20 Week Routine Scan

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Yes, I had my 20 week Routine scan yesterday! And Al-hamdulillah (all thanks to Allah), everything was fine. I chose not to to find out the sex or about any abnormalities, so everything went as expected. The only thing i didn't expect was how long it was the scan was going to take!

My appointment was for 9.40am and I was seen around 9.50am and by the the time I left the examiners room an hour had passed! But I just assumed that's the procedure.

If your wondering why i didn't find out about the sex or the abnormalities, well, the reasons are a little complicated and might not sit well with all people. 

I like to do things as naturally as possible, as-long as it's within my bounds and simply put finding out the sex isn't natural to me. I'm not sure about how to explain this in depth without coming across confusing so I'll leave it there. Please don't think i'm against finding out the sex because i'm not it's just my personal preference! 

Now why I didn't find out about the abnormalities: I'm a great believer in God's will & I also believe that God loves his children (young homosapiens that are still to reach puberty) above most other things due to their innocence & purity. So, surely God will protect what is dear to him and he will never give them more than can handle. How i see it is I will accept what ever my lord situation my lord presents me with and if i'm too weak to deal with then I shall ask him for strength!

Well, my fellow chummys I shall leave you to it for now. I have to go food shopping!

:-•:*"*:•.-:¦:-•* Ta-ra *•-:¦:-•:*'''*:•-:

5 Intriguing Facts about Pregnancy

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::  My very late but Scrummy, Yummy Lunch, Pasta in Tomato & Basil Sauce ::

I’m not feeling too well today, so I thought I’d quickly say “Hello” While I’m eating a very late lunch! Unfortunately, I don’t have much to tell you today so I’m going to leave you with a few facts about pregnancy that I find interesting, weird or even just completely BIZARR.

1. Pregnant for 9 Months, not necessarily! In most cases Full-Term pregnancy normally means 9 months. But there are cases where women have been pregnant for a year. The world’s longest pregnancy was 375 days!

2. Glowing is not due to excitement! Most people relate the glow of a pregnant woman back to her excitement of being a mummy. However, it turns out that there’s more to it than that. While pregnant, the woman’s blood level increases by 50%, so the extra blood ends up showing through the skin in many parts of the body especially the cheeks.

3. Relying on your due-date? Well consider this, only less the 10% of babies are born on their exact due date, 50% of babies are born with a week of their due-date and 90% of the babies are born within two weeks of their due dates.

4. Happy with your shoes size?  Most pregnant women’s feet don’t get any longer or wider but they still may grow up half a size due to increased fluid levels.

5. 500 times to its normal size, the average woman’s uterus expands during pregnancy!

Now, what do you think of these facts and do you know any other weird facts? If share them with us, leave them in the comment box.

Have these facts piqued your interest if so click my source links below and read complete list of pregnancy facts:

• http://www.welcomebabyhome.com/pregnancy/did_you_know_pregnancy.htm

• http://www.oddee.com/item_97595.aspx

• http://wackymania.com/8-very-strange-facts-about-pregnancy/

:-•:*"*:•.-:¦:-•* Ta-ra *•-:¦:-•:*'''*:•-:

Dunelm-Mill Body Pillow Review

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Getting myself a body pillow was a must when I found out I was pregnant, because it was hard enough sleeping before I was pregnant and I just it was going to get a whole load worse. So, I wanted all the support and comfort I could get so I can have a pleasant 40 winks! But, when I actually went to buy one my first stop was Mothercare (typical, hey?) and I just couldn’t justify spending £30/£40 on it. Thus, I left without a body pillow and I did this on a few more occasions in the weeks to follow. Went in to buy it but once I got there, just couldn’t do it. This was only a body pillow imaging what I’d do if I was to buy a house or car!

Two weeks things got BAD, I couldn’t sleep at all. I was a walking talking zombie and honestly I’m not exaggerating. I felt like I was living “Shaun of the Dead”. Therefore, I decided I need to find another body pillow or just buy one from Mothercare. Not comfortable with the latter, I searched the net like I was searching for the “Holy Grail” and after much triumph, VOILA!

THE DUNELM-MILL KINGSIZES BOLSTER PILLOW:

King Size Bolster Pillow £14.99 Dunelm-Mill Website
( I took the picture from Google as my camera ma-bob has been demolished by my son. Sorry!)

