I have to make an extra effort not to walk into things, and make sure I have enough room to get through smaller doorways and walkways.

Some of the less glamorous symptoms have been quite testing, but we'll save them for when I write a book for something! 

I have got three weeks left at work which I am super excited about - it's going crazily fast, and training 2 new people as well as doing my job properly has been tiring and emotionally draining. I am definitely ready to go, but I know these next 3 weeks are going to be busy busy busy! At least it means they'll go fast! 

CRAVINGS

Pregnancy is weird when it comes to cravings. 

I always expected to be laying in bed at 2am and sending hubs to the garage for gherkins and peanut butter, because I NEEDED them. It's not like that at all.

One day, I'll eat 6 oranges and still fancy 6 more. I'll really fancy a certain food and nothing else really satisfies the craving until you get it, whether it's that day or another. And then you finally get what you fancy and it doesn't taste the same - that KFC toasted twister I was so excited about? It tasted like peanuts. Just peanuts.

But I did realise this week I have a 3rd trimester craving. The 1st trimester was wotsits, bananas and oranges. 2nd trimester was thai noodles, bananas and oranges. This trimester I've eaten us out of house and home with oranges and bananas, and am now massively loving natural Greek yogurt with honey. I've always loved it, but if I eat a pot, I immediately need another. In fact I'm sat here with an empty pot in front of my and an empty fridge and if it weren't for the fact I'd need to put clothes on, I'd be running to Lidl for more.

NURSERY UPDATE

The window is finished and the plastering is set. 

We had a quote from our usual decorator to paint the room which was slightly higher than we hoped for, especially considering I am providing 90% of the paint from both Rustoleum and Valspar, but he's doing a few extras like painting the skirtings, the radiator and the cupboards, all in two days, so I guess we can justify it.

They're coming next week, so hopefully if all goes to plan, this time next week I will be able to share the first photos of a newly painted nursery!

Once that's done, it's just the carpet before we can crack on with the fun bits ;)

MIDWIFE CHECKS

So you know we have opted for a home water birth, which means we get our midwife appointments at our house more often than not. It's lovely, as it feels far less formal and I think it helps the midwife feel comfortable in our home, which is going to be a massive thing when she gets that 11pm WE'RE IN LABOUR! phone call in a few short weeks time...! 

At our 28 week appointent where they do the usual - nump measurement, heartbeat and blood pressure, baby was measuring spot on. But at 31 weeks she was still measuring at 28 weeks. It meant we had to be referred for a growth scan - we had an appointment for a week later and that week was very stressful. I tried not to worry but you do, and it completely overtook my mind. Happily though, the scan went amazingly and they said she's 57th centile for her abdominal size and 87th centile for legs, so she's going to be a lanky little thing! But all in all, everything was spot on. Her head is also really low - they joked that she's waiting for the exit to open!

SO that's pretty much it for week 32-33! 

We have another appointment at 34 weeks, so I'll be sure to update you all then.  

In the meantime, be sure to check out my next post all about the amazing Baby Shower I was thrown yesterday!!!

xoxo

24 weeks

24+4.

Pregnancy is amazing.

To think that I'm growing a little person, a human life, and I really don't have to consciously do much - it's incredible!

I've been noticing my body changing from the get go - the hormone changes at first caused some really weird symptoms (my toenails fell off!) I felt sick, I was super tired all the time, I got spots. Then as we entered the second trimester my skin got better, I felt a glow, and bump started showing!

I've watched body parts change, my body adapt for this growing baby, preparing to breast feed, and it's all just breathtaking that it's finally happening for us.

I feel so thankful, and not one day goes by when I don't thank fate for blessing us with this miracle. 

She has been kicking me like crazy recently, which I absolutely love. The best thing about it though is that her Dad gets to feel her too. We often lay on the sofa together watching movies in the evenings after work and she puts on a tap dancing show for him :) 

She also responds to his voice, and knows the second I walk in the front door after work!

I recently had these amazing underwater bump photos done with WaterBumps, sister company to WaterBabies, who also do aquanatal classes for pregnant women. The whole experience was amazing and I am super excited to be sharing my photos with you!

The experience itself was brilliant - the whole Water Bumps team were amazingly helpful, and put me at ease straight away (I'm not used to being so exposed in just a bikini!). The photographer, Anna, was brilliant and knew exactly what poses to get me into to show off my little bump. I did try to push it out a little by filling up on Ikea meatballs an hour before - when in Bristol! ;)

I think Beyonce would be proud (!!)

I absolutely think the shoot was value for money - these photos will be treasured for ever. I'm so happy with them that I've booked to go back in April when bump is bigger, so we can have comparison photos! 

I've also finally booked my space on the Daisy Foundation's birth, baby and antenatal classes - it's a 6 week course that I am super excited to be involved with, and I will of course let you know how I get on! 

