It's the final countdown!

30 weeks today and we're officially on the final countdown until these two little babies decide to turn up and share our lives. I don't know where the time has gone but I have a feeling the last stretch will probably drag as I'm struggling in the evenings now and generally very uncomfortable. I had an appointment with my midwife at just gone 28 weeks and my bump is already measuring "full term" of a single pregnancy. No wonder I'm aching everywhere and only set to get bigger! The twins are so active and I've had the amazing experience of watching bony little hands protrude through my tummy and trace backwards and forwards under my skin.

I've also had some frustrating moments with the Spanish healthcare system over the last week. First off I had yet another different midwife who again never bothered checking my notes. She almost fell off her chair when she measured the size of my bump and I thought she was about to send me straight off to the hospital, until I pointed out it's a twin pregnancy. Why don't they check these things? She then tried to locate the heartbeats and couldn't find one, even though there are two in there! It was obvious they were fine as my tummy was kicking out while she tried to find them, but still she insisted on trying. Not happy she then got the scanner out and reassured herself they were ok... After the appointment I went to book myself in for another set of appointments for 3rd trimester bloods, blood pressure control as I'm at risk of high blood pressure due to my pregnancy with Bella and finally an Anti-D vaccine which I was assured would be ordered in for me.

The Anti-D vaccine is because my blood type is Rhesus negative. It's important to have it administered around the 28 week mark. My appointment was arranged for yesterday so a little late but at least I was getting it. After having my blood pressure control I waited half an hour with Bella in tow for the vaccine only to be told they'd given it to somebody else! This was after they thought I was there for a tetanus shot... I can't believe the health centre doesn't hold at least one spare vaccine in stock. I asked what would happen next and they said they'd have to order another one which would take approximately 2 weeks due to the holidays. I feel it's absolutely ridiculous to make a person with a high risk pregnancy (who is at risk of bleeds and early delivery) wait until 32 weeks for a vaccine which should have been given at 28! I ended up arranging to have it done privately which I'm not happy about but I don't want to put my babies at risk. I feel a complaint coming up.

Anyway, it's Christmas Eve and after a few worrying moments earlier with the onset of some contractions, everything is calm and tranquil now and I'm looking forward to sharing tomorrow with my gorgeous family. The last one as a family of 3! Bella will be so spoiled tomorrow and I'm getting so excited, and maybe a touch nervous too ;)

Wishing a Merry Christmas to all my blog readers and I will be back posting on Thursday with an update from a 3D scan, hopefully with some lovely photos.

3rd Trimester I welcome you!

Here I am today at 28 weeks and have just been to the hospital for a scan. I have to confess I was very nervous about the one today as I've had pain and bruising on one side of my bump and was worried something was wrong. Apparently it's nothing to do with the babies or placentas coming away so must be down to the relentless cough that I have, pulling all my muscles.

We had a lovely sonographer who was very kind and patient, the first I've come across on the social system! Both babies are doing very well and are now measuring identically at 27 weeks and 5 days. Twin 1 is 2lb 4oz and Twin 2 is 2lb 5oz. That's a whole lot of baby weight to be carrying around already! The downside of todays scan is that both twins have turned breech and are happily sitting there with their heads together wedged under my ribs. I just hope I can get these little ones to turn back again by the next scan at the hospital in a months time. I have a private 3d scan booked for 30 weeks to have a last decent glimpse of them, so maybe I'll have some good news then. In the meantime it's back to the spinning baby techniques of inversion, muscle relaxation, crawling around on all fours (which I do spend a lot of time doing with my daughter anyway!) and maybe the odd bag of peas on the top of my tummy as you never know!

All in all, a big relief for me today and I'm just so thrilled that both babies are so content. Chances of survival outside of the womb rocket up to 90% at 28 weeks. I found out the hospitals procedure on when to deliver today and if Twin 1 is head down and both babies are growing well then they will leave me until I go into labour naturally... any guesses on when that will be?!

Now I'm off to fill party bags, ice Bellas birthday cake and make her Daddies ready for their party tomorrow!

Happy 2nd Birthday Princess Bella!!!

It's amazing where the time has gone but the love of my life turned 2 today. It's hard to believe I was laying in the hospital 2 years ago suffering through a 36 hour labour desperate to meet my little bundle of pink delight!

