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Babies and Cars
My sister is now only 7 days away from her due date and there's still no sign of any action. Every morning I wake up and wonder whether today will be the day. Being the pregnancy/baby fanatic that I am, I am excited all over again whenever I think about the impending birth. I simply cannot wait to have a good ole chin-wag with my sister about it all after the fact. I want to hear every juicy detail.
"Juicy" is perhaps not the best choice of words there.
Our biggest problem at the moment is that we are now "without car". She has officially died. Her engine is making such terrible noises that Stephen's last ditch efforts this morning were in vain. We will be bidding her farewell as soon as we find someone who'll take over her substantial care.
This is an issue, of course, because my sister lives just over an hour away so we need a car. If I want to see that little baby within the next few weeks, we've got to get a new car. We've looked around and, so far, have not found anything that suits our needs and our budget.
Anybody out there selling a new-ish car, with a low kilometre count, at a remarkably cheap price? No? Didn't think so.
Fall Decorations
Ruth came upstairs a few minutes ago and announced that she was making a sandwich “for tomorrow”. Why, I asked, are you working? (As a side note, this assumption was rather foolish of me as she works at McDonald’s and has yet to ever pack herself a lunch). No, she replied, with a look that told me that I was the dumb one in this conversation, school starts tomorrow.
And then it hit me: it’s September and the summer is coming to a close. Where does the time go?
But it’s not all bad. Autumn is coming and it just happens to be my favorite season. The leaves start to turn on the trees, the weather is cooler and oodles more bearable and then there is the best holiday of them all: Halloween! So it’s time to decorate the house with lovely Fall decorations in oranges, reds and browns and to dust off that old witches costume.
My Mum has always been one to pack away one season’s things and unpack the next. She does a day of house cleaning and updating of the décor. I’ve have always wanted to be posh enough to get the Fall plates out, like she does, but unless I actually purchase these, I’ll have a tough time doing that.
But I could definitely and quite easily get this fantastic scarecrow and the painted tin pumpkin for the door. The cornucopias? I could stuff them with artificial leaves and other Fall items to make a lovely table centrepiece.
Fall (or Autumn, depending on who you talk to) really is the best time of the year.
The Online Discount Mart are also having an “end of summer” sale. Amazing deals on things that you can pack away for next Summer. You could be posh, like my Mum.
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Colds, again
I am in desperate need of a bit of sleep. I definitely have a few night's worth to catch up on. With Abby being up ALL night Saturday night... Oh, did I not tell you about that? Ah yes, that was because I was waaaay too tired to write about anything.
Abby had a cold and it seemed to affect her pretty badly. We've all had the cold but Abby had it the worst. We put her to bed as usual at about 8:30pm and she was up again two hours later. I gave her a drink and put her back to bed. Not knowing what my night would be like, I jumped into bed immediately and was woken about an hour later by a screaming baby.
With a runny nose and a hacking cough, Abby was not a happy camper. My headache was growing at this stage as I rocked back and forth and tried in vain to get her to just shut up. But she was tired, very tired, and as moody as hell.
And do you know what? It was 7am before she settled down again. And that was only because she couldn't stay awake even if she tried. Exhaustion had taken over, for both of us, and bed was inevitable.
I then slept from 7am to 9am, when I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. I tossed and turned and just couldn't switch off. I could hear Stephen and Jake in the living room and I just hate not getting a morning cuddle from my boy!
So I got up, had a leisurely breakfast and shower and then worked from noon until 6pm.
Sunday night was better with Abby. She only woke once. That was a blessing! Me? I woke numerous times because my nose was stuffed up and I was too hot/ too cold/ too thirsty.
But we're on the upside of these colds now. Abby has the color back in her baby cheeks and although my nose is completely stuffed as I type this, my limbs ache a lot less than they did. Look at the positive, huh?
And poor Jakey lost his balance and trip while coming through the back door the other day. His mouth was a bit bloody. He'd bitten his tongue and now has a lovely crescent-shaped cut. Poor thing.
Water Flows
My sister's waters broke at about 4:30 this morning. She'd gotten up to pee and ended up soaked. She cleaned herself up and was quickly soaked again. I can sympathize as I know just how wet and uncomfortable that can be. It is amazing just how much fluid is in there!
