Still Waiting

Starting to wonder if this baby will ever arrive, I have done hot curry, pineapple, walking, riding an exercise bike for half an hour, and am now back to the beginning again, with thai food tonight.  Nearly ten days late and counting. I am trying my best to keep as busy as possible, picnic yesterday, lunch out the day before, pet shop today, but tomorrow is a full day on my own so who knows what I will do.  Hubby has an interview for a new job in the morning, so that is bound to get things moving.  I have been reading the Sears book of Attachment Parenting, which is great, but it seems that it is something natural that has to be given a name, so people can make money from it.  On the other hand, the methods they use allow women to keep their sanity while keeping their baby with them.

Speaking of sanity, avoid 'The contented little baby book' at all costs if you want to keep yours.  The routines, feeding advice and principles behind the book are enough to drive anyone to the brink, with almost every minute of the day being accounted for.

Just relax, especially for the first couple of weeks, I am keeping my fingers crossed that is what I will do, if the boys let me, I only have to fit in school runs, housework, lunchboxes and the needs of two other children, how hard can it be?

Ahhhh!

Oh my word!  Still waiting for baby.  I know, I know, he or she will arrive when ready, but I am getting to the point that I feel like exploding, not just physically, but at everyone as well.  I am a woman on the edge, I even managed to consume a whole pineapple the other evening, but to no avail.  On the bright side hubby had the evening off work last night as I though something was happening, and so got to watch Britain's Got Talent, which he was very pleased about.
J went to his birthday party yesterday, and enjoyed the pizza we had made, but when he got their, found that they were making their own pizzas there.  He didn't mind this as it meant he got to go on the climbing wall for longer while the others had to make theirs. An upside to attending a party with your own food!

Playing in the garden.

The joys of water play.  Poor J was in bed all morning again feeling horrible, but got up at lunch time, and after comsuming sustanance played outside all afternoon with F, throwing water around and sticking their heads in the water.  It's amazing that such a simple thing can keep two little boys entertained for such a long time, and make J forget about feeling poorly.  It is so horrible when he feels rubbish, and poor F was so bored, but nevertheless behaved himself, and kept going up to see J, he even took him a sword, very hopefully, at one point, but still couldn't lure him out of our giant bed.  Fingers crossed he feels better tomorrow, and who knows we might even have a new baby to add to the brood.

Bloody Immune system

Poor J has tonsilitus for the third time in three and a half weeks, and is now covered in huge spots/ bites which look like they may be infected.  Happy Easter holidays.  For the last year, since he has been on his gluten free diet his health has been so much better, but sometimes we are still hit with these blips which can take over three or four weeks and result in regular trips to the doctor and poor J being left with a tiny frame and big eyes. 

Birthday Parties with a gluten free boy.

I am waking up far to early for my own good, this morning it was 6am, yesterday, it was 5.30.  I suppose this is my body's way of telling me I soon won't be getting much sleep.  Hopefully my writer's block will have disappeared today, although J+F will be home at around 12 so I don't think I will be getting much done today, although I did hear a rumour that Hubby may be off this evening, although how true that is remains to be seen.
I continue to worry about the party J has next weekend, which is very excitingly a climbing wall party, but they are having pizza, so we will have to take a gluten free one for him, as well as some sort of cake. If they are having anything with the pizza, ie chips, I hope they have ordered some for him, although they will have be cooked in a fryer with the chicken nuggets and whatever else battered they serve there.  Last time this happened a child who hadn't replied turned up so ended up having J's meal, which meant he was left with just his gluten free pizza.  Hubby was very cross but J didn't seem to mind, so it is more our problem that it is his.  I am panicking in case the baby hasn't arrived by then which means hubby will be at work, so I will have to take him, F is too small to join in, but will want to, as it is a climbing wall party we have more chance of leakage from J's colostomy bag, as well as the organisation of the food.  His bag has been fab recently, but I think the combination of sweat, excitement and jumping around with other small boys makes leaking at these things far more likely to happen.  I was going to ask one of his friend's mum's to take him, but it is just too much responsibility for someone I don't really know very well, ahhhhh.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated, I'm sure birthday parties are supposed to be fun.  One very anxious mother (do you think this might have something to do with my due date passing and no baby arriving?)

A time to brag

Today has been a good day.  I have done my first session as a breastfeeding counsellor at a local group, which was lovely, and lots of people told me how great I looked, which I have to write down so I remember when I am entrenched in a post baby world of stretchy skin and excess weight, I can look back, and remember that I did look good when I was nine months pregnant.
Worrying about other things- my reliable friend who is looking after the children when we have the baby has to go away with work monday to friday, ahhhh, so have hastily recruited another friend, who is probably too busy to do it, but said yes anyway.  My mum has also put herself in the frame although she lives and hour and a half away, although her main response was 'don't worry, it's only a couple of days, nothing's going to happen then.'  Thank you mother, but not really very helpful.
J+F are still of in the wilds of Norfolk having a lovely time, although when I tried to speak to them earlier F was asleep on a window sill in a fish and chip shop, and J was eating burgers and chips.  I try not to think of all the gluten that is probably in there, and know that Mum and aunty are doing their best.
I have to keep looking at this post and feeling good about myself and my ever dropping bump.  It is so low now I can even feel the knocking of the head against my pelvis while I walk!

Pullthru Network

While looking back through my old posts I found this website that I had forgotten about http://www.pullthrunetwork.org/articles/category/Support-New-Parents  It is american, but has some great info and support on it, for parents whose children have had bowel surgery.  Ths article is fantastic, and could be for anyone who has had a child who has something 'different' about them.  Have a look.

Family Life

Being married to a chef is fairly rubbish at the best of times, but particularly around big events and celebrations.  Split shifts, late nights and no weekends off inevitably take their toll, but it kind of takes the biscuits when your husband's boss enquires how everything is, on being told he didn't sleep well as I was having lots of twinges and we are both on tenterhooks, replies "You do know my wife and I are eating tonight, what happens if she goes into labour?  I hope you have a contingency plan."  So I must make sure nothing happens between now and 9 o clock, we wouldn't want the boss's meal to be ruined now would we?

Come on Baby

Pacing the house all yesterday evening, thinking that something was happening with baby number 3, backache, contractions and great restlessness, which all boded very well until at 11pm it all stopped.  Now the backache is back, but nothing else, I am fed up!
On another note, have had to book J in for a blood test next week to check iron levels, and whether his allergy markers are down.  Going to a different hospital this time, but still very apprehensive as he only has to think of a needle to come out in cold sweats and panic.  The blood tests are definetely one of the worst things about all his treatments, as they are so traumatic for all involved.  Will be worrying about that all week now.
At least J and F are both having a lovely time this week with Nanny on holiday.

Love this site

http://www.askdrsears.com/  Good info and sources of books on lots of parenting subjects.  If you follow them on Facebook there are lots of very interesting and funny questions and comments posted there.

Back again.

Right, I will try and keep it up this time.  Sitting at home waiting very impatiently for baby number 3 to arrive, and missing the boys lots while they are on holiday with nanny in Norfolk.  I had a curry last night in a vain attempt to get things moving, and have been eating lots of tins of pineapple, but have now discovered, much to my annoyance that it is only fresh pineapple that contains the special enzyme which is supposed to help.  That will teach me to do my research. Still on that never ending journey to discover what I am going to do with my life, although I am now finally a qualified breastfeeding counsellor, which is very exciting, just waiting for my official bit of paper, but now entertaining thoughts of homeopathy, and goodness knows what else.  The big question here is will I ever be statisfied????