Thanks Mardi!

I opened up the Scrapboxx forum this morning to find this post by the lovely Mardi. How thrilled was I? My first article in For Keeps, featuring my pregnancy layouts. Now, these layouts were really special to me, as you'd imagine and bring back wonderful memories of being pregnant. While I can't post the ones from the mag here just yet, I thought I'd share some of my other pregnancy layouts over the next week or so.

This is the first one I did.

The photo mat lifts up to reveal what my secret is (if you were a mad keen scrapper, you'd already know from the KI Memories Baby paper :) ) and the following journaling:

I have a secret. A really, really big secret. I secret that I never thought I’d be in a position to spill. And its wonderful. We are expecting a baby! I am 8 weeks pregnant. We aren’t telling people for another month yet. In the meantime, I carry this secret around with me. Literally. I feel like I could explode with the happiness of it. You see, I didn’t really think I would ever fall pregnant. For a start, Phil and I didn’t meet until I was 35. On top of that though, in my mid thirties I was told that I had polycystic ovaries and might never conceive.
Its funny, looking back. In my twenties, I was too busy with University and starting my career to want a family. In my grand plan I decided that I would be married at 28, and have my first child at 32. Well, 28 came and went. I was decidedly single. The years passed by. I turned 30, 32, 34…
I never worried about it though. Not that I can recall anyway. It wasn’t until someone told me that I might not be able to have a baby. Suddenly, overnight, I wanted children. Like someone flicked a switch. My lifeplan had always assumed babies somewhere. Children. Adolescents. Fun, family Christmas times. Easter bunnies. Birthday parties with balloons and fairy bread. Children laughing in the backyard. Oh, I know, I see it all with rose tinted glasses in my mind. In a few years time, I will probably look back on these romantic thoughts with a wry smile!
My mid thirties passed by and the big four-o was looming in the near future. I grew increasingly despondent that I would ever be given the chance for children. I told myself that it would not happen. That was my protection. And so, with every friend who announced her new arrival, I smiled and congratulated her and never let on that my own heart was aching to be in the same position.
And, so, here I am. Well, here we are. Pregnant. A little baby. A beautiful little baby. I have been reading about our baby’s development. This week, our baby’s face is beginning to take shape and its fingers and toes are forming. Who do you look like, little baby? I love you so much already.

This next one was after our 8 week ultrasound. It was actually done as a challenge to scraplift the talented aussie scrapper, Lisa. This was one of those layouts where I challenged myself to use up lots of scraps.

This was our first glimpse of you. 8 weeks post conception. I couldn't believe that you were real. After all this time. Lying there, curled up in my belly. I just looked at the ultrasound screen with a big lump in my throat. I wanted to cry with happiness. This was you. Hello you!
At this stage you look more like a little bunny rabbit than a baby, but I think you are the most beautiful creature in the world. A true miracle. When I call you a bunny when you're older, you'll know that it is indeed a term of endearment. For I'll always be thinking of this moment, the first moment I saw you. My beautiful baby.

And this next layout came about after I went maternity clothes shopping for the first time. All the labels are from my new clothes. The photo of me was taken at 16 weeks pregnancy.

At 16 weeks of pregnancy I finally admitted defeat with the majority of the waistbands in my wardrobe and went maternity clothes shopping. I’m at that awkward in-between stage. I don’t look pregnant yet. But I’m definitely thicker around the waist. Over the last two weeks, one by one, my business suits have become too tight and uncomfortable. At times like this, I wish that I was more of a fan of elasticized waistbands, but alas, the majority of my clothes tend to be figure hugging. I haven’t told anyone at work our news yet, so I don’t want to suddenly appear in flowing maternity tops. My quest was to find some slightly larger clothes that had room for growth. I have been dreading this. I dislike clothes shopping at the best of times. With all the shops in the town, I still end up trying on around 20-30 pairs of trousers before I find ones that fit. Once I find them, I wear my clothes until the seams fall apart. Well, I’m pleased to report that, after an hour and a half of trying on outfits in the maternity store, I was surprised. I actually enjoyed it. I found a pair of great jeans that don’t look that much different to what I wear now; except they will grow with me. Great for weekends and for teaching scrapping in the scrapbook shop. And I found two skirts for work. Whilst I think I can get away with my tops for just a little while longer yet, I did buy a nice tailored shirt. Shirts are wonderful at covering up my little baby bulge at the moment. Now I feel set for the weeks ahead. And, what’s more, I found a couple of gorgeous tops for next time.

More next time

Kathie