The birthday girl had a leisurely lie in and then came downstairs to lots of "Wow's" as she discovered her new toys. We decided to go with a kitchen/food theme this year and bought a gorgeous little kitchen for her complete with fridge, microwave, oven, hob and sink. Apparently she was too busy for breakfast. "No mummy, I playing kitchens". She really got the hang of unwrapping presents this year, ripping off the paper with a "What's inside?". Of course she had a little practice the day before by helping to open her Daddys 30th birthday presents. We had to take a break a couple of hours later to get her to sit still and eat and drink!

The afternoon was spent as the toddler Christmas party at our local soft play where we discovered that Bella does not like Santa Claus one little bit. As soon as the big guy turned up ringing his bell she went in to hysterics, crying and screaming. We have been unable to mention him since or even show her a picture of him as she "No want Santa!!!" I wonder if that means I need to return all her presents to the store?

We're having a joint party on Saturday for her and her daddy so I will put together a photo slide show of the Bella turning 2 in a couple of days time.

Happy Birthday Princess!!!!

It's V Day!!!

Today I reached 24 weeks which if you've ever been pregnant you know it's one of the huge milestones where the babies become "viable". Not the nicest word to use, but basically means that if the babies came now they would have a chance of survival outside of the womb and more importantly this is where the medical profession actually care and do their best to save them, but lets hope these two keep cooking for a good while yet!

So, since my last post I'm transitioning from private health care with my all singing and dancing 3D scans to the free health care provided by the social security system. Private twin scans are expensive which was part of my reason for changing but I also feel I want to be registered and known by my local hospital now, rather than just turning up to deliver the babies on the day. It's a bit of a minefield here with lots of queueing up and form filling. I haven't seen the same person twice yet and it appears as though nobody really knows what the other is doing! In the last week I've had 2 different midwife appointments and the 24 week scan. Normally I love a chance to look at my babies but this was such a disappointing scan! I wasn't allowed to look at the screen while I was being scanned and when I tried to peek round at it, I got a telling off. I did get to look at both babies at the end of the scan for about 1 minute per baby, but the images were so rubbish I was hard pushed to know what I was looking at!

The good news is both babies are perfect. They are growing well with one measuring 2 days ahead of the EDD and the other 3 days behind. There is a difference in weight between them of 110g with Twin 2 being the bigger one. I'm relieved that one of the placentas which was covering the cervix at the 20 week scan has now moved up and twin 2 has turned from breech to head down the same as Twin 1 so at the moment I'm on schedule for a natural delivery :) The scan was such a relief after I had a horrendous stomach bug last week where I couldn't keep anything down, even water, so it was reassuring to know that neither baby has suffered because of it.

In the coming weeks I have 2nd trimester bloods to be taken, glucose tolerance test, anti D jab and the 28 week scan so busy busy! Time is flying by maybe a bit too fast... My bump is huge now so I must get round to uploading a couple of recent photos.

"Whoa, we're half way there...Whoa"

Yes, we are officially half way to 40 weeks today, although over half way until the babies are classed as term at 36 weeks. I'm now starting to feel regular kicks, some high and some low and Chris has even felt a few of them too. Whenever I pick Bella up one of them always starts kicking me. I don't know if it's under protest of their big sister squashing them or enthusiasm about wanting to say "hi!" Health wise I'm feeling great and have finally entered the "blooming phase".

Yesterday we went for the 20 week scan..the big one! This is the scan I have excitement and nerves over as they check every piece of anatomy and internal organ thoroughly to pick up any potential problems. It was a mammoth scan lasting around an hour and a half. The twins were assessed in turn and I'm delighted to say they are both absolutely perfect! Such a relief. They are growing well and Twin 1 is weighing in at 277g while Twin 2 is 295g. We had genders confirmed finally although I'm still not revealing until the big day! Twin 1 (the one who will be born first) is already in a head down position and Twin 2 is currently breech although it has plenty of time to turn. Apparently around 30 weeks I should have a clearer idea how they'll make their big entry to the world. We're just hoping for one placenta to move up out of the way of the exit! I also need to find out my hospitals policy on delivery dates and how long they'll let me go to.

The scans are nowhere near as clear as Bellas at the same stage as it really is just a jumble of limbs in my tummy at this point. I'm so happy I got the lovely pictures of them laying side by side at 12 weeks as they'll no longer fit on a screen together. We did come away with some cute shots of both their faces though:

Twin 1 - first born

Twin 2

I'm starting to feel as though this pregnancy is rushing by and they'll be here before we know it. Bella is slowly warming to the idea of the babies I think. Yesterday morning she came and laid her dolls rattle and a dummy on my tummy and said "for the babies" which was very cute but I think she's probably happier that they're in my tummy than in her home!

