9/30/2016

A Small Addition (And Big Announcement) | Just Add Ginger


Pregnancy Announcement - Just Add Ginger

This is a very strange feeling. By the time this post has gone live I will have started it hmm.... about seven weeks ago. This one I've been sitting on for a long time and I'm so happy that I can finally, finally, hit the publish button. So, here goes... 

I'M PREGNANT!

Scan picture Just Add Ginger

It feels so good to finally get this out there. Even now, seven weeks ago (hello future me) I feel a little nervous even typing those words. At the time of starting to write this post I am seven weeks and three days pregnant, and truth be told, scared to death! 

We found out we were expecting very early, and, to be quite honest, these weeks haven't been easy. I'm very lucky that in between the time finding out and now I haven't had any morning sickness, but I am on a constant countdown to the twelve week mark in complete fear that something is going to happen. I'm desperate to tel people, desperate to celebrate, to cry, to laugh (in between needing a wee for the hundredth time), and to run out and buy things, but I'm just too nervous to do that right now. Having to wait is torment, but I'm terrified to tell people, just in case I jinx myself. 

But now, at last, I can sit down here and talk about it! The good, the bad and the ugly. You can be sure I'll be sharing it all!

Finding Out: 

I thought something was strange for a little while. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was just off. Ryan, trying to convince me I was imagining things kept saying "it's just your body going through a change". Unconvinced, feeling increasingly bloated, and after a trip to the baby exhibition in the National History Museum, the day before my period was due I decided to pee on a stick...just to check. The first test was utterly useless, coming up with a totally blue screen and no clear line whatsoever. Test number two however clearly showed an indicative blue cross. Clutching stick in hand, I called Ryan in, and waved it in his face. In typical comedic fashion, and before a big grin appeared, his response was "well, we'd better make you a Drs appointment then!"

Symptoms: 

Up To Week Seven: The most surprising thing about this time is how un-pregnant I feel. I had visions of hitting a certain point and being ridden with morning sickness, but, so far, I've been very, very lucky in that department. It came to a point though in week 7 where I was convinced it was a dream. Despite a period that was clearly not going to appear, it just didn't seem real, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I had to buy another test, just to make sure I wasn't mad (my first ultrasound was just too far away for me to manage!)

However, what I've lacked in nausea I've made up for in indigestion, a nagging worry and unbearable nights of insomnia. The struggle is real with the worry, and it has made me feel a bit anxious. Not just for myself and our little nugget (our name for the baby) but for Ryan, and just life in general. It's stupid, and un-founded, but I just can't help it. Some mornings I just cry and cry and get all hot and bothered. It has been an unshakeable fear - probably linked to my lack of sleep - and its driving me nuts! 

Aside from the sore, growing chest area that irk me from time to time, from the end of week 6 I've also had random bouts of indigestion. With no correlation to the food I'm eating or the time of day I can only guess this is pregnancy related. Oh, and it's true what they say about gas too. If I'm not hiccuping I'm burping, and if I'm not burping....you get the idea!

Weeks 8-10: I've still felt incredibly un-pregnant, but what I did start to notice is how bloated I started to get by week 10. I look about three months pregnant by the end of the day and I just felt huge. I'm completely out of wearing jeans and have practically lived in the same clothes because I felt like everyone would either guess or think that I've been overdoing the cheese and beer! (Thank you Boohoo who totally saved my life in having dresses to hide myself).

We had our first midwife appointment in these few weeks and both Ryan and I love who we have. The support just initially was amazing and I know we both feel so comfortable now having had that first appointment. There were tears from me and a lot of questions to answer but I definitely now feel that my support network is stronger and if there are ever any issues, there will always be people on hand to offer an ear / shoulder / advice.

In these weeks the anxiety got worse. Nearly everyday something was there that totally stressed me out and made me upset. I worried constantly about me, little nugget or Ryan to various degrees and it was incredibly frustrating. The thing that helped was talking to Ryan. When I felt overwhelmed just having him there to listen to me figure out why I'm worrying about the same thing for the fourth day in a row was a godsend.

There were also a great amount of changes happening in these weeks, but, for the sake of maintaining some tones of decorum in this post I won't go in to these. Let's just say it's definitely not been all sunshine and rainbows and if I was an emoji, I would be the embarrassed face!

Baby bump 12 weeks


Weeks 11-14: These have been the hardest weeks imaginable. Where I have been fortunate to not have any morning sickness, the world came tumbling down not once, but twice over these three weeks as I suffered two really scary bleeds. Thinking the worse, I was inconsolable, and Ryan was my absolute rock. Both times we immediately headed down to the EPAU to get checked out, but it was that sense of being so out of control for this little person you want so desperately to protect. As it turns out, I have a secondary sack that seems to have been the cause of the issue, and to our relief, baby has been dancing around in my tummy happily as if without a care in the world.