At the time of purchase, I was curious about the difference between a “body” pillow and a “bolster” pillow, but reading some of the reviews I noticed people have used it as a Body Pillow that was enough for me to go for it.  And it’s been over a week I’ve been using it and I feel running into a wall every time I think of why I hadn’t bought this sooner!

It’s so comfortable and snuggly that I imagine this is what it would feel like if I was too sleep on a Giant Marshmallow! It’s plump enough to provide medium support but not stiff which makes it easier to position. I sleep with it on my left side using it in between my legs and resting my right side on it and I haven’t had any problems sleeping except the occasional fidget here and there, but that’s just me. The length is long enough to support people of most heights and the quality of making is overall good. It doesn’t come with a cover but I bought myself one on Ebay for £5.63 Including P&P.

I know that it’s just a body pillow but for me its godsend. Not just to help me during this pregnancy, but because I’ve been having trouble sleeping for the last four years due to the HMS and I just thought nothing could help except strong pain relief. However, since I’ve got this body pillow I hardly feel the need to take pain relief to get me comfortable. As all my troubled Joints feel supported and even though the pain is there, I can still restfully sleep.

It’s probably very obvious by now that I would recommend this body pillow to anyone that needs extra support in bed regardless of whether you’re pregnant, have arthritis etc. And for £15 it’s a bargain. So, if you’re interested in buying it pop into your nearest Dunelm-Mill store or order online at:
http://www.dunelm-mill.com/shop/kingsize-bolster-pillow-49948 (£3.95 extra for P&P)

and for the pillow cover at:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300700497454&var=600042538338

Do you use a body pillow and what do you think of it and if you used this one what are your thoughts on it?

:-•:*"*:•.-:¦:-•* Ta-ra *•-:¦:-•:*'''*:•-:

Pregnant & Bothered!

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Okay, so were all told that hormonal changes cause mood swings during pregnancy, but nobody told me that I might want to bite heads off at times! Even though this is my second pregnancy, I still can’t understand these so-called normal changes. How can something that instantly turns me into a MONSTER and back be normal? “It’s normal” that’s all I’m told by my midwife, GP, Health Visitor etc. But, I now want to ask you what do you think and can you relate?

Being a mother of a nearly-four year old child, while being pregnant makes my blood boil at times anyway, but having a spontaneous outburst at the same time is just crazy. It’s like one minute I’m asking him politely to give me the tele remote and the next thing I know is I just yelled “GIVE ME THE REMOTE NOW” at the top of my lungs! Afterwards, I actually feel like my body was possessed for that spilt thirty seconds. Surprisingly, all I get from him is “okay, don’t shout” not “mummy, what’s wrong?”

Already suffering from P.T.S.D, I assumed my mental state was going to worsen especially that my mood was going to be very unhappy full spot, but to my surprise being pregnant hasn’t affected my mood in general. It’s just these sudden outbursts that I can’t control.

When I found out I was pregnant again, I actually thought “oh being pregnant won’t be as confusing and hard as the first time. I’ve already done it all once before!” LOL, I must have been definitely possessed then to think that!

So my lovelies, I have a few questions for you below, please take the time and answer them by commenting below:

• How has being pregnant effected/effecting your mental state?

• Do you have sudden outburst like me and if so is there any logic in them?

• How do you maintain your mood during this flabbergasting time of your life?

I hope you all share your experiences with me so they can help me feel a bit more natural about my Mood instead of feeling like a Possessed Soul.

:-•:*"*:•.-:¦:-•* Ta-ra *•-:¦:-•:*'''*:•-:

19th Week: Realisation

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Here are five interesting facts about my nineteenth week:

• My nineteenth week began by me realising that the element of surprise and uncertainty pregnancy holds clashed with my O.C.D in regards to being organised, planned and prepped. If you'd like to read more about this Click Here.

• Spent a lovely time shopping, but any future plans of going shopping on foot is a NO, NO. Because… ME + JOINT HYPERMOBILTY SYNDROME +PREGNANCY +SHOPPING ON FOOT =CONSTANT DEHYDRATION + HYPERVENTALATION +SUBLUXATING JOINTS= A&E

• The post is my new BFF! I’ve received lots of love from him this week even though I paid and ordered all of it myself! I received My First Glossy Box, Stuff for the baby etc. Click on the underlined links if you want to read more about what I got,

• I’M IN LOVE, I’M IN LOVE OH I’M IN LOVE WITH DUCK! I ate DUCK for the first time yesterday and it was delicious so delicious that I can’t wait to eat it again.