My Mum called to let me know what was happening and then I called my sister to let her know that we were thinking of her. She said that her contractions were 10 minutes aparts but that they were not as strong now that she was up and walking around. I assured her that walking about was good and that it helps to use the natural force of gravity. Walking can also ease contractions and be a wonderful coping tool and distraction.
She called the hospital and they told her to have a leisurely breakfast and then to head over to get checked over. As she lives right across the street from the hospital, I don't think that she's overly concerned about not making it in time. It seems like she's got a bit of wait ahead of her anyway.
Her partner is a bit of a worrier, she tells me, so I'm hoping that he's not too freaked out right now.
I'm so excited!
Jake's Social Worker
The day before yesterday, Stephen and I went to see a Social Worker about Jake. It was an appointment that we'd had for quite a while and it was nice to finally get to sit down and discuss our options. My Mum came over and stayed with Abby and Jake, so at least we could talk without chasing or placating the little 'uns.
As it turns out, there are many, many support facilities in places for children with autism and families of children with autism. Everything from support groups to play groups to in-home therapy to tax breaks to supplimentary government payouts from all the "extras" involved in taking care of a child with autism. There are even payments to be had for respite care, meaning for parents who need a break from their autistic child.
Stephen and I end up feeling a bit fraudulous as, to us, Jake is a pleasure to have around and we don't think that he costs us much more than a child who isn't afflicted with autism. And we certainly don't want a break from him! Au contraire! We want him with us all the time. He's the most special and precious little boy in the world and he is not difficult to have around. It does, of course, make me very, very grateful because I am becoming more and more aware of how much other parents of children with autism sometimes have to put up with. Violence, self-harm, repetative and harmful "ticks"... the list goes on and thankfully, so far, we don't have to deal with all that.
We stressed to the Social Worker that our only "complaint" about Jake was his lack of communication. We just want to understand what he wants or why he's upset. We want him to want to talk to us, even if it's not done verbally.
We were using PECS, but Jake has become stubborn and refuses to take part. So at the moment, we're back to square one. Because of PECS, we now know that Jake is capable of learning to communicate. We now just need to get through to him that it is to his benefit to cooperate. Harder than it sounds!
That First Entry
I just thought I'd amuse myself and, hopefully, everyone reading this by re-posting my very first blog entry here at 20six. This entry goes back to July 17, 2003 and, as you'll read, Stephen and I had only been married 2 years. I desperately wanted to have a baby and felt that I needed to "talk" about that desire. This blog was such therapy to me during that time and then, once I was pregnant, I found that I was going through those wild and wacky times with two other 20six-ers. And with the knowledgable input from a lovely midwife 20six-er, well, my time here has been good.
We went through a rough spell a little while back when 20six changed "platforms" and everything turned upside down. Many bloggers left for other free services, but I stuck it out. I have considered a relocation many times and have even started the transition on several occasions, but given my history here, I can't quite seem to break the ties.
Anyway, I digress. Here's that first entry:
- This is my first entry into my Baby Blog.
As I said in my intro, I'm 30 years old and I've been married for two years. My husband's name is Stephen. He was married once before and has three lovely daughters (13, 17, 18), who are now, of course, my stepdaughters. I have never been married before and I don't have any children of my own.
Yet...
I used to think that I didn't want any kid¢s. They annoyed me in restaurant, running around screaming, and I hated the thought of changing diapers. Late-night feeds, vomit, crying, etc. I just didn't see it in the cards for me.
Then I met Stephen and everything changed. It's kind of like I entered a new faze of my life. All of a sudden, I wasn't just Nicola, live alone, enjoying the single life, doing whatever I please. I was a wife, a stepmother. My role changed and my life situation changed. I was with someone who made me feel safe and taken-care-of. Stephen made me feel like I could have anything I wanted. He still does.
And I saw something in him that made me want to share myself with him fully. I wanted to combine a little piece of him and a little piece of me. What a beautiful baby we'd have. Made out of sheer love.
Sounds sappy, doesn't it? I know, but it's the way I feel. I never used to be so sappy.
So, on the 17th of May, I took my last birth control pill. Some experts say to wait a little while after stopping before trying to conceive. Other experts say that you can be at your most fertile immediately after stopping the pill.
