No, I've not disappeared of the face of the earth, I am here in South Mexico with mi esposa y mi hija. We are having a wonderful time and are here til Christmas.
I'm abandoning this blog for a while in favour of a less anonymous one, as the parents etc want to see pics of how it is all going. You're all invited to join us on http://bigmore.blogspot.com/ until Christmas, if you want to see what we're up to, and I will be back here when we return
i cant remember how to make photo bucket work sorry. taking time out from feeding and washing to say hi and yes would be lovely to see people at greenbelt - but I can't get onto the forum (apparently I'm banned? Have I done something terrible?) to say so. If someon reads this can they alert Dave to this fact...he has my mobile number I think.
All going well with us - Daisy still adorable, but I am a little sleep deprived. Looking forward to GB but we are not camping this year, wusses that we are.
This is us as a new family, including baby fishsoup, whose real name is Daisy Grace. She's beautiful and truly is "fearfully and wonderfully made". She is fast asleep on daddy at the moment and has been behaving wonderfully MOST of the time. We feel very blessed. Thanks for all your good wishes
baby fishsoup- laidback like her daddy, turned up on tuesday after having to be practically begged out by the lovely staff at kings. she is adorable and was seven pounds. we're all home now and trying to get the hang of each other.
I guess I now have no excuse not to post since I've been at home for weeks and still no baby. Maternity leave is a wonderful thing. I've slept a lot, made a lot of lasagne and had lunch with lots of people. Being able to sleep in the day has given me the energy to go out in the evenings so my social life has also revived temporarily.
All that is about to change. I'm due on Tuesday - eek - but I suspect this little one will hang around for a while.
Meanwhile I have been disturbed by the buying orgy that seems to go with having a baby. I have been relatively strong and tried not to buy things we don't need - but did catch myself hormonally sobbing because we had a second-hand buggy for our lovely baby rather than a bugaboo like all the other people at NCT. The baby will be fine in the buggy, which folds up beautifully small and is in very very good nick - and in the end I bought it a new lambskin to line it with as a compromise, which made me feel much less mean. Everything else is now as ready as it can be before little one arrives I think.
we've had one scare when I was sent to hospital because the midwife was worried about "accelerations" on the baby's heartbeat. After two trips to the Maternal Assessment Unit at Kings (quite a fraught place- two pregnant women nearly came to blows over the last chair at one point), the midwives and doctors concluded that our baby is just "very, very busy and active" - which does not bpde well for the calm sleepy angel I was hoping for!
Now we just wait. I guess... and keep very very busy so we don't get impatient. Anyone want a lasagne?
I have six more working days before I go on maternity leave, which is daunting and pleasing in equal measure. I've worked solidly for newspapers and magazines (sometimes holding more than one job at a time) since I left uni in 1998 (showing my age). It's terrifying to think I suddenly won't be working. Can't imagine defining myself as a "mum" rather than as a journalist. Guess I should really just be defining myself as a person created by God and be done with it, but it's quite hard to do that.
Being me, of course I've not really managed to sever links with working completely. I shall still have some freelance to do before the baby arrives, and possibly even after. Still, I'm looking forward to spending a bit more time with the sofa, my bed, and all the bags I need to pack, shopping etc before the little one arrives.
Slightly distraught to read in the Times this morning that our child has been feeling all the stress I have since I was four months pregnant. Can I sue the paper if he/she turns out to be a delinquent?
It's been a while, sorry. All is fine with us and the bump - we've been to France with friends which was lovely, and now have (argh) six weeks til the baby is due to turn up.
I'm looking forward to finishing work in just over two weeks!
wish I had something more exciting to report really. Went to the King's College breastfeeding workshop yesterday. It was oddly brilliant, but I had no idea it was all so complicated. Also i am not very good at correctly positioning plastic dolls. Something tells me a real baby is going to be much more difficult as well!
Spent some time at the weekend sorting out teeny tiny babyclothes people have given us to work out which we need now and which we can lend to other people until ours grows up. Also of course, the small problem that we don't yet know the gender of baby fishsoup (maybe I should call it crouton?) and most of them are very much boys clothes.
So, what are the tiny cotton mittens for? And what is the difference between 0-3 months and newborn? And why do we need both? And won't the baby be terribly hot in babygros AND a vest in July? And why do baby clothes say such weird things on them (one of them says "cows are black and white" all over it - who thought that was a great sentiment for a baby?)
