Ha! Had to go and sort Samuel out over something already! ;) This will continue every few minutes or even many times in the same minute, until Elijah wakes from his nap and that's the end of my time to update here. But, if I don't start, I'll NEVER get an update written, and I don't like the 3 week gap that's already there!
Okay, quickly!
My scan is NEXT WEEEEEEEEEK!!!! I'm getting so excited about it, and the usual slightly nervous paranoia that something might be wrong with my little one - it's always such a relief to have the scan and everything checks out okay in the end. I hope it will be the same way this time. Neil and I will both be able to go together (yay!) because Heather is kindly going to watch all 6 boys at home for us! We might take Elijah if he's upset at the idea of us going off without him, but Heather's happy (and very competent) to have all six. I also love the fact that she'll be the first person we will have contact with after the scan so she gets to hear first whether it's a boy or a girl! :) She was the first person last time, even before Neil, because she was with me for the 17 week scan I had for Elijah's little size (in case there was a cause for concern) and we unexpectedly saw his boy bits! ;)
Arthur was asking me last week whether I thought we'd see a boy or a girl at the scan, and I had to tell him I honestly do not know. I mean, he pressed me for details on hunches, or clues I've had, etc. but although my gut says girl, I know my gut instinct has been wrong before more than once, lol! So I'm not allowing that to sway me - it's probably a boy in any case! I genuinely can't wrap my mind around the concept of seeing anything other than the familiar boy bits as they sort of "morph" into view during the scan. I feel strongly enough about that to override the gut instinct that says girl, and say that's a really good indication that it's a boy. So contradictory! I think I wouldn't be feeling so conflicted about it if I had had boys and girls so far already, but I can't imagine a totally new experience, being THIS experienced at pregnancy, scans, new babies, etc. It seems so surreal as to be impossible. So, with all that together, my overall feeling about the scan is that for once I completely and utterly do not know what to expect to see. I am 100% neutral in my expectations, because I can't lean one way or the other based on anything I've got to go by so far, and that is LOVELY! :) Usually we've had a nub shot at the 12 week scan that definitely indicates a boy, or else God has told me in advance that it will be a boy. This is the first pregnancy since Nathan's where I totally have no idea, and it's nice. I think it must be lovely to have no idea at ALL at the birth - having not found out at all beforehand, but if I'd had girls as well as boys, I wouldn't mind trying that. Because we still haven't had a girl, I NEEEEED to know in advance if we're expecting one, hehe! ;) If we happen to (somehow!) have a girl this time, and I am blessed with another baby, I think it would be nice to not find out, because we'll be prepared for both in any case.
Well, whoever he or she is, this little one is kicking around quite a lot these days. The kicks are still such little pops! I can feel them with my hand, but Neil hasn't been able to yet - they are such little tiny blips and because I can feel them inside, I am able to place my hand where I know they'll be for an easier chance to feel them against my hand.
Last week I had a tummy bug. A real live vomiting bug! I haven't thrown up since I was 18 (that's 19 years ago!!) and I have been phobic about vomiting since I was two years old. It has probably been the major hurdle of my entire life, affecting my life a lot, especially in my late teens and adulthood. We went to the church Fun Day on the Saturday morning and by Sunday evening I had awful diarrhoea and started vomiting somewhere before midnight. Ugggghhhhh. So horrible! If I ever catch tummy bugs, I only ever get diarrhoea, even when everyone else in the family is throwing up repeatedly. I have always just been blessed that way (thankfully!), but this time it wasn't the case. Heather thinks it's because I'm pregnant and my immune system is at a low right now as a result. Bleurgh. Anyway, the diarrhoea continued for 24 hours but I only threw up a couple of times in the night. I DID NOT DIE!!!! I have always been terrified I would die - I know it's irrational, but that's a phobia for you. I didn't panic overly either, and I'm so proud of myself. I consider my phobia OVER with now! :D I still hate it to bits, and it scares me, but I can't say I'm phobic any more after the way I handled it! :)
Anyway, poor Elijah and Samuel caught it from me, even though I was in bed all the time, kept my hands washed, and only saw them to breastfeed for the first 48 hours. :( It has taken me a full week to recover - it really knocked me for six! I couldn't eat for a couple of days, but I could take dioralyte and diluted lemonade, so that was something. I got really dehydrated and passed some mucus plug sort of stuff, and was crampy the day after I was sick, but it all settled down quickly. I just hope I have not started work on another kidney stone as a result. The last kidney stone I had came as a result of some bad dehydration with a stomach bug, plus summer weather, plus breastfeeding. I've tried to combat it with lemonade (real lemons, proper citric acid!) and drinking plenty since I've been able to tolerate it. Hoping for the best!
