Ouch!

I'm not liking today. Today hurts.

I woke up with a headache and a pain in my side, as if I'd slept wrong. Now, don't get me started on sleeping wrong, because I'm starting to believe there is no right way to sleep when you're pregnant. I don't think I've been able to sleep through since before I knew I was pregnant. If I'm not waking up to use the toilet, my belly's getting in the way, or I have a bed spring poking me in the rib, or Hubby is snoring in my face, or I just feel nauseus.

And they say it's a wonderful time...

I headed to work, all the time having to clutch my side to ease the discomfort, which got worse whenever I moved or walked. I spoke to my colleague and asked her what it might be, and she said it was probably my ligaments stretching to accommodate my ever-growing baby. That's cool, but I didn't expect it to feel so uncomfortable.

The feeling eventually wore off around lunchtime, but it seems the muscle cramp and my headache have struck a deal, and my headache has become steadily worse since noon. This is the first day since being back at work that I've had to deal with the pain without my trusty friend, Paracetamol. I don't like it.

17 Weeks and Counting

My hope of posting more often didn't really work out, but I hope now things will be different. At 12 weeks I was still in the throes of morning sickness, which I didn't really see an end to until I was 15 weeks. In early November I had a three week long bout of migraines which made my sickness worse, and resulted in me being signed off work for a week. The doctor gave me a course of an anti-nausea pill which worked wonders.

But the good news is that I am doing well. I have now given up on caffeine completely (and I mean completely - I haven't touched a drop in 2 weeks). I'm not really feeling any different, but my migraines haven't made an appearance so I like to think it's linked.

My energy levels are slowly creeping up, and I'm now able to wait up for Hubby to get home from work (most of the time at midnight) about 4 nights a week, which is an achievement in itself, because at one stage I was going to bed at 7pm every night!

The baby is doing well too. I can't be sure, but I think I felt my first 'flutters' on 11/11, at 15 weeks, though I don't know why they call them flutters because to me it just felt like a rush of bubbles popping. Very weird. I know they say many women mistake it for wind, but I've never had wind there! I've since mentioned it to my midwife, and Hubby's mum (a retired midwife) and they both said it probably was the baby. I haven't felt anything since, but it's not unusual to feel something and then have nothing for a few weeks.

A week ago we went to see the midwife (my Hubby and I, not the baby and I - I'm not that crazy yet!), and we heard the heartbeat again. It took her a while to find it, mind you, because the baby kept swimming around trying to avoid the doppler. It seems the baby thinks it's on a stealth mission...

Right now I'm 17 weeks. I'd like to say I have a big pregnant belly, but I don't. When I took my 16 week belly photo I was ecstatic to see the beginnings of a belly, but over the course of the week it deflated somewhat, and I'm back to looking as if I've been eating all the pies. I have, but that's not the point...


Now I'm over the chaos of the first trimester, I'm thinking forward to the coming months. We have pretty much decided that we're moving to Hubby's Homeland in mid February, so we have to give the notice on our flat lease, we have to get quotes for shipping companies to take our stuff over, we have to buy a van to drive down (and to have space for the things we need immediately, like clothes etc), we have to pack, I have to sort out my maternity leave, Hubby has to sell his cars (one of which has no engine), and we have to get rid of whatever we're not taking.

Anyone want a bed?

Appointments Galore

I'm on the way to getting back to my usual self. Migraine is gone, and I'm just left incredibly sluggish - a very strange feeling when your mind's working overtime, but your body's just not responding.

Anyway, today is a calmer day. I'm back at the office and able to relax after travelling 200 miles for a meeting yesterday. I'm travelling again tomorrow, and then going to stay with my dad on Friday night, so I'm conserving my energy!

And since I didn't share it with you last night; I lost 2.5lbs at my Weight Watchers weigh-in this week! I'm so chuffed, but I have no idea how I did it, because I brought back so many lovely things from Homeland #2, and I've been eating eating eating since Saturday! I'm not going to question it though, I'm just going to grin madly!

On Saturday I'm going to see the hair stylist, and I will be having a mock-up of my wedding hair. I'm quietly excited; I think if I had more energy I would be more excited, but never mind! I will try to get some photos of it, and hopefully post them here on Sunday or Monday.

