This week I received a special invite from Phoebe's school to attend a coffee morning to say thanks to the parents who have helped support the school over the last year. This has meant helping out at various school fayres and projects like the walking bus. Well I decided to attend despite the heat - and I must say I enjoyed it, but I'm beginning to think I'm mellowing in my old age as years ago I surely wouldn't have entertained the idea of drinking tea with a group of other mothers. I just felt that I didn't fit in as everyone else either seemed to be a full-time mum or worked part-time. I always felt that I didn't fit the norm of other mainstream parents. Anyway as I've grown older and I moved away from Aberdeen to St Neots I met a whole different group of people who like me work full time and still have the energy to raise a family. Maybe it's the support I get from Drew that enables me to feel differently about motherhood. Maybe it's the fact that now that I'm expecting a baby with someone who truly wants a baby and supports me, loves me etc that I feel I can relax about being a mum.

I also wanted to say that whilst attending the coffee morning - not one - NO NOT ONE mother offered me her seat! Pah women eh?

Ok I find it hard enough to walk, sleep or sit these days so how the heck did I sprain my neck?
I now have to do a set of exercises every hour to help sort out the pulled neck muscle, first I turn my head left 10 times, then right 10 times and for my finale I rotate my head clockwise 10 times and then anti-clockwise 10 times - whilst trying not to make myself dizzy.

Met the ever lovely Tosha for lunch yesterday, it was nice to get away from the office and speak to another mum. I had a rant on about how fed up I felt and how I wanted to be alone - moan moan moan. It was comforting to know that I wasn't the only one who had felt like this at this stage of pregnancy. I feel so damn tired and uncomfy sometimes that I find it really hard to be civilised to many people so I'd rather hide myself away. Maybe it's the hormones, maybe I realised that in less than 10 weeks any idea I had about having any ME time will be lost for ever, well lost for a long time anyway. Once this little arrives I wonder what it will be like, will it be endless nappies, crying and feeding? Will I have another dream baby like Phoebe was, she was such a good baby, ok the sleeping part was rough for a couple of years but in the end it all turned out all right. Will I cope, being an older mother and someone who wants to continue her career? Since Drew and I started going out I've felt like I've just began to live my life, I feel free and happy to say and do what I want (well most of the time). But he has given me something that I never thought I'd have and that was pure love. Maybe I'm just scared what effect having a baby will have on our relationship. Maybe it's just the hormones eh?

Geek Alert!
Yes I'm excited about it and can't wait to tell people about it! I've made an appointment to see my Doctor - why am I so excited I hear you say - well I did it online! Signed up to this new surgery booking system online and now I can sit at home and make an appointment for me or Phoebe (ha Drew wasn't too keen on signing up- he will change his mind sometime as it's a nightmare trying to call the Docs at 8 am to get an appointment). I can pick and choose which Doctor, day and time I wish to visit - I'm delighted.
Oh yeah and my neck still hurts and my pelvis is being pulverised by every step I take - yeah for the joys of motherhood - blerugh! I feel like an 90 year old woman with severe arthritis who needs a hip replacement.
I have 10 weeks left and boy am I counting the days. I just hope my labour goes as quickly as Two-Hour-Tosha's!

Thanks to Lisa I found a rather nice maternity wear website http://www.funmum.com


Well this week has been exhausting to say the least, as they say the last trimester is the hardest and I have to agree. I've pulled a muscle in my neck which is now giving me headaches, and my hips are still causing a lot of pain - so much that I've had to stop doing any kicking lessons at my Tae Kwon Do class. I'm not too heart broken about that as I can still go to my lessons and practice my patterns, oh and I made Green Belt last week too! Phoebe has now reached a Blue tag belt (she is one Kup ahead of me now). And she rocks!
It's been hard for Phoebe and Drew this week as I've been working loads and have come home every night totally exhausted and well lets face it a complete grumpy cow! Sorry guys - I know it's hard being around me just now but it's not because I don't love you all it's because I'm just so freaking exhausted. It will soon pass in another 10 weeks (hehe).

Baby flump is making lots of movement these days, I'm constantly being kicked in the ribs and punched in the bladder (this also links into why I'm grumpy). Sometimes s/he is moving around so much that I think s/he has been sipping some stimulants and dancing the River Dance!