• Now my little sprog has been very active this week, at times I imagine it to be riding BUMPER CARS inside me! Yes bashing around my pelvic region like it breaking itself out got me so worried that I called my midwife to find out if it’s normal. And yes, it’s not just normal but very healthy to be doing so. But that’s not the so much interesting part, this is, I’m pretty sure that at times, I can see my belly pulse and I’m thinking it’s the baby’s heartbeat. I can even feel it when I put my hands over my belly and and it's very constant and regular for a minute or so then it disappears. Very Weird!!! Has it happened to you? If so please help me from driving myself nuts by telling me about your experience in the comment box.

 Now that was my week, how was yours? Tell me what you got up to and what where the highlights of the week by commenting below.

:-•:*"*:•.-:¦:-•* Ta-ra *•-:¦:-•:*'''*:•-:

My First Giveaway: HD Brows Grow Baby Grow!!!

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Okay Lovelies, today I want to ask you about your brows.

• Are your brows over-plucked?
• Are they malnourished?
• Do you want them to grow but it’s just not happening?

Well, if you answered yes to any of the above you can benefit from this product:

HD Brows Grow Baby Grow 8ml RRP £29.95 Nouveau Beauty Group :

Apply over your brows twice a day to nourish weak follicles and speed up hair growth. Grow Baby Grow is particularly effective on over-plucked sparse brows.

I received this recently in my first GlossyBox and I have no use for it as my brows grow back too quickly for my liking. I haven’t used it and I don’t want to let it go to waste as it is quite pricey!

HD Brows have been the latest craze when it comes to brows and have taken the industry by a storm.  Creating a stir amongst celebrities, attracting media personalities such as Jodie Marsh, Laura Hamilton, Katie Price to Singers such as Una Healy from The Saturdays, Sabrina Washington & Simon Webb etc.

Now, you have the chance to try it for yourself. Just enter the competition below, it’s only open to UK as this is my first giveaway and I want to keep it simple:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

:-•:*"*:•.-:¦:-•* Ta-ra *•-:¦:-•:*'''*:•-:

GlossyBox May 2012: My First Box!

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I received my first GlossyBox yesterday and I know there are plenty of Blog/YouTube reviews on the "GlossyBox" boxes, but i still wanted to express my own feelings about it, so here I am.

After wanting to sign up for the last six months or so, i finally signed up a few days ago to find out that it's arriving within the week. Boy, was i excited or what. So, when it finally arrived it didn't take me long to unravel the little box of joys!

Now, for what's in the box:

Happy Birthday GlossyBox Balloon & GlossyBox Mirror: The balloon was a nice touch but my son grabbed it as soon as I opened the box. so i didn't get to have any fun with it! And, the mirror I personally found a little tacky. I know it's free and I shouldn't be complaining, it will do the job but it's not nothing special. Just buy changing the colour to pink for example they could've been a bit more appealing but that's just what I think.

Osmo Berber Oil 10ml (100ml £19.99 Sally Express) : I'm really excited about this product. I'm a big fan of hair oils but only if there light weight and not too greasy. And this is light and it smells absolutely fabulous. Makes me want to eat cherries!

Noble Isle Summer Rising Bath & Shower Gel 75ml (250ml £20.00 Noble Isle): 

I love anything summery, warm and this is exactly what the name say "Summer Rising", the moment i opened it it made me feel warm and all summery. It's nice and thick so ideally a little should go a long way!

APIVITA Express Beauty Cucumber Masks 2x 8ml (2x 8ml £2.80 APIVITA) : 

I'm not normally a fond of masks as i prefer just steaming my face. But, not having done it in over a year I thought I might as well give it a go! I wasn't expecting anything new compared to the masks I've tried before, but surprisingly it left my skin feeling very relaxed and cool. which I'm enjoying even now nearly 24 hours later!

Lolita Lempicka ETD 0.8ml (50ml £42.00 House of Fraser): 

Well, Simply put I didn't like the original, Lolita Lempicka. It's very spicy and I can smell Liquorice in it and I hate Liquorice. 

