Never Forget. 1 year on.

September 13th 2013 marks a special day as it would have been our little girl Jade's first birthday. It's hard to believe a year has passed already and to think we would have had a 1 year old now is crazy!
It's bitter sweet as we are having another little girl in 8 weeks time, I think it would be a lot harder if I was not pregnant now!
I think about her every day and wonder what she would look like and how she would have been and I would have loved for Sofia to have a big sister here.
It has got easier as time has gone on and I know she's happy wherever she is and i know my dad will be spoiling her on her birthday!
So happy 1st birthday baby girl we miss you everyday xx
Never forget xxx

30 WEEKS PREGNANT!!!

How far along? 30 weeks and 1 day!

Total weight gain/measurements: i have put on about 20 pounds since the start which is more than i wanted to.

Maternity clothes:I am living out of leggings and long t-shirts as nothing else fits me! with only 10 weeks to go im not going to buy any maternity clothes its just a waste of money!

Stretch marks? My sides have got a lot in the last week but none on my belly yet so im hoping it stays that way.

Sleep: Sleep is on and off now as she is sitting on my bladder i have to get up to pee about 5 times a night so i never get a full nights sleep.

Best moment this week:Hitting 30 weeks and realizing how close we are now to having our little girl with us :)

Miss anything? My body! i have no control over it anymore so il be glad when i have it back ha.

Movement: Movement and kicks are so strong now to the point where it hurts sometimes so i know she is getting bigger and stronger everyday! 

Food cravings:  Still nothing where i have to have it.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Fish or peas i still cant stand the smell or eat it!

Gender: A little GIRL :D our little baby Sofia x

Labour signs: Nothing yet.

Symptoms: Heartburn still have it but im learning to live with it now! Backache is getting worse each week. Swollen ankles which i was not expecting it just looks worse more than anything. Leg cramps, i get it mostly at night so im using a foot pillow to help.

Belly button in or out? Pretty much out now!

Wedding rings on or off?  Off which was sad taking them off!

Happy or moody most of the time: Il say moody now im just ready for her to be here now im getting too impatient.

Looking forward to: Our next scan next week to see her again and check her size as she was measuring bigger last time. 

6 months!!! 24 weeks!!

How far along? 24 weeks and 4 days!

Total weight gain/measurements: In total i have put on about 14lbs so 1 stone heavier! Its been hard for me to get on the scales and not cry when i have put on a few pounds I forget sometimes I'm pregnant and its only baby weight ha!

Maternity clothes: So far i have only bought 2 nursing bra's and 1 maternity top as it's so expensive! I just get a few Penney's tops in bigger sizes because they are so cheap and I'm only going to be wearing them for a short time.

Stretch marks? YES!!!! which I hate. I only have them on my boobs so far but i get them anyway so I'm just waiting for them to appear on my belly soon. I'm using Avon's stretch mark cream and baby oil at the minute but nothing is working!!

Sleep: I get very little sleep in this heat and i need to buy a pregnancy pillow to support my belly at night.

Best moment this week: Watching our baby from the outside seeing him/her kicking and rolling around.

Miss anything? Fitting into all my lovely summer dresses i have :( It's just more motivation for me to get my body back after little bambino is out!

Movement: Loads of movement especially at night baby seems to come to life at around 1am or early in the morning, guess it's just preparing me for when it's born ha!

Food cravings:  Nothing really strong cravings, i guess mayonnaise I'm addicted to it anyway but i have to have it with pretty much anything i eat now!

Anything making you queasy or sick? Fish or peas i still cant stand the smell or eat it!

Gender: We still don't know! But we find out in 6 days which is so exciting :D

Labour signs: No.

Symptoms: Heartburn, it has eased off alot but i still get it at least twice a day! Tiredness, i find myself so tired all the time again maybe it's just the heat but i fall asleep so early now! Backache, I have bad backache where i cant get comfortable unless I'm lying in bed.

Belly button in or out? Almost out!

Wedding rings on or off? On but it's starting to get a little tight so id say by 30 weeks it will be off!

Happy or moody most of the time: I'm gonna say a bit of both I'm sure Matt would say more moody though ha!

