Hello everyone . Gosh, a week away from the thread and 40mins of reading to catch up! Blimey.
So much has happened that I don't know where to start.
I've been having dizzy spells over the past fortnight and although haven't fainted yet, have come very close many times. Everyone assumed it was anaemia, especially when the hospital called me back for another test, but it isn't. I certainly eat enough so that's not it, I'm assuming I'm not getting enough rest, but have gone back to taking my multivitamins daily, and have had less 'spells' in the past three days. The repeat blood test turned out to be because my platelet count is low-ish (blood clotting ability) but they don't seem too concerned about that.
I had to cancel both photo sessions due to my dizzy spells and headaches which means I am way behind on my project. DP is in London all of next week so I am hoping to use that time to catch up...and I might simplify things so it is completable. I got a 'merit' for my first half years' work, but was told that if I addressed the issues she mentioned for the second half year's work I stand a good chance of getting a distinction, but the way I am feeling now, I am struggling to see that I could do that!!
I was still being chased by the previously mentioned large international company to do some freelance research/analysis work, but after three months waiting for a project which still 'just needs more sign off' I had to pull the plug. I really could have done with the money, and it choked me to pull out, but I was supposed to start in January for three months work, and it is just too late now. What a shame.
I worked for a couple of hours at my Toddler Groups nearly new sale on Saturday. You get first choice on everything when you work, and so I got to buy a McLaren Twin Traveller in very good nic for just £50, instead of over £200 new. I was ecstatic. There was a choice of four double buggies and so I roped in three mums with two kids to advise me. They said it was the slimmest, easily went in the car, and the airlines accepted it on planes (so perfect for our Spanish trip). It is grey so won't mark easily. Puurrrrfect
My dd's birthday was on Monday. The organisation for four friends to come over for 'bday lunch followed by games' (just 2 hours) was mind blowing. The food for kids, food for mummies, drinks, cake, presents, party games, house cleaning, balloon blowing....wow. It competed with Obama's inauguration! It really was her 'first' birthday though, as she had no idea what the first two were all about. Her first birthday was us inviting all our friends to the pub to drink a lot and celebrate surviving a year with our sanity intact. Her second birthday was a couple of friends over for 1 hour to play together, none of them with any idea what the occasion was. This time however, she knew it was her birthday, she felt super important and was a very happy little girl....well, until Will tried to play with her plastic 'stereo'! Then it was a boxing championship!
Yesterday turned out to be an utterly exhausting day. I waited 1hr 20mins at the hospital for someone to take blood! My daughter's attention span was slipping by then (after one hours colouring in, playing snap and reading books, they just want to get out of there), and she tried to jump with both feet onto the large scales. She slipped and banged her head, a bump came up, she went pale, behaved peculiarly and wanted to vomit. So the nurses said I had to go to casualty - right over the other side of the hospital. Well, last time I went there it was a 3.5 hour visit, so that was about as appealing as being lined up for the firing squad! Luckily one kind nurse suggested I go to a smaller minor injuries unit a couple of miles away, so we left the hospital and went there instead and got seen within 50mins thankfully.
We then had to take the car to a garage for an MOT & service and hang around the local town for 2.5 hours. It turned out dp had taken the buggy to work in his car, and so as my Bugaboo was in pieces, all that I had was my new twin McLaren that I had not used yet. It was quite a learning experience pushing it around town finding out what I could push it through and what it was too wide for. A couple of idiots said 'you've lost one' and I think I looked pretty unimpressed with that poor humour after my hideous day so far. It was kind of handy in that, dd sat in one side and she put all her toys in the other side . I would thoroughly recommend giving your equipment a test drive so you know how it functions.
Crikey, this is turning into a novel. Do I win a prize for the longest post?
