38 week (+ 1 day) pictures.

Feeling pretty chilled at the moment, enjoying being off work particularly the days I can put my feet up and do nothing. I have needed to put my feet up as they are getting very swollen.


The swollen feet is one of a number of factors that has stopped me from walking too far now (I wouldn't even dare a walk to the high street), 1 is the sheer size of my feet mean that flip flops are the only appropriate footwear, 2 is that the act of walking really gets all this excess blood pumping to the point I can feel and see my arms and wrists swelling up too, 3 is the fact that I keep getting a trapped nerve in my arse as well as hip pain, so find myself hopping around wincing and grabbing my backside. But no matter as I have interesting projects to do at home, such as sort out photos, decorate Fidget's bookcase, reading and then plenty of DVDs and daytime TV to watch.



I am also worried that I shouldn't really drive, as I do feel more dopey and have slower reactions, so home it is.


The days with Fidget are good too, I have tried to make sure we have projects to do at home, as even a walk across to the park could be risky if Fidget decides she is going to have a moment and needs to be chased after or carried home. We have been doing lots of painting and gluing; glitter, sequins, pom poms, whatever she gets her hands on. I have to sit down most of the time, but Fidget is happy to play or bring books for us to read, or sit next to me and draw. My favourite thing is when she sits on my knee facing me and we sing songs together, I love watching her face when she sings or when she is studying my face to get the words right, she does the actions for the songs with her hands and we both smile and laugh and have cuddles. She often now also sings songs to her baby sister or tickles her or gives her kisses. So far from being stressful, my days looking after Fidget can be so lovely, really getting the endorphins going, she is such a joy.


Last week wasn't so happy, as I got an ear infection that really affected my sleeping and eating. I couldn't lie down on my right hand side. At the moment I can only sleep on one side or the other, but must swap regularly due to pain in my hips, so at night I lay down and would go to sleep on my left side but woke up with hip pain, and some ear pain just from lying down and a sore throat. I would take paracetamol and wander around the house on my own until the various pains had died down and I could go back to sleep on my left again. I couldn't eat anything that needed chewing, thing is I was keen not to go and get antibiotics, worrying about the risk to wa-wa, but in the end I felt it was madness to let it drag on, so went to the doctor who prescribed an antibiotic that is applied locally.


But that is now sorted and I am feeling grateful for being able to get comfortable at night again and eat more foods. I know it is foolish but I do feel that things may happen soon, last night I lay down, wee-wa-wa was writhing about something mental and I am sure I was getting some contractions and back pain pulsing in and out, but I went off to sleep and it had all died down when I woke again. Her movements have been quite vigorous, yesterday I felt that she was really trying to get out, she almost seemed to be bracing herself with her feet pushed against my ribs and scrabbling on my pelvis. I really shouldn't make any predictions or she will end up coming late or have to be induced, but it is hard not to hope and draw conclusions from differences this time to last.