I feel at this point I also want to dedicate more of the blog to Bella and her progress as she is growing up so fast and I want to record every moment. She is so bright and smart and her vocabulary and sentence structure is coming on in leaps and bounds. She has started to put whole sentences together and yesterday used two sentences in a row. She came downstairs in the morning and said, "Good morning Jingle Jangles. Lets go play ball!" It sounds so funny hearing her speak like that. She also has a very posh accent and very english sounding. She gives us a running commentary on everything throughout the day. We make our way up the stairs and she's either counting or telling me what she sees. She still has a lot of confusion over up and down, and her colours can be a little mixed up but she can now count from 1 to 16 (that's the amount of stairs we have between each level) and can say the alphabet from A-Z. She sings most of Baa Baa Black Sheep and Twinkle Star. She is so affectionate and gives lots of "huggles" as she calls them with kisses while saying "I like mummy/daddy/Lola etc" She constantly amazes me and I couldn't be more proud of her.

I have a heap of photos to upload of her so will work on a slideshow of the last few months to show her recent changes.

16 weeks and going strong!

Today I'm 16+5 (where has the time gone?) and all is progressing well. We went for the routine 16 week scan on Monday to check the growth and state of play. Both twins are still absolutely perfect and growing well. The brain and heart are developing properly, the kidneys were visible, the spinal column showed no problems and all is looking good with the placentas. It is getting difficult to get clear images now as they are right on top of each other and I assume they will get more and more jumbled in there. It is still very overwhelming to see two babies swimming around. I am so in awe of them and what we have managed to create, but equally a bit scared about the enormity of it all!

I think the term often used is "twin shock". For some it goes away quickly and you adjust to the idea which I did initially, but the further into the pregnancy I get, I sometimes find myself thinking... oh.my.god! I worry about my bond with my existing little princess and how the arrival of the babies is going to radically change our family dynamics. Bella was my longed for and much awaited and anticipated first baby and our bond is very deep and strong. It is no secret how completely head over heels I am with her. At the moment it feels hard to imagine loving not just one but two more babies as much as I do her. I have spoken to some fantastic mummy friends (thank you girls!) who have 2 or more kids and have been assured that you just find even more room in your heart to love the extra ones without taking away from the others. A difficult thing to imagine right now, but my heart which currently belongs to Bella will be split 3 ways. How vulnerable am I going to be?!

I've had quite the emotional time in the last week with certain things troubling me, like the bonding with the new babies and the delivery. Scared just about sums it up! I've found out that I have to deliver in an operating theatre with a team on standby for any eventuality, which if that isn't enough to have a room full of strangers and highlight all the things that may go wrong, I have to do it alone. In Spain they have a policy of not allowing partners into the theatres for the delivery. I know it will only be a brief (hopefully) moment in time and we have the rest of our lives together as a family unit, but still I would have preferred Chris to be there. He does get to stay with me through the labour and I guess the last stages are a bit of a blur before the actual delivery but already it is playing on my mind. I think a new dose of double hormones must have kicked in this week as I find my eyes getting very weepy quite easily! Shares in kleenex anyone????!

Tell me, what's your flavour?

Last Thursday we went for an anomaly scan of the babies to see if there is any indication of potential genetic problems. Because we have non-id twins we were advised against the screening blood tests as they can throw out quite obscure results and also we would be unsure as to which baby had a problem, so we opted for the detailed scan instead. Both babies were thoroughly checked over, spending half an hour on each one where they were measured in length, head size, nasal bone, long bones, nuchal fold, heartbeats and valves checked, umbilical cord, abdomen, placentas, you name it, they were checked. I'm happy to say both babies passed with flying colours and it appears we have two very healthy little ones. They have both grown loads and my due date has been fast forwarded 4 days. I'm currently 13+2 as I write this.

