Gracie’s Life Experiment

We had a good purge of the loft today.  Amazingly we managed to clear out a whole bookcase worth of stuff.  Sifting through my degree stuff was quite an odd experience, I guess I haven’t needed to use any of the notes for between 11 and 6 years so it was time to get rid of them.  It was a little bit sad recycling them because I remember all that learning and cramming for exams (shame I don’t actually remember much of it now).  Also I note that my handwriting used to be far tidier then - I guess it must be because I hardly have to do any writing by hand these days (it’s all on them newfangled computers!!).  There was a range of Maths modules, Analogue and Digital Electronics, Circuit Theory, Mechanics, Computing, Programming (C++ and Java), Ergonomics, Systems, Computer Graphics, Aerodynamics, Avionics, Mobile Comms, Management stuff, Optics/Lasers, Formal Methods (hmm don’t think I must have paid much attention in this module as most of my notes seem to have been graffitied), and a whole pile of different lab experiment write ups.  It’s weird to think that I used to know so much about these topics yet today I think I could only really recall maybe about 25% of the Maths, the Systems and the Ergonomics stuff.  I don’t know when this knowledge fell out of my head (prob about 2 mins after the last exam or coursework was done, I suspect) but wouldn’t it be strange if you could pin point when information was overwritten!

Hubby did the same with his Physics notes too.  Now we have over 20 old lever arch files which we have duly put onto Freecycle. Also hubby found a few random things to add to freecycle including an old Russian B&W photographic development kit (circa 1970s), loads of old VHS videos and a clunky JVC video player that is about 20 years old and still works!!

Summary of the day:  Had a nice lie in, Purged/decluttered, Washing again, Had tea with some friends who visited, Went food shopping, Washing up again (for the 3rd time in 24 hrs), Hoovered

I have 3 days left of work before I go on maternity leave now. I think I’m just about ready to go now. Updated the last of the different bits and bobs for work this morning before sorting out PhD writing up (wow I have about 300 pages already). I have a few meetings next week to tie up loose ends as well as the obligatory leaving do’s. Shrimp is getting heavier and I’m getting more tired. Even though everyone keeps commenting that my bump is quite small, apparently at the scan on Tuesday I am borderline polyhydramnios which means that I have too much amniotic fluid which is causing my bump to be bigger than it needs to be.  My AFI is 21.2cm which is quite high (but I think it has to be over 24 to be classed as full blown polyhydramnios).  They checked baby on the scan and everything is functioning fine (swallowing, etc) but I have to go for the glucose tolerance test (GTT) next week to check whether I am getting gestational diabetes (hope not).   Slightly worrying, but the consultant didn’t seem to think there was anything to worry about, but at least we’ll get another chance to spy on Baby K in a month’s time.  As long as the fluid level hasn’t increased further then they said it’ll be fine.  Suppose good news would be that Baby might come a week or so early because of the extra pressure (and hence won’t get overly large).  Bad news I probably have to have the vampires at my veins again next week

Summary of the day:  Got up with a spring in my step (yay day off!), Stripped bedsheets, Loaded washing machine and tidied kitchen, Did some work (boo), Got on with PhD stuff (yay, finally got some motivation), Gave a piano lesson, Started making Coq-Au-Vin that ended up turning into chicken curry, Had a nice warm bath

This week’s 10 things are 10 names that we are considering for Baby K now we know she’s a girl.

1. Abigail
2. Lilly
3. Lydia
4. Olivia
5. Kim
6. Evangeline
7. Elisha
8. Jessica
9. Jemima
10. Josephine

There’s a smattering of first and middle names. I think we’ve pretty much decided which names we want, but are going to keep it as a surprise for when she arrives.

