Ahh, the bliss of a routine...

I never thought I would be rushing home every night to get here by 8:30 so I could bathe my baby. I never in a million years thought that I would be so inflexible, dropping everything so we didn't mess up his bedtime routine. But I do now!

It's just shy of 10 pm, and Dylan is asleep. This is good, but is the result of nearly 2 hours of hard work and effort, all to get him to sleep until 2:30 or 3 am. We start his bed time routine some time between 8 and 8:30, and he is usually asleep by 9 or 9:30. It is hard work to keep my little man happy, and if leaving right in the middle of a game or turning the television off in the middle of my favorite program is what it takes, I'll do it. If we break from his established routine, even for a single night, Dylan is a nightmare for the next two days. It's all good for Martin, he's at work all day. But I pay for it, and it's not pretty. I just don't think Martin understands that!

Dylan's weekly weigh in was good--he's tipping the scales at 13 lbs. 8 oz. He also had his first round of immunizations on Friday. He was SO good--he only cried for a few minutes (I fed him right after he had the shots--that always shuts him up!) and was just a little bit cranky that night. He's got more shots in 4 weeks, and then more when he's 16 weeks old.

We're doing well--all of us. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow. The choir are singing, and our pianist has had surgery and will probably not be there. So I will be playing the piano for sacrament meeting AND for the choir to sing, and it's complicated with Dylan. He is usually doe for a feed during sacrament meeting, and cries like crazy. Last week the choir sang as well, and it was a farce--nobody paid attention to our singing because they were too busy watching my baby get passed around to three or four different people as he was crying and inconsolable. I really need to be released, but so far nobody seems to see that except me and Martin--and Dylan, of course!

Need to wrap things up here--I need some beauty sleep desperately! I think I would do just about anything for a full night's sleep--or even about 6 hours uninterrupted. But I'll settle for my beautiful baby boy and the three hour blocks I'm currently getting.

This motherhood gig...

I think I'm finally starting to enjoy this motherhood thing. It's only taken me two months to get to this point, but I'm happy to be here.

Don't get me wrong--it's still the hardest thing I've ever done. Dylan still isn't easy to take care of and I still sometimes resent the fact that I have virtually NO time to myself. I hate that I am having to type this with one hand. But there are brief moments every day that make it worth all the difficulty. Like right now, when my beautiful little man is snuggled up in my arms, snoring gently in my ear.

Dylan is completely dependent on me-especially since he is breast-fed! And while the world thinks he is not capable of feeling something as complicated as love, his face lights up when he hears my voice. He smiles for me when I look at him. He doesn't do that for anybody else, and if that's not love, I don't know what is!

Our happy family in Trafalgar Square. Just the three of us--oh yeah, and Nelson's Column!

Dylan's first train journey

Dylan plays Hugh Hefner--lounging!

Dylan hangs with his 2nd cousins

An exciting weekend!

Martin whisked me and Dylan away to London for the weekend, and it was GREAT! We are paying for it now as Dylan's routine was totally disrupted and he's been a nightmare all day, but it was so nice to get out of the house for a little while. Dylan may need his routine, but it's boring the life out of me.

We stayed at a lovely little B&B called Springwell Barn that was a close drive to a Tube station. We started off early(ish) on Sunday morning to arrive in greater London at about 1 pm. We were in the City for about 2, and met up with our friend Adam and met his girlfriend Marie for the first time. We wandered, saw the sights, ate dinner at the greatest Chinese restaurant on the planet, etc.

Dylan was really good on Sunday, and was great on Monday until about 3 pm. Then he just got fed up of being in his sling and was pretty much a cranky beast for the rest of the day. We even struggled on the car journey home. But Dylan got fed in some interesting places, and changed in some even MORE interesting ones (how many people can say they had their diaper changed on the grass outside Westminster Abbey?).

I'll try to get some pictures posted later this week. Right now I need to get Dylan ready for his bath. He should be waking up for his last feed of the night soon. Just wanted to let everyone know that we are still doing well!

The Weekly Weigh-In...

The health visitor came in yesterday and took Dylan's vital statistics. He is 23 inches long and weighs 12 lbs. 2 oz. He gained a full pound last week. It's a good thing he did, considering how much I've fed him in the last five days. He has about three hours every day when all he wants me to do is feed him.

Today we celebrated me being able to drive again by going into Alan Dick and showing him off. All the ladies ooohed and ahhed over Dylan--he was quite charming. It was so great to be able to drive again, and we did a little bit of shopping while we were in town any way. Seriously, so nice to get away from Barton for a few hours. I've felt like a virtual prisoner since about 2 weeks before Dylan was born.

We've got choir tonight, and I'm not looking forward to it at all. Last week was a nightmare!!! Pam, the choir pianist, has health problems and can't always make it. Well, whe wasn't there last weekand I spent 1 1/2 hours trying to feed Dylan (that's his fussy time of night), teach new songs to the choir, and play the piano all at once. Not to mention we don't get home until WAY past Dylan's bed time and it throws his routine all off! Plus, I've got the Christmas program to contend with and nobody in the choir will help me with it, or even give me any ideas. I so need to be released!

I've been seriously getting into the motherhood thing this week! Dylan and I are getting more used to each other, and he recognizes the sound of my voice now. He is smiling at me big time now, and staying home with him is much more rewarding now. I'm actually beginning to feel like a competent mother, and I could seriously get used to the way that feels. Not to mention the fact that he occasionaly lets me set him down now so I can get a few things done around the house.

I can't believe the little man is six weeks old. And I can't believe it's taken me this long to be OK with being his mommy!

Good News...

Martin isn't going to work at Winteringham Fields any more. He resolved things with the owner at The Place (Nadine--Sally the psycho one sold her share to Nadine. That's part of the reason he decided to stay). I'm so relieved. Martin is happy with the changes that are planned so isn't too upset about not going, and it will be so much better for our family! Hooray!

Lots to tell and not much time to tell it!

Numero Uno: Dylan is gaining weight! He is now 11lb 2oz. that is a gain of 7oz. weight gain rules

OK that's that out of the way. the other good news is that Dylan sleeps. a lot. i left for work at 8.30 and he was still asleep at 11. then when he fell asleep at 2 he didn't wake up again until 5.30! Woo hoo!

We also had a company come and look at our roof today and to our surprise and relief it isn't going to cost thousands of pounds! instead, it is only going to cost a hundred. and it may only take and our or two. Yay! I just love saving money.

