The evidence - Weasel IS in there!

10w 3d

The latest from Weasel watch:

Had the 'booking in' ante natal appointment which was excellent - really went through everything healthwise and all the testing options. Really can't fault the NHS so far, they seem to be offering me everything they have going which is very reassuring. I have opted to be tested for absolutely everything they can possibly test for, even though some of the screening tests are really just for national health information, I'd rather have them all. This entailed about 8 vials of blood being taken from me which did make me a bit dizzy and my arm is still sore. Mind you, the sore arm could be due to carrying away all the information books and leaflets they gave me - more information than you can shake a stick at - am working my way through it all!

They had a feel and said that everything is perfect, as was my wee test and results of my thyroid tests (fab!), so everything is looking good.

Nucal scan is this coming Monday which will be another step forward and another chance to spy on Weasel! I am now booked in for all sorts of appointments - I have been set up with a consultant endocronologist and consultant obstetrician and an anomoly scan at exactly 20 weeks (for which we have asked for Weasel to be checked for absolutely everything).

I am getting rather attached to the service here and hope that it is just as good in Worthing when we move. The Birthing Centre in Watford looks brilliant - the labour rooms look just like hotel bedrooms and really homely but we should have moved before that time arrives. They also have a birthing pool (Worthing has 2 as well) which I quite fancy the idea of - as Mum knows my 1st response to any pain or stress is to have ' a nice relaxing bath' so I think it will suit me. I just don't fancy looking like a half drowned beached whale like the women you see on telly having water births. So I want to know if I can at least wear a top of some sort! I also need to find out if you can still have all the pain relief if you are in water - I'm not turning into a natural birth tree-hugger - I want all the pain relief on offer!

Paul has admitted to being squeamish about the giving birth bit (so am I!), so I have to do some convincing and think of ways of getting him involved. He's just a bit old fashioned really so I don't think he is going to be one of those active birth dads. I reckon he knows I am going to be a nightmare and given half the chance would rather I just got on with it - tuff luck matey, that isn't going to happen! I'm sure that if we can find some stuff for him to do like take care of some music and keep the gas & air coming he'll be fine. I think the main reasons are that he doesn't fancy the thought of seeing me in pain and he is not sure how he will react emotionally - either by doing or saying the wrong thing or by being over emotional and embaressed, he'd rather be in the waiting room ready to hand out the cigars - I told you he can be old fashioned!

The other news is that we have had an offer on the house - a little lower than we wanted but we managed to negotiate it up a bit and have accepted it. The agent in Angmering is like a small Jack Russell with two tails since I told him, so fingers crossed that it all goes through now. I'm putting off getting too excited until we have at least exchanged contracts and am calling a few solicitors today as the one I used before has gone off and retired. I had another look at the house details on the agents website yesterday (I'd been stopping myself looking until we had an offer) and can't believe we have a real chance of getting the place - to be able to get us, weasel, the business and guests all under one roof will be great. I am particularly hankering after the massive kitchen and utility room - blimey - I must be going domestic and settling down!

So, overall looks like everything is on the move, including Weasel who is attempting a pelvic escape to find some more growing space

News just in ....

1st Ante-Natal 'booking in' appointment on Monday afternoon - these maternity people don't seem to hang about! More blood and other tests. Also private nucal scan & test booked for Monday 29th May lunchtime (even though it is a bank holiday), so more blood tests no doubt! Weasel will be 12 weeks and 1 day then so we will see what changes happen in 2 weeks.

Our new matress arrived today - we're upgrading to a bigger bed - now just need a bigger house to put it in, so yet another item being stored in the office! I am having to sell stock quickly to make room for (and pay for!) all this stuff!

1st Scan day yesterday! Wow- how weird was that - there's deffo a baby in there! Now we have actually seen it, we now believe it is really happening so from now on are referring to the baby as Weasel - can't keep calling he/she 'it' and was the 1st name that came to mind!

So, news is that Weasel has been growing for 10 weeks 4 days and is about the size of a tangerine! We have the usual scan photo but I think we are the only ones who can actually make out what is there. The sonographer had to wiggle the scanner thingy over Weasel quite a lot as she needed a stretch to measure properly and Weasel was being lazy and not wanting to move. (You may be thinking what I was thinking on that!)

So, next stop the private scan which I will try to arrange today and I have a docs appointment this evening to sort out some bits n pieces.

Other news ... we have booked a holiday in Cyprus for July - yeee haaa - our last non-parental holiday together - will have to make the most of it!

More as I remember it .......

Not much to report at the moment .... had a lovely BBQ with John and Victoria at their rather large and lovely new house on Sunday. Victoria had a heart monitor gizmo that we listened to her twins heartbeats on - freaky stuff - made my hair stand on end! Tried poking it around my belly to see if we could hear anything but think it is a bit too early and let's face it I hadn't really got a clue as to where to point the microphone bit - apparently you need to be reasonably precise about it.

Good news is that 1) I am not the oldest pregnant woman in the country thanks to some 63 year old child psycologist woman who went to that doctor in Italy to get pregnant, 2) Jennifer Lopez also has loads of grey hair and 3) I won £40 on the football tonight even though Middlesboro lost (Pauls moaning quotient is due to go up dramatically as a result)!

Estate Agent from Angmering rang to see how things are going, the answer to which is that they are not at the moment but apparently everying is still OK their end and they are still just waiting on our sale. I feel a price reduction coming on next week .......

Quite a lot has been going on ......

