Category: Life

Or more correctly, the geneticists at the Hospital.

My GP who admitted straight away that he didn’t know anything about EDS – and then asked me how to spell it so he could google it – was a little hesitant to agree that I may or may not have EDS, because there is normally a family history associated with it.

That is, until my Dad* stepped in and mentioned that him and both his sisters had all had very similar symptoms as teenagers and that one of my aunts still suffers from CFS like symptoms.

All of us with no solid diagnosis. Although that may have something to do with the fact that Dad and his sisters were never taken to the doctor for any of this.

What can I say, my Gran is a bit … strange – and not in a good way.

So, once my doctor heard that there was indeed a strong family history of similar symptoms (Gran was sick as a teenager too and as an adult, although Dad says she whines so much about everything you never know what is really going on) he was more inclined to believe that EDS is a distinct possibility.

And we’re back on the medical roundabout in the hope that something shows up this time. Sigh. I have no idea how long it will take for me to get seen because as of next week all the clinics at the hospital will be taking 2-3 weeks off. My doctor isn’t hopeful for an appointment being before the baby arrives, but hey, maybe that is for the best.

I had to laugh, the doctor mentioned that ‘I would have thought that if one has EDS and is super stretchy, that child-birth wouldn’t be super easy’. He did look slightly abashed when I told him that I didn’t have a hard time birthing Amy at all. I wasn’t game to mention the fact that my Aunt had one of her babies in her own bed just as the Ambulance arrived. Yeah, we don’t have trouble birthing babies at all.

Not to mention the fact that I ended up at the physio for a pelvis that was separating and twisting about 10 weeks earlier than it should have. (Pelvis has been hurting for about a month+ now for anyone counting down the weeks and wondering why I said 10 weeks when I have only 6 weeks ish left to go).

Oh yeah, only 12 more sleeps until Christmas! Have you got it all together yet? (I don’t).

And that horrid baby widget thing that I refuse to put on my sidebar, but still occasionally check on with my due date tells me that I only have 40 more days until my due date. We’re on the count down now baby.

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*Dad had an appointment at the same time, so I asked him to come in with me while I talked to the doctor. I suspected that the doctor probably wouldn’t take me seriously unless I had Dad there to mention about him and my aunts and whoa, I was correct.

Just upgraded to WP 2.7 and am just checking that everything still works okay.

Ignore me over here, okay?

Also, I forgot to mention, I have a guest post up over at Jenni’s today! She’s just about to give birth to her second baby any moment now. Unfortunately, after planning a home birth, her baby flipped breech in late November and has since refused to turn. She is now 40w5 days pregnant and OH so ready to be done.

Head on over to read about my stresses for giving birth to #2 (which incidentally, is only 6 weeks away now).

AND… it’s only 14 more sleeps until Christmas. Are you panicking yet?

Anyway, here is the link directly to my post, go read!

We aren’t buying gifts for anyone this Christmas except for Amy.

Now just let me read that sentence over again while I wait for the guilt to subside.

It’s taken me a while – and lots of whinging to Nathan – to come to terms with why I alternately feel compelled to not buy for anyone except our daughter and then within the same moment, feel incredibly guilty that we aren’t buying for anyone else.

Part of our decision came down to money. Nathan and I both have large families and to buy for everyone just ends up much too expensive for us.

It doesn’t help that I am notoriously tight with money, taking a long time to actually make a decision to buy anything big (it took weeks of contemplating a Dyson before I was ready to say ‘Yes, let’s buy one’ and then we bought it with money we had put away).

The other part of our decision came down to my annoyance with the commercialisation of Christmas. I don’t want to spend every year trying to outdo myself with gifts and decorations. I don’t want or need that kind of stress. I don’t want people to expect anything from me except good food and company, because good food and company I can always do.

I don’t want to make myself crazy making sure that no one is forgotten.

It’s much easier just to remember Amy.

Much easier.

I will still be making biscuits and truffles, wrapping them in cellophane and giving them for gifts. I will still be making something to take to Nan’s for Christmas lunch.

So really, everyone will still be getting gifts, they just won’t be getting things I have bought. Instead, it will be things I have made with my own two hands and sometimes I wonder if that is enough.

Common sense tells me that of course it is enough, but I worry that I will go to all the effort of making these things – while 9 months pregnant – only to have them pale in comparision of gift wrapped stuff from shops.

Am I being stupid? Probably.

But that doesn’t change anything, I’m still not buying presents regardless of how conflicted I feel about it.

What are you doing for Christmas? What are your plans for gift giving? Who do you normally buy for?

If you don’t celebrate Christmas I would be even more interested to know what you do celebrate. How do you deal with a holiday season that seems completely skewed towards a Christian holiday? Do you mind me asking?

(I’m not a religious person by any means, Christmas for me is about good food and good company and a tree and tinsel, not so much about the religious significance.)

Now I know that I have been neglecting this blog terribly, but really, is that any reason for over 50 people to unsubscribe? Really?

Hmmph.

I will try and get something of substance up later today, okay? Just bear with me here.