On a less great scale, job stuff is up in the air again. We now only have one person in charge and she is actually going to be involved and try and improve things and - amazingly enough - spend some money. So we are having a serious rethink about me going to winteringham fields.

that is all for now I think. Catch y'all later (that y'all was with an English accent!)

Uncle Jace and Dylan

Dylan's blessing day--16th September, 2007

Having a bath with Grandma!

Such a serious little guy!

Dylan's big weigh in...

I took Dylan to the baby clinic at the Children's Centre on Wednesday for his weigh in. We also went to the breastfeeding support group, which was really good. The health visitor who weighed him was really impressed by how alert he was and how great his color is. She was also impressed by his weight. My little 9.5 lb. baby has grown--he now weighs a whopping 10 lbs. 11.5 oz. I was so pleased to hear that, especially since he was so slow to regain his birth weight. Well, he's caught up now and is getting a little more plump every day. I can hardly believe how big he's getting!

This morning the little guy actually rolled over onto his tummy all by himself. I was amazed! I turned around for just a second, turned back and he was on his belly. I'm pretty sure that 4 weeks old is really early to be doing that. I am thinking that maybe he'll reach all those baby milestones early. He's already started doing that social smiling thing.

In Martin news, he has decided to take the job at Winteringham Fields. He'll start there in two weeks. I'm not happy about it as it means we'll have even less time together than we already do, but we'll make it work. He's excited anyway. I'm not thrilled that I'll be spending 10-12 hours 5 days a week home alone with a newborn baby, but I'm sure I'll adjust.

Anyway, the little monkey just woke up and is wanting attention. I'll try to post a few pictures one handed. We'll see how that goes.

The Departure...

After two lovely weeks over in England, my parents and Jace flew back to the good ol' USA today. It has been great to have them, and I was sad to see them go. It was a little bit tough to have company that soon after my c-section, but it actually turned out to be a good thing as it forced me to push myself a little bit for a faster recovery. Plus, mom took Dylan a few times when he woke up in the middle of the night and wanted to play but I was too tired to cope.

So here's my post to say thank you to them for all they did for our little family while they were here. And I also need to say thank you to everyone who sent us lovely stuff for Dylan. We loved all of the stuff. Dylan is already an extremely spoiled little boy, and it's great.

Anyway, so now it's back to our routine (or back to trying to establish a routine). I'm taking Dylan in to the baby clinic tomorrow to get weighed, so I'll keep everyone posted there. Oh, and Martin has handed in his notice at The Place and has been offered a job at Winteringham Fields as well as been contacted about a management position at Costa Coffee in Hull. I'll keep everyone posted on that as well. Me, well, I'm a housewife now so all of my posts will probably be about Dylan and Martin--my two best boys!

Adjusting to life with Dylan...

Another really quick post--I just wanted everyone to know that we're doing really well. Mom and dad are here visiting (with Jace) and it's great to have them here. A little exhausting, but great. Mom is actually cooking dinner right now and Martin is holding Dylan (who has only slept for about 45 minutes today) giving me a little much needed free time.

I'm recovering well from the c-section. Every day gets a little better, though my body is still so tired that I struggle every day for the energy to do housework and cook meals. My incision is nearly healed now, and I might be able to drive again in about a week--depending.

We've had a few little scares with Dylan--we thought he'd had extreme weight loss, but it turned out that the midwives' scle was off. Plus he's been doing this weird twitching thing, and we had to take him in to the hospital for that. The pediatrician says it's benign Myoclonus, and he should grow out of it. At any rate, he still twitches but he has regained his birth weight plus now, and he is still a really good eater. Especially today. I think he must be going through a growth spurt.

Must run now--I feel guilty for not helping with dinner or the baby. He have some more cute pictures that I'll post soon!

Our happy little family!

Dylan and I enjoy a little cuddle that doesn't involve my breast being out--what a relief!!!

Martin cuddles Dylan after he's done feeding. It's the only time he gets to hold Dylan when he's not crying!

VERY quick post...

Martin, Dylan, and I are all doing really well. It's hard to believe that he's nearly 2 weeks old! Dylan is a brilliant baby--he only cries if he's hungry. Unfortunately, he's hungry right now and I can't type with one hand. I'm going to have to feed him soon. Please enjoy the pictures until I can write more.

Dylan John Gilbert's birth story...

Well, it’s been nearly a week since I went into labour, and I finally feel up to writing down the whole experience without crying like a baby myself!

Last Monday was a bank holiday, and Martin and I went to the Cleethorpes seafront with some friends for a picnic. We had a great time, though I was really tired and feeling VERY heavily pregnant. I was eight days over due at that point. But we did a lot of walking, and I played catch with Martin and ate about half a pineapple (you never know what’s going to work, right?).

That night I felt a little bit off. I just put it down to the very active day we’d just had. But then I got up for my nightly 4 am toilet run. On my way back from the bathroom I felt a warm gush. I knew I hadn’t peed myself because I had literally just peed one minute before. So that was it—my waters broke on the upstairs landing about 3:45 am on Tuesday the 28^th..

I woke Martin up, and we called the hospital. They paged the Barton team midwives, and we called my parents and his parents to let them know that things were starting. We were tired, but REALLY excited!

When the midwife arrived at 5:00 am, she did an internal exam. Having an exam in my own bedroom was so bizarre! I was still absolutely gushing amniotic fluid, and it had a greenish tinge to it, so she told us that we needed to get to the hospital fairly soon in case it was meconium even though I wasn’t having any contractions yet. So I got a shower and we made our way to the hospital.

We arrived just after 6 am, and by the time we got there I was having contractions every 5 minutes. They weren’t very painful, but they were definitely noticeable. We got booked in, but had to wait until noon to be seen by a doctor because there were two emergency c-sections being done that morning. So we went for a little walk, got some breakfast, bounced on the birthing ball, etc. My contractions kept getting more painful, but nothing I couldn’t manage.

I was finally seen at noon, and things went rapidly downhill from there. The doctor started me on Syntocin to increase the frequency of my contractions, and it worked a treat. Unfortunately, though I was contracting every 3 minutes or so, my cervix was not dilating. In fact, it never dilated to more than one cm. I tried gas and air, but it just made me sick and I spent the rest of my labour experience vomiting every 30 minutes or so. The pain became too much to bear at around 6 pm, so I asked for an epidural. Unfortunately, the anesthetist was assisting in yet another c-section, so I didn’t get the epidural until about 8:30 pm. Finally, after having regular contractions for around 20 hours (about 12 of those hours being hard contractions) the doctors decided to do an emergency c-section. I was so happy that I cried. I honestly don’t think I would have had the energy to give birth naturally at that point anyway, even if I could have!