WARNING!For viewers of a nervous disposition please look away now.

For those who don't know I promised to publish pictures of Drew's insides! I've never seen so much of my boyfriend before!

Wow I've been working so hard over the past few weeks, despite being ill for 2 and a half days with a chest infection I've still managed to do a heck of a lot. I've managed to get all my tomato seedlings into grow bags last thursday, and with me putting down bug killer pellets all over the grow bags I've managed to create a kind of pet cemetary for slugs and snails. Where did they all come from, do snails and slugs smell fresh seedlings? Each morning I go out to check on my precious tomato plants and I find masses of dead and dying slugs. It's kinda sad too, here I am trying to grow some veg for the family and be enviornmentally friendly and kapow I end up having a mass cull of the little critters. Oh well maybe it will be different next year. Drews lovely sister Lorna has kindly offered to come down and help design and create a new garden for us! Yep Lorna I'm gonna hold you to that offer too!

We hope to incorporate some large veg box type areas so i can grow some stuff rather than having pots of seedling hanging all over the place, level out the lawn which will probably involve re-turfing it all, some new fencing - I'm sure it's all going to look terrific when Lorna has finished.

Thanks to the lovely James too, for inviting us to his BBQ this weekend - we had a brilliant time chatting to folk from work, eating lots of gourmet sausages and lovely mainated meat - very yummy guys. I met the lovely Bertie and Paul - they seem like our kinda people - NUTS! Hehe. They've invited us to theirs next saturday for another BBQ and the other good thing is they live in Milton Keynes! And as my friends know, god knows I keep telling them, that this is a bonus because when we go to visit them I'll also get the chance to visit the new Krispy Kreme store they have opened. Trust me you have never tasted a good donut until you taste one of these dreamy sugar loaded sweet bakes. I'm sure they have trillions of flavours I haven't trued yet and I can't wait to visit to purchase some more!

Extreme close up- meet Elvis (aka Evil One, Smelvis or Satan)

Ya gotta love him really! no honestly :)

Oh yeah and he loves the Banjo - check him out.

What can I say - she takes after her barmy mother!

I just had to show you this from Two Fat Lumps - (see my list of links for more cartoons) this just made my day!

As promised I've added a link to the BBQ photos (at the right hand side of this page) - Enjoy!

I've spent most of today lounging in my new pool! Finally purchased a 6ft wide plastic pool and it took us an hour to fill it with water from the garden hose - but boy was it worth it. For once I've actually stopped running around doing stuff and had a chillin afternoon in the pool, eating cherries - pure bliss!

Happy Canadian Day! Exhausting day today - had to get up and drive to Luton to complete our Tae Kwon Do grading, in the heat! Then drive back home - getting stuck on the road due to the never ending road works on the A1 - that sucks. Quick shower and then off to Lisa and Pauls for a BBQ - yummy - lots of fab food to eat and people to hang out with all afternoon.

Followed by some beaver bashing (fnar) - meet bertie the beaver pinata! Got smashed to bits though the poor thing - but he was full of yummy sweets!
Yawn got to go to bed as I'm exhausted.

Ok had to go back to the docs this morning, got another prescription but I'm puzzled by the warning!

More sleep please! It's getting more and more difficult to get a good nights sleep at the moment. With a wobbly pelvis that causes me constant pain and irritation when walking or lying for too long, it's sure making sleep really really difficult. Thanks to Lisa's mammoth sized pillow which takes up the space of a whole person in bed, I've been finding it slightly easier sometimes. Last night wasn't great though, maybe it was my own fault by going to bed at 9.30, but i got up at 1.30 and thought heck I'm not sleepy I'll go and do something like sewing brownie badges onto Phoebes sash and sewing a toggle that had come off her cardigan. Then I decided well since I'm up I might as well iron! Oh and then go and munch on pineapple - brilliant I though at least I'm being healthy. Next I decided to watch TV, usually the early morning drivel and OU programmes put me right to sleep but damn did I find that Designing Technology program interesting, followed by a film about Hilary and Jackie Du Pre the musically talented sisters. This ended in me finally making my way to bed at 5 am!

