Sleepless Nights

Author: Veronica

  • It’s at this point that I begin to go a little insane. 29 weeks

    You should really pity Nathan, as I bounce between happy and angry, perfectly rational and a giant mess of sobbing and tears. The pregnancy hormones have gotten to me badly in the last fortnight and everyone is suffering.

    Well, I’m suffering more than everyone else, but Nathan probably wouldn’t agree.

    Let’s see, what is new this week. The baby flipped from being breech to turning head down (aside from a few forays into the land of “I’m going to lay sideways and make you wish that you could poke me back”) which was nice. I wasn’t a fan of breech – being kicked in the cervix isn’t my idea of fun. Luckily she hadn’t gotten terribly comfortable, having only been breech for a few days. It did however nearly kill me to lie upside down while I encouraged her to move.

    Everything else is pretty much moving along as it should. I did the gestational diabetes test and didn’t throw up (I had taken anti-emetics before I went in however) which was great. Nausea continues to hang around, coming and going and impacting on my food choices. I’m still eating mostly fruit, yogurt and bread. And chocolate, of course.

    I can no longer lie on my back, or sit up straight either, due to the amount of poky little joints that end up lodged into my lungs. I’m spending a lot of time trying to remind myself that yes, I can actually breathe, but no, I probably shouldn’t do anything strenuous unless I want to spend the rest of the day trying not to pass out.

    No nesting yet (Nathan is waiting impatiently for the nesting – me, not so much) and I’m not feeling the overwhelming urge to Get Things Ready, unless I think too hard about what having a third child is actually going to mean. Then you can find me hyperventilating in the corners.

    So really, all is well.

  • ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS!!!

    Forget Australia’s borders and the supposed problems with “Boat People” arriving, we’ve got a major security breach over here that needs addressing.

    This photo was taken from the window near my computer, looking out into my small fenced yard. This yard is Out Of Bounds to ducks, due to the pooing nature of them. But apparently, they’ve chosen to ignore the warning signs, the guard dog, the small children gate keepers and the fence, in favour of eating the grass close to the house.

    I am Not Impressed and harsh measures will be taken.

    Anyone for duck confit? Roast duck?

    I’m tough on border breaches here.

  • They didn’t tell me it was going to be like this…

    When you’re pregnant with your first child, you have no idea what to expect. I remember thinking about all the things I absolutely would and wouldn’t do to my child – completely forgetting that I was growing an entirely new human being here and human beings come equipped with personality, and opinions and desires of their own.

    Of course, six years on, I am pregnant with our third baby and I’ve got a much better handle on reality. Pants are totally optional if we’re at home and as long as no one is bleeding or dying, then we’re doing okay.

    It’s funny how your expectations change.

    Of course, this has been helped along by having both children on the spectrum, Amy with auditory processing issues and Isaac with sensory issues, chewing issues, bowel issues, toilet training issues and a multitude of things I cannot control. I’m way less concerned about what the general public thinks and more concerned about being the best parent for my kids.

    This is why when I was asked to contribute to the book “The Things They Didn’t Tell You About Parenting” I was very keen.

    Along with another 31 of Australia’s best parenting bloggers, I have a piece in this book, which the quote above is drawn from. Profits go to benefit Foundation 18 and I encourage you to buy a copy, not just for my writing, but for the other pieces inside as well. You’ll laugh and nod along and it’s probably good preparatory reading if you’re pregnant with your first child.

    You can buy a copy of the book here.

     

  • Fruit trees. Also, leggings are not pants.

    Yesterday after I’d suffered through the gestational diabetes test, I took advantage of the fact that I was in town without my children or Nathan and went shopping. I figured I deserved a reward after sitting for just over an hour in pathology watching all the girls wearing leggings as pants walking in and out.

    The highlight was the leggings-as-pants with a hole in the bum, showcasing hot pink underwear. I thought about forgiving her, because she was pregnant, until I remembered that hey, I was pregnant too and still managed to not forget to put on a skirt before I left the house.

    So, walking very slowly, I went shopping with my mother. Something neither of us enjoy – but I was buying fruit trees and they’re much nicer to shop for than clothes, or baby fripperies.

    This was the very last of our wedding money and Bunnings vouchers (the rest going on the new toilet and grey water system, obviously) and I’m rather pleased that I was able to spend it on trees. I also bought a double grafted apple tree – Cox’s Orange Pippin and Lady in the Snow – from our local nursery.

    Of course, this post was meant to be of the freshly planted trees, with photos of grumpy Nathan thrown in somewhere for good measure (he doesn’t like digging holes), but the weather outside looks like this:

    Despite being past lunchtime and we’re busy hiding inside, like sensible people.

    Ah Winter. I can’t say I’ve missed you.

     

  • So we’re going gluten free again.

    And not because of Amy this time – although I expect it won’t do her concentration levels any harm.

    No, this time it’s Nathan. He’s been feeling progressively sicker over the last few months and standard blood tests have shown nothing. Originally we suspected Rheumatoid Arthritis, due to the increasing severity of pain in his joints, among other symptoms. We know that he has degenerative bone disease in his back, as well as osteoarthritis in the same vertebrae, but the aches in his shoulders and wrists were baffling us.

    I’d wondered for a while if he might be having issues with gluten – Amy has the Coeliacs gene and I do not, therefore we know that Nathan has the Coeliacs gene – but we hadn’t really investigated it, until the stomach pain got really bad sometime last week.

    So I suggested that we swap to gluten free meals for a bit and see how he feels.

    Lo and behold, four days in, he’s feeling loads better. He’s not had the official tests or diagnosis at this point, but if being gluten free helps, then who are we to argue? He’ll be seeing the doctor sometime this week to have bloods drawn to test for coeliacs antibodies and we’ll go from there.

    In the meantime, he’s feeling better and I’m trying to get my head around cooking gluten free again.

    At least I know from last time we were gluten free as a household that it’s only the first fortnight that is difficult and then everything becomes second nature again.

    Luckily, I have no problems with gluten, so I can still eat all the delicious things in the house.

    Muahaaahaa.