Well on the way: Week 14 - 15

Emotional? Pass the next box of tissues please! The good news is I am regaining my energy - okay, it is early days and this still involved drifting off to sleep at 4.30 when reading with the Pickle. Thank goodness the Hubster was working from home, so she toddled off to see him so they sat side by side on their own laptops 'working' until the end of the working day.

At this stage your pregnancy we may start to show - first pregnancies tend to show later than subsequent pregnancies - although like everything to do with being human this will depend on the individual. My Mum is always proud to say that she did not show until she was 6 months pregnant. When I was pregnant with the Pickle we went away for a last pre-baby break when I was 21 weeks, at that point she suddenly decided to make a bold appearance over the course of the weekend, so I had to  go emergency maternity clothes shopping! This time around at 15 weeks I am fighting a loosing battle with waistbands and so it seems consoling to know that an uber-glam and svelte friend who is one week behind me has already bloomed  beyond the confines of her pre-pregnancy jeans.

Much more fun is knowing that at 15 weeks Beanie starts to hear me- so I can chat away to myself and it will not be considered insanity! I listened to loads of classical music when pregnant with the Pickle, then when she was born if she got fractious I could put on Classic FM and she would be soothed in seconds!

Time line - What Beanie and I are up to.
I am now into the second trimester at 14 weeks and Beanie is around 85mm and growing to around 100mm in week 15. Can you believe it, Beanie is growing eyebrows and may even be sucking his (or her) thumb.
Beanie's heart is now beating very rapidly and may be picked up by an ultrasound detector. But a note of caution, the NHS recommends against foetal heart monitor.
The placenta is fully supporting and nourishing Beanie. My womb is the size a grapefruit (eh?tart pres) so can press against against my bladder - which is great for keeping up the requirement to drink 8 glasses of water a day.

I have got my FW8 form for free prescriptions and dental treatment and booked a session at the dentist (a joy to look forward to).


What I am cooking?
I have been having major sweet cravings - but in an ideal world we don't want to eat for two as there is life and normal 'pre-pregnancy' clothes to be fitted back into (they reckon that we only need another 200 calories in the last three months). I tried 'healthy' muffins made from carrot and courgette,  researched so called healthy chocolate recipes and to be honest they just did not cut it. The muffins were a limp consolation prize and most so called healthy recipes are either so blimin complicated that they are beyond my preggy patience or they replace sugar with sugar alternatives which are normally not recommended either. So I finally come back to chocolate flapjacks. Then for good measure there is also a recipe for chocolate bread and butter pudding - pure unadulterated stodge and calories.

Chocolate flapjacks
Grease and line a standard (normally 18x27cm) baking tray and heat an oven to 160cm.
Peal and chop 2 cooking apples then cook in a saucepan with 25g butter until soft. Add another 125g butter, 150g demerara (or muscavado) sugar, 2 tbl spoons golden syrup (or a mixture of golden syrup and either honey or barley malt extract for slightly different sweet flavours) and 1/2 tea spoon of cinnamon. You can also add a handful of dried fruit, raisins, sultanas or  cranberries and a handful of nuts or seeds - we add sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
Gently heat until the butter has melted and the sugar is starting to dissolve. Remove from the heat and add 225g porridge oats (or for a less chewy version replace a couple of tablespoons of oats with Ready Brek) and stir well.
Smooth down into the baking tray and bake in the pre-heated oven for 25 mins.
Sit down and have a lovely drink then when the flapjacks are cool melt 150g chocolate (we mix dark and milk chocolate) and spread on top - 150g is a thin layer, 200g if you want it thick. Cut into pieces before it gets too cold and enjoy!


Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding
Okay, this is NOT healthy but it is yummy and I first made it from desperation when I had no pudding and only the store cupboard as inspiration.

Preheat an oven to 180'C and grease a 2pt baking dish. Butter a number of slices of bread (depending on the size of the loaf) and arrange in the baking dish until full and put on a baking tray to avoid spills later. Sprinkle with a handful of dark chocolate chips.
Measure out 275ml milk and top up with up to 60ml cream (as a Slummy Mummy I use whatever cream I have, single or double and have even done without the cream when I have run out). Add in drinking chocolate or cocoa powder and sugar to taste - for us a couple of table spoons. Whisk in 3 eggs an then carefully pour over bread and butter.
Cook for 30 - 40 minutes. Remember, us Mums to be need to have fully cooked eggs!