I got my period as normal the month after stopping the pill (June), on a 29-day cycle. If I count 29 days from the period, I should started my period yesterday.
It hasn't started yet, but I know that I shouldn't get my hopes up. One day late doesn't mean anything. Especially when I've been on the pill for three years and I'm still getting used to what my normal cycle should be.
I haven't had any of the pre-period symptoms, but then, I haven't had any pergnancy symptoms either. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but it's hard.
She's here!
The babe has arrived! She came into the world at 2:13am, a mere 16 hours ago. She weighed 6 lbs 12 and I'm told that she has dark hair and eyes, just like her Daddy. She gave her Mummy a bit of hard time. My sister pushed for two hours before the doctors decided that the baby wasn't descending like she should. She got the dreaded episiotimy and then was subjected to forceps.
For those not in the know, an episiotimy is a cut made in the area most private to a woman to make a baby's exit, ummm, roomier. And forceps are like giant tongs. They grab the baby by the head and the doctor pulls while the Mum pushes. I never had either of the above things done to me and I can only imagine how traumatic and painful it all was.
I've just spoken to my sister, who is still in hospital, and she sounds pretty rough. We only spoke briefly but she promised me all the juicy details at a later date.
The baby's name? Kailyn Janelle. I can't wait to meet her.
Free Home Surveillance System
I have been asked to do a fair and impartial review of Home Camera, toted as the world’s easiest to use Internet home surveillance camera system. By that, they mean that you use your own webcam, set up on your home computer, to monitor your residence or business. You can then log in to the Home Camera website from any computer around the world to check in.
I feel like this is a topic close to my heart as I have tried several services similar to Home Camera and I have also had my own webcam site for many years now. We initially started using the webcam to enable my family in Canada to check in on my new life in England with my new husband. Then, as strangers started writing to us, it grew into a website of it’s own, with four cameras set up. While at work, it enabled me to check in on my stepdaughters and to make sure that everything was secure.
Having downloaded the Home Camera software, installed it and had a scrupulous look around the Home Camera website, I am able to tell you more about it:
- Home Camera is still in beta phase and is completely free during this period. The company will soon “go commercial” but promises that all users that sign up whilst in its testing faze while be updated to Home Camera Lite free of charge.
- Set-up took me about 3 minutes. First, I signed up to the website (all they ask is name, email address, time zone and country), then downloaded the file (3.48 Mb) and installed the software. My webcam was already plugged in to my computer and the software found it immediately. (I’ve got to say that not all webcam software finds the camera that easily!)
- Images and video from your webcam are available for viewing from any internet-ready computer anywhere in the world. Or, if you have a mobile phone that can play video, or even a PDA.
- You don’t need to buy a special webcam or purchase any expensive software. The Home Camera system will work with any webcam and the software is free.
- All the advanced home surveillance features that you could ever need are included. Motion detection, webcam sharing, time-lapse recording and more.
- Home Camera offer 24/7 telephone and email support. Although I can’t imagine that you’ll have any troubles setting it up or using it.
Pretty impressive features for the price tag, I’d say. In the past, I’ve used free services – they didn’t have the long list of features – and I’ve paid for webcam services and software – they tend to be a much more do-it-yourself kind of thing.
What do I think of Home Camera?
- Free. You can’t go wrong with free.
- Easy. So very, very.
- Clear. Set-up instructions were clear and simple. The images from my cam were crisp (and available to be viewed in several different sizes). And once logged in, you can very clearly set up more cams and browse through your account.
- Private. Only you can log in to see what’s happening in front of your cam, unless you decide otherwise.
All in all, I’ve been impressed with the Home Camera system and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants an inexpensive way of simply and efficiently keeping an eye on something that’s important to you. Your pet, your home, your business or even just the weather.
But sign up soon, because it's free now.
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Introducing Kailyn Janelle
The poor thing has a face that is still a bit swollen and marks on her head and face where the forceps grasped her.
She's so pretty!
Our new Ford Taurus
We are the proud new owners of a 2002 Ford Taurus. It's a deep burgundy red and ever so pretty. Stephen's gone to pick it up now.
I can't wait to drive it!
