Baby girl is plugging away in there, being cute and stubborn and bang on average - and I'm feeling surprisingly good! :)

Life is hectic without a lot of rest, but I figured the tiredness I was suffering from was just a result of standard pregnancy stuff - plus the added bonus of chasing the girls around and running everyone to appointments, etc. Turns out my iron levels have tanked and I need to get an infusion done next week. Apparently you feel better a little while afterwards, so I'm curious to see how it affects my energy levels!

We are just a few months away from meeting this little girl and I'm SUPER excited. This time with the girls we already had their nurseries done, and we were pretty organised. This time... well, we're taking it a bit easier - but I'm not wishing the time away. Knowing this is our last pregnancy, I'm trying to savour each kick and wiggle and bump, because I know how much I'll miss it when it's gone. I do love a pregnant belly!

Ah, that point in pregnancy that feels like it took forever to get to - and still that the end result is so far away! 20 weeks and baby is doing well. Our anatomy scan went well last week and everything appears normal. We are measuring bang on for dates and she is wiggling away, even though my anterior placenta means I'm not feeling a great deal. What I DO get is lovely though.

I may be biased, but damn, this kid is a cutie already. Today's ultrasound saw her sucking her thumb and everything - you forget just how much they do even when they're tiny in your belly. How lucky are we?

Whoops! I spring that big news on the blog and then I disappear on you again... baby brain in full force, as per usual. Though if I'm honest, it never really went away - and my big baby is 6 now. (OMG.)

Yes, I just said 6. It feels like just yesterday we were childless and in the throes of infertility and now here we are, with a 6 year old and an almost-3 year old. What a ride! Our current belly-baby is also a little girl - and we're due at the beginning of January. I have my bets that it'll end up being a December bub, though we'll have to wait and see how that pans out.

It was a bit of a process to decide whether to go back for a third baby. I had spent the last year working on my health and fitness, and with the help of a gastric sleeve, lost 45 kilograms, getting to the lightest weight I've ever been in my adult life! We also had the 6 frozen embryos sitting on ice from Claire's cycle, so constantly paying storage fees brought up the subject of 'what to do?' every six months or so.

In the end, we came to an agreement. We would use our frozen embryos up, but we wouldn't be doing any more fresh IVF cycles. If they worked, great. If they didn't, well, we have the girls, and we figured it was a sign that we were done.

We didn't tell anyone we were going back to try again - the pressure was on, and honestly... we were just dealing with it in our own way this time. Since these cycles were our last chances, so we kept it quiet and went ahead with preparing for a FET. I went on a HRT cycle similar to last time, with progesterone supplements and regular bloods. We transferred a little embryo on Easter Monday, one of our 4-day embryos that was thawed and grown out into a Blastocyst over night before the transfer. It was a lovely little thing, and the FS and Scientist both looked happy with it. All we could do was wait.

As usual, I couldn't wait and was peeing on sticks a few days later, watching a line incredulously appear. First transfer round this time - is this even possible? It was a rocky few days of low numbers (as per usual in the Jag household... I guess someone has to be at the bottom end of the bell curve for hcg levels?) but all looked to be rising. Then the bleeding started. And when I say bleeding, I mean haemorrhaging. I thought it was over on multiple occasions - clots, gushes, days of bleeds. I was diagnosed with a SCH and told it was 50/50, but lo and behold, baby kept growing, its heart started beating, and we held on.

Our NIPT at 11 weeks came back low risk, and that's how we discovered that we were having a third little lady baby - crazy! Once again, I thought it was a boy - wrong 3/3 times! I'm currently 18 weeks along and we have our Morphology scan next week, which I'm a little anxious about - just praying for a nice healthy and happy baby in there.

And that, friends, is where we're at. Welcome back to the crazy ride!!

Well, hasn't the time flown! It's 2018 - my girls are growing like weeds, Georgia is 5 and Claire is 19 months old now. I swear, I blinked and my babies disappeared.

It's bittersweet, this growing up business. On one hand, I love seeing their personalities emerge as they learn new things. On the other hand, babyhood is fleeting, and I am so sad to put that behind me.

We have been working with some amazing small businesses on Instagram, which is why the blog has fallen quiet as of late. But what better way to bring it back to life, than by sharing the love here too?

Without further ado, here are my two beauties, modelling some stunning handmade pieces.

 Georgia wears:

Top: Nurture the Nest 

Dress: Me and E (Mama10)

Bow: Of the Found

Claire wears:

Top: Lullaby Riot (Claire10)

Shorts: Little Dot Love

Bow: Doubletroublebows2 (Claire10)

Shoes: Oak and the Little Folk

Chalk and cheese, these two. I still don't know how I got so lucky! :)

I am the slackest mama ever when it comes to blogging lately - but I have been working with some amazing brands on Instagram and I can't wait to share them with you!

In the meantime, Clairebear is 11 months old and edging ever close to the elusive first birthday. My baby girl amazes me every day. Seriously.. how did I get so lucky? :)

That moment when you blink and your baby girl is just shy of a year old... yep, we're at 10 months and I have NO idea where that time went. Life is good, there are lots of updates to be made, but for now, here we go:

And just like that, another month goes by.

So much to say and catch up on - but that's a story for another day. :)

Eight months old and full of personality. How did we get so lucky?

And just like that, this little love is seven months old.

She's learning new things every day. She's lost her gummy grin, replaced by a cheeky face-pulling toothy monster. She's watching Georgia constantly, and she's saving the best smiles for her daddy.

Snuggle your babies tight, folks. They grow so darned fast. :)