My gynecologist loves to pride himself on early detection of gender so didn't hesitate in asking if we wanted to know. If it had been a single pregnancy I would have opted for the element of surprise this time round but being a twin pregnancy we decided that was surprise enough for us and that we need to know. After getting the all important shots between the babies legs in 2d and 3d we have been given a very clear insight into who we have entering our lives...and no, I'm not going to tell you! I feel nowadays in pregnancy we know so much about our little ones before they are even with us, so I would love for everybody else to have the surprise, even though we won't. Initially I thought I would divulge the genders but I have since decided that it would be far more lovely to announce upon their arrivals. Of course the speculation has started with the favourite being a "purple" bump of one boy and one girl, but is it? Or do we have a pink or blue bump?! Only another 6ish months to wait and find out ;)

In the meantime here are a couple of pictures. It was so lovely to watch them as they tended to mirror each other on movement and the way they laid:

Two little hearts beating away!

We're just back from what I can only describe as an awesome scan :) Forever the worrier, I was fearing the worst as scans fill me with dread since the last pregnancy. I refused the internal scan today, I know it gives clearer images but just didn't want it, so we had the external one done. Straight away we could see both babies and their little hearts pounding away, and a noticeable difference in size since the last scan. The heart rate of one of them is measuring 180bpm and the other 167-170bpm. They both looked more baby like as opposed to a little bean and you could see the limb buds and a more distinct head. One of them was doing some crazy flips and then the other one started up. They're still measuring one day apart.

The doctor was happy that both placentas were embedding well with good blood flow already and couldn't find any indication of the area of bleed at all, so a big relief. It was a very thorough scan, made all the more entertaining by Bella pressing buttons and raising and lowering my bed, then coming round to tickle my toes! She was a little star and very well behaved. A fab big sister in the making...!

I do still find it a bit surreal and had to ask Chris to pinch me in the car on the way home so I know I'm not dreaming! Next milestone is getting to the 12 week scan. It will be nearer to 13 weeks as we're just having a detailed anomaly scan done this time round as any blood work for genetic problems is likely to throw up odd results in a non-id twin pregnancy. So, we need to wait that little bit longer so they're both bigger and can have the nuchal fold, heart valves, brain and soft markers looked at. Now, I'm off to try and upload some photos from the DVD of the scan...still grinning :p

Argh...scared!

Scan in the morning and I'm understandably nervous this time round. Please, please, please be well both little beanies. If you're reading, I would greatly appreciate some positive thoughts! Will update tomorrow.

When 3 become 5!

So I haven't made the "big announcement" on Facebook yet, but enough of our close family and friends know our situation for me to feel comfortable blogging again. I found out I was pregnant again in June and was of course excited and over the moon. Naturally very very worried though following the missed miscarriage back in April. If you remember the miscarriage was discovered at the 12 week scan where the baby had stopped growing at 8 weeks. Well, on Sunday I was 7+5 and had a tiny amount of brown spotting. This understandably sent me into a whirl of panic and despair. Sunday night I'd resigned myself to history repeating itself and felt very numb. We booked a private scan for lunchtime on the Monday as I couldn't put myself through a wait of not knowing.

Nervously I went to the scan, gave my history and got ready for the moment of truth. The first thing checked was my cervix and the doctor was happy that it was just brown spotting and nothing more. I braced myself for the scan. Straight away I thought the screen looked a little different to my early scan with Bella but I wasn't sure what it meant. The doctor smiled and said "You've got twins!" Oh. My. God! Those were my words. How do you take something like that in from having given up hope the night before to being told you have 2 babies! My first question was...are they both alive? Instantly I felt a bond and rapport and wanted to know both my babies were well. The doctor pointed at the screen and said "Look!" It was obvious the heart on the first twin was pumping away. We had a listen and then moved on to the 2nd twin where we also saw and heard the heartbeat. She went on to measure the length of them and they were measuring spot on for my dates. I was 7+6 on the day of the scan. One measured 7+6, the other 8 weeks. Perfect!

Now, there is a small area of bleed inside, she said it was tiny, 6-7mm, so thought the risk of miscarriage was very slight, although obviously still there with any bleed. I have been assigned rest for a week and a rescan next Tuesday in the hope the bleed will have dispersed. I'm happy to say that I have had no more spotting since that Sunday. My progesterone support has been doubled to give them the best chance.

Today as I write I am 8+3. Sickness is pretty horrendous. What was just evening sickness has started to move to all day and I'm struggling to eat, but I embrace it! It's all for the greater good! So, we now are in a position where we are delighted, excited, apprehensive, nervous and praying all stays well with both our little beans. Please, if you are reading this and believe in the power of positive thinking or prayer, spare some thoughts for our little ones and wish them well :) I have decided to start blogging and post about our news ahead of the 12 week scan as we waited the last time and still had a problem, and it's just not nice to go through that on your own. I know a twin pregnancy is going to be higher risk throughout so wasn't sure if there was ever a good time to come clean! I hope you enjoy following our very special journey.

