Diva

Sorry I haven't been online for ages but I was offline during the last stages of pregancy (I was just too grumpy and immobile to bother with the internet ;o) and then I had a drama 4 weeks ago! My waters broke at 38 weeks and I ended up having a week long labour that I tried to cope with at home (since I wanted my relaxing hypnobirthing home birth) but despite my and nags best efforts I actually ended up in an ambulance hurtling to hospital to have an emergency c-section as my body wouldn't allow my baby out (I had cervix failure - pah! My stupid internal organs!!!) It was all very dramatic and 'ER' but thank god it all went smoothly at the hospital and baby Lincoln was delivered without a hitch.
 
Anyhoo, I'm out of hospital now obviously (I discharged myself after two days despite them saying I should have been in longer but I wasn't in the mood to hang about and be drippy like the other women in there, I had a baby to enjoy and I heard you recover better from a c-section if you keep moving so that's what I'm doing! :o) and I'm loving being a mummy to Lincoln James :oD I'm so bloody tired and my scar aches a lot but sod it I don't care, I have a gorgeous baby boy - *excited squeal* eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! LOL

(An extended version of this blog with extra bits just see below for Diva's darlings in Diva's Secret Stuff)

Rightyho, I'm off to go get some more snuggles!

Hope you guys are all doing ok, I'll try and pop back again sometime soon.

Lots of Diva hugs to you all xxx

Hello sweetpeas, 

I've been awol again, sorry, it's been difficult to find the time recently.

I'm even bigger than before, I've hit my poor bump in doorways a few times since it's recently become bigger than my large bazookas (which were my previous indicator of whether I would fit through anywhere!) but thankfully the baby doesn't seem to get hurt, just my tum!

The baby is kicking like it's trying out for Man U and it responds to Nags voice with a volley of kicks and excited wriggles when Nags has his regular chat to it at night, which is really, really sweet (and sometimes really, really painful! ;o) I can't believe it's only 12 more weeks till we have a little Diva or Nags, it's been 27 weeks already but I'm still freaked out by it all! ;o)

I've not been the most sociable of people due to the pregnancy but I'm now able to find a bit of time to see my lovely mates and a few of them popped round yesterday to catch up. It was fab to see them and of course I had a fantastic time with them as usual. Arty, Pandy and Ames (formerly Amylou of this fair shire) came round and we had a lovely BBQ. They all stayed the night and the next day me, Nags and the girls had a lovely lazy Sunday chilling out with scrumptious food and lots of laughs. It was a great tonic to all the grief this pregnancy has given me and I'm absolutely shattered now but with a really big smile on my face :o)

I took some piccies, as did Arty (with some funny cut out photos taken with Arty's phone, so if you want to see me as an angel or Nags as a bunny then look no further! LOL ;o)  so if anyone is interested in the photo story of the weekend it's here, with me, Nags , B, the girls and our neighbour Drew.

Late Summer BBQ Photo Story

Hope everyone is well, and I'll try and get about the blogs a bit more in the next few weeks before I get too big to move from the sofa!

Hello campers, sorry I've been rubbish on here recently but I's been ill. I'm on the mend now but this is just a quickie as I'm back off to bed for a bit (hopefully back on later to say hi and reply to comments) but I just wanted to say
HAPPY BIRTHDAY B! Yes, he's another year older but still going sturdy and strong and he's just a cute as ever! :o)

Happy Birthday poppet, we love you!!!

The Birthday Boy a couple of days ago pootling about in the garden:

Click here for news story

*sigh*

Since I've been so shattered with pregnancy and ME I've spent a lot of time on the sofa (snuggled up under a fabulous blanket Sioned sent for me a while back ;o) and I've been surfing the Sky tellybox and found old reruns of Nigella Bites. I always thought her food was supposed to be scrumptious, but I was mistaken as I watched her make grim recipe after grim recipe.

First off was a Caesar salad, in which she made the dressing with only two raw egg yolks just mixed in to the salad - bolk! Then I saw her serve a steak so raw I'm sure it mooed as she cut it, and she then had the nerve to say "Ooh I just love soaking up all that red sauce with some bread" Red sauce?? RED SAUCE??!! You've severed the cow's artery and that red sauce spurting out like a geyser in your face is BLOOD you mental horror movie chef!

As if the crazy assed cook couldn't grose me out further she often has these little sections where she shares her secrets of her freezer and the two which stick out (I may need some form of electric shock therapy to forget them) is when she brought out a whole frozen pigs ear and said she liked to slice it up, fry it and eat it in front of the tv - *HEAVE*

Second was the little bags of frozen wine she produced from the depths of her deep freeze. She said she stored left over wine from dinner parties to use in cooking.

