My Life as a Loris

Midwife this morning and it went fine.  After the debacle last time when I was waiting for an hour and got myself all stressed and then the stand in lady was horrid, all was back to normal today including my BP.  Excitingly the baby has started to engage.  It is 4/5's engaged which confusingly means that 1/5 (of the head) is in my pelvis and 4/5's are still free.  Still, its heading in the right direction.

I shold really pack my hospital bag I suppose...ho hum.

Whilst it doesn't compare to some, I've always thought my shoe collection non too shabby....

Black pointy flat mid calf boots

Red pointy flat mid calf boots

Burgundy flat knee high boots

Fake uggs

Brown knee high biker style boots

Black and orange puma trainers

White aididas

Nike gym trainers (gathering dust)

Black whicker base flip flops

Black leather flip flops

Gold flip flops

White leather GAP flip flops

Yellow flip flops

Gold tie front pumps

Silver pumps with woven front

Black ballet pumps x2

Puple suede kitten heels

White kitten heel sling backs

Black jelly shoe pumps

Pink kitten heel flip flops

Turquoise cut out kitten heel peep toe sling backs (these rip my feet to shreds)

Burgundy wooden heeled peep toes

Scarlet patent mary janes (wedding shoes!)

Black round toe high heels with flower on the front

Black peep toe wedges

Strawberry patterned white canvas pumps

Purple flat buckled ankle boots

Thats all that immediately spring to mind...

There are definately some spaces in there for more high heels.

I've now started avoiding people who cannot help commenting on my size every single bloody day.  On Monday Barbara said 'ooooh isn't that baby getting bigger every week'.  Yes.  Thats what babies do, they grow.  Good grief.

My resillience to such ridiculous statements is much lower now, I am a stroppy cow.  Hence the avoidance.

Anyway, 34 weeks now...not much longer to go.  I go through phases of thinking -'et thee out baby, I want my body back' to 'shit no!  I'm not ready to be a mum, I haven't washed the baby clothes'.

4 weeks til Maternity Leave - I'm crossing off the days.

I've been reading lots of books recently.  A random mixture.  What to expect when you are expecting is good and so is the baby whisperer once you get past the vastly irritating writing style with over familiar 'luvs' and 'duckies'.  I shall give it a go anyway, the principle of the thing seems quite sound.

I keep trying to persuade S to read a bit more of the baby book - as in the part about labour.  He has read little bits but I think I would feel a leeeetle bit happier if he knew the basics of what will happen!

Oh, and I was reading Random Acts of Heroic Love the other week (and very much enjoying it) until I got to the middle of the book and discovered a chunk of missing pages.  Shall I press on and hope the missing part isn't essentally integral to the story?  I really want to know what happens!

I also read Notes on an Exhibition by Patrick Gale and love love loved it.  But then I love all of his books.

Today I had a trip to the park with a group of adults with learning difficulties.  Its always a mixed day when I work with them because I get exhausted with fielding ridiculous questions but its so much fun too.  My absolute favourite group member Stephen (I think I may have blogged about him before) brought his magnifying glass to the park and I have an awesome photo of him studying the group like Sherlock Holmes. 

A new, very very camp group member didn't really endear himself by dragging me over with the bossiest manner possible to read the notice about dog pooh and then to see the dog pooh which was just by the sign.  He's a strange man.

Then Margaret fell asleep in her wheel chair during the meeting and snored gently in my ear for half and hour and Kevin who has Downs Syndrome and who I don't know very well kept shouting that it was boring and made me take him to the loo (which is in the staff only area of our library, so I had to take him) and left me standing outside for 20 minutes (god knows what he was doing). 

Another was obsessed with taking my photo and kept letting the flash off in my face when I was mid sentence (with mouth open like a fish) - those pictures are beautifuuuuul.

Anyway, managing 15 or so adults who are all quite challenging in their own ways knackers me out so I am now slumped over my desk eating shortbread and thinking about going home.

NB 8 weeks left at work -wooohoooo.

Its the final straight folks...3/4 of the way there.

Today I've moved back to the library.  Its been decorated and shut for the last 4 weeks.  It is now grey with rancid mauve highlights and looks vile.  I think the lime green walls in the hall with terracotta tiles were a particular low point in terms of interior design.

Still, my office has a new carpet which is vastly better than the old one and I've been forced to completely tidy all my stuff so my desk is very neat and organised. 

Belly (and presumably baby) continue to grow apace and yesterday I collected our 'travel system' from my colleague.  Its highly complex and I'm glad we only spent 100 squids on a second hand one as I can see myself tangling with it and losing my temper on a regular basis.  I will read the manual and hope that helps.  You need some sort of PhD to work the thing and its not just the buggy.  In John Lewis last weekend we struggled to work out the correct way to use the baby carrier thingummy.  I fear I'm not intelligent enough to have a baby...oooops.

I spent a large portion of easter weekend sleeping as I figured it was probably one of my last chances to do so for any length of time before the baby arrives.  Sleep = Good.

The boiler exploded this morning in a spectacular fashion.  British Gas wanted £156 to come and fix it.  British Gas = money grabbing twunts.

We spent a large portion of our wedding money on baby stuff.  Breastpumps and sterilisers = v.v. unglamourous.

The house seems to be falling apart.  I blame the weather.

I have been laid low with some sort of virus for the last couple of days (although sadly not off work as I've had loads on).  I started feeling crook on Sunday afternoon and by the start of the Dancing on Ice final I was in bed having thrown up everything I'd eaten that day.  It was rancid, particularly as I'd thought I'd done with the being sick.  Anyway, today I feel perkier although my belly feels weird.  Perhaps this is how it will be now in the final few months, just feeling shitty all the time.  Nice.

Anyway, I did make Nigellas choccy brownies at the weekend and they were delish.  AND I made a jam and cream vanilla sponge and served it on my cake stand to my friends with tea out of a teapot with matching mugs and everything.

In other news I bought a baby jacket with ears on the hood.  I feel ears should be an integral part of every outfit...

I've been sat at my desk for the last half an hour watching the baby make dents in my belly.  If I push, s/he kicks, its like a game.  A very cute game. 

I'm going to have to leave the office in search of an ice lolly...I ate two last night and I am seriously craving one.  I think I would even crunch on icecubes if there were any in the vicinity.

I'm 27 weeks today.  AND I have 10 more weeks left at work - horrah!!

I hauled myself out of bed this morning at some ungodly hour (half six) so I could put in a long day at work.  I've got so much to do and so little motivation.  There will not be a replacement for me whilst I'm on maternity leave so I have to wind all my projects up by May 30th.  Eeek.

I'm starting to feel very tired all the time now and I guess its because I am dragging around my massive belly all day.  By evening I generally feel like shit and am asleep by 10pm.  Everyone says that I look well, but its clearly a clever trick because I don't feel like it on the inside.  And I've still got 12 weeks to go. 

The babe's new trick is to kick me heftily at 5am until I wake up.  This, coupled with 3/4 visits to the loo each night and the effort required just to roll over now does not make me well rested.  I do seem to have left my mental hormonal angry stage behind me though (for now anyway) which is an improvement.

And I still haven't written quite all of my thank you cards!