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Hi there, me again… Not a lot been done this week I have to say. I fully intended it to be another relaxing week which is why I decided to stay at my Mum’s a bit longer and I have completely fulfilled my projection. My Mum has continued to have Florence sleep in with her and we even managed until 6am one morning. This is a major milestone for us because it effectively means that Florence has gone through the night for the very first time ever! It’s only taken just under two years to achieve and so far only happened once but I feel like we’re on our way now. My mum has promised Florence a Peppa Pig bed for when she starts to sleep on her own and because she now understand the basis of bargaining it seems to be sinking in. She’s talking about the Peppa Pig bed and it is giving us something to work towards. She’s also been getting stickers to stick in a card every time she does something good: sleeps well, asks to go to the toilet (something that is well back on track) or helping to tidy up etc. I’m going to continue all of these things when we get home at the end of this weekend and see if they work at home too. I’m not entirely sure how the bedroom situation will work once we get back to London but I don’t intend to be feeding her throughout the night anymore; she can clearly do without it and I need to be able to sleep so that is something that, no matter what, we are sticking to! I’m happy to feed her in the morning and evening and that is it, hopefully by the time the baby is born I’ll have weaned her completely. I know for some people tandem feeding is something to be desired but I just need a break. Breast feeding is the most amazing thing in the world and I would always do my absolute best to feed my baby but Florence isn’t a baby any more and I need some time off before I start the major feeding process again!

Unfortunately I’ve not been very well the last couple of days but the walk-in centre in Norwich saw me and were superb so I now have something to make me feel better and obviously my Mum has been on hand to help out with Florence which is great. If I ever am unwell in London, unfortunately I just have to struggle on. It’s been very welcome having someone make me cups of tea and let me have the rest I need. So the NHS walk in centre in Norwich gets the thumbs up! I’d even go so far as to say that it was easier to get an appointment there than it is my own Doctor’s surgery what with all the new fangled rules about having to ring in at 8.30 and then when you do finally get through (the lines are always very busy) all the appointments have gone and you have to wait till afternoon surgery and start again at 1.30. I’m not a fan of the way many surgeries seem to make their appointments nowadays and it really, really irks me that there are receptionists who often seem to take great pleasure in the power they have over you! How annoying! While I was at my appointment my Mum took Florence to Bedlams, the only soft play for children in Norwich City Centre. While it’s ok, and when there are no other children pleasant enough, it’s not very big and fairly expensive. Being in the centre of the small shopping mall it’s often extremely busy as it really is the only thing for children to do in the City. It’s such a shame that such a vibrant City doesn’t have more on offer for children. I appreciate councils work differently and in London we have more money for things like that but I do think there’s a gap in the market for someone to come and open something special. A place like Discover in Stratford would be amazing and with nothing like it anywhere near I’m sure it would be a huge hit! There are quite a few things out in the county but without a car it’s not exactly easy to get to these places. Buses  to many parts of the county are, well, to put it mildly, infrequent and expensive and it seems like it might take days to get anywhere!! Perhaps I have become Londonised and expect too much but I think Norwich is just a bit lacking. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great City and when it comes to the really important things like education, standard of living and house prices then it wins hands down, I’m just having a moan cause I’d really like it to be perfect! We did have a lovely time at the fireworks display put on in the local park and Florence really enjoyed it too! We wrapped her up very warm and trundled off to the park with lots of other people and it was really very special watching everybody’s garden fireworks along the way and then the big display which was on at the rather reasonable time of 6.30. There was a later one too but we thought the special one for children was just great. Florence was a little bit scared of the ones that look like they are coming towards you and buried her head in my shoulder every time one of those went off but she’s been asking to see star fire works ever since so she obviously had a good time!

