cuteness overload

What does Jack think of Mia? Well, take a lookie here.

happy first week!

Mia is one week old today and to celebrate, she grew a bellybutton overnight. Her stumpy bit fell off at some point last night, leaving her with a slightly stickyouty bellybutton. 15 years from now, she'll probably be out getting it pierced or something. Gads.

One week postpartum and I'm still feeling like a million dollars and damn smug about the whole giving birth thing. I can do back labour on gas and air only! Hear me roar! I never set out to prove a point by birthing at home or go the non-drug route to look down my nose at anyone who chooses otherwise. I'm a wimp; I can complain for days about the most minute things. Have you heard about my allergies, asthma, RSI, or bad back? No? Because I could tell you about it for hours on end if you wanted me to. I didn't know how I'd cope with the pain of labour and truth be told, I didn't cope all that well. Put it this way: my throat is still a bit raspy one week later from all the screaming. But to look back on it all and know that I managed to give birth to Mia as I did, I can't help but feel proud of myself. So smug I shall be because damn it, it feels good.

Breastfeeding is going much better this time round, although my nipples are taking a beating. My midwife watched me feed Mia and said she's latching on well, but I must have had some bad latches because I don't think it should hurt this much. They're cracked as well, so the initial latch makes me wince in pain until she gets going. I'm using Lansinoh religiously, airing my boobs out after each feed, avoiding getting soap on them, changing breast pads regularly, and ensuring Mia latches on properly. The thing is, Mia's been a champion feeder from day one. She went on a feeding frenzy (every 1 1/2-2 hours) for the first two days before my milk came in, and latches on for a good long time each feed. She's now feeding every 3-4 hours for 20-30 minutes each time. I've managed to avoid the rock hard booby engorgement phase (probably because she drains me so well), but maybe all this wear and tear is taking its toll.

Otherwise, things are still going swimmingly. Mia's a happy little baby and makes the tiniest of noises. I am feeling hugely jet lagged, though. I'm great in the mornings but starting at around 5pm, I start to wilt. Last night during supper, I said that it was like when we go to California and eat on the first evening there, and it's something like 3:00 in the morning UK time. You know when toddlers fall asleep face first into their plates when they're really tired? I could totally see me doing that.

My birth story is almost complete. I'm trying to find various ways of spelling "AAAAAARRRRRGGHHHHHH!!!!" to avoid too much repetition. Stay tuned.

mind like a sieve

Just realised that I sent these pictures to friends and family when Mia was born, but forgot to post them here.

Mia, just moments after she was born:


After my luxurious shower (Jane the midwife in the background, Mia donning blanket and hat knit by Caroline):


Okay, okay. I'll get around to writing the birth story before I completely forget.

day three

First, thank you all so much for the very kind and touching messages. The notes of support during my prelabour limbo and all the congratulatory messages afterwards have meant the world to me. We've been buried under a mountain of gifts for Mia, Jack, and lovely things for me (cheeeeeeeeeeesecake! Brie! Hotel Chocolat! Wooooooo!) We've all been spoiled rotten, not just by the kindness of friends and family, but by the moments we're enjoying with our gorgeous little girl. God, she's so tiny and beautiful.

I'm tired but I feel pretty much back to normal. The day of Mia's birth, I was so pumped full of adrenaline on a post-baby high that I felt a million dollars. The next day, things started aching in odd places - like my arms and my jaw. No, seriously; the bottom of my jaw felt bruised and I'm still not entirely sure why. It's either from clenching during contractions or from leaning on the edge of the pool - or from trying to bite the mouthpiece off of the Entinox. I think my arms hurt from bracing myself between doorframes and the pool during labour. Nothing that a little ibuprofen couldn't fix, though. Today, my back is still tender (who knew that the coccyx doesn't ever move during your lifetime except during birth?) but hopefully the osteopath will sort that out next week. Otherwise, I simply feel like me again (but with a huge flabby stomach and comedy boobs.) No heartburn, no evil thing on my bum, I can lie on my back, I can reach my toes, and most importantly, I can go about my normal life. There is just no describing how happy that makes me feel.