Looking forward to:Friday when we have our 4d scan and we get to see our baby's face and find out the gender and i can finally buy clothes and tell everyone his/her name :D

10 things people do not tell you about pregnancy!

1. You will get dark hairs growing on your stomach which make you look like an ape!
2. That glow everyone talks about doesn't exist! You just get a face full of spots! 
3. Feeling your baby kick for the first time is amazing but also very weird its like there's an alien in your belly!
4. Whenever you have to bend down to get something you have to plea or squat, not the most attractive look!
5. What baby wants baby gets. Even if you want chocolate if baby doesn't want it, it will let you know by making you get sick after it! 
6. If you laugh or sneeze too hard you WILL pee a bit!! Be prepared!
7. Using bio oil will not stop you getting stretch marks if you are prone to them you will get them anyway!
8. You wont be able to run anymore and if you try you will look ridiculous. You will also have to hold your boobs as they will feel like they are going to fall off!
9. Everyone will touch your belly even strangers and its SO awkward, if you didn't put it there don't feel the need to keep poking at it!
10. You will loose all your dignity even before you give birth, you will be surprised how many people get to poke and prod at you throughout your pregnancy!

Bump update :)

So this week its been such a relief to finally tell everyone we are pregnant :) 
I literally took about 10 pregnancy tests because we just didn't believe it.
Hitting 12 weeks has been such a huge milestone for us and reaching the second trimester :)
We have been for 2 scans to check the baby early this time and both scans baby was growing on track with a strong heartbeat and moving around. Im glad we will be getting lots of scans to give us piece of mind that baby is ok.
I havent had any strong cravings yet just chocolate milk or milk in general i think that could be because of the heartburn which has kicked in full force now. Ive noticed im finding it hard to sleep at night or get comfortable as i get further along. One of the bonuses of being pregnant though is my boobs have gone up about 2 sizes ha.
As for movement i haven't felt anything yet just little flutters on and off right where the baby is i cant wait till i get to feel kicks :)
We havent started buying anything yet we will buy all the big stuff a few weeks before im due and clothes when we find out what we are having which we should no in about 5 weeks :)
We both think it's a boy and every symptom has indicated boy but we will probably get a shock and find out it's a girl, either way i dont mind as long as it's healthy.
We have another appointment in a few weeks so we will get to see our little king prawn again.
As for a bump im starting to show a little bit already and ive finally gained 2lbs.

This week our baby is the size of large plum it's crazy :)

Planning Our Wedding!!

So we got engaged just over a year ago and we've had such a mad year we haven't had time to even start thinking about our wedding. Finally we have time to start planning and we are hoping to get married in the next 2 years. I pretty much have everything planned down to every detail all Matt has to do is show up on the day ha :) We know our budget so were just going to a few wedding fairs to get the best deals and see which venue we like best. I can not wait to get my dress Ive tried on a few but nothing has felt like the one yet!! Me and Matt decided on 3 bridesmaids and 3 groomsmen, I have my sister Linzi and my best friend Edel and I have one more which I haven't asked yet because I haven't seen her in a while :) We were originally going to have 4 of each but since my dad passed away last year i asked my brother to walk me down the aisle instead :) Hopefully tomorrow we will know more about the official date!! 

I cant wait to marry my best friend and be Mrs Lianne Crowson :)
xx

Mens Skincare!!

Men think looking after your skin is only something women do. It is so important for men to look after their skin as it can become dry/dehydrated/sensitised being exposed to the weather or when playing sports. Also shaving can irritate the skin leaving it dry and flaky. There are a lot of products nowadays men can buy to keep their skin looking nice. I would even recommend just starting with an exfoliator and using it once a week and a moisturiser every day. I am a big fan of Nivea products and they do have a skincare range for men. So girls if you want to get your boyfriend/brother/dad a gift, get him something that's going to keep him looking young and handsome :) And men don't be embarrassed to look after your skin or buy skin care products!! 

Some ranges of products for men:

• Nivea.
• Dermalogica.
• Neutrogena.
• Clinique.
• Gillette.
• Dove. 
• L'Oreal for men.