February 2014. The cake mix is in the mug, the microwave is on, it's slowly rising and we'll be pinging in three more months!

[Shropshiremummy2B]

Sadly my cake mix is rising too much and resulting in a serious muffin top.

littleen I'm afraid I have no words of advice regarding your Mum, I think you are right to stay away from that other forum as there is always a lot of 'cut contact' advice given for both parents and partners and the reality is always far more complex than what a few words on a screen can express! Advice from somany sounds very good and perhaps applicable to your situation.
I will say, my Mum isn't around any more (also cancer), and I think it will mean so much to yours to meet and spend time with her little grandson - I would probably keep contact to the necessary minimum until he's here and then, once he is, just try to keep the visits on your terms, but since you know that she might not have a huge amount more time, this is a way of giving her an enormous gift in her remaining months/years.

champs YES to the fast forward button. I don't want the baby to come early, I just want February to be here nooooww (whiny voice) Only three more months until our month though, we can do it!

ruggle huge congrats, I really hope this is a happy and healthy pregnancy for you

somany I hope everything's okay with your house this morning?

unplastered not sure, my boobs are still quite small and haven't had anything similar, but if you are concerned then why not see the doctor..that's what they're there for.

Definitely suffering with the pre-official-T3 exhaustion. Though I've been a lot less sick since we moved into the hotel so I really think the mould in the house is contributing, am seriously hoping that once it's all been fixed I will be vomit free!

The other thing I'm loving about this stage (and I guess it's going to get more pronounced) is being able to tell which bits of baby are pressing against me. Yesterday she was snoozing with her spine out - at least I am pretty sure it was her spine as it was so solid - so I could give her a little back rub :)

I guess so, but having googled images of boob stretch marks they're all pointing towards the nipple iyswim, this is at 90 degrees to that. If its a stretch mark I will be annoyed, I managed to get through my entire first pregnancy without a single one and irrationally I had rather hoped I would pull off the same feat this time!

somany glad your house is ok this morning, hopefully drying out will sort it. Sorry.to hear u had such a bad night tho - take it easy today :)

That sounds so cute marzi! I'm definitely not tjere yet but am just starting to see and feel movement from the outside. Could watch it all day!

Congrats on your summer baby ruggle and wishing you a safe and happy pregnancy this time round.

Gosh I have gone cooking crazy today! I've made a raspberry and almond cake, chicken and chorizo in cider casserole and pizza dough and sauce. I have become obsessed with batch cooking and am actually getting excited about getting an extra freezer for the basement so I can just go crazy making freezer food before the baby arrives. I am officially old aren't I! Bloody knackered now. Hope you've all had lovely Saturdays!

MissKat that sounds amazing, I'm seriously impressed with your energy levels today! Funnily enough a friend is getting a small chest freezer for her basement and I have extra chest freezer envy. Very tempted to keep an eye out for one for our basement - love the idea of coming over all domestic goddess and having home cooked delights just waiting to be popped in the oven!

Ruggle - big congrats, lovely news and thanks for coming back to share with us.

I'm not sure when the third trimester hits exactly, I may not be there yet (24+2) but I feel like the energy and slight break from feeling crappy the last few weeks has disappeared and I feel crap again. Spent last night at my parents' house with DS and it was so lovely to just hang out, have a bath and get an early night knowing my mum would get up with DS this morning. I felt like all I did was whinge to them about how much I'm disliking being pregnant and how I can't believe I've still got 3 more months of getting even more massive and cumbersome. We popped out in the car earlier and I had to get my mum to pull over at one point as I was not he verge of puking. Now back home and just feel knackered, queasy and fed up.

Anyway, enough of my moaning!

where's my invitation to this feast, misskatamari ? Sounds delicious! :D

Loves Third tri is 27 weeks onwards.

I have a shameful confession - I don't know how to use a freezer. Well, I know how to put stuff in there, I just don't know how long you can leave food in there and how to defrost and then cook it. I am a child.

Julietee, I'm with you... Until I met DH 11 years ago I lived on weetabix and marmite on toast. I bake, but I don't cook. Luckily DH is as crap at cleaning as I am at cooking so the chores kind of balance...

I don't take any notice of the 'rules' regarding how long things can be frozen for. As long as they are properly packaged it makes no difference at all. I also disregard best before and use by dates in favour of the sniff test!

Awww lovesto that sounds grim feeling so rough again. I don't know where my energy came from today - usually I'm like you and shattered at the moment. I am getting so breathless climbing stairs etc too and have to muster energy for about 5 mins before I manage to get myself up from the sofa!

Awww thanks Littleen - fingers crossed the pizza will work out okay tomorrow!

Julietee I've only started doing freezer meals about a year ago but god they are amazing! I just cook big batches of stuff like cottage pie/chilli/curry/lasagne/bolognaise etc. Then you cool it and Tupperware it in portions. To defrost you just bung it in the fridge the night before to defrost and then heat up. I usually do this on the hob or in the oven or you can use the microwave. So brilliant for a quick easy and healthy meal when you get home and don't wanna have to cook. I'm gonna make up so many for when the baby is born so I don't even have to think about cooking for a month or so. Most foods will last a couple of months frozen too.