Also spent some time trying out the (very hippy) baby sling we have ordered- which comes with an amusing DVD. So my apologies to anyone who walked past our flat on Saturday and wondered why we were trying to fit a Zippy hot waterbottle cover into a baby sling. We were just practising and the cat wouldn't stay still enough.
Happy easter, belatedly. Hope the rest of you managed to celebrate it more excitedly than I did. I discovered on Easter Sunday that yes, I can still throw up with the best of them, even though I'm now into my third trimester. Spent most of the rest of the morning in bed, trying not to curse our little one for somersaulting at inopportune moments.
Back at work now. I've only got two months to go and am now beginning to panic about who they are going to replace me with while I am away. Am slightly hurt that apparently they do not need seven people to do my job, but in fact half a person.
This has made me utterly paranoid, even though I know that British labour laws forbid them from taking my job away from me while I have my baby, and I know also that they are just trying to cut corners..
Must stop worrying about it. Que sera sera.
I'm shattered now. We had four people for dinner on Friday night, then two friends and two very young kids for lunch and dinner on Saturday (delicious, this cannabalism business) and then I was singing at church on Sunday morning and then we drove to the mother-in-law's for lunch. Then an evening with friends afterwards. This is too much for me in my current tired and fat state. Especially as we have more people coming tonight and tomorrow.
In other news we have just started buying some baby stuff -reusable nappies, cheap from Ebay. They are bamboo ones (which I am assured is best for the environment, and very cute, actually, though I should imagine I shan't feel quite like that when it comes to using them. Was oddly desperate to put them on the cat last night, but restrained myself (and Mr Fishsoup, who had the same thought at the same time)
Am trying really hard to get excited about the Budget, but I just can't. And unfortunately that is all there is to it.
Other things are good though. Just got the form signed off for my maternity leave (starting early June, day before I turn 30 - now that's going to be a kicking birthday isn't it?)
Mr Fishsoup's Christmas present to me finally turned up this weekend - he bought me a footspa which is very lovely and very sweet of him. Opinion seems to be divided about whether I can use this in pregnancy or not, but the list of things you probably shouldn't do in pregnancy is very very very long and I don't think dunking my feet in slightly bubbly water for ten minutes is really going to bring on labour (cue lots of comments from cross health professionals saying I'm being totally irresponsible). It was very nice anyway, and I didn't use it for too long or anything - and the baby is still safely where it should be.
I think the baby is beginning to boot the cat out of the way as the cat now tends to sit on my stomach and purr and then suddenly get off looking extremely disgruntled after about five minutes. Maybe the baby doesn't like purring - it certainly goes a bit crazy after the cat has removed itself.
Was absolutely fine (no, we haven't found out the sex). Baby was kicking and wiggling and bizarrely spent a lot of its time in a superman pose with an arm above its head. All very exciting.
Lovely to see the sunshine. Mr Fishsoup is spending the day at the allotment (apart from church of course). I am spending it in the office. Life isn't fair sometimes.
I've just googled "twenty week scan" (It's tomorrow - though I'm actually 23 weeks - send up a little prayer for us if you've time)... and the top two searches are not the NHS, not Mumsnet, but two wiblogs. Thanks guys.
We've just been away to Tenerife for a lovely holiday. Not at all the sort of place we'd normally go, but some beautiful scenery, and we drove to some lovely places. And we slept a lot. Which was nice. Terrible food though, and all meat, of which I'm not a particular fan... I craved veggies by the end of it.
The little kicking baby is now at 21 weeks (same age as that VERY tiny one who survived in Miami who was in all the newspapers this week). Apparently it can now hear what I'm saying so I am taking the opportunity in Lent to read it Psalm 139 every morning. According to the books I have it is good to keep reading it the same thing so that it finds it familiar when it (finally) comes out.
Anyhow, even if it does nothing for the baby, it's certainly doing plenty for me.
"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be. "
I find that all pretty incredible actually. God knows all about our little baby before we even see it, and has all sorts of exciting plans for her or him. Amazing.
Yep, I know it's only February, but we are going to have to be really organised this year, since if we are coming we're going to be bringing a small squawly thing with us. And, before anyone asks, we're going to wuss out and book a hotel.
