Category: Useful Things I did Today

Since becoming in-valid…. I am really excited by every little thing that I can get done. No dishes yet, but I can stack the dishwasher!

One more day of nothing

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Except a clean house – that is worth getting excited about!

Our last cleaners sacked us (apparently some people think that having rabbits in the house means too much fur!), so we went back to the old cleaners we had in Denistone. My parents thought they were a bit ineffectual, but I always thought they did a good job of the bathroom and kitchen (they even cleaned the microwave!), and they were cheap! And after the last lot of cleaners wouldn’t shut up, I began to see that Eric and Peter’s lack of English wasn’t such a handicap after all. Plus, I knew I could trust them in the house without me there, so as soon as they arrived today I gave them money and went out – and came home to a gloriously clean house. People, it’s safe to visit us again!

I stopped in Granville at El Jannah and El Sweetie to get supplies for Miriam. She’s still in hospital, and the vegetarian food selection is getting more and more dire. The woman has been through an ordeal, and now has to breastfeed a small person who lost a bit of weight before he was born, so I thought it was reasonable to get her some tasty and nutritious food.
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So she doesn’t have to eat that…

So we finally have a decent picture of Oscar, and I got to cuddle him today for the first time. He seems to think I’m not too bad.

I wish he’d tell Inigo that the world isn’t such a bad place, that it’s OK to come out…

Welcome Oscar George Lane!

Born sometime today, 3.2kg, Miriam and Oscar both doing well. No other details available at this point. I am absolutely dying to see a picture at least, but I respect their desire for some time without visitors. I am sure I’ll get to spend plenty of quality time with all the Lanes in the not too distant future.

I’ve been having contractions all day, some coinciding with actual pain, but nothing to get excited about. Went to pub knitting, and am glad I did – sitting around at home focussing on my belly would quickly drive me insane. Thinking that Inigo is considering making an appearance over the next couple of days, but he doesn’t seem to be in any hurry.

Saw Kerry today, and she looks happier and more relaxed than I have seen her in months. It looks like the final senate seat will go to the liberal candidate, and Kerry will be free to pursue other interests after the middle of the year. Like being an Auntie!

Am also close to making a decision about the camera. Harvey Norman has the Canon 400D body with 18-55mm, and 75-300mm lens for $1188. I played with Andrew’s 350D today, and it is a very nice camera. It also handles low light really well, and has a good, cheap portrait lens available. Of course, if I have an ugly baby, I won’t need such a good camera….

Due

Yesterday I had my 40 week checkup. Inigo was head down again (he has been doing somersaults through the week, but I had decided not to let it stress me), but is no longer “engaged”. They are happy for me to keep pottering along until next friday, when I will have another checkup, and then see the Drs clinic to talk about possible induction. Not sure how long I will get before they induce, but the fact that we don’t even talk about it till 41 weeks is encouraging. I’ve done some reading about induction, and my feeling is that going into spontaneous labour sounds like much more fun. Well, not exactly fun, but you get the idea.

After seeing the midwives, I went into town to hang out with Miriam, who was 4 days overdue yesterday. I took her to an acupuncture appointment (with the hope of bringing on labour), and then we had pedicures. So at least when we can see our toes again, they will be pretty (and hopefully not puffy). Miriam is booked in to the birth centre at RPA, and will be induced on monday or tuesday if she doesn’t go into labour over the weekend. So any spare “go into labour vibes” would be handy for her this weekend. Either way, looks like we’ll get to meet Oscar sooner rather than later (and I’ll win the race for last).

And on Monday, there is a new Kylie Minogue album out. Woo Hoo!

Today is election day, and hopefully the end of the Howard Years. Remember to vote Green in the Senate, and we might just wrest the balance of power from the coalition – so that the Labour party can actually pass legislation if they get in.

I’m off to do a bit of housework, then drag my bloated carcass off to a polling both to try to get the voters of Berowra to vote Green in the Senate. It’s Phillip Ruddock’s electorate (and one of the safest Liberal seats in the country, but I will do what I can…

Back to Plan A

Inigo decided to spend this morning heard down, so no ECV, and no hospital stay!

THe head doctor seems to think that he will stay head down from now on, but I don’t want to get my hopes up – he is still pretty mobile (“a very active baby”, in the words of the doctor).

So I am home now, and about to have a nap since I got hardly any sleep last night, and I don’t have to go back to hospital till Friday morning (39 weeks on Friday).

News of a sort….

Last friday, Inigo was head down, and the midwives were happy – at least it’s possible for him to be head down, there is no obstruction preventing the position.

Yesterday, the ultrasound confirmed his position, and I almost cancelled the appointment with the Doctors today. Everything was normal, normal, and great. He is big, but not freakishly so, and has good blood supply, good fluid levels, 4 chambers in the heart, and huge testicles (just my observation on that one).

I thought I’d better go to the appointment anyway, and dragged Mark along with me. Thank goodness! We had a bit of a surprise – he has turned since yesterday, and again between the doctor having a look and the “boss” doctor having a look.