I had a spinal block (the anesthetist said that my epidural was “patchy” and had probably only been working at about 30%) and it was so good to not be in pain any more. They started prepping me for surgery at about 12:30 am on Wednesday the 29^th of August, and Dylan John made his appearance at 1:00 am exactly.

It was hard for me to not be able to hold him right from the beginning. I just wanted to hold him close and kiss him. But Martin was great—he cut the cord and then held Dylan for me to see him the whole time they were stitching me up and I was in recovery being observed. I finally got to hold him at about 3 am, and it was more wonderful than I ever imagined.

We spent all day Wednesday and Thursday in the hospital and came home Friday evening at around 6 pm. They wanted me to stay another day, but I just wanted to get home. The staff were wonderful—especially the midwife who attended the birth and the one who helped me establish breast feeding on Wednesday morning. After months of worry and disgust with the NHS, they totally redeemed themselves in my eyes.

Dylan is absolutely perfect, and I have spent the last 6 days falling madly in love with him. It took a little while for me to realize that this perfect little boy is the baby I’ve been carrying all this time. I think it’s because I was so detached from the actual birth. But we have definitely bonded now, and even though he still scares me sometimes and I am completely overwhelmed by parenthood, I have never been so happy in my life. We waited over 5 years for this little guy, and he was worth all of it!

We're Home...

That's right, Dylan and I are home now. Technically I should have stayed in hospital another day, but I was so tired of being in the hospital and just wanted to go home. We were OK'd to go by the doctor and the pediatrician, and we high tailed it out of there as fast as possible. Of course, we had to wait for Dylan to eat first, and that took absolutely ages! He is breast feeding every 1 1/2 to 3 hours, and he takes about 45 minutes each time.

It is so good to be home!

I will try to post the details of my birth experience later, but it's nearly feeding time at the zoo (and bed time for tired mommies). Tomorrow maybe--depending on how Dylan and I are doing!

Dylan in his big boy clothes.
The little piglet all dressed up and ready for his first drive with daddy at the wheel.
Mommy in real clothes for the first time all week! Ready to get out of the hospital!

Late Night bleariness...and the baby isn't even home yet!

OK so it is 1.30 in the morning and i really should be in bed, but i realised if I didn't do this now, then I would probably forget and you would all be mad at me so here we have a little picture gallery so we have plenty of pictures of the man of the hour.

EXTREME CLOSE UP!!! Actually, possibly the cutest little boy ever, and you get to see him really close

".....Yes doctor, this is the cutest baby in the world, and his gorgeous mother!"

Here we have evidence that I do have one tender bone in my body, and my son put it there.

Just about the most awake he has been ever!

Grandma and of course, Dylan

Presenting FOUR generations of the Gilbert family.

Big tough Dad softened up by a tiny bundle of joy

And now we have the fall collection, as modelled by a dashing new addition to the modelling world....
Slightly risque shot, but i thought it was actually quite touching, and I think they are both very happy right here.

So that is our little exhibition over, and now I really must retire. Hope you enjoy!

It's a GIANT boy!!!

Huzzah! We're parents! After an eventful and emotional day, our son arrived at 1am Wednesday 29th august weighing in at a staggering 9ib 5.5oz! What was she feeding him on! Unfortunately Jamie had to have a Cesarean section so she will be in hospital for a few days, hence me posting the pictures but i have a feeling she may post to you all from her hospital bed (which she can do due to the wonders of modern technology)

Thought i would let you guys see a picture of Jamie whilst happy and having contractions - she didn't want any later on for some strange reason!

Now the part I am sure you all wanted to see; Our boy, Dylan John!


Isn't he fabulous! He was pretty quiet, which I hope he keeps up. He has all toes and fingers, plus no Loughley toe, and there are no abnormalities. All we have to do now is raise him right. Easy, right?!

Rest assured there will be many more photos to follow in the next few days

Ciao

AT Last, a sighting of the lesser spotted gilbert.....

..... right, can't actually remember the last I put in an appearance, but I thought that as we approach our momentous occasion a few words from one of the contributors might be appreciated.

To be honest I am not quite sure why I don't provide more insights into our wonderful little world. Maybe because Jamie has a better way with words or I am just ever slightly lazy! So here I am and you are all hopefully eager to hear my sagely words?!

As Jamie has mentioned, I am now off work for a week, and I am so glad that that is the case, for many reasons. Obviously i am glad to be home as we are having a bouncing baby ...? (this is reason numero uno) But to be honest, I am just glad to not be working! Not that I don't like working, because I do, but sometimes you just need some time off. So hopefully, Jamie has the baby tonight so we can both enjoy the rest of the week together with he/she/it.

I do think that it will be a little odd to have an extra person around, especially one i can't blame for doing stupid stuff, liking leaving cupboard doors open or forgetting to turn off lights. How irritating and quite rude. However I am looking forward to having someone else to talk to, to share time with, to teach cool things to, like how to hawk a good loogie, and i am particularly looking forward to making up answers to questions that children ask parents that they don't know the answer to (see current thirst pockets advert on British TV)

so hopefully you are ridiculously ecstatic to hear from me again and will eagerly anticipate future postings. If not, bleh!

The Midwife's visit...

So yeah, had my home visit today. Let me just say that it was a little bit surreal to have an internal exam in my bedroom. It really felt like a violation of my privacy. I think I actually would have preferred to drive to the Scunthorpe hospital.

At any rate, it was a good visit. The baby's heart beat was good, as was my blood pressure. The midwife said that she could feel the baby's head, and though she couldn't tell how dilated I am, she did say that it seemed things were on their way. I am scheduled for an induction on Wednesday at 9 am, so we'll see how it goes.

The neighbor, Joanne, had her baby on Tuesday. We went and met little Marley this evening, and he is a VERY cute baby. Even Martin thinks so. I was hoping that holding a newborn baby would stimulate some movement, but so far no dice.

Martin and I may be going to Cleethorpes beach tomorrow with the Mundays and the Enderby-Whalls. I'm looking forward to it. Of course, it would be better if we can't go because we're at the hospital. Either way, I'll have some good pictures to post tomorrow.

Martin is starting his leave on Tuesday. If we have the baby, great! If not, his dad is coming over Tuesday morning and they are going to work on our entrance hallway. Once the door is moved across and Martin has built the stud walls for the hallway, our home teacher Nathan is going to get the work men back in to finish that space off as well. My living room and entrance hallway should be done before mom and dad get here (although without the bamboo flooring).

That's the update.

More tomorrow. I'll keep everyone posted!