Jack adores his little sister, it's the sweetest thing I've ever seen. When he first met her, he had a huge grin and said "Baby come out of mummy's belly!" He kept giving her kisses and "tuggles", and kept wanting to hold her. The morning after she was born, he came into our room and said "Where's Mia?" He spotted her in the moses basket and stroked her head gently, saying "Hellooooo!" When she cries, he says "Oh dear! Shhhhh." and strokes her head. He doesn't like leaving her when he goes to nursery and constantly stops to look at her when he's at home. He even shared his racing cars with her, which says a lot. We suspect all of this will come to an abrupt halt as soon as she's old enough to make a grab for his toys.

Some pictures from today. Birth story coming soon.



Disco dancing:

she's here!

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of Mia Yoshiko, born this morning at 3:18 at home in Caroline's Lucky Birth Pool*. Full birth story to follow, but suffice it to say that back labour SUCKS ASS but all those days of prelabour made for an extremely quick 2nd stage of labour.

I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to be at home. After Mia was born, I went upstairs and had a shower in our fabulous new en suite and my husband cooked us a delicious breakfast (including soft poached eggs wooooohooooo!) It's quiet and comfortable, and I don't have to wait for the tea lady to bring me a cuppa. I've got a tea man who did that for me at 4:00 this morning, thank you very much.

I'm doing amazingly well and beyond happy. Even if I didn't get my smoothies.

*(guaranteed to provide speedy deliveries of little girls on the 19th of each month.)

the labour that keeps going, and going, and going, and...

As predicted, the contractions came to a halt at around 9 this morning. On the plus side, it meant I was able to go back to bed and steal a little bit more sleep. On the downside, obviously I'm in for more of this nonsense for god knows how long. I had a chat with Laura whose sympathy and empathy makes me want to curl up on her lap and cry, and she reassured me that this isn't uncommon and doesn't mean the baby will have problems coming out.

I just feel so demoralised. My brain knows that these days of contractions are accomplishing something, but it's very difficult to appreciate that right now. This morning's contractions have thrown me because they were extremely painful - and I'm not even in established labour yet. How the hell am I going to cope with the pain when "real" labour starts? I know the pool will help, but I need to get to the halfway point before getting in. It just seems a very steep uphill battle. A steep rocky hill covered in angry goats and a lot of sheep poo.

The advice I've been given is to rest, take baths during the late night contractions, eat, drink lots of water, and have a large glass of wine before bed. Glass? At this point, I'm going to down an entire box if it means I can get some sleep. I'm heading back to bed.

are we having fun yet?

It's 4:50am and I've been having contractions every 10 minutes since 10:30pm. Whee. They hurt much more than they have done lately, which better be a good sign or else I'm going to knock myself out with a large rubber mallet. The contractions are making me produce involuntary chant-like "oooooooohhhh" noises (must be the Buddhist side of the family coming out of me), followed by "Ouch!!" because damn, they HURT. Beanie's position change might well be the cause of the increased pain and intensity, so I'm not going to be too surprised if they peter out in another couple of hours again.

This is just cruel. The contractions never start until I go to bed and they persist the entire night. They get worse as soon as I lie down, so the best I can manage is a few minutes of rest sitting upright propped up by my pillow fort. I didn't sign up for sleep deprivation until after the baby arrives. Someone obviously got my order wrong, and there will be an angry letter sent to head office.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be leaning over a beanbag feeling sorry for myself.

then again...

Apparently, my waters haven't broken. You read that right - haven't broken. Good news: this means not having to worry about the ticking clock of induction if I don't go into labour by Wednesday. Bad news: this pre-labour nonsense could carry on for days or weeks. Grand. (And please, seriously, don't share your horror pre-labour stories with me. I'm in greater need of encouragement.)

The baby has decided to rotate into a posterior position (back-to-back) which is not ideal for labour. She's been perfectly positioned for weeks now, but for some reason has decided to shift in the past 24 hours. Girls ain't nothin' but trouble. She still has room to move and I know all about optimal foetal positioning, so I'm not too concerned about that at the moment. It does explain why things aren't progressing, though. Her head isn't directly on my cervix (it's sort of off to one side), which is what helps encourage dilation.