Elijah and Samuel threw up all evening (10 and 9 times, respectively) last Tuesday, and were such poor little scraps, especially tiny 'Lijah, that I felt dreadful for them! I was well enough just about, to look after them and hold them while they were puking. They started at exactly the same moment (simultaneous vomiting on two different beds!), and stopped within 5 minutes of each other, 5 hours later, and both fell into a heavy sleep for the rest of the night. Funny how exact it was for them. They nearly always threw up at the same time as each other through the evening. Neil and I moved Elijah in with Samuel on the bed next to him for the duration, and sat with them the whole time, and they slept between bouts, thankfully, and shared baths when it became necessary. After they'd finished, we moved 'Lijah back into my bed for the rest of the night. Amazingly, the four older boys and Neil never caught it! We couldn't possibly keep the little boys isolated for all the days they would be infectious afterwards, so we didn't try. I was for sure expecting 4 vomiting children a couple of nights later, but thankfully (oh so thankfully!) no! :) A lot of prayer went into it as well. I was on my knees at their bedsides that night after they had gone to sleep for a good while! Thank you Lord! :)
We now all have colds, but I'm relieved that I'm just soldiering through with mine and not flaking out exhausted, coldy and pregnant. I wondered how I'd fare since I wasn't quite over the tummy bug when the cold started, but I'm okay, just feeling a bit crummy! Neil went back to work this week - he took ALL of last week off as holiday time (he had no choice on the holiday, unfortunately) because I was really not well enough to get up most of that week, let alone look after 6 littles. I'm so thankful for that too! So far this week I have been doing laundry like crazy. Neil kept it going last week, but yesterday and today I have done 9 loads and there are still probably 3 or 4 to go in the laundry boxes, plus Matthew wet the bed last night so his bedding needs washing too.
Busy busy! :) But happy happy! Love my hard job! :)
I have failed to get a belly pic for way too long! :( I missed 16 weeks and just though, ah well, I'm nearly 18 weeks, I'll get one for then. But then I was sick and now I'm 19 weeks - the time is just flying by! A week from now I'll be halfway through my pregnancy and into the 20s!!! Wow. I don't think I'm showing that much, for me. I was showing much more before I was sick, haha! After I threw up and didn't eat for a couple of days, I could hardly see a bump when I stood up at all! I lost a stone (14lbs), but I'm sure it's all back on now. Last I checked (days ago) I was 9st 10lbs, which was up 7lbs from where I went down to after my tummy bug.
One thing I've noticed since recovering from the bug is that I seem to have been left with morning sickness again, and irritable bowel syndrome (which I always have to some degree, but it's flaring up quite a bit at the moment). Boo! I thought the nausea from the bug was lingering, and it was somewhat, but I'm now noticing foods leave a bitter taste, I can't bite my nails, etc. again, so I think it's back. It's not awful, just a nuisance, and I don't feel well in my stomach all the time. Choosing and eating food is difficult, but it's perfectly bearable other than that, so it could be worse. Hopefully it won't hang around too many more weeks. It was 24 weeks before it totally cleared up with Elijah (my longest stretch!).
Talking of Elijah, he is still napping and I must wake him up or else he won't sleep at bedtime! Samuel appears to have fallen asleep on the living room floor, so I'd better wake him too! ;)
Back soon I hope!