30 Before 30 – Another Update

Wow, how is it already 2019?! Now that the end of January is just around the corner, I thought I’d re-evaluate where I am on my list of 30 things to do before I’m 30 – especially as I’ve only got four months left to complete it!

30 Before 30 – A Quick Update

Back in June, I wrote a list of 30 things that I want to do/achieve before I’m 30, with the whole idea being that surely I could stick to something if I wrote it down where people could see! Given that I’m now four months into my 30th year, I thought I should re-evaluate how much I’ve managed to tick off the list…

 

Iris’ Birth Story

Gosh, how is it that my little squidge is one month old today?! As is the common theme with most of my blog posts these days, I’d been meaning to get this written for a while now, but the general chaos of newborn life has been holding things up slightly – I take my hat off to all those mothers I see on Instagram who totally seem to have their shit together, I don’t know how you guys do it! Anyway, without further ado, here’s how my latest wee cherub came in to the world…

What’s In My Hospital Bag?

Man, I feel like I’ve totally dropped out of the blogging bubble again! Once my thesis was finally out of the way, I had all these great ideas for posts and content, but this pregnancy has really taken it out of me, especially with the horrible heatwave we’ve been experiencing! I’ve also become a bit of a night owl, which is frustrating because I’m then left exhausted during the day, and requiring constant naps to maintain my energy levels. I’m fed up and sore, and I’m counting the days until I get to hold my wee bundle of joy… pregnancy definitely seems to get harder the more times you do it!

 

Sunday saw us reach the full term 37 week mark, so I thought it was finally time to think about packing the hospital bag. I’ve seen a few other bloggers do similar posts, and I found them very helpful, so I thought I’d share what I’m planning to take to the hospital for those who are interested:

30 Before I’m 30!

I’ve never really bothered with milestone birthdays before – turning 18 wasn’t really much of a thing for me given my new parenthood status, and 21 doesn’t seem to hold the same significance as it does elsewhere in the world. I wasn’t even aware that people make a big deal about their 25th until I met Paul, shortly before he reached his. In any case, I will be turning 30 next May, and the change in the first number of my age hasn’t happened for a while, so I guess I should mark it with something!

Why I’m Hating My Pregnancy…

I feel awful even typing that title, but despite all my best efforts, ignoring it doesn’t make it any less true…

Where Have I Been?

Gosh, it’s been such a long time since I wrote anything here, almost six months to be precise! The last time you heard from me, I was living the luxury cinema life at the new Odeon Luxe in Glasgow, but that now feels like an age away. I’ve had a lot of things on my plate in recently, mainly my PhD thesis, but I now feel like it’s time to come back – especially when I’ve always found my blog so helpful for dealing with stressful life situations.

Recurrent Miscarriage – The Answers We Didn’t Want To Hear…

(I feel this post needs a specific disclaimer. Please note that I am not an expert in medicine or genetics, the following is only intended to provide a brief description of my current condition and should not replace any advice given to you by a doctor.)

For those of you who have been reading my blog, you will be aware of the difficulties we’ve experienced while trying to grow our brood. October marks not only a year since we made the decision to add a third child to our family, but also the due date of our second pregnancy of the year, which ended in March. As today also marks the start of national baby loss awareness week, I thought I would share the results of our recent medical investigations, which were carried out while looking into the cause of our recurrent miscarriages…

Am I Managing?

It’s been two weeks since we found out our little bean had died, and I still feel lost.

 

From Hoping to Coping…

Last week, we were in a position of not knowing if our baby was alive or dead – a scan had shown a heartbeat, but further bleeding had convinced medical professionals that a miscarriage was imminent. How do you continue with everyday life when such a dark cloud is hanging over your head?

Schrödinger’s Baby

We’ve not had a lot of luck on the baby front recently, as you may have read if you follow my posts. Our desire to grow our family has been met with obstacle after obstacle, which seems to serve only to intensify our need to add a third child to our brood. The situation has been made even more difficult by the wave of pregnancies that seem to be crashing through both our personal and work lives, and I really wish I could be jumping up and down with people, sharing their excitement. I have been longing to add our own special announcement to the mix, but nerves always prevent feeling any level of joy after the multiple losses we have faced.
 

I wish my next words could be the happy announcement we were hoping for, but it seems that, once again, we have picked the short straw… We are pregnant again, but it looks like it may end in another miscarriage.