So, what does this all mean? Things are gearing up and I could still go into labour very shortly or it might take longer. Laura thinks things will happen sooner rather than later as I am having so many signs of labour at the moment (including the fantastic "Not Sure if I Want To Cry or Throw Something" phase.) I'm very relieved to have the threat of induction removed. I'm not very happy at the prospect of no sleep and painful pre-labour contractions for days to come. Just have to wait and see.

For those of you curious as to how I could possibly think my waters were leaking, apparently I was having a "watery show" (unlike a "water show" like the variety you get in front of the Belaggio in Vegas, mine isn't accompanied by snappy music.) It can feel very much like waters leaking, and can only be chalked down to yet another one of those weird/gross aspects of late pregnancy. Who knew?

grrrr

Is feeling really, really fed up and pissed off a labour sign? Seriously, I'm so irritable right now I could just scream. Good thing I'm at home alone at the moment - Paul's taken Jack to a little friend's birthday party - so I can sit here and feel crabby without offending anyone. I've made a big dish of penne pasta (we ran out of macaroni) and cheese, baked in the oven and all ooey gooey. It's making me feel better, but I'm still a grump.

Beanie's been very quiet today, like she's taking the opportunity to rest. I managed to catch a couple of hours of sleep this afternoon, thanks (?) to a break in the contractions. I've had only a handful of them since mid-morning which tells me today is not going to be the big day. 90% of women go into labour within 24 hours of their waters breaking but oh no, not me. I've got to be different. 97% will labour within 48 hours, so here's hoping we see some action by tomorrow lunchtime. A Father's Day baby would have been cool, though.

Need more pasta. Feh.

still with child

I'm so, so tired. I had contractions every 10 minutes throughout the night, and I've only managed to steal a few minutes of sleep here and there. I can tell you that the TENS machine didn't do much for me except get on my nerves after a couple of hours. I think it's useful for distraction, but not too convinced about its effectiveness for pain relief.

We gave Paul his Father's Day presents this morning after a last minute amendment to his card. I had signed it from "Jack and " leaving a space for either Beanie or her real name, depending on whether or not she'd arrived. No prizes for guessing what the card ended up saying.

Laura is coming to see me at 5:00 and I'm hoping that either the contractions will have picked up again by then, or she'll tell me that I managed to dilate to 9cm and if I cough real hard, I'll have a baby by suppertime.

Humour me.

fetch my depends

This whole leaking thing is just irritating. Every time I cough, sneeze, or stand up, I leak. I'll be frequenting bingo halls and making doilies soon.

Just saw Laura the lovely midwife, and all is well. My blood pressure is fine, the baby is almost fully engaged (only 1/5 remaining above the pelvic bone now), she's still in a good position, and her heart beat was good and strong. Laura said that around 90% of women go into labour within 12-24 hours of waters breaking, so this show may get on the road at some point tonight or tomorrow. Got my pool/smoothie man on standby.

The contractions have started up again, and thanks to the Contraction Master (I kid you not - this thing tickles me to no end), I can keep track of them. They are still not getting more painful or lengthier, but that's not a bad thing. I want to get some risotto in me and get more sleep before pool time.

More updates as events warrant. Whee!

oh my

Oops, I seem to have broken my water. Not sure if it's the hindwaters or the mains (har har), but it didn't come out in the dramatic gush that they show in the movies...nor did it happen in Sainsburys where I could have tested my free grocery theory. I have to take my temperature every few hours to make sure there's no infection brewing, and my midwife is coming by to give me a quick check at 5:00.

Well, I'd better take that nap NOW.

a little patience

Contractions started this morning at 3:30, every 10-15 minutes for around 15 seconds each time. They weren't at all like the period pains I had a couple of days ago; I felt immense pressure very low down on my bump combined with an intense band of pain. Actually, I can't even really define it as "pain" because it's not like the acute pain of injury. They were like nothing I've felt before ('cos like, I've never been in labour before) but manageable and exciting. They lasted until around 8:00 at which point I took a shower and they pretty much came to a halt. Alrighty then.

