RIP Gizmo

Poor Gizmo was rather ill this morning - Andy woke me at 5.00 to tell me and the poor cat couldn't stand up or walk and even more surprising for him, was not meowing or making any sound at all.

THe vet said to keep him confined in a dark room - Giz had other ideas and somehow got through his cat flap and vanished. I thought we'd never see him again but just after 8.00 he managed to get back in through it and also make his way up stairs. He then fell off our bed and went to sleep on the floor under the quilt.

Chipy & Sam kindly loaned us their cat basket and Andy and MArtin took him to the Vet at lunchtime, the original diagnosis was an ear infection which is why he couldn't walk but after X-Rays they found fluid around his heart and also his lungs and there was nothing else that could be done, and our furry friend had to go...

What makes things worse is the amount I yelled at him recently - he was always demanding food and getting in the way and he claimed my black cardigan and my fleece scarf as his sleeping spot - I just feel so guilty as he was ill then, just not complaining about it...

Big Day!

There was great excitement yesterday…we’ve finally got to the 20 week scan! I have to admit I never expected to get to this point so it all feels very strange to me…especially as Tadpole had found that legs are very good for waving around and has managed to land a few good kicks – especially when someone has been poking or prodding around my bump!


Andy got a little exasperated with me before we left for the hospital as I had my usual ‘I really have to go session’ and this time I meant it! There are somethings in nature I simply can’t stop – and this was one of them!

I did get a bottle of water to take with me but once we’d checked in at X-Ray reception and walked down to the maternity unit we were called in right away! The Sonographer was another new one to me and was very sweet – but Tadpole was not helping in the slightest and for the first half of the scan refused point blank to give any indication whether were were on Team Blue or Pink! As a result there was a fair amount of poking and prodding done to get the best angles for measurements – I really paid for that later! Eventually the team colour was decided, to be honest I wasn’t too bothered, all I want is a healthy baby at the end of all this!

Most of the measurements needed were done but not all so it looks as though I’m back there in the next 10 days for another try, and hopefully a few more pictures, My baby takes after me in not wanting photos taken and that’s before we’ve even got to birth! I can confirm Tadpole is also extremely stubborn and seems to get addicted to things very quickly…for example the kicking! Now we’ve worked out how to do it…it’s all day really! Maybe I need to learn some lullabies for when I’m driving home – I’d prefer not to get kicked on the Motorway, it’s a bit distracting!!!

If you want to know which team colour we got just ask...we did find it out by the end!

21 weeks

I'm feeling decidedly fat and frumpy right now and I seem to have lost the ability to bend on the middle... This week is set to be rather busy to be honest. I'm seeing my midwife tomorrow, have the ante natal clinic Tuesday morning and me 20 week scan Thursday afternoon. I have a feeling poor Tadpole is going to get some serious prodding and poking this week whether they like it or not!

Thankfully Andy has the afternoon off to come with me on Thursday - hopefully that may help him feel a little more involved, bt the back rubs I've been getting are fantastic and extremely welcome as my back is feeling awful...and I still have 17 weeks to go! Provided 'they' still decide I'm delivering at 38 weeks...

Poor Andy is stil suffering with a horrible cold...close to man flu I feel but I just keep pouring Covonia down him and making him honey & lemon! I have to admit I hate the stuff - I only take it when I think I'm close to death. But Andy appears to like the stuff and thinks it helps so I'm all for it! His cold did mean I got to see our gold medalist win in the early hours of Saturday mornng as I evacuated the bedroom due to the coughing, snoring and general fidgeting and noise! I went back to bed at 5.30 but was up just after 8.00 so didn't really get much sleep or relaxation! Last night was better, I think I may have died!!!

Changes

I'm trying to work around my feeling so tired at the moment by changing my working hours from 8.00-4.30 to  9.00-5.30. I have to admit this morning was wonderful but I'm now feeling decidedly droopy now and I've still got ages to go... Maybe I need to consider that I might need to go part time. Not a great decision financially but I need to think about my health and tadpoles...

It also might help if I actually take my lunch half hour away from my desk to give myself a break...but there really is nowhere else to go safely and the kitchen is cold and depressing so my desk ends up being much, much more appealing! If spring ever arrives I'd love to just go out for a walk but that really isn't a safe or good idea!

