Panic Stations!

I've not had a great 24hours... I started to panic yesterday morning when I started to bleed... Me being me I simply went into panic stations and tried to phone my Midwife who wasn't on duty. Nowhere in any of the books I've got does it say not to worry in this situation, so I went over the top I guess. I ended up talking to the hospital maternity unit in the end, probably to every member of staff before being told to go in on Friday for an emergency scan (This was on Tuesday!) I ended up going home at lunchtime to panic in the comfort of my own home and still trying to ge hold of a midwife!

It turned out my Drs were closed for Training (along with most of the surgeries in Ashford) so I ended up talking to South East Health who are terrible at calling back when they are supposed to - after I called them back again I got a call from a Dr, and to be honest I could hardly understand him, but he sent me in to SEE Doc at the hospital. After a fairly uncomfortable wait I saw a Dr who took my blood pressure and told me to go home unless the bleeding increased and relax and call my  midwife in the morning.

Thankfully Nicky called me this morning and was here by 12.00...the first thing she did was check for the baby's heartbeat, which I have now heard for the first time ever. I admit I cried, it sounded so amazing...and very strong! The poor little thing is only about 11.5 cm from head to bum at the moment but it seems happy in there! My blood pressure was up a tiny bit (As Nicky said, to be expected as I'd been in panic mode) and my urine test was fine so until I have a scan done everything is as fine as we can test for now! I feel so much better - but I want one of those doppler things so I can hear the baby whenever I want!

I've also started getting cravings - nothing weird yet, just bacon rolls! No idea why, but I had one for breakfast this morning (Andy bought me a couple of the microwavable type) and it was honestly the best thing I've ever tasted!!!

The weather outside is frightful...

So what I need is a fire that is so delightful as I think this weekend I'm going to have to let it snow, let it snow and let it snow! I know compared to Milwaukee we get next to nothing but I am intending to hibernate for the next 2 days. I've thrown the cat out for at least 4 minutes this evening and I can't remember the last time I saw him move as fast as he did coming back in!

I did notice this evening on the forecast the weather was referred to as an 'event' - I can't recall that phrase being used before and I think this event should really come to it's conclusion as soon as possible please! But I would like to point out I have made it in to work all this week... which is more than my dearly beloved has managed! But in his defence Medway has been walloped with far more snow that we have and the Medway drivers are well known for abandoning cars whenever and wherever they feel like doing it! Especially on Bluebell Hill which brings that to a grinding halt! But, bless him, he has been getting up to help me clear my car off every morning which has made my life much simpler and easier.

There is no plan to do much at all this weekend - although we really should start clearing the bedroom out ready to redecorate prior to hopefully welcoming a small, screaming person. I'm not sure what the project plan says as I haven't seen it yet!

It snowed!

The usual English reaction to Snow has happened... it is now officially a disaster and the UK Population cannot cope with all the white stuff that keeps floating down from above! Mind you, it is really the ice that caused me more problems this morning!

Andy got a call/message from work last night and is working from Home...the company I work for are not like that so I drove in having persuaded my loving husband to drag himself out of bed to help de-snow my car for me! The drive in was uneventful in Ashford except for a small skid/slide around a roundabout close to home...But as I got further east the landscpe got whiter and once in the Port the roads were atrocious and the snow really deep (Well, deep for the UK anyway!)

I made it in on time and now it's over an hour later and only 3 other people have arrived! We have contacted our Manager re if we should stay or not and not had a decision other than he's on his way...with the news re the roads the chances of him making it in are slim so we'll simply wait for now! I want to drive home whilst it's still light if I'm honest, but time will tell!

New Year... New Start?

Well it's now 2010 and there is still a debate regarding how one ahould say the year...is it 20 -10 or 2 thousand and 10? (According to my sister it is the latter as she hates the former for some reason!)

As previously promised (If anyone even reads my drivel!) above is one of the scan photos from Christmas Eve... I have had another scan sionce and apparently will be having a scan a month as the baby and I (hopefully) progress through this pregnancy. My main aim right now is to stop feeling sick so often...I can only believe that morning sickness was named by a man - who was so wrong it's untrue! I'm also really hoping the hormones calm down as I don't want to keep biting Andy's head off, it really isn't fair on him.

Ok, enough baby talk - I'll try to stop now although it isn't easy when the baby is about all I can think about at the moment... Am I turning into a baby bore???