The midwife said it sounded like pre-labour and that things could kick off fairly quickly or contractions could stop and start over the next few days. It's a bit of a yay/boo situation, really. What's fantastic is that something is happening and I'm feeling it. What a great joy to know that my body is getting ready and I'm filled with the anticipation of things to come. Whether that's today, tomorrow, or next week, I don't really mind. It's simply wonderful to know it's begun.

In the meantime, I will try to rest as much as possible and eat well. For anyone curious about any tips to bring on labour, it was either having lunch with Caroline or that chicken tikka balti I ate last night*.

*(I'm kidding - fed up pregnant women should not follow Caroline around during lunch times expecting to go into labour.)

three chillis, my eye

I ended up ordering a prawn dish that promised to be full of spice and heat, but barely delivered a small peep. Not that I think spicy prawns will induce labour; I just like hot food when I'm pregnant.

Forgot to post this belly shot from today (who knows, it might be the last!):



All the Ladies Who Lunched today agreed that this one will arrive next week. Current thought is if I see Caroline on Monday, I'll have the baby on Tuesday. Tuesday is good. I can do Tuesday.

still gestating

After all the cramping early yesterday, it all came to an abrupt halt after my massage. Obviously the massage had a hugely relaxing effect on the baby and all associated organs. I'm having a few more cramps right now, but I fully expect to have a quiet weekend. That's fine by me - my afternoon naps are the highlight of my day, and I don't want to give those up quite yet.

Off to meet Conchita and Caroline for lunch. Should I go for the hot and sour soup to get things going? Hee.

holding out until this evening

I've been having fairly regular period type pains since the very wee hours of this morning, so I suppose something's happening in there. The thing is, I have my last aromatherpay massage today at 5:30 and dammit, I WILL have that massage! I don't care if my waters go on the way there, I am getting a back rub today from my lovely massage lady at any cost. My lower back is killing me and it needs to be rubbed with smelly oils. I'm also planning on making pizza for supper tonight and I've been looking forward to it since I woke up, and I will eat that pizza even if I have to do it in the pool. So there. Hmph.

My midwife suggested that I have smoothies during labour because they are a very good source of quick energy and easily digested. I did a smoothie test run last night (I'm scared at how organised I've been lately) with bananas I put in the freezer, vanilla yoghurt, and milk to thin it out a bit. Oh, yum. It was like a banana shake. I've put little bags of strawberries and bananas in the freezer, and Paul has been put in charge of blended beverages. I'm also storing homemade chicken stock for labour (because you simply can't feel crappy when you're eating homemade chicken soup) and we've got a bottle of bubbly ready for the birth. I've also put in my request to Paul for a posh cooked breakfast like they give people on "Portland Babies". All I want is a runny egg and a big thing of brie, really.

Urgh. Still cramping and I've got to go to Sainsburys and the post office this morning. Maybe if my waters go in Sainsburys my shopping will be free? I'll chuck a bottle of Evian on the floor and see what they say. I shall keep you posted.

whazzup

Just had my weekly midwife visit, and all is well. I'm healthy and the baby is locked and loaded in a good position. She's now 3/5 engaged, which doesn't really mean much in terms of when I'll go into labour, but the fact that she's moving down is a good sign that things are progressing normally. We both agreed that this one is not making her arrival anytime soon (now I've just jinxed myself), which is fine by me. I'm still enjoying my afternoon naps and quiet weekdays, thank you.

Until next time...

about a birth

I haven't given birth yet, don't panic. Just wanted to talk about my birth plan for those who are curious (and to respond to some queries in my comments.)

