Sam’s “Pre-Baby Crisis”

We’ve all heard about people/men having midlife crises – stereotypically someone going through one grows a moustache, buys a convertible and takes up a new slightly random hobby. Well, I am convinced that Sam is going through a pre-baby crisis. Stay with me – I promise I am not just having a moan about him! He has been brilliant with helping getting everything organised and has spent the last two night painting the furniture for the baby’s room. But there are some major telltale signs of his descent into this “crisis” that I thought I would point out to any other mums to be so you can spot them too:

1. He sold his car a couple of months ago in favour of finding a “family car” that we could easily fit the travel system and a suitcase in in case we want to go away somewhere with the baby. This was something he initiated and he is always the one who buys and sells all of our cars. I personally quite like estate cars if I had to choose something “sensible” but Sam’s not a fan so he chose a Seat Altea instead due to the size of the boot. However, all that has happened since is a daily change of tune about the car.
   Day 1: “I really like the car, it is very practical and has all these features….climate control…cruise control…and the boot’s huge…I don’t mind not having a fast car now as I have had so many before.”.
   Day 2: “Everyone at my work has cool, fast cars apart from me….it’s not fair….and it gives me chronic backache….I’m going to have to get rid of it.”.
   Day 3: “I’m not going to sell it, it is really practical and that’s what we need. Plus, you’re finishing work soon so we could start car swapping more and I can take yours….”.
   Day 4: “Right, that’s it, I’m listing the Altea on Gumtree….”
   …and so on. Since the day we got it.

   *Sigh*. I am used to a bit of this with any car Sam buys but this takes it to a whole new level. The only thing I can do is agree with whatever his opinion is about the car that day so as not to be accused of being disinterested. I thought I was meant to be the changeable one!?

2. In the last two weeks he has bought three petrol/nitro remote control cars. Yup, three toy cars. One he sold to a friend, one he sent back and one is currently in our office undergoing *ahem* repairs and modifications. Oh, and he doesn’t appreciate me using the word “toy” to describe them. Cue him reading the manual constantly and watching videos on YouTube of other people’s super fast nitro cars that I have to watch too…I can tell you once you’ve seen one video you’ve seen them all! He can be quite a faddy person so I’m not sure how long he’ll keep the car for until he gets bored and finds a new random hobby.
3. He has also been looking at buying a mini remote controlled helicopter as his best friend has just bought one. Enough said about that one I think!
4. Lastly, and most disturbingly, I think he is regrowing his moustache. I don’t think a moustache on it’s own is ever appropriate – it might have been OK in the 80s on people like Tom Selleck but not now. He grow an outlandish one in November for Movember, the kind with the ends all curled up and everything, and he loved it but I really didn’t. I don’t mind some stubble/a short beard-and-mo combo but I can’t cope with a big scratchy addition to his top lip again! I’m going to have to broach this subject carefully so as not to offend him like last time – I’m sure he’s taken on some of my raging hormones and become more sensitive recently or maybe I’ve become more blunt/insensitive.

So watch-out for these warning signs fellow pregnant mums and let me know of any more you have witnessed yourselves to give me a “heads up”!

33 Weeks

I am just 7 weeks from my due date now and 1-and-a-bit weeks from my last day at work, yay! I am definitely on my countdown now, especially since I have noone to hand my role over to when I leave so I am writing some notes to give to my manager but it seems a bit of a fruitless task. I am trying not to think too much about job possibilities for when I am ready to go back to work as, realistically, this won’t be until 2017. I have also found that everyone has quite differing opinions about when and if mums “should” go back to work but I am just going to see how I feel afterwards about what I would like to do and how many days I would like to work. Hopefully I can do some work from home whilst I am off, I already have something lined-up with my Mum and Step-Dad’s business which is great and I still do my freelance writing (although I am currently not paid for this it gives us free meals out, theatre trips and nights away) so hopefully something more will come of that too. I am hoping just to enjoy my time off with my baby when he/she arrives without the pressure of a return to work date.

I have been trying to catch the baby moving around on camera as I have loved being able to see the bump moving and changing shape for weeks but every time I lift my top they stop moving! Luckily I did get a short video the other day that shows some of the kicks and movements I am feeling everyday. I love it even though it feels a little strange and there seems to be a bit of a pattern to it now where it happens at the same time each day. I think it looks amazing but some of my friends have been weirded out more than anything else – I guess it does look a bit strange.

Health Visitor

I met one of the local Health Visitors today and she was lovely: really friendly and genuine and she gave me lots of information which is great. I assured her that I am the type of person to ready everything in my “red folder”/baby’s personal health record over the next few weeks! I just like knowing everything and trying to feel as prepared as possible.
Luckily she said she loved cats as our three were dotted around the living room during our chat. The only thing she probably didn’t love was the fact that Ben decided that half way through her visit was the ideal time to leave something stinky in the litter tray…delightful and typical isn’t it! I am hoping it was only due to my overly sensitive nose that I could smell anything, oh dear!