Almost halfway there...

Wow guys, I'm almost halfway through this pregnancy already, it's amazing how fast it's gone!! When I check my blog page, I always glimpse at the countdown timer in days to the right of the page. It's kind of scary, as it counts down the days to the arrival of Baby C. Yeah, scary and exciting. Exciting, because I can't wait for him to get here and be in my arms but scary too, because I feel like everything or I won't be ready when he does come. I guess it feels scary too as I'm going to be a first time mom. 

Also, there's still so much to do...

• We have to tackle the spare room which is to be his room. Currently it's serving as a store room and filled to the brim with stuff. So there's sorting and getting rid of items to be done, painting, and filling it with soon to be Baby C's stuff.

• Then, we need to stock up. I've been unbelievably laxed about stockpiling. Had this been a few years back, everything would've been done and bought already. Maybe it's good thing that I'm not overwhelming myself, the way I would've back then. I plan on doing baby toiletry shopping next month, so I'm looking forward to that. Hopefully there are great baby promotions out there around that time.

• Getting through all these antenatal visits. Since my gynae schedules the appointments for the rest of the pregnancy, you'll know when you have to go in and I've calculated about 9 visits to her alone, excluding the 2 visits to Panorama Mediclinic for the Nuchal and Detailed Anatomy scan.

• Then there's a babyshower too, which right now I don't feel up to. Actually, not sure how I feel about it. Will let you know when the time comes.

Anyhoo, there's more stuff to do, but it escapes me now.

Lately I've been experiencing coccyx and lower back pains, it's not all the time (thankfully) but can be really uncomfortable when it does rear up. Also, sneezing, I found lately that I have the most forceful sneezes. The ones you can't keep in for fear that you might rupture or burst a spleen or artery.

So, yes, I'm entering the second half of this journey and I'm really getting excited. Can't wait to see and hold him. I've been watching alot of Youtube baby vids. Everything from diapering, burping, breastfeeding etc. I know the vids cannot really compare to actually doing it, but it's nice to have an idea of what it should look or be like.

So here's to a happy and healthy second half to this pregnancy!! <:-p

Stocking up...Part 1

The pic above is a start. At first I didn't know where to begin when it came to stocking up for baby, so I started with some wipes and a pack of nappies.

I'm a bit apprehensive about buying nappies, as I don't know what my baby will react to, what will work, what won't. I've heard by many that Huggies Gold is the way to go, also Pampers Premium is good as well. So I'll invest in both and hope I have a baby that's happy in both.

Pick n Pay Hypers are currently running a baby promotion until the end of November, where the J&J Sentitive wipes value packs(fragranced and non-fragrance) 240s are R59.99. I managed to grab two packs on the day the promo started and found that they've been out of stock since.

You can see the PnP baby promo catalogue here.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get more packs before the promo ends. The weekend before the promo started, I purchased the very same pack at Clicks for R79.99, that was a bummer.

Finding the best deals has always been important to me, and now being pregnant, that has not changed. Especially now that we'll have to buy baby stuff in bulk. There are many baby in-store programs around now too. I'm currently registered with Clicks BabyClub, which will send what seems to be quarterly newsletters and vouchers, you can earn extra points on baby items purchased, access to the PaedIQ website and they have a vaccination sms reminder service.

I also intend to sign up for Dischem Baby as I plan to buy baby's toiletries there, and if you've signed up and purchase items to the value of R300 or more, you'll get a free baby bag (Yaaaay, more freebies). Their benefits are:

• Double Points are awarded to Dis-Chem Baby cardholders every alternate Wednesday on all Baby products (excluding prescription medication).
• Dis-Chem Baby members will be eligible for special offers, in-store events, bonus points, exclusive promotions and a fabulous Benefits magazine every quarter.
• Dis-Chem Baby members can look forward to regular newsletters with informative information on Pregnancy and Childcare.
• Immunisation Reminders
• The Dis-Chem Baby website www.dischembaby.co.za will offer information from fertility & pregnancy to child birth and child care.
• Dis-Chem Baby cardholders will receive discounts from our partners on services relevant to pregnancy and childcare
• Dis-Chem Baby members will be eligible to take part in Website competitions
• Baby Wellness clinics can be found in most stores and our trained clinic sisters can offer you advice on many topics including breastfeeding and vaccinating your baby.
• You will have access to pregnancy, baby and toddler advice through our website, our Benefits magazine and Baby Wellness Clinics in store, plus some fantastic offers and money off the things you really need.
• Through your membership and participation you will be making a positive contribution to the Dis-Chem Foundation

taken from http://www.dischembaby.co.za/how-to-join-dischem-baby/