My living room--painted, with (temporary) carpet and some of the furniture. We are moving the sofa in tomorrow, and then we'll actually need to buy some furniture!

This is what 1 week over due looks like!!! Thankfully, no bigger than full term looked!

Babywatch continues...

Still pregnant. 'Nough said.!

My freshly painted living room. The ceiling color is Edwardian Lemon. The wall color is Pale Cream. I have to post another picture soon with the skirting board painted. It is Slate Gray and looks very classy (Martin just finished painting it this evening. The living room is nearly there. Who knew that it would be done before the baby was???

Look at that GIANT baby bump!

40 Weeks and counting--and proof that black really IS slimming...

YES, I AM STILL PREGNANT! NOW STOP CALLING ME TO ASK!!!

Ok, now that's out of the way I can get on with the rest of this post.

Sorry about the rant--I am just so tired of people calling me to ask if I've had the baby yet. You all would have heard by now if I had. This is people in England mostly, but people back home as well. Think about how quickly everyone found out I was pregnant once Martin and I told mom and dad they could spread the word!

I had my 40 week midwife appointment yesterday, and it was just the same as all the rest of them. Except I walked over because I hadn't come straight from work. It was Rose again, and I've decided that she's a much nicer person if you don't bring your husband along for the appointment. She was lovely and sympathetic and helpful. And I found out some good news. They are going to be coming to my house for my next appointment (if I don't have the baby first) to do a membrane sweep. I was worried that I would have to wait since it's a bank holiday on Monday, but they are still working and are actually going to see me on Sunday. The only bad thing is that they could come any time between 9 am and 5 pm. At any rate, if that doesn't work then I will go into the hospital on Wednesday to be induced.

On a happy note, I was actually able to get comfortable in bed today and so I got a little extra sleep. Wow, what a difference that has made! I stayed in bed until 10 am, and I actually got around 6 hours of sleep--heaven! Of course, I'm still exhausted and don't really feel like doing anything, but that sleep was still amazing.

Martin is getting anxious for me to have the baby, too. Every day he says "I wish you'd have the baby. I don't want to go to work today." Maybe not the best motive, but I guess I should just be happy that he's into it. He really doesn't ever show any emotions, so if he actually expresses something, you know he's REALLY emotional or passionate about it.

I have belly pictures and also pics of the painted front room, but my USB cable for the camera is upstairs and I honestly can't be bothered to go up and get it. Next time I'm up there anyway (let's face it--probably to take a nap) I will bring it down with me. If I get really bored this afternoon I will pop a few pictures on the blog. Otherwise, you'll probably see them tomorrow.

Well, I'm off to do some laundry and drink some pineapple juice (that's supposed to help?). Wish me a few labor vibes!!!

The living room after dry-lining the walls and ceiling with plasterboard.

The room tonight--post skirting board, pre-painting, with slightly damp plaster.

We've got a de-humidifier going right now to finish drying out the plaster. Tomorrow morning Nathan and his wife Natalie and the missionaries are coming to paint. Martin will be at work all day, so the front room will be nearly done by the time he gets home. I bought the paint tonight (It was expensive--wow--but I remember Angie telling me that it doesn't do any good to buy the cheap stuff and you should always spend a little bit more on paint because it makes such a big difference).

Anyway, I'm exhausted and am going to go to sleep now. I just wanted to get these pictures posted so everyone could see how gorgeous my house is starting to look!!!

Like a broken record...

I am STILL pregnant! Only 3 days until my due date, and man am I ever feeling it. I'm really tired, and getting anxious to have the whole labour thing over and done with, but other than that, things are fine. I feel great--healthy and all, I just get tired really quickly.

My maternity leave has officially started, and I can't even begin to express how nice it is to not have to get up and go to work every morning. I have got a lot of stuff done this week (though not as much as I need to), and the 2 hour nap I took today was BLISS!

The most exciting stuff that's been going on is the work on our house though--forget the pregnancy! Our living room is practically livable now. We had plasterers in on Tuesday and Wednesday and are having a joiner come in tomorrow to fit the skirting board and trim around the doorways. Our home teacher, Nathan Whall, set it all up. His family own a local building company, and he was really concerned about the state of our front room with this baby on the way. He is a saint! Our walls are plastered and smooth and beautiful. We have a ceiling! And some members in the Elder's Quorum are coming to help paint on Saturday. We actually bought paint for the living room--I thought we'd never get to this point. We are so blessed!

I took a few pictures while Dave and Steve were plastering, and I'll post them when I get a chance. Right now I need to go downstairs and help Martin prime the skirting board so it's ready for the joiner in the morning. He wants to get it done before it goes up since it will be much easier that way.

Pictures are coming. My living room is the most glorious thing I have ever seen.

Oh yeah, and I have started having contractions. They were pretty strong last night and coming around every 20-45 minutes, but they stopped while I was sleeping and I've only had a few today. But, for all the folks who crave the dirty details, I've also had a "show" (at least I think I have, and the midwife said that's what it sounds like to her) so expect to have the baby quite close to my due date, if not a little bit before. But now that I'm not working, I'm content to get cat naps during the day when I need them and tuck in for the long haul. They will induce me on the 29th if I haven't had the baby by then.

Emma helped me do a belly cast--it was quite an adventure. From slathering myself with petroleum jelly to applying strips of plaster of paris infused gauze to looking at the huge finished product. She did a great job though, and now I will have a permanent reminder of how huge my baby belly was. I can go into labor any time now and be perfectly happy.

Midwife Appointment (hopefully the last one)...

I saw the midwife yesterday. It was Rose, the not too friendly but very efficient one. Amazingly enough, she was very friendly with me yesterday. It was a pretty good appointment.

I asked her if she could tell how far down the baby had dropped, and she was feeling around for me to check it out. She said that little baby G's head is pretty well engaged. Apparently, she could only feel a little bit of his/her head above my pubic bone. This explains the PAIN in my hips and pelvis, and also the head butting I've been receiving during bouts of baby hiccups. So obviously this means that the baby is still head down :)

The baby's heart beat is still strong and steady, and my blood pressure and urine are fine. We did discuss my anxiety about the baby being really big, and she told me that the consultant at Scunthorpe hospital doesn't do anything about big babies anyway--no early inductions, no extra ultrasounds, nothing. He basically just lets you go to term and does a c-section if the baby is too big to be born the "real" way. So even if my pregnancy WERE being more carefully monitered, I would still be pregnant, huge, and (patiently?) waiting for some signs of labor.

The next scheduled appointment with the midwife is August 20--one day AFTER my due date. I really hope I don't see them again! It would be great if I could give birth right before my due date or on it. Every day after August 19th will go so slowly!