‘Hmmmmm, not a bad idea to save those ends of wine from the bottles' I thought, but then she goes and ruins it all by explaining "Of course I usually pour wine in to these freezer bags from the glasses of guests who have left the party" *HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAVE* She uses the dregs from peoples wine glasses!!! People who could have cold sores, viruses, contagious diseases (although if they really do have contagious diseases what they are doing at the dinner party is beyond me but you get the point) I'm sorry but there is no way I would be happy tucking in to food that has been cooked in the salivary dregs of the last dinner party's attendants, no way, no how! If I'm getting that familiar with someone's bodily fluids you need to take me on a date or two first at least and not just surprise me with a phlegm-filled red wine sauce the next time I come over:

Nigella's Party Guest: "Mmm, this gravy is very tasty, I can taste the thyme and sage in here, there's also some honey, but I can't figure out the other ingredients, what are they Nigella?"

Nigella: "Susan, George and also a small bit of Brian from next door."

Nigella's Party Guest: "Oh delish! Bravo Nige, bravo!"

I have no idea why I watch the bloody program still, I think it's some macabre fascination of just how she's going to ruin a perfectly good meal again:

Nigella: "First take the leg of lamb and store it in your loft for about a week or two, preferably in an old dog basket or cat cage, until it really begins to get that rich musty smell, then when it's ripe show it to the oven but don't put in it in, then slice it finely and decorate it with used tissues from your bathroom bin and drizzle it with oil, most people use olive oil but I much prefer Castrol GTX for that really strong flavour and then serve to any passing Labrador that would eat my old shoes if it had half the chance. Mmmmmmm scrumptious".

On behalf of sofa sitters and nauseous people everywhere Nigella you may be quite a hot chick (I'm not gay but I know a good looking lass when I see one) but I say stop it now, just stop it! It's not big, it's not clever and it certainly isn't digestible.

Gah, I've not been online for ages due to a massive cock up with my internet connection by Tiscali. We're changing from AOL to Tiscali and Tiscali haven't sent the welcome pack or modem but they have disconnected my broadband line which means I'm having to use an old dial up connection to post this blog, and OH MY GOD I had forgotten how sloooooow dial up is!

I have piccies and stuff to blog but I'll save that for when I'm finally on broadband again, hopefully sometime this week.

In the mean time why not look at the cute kitties (which took forever to appear for me because of snail pace dial up *sob*:

aaaand some doggies too:

Right, that's yer lot for now, this has taken me three years to post so I'll pop back when broadband is up and running. TTFN! x

Hello cupcakes,

I've been pretty rubbish P27 recently, I know I've been a bit down but on the days I've had a few moments I've been on facebook and so I feel a bit like I'm cheating on you guys! ;o) So my way of giving you flowers and appeasing my guilt is a quick blog before I go off for my nap.

The dogs next door have quietened down a bit, the neighbours have been making more of an effort to keep the dogs quiet but I'm still monitoring it because they are still barking too much for a normal life.

I'm not as down now and I'm coping with the nausea a bit better although the vomiting is still coming at me out of the blue and is quite a shock when I'm just minding my own business and - bam - I'm suddenly retching! The exhaustion is still going strong unfortunately, I've been out a few times but had to sit down regularly and not been able to stay out for too long. I think I'll need to get nags to carry a portable chair for me!  (Only joking naggers! ;o)

What else, what else... oh yes, I put this (below) on facebook but I think it's worth it putting here as it's the latest nagnagnag sleep story ;o)

Last night I was asleep in bed when I woke to feel a pushing sensation on my knee. I had my knee raised next to me as I slept on my side and realised that Simon was pushing my knee repeatedly. I figured that I was too far on the bed and he was trying to push me over, so I moved away to find that I was actually on the edge of the bed and he had most of it! I then looked over at him and saw that he was fast asleep and was still pushing my leg. I took it away and as his hand hit air he then stopped pushing me, grabbed the duvet, wrapped it around him and started snoring again while I sat there, incredulous, duvet-less and wide awake.

Bless him, I probably don't get most of the sleep talking he does these days because I'm now passing out comatose every night by midnight and apparently snoring too! I've heard that pregnant woman snore and so do I now! Oh well, It's about time I got nags back! ;o)

Now, I could do with some help, nags and I know what our baby will be called if it's a girl but can't decide on a boys name so any ideas? I don't mind if they are good, bad or daft, I'm up for a laugh so give me a name and reason! ;o)

Hiya kids,

Today I'm feeling a bit up and down. I've been absent because I'm feeling a bit depressed. I don't know why it is, I had a think and all I can come up with is that because I can't take my ME/CFS medication and have red bull to keep me going I am now exhausted all the time. Before the pregnancy if I had to go out or had housework to do a trusty coffee might perk me up but a reliable red bull or some other type of energy drink would have me normal for a few hours, enough to get what I wanted done, but now I can't have it or any of the medication that makes living bearable and so I'm really beginning to notice just how bad my ME/CFS has become.  I know the pregnancy will have added to the tiredness as well, but I can feel the drained feeling in my bones that ME gives you 24/7, no matter how well you have slept or for how long, and staying in bed or on the sofa in this house so much is a bit of a downer but there's not much I can do about it.

I know I'm whinging here but as well as being slow and clumsy, I'm also becoming more invalided by not being able to bend over, get up from sofas and stuff like that because of the bump and it's only 17 weeks! I am desperately in love with my baby, god I have never seen anything so cute and gorgeous it's impossible for me not to feel intense maternal adoration when I think of my darling, sweet little babba, but the actual signs of pregnancy only serve to remind me that I am unable to keep my ME at bay and lead a semi-normal life.  I'm going to have hypnobirthing lessons soon so I'm hoping that will help me cope with the stresses and pre-baby blues I seem to be getting.