There isn't much you can't freeze. The best pre-made foods to freeze are ones in liquid/sauces like curry, soup, lasagne, cottage pie, chilli con carne, fish pie, stews etc.
Chill and freeze the food as quickly as you can after cooking and its good in the freezer for months. Some foods do better if left to defrost in the fridge overnight but most are ok straight on the hob or in the microwave.
Just be careful with defrosting, cooking, freezing and defrosting again. I have done this myself with mince and never had an issue but I wouldn't risk it with a baby.

I can feel baby kicking at my ribs already. I'm only 5'2 so I guess it isn't a big stretch for baby but all of a sudden I feel like I need to be getting baby's room ready. Its still a mess from the move.

Lots of sympathy to everyone feeling tired. I'm also quite breathless and whalelike now. Only 3 months left though, we can do this!

MissK would you mind if I came to live with you for the remainder of my pregnancy? All that food sounds delicious and I just seem to have no energy too cook great meals at the moment.

Obviously I have to cook as I have 2 DC to feed and I am a cook from scratch person. But I have lost my love for cooking and I really have not been putting much love into my cooking. I think I may make a shepherds pie tomorrow as I haven't done one in ages. Either that or catch a train to missk's house with my bowl and spoon

Lol awww you're more than welcome Somany - just bring some non-alcoho beer with you!

I know what you mean about not being able to muster the energy - this is the first time since being Preggo that I've actually managed to enjoy cooking. I usually love baking and pottering in the kicthen but have just been too knackered/sick to manage it. I'm just lucky I had half term this week.

Lol DH informed me this morning that he thinks my "boob leaked a bit" in the night as there was a wet patch (perfectly round and nip shaped too lol) that was "too low to have been drooling". As yes I now drool all the time whilst sleeping as well! Gosh being Preggo is glamorous! Is anyone else still sleeping on their back? I try to go to sleep on my side but seen to wake up on my back quite a lot. Hope it's okay to do so - I'm sure my body wouldn't do it if it was actually dangerous - hopefully!

Oooh last hypnobirthing class today then lots of practice at home for the next few months to hopefully get all the techniques in my head. Have a lovely Sunday ladies x

I still sleep on my back. Baby hoofs me in the hips if I try and sleep on my side plus when I'm on my left side it feels as if I have something stuck under my left rib cage? Odd. I think it's referred sensation to baby sticking his foot somewhere in particular (like when people feel heart attacks in their left arm)
Had a weird dream wth you in it last night misskat. You were trying to save on-street parking spaces by drawing little men with flagsdoing semaphore that spelt out 'fuck off' on big bits of card and leaving it in the space. I was trying to explain how this might not work!

Ahh ruggle that's lovely congratulations!

Misskat I still wake up on my back every time, even though I go to sleep on my side. I'm sure it's not as bad as things we read as people have been having babies for thousands of years and I'm sure this is new information!

I'm really hungry all the time at the minute, is everyone else? Or am I just being a greedy pig...

Slightly concerning day yesterday - I think I had braxton hicks during a walk in the woods. I was uncomfortable with lower back ache and very aware of my bump. No real pain, just discomfort, but I had no option but to keep going til the end of the walk as a) my dad isn't very patient! b) that was the way back to the car.

Then I woke up to a crampy womb feeling about 5am. So... not the best day and it's shaken me slightly. But I will have smoked salmon today, which somewhat makes up for it!

Me and DH were talking about how lucky Clumpy is going to be because he'll probably have lots of lovely holidays with my parents that we could never afford to take him on.
We were also discussing the optimum age to start teaching reading. I love that he's so into the parenting!

Don't panic julietee - I've been having about 4 or 5 Braxton hicks a day for the last few weeks. Doesn't hurt and it's perfectly normal. DH encountered one when giving me a belly rub last night and it really freaked him out how rock solid everything went! I'm seeing it as my uterus is getting loads of practice in so will be super strong by the time I go into labour and I'll have a sneeze birth.

I wake up on my back all the time. Figure if it was doing anything bad I would feel it (and maybe that's why I wake up?)

Julietee I overdid it yesterday as well was on ny feet and walking for a few hours as went to see one of the big firework displays. Definitely pain in bump and lots of muscle aches. Will not be doing that again! Fireworks were pretty amazing though and I'm making myself a sausage sandwich for for breakfast to console myself for missing the hotdogs last night due to speedy must sit down now escape

whoputthe sneeze birth

Can I order a sneeze birth too?!

somany I'm just like you with the cooking, normally everything is from scratch but lately we've had fajitas from a kit, pasta sauce from a jar...things I normally completely balk at :) Just have to remember it's temporary. Luckily we're at my BIL's today and he's making a roast dinner later.

I asked my yoga teacher about back sleeping (she's also a MW) and she basically said the same conclusion you guys have come to - your body will let you know when it's a problem (heavily pregnant ladies round the room concurred!)

Question - what do baby hiccoughs feel like?

Ahh just burst into tears over my marmite on toast on account of the fact my arms don't look like my arms anymore. Poor DH. Crazy hormonal woman (with weird arms)

Glad others are sleeping on their backs, I wake every morning like it.

DH and I have been painting the nursery all weekend. Nowhere near finished as still have white wood and a wall of wallpaper to do but it's taking shape. Team yellow all the way with pale yellow walls and Winnie the Pooh paper. Will post some before/after pics but we aren't expecting it to be done until Christmas!

25wks today!

Marzipanned - for me the hiccups feel like a vey repetitive, quick spasm.