Last night I actually managed to stay awake and up until 10.00!!! Major achievement and I admit I was watching Glee...daft US show but I love it for some reason!! I doubt I'm the age group/demographic they are aiming at but I enjoy it so there!! And I know most of the songs so if Andy isn't around I an sit and sing along to my hearts content! Especially as I don't feel up to going to choir at the moment as I've jsut been so knackered. (Sorry, but tired doesn't really decribe how exhausted I feel!) I've banned swearing since i read that Tadpole can now hear...I'd  prefer his or her first word not to be one I have to persuade him or her not to use again!!!!

20 weeks

Technically I'm now halfway through this pregnancy...I really should have paid more attention in Biology! It doesn't last for 9 months really, but 40 weeks!

We've had a fairly quiet day today as Andy was working all day yesterday, I was given a gorgeous pair of earrings and a new necklace today...very spoilt and after dispatching Andy off to get something for lunch we ended up with jacket potatoes, pepper coated steaks & veg...rather tasty plus a Summer fruits trifle, which I could have easily eaten again it was so nice!! We then watched Patch Adams, at least I did while Andy snored through most of it! I will have to watch it again as I missed the big emotional bit as my Mother phoned at that point! Right now I think he's asleep on the floor again! I guess I should wake him up to feed him at some point!

Anyone got any ideas what I coul feed him??? I need to eat soon as I have to test my blood sugar 2 hours later and to be honest I want to go to bed! Maybe I'll just make some scrambled eggs and stick them under his nose!! Or I'll stick the Brie he bought earlier in his mouth and leave him to it! But I woul love to make some ham & brie toasted sandwiches...but they are strictly not allowed until June July time when I've had Tadpole, then I can have them, and pate, prawns and a large glas of something alchoholic plus a Snickers or something else ocntaining peanuts!

Maybe I should wake him up or he may wake me up at silly o'clock when he decides to come to bed and wants to move me off his side...but if he isn't there at a sensible time I think it's there for whoever falls asleep on it first!

Spoke too soon....

I might have said it was a quiet week and nothing was happening on Tuesday - me and my big mouth! It kept snowing yesterday while I was at work, but didn't seem to settle at all - I thought I was going to have to drive in it which I hate but wasn't too bothered/worried...Until I got into the car - the roads in the port were more of less clear, but were getting very slushy and slippy. The A20 was not great and soon went down to only 1 useable lane - and my ABS kicked in fairly often and I found the car is good at switching its own hazard warning lights on...which scared me even more...

It wasn't helped by Polish and Czech lorries hurtling past at high speed sending snow/slush/ice flying which made the visability even worse. The A20 coastbound was at a total standstill as there were a couple of accidents and a fuel spill - no fun at all for them but if I'm honest I would prefer to have not been moving rather than trying to drive on an icerink - there certainly hadn't been any grit on that road yesterday... Although I'm not sure it would have helped in those conditions. There may have only been a coupe of inches of snow, but I have never been as scared as I was trying to drive home, Dover to the Roundhill tunnell took over 40 minutes, thankfully the M20 was a little better, so long as you stuck to lanes 1 &2...and it got worse once I got back to Ashford.

THe forecast last night redicted more snow and they were spot on, I was supposed to be going to Canterbury from work this morning - and having heard the road reports on the radio at 6 (having been up several times during the night to check on the weather, I sent a text to my manager to take the day as holiday, much to Andy's relief as I dont think he wanted me driving around this morning...I was up by 6.30 taking photos though....

I did have to go out this morning though - I've finally managed to get me blood pressure medication, it appears all manufacturers of Methyldopa are having trouble sourcing the raw materials and so none is being produced/sent out and it is becoming a little like rocking horse droppings in it's rareity. But I now have just under 3 weeks supply and have put another prescription request into the Drs which should hopefully give the chemists time to try and track more down for me! But I am seeing my consultant again before I run out so I'll check if ther is anything else I can take in it's place until I have the baby... I don't want to risk any blood pressure problems affecting him/her.

I did find a new set of hero people this morning. I was being lazy and cleared the windscreen of snow using the wipers as  I was sat in the warm in the car and didn't feel like scraping snow off...Andy came out to clear the windscreen properly and when lifting the wipers off the screen they didn't got back properly and the passenger side wasn't even touching the screen. So the trip to the pharmacy was via Wilmoths who looked at the car straight away - Nigel did warn me I may have to pay for the repair as it wasn't really covered by the warrrenty (apparently it doesn't cover blonde moments) but it turned out I'd simply bent one of the arms so it was all fixed free of charge for me! I know many people give main dealerships a bad press, but I trust Wilmoths and they look after me and my cars really well. All I need to do now is convince then to let me swap my C2 for a C3 for no additional charge- it would mlife with the baby so much easier!!!