Summary of the day: Looked at baby names on ‘net, Went into work in afternoon, Went out in the evening with friends

Had a really busy day today and didn’t get home till late.  Decided to get takeaway (I know, naughty, but once in a while is fine).  I particularly like Chinese takeaway - mostly because, having grown up on Chinese food, the takeaway version is like the Western equivalent of fast food!  I would usually have something like Sweet n Sour Pork or something greasy of that ilk but hubby picked up dinner on his way home.  We had mixed meat fried rice (without prawns) and some duck in plum sauce.  It was really tasty and not all bulked out with onions (as sometimes is the case at some takeaways).  I like Top Wok on Park Road roundabout best - although Happy Village further up the road does give you a freebie occasionally (but the standard of food has gone a bit since it opened a year ago).

Summary of the day:  Went to work, Had to mark presentations and demonstrations all day long, Got home late, Had takeaway, Cooed over Baby K’s photos.

We had our 28 week scan today (actually it’s 28 +5).  We were sat in the waiting area for 90 mins before we got seen (yawn) and we were the last ones left there (having seen 2 waiting rooms of other parents to be come and go).  Finally we went in for our growth scan.  Baby K is fine and everything is the right length/size (if anything the head circumference is slightly smaller than average which sounds good to me). To our surprise we also got a 3D scan at the same time as they have got a new machine at the hospital (QMC in Nottingham).  For the first time Baby K was also not being shy and trying to hide.  Here’s the piccie.

Also we found out that Shrimp is a Little Miss Baby K!  Am just about getting used to calling her “she” now rather than “it”.

Summary of the day:  Hung washing out on new clothes line hubby put up, Went for scan, Popped into Ikea on way back and bought a load of baby bits and bobs, Came back and stared at piccies

If anyone bothers to read my blog they would realise that I play piano/keyboard for my local church.  It’s quite fun, mostly simple stuff but keeps me familiar with playing.  This week I’ve got a lot of new hymns to play.  There’s a drawback to playing new hymns - firstly I have to learn it and secondly the congregation has to learn it.  It really is like the blind leading the blind, or should that be deaf leading the deaf sometimes (not that I’m deaf or blind).   There are 3 out of 7 new hymns which isn’t really too bad because I am at least familiar with the tune for 2 of those new ones. Every Sunday before I start playing I ask God to help me and guide my hands for his praising.  This is a great bible verse.

“I will sing of steadfast love and justice;  to you, O Lord, I will make music.” Psalm 101:1

The only problem is that there are only 3 regular keyboard players and I do at least 2 weeks a month.  When we move to Oz in December the rota will have lots of gaps and added workload for others (I don’t mind so many weeks on the rota as we tend to go to church most weeks anyway).  We need to pray and have faith that someone will come forward and offer their talents to the Lord.

Summary of the day:  Went to work, Read through student reports, Had a student meeting (you wouldn’t have guessed that it was hand-in week this week!!), Got assessment sheets all printed out and ready for Wed, Went home early and decided to trim the garden (1 hr later and it looks like a deforestation massacre), Got dehydrated, Had a cool shower and lay on the bed in the dark feeling fat and hot, Made a salad for dinner, Tidied kitchen, Busy day all in all.

OK, I’m officially paranoid today.  I haven’t really suffered much paranoia all pregnancy and have made it past 28 weeks now.  All stemming from various pregnancy related things:

- Lack of Movement.  Usually Shrimp likes to kick a lot as I go to sleep and also does some kind of jig at 4am.  Hmm went to bed knackered with no kicking.  Woke up at 5am for the comfort break but no kicking.  Woke up at 9am still no kicking.  OK getting worried now.  Drank some watered down Diet Coke.   2pm - Shrimp finally wakes up after having the world’s longest lie in and gets back to its fav pastime of kicking/headbutting.  Strange, my bump has gone lopsided and my belly button is not quite in the middle.  I guess Shrimp must have wriggled into a new position where I couldn’t feel it kicking.

- Vivid dreams.  I’ve been having some very vivid dreams lately.  They’re all involving quite normal situations with myself in.  Nothing like the strange dreams I’ve had in the past.  They’re not really pregnancy related but I don’t remember having such regular dreaming sessions (it’s every night).