I haven't really talked about my midwife, which is silly because she's the best thing since Nutella. I am using an independent midwife called Laura Abbott, who is employed by us (as opposed to the NHS) and we pay for her services (the going rate for most IMs these days is around £3,000, and can be paid in various installments or whatever works for you.) She has exactly the same qualifications as a regular midwife and I am entitled to exactly the same services on the NHS (scans, blood tests, etc.), but she is the only midwife I will have until one month postnatally. It was vitally important to me to have a midwife I know and trust, particularly for the birth. Otherwise, I could have had a home birth on the NHS but either I would get someone I've never met or might be told no one was available so I would need to go to hospital. Laura is fantastic and having her as my midwife has made a world of difference. I can ring/email her anytime, she comes to see me at home at my convenience (normally you would see the midwife whenever you can get an appointment at her weekly clinic at the local surgery/doctor's office), and is happy to make extra visits if I need them. So that's all about my midwife. She rocks.

For the birth, the plan is to get in the water at around 5cm dilation (i.e. the halfway point) as getting in the water too soon can slow labour down. As Laura explained it, I will probably want to get in the pool when it gets to the point that I feel I really, really, really, really need pain relief RIGHT NOW, GODAMMIT (I'm paraphrasing slightly.) I am using a TENS machine in early labour, as well as reflexology (got a little chart for Paul to rub my hands in the right places), homeopathy, gas and air (Entonox/"laughing gas"), and I've been listening to Natal Hypnotherapy CDs (VBAC specific) since the first trimester. That's right, I'm using everything I can get my hands on.

As for Jack, I don't like the idea of carting him off somewhere in the middle of the night if I'm in labour. He's a very sound sleeper (just like his mummy) and small children often sleep through even the noisiest labours. I'm happy to leave him in his bed in this scenario. Should I go into labour during the day when he's at home (i.e. Fri-Mon), we will send him over to stay with friends because we simply won't be able to mind him ourselves. These same friends have also very generously offered to take care of Jack if I need to transfer to hospital, even if it's during the middle of the night (thankyouthankyouthankyou!) They will also drop off/pick Jack up from nursery if we can't do it during the other weekdays. I really don't mind if he sees the birth of his sister and in fact, he's watched birth programmes with me and seen pictures in my pregnancy books. He really doesn't seem fazed by it, and I think that's because he's not old enough to have the same sort of fears as an older child. To him, it's "Baby coming out of the mummy!" and nothing scary.

And...well...apart from that, the plan is to have a healthy baby without too much trauma. Now we wait.

oh dear god no

I have just made a horrifying discovery. We get Rachael Ray in this country on the Hallmark channel. I thought I was safe, divided by a very large body of water and several thousand miles from a woman that makes me want to throw cutlery at the television. But she's here, and in an innocent channel-surfing moment this afternoon, I have seen her.

I need to bleach my eyes now.

daily blurb

Today's update: Paul and I suspect that we're both coming down with colds, I've been having some period pain type cramping and lower backache all day but nothing regular or painful, and otherwise still feeling pretty good. My little boy has been fairly happy and cuddly all day, and a very appreciative lunch customer ("Mmmm! Delicious! Nice! I LIKE pasta!") I could use a nap, but my son has given up on that concept when at home (but he'll nap for ages at nursery, go figure.) The dog is sulking in the kitchen for some reason.

Thank you, come again.

checkin' in

Not in labour yet, and not even a twinge more than the usual Braxton Hicks. Although there was some speculation about Beanie arriving early, I am still leaning towards labour happening after my due date. I'm sure my body's gearing up for the big day, though. I've been experiencing many late changes I never went through with Jack, which makes me hopeful that everything will proceed as it should. Of course left to my own devices I may well have gone through these same changes at a later point with Jack, but c'est la vie. I've been going through another nesting/energetic/relaxed/calm/happy phase, and thoroughly enjoying simply waiting for labour to happen. No threat of induction hanging over my head this time.

Had a bit of retail therapy today at Milton Keynes where I bought two more impractical but damn cute outfits for Beanie (curse you Boots and your buy one get one half price deals!), extra chocolate for myself while buying a present for someone at Hotel Chocolat, the new Bill Bryson autobiography, and other practical things that were actually on our list of things to get. Voiles to cover the French doors, for example - sparing my neighbours the sight of me giving birth in my dining room. Of course that would probably act as an effective means to stop those weird kids in the house behind us from looking in from their trampoline, as they are wont to do.

