The waiting game after our holiday...

We had a lovely holiday in Cornwall but now it is back to reality and I have just 12 days to go now until my due date! I am nervous and excited just as I was with the other two. People say you should be less nervous about the labour third time around but if anything I am more nervous this time - because I know what can happen and that whatever scenario occurs it is not going to be nice. But like my friend who has just been through a difficult labour with her second said to me last week: it is only for a day, yes it is horrible pain, but then it is over and you have your baby, there's no better present than that!

So, here I am like a beached whale and I really have had enough of this pregnancy thing this time around. I started getting swelling in the legs, ankles and hands a good few weeks ago and now my hands are so stiff in the mornings that I keep dropping glasses and struggle to butter a piece of toast and hold my toothbrush. The heartburn is getting worse, having heartburn every day for five months is not fun. Now to add to it my blood pressure is creeping up. My midwife and doctor are keeping close tabs on it, and I have my own monitor at home, because I had pre-eclampsia with my first-born. My second pregnancy was totally symptom-free and I thought this would be the same but it appears not. So I am checking my blood pressure several times a day desperately hoping it has not gone up as I don't want to have to go into hospital for observation: I can't as I have my two little boys to look after. I am dreading having to leave them when the time comes as they have never stayed anywhere over night without me or hubby before. We have a plan that either my Aunty or my Dad will come to our house and look after them so I'm sure it will be okay, and again I have to keep reminding myself: it is only for a day, unless anything out of the ordinary happens I will in and out of hospital as quick as possible and will discharge myself if necessary as I did last time! So we are now playing the waiting game and it's very nerve-wracking but I am getting quite impatient and keep thinking it will be any day now...

Not healthy bunnies

Well, it's Friday again and I seem to have spent the last week trying to recover from last weeks holiday! It doesn't help that I have come down with a nasty cold that I'm paranoid is swine flu (I'm sure it isn't). My 9-month old spent the weeks holiday with a tummy bug and this week with a temperature and cold. He has been the ultimate velcro baby, sleeping loads but wanting to be stuck to me otherwise. Meanwhile the tot is full of beans as usual, every day an adventure...so all in all I feel absolutely shattered!

The weather has been lovely (which makes the cold symptoms more of a mystery) and yesterday morning we went out to tot's favourite outdoor playground. We built sandcastles and pretended we were back on Porthcurno beach, then we had tea and cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches on the decking area of the cafe. By the afternoon it was sweltering so out came the paddling pool and I looked forward to a nice relaxing afternoon. However, as I was changing baby's nappy I noticed how dark his urine looked and how it may be infected so I rang the doctors who said to go and pick up a urine sample bag. So off we set to the doctors at 5pm when I was meant to be getting started on dinner. After a stop off at the shop we got home and did pizza and chips for tea with strawberries and strawberry cheescake Haagen Daz for dessert (which I stupidly put in the fridge instead of the freezer I realised this morning :( ) Anyway, managed to get some urine in the sample bag and dropped it back off at the doctors today. I'm a bit frustrated that it is a friday though and so will have to wait until monday for the results :(

Meanwhile I'm soldiering on with my usual cold treatments : nettle tea with manuka honey and lemon; effervescent vitamin C and some coffee to keep me awake! I hate feeling like this because I can't do as much with the tot. Normally I will take him out as well as reading books, drawing, painting etc. at home but at the moment I'm just encouraging him to sit in front of the TV when he's fed up of amusing himself in the garden. He is very good at occupying himself bless him, but it makes me feel so guilty :(

One sleep to go...

One sleep to go...until our holiday to Cornwall! We are staying in the same cottage that we went to last year and I sometimes day dream that we actually live there. It is a converted barn, so it retains original features such as beams yet has a gorgeous modern kitchen and wonderful layout. It has 4 bedrooms, two with en-suite, large kitchen with farmhouse-style table and separate utility area and secluded back garden as well as a spacious lounge. My brother and his girlfriend are coming with us so there will be plent of room and toddler gets to have his own room.

For hubby the holiday cannot come soon enough. He has been snowed under at work recently, often leaving for the office at 6.30am these past few weeks (which is ealy when it is only a 5-minute walk down the road!). He is hoping we will be able to nip off to the pub a few evenings a week and leave uncle and aunty on baby sitting duty (to get them some practice in as they are expecting a baby in December)! It is very rare for us to get any time out together without the boys. The last time we went out for a drink alone was over a year ago. I sometimes go swimming for an hour at the weekend on my own and that is the only time away I usually have from the boys.

Just the very act of getting ready for the holiday is making me feel as though I need one! So far I have packed the boys' clothes and mine; boys' toilettries (i.e bubble bath, shampoo, nappy cream and medicines just in case); stuff for swimming and beach (everything from wetsuits to bucket and spade and sun tent and beach ball); a big box of toys; box of groceries; and towels and bed linen for the cot (in the vain hope that baby will sleep in a cot and give us a bit of time-out!). Still to pack is hubbies clothes and our toliettries plus other last minute bits like a packed lunch for the boys and multi vitamins. Yesterday I cleaned the house (something my mum taught me - always leave the house clean when you go away) and got the cat's bowls and food ready (hubby's work mate is coming in to feed him). Then the final thing I need to do is to print off our itinerary for the week!