In great news, Martin has all of the wiring completely done and cleaned up in the front room. AND, in even better news, we have some plasterers coming in on Tuesday. They are going to do the ceiling and then skim the room. On Tuesday night or Wednesday I will have finished walls and ceiling in my living room. I thought this day would never come. Of course, it hasn't come yet, but I am still so excited I can hardly stand it.

This weekend should be pretty good. The weather is glorious--about 80-85 degrees F and DRY! It has been over a week since it last rained. I have been line drying all of our laundry and have actually had to water my nasturtiums, my tomatoes, and my french beans. I am planning on having Martin take our old dining set outside so I can paint it. Then we'll use it for dining al fresco in the garden. Lovely!

I am also planning on doing a belly cast--hopefully tonight. I want to go over to Emma's house if she is available to help me. If Emma can't, Deanna has offered to help me with it instead. If I go to Emma's house I can use her sewing machine to make the curtains for the nursery though--I bought some cute fabric last weekend.

This is my last post from work--my maternity leave starts as of Monday. I will be updating from home from now on. I am sad to be leaving Alan Dick UK, but I am so happy that I'll be able to get a little rest and get some work done on the nursery. Maybe now that I won't be at work all day long that whole "nesting" thing will happen and my house will be immaculate by the time the baby gets here.

Martin's baseball team won their last game, and they are league champions. This means that they are going to the playoffs, so now he is rooting for an early birth as well. If I can have the baby early, he can go to the playoffs (depending on how I am feeling). He's pretty excited about that!

Sorry--this is a really rambling post. Lots of information and really no direction to it at all!

ROLL CALL...

I'm curious--who is reading this blog? So if you are reading this post, take a few minutes from your busy day and let me know about it. I expect replies on this one, or else . . .

How low can you go? This baby is low riding now! Here I am at 38 weeks (and counting)

STILL Pregnant...

Yes, I was 38 weeks yesterday, and I am still pregnant. The baby doesn't seem to be growing too much any more, but he/she has dropped a LOT in the past few days. I totally have that characteristic pregnant lady waddle now, and with each passing day I get more and more tired.

I miss being able to sleep comfortably. Even when I don't have to get up more than once in the night to pee, I still don't get good sleep. The pelvic pain that I started experiencing about a month ago has only gotten worse, and where I used to be able to sleep about 3 hours at a time, I am now waking up every 45 minutes to 1 hour. I'm so tired!

On a positive note, this is my last week at work. AND I will have a short day on Thursday since I have a midwife appointment. I only have to get up and come to work 4 more times! I am so proud of myself for sticking it out this long.

Martin took some new belly pics of me last night. I'll try to get them posted tonight or tomorrow. Seriously, I don't look much bigger, but the baby is gathered into a much smaller space. I caved over the weekend and bought two new tops so that I'd have something to wear for the last two weeks of my pregnancy. But they should be OK for after the baby is born as well--they'll just fit me very differently!

It was a good weekend, though, all things considered. On Friday I went over to Deanna's house and had dinner with her and the girls. Then we just sat around talking for ages. Martin got home from work before I got home. And then we went swimming on Saturday morning. It was Deanna's daughter Evie's first time EVER swimming (she's 5) and she was so amazing--absolutely fearless. I can't believe how brave little children are. We all had a good time--especially me. Going out in a swimming suit was a little bit embarrassing, but it felt so great to be nearly weightless after carrying around this big ol' baby for so long. My hips and pelvis didn't hurt after about 1/2 hour in the water. And the water was nice and cool, which was great since it was HOT this weekend.

It seems that summer is finally putting in an appearance in England. It got up to around 85 yesterday, which is QUITE warm for England. It feels hotter than that because of the humidity. It's always funny when the sun comes out, because you have all the little chavs running around with their shirts off getting horrific sunburns.

We got a whole bunch of the rubble and rubbish in our front room hauled to the tip over the weekend as well. I say we, but it was all Martin. I carried a few bags up to the skips, but that was pretty much it. At any rate, it got done and the front room looks that much better for it.

We went to the Munday's house last night. Martin and Lewis played cribbage (just like two old men) and Emma and Rachel and I just chatted. It was great to see them--it felt like we hadn't seen them in ages.

So yeah, all in all it was a good weekend. The only way it could have been any better is if I'd had a baby. I'm still hoping I go early, but nothing's happening so far. I'll keep you all posted!

We met the neighbors...

Well, technically, we had already met the neighbors. Their names are Simon and Joanne, and they are lovely people. But Joanne is heavily pregnant and spends most of her time resting, so we had mostly talked to Simon over the garden fance. But last night I walked over with Martin to return some tools he'd borrowed from Simon, and we stood and talked to both of them for absolutely ages. I really like them a lot. I suppose that's a good thing, since their house shares a wall with ours and we can hear all sorts of things.

Simon grew up in Scunthorpe, and Joanne is from Hull. They aren't married, but are planning to tie the knot after the baby is born. Simon is 28 and Joanne is either 33 or 34, and she has a 13 year old daughter, Lucy, from a previous relationship. They have a gorgeous white dog that looks like a Husky named Dora.

They're having a boy, and are going to name him Marley. We thought that was kind of cool, because if he have a boy we are leaning towards Dylan, and then we would have the two "Bob" babies living next door to each other.

It's so nice to have people that we know and like in Barton, especially now that I am about to stop working. My life at the weekend tends to be pretty isolated because Martin is at work the whole time, and I was a little bit concerned that I would be lonely after the baby is born. But now I have my new MySpace friend, Deanna, and my next door neighbor, Joanne. Plus we have Nathan and Natalie Whall (the newlyweds) from church living in Barton, and the Mundays in Wootton. Our little circle of friends is expanding, and I love it!

Deanna and Simon came over on Tuesday night with their daughters, Sam and Evie. Simon is pretty handy and took a look at our boilers (They haven't been working since Martin and his dad did the electrics). He was able to tell us what was wrong, but not able to fix it. But I got to visit with Deanna and the girls, and it was fun. I'm going over to their house tonight as Simon is in Wales on business and then going to Stockport for a stag weekend. We figured we'd be work widows together.

We haven't done hardly anything with the Mundays lately, and I miss them! I hadn't realized just how much until I started hanging out with other people. We used to go over there a couple of times a week, then they had a new baby and I got pregnant and we were all so tired all the time. Hopefully once our baby is born and settled into a routine we will see more of them again. They really are some of my favorite people in the whole world, and I love going over to their house. They're a great couple, and a lovely family!