On monday I have another appointment for a procedure to turn him. I get injected with a drug to relax the uterus, and then (with the aid of the ultrasound) they poke him and hopefully get him to turn head down again (where he was yesterday). There are some risks associated with the procedure, but it roughly halves the number of caesars that have to be performed – so I figure it’s worth a shot. They will only do it if he is breech – head up, bum down. But if he is transverse, and spine up (like he was for the first doctor today), they will admit me and keep me in until he settles in a safer position, or comes out. And if he doesn’t settle, I’ll be booked in for a caesar at 39 weeks. The reason for keeping me in hospital, is that with his spine curved up, the chance that the umbilical cord will prolapse and cause a problem is quite high, so it’s safer for both of us to be in the hospital in case my waters break, or labour starts.

Which is all a bit scary, but better than the first option – which was to be admitted today, and observed. Better pack my hospital bag then 🙂

So, nothing really new, I just have to be a little bit more mentally prepared for medical intervention, and meeting Inigo sooner rather than later. Just in case.

And now I am off to hug a bunny and eat cake.

Help!

Some idiot (that would be me) started using a news aggregator (NetNewsWire Lite), and didn’t keep a backup list of all the blogs I read.

Considering that lots of the blogs I read are recommendations from other blogs, or blogs belonging to people that comment on my blog, this list is not only a very groovy and precious part of my life, it’s irreplaceable.

And apparently, Rhubarb (the laptop) had a wee brain fart, and lost all my feeds.

So as well as asking everyone to make an intelligent vote in the senate (and if you live in NSW, vote for Kerry, she rocks!), I am also asking you to send me your favourite blogs – knitting and non knitting!

A Wonderful Start to the Election Campaign

Thank goodness for the federal election campaign – always something new to keep me entertained in the lead up to labour day (if I get that far, the recalcitrant one is still refusing to perform to other peoples expectations).

Thanks to The Other Andrew for this link to an article about the member of a prospective member for Reid (our new electorate).

Which reminds me – I must update my resume to add EX UNION BOSS to my list of job experiences. I was the shop delegate for the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Union (the SDA) when I was 17 and in high school. But Ex Union Boss sounds so much more impressive.

In Inigo news, we’re scheduled for another ultrasound tomorrow week, and then for a “chat” with the hospital obstetrician afterwards. If the passenger still hasn’t “assumed the position”, I get to find out what my options are. Apparently he is currently a “footling transverse oblique” lie. I am still relatively comfortable, and am taking advantage by throwing a dinner party tonight for the parents and parents in law. It’s quite likely to be my last dinner party for quite some time, so I am planning a 3-4 course extravaganza. And tomorrow, the built in wardrobe should be installed!

All in all, preparations for the big arrival are on schedule – and once the wardrobe is done, all I have to do is pack a hospital bag. Perhaps I should do that sooner rather than later – if I go into labour now, I have to race to the nearest hospital (because of Inigo’s position). So having my bag packed is probably a good idea!

Stay tuned for the continued adventures of Daisy, the long suffering feline…

Party Wrap Up

Thank you to everyone who came to the party. I had an absolute ball – even though we didn’t have a chance to talk to anyone all day! Mark and I were so busy being social butterflies, there wasn’t a moment to just sit and enjoy the love. And there was a lot of love. So many people turned up that we ran out of chairs in the first hour, and we probably ran out of food too (not that I was capable of noticing!).

Apparently, we do have more than nine friends 🙂

There were knitters, and non-knitters. And they even talked to each other.

And since I completely forgot to take pictures, check out Donna’s post for some great pictures of the beasties, and Kate’s extensive coverage.

Once again, thanks to everyone who made it such a special day.

How to rescue a crap day?

So, Monday is court day, and I spent today finding a lawyer.  Looks like I’ll probably lose my licence for 12 months.  There is a chance I can escape a conviction – but I can’t afford to bank on it.  It’s been an emotional roller coaster, and I left the last solicitors office in tears today. 

As well as the isolation of being without a car (and with a small child – the concept of which is completely doing my head in), there is also the risk that a criminal conviction could jeopardise my accreditation as a celebrant. 

I also managed to lose my phone (and assume it was stolen), which added a certain something to the day.

So a big thank you to Justine, who  timed the arrival of her gorgeous gift perfectly.

I will take pics soon, and also of the beautiful gifts from Emma, when I find the card reader for my old camera.  My beautiful new camera has been misplaced in the move, and I am trying desperately not to get hysterical about it.

So the big news (we’ve been pretty short on news here at Merrylands Manor), is that we have come pretty close to deciding on a name.

I    N    I    G    O

Of course, we may still get a better idea – or we might meet him and decide that he is definitely an Ernest, not an Inigo.  But I have done a subversive cross stitch of the name, and it’s looking good.

And in PARTY news.  We only have nine RSVP’s so far.  Surely I have more than 9 friends?