30 weeks pregnant

Now I can't speak for Gracie-wiggle as I haven't met her yet, but I certainly have itchy feet this week and I rather feel she probably does too. I'm restless and time is passing sooooo slowly I can almost feel the hands on the clock snagging from one second to the next, and at the same time G-wiggle is in there doing her own little version of the hand jive I'm surprised my ribs aren't honky-tonking out a tune like an old piano.

All except the hours between 6.30-9pm on Monday when we went for a 3d/4d scan only to find G-wiggle being particularly sedate and relaxed in her den, facing any which way apart from towards the ultrasound probe. We tried fizzy drinks, we tried chocolate. We tried marching round the street for half an hour. We tried putting our feet up with a trashy mag for an hour. And would she turn away from my spine to allow us a good view? No. And if she were 20 years older I'd guess she probably went to far as to flick us the birdy - she didn't move an inch. So we're off again next week for another scan to see if she is more obliging. One good thing came out of our scan-a-thon night; a decent enough view to imply we're having a little girl (again!). Phew!

Matt the Husband and I visited another nursery this week. Being our second of such visits we were able to be a lot more pragmatic and ask better informed questions of the manager who showed us around. It's still a very overwhelming feeling to be planning so far in advance; to think we have to consider childcare at 30 weeks pregnant, when in the real world we're looking at starting nursery at somewhere between 6 and 12 months depending on how I feel about cabin fever at the time. All very bizarre. We think this is 'the ONE' though, so will probably send in the application form in the not too distant.

This week's pregnancy perks see me with the beginnings of swollen feet and ankles, and in the last few days my wedding and engagement rings have been increasingly harder to get on and off. I've probably only got another week at most before these little sparklers get banished to the box for a few months. Braxton hicks contractions are a fairly regular occurrence now, and I have also experienced my first 'hand ball'. When I say this I mean, it feels like G-wiggle is banging the ball in the back of the net with her fist... I'll be sitting quietly, feeling her move so I place a palm over the area that's moving on my bump - and then BAM!! she whacks a fist into me, popping out in the most extraordinary shapes - not painful, just enough to bring water to my eyes and freak me out a little. I mean, a LOT.

So we're on the home straight now until I become a FIRST TIME MUM. 4 weeks left at work, and 10 weeks until we meet Gracie-wiggle in the flesh. BRING IT ON!