36 Weeks....four weeks to go!

How far along:  Thirty-six Weeks!

Weight Gain:  32 pounds!

Maternity Clothes:  I'm loving my new Gap maternity jean shorts. Warmer weather seems to be creeping back into our lives and they are a lifesaver. UNFORTUNATELY, the weather is not consistent and it's freezing today - hence the jumper and jeans!

Stretch Marks: Nothing new to report! 

Belly Button:  Out. Let's hope that "snapped cord" B was talking about was really a joke. I miss my innie. 

Queasy or Sick:   Feeling good aside from tired and achy. I do have to admit my vomit free streak ended - I think heartburn has a lot to answer for there. 

Sleep:  BOOOOOO. Anyone else feel that it's just plain cruel that insomnia sets in during your last few weeks?  I'm so uncomfortable in bed and not feeling rested at all - regardless of what time I go to bed! 

Best Moment of the Week:  Jen and Graham came to play this weekend!  More on that below!

Worst Moment of the Week:  I tried to make dinner a few nights ago and when I opened a cupboard, B's liquid smoke I bought him for his birthday fell - in slow motion - and shattered EVERYWHERE. I just didn't know what to do with myself - sobbing, I tried to clean up the mess. I could hardly bend and the smell was making me sick. It was NOT a good night to feel tired and hormonal on top of having a kitchen nightmare.  I really lost it.

Miss Anything:  I really fancied wine this weekend. We had some amazing food and a nice glass of white wine was desperately needed. Soon enough, I suppose. 

Movement:   I swear to you - Baby McBerry is trying to escape through my belly button. In 
ÜBER exciting news:  I think I've dropped/lightened! I can breathe again,

my bladder feels smooshed and according to B, I didn't snore last night!   You know what THAT means....!!

Cravings:   Watermelon!  Cool, sweet and watery. I feel as though nothing can quench my thirst at the moment and the best solution is watermelon!  

Looking forward to:  This is my last full week before my maternity cover comes in to save me!  We will most likely team teach next week so she can get the hang of my classes - I couldn't be happier!  Roll on Maternity Leave!!

This weekend Jen and Graham have journeyed up to good ol' Norfolk for some quality, pre-baby time!

We couldn't resist a chalkboard photo op!!

As the sky was grey and the air was cold, we took them to the biggest Beer warehouse in England: Beers of Europe.  It's just up the road from us but we never knew it was there until last weekend!  B and Graham stocked up - I even got myself a Non-Alcholic Kopparberg pear cider!

Whenever we get together, we tend to spend most of our time focused on good food and good conversation.  Quite frankly, I don't think there's much that could be classed as "better" in life!

The Weekend 
(According to our stomachs)

Saturday Breakfast:  I made my favourite recipe of Waffles with cream and berries and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (probably the best gift we could have received from our houseguests!)
Saturday Lunch: B grilled some Sea Bass with lemon, rosemary, basil and thyme and we enjoyed some potato salad and greek salad.  I had grilled haulloumi - always a favourite for the vegetarians at the BBQ!  (In typical British fashion, we braved the cool weather and sat outside, wrapped up until the sun came out!).

Saturday Drinks:  We have enjoyed drinks on the quay before, but the weather was not kind to us.  We opted for the upstairs lounge in Marriot's Warehouse in King's Lynn.  It was a lovely place for a quick drink and the menu looked amazing!
Saturday Dinner:  Our favourite - Middleton Steakhouse.  We love this place as it's basic food done really well for a good price.  I always opt for the Piri Piri Vegetarian burger, but the meat eaters in our crew *loved* the ribs and fries.  Not to mention the ice cream on the pudding menu!

(Watch England shamefully lose to Italy in the World Cup)

Sunday Breakfast:   Priors Sausage, scrambled eggs and Tiger Bread
We then went to Sandringham for a little wander - B and I are going to get a season pass so we can have access to the gardens whilst the baby is a newborn.  What better place to go for a walk than the Queen's estate?
Sunday Lunch:  Cream teas at the Castle Rising Tea Rooms - probably the best place you can go in the area for a cuppa and conversation - again, what a shame we couldn't enjoy the sunshine in their garden!

It's ALWAYS great fun when we get to see Jen and Graham - it's even better when we get to enjoy such lovely eating opportunities.  The next time we meet, we will have a little one (or two!) in tow!  I can't wait for the babies to become besties!

All good weekends are followed by good weeks!  We have something really exciting scheduled this week - I can't wait to share it in my next post!  Not to mention the imminent arrival of Baby McBerry!  It could be any day now!