In other news, big congratulations to Lucie and David on the birth of their second little girl Elsie! Judging by how quickly they were in and out of hospital, it sounds like all went well. Yay!

mind the bump

When Caroline was 39 weeks pregnant, we went out for lunch. Later that night, she went into labour. Today, at almost 39 weeks pregnant, I'm going out with Caroline for lunch. Thought I'd better take bump pictures just in case:



(Note that we are going to a different place for lunch and I'm staying the hell away from any leek and potato soup.)

a bit glowy now

Feeling much better this afternoon, partially due to sorting out Jack minding during labour/birth should we need it (thankyouthankyouthankyou) and partially due to a very relaxing day of doing nothing. My sister-in-law just dropped by for a quick visit, which also lifted my spirts...and Jasper's. He's so desperate for love and attention these days, I'm amazed he didn't cling to Gabi's bumper as she drove away.

I'm extremely hungry but the heartburn is still in full force. I truly don't understand how it's possible to feel nauseous and hungry at the same time, but that's me all over. I also don't understand why my stomach contents won't stay put when this baby's dropped. Whatever happened to that fantastic "lightening" I read so much about? Bah. Never had it with Jack, either. Books...they lie.

And I can sit right now. Sort of. It's a start.

last supper

My in-laws came to visit last weekend, so we took the opportunity to go out on a dinner date before the baby comes (and meals become a) things that are still edible once they've gone cold and/or b) a relay race where the parent not tending to the crying child eats as quickly as possible before the newborn baton is passed.) We headed into Cambridge to Restaurant 22, for the first time in at least four years.

We both had roast pork belly with scallops to start, which was tasty but the pork needed slightly more cooking to render the "crackling" properly. For our mains, Paul had roast guinea fowl and I had pan fried plaice. Both were delicious and well cooked, and I got to taste guinea fowl for the first time (I thought it sort of tasted like flavourful chicken.) For dessert, I had the peanut butter parfait and Paul had the cheese plate. The parfait was a cylinder of peanut butter-flavoured ice cream which led me to question how it was a parfait, but it was light and gorgeous.

Although the food wasn't the best we've had, the evening itself was wonderful. We had a long, leisurely meal in a quiet, refined dining room. We took almost three hours to eat and savour our food; a rare treat when you're used to whipping up something quickly after work and eaten in front of the television. It was lovely to get dressed up and enjoy a sip of wine.

Let's do this again next year.

same old, same old

I went to see the reflexologist yesterday afternoon and I'm pretty sure I started to fall asleep a few times. I kept startling myself with involuntary snoring noises, so I can only assume that was from nodding off. I came home and slept off and on for a couple of hours, feeling slightly more human than in previous days. I was even able to have a decent sized dinner as the nausea had disappeared and I was ravenously hungry.

Oh, big mistake.

I woke up at 4am with hideous, hideous heartburn and reflux. The heartburn tablets did nothing and I couldn't recline without feeling ill. I had to prop myself up with my small fort of pillows, but I couldn't get comfortable because it put pressure on the haematoma. Can't lie down or I'll hurl, can't sit up or my bum will hurt. Yay. I spent the early morning trying not to throw up and my stomach is still not right.

So, it's the toddler diet for me: eat a tiny nibble of food, get distracted and leave the table, come back to my plate and take another tiny nibble, and repeat until the meal is finished two hours later. Throw my cup and cutlery on the floor just for fun. Perhaps stick a Cheerio up my nose (note: Jack actually did this the other day - thankfully, it had gone soggy from the milk.) I can't eat much and it can't be anything too exciting, so thank the gods that I made a large batch of chicken stock two days ago. If homemade chicken soup can't make you feel better, nothing will.