Friends are so important!

Martin was MVP...

Martin went to a baseball game on Sunday. The Humber Flyers were playing in Liverpool. I wasn't up to the drive over (about 3 hours) so he caught a ride with some of the guys on the team. Anyway, he played the entire game and was voted MVP at the end. They lost, but he was still pleased. He had a couple of really good catches, including a sliding catch, and hit a double along with his usual singles. He is very sunburnt, but very happy. He only gets to play one more game before the baby is born--scary stuff!

Martin has also been voted MVP at our house--he finished the ring main in our front room and we now have electricity in there for the first time in over a year! We had extension cords running to the TV/DVD player before, and now they are plugged into the wall! He just has to do the light switches now, and we are finished. He's very proud of that accomplishment as well, and so am I. He has really stepped up in the last few weeks!

I spoke to my supervisor at work and she agreed to me working an hour less every day, so I will be coming into the office at 9am instead of 8am until my maternity leave starts on the 10th. I only have to get up for work 8 more times, and that is GOOD news.

All of the baby laundry is done now, and I bought a few more bits and pieces for my hospital bag over the weekend. I've just got to throw in a few baby things that got washed over the weekend, and then we are pretty much ready to go. Not long now.

In fact, it's only 19 days until my due date. I am in the teens now! I really can't wait for that number to drop into the single digits, but I'm pretty happy about the teens at this point. The last two months have gone so SLOWLY! I'm so ready to be a mother instead of a pregnant woman!

Martin hard at work on installing a ring main for our living room electrics.

36 weeks--and that belly just keeps getting bigger. Not much more room in there now!

The Midwife...

Well, Martin and I did our birth plan with the midwife yesterday. I wish it had been one of the nice ones, but at least it wasn't Ann the horrible witch who hates me. It was Rose, who is very business-like and proficient, but not very friendly. At least she didn't try to change my mind when I said that for pain relief I would use gas and air for as long as possible, but that I would go straight from that to an epidural if the pain was too much. They usually give you morphine in an IV first over here. That seems crazy to me!

I was actually showing a few symptoms of pre-eclampsia at the appointment, but my blood pressure seems ok, so it may just be a coincidence. They told me to call if I got any bad headaches or started seeing stars. Other than that, still head down and heart beating strongly. This is one healthy baby.

Martin helped our neighbor chop down one of the sycamore trees out back yesterday. It was kind of funny to see them both up the tree with hand saws. We had a few branches land in our garden and knock over some of my plants, but the damage was minimal. I did some weeding out there and finally tied my nasturtiums up to the tripod I planted them around. The garden doesn't look brilliant, but it looks pretty darn good. Plus, we got to bond a little bit with our neighbors. She's having a baby, too. Did I already mention that? Anyway, she's due August 10 so we will have babies that are the same age. That will be nice.

It was another sleepless night for me--I am now getting, on average, 5 hours of sleep a night. It was more like 3 1/2 last night--just depends on my hips, pelvis, and back. That would be OK though still hard if it was 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. But I am waking up every hour to 90 minutes, and it makes coming to work really difficult. I want to start my maternity leave so bad, but we need the money to continue with the house remodeling and the car needs a little work. Every day that I am able to drag my sorry self out of bed and come to work means more can be done, but I am so tired!

Speaking of the house, Martin and his dad are working on the electrics today. Hopefully I will come home to a re-wired house. Once they have everything done there, Martin can get the ceiling put up. He has asked Lewis to come over tomorrow night to help him with that, which I'm thrilled about. The walls are nearly all plastered, and the ceiling will make the front room look like a living room rather than a disaster area. Once the front room is livable, we can really start to concentrate on the nursery.

All of my baby laundry is done, and the bathing/changing area is mostly set up. I need to get a changing mat and one more pack of diapers. Everybody says that you shouldn't get too many newborn size since you have no idea how long the baby will be wearing that size, so I've only got one pack. One more, I think, and a pack of size 1 (I guess?) and I should be ready to bring this kid home--sort of. And I am looking for a rocking chair or a glider on e-Bay at the minute so I can have a feeding area in the nursery. That way whoever gets up to feed the baby can go in the other room and let the other person sleep a little bit more. So basically, what I have to get done in the nursery is patch a hole in the floor from where the central heating was installed, paint the floorboards, ceiling, and one wall, and set up the cradle we are getting from the Mundays (the crib will come later). The rest is cosmetic.

Things are really starting to come together on the house, even though it is a giant mess right now. We're nearly ready for baby Gilbert's arrival. Good thing, too, since I only have 25 days until my due date!

We have a new stud wall, put up by my stud of a husband!

This is the baby's nursery to be. We decided to leave the old kitchen sink and cabinets in for bathing/washing and storage. These cabinets will have bright coloured letters, numbers, and shapes painted on them and I will be making either red or yellow curtains.

GREAT News...

Yesterday was a good mail day. When I got home we had received Martin's new passport as well as getting his old one back. His birthday shoes that had to be exchanged have arrived, though they were unable to deliver them as nobody was at home--he's getting them today. His birthday baseball trousers from mom and dad came (he likes them, and they fit!). But by far the best thing that came yesterday was my approval from the benefits office for Maternity Allowance.

I am going to be able to claim Maternity Allowance for 39 weeks at a rate of £112.75 per week. It's less than half my take home pay right now, but it's 9 months that I can stay home with my little baby (if we can swing it). Martin is so relieved, and I am just happy that I won't have to go right back to work. All I need to do is sign and send back the form after my last day at work, and they will start paying the benefit every week directly into our bank account!

I know I complain about the NHS all the time, and I know I whine about the taxes quite a bit as well. England is EXPENSIVE! But I am going to be able to raise my baby instead of leaving him/her with a stranger because of those taxes. And we will be paying less income tax once Martin's wage is supporting a family of three. Not to mention the £80 a month we will be saving in petrol since I won't be driving over 30 miles every day to go to work. I think I may be able to swing this full time mother thing!

Anyway, that's the great news. In not-so-great news, I am in so much pain right now! My pelvis feels like it is breaking apart. I'm getting hardly any sleep at all now, since I can't sleep sitting up and when I lie down I am in agony. But I think my pelvis hurts this bad because the baby has dropped, which is good news, right? I honestly don't know if I'll make it until August 19th, but that would be just fine with me. I will be full term in 9 days.

This last month has been one of the longest in my life!!!

The Work Night Blitz...

We had a houseful last night! Emma (the SAINT) Munday arranged a work night at our house. She is my visiting teacher, and my other visiting teacher is Natalie Whall. They brought their husbands over and we all worked on the house for about 3 1/2 hours. You should see the place!