Before Jonny went back we did all drive out into the County and go to a really interesting nature reserve called Pensthorpe. It’s situated one mile outside the market town of Fakenham and is a real gem in the Norfolk landscape and a must for all keen birdwatchers. Pensthorpe has been the host of the television programme Springwatch so you may very well have heard of it and seen lots about it on the television but I have to say it’s absolutely more breathtaking in real life. It can be accessed as a simple nature walk but it’s so much more than taking yourself off to a field and doing your own walk. These grounds are kept to an absolutely beautiful standard and there is so much wildlife to see and do. There is information along the way but if you’re not interested in reading and just want to look then the stops are very unimposing and can go barely noticed if you prefer. We went on what I would have thought would be a fairly popular day as the weather was fantastic and it was a Sunday but it didn’t feel as though there were many other people there which was great. The wild life spotting was a great aspect for Florence because there were so many different species of bird as well as the traditional breed of longhorn cattle, different insects and some woodland creatures. There is also a captive breeding programme for red squirrels. The ducks and geese were very friendly and because we bought a bag of food for just £1, which lasted us our whole journey round the reserve, they were very responsive to Florence which she loved. She did get a bit frightened when a goose tried to peck the food straight out of her hand but was quickly placated once we gave her one of the stamps located around the reserve. These are intended for children to collect on a special sheet. We enjoyed doing the special children’s trail, playing pooh sticks in the river (Florence now asks to play all the time and seems rather annoyed when there is no river) and just generally walking round and seeing everything there is to see. We just drank in the clean crisp air, played on logs, taught Florence the game ‘Pooh Sticks’, discovered insects in their specially built houses, at just the right height for children to look in, and enjoyed the scenery. The gardens are beautiful and with lots of lovely touches such as giant ladybird sculptures high up in trees, the children can enjoy it too. I think it gave Florence a sense of freedom, being out and able to run around. This is obviously not something you can allow children to do in London very often!  Warning! There is deep water so of course children need to be responsibly supervised!! Pensthorpe Nature Reserve is ideal for bird watchers, bug watchers and people who are seriously into nature ,it would be an absolute must for them. For those like us, an interested but not avid family, it was a lovely thing to do and I wouldn’t say no to going again. Bird watching is not my bag but I still had a lovely day. We had delicious flapjacks and hot drinks in the cafe and the food I saw looked good. The gift shop was also an absolute delight. Not your usual tacky, let’s get the kids to spend as much money as possible ,affair but actually selling very, very beautiful and tasteful things, locally brewed beer and captivating Christmas decorations. I’d say worth a visit in itself! The price to get into Pensthorpe is £9.50 for adults, £7.75 for seniors over 60 and £6 for children. They also run a discovery tour which is extra but we did not do the tour. For more information on Pensthorpe see their extensive and well laid out website www.pensthorpe.com.

Before I leave you with my pregnancy diary I must just let you know about the latest deals from Savvy Mummy’s. If you haven’t already joined this new amazing and cheap way for us Mums to shop then you simply must go and have a look at www.savvymummys.co.uk. It’s always a great way of making savings on the things we really need and at the moment  they have some great top tips on how new mums to be can keep hold of their cash during their pregnancy. Listen to what they have to say:

Discovering you’re expecting is an exciting time but as you start to think about all the expense to come it’s only natural to feel stressed and overwhelmed. Of course, you will inevitably have to spend on certain items but being pregnant doesn’t necessarily mean your bank balance has to take a battering! The Savvy Mummy’s team are experts in helping mums-to-be budget for their baby. Here, they share their top tips for saving mummy money during pregnancy.
Consider second hand: Save money by buying products that have been previously owned and taken good care of by other mummies. There are some great deals to be had if you are willing to purchase used goods that are in almost-new condition. However, it’s important to remember that car seats and cot mattresses should always be bought from new for health and safety reasons.
Don’t overstock: It’s easy to get carried away on maternity wear and baby items at such a special time but remember you are only pregnant for nine months and your baby will grow very quickly so stick to the basics. Think about what it is you need and what it is you want – they are two very different things! Decide on the essentials and save for the little treats for when you have a bit of extra cash.
Sale shop: Always be on the look out for sales, discounts and special offers and utilise the specialist websites. Savvy  Mummys is a daily deal site especially designed to save mummies money. Deals are sourced by mums for mums and emailed directly to your inbox so you’re sure to always be in the know. They even have deals for ‘mummy time’ and ‘me time’ so you can be sure you treat yourself as well as your bundle of joy!
Be in the club: Many companies now have mother-and-baby clubs and if you join, they will send you money-off vouchers for essential baby products. Keep your eyes peeled for coupons: the value might be low but you will notice the difference.
Open a savings account: Start saving early! Even putting a little aside will help in the long term. By saving a small amount each month not only will you save money but you will begin to get used to a lower income while you’re on maternity leave. Great for when baby arrives!
Borrow baby books: Why pay for the latest pregnancy and baby titles when you can find them for free in your local library? Grab a comfy chair and a cuppa and get reading. There’s also a wealth of information online – and it’s all there for free!
Savvy Mummys is a community-based daily deal site that offers mums super-sized savings on all things mummy related. With Mum Time deals for when you have your mummy hat on and Me Time deals for when you are looking for some self indulgence; Savvy Mummys offers everything from baby clothes to childcare, toys to holidays, fitness to family activities, dining, beauty and more! To become a Savvy Mummy member, sign-up at www.savvymummys.co.uk.