Pregnancy is amazing, and I am so so blessed to be able to share my experience with you all. But it's also really scary. I worry every single day about things that could go wrong, so I've decided that when she's here, little baby bear and I, and Daddy, will be donating to Tommy's charity, in the hope that we can help more lovely families have their family dream come true. 

Speak soon! xo

Disneyland Paris | Dec 2016 | Pregnant in Disneyland

Hi all!

We just got back from a lovely time in Disneyland and I wanted to share our experience with you all to make your holidays a little easier, in any way I can.

I've headed each topic separately to make it easier to find what you're looking for, but some topics do overlap so if you're interested, stay and read through :)


Magic Breaks

We booked with MB because it was the cheapest option for the dates we wanted. Always shp around. We paid £1300 for 5 of us to stay for 5 days in Davy Crockett Ranch from Boxing Day 26th Dec - 30th Dec, not including any meals or transport.

You pay a 10% deposit to secure the booking then the remaining balance 60 days before you leave. All the documents are emailed to you 2 weeks before you go - print them all out, but get your own driving directions as theirs are very simplistic.

Driving to / in France

For us, it took 5 hours to get to Folkstone for the euro tunnel. We stopped once on the way but we didn't stop on the way back. The shorter leg of the journey was Calais to DCR, which took just short of 3 hours.

When driving in France, there are certain requirements - high vis jackets, breathalisers, high beam stickers, etc. You can purchase a whole France driving kit from Amazon or eBay for £20 max, which is what we did. We didn't need any of it so will be selling it on now, but it's a legal requirement so best to get one.

Driving is backwards in France - drive on the right, overtake on the left, and at roundabouts, give way to the right and drive around it to the right. They're big fans on undertaking foreign drivers we learned, but this was good because we found with their roads that the far right lane (slow lane) was either always full of lorries, or always turned into the next slip road or exit, so it was best to stay in the middle lane where possible. [Edit: I have received a bit of negativity around my choice to do this. However it was what I found safest with the uncertainty of the roads. Next time however I would know to expect this and most probably try not to have to stay in the middle lane.]

Take a Sat Nav! I pad £1.99 a day on O2 for the O2 travel bolt-on, so I could use my phone's sat nav in the car. We'd never have gotten there without it! There are three different routes you can take - we took the A26 to A4 route on the way to Disney, and the A26 to A1 route on the way home. The weather on the way home was appauling - so much fog, we had maybe 5m max visibility so we lowered our speed. Both ways were just as easy as each other. There are toll booths on the way, at the first one you get the ticket, and at the second one (a good couple of hours later) you put the ticket in and pay it. It was 21 euros both ways.

Euro Tunnel 

We booked this two weeks before we went. I was absolutely gutted - it turns out you can cash in your Tesco Clubcard vouchers for euro tunnel tickets, which I did (it covered the entire cost of £150!) but the euro tunnel wouldnt let me use them as I was booking within the next 14 days. I was so angry, this would have saved us £150, so if you have clubcard points to spend, get exchanging them online soon!

The tunnel is so easy to use, follow the signs and wait for your turn, follow more signs then board when ready.
Leave the car in 1st gear with the windows halfway down and enjoy the 35 minute ride!

You'll get a confirmation email when you book. All you need handy when there are passports and your booking number that you'll type into a machine.

On the way home, we got to Calais at 1pm, with tickets for a 5.30pm train. We asked to get an earlier one and were on board the 1.40pm, so always ask if you're early! They accomodate you automatically 2 hours each way.

Davy Crockett Ranch

The cabins are lovely and warm, lovely thick bedding which was needed in this freezing winter weather!
The cabins have small towels but definitely bring your own, as well as toilet roll as you'll have to buy more otherwise. You can get a cleaning pack from the reception for free.

The cabins have a microwave, hob and fridge freezer, as well as a kettle but no oven, so we recommend driving to Val D'Europe to get food supplies to cook as the shop only has a limited range. The roundabout and parking there is appalling so go early or late but not during rush hour!! (More about Val D'Europe below).

Our TV didn't work and took 3 days to be fixed, so if you have little ones I would bring an iPad or something as this kept ours entertained during dinner etc.

The drive to Disney is easy and signposted, sat nav tried to make us park in the Village but follow signs to 'Disney Parcs'. Take your parking pass each day to park at Disney for free. When you get to the first roundabout after DCR, there are two exits that say 'Disney Parcs' - take the second.

The pool at DCR is freezing - as a swim teacher I hoped they'd know more about air temperature! The room is huge and with snow outside, I couldn't believe it wasn't heated and they had fans on! Water was a cool 27 degrees, showers were cold and there's just two tiny hand dryers for warmth. We swam once but wouldn't do it again unless it was warmer in there. Again, take your own towel!