Oh yes - winter returned to the UK today... more snow and I really don't like driving in snow, it's all those white bullets heading straight towards me, I get decidedly freaked out! Thankfully Andy didn't do too much passenger seat driving today! But he has decreed that heated seats in cars are now officially the work of the devil and should not be allowed. Me, I like feeling warm and toasty and if it's cold I'm turning the heat on so I feel nice and warm and cosy!

Last Christmas...

This is our last Christmas as just 2 of us...provided everything goes well nexy tear there will be 3! Our Christmas started on Christmas Eve with our 12 week scan...it appears we have a bolshy baby with attitude! (s)he was happily laid upside down right no my right hand side which did lead to a minor panic when the trainee sonographer couldn't find the baby! I really didn't enoy that feeling of momentary panic...or the way she dug the probe into me when all I wanted to do was go to the loo!

After haing seen our baby sucking it's thumb happily (after some serious hip shaking!) it was time for blood tests which have left me with a wonderfuly bruised right hand as no other veins were playing ball... and the wanted loads. I did suggest fitting a tap yet again but they weren't too enthusiastic about that unfortunately :(.

Christmas day was simple this year...just he 2 of us for lunch although I was banned from lifting the turkey as it was deemed too heavy for me to cope with... And I would just like to point out that I didn't eat 3/4 of a christmas pudding smothered with custard, I did have a small piece about 2 hours after the main course...but apparently it is unlucky not to finish the whole pudding off!!

We were out Christmas Day evening, even though someone did wake me from a lovely nap to leave the warm house to go into freezing evening...I'm so glad I still have my big black coat to wrap round me!! We got home about 11.30 and I felt shattered...but sleep really didn't happen until about 2am - maybe afternoon naps aren't good for me! I think Andy got a little annoyed with me as I kept telling him how tired I was and then refusing to go to sleep!

Boxing Day is now officially Emily Day as it was her 1st Birthday...where on earth has the last year gone??? It really doesn't feel like 12 months since I was frantically checking every text I got to see if she had decided to arrive or not!?!?!?

If Andy ever gets round to scanning the Scan pictures I'll stick one on here so everyone can get a glimpse of Baby Zerfahs (I'm already one very proud Mum!)

Time to hibernate...

It is now well and truly winter here in the South east of England... I'd forgotten how much I hate driving in snow and I had to do it tonight as it started to snow just as I left work (I also now hate C5 drivers as one kept cutting me up as we went up the A20 out of Dover)

Today has been tough for reasons other than the weather...I'm still feeling very sick for about 23 hours out of 24 and I've also started to suffer with indegestion...thank heavens for Gaviscon!! I think it may be worth buying shares in whoever makes it! I wonder if this has started as I'm sulking as my family have swaned off to Orlando today...a few flakes of snow and they vanish westwards to warmer  weather! I can feel as envious as I want, especially as I couldn't have gone even if I cold afford to! The miserable people won't let me on a plane right now...

Being back at work full time is really exhausting me at the moment - starting in Dover at 8 every morning is challenging! My body really cant see why it should be out of bed when it's dark and cold! This morning was really tough, neither I or Tadpole felt like dragging ourselves out of bed and then stupidly heading outside to de-ice the car!! It doesn't help that the smell of de-icer also makes me feel decidedly sick, so I have to take my gloves off so they don't get covered in the stuff and keep the smell going...

1st week survived!!

I did it - I survived my first week back! To say I was nervous on Monday morning is a fairly major understatement, but I went in to the office and seemed to settle in without too many problems/issues! Well that was once I got back into the Port! I wasn't aware that your pass gets suspended if it isn't used for a certain period of time...it turns out Work weren't aware of that rule either!

At the moment I'm working mornings only, I simply wish mornings started later! The original plan was I was going to work 9-1, but I seem to be getting in earlier somehow (mainly as it is easier to park when I'm in earlier!) so it's now looking more like 8-12. At least I an then go home and have a short restoring nap!

One thing I had forgotten about was the morons who use the M20... the mornings I don't notice them too much as I'm still sleeping, but driving home you see every possible example! Today was full off the middle lane hoggers - one was driving up the middle lane at under 60 at lunchtime totally oblivious of the people passing him on both sides. He had a knitted hat pulled right down almost over his eyes, maybe it was too tight or something?!!??!

It doesn't help getting out of Dover that they are still working on all the lay-byes on the A20 and have dropped it from 2 lanes to 1... the aim is to make it up the hill ahead of as many of the lorries as possible...they just pull across when lane 1 ends without apparently a care in the world...maybe I need flashing fairy lights fitted to my car so they may fianlly notice a little black car before they squash it into next to nothing!