MY PREGNANCY DIARY WEEK 15
Like I said, I’ve been fairly unwell for the last couple of days which, because of the nature of it, has worried me a little with regards to my pregnancy. I started to get a really sore tummy a few days ago and felt as if I had perhaps been doing lots of sit ups, which I obviously have not! I’ve been doing much less than usual, not more, so it was kind of worrying. After wracking my brains and realising that my wees were stinging quite a bit, I deduced that it’s a water infection and after some googling I realised that this can be quite dangerous in pregnancy and apparently can bring on contractions so I knew I had to get myself off to the walk in centre. Like I said, they were absolutely brilliant and although there was a long initial wait to see a nurse the man at reception saw that I had a little one with me and suggested that I could go and come back nearer to the time I would be seen. The nurse tested my urine sample but couldn’t detect anything ,which worried me further because if it wasn’t a urine infection then why have I been in so much pain? She booked me an appointment to see the Doctor a couple of hours later and he was very reassuring. He put the Doppler on my tummy and we heard the baby’s heart beat; that instantly put me at ease. He then felt my tummy and said that where I was finding it uncomfortable and sore would suggest a urine infection and that the tests done in surgery weren’t really able to detect something a lot of the time. He told me that he would send off my sample for cultures to be grown but in the mean time, because antibiotics used to treat this are completely non harmful in pregnancy, he would advise I took a course anyway. I’m really pleased to learn they are non harmful for the pregnancy and although I didn’t pick them up yesterday, I am going to do so today and start this afternoon. I had a temperature and felt ghastly last night and still feel pretty rough now so the sooner the better I think!

Also, this week Jonny said we had a letter back from the hospital with the results of the scan and blood test to detect the likelihood of downs syndrome and I am pleased to report we are low risk with a figure of 1 in nearly 5,000. I was initially alarmed because if I remember rightly it was 1 in 32,000 with Florence so it seemed not particularly good compared with that but I understand that once you hit 30 the odds are all changed dramatically and I was 29 when I was pregnant and had that test last time.  Onwards to the 20 week scan now – can’t wait! It seems amazing that in just over a week I’ll be having my 16 week check up?! How can that be? One of my friends is due to give birth any day now and I remember her telling me she was pregnant at Easter time when she was only about 5 weeks gone. It seems like no time at all, it’s amazing how time flies!
My pregnancy product of the week this week has to be Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Tummy Butter. Skin gets really itchy in pregnancy as it grows and I find that this product really helps with that. Unlike the product I tested last week which is to be used all over the body, this is a butter dedicated solely for the growing tummy. It smells delicious, rubs in very smoothly and stops the itching in an instant. It also helps to prevent those dreaded stretch marks coming so couldn’t be better! It’s a highly concentrated formula containing cocoa butter, vitamin E, collagen, Elastin and soothing lavender oil. Palmer’s recommend it for stretch marks before and after pregnancy and I say I agree. The best thing about it for me though, is the moisturising quality. It’s thick but not at all claggy and it really does feel like it massages deeply into the skin. Love it! It comes in a 125g pot and can be bought throughout the high street at chemists as well as on line. Priced at around £4.70 it’s not bad at all, although I would say a pot doesn’t really last much longer than a month if you use it every day. For more information on all of Palmer’s products including their full pregnancy and baby range then please see their website www.palmers.com.