On site, there is a shop, evening restaurant, saloon bar, pool and reception which is open 24 hours, as well as public toilets, a play park and wooded walk area. It was too cold to use most of it for us, but the shop was handy for milk and extras. 

For 9 euros each, you can have a breakfast bag delivered to the trading post by your cabins in the morning to collect from 7am. It has nutella, jam, milk, coffee, tea, croissants, etc. We didn't, we just bought our own from the supermarket instead. 

If you're staying in a Disney Hotel / DCR, you can use magic hours! The park usually opens at 9am, sometimes 10am, and you get either one or two magic hours from 8am where the park is just open to hotel guests. This means there are no queues, and you can pretty much do 2/4 rides before everyone else piles in! 

Budgeting

Disney is as expensive as you make it. Magic Breaks gave us two vouchers, neither of which we used, as the prices were fine without the discount (and I forgot to bring it!). Eating anywhere is going to be more expensive that it should be, but there are cheaper options (see eating and drinking).

It took us a tank and a half to drive to Disney from Devon - thats £78 there, and the same back again with enough to drive to the park and back in between and have a quarter tank left when we got home.

The euro tunnel shops are expensive so try and take food in the car before you leave. We paid 22 euros for two Starbucks hot chocolates and two breakfast muffins, and a biscotti biscuit!!

Val D'Europe 

Again, use a Sat Nav. It took us around the back, but the front is clearly obvious - there are two arrows on a blue sign next to the huge VDE sign. The car park is a nightmare and I ended up going out and in a few times as the signage is poor. It's super busy. The supermarket part is on the ground floor so just go down the escalators and you'll see it in the middle of the building  - it's huge!

They have pregnancy and disability queues which I tried to use but didnt have a 'card' so wasn't allowed to, which was a shame as being pregnant, I couldn't stand to pack!

Easy Access Queuing

If you're disabled or pregnant, you are eligible for an easy access pass. Some people call them green passes and pink passes, but they're all orange and all the same!

The pass allows you and 4 helpers to access rides without queuing - the CM will give you a time to return (like fast pass) and you just come back.

Rides

Fast pass is your friend! Get one for bigger rides, then go do a shorter one whilst you wait. Make the most of single rider queues too, when available! 

Fast passes for Peter Pan and Crush's Coaster went quickly so grab those early!

If you're staying in a Disney Hotel / DCR, you can use magic hours! The park usually opens at 9am, sometimes 10am, and you get either one or two magic hours from 8am where the park is just open to hotel guests. This means there are no queues, and you can pretty much do 2/4 rides before everyone else piles in!

Eating and Drinking

Like I said, we had a kitchen. We bought food at VDE and cooked it at home. This was so cosy, and much nicer (and cheaper!) than eating out every day. We'd take rolls for lunch that we had made, and in the evenings we cooked soup, pasta, etc.
At lunchtime on two days, we did decide to eat in the park. Once in the cafe next to the Mad Hatter's Maze, and the second time in the Earl of Sandwich in the Disney Village. This second place was amazing, sandwiches were great, and good value for money. Also lots of seating unlike elsewhere.
We did wish that there were areas to eat your own food - you can't get a table in the Studios unless you're carrying a tray of food - the areas are guarded by women with ropes not allowing you past (same in the big food hall behind space mountain).

Any questions, please ask!

18 weeks!

Dear Bump,

Well I should probably start by apologising - this week we drove 10 hours to Disneyland Paris, with minimal breaks, and my body did NOT like it. I was limping for two days because I had such bad pains in my groin, but luckily since driving back again yesterday, I feel fine. I just hope you're okay in there and don't hold it against me! We did get you some adorable pressies though, I hope you like them!

I've had a couple of flutters in my tummy but nothing very strong, so we are still waiting patiently to feel you move for the first time! I hope its when your daddy's telling you a story before bed, because he always has his hands on you to keep you warm.

This week, according to my apps, you're around the size of an artichoke - 14.2cm and 19g! 

You've also started swallowing, yawning, hiccuping and sucking too :)

Symptoms? 

Everything's calmed down recently - I think the month off work was the best decision I could have made. I've been able to focus on getting back to full health and you definitely approve - I have a great appetite coming now, and your little bump is growing steadily! 

 I haven't put on any weight, but that's down to the sickness from last month, so no doubt you'll be helping me pile it on again soon ;)

You were so spoiled at Christmas! Your daddy got you some amazing and adorable gifts, all things Mummy was planning to buy (daddy did good!). Your Auntie Kerri and Mimi made you an amazing hamper, too! 

Only 17 days until we find out if you're a little Mr or Miss, and we could not be more excited!!!

Grow strong, little one. Mummy, Daddy and Scout love you so much. xxxx