- Bump size.  Everyone I seem to meet says that my bump is really small.  I’m 28 weeks and it seems quite big to me (it’s grown loads in the last 2 weeks).  At our 20 week scan it was all the normal size.  I guess I must just wear it well.  I suppose it’s better than people thinking I’m really fat.

Perhaps all this paranoia stems from my searching looking at baby forums on the internet, or maybe it’s a natural thing that every mum-to-be gets, or perhaps it’s because we have our next scan on Tuesday.

Summary of the day:  Tidied up kitchen (hmm again?), Went to Wilkos to get el cheapo toiletries, Popped into TK Maxx to see what baby stuff they have, Picked up a Tommy Tippee Freedom Breast Pump set for £5 (reduced from £25 - yay I like TK Maxx), Went to Aldi for weekly shop (and I was desperate to buy ice lollies), Made a chicken and mushroom pie, Watched Dr Who (weird), Put away laundry, Spent lots of time with hubby.  

Went for a day trip to Wales to visit our friend Cat whose birthday it was on Friday (in fact it was also my other friend Em and also hubby’s brother’s birthday too). She lives in Cwmbran. It was absolutely baking in the car on the way down - luckily we opted to go in my car which has aircon (very uneconomical but a lifesaver on a 3 hr drive). I know when we have BBQs we always get enough food for everyone, but people still bring stuff and we end up eating sausages all week long and Cat said not to bring any BBQ stuff. So we thought, hmm let’s bring a birthday cake then (unfortunately so did 3 other lots of guests at the party). Not really a problem as Cat’s blokey likes cake - A LOT!! We went A512, A42, M42, M5, M50, A40, A449, M4 route this time. The A40/A449 bit was really scenic and Wales looked really quite lush - last time we drove down it was November and was seriously soggy and cold.

It was a great party.  Nice and chilled, good mix of people (i.e. lots of different groups all mingling), and the weather was fantastic.  Our friends Lis and Rol were also there, Lis is 7 weeks behind us with her pregnancy and it was quite fun comparing experiences so far.

Summary of the day:  Went to buy a birthday cake, Drove down to Wales (took just under 3 hrs with some jams on the M42), BBQ party, Socialised with lots of mutual friends, Drove back to Loughborough (only took 2.5 hrs at 8pm)

Today was my first Friday off. So this week’s 10 things Thursday (oops I know it’s Friday - I forgot yesterday) are ten things I did today:

1. Surfed internet looking at baby stuff (wow there’s a lot of stuff we still need to get)
2. Looked on ebay for above mentioned baby stuff (almost got a pile of stuff for £18
3. Loaded & put dishwasher on
4. Loaded & put washing maching on
5. Washed up the pots and pans (and other stuff that doesn’t fit in our tabletop dishwasher)
6. Removed old magnets from fridge and cleaned the outside of the fridge (yuck I don’t think I’ve wiped it down since we moved in 5 years ago)
7. Brillo’d the oven - yikes the glass is supposed to be transparent not an oily yellow grime slick
8. Made wonton noodle soup
9. Folded clothes that have sat in the dryer for 3 days
10. Groomed the dog

I keep having these days off before maternity leave and the only thing I have motivation to do is tidy. I think I must be getting nesting syndrome already as I’m the most sloth-like pit monster there is.

Summary of the day: Did the things above!!

2 weeks today will be my last day at work. I would like to say that I’m looking forward to not having to go to work anymore, but TBH I’m dreading it. I love being organised and in control of my projects and to suddenly have to stop and switch off from the things that need to be done makes me feel uneasy. Spent most of the day sorting out a document register and updating various PM registers so that they are all in order before I go (hopefully leaving the replacement cover an easy job of just updating). I can physically leave work, but I can’t seem to mentally let go! It makes me feel terrible that work will go on when I’m not there - essentially being put out to pasture.

Summary of the day: Work, Bloody hyperlinks all day, Student meeting, More hyperlinking, Relaxed, Helped hubby sort out stuff for new job in Oz.