Below are a few photos from the scan. I grin every time I see them! They are non identical in 2 different sacs with 2 different placentas forming.

This is measuring the heart rate of one twin

Measuring the heart rate of the 2nd

One twin measuring 8 weeks and the other 7+6

It's all beachy!

We've managed to have a fantastic relaxing family weekend. The sun is shining and life feels good. We had an impromptu visit to the beach today after finding out Ikea was shut, so stopped off to watch the kite surfers and have a little play in the sand. This is the first time we've been to the beach this year, so the first time Bella has walked on the sand. She was apprehensive at first so got Daddy to carry her around for a while, until her curiosity took over and she started to have a little dig about in the sand and pour it over her legs. The sun will still be shining tomorrow so we'll slap on the sunblock and head off to our local beach for some sand castle building fun. I'll add some pictures of our effort tomorrow. In the meantime, here are a couple of new favourite photos...

Finally...

...I have the all clear from the hospital and have been discharged so I can put this awful 2 weeks behind me. I still have down times where I find myself crying out of the blue, but the good times far outweigh the bad now so it's true what they say about time being a great healer. We've decided we will try again for another baby, so watch this space! Just hoping it's not another 2 years like with Bella...

Not out of the woods yet...

I went for a scan today to hopefully get the all clear but found out I still have retained tissue. Yet more medication and another scan on Monday morning to see if a medical procedure is necessary. It really does feel never ending right now.

Bella was an absolute angel all day, and considering she has the stinkiest cold ever it was great. She was her usual charming and entertaining self. Not sleeping much right now but that's more because she can't breathe properly, especially while wanting to suck on her dummy. After a few nights of disturbed sleep for the both of us while Daddy was working, I'm having a night off tonight as I'm physically drained. On the plus front, I was tickling Bella under her arms and she was laughing her head off, and I spied some canines poking through. Hoorah, at last!!!!

A bleak weak

I've toyed with the idea of posting this, is it too much information or something I should keep to myself? After several days of pondering I've decided to post to be true to the original nature of this blog...sharing a journey through pregnancy and the highs and lows. I know it's progressed in to a blog about Bella but I want to extend it beyond her too. We always knew we'd like a sibling for her and had been trying since July 09.

In February I got a surprise positive pregnancy test and was over the moon. We went back to see our gynae twice to check all was well with the baby and at 6 weeks we saw and heard the heartbeat, a big relief. I suffered many weeks of sickness and tiredness while trying to look after a very active toddler. Before we knew it the 12 week scan was here (Tuesday 13th April) and I was so excited. I was even planning what to write for my "Big Announcement". We went in to see the sonographer saying we didn't want to know the sex etc, only to be told we wouldn't be knowing anything as the baby had stopped growing at 8 weeks. One of the most devastating things to hear. My hopes and dreams for the new baby in tatters. It was a missed miscarriage. I had medical management to help pass everything out which happened yesterday.

It's a totally strange place to be in and completely alien to me. Whilst dealing with the physical pain which is bad enough, the emotional side is totally exhausting. I've been through a whirlwind of emotions and my head has hurt from crying so much. It is totally like grieving the loss of a loved one. Today was a very low day for me, as I think it was all so final, but I have also learned to appreciate my present and what I do have, my already amazing family. I've been truly blessed with Bella considering the time and trauma we went through to get her and for that I am eternally grateful. I still do want to give her a sibling and experience the joy of pregnancy again so although I have been knocked for six this time, we will try again when ready.

For now, blogging will resume dedicated to my truly amazing daughter :)

Big girl you are beautiful

She is growing up too fast! We had an emergency trip to the vet yesterday with our female turquoisine parrot, Mrs Tweet Tweet. Bella sat in the vets telling the vet all about what the animals say. We so far have a roar of a lion and hippo, woof woof, meow, quack quack, baaaaaa, moo, neigh, bzzzzzzz for the bee, snort for the pig and a clap clap for the chicken...clap clap as in cluck cluck! The vet was very impressed by her repertoire and just loved Bella. She's an exotic pet vet so got a tortoise out for Bella to "explore" then took her out the back to the nursing area to see an enormous iguana, a ferret, some more birds and a few other critters. Bella was so excited by her visit she meowed all the way home in the car.

