But April promises to be an exciting month, once I've got over this illness. Our booking appointment with the midwife is on Monday afternoon, when I'll be 11 weeks. That seemed to far away. I wasn't even five weeks pregnant when we found out and it's felt like a long time from there to here. And if all goes well we have the scan booked in for Monday week, when I'll be 12 weeks. That's at the antenatal clinic at St Thomas's hospital which will be the first time I see that part of the hospital and the facilities. We haven't totally decided how we want the birth to be - it's one of the discussions we've delayed having partly out of superstition that talking about it might somehow be bad luck. But St Thomas's seems to have good facilities and there is a birth centre there that I really like the sound of. You can use the facility if you're likely to have a normal birth, and they have birthing pools and private rooms where dad can stay the night after the birth with mum and baby, which really appeals to me. If we had more space I'd definitely consider a home birth as I really want us to spend time as a family unit from the outset - but I'm not sure how that would work in our little flat! I guess more on this later.
April also brings our first holidays of the year. The Boy and I love travelling and we're always keen to have weekends away and holidays. Some people spend their money on pets, gadgets, cars or doing up their houses. Not me and the Boy. Every spare penny we have we try to get out of London - perhaps just for a day trip on the train, a weekend somewhere in England or a city break, or a week or two in the sunshine somewhere in Europe. We haven't had a break this year as we've been trying to save money for moving house, and I'm desperate for a change of scene. And April will bring two!
The first is a trip to Venice to celebrate my mother-in-law's 60th. I absolutely can't wait - it's a destination I've lusted after visiting for some time, and it will be a fabulous place to celebrate her special birthday. We'll also tell her at the airport about our special news, as we fly the day after my 12 week scan so I will hopefully have some pictures of the scan to show her - if all goes to plan.
I love so many things Italian. A trip as a school girl to Sorrento, the Amalfi coast and Capri totally enticed me - the culture, the history, the romance, the food, the wine... well, maybe less of the wine this time for me! My Mum has also talked of Venice as being the closest place to heaven on earth, and as a keen photographer I look forward to seeing the sights and trying to capture the essence of the city. It will be a special trip as - again, if all goes well over the next few weeks - it will be the baby's first holiday...
I suspect our baby will quickly clock up the air miles like its parents as April also holds in store a trip to Rome to celebrate our first wedding anniversary on St George's Day, 23 April. I can't believe the boy and I have nearly been married for a year... it's flown by. It's been the most fantastic year and as I think I've gushed before on these pages, I fall in love with him a little bit more every day. I am so looking forward to our lovely adventure in one of Europe's most classical capitals. Again, the wine will remain off limits, but I look forward to indulging in the pasta, the pizza, the ice cream... for the first time I can do this guilt-free as well which will be something of a treat!
And I look forward to celebrating our anniversary with family and friends. We plan a party here on 21 Easter, Maundy Thursday, for all our friends with drinks and nibbles - and I think the Boy may make a little announcement about our exciting news. I feel nervous at the thought of telling friends - I'm sure they'll be thrilled for us, but I have an irrational fear that the more people that know, the more chance there is something bad might happen to the baby. Ah, I've almost missed that 'glass half empty' perspective inside of me. It hasn't been making so many appearances of late and life has been far too positive without it!
This time last year I was a few weeks away from getting married - I was a bundle of excitement and nerves and couldn't see much beyond the wedding day at that point. Here I am a year on, with even more blessings to count which feels incredible. Dare I begin to hope that we will celebrate our anniversary next year with a little six-month baby Beans with us... how amazing would that be?!
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