Nothing much happening...

It has been a very quiet start to the week - for which I'm decidedly grateful! I'm still waiting for my 2nd trimester energy to kick in and I'm still feeling pretty much like dead woman walking! I could do with about 6 hours more sleep each night although I don't have an extra 6 hours to sleep in...although I could try going to bed as aoon as I get home, that would give me another 4-5 hours to sleep in and I can talk to Andy at the weekend I guess!!!

Poor Gizmog nearly starved today...Andy bought a special cat feeder with lids that pop up so he gets fed twice a day, but ths morning he forgot to switch it on so Gizmog got nothing at all. Even I have been nice to him since I got home and to be honest he has been amazingly quiet and not loud like he usually is!

Driving home was not much fun today...there was nearly a serious road rage incident just before I got home... There were a few cars waiting to turn out of Hilton Road, a mini driver stopped and proceeded to let everyone out and the car driver behind her and infront of me objected. I have to admit I haven't a clue what some of his gestures meant - but I felt intimidated by him :(

They are also expecting cold weather tonight - a gritting lorry was coming out of the end of our road as I waited at the traffic lights to turn right - I just wish they gritted right round rather than just up Loudon Way as the road between the 2 round abouts gets decidedly dodgy and I've skidded a couple of times whilst trying to drive along there. And I don't need the stress at the moment!

Tadpole is in a growth spurt apparently at the moment... but we don't get to see him/her again until 25th February...does anyone have a spare machine I could have at home so I could see him/her whenever I want to!?!?!? June is feeling like a very long time away right now and I'm feeling really impatient!

Week 19...

As of tomorrow I am 19 weeks pregnant. Still without bumpage but one of the forums I'm a member of another Mum to be pointed out that we tallerladies don't get bumps as quickly as smaller ones as we have a bit more space for the baby to move around and fill before they have to start growing outwards! So I guess being tall is a slight advantage for me! I'm still fitting in most of my clothes at the moment - a couple of pairs of trousers are a little uncomfortable, but i never used to wear them that often so I'm not really changing how I dress in the slightest!

Gizmog is driving Andy and I up the wall at the moment, he won't leave us alone and is getting increasingly vocal. He has been locked out twice so far today and just started boxing his cat flap against the locking plate thing - almost as annoying as his yelling. Please, does anyone want a cat before I work out how to launch him into space??

My appontment at the diabetes clinic on TUesday went really well! My last blood test gave me a result of 6.6 against a target of 6.5!!! I got a virtual pat on the head and a well done in my notes - which meant alot to me as I still have days when I feel Im not controling my blood sugar in the slightest, bit it appears I'm not doing to bad so far! I may still have to go onto proper insulin before my pregnancy finishes, but compared to my first appointment that isn't happening any day soon! And may still not happen at all! I got home on Friday to a letter from my GP asking to see me to discuss my recent blood test... I can only assume they haven't realised I'm being looked after a diabetes team and want to fiddle around and mess around with my current treatment...I'm very tempted not to bother as I'm quite happy with the care I'm getting from my team right now and I don't need one of the junior Drs at my GP's surgery trying to prove their worth. If the treatment I'm getting now is working why mess with it!

February...

Could someone please tell me what happened to January...I seem to have blinked and missed it completely! If 2010 continues to whiz past at this speed I'm probably going to be giving birth in a few days time rather than the 140 days it is supposed to be!

I'm allowing myself a treat right now - no added sugar milk chocolate! I can't say it is the best chocolate I've ever tasted but it doesn't have additional sugar added so it isn't as bad for me as, for example, Galaxy! And it is quite nice to sit here and eat chocolate without feeling totally guilt ridden!

I had an early night last night as I am only too aware how tired I am these days. Once Andy came up and I got my hug I soon got to sleep...but I then just kept waking myself up all through the night, when my alarm went off it came close to being flung across the bedroom, I honestly felt that I had only been asleep for about an hour and the feeling that I kust wanted to stay put was high on my list of things to do this morning - looking out of the window really didn't do much to change my mind as my little balck car was white and looked far more ike an iceberg than a little C2! Thankfully there wasn't much traffic around today...I pretty much slept all the way to Dover - maybe the car has finally learnt the route so I can have another 30 minutes of sleep rather than watching the lorries on the motorway!!