CHAPTER TWO
naat - personally, like erm I didn't enjoy massages when I was pregnant nor my spa day. Nothing really seemed to relieve the uncomfortability of being pregnant. But some people love it, so I guess everyone is different. I can't enjoy a bubble bath either. Maybe for 5 mins but then I just want to get out. I haven't got over to the Mamas & Papas shop yet, but hope to this weekend coming. Am keen on the feeding chair.
tee - agree with you about Dunnes. I picked up a bathing suit for 1euro, a lovely jumper, a bag of socks and some other things. I think the total was 8 euros .
loouise - I'm with the others. From now on you start to build up a support network of other mums-to-be, potential babysitters, people in similar circumstances, a older women next door who might be up for occasional cleaning etc etc, and I imagine you could feel quite lonely if you were in Yorkshire for three months and then came south and had to start from scratch. Better to establish London as your base, but venture north for 'periods'. You will then really appreciate your parents, as they will you. I wonder if your mother might have been secretly hoping that you would choose to stay in the north? Do you think your mother might have other issues going on which are making her anxious - my parents were uncomfortable with the stigma of having an unmarried daughter having a child, and in the country people can be quite old fashioned. But, as you know in your heart of hearts (and she probably does too) it is far better to never be together, than to marry and split down the line - that is much harder on children.
Bugaboos are lovely. Practice with it beforehand though. I remember there were a couple of things I couldn't figure out with it and dd was almost a month old before I really 'got it together'. I struggled sometimes with whipping it out of the car and releasing it correctly. Sometimes the wheels swung back and hit me in the calf muscles (ouch ouch ouch). Once I got the hang of it I loved it. I had the bright pink one (the one that screams 'pink') and one day I had dd in a pale (very pale) blue and white stripped top and two little old ladies came up and oohed and ahhed over my beautiful 'boy'. I really struggled not to giggle. They then stood back, and went 'oh'.
Oh and sleep. Me too, I struggle, long walks and fresh air and lots of water during the day is my best solution but I struggle with waking and not getting back to sleep.
CHAPTER THREE
littlesarah - congratulations. What a wonderful thing to be told. You must have felt as though you were walking on air afterwards. The world is at your fingertips .
mrsmcjnr - sorry I never CAT'd you regarding your Dad's book. I kept meaning to pay the £5 and join but a small part of me was worrying how much time I was spending on the internet and was trying to extricate myself if anything. I would love to read it, but I never have the time to read anything these days. Poor you with your hospital experiences. It reminded me of a book called Italian Neighbours where an Englishman in Italy documents all the idiosyncratic and amusing behaviour he encounters in Spain - all done in a lovable way. Maybe you could write a book about being pregnant in a foreign country? I love that the Spanish authorities frown on diminutives. Will a small 'gift' change their minds at all? (bottle of whiskey or spanish equivalent?)
june TENS really worked for me. I put it on as soon as the contractions got a teency bit uncomfortable, sat on a birthing ball and rocked slowly back and forth while watching 6 hours of tele - Desperate Housewives x 2, olympics, Bridget Jones' Diary and some other movie that eludes me. The rocking motion helped too. I had it on for 7 hours and then combined it with gas & air at the hospital - which together worked well. I stupidly took it off to go for a walk in the hospital (to get things going) and only then did I realise how much pain was going on in my body. I should have left it on the whole time. I had the baby shortly after.
Your baby looks utterly gorgeous - a real beauty.
Like insy and Ineed I am another to highly recommend Stokke Tripp Trapp. That seat will be with her for some time and means she is always at the right level at the table. It survives long after the other highchairs have become redundant.
lauraloo - How are the dizzy spells? Still getting them? I remember you saying that you hadn't put on much weight - was it 5lb or something. Are you eating enough honey?
bunnymother thankfully although my family are very competitive when it comes to sports etc, we don't compete against each other. My dad did compete in sport at a national level and my brother was an intellectual whizzkid, and I'm so pleased that I was never made to feel any 'less' because of it. Anyway, I am the only one to produce grandchildren as my superbright brother struggles with interpersonal relationships sadly and has only ever had two girlfriends. There is a superbright gene that runs through my mothers family and I hope and pray neither of my children have it, as I think it is more of a liability than a positive.
ALMOST THERE!!!!!
erm - with you completely on the meal planning front. It seems so hard at the moment and I don't want to resort to just ready meals, as that will be our diet for a couple of months once the baby comes. I found a Tortilla in Sainsbury's last week that you microwave for 2 mins, which together with a prebought casserole and some veg, has a real meal feel to it, but just 10mins preparation. Is there a 'Food' thread on Mumsnet. Would love some ideas on fabulous food that takes 15mins to prepare. Not sure how I will manage with preparing meals with a toddler and baby.
THE END (1,950 words!!!!!)