Lolita Lempicka L'Eau eb Blanc ETP 0.8ml (50ml £49.00 House of Fraser): 

As for the L'Eau en Blanc I liked it so much that I'm thinking about buying a full size. I'ts very subtle, smells very similar to Musk and Vanilla.

HD Brows Grow Baby Grow 8ml (8ml £29.95 Nouveau Beauty): 

Now I was surprised to find this full sized product in the box. I know GlossyBox do give full size products at times, but this I didn't expect! Unfortunately, My brows grow back really quickly so this isn't any use for me. So' i'm planning on giving it away! So keep an I out in the next few days if you're interested.

I've estimated that the value of the box would come to approximately £42 excluding the mirror and the balloon. I'm quite satisfied with my first GlossyBox! I do plan to review some of these products in depth after I give them a good run. What do you think of them? If you're interested in purchasing in any of them, I've left the in the brackets next to the product title. 

Anyway peeps, that's all for me today,

:-•:*"*:•.-:¦:-•* Ta-ra *•-:¦:-•:*'''*:•-:

Retail Therapy: Mini Pregnancy Haul

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How are you, what are have been getting up to the last few days? Well as for me, the last few days have been quite unpleasant as I’ve not been feeling too wellL. But yesterday I woke up adamant in trying to make myself feel better and enjoy the warm weather (which turned out to be too hot for me in the end). So, what did I do you ask? Well obviously, I opted for some RETAIL THERAPY!

Therefore, I thought it would be nice to share what I got and see what your opinions are on it. Since, I’ve had my son which is coming up to four years ago; shopping has more or else evolved around in him. And that’s not because it “that’s the way it is” or the other reasons most parents share with me. For me, it’s because I make it like that whether I like it or not. Are you confused? I am. It doesn’t make sense how much I try to explain it to myself. But to make it simple for you, I’ll share the most common situation as an example:

I need to buy a pair of shoes for back up because I only have the one pair. So, I find the shoes that I like online, then I make the time to go to the shop and once I’m in there. I realise how my son need a new pair of trainers or he could do with a new outfit even though I could get them a few weeks later. So my mind becomes a battle field where I try to work out what to buy or shall I just buy everything. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. And after standing around the shop for thirty odd minutes, I decide that I can buy shoes next time or I don’t actually need to buy them at all!

That’s what happens near enough every time I go shopping with the intention of buying myself something. Now however, there’s another contender in the virtual battlefield, My Unborn Sprog! Since I’ve been pregnant everything I’ve bought has been for either one of the sprogs and I always come home thinking “I didn’t actually buy anything for myself”

Yesterday, I decided that I was going to treat myself and not buy buying my children something but buying myself something that only I can use. And, voila! That’s what I did. I bought myself a treat and to put my mind at rest I picked up some bits for the bubble baby. As for my wild child his treat was the three scoop ice-cream that he has while we were out (he chose that over clothes/toys, now isn’t he a “mini me”, Lurves Food).  Also, to my surprise I received few treats in the post as well, so that’s enough of going on and here are the goodies:

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Firstly for me:

A River Island Black Messenger Bag, I really like this especially that it fits my maternity notes inside and isn’t a hassle when I’m using crutches (most shoulder bags are).

My treat that came in the post today, My First Glossy Box: I know I’m really late to jump on the band wagon but the thing is I never got round to it! Anyway, I was really excited about this and now finally it’s here.

Now for the Bubble baby:

I love these Sleepsuits, there just so cute so I had to get them. There from Next if you interested.

From Boots, I got this thermometer. I’m really bad with water temperatures, what is warm for other people is hot for me so I didn’t want to rely on my instincts when it comes to bathing the baby! I’ve read really good reviews.

This came in the post today, I thought it was a bargain because its RRP is £25 and I got it for £10 from Amazon.

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I read a lot of reviews and before I buy something I have to research it. How small or big it is. So, if you haven’t guess already I intend on writing reviews as well. Now, I know some of you might think that some things are not worth reviewing due its purpose or nature i.e. the thermometer, but for me there is.  Because I look for these reviews and I’m sure other people do as well! So, keep an out for my reviews.