I also got to meet my new MySpace friend, Deanna. That was a little bit strange as I've never actually met someone face to face that I met on line, but she is just as nice in person as she is in her e-mails, and I'm glad to have found a new friend. She is from Mesa, AZ and is married to a Brit and living in Barton. Hooray--another Yankee to complain about England to. Anyway, she brought her husband over as well, so we had a total of 8 people working on the house.

It's totally true, many hands DO make light work!

The stud wall in the living room is pretty much done. The plasterboard (sheetrock) is up and Martin just needs to cut some holes for the electrical sockets. It already looks so much better than it did, and strangely enough it actually makes the room look bigger. Martin's dad is coming over next Wednesday to help him finish off the electric stuff, then we can do the ceiling. After that's done, it's just a matter of getting the finishing plaster up and painting, then I will have an actual room instead of a builder's yard. The floor may be a while because of the cost involved, but I can always paint the concrete and buy a big rug until we have saved enough.

While the guys were downstairs working on the front room, I had the ladies helping me in the "nursery." I can even call it that now, since Martin took yesterday off work and removed the kitchen units from that room--the ones that we didn't want to keep. We painted the other ones white (we are keeping the sink and half of the cabinets in there for storage and convenience--sink in the baby's room seems like a really good idea to me!). We also got most of the room painted. I had to plaster one wall, and it wasn't dry by the time everyone went home, so I've got one wall and the ceiling to paint in there. Next week or thereabouts Martin and I are going to paint some letters and shapes in bright primary colors on the cabinets. Christine is buying us a crib, and I have made loads of blankets and had some cute ones given to me. I think I just need to make some curtains and we are pretty much set. Tonight I will move some of our baby supplies into the nursery.

I was so touched that everyone pulled together like that to help us out. Seriously, this is a huge weight off my mind to know that our house will be that much closer to done when the baby comes home. And I'm amazed that we have friends who care so much about us that they are willing to sacrifice their time, energy, and talents when we need their help. We don't deserve such wonderful friends, but I'm glad we have them!

I'm hoping to get some pictures taken and posted to the blog today--stay tuned. I'm probably going to leave work early as I am completely exhausted from yesterday's efforts. But it was SO worth it!

Consultant Appointment...

So I saw a real live obstetrician today for the first time in my pregnancy, and boy was it a waste of my time!

After repeatedly checking and having checked for me that I didn't actually need to see the consultant, I got a letter telling me they'd scheduled an oppointment for me. I show up at the office 5 minutes early, as instructed, pee in a cup, have my blood pressure checked (slightly high for the first time in my pregnancy), and then see the doctor. He spends about 5 minutes with me--does a very quick (and not very detailed) ultrasound to make sure the baby is head down (he/she still is), asks me if I have any questions and if I've had any problems in my pregnancy, says he is referring me to an anesthetist in case they need to do an emergency c-section (I am at a higher risk because of my BMI apparently), and then sends me on my merry way.

I just took nearly 2 hours off work for that. Oh well. I would be bitter if I had to make up the time, but legally my employer has to pay me for all doctor/midwife/ultrasound appointments. So I just got paid to sit and read a book, talk to a doctor, and pee. Fabulous. Maternity rights in this country are fantastic! In fact, I don't know if I've mentioned it or not, but I just found out that I am eligible for 39 weeks of maternity allowance instead of 26. The laws changed as of April 2007.

I really think the consultant only saw me because he wanted to avoid getting into trouble for NOT seeing me, if you know what I mean. It's standard procedure to see all women in cases like mine (elevated BMI) and I think he could have been liable to lawsuit if I hadn't been seen and there had been a problem. He just gave me the impression that he couldn't be bothered.

At any rate, nothing new to report. I am still heavily pregnant, still have an aching pelvis, still tired all the time, and still looking forward to having this baby out of me!

In non-pregnancy news...

I went over to the Munday's house last night to help Emma some more with the blankets she's making for her two adorable boys. She had already sewn one of them, and I did the other while she helped me iron the fabric for our baby sling that I'm making. Then I got some of the sling done. It was just hems, but it's good to get it started. I also brought home the Moses basket that she's letting us borrow (that's a bassinette in proper American English). It's sitting in my bedroom now, and this baby thing is becoming very real! Martin worked late as The Place stayed open late for Barton Bike Night. He's racking up the overtime this week.

Martin has started freaking out...

I'm just so happy to be typing those words--you have no idea.

Martin went with me to the midwife yesterday and got to have a lovely chat with Julie--one of the ones I like--while I collected a sample for her. He asked all sorts of questions about who to call in case of emergencies, what to do if I couldn't make it to the hospital, etc. He had a good time listening to the baby's heart beating. All in all it was a pretty great appointment. Then we got home.

Martin isn't terribly in touch with his feelings. He's so English it's painful, and tries to avoid expressing emotion whenever possible. So last night when we were laying in bed he just looked so worried. I asked him if we could go to Sleningford Water Mill and do some tubing like we did last summer and he practically bit my head off. He said we couldn't go anywhere because he had to get the house done. He said he's getting really worried about it.

So I think this is Martin's way of expressing his (mild) panic about the baby's arrival. He doesn't always show those repressed emotions in a typical way (remember how he wasn't excited about our trip to visit his family a few years ago, but he got ALL excited about us making his Christmas tree pants?). I think his fears are just surfacing in a different way than mine are. I cry and carry on like a baby, and he gets angry and works really hard.

So nice to know that he really IS freaking out!

Midwife appointment...

Hey faithful readers--quick update on the baby.

It was an uneventful midwife visit. Everything is normal and fine. His/her heartbeat sounds like a freight train--so strong and steady! My weirdness with the urine sample thing is OK--all normal this time. But the greatest thing is that the baby is head down.

We are locked, loaded, and ready to go!

Woohoo--I could have a baby any day now!

Martin attempts to fix my curling iron. Unsuccessfully, but it wasn't his fault! Anyway, just thought you might like to see his gorgeous face as it's been a while since I posted a picture of the hubby!

Another belly pic--Here I am just one day shy of 34 weeks pregnant, and boy do I feel every day of it! But hey--look ma, no stretch marks! Thank you Martin for the belly rubs with lotion every night for the last 25 weeks or so. What a champion!

Another Emotional Breakdown...

Poor Martin--he has had to put up with so many crying jags from me. I've been pretty good since my last major breakdown in York (remember the random crying and saying I didn't want to have an English baby?), but last night I lost it again.

