After a very manic and busy weekend, we’re all moved into our new home! The place is still a bit of a shambles and Pickle’s room is full to bursting of unpacked boxes, baskets and bags (most of which are filled with junk we don’t really need and will be getting rid of), but it’s already feeling like ours.
The Christmas decorations certainly help to make it feel homely!
Moving house (whether you’re renting or buying) is probably on the agenda for many expecting parents as quite often a new bundle of joy necessitates bigger space! So, if you’re looking to move, here are a few tips from me:
Rope in as much help as you can!
Although it’s arguably one of the most stressful things you can do, moving house whilst being pregnant is actually a bit of a god send… because suddenly, everyone offers to help! I am so grateful to my amazing family for all their hard work over the weekend, starting with my Mum packing up our kitchen for us as a surprise on Thursday evening, to my brother borrowing a van for the weekend from his employer and my other brother and brother-in-law for their help carting boxes, sofas and other heavy items up and down stairs for us. It meant so much that they offered their time and energy, I genuinely don’t know what we’d have done without them.
One of my brothers saved us lots of boxes from McDonalds (where he works). Our house looked like a McDonalds warehouse!
You may not be lifting, but bending takes its toll.
Even though I was very strict with myself not to lift too many things and not over-exert myself, I still found myself getting tired incredibly quickly and feeling like my bump was… aching is the wrong word, but something definitely felt weird. Even just bending down a lot to pack things, move light things around and cleaning was hard work. And then of course, you start the unpacking…
Don’t forget to eat/drink.
I’m terrible for this: not looking after myself when things get busy. If I’m occupied with something and focused on a particular task, grabbing something to eat or drink doesn’t seem like a priority – but IT IS. Luckily, I’d prepared in advance and bought lots of hand-to-mouth snacks that were easy to eat on the go and didn’t require preparing, crockery or cutlery to eat. A lovely punnet of grapes were the best thing to have on hand, as I could just dip into those easily. And a few croissants!
Be nice to your partner – it’s tough on them!
Poor Little Pickle’s Dad (LPD). He really had his work cut out for him. I made sure he knew how much I appreciated all his efforts, he was an absolute star. Even though he plumbed in the new washing machine with a bit of a leak (all fixed now!).
The empty flat. All cleaned, pristine and ready to hand back to the Landlord.
So that’s it. We’ve said goodbye to our old flat. Our first proper home together. The flat where we woke up at 3am on the morning of our wedding and drank hot chocolate and exchanged gifts. It’s been a brilliant home for us, and I hope whoever is lucky enough to live there next has a just-as-lovely time there as we had.
Time for some new adventures in this new house – and what an exciting time ahead. The prospect of bringing Pickle back as a newborn to our new home is now so real. Eeek!