Doc telephoned to talk about me being referred to a specialist (endocronologist) during my pregnancy which was nice of her. Seeing as I stopped seeing my previous consultant when he went totally private and my health insurers decided to not cough up for his fees, I am grabbing this chance with both hands as I will be able to jump the NHS queue. So, have had extra blood tests this week in order that Doc can refer me.

Nicky my friend from school called me about a school reunion that is coming up. I have decided not to go but it was great to hear from her and we got into loads of maternity and birth stories which was good light relief as I was feeling a bit shot through at the time. Have decided I am deffo not going to Download Festival next month so am going to go and stay at Mum & Dads whilst Paul and his mates go and hopefully will meet up with Nicky for more gasbagging then!

Have just today got my 1st scan appointment through - 17th May so am dithering a bit as to when to get the neucal fold scan done. Guess I had better call the clinic that does them and see what they say.

I managed to sneek myself a 'mother to be' day at Champneys on Ebay at a bargain price, the idea being that I will go for that just before we move to chill out a bit.

Not much movement on the house selling front. A few promising viewings but no offers forthcoming yet. Hopefully cram in a few more viewings this weekend. With the weather being so nice I have been out in the garden since early this morning cleaning up the patio and it looks much nicer out there now. Was wondering if I could use my jetwash in the hosepipe ban and Three Valleys Water website said I could! Can use a hose and even a jetwash to clean a drive or patio but not a car! It is also perfectly OK for me to have filled the spa with it - you are just not allowed to water the plants! Strange isn't it?

Have been munching biccies to stave off morning sickness - well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! Seem to get it 1st thing in the morning and last thing at night which really isn't too bad I suppose.

Well had better go and do some work, have had a few deliveries in and it's not much good the gear just sitting in the office is it? Fortunately the office doesn't get too hot but I may open the barn doors today to let some sunshine in. Chris from the band came over yesterday afternoon to say hello and waffle a bit which was nice and made a change - someone to talk to down there!

Have just ordered all the new T-shirt and band merchandise for the festival season which will be in early next week - so all you groovy rocksters out there had better pay us a visit for your clobber before you head off to the festivals! You know the score - www.rockedout.com !!!!

I just taxed the car online (and now, in best Murray Walker voice:) 'and that's totally reeeemarkable'!

Check out this and other ways for the government to take money off us even easier than before at http://www.direct.gov.uk/ , oh and some useful info too.

Oh I'm getting so very organised (well today anyway)!

Here's a useful site if you are trying to find out about a hospital, specialist, consultant or local medical facilities. Just used it to compare maternity units here and in west sussex - all very interesting! Not only provides maternity info by the way!

http://www.drfoster.co.uk/public.asp

A bit slow with the update this time, seem to need to be sleeping a lot. Well everything went fine at the docs and I have a bunch of mail to wait for confirming scans and all sorts. Doc had a feel around and said everything feels like it should which is good. She said I only need to worry if I get any bleeding or pain - to which Paul chipped in - "she has - I'm a bleeding pain", I don't think the doc was quite prepared for his sense of humour!

Think I will have a nucal scan privately as if I want it on the NHS I have to go to the QE2 hossie in Welwyn Garden City for all my ante-natal care and it's not the nicest hospital around. Also, even if they do it, they don't do the corresponding blood tests to work out a risk factor of conditions such as Downs Syndrome so it's not really worth making the sacrifice for.

The first scan is a dating scan so I'll have that first - at the moment they estimate my due date as 9th December - which is only a week before Clare and Gordons little Dolly was born! I'm being booked into St Albans hospital for all my ante-natal care which is nearer and nicer. If I am still in the area when the baby is born (let's hope that we've managed to move by then), then it will be in Watford, which as far as I understand has a very tip-top birthing centre with lots of options for care and delivery.

In the meantime, I have various bloodtests to do to check my various ailments so will get those done later this week.

I think I had my first hint of morning sickness yesterday - oh that really isn't very nice. I also think my body goes into mega-growth time everytime I go to sleep. Each time I wake up a little more of my waist seems to have disappeared! So, I start my swimming at Sopwell House this week and have purchased a football to kick around the park with Paul and Harry the dog by way of getting some exercise in.

We had some fun Saturday night going through books of names (oh so rock n roll for a Saturday night!), and have come up with a reasonable selection of ones we both like which wasn't as easy as it sounds as we both picked out names the other hated.

Got a bit down Saturday as we had one no-show for a viewing of the house but the others did turn up and we have another tomorrow - so fingers and everything crossed that an offer will come our way soon. I just don't seem to be able to move ahead with anything and have to put everything on hold until a sale is agreed - just seem to be playing one big waiting game all round at the moment and I'm not exactly known for my patience! Anyway, the house we have had our offer accepted on in Angmering is still ours for the buying and so long as it stays that way, I shouldn't really panic.

Was really pleased last night as we went to see John and Pete play in St Albans - they've come on so much since they started working together and it's exciting to still be involved, even in a small way. Johns wife Victoria is expecting twins (ouch!) in September I think and although they live in Elstree, they have a holiday cottage in Climping which is only a stones throw from Angmering. Pauls ears positively pricked up when John let it out that he has a speed-boat down there! It's rather reassuring to know that we have a good chance of staying in touch with friends when we move.

I need to get the washing done today and the weather is dismal so I guess the place is going to look like a chinese laundry this afternoon. Was going to find some nice May-day event to go to but it's so dreary out there that doing the washing actually looks like a more attractive option!