February 2014 - all our bags are packed, we're ready to go...

[sunflowered]

Well... we're getting there at least, and definitely ready to meet the first thread baby!

shrops go for it! Speaking as a girl from Essex (but not quite an Essex girl) if you look like "you" you'll feel better when baby comes along and your world is turned upside down. I have no idea of the logisitics of waxing with a large bump - my skin has become so sensitive I haven't had a wax or dyed my hair since around 6 weeks (!) so am rocking a decidedly earth mother look. Otoh, this is the first time in years I haven't had dyed black/purple hair, and am plotting with my hairdresser to make this year the year of interesting hair. At least, he is, I'm just sat there gazing in awe at his Greek beauty. And being startled by how much silver there is in my hair

Dsis bought me vouchers for a beauty salon for a post-birth full-body massage, bless her heart, so I'm looking forward to that mid-February. Part of me is a bit concerned about the cave-woman pubes, but part of me thinks that if anyone in that maternity ward cares about how I wear my pubic hair they're in the wrong line of work. I'm too scared to take my regular painkillers (which should be fine - Panadol, so paracetamol and an acceptable level of caffeine) which is silly, and can't fathom the thought of doing it without... Plus getting to 37 weeks on Sunday - would this be a problem? So many questions, it's easier just not. Maybe. Argh!

See, I have low level envy of people who always look nice like Shrops but i've come to realise it's because they go and do something about it, whereas I slob about vaguely wishing that various bits of hair on my body would just drop out, the hair on my head would brush itself and my skin would start glowing despite only being exposed to weak british sunlight for approx 7 mins a day.

Must try harder....

shrops go for the pampering! I wish I could afford to. Dropped massive hints at DH in lead up to xmas that I really would love a pedicure and some pampering but he ignored me. Did get a lovely watch though so can't complain too much. I may stretch to a hair cut and colour when I'm off on ML but again depends on finances. I'm trying to keep on top of fanjo area by using my wilkinson sword bikini trimmer which has a guard over the mini clipper/blade bit so can use pretty freely without too much risk of accidents..

Go for it shrops! I'm hoping to get a hair cut, facial and leg and Brazilian before baby arrives (just need my leg hairs to grow - I seem to have gone less beastly in pregnancy which is a shocker). Will get eye brows threaded too and I want lash extensions but like other ladies worry about lying on my back for that long and also don't know when to get them done as I don't want to end up with then for weeks before baby arrives and then have scary spider lashes at the birth lol. Ooooh it's probably a bad idea but my roots need bleaching and when I do them I like to do rainbow hair as well as it's the only time colours like orange and yellow take so I want to do that too I know I won't be bothered for so long after baby arrives so want one last colorful hair do (before I just resort to fading pink lol). Need to go and stock up on rainbow colours soon ! Fake tan wise - I can't see it being much of a problem shrops - especially not so late on in pregnancy. My waxer says it's fine to get a wax too - they just sometimes struggle with backs of legs as you can't lie on your tummy. I must get all this stuff booked in!

Yaaaaay cotbed mattress is here and has joined the pile of homeless boxes in the lounge. God knows where the birth pool is gonna go when it arrives later. I didn't get to room of doom yesterday after my unsuccessful library trek so think I'll go tackle some of that now. I want to go to ikea and buy some wall shelves so I can shift stuff from babies room to down stairs but DH has forbidden it - which is probably for the best. Although it's ikea - i could have a nice nap half way round surely!

Totes misskat, the beds in Ikea aren't just for looking at. Either that or take a lilo to the ball pit.

Good, glad you're all pro me and my pampering. Although very sad that I've just shattered the illusion that all the girls in the Facebook group have if me waking up and looking like that.

sugarmice - if you pm me your email I can add you to the fb group. If you're on the phone app there's a pm button in the "more" bit from the home page

Haha Dawn I know EXACTLY what you mean! Have been meaning to epilate my legs for about a month now.

misskat exciting that you have your mattress! What did you go for in the end? I still need to get on and order my bespoke sized one for my ancient cot but still bamboozled by all the different filling/covering options!

Morning all,
Thanks for the lovely welcome!
Another one with insomnia here . Usually get off to sleep ok but wake up in the wee hours unable to get comfy. Last night I couldn't even get to sleep in the first place & didn't get more than about an hour at a time, grrrr . I am zombie-lady today.

I think we all deserve a bit of pampering! I don't usually pay much attention to my appearance and am too much of a wuss for waxing! I do desperately need a haircut though, so that will be my mat leave treat, and I have a spa voucher to use so will get that booked in.

NCT was ok last night. Was all about stages of labour, how to cope, when to call hospital etc etc. All stuff I kind of know already, through lurking on here mainly! Thing is, our group leader talks waaaay too much and everyone ends up switching off! It's too much sitting (on really uncomfortable chairs!) and listening to her and not enough participation. Not had much opportunity to just chat and get to know each other yet either - that will come I suppose.

So today is hospital bag day. I think I'll relax more and sleep better if I know it's packed. Must. Get. Moving. Also going to give Maggie Howell hypnotherapy CDs a try today.

