With disbelief and minimal drama, the PESH are ambling into springtime diffedness!

[SinkyMalinks]

Antenatal fred fun for BESH graduates

CRESH

Faith - pinky faithlet arrived 14th April 2013
Pinkr - suitably pinky one arrived 25th August 2013
Jethro - blue one arrived 23rd September 2013
Noks - a surprisingly breechy pink one arrived 12th January 2014

PESH

Frankel - EDD 4th March
Sinky - EDD 18th March
Merks - EDD 21st March
Driz - EDD 7th June
Draf - EDD 19th June
Kat - EDD 20th June
Winks - EDD 26th June
Dor - EDD 18th August
Ginger - 20th August
Euro - 28th August

Pleasantly busy here, isn't it?

Dunno Winks! Left are things I don't know if we need, or are just mothercare/m&p propaganda - swaddle cloths with zips, hooded towels.. Had planned on getting supermarket baby grows, but I seem to have been given so many already, don't think I need to!

Do need a changing mat, now I think about it. And a baby gym thing. Should I get a bouncer from birth? Any opinions?

The mumsnet babies guide says the cheap wire bouncers are best, though friend's babies loved their self-bouncing, bells and whistles ones. Play mat/gym things are good too (everyone I know has the same one, a jungle thing that plays music.)

I adore hooded towels on babies but I don't think that's a need.

Disclaimer - I am going by books and other people's children but I adore baby stuff, it's So Bloody Nice to legitimately look at it all.

This is the playmat they all love.

Ooh, I like the giraffe on that one!

I was just thinking a simple bouncer - my friend has a pristine 15yr old one from her sister which looks great - not too bulky. All the ones in the shops I've seen are singing and dancing etc.

Like the kiddiecare garden friends bouncer at £7.49! Bargain!

The plain cheapy wire ones (John Lewis do one as well) bounce nicely underfoot while you sit and drink tea. I have bounced quite a few babies like this :)

I like giraffes, and monkeys and jungle animals. We're not doing much to the spare room but I luffs the Not On The High Street wall sticker.

This one - sorry can't link on phone except right at the start of the post.

I think I am getting a bit carried away.

We've got 2 changing mats, one for upstairs one for downstairs - apparently it's easier to have a changing station both up and downstairs to save moving pooey babies around too much

We bought a bouncer from Amazon in their New Year sales as it was much cheaper than usual and we got a jungle mat thing from the NCT nearly new sale for £5!

Good bargain hunting frank! I've heard 2 mats are good, but I've also been told not to try and change a boy with a mat on the carpet- fountain spray peeing... Which would leave our bathroom floor for changes. Decisions...

Winks, I have a not on the high street wall sticker - woodland animals from parkers. Seemed a good idea, but next weekend is potentially going to be putting up weekend. I'm now worried about wonky placement, bubbles and shitty plaster work crumbling off...

sinks just put a sponge over their willy when you go to change them, no problem with pee fountains. Let me know how the sticker goes!

Check out all of you fancypants people with an Upstairs I could try changing the baby upstairs but the man who lives there probably wouldn't be impressed.

I have an upstairs but the combined upstairs/downstairs space is still minuscule. I think changing will have to be in the one place or we'll be even more swamped by baby things.

I'm impressed by your shopping and Baybee Stuff Knowledge, winks. So far we have nothing, except a "yes please" to the cot offered by my friend. In fact we are so behind so many of our friends and family, that we might not require anything new at all

That has to be a good thing draf!

Winks, I will feedback on the ease of wall stickering.

Have just ordered a stripy bouncer from mothercare - has a newborn head support, unlike the kiddiecare one, and a baby gym - went to get the jungle one, but an ocean baby Einstein one was cheaper and reduced from more, so went for that one. It has a cuddly orca.

The PESH are a bad influence. But it needed these things. Right?

CGH seems to have no idea how much baby stuff can cost. I fancy the iCandy Apple as you can use it with a MaxiCosi car seat. He balked at the package price (which I thought was quite reasonable). I could certainly have picked a more expensive one. AIBU to be a bit peeved?

Ginge, I think a lot of prams can fit a maxicosi seat, but if you want the icandy and can afford it, get it!

I say this as someone who has bought a v expensive pram, for no good reason other than me and ghj liked it and wanted it.

sinks yes absolutely you NEED these things :)

draf nope I have no knowledge! Just close friends & family with children, and an internet browsing habit. I haven't purchased anything yet. HWCA bought a bath & a blanket, his mum bought a (scary) teddy and my sister bought some tiny socks. That's all we'll be getting for a good few weeks yet.

ginge someone else started a thread saying their DP was going mad because she had picked a £250 pram!

Prams/travel systems are very individual. I'd dread to tell you what ours cost all together! It can work out cheaper to buy an all-in system that will last you a good few years rather than having to buy two or three.

I wouldn't worry about the boy peeing on the carpet thing - you get used to being doused in pee and poo, vomit and snot. Lovely.

We didn't have a travel system. We had a buggy and a car seat and they were never united together.

The best thing I bought was these big muslins. So useful for lots of things - wiping up, covering up whilst feeding, swaddling, lying him on it etc etc.

Nooo not the snot dor, little kids with snot sitting on their top lip or worse, blowing bogey bubbles from their nose, yak! Makes me feel sick! Medals for whoever invented snot extractors for babies.

Oh my word... Baby essentials !

Winks, we don't have an upstairs either. Second Floor Tiny Flat it is for us. We might not be buying anything yet, but we're looking at flats with a spare room :)

I am going to come back and br inspired when I dare! The good scan reprieve of nerves lasted about give days...

Standard Driz. Good scan = feeling of contentment. Until the next crazy thought/worry/bout of crazies.

I had a lovely cuddle and kisses this morning in bed form The Little Mister. All topped with a serious snotty nose (or a tasty lip as it is called in our house!). Gross!

What Sinks says. Then of course, just as you start getting used to the idea that things might actually be going right for you, you realise you've got to get the baybee out! I was hitting that stage until last week's puffiness freaked me out and distracted me. Thankfully no reoccurrence of puffy face (which ice been informed is "officially" known as PFF - Pregnancy Fat Face ) but my feet have gradually been inflating through the day. I've taken to propping my feet up on cushions in the evening and sleeping with a pillow under my feet in bed. It's making a difference in the mornings, though gravity is taking over during the day.

Ho hum, at least I've only got 10 days left at work

I've got 35 . In that order!

Been to the Doctor this morn

Been to the Doctor this morning to get my BP checked out. It is higher than normal (for me), but still within acceptable range. Not sure what that means! I'm seeing the midwife on Thursday so will give her the readings and see what she says.