Xx

London, Baby!

On Friday I joined B in London town for a weekend away!  We were meant to celebrate our anniversary with a weekend away, but my sickness kept us house-bound.  B was sitting his USMLE on Friday (After MONTHS AND MONTHS of preparation), so we rolled the two into one!

He is going to do a guest post soon as there is nothing out there for Brits who want to sit the US Medical exam.  My mom hooked B up with an elective in America last Easter, so he had loads of advice from Americans just out of their exam period.  Fortunately, he also befriended a fellow Doctor here who sat the USMLE and leant him loads of resources and gave him great advice.  Stay tuned!

How fabulous is the London Underground for their Baby buttons? You can get them from any Tube station, but busy stations tend to run out of stock quickly.  We were staying near Bayswater, so they had loads spare.  Let's face it - there are seats for pregnant women, women with small kids or the elderly.  In a coat you can't tell - I wore it with pride!

I was quite pleased that I was never left standing on the tube.  There were always seats available, so I was quite lucky.  Even though I'm miles better than I was, I wasn't really able to walk around and enjoy London for all it's worth - which was a real shame.

I was desperate to visit Victoria's Secret while we were in London.  I am a snob and I only wear their bras - too bad I HATED the shop.  It was too big, with too many people and way too much stock!  I found a really helpful girl who took pity on my fear and anxiety and pointed me in the right direction. It's worth a visit, but maybe go when it first opens so you aren't smooshed up against the walls.

The other highlight was our trip to Harrods for tea and macaroons at Laduree.  I begged B to take me when we went to Paris for my birthday two years ago - I think he enjoyed it more than I did!  He was more than happy for a tea break (typical Brit)!

We enjoyed some Caramel, Rose, Vanilla and Green Apple macaroons with Orange blossom tea and I had the Melange special.  Pure bliss.  And let's be honest - nothing says luxury quite like afternoon tea at Harrods.

I wish we could have caught a show or gone out for drinks, but the sad reality is that we were back and in bed by 9:00 every night.  I was an achey, sick mess and I think B was just shattered following revision.

The one treat we did manage to sneak is was a cheeky visit to Tinsletown in Bayswater for some proper American Malted Milkshakes.  It was so packed so we took ours to go. In spite of the freezing temperature, it was a lovely treat!

Xx

Weekend fun!

We had a fabulous weekend this past Saturday and Sunday!  The week has been so busy I'm only able to write about it now!  The weather has been gorgeous and I have to admit - Norfolk is the place to be when it's sunny.

On Saturday, we googled PYO strawberries and found a place just up the road where you could pick strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries and all other things!

£1.40 is a bargain STEAL for strawberries. We will be heading back next weekend I'm sure!

We also ate our first courgette (zucchini) from our garden! Rich grilled it with peppers and stacked it with basil tomatoes. It was amazingly fresh and tasty.   We have about 11 plants so I'm starting to collect a few recipes just to change it up a little bit.  I quite like the look of this Bean, Tomato and Courgette recipe found in the Guardian.  

Right after dinner we headed out to the King's Lynn Festival Too. It's the biggest free music festival in Europe. Loads of local bands played but we were lucky enough to see the Soft Tone Needles, Diana Vickers, The Loveable Rogues and Stooshe. 

Diana Vickers was my favourite XFactor contestant so I was super excited. 

And let's be honest - there is nothing better than a ukulele. Loveable Rogues were my absolute favourite. Check out their audition for Britain's Got Talent here.  So adorable. 

Stooshe put on a fabulous show as well - couldn't believe their energy!  

Sunday morning was spent dancing for the show (sweating profusely), followed by an afternoon of tennis (MURRAY!!) and taco cups for tea. 

Recipe here. 

All in all: winning weekend!

xx

Weekend fun

The weekend started off with a bang with the Year 13 Leavers Do. I celebrate by chopping my hair off - look! A fringe!!!

The evening was Gatsby inspired - my fabulous colleague Jo came in proper flapper attire and looked gorgeous!

It was a lovely night - celebrating two years of hard work with the kids was great fun. The staff who came were on great form as well, making the evening a great laugh!

Following that, Rich and I headed to Norwich for a wander and a bit of a shop. We stumbled upon Macarons & More - AMAZING macaroons and beautiful marshmallows. 

I've been totally inspired so am going to try out these recipes this week!

Double Vanilla Macaroons

Homemade Marshmallows

Hopefully I'll have some yummy treats to share!

Have a good Monday!

Xx