I've also arranged to have Monday off work, in order to try to sort out my new passport. Visiting Homeland #2 last weekend was the last trip I'm scheduled to make before the wedding, and I have had to book our honeymoon in my married name (long story, and pretty annoying reason too, but I won't go into it). But in order to apply for a new passport ahead of the wedding, I need to have some forms signed off by the registrar that will be marrying us; to confirm that we are getting married, and to confirm that the name given will be my new name on marriage.

But they've only just told me that I need to go there in person, meaning I've had to book a day off (it's an hour journey door-to-door). But I found out this morning that Hubby has Monday off, so we're hoping to go together and have a look at the venue, discuss options for the wedding day etc.

The Best Job in the World

I'm only posting quickly this evening, as my tiredness from travelling all weekend seems to have caught up with me, and I've go a persistent migraine. There are times when my miracle tablets have no effect, and unfortunately; this is one of those days.

But before I do I thought this was worth a mention:

A British man has been chosen to be the new caretaker of Hamilton Island, off the coast of Australia.

He will live there for six months from 1st July, in a three bedroom villa equipped with a private pool, ocean views and even his own golf buggy.

Ben Southall's new job requires him to explore the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, swim, snorkel, make friends with the locals and generally enjoy the tropical Queensland climate and lifestyle. I don't know about you, but I could do that job.

It's been dubbed "the best job in the world", and it generated much interest the world over, having over 130,000 applicants. And since the job is part time, asking a mere 12-hour working month, the salary equates to an astonishing £972 (US $1,462) an hour. It gets better and better!

20 Things You Didn't Know About Me

Anyone who's on Facebook may already have seen this sort of thing flying around. The idea is similar to the old fashioned "chain mail" - you write it, "tag" your friends in it, and then they write their own version of it and tag you back. I thought I would add it in here for a multitude of reasons, but mainly because I had some time on my hands while Hubby was watching the repeats of "Red Dwarf" that he missed from over the Easter break.


1. I love buying books, but rarely read them. I don't care whether they're novels or reference books; if I like it, I'll buy it. At last count I had around 30 I hadn't read; and that's not counting the numerous books I've lent to friends and not had back, and those I've given to charity after realising I'm never going to be desperate enough to read them.

2. I'm left-handed and proud. But I'm not one of those Lefties that writes with their hand curled round above the line they're writing. That just looks awkward. I love being a Lefty though, because it makes me different. It does, however, mean that I'm prone to smudge my work if I'm using anything other than a biro. I have left-handed scissors and a left-handed ruler - the numbers go from right to left. Other cons of being a Lefty include using a tin opener (rather awkward), sitting next to a Righty in a tightly-packed restaurant, and if I was being assessed based on my body language, I would be accused of lying, since Lefties apparently look to the other side when trying to recall information from your history (e.g. what you had for breakfast), but Righties will look to this direction when trying to fabricate a lie. Let's hope that I'm never in that situation! And finally, the icing on the cake; Nostradamus claimed that those who were left-handed would be afflicted. Perhaps that explains a few things...

3. I can only lose weight when I have motivation to do so. When I am motivated; I'm like a trooper. I lost 30lbs on WeightWatchers when I was 21, but watched my weight creep back up until this year, when I went back on the diet to lose the weight again for my wedding, and I've lost 15lbs in three months. I'm telling you; don't get in the way of a bride to be; she will knock your socks off!

4. I'm a closet fan of cheesy pop. I say closet fan because I refuse to talk about music in social situations, I'm embarrassed of my CD collection and iPod playlist, and I don't let on when I have no idea who Lady Gaga is. But don't get me wrong; I like it this way. I like what I like, and I'm not going to change for anyone. But honestly, some of Britney's songs are amazing.

5. I put way too much pressure on myself. My dad's dad was pretty harsh when my dad was a kid; he would always demand to know why my dad didn't get 100% on all tests, and my dad was expected to deliver. My dad didn't bring me up like this, but there was a certain expectation to succeed. It was hard for me to accept that I wasn't career-driven. I've only just started to be okay with the idea that I'm going to be married young, and that we intend to start a family young. When I was growing up we were always told to get our career sorted before anything else, but sometimes life doesn't figure out like that.