This afternoon we popped to the local shopping mall and while Daddy (yes Daddy!) was looking in the shops, I was chasing our little lady up and down the length of the place. She sat in every toy car she could find, waved to all the other children she passed on the way, befriended numerous sales staff as she bobbed in and out of the shops. She managed to collect a balloon, a pencil and an inflatable coca cola thing willingly given to her by adoring staff. We stopped off for a quick bite to eat before leaving and Bella decided she wanted to drink from a cup and not of the sippy cup variety. She was doing such a good job that I had to comment what a big girl she is now, only for her to upturn the entire contents all over my legs. Famous last words huh?!

Ooh, Mrs Tweet Tweet is due to hatch her eggs any day now, maybe tomorrow. She's sitting on 3 of them so I will update if we have any teeny tiny chicklets tomorrow!

Whatever floats your boat!

We had a gorgeous sunny day out yesterday. It started via the shopping mall to get some bits in the pet shop and a look at the fishes and birds and then to grab some bread as were off to feed the ducks. While in the mall we decided to buy a potty with a view to getting Bella acquainted with it over the summer when she has nappy off time outside. So far it seems to be something to pick up and put on her head, stand in or use as a skateboard!

We left the mall, fed the ducks and drove down to Puerto Banus for a stroll around the port and a look at the amazing yachts there. Bella decided it was nap time to we put her in the Bug with the sunblock cover over and set off. It seems the Bugaboo is the stroller of choice amongst the Marbella/Banus crowd. Just as common as seeing Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Rolls Royce! We stopped by our favourite Start Rite shoe shop to pick up something summery only to find it was closed for renovations. So a quick dash into Zara baby found us a gorgeous little pair of canvas shoes. After an afternoon of walking, playing and eating grapes and strawberries in the fresh air, we all slept well last night.

New shoes!

Midday at the Oasis

I took Bella round to a local holiday resort this morning knowing it was a short walk and not a drive and that it's Easter holiday so thought there would be little kids a plenty for her to play with, and we weren't disappointed! We started out by testing the new wheels...a Bugaboo Chameleon. Why oh why did I not buy one of these from the start? Probably because of the extortionate price tag, but quality does pay. We bought our one 2nd hand for half the price and we both love it! A dream to steer and Bella bounced her way effortlessly over gravel and stones with a "wheeeeeeee". Now we just need to change from the orange fabric to a luscious rich red.

For Petra, so you can see why we're changing colour!

Upon arrival at the kids park Bella ran across the grass towards a tiny little boy. Turns out he's actually 8 months older than her, but was overshadowed by the tall lovely Bella with her head of wild curls. She got to practise her finest spanish with him and his mummy. Bella doesn't say any words in spanish yet, but does seem to enjoy the language and listens intently. She enjoyed a good hour in the sunshine running around with him and swapping balls, shuttlecocks and breadsticks while the mummies laid on the grass in the sun for a natter. She has made a date with him for same time tomorrow. Will it be a crush on the little Filipe? No! Once he'd gone she quickly moved on to another little boy, Hugo, who was just a bit too small for Bella really. He seemed to gaze up at her in awe, especially as she clung on tight to the see-saw and bounced herself up and down for a good while.

After a couple of gorgeous hours in the sunshine (which has been sadly lacking lately) she climbed back in to the Bug for a ride home, exhausted. Same again tomorrow then!

I hate driving in my car...

Well I don't but apparently Little Miss does! Since blogging last new emotions are springing up all over the place. A now confident toddler Bella is desperate to talk. She has a large repertoire of words and animal sounds and a desire to be totally independent and free. Try and restrain her in a stroller or car seat and be prepared for a fight. She does the total straight and rigid move making it impossible to fold her in to either. We had to abandon a much needed trip to the shops today as total meltdown ensued. I have advice from several mummy friends to try the bribery/distraction method. Tomorrow I will try again armed with some much loved but prohibited keys for her and maybe even a piece of chocolate. Never did I think I'd have to resort to such tactics with my little girl, but hey, that was before I became a mother!

I've uploaded a video of her latest interest.

It's about time blogging is resumed!

I've been guilty of being consumed in so many other things that I've totally abandoned Bellas blog. It was never my intention to stop but when you've had too much time away it becomes difficult to restart. But what's 15 minutes each night to keep everyone updated and create a blog of Bellas life for her to look back on when she's older...so we're back at it!