I'm a fool I know, I should have gone to bed earlier but I got hooked on the TV, well maybe the chocolate cake that was left over from Wendy's birthday and the packet of already opened bacon crunchy crisps (haha Drew caught you eating junk food).

Wow what a weekend we've all had. First of all Drew's sister Lorna arrived on friday, so we all went to the local indian restaurant and georged ourselves silly on lots of lovely food. Being 27 weeks pregnant I found it difficult to eat lots and decided to retire to bed at 9pm (oh yes that late!) whilst Dude, sprog and Lorna went to the pub for a cheeky wee half.

On Saturday we started to get ready for our BBQ, first I had to pick Wendy up from the train station and then we shopping (hehe it was shopping for the BBQ honest - even though I did bag a bargain in Dorothy Perkins and New look). Arriving back at the house Drew and Lorna had purchased some more meat products and our fridge now resembled a butchers counter - I have never seen to much meat before - did I ever tell you I was a strict Vegan at one point in my life?

Anyway it was a good day, and we all had a good laugh - there were some norty going ons with people climbing the neighbours trees and ahem fences. Some rough and tumble in the summer house where people were doing backclips on the exercise ball and trying out our various gym equipment. I shall link some photos in sometime soon.

Loonies! Haha - yes I'm feeling better, finally got some antibiotics and already they have stopped the sore throat and nasty chesty cough. Still got boogers but hey you can't have everything.

Now you see them, now you don't!

Still feeling ill today, stuffy nose has turned into chest infection and making me feel miserable.

Normal service to resume soon I hope. :)

still feeling crappy today - would much rather be doing what Elvis is doing here - snoozing in the sun on the summer house!

Today has been postponed as we are all suffering from sore throats and boogers. Thanks Phoebe for passing your bugs onto us - as they say it's great to share!
oh another note - keep a careful eye on those bag packers who are supposed to help when you are at the checkout. Today for once i decided to let the kind lady help pack my shopping whilst i stood there and blew my nose and looked miserable. Turned out after packing my stuff and putting it in the trolley she had left all my new underwear sitting at the checkout whilst i paid for it.
Most annoyed when I got home to find this out, and then I had to call tesco whilst mildly mad and explain at being 6 months pregnant, suffering from a cold and hip joint pain that it wasn't my fault that she didn't put the items in my trolley, and therefore would they please deliver it. Well after much hoo-aaahing they did and the delivery guy had a nerve to say that it wasn't company policy to deliver these things! So i reminded him that it was also company policy that the people who help pack your shopping bags don't leave your things at the checkout!!!!

Sweet weekends...this weekend i planned to visit my old old friend (she wont thank me for saying old here!) in Tonbridge, I was told off for calling it Tonbridge Wells. To my amazement it was one of the easiest places to drive too, even though i spent some time sitting in traffic at the toll booth and traffic jams in the hot hot sunshine! i was welcomed into her house by their teenage son Connor (just remember Connor I babysat you when you were a little 3 year old blonde haired toddler!), who despite being a teenager (hormones and girls - know what I mean?) is still a pleasure to shoot the shit with! Diane arrived soon after with her two brilliant daughters (sorry Connor you are brilliant too - but don't let that go to your head.) Rhiannon (who is a flagpole with long flowing hair) and Caitlin (who is such a cute little pixie). Diane, I am glad to say, was looking well despite running around after 3 busy kids (2 of them black belts in Wing Chun - how kick ass is that?) still retains her wicked sense of humor and "normality" - Diane if you are reading this you will know what I mean! Her hubby you see works in some god-forsaken shit hole for the oil industry and spends lots of weeks away from family. Hats off to you guys. I really couldn't do without Drew being here to help fix the house, sort out kids, shopping, housework, blah blah and whatever else my handy "man friend with extras" does here.

Thanks Diane for looking after Phoebe and I, taking us out to Si for some lovely calamari (this time i didn't feel queasy after eating it) and a lovely artichoke salad. Sorry I couldn't eat more but I have a naughty baby playing volleyball with my small intestine and football with my bladder. Does make eating lots of lovely food tricky. I'm looking forward to cooking a full English breakfast complete with butteries for you when you drop by in August.
ciao for now everyone xxx