6. I love writing novels; I can spend hours and hours engrossed in my work. But I don't let anyone read them; I don't even talk about it to other people. ask any of my friends, and they won't know anything about it. When I finish one, I hit the delete key, and it's gone. Just like that. Forever.

7. I think Johnny Depp is absolutely gorgeous. He's the one celebrity I would put on my "list". Of course, I don't really have a list, but if I did, it would just be Johnny. He's lovely, especially as Captain Jack...

8. I'm a strong believer in not regretting a single thing in life. I've been through bad times, like everyone else, but those bad times have lead to good times. The one that stands out most for me is when I got depressed, dropped out of college, moved home and became totally cut off from everyone. I suppose I had to spend about six months getting back into the swing of things, and then I met Hubby. If I hadn't gone through that time in my life, I wouldn't have moved house, and I wouldn't have met him. I wouldn't be getting married this summer, and I wouldn't be as happy as I am right now. So the next time I think my life is crap; I just have to remind myself what good can come at the end of it all. It keeps me going.


9. I taught myself to type whilst on study leave for my GCSEs. For those not native to the UK, GCSEs are the final exams taken in Secondary School (High School). I decided I couldn't be bothered to revise, and I spent my days on chat rooms. The more interesting your chat partner is, the faster you try to reply; and in turn you become a faster typist! I may have missed out on one of my GCSEs from doing this, but I have a great typing speed on my CV!

10. My favourite drink in the world is Coca Cola. I don't smoke or drink (much), and I've never taken any drugs, other than those available over the counter. Coke for me is like a cigarette. The familiarity calms me, and the sugar relaxes me. When I've had a hard day, or a shock to the system, I'll crack open a can of Coke and sit back. It's the best feeling.


11. When I was in first school I wanted to be a stewardess for British Airways. I actually drew a picture of myself in 30 years time, and I was dressed as a trolley dolly with a runway in the background. After that we had to draw a picture of ourselves in 60 years, and I was a grandmother with loads of grandchildren - that one's still possible! When I was in Secondary School, I wanted to be a vet. Until I realised it was harder to become than a doctor. I think that was the day I let my dream crumble!

12. I love eating pickled onions. Perhaps that's my English side coming through. I can literally polish of a whole jar of them in a day.

13. I hate cooking. I mean, I'll do it if I have to, but I really don't like doing it. My friends say it's good that I'm marrying a chef, but in the 7 years we've been together, I think he's made me four meals - and one of them was pasta in tomato soup.

14. I can wiggle my eyeballs back and forth really quick; except you have to get really close to me to be able to see it... so I only mention it to people I know VERY well!

15. I have chronic migraines, and I've had them since I was 14. They had to get to the point where they were daily and lasting up to 9 days for a doctor to take me seriously. Now I'm on a lovely drug called Sumatriptan, which sorts me out within an hour of an attack. Gotta love those pills...

16. I only realised my hair was naturally curly at the age of 22. In all fairness I had the most amazing blonde wavy hair when I was young, but then adolescence came, along with the Frizz Fairy, and made it unsightly. I wore it in a ponytail from the age of 12 to 22, when I discovered a mousse strong enough to keep it in check. But I can't really afford the mousse on my salary, so I can only use it about 6 times a month, but it also gives me the "wet look", which isn't really ideal for the wedding. I'm interested to see what the stylist can suggest...

17. I'm absolutely obsessed with photography. I even worked as a freelance wedding photographer for a time, but have now reigned it back to being just a hobby, because I find that when I HAVE to do something; I no longer enjoy it.

18. I'm also obsessed with genealogy. To the layman, that's tracing your family tree. I'm the youngest person I know of that is doing this to any serious extent. I'm currently back to 1708 on my paternal line, but back to the 1400s on non-direct lines.

19. I was in the top group for spelling when I was at school, but I still have issues with the word "premises" and "accommodation"

20. I "suffer" from Night Terrors. I put suffer in quote marks because I am classed as a "sufferer", but I think they're actually quite interesting. They only seem to be about bugs crawling all around me. I wake up screaming, and I've once even smacked Hubby in the face after dreaming he had a tarantula on him. I think they come out more when I'm stressed, and there can be weeks when I wake up screaming on 4 different nights. The only real trouble is that every time I have one of these fdreams; I develop a little more of my phobia of creepy crawlies. It's getting to the point that I see a spider and I break out in a cold sweat!