I decided that we REALLY needed to get a hospital bag packed, so we just dove right in and started getting it done. I was just packing the baby clothes--nothing big. I was folding the little dress for if it's a girl and realized that I'll be bringing a newborn baby home in about 6 weeks. I totally freaked out! Martin had to listen to me sobbing like a baby and saying I can't do it. I can't be a parent! He was ever so helpful and loving and reminded me that it was a little late for that. Maybe I should have thought of that BEFORE becoming pregnant?

Anyway, crying and panic lasted about 20 minutes. Then I was fine, just a little bit emotional. And Martin wasn't a total jerk about it. He did hold me and try to comfort me--not just make smart remarks.

The thing is, he's not freaking out at all! He is so calm and placid and unconcerned about the whole thing, and that makes it harder for me. I really don't think he realizes what a huge deal this is yet. I guess, as I've mentioned before, that this baby is so much more real to me than it is to Martin. I do have the added advantage of feeling every move it makes.

So now my freak-out is over, and I can get on with life. Martin asked me if I was finished, and I told him I probably wasn't. I'm sure it'll happen again. I don't deal with life changes that well. Some of you (especially Mom) may remember the little panic attacks I kept having when we were packing everything up in St. George to move to England? Well, this is WAY more huge than that was!

Happy belated 4th of July!

Martin's birthday was a success. We ended up going out to dinner with Martin's parents and sister, which was good--except that his parents spent a portion of the night fighting with each other. That's pretty much normal though. The meal was good, the conversation was interesting, the drinks flowed, etc.

Martin loved his birthday gifts--especially the nose hair trimmers that I bought him! Of course, those were just the "joke" present (even though he actually does need them). I got him some new Puma trainers to replace his old ones that he's had for years. They actually have pieces of the sole missing and he refused to throw them away. Now he has to! He also got a lovely tie from Grandma Lofley (he does like it Grandma!), some $$ from Nana and Grandpa and some ££ from Gran and Grandad, some polo shirts from the Priestley grandparents, and a new golf bag (v. nice!) from his parents. We didn't do anything terribly exciting, but I think he had a nice day all the same.

We got home quite late from dinner with his family, so we didn't end up lighting any of our sparklers after all. So it really was just a birthday celebration, not an Independence Day celebration. I'm kind of sad about that, but really too tired to do anything about it.

I've officially joined the "miserably pregnant" club. The baby is getting really heavy now, and it's not so nice to be carrying him/her all up front any more as a result. Plus I think he's dropped (not sure, having never experienced this before). So every time I stand up after I've been sitting for a long time I have to pee so bad that I can hardly walk. Delightful! Hardly any of my clothes fit me any more, but I don't want to buy any new ones that will only fit me for aobut 6 weeks longer. I may end up doing it anyway so that I actually have clothes to wear to work. I am so uncomfortable and can't wait to have this baby. But I still haven't packed my bag for the hospital. Really ought to get on that!

Work continues to be deadly dull for me and it still varies wildly for Martin. I am bored out of my mind after about 2 hours at work and Martin either spends his days polishing glasses and the copper pots for the mussles or running around like a headless chicken. Work on the house continues to progress, though slowly. Basically, life is pretty much average (other than the coming birth of our first and long awaited child, of course).

Oh, just thought of something kind of exciting. Martin bought us a "travel system" for the baby. He got it on E-bay, and it looks brilliant! It cost a whopping £50 (it should retail for around £200-£250) and we will just need to get a base for the car seat to make it complete. We do have to collect it from Leicester, but one of the ladies in my office goes down most weekends anyway and has said that she'll collect it for us if the address is close to where she goes. Fingers crossed! Otherwise, we will drive down and get it. It takes about 2 hours to get there, but is worth the drive considering how much money we saved on it. Hooray for E-bay!!!

An hour and a half more at work--all I want to do is go home and go to bed. Too bad we have choir tonight. Fingers crossed they will release me soon!!!

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall...

We were just discussing alcohol consumption in the office (mine was really easy to figure out!) and it came up that one of the guys here drinks around 9 cases of beer a month. So you don't have to spend any time working that out, it's around 216 bottles. That's normally one six pack per night, plus a few extras on the weekend. PLUS, he polishes off one or two bottles of Jack Daniels whiskey in a month as well. He doesn't consider himself an alcoholic though. He spends, on average, over £120 a month on alcoholic beverages. That's around $235 a month. Yeah, he brags about it.

Oh, the shame...

Yesterday I said something truly shocking and horrifying.

Martin and I were driving home from Grimsby and we were talking about something random and insignificant--I think it was about whether he would need to have his passport with him to get onto an American air base or if his U.S. driver's license would do. Anyway, I referred to the Americans as "They" instead of "Us" or "We." And I was immediately sick!

I'm not losing my Yankee-ness, am I?

Anyway, in a desperate attempt to rekindle some good, old fashioned, healthy patriotism, Martin and I are going to be gong to a 4th of July celebration on Sunday. He has a baseball game up at an American Air Force base near Harrogate (close to York). Normally he only goes to one game a month, but I wanted to go and so relented. He played last weekend as well, but only missed a little bit of church for it. This time we will be missing it all. A small price to pay for an injection of American spirit! I can hardly wait!

Upcoming events--

Martin's baseball game & our 4th of July celebration is on the 1st of July. We also have a BBQ at his parents' house that evening.

Martin's 27th birthday is on the actual 4th of July.

My 34 week midwife apointment is coming up on the 9th of July.
Our "parenting day" at the Scunthorpe hospital is on the 14th. That's our tour of the delivery suites, meeting the hospital staff, familiarizing ourselves with the layout, etc. Martin's throwing a royal fit about having to come with me--what a bum!

And, of course, it's only 52 days until my due date now. Really, I could give birth any time after 31 days and it would be normal / safe.

52 days--wow, that's close! I'm still not prepared at all--no nursery, front room is still in shambles, house is a BIG mess! I am planning on doing baby laundry this weekend, but still--argh! And we just found out that we won't be getting a crib from the Mundays after all. It did go for a noble cause and it DOES give Christine something to buy for us, but still--ARGH!!!

And that whole nesting thing--I really think it's just a myth. I don't want to clean--I just want to sleep!

And, on a completely unrelated topic--yes, I know that I've posted about this before, but what on EARTH posses a man who is, in all other respects, completely normal, decent and sane to buy and look at pictures of mostly naked women in broad daylight in the middle of the company cafeteria? I am getting so tired of looking at bare breasts. Of course, at this point maybe I am just jealous of the nasty women with nearly perfect bodies?