When One Helping of Loss Wasn’t Enough…

How did you spend your Mother’s Day? Did you shower your Mum in gifts and make her feel like the most special woman in the world? Perhaps you were woken by noisy kids, jumping on your bed and smearing buttery fingers over a hand-made card, which accompanied your freshly prepared breakfast? I had every intention of joining my Mum for a quiet afternoon tea at a secret location of her choosing, but instead spent the whole day in my jammies, feeling sorry for myself – one week ago today, I suffered another miscarriage.

Loss...

What is the right way to deal with a loss? How long do you need to feel an attachment in order to justify grieving for that which is no longer there? Since starting a blog, I’ve addressed personal issues for others to read, but I’ve been struggling with the notion of discussing this particular event, as I know it will likely invite inevitable questions and sympathy from those who will read it. I also don’t want to offend those whose first knowledge of the event will come from this post. Throughout my life, I’ve felt like I’ve constantly been judged, so I suppose I’m embarrassed and frightened that my life choices will, once again, be judged by others. Despite all this, I feel it’s an important topic to raise awareness of, and I’m glad I knew someone who had shared this experience with me before I found myself in exactly the same situation…

 

A Look Back On 2016

I’d originally planned to have this post ready to go by December the 31st, but I managed to come down with some sort of sickness bug and welcomed the New Year with my head in the toilet! Nevertheless, I always enjoy looking back on good times, so I wanted to collect my most popular posts from each month as a sort of 2016 highlights reel! With this being my first full year of blogging, I also feel like I’ve finally gotten into my stride with writing, although my planning and organisation skills still need a bit of work! I’ve had some great opportunities over the past year and met some fantastic people along the way, so here’s a snapshot of what I’ve been up to:

Festive Family Traditions

I love Christmas, but it’s been difficult to get excited this year, especially with all the wedding stuff piling up! I’m a bit gutted that it’s already almost half way through December, and the most festive thing I’ve managed is a half assed attempt at erecting the 3ft tree and a quick blast of Christmas tunes on a trip to meet the wedding coordinator. Therefore, in an attempt to get back on track with my excitement levels, I thought I’d share a few of our family traditions with you…

Guest Spot on Caffeinated Reactions

Guest posts are great, not only do they share the work of other fantastic bloggers, they also help to fill a spot on you own blog when life inevitably gets in the way! When Sarahjane over at Caffeinated Reactions asked to feature me in her monthly ‘Ladies Who Lab’ spot, I was more than happy to help – after all, I am a lady who works in a lab!



I love Sarahjane's face in this pic!

Your Toddler at 48 Months…

Firstly… what?!

 

This was the title of an email I was sent today and I couldn’t help but laugh – isn’t it easier to just say ‘your child at 4’? I stopped referring to my children’s ages in months when their clothing size changed to years. Also, I struggle to think of my (soon-to-be) four year old son as a toddler – he can run faster than me and has better balance, he definitely does not ‘toddle’!

Making Time For Your Other Half

How’s everyone’s week been? I’m currently recovering from sobbing my heart out at last night’s Coronation Street – Jack P Shepherd is a fantastic actor and could move anyone to tears with the recent storyline. Given the heart-breaking conclusion to the episode, it made me glad that I have such a special ‘other half’ in my life, and that we made the most of our child-free week together!

 

Shamless Train Selfie!

Parenting Stories - Role Reversal

Keeping up with my regular monthly segment, here is the forth instalment of Parenting Stories! Last month we learned about the pros and cons of returning to work after maternity leave, and this month we have a further insight into 'mummy guilt' associated with working. 

 

For this post, Jess – from 'Babi a Fi' – has chosen to describe what it's like being the major bread winner for her family, while her partner remains a stay at home dad. Not usually the traditional route, there still seems to be a lot of stigma associated with the reversal of roles…

Family Sundays With The Trading House

Sundays are usually a difficult day for us – it’s the end of the week, we’re exhausted and we’re both filled with the Monday dread. Quality family time is the last thing on our mind, as we rush around doing housework and wishing our kids would stop fighting with each other! While we try to have a family dinner every Sunday, the hassle of preparing a glorious home cooked feast is often too much for Paul, and we resort to our usual favourite recipes, eating after the kids are in bed. When The Trading House in Glasgow got in touch to offer us a taste of their Sunday Roast, we jumped at the chance for a relaxing family dinner with none of the annoying preparation!