So, that’s me all done for today,

:-•:*"*:•.-:¦:-•* Ta-ra *•-:¦:-•:*'''*:•-:

My First Food Blog Post

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Today’s blog isn’t on pregnancy! Nope, it’s actually about yesterday’s dinner.  I thought it’s about time you got to know the other dominant aspects of my life, FOOD. Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

I know by now I’ve mentioned that I lurve food in most of my posts, but that’s not enough. No, I actually feel like I’ve been neglecting my passion. SNIFF SNIFF. You’re probably thinking “c’mon, what’s new about this, who doesn’t love food?” Well, it might not be new but I’m not just talking about eating food, I’m talking about eating it, cooking it, reading about it and even dreaming about it. Honestly, I’m not exaggerating. Truth be told, how much I tell you about my love for food, it will still be an understatement!

Anyway, you’ll get some idea about my obsession the more you get to know me. Now, getting back to last night’s dinner, one of my ultimate favourite dishes has to be the SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE. It something I have to eat at least once a month. And a few days ago, I suddenly realised how I didn’t remember when the last time I ate it was. Now, that’s bad, so bad that I got upset and thought “oh my days, I NEED to eat Spaghetti Bolognese as soon as possible”. So, I went out bought the necessary ingredients and cooked it yesterday. YAY.

Now, I enjoyed it so much that I want you to try it. Please if you do try it; take the time to tell me what you think of it as I’m hoping to Professionally CHEF one day and any feedback will be helpful.

BEWARE, this isn’t your traditional recipe so if you’re a PURIST, you might want to turn away!

SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE

Serves: 4

Duration: 2 hours

Ingredients:

(Please Wash and Dry all fresh vegetables and meat prior to use)

• 500g Lean Beef, minced
• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 50g Butter
• 200g Onions, chopped finely
• 200g Carrots, chopped finely
• 20g Garlic, Grated or chopped very finely
• 1 ½ tsp. Salt
• 1 ½ tsp. Black Pepper
• ½ tsp. Dried Oregano
• ½ tsp. Dried Thyme
• 2 tbsps. Worcestershire Sauce
• 400ml Chicken stock
• 2 tbsps. Tomato Puree
• 400g Tin Chopped Tomatoes
• 2 tbsps. Lemon Juice
• 15g Parsley, chopped finely
• 5g Basil, chopped finely
• 55g your chosen cheese to grate over
• Few leaves of Basil to garnish

Method:

1. Heat the oil and butter in a pot, add the onion, carrot & garlic, saute over a medium heat until soft and translucent ( approx. 5mins)
2. Then, add the mince, salt, black pepper, turn the heat up to medium to high and fry for about 5mins. Also, use a wooden spoon to break any lumps of mince.
3. After 5 mins, add the oregano, thyme and Worcestershire sauce and brown for a further 5 minutes.
4. Once browned and any liquid from the mince has evaporated. Add the stock and Tomato puree bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until the all the stock has been absorbed.
5. Then, add the tin tomatoes, lemon juice, chopped basil, chopped parsley, bring to a boil, turn the heat down to low, cover the pot and simmer for 1 ½ hours. Stirring occasionally and adding little amounts of water if the mixture is sticking to the bottom of the pan.
6. During the last 10 minutes of the mince cooking, cook your spaghetti according to the pack.
7. Lastly, serve. Sprinkle individual servings with some cheese, garnish with basil leafs and serve with Garlic bread and A salad.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

:-•:*"*:•.-:¦:-•* Ta-ra *•-:¦:-•:*'''*:•-:

Pregnancy Fruit Size Comparision

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Well my lovelies, I don't have much for you today as I haven't been too well after a sudden faint attack yesterday. But, while I was browsing through all these baby/pregnancy websites: forums; blogs etc. I came across this very simple but hilarious list. i'm sure most of you darlings have come across it already at some point, but I just had to add it to my "To-Be Informative Blog". Every mother to-be should be able to compare her unborn bubs to something they put in their mouth!

I LOVE food more than most things in life so this was right up my alley, but last week which was my eighteenth, I just couldn't imagine my child as a sweet potato! All I could wonder is sweet potatoes come in the most weirdest sizes and shapes, How is one possibly suppose to compare the child to it?


Anyway let me know what you think about this comparison list & What Comment below with what fruit you are this right now!


So that's all for now,

:-•:*"*:•.-:¦:-•* Ta-ra *•-:¦:-•:*'''*:•-: