Hello
all!
It
has been quite a while since my last post. Despite the best of
intentions, life can sometimes get in the way. Not that all has been
bad- quite the opposite for the most part actually! So, to satisfy
your curiosity, I shall divulge all :)
A
few months after my last post, I was working like crazy, saving for
my upcoming wedding. Two weeks before I married, I finally stopped
work and tried to wind down before the big day. On the 17th
of August, I married my best friend, Tristan Griffin, in a beautiful
ceremony made possible by so many of my supportive friends and family. That then
gave us one week to move his stuff in (Tristan had until this point
not been living with me at all), drive my daughter to her new job,
attempt to relax and settle into the new 'normal' in a full house (I
also have a 16 year old German student living with us 'til next June)
before leaving for a well needed honeymoon- a 12 day South Pacific
cruise, departing from Sydney.
Phew.
I'm exhausted just reading that! The cruise was such a blessing, and
much needed after the very busy year we had both had. We had many
adventures, saw some incredible things, ate far, far too much, except
me when I got seasick!
Upon
my return, we instantly were thrust back into 'parent' mode, driving
here and there, running errands and the like. I was not coping and
felt quite snappy and unwell the first full day after home- which I
just put down to travel fatigue. The next day, I couldn't get out of
bed. And there I stayed for almost 9 days, sick with the worst flu I
can remember. I kindly shared it with Tristan who got his 5 days
after mine.
Tristan
started getting better though much sooner than me. I couldn't
understand why he had energy and I was still fatigued, aching and
starting to feel nauseous again. Then, one day I felt the urge to get
a pregnancy test. I was still quite tired and dizzy and forced myself to go out, where I grabbed a
moderately priced brand from Woolies and came home. I took the
test and didn't expect anything as I wasn't due 'til the weekend.
That's when it happened- a faint line appeared!!!
We
had discussed having kids, but at my age- currently 44, I would never
have expected to naturally conceive. Though I had been taking
supplements with folate prior to my wedding, I honestly never
expected something so wonderful to happen to me at this late stage of
my fertility. We had actually discussed becoming foster parents as
that seemed the most logical process for us, and had even just sent
out an inquiry form to Life Without Barriers.
But,
here we were- pregnant after a honeymoon! I instantly got into my
doctor the next day -after doing another test just to be sure- which
was an instant positive! My doctor shared my exuberance and was as
shocked by my news as me. The overall visit wasn't overly negative,
but I was booked in to get an ultrasound at 6 weeks, to see if my
pregnancy was viable, and given my first script for blood tests.
At
when I thought was my 6th week, I went to get my scan. On
the 11th of October, I saw my precious peanut- dated as 6
weeks and 1 day, planted where he/she should be and complete with a
very clear beating heart! I couldn't help but tear up. Also making
this moment emotional was though this is baby number 3, it's the
first time their daddy was around to share this moment. It was so
worth having my bladder at ultra full capacity and a late doctor due
to a freeway driving mishap :)
So
now, I am on a not so pleasant emotional roller coaster. Though the
news is wonderful, I have endured horrendous mood swings that put my
PMS to shame, chronic and debilitating fatigue, nausea, food
aversions and a very strong dislike to the smell of coffee and many
scents. I only seem to want to eat carbs- how annoying seeing as
though I'm often too tired to exercise! I'm so looking forward to the
12 week mark when symptoms ease.
I'm
also being challenged by my doctor, sadly, saying that my age
naturally poses a health risk. So this Friday, the start of my 10th
week, I am agreeing to undergo non invasive tests. I love little
people, and refuse flatly to allow invasive testing because it isn't
for me, does have a miscarriage risk and wouldn't affect our decision
to continue with this pregnancy. I am completely fine with blood
tests, and the Nuchal Translucency Screening to check for Down's
Syndrome. I am, however, not checking because this thought scares me-
having a child with issues is still a precious life worth loving, but
some in the medical profession see things differently. I just want
to see my baby again, so any chance to check my precious little life
is exciting!
Having
a baby again delights me on many levels, especially as this blog is
primarily based around my love of kids art and writing for children.
Even Hank & Petal the characters (which will be revealed!!!) are
designed for little ones. Despite the current challenges, I am so
looking forward to this new season, and the creativity that will flow
out of it.
Thank
you once again for reading :)