The week 12 dating scan was such a relief I can tell you. Baby measured right on schedule but absolutely refused to keep still meaning that I have to go in for a blood test next week for one of my screening tests (thanks kiddo)! The other discovery that was made at our latest scan (14 weeks) was that I have an amniotic band. At the moment baby is nowhere near it and moving around freely, but this is something that will need to get checked at 20 weeks. I'm hoping it will disappear by then, but the thought of any potential thing going wrong is really worrying. Even though this pregnancy seems so surreal still, that maternal instinct is really kicking in, and all I want to do is just shield little nugget from any harm.

All of this has kicked off some anxiety again, as I have no way of being able to tell if everything is okay. I can only have faith and rest in between work as much as I can. It is something that is definitely on my list to speak to my midwife about. Being a worrier by nature, this has moved things up a few pegs that's for sure!

At the moment it's really odd to think that in just a few months I'm going to be a mum, but if there's one thing I am sure of, it's that come rain, sleet, snow or sunshine, I love our little nugget to the moon and back.

9/02/2016

Breakout Liverpool* | Just Add Ginger



Growing up, the Crystal Maze was the best thing since sliced bread. Aside from Fun House, it was the one game show I dreamt of being on one day when I was a "grown up". Something about it appealed to my competitive streak, and I knew that one day, I wanted to be there, taking part in one of the games rooms myself. 

I'd heard the name Breakout Liverpool floating on the web for a little while, and was a little intrigued. The concept of being locked in a room for an hour in the hope of solving puzzles and answering clues to help you escape seemed entirely up my street. So when they got in touch asking if I would like to take part in one of their live escape rooms, in my head, it was like striking gold!

Heading down to Sir Thomas Street one Friday evening, I couldn't help but be filled with giddy anticipation. Descending down the set of steps that led in to Breakout and taking our seats in the waiting room, neither Ryan or I knew what to expect. Basking in the electric atmosphere, we waited with baited breath for our name to be called, eagerly awaiting what lay in store. 

The room we were attempting to escape from was Shipwrecked, which as the name might suggest, was pirate themed. After a quick introduction and explanation from one of the lovely staff members (games masters), we tucked our belongings in a corner, took a deep breath, and the clock was started. 

Good grief do you get immersed in the atmosphere. From start to finish I honestly felt like Cpt'n Jackie Sparrow. As the timer counted down, the more and more engrossed in the setting Ryan and I became. The attention to detail was just incredible, and you really did feel like you were part of a pirate crew. We both got so into the game that the time just few by, and the closer and closer it got to the 60 minute mark, the more competitive we became....

...Only to be scuppered by the last few puzzles. As the timer counted down the last few seconds we knew we were done for. When the game was over, our games master came in and explained to us what we had missed, which just seemed so obvious afterwards. With just a slightly clearer head, and less flapping over the time, we would have got there. Ah it was so frustrating! 

Breakout Liverpool - live escape rooms
Image: Breakout Liverpool Facebook page

Our hour in Breakout Liverpool was honestly one of the most fun things I have ever done. All the way in to the city centre and all the way through dinner we could not stop talking about it. It was great fun with the two of us, but I think next time we'd go as a larger party for the simple fact that four heads in this situation might be a lot better than two. There were some seriously hilarious moments that had us howling, especially thinking about how silly we must have looked. But at the time, what we were doing made so much sense! 

Although I'm not going to give anything away about our room, I did want to share some tips I think are great little points to remember whilst you play: 

  • Look, lift, search and sift through everything. 
  • When in doubt, go over things again. 
  • Say what you are thinking, even if it sounds silly. It just might help you out. 
  • Wear cool clothing. You will get hot. And flustered. Especially when the timer is against you.
  • Try and take a step back every now and again. You get so caught up in the moment that rational thinking can go out the window. 
If you're looking for something new to do in Liverpool, Breakout definitely gets five stars as an alternative evening activity. With rooms of varying difficulties there is something for everyone and if you don't quite make it with one room, you can always go back and try again with another. Ryan and I are already planning which room to do next. As the perfect real-life blend of Nightmare and The Crystal Maze, it brings elements of the very best game shows growing up in an affordable, accessible and immensely enjoyable way. 

Only question is - which room would you choose? 

* I was very kindly given the chance to head to Breakout Liverpool with Ryan free of charge in exchange for a blog review on JAG. This in no way affects my opinions. They are always 100% honest and driven by my experiences.