Have plans to get waxed foof and eyebrows when I go on mat leave - although don't know whether to get it done at beginning - 36 / 37 weeks or try and go as late as possible. I'm also going to get hair dyed and cut at school the day before I go on mat leave... It's brill £6 for a professional hair dresser to dye and cut hair, kids (6th formers) take dye off, wash and dry hair.

Question about lash extensions - how do they do it, do they do whole lash or individuals, roughly how much and how long do they last? I vaguely remember having 3 or 4 individuals put on per eye when I got married but that's all I can remember!

Also, I know I am getting £50 from work as a present when I go on mat leave, and plan on spending it purely on ME! Whether this will be added extras at spa or for new clothes for after birth but determined it is not going on baby - feel a bit guilty but by then absolutely everything I can think of will have been bought for baby and I want a treat!

Misskat Yeah, when I had eyelash extensions for my wedding it took aaages lying flat on my back.

Marzi I used to epilate religiously - haven't done it since BFP! Not looking forward to re-acclimatising myself to that pain again. The backs of my thighs are like a special hair lawn. I call epilating 'mowing'.

Cubano - re lashes: mine were individually glued (so single lashes glued to your own single lashes) one at a time along your upper lash line.

So you lie there with your eyes closed, they use a pad to keep your lower lashes out of the way and get to work very methodically with tweezers. The glue is permanent so when your lashes reach the end of their life and fall out, the extension goes with it. So they generally get sparser and sparser and you get top ups. I used to get them infilled once a month to keep them looking good.

They made such a difference to my appearance. Looked so natural but just made me look like I woke up with immaculately applied mascara every day and made my eyes look twice the size! Can't wait to go back to them but it'll be a while before I can guarantee 2 hours away from my baby. I guess when I stop breastfeeding...

Mine cost me £50 for initial set an £35 for infills. She'd come round my house with a massage couch to do them. In London expect to pay at least double that for good (ie not Katie price looking) ones though...

Jazz - I went for this one for the cotbed - half price at babies r us and has pretty good reviews. For my co-sleeper I'm getting one made by babymattressesonline.co.uk/ and am going for a 4cm deep foam one with the coolmax cover (I think!). I've ordered a spare cover in corovin and some fitted sheets as well as I briefly thought about making some and then promptly rejected that idea!

Cubano - that's awesome about the bargain haircut! Eyelash extensions are awesome - I've had them a couple of times and like notone says its great waking up with lovely lashes. It does take ages though (I often have a nap whilst she's doing them lol). Definitely spend your cash on treating yourself! Don't feel guilty - you've been growing a baby for the last 8 months - you deserve a treat!

I've got an epilator too Julie but haven't used it for aaaages. If my wax doesn't happen maybe i can get DH to do it for me whilst im having contractions - surely i wouldn't feel it and could be nice and smooth post birth lol!

All the makeover and pampering plans sound awesome! Now that it's been mentioned, I've decided to get my hair cut and (home)dyed right before due date, find somewhere that can do my eyebrows, paint my nails and do the usual shave ritual. I've been very lucky - hair grows at half the normal speed since being pregnant, so I only need to shave every other week O.o ! I mean, it's been nearly a week now, and my legs are at the stage they would normally be after 1,5 days. It's great, since it's quite a hassle at the moment, what with stomach in the way. Like others, I'm far too much of a wuss to try a wax, but quite happy using hair removal cream instead on the muffin area.

Just about to create a spreadsheet listing everything that needs to be done. I have no storage in the flat apart from a chest of drawers, and the kitchen units of course. Also need to sand down and repaint the cot bed, get mattress and all other bedding stuff. Got to get started on the hospital bag too, and look at my hypnobirthing book/cd. And fix curtains for babys room. And find some lamps. Huff - been here nearly a month and still not finished unpacking! Such a slacker :)

misskat I just tried to order co-sleeper sheets from that Irish website and they wanted to charge 30 euros for shipping! I've heard of people using two king size pillowcases velcroed together instead so might do a bit of investigating into that. It's just the principle of paying as much for the shipping as for the sheets themselves...

Lol champagne - it would be a novel way of distracting oneself from labour pain!

Don't worry Littleen - unpacking is a right chore. We've still got boxes in the basement from when we moved 5 years ago (and didn't unpack when we moved into our last house).

Marzi that's crazy for shipping!!! Babymattressonline do custom fitted sheets for about a fiver each so might be worth a look if the pillowcases don't pan out x

That's a good call Champs and thanks for the babymattressonline tip misskat. I think I need to order a mattress for the cot we have anyway as the one that was in there (that I was just going to leave in, not to be used, but just so it didn't look weird) doesn't smell very nice.

Argh, still so much to buy! Yikes! I keep thinking I'm practically done and then reality hits me on the head :)

Loving all of the pampering/pre-baby makeover chat. I'm planning a hair cut and will try my hardest to tidy up down below with my usual tube of Veet in the coming weeks. I used to use waxing strips many moons ago but have never had a professional wax and don't think the final trimester is probably a good time to start. I guess I'm quite low maintenance - don't colour my hair, do anything professional to eyebrows, lashes or foof so I'm hoping that squeezing in a hair cut on one of DS' nursery days between now and EDD will feel like my treat.

Damn - was about to write more but DS just woken up from his nap. Will try again later!

Thanks notone, think I will looks into it - just need to find somewhere, as usual beautician has left and took all the staff with her and don't know where she has gone to!