I'm also still worried about the safety of the baby, I know things have been fine with this one so far (thank god) but after losing three last year you never really lose the fear, you know? Stress is one thing that could make things go wrong and my neighbours are the ones who are currently making the stress in my life. I'm in a bit of a dispute with them, they moved in about three months ago and their wretched dogs constantly bark whenever we take B out for a pee in our own garden or just simply step out in our garden. One of the dogs is just mental and runs up and down the fence growling at where it thinks we or the dog are and the neighbours have been so lax with canine discipline up until now that they just feebly call the dogs name, which does nothing so the dog never stops.

Even when the dogs are in the neighbour's house they are put in a room nearest the garden with a window open so they still go crazy when we go outside. They also bark at anything in the middle of the night and last week they woke me at 12.45am, 1am and 3.45am on different nights! I was thinking that I was going to have to go round and say something when on Saturday night it was all brought to a head. I'd had enough and at 1am when we took B out they started up and wouldn't shut up so I shouted very loudly at them (as I have had to on a couple of occasions since the neighbours attempts have done absolutely nothing and a swift shut up from me has usually rendered them silent, on this occasion it did nothing) and I got very upset and cross and the bloke next door stuck his head out his upstairs window and was a really patronising areshole to us. He said that the dogs don't harass us in the garden and that they don't bark but just sniff about. He also said that they only bark when they hear a noise which I reminded him is all the frigging time (but he denied this and that they were a problem)!

The next day we took B out and three times the crazier of the two dogs went for us every single time with extreme ferocity barking, growling and as usual throwing themselves on to the fence like a rabid beast (this is no exaggeration, the noise they make as their canine body and claws hits the fence is a massive bang!). Thankfully not only was the bloke out in his garden, but so was his girlfriend and our other neighbour (who said he'd never heard the dogs at all!)! They all saw what happened and the bloke who owns the dogs actually tried to restrain the dog each time, with great difficulty, which was a small victory for us because they had seen firsthand how their dogs behaved when humans were not outside.

The day after the woman was there on her own and had no success in restraining the dog with a feeble "sit" muttered to the crazed animal when it harassed us when we were out in the garden for the few moments it took us to let the dog out.

I would like to point out that our dog made no noise and ignored the dog next door totally every time, but it doesn't stop the untrained hound from next door ruining our enjoyment of the garden and our peace at night. I told the neighbours in Saturday night's row that if it didn't stop I'd write to the council, (to which the guy said "ok then go on!") so they have one week to get it sorted or that's it for me, the council can deal with it. I'm pregnant, tired and for the last three months my house and garden have been rattling to the sound of an insane mongrel and I've had just about all I can take. We've started a diary and have clear recorded evidence as well and so if it doesn't stop the council will get it all.

Have you had to deal with anything like the stuff in my blog and what did you/would you do? Be nice though, I'm shattered and full or hormones and could cry/blow up if anyone is too mean!

On a happier note I got the most gorgeous parcel from the most glorious of people a couple of days ago. The fantabulous Sioned sent the items below and I was so happy to see the lovely stuff in the box I cried! :o) I can really pamper myself now and I think that will be a great tonic for the way I've been feeling recently. Everything she sent was baby friendly and just wonderful!  Bless her sweet bum :o) THANK YOU SIONED, you are a total angel! *HUGS & BIG LOVE*

Anyhoo, I'm off to go have a bath in some of the fabulous stuff she sent and just chill out, I can't do much so I'm just going to try my best to go relax for as long as the dogs next door will let me.

Tara for now me ducks.

But some came to protect us....... 

I don't care if I'm in labour, the baby can wait because I'm seeing THIS when it comes out!

or you can watch this version below (bit pixelated but still cool) with the supremely excellent Unkle's Reign soundtrack.

I have another lovely blog to post but I haven't got the photo for it done yet so as soon as it's done it I'll pop it up.

Later dudes! Mwah! xx

Hello my daaalinks, don't you look positively adorrrrable!

Hmmmmm. Today I feel like speaking like Zsa Zsa Gaborrrrr.

But I shall stop that now.

This is just a quickie anyway so you won't be witness to my eccentricity for long, bear with me.

The reason I is a bloggin' today is because other day I took a photo of me bump and so here it is. It's of me 4 months gone and looking like I'm also pregnant in my big, granny, bingo arms but hey ho after watching my waist evaporate and being prodded and poked and scanned and sick for so long you kinda get a bit lax with the way you look. I'm not letting myself go, but since being up the duff means your body stores food like there's a war on I can't do much about the flabby stuff at the mo. All I can do is try and eat as healthily as my nausea will allow and stay clear of harpoon stores.

Anyhoo, I'm still tired and aaaaall the rest but the sun is shining and I'm going to get outside in it and feel summery. Woohoo! Hope you are enjoying it too :o)

Big platonic snogs to you all and big mamma cuddles too x