On a different, slightly more humorous tangent (but you may not want to read this while you're eating), I was chatting to Dina via email yesterday about pushing during birth. She likened it to taking a huge poop, which is exactly what my midwife was telling me earlier that day. My midwife and I were talking about women who have a fear of defecating during birth, and she said "Midwives get really excited when we see poo - it means the mother is pushing properly!" Ladies, don't fear the caca.

I cannot wait to see the Google hits this site will get now.

down she goes

Lovely midwife says Beanie is 4/5 engaged, so she's just started to make her descent. This explains the extra weight and pressure recently, and probably explains why the evil haematoma has returned. Everything else checked out fine, thankfully.

Off to nap now. *yawn*

no no no stay in there!

Still feeling super ultra mega caca this morning, mostly due to the godforsaken haematoma. The pain is relentless, making sleep (and pretty much everything else) impossible. I'm absolutely petrified of going into labour because the thought of pushing right now fills me with terror. I can barely walk or stand up from sitting, let alone put any amount of pressure down there to get a baby out. I'm hoping that labour won't happen for at least another week, which was the amount of time it took last time for the worst of the pain to pass.

In the meantime, my back is sore and I'm getting lots of lower bump cramps. I've had a few conversations with Beanie asking if she could possibly wait a little while longer before making a break for it. Hopefully she's not going through a rebellious stage at the moment.

are we having fun yet?

I woke up at 2:00 this morning with horrible reflux and diarrhoea. I stumbled downstairs to take a heartburn tablet with a peppermint tea chaser, and watched trashy television (i.e. I got caught up on my recorded episodes of Big Brother) until I felt a bit better at 4:30. Thankfully, Paul took over Jack duties this morning and I managed to sleep off and on until 11:30. My stomach still isn't right today. Do you know how upsetting it is to not be able to eat chocolate and ice cream when you're heavily pregnant? It's inhumane! Soup and toast are not enough to keep the gestating woman going.

I don't have much on my schedule this week, and I will take advantage by putting my feet up. I'm making some veggie sushi this afternoon because it reminds me of my grandma and always makes me feel better. Here's hoping I can actually eat it. Feh.

not feelin' groovy

Woke up with period pains and a backache that came and went, and my goddamn perianal haematoma is hurting again. I've been desperately trying not to throw up all morning. Grocery shopping when you feel like hurling is so not fun. I haven't been able to sleep for more than 2 hours at a time over the past few days. Bleah bleah bleah bleah bleah.

On the plus side, I went into town and bought the last of the baby essentials (particularly the new moses basket mattress) and some foody supplies for the week and labour. The pool has been tested and is the best thing EVER, and much to my huge relief, is all ready to go for the real thing. I've got a freezer full of food, my house is clean(ish), the laundry is almost done, and the new bedroom/en suite is making me very happy indeed. Most importantly, my in-laws have been an absolute godsend and a huge help. Thanks to them, my son has been spoiled rotten all weekend and our garden isn't making me cringe anymore.

So who knows. Maybe I'll have an exciting update later, or maybe I'll just feel like shite for a while. In the meantime, here are some pictures for you to enjoy.

Kids can sleep anywhere!



In the birth pool:



Still waiting for the cabana boy to bring me a virgin daiquiri.

hello.

Not in labour. Made chilli, bolognaise sauce, and cottage pie for the freezer. Had a fantastic meal last night with Paul (will blog about that more thoroughly on the main blog.) A bit crampy, but nothing out of the ordinary. Baby still wriggling like mad, so she is likely still not engaged. We're filling up the pool right now for a trial run (pictures later!) It's beautiful and sunny outside, and I don't have to cook again tonight.

Thank you. That's all the news from here.

and then again...

I washed and vacuumed all the floors. I cleaned all three bathrooms. I did four loads of laundry. I filled the car with petrol, ran it through the car wash, and for the first time in months, put air in the tires. I wiped down the kitchen cupboards (doors only, I'm not THAT insane.) I unloaded the dishwasher and did the rest of the washing up. I moved all my clothes into the new wardrobe. I bought groceries. I wrote a list of things to put in a hospital bag. I picked up my Bounty freebie pack.

Today. I did all of this today. Maybe you people do know something I don't.