Thing is, if we're going to go, we probably need to book things now, and it seems a little odd asking for an infant cot when there is no infant in evidence - maybe I'm just being superstitious for no reason. Question is - do I book? (think the hotel will be cancellable) Is it mad to take a six week old baby to Greenbelt even if we stay in a hotel and are very sensible?
In other news, I'm half way through the pregnancy, according to all the books. This is pleasing and I am beginning to get both excited and scared. My Mum finally cracked this week and bought tiny tiny baby clothes (I have been SO restrained). My grandmother thinks this is a deeply unlucky thing to do. But i was just a little freaked out by the tininess of them, it just made the whole thing seem more real.
I was reading maddie's blog earlier - she asked why anyone has two mobile phones? I have two. One for friends and one for work. Work pays the bills on the work one and most people here use it for social calls too, but I would never like to be accused of misusing the company's money. So I don't. Maybe sometimes I take these things a bit far. It's quite annoying to carry two around, it must be said.
Oh yes, that was a very nice hotel. It had almost everything we could have wanted from a two day break. a) huge room with ridiculously huge bath. b) beautiful shower c) fluffy towels d) dvd and cd library e) wonderful swimming pool - and a heated outdoor pool too so you could swim outside comfortably in February.
We had a lovely time. Walked (a bit), swam (a lot), lazed around (even more) and generally had a very nice time.
I had a wonderful massage which made the baby kick like a crazy thing, and ate lots of yummy food. I think my only complaint would be that they didn't do afternoon tea - since I have to eat pretty constantly that was rather a pain... also I like scones , who doesn't?
Thanks for prayers for the anniversary too. It went well. The weather was beautiful at Burnham and we went for a walk and watched the sunset. I think it was the best possible way to mark the occasion.
the baby is now turning somersaults - particularly when I am asleep. At least that is what it feels like it is doing - very weird to think that there is all that going on in there while I am writing about insolvency statistics. Still, it's definitely being more productive than I am at the moment - clearly i am putting all my energy into growing the baby rather than finding exclusives.
It's the anniversary of Mr Fishsoup's Dad's death tomorrow and we are going up to Burnham where he grew up, for the day. It's sad, but good to look back on his life I think. Hopefully it will go ok. Then I am taking Mr F away to a really posh hotel for two days cos we need some time together. As someone who usually stays in a tent, I am very excited by this.
No, not that one (yet)... Mr Fishsoup has been down on the local register for an allotment for nearly five years now, and he has finally been offered a plot! It's a bit overgrown, but we had a lovely time pottering down there on Sunday afternoon. He dug, I cleared brambles slowly and ponderously). It doesn't feel like it is in London somehow, which is very cheering, and the bonfire smell is nice.
On the bad side of course, this means we can never ever move, which since we don't really have enough room for our growing family is going to be interesting - househunting may have to be confined to about six streets (nice streets, but expensive).
Anyhow, all very good life...
In other news I have had to buy maternity bras and some bigger clothes. It's weird feeling like you're not in control of the size of your body. Ordinarily if I think I'm putting on a bit of weight I just eat less. Now I have no choice but to look like a heffalump. Am looking forward to the day when it looks like a proper bump, not just puppy fat!
Filled in forms for
NCT
Parentcraft classes
Breastfeeding workshop
Pregnancy yoga class.
Never thought you would have to fill in so many forms to have a baby. Was hugely amused to disover I am entitled to time off work to go to pregnancy yoga classes - oh yeah, I can just see the newspaper taking that one lying down (or even in the lotus position).
Thanks to whoever recommended the ginger - ginger beer helping tremendously.
Thanks guys. I will try...even though I really don't like ginger biscuits
Maybe 15 weeks will be the magical time when it all stops.
Wish I had more interesting things to blog about - but staying in bed and throwing up is not conducive to Great Thought. For some reason I dreamt I had to throw 14 cats out of my parents house last night. Maybe that has some deep spiritual significance. Or maybe the cat was sitting on my feet.
Oh dear. This baby will grow up spoilt and with a love of junk food. Who are these people who suggest you eat spinach and organic juices. How do they keep them down?
Thanks for all your good wishes. Think the throwing up is subsiding now. Hope so, anyway
Was nice to have an excuse for a quiet new year- saw two very good friends and had a lovely dinner, and then (of course) drove home, which was weird for new year cos I'm seldom sober enough to do that. Have failed to make any sensible resolutions. Maybe will try and whinge less and blog more - at least til July and life changing completely.
a heartbreaking work of staggering tiredness 
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